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All responses Most smiled responses
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Read the supplement part of this post... http://www.rearickstrength.com/2011/05/my-28-day-experiment-with-velocity-diet.html You need def need a whey, fish oil, a greens supplement to start... then there are extras
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Here are my favorites
Training
Functional Training For Sports – Mike Boyle
Advances in Functional Training – Mike Boyle
Starting Strength – Mark Rippetoe
Practical Programming- Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore
Movement- Gray Cook
Nutrition
Food Rules- Micheal Pollen
Anything written by John Berardi
150 Healthiest Foods on Earth – Jonny Bowden
Business/Personal Growth
Rework – Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Today Matters – John Malcom
How To Win Friends and Influence People- Dale Carnegie
E-Myth – Michael Gerber
Outliers - Malcom Gladwell -
First thing is first. If it hurts, don’t do it. If you are in fact doing planks correctly and your hips are not sagging but you still get pain, this exercise is not for you, at least for now. Do you have a history of back injury and pain? Do you get pain doing other things? Do you need the help of a medical professional like a PT or a Chiropractor? These are questions you need to ask yourself first.
Look at doing some more basic core movements to work on core stabilization. Try these ones out and see how these feel.
Quadruped Draw-In
Quadruped Hip Extension
If you have no pain, do these and master them. And try progressing back to planks. If your pain is persistent seek the help of a medical professional. -
It is a common misconception that women require a different type of protein than men. I would recommend the same type of protein to women as I do to any of my male athletes. There is no biological reason for women to require any different type of protein source. I first suggest that everyone get protein from real food sources as often as possible. You get the most bang for your buck here as far as nutrients and taste goes. For supplementation, I suggest plain old whey protein. Personally, I like Dymatize Whey and Syngex Whey for taste and quality. We give MetRx shakes out to all our athletes at MBSC and they seem to love them. If you are looking for a protein in the evening prior to bed then casein may be a better choice for you.
If you are a vegan and are looking for a protein I suggest Sun Warrior Raw Vegan Protein. I hear it tastes great, plus it has a complete amino acid profile and is gluten free. -
Q1. What happens to form when the postural muscles, rhomboids, lower traps etc in a beginner in during the front squat begin to fatigue?
When the postural muscles in the upper back start to fatigue the chest will begin to fall forward into spinal flexion and sometimes you'll see the trainee rock forward onto their toes. If this cannot be corrected with a cue then this would be considered technical failure.
Q2. How does use of the hips differ in all three?
I'm not sure what your asking about the hips? Rephrase a full sentence I'll answer.
Q3. Can you do higher rep front squats without technical failure?
The trainee's ability to do high rep front squats is going to depend on the trainees training ability. Someone who front squats frequently is technically efficient and has good thoracic mobility and core stability should be to do higher rep ranges and higher intensities without technical failure. In short it depends.
Q4. Should someone with overly kyphotic posture be doing a front squat?
If someone is extremely kyphotic to the point where they are experiencing pain I would not suggest squatting them at all. They should be seeking help from professionals (PT/Manual Therapist) who can assist them. With me I would have them perform thoracic self mobilization drills to try to gain more thoracic extension. The front squat could eventually be a good exercise to get them to extend their thoracic spine but until they can get upright enough to shelf the bar on their shoulders they should be body weight squatting.
Q5. What happens to the stabilizers when consistently using the RFESS as the primary lower body lift?
When using the RFESS you will be doing more to train for single leg stability. The single leg stance forces you keep the knee from wavering inward or outward. Often I have to cue athletes to contract their glutes to externally rotate/abduct the femur so that the knee stays in line over the toe.
Q6. What is the lowest rep bracket one can use with the RFESS before it becomes unsafe?
In my experience with the RFESS and from what Mike Boyle has seen in his experiences form tends to start deteriorating in 3 rep sets. You start to see too much instability and forward flexion when the loads get to high and the lift simply does not look pretty. This is when I start worry about impending injury. For this reason I keep the rep ranges to 5's at the lowest.
Q7. Should an athlete back squat with a low bar powerlifting setup or a high bar Olympic lifting setup?
What is this athlete training for? Do they have a shoulder issue? How's their thoracic spine posture? Should they even be back squatting in the first place? These are all specifics that are going to help determine the answer to this. If you have a healthy athlete who can do either style does it really make a difference? If I have someone back squat I will have them use a traditional Olympic high bar style.
Q8. Should someone ever use the California front squat grip if their wrists are not flexible enough to use a clean grip?
Usually I have seen the limiting factor in being able to get the arms into the olympic style front squat is not the wrists but actually the shoulders. The wrists are usually quite flexible the fey to getting them to bend them back is teaching the athlete to loosen the grip and rest the bar on the fingers. As far the shoulders I will work on mobility, having the athlete practice pushing up the elbows under the bar and work on improving thoracic mobility as it directly feeds into the shoulder mobility deficit. If all of this is slow to take effect I would either try the California style or have them practice goblet squatting to reinforce the upright posture.
Q9. How does one train to eventually use a clean grip if their wrists are initially unable to hold this position.
Keep the bar at chest level, against your chest in a squat rack. Practice driving your elbows up into the front squat position. Keep the body still and upright, look for movement in the shoulder joint. Also work on other shoulder mobility and thoracic mobility drills.
Q10. Should one just do the FMS when assessing a client or should a coach also put the client on a table and test ranges of motion, muscle extensibility and so on?
The FMS is a great screening tool for you to begin assessing your clients with. It is best to use the FMS to assess how the major joints in the body work together in movement. Passing the FMS does not mean someone moves without dysfunction, it is just a screen of specific patterns. It is important to assess everything that you deem necessary. Table tests, gait tests, assessment of movement during exercise, breathing patterns etc. Remember we should always be assessing, watch our clients at all times, see how they move.
Hope this helped. Thanks for the questions.
-Kevin -
Start by teaching the Bodyweight Squat
Describe proper positioning: Feet slightly wider than shoulder width, toes straight, hands across chest or behind head, chest up.
Demonstrate: Sit backwards, keep weight on heels, chest up, squat to parallel, squeeze glutes at the bottom, stand up tall.
Use a 12 inch box: Have the client squat to a 12 inch box so they understand how to sit back and know where parallel is. Many people will not be able to reach a 12 inch box initially so add a pad/plate/book etc. to make it high while they are learning.
Progress with Success: Once they can perform 3 sets of 15 reps with perfect form at bodyweight teach them how to load the bar on the upper back/shoulders. From here the squat doesn’t change at all. Be sure that form does not deteriorate with the introduction of an external load. -
Brendon: The pros: I think the FMS is an awesome tool and it only takes about 10 min to do if your experienced. It’s used to evaluate fundamental movement patterns which can tell you if a client needs to see a specialist if they have pain OR if they have asymmetries, weakness, or stability/mobility issues that need to be corrected. By finding these problems BEFORE you begin and exercise program you minimize the chances of putting your client at risk for injury by putting them through an exercise program they are not ready for.
The cons: I see with the FMS or any movement screen is that trainers are not using them on their clients! They get a client and hand him or her a program with squats, deadlifts, lunges, pull ups, shoulder press, without ever assessing them. You have a client fail the inline lunge test with serious asymmetries would you want to load that poor lunging movement pattern with a barbell or heavy dumbells?? No you would not because you are putting you client at risk. With corrective exercises you can clean up these bad movement patterns, have your client moving better and keep them injury free. The only other con is that its hard to implement with large groups. It can be done but its not easy. Even with that being said I still think its worth the time to screen EVERYONE even with a large group. The benefits of the screen outweigh any of the setbacks that time with a large group might cause you.
Kevin: I wouldn’t say there are “negatives” to the FMS but there are things it does and things it doesn’t do and it is important to understand what they are.
What it does…
The FMS is a great screening method to find stability/mobility weaknesses and imbalances in clients and athletes. Often you can have an athlete who looks great on the field go through this test and find a number of issues which down the road could lead to injury.
The FMS can be a great tool to sell your program to your athletes. Do you have athletes/clients who think that all of the corrective exercise work you do is not necessary? Watch them fail the rotary stability test multiple times and then they’ll understand that they need it.
What is doesn’t do..
It doesn’t assess everything. It assess all of the major movements that need to be addressed to avoid injury but that doesn’t mean there is not more assessing to be done. You should be assessing gate patterns, standing hip elevation/rotation, breathing patterns, dynamic movement patterns and much more. The FMS is not the end all be all but I do believe that it is the most efficient and best all around screening tool we have. -
Back Squat
The most classic and easily recognizable strength exercise in the world.
Strengths: The back squat is second to none for full lower body and posterior chain development. To build big strong quads, glutes and core this exercise is probably your best choice. This back squat allows you to potentially move a lot of weight, and who doesn’t like lifting heavy weights?
Weaknesses: Most people suck at them, can’t do them properly and probably should not be doing them at all. Sorry if that’s blunt but the average lifter probably is performing a combination back squat/good morning/calf raise instead of an actual back squat. The fact that most people are not squatting properly makes this a contraindicated exercise for them as they are loading large amounts of weight on their spine and running a high risk of injuring themselves. If you understand how to back squat and can do it pain free I say do it, otherwise learn to front squat or do rear foot elevated split squats.
Front Squat
The back squats fraternal twin
Strengths: The front squat can yield you many of the same benefits as the back squat with much less risk of injury. Holding the bar in the front across the shoulders and clavicle essentially forces you too keep the proper upright position through the lift or you will dump the bar forward, this makes it much harder to perform the lift with bad form like the back squat. For those (like myself) whose shoulder bothers them holding the bar in the back squat you can often hold the bar in the front squat pain free and with no injury risk to the shoulder. For those who Olympic lift the front squat is a must. Holding the bar with a clean grip and training deep front squats is a great way to improve your clean and clean and jerk.
Weaknesses: If you have extremely poor shoulder/thoracic mobility it may be difficult to hold the bar with a clean grip but the cross grip and strap grip can help make the lift easier. As far as sports performance is concerned I believe there is less carry over from bi-lateral lifts like the back and front squat than uni-lateral lifts like the rear foot elevated split squats. Don’t get me wrong strong powerful legs from bi-lateral training will help you greatly on the field but we don’t play sports on two feet and the stabilization gained from single leg training is invaluable.
Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squats
Mike Boyle’s Baby/Don’t call it Bulgarian!
Strengths: I feel like this is the best sports specific leg exercise there is. Believe it or not this exercise can be loaded with a lot of weight with a little practice. (I’ve seen this loaded with over 300 lbs and repped multiple times) The unilateral nature of this exercise demands more core stability at the core and knee than the other two exercises making it more valuable for sports performance and injury prevention. You will not be able to load it to the same intensity as a front squat or back squat but if your training for sports does that really matter?
Weaknesses: You run the risk of hurting yourself if you try to overload this exercise and you are using a barbell. If you are training for powerlifting or strongman competitions there will be far less carry over than the front or back squat. -
Brendon: To me this sounds like an asymmetry you may have that is brought out by the fatigue that sets in as you get to your heavier sets. The problem is that I can only guess what it is and you only “think” that your right knee goes out slightly. I’m almost positive that if you right knee is going out that your left knee is valgus (or caving in) which means your leaning to the right when you squat which is then causing your left shoulder/arm to drop and your right shoulder/arm to elevate. This could be due to an injury or weakness to the lower back or hips… OR it could be that you have a left shoulder/arm problem which is then causing you compensate by leaning to the right to the right. Everything in the body is connected. I think you would really benefit from and FMS screen to find your weaknesses and asymmetries. Find someone to do this for you if you can and then set up a program and warm up to correct your problems. In the mean time really focus on good technique while you squat and when you form breaks stop the set. I CANNOT stress enough that you need to have someone visually watch you squat because it’s impossible to coach yourself when training. Even coaches need a coach. I hope someone who reads the blog can chime in and offer their opinions because there are some very smart people out there that know a lot more then me. Great to hear your having success with 5/3/1 its simple and works. Let us know your end results!
Kevin: Good choice using 5/3/1 it is such a simple and effective progressive overload program that will definitely help you get stronger without all the complicated programming. It sounds like fatigue from the max weight could be what is affecting the form in your front squat. Often at high intensities in the front squat you see form deteriorate via dropping of the chest and elbows forward. This could very well be what you are experiencing. Often when fatigue sets in you will see the knees drive inward to a valgus position from a forward weight shift and failure to get full glute contraction not outward like you are experiencing. Some things to think about are you balanced? Is your left knee diving in causing your right leg to assume more of the load, causing the knee to go outward? Is the dropping of your elbows causing a balance shift inferiorly causing poor mechanics at your knees? These are things you need to evaluate on your own and try to figure out. I advise you to keep working on your front squat form at lower intensities and work up to your max with improved form. Maybe send us a video of yourself…. -
Brendon: I would save my pasta feedings for workout days before or after. And if you are that addicted you can eat it for breakfast! I’d try to stick to the whole wheat versions if you can, but since I know most people puke at the thought of “Whole Wheat Pasta”, eat the good stuff at the right times and work your ass off in the gym and you should be fine. Thanks for the question D miss you too.
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Brendon: I’m assuming your a college student and therefore if you are as poor as me you’re looking for something cheap. On amazon.com they have inexpensive ones from $5 to $20. If your looking for something more accurate and better quality that will cost you in upward of $150. I feel the inexpensive ones would be great for practice and for class. Save the expensive ones for the gyms and universities with money to buy.
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Kevin: I do not see any exercise benefits that can be gained through using the shake weight. It looks to me that this is just another exercise scam infomercial that you will find on late night TV. The Shake Weight may carry a benefit when used as a paperweight or self-love making device.
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asked by rearickstrength
Brendon: FMS stands for Functional Movement Screen. The functional movement screen was created by Gray Cook and Lee Burton in an attempt to improve communication and collaboration between physical therapy, strength and conditioning and athletic training. This screen can bring out any of the asymmetries or major limitations that your clients or athletes may have in their functional movement patterns which research has shown can increase injury potential and decrease performance. The FMS is a great tool in a trainers toolbox and I will be attending the FMS seminar in Boston on August 20th and 21st to learn how to perform the test and it’s uses in more detail..
Learn more about the Functional Movement Screen at http://www.functionalmovement.com
Benefits of the FMS
Focus on the fundamentals of movement
Facilitate communication with both clients and physicians
Identify physical imbalances, limitations, and weaknesses
Establish a functional baseline to mark progress
Improve fundamental movement patterns with simple corrective exercises
Individualize training and conditioning programs for specific results
Reduce the potential for training and sports injuries
Avoid missed appointments and lost revenue
Increase customer satisfaction and loyalty -
Kevin: There are a number of extra things you can be doing to help reduce your amount of muscle soreness….
Manual Therapy: Manual therapists are the gold standard for soft tissue work and are highly skilled in being able to workout points of density in the muscle. Therapists trained in Grastron and Rolfing can do a great job to help speed up healing and clear up areas of tightness. The average person will not have the luxury or the money to regularly visit a good manual therapist, but luckily there are more realistic options available.
Foam Roll/Lacrosse Ball/Tennis Ball: Your best bet short of seeing a manual therapist is to perform soft tissue work on yourself. A foam roller is a great tool to own to work out density in the muscle fibers as well as increase blood flow to the muscles. Using a tennis ball or lacrosse ball can do a good job working out contractures in the hard to reach spots like the bottom of your foot. Simply place the roller or ball on the ground underneath the area of tightness or soreness and roll back and forth applying pressure to the area.
Contrast Shower: A great way to reduce soreness is with contrast showers. A contrast shower is simply method in which you vary hot and cold water in a 3 to 1 ratio respectively. You will switch between hot and cold water 3 times and finish with cold water. As long as your on a 3 to 1 ratio form hot to cold the duration of the time is up to you. So you could have 3 minutes of hot water to 1 minute of cold water or have 1:30 of hot water and 30 seconds of cold water. -
Kevin: To progress a push up we want to first master the flat ground push up with PERFECT form. This means are hips are level, stomach is tight and that our chest and chin come down to the ground every single time, no exceptions. Once we’ve mastered this and we can consistently do a couple sets 20 consecutive push-ups we want to progress this exercise to make it harder. Next, we would want to elevate the feet by 1-2 feet. It works best to put our feet on a bench or plyo box. This change in body angle makes you support a higher percentage of your own bodyweight increasing the intensity. Once we have mastered this we will again progress the exercise. Before we add weight we want to force you to stabilize in the feet elevated position. You should keep your feet elevated on a box or bench and if you have access put your hands on the flat side of a BOSU ball. I do not normally advocate for training on unstable surfaces but this provides great challenge to shoulder stability while still training strength in a safe manner. If you do not have access to a BOSU you can put your hands on a TRX or a pair of Blast Straps. Once this is mastered you should progress by adding weight with a vest or chains either in the feet elevated and hands on BOSU position or in the regular flat-ground push-up position.
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Kevin: I love deadlifting! The deadlift if by far my favorite exercise to do. However I’m almost positive Brendon is going to choose this so I’ll go with the Alternating Kettlebell Overhead Press as my favorite right now.
Here is why I like the Alternating Kettlebell Overhead Press:
Builds big & strong shoulders
Allows me to OH Press pain free
The design of the kettlebell creates a different weight vector than that of the dumbbell. If you look at the picture below the kettlebell rests against the back of the forearm, not directly over the hand like a dumbbell. This creates force not only down but posterior. This puts the shoulder through a different and more natural path of motion than the alternating overhead dumbbell press. This more natural path helps keep the head of the humerus resting in the glenohumeral socket and moves the humerus through external rotation as well as flexion on the concentric portion of the lift. This usually results in pain free overhead pressing in people who have shoulder problems and usually feel pain in the overhead press (like myself).
Brendon: Haha Kevin's right I did pick the deadlift. One I feel that it’s the best exercise for building slabs muscle. The deadlift requires a strong grip, a strong posterior chain, and an and even stronger mind to get through a grueling set of deadliftts. Heavy weights stimulate muscle growth and heavily recruit the CNS. Two the deadlift I feel is the most functional of any lift you can do in the gym. If you happened to read my article: “WHAT? WHY? WHEN? WHERE? HOW? of a BIG Back!” this state was included: With 90 percent of adults experiencing back pain at some time in their life and almost $50 billion per year spent and lost because of back pain. Learning how to pick up and put down a heavy weight correctly by using the legs and keeping the back flat and belly tight there would be a lot less back injuries. And three: I’m a much better deadlift then I am at anything else. Everyone loves to do what they’re good at… and for me in the gym that’s the deadlift. -
How do I order a tshirt from you?
1. Contact me by phone, Facebook, or email brendon@rearickstrength.com
2. Tell me which shirt and what size you want. If you want a special color or different pictures let me know and we can make a shirt for specially for you and what you want.
3. I buy the shirts when I get 5 or more orders.
4. Pay me in person or by Pay Pal.
5. I bring the shirt to you or ship it myself after you have paid.
6. You instant get stronger, younger, and look sexier when you put it on! -
How is Nutrex Lipo 6x? and can you take that and Nitro Core 24 with it?
Brendon: To be honest I see most of these fat burners like Lipo 6 and Hydroxycut as glorified caffeine pills. I have taken both products before and have gotten the same effect by taking one caffeine pill 30 min before a workout. It’s $3 for a whole bottle and will last you a couple of months while these Fat Burners cost you $30+ and can last you less than a month. This is of course my opinion but if you read the label on of a fat burner there is usually 5 ingredients with caffeine DOMINATING most of the pill with the rest of the ingredient in very very low dosages. Hmmmmm… not to mention that they are not regulated by the FDA (http://www.hydroxycut-recall-lawsuit.com/). It is of course up to you to make your own decisions this is just my 2 cents.
Would Dr. Jon Marshall really lie to you?? -
Question: How do I get rid of chin fat?
Brendon: I have gotten this question a few times now and as much as you may want me to say run an X amount of miles per day or prescribe you with a special “chin erasing” exercise, I hate to break it to you but it comes down to overall weight loss and diet. It’s the same way you get rid of those flabby arms… you need to lose weight from, well EVERYWHERE, and unfortunately it’s usually the waist, the backs of those arms, and the chin where the fat is last to go. And how do you lose weight? By exercising and cleaning up your diet. And the secret pill you ask? It takes 30 to 60 minutes to chew on most days of the week.
Yikes!
OK so I can’t leave you with just that… here’s an extra little tip I once heard on the FitCast with Leigh Peele. ALONG with diet and exercise Leigh suggest that by standing up straighter you may be able to take away that extra chin because by having good posture you are creating a longer neck which will in turn thin out the chin. So work on your posture and pull those shoulders back and you’ll create the illusion of a smaller chin. -
asked by rearickstrength
Kevin: Yes, I do train with kettlebells. Kettelbells are a great tool just like dumbbells or barbells that can add a lot to a strength-training program. Here are my favorite KB exercises.
Kettlebell Swing
Primarily, I use them for power work with personal training clients and athletes who are unable to Olympic lift due to injury. Kettlebell swings are a simple and effective power exercise that produces hip extension. They can also be implemented into a cardio strength training circuit
Overhead Presses
The design of the kettlebell gives it a different load vector than a dumbbell which can add a new element to many exercises. Something Mike Boyle recently brought to my attention was the differences between the dumbbell and kettlebell overhead press. The key difference lies in how you are holding the weight in your hand. When holding the kettlebell correctly the ball of the kettlebell should be resting against your forearm. This position causes the force of the kettlebell to be different than that of a dumbbell. With the weight in this position it prompts natural external rotation at the shoulder joint along with flexion. This is a more natural motion at the glenohumeral joint making it a better exercise for people with shoulder problems. Often, people who normally feel pain in their shoulder when pressing overhead will be pain free in this movement.
KB Pressout
I often use these as part of a warm-up or put them in my circuits. I like them because I can warm up my legs and feel myself turning on my core muscles at the bottom when the KB is pressed out. The action of the pressout not only turns your core on but acts as a counter weight that allows a deeper squat and increased mobility.
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Rearick Strength Systems’s Bio
Kevin Carr and Brendon Rearick are both recent graduates of Umass-Amherst. They work as strength coaches and run their own online personal training business. Check it out! They are always happy to answer any questions you may have. So ask away...
