Nothing Special

Happy Tuesday to all of you folks. This week should endure less whining about a certain New England team that had been poo pooed on quite a bit in the court of public opinion. I'm sure New England will still find a thing or 2 to gripe about, oh well. I do have a gripe of my own to voice and my thoughts on all the crappy trainers and coaches out there.

Let's start with this simple fact, I AM NOTHING SPECIAL, at least as far as a talent or smarts stand point goes. I'm not dumb, although the knocking around of my face has probably shaken loose a few brain cells now and again. I've simply kept my nose to the grind stone and worked hard to get what I have, which isn't so bad, I have a boat load of clients that I enjoy working with and am working with one of the top Division 1 schools in the New England. Knowing what I have and knowing I didn't do anything that took something getting bit by a radioactive spider to get here. That said it makes my blood boil just a bit when I see people just put in nearly 0 effort....or no effort in some cases. Yeah I've had some great help around me, but really all it takes is some freakin effort.

I've had a couple people approach me about being a trainer or coach and say something to the effect of "Oh you just get to hang out in the gym all day." This was my initial thought when I got into this world, but I found out real quick it takes a ton of effort. While it is great that I get to hang out in athletic pants and a t-shirt for most of my day, the coaches and trainers that I know that are very good at what they do, are some of the hardest working people I've ever met. To these people that make this comment I usually try to find a short way to tell them what it takes to not just be a hobby trainer/coach. It usually comes down to saying, if you're not prepared to give mind, body and soul to make this a career and a life, then I strongly urge you to reconsider.

Final thought on this is to simply love and care. Love what you do, if you don't love this job and world, then waking up at 4-4:30 AM is going to get progressively tougher and tougher. Care about those that you are working with and those that you are training/coaching. It is very cliché but at the facility in Brookline we try to make it a tight knit group and act as a family. BU S+C is the same way and it makes my job and rolling out of bed at the crack-ass of dawn, that much easier....coffee helps too.

That's all I've got for today guys, go out there and get after it!

Morning People...

Yeah I wasn't one really when I first got going into this grind that is my career/job, but I've slowly become one...sort of. OK truth is it's a struggle for me until I get to either BU or Brookline, and if there's a ton of things to slow down my morning routine, I'm potentially doomed to wait for an extra 30 min for my brain to come out of slumber. Usually though when I walk through the door I can turn it on, if not at least I usually have a few minutes to do so before I need to be sharp and pay attention. I'm sure there are some of you that have had to adjust to schedules that require you to get up at the butt crack of dawn with the rest of us coaching and training folk. I've discovered a few things that have helped me make the transition from sleep to work easier. I have pretty much 0 scientific basis to back this up, but if you want you can prove me right or wrong, also I may have sniped 1 of these ideas from someone else. 

1. GO TO BED: OK this might sound like me being a jerk but seriously get your butt to bed. Going to sleep at midnight and waking up at 4:30 AM will not do you or your morning any favors. Believe me I've had to do it before. When you struggle to keep your eyes open it doesn't mean stay up for an extra hour to continue binge watching that show on Netflix.

2. Caffeine: Yeah some of us aren't super human and can't just wake up as perky as Richard flippin Simmons. I'm not saying get an extra large coffee with 10 sugars and a truck load of cream in it with caramel swirl and whip cream on top either (was that enough overkill there?). Get up and have a cup of black coffee, if you need a spoon of sugar it won't kill you and if black coffee gives you the creepy crawlies then use organic heavy whipping cream, great little addition for those going low carb as well. For those that want to eat me alive for all the chemicals that are in the big brand coffees have a read of this and give that some thought. 

I will have one of these!

3. GET UP: Yeah again another one that sounds like I'm being captain obvious, thank you very much at your service right here. Seriously though when you're alarm goes off if you hit snooze and try to sleep for another 10 minutes it will take you longer to perk up and come to. When that thing goes off start rolling, even if you end up flat on the floor face down, you'll feel better without the extra 10 minutes I promise.

4. Water: I could go a couple different directions honestly, but something as simple as the splash of water on your face will help, if you're a person that showers in the morning then you've got this step covered.

5. Silence...maybe not so much: I know many people looooove their piece and quiet the same way I looove lifting things up and putting them down, but maybe a little stimulus for the brain is good. I personally will either throw on Spotify on my phone or get my dose of Sports Center for the day when I wake up. Even if you want to turn on something as mind numbing like Teen Mom it'll probably at least get some of the CNS firing.

Hopefully some of these tricks help you get moving in the AM, and hopefully I didn't make a complete ass of myself here today. Have a good day all, go out and get after it!

Wait Who's That Guy?

Sorry guys I've gone AWOL lately, but I really haven't had much time to myself. Here's a little insight on what's going on before we get to talking about more training type things. The internship is in full swing and it hit me like a punch in the face. My CNS was so fried from my new schedule that my own training was taking a huge hit. I love lifting heavy, but lifting heavy didn't love me for about the first 10 days in September. Monday I get up, go to the Brookline facility, amscray around noon, get to BU around 12:30, hang there for the better part of 6 hours and then odds on I'm heading back to the Brookline facility for a couple more sessions. Oh yeah and I do this on Wednesday as well. Tuesday I'm up and head straight to BU, finish around mid day there and go to Brookline for the night, rinse and repeat for Thursday as well. Friday's are way easier, Brookline, meeting at BU and DONE. Needless to say, and Catherine can confirm this, I pretty much get home and fall down at night. The things you do to get better and get ahead in the world, good news is I do enjoy being at BU a ton, and my limited schedule in Brookline almost makes it more exclusive so the clients I train are the ones I look forward to training...mostly.

How I feel when I get home lately

In the meanwhile on my hiatus I turned 28, if you didn't consider 27 late 20's, well I'm there now. No I'm not bitching that I'm old, although sometimes I like to just because I can and I have moments that make me feel so. Example; I was working with a couple teams last night and they could not name songs that were playing that I remembered from middle school, then I realized I'm getting old(er). I had thought about doing a 28 things list, but instead I'm going to limit it to a few brief things, just so I don't have my mind explode first time writing in a month and a half.


1. K.I.S.S.-So often I've heard (about) coaches adding all of these crazy exercises that can fix your pelvic tilt, realign your ankles, stop your indigestion and cure cancer all in one....yeah not today bub. I'm all for corrective work provided it doesn't eat 30 minutes of your workout and cut out more important shit, like getting stronger and faster. I try to keep it between 2-4 corrective/activation exercises before the work out, how many is dependent on the person's issues. After that I might mix in a few more if I know they are or have been struggling with certain movements.

2. Be yourself-I honestly have really tried to make sure I keep a hold of this one no matter who I'm working with or where I'm working. This really applies to the private sector of training/coaching. No matter who's name is on the building the trainee will keep coming back if they like YOU, no one else. People appreciate when you are being genuine and actually interested in their well being, they'll keep coming back because of that. To be honest if I'm training someone that doesn't want to come back I let it go because it wasn't meant to be and they wouldn't enjoy it which makes my job hell.

3. Pick appropriate exercises- Yeah I love deadlifts, squats and chin-ups just as much as the next guy, but the 92 year old guy with balance issues is going to have different priorities than the former college cheerleader or the woman that just gave birth to twins. I haven't seen it all but the commercial gym setting leaves you with a pretty good understanding because you'd be hard pressed to say you expected the guy with an intellectual disability and vision impairments to be able to drag a sled with 200 lbs on it any distance, let alone 25 yards. Yeah didn't think so, so don't assume, everyone needs to squat or that everyone needs to go easy for that matter.

That's all for today folks, go out there and get after it!

Last of the Mohicans

Well the last domino has fallen here in Brookline. We've had the final person that was in the same school of thought as me when I first got hired here, leave the company. When I got hired here in the first month I gravitated towards a certain group of trainers, desk staff members and a pilates instructor. This certainly gave me a good comfort zone for when I came to work every day for about a year. Let's all remember that a year is a long time to have very little turn over in a commercial gym. 

It started really, last April, the first domino fell when my friend Kristen got a job with Northeastern. Next was my friend Shayne, she got her dream job as a college softball coach. Then came my buddy Rob who got a job as a ticket price analyst (sweet job). Next was Mr.Anderson himself heading for Ohio to see about a girl. My friend Joel gets to see Giselle on a weekly basis at his new job. Next my old roommate Luis went to get himself in the real world with a "big person job" as we call it. My friend Kayley got exactly what she was looking for at a YMCA in Connecticut. The last tile finally fell last week when my friend Shelley left the company to pursue further education down in Texas. 

This has left me as the last one to carry the torch, as they say. I won't even be in this facility that much because I am, of course, interning with BU Strength and Conditioning this fall, which I really can not wait to start, no offense to my clients in Brookline. I realize I've turned on the waaambulance here but hey I'm sure most of you have dealt with this somehow before, this is my way of dealing with it.

Now I've gotten use to getting outside of my comfort zone with my training, I'm well aware it's the only way you get better. Doesn't mean I like being outside of my comfort zone when I work, DAMNIT. One of the departed did give me this piece of advice for my remaining time here; Try not to worry about what everyone else around you is doing, just continue to do your job better than everyone, grow as a professional and good things will happen for you. For now that is the plan until something comes along where I can get into either a college strength and conditioning facility or a private one (not a commercial gym).

Please everyone don't get me wrong, I was very happy when I landed here in Brookline, my commute was cut down to a fraction of what I had before. I was suddenly that much closer to Boston and I was in a much nicer facility, no offense Hudson, total upgrade overall. As I've stated before though, I am ready for a new challenge from those that are much smarter than me. I simply can't get that challenge around here though, so I've made the search elsewhere. The new crew will take some getting use to, maybe at some point we can get some of the mojo back.

That's my bit today guys, go out there and get after it!

Schwing

HUMP DAY. OK sorry I won't go into that stuff, just had to get that out of my system. I wanted to hit on a topic that honestly has started to drive me nuts, more so lately. Today I want to touch on the little Russian cannonball with the handle on it, oh yeah the Kettlebell, to be specific the Kettlebell Swing. Please crossfitters note I am not hating on crossfit (I actually think there's a ton of good in it). Just hear me out on this and then you can virtually punch me in the face after. With the recent popularity of crossfit the swing has become a more popular exercise, and I love the swing...except I like the Russian swing, not the American swing. "Oh shit Jarrod's a commie bastard" no I'm not, trust me there's many a people that want as little as possible to do with Russia at this point in the world, I'm one of them and this an exception.

Listen I'm not THAT against going over head with a kettlebell swing, I'm not crazy about it, but I'm not dead set against it. The problem is pretty much everyone I see doing it SHOULDN'T be going over head. Over head movements, for any coach/trainer worth their salt, is something that should be earned. Yeah I like overhead pressing and other movements as such. I believe they are movements that you need the right mobility and stability in your shoulders and thoracic spine to do. Below here is a check list to go over to see if you should even attempt an American KB swing, assuming you've mastered the Russian KB swing.

-Lay on the floor on your back.

-Knees bent feet flat on the floor

-Pull your belly button to the floor

-Keep your arms straight raise them out in front of you so your fingers are pointing to the ceiling

-Then mover your arms over head trying to put your thumbs on the ground above your head, keep the arms straight

Now if your lower back (lumbar spine) arches or you simply can not touch the floor, do not even consider doing an American swing, please.

Another great way to check if you're good to go on overhead movement is to do the Shoulder Mobility screen from the FMS. The general belief is that you need at LEAST a 2 on this to be able to do most over head movements.

With all that said I prefer the Russian swing simply because everyone can do it without risking a major shoulder injury, assuming technique is on point. Let's expand on the technique talk a bit. The other major issue I have with the American swing is most can't get the Russian KB swing technique right. It's like taking someone that can't drive a sedan and saying here try to drive this 18 wheeler.

Hey you American KB swingers, yeah you read the list below please:

-Neutral spine

- Squeeze the glutes

-Be explosive

-HINGE don't squat

-Brace the core

-Lats tight

-Bell at chest height

Reading the list above, if your brain went, "hmm never heard/done that" then you absolutely need to stick with the Russian swing. I personally will 99.9% of the time stick with the Russian swing with my clients. I'm not comfortable with the American swing so I'm not going to use it unless someone holds a gun to my head. There are plenty of other over head movements to train with that I'm far more comfortable with. There's also something about having a 16 kg object that's on a pivot over my head (or a client's/athlete's head) that I'm just not that comfortable with.

That's all I got for you today folks, take a swing, go out there and get after it!

Perform Better Summit; What I Learned and What Stood Out

A couple weekends ago I had a great chance to go down to Providence and attend the annual Perform Better Summit at the Rhode Island convention center. While the weekend didn't get off the to greatest start (found out my hotel reservations were non-existant, oops), but it recovered quickly with the first hands-on section of the day I attended and only got better.

The Highlights

Hands down the highlight for me was hearing, seeing and meeting the man the myth the legend Dan John. Dan had both a lecture and then a hands on session he did later on that day. Dan really makes things super duper simple so a drunk monkey can understand them. In not so many words, SHUT UP AND DO IT. That's pretty much how he gets it done. Now granted he's not completely blind to the fact that soft tissue work and mobility are needed, but he's more about focusing on the core task at hand, then breaking it down if it's needed.

I'll be honest I did have another person I was going to hear speak instead of attending Dan's hands-on that went with this. I reconsidered after I finish his lecture because I really was blown away by how he made everything just fall into place. I said to hell with the other person, wont name names, and went to the hands-on instead. On top of all this he was more than happy to stay after both sessions and answer questions, shake hands and just converse in general with everyone that attended. Side note I shook his hand my hand suddenly felt like that of a 5 year old's. I may be wrong, but he he is probably one of the most approachable high profile figures in this business.

Now just so you don't think I just blindly follow a single person's methods and call it good, there was 1 thing I couldn't get behind with Dan, his view on single leg work. He's not a giant believer in it, but to his credit we did do some single leg drills in the hand-on session, for the most part he doesn't value single leg exercises too highly. It's his opinion and he's entitled to it, and it's not the word of god. I don't value single leg work to the point where I find it to be the work of guardian angles either like certain strength coaches out there, but I find my body, and the bodies' of my clients, feel better when there is some good loaded single leg work mixed in there. I did still pick up his book Never Let Go so that's going to keep my readings a little busier.

There were 2 other people I got the chance to hear speak that I have wanted, I mean REALLY wanted to, those were Charlie Weingroff and Eric Cressey. Weingroff's sessions was titled I Lift Heavy Things and Put Them Down, so if you've met me for 5 minutes you know I heard/read the name of this one and sprang up like I'd been hit by lightning. Yeah I was down for that. He reminded us all that there are about 1000 ways to skin the fitness cat as it were, and he would argue his was best when done right. He had a few good cues and some tools to put in the tool box for deadlifts and overhead presses. In all honesty though, whichever way your way is for getting patterns like these hammered down, make sure you execute it to the best of your ability and you own it. 

Cressey was definitely a little more technical than my brain is adapted to processing. The session (or for that matter the whole seminar) was a bit like trying to drink from a fire hose. You get what you can and try not to worry to much about the stuff you missed. Eric's expertise on the shoulder and scapula movement gave me a few tools and tricks to help those of my clients with shoulder pain and issues. Again as the case was with Dan John I hadn't originally planned to attend both Eric's lecture and hands on, but I made an audible and figured this is probably an area I could afford to improve in so I'll get what I can. Learned some new drills and new things to look for so couldn't ask for more than that really. Eric was also really good about answering questions and shaking hands after his sessions so I gotta give him his props for that.

Things That Stood Out

There was certainly some other interesting things that stood out for me, most of them, not exactly positive in this case. The biggest thing was Saturday morning they had a very large spread for breakfast and with all these fitness experts and everyone well informed on the things we probably SHOULD be eating (notice the heavy emphasis) what did they put out? Bagels and Muffins, now I know eggs and bacon probably isn't practical, and I am certainly not one to completely snark at these items because I've indulged plenty. All that considered you would think they could have come up with something a little more, appropriate shall we say? Even if the convention center had limited options, surely someone could have used their noodle to make this better, luckily I'd already had mine so as much as I wanted to partake I didn't need to.

Next item of note isn't something that totally shocked me because I have experienced this in reading many articles and books, it was just a different experience because I heard it in person with my own ears. There was quite a bit of contraindications, such as one speaker being a spine expert telling us not to round our spines during any exercises (in layman's terms) and another speaker demonstrating a series of exercises that he believes you need to flex your spine. 

Things like this is where I use my super brain power (or not so much) and have to decided when and where this information is applied to. The answer when it comes to the things that pop up in this field is almost always a it depends because if you just blindly apply things you pick up, you're probably going to get an athlete or a client hurt. Use that 3 1/2 pound organ between your ears before applying stuff you learn at a big seminar like this and you'll be better off.

Overall the experience was great, I saw a lot of people that I've worked with in the past and it was great to rub elbows with some of the absolute best in the business. Have a good day everyone go out there and get after it!

The Next Chapter...The BU Chapter

Well last Thursday started a new part of my life. For the rest of this summer on Thursday morning I will be scarce at the Brookline facility because I will be doing observation hours at Agganis Arena. Yeah I'm sorry if you feel like I've failed you, all you Maine grads and faithful Black Bear hockey fans. I am working with what some might call, the enemy. While I am still a fan of the alma-mater hockey program I know this is going to be a great chance for me to learn from some of best in the area.

"The Ugly" Maine fans will get it

The plan is to do some observation hours this summer and then get a little more hands on come this fall. I am very excited to work with the athletes at BU and know I can only get better. I decided to take this on this past winter after my colleague and friend Mike left Brookline to pursue other ventures. Once that happened it pretty much put me to the top of the food chain, a place I feel personally I am not ready to be at. While it is cool to be THAT person many come to you with questions and for advice about programming and technique. At this point there's no one for me to really draw from on a personal level. I had this issue before at the first facility and made the move to Brookline, this internship is the move I'm making now.

Some of you may recall I've had a chance to see this world once before, at Maine with their strength and conditioning department. That's now 3 years ago since I left that position, doesn't seem that long ago, but it was. I remember a good bit of what I learned in those months, but 3 years is plenty of time to have lot's of valuable information leave my memory. Also more recently some of you probably recall that I have stepped away from my rugby playing to have my time taken up by something important to my career, if you haven't figured it out, this is that something I spoke of.

It's amazing that in one day I already have things popping into my head with thoughts of "oh yeah I remember when we did that at in Orono" so I can't wait to see what else is rekindled along with all the new things I will learn. That's all I got today guys, go out and get after it.