Monthly Archives: July 2011

Throughout my career in the health, fitness and sports conditioning market I have seen the market shift from a series of systems based upon common-sense and accepted principles to one that is virtually entirely sales and marketing driven. Where once stood a group that was relatively unified in its approach is now a splintered lot and spends more considering marketing tactics, slogans, SEO and website landing pages.

While there are naturally exceptions to the latter comment, the truth of the matter is that much of the time in the industry is spent on developing phrases to entice the marketplace. An endless series of products have been introduced with many holding true to the idea that it is the panacea for the sole reason that it is their meal ticket in the industry.

That will be harsh to some but the fact of the matter is no one piece of equipment is the panacea and what remains are tried and true principles that can be applied to any setting. In-fact the evolution of exercise from the 19^th century recognized general athletic needs and though rarely considered in this light, applied strength training in a highly time sensitive and productive manner.

All physical exercise begins with;

• Maintaining optimal posture
• Eliciting movement in the most efficient manner
• Generating, accepting and re-directing maximal force with relaxation of the antagonist muscle group

Clearly none of those characteristics are the by-line of any new product in the last twenty some years but a cornerstone of the history of the “iron game”

This “iron game” recognized an individuals development, starting with bodyweight work to external apparatus and upon further review understood that barbells and dumbbells offered the best use of time in providing optimal muscle stimuli. Unfortunately the modern exercise world, with its endless gleaming machines and marketing claims of the “next big thing”, has clouded the minds of the public and the majority of training is not time sensitive.

Free weight are and always will be the premier training medium with medicine balls and bodyweight conditioning a constant in the mix but it must always recognize proper procedures and maintaining efficiency.

Through the course of this week we will review one of my favourite topics of the “iron game” with the productivity level of power training.

John Davies is available on his personal page on Facebook , Renegade Training™’s as well as or Twitter.

Prepared by John Davies
Photo: : Joe “The Prototype” Morrow

Disclaimer
The information provided in “Instant Training Improvement Tips”, as well as this web-site blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should it be interpreted as medical advice for any condition. Always consult a qualified medical professional before beginning any nutritional program or exercise program. By reading this disclaimer, you hereby agree and understand that the information provided in this column is not medical advice and relying upon it shall be done at your sole risk

Technological improvements of recent have created a remarkable level of connectivity as we are able to communicate across the world with an instant. With respects to athletic development and this blog, this greatly increases our ability to help readers attain your goals. Given that we keep a very open line of communication with our readers via Twitter and Facebook, I can then provide up-to-date education on efficient exercise approaches and ensure readers utilize USPlabs products to their utmost.

Earlier this winter we came up with a plan to launch a special Friday edition where we combine a daily training program (per reader choice), with a follow up supplement protocol on Facebook. Readers cast their vote via Twitter (through either direct message or the “@” function) and decide the topic.

Previous editions of the USPlabs Iron Day have provided:

General Athletic Training Day

Recovery Training Day
Ultimate Fat Shredder  and Muscular PumpTraining Day
Shoulders and Triceps
Explosive Power for Athletes
Combative Athlete
Core Training for Strength Athletes
Power and Mass Training
Fat Shred training day
Chest and Triceps
Quad dominant
Explosive power and speed
Arms
Chest
Legs with Squat options
Back and Biceps
Law Enforcement

After considerable input the winning entry for this week’s episode of the USPlabs Iron Day comes from a reader targeting mass development but also wishing to develop general athletic abilities.

Mass Training (introductory level)

RED²

Hurdle mobility drills, #7 & #8

Tumbling (over ten metres, repeat two to four times each)

• forward roll to stand
• backward roll to stand
• tripod rollout to stand
• spider lunge

general physical preparation

• jumping jacks
• shuffle splits
• push-up
• burpee’s
• mountain climbers

30 seconds each, continuous motion, 4 sets in 10 minutes

Focus Lift

• Split Jerk  4 sets x 6 reps 65%

• Hi-Box Step-Up 4 sets x 6 reps 65%
• Snatch Grip Deadlift 4 sets x 6 reps 65%

“Supplemental lifts”

• Good Morning Squat 3 sets x 3 reps 90%

• Jump Shrug 3 sets x 3 reps 90%
• Bent Row (Reverse Grip) 3 x 6 reps
• Towel Pull-Ups (set a shoulder width) 3 sets x 3 reps
• “STS” model from the Renegade FIX™ 3 circuits

DMC™

static range of motion work

Step two in this plan is visit the Facebook page well in advance of starting your training day for expert advice on how to optimize your results.

John Davies is available on his personal page on Facebook , Renegade Training™’s as well as or Twitter.

Prepared by John Davies
Photo: Tammy Bravomalo

Disclaimer
The information provided in “Instant Training Improvement Tips”, as well as this web-site blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should it be interpreted as medical advice for any condition. Always consult a qualified medical professional before beginning any nutritional program or exercise program. By reading this disclaimer, you hereby agree and understand that the information provided in this column is not medical advice and relying upon it shall be done at your sole risk.

The complexities of weight loss, particularly that of a significant amount, is well beyond “simple” or the common approach of proper diet and exercise but strikes at the core of modern living and style of life. In-fact many of the common habits of modern leaving fuel obesity and unlikely to change given they are deeply engrained in society. Couple in rising costs of food, concerns of soil and water contamination, “eating healthy” has become a complex formula of theory in application with some very stern realities.

The final point might be the grimmest of all because while I can talk of “hunting and gathering” high quality food choices they may not be available in your region. There are many well-established metropolitan regions, each to remain nameless, that I know when travelling to my normal diet habits will spiral downward and immediately impact upon my level of health and fitness.

Soil erosion, environmental damage and clean water supplies have further laid question to even for the healthy food shopper, what is the nutrient levels of so-called “organic” or other high-quality products.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the reality of the future of food choices, then consider the oft-mentioned “dirty-dozen” (Apples, Bell Peppers, Celery, Cherries, Grapes (some regions), Lettuce, Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Potatoes, Strawberries and Spinach) of fruits and vegetables that retain high levels of pesticides, virtually forcing your hand of buying from high quality certified organic farms. While costly, for overall health it is make use of certified organic items from this group and of-course, when possible grown in your own backyard garden.

Suddenly this “simplicity” plan has turned considerably complicate because your hunting and gather healthy fruits and vegetables requires understand more of its production and hopefully making it fit into your household budget.

If that seems daunting, realise that is likely going to get considerably worse.

That said, there is considerable opportunities for optimal health because while food grades have plummeted in the last few decades (if not considerably more), the sports supplement market have made a massive step forward.

Athletes have the ultimate advantage of today, far out-stepping say someone ten years ago and the distant past beyond cannot even compare what is available in the marketplace today. In my opinion, Modern, Super Cissus, Yok3d and PowerFull are absolute musts (yes, that is truly is my present stack to the left though I forgot to put Yok3d in the photo) and strongly advise their use along with many other USPlabs supplements (Anabolic Pump, Pink Magic, Prime). Together these make up the “athletes advantage” and should be implemented in everyday walks of life to assist overall health and where needed weight loss as they shore up the divide from nutritional deficiencies in food choices and catapult results forward.

John Davies is available on his personal page on Facebook , Renegade Training™’s as well as or Twitter.

Prepared by John Davies
Photo: Jake Woolley

Disclaimer
The information provided in “Instant Training Improvement Tips”, as well as this web-site blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as medical advice for any condition. Always consult a qualified medical professional before beginning any nutritional program or exercise program. By reading this disclaimer, you hereby agree and understand that the information provided in this column is not medical advice and relying upon it shall be done at your sole risk

Let us dispel the notion that losing weight is “easy” as given much of the world is racing towards obesity and its related illness it is clearly not.

For those plagued with obesity, in the broad majority of situations reversing this issue requires changes to lifestyle. This is not “easy” or “simple” and often involves learning habits and skills that are foreign and quite possibly requires skill sets that a person has never been exposed to in their life.

This habits or skill-sets, once common, have disappeared with the massive shifts in our society over the last fifty-some years. Whether it is manual labour, shopping habits from local grocers, active participation in recreational sports or cooking skills, the landscape of our society is radically different than before.

Reducing rates of obesity are a mighty test but even greater when you realise virtually every aspect of our daily lives fuels the problem.

Of the many deadly habits, issues related to food make up the majority of concerns to which the following three points need to be stress.

Gluttony and sloth-like tendencies are not admirable. I know that will surprise many but how precisely did such habits become acceptable? How did the all you can eat buffet with its pre-made food you (hopefully) would not serve the family pet become acceptable as dinner. When did oversized plates that mimic a lunch tray replace historical sizes and let me stress, eating to you suffer gastric pain is not an endearing quality.

• Step 1: smaller plates. Purchase a set of plates that suits your budget and begin using exclusively.
• Step 2: no seconds and stop heaping food as it you are moulding a mountain range.
• Step 3: push away from the plate without being full.

Food is not a trough, family and friends are a blessing and fellowship needs to be reinvigorated. Pardon me for a moment because I have written and erased this sentence a number of times but once you say goodbye to those you care of your life in their passing, you wish you could hear their voices once more, you crave their laughter and the countless conversations. The “family dinner table” needs to be resurrected and nailed firmly into place and once again become a fixture because its downfall comes at the precise time of the rise in obesity. While not the sole reason, it does play a role.

• Step 1: next time you see a Drive-Thru, drive by but realise this scourge of society has played a role in family values draining away.
• Step 2: enjoy your meal with family and friends. Talk, converse, take your time and enjoy the moments and trust me, you will cling to those memories for decades to come.
• Step3: turn the television and mobile off. There is not a television show or sporting event worthy of interrupting the family dinner, nor a text that needs to be replied to.

Support local farm initiatives, independent grocers and your own backyard garden. This will not only improve the environment and economy but raise your standard of living.

• Step 1: find a local farm initiative and become a frequent shopper. Get to know them by name, shake hands and sense the pride they have in creating the food you enjoy.
• Step 2: shop with independent grocers and express to them your wish for local goods, likely within an hour drive where possible and from far groups who embrace proper crop rotation.
• Step 3: build a garden. There’s a beauty to turning the soil, digging with your hands until they are sore and then nurturing daily until harvest. There is a pride and honesty of the soil that speaks to our core health.

John Davies is available on his personal page on Facebook , Renegade Training™’s as well as or Twitter.

Prepared by John Davies
Photo: Joe Bender, Personal Trainer and USP Labs client

Disclaimer
The information provided in “Instant Training Improvement Tips”, as well as this web-site blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should it be interpreted as medical advice for any condition. Always consult a qualified medical professional before beginning any nutritional program or exercise program. By reading this disclaimer, you hereby agree and understand that the information provided in this column is not medical advice and relying upon it shall be done at your sole risk

The perversity of the modern health and fitness industry is that while more is spent on this area than in history the mainstream public level of obesity skyrockets. Yet the greater irony is that while the health and fitness industry has done little at stopping the epidemic, the public still looks towards them for solutions.

This is doomed for failure because most of the exercise industry is not about health and fitness but rather about selling products to a desperate to reverse the trend.

The answer to weight loss and general health is unlikely to be seen in the majority of present-day health and fitness industry but rather our past where improving the quality of life is the mandate.

This notion of “improving the quality of life” is the ultimate of short-cuts as it bypasses all the sales pitches from this era’s snake-oil salesman and instead goes to the gist of the matter.

The challenge of weight loss and let me stress it is a mighty one, is that modern living goes completely against the grain of a high quality life and the resulting day-to-day existence gives rise to weight gain.

Successful weight loss will require lifestyle changes and while I ramble a few points with each of these articles please note they could take months if not years to implement. Many of these changes will counter entire patterns of behaviour throughout your life and while they seem easy to review, compliance will be a challenge.

Further to yesterday’s article, add the following approaches to your “to-do” list today. Mark each one down and stay in line throughout the balance of the month and within three to four weeks they will likely become habitual.

• If you are under thirty to forty-five minutes by walking to work or the store, presuming in a safe environment, walk. Walking is a tremendous form of exercise but is not resigned to the ever-present treadmill. Leave the car keys at home, save on expenses and walk. If shopping, talk a recyclable bag for your goods or backpack and make it a healthy stroll. If that is not possible, during your lunch hour at work go for thirty minute walk and follow with a modest stretch. You will not only burn calories but will be more productive at work.

• Drink more water and say good riddance to soft drinks. Water consumption is dreadfully low which creates havoc on a variety of physical needs and en masse needs to be increased. Make sure it is served with each meal and as you slow your pace of eating down, consume water throughout while enjoying fellowship over the dinner table with family and friends.

• Stop exercising and have fun with inexpensive, if not free mediums. Whether you enjoy playing recreational sports or exercise in the comfort of your own home be active and have fun. Fitness development such as bodyweight callisthenics with general physical preparation and postural holds in DMC™ are tremendous for weight loss and strength development while RED² and static range of motion work will assist overall flexibility and help you on the road to living a pain-free life, yet each involves no equipment or costly gym memberships.

John Davies is available on his personal page on Facebook , Renegade Training™’s as well as or Twitter.

Prepared by John Davies
Photo: Tammy Bravomalo

Disclaimer
The information provided in “Instant Training Improvement Tips”, as well as this web-site blog is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should it be interpreted as medical advice for any condition. Always consult a qualified medical professional before beginning any nutritional program or exercise program. By reading this disclaimer, you hereby agree and understand that the information provided in this column is not medical advice and relying upon it shall be done at your sole risk