Monthly Archives: October 2011

Within the strength and conditioning field there are a number of common problem areas that thwart development. This crosses from virtually every sport, to strength-athletes, bodybuilders and everyday exercise enthusiasts who are trying to say, lose weight and live a better quality of life. These common faults, such as hip flexibility and poor postural alignment, create a multitude of problems and ultimately leave an individual short of their goals.

One of the most overlooked concerns is eccentric strength which has seen its influence in most training problems reduced inadvertently given the use of weight machines. Even as an advocate of free weights, this is not to say weight machines are ineffective but when not used properly as they typically are, will not infer significant stimuli upon lowering a weight.

The eccentric action of weightlifting is one of the most effective stimuli in resistance work and overlooked given the enormous problems of being able to maintain proper postural alignment when executing a movement. However maintaining body position while under duress is one of the most important considerations in all training and an element of my overriding “Concepts of Training” that governs all exercise decisions.

This is easily seen through “tempo” which infers a ratio on the speed of the concentric to eccentric action of a movement that will influence muscular growth and for athletes speed and agility.

For those looking to accelerate muscular growth, say for bodybuilding interests, along with the correct exercise regime and a dedicated diet and supplement plan, accentuating the eccentric action of a movement, while maintaining postural alignment, i.e. do not squirm or “cheat, will deliver the results you wish. As in the case of the “laws of bicep training”, following the contraction the bicep, eccentrically lower the weight properly three times slower than the concentric action. This tempo will naturally change with different exercises or muscular groups but the point should be clear that the eccentric action is a key to accelerating development. This consideration can be reversed in other training settings where the eccentric action is extremely fast, which shall be discussed in an upcoming article.

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

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

John’s present supplement stack starts daily with the “athlete’s advantage”, Modern, Super Cissus, PowerFull and Prime, along with additional use of Recreate, Yok3d, Anabolic Pump and Pink Magic depending upon his training cycle (workout log 1, 2, 3, 4).

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.

Achieving your exercise goals whether they are focused upon general fitness, bodybuilding, strength development or training for sport is a careful mix of proper planning and compliance. While most will make exercise sound very complicated it is in-fact very simple and merely a matter of following a properly balanced exercise regime along with healthy diet and a supplementation plan.

Despite the many “complicated” training ideas or “quick-fix” solutions, for the majority the task it is straight-forward and merely a matter of patience and compliance. The work will be challenging but with the correct plan it is simply a matter of time until you reach your objectives.

Within strength training most regimes fall short of six major concerns:

1. Insufficient range of motion and strength of the hips
2. Poor eccentric strength
3. Insufficient generation of power from the posterior chain of muscles
4. Issues related to muscular balances of both unilateral and bilateral nature that are reflected in sub-standard movement generation
5. Poor core strength such that they are unable to maintain optimal body posture while under physical duress.
6. Unable to stabilize themselves in an unstable (physical or mental) setting.

These issues can be dressed immediately with an action plan that includes the regular, even daily, use of:

1. Range of Motion (i.e. RED2, Hurdle mobility drills, static range of motion work)
2. Postural and Movement patterning work DMC™, “STS” model from the Renegade FIX™
3. Fitness general physical preparation

This basic action plan will assist in achieving all goals in fitness, health and sports conditioning and throughout this week we will show how shoring the six major concerns muscular gain will be accelerated.

Prepared by John Davies
Photo: Jake Wooley

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

John’s present supplement stack starts daily with the “athlete’s advantage”, Modern, Super Cissus, PowerFull and Prime, along with additional use of Recreate, Yok3d, Anabolic Pump and Pink Magic depending upon his training cycle (workout log 1, 2, 3, 4).

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.

Technological improvements in has radically improved connectivity across the world such that communication with readers is potentially within an instant and highly efficient. Given that we keep a very open line of communication with our readers via Twitter and Facebook, I can then provide up-to-date information on efficient exercise approaches and ensure readers utilize USPlabs products to their utmost.

Earlier in the winter of 2011 we decided 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:

Chest and Shoulders (athletic focus)
Kettlebell Training for mass
Fat Loss with Complex Training
General Health and Fitness
Back and Legs for Power and Mass
Fat loss with bodyweight training
Complex training with Kettlebell option
Back Training for Power
Strongman Training for Sport
Explosive Hamstring Training
Complex Training
Intro to Mass Training Day
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 is:

The winning entry for this week’s episode of the USPlabs Iron Day, which is quite honestly one of my personal favourites and most needed in the workplace:

Complex Training for strength (athletic focus)

Be explosive, fear nothing, flip the switch and attack, attack, attack.

RED² (as directed, continuous twelve minutes)

Hurdle mobility drills, #5 & #6

Tumbling (over ten metres, repeat four times each)

• forward roll to stand
• bear crawl
• spider lunge

Power Clean (hang) *

Hang Pull

Jump Shrug

* on blocks, dive start

@ 75% of first lift, 2 reps each, repeat  above circuit twice for one set

complete four sets

Split Jerk

Russian Split Jump

Good Morning Squat

@ 75% of first lift, 2 reps each, repeat  above circuit twice for one set

complete four sets

Hi-Box Step Up @85%, 4 sets x 4 repetitions

Russian Split Jumps, 3 sets of 3 repetitions

One Legged Eccentric Box Squat (loaded)

“STS” model from the Renegade FIX™ 3 circuits

DMC™

static range of motion work

Step two in this plan is visit the Facebook page and the how to stack forum for expert advice on how to optimize your results.

Apply to be a beta tester for COMPOUND 20

Prepared by John Davies
Photo: Chad Shaw

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

John’s present supplement stack starts daily with the “athlete’s advantage”, Modern, Super Cissus, PowerFull and Prime, along with additional use of Recreate, Yok3d, Anabolic Pump and Pink Magic depending upon his training cycle (workout log 1, 2, 3, 4).

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.

Many of the weaknesses of modern sport training oddly started with the modernization and business growth of health and fitness industry. Long before “the fitness revolution”, athletic conditioning consisted of basic training measures and quite often involved work associated with manual labour or basic military tests. It might prove to be an unpopular statement but some of the most effective "training" comes well out of the weight-room and involves general callisthenics, climbing rope, chopping wood, breaking up stone with a sledgehammer and bailing hay, to name a few of once common activities.

The truth is that general level of athleticism and work threshold in sport today is at deplorable levels. “Basic” athletic movements such climbing rope or chopping wood are considered challenging but were nothing more than standard faire for an early adolescent only a few generations back or in less developed countries today. In its place there has been an intense specialization of weight room work with a misguided training focus to go along with a “soft” psyche.

Of recent the phrase General Physical Preparation (“GPP”) has become a popular phrase within the health, fitness and sports conditioning market but unfortunately evolved into a specialized practice of nonconforming object lifts (i.e. "specialized" sledgehammer work, sled pulls) which naturally goes against the notion of generalized physical preparation. Not only does this subject the individual to a litany of repetitive stress injuries but it does not satisfy the intent of improving threshold development program, rate of recovery from strenuous activity, and improved strength-endurance.

Improving the rate of the recovery from exercise or other strenuous activity is fundamental to everyday exercise enthusiasts, strength-athletes, bodybuilding or athletics. For this reason alone all individuals must utilize an exercise regime that includes aspects to enhance work threshold (i.e. RED², general physical preparation, DMC™) as well as regeneration techniques such as contrast showers, Epsom salt and ice baths, static range of motion work and massages. Furthermore it is imperative to follow a healthy diet (i.e. see “simplicity”), adjusted to suit special goals and caloric needs along with a targeted supplementation plan with indispensable advantages such as  Modern, Super Cissus, PowerFull and Yok3d.

Prepared by John Davies
Photo Joey Smith

For more details on Joey Smith please see his Facebook page and make use of his ultimate stack of Yok3d, Modern, Super Cissus, PowerFull , Prime, Recreate, Anabolic Pump and Pink Magic

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

John’s present supplement stack starts daily with the “athlete’s advantage”, Modern, Super Cissus, PowerFull and Prime, along with additional use of Recreate, Yok3d, Anabolic Pump and Pink Magic depending upon his training cycle (workout log 1, 2, 3, 4).

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.

As you walk into a room of young athletes, their eyes look up to and while you may have forgot much of those moments in your own youth it becomes very clear they are waiting for you to lead. With your words and action you have the ability to shape the young minds into leaders of tomorrow and for that reason alone you have a great responsibility to provide not what they want to hear but what they need to know.

This is the role of a true leader, where there are no discussions of concessions of value but instead an individual who understands the route to success is not paved or a popularity contest.

How this relates to work threshold stems from my earliest sport coaching experiences as given I was often “the bearer of bad news” or at-least tough commentaries most within exercise need to radically enhance their general fitness levels.

This might go against the modern presentation of what is considered sufficient but that has only occurred given the bar has slipped so far within the mainstream. Enhancing fitness is crucial for athletes, bodybuilders, strength-athletes, those concerned with general health and of-course combative athletes. Please note for the sake of presentation I have used “combative athletes” to also include military personnel and law enforcement.

Unfortunately the combative athlete realm that has experienced a massive growth in popularity in the last twenty years has equally given rise to some peculiar approaches that are often motivated by those trying to sell to the community.

• First and foremost combative athletes must respond to the sport with generalized training by a performance conditioning expert in addition to detailed skill work.

• Furthermore skill work is prioritized to general conditioning. At no time should skill work be compromised due to extreme fatigue brought on by saying resistance training.

• A generalized training regime, despite being noted as “general” must understand the unique needs of combative athletes. This is extremely important when considering resistance training as movements must recognize functional needs and ensure they have a purpose.

• Individuals must be prepared to manage chaotic, rapidly changing events. If a person is trained in a perfect and predictable environment they are unlikely to respond to the chaos and “fog of war”.

• Fitness levels must be developed to elite level athleticism but via a focus of speed and speed-endurance work. While many have turned training of this area a form of endurance training, akin to the energy systems of a distance runner, this will reduce the individual’s skill potential. Speed kills in competition but equally those who train under long duration sets, equally that promote poor posture and movement patterns, or other endurance activities may find themselves a victim of poor training.

The final item I wish to stress is no one training medium is the panacea and this industry really needs to step back and stop the ridiculous marketing of the like. Those within combative sports, law enforcement and military personnel are dealing with extreme consequences when ill prepared and the real task of developing them needs to be in the hands of professionals and not those who gleam a workout online because of the title or slick marketers trying to sell another product.

Apply to be a beta tester for COMPOUND 20

Prepared by John Davies

Photo of Ashlyn Olivas, Photo Credit: Larry Hernandez

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

John’s present supplement stack starts daily with the “athlete’s advantage”, Modern, Super Cissus, PowerFull and Prime, along with additional use of Recreate, Yok3d, Anabolic Pump and Pink Magic depending upon his training cycle (workout log 1, 2, 3, 4).

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.