You already know my views on some of the recovery techniques listed here, so don’t think that by me posting this article I’m endorsing such activity for the stated purpose.  However, there is a very interesting idea presented here.  If you are looking to put on size, check out this article by Jim Wendler.

The “Big But Boring” 3-Month Challenge by Jim Wendler

Get big or die tryin’.

Interested in more info on aerobic training?  Check out this follow-up of The (Many) Negatives of Aerobic Training by Charles Poliquin.

How to Counter The Many Negatives of Aerobic Training by Charles Poliquin

Get big or die tryin’

By:  Tony Cates, CPT

Let me start off by stating that supplements should only be used once a sound, whole-foods diet has been established according to the individual’s metabolic type, and then maintained for a long enough period that it has become habitual. They should not be used as a crutch to poor eating or a ‘shortcut’ to improved results.

About two years ago I applied for a job at GNC to sell vitamins and supplements. I went in with the idea that I would be able to help advise people if they had questions on the products, as well as include nutrition and exercise tips if necessary. I was also expecting to be trained on all the products if I were to be hired. Through the process, I ended up being interviewed by four different people, at three different locations in the Madison, WI area. What I found out is that the employees are not trained on the actual products, but rather, trained on how to sell them and meet the numbers GNC is expecting. Two of the interviewers even said they liked their job because it essentially made them feel like doctors, being able to ‘prescribe’ different things to people. They also explained how there are certain products that earn the sales people extra commission; which is essentially how a product with a completely mediocre ingredient profile, such as USPlabs’ Jack3d, becomes one of the top-selling pre-workout supplements. GNC employees recommend the product due to the fact that they will earn more money off the sale and the customer thinks it is a good product because they feel something when they take it, regardless of whether or not it actually has beneficial muscle-building properties. Needless to say, I turned down the job simply because I could not stand to associate myself with them.

For the rest of this post I will include vitamin and supplement store employees, as well as any other people who think they know, and can recommend, “good” supplements. If you are like most people, and do not completely understand the ingredients in supplements and how to read the label, or even if you do understand most of it, pay attention.

Nearly anyone that recommends a supplement for you because it is “better” than other supplements of the same type, (i.e. pre-workout X is better than pre-workout Y, or protein A is better than protein B) has conclusively demonstrated that they know far less than they think they do, and that they do not deserve to share an opinion on the matter. Although the intentions may have been good, they lack the basis of knowledge truly needed to be able to recommend an appropriate supplement.

First off, many supplements list a “Proprietary Blend” of ingredients, rather than the specific amounts. Therefore, given that the person can actually understand the role each ingredient plays in the body in relation it to an individual’s goals, they still have no idea how much of each ingredient is actually present. In addition, even if the ingredient amounts were known, every person is biochemically different; meaning that the exact same product is likely to react differently in everyone. Therefore, it is impossible for the local GNC employee or a workout buddy to be able to honestly and knowledgeably recommend the best product for you.

I would suggest for anyone wanting to start taking some type of supplement but unsure of which to choose, to ask someone knowledgeable, or better yet, learn yourself, what each ingredient is designed to do in the body and how they will work towards helping achieve your goals. Then realistically all you can do is make an educated choice and decide for yourself whether you want to stick with it, or try something new next time.

And please, it is fine to share what has worked for you, but don’t say one is better than another for someone else, unless you completely understand all of the ingredients and amounts, as well as the how they will react with the person’s biochemical make-up.

Tony Cats is a business management major at Edgewood College in Madison, WI.  He is a certified personal trainer and the S&C Coach for Edgewood College Men’s Basketball.  He can be reached at catestony@gmail.com or (608) 852-7433.

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*Comment, Like, Tweet, and Share the Knowledge.

Take this article by Charles Poliquin with a grain of salt, but there are some great and thought-provoking points brought up.  I’m not saying the information is incorrect, but it is presented in a very biased manner, so take that into consideration when reading.

The (Many) Negatives of Aerobic Training by Charles Poliquin

Get big or die tryin’.

I came across this article by Charles Poliquin and thought it was a pretty interesting concept.  I have always been a big believer in Metabolic Typing, so if you are a protein type or mixed type, check this article out!

The Meat and Nut Breakfast by Charles Poliquin

Get big or die tryin’.

Superman Drill:  As many continuous dunks as possible going from block to block.

Get big or die tryin’.

If you are like me, you train alone.  No distractions; no one bothering you; just you, in your world.  If this is you, check out this article by Corey Sias for some great tips on how to stay motivated and break PR’s.

The Seven Components of Getting Stronger While Training by Yourself by Corey Sias

Get big or die tryin’.

Let me ask you a question:  What is the main difference between a dumbbell fly on a flat bench and a dumbbell press on a flat bench?

Now, there are a multitude of directions you could go with your answer, so for some semblance of direction we will say this question is to be looked at from the perspective of the joints involved in creating the respective motions.

Okay, that doesn’t exactly narrow it down, either, because it could be correctly argued that every joint in the body is involved in both motions, but some joints have motion occurring at the joint while at other joints there isn’t any motion occurring.  SO, for sake of this post, I will once again narrow down the focus of my original question to say, “What is the main difference between a dumbbell fly on a flat bench and a dumbbell press on a flat bench from the prospective of the joints involved, with limiting the discussion to joints where there is motion at said joint?”

Longer than I had originally intended, but alas, hopefully my idea has been conveyed appropriately.  So how would you answer this?

At first glance, almost everybody is going to cite the difference in elbow flexion and extension between the motions, and I would agree that is the main difference.  Now, what would you say the second biggest difference is?

Here’s the reason I bring this up:  When looking at movements, don’t just take into consideration the muscles that are allegedly working during said movement; look at the stress placed on the joints, as well.  When you perform a flye on a flat bench, there is a tremendous about of stress placed on the gleno-humeral (GH) joint of the shoulder.  The reason for the increased stress on this joint is because the moment arm of the applied force is significantly longer when the humerus is at 90 degrees of abduction and the elbow is in a position of 0 degrees of flexion (as is the case during a flye on a flat bench) than when the humerus is horizontally abducted and the elbow is flexed at approximately 90 degrees (as is the case during a dumbbell press on a flat bench).**

**Side note:  An appropriate precursor to this post probably would have been along the lines of defining a moment arm and defining what abduction is in relation to the humerus.  If you are confused, Google it, or drop a comment below and I’ll make sure to post on these subjects in the future.

So, how much greater is the stress on the GH in this position?  Well, this is going to vary completely on the individual.  BUT, for the sake of this post, let’s say the three divisions of pec major attach 1″ away from the axis (the GH, in this case).  We’ll say the person’s humerus is 10″ long (the distance between GH and elbow) and the distance between the elbow and where the weight (length of radius and ulna plus some–RU+) is in their hand is 10″.  That means that at a position of 90 degrees of humeral abduction and 0 degrees of elbow flexion (flye) the length of that lever is 20″, whereas at a position of 90 degrees of humeral abduction and 90 degrees elbow flexion (press) the length of that level is 10″.  There is also a component of external rotation, among other things, in both of these scenarios.

Let me stop here and say that this is an INCREDIBLY simplified model, with many, many assumptions, not the least of which is that the person in question can both achieve enough elbow extension to allow for a full ten inches of distance between the weight in their hand and the elbow joint as well as actually be in this much elbow extension at the bottom of their flye rep.  Also, I would like to say that for this example we will not be taking into consideration the stress upon the joint at all of the infinite number of positions throughout the flye and press motions, nor will we be considering what is actually happening during the motions.  I will simply (or not) be explaining the scenario from the two positions described–90 degrees of humeral abduction with 1) 0 degrees of elbow flexion and 2) 90 degrees of elbow flexion.

Okay, back to the numbers.  First, let’s look at the press.

At a position of 90 degrees of humeral abduction and 90 degrees of elbow flexion, there is a moment of resistance that is 10″ long.  The moment of effort is, as stated before, 1″.  Assuming the person is holding a 5-pound dumbbell, the fibers that horizontally adduct the humerus will have to generate 50 inch-pounds of force to horizontally adduct the humerus from that position.  The 45-pound difference between the weight that is being held and the force that has to be generated to move it is what is placed on the GH.

Now, looking at the flye.

At a position of 90 degrees of humeral abduction and 0 degrees of elbow flexion, there is a moment of resistance that is 20″ long.  We still have the same 1″ moment of effort and are using the same 5-pound dumbbell, BUT there will have to be 100 inch-pounds of force generated to horizontally adduct the humerus from this position.  This will result in an excess of 95 pounds of force being placed upon the GH, over twice as much as with the press.

One could argue that you use less weight with a flye than with a press, so that might make the stress on the GH equal.  True, but once we talk about actually moving the weight there are too many other variables to take into consideration because now we are talking about a moving resistance instead of a static resistance so inertia and other variables will come into play.

What is my point of writing this?  It is not to say flyes are bad, or even that presses are superior or something along those lines.  Quite frankly, the hierarchy of good and bad regarding different exercises is 100% based on the limitations of the individual performing them and his or her goals, so I could not logically talk about this in a blog post.  My reason for writing this is to get you to think in a different light about the movements you are performing and the toll that they may or may not be taking on your body.

An Educated Approach To Training

If we all can begin to take a more educated approach to our training, one in which we actually understand what we are doing, we can begin to truly manipulate these variables to our advantage to create positive adaptations in a safe and effective manner instead of randomly flinging our bodies and weights in different directions and assuming the intended outcome will be the actual outcome.

Also, I am by no means an expert on the terminology I used in this post today, and this way of viewing movement is very new to my thought process.  If you are and notice I have messed something up in my verbiage or explanation, please let me know via the comment section or e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.  Many thanks!

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Get big or die tryin’.

Charlie Cates, CSCS

Self Made®, Owner and Founder

Charlie Cates is a strength and conditioning specialist and the owner and founder of Self Made® (http://selfmadefitness.com/) in Chicago, IL.  He has worked with competitive and everyday athletes of all ages and ability levels, from 9-year-old kids to NFL MVP’s.  He can be reached via e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.

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For “a collection of various awesome pointers, by various awesome people” check out this article by Matt Brown.

The Top 7 Musts For Success by Matt Brown, et al.

Get big or die tryin’.

Wanting to know the difference between a box squat and a squat to box?  Check out this post by Tony Gentilcore.

Box Squat vs. Squat TO Box by Tony Gentilcore

Get big or die tryin’.