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Do you aspire to mediocrity or greatness? Your actions will determine which category you fall into. Check out this article by Martin Rooney for more.
Which M.T.E. Are You? by Martin Rooney
Which M.T.E. Are You?
Posted: 18th May 2012 by Charlie in Life, MotivationTags: Charlie Cates, greatness, M.T.E., Martin Rooney, Self Made, Training for Warriors
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Process vs. Outcome
Posted: 16th May 2012 by Charlie in Charlie Cates, Greatness, Life, RTSTags: Charlie Cates, experiences, greatness, one size fits all, outcome, process, Self Made
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Many of us have an idea where we want to end up. We have our destination in mind and we work hard to arrive at our intended destination. Whether it be in regard to finances, education, health and fitness, relationships, or any other area, we have certain “things” we desire, and when we put action behind achieving these desires, we could say they become goals. These goals are our intended outcomes and to improve our likelihood of achieving these outcomes we often seek the advice of those who have already achieved either the outcome in its entirety or more of the outcome than we presently have. In other words, we look to external sources in order to improve the quality of an internal process.
Now, there are certainly situations where seeking the advice of those who have come before you is incredibly beneficial. For example, if a college professor were to give the same exam year after year, it may be worth your time and effort to gather as much information about what is on the exam from those who have already taken in. The crucial point, though, is that they don’t dictate exactly how you prepare and study for the exam. Because people learn in different ways, in different settings, and at different speeds, it would be asinine to prescribe a predetermined syllabus that says what, where, and for how long somebody else needs to study each bit of the subject matter.
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What about something like baking a cake or constructing a Lego set? These formulas for success have time-tested variables in terms of the physical process that needs to happen in order for the desired outcome to be achieved. There still is, however, a lot of variation in regard to how long it will actually take someone to, for example, bake a great-tasting cake. Some people will need more practice than others before they acquire the necessary skills as well as conceptualize why each step is important.
You see this all the time in fitness and training. Trainers and coaches are constantly pushing the mindset of, “This is what I did and it worked for me so it will work for you, too.” The flaws with this line of thinking are very apparent when it comes to baking or learning math and yet we still, as an industry, try to carry on with it in fitness and training. “This is what I did to lose weight so you should do it, too.” “This is what I did to develop into a professional athlete so it will work for you, too.” “This is how I got stronger so this is the method you should use.” Really???
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Are we that unable to look beyond ourselves and see that this person’s biological make-up and their life experiences may be completely different from our own such that we think our way is the best way for them? And not just the best way, but the only way, such that there is no other option. This is completely outlandish.
Tom Purvis, founder of RTS, speaks of this kind of mindset in his “6 + 2 = 8″ vs. “8 = 6 + 2″ scenario.* In the first equation there is one and only one correct answer. In the second equation there are literally an infinite number of correct answers. The problem we have as both a society and an industry is we see the two equations as exactly the same. Our personal experiences are the first equation, while those of the people we are working with are the second equation. We both know what we want, but that by no means it is an indicator that our processes should be the same. But, because we have gotten a “correct” answer in the past, we stop looking for new answers and instead try to plug everybody and everything around us into our own personal equation.
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Offering advice to others based off of your own experience can be incredibly valuable to them, but we must be cautious when administering orders without first taking into consideration the individual’s specific abilities and goals. We know the outcome want, but in all honesty we are rarely certain of the process. This uncertainty can only be reduced if we are able to objectively analyze each individual’s unique and ever-changing situation. Without doing so, we are shooting in the dark and hoping for the best.
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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*There is more to this scenario than what is elaborated on here, but for the purposes of this post that is as far as I will discuss it.
Driven
Posted: 14th May 2012 by Charlie in Life, MotivationTags: Charlie Cates, CoachBurgess.com, driven, Ryan Burgess, Self Made
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What does being “DRIVEN” mean to you? Check out this article by Ryan Burgess for more.
Driven by Ryan Burgess
You Snooze, You Win
Posted: 9th May 2012 by Charlie in Recovery, SleepTags: Charlie Cates, Martin Rooney Training for Warriors, Self Made, sleep, sleep benefits, sleep tips
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You cannot out-exercise a bad diet, and you cannot out-eat poor sleep. Sleep trumps all. Check out this article by Martin Rooney for more.
You Snooze, You Win by Martin Rooney
Five Free Ways to Increase Grip Strength
Posted: 8th May 2012 by Charlie in Grip TrainingTags: Charlie Cates, free grip strength tips, grip strength, Self Made, training grip strength
Image courtesy of newbedfordguide.com
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I have been on a bit of mission lately to improve my grip strength. One of my favorite tools to use for training my grip is Fat Gripz, but what if you don’t have those? In fact, what if you don’t want to purchase any additional equipment and only want to make minimal changes to your current training routine, but still want to improve your grip strength? Here are my suggestions for five free ways to increase your grip strength:
1. Get rid of the straps.
Okay, not earth-shattering advice to start, but I do see this–people want to improve their grip and are still using straps. Yes, you will be forced to handle less weight for the time being, but if you are bent on not adding in additional training for your grip, you may have to sacrifice how much weight you are pulling. Or, you could implement another suggestion…
Image courtesy of topendsports.com.
2. Slow down your tempo.
I wrote on this subject three weeks ago, but it is worth repeating. For lower body and pulling exercises during which you are holding the resistance, slowing down the tempo of the movement is a very simple way to build grip strength. The weight will have to be decreased relative to what you would normally use due to the greater time under tension, but after a few weeks you may be able to challenge both your grip and your lower body/back appropriately.
3. Wrap towels around the bar or dumbbell.
If your training facility doesn’t provide towels and you yourself don’t own any, this wouldn’t technically be free. But, considering most places do provide towels, I decided to include it. Wrap the towel around the bar or handle of the dumbbell to increase the diameter (thickness) of the implement. A cool feature about towels as compared to Fat Grips is because they are a softer, more malleable material, they will conform to your hand better than the rigid rubber of the latter. The downside is that the towel is more likely to adjust itself during a set, especially as your grip starts to fatigue and you start to lose solid control of the bar. While not a common issue, a tight and proper wrapping of the towel around the implement before the set will help ensure the unlikely event of the towel becoming unwrapped and/or slipping out of your hand does not transpire.
4. Pause for a ___ count before racking.
After you finish your set, pause and hold the weight for a predetermined count before racking it. This will provide additional time under tension at your working weight. Depending on the relative weight and number of sets, anywhere from 2 to 10 seconds should be appropriate.
**Side Note: See below.
**Side note: The labeling in the above picture is incorrect. The positions would be more accurately described as (from left to right) overhand, parallel, and underhand.
5. Switch your grip up.
Parallel grip, underhand grip, overhand grip, and every variation in between. Utilize and incorporate them all in your training at large as well as for each movement that you do, structure permitting. While the muscular recruitment will vary between grips, both within and outside of the forearm and hand, the bottom line is if you are trying to increase your grip strength you should consider hitting it in multiple ways. Whether you actually need to or not is based on your current abilities and what you are ultimately trying to achieve. Also, I am not a fan of using the alternating grip because of the excessive strain it puts on the Biceps short head as well as the way forces are directed across the spine while using it.
So there you have it, five free ways to increase your grip strength without significantly altering your training routine or spending extra time on grip training.
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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Freaky Forearm Training
Posted: 7th May 2012 by Charlie in Grip TrainingTags: Charlie Cates, forearm training, Gaglione Strength, Joe Gaglione, Self Made
I’ve been on a grip training thing for a while now, so here is another article by Joe Gaglione breaking down grip training.
Freaky Forearm Training by Joe Gaglione
Reconsidering the Vertical Jump Test: Part 1
Posted: 4th May 2012 by Charlie in Basketball, Jump Training, Tony CatesTags: basketball, nfl combine, Self Made, Tony Cates, vertical jump test
Image courtesy of thefootballeducator.com
As a basketball player and collegiate men’s basketball strength and conditioning coach, one of the most common questions I get asked is how players can increase their vertical jump. However, perhaps the most over-rated test of athletic ability in basketball, if not all sports, is the vertical jump test.
The test is primarily used to measure an athlete’s vertical explosive power and neuromuscular coordination in relationship to his or her body weight. The test is performed by first measuring the standing, flat-footed, one-arm reach for height of the athlete. Then the athlete is required to jump and touch a point as high as they possibly can. The difference between the two markers is the athlete’s vertical jump.
The initial problem I find with this test is the high amount of variance in the testing protocols; whether it be a difference in approach (no-step, one-step, running off one foot, or running off two feet), a difference in the initial measuring (two hand reach, one hand reach, full gleno-humeral flexion or shoulder resting comfortably), or a difference in the tool used to measure (Vertec, eying a tape measure on a wall, using a Vertical Jump Testing Mat to test the athletes air-time or attaching a measuring tape to the athlete’s waist belt). Not only is there not one specific protocol for testing the athletes, there is also a way to cheat regardless of which method is chosen.
Let’s use the NFL combine as an example. Players record their one-arm standing reach with flat fleet and, if they have been trained properly, a likely relaxed shoulder and overall body posture. That is considered their “standing reach”. However, without even leaving the ground, the athlete can rise up on his toes, fully out-stretch their arm and shoulder, and touch six inches above their standing reach–without even leaving the ground! When the athlete performs the vertical jump, they are in that fully out-stretched position just as they are leaving the ground. Therefore, the actual height they jump can be six or more inches less than their recorded vertical jump.
The vertical jump test is primarily used to calculate two things: an athlete’s vertical explosive power and neuromuscular coordination in relationship to his or her body weight. But what do these have to do with sports performance? And is there a better way to test them? Be sure to catch Reconsidering the Vertical Jump Test: Part 2, next Thursday.
Tony Cates is a business management major at Edgewood College in Madison, WI. He is a certified personal trainer, performance enhancement specialist, 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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Preferences of Movement
Posted: 3rd May 2012 by Charlie in TrainingTags: adaptation, appropriateness, Charlie Cates, injury prevention, Self Made
You see it all the time–trainers and coaches inflicting their opinions and biases upon their athletes and clients with only a limited acknowledgement of the individual’s abilities, limitations, or needs. When it happens in the medial realm it is called malpractice but when it happens in the gym it is called working out. Huh?? This is absurd.
Take the squat, for example. Back squats, front squats, box squats, split squats, single-leg squats, goblet squats, assisted squats, wall squats, ball squats, squats with accommodating resistance, and I am sure I am forgetting some other type of variation. All of these–based on the implements used, the placement of the resistance relative to the body and the specific joint in question, the direction of the resistance, how the person is applying force into the ground, tempo, intention, and how much movement occurs at each joint during the motion–will affect the body in profoundly different ways. You can even take the same movement with the same weight, implements, and placement of resistance and get completely different adaptations and sensations both from a structural and neuromuscular perspective if the other variables are not controlled, as well.
The point of all of this is that to label an exercise as “good” or “bad” or to completely disregard one variation of an exercise and/or only using a single variation is not only ignorant, it is dangerous, because the question that is failing to be asked is, “Is this appropriate for this individual at this moment in time?”. Without first asking this question and then seeking the answer, you are simply guessing as to whether the stimulus you are applying to the body should, in fact, be applied while at the same time assuming it is appropriate to do so.
It is time to collectively give up our arrogant and ignorant preferences of movement and start developing a preference for appropriateness.
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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How to Improve Crushing Grip Strength
Posted: 1st May 2012 by Charlie in Grip TrainingTags: Charles Poliquin, Charlie Cates, crushing grip, grip strength, Grip Training, Self Made
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Check out this article to see Coach Poliquin describe different types of grip strength, why having a strong grip is important, and how to go about training for one!
The Thinking Tire
Posted: 26th April 2012 by Charlie in Life, Mental Training, Tony CatesTags: get your mind right, Life, mental attitude, Self Made, the thinking tire, Tony Cates
“Sometimes you can’t think about it. That will only hold you back. Sometimes you just have to do it.” –Charleston DeLa Cruz
This past summer I was lucky enough to have an internship at Todd Durkin’s Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA. Not only was it a great work experience, but also I was able to make friends with a great group of employees and fellow interns. Midway through the summer Todd gave the interns the freedom to design and run a Sunday morning fitness class for the general population. We were supposed to come up with a name for the Sunday classes, as well as a theme for each of them. At first it seemed like everyone was a little self-conscious about their ideas because not much was said. At that moment there was too much pressure to try to come up with the perfect name and idea that everyone was drawing a blank. With everyone filtering their “bad ideas”, we were not able to feed off each other’s creativity and enthusiasm. Needless to say, there were no good ideas generated at that time.
Seth Godin says if you believe you can’t come up with good ideas it is because you are going about the process all wrong. Rather than just trying to think of good ideas, you should try to think of bad ideas. By thinking of as many bad ideas as possible, eventually you will end up with an idea or two that isn’t so bad. Then you can even take one of those ideas and make it into a good idea. The process of coming up with good ideas sometimes needs to start from the ground up. Sometimes bad ideas need to either get out of the way before a good idea will emerge, or will directly lead to a good idea.
Behind the Fitness Quest 10 facility there is an alley with different pieces of exercise equipment. One, for example, is a 400-pound tractor tire. Although the tire’s original purpose was for flipping and climbing on, on this day it was used for something new. I went back there with another intern, Charleston DeLa Cruz, sat on the tire, and we started coming up with ideas. No matter how bad they might have seemed, we said them. Not only did we have a lot of fun laughing at the ideas and using them to fuel even funnier ideas, we also ended up coming up with a few good ones at the end! What we discovered was so powerful that we had to share it with all the other interns. We called it “the thinking tire.” Whenever we needed to come up with an idea, relax from work, or get mentally ready to push ourselves in the weight room, we would go to the thinking tire. It was a place where negative thoughts could not get in the way of what we were trying to do.
Not everyone needs a tire to sit on, but having a place in your house, car, work, or gym where you can feel empowered and free just by sitting there can help you erase the negative thoughts that often can get in the way of accomplishment. When you are there, tell yourself that there are no bad ideas, negative thoughts are not allowed, and you are capable of doing things you never thought you could. Soon your brain will be programmed to feel empowered when you sit there, and you will be breaking through plateaus, both in the weight room and in life.
Tony Cates is a business management major at Edgewood College in Madison, WI. He is a certified personal trainer, performance enhancement specialist, 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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