Assistance Can Be a Good Thing, Part 1

When it comes to training, whether it's for an event like my power lifting meet or for a triathlon, football game or water polo game, everyone knows that just being strong and powerful isn't the end all be all. Yes you can squat, dead lift and bench until the cows come home and odds are you would have a pretty jacked physique. The question I ask you is this: would it make your athletic performance better?

This is not a loaded question but it is not an easy one to answer either. While part of me wants to lean towards saying yes, deep down I know the answer should be no. As a former two-sport collegiate athlete, I know firsthand that by only focusing on the big lifts will not paint the entire picture for an athlete's performance. Jim Wendler, of EliteFTS talks about using assistance work in his new book titled, "5/3/1 For Football: The Physical Development of a Hostile Team". In that book, as well as the original 5/3/1/ program, Jim has an entire section where all he talks about is the importance of assistance work and how by adding it into an athlete's program, can help them maintain composition balance as well as help their performance.

In order for an athlete to be the best at what they do, they need to have a couple things going for them:

1. They have to be powerful AND strong.
   

Yes those are two dramatically different things. An athlete can be one or the other, but the top level athlete's are both.

1. They have to be powerful AND strong and be able execute both with ludicrous speed
   

It doesn't help to be powerful and strong if you can't move that power and strength with speed through space. That's all athletics is: generate power and strength with as much speed and force as possible.

1. They usually have the genetic code of the gods.
   

If you were to look at the best athlete's in the world, the one thing that will cross all spectrum of sports is that somewhere, they share a common link in their genetic code. Great athletes can be created but most are usually born with that special talent that when harvested by the right coach, creates a special human athlete (Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Wayne Gretzky, etc…..)

Besides point #3, you can coach and teach an athlete both points 1 and 2. It takes a lot of time, effort and patience when working with athletes but when they reach or surpass their goals, they will love you for the rest of their athletic career.

Recently I have been lucky enough to start working with some local high school athletes. The unique thing is, it's not in a sport that I have ever played: water polo. Now for my triathlon's I have to swim, so that part I understand, but it doesn't mean I can't create one hell of a good athlete in the weight room.

With the principles taught by Wendler's 5/3/1 for Football program, I can apply it to water polo as well. This is where assistance work becomes critical. While I am going to follow the 5/3/1 protocol for the main lifts (bench, squat, dead, military press) the importance of selecting the appropriate assistance work for my players becomes increasingly important. While for most football players, you would want to focus on leg drive, foot speed, hip/ankle mobility etc….with water polo, they spend the majority of their time never touching the ground and wreaking havoc on their shoulders.

The selection of the appropriate dynamic warm-up drills becomes super important and the assistance lifts are going to play a bigger part in creating a top level player.

Stay tuned, next up my top 5 assistance lifts for any athlete, regardless of their sport.

Biggest Winner Challenge

Before I begin, I want to give a HUGE shout out to my client Brendan D, who has already dropped 5 pounds in 7 days on his new nutrition and training program! Keep up the good work! J

With summer pretty much upon us, there is now a shift in the mentality of people who "workout". It now seems that with the onset of sunshiny days and warm temperatures, not to mention it being light out till about midnight, that people are fleeing the gym floors and heading outside.

This in my opinion is a good thing. For starters, people who work the traditional 9-5 desk jobs get no Vitamin D whatsoever. I mean it's not like your office building pumps out healthy UV rays so you can get tan at your desk. By getting outside and doing SOMETHING usually means getting that healthy dose of that one all important vitamin.

You are also seeing a rise in bootcamp attendance. In the greater Santa Barbara area, we are blessed with a lot of great beaches and parks for people like myself to take their clients. You don't need much to kick some ass in 45 minutes. My usual suspects of equipment is simple: kettlebells, dumbbells, stability ball, yoga mat and some stretch bands. I don't really need much more than that but a TRX is on my wish list of new things to purchase.

The other thing you start to see is people doing things with other people. Shocking, I know but when the weather turns nice, people want to be outside with their friends, doing what they like to do together.

Where am I going with all this you might be asking?

This all leads into a new program that I am launching come June 14^th called the Biggest Winner Challenge. It is a team competition designed to get people outside and exercising with their friends. The competition is simple: the team that can gather the most points through weight loss and lowering body girth measurements wins a cash prize. The more teams that sign up, the bigger the cash prize.

There are 3 levels of involvement going on here:

1. Basic level – this covers your registration for the contest. It also gets you 2 large group bootcamp sessions, 4 team training sessions and weekly email correspondence from yours truly.
   
2. Mid level – You get everything that the basic level gets AND you also get a 100% customized resistance training program, weekly food recipes and of course the weekly email motivation.
   
3. All or Nothing Level – Now you get all the perks of the first two levels…. PLUS 6 semi-private training sessions!
   

As you can see, the more involved in the program you can get, the more interaction and motivation you will receive. Plus you will have me holding you more personally responsible for making sure you stay on track to win the all important cash prize.

If you are interested in forming a team or just want more information, email me at chris@phoenixtrainingfitness.com or call me at (805) 637-8370.

The Secret to My Recovery

For the first time in 2 plus years I am not training for a triathlon or for fat loss. Rather I am training for my first power lifting meet since I was in high school and even then it was only a bench press competition.

The thing about power lifting, is that it requires lifting heavy, which you should be doing anyways, but you aren't just lifting heavy. You are lifting close to your maximal lifts frequently and that puts a lot of stress on your muscles, joints and nervous system. Every trainer on the planet talks about the maximum benefits of optimal recovery. You can't reach your fitness goals without it.

If you are a client of mine or have heard me speak on this topic at all, you know that I am a hyyyyuuuuuuuge proponent of foam rolling and massages. Still, I am always looking for something else to help give me that little extra edge to help my muscles recover.

After reading an article a while back by Dan John, I started utilizing one of his techniques that is working out amazingly well. It's called a hot tub. Every night after a lifting session, I hit the hot tub for a minimum of 20 minutes. I'm not talking about getting in and when you get hot you sit on the edge. Nope, I'm talking full emersion up to my chin for the full time. I also like to sit by the jets and target my trouble areas, namely my hips and glutes. The combination of heat and jets has allowed my body to repair itself that much quicker and has allowed me to progress faster than both my coach and myself could have expected.

If you have access to a hot tub, I encourage you to play around with it to help with your recovery. It is well worth the time to invest in yourself to help you progress that much quicker.

28 days later…..

(big deep breath…..and exhale)

So it has been 28 days since I last had a beverage that contained alcohol and it feels like forever. While there have been mostly hard days, for the most part, I have come out this far unscathed. There are good days and I actually had one of my best days in probably 5 years a week or so ago.

Just like any other tough ordeal one has to go through, there were almost breaking points. A couple nights ago actually, I had a glass of wine in my hand and was ready to drink, but I didn't. I just sat there and stared at it thinking about all the people I would disappoint if I continued. So I did something about it; I got up and walked into my kitchen and poured the glass and the entire bottle down the sink.

A small victory, but a victory none-the-less.

The good thing is, is the cloud of fog is starting to clear. I am thinking more clearly, more precisely but most importantly not irrationally. You don't really realize how much a drug can affect your thought process.

My diet has gotten dialed in and my training right now is focused and intense. My powerlifting meet has totally consumed my thinking and I am hell bent on reaching my goal of a 1,400 pound total.

What's even more crazy, is how much better I am able to train because my body feels in tuned with what I am trying to accomplish. The work I am doing with my clients has taken on another level as well. I am pushing them harder, changing their programs to keep them fresh and they are noticing the effects.

All in all, things are moving forward. I am taking small steps daily and really only focusing on half a day at a time. I am focused on my body, my business and my competition. If it doesn't fit in any of those three categories, it's not a priority to me.

Time to go coach some athletes…..

My Name Is Chris And I’m An Alcoholic

I never thought that those words would ever come out of my mouth, but events over the past 3 months have made me re-evaluate my relationship with the sauce. According to Wikipedia, an alcoholic is "the drinker's inability to control such compulsive drinking, despite awareness of its harm to his or her health." Now that isn't what people think of when they think of an alcoholic but given the recent circumstances, it is what defines me and my problem.

Every major incident that has cause myself or someone else pain in any shape or form has come when I have been drunk and it's usually when I have been blacked out and don't remember. After realizing this, I finally admitted to myself that I have a problem.

I have been arrested 3 times in my life and all three are alcohol related; one of them I hurt myself badly and caused damage to another vehicle. Most recently I caused property damage and in all likely hood, got someone evicted from their residence all because I was drunk and acting like a complete idiot.

One of my dear friends told me the other night that when I drink, I don't stop; that I have no remorse for what I say or what I do and that not only have I hurt her and most likely others, but I have no care for what I could do to myself.

She is right.

I have been drinking since I was 13 years old and I have never really stopped. Sure there were times where I would go maybe 7-8 weeks between having a drink but in the big picture of things, I was always a drinker and a drug user. About 2 ½ years ago, I kicked to major addictions of mine: nicotine (I smoked for the better part of 15 years) and cocaine. While going through this life changing experience I never once thought about quitting drinking. Honestly, at the time I didn't think I had a problem.

Times have changed.

Nobody wants to be with someone who can't control themselves, whether they are under the influence of a drug or not. It is not easy to be respected and loved by your friends when you embarrass them and yourself to the point where it is hurtful. You can't be a father figure to a child when you get drunk and do something that they have been taught is wrong.

Life has a way of teaching you hard lessons and you would think that the more mistakes you make, the more one would learn. Apparently I like to learn things the hard way.

I have never been taught a lesson like this, ever. I have also never felt so ashamed of me as a person in my entire life. Alcohol has caused people to look and act differently around me; to think of me in a different way than the way I would like them too. Not only have I lost respect for myself but I know I have lost the trust and respect of a lot of people who I love and care about.

The road in front of me is scary as shit and I honestly am afraid to take that first step. Alwyn Cosgrove always said that if you jump, the net will appear. For the sake of this next journey, I wonder how long I have to fall before it appears because right now I don't think I can fall any further.

Standing at the bottom and looking up is an all too familiar spot for me. I have done it once and I now have to do it again. The first time around wasn't too hard though, but this time will be different. This is going to be the biggest challenge of my life so far.

I'm alone and scared to death.

Still, I am going to take my first step towards change.

Guest post today from a legend…

Today's guest post today is from the one and only Mike Boyle. It's from his newsletter but it makes a great point regarding offseason training for children.

 

Last week I received the question below

 

Q- I need to put together a summer plan for my 9 yr old hockey team.

Obviously I don't want to look like a crazy person, but it would be

something that I think could be good for my own kids as well. Is it

too young?

 

My first reaction was to say "are you crazy"? Instead, slightly

tongue-in-cheek I developed the plan below.

 

Step 1- play another sport. Lacrosse is highly recommended as it

has similar skills to hockey although baseball is fine. This does

not mean another sport in addition to hockey. Summer is the off season.

 

Step 2- Cancel all hockey camp registrations except 1 week. Pick your

favorite that has the largest number of your friends attending and go

to that one. Ideally look for a camp that only has you on the ice once

a day. No need to get blisters. You won't get better in a week anyway.

 

Step 3- Cancel any summer hockey leagues you are scheduled for. The best

players in the world never play summer hockey and, they never have.

The only conceivable exception would be a weekly skill session lasting

one hour. Another exception would be "play". If ice is available and

the kids can play, let them. Please remember play means NO COACHES

or COACHING.

 

Step 4- Reread steps 1-3. Acknowledge that the key problem in youth

sports is applying adult values to children's activities.

 

Step 5- Go to the nearest bike shop. Get nice bikes for everyone in

the family

 

Step 6- Ride the bikes, not in a race. For fun. Maybe put a few

hockey cards in the spokes to make noise.

 

Step 7- Head to Walmart and buy fishing rods.

 

Step 8- Take the fishing rods to the nearest lake and fish.

 

Now That is an off-season plan for any nine year old.

 

Step 9- repeat steps 5-8 while continually rereading steps

The effects of life can lead to, well, more effects of life

It has been a while since I have posted and in all honesty, I can feel it. It is not like blogging is some magical pill or therapy to help one solve their problems, but it is a good way for me to get my thoughts out and share with people who don't think I'm completely full of shit.

Yet, life, as it always seems to do, has gotten in the way of my life and something's in my life have slipped and others have dropped off the face of planet Chris. But like everything we experience in life, it has takes a toll mentally, physically and psychologically on me.

I am a personal trainer and trying to build up my book of cliental and create a reputation for myself as the leading fat loss expert in my area. Sounds easy right? WRONG. See people don't value their health one bit. Trying to sell personal training is like trying to sell water to fish. That doesn't make sense at all. Oh well.

The problem I'm seeing is that people, while wanting to get in shape, while wanting to get healthy, don't want to pay to have someone help them. They are all under the impression they can do it on their own. WRONG. I see people spinning their wheels all day long but when you approach them to help, they turn away. See most people don't understand the definition of insanity. What is the definition you might ask? Well, it's doing the same things over and over again expecting a different result. That's what I see every day, people doing the same shit over and over again, expecting a different result.

There is one stress in my life.

Another lovely little bit of stress is my DUI. Yes, I am human and I make mistakes. I got caught and now I'm reaping the repercussions of them. The mental toll of this is unlike anything I have ever experienced. I don't drink and drive anymore. Not even one glass of wine at dinner. I try and tell other people to do the same thing but now I'm just a guy who got caught and am preaching some kind of mythical spell on them to get them not to drink. Not quite the case folks, but I have no energy to try and tell you what you think you might know.

Still, life itself is one ball of stress. I don't talk personal stuff on my blog's anymore but let's just say, the minute you think things are good, they aren't. The minute you think things are comfortable, they aren't. If you are feeling any of those things in your life, stop, look and re-evaluate what is going on because it's about to change; for better or worse.

I do have one refuge though and that's in my new training. I decided not to train for my traditional triathlon, but instead am focusing on a powerlifting competition over Labor Day weekend. I am now lifting heavy shit 4 days a week and I'm sore as hell because of it. And I love it! I will keep you up to date on my training as it progresses.