Kettlebells before Barbells

I don't dress as well as Mr. Peanut but you might label
me a gym snob.

If you can't do an exercise well, don't do it. Call me a gym snob for this philosophy if you must but

I'm a big believer in improving whatever exercise pattern you are training. Teach the body how to move and magical things will happen. Strength is a skill and trust me, the better you feel, the easier things get. Now it's easy to get caught up in trying to do the popular exercises using a barbell but I believe the best way to do this is by putting your ego aside and using kettlebells first. 

 Notice the back and hip position in
the Goblet Squat. The anterior load
makes the position easier for the body
than with a back squat due to the
posterior load, which requires
more mobility in the back and
shoulders.

First things first, the barbell is an excellent tool and I’m not saying it’s not. But I believe one has to familiarize the body in how to move before using a barbell. This is where the kettlebell excels because it does an excellent job teaching the body. The kettlebell has a low skill level entry with a low risk/high return on your training investment while poor barbell technique requires a higher skill level entry with a higher risk on the return. For instance, if you can’t Goblet Squat without anything hurting, why are you trying to back squat? If there's discomfort in a 1 arm Overhead Press, why are you Military Pressing? And if you aren't keeping tension, well, then you are in trouble! 

The kettlebell can teach your body how to take basic things and apply them to more complex one’s. Take the time to learn these basic kettlebell exercises:

• 1 Arm KB Rack (Tall and Half-Kneeling and Standing)
• 1 Arm Front Squat
• 1 Arm Deadlift
• 1 Leg Deadlift
• 1 Arm Overhead Press

After you've mastered your deadlifts, it's time to add swings to the mix. Why? Because the swing has the power to open doors to other exercises. More importantly, it's a ballistic exercise that requires the body to be explosive, making it unlike the above exercises.

The "A-HA" moment!

Kettlebells have a greater purpose than
being used a free-weight! 

These are awesomely powerful exercises and great at teaching the body it’s strengths and weaknesses. If there is a weakness, they can also help to improve the weakness. More importantly, you will have many "A-HA" moments. The obvious commonality of these exercises is that they are all one-sided. Why is that important? It allows your body to learn how to work both the right and left sides independent of one another. Before complicating an exercise with moving an external load, your body has to learn not to be a little tea pot and tip over or compensate.

Now watch as your skills sharpen and improve leading to greater strength!

Sometimes saying you like to do barbell exercises isn't a good enough reason to do them, especially if it's at the expense of how your body responds. Select exercises you can learn from and receive a higher return on your investment when you train. Best of luck in your training!

Proactive and Reactive Nutrition Decisions

There’s a big psychological component to nutritional guidance. And this can get messy due to the food and health associations you’ve formed over time. Trying to help improve someone’s views is not an easy task. We aren’t talking about 1 hour of training. We are talking about forming habits that you are conscious of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. And these changes will inevitably bring about resistance to change and the “why’s.”

“Why can’t I do this”?

“Why can’t I do that”?

And so on.

Instead ask this "why" question, "Why am I doing this"? Take some time and think about it.

Look, I think educating yourself is great and ask as many good questions as you can. But there comes a point when you have to brush some of those “why’s” to the side and try something different. Your “why’s” are holding you back from becoming proactive. Instead ask yourself these two simple questions:

“Am I getting healthier doing what I am doing”?

“Am I happy”?

It’s really that simple.

The longer you wait and fight with the “why’s” it prevents you from implementing a plan and being proactive. Ever wondered why your nutrition plan didn’t work for you? There are no stakes involved and because IT WASN’T A BIG ENOUGH DEAL. And if there are no stakes involved, what’s holding you to stick with it? And herein lies the problem with trying to be proactive, there’s no sense of urgency. We need it to be a big deal before we can proceed with a change. We aren’t proactive, we are reactive to change.

Yup, I'm the John Edward of the body communication plane.
But in all seriousness, add some objectivity to your lifestyle. 

It’s funny; people try to negotiate with me when it comes to a nutrition plan. When this happens, I tend to say, “it’s not me telling you this, it’s your body. I happen to be translating on its behalf”.

Most of us are searching for a nutrition plan that let’s us eat what we want, as much as we want and still look good. Let me save you some time, it doesn’t exist (or it did, during childhood). Now a smart plan will be a little flexible and allow you to indulge a little. But honestly, how many of us are good with moderation?

Others will eat “healthy”. And sure, the food choices are certainly healthy one’s. However, it’s too much. You can’t argue the simple logic that if you are eating too much of anything, healthy or unhealthy, and your body isn’t utilizing the food as energy, it’s too much! “It’s not me telling you this, it’s your body. I happen to be translating on its behalf”

Again, “it’s not me telling you this, it’s your body. I happen to be translating on its behalf”. They are your goals, not mine. I’m merely a compass trying to point you in a healthier direction that’s based on your goals, your health and your happiness. But if you think I have some magical power to allow someone to eat what they want, as much as they want and look the way they want and still be healthy, sorry but I don’t. It’s about choice. It’s ok to eat a Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup everyday if that’s your thing. But then realize you have to make sure you don’t overeat because it didn’t satiate your hunger. That can be difficult.

Damn you Red Velvet Cake and all of your deliciousness!

A friend once told me how she tried a diet once. She said she felt great during it and that she completed it. But not long after it, she fell off the wagon and went back to her old ways. She just couldn’t give up that damned Red Velvet Cake and beer! The reason she gave me for breaking the plan was that it wasn’t sustainable. While on it, she hit on great personal points; she felt better, looked better and was happier. It did work for her. So what’s the problem? Her way of thinking about nutrition was the problem. The 30 days of her plan was over but it was just the beginning. Nutrition can be a day-to-day struggle. No matter what plan my friend implements, none will procure a healthier future until she can embrace the notion that nutrition never ends. If a plan is to work, there’s going to be some work involved because it calls for being accountable to herself because of her choices.

Instead of telling her what I thought, I told her to imagine…

Upon your annual check-up, your doctor informed you that you have diabetes. You knew it was always a risk because of your family’s history but you thought you’d have more time to make those changes. Time ran out to make that lifestyle change you put off and choice has been taken out of your hands.

A clairvoyant foretells in 10 years time you will be diagnosed with diabetes. Technically, you are healthy right now and don’t need to make any changes yet.

Maybe, we should start looking at our future
more like this.

The clairvoyant has laid out a potential path but you have the power to alter that path. The question now is will you make any changes? If your answer is “no, not yet” because you have time, good luck with that. You fail to see the big picture that a lifestyle change isn’t a quick fix but rather a gradual process to improve over time (this is probably another reason you haven’t reached your health and fitness goals). If your answer is “yes” you just made a decision to commit to your health. By making some changes to your lifestyle now, you can gradually improve your nutrition habits over time. You are invested in your future.

This is an extreme example but we could play this game with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, food allergies, etc. The point is we lack forward thinking. Forward thinking requires planning. And planning isn’t something we do very well until we are confronted with needing to make a change. We react to the problem in front of us. We tend to complain less about a change when it’s no longer a choice but a necessity. Now, it’s beyond my ability to communicate with the body…IT’S YOUR BODY TELLING YOU THIS!

If this is your nutrition philosophy, "I know this doesn't
fit, but gosh darn it, I'm going to make it fit", you are in
trouble!

Now before you label me as a monk being on the other end of the spectrum, I’m not advocating that either. The lifestyle shouldn’t be an all or nothing thing but something that works for you. It should be a balance of something that you are happy with and keeps you healthy. For example, more than likely you equate social outings as freedom to eat and drink freely. Or maybe you think of vacations of decadent foods and lounging at the beach with a strawberry daiquiri. And that’s your choice. But the next day when you reflect on the copious amounts of alcohol and food you consumed, was it worth it? If you regret it, than I’d say it wasn’t. Look, I’m not here to judge because I understand it’s not easy but a lot of this is common sense. You know most, if not all of this. But sometimes common sense isn’t so common J Health and Nutrition is like a puzzle. What fits? What works and what doesn’t work?

Make small changes to start and gradually over time there will be a shift in a more positive way. Have that slice of Red Velvet Cake because you didn’t stray from your nutrition plan and because you were consistent in your training for the week. But stop at that one piece. And if you stumble a little, that’s ok. Get back into the routine. Even if you take two steps forward and one step back, you are still one step ahead from where you started!

Here comes the simple truth, if you aren’t happy or healthy, you need to take a good hard look at your lifestyle and make changes. Remember, I’m John Edwards and “it’s not me telling you this, it’s your body. I happen to be translating on its behalf”. Look, there’s no crystal ball to foretell if and when your health will be affected. Nutrition will always be a struggle because it’s a 24 hour, 7-day a week never ending battle. It’s not a diet that ends after 30 days. Ultimately, whatever plan you implement should lead to a lifestyle change full of better decisions. Make smarter and healthier choices and you will be better for it. And if you can do that, congratulations, you are being proactive! Best of luck in your training and health!

The Importance of taking care of your Feet: It starts from the Ground Up

Ever stop to smell the roses? Well, how about you stop and listening to your feet? What are they saying? More importantly, are you listening? You may not realize it but your feet are a direct link to the rest of your body. Healthier feet can help fix some of the imbalances in the body. Simply put, it starts from the ground up.

Think this improved arch will make daily
               activities easier and exercise more enjoyable?        

Unless you have some weird foot appreciation (like me. Hey, this is a no judgment zone) or you are a podiatrist, you probably don’t consider your feet very much, if at all. However, your feet are responsible for supporting your entire body weight (thank you Captain Obvious). Not only that your feet act as shock absorbers when you walk. What if your feet aren’t able to provide the shock absorption your body needs? This will result in discomfort. Rather than feel this discomfort, the body will ask another part of the body to pick up the slack. What was once a foot dysfunction became a calf, knee, hip or back problem because of this vicious cycle of compensation. See my point? Keeping that in mind, should you be doing more than walking? If you are running, jumping, or squatting (or all of the above), it might be little wonder why you are experience pain. At the heart of the problem (more like at the bottom) your feet are a big reason why. My friends, fitness comes before health only in the dictionary.

Remember, the body is designed to be mechanically efficient. I said it’s designed to be efficient, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are practicing movement efficiency. And the inefficient movements create compensatory patterns within the body’s desired mechanical design.

If we look at the foot a little more closely, it has: 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. The structure of the foot is meant to form an arch. Technically, the foot has three arches: medial longitudinal, lateral longitudinal and transverse. Now if the foot is more flat, you can understand why this presents a challenge on the body because of the mechanical compensation throughout the body.

Instead of trying to fix the problem, we ignore it. Ever stop to think about the cranky knee or tight calf or hamstring and what’s causing it? That’s a warning signal from your body that something isn’t right. Think your foot has something to do with it? Well, let’s say you take that flat foot and cranky knee and have it try to back squat with heavy weight. Since we already know the feet is having difficulty handling it's own bodyweight, what chance does it have to succeed with more weight? My friend, you are now playing a dangerous game of Russian Roulette (you might’ve gotten through this session without injury but without fixing it, I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time).

What do your feet look like?

I get it, it’s not sexy to work on your feet. Feeling good and relieving discomfort isn’t as big a priority for most, while having big arms are. It’s semantics! In all my years, I’ve never heard someone say, “Damn, look at the arches on that dude”! (I lie, I actually did comment to a guy once, it didn’t roll off the tongue very easily). So what do we do, we pump up the arms instead because we want bigger arms so we can impress the cute girl on the elliptical. Makes sense. However, great arms don't last, but the ability to move well lasts your entire life.

Whatever the cause of your feet problems, weight issues, poor movement and exercise habits or injuries, it can be corrected (unless it is a medical condition). Here are my suggestions:

Consult a foot specialist about minimalist training shoes

• Spend 10 minutes either at the start of your day or the end of your day (or both) to give some TLC to your feet. 
• Massage the arches manually and roll the arch on a golf ball (again, this does not take the place of massage therapy but rather it is supplemental body maintenance). 
• Now, when you walk, try not to let your feet revert back to it's initial flatter state. For more foot drills, please read this excellent blog from Breaking Muscle, http://breakingmuscle.com/natural-movement/building-on-quicksand-how-and-why-to-strengthen-your-feet.
• Invest in shoes/sneakers that help in your foot rehabilitation.

The body is a mechanical wonder and capable of wondrous things. But it starts from the ground and works it way up the body. Show your feet some love and you will be rewarded in all aspects of life. Best of luck in your training!

My Most Challenging Training Year was also the Most Important One

If you’ve read a previous blog (Great Family, Great Coaches=Great Accomplishments: Why 2014 was My Greatest Training Year), you already know I had an incredible 2014 in my personal and professional fitness goals. Everything seemed to point toward a better year in 2015 and I was primed to pick up where I left off in 2014. Unfortunately, I had some setbacks early in 2015 that taught me some valuable lessons. Because of my competitive nature, 2015 was my harsh reality check...I'm older (seriously, when did that happen) and that meant:

• I needed to realize my training mortality
• And I needed to find and embrace a balance away from athletic pursuits to allow my body to rest and recover

With age comes wisdom...and I know better than to
wear that outfit in the gym.

There’s a scene at the end of Rocky III between Rocky and his former rival turned mentor and friend, Apollo Creed about getting old. “Just keep punching Apollo”. It's a simple (somewhat cheesy) outlook given the stakes but it's something we can all relate to. I can't be as ignorant about exercise as I was in my early 20s. Luckily, with age comes knowledge and experience. The trade-off of placing an importance of gaining knowledge in health and fitness has been improvement in movement, strength and my physique. I can do things now that I couldn't do when I was in my early 20s. Learn from past experiences to make improvements and prioritize things better.

And I get it, it’s easy to look at a setback with self-pity (all I can think of is Nancy Kerrigan blubbering, “Why” over and over in my head). I’ve never had a training injury until this year. I was fortunate because my injury was minor and happened when I wasn’t prepping for anything special. I’m very thankful that:

• No surgery was required
• No long-term rehabilitation was needed
• No emotional letdown from bailing on any goals

I’ll put all of those in the win category.

Look, if this is the worse thing I experience in my training, I’m a very lucky man. I’ve had better years and greater successes but I believe that teaching and learning moments are invaluable. We rarely learn very much from our successes. It’s our failures and setbacks that define us and give us the greatest ability to learn, evolve and come back better and stronger than before. 2015 may not have been a fun year for me, but regardless, it was my most important one to date. Be smarter, be safe and best of luck in your training!