Deadlift 101: Three variations for building total body strength

Photo 1-2: Dumbbell Deadlift
Photo 3-4: Low Deadlift
Photo 5-6: High Deadlift

-The dumbbell deadlift can be completed with minimal equipment. Olympic platform taken? Gym too busy? No problem..work on technique development with a single dumbbell. I recommend going heavy (100+lbs) if strength is the primary goal. The weight lifted during this range of motion will feel surprisingly light as the total ROM is reduced due to the height of the dumbbell in comparison to a barbell.

- The low deadlift is a great exercise to increase hip and ankle range of motion throughout the lift. As you can see, having the plates under your feet will force you to get lower for the starting position. A word of warning: the extra 2-3'' required to lower the body to reach the bar may not seem like much, but it is a huge change! Total weight lifted in this position will be less than what you may typically be capable of in a regular deadlift.

-The high deadlift is a good addition for those who typically struggle with the starting pull in a deadlift. As the barbell is positioned on top of the plates, the range of motion to full extension is lessened by about 2-5'' depending on what type of plates used. As the ROM is decreased, expect to lift slightly heavier during this variation- although the starting position may take some time getting used to.

Common rep/set schemes for deadlift:
3 sets of 3 (power/strength)
5 sets of 5 (strength)
3 sets of 8-12 (hypertrophy)

On a personal note, I include 1-2 deadlift sessions in my weekly training. I also vary the style of deadlift used every 2-3 weeks. Try them out- and let me know how it goes!

Use playing cards for a creative, client-driven workout

How does it work?
What you are going to need to do is write down 6-10 exercises that will cover all major muscle groups. After that, you will need to decide on a set range [I typically use 3-5] and a rep range. For convenience sake using cards, I keep the rep range from 5-10 reps.

What you will do is have three different groups of cards that a client can choose from. Each group of cards represents exercises, sets, and reps. The client then chooses one card from each pile. The end result? Any combination of 6-10 exercises, 3-5 sets and 5-10 reps.

Tip: Prior to asking clients to choose one card from each section, I will divide each pile up, ensuring that each pile has the designed number ranges. Also, I remove all picture cards to avoid confusion. This is especially useful when training an older population. 

For example, I used this today with a large group I trained. I had three athletes choose from each pile- today their card numbers were 8, 3 and 10. Therefore, 8 pre-determined exercises were utilized, and the set and rep scheme was 3, 10 respectively.

Personal Trainers versus Strength Coaches

Personal Trainers versus Strength Coaches

Personal trainers and strength coaches have a number of similarities; both work in the fitness field, work with a diverse clientele, and work non-typical work hours and days. Beyond that, there are a number of distinct differences between the practices of personal trainers and strength coaches. I currently work as a personal trainer and strength coach, and comments/opinions posted below are based upon my own experiences and interactions with other coaches and clientele.

Clientele
Personal trainers are often required to use an active approach in gaining new clientele and signing up new members. Unfortunately, many personal trainers act as glorified salesperson, where they convince you that their service of worthy of a specific fee. Personal trainers sell training packages to clientele. Such training packages may consist of as few as five sessions or up to 20-30 sessions, dependent upon the goals and finances of the targeted clientele. In contrast, strength coaches do not have to work for their clientele. Rather, they are assigned to athletes based upon their teams. These teams may have few athletes if the sport is considered an individual sport (i.e. golf) but may have much larger numbers if the sport is considered a team sport (i.e. football, soccer, baseball).

Interaction
Personal trainers may prescribe at home workouts to clientele or workouts that are to completed without supervision. In doing so, personal trainers may only meet with their clientele 1-2 times per week, but again this will vary primarily depending upon the clients’ finances. Strength coaches often meet with athletes anywhere from two to six days per week. All exercises, sets, and training days are performed under the guidance and supervision of the strength coach. With the exception of the summer period, all athletes will work out under the direct supervision of strength coaches.

Programming
The goals of clientele of personal trainers will vary somewhat. However, the most common goal of this clientele is to lose weight, increase fitness and look better. In contrast, the goal of athletes within strength and conditioning programs is to improve sports performance and reduce the incidence of injuries. Therefore, the training programs between personal trainers and strength coaches will be distinctly different. Athletes are welcome to lose weight, increase fitness and look better, but, if it is not under the recommendation of their team coach or strength coach- they will do so at their own time.
Strength coaches have the opportunity to program long term training plans. These training plans often utilize the long term athletic development model whereby coaches will periodize training program throughout a yearly cycle. Strength coaches will frequently change exercise selection and training goals throughout the year. For instance, teams that are in-season will usually work out less often and at a lower intensity compared to teams that are out of season or approaching their current season.
Program development by personal trainers for clientele does not vary too much throughout the designated training period. Exercises may change to a certain extent, but many exercises will remain a stable throughout the training program. With most personal training programs, there is a strong emphasis upon cardiovascular training. Running, walking, cycling and overall cardiovascular exercise prescription will account for 30-60% of a personal training program.

Attention to Detail 
Training one to one in a personal training setting is a superior training method for clientele. However, this positive attribute must be weighed against the superior programming that strength coaches often put forward. Personal trainers have the opportunity to work with a single person whereas strength coaches work with multiple athletes at once. Therefore, personal trainers can often offer small training cues for clients and correct small, less subtle movement mistakes. Unless other strength coaches or interns are working with teams simultaneously, strength coaches can only pick up on larger, more obvious training mistakes. Strength coaches typically use the off-season to develop lifting proficiency among athletes while personal trainers can work on daily on attention to detail.

Working Hours
Morning hours for personal trainers and strength coaches are typically similar. Both begin their working days anywhere from 5-7am each morning during the working week. What differs with strength coaches is that they will typically not train teams between 10am-2pm as athletes attend class. The majority of training windows are early morning, mid-afternoon and late evening. For example, the football team train in the morning, soccer in the afternoon and baseball train in the evening. Personal trainers generally work throughout the day as most gyms will have a continual flow of clientele and members throughout the day.

Salary
Strength coaches typically have a fixed income, with 9-10 month contacts being most the most common working contracts. Most personal trainers do not have contracts as they work as self-employed within their respective gyms. Therefore, the salary of personal trainers can vary tremendously based upon location, hours worked and clientele. If job security is the goal, personal training might be a better option. If financial security, or fixed income is the goal, then working as a strength coach may be the best suited of the two professions. The salary of a strength coach will vary depending upon their experience and college. Division I coaches will typically be paid more than Division II, and NAIA strength coaches may only work on a part-time basis due to budget allowances at smaller schools.

Level of Legitimacy 
Without a doubt, strength coaches are more respected and recognized as professionals when compared to personal trainers. There are numerous reasons for this. The problem with personal training is that any person can claim to be a personal trainer upon completing an online exam from various agencies. Therefore, a person with little to no knowledge of nutrition, training and fitness can become a trainer within a 24-48 hour training period. Strength coaches are held accountable for their knowledge through stringent standards enforced by nationally recognized organizations such as the NSCA. The prerequisites for entry into strength and conditioning coaching jobs are higher, as is the level of competition among candidates vying for open positions.

Summary 
The purpose of this post was to highlight the varying functions of personal trainers and strength coaches. While the title of the post is personal trainers versus strength coaches- I do not believe that one profession is above or greater than the other. In some respects, it is like comparing these professions is like apples to oranges, but I do hope that this post has been successful in informing the health and fitness community about the role of strength coaches and personal trainers within the health and fitness field.

TRACKING IN FITNESS TRAINING: PART ONE

TRACKING IN FITNESS TRAINING: PART ONE

Between fitbits, pedometers and GPS analysis within professional sports, tracking fitness habits and trends over time has become a norm. The following posts will highlight five different measures that can be tracked daily and/or weekly to assess training status and improvements in overall health, well-being and sport performance. The first of five measurements is discussed below.

1.    Heart Rate

Regarding heart rate, there are two important measures that can be recorded. These are resting heart rate, commonly referred to as RHR within the fitness world, and training/exercise heart rate.

a)    RHR: is exactly as it would seem. Take a measure of your heart rate over 15, 30 or 60 seconds. There are a number of places around the body where you can feel your pulse. Locate which position is most comfortable, grab a stopwatch, and begin counting. Over time, RHR should decrease as fitness level increases. This change in HR is attributed to increased stroke volume, which means that the heart can pump more blood throughout the body per heart-beat. The end result is that the heart becomes more efficient at this process, and thus reduces the number of beats or contractions it needs per minute.

b)    Training/Exercise HR: More information will be added to the blog about training/exercise HR in later posts, but what follows is a brief highlight. As exercise intensity or level of work increases heart rate also increases. Therefore, training/exercise HR indicates how hard you are actually working. This method of measurement is superior to how you ‘feel’ as working out based upon how you feel often leads to two extremes of training; under-training and over-training. Moreover, measuring training/exercise HR during activity can help determine the phase of training and ensure the correct training zone is met at the right time. More on HR training will be discussed later.

Take the guessing out of weightlifting. (1-RM Calculator)

This repetition max calculator can identify weights that should be used for the bench press, deadlift, squat, and hang-clean exercises. Simply enter your max weights across the 'MAX' row, and enter the desired training intensity below the '% MAX'.

 

Example: If  BP, DL, SQ & HC Maxes are 225, 350, 315 and 165 respectively, enter them in that specified order. This calculator is particularly useful when you may need to calculate weights throughout a cycle or week, whereby days are designated as heavy, medium, and light.

To do this, I use 100% of a 90% max for heavy day, 90% for a medium day and 80% for a light day. By using 90% of a max, this ensures that the weights can be lifted repeatedly over a number of sets, and not just for a single set. Using 100% of a max will lead to excessive fatigue and burnout throughout sets 2,3,4 etc.

BP Calculation: 
220 * .9 = 198
198 * .1 = heavy
198 *.9 = medium
198 * .8= light

BP Heavy = 198 BP Medium= 178.2 BP Light= 158.4
^these numbers are for heavy, medium and light days for a 1-RM. To calculate percentages/weights for specified reps, refer to the chart below.

Determining what percentage is dependent upon the training goal within a cycle. If gaining strength is the primary objective, percentages should be kept at ≥ 85% of max weight. However, the percentage will be adjusted if muscular endurance or hypertrophy is the goal. For muscular endurance, the percentage of max weight lifted should be ≤ 65%, while for hypertrophy, the percentage of max weight lifted will range from 65-80%.

  Important Note: Percentage of max and repetitions lifted to failure are inversely related. For example, a weight at 90% of one's max may only be lifted consecutively for 3 repetitions. Yet, if the same lifter were to choose a weight at 80%, they may be able to lift this weight eight times consecutively. To give a better idea of weights and percentages and what significance they have for weightlifting goals, refer to the NSCA Training load chart below. The training load chart can be used to quickly reference what weights that can be lifted for each exercise. Due to it's basic structure, the training load chart is best referred to within the gym setting.

 

Calculate How Many Calories You Burn at Rest

Calculating Calories Burned at Rest

To find how many calories you burn in a 24-hour period at a resting state (without moving/activity) you will need to know your exact bodyweight in kilograms.

1 kg = 2.2 lbs

1 lb= 454g

To find calories burned per day, the formula is as follows; 

Body-weight in kilograms (KG) multiplied by 24 = total calories burned per day.

Therefore, a 180lb individual would burn 1,963 calories per day.

Example: 180 / 2.2 = 81.81 x 24 = 1,963 calories per day.

Knowing calorie expenditure per day can help when determining how to cut calories from a diet if the primarily goal is weight loss. 

How to Design a Circuit Training Program

What is Circuit Training?

Circuit training is an exercise program whereby individuals change exercises/stations at every pre-determined time. 

Circuits

Implementing circuit training to your programs is a great idea if a) you are pressed for time b) you must cater to a large group/sports team c) you are looking for a full-body workout and when d) you have limited availability of equipment.

Determine Movements

The first part in designing circuit programs is to separate exercises based upon their movements. Within a circuit, you can decide upon:

Upper body push exercises

Upper body pull exercises

Lower body exercises

Total body exercises

Core exercises

Sprints

Ideally, a circuit should contain 8-10 stations, with each successive station working on a different body part. For example, a circuit could be implemented as follows;

Example

Station 1: upper body push

Station 2: lower body

Station 3: upper body pull

Station 4: core

Station 5: total body

Now that you have an idea of how to plan a circuit, there are two remaining things to consider; exercise selection and timing/rest periods.

Exercise Selection

Brainstorm, think and write down as many exercises that you know of as possible as well as their variations. Once finished, use the list from above to determine what type of movement is performed. The only limit for many exercises will be your creativity and imagination. Using push ups for example [an upper body push exercise] there could be many variations. Narrow grip push ups, wide grip push ups, diamond push ups, incline push ups where hands are placed on a bench, chair, sofa etc, decline push ups where feet are elevated and placed on bench etc, and windmill push-ups where there in a quick upper body rotation involved after each push up.

Timing

Most circuit programs can be completed in approximately 20-30 minutes which makes them a very powerful training method. Prior to figuring out how much time a circuit will take, the number of exercises and number of rounds must be addressed. Obviously, the larger the exercises and rounds, the longer the circuit will take to complete.

Ratios

No, this isn’t another math lesson. Determining ratios are important with circuits as they define the work-to-rest periods. The most common ratios are 1:1 or 2:1 in circuit training program. That is, for every 30 seconds of work, there will be 30 seconds of rest, or for every 60 seconds of work, 30 seconds of rest respectively. Below are some examples I use with clients:

1:1- 20 seconds on, 20 seconds off

1:2- 30 seconds on, 60 seconds off

2:1- 40 seconds on, 20 seconds off

Bearing in mind with circuits, you must have enough time between stations for you/clients to move to the next.

Typical Circuit Set-Up

10 exercises, three rounds, 2:1 ratio (40 seconds on, 20 seconds off).

Total duration per round = 10 minutes.

Total duration per circuit= 30 minutes.

Hopefully this post will prove helpful with your future exercise endeavours. Feel free to post in the comments section your ideal circuit routine.

Benefits of Sauna Use

SAUNA USE

A current client and good friend of mine this week both got in touch to ask me about saunas and their purposed benefits and their effect on muscle growth. It seems that almost everybody has an opinion on the matter, but who’s right? To answer that, I looked towards results and evidence from research (done by scientists) and not simply from our personal observations. Here is what it had to say;

In an article written for Environmental Medicine journal, researchers reported a number of benefits of sauna use. Among them;

• Increased plasma levels of growth hormone, beta-endorphins, and prolactin increase during a sauna session. Or, in plain old-English, sauna use can increase the rate of bone and muscle growth, and can act as a pain-killer.
• Twice weekly sauna sessions for six months reduced the incidence of the common cold by 50% during months 4-6
• Participants who completed 30 minutes of sauna use three times per week for eight weeks lost 1.8 times as much weight and 4.6 times as much body fat as a group that did not use a sauna.

In summary, when used correctly, sauna use can increase overall muscle growth, decrease the incidence of the common cold, and aid in body fat reduction.

How sauna use affects the body.

The body responds to heat by increasing rate of sweating. The heart responds by increasing heart rate, which in turn increases cardiac output. Cardiac output equals heart rate multiplied by stroke volume. Although individualized, stroke rate remains constant with an individual, and does not change from a rested state versus exercising. With blood following to the periphery to cool the skin and reduce body temperature, blood pressure increases. The end result from sauna use then is that the heart must worker harden than its resting state when in a sauna room.

The researchers concluded that “sauna therapy is an effective and underutilized treatment for a variety of cardiovascular problems.”

But, before you start. Below are a few tips from the American College of Sports Medicine.

1. ·         Limit use to no more than 10 minutes at a time.
2. ·         Wait at least 10 minutes after finishing exercise before entering
3. ·         If you are pregnant, have heart disease, have kidney disease, are on certain medications for cardiovascular disease, and/or have any other medical issues that could be adversely affected by high heat, do not use.
4. ·         Exposure to high temperatures for an extended period of time can result in heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heart attack, and, on occasion, death.

Change it up! Choose a number, do that workout.

Rather than supplying you with empty training templates to make your own workouts, this week I have listed some sample workouts. Not too sure of what to do? Have a friend call a number between 1-6, 1-10 or whatever. Choose that number- look across the rows- and those will be the chosen exercises of the day. Have fun! The file can be printed and used for reference in the gym by clicking

 Here. 

The problem with specified rep ranges

Understanding the principles of overload and progression are of critical importance when designing training programs for athletes and/or clients. However, sometimes going by the book just doesn't cut it. For example, different reps ranges will target different areas in weightlifting.

The consensus is to keep reps low (1-5) for muscular strength, moderate for hypertrophy (muscle gain) (8-12) and moderate to high if muscular endurance is the goal (12-20 reps). But, if I'm looking to progress a client through their workouts over time, I may use "wrong" rep ranges. Let me explain a little more. 

I currently train a sixty-one year old female. On some exercises, we work in the 4-6 rep range for lower body, and 8-12 for some upper body exercises. This does not necessarily mean we are developing strength/muscle size. 

For example: 

Week one: 2 x 12

Week two: 3 x 8

Week three: 2 x 12 (add progression/increase weight) 

Week four: 3 x 10 

Week five: 2 x 13

Week six: 4 x 8 

-

As you can see, reps increase over time from 24 in week one to 32 in week six. An increase of 8 reps in six weeks or 33% increase in total reps).

The main thing is to progress your client over a period of time. Keep changing the a) exercises b) intensity c) rep ranges. And, make sure to track workouts and weights lifted to show progress to your client. This will also act as a tool for motivation.

One Simple Tip For Sustainable, Long Term Fat Loss.

THE ONE-PERCENT RULE

With the coming of a new month, comes  reflections of distant and well meaning new years' resolutions for many people. For the majority, just four of 52 weeks into a new resolution, changing dietary habits has proved troublesome but very rewarding. As a source for all things weight-loss with my friends and wider social circle, Facebook posts have proved to be a very valuable method for insight into [insert name here] journey with weight loss. However, I fear that the continued progress pictures and corresponding  substantial number of 'likes' will soon dry up for most. and here's why;


- Sustainable long-term healthy weight loss should be exactly as it reads. SUSTAINABLE and LONG-TERM. Yet, dieters often lose 10 lbs in week one, 6 lbs in week three and 3 lbs in week 4. This method and amount of weight loss is not sustainable over time. However, pop-culture magazines would argue with this belief. This is what [again, insert name here] did when they lost 40-50 lbs by using Herbalife supplements or by following a weight watchers program, etc. We all know that person. Fast forward a couple of months later, and not only have they re-gained all the weight they initially lost, they've also gained a couple more. But, here's what you can do to avoid the same trap.

- Lose 1% of body-weight per week, 2% at a maximum.

Example: Sarah's body-weight is 300lbs (136.3kg/21st 4lbs) and she wishes to lose a lot of weight for an upcoming wedding in June. At most, Sarah should lose:

weeks until June: 17
Percentage of weight loss: 17-34%
Weight loss per week = 300/1 = 3 or 300/2 = 6

So... Sarah could lose 3-6lbs per week (sustainable) over a 17 week period.
Total possible weight loss calculation = 3 x 17 = 51 or 6 x 17 =102

Total weight loss over 17 week period: 51-102lbs. 

This method of weight loss must be thought of as a long-term process but is absolutely crucial if weight-loss is expected to be a long term sustainable goal.

In part two, find out how much work it takes to burn 1lb of fat, that and a host of other questions, answered here.

Track Your Progress with this FREE training template

CLICK HERE for FREE training template

Track Progress

Don't be like the majority of gym-goers that lift the same weights every day, week, month and year and never see progress. Or like the runner who never sees progress in their mile time. Track your workouts by using this template and continue to see improvements on a weekly basis. Simply enter your exercises under the strength training or cardiovascular training tab, record your sets/weights and dates. It couldn't be easier!

Template can be used for up to twelve sessions,

For any questions, comments or inquiries, contact kevin.barry93@hotmail.com

Week One as a Graduate Strength & Conditioning Coach

I am sometimes asked "what do I do with my time" or "what do I do to keep busy" well, here it is. The above pie-chart breaks down exactly what I do that relates to strength and conditioning and personal training

Training Individuals: This week I coached three individuals. One member of the spirit squad team that I am responsible for, and another soccer player that just dropped by and was looking for something new and quick to do. Lastly, I trained an older woman as part of a program that campus recreation is running. (I also work for campus recreation).

Training Teams: I had two sessions with Spirit Squad, one being 1-hour in duration and the second taking 30 minutes. I also trained the golf team twice per week at 30-minutes per session.

Training Myself: I continue to train about four to five times per week. This week I trained five times for a total duration of about 4.5-5 hours.

Class: This week I had two graduate level classes, one Tuesday morning and the second on Thursday evening. Each class lasted three hours.

Office Work: The majority of my week was spent with office work, research for one of my classes and designing new training templates in excel. In a future post, I will link some templates that you can print off and use yourself to keep track of your progress.


I've been around gyms, fitness centers and a number of strength and conditioning facilities for quite some time now. One thing I always found was that there is a lot of 'down' time in between sessions where teams and athletes are not working out. I didn't plan accordingly for this on my first day as I didn't bring my laptop or phone charger. Needless to say, it was a very long day. In future, I'll be sure to keep busy at the office in between sessions by studying, keeping updated with current research in strength and conditioning, as well as listening to a number of audio podcasts throughout the day.

Until next time,
Kevin

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Six Reasons Why Your New Year's Resolution Will [Probably] Fail

1. You never defined your goal.

''I want to lose weight this year.''
''I want to gain muscle and get stronger this year.''
''I'll eat more healthy this year.''

The problem with such beliefs is that they are too vague. How much weight do you want to lose? How much stronger to want to become? Oh, and by the way, what's more healthy mean?

2. Your 'goal' is too unrealistic.

You want to look like a Calvin Klein model within the next six months, or like a celebrity in Hollywood? Let's be honest, it's probably not going to happen that quick.

3. You expect instantaneous results.

Leading in from number two, you can't just go to the gym for a week, or perhaps even a couple of months and expect to look like Hercules. It takes time to progress, stay patient and good things will come.  

4. You didn't think long-term.

Magazines are the driving force behind this problem. Yes, you may lose 10lbs in 10 days or something similar if you eat just 400 calories a day and exercise excessively. But, it's unlikely that this weight will stay off. In addition, you're lucky if the 10lb weight loss is even a 2-3lb loss in fat. 

5. You haven't changed your lifestyle.

This is the single biggest reason New Year's resolutions fail. It's very difficult to lose weight if you can't say no to drinking every weekend, or to fast food..or to a whole range of other vices.  

6. You surround yourself with the wrong crowd.

Again, it can be very difficult to stay motivated if your work colleagues, friends and/or family aren't on board with your idea and goal. Losing weight in an office where take away food is the norm for example, will be extremely challenging, as will having a friend group that primarily socialize in the pub every weekend.

Goal Setting 101:

Fitness professionals will often look towards the acronym S.M.A.R.T. when setting goals for their clients.. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-specific. However, I'll simplify that a little to make it understandable to everyone.

When setting a goal, it is important that you can answer the following questions:

1) WHAT- defining and setting the goal is the very first step in the process.

2) HOW- To reach said goal, you'll need a plan of action. How are you going to achieve it?

3) WHEN- You should set short, medium and long term goals to help with the process.

4) WHY- The why is everyone's motivation. This is usually the easiest question to answer. However, I would recommend to only set goals that you want to achieve for yourself, and not for the satisfaction of others.