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5 Ways to Swing a Kettlebell

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The kettlebell is literally the most underutilized tool in most commercial gyms. Many places have dozens of them, while other gyms have a shitty plastic one collecting spiderwebs in the corner.

Some gyms have none. Others have only kettlebells, and do all of their fitness related activities with that tool.

Still, very few people utilize its plethora of benefits to fitness. Below are some variations of this exercise which falls into the hip hinge family of fundamental human movement patterns.

The kettlebell swing is a way to train powerful hip extension, conditioning, and a silky smooth hip hinge pattern.

In my years of both training and coaching in a public gym setting, I have never seen a proper swing. I’ve seen folks who squat the swing, bend the swing, and do all kinds of other things in an attempt to swing, but never a true kettlebell swing.

The kb swing is an explosive hip drive with minimal knee bend and maximal hip bend. This is very similar to the deadlift, only faster, and with less load.

Here are 5 ways to train this incredible movement.

 

The Kettlebell Swing with a reset

 

 

This is the primary way I prefer to teach the swing right off the bat, when I feel a student can benefit from the kettlebell swing. The reset tends to teach how to create force out the hinge position from scratch. By stopping the momentum after each rep, you can feel the tension of the hinge longer, and hold a proper position out front to ensure proper bell path. Give these a try if you are just starting out, need to work on single rep explosion, or need to relearn the proper mechanics of the swing.

 

Kettlebell Swing vs. a Band

 

 

This is one of my favorites for a few reasons. The band adds significant resistance on the way to the top, so you have to recruit more power from your hips to achieve a good lockout position. The second reason I like the band around the bell is that from the top position, the band promotes a better hinge. If you try to squat it, the band will go slack, and will feel very awkward when trying to move back to lockout.

 

Single Arm Kettlebell Swing vs. Band

 

 

This is a nice progressions up from the double arm kb swing vs. band seen above this video. Anytime we are forced to generate more power from lower in the body, we put a premium on form and execution of the exercise. Since only one hand is guiding the kettlebell, it is essential that you explode out of the hinge position with fury and intent. The band will resist the top half of the movement before lockout, demanding that you accelerate to the top.

 

Single Arm Kettlebell Swing with a Hand Switch

 

 

This one involves a bit more coordination, but it’s a great way to challenge your athleticism as well as proper kettlebell path with a single arm. In any kettlebell swing variation, the arms are involved minimally. The more you can use the power of your posterior chain to drive out of the hinged position, the more efficient you’ll be. The transition at the top should be relatively easy, as the kettelbell should basically be floating and ready for you to catch it and sit back into your loaded position.

 

Double Kettlebell Swing

 

 

If you want to load up the swing, while getting into a sumo like deadlift stance, this kettlebell swing variation is for you. I’d never have anyone jump right into double kettlebell swings without mastering the single bell swing, just as I would have anyone swing the kettlebell without showing proficiency in the hinge and deadlift patterns first. This is a progression, and can be great at working on power development and work capacity from a sumo deadlift stance.

These are some of the more fun and challenging ways I enjoy swinging the kettlebell, along with programming them into strength and conditioning programs for clients.

If you have any questions, or wish to learn more, email us at showmestrength@gmail.com, or find us on our facebook, twitter, and instagram

Pre and Post Workout Breakfast Recipes

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protein oatmeal breakfast

 

One of the biggest issues I like to fix right away with my in-person, and our online clients is optimizing the first meal of the day. The reason being is that people seem to always have it screwed up.

Your first meal, no matter when, is breakfast (breaking the fast).  It sets the day in motion, and can either hinder or assist your health and fitness goals.

Here are the top three issues that I see plaguing folks and their first meal.

  1. Too much refined stuff
  2. Not enough protein and healthy fats
  3. Lack of nutrient density

Read: How to Build the Perfect Breakfast

Most people seem to get tricked into thinking that their breakfast is healthy, when in reality either their body isn’t ready to magically turn it into muscle while simultaneously burning fat.

Gluten free granola with yogurt and a skim milk skinny latte will not make you lean and mean. Do people really still think that a Dunkin Donuts bagel with egg white is good because it doesn’t have cholesterol, and is “low fat.”

It doesn’t work that way. I don’t deal much on the nutrition side of things with our fitness students. That is Andrew’s gig. I do, however, instill simple solutions in people to build habits that will last a lifetime.

One of those habits is learning to dominate the first meal. I have solutions for two scenarios.

  • First meal of day (pre-training)
  • First meal of day (post-training)

Below are 3 recipes I use personally and with clients for a breakfast if they haven’t trained yet that day or if they have completed a resistance training session prior to their first big meal.

– Before Training Breakfast Options –

sure as hell did

                       sure as hell did

  • 2-5 scrambled cage free eggs + 1/2 -1 cup of cage free egg whites + handful of green vegetables of choice  + tablespoon of extra virgin olive or coconut oil + dry spices of choice (turmeric, salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc) – Small serving of organic preservative free bacon or sausage optional
  • Scoop of Whey or plant based protein powder + two table spoon scoops of plain non whole or non fat greek yogurt + unsweetened almond/coconut/hemp milk + peanut butter powder + mixed nuts + flax and chia seed sprinkled in + dash of cinnamon
  • Bowl of 3-5 scoops of plain greek yogurt + scoop of whey or plant based protein powder + half handful mixed raw nuts + cinnamon + milled flax seed

– Post Training Breakfast Options –

Nope...Nope their not

Nope…Nope their not

  • 1/2 – 1 ezekiel english muffin/2 pieces toast + 2-5 scrambled cage free eggs + 1/2 -1 cup of cage free egg whites + handful of green vegetables of choice  + tablespoon of extra virgin olive or coconut oil + dry spices of choice (turmeric, salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc) – Small serving of organic preservative free bacon or sausage optional
  • Scoop of Whey or plant based protein powder + half cup steel cut or whole rolled oats + one table spoon scoop of plain non whole or non fat greek yogurt + unsweetened almond/coconut/hemp milk + peanut butter powder + half cup mixed berries + flax and chia seed+ dash of cinnamon
  • Bowl of 1-1.5 cup whole rolled oats + scoop of whey or plant based protein powder + half handful mixed berries + cinnamon + milled flax seed/chia seed sprinkled in

I like the concept of getting good quality protein and fats with a serving of veggies to start the day if you haven’t trained yet. This seems to eliminate the cravings later in the day, and give you energy and stamina that lasts longer than a plate of pancakes.

When you’ve already trained, try the last three recipes which include more carbohydrates and protein. This will replenish what you’ve lost, and speed up the recovery process, all the while delivering immense nutrient density which your body desperately needs.

Let us know what your ideal first meal looks like, or if you’re down to try some of these delicious options out.

P.S. Andrew and I have a nutrition and training hybrid coaching program that eliminates confusion in and out of the gym. If you’re interested in joining, email us at showmestrength@gmail.com

How To Not F*** Up Your Diet On Weekends

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Diets can be made or broken on weekends

It’s really pretty easy.

Follow this three-step process and you’re gold.

  • Never go out.
  • Don’t drink.
  • And don’t even think about ordering pizza while you Netflix and chill.

There, done.

By now, if you were sane, you’d be thinking, “Yeah, screw Andrew. What’s the point of being ripped if you’re a hermit.”

And you’d be right.

Screwing up your weekend is the biggest problem in dieting

That’s a horrible solution to a big problem and yet it’s one I see people making every single day.

In my time in financial services – you know, the real world where people have no idea what the heck carb cycling or IIFYM is – here’s typically how it plays out.

People go cold turkey and totally eliminate drinking or they get creative with “Irish Lent,” where you don’t drink from New Years until St. Patrick’s Day. It goes well because people are generally pretty good at committing to a psychotic plan for awhile. Think fad diets.

Then shit hits the fan. Eventually, they say “fuck it,” get drunk with their buddies on a mini-bender and realize that the fun they had was way more enjoyable than any stupid restrictive diet.

End of diet.

There’s a better way

Weekends don’t have to destroy your diet anymore.  And the best part is you don’t even need to “science the shit out of it” like Matt Damon in the Martian.

You need a system that works.

One that’ll let you work hard and play harder all while getting lean and keeping you from falling victim to become a boring, Type A recluse.

My clients, many of whom work high-stress 80-90 hour work weeks while still managing to get lean and enjoy themselves on the weekend, are a testament to this notion.

What follows is what I typically prescribe to clients and utilize myself:

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Note: these results are typical.

This Isn’t Tim Ferris 4 Hour Body Fantasy Land

Full disclosure: I can’t help you if you drink and/or eat like an asshole 4-5 nights a week and plan to continue doing so.

Tim Ferris has greater magical powers than I and I simply can’t hack your life through a computer screen. Sure, if you worked with me 1 on 1, there’s a chance I could “science the shit out of it” and make it happen but for the purposes of this article, ya just can’t do it.

This system is all about optimization with THE assumption that you have yourself together during the rest of the week.

That means putting in the work regardless of whether or not it’s perfect or optimal. As I’ve mentioned before, bad science has gotten thousands of people ripped. A poor work ethic has not.

With that being said, let’s get to the goods.

 Priority #1: Create A Deficit

 It’s Saturday night and this week’s been an absolute ball-buster. A string of 12-hour days, 4-5 hard workouts, and a diet that’s been immaculate.

You’ve put in the work and now it’s time to get loose and enjoy yourself.

Game on.

We both know that Newton’s 4th Law is that you need to create a deficit to lose fat.

Where many people go wrong is in thinking that you can go ham on the weekend, drink like a fish and eat like a cow and come Monday morning, everything will be all fine and dandy and the scale will give you the goods.

Unfortunately, math doesn’t cease to exist on the weekends and calories are still calories.

To create an enjoyable, diet friendly Saturday night, it’s imperative to impose a deficit for some wiggle room.

To create a deficit, we want to drain some muscle glycogen so all that pizza later will be stored in our muscles and not our love handles.

Our best bet is interval training.

Lifting, contrary to popular opinion, doesn’t deplete glycogen a whole heck of a lot.

From Bayesian Bodybuilding:

A full-body workout consisting of 9 exercises for 3 sets each at 80% 1RM (something only a beginner can do) only depletes about a third of the body’s glycogen and 9 sets for a specific muscle result in 36% depletion in that muscle (Roy & Tarnopolsky, 1998). After performing sets of 6 leg extensions at 70% 1RM until absolute failure occurred (weird protocol I know) and not consuming anything afterwards, 75% of glycogen was restored after 6h (Pascoe et al. 1993).

So much for the notion that you “need” carbs to strength train but that’s a topic for another time.

Compare that to 2 30s sprints on an ergometer and you get 44% glycogen depletion.

Here’s a sample interval session that I like to implement with clients on such days:

  • 10 minutes
  • 10 seconds as hard as possible
  • 50 seconds at an easy pace

If after trying that, you still have more in the tank, you didn’t try hard enough.

As much as people probably hate when their boss tells them to earn their weekend, earn your drinks.

Training Days and Drinking Don’t Mix

Any movement is better than no movement BUT if results matter to you, I’d highly recommend you schedule lifting days away from when you drink.

Why?

Intelligent, purposeful training is performance-centric. It isn’t an exercise in fuckarounditis.

This doesn’t happen from fuckarounditis

To progress forward, you must recover from an imposed stress.

That means adequate sleep along with ample calories to provide enough substrate to fuel recovery.

Let’s call a spade a spade and acknowledge that your night out on the town will likely include too much alcohol and too little sleep to ensure proper recovery.

Thus, it makes no logical sense to train on a day you plan on going out and drinking. While not optimal, it’s better advised you chug some caffeine the morning after and train hungover than eviscerating your chest the day of a drinking session.

Nutrition Priority #1: Limit Fat Intake with Alcohol

Don’t worry, this article isn’t going to evolve into some if it fits your macro pedantic diatribe extolling the benefits and necessities of counting calories on days you hit the bottle.

With that being said, for general health purposes, you should be aware of what fat is, what foods are predominately fat, that fat is NOT the devil, and it WON’T make you fat by looking at it.

General thesis: keep fat low on days you drink.

Here’s why:

After a meal, insulin levels rise, fat burning (oxidation) stops, and you use said energy for fuel.

Because energy from your meal is being utilized for fuel, fat oxidation is blunted meaning that any fat intake is stored for future use.

That DOES NOT mean any fat you consume ever is confine to the shallows of your love handles never to be seen again. As hours pass and insulin and blood sugar levels return to baseline, fat oxidation begins again.

This process happens all day, every day. Little stored, little burned. Whether or not you store fat is ultimately based on your level of calorie intake.

Except when you drink.

Alcohol is fanfuckingtastic but it’s by-product in your body, acetate, is not. Acetate is toxic to your body so it takes numero uno priority in the energy hierarchy.

Alcohol and consequently acetate must be burned off before your body will touch another source of fuel.

If you’re still following, that means the yin and yang cycle of fat burning stops. You’re in full grizzly hibernation mode storing all the fat you eat.

Hence the problem.

That nice, fatty, delicious, deep-dish pizza you throw back after having a dozen or so beers will cause you to gain (store) significantly more fat than if you had it stone cold sober.

Does that mean you can eat 1000 g of carbs that day and not gain fat if you limit the fat?

In the short-term probably, but the bro-science school of thought where you can crush carbs and limit the fat and not gain fat is exactly that: a myth.

What To Do On Days You Drink:

  • Limit fat intake. If you’re looking for hard macros, I always tell my clients .3 g/kg/bw.

This is per Martin Berkhan’s recommendations that I’ve implemented with my clients ever since and it’s worked fantastically. If you’re looking for a more in-depth science to alcohol and fat loss, check here. No need to reinvent the wheel on my end.

  • Protein and veggies are your best friend.

Until you go out, your meals should be predominately protein and veggies. This will keep you calories low and keep you satiated. The more satiated you are, the better the chances you won’t eat like an asshole after drinking.

  • Avoid the post-drinking nuclear bomb of a pizza or something equally as fatty.

But shit happens, food tastes better drunk, so I would err on the side of try and keep it more carby than fatty. It’d be beneficial to keep the dinner before the drinks lean as well to preserve calories.

Own Your Sundays – Protein Sparing Modified Fasts

I’m going to assume you weren’t the best padawan and failed to follow the above protocol to a T.

Not ideal but understandable and expected. I wouldn’t be writing the guide to not fucking up your diet on the weekend if we were all innocent angels without any food or alcohol vices.

One night doesn’t ruin a diet. Mini-benders from Friday to Sunday absolutely can though so it’s imperative you right the ship on Sunday.

Enter the protein sparing modified fast.

I’ve been fortunate enough to partake in the Bayesian Bodybuilding Online PT course and it’s been nothing but phenomenal. In it, I learned about the PSMF and have had great success implementing it with my clients on rest days and in particular on weekends.

Incredible Resource

Essentially, a PSMF is exactly as it sounds.

A day of low calories, high protein, alongside minimal residual fat and carbohydrate intake.

The rationale for inclusion is as follows:

You likely gained fat on Friday or Saturday night. It happens. We’re not robots and dieting would suck even worse if we were forced to be recluses to be successful.

A PSMF is designed to all but eliminate any and all fat gain from the previous day’s shenanigans.

  • Protein is kept high to preserve lean body mass.

A good general target is 1.82 g/kg/bw as your minimum. Going above this number is perfectly acceptable.

  • Fiber intake is imperative for health, satiety, and because it makes you a better human.

Fiber One bars don’t count either. Eat some greens and make your mom proud. Better yet, add resistant starch to your diet.

Aside from that, keep fat and carbohydrates low (less than 10 g per meal) to keep hunger at bay.

Further, it is important to keep the mealtime and frequency as close to what is habitual as possible for optimal nutrient partitioning and insulin sensitivity. For the “why” I urge you to invest in the course and get your nerd on.

In terms of training, I generally recommend clients stay away from a hardcore training session. I typically recommend a nice easy 20-25 minute restorative aerobic session to get some blood flow and prep for a big day of training the following day.

With that being said, some of my most memorable and enjoyable training sessions have come post-hangover with some caffeine jet fuel.  It’s ok to grind through sometimes.  If not, all the time.

Note: A PSMF is not recommended if you plan on lifting. Nutrients are needed during the anabolic window. Regular training day nutrition or macros are advised.

 An Alternative to Alcohol: Phenibut

Note: I’m not a doctor.  This isn’t medical advice and it’d be smart to consult with a physician before embarking on any supplement regimen. 

What if I told you there was something that you give you the same euphora, mood, and relaxant as alcohol without the rubber necking, the hangover, the texts sent to ex-girlfriends, and the unwanted fat gain?

You’d probably ask me if I believed in unicorns too.

Touche, but your aggression would be misplaced, as such things do exist.

Enter phenibut, the best legal supplement/drug you’ve never heard of.

Alcohol and phenibut both act via GABA receptors in your brain.

GABA is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Alcohol’s action as a GABA agonist are what causes you to relax, “quiet” the inner voice in your head, and in all likelihood feel like Superman because of your lack of inhibition.

It’s important to note that alcohol primarily acts via the GABA A receptor while phenibut targets the B receptor, which may explain phenibut’s effects without the motor function loss as seen in alcohol.

In many ways, phenibut gives you all the advantages of alcohol without everything that is deleterious for body composition: namely blunting of fat oxidation and impaired sleep quality resulting in reduced androgen levels and protein synthesis.

But I’m not going to go into too many specifics. Here’s a good guide on phenibut and the contraindications involved. Here’s another.

It’s a tool that you can use. Nothing more, nothing less.

But the lack of hangovers doesn’t suck.

Eliminate (Uncontrolled) Cheat Days

If you have cheat days, stop.

There is and shouldn’t be any reason for planned all day glutinous binges like Dwight Goodman at the end of dodgeball.

If you feel you “need” it, I’d highly suggest you look into why you feel that way.

Important questions to consider are:

  • What does your diet look like during the week?
  • Is it too restrictive? Think bodybuilder diet of chicken and broccoli.
  • Are you eating enough calories? There’s a difference between a deficit and starvation. The latter will set you up for a nice gigantic rebound.

An ideal diet and a concept that I implement with my clients is that there should be no guilt or shame in going out with friends on a Friday or Saturday night and getting some good, delicious, less than nutritious food to eat with some drinks.

Heck, I’d even advise it for quality of life and maintaining sanity on a diet.

The idea of a cheat day is destructive and offers little physiological or psychological utility.

Refeeds are overrated and seem to be heavily popularized by bro-science. Elevations in metabolic rate, leptin, and any other physiological reason touted in support are typically transient and their inclusion doesn’t appear to be supported in the literature.

What cheat days can do is destroy your diet. You may want to be the Rock but you’re not.

It’s helpful to think in terms of weekly caloric energy balance.

While nutrient timing and calorie cycling can get fancy to maximize the anabolic window to further body recomposition (lose fat, build muscle), thinking simplistically it’s important to maintain a weekly deficit.

A 4-5000 calorie uncontrolled binge is all but guaranteed to abolish the weekly deficit you had created through 5 or 6 days of hard work and meticulous preparation.

Though I’m against the idea because of it’s connotation with regards to dieting, if you want to “cheat,” it’s important to control it through calorie control.

For example, if you’re running a moderate 500 calorie per day deficit and you want to go buckwild on Saturday, increase your deficit per day throughout the week to increase your error margin on Saturday.

A better strategy is to give yourself one cheat meal as recommended by Jason Helmes at Anyman fitness, a man who is consistently putting out diesel work.

Enjoy yourself, get the demons out, and move on.

Wrap-Up

I’m all for a good time and that may seem hard to believe given all the fancy science I just gave you so you don’t f*** up your weekend.

It’s not rocket science, I promise.  I don’t even consciously think about this stuff anymore and neither do my clients. It’s become intuitive and a skill that you can easily learn if you take the time to implement.

Start small. Get an interval session in the day you plan on going out. Fast the next day if you’re up for it.

But start.

Don’t sacrifice all your hard work during the week because you turn into Van Wilder on the weekends.

Fat loss and fun can go hand in hand. Sometimes you do have to embrace the suck but if your diet keeps you in on Friday night because you think you “have” to, you’re doing it wrong.

P.S. Want to get shredded for summer?  Email me at showmestrength@gmail.com and we can get the ball rolling.

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The Hip Hinge : From Zero to Hero (Part 3)

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In part one and two of this series, I took you through the beginning progressions of how I like to train the hip hinge. As a refresher, we know that the hinge at the hips is maximal hip bend, minimal knee bend, and is arguably the most important concept to master in the family of fundamental human movements.

Yes, the squat, the push, the pull, the loaded carry, and intelligent core drills are huge parts of a good strength and conditioning program, but the hip hinge seems to have the largest benefit to one’s athleticism, physique, and health. When learned and applied appropriately, it opens windows to become stronger/more powerful, and infinitely more capable to do awesome stuff.

Below we continue on to the barbell. I only begin using the bar with students who have shown adequate proficiency with the beginner and intermediate phases of the hip hinge, and have built appropriate strength & work capacity to handle the loading/reps.

Below are some of my favorite moves for those who are ready for this type of work.

Elevated Landmine Deadlift

I have to thank my good friend Ben Bruno for popularizing the versatility of landmine exercise variations. There is no question that you can get a super legit full body training session with just a corner, a bar, and a plate or two. There’s not a muscle group you can’t target with this simple set up. (<–check this shit out)

Anyways, here is a great way to load up the weight without putting too much demand on the intricate technique of the conventional and sumo deadlift variations which you will see below. The landmine deadlift, when elevated, is a great way to learn this pattern if you have some mobility restrictions holding you back from moving some weight around properly.

For setup, position the bar right between your feet, and hinge back just as you would to get the kettlebell or dumbbell from the floor. Refer back to part one and two if you missed how to perform those movements.

Here, you’ll want either interlock you fingers, or have the dominant hand scooped underneath with your other hand overlapping. This is an excellent exercise to load up heavy without the repercussions of stress from heavy conventional/sumo/trap bar deadlifts.

Landmine Deadlift From Floor

When you’ve gained the appropriate mobility and strength in the elevated landmine deadlift, its time to move on to the floor. As with any of the deadlift and hinge variations, I insist on going barefoot or picking up a pair of minimalist shoes like the New Balance minimus, Nike free, or Chuck Taylor’s. Those shoes will get rid of heel support that will target too much quad, and we want hamstring and glutes to be the big players in the hinge. Again, this is a great variation to load up heavy, even for relative newbies. Check out Kate Upton, who is being trained by my friend Ben Bruno. She kills the landmine deadlift here. Below is just me doing them (super boring lol).

Landmine Deadlift + Romainan Deadlift

This exercise is fantastic for two reasons. First it will really hammer home how to hinge the hips back properly from the floor and from the standing position. Second, if you’re legs, more specifically your hamstrings, aren’t shaking and burning by the end of a set, you’re probably doing them wrong. After a set of 10 with just 25lbs, I was able to feel a solid burn in the posterior chain. Pick the bar up like a landmine deadlift, then come halfway down with a more pronounced hinge (even less knee bend). Basically this is 1 and a half reps, which means more posterior chain work. That’s never a bad thing.

Sumo Deadlift 

The sumo deadlift can be awesome for those of us who are either tall, or lack proper hip mobility to get into a locked in conventional stance. If you are comfortable and proficient with both, then I suggest developing and hammering both from time to time. The sumo variation is more stressful on the hips, but can be an awesome exercise for developing posterior chain strength due to the ability to hold a neutral spine under load much easier than the conventional deadlift. I insisit on using this variation before the conventional deadlift due to the demand that the narrow stance puts on form. If you’re advanced in both already, be sure to use both for your programming (not necessarily at the same time).

Conventional Deadlift

Here is the most advanced deadlift variation. Due to the narrow stance, you don’t have the luxury of hip external rotation to drop you into an easy setup. You’ll be forced to get super tight in the upper spine to achieve enough stiffness for a strong and safe pull. Of course we can elevate this movement just like any of the other deadlift variations, but it will still be the most challenging on the ankle, hip, and upper back mobility – much more so than the sumo, landmine or trap bar variations. Give this a shot if you feel strong and mobile enough to drop into an appropriate position, and keep it for the reps and load you need to make progress.

Single Leg Barbell Romanian Deadlift 

In my opinion, the single leg barbell RDL is the most challenging hinge patten out there. Of course a heavy conventional or sumo pull is tough, and so are heavy single leg hip thrusts which are hip hinges in their own right, but the balance, focus, stability, and mobility required to do just one set with the bar is astounding. I give this to only my most advanced clients because it is just that damn hard. If you lose stiffness at all in the lats and upper body, you’ll roll forward and put your lumbar spine at risk. It requires an obvious proficiency at the hinge, but also the ability to balance on one leg and remain stable on it for an entire set. If you need to, you can reset your stance by tapping down your foot in between reps. Start with your feet a little more narrow than shoulder width, and really reach back with the leg going back. The top of your foot should be the path that the bar tracks to on the eccentric portion of the movement. I also like to make sure I reset my shoulders back and strive hard to keep them there for the entire rep.

 

Try these exercises out if you’ve gotten the hang of the kettlebell and dumbbell variations I showed you in part one and two.

The hip hinge is something I encourage just about everyone to learn, as its positive carryover to real life is exponential.  In case you missed my last blog, here was an excerpt from it, and legendary strength coach, Dan John’s kind words on about the article.

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It’s no secret that everyone should learn how to do a variation of the hip hinge and deadlift. It’s clear that there are just too many positives to ignore, however, you need to be sure you progress it properly to achieve maximum results while staying and remaining healthy.

If you have any further questions on the subject, shoot us an email at showmestrength@gmail.com or leave a comment and we will be happy to answer.

Until then, happy deadlifting!

 

How to Build Muscle: Divorcing Ego From Training

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The Problematic Male Ego

Freud referred to the “ego” as the realistic part of the brain that seeks to mediate the demands of both the “id” and “super-ego.”

Others have thought ego to be the manifestation of testosterone and the inner circuitry of the male brain that has propelled the masculine identity of arrogance and confidence over “weaker states” like that of humbleness and self-reflection.

While I would love to spend an entire post psychoanalyzing the male ego, I unfortunately don’t have my Freudian cap on today; rather, in my years of training, I have come to understand that there is an intimate connection between the ability to divorce one’s ego from the process and the ability to build muscle.

At the advanced levels, there is an intimate difference in intent between trying to get outrageously strong and building slabs of muscle.  Contrary to popular opinion, most bodybuilders are really strong but their intent while training can be much different than those chasing maximal strength like elite powerlifters.

For our purposes, getting strong and “being strong” requires one thing: the completion of a rep or reps at a weight that would make mere mortals cringe in fear.

If you compete at a powerlifting meet with 750 lbs on your back while you squat the judge nor your total will reflect that it was a 15 second grind where your knees experienced enough valgus collapse to make your ACLs cry and your back experienced so much flexion that it felt like a silverback gorilla just rode you to the promised land.

Not powerlifter strong by any means but back in the baseball days where performance and strength but not muscle were a priority.  No stringent rep cadence control.  My ego and hubris probably forced their inclusion.

Despite how unsightly the squat I just described is, it still counts as a successful squat pinning you as one strong motherfucker regardless of the fact that in all likelihood you won’t be very strong for long because of your abysmal attention to biomechanics.

The ego, in this instance, likely aided your quest for strength allowing you to undertake and successfully complete a weight that in a non-competition setting with human like levels of adrenaline would have stapled you in the hole and taught you a good lesson in humility.

The Pursuit of Muscle

Let’s contrast this to the pursuit of building muscle.

Studies have shown that the optimal range to build muscle is between 70 and 85% of one’s 1 rep max which translation from nerd speak means between eight and fifteen reps. It’s unfortunate that our friends in the white coats don’t qualify these studies with the fact that not only is it a certain rep range that’s optimal to build muscle but it is how these reps are performed that matter most.

arnold-denny-gable-squat

The GOAT

Bouncing the bar off your chest with a hip drive so powerful you wouldn’t dare try on your girlfriend with the lights off (or on since you’re jacked) is not in the same stratosphere as a bench press done with a slow descent, pause on the chest, and a controlled completion of the rep just short of lock-out to stimulate maximal tension on your pecs.

Fast-forward years and several hundred workouts down the road with these two styles of training in mind. Who do you think will build more muscle? Who do you think will inevitably be stronger because a bigger muscle is a stronger one?

The answer is clear.

Ditch the Ego

If you want to build an impressive physique, you must divorce your ego from the training process. While pursuing added strength should always be a training goal, how much weight you are lifting is a secondary consideration.

What matters is what those reps look like. Are you maximally contracting your pecs on a dumbbell fly to initiate the concentric swing or are you jerking the weight up like an adolescent boy? Are you completing a set of 8 rows in 15 seconds when if you were really serious about building muscle, it would take upwards of 30-40 seconds.

Notice the control and then watch every video on John Meadow’s channel

For this reason, commercial gyms could be the perfect breeding ground for muscle wannabees and mediocre results. It becomes almost impossible to divorce one’s ego from the process when you throw 30-40 testosterone-fueled men in a weight room. When you see your mortal enemy benching 25 more pounds than you and doing it easily, what’s your natural inclination?

“Fuck this baby weight, I can’t let that asshole show me up. Hey Sean, throw a 25 on there” – Your Ego.

What started as a stimulating, engaged training session where your pecs were under hellacious fire from your dedication to each rep, turned into a humping session where the only thing accomplished was a temporary saving of your ego.

Fail.

I can think of no faster way to stay mediocre in the pursuit of muscle than to let the training of others dictate how you approach each session.

So what can you do about it?

  1. First off, stand in the mirror, look yourself in the eye and ask yourself why are you doing what you are doing? Is it an exercise fueled by a relentless desire for self-improvement or are you chasing muscle to impress others? If it’s the latter, pick a new hobby hombre because you won’t last very long when the training gets hard and progress is all but non-existent.
  1. Go to your commercial gym (better idea – train at a private one) during dead hours. Do this for a couple weeks to a month and start to understand what it’s like to train properly. With no other bros around, you’ll be able to remove your ego and start to understand the importance of “feeling” the muscle and why a controlled rep cadence and time under tension is far superior to the 8-second jerk fest you’re accustomed to.
  1. Rather than utilizing rep ranges, train for time. For example, instead of the typical 4×8 rep setting, replace it with 4 x 30 seconds. This all but eliminates the ego-fueled desire to lift heavier weight with egregious form because you’ll have a next to impossible chance of completing the lift. Not only does it divorce your ego, but also it maximizes time under tension, which is imperative for muscle growth.  Mass by Pat Davidson is an outstanding resource.

mass davidson

  1. Get a training buddy that will keep you honest. Preferably, he will be a bit stronger and bigger so you will be incentivized each training session but not so much further in development that you’ll start to try and compete with him when you are not ready.
  1. Become mindful. Our ego is allowed to take over when we get stuck inside our own heads plagued by self-deprecating thoughts about our current inadequate state. Anxiety is allowed to build and manifest itself in poor reps because you failed to be mindful. If you are present, truly present, then there is no time for debilitating self-talk. You are engaged in the moment where nothing but you and what needs to get done matters.

Give these a try and consciously work at being better at your state management. Building muscle is as much mental as it is physical and ultimately your mindset may be the limiting factor in whether or not you see a different creature in the mirror years from now or the same mediocre body plagued by the same over-bearing ego.

P.S. Chad and I would love to help you on your pursuit on building muscle, losing fat, and journey to become your most diesel self.  Email us at showmestrength@gmail.com.  We also offer online coaching.

 

The Hip Hinge : From Zero to Hero (Part 1)

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Correctly watching a student progress through the hip hinge gives me more pride and joy than any other of the fundamental movement patterns.

Why? Well, when performed well, this move can open up a whole new window of opportunity for just about any physical goal a human could have.

Want to get stronger? Correctly hinging from the hips will allow you to perform a deadlift with power and precision.

Want to look better naked? All of the exercises that use the hip hinge will open up the doors to create a backside that will quite simply make people jealous.

You want to lose fat? Using your hips to access some of the bigger compound lifts will challenge your body in ways you never thought possible, consequently building lean muscle and eviscerating stubborn body fat.

Ah, you want to be a better athlete? Every explosive, strong, and dynamic athlete has a powerful hinge. They have either built it up from years of good training, or get into the position organically from good body awareness, good natural movement, and of course genes. Just look at what most sports require performance wise, and you’ll notice explosive hips and posterior chain as a huge component.

But you may be asking what a hip hinge actually is…Here, we take a look at the fundamental human movements which include the following..

Squat Patterns <- More about that here <-

Hip Hinge Patterns

Upper Extremity Press Patterns

Upper Extremity Pull Patterns

Single Leg Knee and Single Leg Hip Dominant Patterns

Loaded Carry Variations 

Regardless of someone’s goal, the majority of my clients will be taught to master and progress through these fundamental movements that every human will need during their lifetime. Obviously, if it’s a main goal to get a better ass, we will be doing a shit ton of hinging (minimal knee bend…maximal hip bend = minimal quad involvement…maximal hamstring and glute involvement) 

Arguably, the hinge has the most potential for health, strength, and physique goals due to it’s overall impact on the body, and it’s transfer of increased athleticism to the rest of one’s training program.

Below, I will show you 8 ways that I teach people to unlock their potential in the hip hinge right at the very beginning of their training life. Each exercise can be a great tool for beginners who will absolutely see world of benefit from the very novice variations of fundamental movements, as well as advanced athletes and weight lifters who need to refresh the intricacies and fundamentals of their deadlift patterns.

The Hip Hinge with a Stick

This is one of the very first tools I use with clients who have simply never properly hinged or tend to “get squatty” with their deadlift variations. Assuming you or your students have good shoulder mobility, grab a dowel rod or broom stick put it behind your back like so. Have one hand on top, right behind your neck, and one hand underneath at the small of your low back and keep the as much of the rod in contact with your body. I usually use hands on cues at the knees to keep them soft, and assist by pushing folks to sit those hips back until the hamstrings are taught and sometimes shaking.

The bow and arrow analogy works well for the audible as well as visual learner. Tell them to imagine the hips as the bow string getting pulled back and the feet, knees, shoulders, and head as the stable part of the bow. Pull the string (hips) as far back as tension allows then powerfully snap to neutral.

The Wall Hinge with a Kettlebell

As soon as I see that someone has a firm understanding of what a hip hinge is, what it feels like without load, and observe a clean, safe move, I begin adding load in a non-risky area. This is the stage right before picking stuff up off the floor. Before getting there, I like turning the kettlebell upside down and putting a bit more pressure on the hamstrings this way. A good cue is to tell someone to use the handle around the belt buckle area to force the hips back towards the wall. Step a foot and a half away from the wall and use the handle to force the glutes back to tap it. Once again, fire the hips (bow string) to hard squeezed glutes in the top position. The top position on all these exercises should mimic a plank with the abs and glutes both locked in to form a neutral spine.

The Dumbbell Deadlift with Shoulder Peeling 

The dumbbell is a tool I have found to be a better teacher for super beginners and the deadlift, more so than the kettlebell. The reason is due to where the hands are placed. By placing the hands on the side of the dumbbell as opposed to the kettlebell handle, beginner clients have an easier time gaining stiffness in the upper back to promote a safer, stronger hinge. Also, by “peeling” the shoulders back in a separate movement at the bottom, we teach beginners in the deadlift to engage their lats appropriately every time. You can use this strategy with the kettlebell, just keep in mind that it is slightly tougher to “peel” and get into a proper position. As with any pull from the floor, don’t be afraid to elevate the load to ensure proper positioning at all times. It is non negotiable to allow students to pick things off the floor in an unsafe manner. A great cue for the peeling part is to imagine someone walking up behind you and tickling your armpits. Protect them by pulling those lats down and back.

The Paused Barbell Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

With nearly everyone I coach, I employ a pause at the max tension point of this exercise. The benefits are just too great not to stop for a second. By adding a short pause, we can really teach tension in the lats, and feel what it means to sit the hips back properly for maximum hamstring tension. The barbell itself is a good enough load as a teaching tool once you or your student has a good understanding of grooving the hinge at a good tempo. With all of these exercises, it’s important to stress control on the way down (eccentric) and explosion and power on the way up (concentric). Another key point here is to never add load unless you can keep optimal tension. If it’s too heavy, and you lose it by rolling the shoulders, you put your spine in a compromised position, therefore ruining chances at great, powerful hinge. Check out the video below for proper set up and tempo.

The Cable Pull Through

This exercise is an excellent teacher, and one that many beginnerish clients can do usually right off the bat. Many times the initial tendency when teaching or learning the hip hinge is to squat it down a bit too much, consequently limiting the potential of hamstring, glute, and overall posterior chain recruitment. With the rope between the legs pulled out from the cable machine, the force back, similar in nature to band resisted kettlebell deadlifts is enough to feel the “ah ha” moment and get to the tension point of the hinge. Simply relax the arms (still keep armpits back tight), reach back through the legs with a neutral spine, and fire through the heels up to a hard squeezed finish position. Just as in the video below, you must walk the weight off the cable stack, which should be set at the bottom (rope). Pick an appropriate load you can control as always. At the top try and make your two glutes into one as highly sought after coach, Matthew Ibrahim, (the mastermind behind Movement Resilience) would like to say.

The Kettlebell Deadlift vs. Band 

If you or a client continue to have trouble deciphering between the squat and deadlift, this exercise might be a perfect fit. With the external force of the band adding pressure to the hips, one is more inclined to sit back into an appropriate deadlift pattern. A squat is a squat, and a deadlift is a deadlift. While there is some hinging during a squat, it is not to the degree of a deadlift or pull from the floor of any kind. During this move, set the band at about hip height, then get in and move out so the band is taught, but not pulling you too much. Work on the standard kettlebell deadlift pattern with this band assistance as show below.

The Kettlebell Hovering Deadlift

This exercise is another great teacher of tension. I prescribe this for my students who have a bit of weakness and tend to fall straight to the floor from the top position with poor control, or for people who are a bit slow off the floor. By stopping around mid shin I get to teach three things. 1.) This is a neutral spine. This is what a neutral spine feels like. Adding this stop lets this information sit in and digest into a person’s brain for future reference. 2.) Here is what tension in the hamstrings should feel like. This is where powerful athleticism is generated from, and this is how a badass backside is created. 3.) This is what locked in lats and upper back stiffness should feel like. If the shoulders drift, chances are you’ll feel it in the low back, which is not ideal at all. All in all, keeping the neutral spine, the hips back with soft knees, and upper back locked down and back with a pause can create a more speedy process of a beginner learning the hinge and getting a stronger, healthier pull from the ground.

The Double Kettlebell Deadlift

The double kettlebell deadlift is usually the last progression I use before moving clients to the barbell or trap bar (usually trap bar before barbell). For me, using a pair of 35-50lb kettlbells properly for 6-10 reps is a good enough indication of strength and hinge competency for me to graduate strength and conditioning students onto the hex bar and/or barbell. To perform this you must have a grasp on sitting back into the hinge, staying ultra tight in the upper back, and possess enough strength to drive relatively fast off the floor. It usually will take a few weeks to a few months of dedicated strength work to get to a point where you’ll get brand new weightlifters to this point where the barbell work from the floor is in the conversation.

 

It’s no secret that I love teaching this movement. I truly believe the family of hip hinge movements have the greatest return on investment as an exercise selection amongst all the fundamental human movement patterns.

If you’re a beginner, try a few of these movements out and see how you progress. Remember that the hinge isn’t a squat. If you want to learn about the squat, check this out.

Also, if you’re well past these movements and are a veteran of the iron game, this read wasn’t a waste…it might be wise to use a few of these patterns from time to time to practice bracing, and even warming and ramping up before getting to your barbell work.

In installment two, I will take you even further down the progression continuum, and show you the intermediate and advanced stages of properly executed hip hinge and deadlift work.

Stay tuned!

 

11 Ways to Goblet Squat

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I am of the belief that no one, and I mean NO ONE is above the goblet squat. No one is too strong, too mobile, too in shape, or too advanced to grab a dumbbell or kettlebell and drop into the goblet squat.

Just about everyone I see as a personal training client will either perform goblet squat variations throughout their programming, or show me what they have for this movement as an assessment tool.

I even have my super advanced clients give me a few of these from time to time in a conditioning scenario so I can really see whats going on in their comfort zone of squatting.

The goblet squat showcases a plethora of information from a student to a teacher.

World renowned strength and conditioning coach, Dan John has been largely responsible for popularizing this fundamental movement pattern with load for people all along the spectrum of fitness and strength levels of advancement.

A couple of his most popular media publications on the topic can be found —-> here <— and —> here

But why the goblet squat??

Why not put the barbell on your back and just get down and dirty?

I agree that the family of barbell squat variation has it’s place, but when we look at the continuum of progressions and regressions in regards to the squat, the goblet squat reigns supreme as the largest bang for you buck for the majority fitness enthusiasts. I assess that too many people keep breaking down technique of the back and front squat when in reality, very few actual people are fit or confident enough to step under the bar at their local gym on their own.

My squat continuum is as follows for my students…

But before that, its important that I note each of them has a firm grasp of a proper squat before the even look at a barbell, and as I grow as a coach, I am more and more inclined to make people insanely good at the goblet squat before showing them how to approach and use the bar.

My Squat Continuum 

NOVICE SQUAT VARIATIONS <—> Bodyweight Assisted Squat to elevation with Partner <—> TRX assisted squat <—> goblet squat variations with dumbbell, kettlebell, or small plate <—> offset and double kettlebell variations <—> zercher squat variation <—> front squat variations <—> back squat variations <—> ADVANCED SQUAT VARIATIONS

This is just the continuum that works for me, and I find it effective for most people with general goals of moving, looking, and feeling better. Some people are more well equipped and thrive with different loading strategies, but the goblet squat sits right in the middle and can cover more ground up and down the continuum of regression and progression.

Why is it so versatile?

1.) Loading it with a kettlebell or dumbbell doesn’t require the upper extremity mobility and strength that the back and front squat require. Therefore, just about anyone can start with one of the following variations and find success and training effect.

2.) By default, it locks in the anterior core, creating a spine thats closer to neutral and abs that mimic a more plank like engagement.

3.) It doesn’t require elite motion in the ankles, hips, and knees to get into proper position.

4.) Regressing back to a simpler variation or progressing to a more advanced technique in the goblet squat are easy changes to make happen.

5.) All you need for the basic goblet squat is a kettlebell or dumbbell.

6.) If the traditional barbell squat variations hurt or intimidate you, we can often get similar training effects from the goblet squat.

The real bottom line is that the squat is a fundamental human movement pattern that everyone who is born will need almost everyday throughout their lifetime. We use the squat to sit down, stand up, retrieve something from the ground, put something back on the ground, and effectively move through life.

It is my belief that we all should work on our squat patterning in some capacity nearly every single day to improve the quality of our lives.

The goblet squat truly is the most versatile way for the majority of this earth’s population to both strengthen this everyday movement that we need, and ensure we have the movement and stability to perform those everyday tasks throughout our lifetime.

Below are 11 ways you can goblet squat, with video demonstrations that provide optimal technique.

11 WAYS TO GOBLET SQUAT

1.) The Traditional Dumbbell Goblet Squat – Many times when a client comes to me without any history of pain, and appears to have a relatively decent level of fitness and strength, I will have them drop into a regular old dumbbell goblet squat with a lightish dumbbell. This shows me so much. I can see what their aptitude is for a good squat, as well as see joint restrictions and strength deficiencies. This squat here can be put into just about anyone’s strength and conditioning program and deliver a training effect. This video here displays the basic dumbell goblet squat which can be loaded as heavy as you can carry in this position with good posture. This means absolutely no leaning back into extension because it’s too heavy. Adjust reps and sets according to you goals and needs.

2.) The Paused Goblet Squat – I use this squat with many students who can definitely get into position, but need more strength and control throughout the entirety of the squat. When talking about owning your squat and not letting it get away from you in the hole, there’s arguably no better way to improve this deficiency than the paused squat. You can add in pauses anywhere from 1 to 10 seconds and get a solid result, but it’s important to identify your ideal depth before pausing, I suggest holding tension around parallel as shown in the video below.

3.) The Horizontal Kettlebell Goblet Squat – I found this techinique while experimenting with a client who had a pretty beat up wrist from golf. This woman was a competitive athlete, but didn’t quite have any true need whatsoever that warranted moving on to the barbell. She did however need to squat in some capacity to keep moving well and gain strength in her lower body. Every single way to hold on to the dumbbell hurt her wrist except this grip which she accidentally tried while moving the bell around. We didn’t have any sandbags, weighted vests, barbells, or medicine balls to load up the squat which she was prepared for, but this grip worked wonders. The bottom of the kettlebell rests against the sternum area, and the grip resembles a safety squat bar. Give it a try if you have a cranky wrist or just want to mix it up with the kettlebell placement.

4.) The Sideways Goblet Squat With Band – This has become a big hit with my female training population as I constantly strive to provide the biggest bang for their buck in terms of glute activation and development. By adding the band around the top of the feet for the lateral step, you immediately get the glute medius (outside part of the glutes) fired up before dropping into the hole of the goblet squat. If you do 5 or 6 steps and squats each way, you’ve got yourself a solid set of goblet squats with added ass engagement. Make sure the band is both not too strong where you can’t get into your optimal squat stance, but also not too light where it feels like a rubber band and doesn’t require any strength to get a step in.

5.) The Goblet Elevator Squat – This is an absolutely evil way to make the goblet squat harder and ensure constant tension throughout the movement. I tell my students to go up and down “3 floors” on the elevator. This means drop down into the bottom of the squat, come up a few inches to the first floor, then back to the “ground floor” or bottom of the squat again, up again close to the top…but not quite…then back to the bottom…then all the way back to the top or lock out position. That is one rep. Between 5-8 reps is plenty for this killer. I took this variation from Ben Bruno, who I think did this with front squats like the beast that he is.

6.) The Goblet Squat With Band Around Shins – Putting the band here is a wonderful teacher. I agree that the cue of screwing the feet outwardly into the floor and pushing the knees out can be useful for some folks, but putting another piece of equipment in the mix to add resistance against the internal caving of the knees can turn on those glutes and put you in a better situation to grove the squat pattern with optimal positioning. I will do this with folks who have a difficult time identifying what a good, strong squat should feel like, and for those struggling to drop the goblet squat optimally between the thighs without knees caving in. Those who have weak external hip rotators can benefit with this variation when they are ready.

7.) Goblet Squat with Slow Eccentric Control – The eccentric focus of the squat has gotten all of the attention recently and deservedly so. Great coaches around the world are sick and tired of athletes of all kinds loading up the bar without owning every inch of their depth into the hole of the squat. Think crossfit athletes with an ass that falls to the ground 2x speed after half a squat. Cal Dietz and the whole triphasic crew has done a absolutely fantastic job at breaking down the importance of eccentric variability in regards to athletic development. I strongly encourage you to check that shit out if becoming a more explosive athlete is what you’re in to. Either way, for strength gain, kinesthetic awareness, hypertrophy gains, and overall squat development, give these bad boys a try.

8.) The Kettlebell Goblet Squat With Lowering – This exercise was one that I stole from one of my former strength coaches, Tony Gentilcore.  I love the two part component of this exercise, and I admittedly didn’t give it enough credit until I implemented them into my programming for a month. Once you really slow this exercise down, a couple of amazing things happen. For starters, you get to hang out at the bottom of your perfectly executed squat for a little while. This provides a ton of benefit in and of itself, but then you throw in the controlled kettlebell lowering, and your abs start working overtime. In a very similar fashion to the pulse, you put the weight further away from you center, forcing your whole body to resist the weight pulling you off line.

9.) The Kettlebell Goblet Squat With Pulse – This is an exercise that can be performed with either a light kettlebell or a 2.5-10lb plate. This is a fantastic variation that tends to be a perfect warmup or pre-work squat variation to prep for bigger loads. The stop at the bottom allows you to begin getting comfortable staying down there, in addition to owning the other variable, which is moving the load away from the body. Basically you are planking and squatting at the same time. What more could you want to get you want out of your pre-squat routine? I love programming this in for folks who aren’t natural squatters, but have the awareness, the stability, and the mobility to get down in this position after getting their body temp ramped up. Throw these in if you need more anterior core stability or want to feel yourself own that bottom position even more.

10.) The Goblet Squat to a Box – This is another excellent teaching tool to program into you or your clients beoginner progarams to identify appropriate depth. Often times you’ll have situations where you or your student has the capability to achieve and perform proper squats, yet the lack the body awareness to understand where they should start owning the bottom portion. A box around parallel will add that often needed external component to make you comfortable understanding where “ideal” is for you. Everyone is a tad different, but around parallel is a good place to start with the goblet squat to the box.

11.) The Stability Ball Goblet Squat – This was another movement that came out of the necessity for adaptation in a client that was weak and lacked the strength/body awareness to achieve proper squat depth. This variation has become a valuable tool for me in coaching the elderly and sedentary population who have father time and gravity working against their strength/mobility, and also present neurological perceived threat which stops them from moving into this depth just out of the blue. I love loading this variation with beginners who are almost ready for the elevated goblet box squat, but need to overcome some neurological hurdles to become comfortable with lower and lower depth. The stability ball provides a cushion and a failsafe component that tends to provide an extra push back up into the concentric portion of the exercise. For this reason, I give this to beginner clients who are new to exercise or have limitations that prevent optimal motion to perform the squat.

There we have it. The goblet squat displayed in 11 different ways. If you have any questions, ask us in the comments section below.

Also,

If you would enjoy distance coaching from us at a fraction the cost of personal training in your local gym, our January group opens very soon. –> Email us here <–

To learn more about us, we can be found doing cool stuff in the gym with and without our clients on instagram, and enjoy delivering daily knowledge bombs on twitter and Facebook.

Talk soon,

C.R.

 

 

 

6 Weeks to Shredded 2.0

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After much debate, Chad and I have decided to re-open our 6 Weeks to Shredded program.  It’s not that we had any concern over whether or not our methodology worked because it did.  In fact, when we first devised the program I remarked to Chad that the science is too good to fail.  Obviously, getting shredded is an art that encompasses far more than just nerd speak and understanding how to ramp up fat loss on overdrive but you catch my drift.

We engaged in weeks of endless debates because we weren’t sure the general public could handle the tweaks we made to the program.  You see 6 Weeks to Shredded 1.0 was a real bastard.

Save me the feel good stories about fat loss being this slow gradual process.  Getting shredded is a whole other animal and doing it with pace requires a whole lot of dedication, sacrifice, and suffering.  If you were weak or weren’t all in, version 1.0 would have kicked your ass and left you one broken man.

With our revamped version, if you aren’t dedicated to transforming your body in ways impossible to imagine, then you will be destroyed.  Let me repeat that, you will be DESTROYED.  If you choose to suffer the fate of the latter, trust me Chad or I won’t feel bad.  Adapt or die.  Suffer and do everything we say to the T and we promise you will emerge a different creature at the end of 6 weeks.

I welcome you to undergo the process with me.  In about a week’s time, my brother and I are going to engage in a quest to get shredded.  Not, just “woah that guy has abs” shredded but “Holy shit, I see striations in that motherfucker’s oblique” shredded.

My body composition has seen some dramatic shifts over the past 10 or 11 months.  Below, you will see the end of the my 2 week cut experience at around 211 lbs.  Fast forward, 7 or 8 months and there you will see where I am at now around 235.  The goal is to be 220 lbs and shredded.

andrew_before and after

 

 

Here are some other results from our first run with the program from last summer.

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Limited Availability

We’ve decided to cap the program at 8 clients so act now before spots fill up.

To find out more about the qualifications you must fall under before being eligible for the program, read this.

If you’re all good on that front, email showmestrength@gmail.com with the headline “Get Shredded” and tell us why you’d be a good fit for our program.

With much love, pain, and suffering to come,

A.F.

 

Humbling Exercises for the Egotistical Lifter

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Prowler

 

Are you that guy? You know, that person in your gym who thinks they know it all, or claims to be in elite shape? I think we all either know somebody like that, or have even been that person before. I know I have.

It’s only human nature to want to be the best at something…to feel good knowing you crushed the hell out of your buddy in the bench press or squat. I love that too. Competition and success in the physical sense is absolutely necessary. We thrive when we are making progress at something. Our confidence grows like a never ending snowball rolling down a hill.

I feel like too many of us get complacent, however. We need that snowball to encounter obstacles. I think even the most dedicated and highly trained athletes or gym goers sometimes assume they have their fitness level by the balls too much of the time. That’s ok sometimes, and it means you’re committed. It means you are part of the damn few who actually take your health seriously. Tip of the cap to ya.

There comes a point though where some of us have consistently trained hard for a long time, and need something to knock us down a few pegs and humble us. I like and need some of the following exercises to strategically use for my own good, with my clients, as well as in my own training. They are the ways I like to humble myself or our badass group of clients at Show Me Strength when they are feeling all big and bad in the gym.

 

barbell-split-squat

 

1.) Do an exercise with the word “Bulgarian” in it – Bulgarian split squats can be a brutal unilateral exercise if loaded and executed properly, but there are also several other variations to make it even more challenging for you hardos out there. Single leg work in general can be a downfall for even the strongest of strong, but damn, Bulgaria is a twisted country from coming up with some of these killers.

Bulgarian Split Squats with Front Squat Grip   < – – – Click for demonstration

Goblet Bulgarian Split Squat  < – – – Click for demonstration

Bulgarian Split Squat Holds  < – – Click for demonstration

* Keys to brutality – Figure out how advanced you are by just doing a standard split squat from a stable surface (ground). If you feel strong even with heavy weight, progress to these elevated variations, and mix up the way you load. Hold the kettlebell out in front goblet style if you hang out in lumbar extension and have problems with flaring the ribs. The next progression you can try the front squat variation or iso holds. You can even mess around with a front foot elevation if you are mobile and strong through these first few exercises. As always, load it up, and go slower if you ain’t feelin it. But you will feel it. I promise.

 

farmers carry chad

 

2.) Carry Something Heavy For Distance & Time – The most overlooked part of most people’s training regimen is the loaded carry. Dan John started bringing loaded carries back to the mainstream, but there is still not enough damn carrying going on. I’m talking about picking heavy shit up and walking with it, cradling it, carrying it over head, or carrying it at your side(s). Doing things as simple as this with strict walking form is one of the best full body crushers out there. Below are some examples.

2 Arm Loaded Farmers Walk  < – – – Click for demonstration 

1 Arm Loaded Farmers Walk  < – – – Click for demonstration

Overhead Loaded Farmers Walk  < – – – Click for demonstration

* Keys to brutality – Go far enough, carry heavy enough weight, don’t rest much in between sets, and keep as strict and tight as possible through your core to keep yourself balanced and upright. If you aren’t out of breath and barely holding on at the end, you might not be doing them right. Oh and don’t wear gloves, you pussy.

 

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3.) Push Or Pull Something Heavy For Distance or Speed. If you haven’t been introduced to the prowler, variation of sled pulls or pushes, and/or car pushes, you are missing out on some serious predatory conditioning. Not only is pushing/pulling something heavy extremely difficult, if positioned right, these exercises can be performed by almost any level of lifter. Click on the links below for some masochistic ideas for your next lower body or conditioning day.

Prowler Pushes High Setting < – – – Click for demonstration

Prowler Pushes Low Setting  < – – – Click for demonstration

Sled drags (Forward) < – – – Click for demonstration

Car pushes < – – – Click for demonstration

* Keys to brutality – Understandably most of you don’t have the fancy prowler to load up your weights, that’s fine. Use your car, a cheap, homemade sled, or plate from a smooth surface. Just as the other exercises, load these up, don’t rest too long, and go for a long distance (25-50yds). Unless you want to use speed as a factor, then you can do sprints with the sled at lighter weight and minimal rest.

 

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4.) Use Paused Squat Variations – So..you can squat 400 plus pound pretty deep? Awesome. Anyone else out there think they are a great squatter? Try adding pauses at different stages of your back squat, front squat, and goblet squat. My buddy Ben Bruno has been instrumental to the fitness industry for finding new and brutal methods of compound exercises which we can all plateau at sometimes. His squat variations have been a huge hit with some of my more advanced clients looking to take their squats to another level. Here are some examples of his brutal findings among others.

Elevator Squats < – – – Click for demonstration 

Paused Front Squats < – – – Click for demonstration 

Front Squat Iso Hold < – – – Click for demonstration 

Paused Squats < – – – Click for demonstration 

Paused Goblet Squats < – – – Click for demonstration

* Keys to brutality – Try clusters where you are doing a heavy set of 1-6 reps then resting for a few seconds before getting back for the next set. Only a few sets will work you to a pulp. Also add in longer pauses at the bottom and slower descents from the top.

 

 

 

Two Weeks To Shredded: The Results

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You never want to be “that guy.” Now, funny thing is that you don’t need to be an expert at social dynamics to quickly identify the asshole at the party who is unanimously dubbed “that guy.” It’s sort of like how we know really good grandma apple pie from shitty store bought processed fake version. I don’t have the verbiage to eloquently explain why that pie sucks like a professional food taster could – I just know that I wouldn’t feed it to my dog that doesn’t exist. Identifying “that guy” is similar in that you don’t need a sociology degree to identity said asshole.

Since I’m all about full disclosure here at Show Me Strength, I figured it was time to make a confession and admit that throughout my brief adult life (forget the fact that I’m pushing 25 real soon), there have been occasions when I’ve been “that guy.” Well, maybe I’m being hard on myself with that label. I mean, I’m sure 63% of my readership has taken their shirt off from time to time (ok, maybe frequently) at college parties. No? Alright well, maybe I am the asshole.

Whether you’d quickly identify and hate me or not, I could think of no better way to celebrate the revival of my college career and celebrate my last first day of school ever then taking my shirt off – but this time via the interwebz. In all seriousness, I want to show you what the result of my two week (technically 11 days) shredding experiment was.

I’m not going to outline my methods because I’ve already done that in a previous article (click me). In total, I had 11 training sessions in 11 days. I went double sessions twice with intervals in the morning with a metabolic training session in the afternoon. Two days were complete rest.

What Happened

The most important part of my experiment was to see if my methods actually worked. I didn’t have access to body fat calipers (sue me) so all I have to judge my results off of is a mirror and a cell-phone selfie and some photo-shoot esque lighting. Just kidding, I kept the lighting and the background the same so I couldn’t scam you into thinking I got shredded sitting on my ass and eating twinkies for two weeks. Without further ado, you can be the judge…

 

andrew_before and after

For 11 days, I thought what transpired ended up being pretty damn good. If we’re going to call a spade a spade, I’m sure there was some water manipulation involved in the before/after pictures. I didn’t intentionally cut water but lower carb dieting will have that effect. At the start of my experiment I checked in at 225 and ended my cut at 221.5 and I lost a total of three inches off my stomach in various places. My quads unfortunately didn’t get any smaller so I’ll be anxiously awaiting the launch of Barbell Denim so I can fit in a regular pair of pants.

 Suffering + Good Science = Shredded

The science was damn good, too good in fact to fail. A simple understanding of fat loss physiology goes a long way in constructing programs that allow for rapid fat loss in a short amount of time. Physiologically, my protocol was going to work. Except, fat loss doesn’t happen in a vacuum and physiology isn’t the only factor at play here. Psychology matters and to be completely honest, this protocol was really fucking hard.

I suffered. A lot.

Professional baseball is my background. I’ve accustomed to strength and power training sessions where the intensity may be high but rest periods are long and there’s no real metabolic training effect.

Training during this protocol was some of the most grueling uncomfortable training sessions of my life. There were a couple sessions where I front squatted 185 a total of 40 times followed by 80 forward lunges with little to no rest. This happened after a full interval session with 20 minutes of cardio mixed in between.

There were times when I wanted to stop. My legs were quivering, breath was all but nonexistent, and that little voice in my head was bellowing. And that was only the training aspect. Everyone worth their salt knows that God could have written my training program but if my nutrition wasn’t on point, all would be for not.

Zero carb days were difficult. Zero carb weekends were even harder. Even a big serving of protein and fat seemed to induce carb cravings that were hard to ignore. And then there was that whole 1000 calorie caloric deficit each day. The temptation to eat myself satisfied at night loomed large but I resisted. My bro science told me that if I went to bed hungry there was a significant chance that I would wake up leaner. I was largely correct.

Rethinking Real World Application of Physiology

Eleven days isn’t a long time frame. Despite however difficult my training and nutrition may have been, I didn’t have to maintain the sacrifice for all too long. Being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel made everything psychologically seem ok.

I reckon it’s similar to when you’re doing a set of high rep squats and instead of seeing this voluminous 20 rep monster, it all seems tangible and doable when you break it up into 20 sets of 1. Breaking up your set in this manner makes it seem significantly less daunting psychology.

And maybe that’s the point that we’re all missing in the industry. How often do we hear stories who just seemingly can’t follow a basic training program with simple dietary prescriptions long enough to make significant change but they’re willing to train hard for two months so they can do that Tough Mudder with all their friends. And you know what the crazy part is? Often times they succeed at the more difficult task.

If you can control dopamine, you can produce significant change and get big time results. The best physiology in the world doesn’t mean a goddamn thing if you can’t win over that individual’s psychology.

Clearly the answer isn’t fad diets or program ADD which surely will bring a whole lot of dopamine to the brain with little results to show for it. Maybe the answer is breaking big time goals into incremental pieces and attacking them bursts at at time. Hard six weeks of training and dieting followed by a couple weeks off and then the cycle repeats itself. It keeps the body fresh but more importantly it keeps the brain stimulated.

The brain wins – period.

A Challenge

Try out the new model I presented and see what happens. Push the volume and intensity higher than what your textbook advises and then back off. Go lower carb than what is comfortable and then restore homeostasis and maintenance calories. I think you’ll find that the all too familiar burn out that the recreational trainee experiences just doesn’t happen when you program for the brain and the body.

Our “Six Weeks To Shredded” program is Show Me Strength’s experimental trial into this new model of adaptation. It’s hard, you will suffer, but most importantly you’ll get quicker results than you ever have in the shortest amount of time. We still have a few spots open to those who want to escape from the mediocre bullshit that runs most people’s lives.

If interested, contact us at showmestrength@gmail.com with the subject line, “Get Shredded.” If what happened to me took only eleven days with our protocol, imagine six weeks. Below is another “guinea pig” who busted his ass for a month’s time to get diesel results.It’s science.

 

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