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Laree here—throughout the website, I'll let you know when it's me, not Dave, writing (other than the forum participants, of course)...
July 1 , 2009 ...Gravity, Iron, Force, Time, Space (GIFTS)
Few things prevent me from going to the gym and having a satisfactory workout (an overturned tanker on the freeway containing hazardous waste, femoral bleeding, misplaced propeller). Let’s face it, bomber, that’s what it’s all about. Iron! Gravity! Force! Some folks think there’s more to life, like, what are we here for, what’s it all mean? By the time they come to zero conclusions, I have half my workout done, a good burn and a decent pump....Continue reading...
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I think I’ll use this space this week for some housekeeping because I have a bunch of small bits and pieces to share. First up, in our continuing presentation of Dan John’s book, Never Let Go, we’ve got about 30 reviews from readers who in many creative ways all say the same thing: I can’t put this book down!
Dan's a lot of fun to listen to -- he's an educator and a storyteller with a lot to share. He's done a number of audio interviews the past couple of weeks, and here's a link to the list.
It’s likely a good number of readers missed Jeff O’Connell’s article about Dave from the November 2004 issue of Muscle and Fitness. I think you’ll enjoy the read.
In a fascinating Facebook discussion, Scott Sonnon, whom you may know from his work with clubbells and as the guy who introduced many of us to joint mobility practice, gives me an education on the Alexander Technique, and Sean Flanagan, a Somatics enthusiast, offers us a great link that discusses the history of the field, and, toward the end of the link, a really terrific explanation of how muscles stay contracted longer than needed, and how to remedy that.
June 24, 2009 ...A Day at the Beach on a Sunday Afternoon
I went to the gym Sunday early afternoon -- 1 PM -- and it was as empty as a bank vault after closing. The treasure was there, but no one to plunder it. I felt like a thief about to stuff his bag with bounty: any exercise I want, as many sets and as many reps; squats, supersets, dumbbells, benches and cables. It’s mine, all mine. I’m rich. ...Continue reading...
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In April I wrote a sort of year’s wrap-up of my initial Feldenkrais efforts (Feldenkrais would be considered work that should last a lifetime; a year into this, I’m just a beginner). I’d earlier written an overview describing the practice, and before that, Mobility Doesn’t Always Mean Movement, a commentary on how a joint mobility program, while important, may not be enough.
Most of us are too busy, and while a few may be interested enough to search out local assistance, it’s likely you haven’t gotten that far. You might be able to carve out an hour to give this a try if I make it real easy. So let’s try this: I’ll find a basic, free mp3 download with voice instructions; you’ll download the file, lie down on the floor on your back and go through the motions the instructor suggests. If you get a hint of possibility in the outcome, move on to step two: several related lessons selected to achieve a specific purpose. To continue reading, click this link: Learning Feldenkrais.
And you know, I just thought of something else. From time to time I post a query in my Facebook stream and once in a while it hits when a few experts have time to respond. When that happens, I’ll drop a link here in case you’re interested in following along.
I believe you’ll have to befriend me to see the commentary at this point, but my understanding is these will all be public soon -- no Facebook account needed -- and available to googlebots to archive in their search results. People will have mixed feelings about this depending on how they use Facebook, but in our example of information sharing it will be One Outstanding Move.
Here are two recent conversations I found especially interesting, one on diaphragmatic breathing practice and the other on releasing the psoas.
June 17, 2009 ...Forward, Backward, Sideways
I’m running late with this week’s newsletter. The deadline was yesterday, the funeral went on into the night, and the burial was early this morning. May it rest in peace. I’ve been distracted nipping at the edges of the chapters to be added to Brother Iron Sister Steel and the project is not without a hurdle or two.
...Continue reading...
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I realized this morning a good many of the IronOnline regulars may not be familiar with Dan John's writing. Let's remedy that. Here's an excerpt from his new book, Never Let Go, called Systematic Education for Lifters.
Next week we’re going to switch gears, back to a Feldenkrais discussion. A friend asked how to get started on a Feldenkrais program at home and without professional instruction. We’ll get into that a bit, and I’ll find some good links for those who are interested in taking a shot at it. Until then, click that link above and finish Dan’s story.
June 10, 2009 ...Don’t Hold Your Breath
It’s a gorgeous Saturday in booming California as I write this newsletter. Laree is in the mountains of Utah with a crew of strength athletes and lifters -- friends from IronOnline -- celebrating the ninth annual Bomber Bash. They are engaged in a marathon of fundamental and specialized training instruction and demonstration by Dan John, highly accredited strength coach and master lifting champion.
This is a grand enrichment for 50-some ironheads as they enjoy each other’s company and share in lifting, learning and growing and eating and mingling for a long spring weekend. Beyond being a veritable wealth of information, a formidable iron technician and practitioner, Dan is a remarkably skilled communicator. Dan speaks and performs -- you listen, learn and love it. Click the title link above to continue reading....Continue reading...
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Nestled at the base of the breathtaking Utah Wasatch Mountains rests the 57-acre Juan Diego High School campus where Dan John teaches and coaches, and where he hosted a group of IronOnline forum members June 5-7, our 9th annual Bomber Bash.
Dan’s an outstanding writer (author of the new book, Never Let Go), and a champion athlete, but I won’t have to stand alone if I say where he really shines is as a teacher. He’s a gifted speaker, and like all good high school coaches, has eyes in the back of his head. How he knew what each of the participants needed to hear or be shown, I have no clue; each of us got a bit of private attention at just the right instant to change something important. He was remarkable, truly remarkable.
For details and photos, click here.
And… about Dan’s book, Never Let Go, Dr. Ken Leistner writes:
"Something truly different in strength training: a literate, well-written book full of enjoyable information and an opportunity to cull through it and choose what might enhance one's training. That's unusual in our field, but Dan has provided a volume one can go back to numerous times and benefit from." ~Dr. Ken Leistner
June 3, 2009 ...Life Without Iron
Here’s a worthy consideration: What would life be like without training... the weights... the iron... the bombing...the gym? Sit, think, rollover, play dead.. ...Continue reading...
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Preparing the corrective exercise specialist certification suggestions blog post last week made me realize we also need a suggested reading list. I put the word out for ideas and the responses quickly popped onto my screen, just another example of why I’m digging Facebook and Twitter. I’ve collected the suggested reading list, along with links, and will keep it handy in the blog sidebar for later reference.
Now this oughta crack you up. There’s a terrific used bookstore in Santa Cruz, Logo’s, where I’d live if they’d let me. One day while wondering around the stacks, I found a $2 book, The Kinesiology of Corrective Exercise, by Gertrude Hawling, Second Edition, thoroughly revised in 1949! And you know what? We’d have known all this corrective stuff all along if we’d have paid attention. No kidding -- diagrams of elevated hips… rotated rib cages… you name it, it’s there.
1949!
I’ll continue updating both the certification suggestions and reading list blog posts as new ideas come in. Meanwhile, I’m off to Utah to meet up with my IronOnline pals, to listen to Dan John lecture, to share some Feldenkrais movement ideas and generally have a hopping good time. We’ve got a film crew recording Dan’s seminars, and I’ll spend the summer editing the videos for dvd.
But first… I’ve got a bit more work on Stella’s Kitchen, which we’ll be re-publishing in July for those who weren’t able to get their hands on a copy the first time through. Big summer around here.
Here are your reading assignments: Corrective Exercise Specialist suggested reading.
May 27, 2009 ...The Draper Jawdroppers
Was I to do it all over again, would I lift weights to become a high-flying Bomber? Yes, of course. Would I suggest my precious child pursue championship in the bodybuilding arena? No way. Top-notch physical fitness will do just fine, dear heart. Now, go; have fun, prosper and be healthy. Live forever. Serious bodybuilding -- huge and ripped -- is too hard, too fatiguing, too tedious, too focused, too limited, too severe, too dangerous and too maddening, though it can be a blast. ...Continue reading...
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In an email, a personal trainer wrote to ask about a certification for corrective exercise. In particular, she wanted to know which is the most research-based. I’m not a personal trainer, nor am I certified in anything, corrective or otherwise (certifiable from time to time), so I put the question out via Facebook and Twitter. There was a terrific response; I didn’t want to waste the input to a lost Facebook thread, so I archived it in the blog, here: Corrective Exercise Certifications for Personal Trainers.
About Dan John’s new book, Never Let Go, exciting reviews are beginning to float in.
Writes Lyle McDonald: Dan John has been in the lifting weights since about the history of recorded time. He’s seen it all, done it all, and tried it all. His knowledge and experience is encyclopedic... coupled with his willingness to share that information with anybody who cares to show interest For just about anybody involved in the field, I really can’t recommend this book too highly. For those who are old and jaded like me, Dan may give you an insight into some decidedly old school approaches to training that flat out work. Here's Lyle McDonald ’s extensive review of Dan John's Never Let Go.:
And via Twitter and Facebook, I've spotted some fun one-liners, such as:
Eric Beard said: I love Never Let Go by Dan John, great pearls of wisdom mixed with humor, dedication and experience! Great common sense, training nuggets and humor mixed with philosophy. Will try a few ideas today.
Zach Even-Esh wrote: I CAN'T put this book down!!
Interested in reading the incoming reviews, or are you enjoying Dan John's new book, Never Let Go? Reviews: You're encouraged to post a comment and read the reviews.
He’s also on tap for a few ‘net interviews. I’ll keep this thread updated with the schedule: Dan John Interviews.
Dan’s an interesting interview, quite a talker with fun stories and a passion for helping us excel in our training. Definitely worth a listen!
May 20, 2009 ...Flash: Fitness is for Everyone -- You, Me, Them
Wakey, wakey, no mistakey! Time to shape up for your vacation: walking, jumping jacks, knee bends (cute ‘n good), squats, deadlifts and presses (bad ‘n ugly). Clean out the fridge and empty the cupboards: no soda pop, no beer, no chips, no sugary stuff and no grease; more protein, more water, more salads and enough fruit, and smaller meals regularly throughout the day. And last, but not least, gobs of discipline, heaps of commitment and piles of perseverance, regularly. Go. Do not hesitate and do not look back. ...Continue reading...
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Yesterday afternoon we were startled by the arrival of a huge delivery truck; the driver jumped from his seat and promptly offloaded three pallets of Dan John’s new book, Never Let Go. Now check this: The pallet delivery arrived two hours before we received our UPS 2nd Day Air first-off-the-press publisher’s copy! UPS, you’ve got some ‘splaining to do.
I always enjoy delivery days. There’s no fake workout on those days; it’s a real-deal workout, unloading, hauling and re-stacking 3,500 pounds of book cartons. My non-gym friends don’t get it, but I know you all will.
Pre-ordering customers: Your copy went out yesterday, with our thanks and Dan’s appreciation for your eagerness to get your hands on his book. To those slower to push the Buy Button, may we put one in the mail to you today? Click here to order Dan John's Never Let Go.
After you’ve had a chance to look it over, we’d love to hear your thoughts. I’ll start a thread in the blog where we’ll archive your review comments for potential buyers to consider, and for Dan’s future enjoyment and pondering.
Oh, and to be completely honest, I really don’t have many non-gym friends. Where would I meet them? I meet all my friends at the gym, just like you do.
May 13, 2009 ...Home Alone
Today is Saturday and I chose not go to the gym, letting the freeway to the ever-loving vacationers, board-walkers, sun-sappers and sand-kickers. Instead, I stepped onto the deck in my shorts, pulled up a bench and shared a couple of cans of Dave’s Albacore Tuna with Mugsy, the world’s greatest cat. The sun was pouring down like fool’s gold from a stimulus package, and I, after the tuna cans were scraped clean, stretched out to relax on the bench. Mugs cleaned his whiskers and paws. .... Continue reading...
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You know how it is when you’re reading an article, you come to the end and even though the author’s points were made – the story’s complete –you just don’t want it to end? That’s how I am when I read one of Dan John’s articles. Just like when I’m reading Dave’s writing, with Dan I just want to sit on the deck and read his stuff forever. And that’s why I was so thrilled to be a part of bringing his new book to life.
… which is where we are today, sitting in anticipation of a call from the trucking company to schedule delivery. The books shipped from the printer, and should arrive late next week.
Already the word has slipped out and the eager are lining up to be first to get a copy. We’d love to add you to the list of enthusiastic readers, too. Click the bolded link for more details about a book I consider a big contribution to our field, Dan John’s Never Let Go: A Philosophy of Lifting, Living and Learning. I am sincerely so thrilled. Thanks for letting me be a part of this, Dan.
May 6, 2009 ... Take Me to the 100-Pound Dumbbells
There’s a jiggly creature hiding under my workout rags and I know it. And he knows I know it. The whole neighborhood knows it. It’s time to dig out the battered old shoebox of spring training tricks... the one marked, “Oh, no. Here we go again!” None of us will argue the hardest and most essential move to make is the first move -- recovering the box from the rubble of the attic, opening it up and poking through its dog-eared contents. Patuey!.... Continue reading...
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My part of this blog has trended toward corrective exercise strategies over the past couple of years as I began to learn chronic pain wasn’t just a part of aging and I didn’t have to live with in decline. Many of my IronOnline forum pals have also moved off the strength path temporarily in order to reclaim lost movement, and others probably would if they knew where to start without having to go back to school to learn anatomy and kinesiology.
Often people ask for the simple solution -- you know… hey, just tell me what book to get and I’ll read it. But until now, it hasn’t been that easy. In fact, that’s the reason we started collecting names for our corrective exercise specialist database, which you’ll find at this link; by the time we hit our 40s, 50s and 60s, we’re so jammed up it takes an expert to sort it all out.
The thing is, even if we can part with the bucks to pay someone to help many of us are not in driving range of such a person. The field has grown hugely the past couple of years, but the personal trainers who know more than an introduction to assessments and corrective strategies are still few and far between.
So what are you going to do? Today we actually have a viable do-it-yourself option, Keith Scott’s Unbreakable Body Program. Click the link below for more: Keith Scott's Unbreakable Body Program.
April 29 , 2009 ... Muscleheads: Here, There and Everywhere
The Iron World, Russia interview — Interview with Dave Draper for Iron World, Russia, February of ’09, Sergey Tyshchenko, Part 2 of 2..... Continue reading...
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April wrapped up a full year of regular Feldenkrais training, both in group classes as well as in private, hand-on sessions. Not only has the training propelled me miles ahead of where I could have gotten on my own with self-taught corrective exercises, stretching and myofascial release, but it’s also been a real eye-opener for casual movement, moving posture and even in learning.
The biggest wow moment was learning to think of the skeleton separately from muscle. When doing joint mobility, I now think of the bones moving and let the muscles move naturally, without purposeful attention. Good joint motion happens when it’s smooth and effortless.
Good movement through the joints requires the right rhythm. Muscles have to fire in optimal order to move well and freely, without pain. Yet how do you do that? How can we possibly teach our muscles how to fire in the right order? Some—many—ways to move are never learned, or are forgotten. Remember this: In movement, we’re self-taught!
April 22 , 2009 ... From Russia with Love
Got one right here: The Iron World, Russia interview — Interview with Dave Draper for Iron World, Russia, February of ’09, Sergey Tyshchenko, Part 1 of 2..... Continue reading...
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In a conversation of books covering barbell training techniques, Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore’s book, Starting Strength, will instantly surge to the top as the most important book a trainer should own. Period, no close second.
If you need another opinion, there are plenty in the section of the forum where we review the book and discuss their instructions and illustrations of the basic exercises. You’ll find everything’s covered; in fact, we’d arranged for the guys to come on the forum to address questions at the end of our book review month, but when the time came… well, there just weren’t any questions left unanswered.
Still, some people are visual or audio learners, and perhaps even Lon’s terrific illustrations aren’t enough for these types. A mere $24.95 and plenty of practice will buy these folks a perfect squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press and power clean; no joking here -- Mark Rippetoe’s filmed Starting Strength barbell exercise technique seminar leaves no confusion. Each of the five exercises gets its 25-35 minutes, including discussion and instruction, followed by a long section in which Mark troubleshoots individual problems. Click here: Review of Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength dvd.
April 15 , 2009 ... Attitude and Altitude -- Higher and Higher
I’m a very busy person and my plate is full.
Full of crumbs, that is. Perhaps if I scrape them together there’ll be a sufficient heap of stuff to get me to the gym. Each crumb is a remnant of responsibility, need, desire, discipline and obligation, with a few flecks of inspiration along the edges. What’s this? Yuk, a morsel of guilt.
Trouble is, I don’t have an appetite.
However, I do have excuses: The gym is 30 minutes down the road, the truck’s dirty and the traffic stinks; it’s cold, windy and grey outside and my favorite T-shirt’s in the washer; there’s a newsletter to write and Mug’s is curled up on my lap, purring. I’ll go to the gym tomorrow.
Crazy! There was a time 50 years ago I had nothing I’d rather do than go to the gym! 40 years ago contests were coming up... off to the gym. 30 years ago I ran the juice bar in the gym. 20 years ago I owned the gym. 15 years ago the gym owned me. 10 years ago I morphed into the Bomber writing tales about the gym. Boom-Zoom..... Continue reading...
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- How long do I spend on a routine?
- Fast weight gain
- How long before I can train after back surgery?
- Armand Tanny
As for extras... I got nothin’ for you today. And here’s why: Dan John's Never Let Go ships to press!
April 8 , 2009 ... Hold On -- Never Let Go
Laree, under my explicit supervision, encouragement and inspiration, is just a week away from publishing a comprehensive book on strength and lifting by Coach Dan John. Dan’s a great writer and educator, as well as a record-holding champion in throwing sports, and the material he’s presented Laree, though consumptive, has been a pleasure for her to work with.
He can spell, punctuate, write whole sentences and compile his thoughts with wisdom and entertainment. Plus, he knows what he’s talking about -- from the heart and soul, body and mind. The work is titled Never Let Go..... Continue reading...
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Camaraderie among gymrats, sharing training tips learned over the years… the hard way… and an outstanding weightroom educational opportunity — could there possibly be a better way to spend a weekend? Not likely!
The members and visitors of our IronOnline forum get together annually to laugh and learn and grow; this year’s event will be in Draper, Utah, just south of Salt Lake, the weekend of June 5-7, and as always, you’re invited. Drop me an email, or join in the Utah Bash forum thread to express your interest.
Now, then, what’s the truly exciting part? Just this: It’s to be held in Dan John’s weightroom, where he’ll be on hand to lecture three times, which we’ll film for future dvd production, and to answer our long list of training questions privately or in small groups, winging it (Dave likes that term a lot, thinks since we’re pretending Bombers we should be winging around town at will) as needed by the participants. We’re not planning a huge crowd, and your face time with Dan will be plenty to cover any of your training confusion. Heck, this guy likes to teach!
April 1 , 2009 ... Weights: To Lift or Not to Lift
Weights and lifting them make men and women of all ages strong in body, in mind and in soul. They build muscle and strength, as surely as they build character. They improve energy and endurance, as certainly as they improve acuity and physical calm. The iron, though cold and lifeless, is instructive and endearing and dependable. .... Continue reading...
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As you read in Dave’s column or saw in the forum or elsewhere on the internet, Zabo (real name Irwin) Koszweski died over the weekend. His death came suddenly; Dave talked with him about three, maybe four weeks ago, and he was fine, at home in Venice. A couple weeks later, he spent a few days in an LA hospital with pneumonia, was released to a nursing home for a few days, then went east to his daughter’s where he died about a week later.
Read more about our friend, Zabe.
March 25 , 2009 ... Gravity Was Different Then
I’ll never forget those nasty 60s, the ones sitting crooked on the splintery wooden racks in the dimness of the Dungeon. They were not alone in uniqueness and construction, but they were the only ones that fought back when pushed around. They were scrappers.
The dumbbells in the Dungeon went from the clanking 10-pounders to the rumbling 150s. The 150s, long, thick and formidable, reminded me of locomotives in a train yard: slow-moving black steel, hellishly noisy, awesome in structure and built to perform a serious job. Only a few burly iron-workers were equipped to engineer the monsters, and no one questioned their authority.
The 150s didn’t move far and didn’t move often; they mostly sat still and rumbled...... Continue reading...
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Seems like such a great dream – noble even – to build a dungeon where heavy iron hits the floor and bumper plates are heaved smoothly overhead. Instead… I look in the crystal and see a three-year nightmare that ends with you and your best-bud training partner feuding, your back account empty (or worse, owing borrowed money), and the IRS hounding you for unpaid payroll taxes. It’s a heartbreaker.
We hear from people weekly, either by email or in the forum, writing of their amazing plans to build their dream gym. They write to share their excitement, or perhaps to get a tip or two from someone who built and ran a couple of gyms over a fifteen-year period.
Each time we have the opportunity, both Dave and I do our best to talk the planner down from the lofty heights and back to reality. In only one instance do I know of a person who stuck with the plans after our badgering, and who’s truly made a go of it in the health club business. All others had everything going against them, aside from their immeasurable enthusiasm. Unfortunately, in a business that can be compared in difficulty with the restaurant industry, enthusiasm simply isn’t enough.
Click here for more foresight: Building a commercial gym.
Hmmm, perhaps that was hindsight.
March 18 , 2009 ... Now and Then -- Muscle and Might
Imaging is one step removed from spontaneous. I stand before the weights with a low-contrast mental picture of what I’m about to do. Since it’s not yet done, I can change it anytime to suit any circumstance, whatever it might be. As I go, I know. I call this over-65 precision. And whatever I do, it’s going to be good and it’s going to be done right. That part is certain, the effect of strong visualization.
Training back in the day there was no straying from the set routine. None! To wander was to weaken; to drift was to die. Strict training principles were necessary, mandatory. The stern approach made working out almost fearful. Nuts to that. The last thing I need in my life these days is fear. Today, wandering and drifting under the calm supervision of wise and mature eyes and a knowing nose is the way. The yellow brick road, the golden iron highway..... Continue reading...
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Dave’s genius lies in seeing what we all see, but being able to describe it in a way few of the rest of us had considered. That’s why I don’t want his musings of the internal coaching personalities from the column a few weeks to disappear into the depths of the archives, now reaching a thickness of over 500 columns, without calling out those familiar nags.
Before sending them off to history, which of your internal advisers is your favorite, which visits the most often or is the most destructive? And I wonder this: Do we have the skills to bring a more positive and more successful internal coach to the forefront?
Can we send the faulty ones to the rear?
March 11 , 2009 ... Come and Get Your Fresh Roasted Peanuts
I had a peanut-size workout today and feel great. The dumbbells were pink in color with light blue polka dots and emitted neither an irritating clank nor an abusive thud. I used whatever bench was nearby without improvising a precise training angle by intricately stacking boards and blocks under one end.
Foregoing a critical 10-minute search, any old handles dangling on the cable machine sufficed, and I instantly performed my tucks and extensions and crossovers. And, you might note, without applying progressive mathematical formulas to determine my specific set-and-rep scheme. I just repped out till I seriously pumped and burned.... Continue reading...
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What is social media? How can we use it? Why would we want to?
I know you’ve heard of it—social media, Facebook… Twitter. You may be thinking the same as Dave, which is why would anyone want to do that? That’s what he said when I told him I was sticking my foot in the social door, but that’s also what he said when I started making a three-page website back in the winter of 1998, or started the email discussion group the following summer. He said it again when I installed the forum board software in 2004. He sure was wrong on those occasions, so why not now?
How I see it is the trilogy of our well-established strength training forum, plus the personal and easy-going aspects of Facebook and the wider-reaching, free-wheeling nature of Twitter rounds out everything we could need for learning and growing our web-based education and camaraderie of iron.
We’re sharing information, passing on links, getting a quick grin from a note from a new acquaintance—a friend of a friend, perhaps—enjoying a memory of someone who was in the audience when Dave won the Mr. America onstage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1965. You’re not going to get that stuff training at home, and rarely will you get much of it at your neighborhood gym. You’re going to have to cast a little wider for the real gems, and that’s where the new social media comes in.
March 4 , 2009 ... From here to Eternity
Talked to Don Howorth, Zabo, Leroy Colbert and Frank Zane in the passed few weeks and we all concluded that time, though not courageous, gracious or patient, is persistent. Frank, the child among us (six months my junior, but mature), plans to get in super shape this summer. Don (a little bit older than me) trains himself and a dozen other muscleheads at various Hollywood neighborhood gyms throughout the week; baby needs shoes and muscles need attending.
Leroy (a little bit older than Don), my first bodybuilding hero and partner, offers nutritional consultation from his Ventura Boulevard heath food store, Total Nutrition. He juggles a pair of dumbbells in the backroom between clients.
Zabo (a little bit older than Leroy, yet younger than Moses) works whatever doesn’t hurt three times a week at Gold’s, Venice: sit-ups and cables, 60 minutes, gone.
I get a weekly email from Deputy Lou Ferrigno (he’s even younger than Frank Zane, if you can imagine... pups), encouraging me in less then three to four words to carry on. He’s probably just realizing the rapid and consistent flight of time... faster than a speeding bullet..... Continue reading...
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A stunning gift to those who thrill at the idea of mountains of weight moving overhead real fast, Arnold Classic promoter, Jim Lorimer, and IronMind’s Randy Strossen teamed up this year to bring in the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, Matthias Steiner, from Germany, along with his weightlifting team for an exhibition showcase on the main stage in the expo hall at the Arnold this weekend, Saturday, March 7 at 1pm.
Ingrid Marcum, our inspiring friend from the forum, has been invited to participate in the exhibition, so after a very short break home following her bobsled season travel, which spanned non-stop from September thru February, Ingrid treks to Columbus this weekend to join the showcase.
February 25, 2009 ... Lost and Alone Without the Iron
What would life be like without the gym, the workouts, the weights? Curiously, I’ve never confronted myself with that question. I feel slightly dazed... a little faint... I’d better sit down.
No sets? No reps? No cunning determination of how to bombard the delts or blast the biceps? Days on end without pursuing extreme pain through maximum muscle exertion? Endless weeks free of plodding to the gym through wind and rain and fire? Infinite months unburdened by the anxiety of missing a good workout, or, worse yet, completing one badly? No more swelling, throbbing, aching; no more ice and heat and painkillers? Freedom from limping and limited range of motion, sudden yelps and sleepless nights for, like, ever?
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry or run and hide. The latter sounds appealing and I’m thinking of under the bed with my pillow..... Continue reading...
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Much of the current kettlebell enthusiasm is focused on time and endurance, and with good reason because for conditioning a kettlebell is a remarkable tool. But old-school strong man devotee David Whitley has gone in the other direction: He’s using these chunks of weight to create exercises and combinations each one more difficult than the previous to execute, sometimes using a single kettlebell, but more often doubles, and occasionally two of differing weights, and sometimes even both of those in the same hand.
It’s a grin to watch Dave perform, and it’s also a pleasure to learn from him, as I did recently via his Full Body Power, Beyond the Basics intermediate and advanced kettlebell drill dvd. My notes are intense, three pages of mashed scribbles, as I studied his techniques covering variations of what he calls Follow the Leaders Series and his burpee combinations – think burpees with a single kettlebell or double kettlebells used for deadlifts, swings, cleans, high pulls, snatches, clean and press and clean, squat and press, all artfully tossed together to wipe out even the neediest Rocky fan.
In response to a question in the forum about a Vince Gironda technique, I excerpted a piece from Dick Tyler's West Coast Bodybuilding Scene explaining the Gironda frog crunch; here's The Cloak and Dagger Abdominal Exercise.
February 18, 2009 ... Internal Board of Supervisors
We’re never alone. At least a dozen confused personalities take refuge in the average musclehead, ready with garbled advice when prodded, poked, slapped around and pinched. Recognize any in particular? .... Continue reading...
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Ten years ago I realized my pains and lifetime injuries were all on my right side: right foot metatarsal pain, right heel pain, right hip, right shoulder, right elbow, right jaw. Did that mean anything, I asked my doctor, who shrugged back a who-knows response. What a disappointment to come home telling Dave my brilliant insight had come up empty.
Today, with that list of right-side problems relieved through successful mobility, flexibility and corrective exercise work, I look back and wonder how a trained medical doctor wouldn’t have known something was amiss.
Ten years is not that long, really, but consider how far we’ve come in the fitness and athletic industry. Today you could ask your doctor the same question and probably get the same shrugged response, yet if you asked a personal trainer—at least one who pursues continuing education—you’d probably get a knowing nod, and certainly you would if you asked an athletic trainer. The medical profession is focused and remarkable at curing disease, but not that good at building health and fitness. Continued reading: Discovering and Correcting Asymmetries.
February 11, 2009 ... Light Weight -- Heavy Exertion
Occasionally someone will ask what keeps me going after all these years. My first reaction is, duh, like, this rugged and powerful body, Dude. Whadaya think? However, my smooth and savvy character insists I offer a more motivational and instructional answer, one spiced with inspiration and wisdom. I start with something lyrical, like the iron is part of me. It’s my purpose, it’s my center; it’s my blood, flesh and bone. It’s the very breath I take. It’s my soul.
And let’s not forget muscle and might and everything right, health and well-being and all that’s full-meaning. A light jingly rhyme is always kinda cute.
It’s the truth that hurts: I continue to train year after year because I don’t know anything else and when I miss a workout my self esteem tanks big and I grow sullen and resentful. I don’t want to train; I’ve got to train. What am I going to do -- the laundry, get a job? .... Continue reading...
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Is it your understanding moving your body by foot over a mile distance will burn up just under a hundred calories? Isn’t that what we’ve always been told, whether running or walking covering a mile clocks between 98 and 104 calories?
I’ve heard those figures given at least a dozen times in lectures over the past twenty years. It never made any sense and every time had me scratching my head, but given the authority behind the statements, I found myself repeating the 100-calories-per-mile average throughout my time in the gym business.
Apparently all that credulity was strained for a reason: According to Dr. David Swain, author of Exercise Prescription: A Case Study Approach to the ACSM Guidelines, calorie expenditure while walking at a 17-minute-per-mile pace burns 3.3 calories per minute over resting activity, while running at about twice that pace burns about twice as many calories, and if the person works the same duration covering twice the distance, he or she gains a fourfold greater caloric expenditure.
February 4, 2009 ... When in Doubt, Go to the Gym
This sunny day reminds me of one day 47 years ago, when I hopped in my GTO and headed for the Muscle Beach Dungeon. The ride was tight, fast and mean, the sun blazed across my windshield and the Pacific sparkled like diamonds at my nine. This was paradise and I didn’t know it. I didn’t know anything till it was gone.
I was parked in the rear of the old hotel in 10 minutes. No gym bag in those days, no key to the front door and nobody on the gym floor but my partner and me. He was never early, he was never late and I was always on time. Nods and motions and the eyes did the talking. .... Continue reading...
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At the back of the Spa Fitness Center, circa 1980, behind the thick, steamed-up glass, across the gold shag carpet and past the blue machine with the wooden fat rollers, picture a well-populated pool, steam and sauna area. Between the pool and the simmering whirlpool, a small, deep cold plunge. Why it was there, I never knew, but since it was, it must have been there for a reason, so I used it—sauna, steam, then cold plunge to whirlpool.
Thirty years later, the cold plunge is back in vogue, and perhaps there really is something to it, something more than Scandinavian history involving a sauna and the local snowpack. Here’s a brief discussion of contrast bath therapy for workout recovery.
Skipping to the end, you’ll discover the classic finale: You have to try it for yourself. Don’t you hate that?
January 28, 2009 ... Trivial Pursuit: Muscle, Strength and Health
How far have you come this first month of the new year, and where do you see yourself, say, four months from now -- mid-spring. I’m not big on looking much further ahead than tomorrow, but it’s not a bad idea to glance at the not-too-distant future to stir the imagination and arouse intentions.... Continue reading...
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Bill Peel, our great friend who goes by the name Wicked Willie in his wild west reenactments and in our forum, also calls himself a squat-challenged lifter. Maybe you consider yourself squat challenged, and would like to know some of the steps Bill’s worked the past couple of years as he works to correct this limitation. This week he posts the third of his series, A Squat-Challenged Lifter.
If you missed the earlier posts or need a refresher, here are links to parts one and two. You’ll also want to review these should you be interested in purchasing or using a leverage squat machine.