What you should know about plyometrics part 2

      In part one we covered the basics of plyometrics and the Stretch Shortening cycle. Today we will cover the "how to" portion of the exercise.

    Technique should be the first priority when conducting plyometrics. Good proper landing technique is paramount. Center of gravity should line up with your base of support. Any deviation could potentially lead to injury. You might hear that you have to squat your body weight or 1.5 times your body weight in order to start plyometrics. Some coaches will implement this to ensure their athletes can handle the intensity associated with the exercises. You can still implement plyometrics without being able to squat that amount. Technique should be prioritized. 

    Proper footwear is imperative for plyometrics. The high intensity and impact of plyo's require shoes that are stable with high ankle support that are made to go in all directions. Ideally, you would want a shoe that provides enough cushion to absorb the force of the body. This means that running shoes are a no go. Running shoes, typically are lighter with low ankle support that are designed to go one way-forward.

    When looking for landing surfaces for jumps should include grass, suspended floor or rubber mats are good choices for landing surfaces. With rubber mats check out the thickness of the mat before using it. Any mat over 6 inches extends the amortization phase thus not maximizing the effect of the exercise. Trampolines work the same way. The way the material bends upon foot contact absorbs majority of the force and lengthen the amortization phase. On the flip side concrete, tile and hardwood are bad choices for jumps due to the impact of the floor.

    Boxes that are used to box jumps should also be considered. Boxes should be large enough (18-24 inches) and be constructed in such a manner to make them non-slip. This can be achieved with non-slip treads, sand (mixed in with pain) or a layer of rubber on top to prevent slippage. 

    

     

What you should know before starting plyometrics

  One of the more overlooked aspects of fitness are plyometrics. Plyometrics refers to an exercise that is conducted with maximal amount of force in the minimal amount of time. As you can imagine plyo's are designed to improve production of force and power. During a true plyometric (more on that later) the body goes through a quick powerful stretch (eccentric movement) followed by a powerful concentric movement that uses elastic energy. This process is called the Stretch Shorting Cycle or SSC for short 

    Think of a rubber band with those paper hornets (do people do those anymore?) When you stretched out the rubber band you created elastic energy and upon releasing you generated enough force to propel the hornet. The bigger the stretch the bigger the release of energy. Pulling back a bow and arrow is the same process.

    I mentioned true plyometrics in the opening paragraph. Upper body and lower body plyometrics incorporate a true stretch of the muscle (using the SSC). Abdominal plyo's don't incorporate a full stretch of the muscle. Something to think about before incorporating plyo's into your training. 

    Since plyo's are max effort and such a high impact on the body it really depends on your training history. Lower body plyo's are counted in foot contacts-either one foot or both feet. 80–100-foot contacts are your beginner (6 months or less of training) 100–120-foot contacts for intermediate (6 months to a year) and 120–140-foot contacts for advanced (year plus experience) lifters. 120-foot contacts seem like a lot but consider a rep and set range of 5x5 (five sets of five repetitions). That would be 10-foot contacts per set times five (rep range) which would be fifty total foot contacts. That's halfway to 100-foot contacts. For plyo's less volume tends to be more considering the stress on the body. The best way to incorporate progression is to increase the intensity not necessarily increase volume. 

    In terms of rest cycles, we want to stay in the 1:5-1:10 range or for every one jump we rest five seconds with two to three min between sets. As you can see incorporating plyo's into a workout can be time consuming. However, plyo's are the best way to increase power production. In several studies it has been shown that vertical jump production can increase in as little as four weeks.        

Why I quit commercial personal training

     I got my Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) from NASM a few years ago because it was the next level of fitness knowledge. By then I had a master's degree in Exercise Science, so the fitness stuff was more or less a review. The concepts that were new was the business side of personal training. The process of building and making a sale. Fast forward a month or two and I passed the test.

     I inquired about using the base gym for personal training. The deal was I had to pay the gym a % of the sale to "rent" the gym. I turned that deal down. The gym was free to base members.... why would I pay for something free?

    After we moved to our new duty location, I fired up indeed and applied to a bunch of gyms to train as a side hustle. This is where I learned the "real" business of gyms and personal trainers. One gym offered me $12 bucks an hour to train. I was shocked at the offer.... $12??? Really?? Get the heck out here. I could have acted maturely and thanked them for their time. I did not. I asked if the gym would pay for my doctorate? pay to market my book? I made the case that you would be the only gym in town that would have a doctor level education personal training or how many gyms have a published author for a trainer. Shocker they said no.

    Another a few rounds of interview with either too little money offered or would not work time wise I found a gym that would be flexible with hours, cool with me leaving from time to time (they had two other Army guys training), and the pay was head and shoulders above all the other gyms. I accepted the offer and started training.

    Training consisted of learning the Functional Movement Screening (FMS), In Body machine, and practicing reviewing a person's exercise and nutrition background and fitness goals. All easy topics for me. Giving me an opportunity to talk fitness with someone is like those memes and reels with "Let him cook!"

    Learning the computer system for scheduling and inputting session was a bit more complicated, but doable with notes. This would have been one of those things that would have taken me a bit more to learn. I learned the basics and thought I was good to go. The way it worked at that gym was that membership could "book" a member with you to go over FMS, In Body then a fitness history conversation. After that setting you get 1 free session with a trainer. All this is free for members 

    I was booked with an older gentleman that was actually in good shape. He exercised three days a week already, ate well, didn't smoke, drink, consume soda and only drank black coffee. He moved well during the assessment. The conversation was really good. We mostly spoke about family and how he wanted to be physically there for his grandkids. At the end of the conversation, I told him that he didn't necessarily need me to train him. I could meet with him for the free session and show him how to perform basic lifts then that's it. He's already in good shape and he could save his money and take his grandkids to get ice cream. In my mind I was making the right decision for this guy. Personal training is expensive, and I did not want to take this guy's money that he could have spent on his kids and grandkids. 

    My boss on the other hand didn't see it that way. It was a protentional sale that I failed to close. Me being older I know that commercial gyms are a business, and a part of the business was making money for the gym. I don't blame her for the reaction. If my paycheck depended on my employees' booking clients, then I would be more focused on that aspect too. That sentence makes her seem like a scrouge like character. Nothing could be further from the truth. She would have been a really good boss. Very few civilian employers understand work/life balance and she was one of them

    That ordeal stuck with me for a while. It made personal training more of a selling business instead of a fitness business. I learned the majority of what I know from free resources on the internet, so shouldn't I pay it forward? I watched lectures from folks with PhD's putting out information on YouTube, Who I'm I to charge someone $34 bucks an hour for fitness knowledge when YouTube exists. This was my problem with commercial personal training. It's all about the sale instead of fitness. Ethically, I could not justify taking Somone's car payment in return for training. 

    Training is more than fitness knowledge; its relationship building and holding a client accountable for their fitness. However, that relationship is dependent on you paying me. You pay me to hold you accountable? Do I want to work with someone like that? I need to text/call you multiple times in order to get you to show up? What's going to happen when I move, or you stop paying me? Those reminders will stop, and you will be on your own to accomplish your own fitness goals. 

    A wise man once said, "Don't horde knowledge"   

     

Designing a by the book Strength workout

  Strength and Hypertrophy are often used interchangeably at the gym, and while they do have similarities, they are inherently different. In a gym setting strength is used to describe force while hypertrophy is used for size. For Strength training bar speed and how fast you complete the lift are irrelevant. As long as you complete the lift you are good.  Another way to describe it is Ronnie Coleman lifting 800 pounds (I'm embellishing.... I think) multiple times vs a strong man deadlift competition where you lift the weight only once.

    The rep range is going to be kept low. Ideally, we want to go 6 reps or lower. Since our rep range is low the weight is going to be heavy. 85% of 1RM or higher is recommended. The NSCA recommends a rep/load percentage chart.

1 Rep-100%

2 Reps-95%

3 Reps 93%

4 Reps 90%

5 Reps 87%

6 Reps 85%

    This takes the "brain" power away from designing Reps and Load % for certain lifts. By having a guideline, we know that after performing 6 reps and knowing you could do more signals to lift heavier weight.

    We know how many reps, and how much we should be lifting, but what about sets? 2-6 sets are recommended by the NSCA. This seems like a wide range of sets, but as we know fitness is all individual-5 sets of 5 reps may work time for a more advanced lifter while a beginner is only able to perform 2 sets of 4 reps. As we continue to lift more, we would be able to sustain more sets. 

    Resting in-between sets is crucial for recouping energy levels. For strength resting 2-5 min. Again, the wider range of rest periods depends on the training levels and weight lifted. A more advanced lifter per say is going to be able to lift more thus needing more rest.

    In summery we have a fancy chart that can visually depict the article.

                                  Strength

Load %	Reps	Sets	Rest
100%	1	2-6	2-5
95%	2	2-6	2-5
93%	3	2-6	2-5
90%	4	2-6	2-5
87%	5	2-6	2-5
85%	6	2-6	2-5

    

How to combine cardio and resistance training

     When your lifting weights you do a set, rest, then do another set, complete desired sets then move on to another exercise then rinse, wash, repeat. This is an oversimplification of things. Exercise selection matters, number of sets, reps, rest, all matter depending on your goal. The goal is front and center for all those things. I would say that most folks who lift have a basic understanding of those variables. This post, however, is not entirely about resistance training rest cycles. 

    Today we will look at rest cycles for cardio. Cardio is an evil word for gym bros that typically consists of long, dreadful sessions on the treadmill or stair stepper. This doesn't have to be the case. Cardio can work side by side with resistance training without long, sustained cardio routines.

    If we look at basic science behind muscle fiber adaptations within resistance training and aerobic training, we notice that many of the adaptations are the opposite. For resistance training we notice that our muscles adapt to "fire" at once in response to a heavy load. While aerobic training causes muscles to "fire" at different rates and times to ensure muscles can last throughout the duration of training. We also know that during resistance training our muscle grow in thickness and diameter (thus causing hypertrophy). For aerobic training we know that muscles shift in function due to training. Type 1 and Type 2 remain the same, but the Type 2x and Type 2a adapt towards more endurance than explosiveness. These examples in itself are oxymoronic. If we want bigger muscles, then why do something that contradicts muscle growth?

    Here's how you can combine cardio and resistance training.

Intervals.

Yup, That simple.

    Ok, I lied. It's not that simple. The premise of it is, but a deeper look into intervals requires a deeper understanding of energy systems and goals. 

    If my goal is to get bigger, stronger, faster than my cardio needs to reflect that. Short duration sprints that cycle rest periods sounds very much like resistance training. When we are in the gym, we use rest periods to build back strength in our muscles in order to lift the weight again. Heavier the weight the longer the rest periods. Same with sprints. The higher intensity the longer we want to rest. 

    Working the phosphagen system we want to stay in the 5 seconds to 10 seconds work range. To hit sprints in that range in the gym it would be helpful to have long enough turf to sprint 10 seconds, treadmill without a motor, or air bike. Any equipment with a motor may not be able to cycle through in time for the intensity duration. The rest cycles are 1:12 to 1:20. This means that if I am exercising for 10 seconds then my rest period should be 120 seconds to 200 seconds (10x12 to 10x20). Sprint for 10 seconds then rest for at least 2 min. This enables the ATP-CP levels to rebuild, so full effort can be made for the duration of the sprint. Remember we are trying to get faster not necessarily build cardio for a marathon. We are matching our resistance training goals with cardio.

    Let's say we want to extend our sprints for a longer duration. Cool beans. This would shift the primary energy system from ATP-CP to fast glycolysis or anaerobic glycolysis. We are still sprinting, but now lactate threshold plays a factor. Instead of just running off fuel within our muscle cells we dabble into the Cori cycle. If we want to stay in this range, then 15 seconds to 30 second bouts would be ideal. Anything over 30 seconds can be conducted but its more lactate threshold training then speed. If we are training in the 15-30 second range, then our rest periods would be 1:3-1:5. For example, 30 second sprint would have a range of 90 seconds to 150 seconds (3x30 to 5x30). 

    These are two examples of how to blend cardio with resistance training. Also, conduct sprints first before tackling resistance training. Trying to sprint after resistance training will zap your energy during your cardio efforts.       

    

           

   

       

Bilateral facilitation versus Bilateral Deficient

        When you're at the gym you have choices for exercises. Which equipment should I use? Should I use machines? What is the best training split? Which exercises are better?

    All of those are legit questions that can only be answered through experience. With experience comes experimentation with different machines or styles of training (or it should....). I used the lat pull down for 6 weeks. Ok cool now I'm going to switch it up and go with pull-ups for my back. Upon time and dedication, adaptations occur. We touched on some of those adaptations in past articles. One of the more hidden adaptations is bilateral facilitation and bilateral deficient. 

So, how does bilateral facilitation and bilateral deficient apply to the gym?  In the words of Yoda, "Patience you must have, my young padawan"

    Bilateral exercises are exercises that use two limbs (Bi=two). This can be bench, squat, deadlift. Any exercises that use two limbs. Unilateral exercises use one limb (Uni=one). Single leg squat, Bulgarian split squat, one armed row, etc. Any exercise that uses one limb is considered unilateral. In terms of which training style is better-they both can be used in the gym effectively. Slightly changing an exercise can create new stimuli for the body and create new adaptations. My advice-switch it up every so often. If I am also doing leg press, then sprinkle in single leg leg press or if I am continuously doing two handed rows then switch to one handed row.    

    Before getting to how these terms apply to the gym, we first must define them. Bilateral facilitation is the force produced by both legs is greater than forces produced unilaterally. Meaning that my squat total is higher than Bulgarian split squat. For example, if I can back squat 200 pounds and use 40 pounds for Bulgarian split squat then I would have Bilateral facilitation. 200>80. (40 pounds per leg x2 legs=80 total pounds)

    On the other hand, Bilateral deficit is the max force produced bilaterally is less than the sum of forces by each limb. Using our example above if my squat is 70 pounds and I can use 40 pounds for Bulgarian split squat then I would have a bilateral deficit. 70 pounds squat<80 pounds for Bulgarian split squat.

      In terms of training, we would want to be strong enough for bilateral facilitation. Bilateral facilitation typically comes from stronger, more experienced lifters that have been training. Bilateral deficient generally is from untrained, weaker, less experienced lifters. Bilateral deficient can also come from folks rehabbing an injury. As you get stronger Bilateral facilitation should take place over Bilateral deficit.   

     

Tire flipping basics

     Tires are becoming more and more popular within gyms. Tires for flipping, tires for sledgehammers, tires for sled drags, I have even seen half tires that are linked to a machine to ensure tires remain stationary. They are a nice change up to lifting with barbells and dumbbells. Are they a replacement for barbells and dumbbells? The jury is still out, but it looks badass flipping tires.

  With increased tires across gym. How do you know which one to choose?

I got you

    We will go over recommendations and basic techniques to lifting tires. 

    To start the tire should not be taller than you. Bigger tires present an increased mechanical advantage, so unless you super jacked your most likely not going to be able to flip it. Additionally, the bigger the tire the bigger the lifting distance. Unless you have ample room then flipping a gigantic tire isn't going to be practical. 

    If you are tall then narrow tires are going to be more challenging while wider tires are going to be harder for short folks. This again is due to the increased mechanical advantage. Another element to watch out for is the tread. A worn-out tread is going to create more of likelihood that the tire slips out of your hands.

    Once you have established the right tire for you then it's time to lift it. You got three techniques to choose from. Sumo, Back lift and shoulders against tire. Sumo is very similar to a sumo deadlift technique with a wider, shoulder width stance and a supinated grip between your legs. Upon lifting the tire switch your hands to a pronated grip and push the tire away.

    Back lift style is your more traditional deadlift style. More of a narrow, hip width stance with hands outside the legs. Much like Sumo style you would lift the tire then switch grip and push the tire to complete the lift.

    Shoulders against tire is exactly how it reads. squat deep enough so that your shoulder is against the tire with your chin on top. Extend the ankles, knees and hips (triple extension) then once the tire is halfway up hit the tire with your quad to push the tire up then switch grip to pronated grip then push the tire the rest of the way down.

    Which method is the best?

    Depends on you. Are you taller? shorter? how big is the tire? all of these factors count in selecting a tire flipping technique. I prefer the sumo style because I can use my legs more, but I am also on the shorter side of life. If your taller maybe you like the shoulder against the tire because of the triple extension. Try all three and make the determination. 

Adding resistance bands to your workout

      In a previous post we deep dived adding chains to your workout. In today post we will deep dive adding bands to your workout. From a practical standpoint, bands are easier to add to work out since 99% of gyms have some sort of bands while only a few gyms would have chains. Bands also tend to be cheaper than chains.

     I have been to some gyms that keep the bands out in the open and other gyms that keep it behind the desk, and you have to "sign" them out. In a previous gym that I worked out at had bands available to "sign out", however after a while the bands would go missing.... always confused me. If you have someone sign out equipment and have cameras then how do you "lose" equipment? Perhaps it wasn't worth it to investigate the band thief, but to not replace them was puzzling to me. Anyway, back to the post.

Color of the band correlates to thickness which aids in calculating resistance 

    Calculating total load with bands is similar to using chains to a degree. While a chain is weighs what it weighs a band may vary on resistance depending on composition (how thick the band is or how stiff the band is. Typically designated by color) and the deformation of the band (how much is band stretched). Hooke's law dictates that tension is equal to stiffness x deformation. As you can see it is possible to calculate total load using bands, but it can be complicated (and requires math.... who TF wants to do that much math in the gym?). Additionally, the age of the band plays a factor in tensile strength. An older band loses tensile strength over time while a brand-new band is operating at full capacity. Once the total load is determined then the peak load at the top of the lift is averaged out with the total load at the bottom of the lift (exactly the way we measure total load of chains)   

    The premise behind using bands is to increase power through force development during the concentric movement. To some degree this works; in studies ranging from 20% to 35% of the total load using bands have shown to increase peak power. Replicating those total loads is difficult due to the reasons listed above.

    Are bands worth it? 

    That depends. If you're looking to calculate exact resistance in terms of a total load to ensure your hitting desired rep range, then I am not sure bands would be the way to go. If bands are added to body weight exercises to make them harder (or easier) then I would fully endorse them. Pushups typically only account for 80% body weight; adding bands to pushups would push the total resistance higher. Reverse crunches are another body weight exercise that bands benefit from to increase tension during the movement.      

Adding chains to your routine

     More often than not in our training we stick with what the basics.... dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, etc. (for the record.... nothing wrong with that!). Dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells offer a constant external load-meaning that a 35lb kettlebell is weight 35lb. When you swing a 35lb kettlebell the weight does not change its 35lb throughout the movement. 

    Two ways to change it up a bit is to add chains and resistance bands to resistance training activities. Chains and resistance bands offer different resistance throughout the movement. This change in resistance is what us fitness nerds call variable resistance.

This article will focus more on chains. If I may paraphrase Bane, "Now's not the time for bands.... that comes later"

    To calculate the additional force of the chains (bands are calculated a bit different). Take the weight of the chain at the top of the movement and average it with the weight at the bottom of the lift. For example, if I hang 16 pounds of chains to the lift that means the bottom of the lift is 0 weight added (once chains hit the floor the resistance becomes zero). 16 +0 is 16 then divide by 2 is 8. Meaning I have added 8 pounds of resistance in total to the exercise. This factors in if I am attempting to hit a certain rep range with a certain load. We know that certain loads and reps elicit certain adaptations within the body and certain loads and reps are more appropriate depending on the timing of your training. Ideally, we would not want to over tax ourselves when we are peaking for an event. 

    The use of chains can be accomplished two ways: Wrap chains around the bar from a fully extended position (if you do it from the lowest position then the weight of the chain may or may not be fully extended). Another way is to wrap a lighter chain around the bar while fully extended then add chains to the bottom of the lighter chain. 

Chains are designed to make basic lifts harder-thus should only be used by experienced lifters that have already mastered techniques.

Example of hanging chains from lighter chains

    
       What is the benefit from adding chains to a workout? For one it effects the velocity of the movement. As explained before adding chains creates a harder concentric movement and an easier eccentric movement-meaning that the user will accelerate the bar at a faster rate. Remember power is force over time so increases force in a decreased time frame will theoretically improve power. Secondly, due to increased weight at the top of the lift more neural activation is needed to lift the weight thus increasing the post activation potentiation. Thirdly, since the bar speed is decreased at the bottom of the lift it may cause a more rapid stretch shortening cycle for the top of the lift. The difference between the eccentric to concentric can be compared to the amortization phase during plyometric movements.

Are chains worth it?

    Maybe.

     With more time the theories of increased power due to chains may be proven within the fitness community; currently these are just theories. The amount of time and effort to place chains, calculate resistance and use additional spotters could be counterproductive in the gym. On the other hand, loading the bar with chains and lifting does look badass, so maybe the juice is worth the squeeze.

Why planks suck

     Ever been at the gym wrapping up a workout racking your brain on what to do for abs? Going through the mental checklist.... did cables yesterday, did leg raises the day before......you know what I'll do some planks. I'll put on a video, and the time will fly by. You get down into the plank position then it hits you.... these suck.... YouTube distracts for 30 seconds before your core starts shaking like a stripper. You make it to a min (feels like 30 min) collapse then call it a day. Yep, those are planks. Forget water boarding planks are true torture. 

    What do these things do anyway? Your core hurts so it must work that.... right?

    To a degree they do. Planks isolate the core without upper body or lower body movements. Planks work the deep muscles along the Anatomical core or in laymen's terms the muscles that originate the axial skeleton. The core itself is responsible for generating forces during concentric muscle actions and to resist motion during eccentric and isometric movements. Any integrated kinetic chain movements that aid in transferring torque. Movement s such as kicking or throwing utilize these forces. A strong, stable core can theoretically generate more force.

    Since planks work the core, they have to improve force production, right? Not so fast. Planks are best suited for spinal stability and to reduce injuries.... not to produce a strong core. A more effective way to generate force and core stability are ground based free weight exercises. Thats right exercises such as squats, deadlifts, standing shoulder presses, and farmers walks are better for core stability. Additionally, ground based free weight exercises have a direct application to sport improvement. Due to heavy weight creating instability your core has to work hard to stabilize your body during the lift or movement. Truck rotations using a cable or Pallof presses are also good for core activation and have sports applications. 

    Next time you're at the gym looking for a core workout think ground-based free weight exercises over planks. 

The lack of sport applications is why planks suck.    

   

An exercise technique using car science

    In a previous post, I used car metaphors to distinguish between muscle spindles and GTO. Muscle spindles are the sensors of the body while GTOs are the circuit breakers. In today's car metaphor/exercise metaphor is Pascal's law. Pascal's law has applications throughout the science world. In this case we will look how fluid is impacted when pressurized. When fluid is in a cylinder and is pressurized pressure is exerted in all directions equally for liquid cannot be condensed. Think about coolant in your cooling system. When under pressure the upper and lower hose become solid and rigid (if not then you got a problem...get it checked out). 

    When you use the Valsalva maneuver, you are trapping fluid in the lower torso to make the back rigid. How do you preform the Valsalva maneuver you ask? Great question. When performing loaded structural exercises such as deadlift, or squat (back and front apply) hold your breath before the movement then as your completing the movement exhale (please please please exhale.... don't be like those dudes on YouTube that hold their breath and pass out!). Holding your breath during the movement builds intrabdominal pressure within your back creating a neutral spine. From the side your back will look like a tabletop back. If you ever hear "tabletop back" as a coaching cue, then that is what they are referring too. Using the Valsalva maneuver during heavy (emphasis on heavy) structural exercises that load the spine one way to ensure that you create a neutral spine enabling a safer lift. 

    The drawback to using this maneuver has already been mentioned-you could pass out. Holding your breath restricts oxygen to the brain thus causing blackouts. Think about getting put into a sleeper hold-same concept. Another and less serious drawback are that you inadvertently create high blood pressure. Folks with high blood pressure or older populations should not use this maneuver due to this.