What they don't tell you about personal training

            I have been personal training for over a year now. At my peak I managed three clients with three different training styles and workouts. Thanks to the government shutdown I train two clients now (no income means no disposable income). Nearly every night I review video's, look at my fitness textbooks, plan workouts, review previous workouts to plan a really good workout. My goal before I started this endeavor that it would be more about fitness then the money. I do my best to provide good workouts for my clients. Whenever we finish up and I hear, "I can't feel my arms" or "great workout" it makes me feel good as a trainer. One of my clients after the rest timer goes off, she says, "fuck.... here we go" that's when I know I planned something good. Now, there are sometimes where I'm tired and I'm not very engaging or the workout isn't planned that well. Those days I am determined to schedule a better one the next go round. Or when I explain a lift or why we are using different rep schemes and the light bulb goes off it is a really good feeling.

    What they don't tell you is the relationships you build with your clients. When they get comfortable enough to engage in meaningful conversation then you start building relationships with them. You start to look forward to the workouts. It's like a platform to discuss your hobbies, kids, work in a very relaxed atmosphere. 

    This is what I separate me from other trainers. I don't view training as a job; I view it as an experiment. Can I help someone achieve their fitness goals? Can I prove that my training methods work? It is quite the experience to see someone start to get stronger and have confidence in what they are doing. One of my favorite lines is to tell them they are doing things in the gym that no one else is doing. I'll take a pause and have them look around. "Anyone else doing depth jumps? Anyone else doing complex training?" Installing that confidence is key.

    Not only I'm I helping them get into better shape it's the other stuff that you see. The bounce in the step after completing a hard workout. 

    I started training on a limb and a method to study for the CSCS exam now its personal relationships that keep me training. 

A way to plan your training

     Fitness is one of those things that is extremely personalized. What works for one person may not work for another. For example, one of my clietns prefers to lift heavy weights because they like the changes within their body. Another client of mine prefers the more endurance style of workouts with cardio at the end. Certain exercises may work for others while others may not work for. If I may use my clients again. One likes to squat while another prefers to deadlift. This is due to a previous injury that one as sustained while previously working out. The type of training may work for one person while others may not enjoy it. One may prefer running and more cardio while another may prefer to lift weights. I'm more of a lift heavy with sprints and short distance running (3 miles or less). I worked with others that enjoy the longer distance running.

    In whichever style of training....notice I said training instead of working out. Working out implies exercises with no end goal. Training typically has a goal.

    One way to look at training is to break it down into Mesocycles or four-to-six-week training blocks. Within mesocycles training can be broken down into phases such as Accumulation, transmutation and realization. Accumulation would be your heaviest cycle in terms of volume and intensity. This block could be two to six weeks with a focus on a particular skill such as power, speed, strength, or hypertrophy. Reps, sets, and load is manipulated to reflect that training. Power would be lighter weights performed quickly. Think Olympic lifts or plyometrics. Strength is lifting heavy with lower reps (five or less) and performed at a slower pace. Hypertrophy splits the difference in terms of weight, reps sets. Typically, its eight to ten reps with roughly 67-85% of your 1RM. For a more cardio centric approach it is typically more volume with additional higher intensity sessions 

    Transmutation reduces the overall volume with the goal of increasing the weight involved. Take a power clean for example. In accumulation phase it may be six sets of five reps. In transmutation it could be three sets of five reps. Hypertrophy could go from four to five sets to three. This phase rarely lasts for more than four weeks. Cardio would focus more on intensity as opposed to volume

    Realization is similar to a taper stage. Tapering is reduction within training to stay "fresh" this would entail cutting down the volume to two to three sets per exercise or reduction of cardio sessions. This phase would last seven to fourteen days.

    These phases are associated with a build-up, hitting the accelerator then backing off for a week or two then reving training back up. It is designed to maintain training over the course of a longer period. Training too long at too high of intensity could potentionally lead to overtraining or worse injuries.

Things you do when your kids are special needs

     Both my kids are on the spectrum and are vastly different in their behaviors. My oldest has to have constant input. Video games, tablets, play, friends, he has to be constantly stimulated-when he needs that stimulation, he goes outside with his hanger to beatbox. He can also be painfully shy. Going into a new environment freaks him out and he retreats into his shell. Taking him to the store or to the gym is really tough because of the new environment. He has to have something with him to comfort him. More often than not that is a hanger or tablet. Hanger is something that we have to have around the house, or we are going to Wal-Mart to pick one up (even if it's a Sunday at 8 o'clock at night.). He will fidget with it as he is walking. Or he will hang out in the cart beatboxing with the hanger while we shop.

    My youngest on the other hand can only tolerate so much stimulation before he shuts down and runs. He will do sprints in the house, store, playground whenever he is over stimulated to calm down. He has certain tracks in the house that he uses to run on. One of which is the stairs and if he trips on them, he becomes really embarrassed if you ask him, he is ok. He will repeat certain phrases over and over again. Whatever he reads or watches on TV he repeats (Especially if its catchy) making conversation slightly difficult. 

    Things that we have in the house that just make sense for us. Hangers-We have oodles because my oldest has to have them for stemming. We have a racetrack in our house as well for our youngest.     

How your body responds to exercise

     For this article we will speak in general terms about your body's exposure to exercise. It will be a blend of periodization and response.

    Most folks that go to the gym have a plan. That plan could be upper body, lower body, push/pull, or a bro split. A more advanced planning is high intensity day then low intensity day. Either way you slice this pie you're planning a weeklong training period. The mental thought process of planning a workout is micro look at periodization. Planning chest one day then legs another gives the chest a time to recuperate. That is taking in account of response. Unless your David Goggins you're going to need rest periods to recover from exercise.

    How your body responds can be explained nerdily (not sure if that's a word, but I'm going to send it.... it's my blog after all.

    Three ways it can be explained: General Adaption Syndrome (GAS), Stimulus-fatigue-recovery-adaption theory and fitness-fatigue theory. What in the world do this mean? I'll learn you.

GAS

    GAS incorporates three distinct phases Alarm, Resistance, Supercompensation and overtraining. Alarm is simply introducing stress ie the initial phase of training. An example is lifting heavy weight. That first set of heavy squats is a stress point for the body and the body starts to react. Doing 4 sets of heavy squats is the resistance or resistance. Supercompensation is the gains (or new level of performance) that you obtain from lifting heavy weight for four sets. I'm oversimplifying the process but that is what it is in a nutshell. Overtraining is when the stress is too high. This is typically associated with delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. That would be conducting four sets of heavy squats five days in a row. GAS is something that we incorporate into our workouts without even knowing it.

Stimulus-fatigue-recovery-adaption theory

    This theory mimics GAS. First comes the stimulus, then fatigue, recovery adaption. Or lift weights, get tired, get gains, ability to lift more weight.

Fitness-fatigue-theory

    Very similar to the two previous theories with one part added on. The more intense the fitness the more rest time is needed.

    A more basic outlook is the higher intensity exercise the harder the body works to recover, the better the gains.      

The real value of fitness

     If I may paraphrase one of the best gangster movies ever made, 

"For as long as I can remember I have always been in shape"

    In high school I was friends who took fitness seriously, we lifted weights we ran, played basketball, football, softball, anything with a sport we played. Throughout adulthood I was always doing something physical either playing sports, running or lifting weights. Even in the Army it was doing extra workouts in the morning and after training. Even when I'm TDY (Army slang for work trips for class). I will work out in the morning then if time permits work out again in the evenings. Now, I'm never a max the PT test kind of guy. I've settled into the 90% in each category type of guy. Does being in shape help with the military-yes. The more profound effect however is deeper.

    It is having a healthy body as I age.

I'm 39 and I feel like I am at the peak of my powers.

    Let me reiterate, I'm not a max out guy. What I do is discipline and that's helped me even more. I stay away from alcohol, "unhealthy" foods and keep up with fitness. My peer group is suffering injuries or have lingering injuries. A bad back, a bum knee, screwed up tendons, multiple surgeries. One could say that I have been lucky (which I have). Another way to look at it is that I have taken care of my body, so I can do multiple things in a day and not get tired or wore out. Those days to happen more than I care to admit but for the most part I am physically able to do what I am supposed to do. Take the past few weekends for example. Two weeks ago, I was able to go for a run, partake in a vendor event selling 3D prints, then help a family member move. Last Saturday it was go for a run, work outside cutting tree limbs, disposing those limbs, then going back outside to do more yardwork.

    The point is the more you focus on fitness in your 20's and 30's it will pay off when your 40.  

I started taking creatine

     Creatine is one of those supplements that I have studied as a part of my graduate degree and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). I know the benefits of the supplement. I have even recommended it to my clients and people that I work with. Even went as far as pulling up the text for recommended dosages. Creatine is one of those supplements that is recommended to "load" a dosage for the first 10 days or so then level off with 5g daily. Loading is only recommended but is the fastest way to see results. 

     Never pulled the trigger until recently. On a whim I bought some.

    I started mixing with my overnight oats in the morning. Milk/oatmeal/protein/creatine.

     After only a few days I felt the result. Not physically, but mentally. I felt bigger. I was lifting heavy and felt strong. My splint was a gym bro split of back, shoulders, sprints, chest, legs, LSD run, so kind of a bro split since I incorporate running into the plan. The plan itself revolved around rep ranges of 4x5 for deadlift and squat and 6-10 rep range for everything else. I included low intensity plyometrics as well. I few boxes jumps and broad jumps on deadlift and chest day to not affect the sprints/running. For the record I like running. Plus, when you couldn't run for months because of deep trigger points that had to get dry needled you appreciate running a bit more. On a side note, dry needling knocks you out for a few days. I walked with a limp for days after. Getting back to running was horrible. I was completely out of breath running one mile, so I want to maintain some sort of aerobic fitness. I won't make gains aerobically with only two days but at least I have a base.

    Anyway, back to creatine the psychological results were almost immediate. Physically, I'm not sure yet. I want to be on it for a at least two weeks before noticing any physical changes within my body. Now, I'm curious for the next cycle to take pre creatine measurements then after 4-6 weeks of lifting see how much I can do. That is an experiment for future blogs. 

    In terms of creatine itself, its cheap (less than $14 bucks), and can be incorporated into foods that I already eat-meaning that it's not out of the battle rhythm for food. I don't have to bring a shaker cup to work or bring the bottle to work. If the mental effects are immediate then physically, I should expect changes in the next week or two.

    For a grading scale I would 10/10 recomend   

    

     

     

My personal training dilemma

     I got my CPT (Certified Personal Training) certification a few years ago and started training clients over this past summer. To get clients I was join local Facebook groups and with anyone showing interest I would send them a message. Some would message back, others wouldn't. Some would get past the first meeting and others would not. I even was stood up by someone before their first workout! That was a real gut punch because I met them at the gym at 5:30 in the evening and nothing. I have had two clients pretty consistently since the fall. I charge pretty low rates because 1. I had no experience. I tried the commercial gym thing and for ethical reasons I had to leave (when money became more important than fitness it was a problem for me. I do know that personal training is a business and commercial gym have a bottom line. Thats why I am comfortable with that decision.). When I started, I had a Masters in Exercise Science and CPT.

    I used my clients has a study method for the CSCS exam. We did plyometrics, sprints, and some Olympic lifts to study for the practical portion of the exam. I went well and I was able to pass. Now, going forward I look at my model. Stay cheap to keep clients coming back.... i.e. Planet Fitness model, however, with my education and experience it's a moral dilemma to raise my rates. In comparison, when I was hired at a gym my starting rate with $30 an hour. The top tier with no experience. For shits and giggles, I put my resume in Chat GPT, and it spit out $40-$80 an hour.

    Another client reached out and I could not figure out my rate. $40-$80 an hour to me is high. So, the question to me is what do I charge to have repeat customers? If I charge too high the clients could work with me for two-four weeks learn enough to work out on their own, then stop booking sessions.

    I did the math, two times a week for $40 bucks is $80, so $160 for two weeks or $320 a month. If the client stops that is a decent side hustle. To make that much for what I am charging now is $160 a month and two months of work. 

    It did occur to me that I am overthinking this, and I should charge $40 and let the chips fall where they do. I have a hard time with the money portion. When I started this endeavor, it was never about the money. It was about the fitness. It was a study method for the next cert.         

What happens when you run (long term)

     If you're a seasoned runner go back to when you first started. Remember how tired you were after only a few miles? Remember those first few weeks when it felt brutal? This author does when he took four months off from running due to a calf injury. 

    So, what happened to get you to the point where you felt that you were getting good at it?

    I'll tell you what happened.... you adapted. Your body went through some internal changes to enable you to get better at running. 

Aerobic adaptations center around two concepts: Delivering oxygen to the muscles and ability of those muscles to utilize oxygen to produce ATP (energy currency.). Or in simpler terms your skeletal muscle gets better at using oxygen and the cardiorespiratory system gets better at delivering oxygen.

Let's start with the cardiorespiratory system. The gold standard for measuring aerobic adaptations is Vo2 max. Which is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use per unit of time. Higher the Vo2 max then the better you are at aerobic activity. Vo2 max is the product of Q (cardiac output.... more on this later) and Avo2 difference or the difference in oxygen in blood going to and from blood flow. 

 Cardiac output is the product of Heart Rate and Stroke volume (how many times does your heart pump multiplied by the amount of blood per beat). As adaptations occur more blood i.e. more oxygen will be pumped by the heart in fewer beats. At rest or resting heart rate will be lowered with training. 

    With increased blood flow the muscles would have to adapt as well. One of the adaptations is the increased capillaries within each muscle fiber. (Capillaries are the smaller vessels that circulate blood within the body). More capillaries lead to more oxygen within the muscles. Another adaption is the increased mitochondria within the muscle cell. As you recall from 6th grade biology mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. In this instance powerhouse means more capacity of muscles to use oxygen for ATP. Increased levels of creatine phosokinase (assists with energy production) takes place as well. Another highlight is that motor units start cycling to keep up with the increased demands of the muscles to work for longer period of time.

    For aerobic training we want the muscles to act like pistons in an internal combustion engine. We want them to alternate to keep the body running. This is opposite for resistance training as we want the motor units to synchronize to ensure maximum force is applied. 

    One final point. Your body will adapt to whichever aerobic event you choose. If you run, then the leg muscles will adapt. If you're a swimmer, then the whole body will adapt. In nerdy fitness terms that's called localized muscle adaptations. This is why a hardcore cyclist may struggle in the pool and a swimmer may struggle with running.

How it feels to be running again.....

         About a month ago I had to get some dry needling done on my calf. I noticed over the summer that my right calf would cramp any time I would go running. At first, I thought it was a nutrition problem. Coming from the northeast to the Mid-Atlantic I was introduced to something I hadn't faced in years: humidity. Moving during the summertime quickly reminded me of just how hot it can get in the south. It got hot up north but not choke the life out of you hot. I assumed that I wasn't drinking enough water or eating the right foods before running. I altered my diet, drank more water and nothing worked. I finally (only took me all summer) to go to a physical therapist and he said I was huge trigger points within the calf and he would have to perform a series of dry needling. "Ok, cool, sounds good" little did I know what this would entail. For starters, I would not recommend doing this on a whim. The procedure is sticking a needle directly into the muscle in order to have it twitch to hopefully relieve the trigger point. Once the needle hits the muscle it contracts-causing pain. The first time I could not walk for about four days. The next time was better but still sore and tender after 2. The final time only took me a day to get over it.

    The next painful part was getting back into running. They put me on a plan to run a quarter mile at a slow pace two times a week, then three times a week, then four, then a mile. It was a slow progress. After not running for months that first run was wonky. My legs felt weird, and I quickly ran out of gas. It was a little embarrassing to only run a mile and be done. After two months of slow, steady progress I noticed my body adapting to the new stress. I was able to run harder and longer with no pain. After a while I was able to run a 5K then intervals, then sprints.

    It felt really good to be able to run again.

    Normally I break my routine into two days of running and three days of lifting with a stretch day at some point during the week. I am now operating a good speed and good pace to get something out of the run. It is one thing to hit a PR squatting, but completing a hard run is another. The runners high is real. The feeling of completing a difficult run is so much more satisfying than completing a hard lifting session.

    Going forward I think I'll break down my training cycles to avoid such an injury again. I'll keep running in the spring.... fighting allergies along the way in the springtime! and moderating lifting. Then turn back to lifting during the summer with increased sets and increased overall volume during the resistance training. I think focusing on one over the other is the way to go. Not all of us are Nick Bare that can do both at such a high level  

What fitness means to me....

     I kept in fairly good shape throughout my adult life. Gym time was my time. I took it seriously, but not that seriously. I would go and workout, but it would take away from family time. I ate whatever and occasionally drank. Being stationed in Mississippi forced me to get up early.... who wants to run and workout after work and dealing with the deep south heat and humidity all day. I'll answer that-no one. I got up early (it was a struggle at first, but I was able to get into a rhythm). I committed myself to go every day. Since I was up early, I stopped drinking and clean up my diet a bit. The results were staggering. I was able to do more and recover better. (Who would have thought living a clean life led to a feeling better?)

    Moving to Mass I kept the same routine. Instead of being surrounded by folks who did not work out or only did it occasionally I was surrounded by folks who were just as dedicated as me. Nothing like walking into work and instead of saying morning or hello it was, "did you work out this morning?" Fitness became the center point of conversation. One of the guys said he worked out to make the voices go away. That statement threw me off. As a guy who tracked workouts and inputting nutrition into an app this blew me away.

    Fast forward a few years it makes sense now. When you get into a routine and center your entire day around your goals the inevitable shadow of doubt creeps in-that feeling of not being good enough starts to cloud your judgement. Due to that-the sense of accomplishment of going to the gym and pushing yourself to feel accomplished becomes more and more important. My workouts now do make those "voices" go away. When you see highly successful folks the pressure to keep up is real. It is a good kind of stress as the saying goes, "show me your friend's and I'll show you your future" The gym served as a sanctuary to indeed make the voices go away.       

The search for the next thing

     For nearly a year and a half I was studying for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam. It was trial and error in terms of studying methods, at first, I was watching YouTube videos-nothing clicked. Then I started to read the material then make a small blog post-That worked moderately. What really helped was fully immersing myself into the material. I became obsessed. It wasn't just a hobby or something I did when I had time. I fully embraced going all in. I would study in the morning, study during lunch then study in the evening. I would train my PT clients in the manner that reflected studying. I would have them do the T-test, 505 drill, lift heavy and perform plyometrics. I was all in.

    Come test day it was almost a relief that I passed. All those days studying came to fruition. It is awesome to have that on my resume and I am really proud of myself for passing. Now, I am struggling to find the next thing. I fell into the cycle of playing video games and catching up on tv shows that I put off to studying. It was great for a while but now I feel like I have lost my edge. When you dive headfirst into something, and it pays, and you chill for a bit it feels weird. I found myself resorting to being "normal" not progressing but remaining the same. Yea I caught up on some shows and started becoming more social with friends, but what else?

    When your consistency has something on your plate to search for you become single minded focused. Nothing else matters but reaching a goal. Now, I am lost and looking for the next thing. I have no idea what that something is, should it be pursuing a PhD? another fitness cert? building my brand as an exercise guru? opening a social media page? This is the first time that I currently do not have a goal.

    I say "Victory has defeated you, peace has cost you your strength" all the time to my troops. It fits has I am goal oriented and with a name like Tom Hardy it is comical to quote Bane. As I sit here, I think to myself.... has passing this test made me fall victim to victory defeated me?  

    As the premise says.....I am still searching for the next thing......   

CSCS Test result

     Last summer I took the CSCS exam. The exam is broken down into two parts: scientific and practical. The scientific part is based on scientific principles of exercise: muscle movements, muscles of the body, concentric and eccentric movements. Also, the bodies' reaction to exercise wither that be resistance training or aerobic training. After taking that portion, you take a 15 min break then conduct the practical side. The practical involves testing procedures, workout routines, how to of certain tests, exercises, plyometrics, etc. All in all, it is a beast to take 

    My preparation was not all that great. I would study, but only if it fit into my schedule. I took a lot of evenings off due to feeling tired, not feeling like it or the rationalization of having a bad day. I completely underestimated the exam. I thought perhaps my baseline fitness knowledge was enough. I was able to squeak by on the scientific portion and barley fail the practical. It was like a gut punch. I started studying right away for the practical, re-reading the text, making flash cards and writing down each segment of the book. Mentally, I wasn't confident. I feared taking the test again. Doubt crept in my mind as I struggled to pay and schedule the test. 

    I made a decision. I would schedule the test and pour everything I had into test preparation. I made a schedule. I would go into work early and study then in the evenings I would study again. Over and over again I would write down formulas, implement the lifts. I also started to train folks at the gym. I would design a workout then have my clients conduct those exercises. The night before I would write down the workout, look at the book, watch YouTube videos to fully understand the material. After a few months of this I was able to work through every exercise, every work to rest ratio and every physical test. I used my clients as Guinee pigs to study.

    The day of the test I was nervous-nervous to the point where I became sick. I could not stop using the bathroom. Driving to the testing center was a chore because I started to become nauseous. After checking in I was able to use the restroom, clean myself up and wait for my turn. 

    The testing proctor came out and said there was a delay in testing as the system was down and no idea when it would come back up. This bought me time to use the bathroom again. After what seemed like forever the systems came back and up, and we were told 15 min then the test would begin. Feeling better I went out to the car and stuffed my face with food. I felt re-energized. Starting the test is fairly simple to go through. You read the rules, sign a NDA and do practice questions to familiarize yourself with the controls. This of course is timed. I took that time to brain dump everything on the provided scratch sheet. Every formula, every work to rest ratio, every detail I wrote down. I took the entire time to do this.

    Once the test began, I was able to reference every note I took. Basically, it was like studying all over again. Any time I was not sure I looked at my notes and found the answer. This in itself only makes your 67% confident as each question has three answers. One you can eliminate right away and the other two are close enough to doubt yourself. This makes it extremely challenging as an argument can be made for one or the other. The entire test is 115 questions. I had questions about 15 of them that I wasn't sure. That could make or break you. After completing the test, I was confident that I passed but again your never sure until they give you the results.

    When I exited the room two other people were checking in, so I had a few moments. I again went to the bathroom (this time just to pee). I came back, retrieved everything out of my locker (Did I mention they make your take everything off before the test?) Yep, it's that serious. Walking back, I tried to read the test protector's body language to see if that would tip me off. Nope she was extremely professional and handed me the results upside down. I flipped it over and saw the PASS. I did my best Tiger Woods fist pump and celebrated. It wasn't a celebration it was a sense of relief. It was that athlete that poured everything into a competition and winning. It's not the winning its the gratification of all those hours of studying meaning something      

      

The lost art of conversation with kids

         Traveling across America for my job means that we have encountered several different types of parenting styles. Some are hands off, some are helicopters, and some are what I call electronic parenting. My style of parenting is a mix of those styles. I am not a fan of giving my boys electronics, but when you have two special needs kids you pick your battles. There is a time and place for electronics. Kids wake up early and others in the house are sleeping.... sure. Out in public-nope.

    When we go out, we do not bring electronics. My kids know that when we go out, we do not bring electronics. On the flip side, I do not bring out my phone either. That is a square deal in my eyes. If we go to the library we read, play games or do an activity together. This was evident when we went out over the weekend.

    The wife was sick, so it was me and the boy's kind of weekend. No worries. I can play iso ball and solo parent for a while. It is not a brag, but when you move your family around you get used to playing solo from time to time. 

    On Saturday morning me and Hudson went to Golden Corral. We talked the entire time. He would ask questions, I would give a response and in return I would ask questions, and he would give thoughtful answers. It wasn't those generic questions either like, how was your day or how is the food. It would be more like, "Would you rather have eyes in the back of your head or an extra hand?" "If you could play one game for the rest of your life, what would you play?" "Would you rather have no movies or no music for the rest of your life?"

    I like these types of questions because they generate an open-ended thought process. I do my best to teach him the art of conversation. An art that in my mind is a lost skill in today's world of social media and reels across several apps. At no point during the meal did I check my phone, nor did Hudson ask for his tablet. It was a great conversation. Between getting our food I noticed other parents would give their kids tablets or phone to entertain them. No judgment here for we have done that before. Sometimes you got to do what you got to do. However, that is a break glass in case of emergency type thing. 

    On Monday I took both kids to Chicka Fila to play on the playground and get milkshakes. It wasn't busy so I let Hudson order and pay. This again is another teaching moment-learning how to talk to adults. My youngest Noah drank his milkshake really quick then played. Hudson on the other hand would play for a bit, come back for milkshake then play again. I brought a book to keep me entertained during this process. When Hudson would come back to the table I would tell him about the book I was reading. It was a spy book called the "The spy and the Traitor" I told him about spying, what a mole is and why someone would sell secrets. I have no idea if he understood what I was saying but he kept coming back and was invested into the conversation. Even if he wasn't interested in spying, he was invested in someone else's viewpoint.

 That in itself is a victory in my eyes           

Tonight's experiment.....

    Much like any good story. I'll start it in the middle. 

    Today I asked my wife and son for help.

    I asked them to keep me focused in the evenings. I told them that I had been spending too much time on my phone in the evenings and it was cutting into family time and productivity time. (When I say productive time: it means reading, writing or studying). I don't ignore my family to spend time on my phone, but I do have a tendency to linger when the time arises. If I have downtime, I'll hop on Instagram and check out some reels.... before I know it 10 min as gone by then I get a group message from work then I'll look something up to cook for dinner and the whole process takes 30 min. That's 30 min that I could be doing a household chore, playing games with the kids or sitting down with the wife and catching up on the events of the day. Bathroom trips are the worst for me, I'll sit alone in the toilet scrolling-acting like I need a break from my cushy desk job. 

    Yesterday was the worst. I came home early (it was a telework day at work due to the weather, but having two kids and four dogs (we are pet sitting) it creates chaos at the house. I ended up going into the office where I can utilize my workstation. It is also a place where my brain is conditioned to work. I came home around 3:30 and basically spent an hour dicking around on my phone until I started cooking dinner. While dinner was cooking I would parodically check my phone. After dinner I had a conference call then play video games after-Not a productive evening at all.

    My solution was to ask the family to help me stay focused. I told my oldest to pick a punishment if I were to get on my phone. According to Hudson if I spent time on my phone then I would be sent to timeout, and he could have the phone to download any game he wants (within reason and it has to be free). I did have one loophole. I could listen to podcasts as long as the phone was out of reach. I could do headphones or link it up to one of our Alexa's. 

    The parameters were set.

     Hudson wasn't feeling well, so he chilled out for the evening. I plugged a podcast on Alexa and started my evening. I was able to fold two loads of laundry while checking on Hudson from time to time. Did the dishes, cleaned up the kitchen (we have a rule...whomever cooks the other cleans) and still had time to build a workout plan for my client, study and write an article. I was really productive and did not have dead time on the phone. From time-to-time Hudson checked on me. He would ask where my phone was (upstairs on the charger). I was proud of that little guy. He kept me in check. I told him that I appreciate his support. 

    As I write this, I am thinking about implementing this a few nights a week. It was such a relief to not check my phone when I am supposed to be doing something. I was able to stay focused and knock out one thing after another. I was able to spend focused quality time instead of being distracted or rush through something so I could spend time on my phone.

    My mind is more refreshed than it has been.    

First experience with dry needling

     Over the summer while we were moving down south, I started to experience cramps in my calves while running. I went for a run one evening, and felt a slight cramp coming on in my leg then boom intense cramp. I chalked it up to new environment (the south is slightly more humid than the northeast), not dialed in nutrition or hydration. I took two weeks off from running then went for another run......another cramp ensued. I was a tad frustrated but ended up taking a month off from running. This coincided with my shifting into more of a lifting heavy type training. By the way if your accustomed to lifting with 3 sets then jogging or doing some sort of cardio after then switching to 4 sets with no cardio you will get sore for a week. On the other hand, I did enjoy my newfound muscles.

    I did that for six weeks (standard micro cycle) then decided to start running again. It was that cool fall weather that is perfect for running. I started off slow with a goal of running 12 min for two days a week. First week went well-then it all went to crap, and I started cramping again. This time it would knock affect me for longer. Instead of a day or two it went on for a week.

    Being a man, I did not want to go to the doctor. I had this gut feeling that they would say stop running and rest up your leg. When you're in the military that is not an option. I have to run for a physical test. I knew it was not serious enough for a long-term permanent profile, so I swallowed my pride went to the doctor. Being in the military everything works with the speed of a glacier. Making an appointment is like pulling teeth, "We aren't accepting new patients" "You need to go to sick call" I called and called seeing if anyone canceled and lo and behold a cancelation. Finally, an appointment with a doctor to get a referral. The doctor agreed that I should see a physical therapist (duh!) that of course took another couple of weeks to get. 

    The day of the appointment the physical therapist took all of two seconds to diagnose me. In laymen's terms I had several knots deep within the muscle belly. He recommended dry needling to get the muscle to relax. He would stick a needle in the muscle belly for it to contract then relax on its own. Metaphorically it would be like popping a ballon.... only the ballon is my muscle and inside of my body 

    Let's do it.

    When he prepped the needles, he gave a warning. This will hurt and you will experience soreness. I may miss the intended muscle and, in his words, "If I get the wrong part of the muscle, it will get angry and contract" In my mind this seemed like a good tradeoff. Little bit of pain for relief. He started the procedure and quickly found the suspect muscle and inserted the needle.

    He immediately found the muscle in question and inserted the needle. 

    HOLY CRAP! 

    The contractions were strong and quite painful. "Yep, I found it" No shit doc. He paused waiting for the contractions to stop then poked me again, another powerful contraction. 

"Got it again" 

"yeeeeeep you got it alright...."

    The pain was quite intense. To his credit he asked if I wanted a break......nope just do what you got to do. Eight needles later (If the knot is strong enough, they break the needle). 

    Ok, let's try it, walk around a bit and let me know how it feels. I tried to walk around and nope pain was still there.

    Round two of dry needling-pain was intense but not as long. Short, high intensity contractions. Several needles later he was done.

    I walked around a bit (with a limp). Ok, that looks ok. Come back Monday and we can finish up everything. I thought to myself Oh great I get to go through this again.

    It was obvious that I did not think this one through for I still had to drive home and since I'm uncoordinated I had to drive home pressing the accelerator with the same leg that I had the procedure done on. 

    I had the appointment after lunch, and it is still sore and hurting (way to undersell the follow up pain doc). Sitting down feels good.... until I get up and start walking around then the pain comes and I'm limping around the house. 

    Ever walked around the house with a limp around a 9-year-old? He was taunting me the whole day. "Dad, your old!" "Dad, you want to race. I bet I could beat you! Thanks son-appreciate the support. After the initial mocking he seemed generally interested in what happened. I showed him where the doctor stuck me and showed a few YouTube videos of what happened. I did my best to explain and he seemed to get it.

I have the weekend to recover before round two on Monday.

     

        

How I train my clients

        I received my certified personal training (CPT) certificate a few years back. Due to the unpredictable nature of my previous job as an instructor I wasn't able to fully use the certificate for extra money. I interviewed for a few places and either the time or the money was not quite right. (This is where I learned that personal trainers don't make squat.... pun intended). Moving down south with a more predictable schedule I was able to use my cert to make money. Again, I interviewed at a few places and money was the biggest obstacle (This comes from a place of ego, but my knowledge base is much higher than a dude with just a CPT). I was able to land a job with a large company and the money/schedule was on point. I learned the nuances of training and found out it is selling used cars. (The worst part about the job). I do have a personality and could have sold myself to clients. That felt cheap and unethical. Why would I take a car payment away from someone and lock them into a contract, and hound them over the phone to show up.

    What I did learn through this process is to wait for someone to ask about personal training. No need to constantly sell myself or use my interview techniques to get someone to sign a contract. My cliental would be smaller this way, but timewise it is for the better. I was able to procure some clients and spent the first few sessions instructing them on techniques about lifting and spread some knowledge. After two sessions it reaches a decision point. Do you want to continue, or do you have enough knowledge to go forth on your own? 9/10 they want to proceed with training.

    

    I charge $20 a session because I want it to be affordable and maintain flexibility in my schedule. Due to my job, I take classes, travel for work. That structure maintains a flexible schedule.

    During my sessions I train my clients like athletes.

    I run them through a RAMP warmup, utilize plyometrics, incorporate sprints and agility sessions along with heavy resistance training. Even with the females that I train who want to "tone up" I have them lift heavy. I explain that males and females can be trained the same way with different endocrine responses. Therefore, you won't get bulky or have Ronnie Coleman type muscles. Lifting heavy will tone you up. I tell them my job is to get you bigger, stronger and faster. I'm not into training to lose weight. That will come with time. What you look like in the mirror is more important than a scale.  

    I go over the specific goal of the workout with them and let them know why we are training this way.

       Pro Aglity tests, T-tests, vertical jumps, broad jumps, sprints and heavy compound lifts are on the schedule with training.

    To my surprise, all of my clients really like it. They enjoy lifting heavy, they enjoy sprinting (to a degree). I incorporate all of my fitness knowledge of energy systems into the training. For example, if we are doing sprints, I schedule 15 second max sprints with 230 seconds of rest to train the phosphagen system. Plyometrics are the same way. I follow the 1:5 ratio with plyo's. It takes a few sessions to get them used to jumping five reps then resting for 2 min. I do this to ensure the body has recovered and to get the highest quality jump not to jump for the sake of jumping. 

    With the positive feedback received for each workout, I'll continue to train this way.   

    

         

Things you do at a restaurant with two special needs kids.

    Both of my boys are special needs. Our youngest is on one side of the Autism spectrum and our oldest is on the other. Our oldest, Hudson needs constant input. If you watch him, he will bounce from video game to video game because of the constant input from the games. You push a button; you get a response. Fairly simple process. When he is not playing video games he beatboxes and creates little songs for himself-often times he has a hanger with him when beatboxing to have something in his hands. Also, once he becomes comfortable with someone, he needs constant attention. Not in a bad way, he just likes to be the center of attention. Play a game of Uno with him and he talks, dances, puts down cards in dramatic fashion. 

    On the other hand, our youngest Noah does his own thing. When he plays it is normally by himself. He will on occasion play with other kids, but it has to be on his terms with simple games like chase or tag. Noah is a runner too (For Noah to calm down or STEM he runs), so when playing tag or chase he will outrun most kids his age. Eventually, the kids tire out and Noah is left to play by himself. Another unique aspect it that when Noah wants to do something-he does it, regardless of what obstacles are around him. So, if he wants to watch an elevator close, he will wait until all the people pass by then watch the door close. Any disruption in his pattern has the potential for a meltdown.   

    The wife and I have gotten accustomed to these behaviors and have learned to be proactive when we see them teetering on the verge.

    I say all that to say this going out to eat is something that we have pretty much stopped doing. The wife and I both know how to cook, so it is preferable to make food at the house. 

    Our in laws came down from Northern Virginia to hang out for the afternoon. We hadn't planned on cooking or provide lunch, so we went out.

    We went through our restaurant checklist: Do they have kid friendly food? Is it kid-friendly? Big difference between PF Chángs and a pizza shop. Is it a stand-alone restaurant? meaning is it surrounded by a parking lot or within a shopping center? That way if the kids need to walk around or beatbox then they can escape for a bit.  We found a pizzeria close by that satisfied all of our structural criteria.

    Then we get into packing for going out. We fill our bags with knick-knacks, fidget spinners, small activities to get them through the waiting period. Thank goodness I have a 3D printer for I can print all of those things. We brought two STEM toys, two fidget spinners, small puzzle and of course a hanger. 

    Waiting for the pizza to arrive we went through all of those toys and games by the time the food arrived. It worked so well that our kid's barley ate, because they were too involved with the toys. We were halfway through eating when Hudson asked to go outside. Normally, we would say no and that he can wait until after the meal. 

    That changed when Hudson told us, (This is emotional maturity right here) "Dad, I need to STEM".

    OK, let's go. 

    Me, Huddy and Noah went outside to the outdoor seating area so they could STEM. Hudson beatboxed while Noah did his sprints. I was able to check the football scores, so all good. After a while everyone came out and we left.

    It was one of those perfect storms were everything went right for us.

    This is what we go through every time we go out. We do our research, plan for the worse and hope for the best. Many times, we have had worse. Kids act out, we correct them, kids act out, we correct them. Then boom meltdowns.

    Today just happen to be a lucky day.

  

      

The great kid equalizer

     The kids are out of school for Christmas break for the next two weeks. The big question is, how do I keep kids occupied and entertained for two weeks without breaking the bank? Christmas helps with a new influx of toys and games; however, you can't expect a kid to stay inside all day and be happy. I take that back my oldest would love to stay inside and play video games. He plays games with no ending (Minecraft, Fortnight) so it is easy to lose track of time. Both of my kids have very different interests so doing an activity that they both like is always tricky. One likes Pokémon and the other likes Hot wheels. One enjoys going to the library while the other one prefers the playground.

    This was me the past few days. "Do y'all want to go to the playground today?" (Before you say anything, it's been 40 degrees with sun. Kids will be alright outside for at least 45min). One would say yes and the other would say no. Same with library or walking around the mall. 

    Then it hit me......our local gym has an indoor pool! We have had mixed results with that pool before with either the water temperature being cold or asshat lifeguards that confuse adhering to the rules to being a complete asshole. To say I was skeptical of going to the pool is an understatement. I trudged on anyway packing swimsuits, toys and towels into a bag and heading out.

    We got to the gym, found the locker room, got dressed, and started heading to the pool. I remind the boys to listen to me and the lifeguards, because we will head out if necessary.

    Walking in I noticed we were the only ones there.... cool! I have found out that when you have two special needs kids having no one around is perfect.

    The boys and I had so much fun playing in the pool. We played monkey in the middle with a water ball, we raced, we play fought over one of the pool's toys. The lifeguard was super chill too. He walked over to the main area to fill out a report. I noticed a boombox next to him. 

"Hey man, could you play music? If anyone else comes in you can turn it off"

"Yes, but I got to turn it off if anyone else comes in"

 "That works!"

He played Christmas music but still a cool gesture.

The best part about the pool is that the boys are chill for the rest of the afternoon. Nothing like sacrificing an hour to hour and a half in the pool for a few hours of chill time. I would make that deal 10 times out of 10. We have enjoyed the pool so much that we have went for three straight days. It works for me. It's free (outside of a gym membership) and it's a physical activity. We call that a win win in the parenting scoreboard.

    

        

       

Home for the Holidays

     When you're an active-duty service member either being active or some flavor of AGR you get accustomed to spending the holidays at home (wherever that may be) or at a friend's house. For the past eight years we lived that life. We would spend Thanksgiving at one friend's house then host Christmas another time. We would budget time throughout the day to call/facetime family. As with any situation we adapt, our kids adapt. We become acclimated to this lifestyle. This isn't a complaining article. We accepted this lifestyle when I agreed to become AGR. The Army Gods were smiling on us when we got stationed at home. We are 40 min away from my parents and two hours (Northern Virginia traffic is included in the trip) from my wife's parents. We have spent the past two holidays with family, and it has been amazing.

    This morning for Christmas our boys opened Santa Clause presents. Played with their new toys. We are a board game/STEM type of family. We try to avoid electronics as gifts. We want our kids to incorporate other people into activities. 1) to learn new hobbies and 2) learn how to communicate with other people.

*Ever been in a group full of people that are constantly on their phones? Yep, it's terrible. Put the phone down and have an actual conversation. 

Around lunch time they asked when we were going to call the grandparents. We told them that we wouldn't be. They appeared sad but over the course of the years they have adapted. Instead, we told them....

Grandma and Grandpa were coming over to visit. 

They were ecstatic! 

For the first time in eight years, they would be spending Christmas with their grandparents!

They whole crew came over, grandma, grandpa, uncles, and cousins. 

We had a great time sitting around talking, catching up and playing with the kid's new toys. At one point the kids were playing with the cousins, and we were able to have uninterrupted adult conversation. For those with kids you know how valuable that time is. We were able to make plans for the next time to hang out. That was the coolest part about the evening. The ability to say, "What are you doing next week?"          

This was the first time in a long time that Christmas actually felt like Christmas.

5K running plan

  Building upon our recent posts about building an aerobic plan tailored around a specific goal. I took the past two articles about aerobic training and condensed them into a chart.

Training Type	Times per week	Duration	Intensity
Long, Slow Distance	1-2	Race distance or longer	Low. Talk test
Pace/Tempo	1-2	20-30 min	Slightly above race pace
Interval	1-2	3-5 min (W:R 1:1)	High
HIIT	1	30-90 seconds. (W:R 1:5)	High
Fartlek	1	20-60 min	Various

Putting these into a diagrammable plan for a 5K using all the principles we have been over so far 

5K Training block for a month

For this example we will use a recreational runner that only runs a few times a week for exercise. We will build a training plan for a month to prepare for a 5K. Since this is a recreational runner in-season, off-season and preseason will not be used. Tapering will not be used for this small sample size. Increased volume will follow 10% increase in weekly distance 

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Week 1	LSD Run 2.25 miles Low intensity	Tempo 20 min 70-75%	Off	LSD Run 2.25 Miles Low	Tempo 20 Min 70%-75%	Fartlek 25 min Various	Off
Week 2	Tempo Run 22 min 70%-75%	LSD 2.50 miles Low	Off	Interval 400Mx5 H	LSD 2.50 miles	Tempo 22 min 70%-75%	Off
Week 3	Tempo 25 min 70%-75%	LSD 2.75 miles Low	Off	HIIT 30 sec.x5 Rest 150 sec	LSD 2.75 miles Low	Fartlek 30 min Various
Week 4	Tempo 25 min 75%-80%	LSD 3 miles Low		Interval 2min x5 H	LSD 3 Miles Low	Tempo 25 min 75%-80%	Off