The exception to the exception is an exception...

Reading Matt's post sparked me to write a post to address some of his questions, but also because of a conversation I had with a friend studying at the University of Texas. My friend is an S&C Coach Intern at Texas and we often bounce ideas of one another. While he takes a very athlete-first approach, I take the more general public approach which is why I try to base my training on a balance of both. We were discussing the importance of conditioning and the role it should play in overall training. The conclusion, conditioning should be done when you can. If it's a priority for you're training then make it so, if you're looking for more strength/hypertrophy then conditioning can take a back seat (but don't neglect it all together).

Now to Matt's post. Firstly, everyone is an expert in training, clearly. The guy at the gym doing "metabolic circuits" is an expert, the guy doing deadlifts @ 405 lbs for 3 reps is an expert, the guy doing cleans + snatches is an expert and the guy doing 4 sets of 12 is an expert. It goes without saying (and Matt you clearly have a handle on this) you need to know where you want to be in order to know how to get there. The guy lifting for strength is going to tell the guy doing circuits that his training is better because that's his goal, to get stronger. Conversely, the going doing circuits will say his training is better because he's working on conditioning. My point is simply this, you have to know what you want from your training. Personally, I'm striving for a balance of both strength and conditioning. Most of my workouts will have a focus of either of those. I'm not entering a strong man competition anytime soon and I don't expect to get a call from Dana White saying I'm on the next UFC card. I want to achieve a balance albeit while going back to my basic strength training roots of low reps (3-5) for 3-6 sets and as for conditioning doing dreaded bodyweight circuits for time or some old fashioned sprints/suicides. To address Matt's questions, your goals of increasing explosiveness and speed are achievable through training for strength and power. Doing 3 sets of 12 won't get you there. You'll also need to incorporate some plyometrics in your training as well. All of this needs to be well planned out as to not over train and to avoid injury (a lot of the time guys want to increase their "hops" and end up getting jumpers knee or patellar tendon inflammation). What I would recommend is starting your session with a dynamic workout, once warm work into some plyos (box jumps, hurdles or whatever) if you don't do plyos do an Olympic lift (Cleans or snatches). Get into your lifts using the strength training parameters I mentioned and finish off with some light conditioning if you're not too gassed. If you're doing some strength training now, I'd say stick with it for the next few weeks and see what happens. I just started a new program last week and things are feeling (and looking) good.

To recap where this all started, you need to know your training goals. Going into the gym and watching other guys workout and copying them isn't going to get you anywhere. You need to do the research yourself (checking out this blog or commenting with your questions is a good start) and clearly define your goals. Saying "I want to get ripped" is not a goal nor should anyone really be training strictly for aesthetics. A good physique is secondary if you're really serious about training. Personally, I train so I can still beat up my friends and to show the kids I teach gym to where hard work can take you. (Unofficially, I train to keep my brother's progress at bay but that gets harder and harder every year. More on that another time.) I know my body type and while I still have a ways to go in terms of a lean look, I'd much rather by a strong and conditioned individual than be mistaken for someone from Jersey Shore. TRAINSMART and EATSMART. That's all it takes.

Quan, OUT.

An open letter to the world of OutFit...

As I continue to work out I try and pick the brains of everyone around me for tips and techniques they use and find effective. I've heard changing your workout routine every 3 weeks is a must for anyone interested in TRAININGSMART. I've heard you should eat your weight in grams of protein while working out. I've heard alternating hands on dead lifts is better and I've heard that keeping them the same way is better. What I've come to realize is that everyone knows their own body. Although there are general health guidelines that more or less work for the masses, everyone knows what works for them through trial and error (although hopefully not too much error).

So I come to OutFit nation with a few questions...

I am looking to increase my initial speed, or explosiveness. While playing hockey I beat almost anyone to a puck 200 feet down the ice but i consistently lost the short battles. Now I am looking to gain explosiveness for hockey and for basketball (to increase my vertical). I assume training my Fast twitch muscle fibers (more specifically my Type IIB) is the way to go. Am I way off track? Do you have any exercise suggestions?

Strength training is also an interest of mine right now but I am hearing conflicting methods. Before this year when I would work out I would do 3 sets of 10-12 of increasing weight. This was fine but I have recently been trying starting with a heavier weight and consistently getting 8 reps per set. I have only been doing this for about a week so I have not seen any different results I just want to see if I'm on the right track.

As always, consider yourself a student of the game. You will only get better if you are willing to learn.

Know your role...

I came to the realization a couple of years ago that my rugby career was over and the only way I was going to be involved in the sport was to either play in a very leisurely men's league or become a coach. I went for the latter. I still wanted to train though and felt compelled to stay in the physical shape I had built up for myself. But when I took a look at my training I realized that I wasn't really training with any purpose in mind. Before I had trained to be fit for rugby, but now without my sport what was I going to do? I came across a post from Jason Ferruggia, a strength coach based out of New Jersey and it really opened my eyes to purposeful training. (For more info visit http://jasonferruggia.com/) Train like an athlete is the message I found. And why not? Who doesn't want to look like the guys we see battling it out on the gridiron on Sundays? Or be able to dunk a basketball with such finesse and power? I certainly want to. Alas, reality set in. Professional athletes make their paycheck by being physical specimens with an uncanny and freakish ability in their respective sports. The amount of time they dedicate to their craft is appalling and it doesn't just start in the pro's, it started way back when they would shoot baskets for hours on end, or skip the school dance to do sprints across the football field, or show up in the gym an hour before everyone else did. That type of dedication is what separates the peasants from the King James'.

When it comes to your training you need to take an honest assessment of your goals and what type of commitment you're able to make. Putting yourself in the mindset to train like an athlete is fantastic. It takes extreme discipline, hard work and a TRAINSMART attitude. All are achievable and possible. But the question remains, do you have the time to dedicate yourself to that type of training. I used to think I did. I would be working out 5-6 times a week because I put myself in the mindset that there was another team out there that I had to play this week, or a guy I had to beat. But there wasn't. It lead to stalled workouts, burnout, and just a poor attitude to fitness. Since then I've taken an honest assessment of my goals and my life to come up with a detailed and achievable fitness regime. It's about being realistic. If you know full well that your schedule won't allow you to get to a workout in more than twice week then don't commit to the 4-day split routine. It's simple. If your a father or mother with two kids, finding the time to workout will be tough. Getting to the gym 2 or 3 times a week would be amazing with the amount of time and attention 2 children need. Likewise, if you're an up and coming business executive and are on the brink of burnout, maybe you need to take time off and get to the gym 3 or 4 times a week instead of once to help balance out your life. Family life, work, friends are all apart of life. Finding time for fitness should be a priority because its an investment in yourself, in your health, in your life.

Quan, OUT.

Just Do It...

When Dan Wiedan coined the phrase Just Do It 23 years ago, he was probably under intense deadline pressure and wasn't thinking it would apply to almost every facet of life. When you hear the phrase, you immediately think of everything athletic, successful, Jordan, Nike branded event you have ever experienced. It has become much more than just a catch phrase, or company slogan, it's become a culture. That's exactly what OutFit is, a culture. A culture of pushing your physical limits, smartly and effectively to reach your goals.

Being it is January, and Matt touched upon this in his latest workout post, most of the dedicated fitness individuals lose their motivation to trek through the snow and get into the gym for a workout because it's congested with lululemon wearing, treadmill/elliptical motoring, sleeveless shirt wearing, cellphone sexting wannabes. (Unless those wannabes are actually women who are always there and distracting you because those lululemon pants seem to fit perfectly everywhere then continue on.) Seriously though, I know its extremely tough to stay motivated when those around you will drop out or fictitiously reach their goals within the next couple of weeks. But I'm here to tell you, Just Do It. You've already made the trek to the gym, you might as well improve your health by giving yourself one hell of a workout. I suffer from the same attitude this time of year and believe me, sometimes I go vocal on it. But when all is said and done, you know you're the one who is dedicated and has been busting their ass since September and didn't just decide to make a change for a healthier life. So that addresses motivation on getting to the gym. Now about what happens when you're there.

I've probably done this over 100 times, let a seed of doubt be planted into my mind that I'm too sore, too tired, mentally exhausted or whatever. Yes, all of these things happen. But really take a good look at your status and decide if you can't push through your workout for these reasons or for another one, you're too lazy. Out of those 100 times that this seed has been planted in my head, I'd say 98 of those times was laziness. At OutFit we are always talking about efficiency, using your time as best as possible. By the time you finally come around in your workout and decide to push on, you've already wasted 10 minutes. My advice when you step into a gym, is already have a plan going forward. Saying it's an "upper day" or "chest day" isn't enough. Know what you're going to do, warm up, exercises, reps, sets the whole thing and be the guy in the gym who brings a note book, sheet of paper or whatever helps you record your progress. And no, bringing your Blackberry or iPhone to record your workout does not count. I don't give a fuck if there's an app for that. At the end of the day, your workout is only helping one person, you. (Unless you're trying to get the attention of the guy or girl on the elliptical, in that case you're there for the wrong reasons. Go to the bar instead.) Make the most of your time in the gym. Plain and simple. Push through those moments of doubt and finish.

Last piece, safety. If you're legitimately feeling like a truck has run over you or that your body temperature would allow you to roast prime rib then do us all a favor and don't come in. There's no point in coming for a workout when your mind and body are not 100% prepared and ready to go. Workouts are supposed to make you feel good, not make you wish you had never been born. You have to be the judge. No one ever failed by under training (it just takes them longer to reach their goals) but people who over train will ultimately get injured and never reach their goals.

Just Do It,

Quan, OUT

Thursday the 13th of January 2011

With the school gym being ridiculously full at all times of the day, I have been using the gym in my apartment. When I say gym I really just mean closet with a treadmill, bike, row machine, some mats and exercise balls. At first this was suitable to get back into the swing of things but now that I am playing basketball 3 times a week, hockey once and working out as much as I can I am looking to increase the intensity of the workouts. Today was probably my least satisfying workout yet and I will look to go to the gym tomorrow no matter how packed in an attempt to challenge myself.

Warm-up: Bike Ride

Workout:

- Row machine

- Core

- Squats

- Push-ups

- Tricep Dips

30 seconds at each rotation. 3 sets.

January 13, 2011

This has been a tough week.  Hit the gym 4 times last week and played 3 hours of Hockey on Friday.
But I spread myself too thin, partied too hard on the weekend and came down with a cold.  I was out of commission until today.
But back at it, stuffy nose and all.
Did a quick circuit alternating between max pushups and lat pulldowns.  4 types of each.  Then on to a regular workout of chest and back 3 exercises of each, 3 sets each exercise.  Wanted to hit the mats for some abs or the cardio room after but both were completely full.  Ended up heading home, will hit it back up at 9am.  Hoping for an emptier gym.
Home made veggie soup for dinner.
Weight 210.

Eat like a Caveman, Feel like Superman

Diet is something that we take seriously when OutFiting ourselves.  Part of making sure you TRAINSMART is making sure you EATSMART.  But what exactly does this mean?
There are always tons of diets out there to chose from, diets for weight training, diets for leaning down, diets that make you a Spartan, diets for helping the planet and diets to cleanse your body.  But what diet you choose is entirely up to you and should really be based on your goals.

For me, changing my diet is something that has occurred over a long period of time.  Over two years ago I cut most red meat out of my diet based mostly on environmental reasons.  And recently I have been learning more and more about the way in which our diet interacts with our bodies.  One interesting concept that has come up repeatedly in my life is that our modern day North American habits do not match what our bodies were designed to do.

Mark Bittman wrote a book called Food Matters which is essentially a call for people to eat significantly less meat (amongst other things - its an eat well, do your part for the environment type book).  He discusses the fact that North American lifestyle includes a diet that is predominated by meat, but this diet is not in keeping with our history.  In a lecture this year at OVC the same concept came up.  In the past (the very far past) we ate a diet that was 70% fruits, vegetables and nuts and only 30% meats (and lean meats at that).  Now we are eating diets that are 10% fruits and veggies, 30% grains and processed foods, and 60% meat.  Our lifestyle has changed but our genetics have not.

So what does this mean?  It means that our bodies have the same abilities the same skills, but the fuel we are putting in them is changing.  Think of our bodies like a machine that is designed to continually grow and repair its parts.  We take the building blocks from natural foods and build them up into our own skeleton.  But what happens when we start to use that same factory as a recycling plant?  We are putting in a fuel predominated by other machines (the meat).  It means that we end up lacking essential parts in our fuel, that we produce far more excess waste than we used to and that we work significantly less efficiently.

Our genetics are designed to eat predominantly fruits and veggies.  So why are we putting the wrong fuel in our cars?  Now don't get me wrong.  I am not a vegetarian.  I love a steak, a chicken breast or a couple of eggs in the morning.  And when I'm working out and going hard, I need these things.  But this year I am trying to replace some of my protein sources with the primary building blocks.  Beans and lentils, nuts and grains.  Its amazing how good you can feel with a fuel that your body is designed to use.

So what is the bottom line here?
1. Cut out the shit.  Why have a processed snack when carrots and celery taste just as good and are a way better fuel.
2. Think about your meals.  As Quan said in his last article, 80% of training is your diet.  You are going to spend a ton of time planning your workout and thinking about what you do. Why not do the same for what you eat.
3. Rethink the portions.  Instead of centering every meal around a piece of meat, consider some other options.  Soups, pastas and stirfrys can be just as good if you empty out the crisper into the pan rather than the meat drawer.
4. Do your homework. There are a ton of valuable sources out there.  Mark Bittman's book and cookbook are a couple that I have been enjoying so far but his ideas are not the law.  Figure out what works for you and go from there.

So think about it.  If you take your diet back a few thousand years and put in your body what your genetics are designed to thrive on then maybe you can OutFit your body for success.

As always find me @Applesunltd.  If you have something to share or thoughts to be heard, don't hesitate to use the comments.