The principal of progression

The principal of progression. I will cover what it is and more importantly why it matters in just a moment. First let me say that although many people claim to understand this principal important to building real strength, there are many people who do not live by it. Although anyone who remembers being in any high school level or above weight training class has heard about this, many people are actully working against it.

So what is it? According to About.com, "The Principle of Progression implies that there is an optimal level of overload that should be achieved, and an optimal time frame for this overload to occur. Overload should not be increased too slowly or improvement is unlikely. Overload that is increased too rapidly will result in injury or muscle damage. Exercising above the target zone is counterproductive and can be dangerous." For our purposes that is pretty accurate.

Why does it matter?
Simply put, without it, there is little PROGRESS. Let me paint a illistraiton in your mind's eye. You walk into a public gym, and you see somebody in the corner benchpressing, say, 160 and struggling.  A month later same guy, same weight, but this time it is casual. So far so good. Yet next month he still is on 160. Months later he is only on 165 (or 160 still). What is the matter with this? It should be clear that the benefits of him benching are sliding substancily, he really isn't going to master that 160 any better than he already has. That's why to principle of progression is vital.

How does it apply?  In the book I have been reading, Dinosaur training by Brookes Kubik, he says rule number one to build mass muscle and strength is hard work (when it gets casual it's already past time to switch it up). If rule one really is that the work has to be hard, then  this guy in our example and you and anyone else training, should be throwing on weight whenever they can without compromising good from. If it ain't hard, you can do more.

Working out without machines, the way men use to?

I have been reading a book called "Dinosaur training", by Brooks Kubik, it is a book that my strongman friend Dan Cenidoza once reccomended to my friend Steve Moore. It is in large what inspired today's post. Brooks slanders today's 'breakthroughs' and 'miracle machines' passionately. His reason for doing so is simple though, they don't seem to work that well. Some may, but the latest off the assembly line with the extra hightech buttons seems to always be unneccasry. Instead Brooks would like to see more return to the old rules of the "iron game", and work like the strongman of the past use to. That is why it is marked "dinosaur training".

This goes beyond just lifting normal weights over machines. Brooks, like my own strongman friend, has toys. These toys help build raw strength even seeing their continuing rarity to hear of their use.

Before I list some toy ideas, let me tell of one of my own expierences. I have been wanting to build some grip strength lately. So one day on the job at a home where our company was remodeling a bathroom, I was asked to take some discarded (big) tile out to the trash pile. There was plently, while carrying I relized what a chance I had. I now have two tiles in my basement available whenever I wish for pinch grip training. I think this is the mindset Brooks encourages, almost childlike simplicity.


Now here are some toys right out of the strongman's toybox. Heavy and ocward to handle are the key themes:

• An anvil. Try picking even a small one of these up by the horn.
• A sandbag
• A barrell (or keg)
• Chains (for pushup bling etc.)
• Tires 

Be creative, work hard, build muscle.

Professional strongman: Žydrūnas Savickas

I thought it would be good to study a real life example. To look into the world of someone who has given their life to being strong: Žydrūnas Savickas. Žydrūnas (Za-dru-nas) won the Arnold Strongman Classic 6 years in a row. He has set 40 world records in different events from 2003 to 2009. He won all 15 strongman competitions he entered in 2005. He can do this stuff:
Squat - (938 lb)
Bench press - (629 lb)
Deadlift - (898 lb)
Just one thing, I don't think he has given his life. Stay with me here.

Unfortunately I cannot pinpoint a specific source saying exactly how long he works out. Yet according to http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KFY/is_5_24/ai_n26903256/  he gives a breakdown of his regiment and his ideals behind them. "The most important exercises for building strength are the powerlifting exercises of squats, bench presses and deadlifts, and [practicing] strongman events; so I train six days a week, three times powerlifting and three times strongman events, alternating workouts. For each powerlifting exercise, I do six or seven sets of three reps."

SAVICKAS' WORKOUT

EXERCISE       SETS  REPS

Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Squats         6-7   3
Bench presses  6-7   3
Deadlifts      6-7   3

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Various strongman events





If you read carefully, you should see that although he does something everyday, 6 days a week, he only does a few reps and 7 sets is his ceiling.

That's not his life. That's working out and practicing. As I said, I did not find a place where it mentions his normal time to complete any given workout. I have not looked into his diet too much, although I assure you he eats a massive amount of calories to maintain his muscle weight.

So what's the point? It's simply this: the pros go above normal, but not by much. Not unreachable heights. Part of it is finding what works for you. So even if he read and studied health for an hour or so 6 days a week, even if he worked out for 2 hours a day, that's just 3 hours a day to be where he is.

Someone willing to work hard doing the right things can be considered 1#, imagine that. Yet, I have to be realistic. By realistic I mean he probably was working at about that level even in the beginning. He figured some things out and got better of course. Still, it is true that patience is a virtue until you hit that "overnight" success.





There will always be someone saying "I don't have 3 hours a day!", but there may be a point for that as well. You don't have to. Unless it is your passion, you probably don't need to. If you want to be fit an hour 4 or 5 times a day can have you super fit. It's been well established by study and example that an hour a day, 5 days a week with make you a pro in 3 years and a world expert in 5. That's for study though, with is essentially shaping the mind. Shaping the body is far easier so imagine what you could be in 6 months. I have gained 15 healthy pounds in my first 2 months.



If you would like a professional example look no further than Jack Lalanne. He is a favorite pick for my next strongman bio breakdown. I've heard that he worked out just 2 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week. Yet, at age 70 he towed 70 rowboats, with passengers on them, while he was handcuffed, for a mile.  

Worried you are vunerable? Anwser: workout regiment

Martial arts and MMA schools seem to be growing in plazas and street corners over night. Maybe the news is to blame for this sudden panic and need to "arm ourselves". True some just appreciate the sport or hobby. Still, there is a good amount of people in these classes who want to know how to defend themselves. There is a good audience of people who want to be able to fight, if they felt they had to. This article is for those people. No, I am not going to tell you "5 tips to beat someone down" or anything of the sort. Yet, if you do this, you will be less likely to be attacked. Even better, you'll feel safe. Most of the time the threat is in our heads, so feeling secure is a great victory in itself.

Readers may remember me writing about my trainers rant on the need for phyiscal fitness in any martial art or style. I will cover it again for those who do not, becasue it is so true. If you are out-of-shape and get winded from basic things, knowledge of the best fighting style in the world can only do minimal for you. Minimal. If your body is not able to perform, there's little use. Some moves and techniques reuire peak levels of fitness. This is agianst the convential wisdom becasue noone wants to step on any toes. Yet, if you want to feel secure and lower the chance of someone messing with you, tighten your body up. The advantages will be big for those who really go for it.

Assuming you understand what was said above, which basically could be summed up as: to fight or defend, you have to be in fighting shape. An article I referenced on bodybuilding.com states, "Muscle endurance is key to self-defense, and using weights to increase that muscle endurance is a great thing to do. " Everything can stem from there. I now want to list some exercies reccomended to get you into that shape.  Core is a big part. If you have a strong core: you will protect organs, and everythnig else will work better together in general. Always protect the Core is one of the first things Iwas taught by my trainer, and part of that is teaching the core to protect it self.

Here are some great exercises for building your core (among other things, like confidence and sense of security):

• squats
• deadlifts
• oblique crunches
• normal crunches
• Bicyles 
• Plank

Going for gold with the dry heaves

Have you ever been doing a lot of moving or running around and suddenly became overtaken by the urge to hurl? I have three times recently, once during a kickball game and both times I did polymetrics (jump training) for the P90X workout regiment.. For those of you who have not experienced this, it is not fun. This is also not uncommon, but there are some steps that can be taken to seriously reduce this.

First we need to understand the causes. Although they can vary, the main causes tend to be  low blood sugar, too much or too little water in system, same for food.

Some tips to prevent it:

• Eat a small snack about an hour before to keep blood sugar stable
• Drink about 8 oz. of water for every 15 minutes of exercise is a good rule of thumb
• Warm up with a light aerobic activity beforehand
  
  
  
  Okay, but you ignored those tips or tried to follow them but you still are feeling ill. If this is the case, besides considering talking to a doctor if it is frequent, try these tips:
  
  
  • SIP-no matter how thirsty you are, sip water, do not drink quick. This also is good to prevent.
  • Keep walking, don't sit down or stop
  • try to focus on one object or thing 

  No matter who you are, meaning age, sex, location, physique, post workout nausea can happen to you. Still, you want to put the odds in your favor. Most people do not experience this often. Yet, these steps really are just giving your body to right stuff to persevere. With the right precautions chances are good you will outlast the competition, whether that is because you are not throwing up or simply because you are more nourished and hydrated matters little. 
  

Breaded 'n Baked Zucchini Chips

Last night I did not write a post, but nonetheless I was putting in time. I was preparing those
Breaded 'n Baked Zucchini Chips. Last night I was very tired, so I only made some last night as a test group. I think test groups are important if your a novice (like me) at baking and preparing meals, it helps to get all the mistakes out of the way without wasting or ruining to much food.

Still, the test group came out okay. One thing I feel I should add though, is that I should have kept them in longer to be more crispy. Last night they were warm and tasted pretty good, but I tried different size slices but no matter which slice, room temperature they just were not up to par.

The simple preparation for this one makes me more than willing to make a few real batches. I will most likely post a picture when I am finished the next batch.

Yet, this is a health blog. So I am going to end this post with some nutrition info about the summer squash known as the Zucchini.

    The skin is a good source of dietary fiber
    Great vegetable to control calorie intake as well as cholesterol
    Contains good amount of potassium which counters high blood pressure (caused by cholesterol)
    Has about 2 grams of protein
    0% trans or saturated fat
    Has traces of some important vitamins such as

    RIBOFLAVIN10%
    NIACIN3%
    FOLICACID9%
    PANTOTHENICACID2%

Also, to me it just seems like a good veggie to experiment with. Chop it up and throw it in a salad if you would like, people will notice your adventurous new eating lifestyle. 

Beets me

As a quick recap for anyone who did not read my last post, I went to the farm this weekend. They were appriciative and gave me some sqaush and beets. Oppurtunity must be knocking because I really do not know how to do anything with either. Yesterday I listed some of my picks for squash recipes, today I will do the same for beets.

Golden beet bread- I do enjoy bread, yet I cannot shake the feeling that this bread will not be a sweet as those flavored breads one sees at the grocery stores. Walnuts, butter, salt, water, flour and beets are the main ingredients. This one would definitly get attention at parties.

Beets on the grill- Seriously. One person recomends tossing them on the grill with some butter, then adding salt and pepper to taste. Another reccomends something slighly more complex, throwing some olive oil in a ziplock bag, add beets, wrapped it in tin foil, and let it simmer for 30 minutes. She combined it with Yam and says it was "to die for".

Roasted beets 'n' sweets- Sounds pretty straightforward. The "sweets"  are the potatoes and seasoning. It is roasted in a similiar way as the grilled beet, with a ziplock bag.
Most of the prep is just throwing olive oil, garlic, onion, sweet potatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar into a bag.

It seems I have new flavors in my future. I hope you have all benefited from these and consider getting a new vegetable or two yourself.