13 Tips for Successful Blogging by Mike Robertson

Mike Robertson is one of the smartest people I know....he also happens to write one of my fave and most informative blogs. I thought I would post his today as my 'guest blog'. Enjoy!



13 Tips for Fitness Blogging Success
Blogging I get e-mails on a weekly basis asking me about ways to break into the fitness writing industry. It's a little amusing to say the least - I absolutely loathed English throughout high school, and if you would've told me that I would be paid at any point in my life for my writing, I probably would've laughed in your face.

With that being said, when it comes to writing I'm still no Adam Bornstein, Adam Campbell, Lou Schuler or Sean Hyson. I am simply a guy who enjoys teaching people about my passion - fitness.

Over the past few years, here are a few facts about my writing and website:

•I've written well over 100 articles (I'm too lazy to count them all, so this is probably on the low-side).
•I've been blogging since 2006.
•My blog has grown from ~50 hits per day to one that gets anywhere from 800-1000 hits per day.
•My newsletter list has doubled in the past year and a half! (And no, it's not from 10 to 20)
I don't say any of this to blow sunshine up my rear end, or to make people believe I've become some sort of prolific writer. Instead, what I can offer are some tips and tricks to help you write successfully and grow your blog.

What I'm noticing is that while blogs are currently all the rage, the divide between the good and the bad is growing rapidly. The ones that follow the principles below grow on a consistent basis; others die a painful death in cyber space, never to be heard from again.

With that being said, here are 13 tips to help you become a better fitness blogger in 2010.

1. Content is still king.

Regardless of what techy people will tell you, great content will keep coming back to your website time-and-again.

Sure search engine optimization and great headlines will help, but if you're not providing great content, people will quickly stop visiting your site. There's nothing worse than a great headline followed up with sub-par content. NOTHING.

2. Keep it (primarily) positive.

Nobody likes a downer. If the entire mood of your blog is negative, people will eventually stop showing up.

Now, don't confuse this with being soft! If you're passionate about something, let it be known. I try to be as positive as possible, but sometimes things I see in the industry flat out piss me off. The goal, then, is to not just complain about what's wrong, but to provide solutions that you feel are more appropriate. Don't leave people hanging.

3. Use spell and grammar check.

Remember that whole thing about not being great at English?

Luckily for me, they invited computers!

I write all my newsletters and articles in Microsoft Word, putting them through spell and grammar checking before they see the light of day. Sure, thing will slip through from time-to-time, but this simple yet effective tip will keep your posts looking tidy and professional.

4. Keep it fresh.

It's imperative that you work to keep your blog fresh. Consistently blogging about the same thing, or writing in the same way over and over, gets boring very quickly.

The easiest way to avoid this is to keep learning. If you're consistently reading articles and books, listening to Podcasts, and attending seminars, fresh content will never be an issue.

5. Use multiple writing styles.

This goes hand-in-hand with my previous point - by constantly changing or tweaking your writing style, you help keep your posts fresh and informative.

I'm sure there's some fancy term for this in the writing world, but I try and mix it up - sometimes I use stories, other times a Q&A format, and when all else fails, old-fashioned direct content gets the job done.

Try a host of different styles and see what works best for you.

6. The rule of 50+ blogs.

I have a rule that works well for many beginning bloggers and fitness writers - write a minimum of 50 blogs before you try and get an article published.

There's nothing magical about the number 50, but if you take the time to write 50 or more blogs, you have taken the time to find your creative "voice" and put it to work for you. As well, you have an idea of the creative process that goes into writing; at that point in time an article is really just a more in-depth blog post.

7. To niche or not to niche?

This is a huge question - it's not really a question of whether or not to niche yourself, rather, it's how niche do you want to be?

For instance, I consider myself in the very broad niche of fitness. I write about anatomy, fat loss, strength training, corrective exercise, etc. It may not be ideal from a marketing or sales perspective, but it helps me deal with my ADD a bit!

On the other hand, there are people that are very niche - for instance, fat loss experts who write solely about the many facets of fat loss.

You don't have to decide immediately, but if there's a topic you consider yourself to be strong in, start blogging on that topic first and foremost. From there, you can either work to dominate your niche, or expand your horizons.

8. Develop trust with your readers.

This is an important (albeit often forgotten) point.

It's human nature to want to trust each other. Many fitness bloggers make that hard, as their feelings and/or message tend to sway to-and-fro depending on what products they are currently pimping and promoting.

I have a strict rule, as many of my readers are also personal friends on Facebook and family members: If I wouldn't recommend the product to a friend or family member, I won't promote it. Period. I made this mistake once before with a product I wasn't 100% behind, and it will never happen again.

It's not easy, and it won't make you rich (at least not overnight!), but always put your readers' thoughts and needs first and foremost. If you do this, you'll never have a shortage of people checking your blog.

9. Did I mention content?

Yes, it really is that important.

Taking it one step further, I'm constantly reminded of a quote from Jim Rohn on the topic of sharing knowledge and wealth:

"If your glass is full, the only wall to add something more is to pour something out."

If you really want to help people out, keep teaching them things. I don't view my knowledge as proprietary or "secret." The only hold-up is that there's only so much content/information you can get across in a blog post. The logical hierarchy then becomes this:

Blog Post --> Article --> Manual, DVD or Seminar Topic

If something is really large in scope, it's no longer a simple blog post. To try and reduce it to such would be a disservice.

The goal, then, is to pair the message with the correct medium.

10. Read other great blogs.

There are two sure-fire ways to improve your writing skills:

1 - To write often (more on this later), and
2 - To read other peoples' blogs.

There are more than a dozen fitness blogs I read every single-day. Each and every one has a unique message, writing style, and niche they are catering to. Not only does this keep me chock-full of writing ideas, but it also inspires me to keep getting better myself.

Here are a few of my favorites; be sure to add them to your Favorites if you haven't already:

- Eric Cressey
- Alwyn Cosgrove
- Bill Hartman
- Leigh Peele
- Tony Gentilcore
- The FitCast
- TJ Lensch (aka TJ the Intern)
- Dan John
- Michael Boyle
- Robert "Dos" Remedios
- Chase Karnes
- Nate Green

11. Stay consistent with your message.

As the saying goes, "Consistency is key." It's no different in writing, but let's look at a prime example.

If you're a low-carb advocate one second, and a low-fat advocate the next, you need to be able to explain why you changed stances. If it's simply to make money or pimp a product, that's a problem.

This isn't to say that you can't change your mind - for instance, I've radically changed my thoughts on core training over the past 10 years. The goal with writing is to develop and espouse your philosophy; if you change your mind, why did you do it? Can you support it with research AND practical evidence? If so, that makes for great content and shows you're willing to change your stance in light of compelling or more complete information.

If you're doing something simply to pimp a product or create controversy, however, it's going to be difficult to see consistent success in ANY endeavor.

12. Stay current.

While I briefly mentioned this above, you have to stay current. Go to seminars, read books and articles, listen to Podcasts, etc.

If you're writing about things that were discussed five years ago, you're not going to do well. Blogging as a whole is successful because it satisfies people wneed for here and now information. If you're spewing thoughts that are old or outdated, it's simply not going to work.

Staying on the cutting edge of the information curve is critical to developing and maintaining a successful blog.

13. Keep writing!

Possibly the most important point of them all, keep writing!

Just like the first time you baked a cake, mowed the yard, or wrote a training program, the first time is never perfect. In fact, it's never perfect no matter how many times you try!

The goal, however, isn't perfection - it's the pursuit of perfection that's important (thanks Lexus!).

With each blog you write, you'll get better. Your vocabulary will increase, your style will improve, and your message will become more concise and direct. Whatever you do, if you have a message to convey, don't stop writing!

So this very short blog post has turned into quite the ordeal. What about you guys? Any tips from the fitness bloggers out there that I might have missed or overlooked?
Have a great New Year!

MR

Cardio Strength Training is HERE!!

It's official folks, Cardio Strength Training has hit the bookstores and is being shipped out via amazon as I type! This is a very exciting day as I took this pic at Barnes & Noble in my home town of Valencia, CA this morning! The release actually surprised me as I was told the 'official' release date was to be January 5th but hey, now you can get it in time for Christmas! YIPPEE!

Shoot on over to your local bookstore or grab your copy at Amazon (see below). I hope all you you enjoy it, it was a blast to write this book! Here's is the foreword written by my good friend and one of the best fitness experts in the world, Alwyn Cosgrove!

"...in an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it"
- Herbert Simon

We truly live in the information age. A simple Google search for a term that was relatively unknown ten years ago – for example “Brazilian jiu jitsu”, will return at the time of writing, over one million web pages devoted to the topic. With the rapid growth of information, one can imagine that this number will double in less time than it’s taken to reach this amount.
Quite simply – there is more information on any topic available today than ever before – in fact, more information than you can possibly consume in a lifetime devoted to study. It’s just growing that fast.

The problem today Is not a lack of information – it’s a lack of filtering that information. So how do you filter information? At this point there is so much information available -- that you NEED to filter out as much as you take on board.

My personal filter is to heavily prioritize information that comes from "Real World" Practitioners whose livelihood depends upon delivering results or solving problems (and I'm a fanatic for proof).

It's that simple. I put my faith in real world results.

And that’s why I put my faith in Robert Dos Remedios.

With a proven track record, Coach Dos has more subjects come through his laboratory (the weight room and the field), giving him more real world information than you can find almost anywhere.

Dos is an expert at what he does not because he is a high profile coach that high level athletic talent seeks out to help refine their already considerable skills – no. Dos is an expert because he works with real people in the real world, hundreds of times every single day.
The topic of cardio strength training is as cutting edge as it gets. It's now proven in the scientific realm that strength training or interval training both outperform aerobic training for conditioning and fat loss.

It’s something that great coaches have known for years. They had to. Their job – their teams record and their kids futures and scholarships depended on it.

What science hasn't proven yet is that a strength training-interval training hybrid outperforms both strength and interval training.

It’s something that Coach Dos knows. He has to.

Welcome to Dos’s World. Wait for the researchers to catch up....

Alwyn Cosgrove

Don't forget to join the official "Cardio Strength Training: The Book" fan page on facebook today!

EXF Fitness and Perform Better Learn-By-Doing Seminars

Perform Better and UK-based EXF Fitness have teamed-up to put on a great series of seminars much like the Perform Better 1-day seminars over here in the U.S.!

This is a great deal for the fitness professionals in the U.K. and a tremendous opportunity for professional growth and learning.

The seminars are being organized by my good friend Nick Grantham along with Charles Burch and Clare Pearce of EXF Fitness.....these are an AWESOME set of people who treated me like royalty when I presented in Newcastle earlier this year!

Speakers will include Nick Grantham and Neil Parsley (both of whom I presented with in Newcastle) along with my friend Charlotte Ord and many others. In fact, they will be hosting a 2-day summit in Birmingham May 8-9, 2010 that will include several U.S.A. speakers to be announced very soon!

For a complete listing of all EXF-Perform Better "Learn by doing" seminars click HERE!

Core Performance Women is here!

One of my big influences in the strength and conditioning field is Mark Verstagen and once again he and Pete Williams have added another gem to their "Core Performance" series. Anyone who has read any of these books, heard Mark speak, or visited Athletes Performance will agree that Mark Verstagen is a 'real deal' guy with quality training and conditioning....and to top it off maybe one of the best people you will ever meet!

I was fortunate enough to read some excerpts that were forwarded to me by co-author Pete Williams and I can't wait to get my copy of the book!

Here is a excerpt from Chapter 8 - "A New Rear View"

Since the publication of our first book Core Performance in January of 2004, “core” training has become a popular buzzword. We’re proud to see it become part of the American vernacular, with so many people applying it to their own high-performance lifestyles.

Unfortunately, some have misappropriated Core Performance and its unique movement exercises to refer almost solely to washboard abs. Core Performance Movement has always been centered around Pillar Strength, an integrated system consisting of shoulder, torso (core), and hip stability.

That first book was embraced by men but even more so by women because they had a deeper appreciation for the seamless integration, depth, and intelligence behind this strategy, which wasn’t overly clouded by testosterone and ego. Women from our Core Performance community have provided powerful insight as to how they used the program to overcome challenges to achieve things they never thought possible. That’s helped us provide even more precise, female-specific solutions in this book.

Core Performance resonates with women because it provides the perfect focus. Women have been targeted with one group-fitness trend after another when all they really want (though I hesitate to even suggest I know what women want!) is a simple yet powerful system of achieving optimal performance.

When we look at movement, there’s a tendency to put labels on various disciplines such as yoga, Pilates, and their variations and insist people study and follow them instead of stepping back and recognizing that movement is the universal language we were born with; it’s instilled in our DNA.

No longer must you feel confined to a particular discipline to give you parts of what you need. We’re going to share with you the body’s natural ability to move, tuned to your needs as a woman. That said, the Core Performance system will allow you to integrate your other passions, like yoga and Pilates.

Pre-order your copy today!

Cardio Strength Training's Pre-Release is making the rounds!

Book looks incredible and pre-released copies have gone out to all my friends who helped with contributions, quotes etc. Here's me with one of my big influences Frankie Addelia after a session at his "Lab" in Santa Clarita....DO WORK SON!

Look for more pics of Cardio Strength Training making the rounds around the country with some of the biggest names in strength and conditioning!

Coach Dos takes Brazil!

Well, after some potential visa issues it's now official! I will be presenting at the 2nd International Forum on Functional Training in Sao Paulo, Brazil on December 5-6. This will be my very first visit to Brazil for either business or pleasure and I am looking forward to seeing some of the sights and experiencing and interacting with all the trainers over there!

I will be doing two lectures on Saturday the 5th, one on 'Training your clients like athletes' (based on my Men's Health Power Training principles...) and one on' CHAOS agility training for the general population' . I will also be doing an hands-on workshop on the CHAOS training on Sunday the 6th. We are expecting nearly 1000 people for this event so it should be an amazing weekend! VIVA BRASILIA!

Remember, my ENTIRE CHAOS sport-speed lecture along with all of the video clips of our drills is on my CHAOS DVD (see clip below). I am also going to run a bonus through the end of November where everyone who orders the CHAOS DVD will also get sent the Sleds & ladders DVD FREE !!

Pick those DVD's up TODAY!!!!

Rachel Cosgrove's Female Body Breakthrough is HERE!

Most of you know that I endorse only a handful of products and people in general. It's generally been Alwyn Cosgrove, Mike Roussell, Mike Boyle, Smitty and his Diesel Crew and...well, that's really about it! Until now that is. My good friend and better half of the well-known Scotsman, Rachel Cosgrove has an amazing book was released yesterday (November 10th) from my very own publishers Rodale Books titled The Female Body Breakthrough. This is a GREAT book folks....

I have always said that Rachel Cosgrove is the 'Real Deal' when it comes to training and getting results....not just in her own training and competing but with her hundreds and hundreds of clients who have seen amazing results on her programs. I also know of Rachel's expertise firsthand as we teamed-up to make our best-selling Ultimate Core DVD !

Here's where I really want to help Rachel with her book sales and her website launch.... TOMORROW on Thursday November 12th, if you purchase The Female Body Breakthrough through Amazon by going HERE Rachel will be doing some amazing bonuses for you! After purchasing the book you will go back to The Female Body Breakthrough web page and input your information....you will then receive a HOST of FREE GIFTS including a Fit Chick Credo Poster, 3 months of video coaching with Rachel, and 5 free e-books! Pretty solid investment Bonus for the book's Amazon price of $14.95!!!

While the majority of my followers are men, I KNOW all of you have wives, girlfriends, friends etc. who would reap serious benefits on Rachel's programs....so start your Christmas Shopping NOW...I know I am going to!!

Mike Boyle's Strength Coach 3.0 is here!!

At 12:00pm Eastern today, Wednesday October 21, Mike Boyle is releasing his newest resource, Functional Strength Coach 3.0 - A Joint by Joint Approach to Training.

Mike Boyle has been a HUGE influence in my training since I got into this game over 20 years ago (remember that Mike write the foreword to my book!). He is a 'go to guy' if there ever was one! I will be getting my hands on this program ASAP....AND SO SHOULD YOU!

I don't want to waste a bunch of space breaking down the details of what's covered in Functional Strength Coach 3.0. Click on the above link to get the details. But I do know this:

The program launches at noon and Mike is offering a pretty cool bonus to the first 100 people who order. There are TONS of people who are excited about this program so if you want to be one of The First 100 to get access to the bonus Mike is offering, you better get to the site a few minutes before noon EASTERN and get ready to repeatedly hit that 'refresh' button so you can beat all the other coaches and trainers who will be jockeying for one of those coveted spots (in addition to being one of the first people on the planet to get Mike Boyle's newest resource).

It's a rare occasion that a program comes out that you can call a 'Game Changer'.

But this is one of those programs that you *know* every coach and trainer worth their salt is going to be using and talking about, myself included.

And that starts in a few hours.

GET YOURS TODAY!!!!

EPOC & Afterburn – Are They Real or Is It HYPE?

Today I thought I would post a guest blog from my good Friend Mike Roussell. Mike is an nutrition expert and author of the nutrition chapters in both Men's Health Power Training AND my upcoming book Cardio Strength Training. The topic of EPOC is one of the main focuses of my upcoming book (due out January 2010) and I think this blog post sums things up nicely!



I talk a lot about EPOC, Afterburn, and the idea of burning calories and fat even after your workout is over. Over the past couple blog posts there have been some questions from readers about this concept. Is is real? Is it over hyped? How many calories are we talking about? Here is a question/comment from a reader, Jack , about this very thing:

You wrote that “Metabolic Circuits are essential to really crank up your weight loss because they have been shown in research studies to increase the total number of calories that you burn over the 38 hours following your workout.” Is this the same as when people speak of EPOC or a separate phenomenon? I ask this because I have read that EPOC is about 8-15 percent or so (depending upon activity intensity) of the total kcal expenditure during the chosen activity. As such quite a number of writers claim that any metabolic boost is not nearly as significant as it is made out to be. Not being engrossed in all of the research leaves me slightly confused as to which is closer to the reality of the situation.

Just curious if you can add some more clarity. I do not mean to come across as argumentative, I am just somewhat confused by what seems to be a back and forth between claims about significant metabolic boosts for 1+ days after certain types of activity and other claims that such impacts are largely overblown.

This is a great question. Yes, I was talking about EPOC or what Alwyn Cosgrove calls Afterburn.

What is EPOC/Afterburn? It is basically a phenomenon that occurs when you lift weights or do the metabolic type of training that I have been talking about the past couple of blog posts. The tabata protocol is a perfect example of something that elicits an afterburn effect. A very simple way of thinking about EPOC is that when you do this type of training you exert yourself beyond what your body is capable of handling (i.e. your body can’t keep up); it then uses the next 12, 24, or even 36 hours to ‘catch up’ metabolically. ‘Catch up’ = burning calories.

How many calories do you burn with EPOC? A bunch.

What is the reality of the situation? Is is 8%? 15% as Jack noted about?

I was emailing back and forth with Alwyn Cosgrove about this and here is what he had to say…

The “reality of the situation” is not going to be found in textbooks or papers unfortunately.

Basically it’s hard to truly measure caloric expenditure (during and post workout) of anaerobic activity and recovery when you are using a measure of aerobic work (traditionally oxygen debt).
Studies comparing the same volume of caloric work (ie same calories burned) from interval training or weight training to aerobic training, show a massive difference in total fat lost over a period of time?

Why? EPOC? Some other type of post workout change?

I don’t think we know the exact mechanism yet – we just know that SOMETHING happens post workout as a result of high intensity metabolic work that doesn’t happen with lower intensity work, even if calories burned during training are equal.

The numbers shown with EPOC don’t explain it completely. It would be nice to know exactly what happens, but more importantly we KNOW what happens — more fat loss.

Bottom Line - don’t be confused by “a back and forth between claims” – just do what has been shown over and over again to work.

Aside from all of this: – all the studies on EPOC are performed on aerobic work or standard weight training.

■The few studies on circuit based weight training show a higher effect.
■There has never been a formal study on the type of training we use. However – at 250 clients training 3 times a week for the past several years – I think I have more than enough “data”
■There aren’t any studies on an accumulative effect on EPOC (they all look at single workouts). If it’s even a 10% increase for 24 hours, is there an accumulative effect if you train every 24 hours? (there are studies showing an increased EPOC with two shorter daily sessions as opposed to one of the same total length) — the question is how long will the “between sessions” last?
We know that weight training increases resting energy expenditure and there is an EPOC effect. All we do is attempt to continuously ramp that effect up.

Again – in truth we don’t know the mechanisms behind this completely — I just know what results my clients get.
The research doesn’t disprove the results. It just looks at the mechanisms to explain the results.

(Mike again…) We talk a lot about EPOC in Warp Speed Fat Loss. As Alwyn said is all the extra calorie burning from EPOC? Not sure? Does is matter if we know exactly what it is from? Not entirely, as if you go on Warp Speed Fat Loss and lose 4 pounds a week for 4 weeks would you really care if it was EPOC or not? You’d just be happy you lost the weight right? So for now the jury is out but as soon as we learn more I’ll let you know. For the time being let’s just do what we know works —> This works

This article was written by Mike Roussell. Mike Roussell is a nationally renowned nutritionist and the president of the Naked Nutrition Network. He is currently a doctoral candidate in nutrition at Pennsylvania State University. Learn More About Mike Click HereShare and Enjoy:

Fun in he 105 degree sun!

My short term intern Russell Holley from the U.K. had a chance to shoot some vid during his stay with us. Here are his two lastest clips he has posted on his Blog site.

Here is a 'finisher' to our outdoor strongman session with our men's basketball team....about 2 min. to complete this circuit.


Here is our women's softball athletes getting after it as well.....at 3pm, this was a HOT one folks and these girls really attack these sessions with a lot of enthusiasm!

Oh! and can't forget......it's September 25th....Official 'Hug a Vegetarian Day'!

The Real Biggest Losers.....the viewers

Okay, so I have never watched an entire episode. I can't name any previous season winners or tell you what they're doing these days (although gaining weight is probably a solid guess though...). So why was I watching the Biggest Loser Season 2009 season opener this week? Well, I was noticing all of the Facebook status updates of my friends saying things like "Biggest Loser tonight CAN'T WAIT!" or "OMG! Biggest Loser this season is going to be the greatest EVER!". How could I NOT take a peek at this car crash?!

What did I see? Well morbidly obese people....duh. More importantly I was really quite shocked at what else I saw. I witnessed people being put through the ringer pushing sleds, doing plyometrics, climbing on Jacob's ladder treadmills.....all this with people who would be hard pressed to make it up a flight of stairs. On top of this I was, well, shocked to see trainers belittling, mocking, screaming at, and basically motherf#*king these people ad nauseum. Don't get me wrong, anyone who has seen me with some of my athletic groups will often get a lesson in new and exciting vocabulary but this is apples and oranges folks. There is nothing wrong with hard work but after watching for 10 min. I could see through all the bullshit.....this is TV pure and simple. Not much reality to it when the goal is to make the clients puke, cry, quit for ratings, period. People have been saying to me "well, Dos...this stuff is inspiring....it's awesome to see people reach their goals and get their lives back". At the cost of what though?! Psychological scarring, dangerous diet practices, unhealthy living?

Earlier this year Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. wrote an amazing insight into the psychology behind this Biggest Loser Phenomenon on the psychcentral.com blog. Not only did she talk about the reality of the impact of this type of training, environment etc. on the human psyche, we also gained insight into the dangerous diet and weight loss practices the contestants went through in order to win. This is from the season I winner Ryan Benson's myspace page:

"What I now know is that the show was just a quick fix for me. …I wanted to win so bad that the last ten days before the final weigh-in I didn’t eat one piece of solid food! If you’ve heard of “The Master Cleanse” that’s what I did. Its basically drinking lemonade made with water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, pure maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. The rules of the show said we couldn’t use any weight-loss drugs, well I didn’t take any drugs, I just starved myself!
Twenty-four hours before the final weigh-in I stopped putting ANYTHING in my body, liquid or solid, then I started using some old high school wrestling tricks. I wore a rubber suit while jogging on the treadmill, and then spent a lot of time in the steam room. In the final 24 hours I probably dropped 10-13 lbs in just pure water weight. By the time of the final weigh-in I was peeing blood.

Was this healthy? Heck no! My wife wanted to kill me if I didn’t do it to myself first. But I was in a different place, I knew winning the show could put us in a better place financially and I was willing to do some crazy stuff. All this torture I put myself through has had no lasting effects on me (that I know of) and at the time it was sort of a fun adventure for me – but I am sure it reeked havoc on my system.

In the five days after the show was over I gained about 32 lbs. Not from eating, just from getting my system back to normal (mostly re-hydrating myself). So in five days I was back up to 240 – crazy!"

On Season III contestant Kai Hibbard ...

She recently wrote on a blog that in the two weeks before the finale she severely dehydrated herself using asparagus (a diuretic), colonics and six-hour stretches of hopping in and out of a sauna. She lost 19 pounds, which as she joked, 'rebounded to her rear end almost immediately.’

This is one of the most telling quotes from this blog post:

“If you give people enough money and put them into team environments, you can get them to do anything, even things that are painful and potentially harmful to their metabolisms. You can scream at them and walk on their legs and they will do it, even when you make them cry 14 times a day, they will do it. And you can trot out past winners and say, ‘Look, it works. See? It totally works.’”

Folks, this is NOT reality in any way, shape, or form!

More.....

"Aside from the harm the show brings its own contestants when they engage in drastic measures, The Biggest Loser can also shape viewers’ ideas about weight loss, perpetuating harmful myths and leading viewers to compare their results to the contestants’. In essence, The Biggest Loser shows that:

-Rapid weight-loss works
-If you aren’t dropping double-digits each week, you’re somehow failing
-The number on the scale is first and foremost
Eating well means depriving yourself (this resembles the crash diet mentality, something that isn’t realistic for your entire life)
-Willpower is the answer to weight loss"

Want more???

"Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, director of nutrition for WebMD Health and the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic, writes: “The Biggest Loser competition might indeed result in big losses, but it defies all the professional wisdom about safe and effective weight loss. That’s because the contestants are not addressing lifestyle behaviors and eating habits that they need to change permanently, not just during a nine-week race. This approach is similar to a fad diet, and we all know about them: You can lose weight on just about any diet, but when it’s over you gain the weight right back — unless you’ve changed your behaviors.” (see her article on Medicine Net). "

Okay for all of you who have been uplifted and inspired by the multiple seasons of NBC's Biggest Loser I have a new show to pitch....."The Biggest Gainer". Yup, we take 20 anorexics and force feed the $hit out of them. We shove IV's in their arms and Pull their mouths open then dietitians shove food down their throat. When they refuse, vomit, or cry about it the dietitians will mock, belittle, and motherf$%ck them. At the end of the season we will have 'fixed' one of them and got them back to a 'normal weight' by all means possible. What do you think folks? Think people will dig this? Well? Well??? I thought so.....Sigh.

TRX, Ropes, & Bodyweight Circuit!

Ran through a couple of tough circuits @ Frankie's lab Friday....thought I would share it with everyone. Each circuit was performed twice (2 rounds)....

Circuit #1:

1. TRX wheelbarrel walks - 2 times across 3 aerobic steps + 5 plyo push-ups
2. "Monkeying around" - pull-up and hang climbing variations two times across the bars
3. TRX push complex - Push-up, T's, and superman's 5 times each
4. Rope battle - 50 reps any style you choose

Circuit #2:

1. TRX feet elevated rows (with hinging hips) - 10 times
2. Hang leg raises - 10 reps of any variation of leg raise
3. TRX plank position pike + saw - 10 reps
4. Rope battle - 50 reps any style you choose.

Rest periods were up to the individual but the pace was emphasized....we normally just moved immediately to the next exercise with a quick pause between rounds. Enjoy this butt kicker!

Remember to pick up your TRX system from Fitness Anywhere right HERE . Not only will you get a free Fitness Anywhere $20 gift card, if you email me your order confirmation I will send you all 6 Power Training pull-down workout cards ($32.99 value) FREE!

"The Decree of Dos"

Had an opportunity to do an interview with trainer John Izzo for his website.....good stuff! Take a peak here!
THE DECREE OF DOS

Last Day for CHAOS Sport-Speed DVD offer!

Hey folks, today is the LAST DAY of the awesome 'special offer' when you by the CHAOS SPORT-SPEED DVD. When you purchase the DVD, you will also be sent the Sleds & Ladders DVD absolutely FREE ($34.95 value)! This DVD has all of our dynamic warm-ups, sled drills, and ladder drills that we use with our athletes. A lot of folks have take advantage of this one week offer but it's about to dissappear......

Go backwards to move forwards!

I have a guest blog today from my good friend across the pond, conditioning expert Nick Grantham.

OK, this is not a post about taking a false step to move forward (we can do that another time!). A colleague sent me a clip of a coach with a nice, very polished video of some 'tennis specific' speed and agility drills. Knowing that I work with a group of young and talented tennis players, he thought I would be interested. I was...what I found really interesting was that all the drills were linear drills. There were some 'lateral' drills in there but the lateral drills were not lateral - facing forward at the start of the drill, then turning 90 degrees and running forwards is not a lateral drill, its just a linear drill in a different direction! I was also interested to see the distances covered (at least 20m)- the coach must have their tennis players playing on a huge court! Finally - there were no drills where the coach went backwards! This is one thing that really boils my P**S! The title of the blog post says it all, we need to coach our athletes to go backwards - but most books/DVD's are packed full of drills that go forwards, or left/right - maybe I just live in an alternate universe where people do have to move backwards from time to time!

It was a nice video but the content was lacking.

My advice for anyone wanting to develop tennis (or any sport really)specific speed and agility would be:

1. Work all multidimensional (that's one of Vern Gambetta's) - forward,BACKWARDS, left, right, up etc etc.

2. Keep the distances short - in tennis a point is played with between 3-7 changes of direction in a confined area - if your drills are in excess of 10m then you need to tighten things up.

3. Practice going BACKWARDS - everyone wants to get fast going forwards - everyone forgets that you need to be good going backwards as well!

Once again we have coaches taking 'track' drills that get people moving fast in a straight line (with the occasional left turn) trying to convince us that they will help with the performance of a multidimensional sport such as tennis! STOP IT!

Remember folks....only a few days left to take advantage of my SPECIAL OFFER FOR MY CHAOS SPORT-SPEED DVD!

Putting the 'sub 4.0 second forty' in perspective...

It was only a matter of time before the 'what would Usain Bolt be able to do in the NFL?!" questions started to pop up. Well, the most recent article on his projected 40 yard sprint time has only served to fuel the fire. Seems that based on his world record 100 meter time he would have run an electronic timed 3.97 forty yard sprint or a 3.73 second hand-timed forty. This is even more impressive when we take a look at a short list of the 'fastest' NFL forty yard sprint performers....

Fastest NFL Combine 40-Yard Times
4.19 – Deion Sanders (DB), Florida State – 1989 (Hand Timed)
4.24 – Chris Johnson (RB), East Carolina – 2008
4.24 – Rondel Melendez (WR), Eastern Kentucky – 1999
4.28 – Jerome Mathis, (WR), Hampton – 2005 (electronic)
4.29 – Fabian Washington, (CB), Nebraska – 2005
4.30 – Darrent Williams, (CB), Oklahoma State – 2005
4.30 – Yamon Figurs, (WR), Kansas State – 2007


Ok, First off, why is it that when we hear that someone can flat out run in straight line that they somehow will automatically have success in the CHAOTIC game of football?? We are talking apples vs. oranges folks.....track athletes run in a straight line with occaional left turns, period. Football is about a 98% chaotic, change of direction sport where deceleration is as or maybe even MORE important than acceleration. Now factor in the fact that you will be, running routes against a defenders will and, oh...yeah....getting hit in the mouth, and we truly start to see the dissimilarities between these apples and oranges. Let's quit speculating how Bolt would do in the NFL.....this guys is sheduled to make over $10 million a year in endorsements soon so it is highly unlikely that he will be willing to let someone hit him in the mouth for NFL minimum $.

The demands of sports like football, soccer, volleyball, basketball etc. require SPORT-SPEED. This is speed in the real-world....the type of speed and strength that allows for quick acceleration and the ability to decelerate WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DECELERATE! This is what I call CHAOS.....training your athletes to be the most efficient at these demands. Here is a peek my CHAOS Sport-Speed DVD...check out this crazy special (below) that' I'm running for ONE WEEK ONLY!



If you pick up a copy of the CHAOS Sports-Speed DVD by August 31, I will send you the Sleds & Ladders DVD FREE! ($34.95 value) See highlights below


Pick up your CHAOS DVD NOW!!!!! All orders of this DVD processed by August 31 will have the Sleds & Ladders DVD automatically shipped out at the same time!

College of the Canyons Weight Room Tour....

Had a chance to get a few more toys and tools for the old toolbox this past summer so I figured I would video a quick walkthrough of what might be one of the most versatile and useable community college weight rooms in the country! Not bad for a zero $ budget facility ey?!

Old School blog post but me Likey!

This is a blog post from Men's Health Editor Adam Borntein from a few months ago.....I think 'certified badass' might be my new nickname! HAHA! Check out Adams BADASS blog @ http://workingout.menshealth.com/

BEST OF THE BEST

The missing blogger returns…sort of. I’m sorry for the lack of writing lately. Between celebrating Passover (which is not fun on a specialized diet—read: hello weight loss!), and being in six different states in the last six days, you’ll have to excuse me for the dearth of updates. But if there’s one thing non-stop traveling affords, it’s a chance to check in on some of our top contributors.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: one of my favorite “perks” of my job is working with the best minds in fitness and nutrition. The good become better and the better become the best by being humble—which means having the patience and willingness to learn from others. Alwyn Cosgrove summed it up well when he recently discussed his willingness to learn from anyone—regardless stature in a given field (and there are few that know more than Cosgrove; together with his wife Rachel, they act as a walking book of muscle knowledge). While I can’t offer you the direct access I have, I can provide you with a way to become indirectly influenced by their wisdom. Here are some of the sites I rely upon for quality information. Each week, I’ll try to drop another favorite into a post. If I made this list any longer, it’d start to sound like a speech at an award ceremony. Prepare to be educated (and hopefully not put to sleep).

Alwyn Cosgrove:
If you’ve ever picked up an issue of MH, you’re probably familiar with Cosgrove. He’s one of our top fitness experts, author of several books (including the very informative, The New Rules of Lifting), and a man who backs up his knowledge with incredible results at his facility—Results Fitness. Cosgrove has worked with enough clients and reads enough research to qualify for my hall of fame. Plus, he’s always one of the best speakers at conferences I attend, and he frequently requests that I call him “sir’—which makes him that much cooler.

Bill Hartman:
Whatever you do, be wary if you ever become involved in a long conversation with Bill. Why? Because he has so much knowledge that it might make your head hurt (or your fingers cringe trying to edit his brilliance). Bill is a humble guy (like everyone on this list), but don’t be fooled by his modesty. He is as good as they come in terms of knowledge, and when it comes to fixing any imbalances/injuries, there is no one better in the industry. Along with Mike Robertson (who will receive his own mention at another time), Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training (IFAST) is a hotspot for anyone who desires knowledge on improving your body. It took me a while, but I finally found a reason to visit Indiana (note to self: still avoid Gary).

Alan Aragon:
Yeah, yeah. I know. Alan appears on my blog quite frequently. But when you spend more time with Pubmed than your wife (I’m kidding…kind of), you’re bound to learn something. Besides, Alan took me from a guy who suffered from TWC his entire life, and provided the tools for a 6-pack. If he can help me, I’m pretty sure he can help anyone.

Craig Ballantyne:
Ladies and gentlemen, I present Mr. Turbulence Training. Craig has been writing programs for MH for years, and has appeared in many of our exercises videos. Besides walking the walk (he oftentimes uses himself as a subject to prove the effectiveness of his workouts), Craig does an excellent job of developing programs that fit people of different shapes, sizes, and skill levels. And the biggest mista some people make? Underestimating his workouts. I promise you they’re more difficult than they seem.

Robert Dos Remedios:
Many people know Dos from his excellent book, Power Training. I know Dos because the man is a certified badass. In terms of strength and conditioning coaches, few can match his ability at creating functional workouts that will not only make you look good, but will improve your performance in most activities. His effectiveness and applicability is what separates him from many people who jumped on the functional bandwagon.

Tony Gentilcore (and the folks at Cressey Performance):
Tony is loaded with great workouts (and some allegedly large biceps) that blend multiple philosophies to improve strength and performance. But the best part about Tony is his blog, which is a mix of training knowledge and sarcasm at it’s finest. If you read my blog, you should check his out—simply because he does a much better job of telling jokes (and loving himself). And while I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting everyone at CP, that doesn’t mean I don’t admire their knowledge. These guys have a real gym that I hope to visit one of these days. Up until now I haven’t—but mainly because I’m afraid I’ll never want to go back to the commercial gym I’m left to attend.

Nick Tumminello:
I’ve dropped Nick’s name a few times recently, and that’s because he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite fitness experts. Nick is one of the better contributors I’ve found at creating original exercises that benefit your training without becoming too gimmicky. Plus, I have enough confidence to allow him to design a program for me (where the final result will include me removing my clothes—never a good thing for anyone). As Cosgrove taught me—the learning process should be continual, and Nick does a great job of adding to my knowledge bank.

Mike Boyle:
I like to attach the phrase “world famous strength coach” whenever I mention Mike. It doesn’t matter what I ask him about, he’s always quick with an answer that’s articulate and detailed. He's worked as a strength coach for amateurs, college athletes, professional, and Olympian. You name it, and Mike has probably covered it. Still wondering if he gets the job done? His BU hockey team just won the national championship. Trophies always say more than words.

Others to check out (who I’ll ramble about later):
JC Santana, Chad Waterbury, Charles Staley, CJ Murphy, Dan John, David Jack, Jim Liston, Joe Defranco, Joe Dowdell, Mark Verstegen, Martin Rooney, Mike Mejia, Mike Robertson, Todd Durkin

BTW, be sure to check out my TRX special deal @ coachdos.com ....free gifts!!
DOS TRX Special!

Olympic lifts REALLY DO help improve athletic performance....

Just pulled up a couple of older studies looks at the effects of Olympic lifting on things like short sprint and vertical jump performance. The first study compares Olympic lifting to traditional plyometric training on vertical jump performance and sprint performance.

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Article: pp. 433–437 Abstract
Volume 19, Issue 2 (May 2005)

Short-Term Effects on Lower-Body Functional Power Development: Weightlifting vs. Vertical Jump Training Programs
Valmor Tricoli1, 3, Leonardo Lamas1, 2, Roberto Carnevale2, and Carlos Ugrinowitsch1
1. Department of Sport, School of Physical Education and Sport, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 2. Center for Sports Conditioning, Esporte Clube Pinheiros, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 3. Address correspondence to Valmor Tricoli, E-mail: vtricoli@usp.br
Tricoli V, Lamas L, Carnevale R, Ugrinowitsch C (2005) Short-Term Effects on Lower-Body Functional Power Development: Weightlifting vs. Vertical Jump Training Programs. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Vol. 19, No. 2 pp. 433–437 -->


Tricoli, V., L. Lamas, R. Carnevale, and C. Ugrinowitsch. Short-term effects on lower-body functional power development: Weightlifting vs. vertical jump training programs. J. Strength Cond. Res. 19(2):433–437. 2005.—Among sport conditioning coaches, there is considerable discussion regarding the efficiency of training methods that improve lower-body power. Heavy resistance training combined with vertical jump (VJ) training is a well-established training method; however, there is a lack of information about its combination with Olympic weightlifting (WL) exercises. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the short-term effects of heavy resistance training combined with either the VJ or WL program. Thirty-two young men were assigned to 3 groups: WL = 12, VJ = 12, and control = 8. These 32 men participated in an 8-week training study. The WL training program consisted of 3 × 6RM high pull, 4 × 4RM power clean, and 4 × 4RM clean and jerk. The VJ training program consisted of 6 × 4 double-leg hurdle hops, 4 × 4 alternated single-leg hurdle hops, 4 × 4 single-leg hurdle hops, and 4 × 4 40-cm drop jumps. Additionally, both groups performed 4 × 6RM half-squat exercises. Training volume was increased after 4 weeks. Pretesting and posttesting consisted of squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) tests, 10- and 30-m sprint speeds, an agility test, a half-squat 1RM, and a clean-and-jerk 1RM (only for WL). The WL program significantly increased the 10-m sprint speed (p <>

Pretty significant stuff when a weightlifting program can increase sprint and jumping performance more than an actual jumping program. This most likely speaks to the efficacy of the Oly lifts helping to possible develop a more "syncronized" firing and strength/power of the body to perform things like sprint and jumps.

The next study looks at a group of football players and compares Olympic weightlifting vs. powerlifting protocol on sprint and vertical jump performance.

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Article: pp. 129–135 Abstract
Volume 18, Issue 1 (February 2004)

Comparison of Olympic vs. Traditional Power Lifting Training Programs in Football Players
Jay R. Hoffman1, 2, Joshua Cooper1, Michael Wendell1, and Jie Kang1
1. Department of Health and Exercise Science, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, New Jersey 08628-0718, 2. Address correspondence to Dr. Jay R. Hoffman, E-mail: hoffmanj@tcnj.edu
Hoffman JR, Cooper J, Wendell M, Kang J (2004) Comparison of Olympic vs. Traditional Power Lifting Training Programs in Football Players. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Vol. 18, No. 1 pp. 129–135 -->

Hoffman, J.R., J. Cooper, M. Wendell, and J. Kang. Comparison of olympic versus traditional power lifting training programs in football players. J. Strength Cond. Res. 18(1):129–135. 2004.—Twenty members of an National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III collegiate football team were assigned to either an Olympic lifting (OL) group or power lifting (PL) group. Each group was matched by position and trained 4-days·wk−1 for 15 weeks. Testing consisted of field tests to evaluate strength (1RM squat and bench press), 40-yard sprint, agility, vertical jump height (VJ), and vertical jump power (VJP). No significant pre- to posttraining differences were observed in 1RM bench press, 40-yard sprint, agility, VJ or in VJP in either group. Significant improvements were seen in 1RM squat in both the OL and PL groups. After log10-transformation, OL were observed to have a significantly greater improvement in ΔVJ than PL. Despite an 18% greater improvement in 1RM squat (p > 0.05), and a twofold greater improvement (p > 0.05) in 40-yard sprint time by OL, no further significant group differences were seen. Results suggest that OL can provide a significant advantage over PL in vertical jump performance changes.
Keywords: athletic performance, football, resistance training, periodized training

This study is a little more telling. Now we get to see a direct comparison.....Olympic weightlifting based training vs. traditional powerlifting training. The results are quite significant, twofold greater improvement in 40 yard times and significantly greater improvements in vertical jump.

What does all this mean? Well, if you are training athletes and are relying on heavy powerlifts or traditional plyos to improve vertical jump performance (which, BTW, is probably the #1 variable in predicting athletic ability) I want to make sure you're on our schedule!

If you wanna get better at Pull-ups get off the Lat-Pulldown Machine!

Just read this research article in this month's Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. Practitioners have said this for a long time now but as I always say, it's nice when researchers confirm what we have found in our 'labs'.

Relationship of 1 repetition maximum lat-pull to pull-up and lat-pull repetitions in elite collegiate women swimmers.

Halet KA, Mayhew JL, Murphy C, Fanthorpe J.
Human Performance Laboratory, Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri 63501, USA.
The purposes of this study were to determine the relationships among pull-ups, lat-pull repetitions, and 1 repetition maximum (1RM) lat-pull in elite women swimmers and to assess the effect of various anthropometric dimensions on each exercise. Women members (n = 28) of an elite National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II swim team were measured for their ability to perform a maximum number of free-hanging pull-ups, 1RM lat-pull, and lat-pull repetitions at 80% of 1RM. Anthropometric dimensions included selected arm lengths, percent body fat (%fat), and lean body mass (LBM) estimated from skinfold measurements. The correlations of 1RM lat-pull with body mass (r = 0.38, p = 0.04) and LBM (r = 0.41, p = 0.03) were significant, whereas that with %fat (r = 0.13, p = 0.49) was not. The same variables had a significant negative pattern with pull-ups (r = -0.48, -0.43, -0.32, respectively). Pull-ups were moderately correlated with 1RM lat-pull (r = 0.34, p = 0.08) but not with lat-pull repetitions (r = 0.07, p = 0.73). The product of pull-ups times body mass (PU x BM) was a better predictor of 1RM lat-pull (r = 0.86, standard errors of estimate [SEEs] = 4.4 kg) than either measurement alone. The addition of %fat to PU x BM in a stepwise regression analysis raised the correlation (R = 0.90) and reduced the SEE (3.9 kg) only slightly. Addition of arm or forearm lengths failed to increase the multiple R significantly. These results confirmed that the seemingly analogous exercises of pull-ups and lat-pulls were not highly related and should not be substituted for one another in a training regimen.

The correlations showed that the lat pulldown and the pull-up were not very closely related. In addition, several factors seem to come into play when testing females on pull-up performance. The researchers stated that body mass was the main factor in the inability to perform pull-ups. Since the lat pulldown is in fact a different exercise than the pull-up, the researchers recommended not trying to substitute one of another in training. We can now see that moving to the lat pulldown machine in hopes of improving your pull-up ability is not a great strategy.

RECOVERY....The KEY to optimal performance?

When you are dealing with athletes who push themselves in every phase of preparation it is IMPERATIVE that we stress the importance or rest and recovery. I found this tremendous resource in a Training and Conditioning Magazine article this month Called "The Rest of the Story" that we have just started implementing with our athletic teams at College of the Canyons. This is a very simple downloadable checklist that each athlete can tally themselves each day. At the very least it could open their eyes (and yours of course) and answer some serious questions about your training and their ability to take care of themselves. I HIGHLY recommend using this checklist for anyone working with athletes. This is ESPECIALLY crucial with our football athletes this time of year...I kick myself for not doing something like this years ago!

Click here for the downloadable file

The BEST Interval tracks on the planet!

It was a little over a year ago when I first met BJ Gaddour or workoutmuse.com. At this time he and his partner in crime Topher Farell were just starting out creating MP3 tracks for various intervals like tabatas variations, 30:30 intervals etc. Well, the last year has been amazing for these guys.....their tracks are literally EVERYWHERE! Check us out DOING WORK with my fave 15:15 Tabata protocol variation at the Perform Better Summit in Chicago a few months ago!



We use the tabata tracks, the 30:30's and the 40:20 interval tracks a TON with our teams and I use them almost daily in my own training. In addition to coming up with custom interval tracks for me, workoutmuse has created tracks that enable you to perform CHAOSTM Sport-Speed Training by yourself...all you need is your iPod and voila! you have random verbal cues at your disposal. My boys have created an empire and it's only going to get bigger with the popularity of interval training for fat loss and fitness. In fact, Watch for the FREE bonus tracks that will be linked in my upcoming book Men's Health Cardio Strength Training due out January 2010 from Rodale books. CRANK IT now and get your tracks!!

Men's Health lists America's Top 10 Gyms!

How cool is this guys? People ask me all the time, "Who do you go to for advice, ideas etc.?". Are you kidding me? I'm probably the most fortunate person in the world considering that Men's Health's recent rankings of the Top 10 gyms in America include a bevy of gyms owned by good friends of mine! Great job guys....and great job by Men's Health for sifting through the rubble to come up with 10 amazing training facilities. I'm proud just to be associated with some of these guys!

Drumroll Please!!!

• Mike Boyle Strength & ConditioningWinchester, MA


• Results Fitness Santa Clarita, CA


• Peak Performance New York, NY


• DeFranco's Wyckoff, NJ


• Parisi Speed School Fair Lawn, NJ


• The Institute of Human Performance (IHP) Boca Raton, FL


• Competitive Athlete Training Zone (CATZ) Pasadena, CA


• Fitness Quest 10 San Diego, CA


• Philippi Sports Institute Las Vegas, NV


• Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training (IFAST) Indianapolis, IN

Man do I love the fact that over the past few years Men's Health has really stepped their game up in terms of training and conditioning advice, programs, experts etc. If it wasn't for this, Men's Health Power Training would have never been published!

The Valslide Phenomenon!

My Girl Valerie Waters at the IDEA show 'spreadin the word' about the Valslide!

Here's a pic of he entrance to my home office....a kettlebell, TRX, and a pair of valslides, all I need to a kick butt home workout. People are always amazed when I pull out the Valslides and put them through the RINGER during my hands-on presentations at the Perform Better Summits. Quite simply put, as part of a circuit, a workout, or by themselves, valslides can flat our BREAK YOU.I don't endorse a lot of products and/or programs but I had no problem doing one for my friend Valerie Waters. Here is one of my collegiate basketball players doing a demo of our favorite valside exercise, the spiderman push-up.

If you take a peek at my earlier blog video of our exploits at this year's Perform Better Summit in Long Beach, CA you will once again see us performing, alligator walks, pikes, spiderman push-ups, mountain climbers, and even sled pushes with the valslide. If you don't have some, get some today!

Snatches & Beer - On Location in Long Beach!

Here is our latest installment of "Snatches and Beer" shot on location at this year's Perform Better Summit in Long Beach, CA. Okay, mostly beer this time but a great overall view at what goes down at these events = )

Great times folks....if you didn't get to it make sure to get there next year! Best fitness and conditioning summit on the planet, hands down!

Frankie's Lab, Valencia, CA

There's a special little place located in our Local Health club here in beautiful Valencia, CA. Tucked away in the back corner of this pristine club full of cardio and weight machines is a spot we like to call "Frankie's Lab". The mad professor who runs this little slice of pain and anguish is Frank Addelia. Frank is a dear friend of mine and is a HUGE REASON why my tool box is SO FULL of great ideas and exercises. From Bodyweight to TRX to Ropes to kettlebells, Frankie comes up with some stuff that is right out of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein..... If you're on Facebook be sure to hit Frankie and I up as we have some amazing videos etc. of our exploits in the lab. If you're not on Facebook just click on Frankie's name in this post and you will get all the directions you need to join. You can also click on my Facebook link on the top left of my Blog page!

6am TRX circuit fun!

Had a chance to givee our returners a break pull out our brand new freshmen football players at COC the past couple of days and do some teaching @ 6am. This morning we played with the TRX's, the kettlebells and some bodyweight exercises....take a peek!

One year since we lost our Boy....

A year ago we lost a member of our family, Henry our English Bulldog. Henry led a full and awesome life and even though he passed away at 15 years old, we can't help but think that he still left us before his time. We miss you baby boy.....there will never be another Hen-Hen. This is for you son....

TRX Madness!

Had a chance to meet the TRX crew including Jon Binder this weekend in Long Beach at the Perform Better Summit.....Watch for some vids and blog posts from me on the TRX site very soon. We have been using these bad boys like crazy with our teams and you will be amazed at seeing a TON of football players training and getting better on the TRX in our early morning workouts this summer. Had a great time incorporating them into my hands on with the help of my good friend (from 'Frankie's Lab' fame), Frank Addelia taking the inspirational crew of participants through some of our favorite explosive exercises on the TRX, if this tool isn't presently in your toolbox go get one NOW!

It's almost here! The Perform Better Summit, Long Beach

If you are a trainer anywhere in Southern California and don't manage to make it to Long Beach this weekend you are MISSING THE BOAT to say the least! Perform Better has once again put on the most incredible contiuning education even the industry has ever seen. 3 days of some of the most amazing professionals in this field and to top it off, you also happen to be in one of the beautiful spots on So.Cal. Get on it folks......if you make it, be sure to say hello!

Some of the speakers this weekend....

Gray Cook, Mike Boyle, Alwyn Cosgrove, Martin Rooney, Brian Grasso, JC Santana, Robb Rogers, Mark Verstagen, Todd Wright, Todd Durkin, Don Chu, Eric Cressey AND MORE!!

COC Women's Volleyball...a reflection

Just messing with my new computer and its movie maker....a little inspiration courtesy of some of my ex-female volleyball athletes. Enjoy!

Up for some Dosercise??

Local sports editor for the Santa Clarita Valley Signal Newspaper Cary Osbourne wanted to get a taste of what's often (affectionately) coined 'Dosercise'....here is his story of that faithful day at COC....

By Cary OsborneSignal Sports Editorcosborne@the-signal.com661-259-1234-529Posted: June 12, 2009 8:34 p.m. document.write(writeModDate("June 13, 2009 4:55 a.m."));
POSTED June 13, 2009 4:55 a.m.

We entered an upstairs dance studio at the College of the Canyons gymnasium with AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” rattling the walls. “Was it a message?” I asked, as in, “Get ready for hell?” Robert dos Remedios just smirked as we carried in kettle bells. Over the years, I’ve heard countless times about how dos Remedios or “dos,” the head strength and conditioning coach at College of the Canyons, has gotten COC’s athletes into superior shape through punishing exercise. Greg Herrick, whose women’s basketball team runs a 40-minute stampede and consistently leads the state in scoring, has told me it’s dos who whips his players into shape. Garett Tujague, COC’s head football coach, says his team can play five quarters every game if it has to. Because of dos. I needed to see it first-hand. Tujague told me he had been training with dos, so I asked him if I could watch. Then I asked if I could join him. On June 3, I joined dos, Tujague and assistant strength and conditioning coach Daniel Corbet for a workout. It lasted 30 minutes. After the bells rang and the workout was over, my head was light. Oatmeal was in danger of flowing in a northerly direction. Sweat poured from my head. And I had the worst case of cottonmouth I can remember. The cause of all this was the challenging workout dos put us through. Just three days prior, I ran six miles. For the past four months, I have regularly run about 10 miles a week. I thought I would handle dos’ punishment well. But his philosophy of intense training, giving the maximum on every rep, was taxing on my body. Kettle bells, bear crawls, pushups, pushups with suspended rings, crunches, chopping with a weighted ball, mountain climbers with a band wrapped around the waist, squats. It was constant. dos told me that his kind of workouts are not popular. Not popular with athletes or in the fitness industry. “They’re not popular because of how you feel,” he said. dos said this circuit training uses the overload principle — overload the body to get maximum results. After we bear-crawled to pushups, we duck-walked with a light kettle bell, then a medium kettle bell, then a heavy kettle bell. After that exercise, I walked outside for some air, thinking I might puke, only to be told we had one more circuit left. It was four different exercises done in four minutes with maximum effort. Mountain climbers with a band, plank run, squats and pushups. At each station, I could see the remnants of sweat that dripped from Tujague’s, dos Remedios’, Corbet’s and my head. dos explained that this type of strenuous anaerobic exercise was better than aerobic exercise because it helped the body burn more calories in the long run. He mentioned excess post-exercise consumption, or EPOC for short. EPOC is an increased rate of oxygen intake after exercise and, because of it, the metabolic rate increases for a longer period of time. So as hellish as this exercise was, it was certainly good for me. And in the end, that’s what dos’ job is — to get results. Maybe that’s why Herrick and Tujague, whose teams are at the top of their conferences year in and year out, give him a lot of credit.