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I often get asked by Fitness Professionals who attend my workshops, “what do you for a ________ athlete/client?”. My answer is always “I can’t tell you because everyone is different”. That said, although the exercises I choose will be different from person to person – my general program design methods remain roughly the same. Today, I’m giving you one of those methods!

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Anyone can immediately apply this Tri-set strategy to improve the desnity, productivity and effectiveness of each and every workout! All you have to do is plug and play!

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The Perfect Tri-Set

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As the name implies, this Performance U Tri-Set structure is a combination of three types of exercises each performed in the following order:

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1. Strength Exercise

2. Core Exercise

3. Mobility Exercise

REPEAT!

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Well, there you have it! This Tri-set combination is one of the most used exercise combination strategies I use with all my athletes and clients here at Performance U. Put it to work for you to get better results and add more value to all of your workouts!

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First off, lets get one thing clear – I do not disagree with using some sort of assessment nor do I deny the importance of looking at movement. I personally use my own hybrid of Gray Cook’s FMS.

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That said, I do have concerns that this Assessment boom has brought with it confusion and misunderstanding. Heck, I get confused about the subject and I have lots of expirence and soeak with top PT’s on a daily basis!.

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I’m afraid our industry (the Fitness Industry) maybe getting overly caught up thinking we need to “fix” everyone’s problems because I regularly see fitness clients being treated like a re-hab patients and not nearly enough actual Strength & Conditioning is getting done.

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So, in the hopes to add some clarity to some of the confusion surrounding Movement Assessments, I put together this multi-part series called Assessing Our Assessments.

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To kick off part 1 – I wanted to provide you with some information on the scope of practice between a Fitness Professional and a Physical Therapist. And, discussing the definition of the two different professions. My good friend and colleague, Coach JC Santana has done a great job clarifying the two practices.

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Check out theses insightful words from JC Santana taken from his book “Essence of Program Design”. Which by the way is my favorite book on Program Design!

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“At the Institute of Human Performance, we rarely test or undergo formal assessment procedures. We believe that observing clients is what trainers do best. We also believe orthopedic assessments and tests are the specialty of physical therapists and orthopedic specialists, not personal trainers.”

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“Looking at some of the techniques and courses being offered to personal trainers, we wonder if the providers of the courses realize that the audience is made up of personal trainers. The content of the material we have seen at conferences and in educational materials targeting personal trainers is more appropriate for therapists and doctors. Here is our reasoning for not jumping onto the assessment bandwagon.”

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Before we even get into the efficacy of an assessment strategy, let’s first talk about the scope of practice of a personal trainer. As of this writing, I have only been able to find two organizations that have attempted to delineate the job description of a personal trainer: the ACSM and the NSCA. According to the ACSM, “The ACSM Health Fitness Instructor conducts exercise programs and provides health education for apparently healthy people.” Likewise, according to the NSCA, “The NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer trains active and sedentary, physically healthy individuals, as well as the elderly and obese.

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” Now, let’s compare this to the job description of a physical therapist. According to the Maine Physical Therapist Practice Act, ”physical therapy” means the evaluation, treatment and instruction of human beings to detect, assess, prevent, correct, alleviate and limit physical disability, bodily malfunction and pain from injury, disease and any other bodily condition; the administration, interpretation and evaluation of tests and measurements of bodily functions and structures for the purpose of treatment planning; the planning, administration, evaluation and modification of treatment and instruction; and the use of physical agents and procedures, activities and devices for preventive and therapeutic purposes; and the provision of consultative, educational and other advisory services for the purpose of reducing the incidence and severity of physical disability, bodily malfunction and pain. Now, where do you feel the assessments of muscular imbalances, compensations and other orthopedic problems belong? If you ask me, and based on the above job descriptions, they are the job of therapists and orthopedic specialists.”

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I am not suggesting you should not be educated in various areas of the allied health professions. I encourage education in any field of interest. However, practicing what you learn is another story. Heck, you can watch all the Discovery Channel you want; it still does not make you a surgeon.”

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I hope you enjoyed reading those quotes as much as I do because Coach JC Santana does make some compelling points and you cannot deny the industry definition of the two professions.

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I’ve got plenty more to the Assessing Our Assessements series. So, stay tuned!

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In the meantime, tell us what you think about today’s post?

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Also, me about any Movement Assessment related issues you’d like to hear about in a future post?

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We have  a great workout group consisting of myself, Alli, Mark (Simonetti) Simon and MMA guru, John Rallo. We have all been hitting it very hard lately and our bodies are in need of a rest and recovery week. So, to help us recover, we have toned things down a great deal and we are currenlty doing a Deloading workout each day.

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I’ve found that many folks, even  Strength Coaches and Trainers have trouble figuring out what to do and not to do during a Deload phase.

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So, in today’s post, I’m going to provide you a sample of a Deloading workout.

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Below is a layout of the exact Deloading workout we did today. This deload workout is lower- body dominant because today (Tuesday) is a Lower-body training day for us.

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Sample Deload Workout for the Lower-Body

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This Delaod Workout is performed Circuit training style with 3 different work stations:

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Station #1 – 4 Minute Ride on Airdyne Bike at 60-70 RPM

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Station #2 – 4 Minute Sled Pull (mix up facing forward and Backward) w/200lbs load (done on turf)

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Station #3 – 4 Minute Mobility/Activation Sequence, 1min High Hurdle Step-Over , 1min Mini-Band walks (any direction), 1min Yoga-Plex, 1min Dynamic Pigeons (hip rotator stretch)

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Rest 1 Minute between stations. Perform  3-4 rounds of the entire circuit.

A full circuit takes 15minutes total. So, 3 rounds takes exactly 45min time. Four rounds take 1hr.

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Important Deload Week Notes

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After this or any other deloading workout – You should NOT feel tired or be out of breath!

Instead, you should have a nice sweat going but still be able to talk normally and feel minimal muscle fatigue.

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REMEMBER – A deload week is for active recovery, it’s NOT a workout and shouldn’t feel like one!

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Don’t forget to post your comments below and tell us what you thought of this Deload workout and about your own personal favorite deloading techniques!

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In that post, I discussed exactly what Tabata Intervals are, why Tabata Workouts benefit athletes of all levels and off course, how to gradually progress over a 12-week period to prevent overtraining.

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In this post, I’m going to cover a slightly shorter, 8 week Tabata Workout progression.

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If you are a fitter athlete with a solid conditioning base.  This 8-week progression is just what the doctor ordered to help you maximize the results of your Tabata training efforts.

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8-Week Tabata Workout Progression

Key – 10/20 x6 = 10 seconds work / 20 seconds rest x 6 rounds.

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Wk.1 – 10/20 x6

Wk.2 – 15/15 x4

Wk.3 – 10/20 x8

Wk.4 – 15/15 x6

Wk.5 – 20/10 x4

Wk.6 – 15/15 x8

Wk.7 – 20/10 x6

Wk.8 – 20/10 x8

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Do you have any personal favorite Tabata workouts?

I have a few killer Tabata workouts I will posting soon – keep checking back!

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In the meantime, post your comments and tell us about your favorite and most effective Tabata workouts!

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EXAMPLE:

Low Rep strength days (5-6 sets, 4-6 reps), I performed high intensity, anaerobic conditioning–4 min-8min max. Often we incorporated Tabatas, sled work or sprints.

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Med Rep strength days (3-4 sets, 8-12 reps) we performed about 12 minutes of interval work at a moderate intensity. This often consisted of Airdyne bike intervals or an upper body interval circuit.

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High Rep strength days (2-3 sets, 15-25 reps) I did conditioning for a longer duration (15-25 min) at a lower intensity. Sometimes the slideboard, the Airdyne bike or an upper body circuit (see Strength Training Split, High Rep, Part IV)

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So there you have it! It’s actually a simple formula that we followed– 1. Match your strength training and conditioning goals for that day in order to keep the intensity levels and energy systems demanded consistent and 2. if it is an upper body day, stick with upper body conditioning –boxing, sledge hammer work, band work, etc. On lower body days, stick with lower body conditioning–sled work, tire dragging, sprints, etc. This stays consistent with the split routine and aids proper rest on the designated muscle groups intended to rest on that day.

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In Part 1 – I explain the reasoning behing why adding weight is not always the best strategy to use to progress your strength and performance as an athlete.
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Now, check out this video and discover another very practical and effective strategy anyone can use to get stronger!

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Coach Nick Tumminello says – “Don’t be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“Never listens to your clients and doesn’t care about what they want because you have already decided  what they need”

“Who doesn’t provide an element of variety and fun during your workouts”

“Would rather be right than helpful”

“Mistakes your personal opinions for facts”

“Tells other professionals “this is how you should do things” over saying “this is how I do things”

“Who thinks they are smarter than the human body”

“Thinks they need to fix everybody’s problems”

“Specializes in a piece of equipment”

“Trains to your bias”

“Uses exercise as punishment”

“Tries to be cool instead being effective”

“Confusing adaption with adaptability”

“Trains people like robots”

“Forgets who’s session it really is”

“Is overly stuck on the science”

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Eric Cressey Says – “Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“Invites me to be a fan of your bootcamp’s facebook fan page for the 8,497th time even though I’ve already shot you down the first 8,496 times because I didn’t want to be inundated with notifications about how you’re having a free 6AM class 7,000 miles from where I live”

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“Don’t be the kind of strength coach who…overlooks assessments.  A destination and road map won’t do you any good if you don’t know your starting point”

“Don’t be the kind of strength coach who…doesn’t actually train oneself”

“Don’t be the kind of strength coach who…still thinks that it is just about clean, squat, bench.  We’ve learned a lot since 1983″

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Kevin Neeld says - ”Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“Stops reading when they graduate college!”

“Thinks that corrective exercise is only for the training room”

“Doesn’t acknowledge the importance of nutrition in facilitating results and recovery”

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Mike T Nelson says - ”Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“confuses pain with progress”

“does not test anything or perform any re-assessment”

“does not account for TOTAL stress (lifestyle included)”

“does not think for themselves”

“does not directly address the role of the nervous system in performance”

“allows athletes to move like crap”

“only makes them a great athlete in the GYM  and NOT on the field where it counts”

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Mark Young says - ”Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“is a giant pompous ass”

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Chad Waterbury says – “Don’t be the kind of strength coach who”

“Loses focus of what the goal of the training session really is”

“Focuses on the muscles instead of the nervous system”

“Thinks having more certifications is better”

“Gives credence to coaches who have trained no one”

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Rob Simonelli says - ”Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“Forges ahead with today’s workout even after learning an athletes “today” injury or limitation”

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Matt Coe says – “Don’t be kind to the strength coach who…”

“Thinks Crossfit and their mascot pukey are cool.”

“Doesn’t use a progressive system”.

“Is more about using the new gimmick they have in the training of their client (i.e. entertrainment) than getting results”

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Bret Contreras says - ”Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“Prescribes solely axial hip dominant exercises and fails to prescribe any anteroposterior hip dominant exercises”

“is overly-focused on having his athletes hit big numbers in the powerlifts”

“doesn’t keep up with new research and methodology”

“has his or her clients do 30 minutes on the treadmill as part of their session”

“fails to prioritize unilateral lower body training”

“sticks to machines only”

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Mike Boyle says - ”Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“Who never attends a seminar”

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Bruce Kelly says - ”Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“Fails to realize that learning is a continuous, life long process. There are too many facets in this business for someone to be intellectually lazy and not spend part of each day reading, learning something new, etc.”

“Isn’t open to listening to other points of view whether they coincide with your philosophy or not. Doesn’t mean you have to agree but you should at least listen”

“Has PDD (program deficit disorder). Heard that one from Brett Jones. We know the type who jumps from program to program according to what they just read or heard.”

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Henry Paul says - ”Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“Who doesn’t make changes when they know they are wrong. There’s no shame in admitting a mistake in your programme, it’ll only improve you and your athlete.”

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Coach Wendy says - ”Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“Who prescribes an exercise without trying it first (and mastering it)”

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Eric Wong says - ”Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“pushes your athletes harder than you’ll push yourself”

“Spends so much time training and working to make money that you neglect study, learning, and experimenting with new techniques”

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Dan Blewett says - ”Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“Can’t relate to people well enough to put his knowledge to good use.”

“Makes his athletes strong but too inflexible to use it on the field.”

“Has a lat pulldown machine but no chin-up bar”

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Teddy Willsey says - ”Dont’ be the kind of Strength Coach who…”

“thinks powerlifting alone develops power”

“thinks every athlete should perform olympic lifts”

“does not sufficiently warm up their athletes through dynamic movement prior to strenuos work”

“believes every athlete should squat ass to grass”

“does not consistently prescribe specific exercises to help prevent inury or “prehab” the low back, shoulders and knees”

“does not understand that introducing a new exercise is an additional stressor”

“does not take into account the bioenergetic demands of each individual athlete’s specific position in their competitive event”

“gets more glute activation in bed than in the gym”

“isn’t constantly reading, learning, and open to new information”

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Now its your turn to provide insights and advice to add to the next “Don’t be the kind of Strength Coach who”?

Post your comments below!

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Although this concept is well known, the methods of how to do this safely, efficiently and effectively are still somewhat of a mystery to athletes and coaches alike.

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In this Blog post series, I’m going to provide you with a multitude of challenging, fun and effective ways to continually gain muscle, increase strength, improve explosiveness and reduce body fat without increasing the load on the bar or dumbbell.

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Beyond Just Adding Weight

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Although adding more weight is certainly a valuable and proven way to progress, there are also many other options that are just as, if not more effective depending on your goals effective. These are the methods I will describe in this and future posts.

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Don’t Misunderstand!

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Before you watch the video below, Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not saying you shouldn’t ever add weight to your lifts. Nor am I saying that adding weight is not important to gaining size and strength. All I’m saying is that adding weight is just one method of many. In other words, its just a tool in the tool box, is NOT the only tool in the box.

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Watch this video and discover the first, simple method to get stronger and improve performance w/o adding addition weight load!

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Stay tuned for Part 2 because I will reveal another simple and very practical method of gaining strength!

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Now, As promised, in this post – its all about Practical training strategies!

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I’m going to reveal my Top 5 Ways Guaranteed to alleviate and prevent muscle imbalances!

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All the training strategies I’m getting ready to tell you about are simple to understand, easy to apply and can be used safely and effectively with athletes of all levels, in any setting from large group to one on one training.

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So, if you want to create a workout that reduces current muscle imbalances, prevents injury and creates more symmetry and improves functional strength – apply these concepts below to every workout you do!

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Coach Nick’s Top 5 Ways to Corrective and Prevent Muscle Imbalances!

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#1. Use Uni-Lateral Exercises

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Unilateral training has become the dominant style of ALL my lifting these days. Why? – because we all have one side that is stronger and more developed than the other! If I spend most of my time performing bilateral movements – I’m just reinforcing those existing imbalances. I may also be putting my athletes at an increased risk of injury!

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Many folks would tell you that to progress the loaded squat – you start on two legs (bilateral), progress to a split stance, then to a single leg stance. I however disagree and do almost the opposite. I start everyone with either a loaded split stance or single leg stance long before I ever get them to do a loaded bilateral squat. Keep in mind Im talking about loaded squatting, not unloaded squatting. I use unloaded, bilateral squat patterns with everyone!

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Although many folks seem to understand the importance of unilateral training. It seems that this concept is rarely applied to training the upper-body. So don’t forget about your 1 arm rows, 1 arm push ups, and one arm presses!

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For more on the benefits of unilateral training check out my article here and Allis article here.

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#2. Write Unbalanced Programs!

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Put simply, when it comes to designing a workout program – Unbalanced bodies need Unbalanced workout Programs!

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So, if you are a strong bencher but have no muscle mass in the middle of your back – Do more pulls than pushes!

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If you naturally have a thick torso but skinny legs – spend more time lifting your legs!

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This stuff is really not rocket science but folks just aren’t doing it!

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#3. Practice Balanced Training Methods

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Yes, I know this is opposite of what I just said above! The fact is, once you trained properly to alleviate your imbalances, you need to maintain your current level of balance. This can only be done by designing a well balanced program.

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Plus, if you are a coach or trainer looking to preventing muscle imbalances from happening at all, practicing well balanced program design methods will do just that.

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A well balanced program consists of  doing a 1:1 ratio of everything – For every pull there is a push. For every flexion there is an extension. Everything done of the right is also done with the left. I think you get the idea.

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#4. Start with the Weak Side

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If you have an obvious weak side or Non-dominat side – I recommend always starting your sets on that side.

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Why? – well, what if on your strong side, you could perform 20 reps with a given weight. But, your weak side can only perform 15 reps with that same weight. By starting with your weak side, you set a rep # standard for what you want the strong side to do as well. In other words, if the weak side can only do 15 reps. You would only do 15 reps on your strong side as well.

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This strategy will have two positive effects- 1.) it will save the strong side from possible overuse injury and prevent it from getting too strong relative to the other side – 2.) force the weak side to get stronger and catch up to the strong side.

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Lastly, it always takes more energy and CNS demand to do things on your non-dominant side. So, it’s always a good idea to start each set using your weaker side because you are fresher and able to devote more energy and effort. This will lead to faster and larger gains in strength and performance on that weak side.

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#5. Control the Force You Can Create!

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This is really a call for the use of mostly standing, free weight based, functionally integrated exercises. This way, you develop and improve the optimal stability required to control your body while improving strength to move your body.

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Put simply, many folks out there in the weight room are strong. But, only in the gym!

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The problem is they cannot control the force the can create. So, they can only generate maximal force in which a bench or machine can control it for them. All they have to do is move the load.

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Think about a guy who can bench a ton or weight. But, when he does push ups, his low back and head sags down toward the floor. This shows that although his upper body can produce tremendous force, his torso cannot control (stabilize) the pull of gravity. This means that his torso (core) cannot control all the fore his upper-body can create. My fiends, this is a huge imbalance that can only lead to dysfunction and injury!

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So, do you stability work and spend most of you time in the gym Not sitting or lying down on a bench!

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There you have it!

My top 5 ways to correct and prevent muscle imbalances.

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I’d love to hear your ideas and thoughts so post your comments below!

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It seems the simple, no non-sense approach to understanding muscle imbalances provided in Part 1, was just what the doctor ordered for many coaches and trainers interested in this important but often overly complex and sometimes confusing topic.

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Well, in this, Part 2, I’ve got more simple, user-friendly concepts that will add clarity to a few other concepts and controversies surrounding muscle imbalances and how to effectively deal with them. Plus, in this post,  I will also provide you with some more, reality based concepts as to what muscle imbalances are important to deal with and which ones are not… this may surprise you!

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Now, let’s explore more on the TRUTH About Muscle Imbalances.

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The Human Body Is Supposed to be Imbalanced!

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Yes, thats right, I said the human body is supposed to be imbalanced. All of us, from elite athletes to the average Joe and Jane, are imbalanced by nature, by design and most importantly, by necessity!

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Don’t believe me? – Than answer these questions;

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What hand do you always write with?

What leg do you always kick with?

What side do you always golf from?

What leg do you always lead with when wrestling, boxing or doing MMA?

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I can go on here but I think you get my point. The reality is, as long as you have a “dominant side”, you are always going to have muscle imbalances!

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As my good friend, Mentor and fellow Strength Coach, JC Santana says – “As humans, by nature, we will always have a strong dumb side, and a weaker smart side”.

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Think about it for a moment and I’m sure you will agree with Coach JC Santana. If you are a right handed person carrying a heavy bag a groceries. You are always going to hold the groceries in your left hand to free up your right hand in order to perform all fine motor skill type activities such as using your keys to open your car door.

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A right hander, just about everyday, has to carry something heavy from a small child, to a brief case to a gym bag to walking the dog with your left hand while keeping the right hand free to do fine motor tasks like writing, opening locked doors, dialing phone numbers and sending text messages.

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With this in mind, it’s easy to see how we (right handers) commonly develop a strong dumb side (left hand) and a smart weak side (right hand).

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Of course, it works opposite for left handers!

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Imbalances Go Beyond the Muscles!

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Its interesting to note that it’s not just muscles that have imbalances. In fact, almost everything about your body is imbalanced by nature.

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Just read the Book - The Dominance Factor - by Carla Hannaford, and you will soon learn simple ways to discover things like your dominant ear, dominant eye, etc;

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Understanding these little concepts can really help you better work with others. For example – a child in school, who is right eye dominant,  will have a much easier time learning when he or she is sitting on the left side of the room.

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Why?… because this will put the student’s right eye closer to seeing what the teacher is writing on the board.

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With this example in mind, you can start to get an idea of how these Dominant side concepts can be applied to enhance the effectiveness of your personal and group S&C training programs.

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Muscle Imbalances ARE Sports Specific!

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Many folks will say that you must have a perfectly balanced body in order to perform optimally in sports and prevent injury.

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I would not completely disagree with this statement. But, we have to be specific as to what imbalances in sports are good and what imbalances are not-so-good. Because, the reality is, certain imbalances can actually improve sports performance.

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Just think of a right handed boxer. In order for a boxer to succeed, he or she should have a dominant side. Would you want to train a right handed boxer as a southpaw (left hander)? – Absolutely NOT!

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The only exception for a boxer to train using both stances should be when its part of technical and tactical training for a specific fight strategy.

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Another example of an imbalance that is crucial to successful sports performance is the block style start for sprinters and anyone wishing to improve their combine style sprint starts (w/o blocks). In these cases, you should spend most of the time doing sprints, starting with the same stance dictated by the what works best for you (aka – the athlete’s Dominant side).

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Now, don’t get me wrong, its always helpful to train from both stances. But you should spend much more time working from the side you’ll actually be starting the test or race from.

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The BIG Question?

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Now, the big question all this leads us to is – Which imbalances are the ones that hinder performance and possibly cause injury? In other words, which imbalances are bad?

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The answer – The ones that…

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- interfere and/or prevent normal, fundamental, functional ability

- change normal gait and locomotive patterns (walking, running, skipping)

- restrict normal joint ranges of motion

- cause pain

- interfere with optimal rhythm and timing or movements

- cause abnormal/ sub-optimal postural deviations

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In other words, its okay for a sprinter to have the ability to push off one leg harder than the other leg when sprinting, as long as that same sprinter can do general things like squatting and deadlifting with decent symmetry.

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Its also okay if a right-handed boxer hits harder with his right punch, as long as that same boxer can perform upper-body exercises with optimal symmetry, rhythm and timing.

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Put simply, a sports specific imbalance is perfectly okay as long as it 1.) only shows up when the athlete performs certain sports specific skills and 2.) DOES NOT negatively change the athletes ability to perform general, fundamental movement patterns or cause pain.

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5  Simple Recommendations for Successfully Training with Muscle Imbalnces!

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As trainers and coaches dealing the athletes who we know are going to have imbalances, its our job to;

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1.) Understand the difference between an asymmetry and a “dominant side”,

2.) Do NOT attempt to “fight” any imbalnces that you know are strictly there as a necessary adaption mechanism, by the body, in order to perform a given sport more effctively and efficiently,

3.)With #2 in mind, Do NOT feed into making any current, sports specific imbalances worse within a S&C program,

4.)With #3 in mind, devote slightly more training time to improving the non-dominant side during general S&C training,

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5.)  If an imbalance, sports specific or general, causes pain, limitation or dysfunction, it should become a primary training and rehab goal and be addressed and corrected as soon as possible.

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Coming soon…

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I hope the above info has further helped you understand the TRUTH about Muscle Imbalances and expose you to some lesser considered points on dealing with them.

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In part 3 of my Truth ABout Muscle Imbalances, I will provide you the exact training strategies you can utilize to prevent future imbalances and correct existing ones.

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In part 3, its all about simple, user-friendly, battle-tested training strategies that all Coaches and Fitness Professionals, regardless or setting or experience level,  can immediately apply to improve their programs.

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Trust me, you absolutely do not want to miss Part 3! So, keep checking back and don’t forget to comment below.

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