I was recently asked why I chose the name Starting Line Fitness. I realized that I've only told a couple of people how I picked the name Starting Line Fitness. So here goes... It was a dark stormy night...just kidding. One day my wife and I were hanging out in our living room and she asked if I could write her a workout program. She had recently joined a new gym and wanted to do more than just group fitness classes and cardio machines.
I was up to the challenge. I wrote the best damn program that was ever written. She looked at it for all two seconds and said "what are those?" She pointed to the words "Barbell Back Squats 45lbs 3x10".
Have you ever been on vacation where they speak a different language? If you answered yes then you've probably had one of those awkward exchanges where you're trying to ask for directions somewhere and the native person is looking at you with the "I have no idea what the hell you are talking about face".
Move weights. What's the difference? Lifting is mostly what we do in the gym. Moving weight is mostly what we do in life. https://youtu.be/SNT7wTPdiOc
I'm not saying not to lift. In fact get strong as fuck (as the kids say). Get strong in as many ways as possible.
Here Dora is doing shovel pattern and a lunge with a rotational shift with a 10kg ViPR. Also Dorothy is doing a Zercher carry with a 12kg ViPR.
The other day a friend asked what's the best food diary app or method. I thought this would be a good question to answer here. I told my friend that I use and have my clients use MyFitnessPal. I like MyFitnessPal because it has a large database of foods and brands. You can also save commonly eaten foods and recipes. Also if you input your weight and set goals it will set a daily caloric goal for you. It also has a blog, community challenges that you can enter and a host of other features that I don't think most people use. The thing is most food diary/tracker apps do all of these things. So when it comes to picking the best one it's a matter of finding the one with the best food database (for you) and the best user interface (for you). So that's how you pick the best app.
I actually wrote this over a year ago. I'm not sure why I didn't post it. I'm posting it now because it's still true. One of the hardest things I have to teach lots of new clients is to be selfish. People are always ready to give all of themselves to their family or their work. The thing is by doing so, they're actually leaving less of themselves to give in the long run. Anyway, you check out what I originally wrote and the quick workout that went with it. If you like what I have to say, share it with a friend or two or eight.
In just about every gym you'll find a guy doing curls too close to a rack of weights. Never mind the dummy, let's concentrate on the dumbbells (the weights on the rack). Dumbbells are excellent tools for increasing strength, muscle tone and muscle endurance. Meaning they can help with just about everything you're trying to achieve by working out. A dumbbell is a free weight, meaning it can be moved around, characterized by a bar with weighted plates on each end.
Dumbbells come in either fixed or adjustable weights. If the dumbbells are fixed weight, the weight is usually written or etched into the sides of the plates. Fixed weight dumbbells range from as light as 1 pound up to as heavy as 200 pounds, though most commercial gyms will max out around 120 pounds.
Adjustable dumbbells, like fixed weight, come in many different varieties but for the most part they all work the same way. You have the center bar and you (evenly) add plates until you reach the desired weight. The weights are then held in place by a collar that is either spring loaded or locked into place.
Dumbbells are great because they allow the user the option of using both hands simultaneously or individually. Dumbbells allow for alternating exercises (one side then the other) and reciprocating exercises (both arms moving at the same time but in opposite directions). Dumbbells are also an effective tool because you can move them in just about every way imaginable depending on how heavy they are.
The last benefit I just mentioned is also big drawback of the dumbbell. The fact that it can and will move in a variety of directions make the dumbbell a tool that novice exercisers have to be careful with. That being said, I would suggest when starting to exercise with dumbbells to err on the lighter side. This way the worst that happens is that the exercise is too easy and you make it a little heavier the next set.
So (not so) politely say excuse me to the dummy in front of the rack and grab a pair of dumbbells and start pressing, squatting, deadlifting and what ever other exercise you can think of. Leave a comment if you have any questions and share with someone with who's been wondering about those weights on the rack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yVpd6ZIlwY&feature=youtu.be Today's success: I know it doesn't necessarily look pretty and doesn't display a feat of athletic awesomeness. What makes it a success? The fact that she emailed me 2 days ago saying she tripped on the sidewalk...she had a stitch in her lip and said her right palm and left knee were both sore. What makes it a success? The fact that the main reason she started training 8 years ago is because she was diagnosed with osteoporosis. So yes the fact that she still showed up to train despite having tripped and despite having a stitch in her lip and despite having some lingering soreness is what made her successful today.
Would she have been more successful had she never fallen? Obviously. I wish I could've have prevented her from falling. I'm still very proud of this video and the movement she displays in it. Why? Because her email could've read, "I fell and I broke my arm. I won't be able to train for a couple months" or worse. Instead she was able to pick herself up (literally) and show up for training.
There are almost 80 million obese people in the United States. That's more than a third of the population. There are 29 million Americans with diabetes. As a point of reference, that's about 3.5 times the population of New York City. I haven't even mentioned the millions of people who are classified as "overweight" or "pre-diabetic". It's not hard to find these numbers. I did two Google searches: "US obesity stats" and "US diabetes stats". You could do a "walmart customers" Google image search if you're more of a visual learner
.
With these numbers readily available, it has become trendy for fitness professionals to tell people to stop exercising. To be fair, fit pros are advocating "training" over just exercising. What's the difference? Training means you're following a particular (planned out) program to reach a particular goal. Exercising usually refers to performing prolonged physical activity without the presence of a program.
I agree that "training" will lead to better results than just "exercising". There is an "if" though; and it's a big "IF". Training will lead to better results than just exercising IF the person ready, willing, and able to complete the prescribed program. Everyone is able to train. Everyone is NOT ready or willing to train...yet. This is where I take issue with fitness professionals telling people not to exercise.
Lots of time it's hard enough for obese people just to make a decision to change. Once they make that decision, it's our job to help them to start actually making the changes. Often times this may mean if the client/member wants to come to the gym and walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes and then "try" some machines and exercises, then I have to show him/her how to use the treadmill, set up the machines and teach correct form on the exercises. This is about meeting the client/member where they are. Telling him/her that everything they wanted to do is wrong/bad would be more conducive to getting them to walk out of the gym and never coming back.
I know a lot of "don't exercise, train" stuff that is going around social media is directed at people with higher training ages (i.e. people who know what "training age" means). Unfortunately social media doesn't filter out the newbies from the seasoned gym rats. So when the newbies see these articles, they act as more of a deterrent than instructional advice.
I recently saw a video on Facebook labeled something like "if your workout doesn't have practical carryover, then what's the point?" The video then showed clients doing farmer's carries, bear crawls and tire flips. This got me wondering: have I forgotten what the word "practical" means? prac.ti.cal- of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas. "there are two obvious practical applications of the research" synonyms: empirical, hands-on, actual, active, applied, heuristic, experiential, evidence-based "practical experience" antonyms: theoretical
2. so nearly the case that it can be regarded as so; virtual. "it was a practical certainty that he would try to raise more money" synonyms: virtual, effective, near
Now that I've got clarification about the definition of "practical" via good ol' Google, I ask do farmer's carries, bear crawls and tire flips have "practical carryover"?
Farmer's carries definitely have carryover into real life. We routinely carry grocery bags, suitcases and other things as we go about everyday life. Now when I start to think about bear crawls and tire flips things begin to get confusing for me. I'm hard pressed to come up with everyday life activities in which bear crawls and tire flips are "concerned with the actual doing or use of something" or are "so nearly the case that it can be regarded as so".
Now it's time for the part where I explain that my problem isn't with bear crawls and tire flips. They are great exercises for building core stability (bear crawls) and explosive strength/power (tire flips). My issue here is with referring to them as having "practical carry over". They don't.
Before people start screaming "TIRE FLIPS ARE GREAT FOR FOOTBALL" and "BEAR CRAWLS ARE THE PERFECT EXERCISE FOR MMA FIGHTERS"; let me explain. The only time these exercises carryover into everyday life is if you are an athlete. The fact is most of us (and our clients) are not athletes or at least we (and our clients) are not anymore.
So lets do ourselves (and our clients) a favor. Let's stop falling back on catch phrases like "practical" and "functional". By misusing these words we're doing a couple of things. First off, we're assuming our clients are stupid. Only stupid people would believe crawling around on the floor is going to prepare them for their everyday life of office work and watching TV.
Secondly, we're making ourselves into nothing more than door-to-door salespeople. The only reason for the misuse of these words (that I can come up with) is to con someone into buying what you're selling. As I said, people aren't stupid so in the end you're the one that comes out looking foolish.
Don't stop using exercises like bear crawls and tire flips with your clients. Do stop lying to your clients about why you're using them. Learn what these exercises (and all others) are actually good for. Then learn how to communicate those benefits to your clients in smart, honest way.
P90X. Insanity. Crossfit. Bootcamp. Tough Mudder. Spartan Race. Warrior Dash. Civilian Military Combine. These are just the fitness trends I could think of off the top of my head. I’m sure if I did a Google search I could find hundreds, if not thousands, more fitness brands with names that evoke images of fighting to the death or trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world.
Which leads me to the question: when did fitness become a kill or be killed proposition? I’ve been working in health/fitness for almost 11 years since graduating from college. I’ve been exclusively personal training for going on 8 years and I don’t know the answer to the above question.
To be clear, I’m not saying people shouldn’t participate in the above activities. If you enjoy training for and competing in Tough Mudders then more power to you.
The point I’m trying to make is that for every crossfitter, bootcamper, or warrior dasher there is a person out there who just wants to go to the gym for the health/fitness benefits and not be screamed at and pushed to what he/she feels is the brink of death.
If the above sentence is true, then a problem arises when P90X and Insanity (in what other arena is “insanity” something to strive for?) are the first things that come to mind when thinking about fitness brands. The problem is that the “health/fitness benefit” people get turned off and/or intimidated.
As fitness professionals, aren't we supposed to be trying to get as many people working out as possible? The current state of fitness seems to be driving just as many people away as it’s inviting in. This doesn’t make sense.
Again I’m not knocking high intensity competitive workouts. If you have clients who want to do them; great. Design safe effective programs and go to town. Also I’m not saying we need to be designing workouts where crocodile breathing and toe touches make up 90%. I am saying that there are people that fall in the middle of those two extremes and we need to do a better job of inviting everyone into the mix.
So how do you know who’s who? First, listen to your client. If he/she walks in telling you about how they always beat their siblings in HORSE, they might a good candidate for some AMRAP sets. If during your first meeting the client is detailing their experience as captain of the AV squad and they can’t name any of the local professional sports teams then you might want to keep that WOD in your back pocket for the time being.
Next watch your client during that first session. If between sets your client is picking up different pieces of equipment and randomly trying new exercises, then they may need/want the structure of timed sets or a giant set with like 5 exercises included. On the other hand, if your client is uncomfortable being in the middle of the gym floor or if you need to coerce your client into doing the next set, you probably want to stay away from setting up a large blinking timer that beeps loudly when it hits zero.
In conclusion, as fitness professionals it’s up to us to remember that not every client is vying to be on ESPN2 during a broadcast of the Crossfit Games. Not every one wants to be dubbed the “fittest man/woman in the world”. And that’s OK. The more laid back clients deserve just as much respect and attention as the Tough Mudders and Spartan Racers.
![Dear [Food] Diary](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5542dfffe4b0e25552513b0e/1503924026225-WWVCX3VHVAZY0F12MO01/image-asset.png)