At week 4 I repeated the process, after 12 weeks I changed plans.
I will list what I did next in (part 2)
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Strength base (part 1)
The following is the plan I followed last summer. Very simple and time efficient, but I found it to be a great base for strength.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
TRAMPLE THE WEAK, HURDLE THE DEAD!
Everyone today is a special snowflake who has issues, some kind of disease or self imposed deficit. Self diagnosis and medication have given way to a collective mindset of entitlement.
Remember the men of greater generations past, they are fewer by the day. When they got home from WWII they went to work, doing anything for a decent wage. My great uncle (still alive) was in the Battle of The Bulge, 80 years old and still gets up ever morning and works on the farm. Because he wants to be productive. Get off your lazy butts and do something, the world owes you nothing!
Galatians 6:7 "whatever one sows, that will he also reap."
Work for what you want, sow seeds of success and prosperity. Be thankful for your ability to work and remember that God rewards the Diligent!
TRAMPLE THE WEAK AND HURDLE THE DEAD, they will only hold you back.
This message is directed at my brother-in-law, you lazy bum!
Top five Supplements
I waisted years and a lot of money when I was younger looking for the next "almost illegal, buy it before it's gone" gimmick. Almost anything to get big quick, to a point. The following are my recommendations for supplements that actually work based off my experience and have sufficient data to make me feel justified. I have not tried everything but these work for me.
Disclaimer* I am not a doctor and people have been getting huge for years before the supplement industry, so choose with your own discretion.
You can't out supplement a bad diet!
1.) Whey Protein - anything that is cheap and available, if you pay more than $11 per pound you are getting screwed. Also check to make sure that the serving is around 20g per scoop. Isolate mixes easily and doesn't tend to upset my gut.
2.) BCAA's - get the caplets, the powder is horrible!
3.) Creatine - good old monohydrate, nothing fancy
4.) Multi-vitamins- go to Sams or Costco, get the most servings for the least amount of $
5.) Glutamine- basic glutamine powder.
Prework out- COFFEE!
Any brand that is cheap and plentiful is better than nothing. Herba-Zeal does not count as quality in my book. They're pyramid schemes, use common sense.
The following supplement websites are good, as I see things. Stop going to supplement stores down the street because it's close. You'll end up waisting money and getting pestered by some choad who only does "arm day" and works on commission.
Www ProteinFactory.com
Www.truenutrition.com
Www.atlargenutrition.com
Disclaimer* I am not a doctor and people have been getting huge for years before the supplement industry, so choose with your own discretion.
You can't out supplement a bad diet!
1.) Whey Protein - anything that is cheap and available, if you pay more than $11 per pound you are getting screwed. Also check to make sure that the serving is around 20g per scoop. Isolate mixes easily and doesn't tend to upset my gut.
2.) BCAA's - get the caplets, the powder is horrible!
3.) Creatine - good old monohydrate, nothing fancy
4.) Multi-vitamins- go to Sams or Costco, get the most servings for the least amount of $
5.) Glutamine- basic glutamine powder.
Prework out- COFFEE!
Any brand that is cheap and plentiful is better than nothing. Herba-Zeal does not count as quality in my book. They're pyramid schemes, use common sense.
The following supplement websites are good, as I see things. Stop going to supplement stores down the street because it's close. You'll end up waisting money and getting pestered by some choad who only does "arm day" and works on commission.
Www ProteinFactory.com
Www.truenutrition.com
Www.atlargenutrition.com
More about me
I am in no way a doctor, my medical license is for emergency response as associated with my profession (FD.) I am working towards finishing my education in Exercise Science. That being said, I am NOT a guru or expert. I have read non stop for ten years and done every program that has had real merit. I have also had the opportunity of being a part of the initial test group for Brandon Lilly's Cube Method. Anything I say is my opinion and based on years under the bar. Without PED's my journey has been anything but fast. I will continue to get better, learn and hopefully help others in the process. I currently train a D1 thrower (disk, shot and Hammer) and I volunteer as a strength coach at an Oklahoma high school. I have had some success as a Highland Games Athlete (A Class), Strongman (232 class) and up coming Powerlifting (242.) Like many, for a long time I didn't want to compete cause I didn't have a elite level of strength. Always saying to myself "when I hit these numbers I'll start competing." Then as I got heavier, the bar to be competitive kept getting higher and I made more excuses. Until two years ago, I was the guy plugging away by myself in an abandoned room of a Fire Station. Training...for what? Finally I jumped into Competition, being the strongest guy on the FD and a small pond was no longer satisfying. Proverbs 27:17 "As Iron Sharpens Iron, on person sharpens another." The result of competition has only bettered who I am and what I am capable of doing. Get out of your comfort zone, compete and see what happens.
Best lifts: These are all time PR's nothing record breaking but I fought for ever pound and I am proud.
Bench 450
Squat 600x 3 scratched a single of 650
Dead 630
C&J 230 not kilos
Snatch 180 not kilos
My (olympic) weightlifting numbers are horrendous, but instead of powering up higher numbers and re-enforcing bad habits I have chosen to chase technique and form. If you can't have good form with light weight then heavy weight will never happen. Weightlifting is completely new to me. Jon Cole and Misha Koklyaev are some of the strongest guys to ever live. Both were also competitive weightlifters, there is a level of athleticism associated with the sport and the training will yield a new challenge.
Best lifts: These are all time PR's nothing record breaking but I fought for ever pound and I am proud.
Bench 450
Squat 600x 3 scratched a single of 650
Dead 630
C&J 230 not kilos
Snatch 180 not kilos
My (olympic) weightlifting numbers are horrendous, but instead of powering up higher numbers and re-enforcing bad habits I have chosen to chase technique and form. If you can't have good form with light weight then heavy weight will never happen. Weightlifting is completely new to me. Jon Cole and Misha Koklyaev are some of the strongest guys to ever live. Both were also competitive weightlifters, there is a level of athleticism associated with the sport and the training will yield a new challenge.
Training Influences, my journey from 170 to 265 over ten years.
I am currently training to get as Big and Strong as possible. My philosophy is based on trial and error and ultimately a melting pot of my experience. The names listed below all have significant influence on how and why I train a certain way. There is no set way on making yourself big, strong and athletic. Believing in your program and being consistent is what I have found to be most beneficial. Obviously seeking out those who have already paved the way will put you on a more direct path to success. I would encourage anyone wanting to learn more about the strength game or your particular goals to read about those below and form their own opinion. There are obviously more names I could list, but these are my top influences.
If you wanna be a giant killer, go find some Giant Killers and follow suit.
Powerlifting- Louie Simmons, Doug Young, Jon Cole, Jim Wendler
Strongman- Bill Kazmaier, Mariusz Pudzianowski, Misha Koklyaev, Jon Pall Sigmarsson
Highland Games- Matt Vincent
Weightlifting- Donny Shankle, Jon North, Travis Mash
Bodybuilding- Arnold, Tom Platz, Mike Mentzer
Diet- Shelby Starnes, John Meadows
If you wanna be a giant killer, go find some Giant Killers and follow suit.
Powerlifting- Louie Simmons, Doug Young, Jon Cole, Jim Wendler
Strongman- Bill Kazmaier, Mariusz Pudzianowski, Misha Koklyaev, Jon Pall Sigmarsson
Highland Games- Matt Vincent
Weightlifting- Donny Shankle, Jon North, Travis Mash
Bodybuilding- Arnold, Tom Platz, Mike Mentzer
Diet- Shelby Starnes, John Meadows
Crossfit...not for me
If you wanna do Crossfit, wonderful for you. It undoubtably is great and has done wonders for reformed fat kids from far and wide. Yes...Froning is jacked and tan, the dude is beast and I will certainly give him massive amounts of credit. But not everyone wants to look and or perform like the 3x Games champ. I would rather mirror Jon Cole, Doug Young, Jon Paul or Kaz.
If Tina Tuner summoned you and two teammates to Thunder Dome, who would you pick?
A) Froning and Khalipa
B) Cole and Kaz
My point is that not everyone wants to be the fit by Crossfit's definition.
To be continued...
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Fat and Lazy Fireman
Death of The Fire Service and a collapse of FD culture has systematically began. Fat, weak and unprepared we hobble towards our own demise. Firefighters today are at an all time high for being unhealthy and The Fire Service is reaping the first rotten fruits after years of planting seeds of apathy. The absence of Fitness and Health are starting to compound, resulting in pointless injuries and lost work time. Therefore, having negative repercussions on all personal, budgets and future retirement endeavors. According to NFPA (Karter, and Molis) in 2011 56.6% of all LOD (Line of Duty) injures were attributed to strain, sprain or muscular pain. It is time for us to stop being reactive lemmings with a heard mentality and start becoming educated and proactive. In FD culture we have championed our causes by being driven, educated and self reliant. But within the last ten years we have become weak minded, pill dependent, unaccountable, uneducated and lazy. Our problems are basic but easily fixable.
General Physical Preparedness (GPP) is a measure of fitness compared to the amount of work you can preform at any given time.
The most common excuses for lack of GPP
I've got good ole boy strength
I don't want to work out on duty in case we have a big fire
old school guys didn't work out
I don't want to get hurt
I'm already hurting and don't want to worsen things
Good Ole Boy Strength only applies to Samson, Atlas and Hercules. If GPP is cultivated, working out on shift and performing job requirements will not be an issue. Old school guys always had a second job and it was usually manual labor, swinging a hammer all day will raise your GPP. Working out will allow your body to regain full range of motion and build lagging muscles. Lagging muscles lead to pain and injuries that never fully recover. Raising your bodies ability to work will alleviate your pains and help prevent injuries. Resistance training, cardio, and being more physically active all contribute to you GPP. Improvement of your GPP will keep you ready to respond and healthy at all times.
Strength is beneficial to all aspects of human performance. Making movements, coordination and balance easier through enhanced force production. Firefighting is primarily strength based with cardio undertones. On scene operations are centered around dynamic movement often maximal effort (drag, pull, push) alternating with low intensity periods. Improving a persons Strength will increase the ease of a physically taxing job like firefighting. Studies have shown that resistance training makes the muscles more efficient with a limited amount of O2, which improves conditioning reflected in VO2 Max. Cardio training is great and anyone could benefit from it alone, but resistance training should always be our bread and butter.
Injuries are often attributed to a lack to strength and improper movement patterns. Weakness leads to a mechanical breakdown of the body and added stress to joints and connective tissue. Although some injuries are sustained due to uncontrolled circumstances, most are avoidable with simple training methods and learning correct movements. The old adage "lift with your legs, not with your back" is a good starting place, but needs elaboration. Knee, Shoulder and Back injuries should be viewed from an athletic training perspective. Changing our approach to have direct ties with athletic training would yield benefits we can utilize based on proven methodology and rehab/prehab practices. Short term, long term and reoccurring injuries could be overwhelmingly reduced in one years time if a basic system were implemented.
Sleep is often overlooked when the most people think of how to increase their health. All health experts agree on the benefits and importance of sleep; Between 7-10 hours are recommended to receive the full recovery based on individual needs. The nature of station life is less than conducive to positive sleeping habits, putting us all at a possible 1/3rd sleep deficiency. You are not getting enough quality sleep, or you would feel better.
Nutrition affects every facet of our health and how our body operates. Auto Immune disorders, diabetes, obesity and all diseases can be hindered or helped simply by what our body consumes. Obesity itself can lead to other conditions, like Heart Disease (The #1 Killer of Firemen) and physical limitations through joint and connective tissue stress. Studies have shown that massive improvements and even the curing of certain conditions is possible with controlled eating habits. This is not Alchemy, it has been proven to the point of redundancy. Stop making excused for your poor diet, chasing a Fish Salad with 15 candy bars with a Diet Coke does not put you on the health train.
Simple and effective starting blocks for your FD
Exercise each shift: Lift, Run, Walk, Jazzercise, Sweat to The Oldies...ANYTHING!
Be proactive with recovery: Warm up, Stretch, Foam Roll, Ice what hurts, Soreness reducing Liniments, compress, OTC anti-inflammatory. Staying injured is a choice, not a lifestyle.
Sleep more, utilizing time when you can rest, recovery is vital to overall health.
Clean up your diet:
(Protein) beef, fish, chicken and lean pork
(Carbs) Veggies, sweet potato and fruit
(Fats) Coconut Oil, Fish Oil, Macadamia Oil, Natural Peanut and Almond butter.
5. Drink water, coffee and tea (if you must use a sweetener I recommend liquid Stevia)
By implementing the simple principles listed, dramatic changes can be made in one month. I challenge everyone reading to workout each day on shift, eat better, sleep more and invest in your current and future health.
We need quality education instead of spending thousands dollars on overpriced poorly made fitness equipment and fad training devices. We must adapt our approach to physical training, nutrition and education in order to reduce LOD injuries and prepare for work loads, everyday needs and someday retirement. The time for action is now, we must take control of our situation before policy and bureaucratic outsiders force us into compliance.
Karter, Michael, and Joseph Molis. www.nfpa.org. National Fire Protection Agency, October 2012. Web. 19 Dec 2012. <http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files//PDF/OS.FFInjuries.pdf>.
General Physical Preparedness (GPP) is a measure of fitness compared to the amount of work you can preform at any given time.
The most common excuses for lack of GPP
I've got good ole boy strength
I don't want to work out on duty in case we have a big fire
old school guys didn't work out
I don't want to get hurt
I'm already hurting and don't want to worsen things
Good Ole Boy Strength only applies to Samson, Atlas and Hercules. If GPP is cultivated, working out on shift and performing job requirements will not be an issue. Old school guys always had a second job and it was usually manual labor, swinging a hammer all day will raise your GPP. Working out will allow your body to regain full range of motion and build lagging muscles. Lagging muscles lead to pain and injuries that never fully recover. Raising your bodies ability to work will alleviate your pains and help prevent injuries. Resistance training, cardio, and being more physically active all contribute to you GPP. Improvement of your GPP will keep you ready to respond and healthy at all times.
Strength is beneficial to all aspects of human performance. Making movements, coordination and balance easier through enhanced force production. Firefighting is primarily strength based with cardio undertones. On scene operations are centered around dynamic movement often maximal effort (drag, pull, push) alternating with low intensity periods. Improving a persons Strength will increase the ease of a physically taxing job like firefighting. Studies have shown that resistance training makes the muscles more efficient with a limited amount of O2, which improves conditioning reflected in VO2 Max. Cardio training is great and anyone could benefit from it alone, but resistance training should always be our bread and butter.
Injuries are often attributed to a lack to strength and improper movement patterns. Weakness leads to a mechanical breakdown of the body and added stress to joints and connective tissue. Although some injuries are sustained due to uncontrolled circumstances, most are avoidable with simple training methods and learning correct movements. The old adage "lift with your legs, not with your back" is a good starting place, but needs elaboration. Knee, Shoulder and Back injuries should be viewed from an athletic training perspective. Changing our approach to have direct ties with athletic training would yield benefits we can utilize based on proven methodology and rehab/prehab practices. Short term, long term and reoccurring injuries could be overwhelmingly reduced in one years time if a basic system were implemented.
Sleep is often overlooked when the most people think of how to increase their health. All health experts agree on the benefits and importance of sleep; Between 7-10 hours are recommended to receive the full recovery based on individual needs. The nature of station life is less than conducive to positive sleeping habits, putting us all at a possible 1/3rd sleep deficiency. You are not getting enough quality sleep, or you would feel better.
Nutrition affects every facet of our health and how our body operates. Auto Immune disorders, diabetes, obesity and all diseases can be hindered or helped simply by what our body consumes. Obesity itself can lead to other conditions, like Heart Disease (The #1 Killer of Firemen) and physical limitations through joint and connective tissue stress. Studies have shown that massive improvements and even the curing of certain conditions is possible with controlled eating habits. This is not Alchemy, it has been proven to the point of redundancy. Stop making excused for your poor diet, chasing a Fish Salad with 15 candy bars with a Diet Coke does not put you on the health train.
Simple and effective starting blocks for your FD
Exercise each shift: Lift, Run, Walk, Jazzercise, Sweat to The Oldies...ANYTHING!
Be proactive with recovery: Warm up, Stretch, Foam Roll, Ice what hurts, Soreness reducing Liniments, compress, OTC anti-inflammatory. Staying injured is a choice, not a lifestyle.
Sleep more, utilizing time when you can rest, recovery is vital to overall health.
Clean up your diet:
(Protein) beef, fish, chicken and lean pork
(Carbs) Veggies, sweet potato and fruit
(Fats) Coconut Oil, Fish Oil, Macadamia Oil, Natural Peanut and Almond butter.
5. Drink water, coffee and tea (if you must use a sweetener I recommend liquid Stevia)
By implementing the simple principles listed, dramatic changes can be made in one month. I challenge everyone reading to workout each day on shift, eat better, sleep more and invest in your current and future health.
We need quality education instead of spending thousands dollars on overpriced poorly made fitness equipment and fad training devices. We must adapt our approach to physical training, nutrition and education in order to reduce LOD injuries and prepare for work loads, everyday needs and someday retirement. The time for action is now, we must take control of our situation before policy and bureaucratic outsiders force us into compliance.
Karter, Michael, and Joseph Molis. www.nfpa.org. National Fire Protection Agency, October 2012. Web. 19 Dec 2012. <http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files//PDF/OS.FFInjuries.pdf>.
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