The Physical Follows the Mental

December 31, 2008

bp6 The Physical Follows the Mental Let’s face it. Everyone wants to look better. I don’t know too many people that don’t want to gain more muscle or lose bodyfat. It’s human nature. You want to appeal to the opposite sex and command respect from you peers. I am obsessed with human performance and train for strength and function first and foremost, but even I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to look better. We all do.

But wanting and doing are two entirely different things. Everyone wants to dramatically transform their physiques, but how many people actually do? Very few. And do you know why? Because they don’t have the right mindset. Change your mindset and you will change your body.

Guys who have made incredible transformations accepted the fact that it wasn’t going to be easy and they were willing to work for it and do whatever it took. That’s not to say that it takes an inordinate amount of time. You don’t have to live in the gym. You can make great progress in just a few hours per week. But if you don’t have the right mindset and the determination to do whatever it takes during those three or four hours each week you will never get anywhere.

We all have time commitments that prevent us from training as much as we would like to. But lack of time never was and never will be an acceptable excuse. If you search hard enough and eliminate the wasted TV time and other nonsense, you will see that we all have two or three hours per week to dedicate to training. After all, what is more important than physical activity and exercise? Very little if you ask me.

Guys like Arnold, Bill Pearl, George Hackenshmidt and Ed Coan all had the never-say-die, take-no-prisoners attitude that is a prerequisite of dramatic physical transformation. Bill Pearl found that he was so busy that he had to wake up at 4am just to get his workouts in. But that’s what it took so he did it.

It doesn’t take the fanciest training system in the world, it doesn’t take a lot of time each week, it doesn’t take any expensive supplements; but it does take dedication and hard work. If you think you are going to loaf through your workouts and make a mind blowing change to your physique you are lying to yourself. Everything worth having in life requires hard work.

Will be this be the year when you finally make the mindset change necessary to achieve greatness or will you just make another useless New Years Resolution only to throw in the towel by February 1^st?

Train hard and make 2009 your best year ever.

For a simple to follow, step by step plan to get you in the best shape of your life, in less than three hours per week, check out http://www.MuscleGainingSecrets.com/ now.

Happy New Year,

Written by jasonferruggia · Filed Under Motivation, Muscle Building, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Quick Guidelines for Plyo, Speed and Agility Work

December 30, 2008

07 0521 44 Quick Guidelines for Plyo, Speed and Agility Work Question: Coach, can you give me a quick overview of how you implement plyos, speed and agility work with your athletes?

Answer: Ok, just so everyone is on the same page here, plyos consist of jumping, bounding and hopping exercises. These can be done off of one or two legs. Some of the simplest and most effective plyos are vertical jumps for height, box jumps, hurdle jumps, and broad jumps. Speed work consists of short sprints from 10-50 yards. When we discuss speed we usually mean straight ahead speed, whereas agility represents change of direction. So agility work would consist of running straight, sideways and backwards; changing direction often throughout the drill. No set of plyo, speed or agility work should ever last more than ten seconds.

People often ask, “What are the best exercises to increase my vertical jump? To run faster? To improve my change of direction speed (agility)?” They often want some hi tech answer and the fanciest drills known to man when the answer is as simple as it gets. To improve your vertical jump you jump more. To run faster you sprint more. To improve your agility you work on some basic change of direction drills. It is not that complicated. Of course you have to improve your relative strength so that you can apply more force to the ground but I will assume that everyone is already doing that. So as long as you are doing squats, deads, pistols or what have you, and consistently getting stronger, the best thing you can do is work on the skills you want to improve with the simplest drills possible. Jump, sprint and change direction; for no more than ten seconds per set, 2-3 days per week.

These drills should be done either immediately before your strength training workout or as a separate workout 4-8 hours earlier or later than your strength session.

So how many sets should you do? The easiest way to control the volume is simply through performance. When you are doing plyos, sprints or change of direction drills you should always use complete rest intervals. When your performance starts to decline, you are done for the day. Couldn’t be any easier than that.

Let’s say you are doing simple box jumps. You start with low boxes to warm up and continually increase the height of the box as you go. You can take short rest periods on the low boxes but once the height becomes challenging you need to increase the time between sets. You hit a 45 inch box, rest then make a 46 easily. You’re feeling good so you add another mat and make it 48 inches. You make the 48 but know it was probably your max for the day. You could stop there or take another attempt at 49 if you so desired. If you get 49 you could keep going. If you miss it you have two options. Call it a day or try 49 one more time. Make it and go to 50, miss it and you’re done. Easy, right?

Now, if you are coaching a group of athletes or training with partners, using performance to dictate volume isn’t always practical. In that case I would recommend 3-6 sets of 1-6 reps for plyo work. For sprints it really depends on the distance. If you are doing 10 yard sprints you can do more sets than if you are doing 40’s. So take Charlie Francis’s approach and measure the volume of the workout by total distance covered. 300 total yards for the day makes up a good speed or agility workout. Simple enough.

So there you have it. It’s definitely not rocket surgery. Get stronger in the gym, relative to your bodyweight, while keeping your bodyfat levels low, and keep pushing your numbers in basic jumping, sprinting and change of direction drills and you will improve your athletic ability. Don’t make it any harder than it has to be.

Good luck.

Please leave your questions and comments below.

Written by jasonferruggia · Filed Under Strength & Conditioning | 7 Comments

The Incredible Power of Meditation

December 16, 2008

ph faux product shot2 The Incredible Power of Meditation

In today’s fast paced, busy society a great majority of people are stressed out beyond anything that could be considered a healthy level. All of that stress leads to increased cortisol production and decreased testosterone and growth hormone production, which in turn leads to less muscle and lots of bodyfat; not to mention a lack of sex drive, inability to relax or concentrate and a whole host of other problems like frequent illnesses and nagging injuries.

Meditation has long been known to reduce stress and relax the mind thus greatly improving your overall health. When your stress levels come down your anabolic hormones will rise dramatically. You will immediately notice more energy, better pumps in the gym, faster strength and size gains and improved recovery. Your sex drive will increase and you will be able to focus and experience a whole new level of clarity.

Unfortunately, the majority of bodybuilders, lifters and other fitness obsessed individuals have largely ignored the benefits of meditation and how much of an impact it can have on your training and your well being. Not too long ago I was turned on to the Holosync Meditation CD’s and the results were noticeable within just the first few days. These are the only mediation CD’s out there that actually work. I have tried other programs in the past but never seemed to get anything out of them. This system is different. I have turned several friends and clients on to them and they have all noticed great benefits that carried over to their performance in the gym and changes in their physiques.

By nature I have always been an aggressive person who, at times, is wound a little too tight. I have made some major changes in my life recently that have helped me calm down greatly and the Holosync Meditation CD’s have played a large part in my transformation. My girlfriend and I use these CD’s every night and actually look forward to our meditation sessions and do all we can to avoid missing them. I personally like to listen to them immediately after my workout and find that it helps me relax and accelerates my recovery. Since starting the program I have also noticed a marked improvement in my productivity which was a very nice surprise.

I can’t recommend the Holosync Meditation CD’s highly enough and sincerely think that everyone should give this program a shot ASAP. You will not be disappointed and your life will be a lot better for it.

Get yours HERE.

Written by jasonferruggia · Filed Under Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Sun Warrior Protein Powder

December 10, 2008

Sun Warrior Protein
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Creation of Sun Warrior Protein

Sun Warrior Protein begins as raw, whole-grain brown rice, germinated to maximize the levels of bio-activity. Natural plant enzymes are introduced which digest almost all of the carbohydrates, leaving only easy-to-digest protein. Carefully monitored bio-fermentation of the organically-grown brown rice progresses steadily until the protein concentration reaches 85%. This leaves only pure amino acids in a form which the body can easily recognize and absorb. The result: an incredible 16 grams of protein in each 1 ½ tablespoon serving of Sun Warrior Protein! A side result of this process is an incredible, silky smooth texture and phenomenal taste, a marked improvement over soy protein, pea protein, or whey. At no time in the creation of Sun Warrior Protein does the processing temperature ever exceed 90° F. This is a completely raw product, the first of its kind.

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The unique bio-fermentation technique used to create Sun Warrior Protein has astounding implications for nutrient availability, offering a massive increase in the amino acid Lysine and a tremendous boost in usable protein. This holistic bio-fermentation process leads to a concentrated protein source which is completely hypoallergenic and contains all 9 essential amino acids as well as many non-essential amino acids in a completely balanced amino acid profile.

Sun Warrior Protein has been found to have a 98.2% digestion efficiency rating, ranking far above any comparable protein source. Sun Warrior Protein actually helps the body absorb many vitamins and minerals much more readily, making it perfect for infants, children, and the elderly. In the future, the World Health Organization may decide to use Sun Warrior Protein to feed malnourished individuals precisely because it is so easy to digest and due to the negligible risk of allergic reaction. At the present time, Sun Warrior Protein is being studied for its ability to improve the absorption of vitamins and minerals by individuals challenged by degenerative diseases. Superior nutrient content and enhanced bio-availability are hallmarks of all superfoods, a title which Sun Warrior Protein rightly deserves.

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Written by jasonferruggia · Filed Under Nutrition, Supplements | Leave a Comment

You Don’t Have to Be Young to be an Athlete

December 8, 2008

randy couture You Dont Have to Be Young to be an Athlete Written in 2006 For Todays Man magazine

Remember when exercise used to be fun; when you used to get endless hours of physical activity each week without ever dreading the thought of it? Remember when you used to be able to break out into a full sprint without the fear of pulling a hamstring? How about when you could stand up from your chair without your lower back hurting?

Oh, to be young.

Or maybe it’s actually what we were when we were young…athletes.

Sure as we get older we lose muscle mass and flexibility but this can not be blamed solely on the aging process itself. These problems can be attributed to the sedentary lifestyle that has become as American as apple pie. Those of us that try to combat the sedentary lifestyle usually do so by going to the gym, using the weight machines and then hopping on a stairclimber or stationary bike for a monotonous, mind numbing thirty minutes.

Whatever happened to playing? At what age do we decide that playing is no longer an option? Most of us played sports as kids; if not on a team, at least recreationally. Yet as we get older, life some how becomes less fun and care free as it used to be as a kid. On top of this, playing becomes a thing of the past. What with bills to pay, kids to raise and work to do, surely there is no time to play.

Right?

Well, if that is your line of thinking, I highly recommend you reevaluate your priorities in life. What is more important than your health? And what better way to maintain that youthful look and feeling than doing what you did as a kid?

If you loved playing basketball in high school and college, what made you decide to stop playing when you got your first real job?

It has often been argued that animals have no imbalances or need for static stretching or warming up because they are constantly on the move and rarely sedentary. Unfortunately, as humans we need to travel in trains, planes and automobiles and many of us need to make a living by sitting behind a desk all day. For this reason we can develop many imbalances and problems such as weakness and a lack of flexibility and mobility. Spending forty hours per week in a chair with your shoulders hunched over a computer is a long time. Do you really think that ninety minutes a week on the stationary bike and weight machines, where you are again in a seated position, is really enough to combat this?

And why would anyone ever choose to walk on a treadmill or a stairstepper when there is and endless amount of ground to walk or run on and stairs to climb outside in the fresh air?

It’s time to change the way you think about exercise.

For over thirteen years I have worked as an athletic performance enhancement specialist. In this time I have worked with over 500 clients. While the majority of these clients were usually high school, college or professional athletes, there were also a number of equally hard working weekend warriors. Many times these weekend warriors were average working people who came to me to help them get in shape and feel a little better. They usually expected me to stick them on the typical machine circuit that every typical gym goer is routinely handed. For cardio they always assumed that I would have them pedaling away on a stationary bike for hours and hours, week after week.

Boy, were they wrong.

I always have and always will treat every potential client as an athlete. Weather you compete or not is of no difference to me; you’re an athlete in my eyes and you’re going to train like one. Without fail, nearly every non athlete client who came to me just to get in shape slowly found themselves playing more than they had in years. Some joined softball leagues and others just got involved in games of beach volleyball that they usually would have sat out. In short, they all became athletes again. And more importantly, they felt better than they had in years, both physically and emotionally.

Training like an athlete has nothing in common with training like a bodybuilder or typical gym rat. With training routines like that, it’s no wonder people dread going to the gym. Training like an athlete involves not only building muscle and losing fat but also improving your strength, flexibility, mobility, agility and speed.

Even if you are vehemently opposed to playing a sport of any kind and just want to look and feel better, it still makes absolutely no sense to not train like an athlete. When people think of their ideal physiques, do they think of bodybuilders or Olympic sprinters and NBA forwards? More people would choose to look like a Pro Bowl wide receiver than a Mr. Olympia competitor. Everyone wants to look like an athlete, therefore the smartest thing to do would be to train like one.

But how exactly does one go about training like an athlete?

The first thing that needs to be addressed is the choice of exercises. Total body compound exercises always take precedence over isolation or machine exercises in the training of an athlete. These include power cleans, deadlifts, squats, chin ups and military presses. There is absolutely no room in the athletes program for wasted movements that do little more than temporarily pump up the muscles.

Next, athletes need to always include some single leg training in their programs. Since most sports include transferring strength from one leg to the other and many athletes develop imbalances between the two sides, this type of exercise must be included.

For strength work athletes should use heavy weights and do sets of five reps or less. For muscle gain, moderate weights and reps between six and ten should be used. To develop speed, Olympic lifts, jumps and weighted throws should make up a major portion of the program. Finally, for conditioning purposes and “real world” strength, athletes should use strongman exercises such as tire flips, sled drags, car pushes and sledgehammer swings.

When the focus of your training is on performance and becoming more athletic you automatically develop a great physique. The opposite, however, can not be said. If you train for athletics, you will develop the aesthetics; if you train for aesthetics you won’t necessarily become more athletic.

It’s time to put an end to the days of boring, monotonous workout routines. Skip the stationary bike and head out to the track or field for some sprints with a sled. Ditch the leg extension and go out and push your car down the block. Trash the ab roller machines and start swinging a heavy sledgehammer or throwing a medicine ball. Forget aerobics and tricep kickbacks and start doing heavy deadlifts.

When you go to the gym with a greater purpose than simply to look better, you separate yourself from the pack. Everyone else is there to peak their biceps but you have something a little less narcissistic in mind. Although you will develop an awe inspiring physique and a great pair of peaked biceps along the way, you will be much more than all show and no go. While plenty of people will be able to display a six pack on the beach next summer, how many will be able to display a 36 inch vertical jump on the volleyball court? And which achievement do you think most people will find more impressive?

To answer I’ll share a personal anecdote from a day this summer at the beach. A pickup game of touch football broke out with some of my friends and five other guys that I had just met. Even though I had probably spent more time in the gym than all of them combined and was in significantly better shape, no one was impressed. Everyone has seen that before. But during the first series of downs when my buddy got burned on coverage and I chased his man down from twenty years behind and jumped a foot over his head to grab the interception, people took notice. “Damn you’re fast,” said the guy who I had just out run and jumped over. “You play college ball?”

That statement and question that followed was so much more rewarding than any compliment on my physique ever could be.

For years I made the mistake of training simply to get bigger and leaner. Eventually it became a mind numbing bore and I decided I needed something else. I started joining flag football leagues and softball leagues again and decided that I would dedicate my training to improving my performance instead of just my size. Shortly after changing my training I was back on track again and getting better results than ever. My motivation was renewed and I was once again an athlete.

This is what training should be all about; being an athlete.

Competing is human nature and has been shown to raise testosterone levels in both men and women. Further, and maybe more importantly, competing can relieve stress. And as we all know, stress kills.

With the family and work related responsibilities we all have, it’s often difficult to find the time to play or train. Yet somehow everyone seems to be able to sit down and watch TV or go out and get pizza and ice cream. Skipping a few hours a week of TV to work out is probably a very real possibility for most of us. Instead of spending Saturday afternoons drinking and watching college football, how about getting off the couch and actually playing instead of watching. If you look, you can always find the time. And when you find time, if you look even harder, you can usually find even more time.

When you analyze what’s important in life, hopefully your health; physical, mental and emotional; are near the top of your list. And there is no better way to simultaneously improve all three than training like and becoming an athlete.

Contrary to what most people think, you don’t have to be young to be an athlete. But if you become an athlete, chances are you just might feel young again.

Please leave your comments below.

Written by jasonferruggia · Filed Under Fat Loss, Motivation, Muscle Building, Strength & Conditioning | 11 Comments

Make the Time

December 5, 2008

hamilton 3 Make the Time “People think if they’re working 14 hour days that they are getting more done. WRONG. If you work for 11 hours and then do something physical for 3 hours, you’ll be far more productive in those 11 hours than you’d be in 14 hours. It takes energy to make energy- otherwise you’re just sitting at your desk in a daze, feeling overwhelmed by all the things you think you need to do. And then that goes on for years and it comes time to retire, but you’re so out of shape you still can’t do anything fun. That’s messed up!

So when I hear someone say they don’t have time for fitness or physical activity – I’m not buying it! That’s a major cop-out. How can you not have time for your health and sanity? If you can’t do a 2 hour workout everyday, fine (not that you need anywhere near that much). But what about 30 minutes of something physically and mentally challenging? You would be surprised at just how effective 30 minutes of daily activity can be.”

Laird Hamilton

Written by jasonferruggia · Filed Under Motivation, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

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