Strength & Conditioning
By taro

Micro Spiel: Exerhazing?

HAZING is the practice of rituals and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group (Wikipedia). I have witnessed many workouts where the coach, trainer or martial arts instructor pushes their athletes to extreme exhaustion.These workouts feature drills, skills, times and energy systems that obviously do not fit the goals of the victims. Without a foundation in exercise science, to whom is this type of practice benefiting? The needs of the athlete or the coach? At its best, hazing rituals in fitness can build team unity and bond individuals. At its worst, participants may get sick, injured, humiliated and discouraged. Coaches need to know where to draw the line. Hazing should not be confused with legitimate training!

Fives signs you’re being hazed:

  1. The workout features endless burpees
  2. The workout serves no purpose but to create extreme fatigue
  3. The ritual lasts five times longer than the actual event you are training for
  4. This is no evidence of a plan and no one is recording results
  5. The next time you workout you feel increased fatigue and fragility. You’ve also become weaker and slower.
By taro

A Personal Trainer’s Truest Test

We all appreciate the world class athlete. The kind of individual that challenges our flashiest tools and methods. Athletes justify all those hours spent dwelling on olympic lifting minutia and multi-planar periodization. Having high level athletes as clients is prestigious and makes us credibile in the public eye. However, experienced trainers know that champions generally come as extra-ordinary packages; that is, they are highly motivated, disciplined and gifted enough to hide all manners of training and dietary errors. The world class athlete, therefore, is hardly a measure of a coach’s mettle. A truer test of a coach’s abilities is the client who is the opposite of a gifted athlete. Unlike extra-ordinary packages, the individuals within this category (we will call them True Test Clients or TTC’s) are near total dysfunction. TTC’s are old, fat, diabetic or prediabetic, at major risk of cardiovascular disease, have multiple musculoskeletal health issues and have poor motor skills. On top of it all, TTC’s are often depressed, stubborn and cynical. At stake, instead of medals, is their very existence. Coaches have direct influence on the quality of life of TTC’s as well as the quality of life of those close to them. To have success with a TTC a trainer must have the following qualites in spades:

1. Compassion

Compassion is our greatest trait. Great coaches have enough wisdom and confidence to eliminate the need to judge, deride or dismiss others. Compassion promotes co-operation, tolerance and understanding – essential values for members within a community. Great trainers, driven by concern for their clients, search hard for solutions and get reults.

2. Leadership

All people should strive to be good role models. Younger generations and those who have fallen from the path need guidance. Role models are proof that living well and making good decisions results in great benefits. Personal stories of patience, problem solving and perserverence are powerful motivation for clients.

3. Gameness

Great trainers are warriors. Prior experience has equipped them with formidable tools and weapons. Not only do game warriors expect challenges in life – they welcome them.This attitiude has to be transfered to clients. The ability to surmount obtacles is vital on any path towards a goal.

4. Creativity

The physical disposition of TTCs demand innovation. Exercises will have to be modified and created. Trainers will truly test their understanding and application of “functional exercise”. Forget bosu balls and wobble boards – they are a catastrophe waiting to happen. Unlike gifted athletes, TTCs quickly validate as well as disprove fitness methods. New directions must emerge for every dead end.

The above traits are invaluable in helping any client achieve their goals. However, they must be truly formidable to succeed with a TTC. World class athletes are pure gold as clients. However, their patronage is not the basis of a personal trainer hierarchy – not by a long shot.
By taro

On The Path to The Most Effective Core Workout

No topic stirs more nit-picking than training the core. The trend of late is to cast as evil and purge from contemplation any exercise that causes the slightest degree of flexion or rotation of the spine. This intolerance is justified, say the pundits, in the name of spine safety. Yet, in sport and life, mega-spine flexion, extension and rotation occur frequently. Is there room for middle ground? A philosophical compromise? From my persepective, moments of spine motion and moments of spine stability should be alternated – the ratio depending upon individual circumstances. People need to pause for thought before reacting with derision and closed-mindedness. Lower back injuries are largely avoided with proper technique, astute program design and an understanding of spine health. With that said, here are seven MANDATORY elements required to have The Most Effective Core Workout:

1) A definition of “core”

The term “core” drives me nuts. It lacks precise meaning and suggests a muscular order of importance. What muscle or group of muscles deserves the title of core? The abs and obliques? What about the glutes and spinal erectors? Or the psoas? No muscle is universally more important than another. Functionally, peripheral muscles like the finger flexors and calf muscles can easily trump core muscles in many situations. For example, six-pack abs will be of no use to you on moving day if you drop your side of the couch (due to a weak grip). From a resiliency perspective, an injury to the periphery is just as disabling as an injury to the core. Why isn’t neck stability just as vaunted as “core stability”? Core is not a word which belongs in the vernacular of serious fitness folk!

2) DATA

How can you have your best core workout if you haven’t any idea what constitutes beating your previous best? Hard work alone never guarantees success. Fitness must be measured! Hard numbers guide us towards the path of success. Abdominal exercises and workouts are notoriously devoid of essential numbers. The Most Effective Core Workout must feature numbers indicating load, speed, distance and time!

3) Highly Effective Exercises

Most popular core workouts use runty exercises featuring meaningless movements and a lot of cheap “feel the burn” isometics. Effective exercises have common traits. These traits include:

  • The ability to generate incredible muscular tension at optimal muscle length
  • Ease of measurement (you can accurately monitor load, range of motion, moment arms etc.)
  • A lack of complex devices which corrupt muscle recruitment
  • A high degree of relevence to the goals of the athlete (ie kicking power, punching power, naked power)
  • Ease of learning. Tension on the target muscle is not lost due to instability and excessive skill.

Two examples of advanced, highly effective abdominal exercises:

Valslide Full Extension (Top Row) and Barbell Rollout (Bottom Row)

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4) The Right Number of Sets and Reps

The most effective workouts match set and repetition schemes with the physiology of the musculature. The rectus abdominis, charged with moving major moment arms (the hips with extended legs or the torso with extended arms) is predominantly composed of muscle fibres capable of high force production. They respond best to low repetions, heavy loads and multiple sets. In general, advanced trainees seeking rapid abdominal devlopment should keep repetitions at six (or below) and sets per exercise at six (or above). Hit a muscle’s “adaptive niche”and your progress will soar beyond expectations.

5)Antagonist Management

No skeletal muscle in the human body will reach its potential if its opposing partner (in terms of location and function) is overly tight and hyperactive. Tight antagonists inhibit the activation of target muscles resulting in weakness and poor development. For example, if your spinal erectors are tight, they will shut off your abdominals and obliques (despite hard, isolated exercise). The short-term remedy is to stretch or release (using myofascial release techniques) the antagonists of target muscle just prior to your highest intensity sets. The long-term remedy is to improve muscular balance. Balanced strength distribution eliminates compensation (active muscles taking on the tasks of inactive muscles). Compensation is the primary cause of muscle tightness. Honestly, precise antagonist management is the most powerful tool currently available in the gym. Come to Tarodo seminars to fully harness its potential!

6) Emotional Management

Your greatest workouts will undoubtedly occur when you are riding the energy of unleashed fury. Proper “psyching-up”can easily boost performance fifty percent – far greater than any pre-workout supplement! Use visualization and music to turn repressed anger and aggression into increased repetitions. Proper venting of emotions will improve your workouts as well as the mood you present to your friends and family.

7) Anatomical Intelligence

Effective core workouts (regardless of definition), require a high degree of physical awareness. Learn to anteriorly and posteriorly tilt the pelvis as well as bend the spine in all three dimensions. High level exercise requires conscientious opening and closing of joints to maximally stretch and contract target muscle fibers. Anatomical intelligence ensures true muscular fatigue – eliminating reliance on the body’s elastic properties and momentum (two major reasons why so many people do so many repetitions with so little result).

Build your glute, abdominal, hip flexor or spinal extensor program on a foundation of knowledge, logic and open-mindedness. Define your goals. Stay objective. Use powerful and relevent exercises. Invest time in learning movement. Soon, you will find yourself On the Path to the Most Effective Core Workout!

Workshop! Strength and Conditioning for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

Bodybuilding, powerlifting, crossfit and gymnastic programs do not improve BJJ performance. The physical demands of these programs do not match the demands of BJJ practice or competition. Such non-specific training results in decreased energy output, increased incidence of injury and diminished confidence. Customized strength and conditioning programs, on the other hand, target muscles and energy systems that are relevant to BJJ performance. Specific training increases energy output, reduces the incidence of injury and improves confidence! Take your first step to developing a successful strength and conditioning program for BJJ and attend this three hour workshop.

Attendees will learn:

Why BJJ specific muscles are untrained by most generic exercise programs

What type of energy metabolism is BJJ specific

How to perform key exercises

How to perform key stretches

What type of training heals injury and improves resilience

High level BJJ performance relies on energy. Strength and conditioning is the ultimate tool for developing energy-producing systems capable of victory.

Where: Openmat MMA, 593 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON

When: Saturday Dec. 19th 2015

2:00pm to 5:00pm

Cost: 60.00$

Spaces are limited! Please register at tarodomuscle@gmail.com

Curl with Dumbbell
By taro

The Elbow Flexor Solution

On the topic of arm development, the mass media always panders to the prima donnas of the muscle world – the biceps. Yet, regarding the issue of arm mass and the ability to bend (flex) the elbow, iron warriors know the biceps are not the only muscles which matter. Assisting the prima donnas is an entire supporting cast consisting of the brachialis, brachioradialis, pronator teres and several other muscles which span the elbow/wrist. I like to call this supporting cast (with a hint of fake pedantry) the “non-biceps elbow flexors”. It is a major mistake to take the non-biceps elbow flexors for granted. From a functional standpoint, these muscles (more so than the biceps) help us arm wrestle, complete pullups, grapple and start outboards. From an aesthetic standpoint, the non-biceps elbow flexors add major, potent-looking MASS to the forearm and upperarm. Use the following solution for sub-par elbow flexors and then return to your usual modus operandi. Your newly reinforced elbows and wrists will take you to new performance levels!

How to know if this program is for you

You are an intermediate or advanced trainee who wants to radically improve overall arm mass and strength. Having pythons as arms appeals to you functionally and aesthetically.

Modus Operandi

Two powerful methods of increasing muscle and strength are featured in this program:

  1. The Double Standard MethodIn this program you will be trying to increase both your 8 repetition and your 12 repetition maximum using the dumbbell preacher curl***. The pursuit of two distinct repetition standards greatly accelerates progress on any exercise.
  2. Compensatory Negatives Method

When using this method you must achieve all precribed repetitions within a set. If you fatigue before achieving your goal the remaining repetitions are completed using negatives. For example, if a set requires 8 repetitions and you only manage 5 – the remaining 3 must be accomplished using negatives (with a load 10 to 20 percent heavier). Chances are you will manage fewer and fewer repetitions on subsequent sets which will require more and more negatives! FL !!! (Fiendish Laugh) Take 6 seconds to lower each negative repetition.

***Why the dumbbell preacher curl? Preacher curls place the biceps in a shortened positon and place an onus on shoulder extension (if you press the elbows into the pad as you curl) – this reduces biceps recruitment and increases the burden on the non-biceps elbow flexors.

DAY 1

1. Dumbbell Preacher Curls (palms up).

– Warm-up progressively.

– Choose a dumbbell that limits you to 4 to 7 repetitions.

– Perform an all out set targeting 8 reps (you should only achieve 4 to 7 reps if you chose your dumbbell wisely!).

– Immediately compensate for your repetition shortfall by performing negatives with a dumbbell 5-10 lbs heavier.

– Rest 3 mins

– Repeat two more times!

When you can achieve all 8 positive repetitions on your first set (with your initial load) it is time to congratulate yourself . You just improved your 8 repetition maximum! Move your chosen dumbbell up to the next size.

2. Dumbbell Hammer Preacher Curls (palms sideways)

– Target 3 sets of 6-8 repetitions (no compensatory negatives!)

3. Barbell Behind Back Wrist Curls

– Target 3 sets of 15 repetitions

– When you flex your wrists, apply pressure to the bar through the little finger side of the hand (as if trying to supinate). Make sure to maximize the range of motion! Pause at the top for a 2 second count.

DAY 2 – After 3 full days off…

1. Dumbbell Preacher Curls

    • Warm-up progressively
    • Choose a dumbbell that limits you to 8 to 11 repetitions (usually 5-10 lbs lighter than your DAY 1 dumbbell for this exercise)
    • Perform an all out set targeting 12 reps (you should only achieve 8 to 11 reps if you chose your dumbbell wisely)
    • Mourn your repetition shortfall and perform seppaku – no compensatory negatives on this day!
    • Rest 3 mins
    • Repeat two more times! (take note of your totals and aim to best them next time)

When you can achieve all 12 repetitions on your first set it is time to congratulate yourself. You just improved you 12 repetition maximum! Move your dumbbell up to the next size.

2. Dumbbell Preacher Hammer Curls

    • Target 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions (no compensatory negatives!)

3. Barbell Seated Wrist Curls

    • Target 3 sets of 15 repetitions
    • When you flex your wrist, apply pressure to the bar through the index finger side of the hand (as if trying to pronate). Make sure to maximize the range of motion! Pause at the top for a 2 second count.

Here are all four exercises demonstrated in RAPID FIRE sequence:

exercises

Ostensibly a simple, straightforward program, do not underestimate the power of the Elbow Flexor Solution! Mere mortals have added fifteen to twenty pounds to their dumbbell preacher curl eight – repetition maximum (within six weeks!). Having solved your non-biceps elbow flexors, you will have added to your functional potency. Regular biceps curls will feel light. Chores and sports will be dominated. As a final consequence, Prima Donnas will be overlooked in favour of their supporting cast.
By taro

Learn to Stretch Like an Expert

Workshop!

Learn the fundamentals of expert stretching.

Stretching is far from dead. While new soft tissue techniques (such as self myofascial techniques, ART, Graston etc.) are becoming popular the utility of stretching still reigns supreme. Here is why:

  1. Stretching is the ultimate tool for improving the firing power of weak muscles (make stubborn muscles finally grow by stretching tight antagonists!)
  2. Stretching is the ultimate tool for improving muscular balance
  3. Precise stretching assesses tissue status and can be a reliable diagnostic tool
  4. Stretching predictably increases range of motion
  5. Stretching is non-invasive
  6. No special tools or technology are necessary. Ultimate convenience and portability.
  7. Stretching is pleasurable to most and adds tangible value to client/patient sessions
  8. Stretching will fit into the scope of practice of any health and fitness professional

Forget previous notions of stretching technique. This is an introductory workshop into how to isolate individual muscle heads. At a tarodo workshop a singular hamstring stretch does not exist. Rather, there are four stretches! (one for each head of the hamstrings). This workshop will give you unparalleled insight into muscular function. This is just the beginning – get a head start now!

Because this is a very short-notice workshop the usual cost of 200.00$ per person is being discounted to just 100.00 $ The remaining information is as follows:

Where: Openmat MMA, 593 Yonge Street, Toronto Ontario

When: October 24th 2 pm to 5 pm

Registration: email Coach Taro at tarodomuscle@gmail.com

Hope to see you there!

Coach Taro

How to Correctly Perform Deep Squats

Deep squatting should form the foundation of all physiques. A body with well developed thighs and glutes can stand alone without derision. Buttless, even the greatest torso risks ridicule.

The full aesthetic and functional impact of squats cannot be achieved by performing partial repetitions only – all must learn to go deep!

In the attempt to learn how to go deep, nearly all enthusiasts find they cannot simultaniously drop their hips to the floor while maintaining correct (upright) posture. They enivitably round their lower backs and hunch over. Most believe their limitations lie in their lack of flexibility. In reality, the biggest key to performing proper deep squats is balance – specifically, the ability to move the centre of gravity forward in relation to the feet.

 

 

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1. Good posture with the center of gravity moved forward (by holding a ten pound weight in front)

 

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2. Poor posture when the center of gravity is moved to the rear (by holding the ten pound weight behind the head)

Seven tips to move your body’s mass forward over your feet (without holding a ten pound weight!)

  1. Take a fairly wide stance (as your technique improves your stance can become more narrow)
  2. Turn your feet out sharply (this should externally rotate the femurs causing, via the femoral necks, the hips to move forward. Also, most ankles will have greater range-of-motion with the feet rotated out)
  3. Target getting your hips over your feet
  4. Let your knees push forward past your toes*
  5. Do not force your knees out, let them track over your big toe.
  6. Push your spine forward by trying to press your lower abdomen into your thighs (this both moves your centre of gravity forward and stretches your sacrum away from your femurs)**
  7. If, despite your best efforts, you still can’t maintain good posture as you squat down deeply – raise your heels three inches and try again with the above tips. Practice and then progress to lower heel postions until they are flat on the floor.

*perform calf stretches with the knees bent if your heels rise off the floor

**to keep a flat spine in the bottom of a squat the sacrum has to move away from the femurs. If, despite the tips above, your butt still won’t stick out – stretch the muscle fibres which squeeze the sacrum and femurs together – glute max!

The key to performing proper deep-squats is, without doubt, balance. Try moving your centre of gravity forward before resorting to stretching or elevating the heels. Deep squats are the cure for many physiques. Like all strong medicines, use squats wisely!

 
By taro

Countdown To The Best Back Exercise

Upper-back development is the key to victory whether in bodybuilding, athletics or first impressions. No other group of muscles pack the same degree of aesthetic and functional significance. We use our lats and scapular muscles to chop logs, throw serious heat, squeeze the life out of opponenents and cast awe-inspiring shadows. Given the importance of upper-back development, there is no time to waste on inferior exercises. Below are the top five back upper back exercises – counting down to the very best back exercise of them all!

5. The Bent Over-Barbell Row

The bent over row is an awesome exercise that engages the lats, scapular muscles, lower back and hamstrings. However, it fails to meet the criteria for very-best back exercise for the following reasons:

  • It features a short range-of-motion (90 degrees) which only gets smaller with bigger bellies!
  • Barbell Rows engage the lower back rather than the abdominals. This reduces the emphasis on latissimus dorsi.
  • Peak tension occurs when the upper-arms are parallel to the ground. Paradoxically, this position is where the working muscles are fully shortened and less able to produce force.

4. Isometric Inverted Row

I can’t stand regular inverted rows – the quality of tension on the back muscles feels very low. However, if you hold the top position (chest pressing into the bar) the quality of tension feels phenomenal! Try twenty to forty second isometrics. This is a top exercise for activating the rhomboids, and levator scapula. This row variation also smashes the little “detail” muscles (rear deltoid, infraspinatus, teres major and minor) which look awesome with low bodyfat levels. However, as much as I love the feel and utility of the isometric inverted row – it cannot be the very best back exercise for the following reasons.

  • Activates muscles in their shortest position only
  • Does not hit the lats very hard

3. Single-arm Cable Pulldowns

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Bi-lateral (two handed) pulldowns suck! Uni-lateral (one-handed) pulldowns rock! Bi-lateral pulldowns require moving your head out of the way to get the two-handed bar to your chest. This causes people to lean back and arch their lower backs – greatly diminishing demand on the lats. With uni-lateral pulldowns the single-hand handle is free to travel straight to the chest and you can “crunch” the weight down – engaging the internal oblique and abdominals. This results in a marked increase in tension on the lats. Uni-lateral pulldowns can “bridge the gap” for beginners – strengthening their muscles in a manner conducive to performing bodyweight chinups and pullups. Bi-lateral pulldowns, conversely, have little useful influence on chinup and pullup performance. As good as single-arm pulldowns can be they are not quite the best:

  • Cable exercise machines vary and may not fit the exerciser or accomodate single-arm pulldowns.
  • Cable machines, like all resistance-training machines, influence the mechanics of an exercise. Always note the directon of pull and other inconsistencies (isometric tension can be low and even nil on some pulley apparatuses)

2. Single-arm Dumbbell Rows and Derivatives

Dumbbell rows are a truly awesome upper-back exercise. They strongly affect all of the upper-back muscles including the rhomboids and levator scapula. You can vary the specific effect of this exercise by pronating or supinating your wrist as well as varying the shape of your spine (rounded vs arched). Unfortunately, the dumbbell row falls short of very-best back exercise for the following reasons:

  • Range-of -motion is not as extensive as our number-one back exercise
  • Lower levels of abdoiminal activation and little demand for scapular depression limits the activation of latissimus dorsi

1. Chin-ups and Pullups

Without a doubt, the very best back exercises are chinups and pullups. This is why:

  • Easy to learn. Limited fooling around trying to acquire the skill to manage a significant load.
  • Easy to load and track progress. Use a chin/dip belt.
  • Both varaitions feature a HUGE one-hundred and eighty degree range of motion at the shoulder
  • These exercises provide the highest torque when the back muscles are within their optimal length to produce force
  • They have a tremendous scapular depression component. A whole lot of muscle mass (lats, pec major, pec minor etc.) is responsible for keeping your shoulder girdle attached to your torso.
  • They strongly engage the abdominals!***

***The abdominals facilitate lat recruitment. The adominals pull the lat’s origin (the spine) away from its insertions (the humeri). This increase in length causes preferential recruitment of the lats over other muscles and helps to maintain optimal, force-producing length during an exercise.

Don’t be fooled, for every goal there definitely exists an exercise hieracrchy. If you want upper-back development, especially of latissimus dorsi, you cannot beat pullups and chinups. Never forget, however, it is not just the exercise but how you perform it!
By taro

Strength and Conditioning for Brazilian Jiujitsu – Functional or Just Fancy?

Over and over again the internet broadcasts images of routines and contortions which capture the imaginations Continue Reading

Inaugural Muscle Balance Workshop!

Fundamentals of Lower Back Muscular Balance

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