Better Is Better

Sandbag in 6 Degrees of Freedom

We don’t move robotically through one plane at a time.  Human movement is a complex weaving of movement through different planes and on different axes.  One of the flagship programs of Circular Strength Training®, FlowFit, is built on the premise of taking the body through a circuit which hits each of these planes in a given sequence.  The combination of this emphasis on multi-planar movement, mixed with attention to the principles of Intuitive Training, results in a surprisingly effective manipulation of the neuro-immuno-endocrine response.  Often recognized as the runner’s high, it has profound implications on our overall health.  For reference, here are the 6 Degrees of Freedom:

Heaving - movement in the vertical plane (up and down)
Surging - movement in the sagittal plane (front and back)
Swaying - movement in the frontal plane (lateral or side-to-side)
Yawing - movement in the transverse plane (twisting around a central axis)
Pitching - tilting in the sagittal plane (rolling forward or backward)
Rolling - tilting laterally (bending to the side)

Although this approach was first made popular through a bodyweight program, FlowFit, it can be applied to any number of training tools.  For the past few weeks I have been working with a  routine that I put together using a Josh Henkin sandbag which takes me through the 6 Degrees.  The interesting thing about this method, is that as you go through the routine you may feel like the intensity isn’t that high, because you are constantly switching from one plane to the next, but when you finish your are toasted.  Right now I am doing 4 rounds of 3 circuits and reducing the rest period between each round with every cycle through.  I am down to a brutal 15 seconds rest.

Here is a look at the circuit.  I’ve included subtitles to help point out the various degrees of freedom.

Quiting the black nectar - again

Well, after having totally quit coffee for a time and then having reintroduced it in a very controlled way, I managed to lose control of the beast over the last few months and was back up to my former 3-5 double allongés per day.  I love the whole experience of coffee, from the process of making it, to the smell to the taste and texture of a good espresso.  So I'm not willing to give it up completely.  It is one of my vices that I am sticking to.  But I finally had to fess up to the fact that I was no longer in control.  So I have once again quit!  Cold turkey.  For a time at least.  My plan is to go at least one month without, and then to add on once per week coffee day.  This is what I did the first time around (except the cold turkey period was more on the order of two months) and it worked quite well.

My wife asked me why I don't just ween myself off gradually.  I don't know if it is a male - female thing or just a peculiarity of my personality, but I can't ween.  I have to go all or nothing.  So last Monday morning I had my last cup.  The subsequent days were slightly less pleasant than normal.  I could tell that things were "off."  But it certainly wasn't unbearable.  I attribute that largely to the fact that the rest of my daily living is quite clean and my training is very balanced.  Plus, I don't have a lot of big stressors in my life.

One thing that was quite noticeable happened though during a fast (I'm still practicing Intermittent Fasting à la Eat Stop Eat).  In the hours near the end of the fast I got really cold in conditions in which I would normally feel quite comfortable.  I just could not get warm.  Once I broke my fast I got warm again.  I have fasted again since and did not get the same effect.  Could just be a fluke but I have a feeling it had something to do with quiting the juice.

Anyhow, now things are rolling along quite nicely.  I'm drinking lots of green and white tea, and one black tea in the morning.  The only time I really miss the joe is when I first come downstairs in the morning.  A cup of black tea is just not the same as the experience of a truly good coffee.  But I bet my adrenals are thanking me for the break!

Low-Key Leadership

This past weekend I attended an excellent workshop called Muscle Function, Biomechanics and Exercise Creation for the Trunk and Spine at Quanta Performance in Montreal.  I was extremely pleased with the content and the delivery of the course, and I'm excited about applying it to my work with clients.  But the best course material in the world will not impress the participants if the "delivery system" (the teacher) is not up to the task. 

I was sincerely impressed with the instructor of this course, Dev Chaterjee.  You likely haven't heard of him, which is a shame.  And I think it is probably only a matter of time before people in the mainstream of wellness and performance DO start hearing about him.  His depth of knowledge was evident during the course.  It was also evident that he is surfing the breaking waves of innovation in his field.

But again, someone can be very bright and very current without being a good teacher and presenter.  On my drive home I had time to reflect on a lot of things (and believe me, this course left me with a lot of information to digest).  At any rate, one of the targets of my wondering thoughts on the drive back to Quebec City turned to just what had impressed me so much about Dev and his methods.  And then it dawned  on me, his most impressive demonstration of knowledge was his ability to admit that he did not know an answer but to set about finding one.

In that moment of clarity it became evident to me that credibility is not solely dependent on how much you know but also on how much you search.  Yes, you need that solid base of knowledge beneath you in order to present the content you are presenting, but beyond that it shows much more leadership, credibility and confidence when you are willing to say, "I don't know, let's look it up" or "let's figure it out."  When you can say that with confidence, I think it is a sign that you really are a dexterous wielder of your craft.  On the other hand, a pretender will pretend to know the answer or to have all the answers.

I think the takeaway message is that as a teacher, coach, trainer, mother, father, mentor, boss or whatever leadership role you may play in life, continually learn as much as you can, stay current, be the best you can be, but make sure you readily accept that you cannot know everything.  And commit to finding the answers that you don't have when you need them.

The Relativity of Performance

  spring metal 
  Originally uploaded by zen

If we are not moving forward, we are losing ground.  That's the basic premise at any rate.  I was reminded of it this morning while watching a video clip of Paul Chek.  He was talking about how everything is in movement.  Even seemingly still objects are not still.  Everything on the Earth is revolving around the Sun.  And at a quantum level, there is so much movement that we can't even predict it let alone measure it.

So what does this have to do with wellness and performance?  Basically, if you aren't improving, you are regressing.  There is no "maintenance."  But life, and training, would be boring and injurious if this were a linear concept.  We can't keep putting more weight on our bench press every single session until the end of our days.  Eventually, we either hit a wall or something in the chain breaks.  So the alternative is constantly going in circles, letting the achievement of one goal pass in order to pursue a new peak.

This can be daunting, as we generally like to do more of what we are good at.  Success is easy on the ego.  A true challenge can be a bit of a grind at first.  But if we get stuck just doing more of the same, we start moving backwards.  Performance is relative to the previous performance.  And if you aren't moving forward, your moving backward.

I lived through this a few months back when I decided I had to back off of the Trial by Fire Clubbell exercises (Mill, Swipe, Hammer Swing) and focus on something else for a while.  I had become somewhat of an "expert" at these exercises and they were starting to define me in my own mind.  Meanwhile, intuitively I knew there were other things I needed to address.

It was tough but I made my move.  I set off in a completely new direction with new and seemingly impossible objectives.  But consistent work is starting to show concrete promise.  And although my goal of performing a gymnastics planche still seems a bit far-fetched, it no longer feels impossible.

The key to allowing yourself to move on, in my opinion, is understanding that you are not just chasing your tail when you put something aside for a while in order to shore up another area of your development.  When you look at your progress in two dimensions from above, it may look like a circle.  But as soon as you gain three dimensional perspective you see that you are actually working your way up a spiral.  When you see your constant process of improvement in this light, it is easy to imagine that the sky is the limit.

The Personal Record

The Personal Record (PR) is one of the most powerful tools we have for self coaching.  Let's face it, truly high intensity exercise takes some guts and determination to accomplish on one's own.  Having a coach or teammates nearby generally makes it much more likely that you will put out a maximum effort.  But when you are by yourself in your home gym it is so easy to put in a sub-par performance.

I find that in order to really tap into my full high-intensity potential when training on my own, I need to use a system of PRs to push myself.  So on each high intensity day, I seek to surpass my preceding performance in one or more parameters.  As I work my way through a cycle, these summits become harder and harder to achieve and the required effort to reach my PR goal becomes more demanding.

Currently, my high intensity training days are broken into two different components.  In the first section I am working with CST's FlowFit 2.  With this I am increasing the number of rounds each micro-cycle.  I am performing each round on the minute - thus work and rest are both contained in a 1 minute round.  So here I am essentially working purely with volume (adding a round every four days).  The second section is comprised of a Six Degrees of Sandbag routine that I put together for myself (I'll be filming and posting it eventually).  I am doing rounds of 3 repetitions through the circuit.  I do 4 rounds and I am gradually reducing the rest between rounds each micro-cycle.  So here I am working with density.  Doing the same amount of work in progressively less time.

Every four days, I know that I have to push myself beyond my previous performance into a new PR in a given parameter of each component.  This keeps me honest about how hard I can actually work and stops me from slacking.  Of course, this can't go on forever.  Eventually you will start running into plateaus.  This is why we switch our training up regularly so that we can continue to adapt and progress up the spiraling path to higher levels of performance.  Try using PRs in your training.  Get yourself a whiteboard or a training journal and watch your numbers, and your performance, soar.

Exercise Helps Us Stay Young (uh, really?)

If you frequent this blog, you are most likely already an active individual.  Which means you are probably sold on the benefits of regular physical activity.  But it is always nice to see the press positively represent an active lifestyle.  The following piece highlights a recently published paper which touts the benefits of physical activity for elderly people.

Specifically, aerobic capacity is looked at as an indicator of functional longevity (or the ability to remain not only independent but able to "do the things you want to do" as you age).  And although it is nice to see that the author did indeed conclude a positive impact, I think we would see even more benefit if we cast an even larger net and looked at other factors of physical wellness such as functional strength, coordination and mobility.

In Circular Strength Training that axis of energy system - strength - coordination - mobility is represented in the ability to take your own bodyweight, and subsequently various implements of external resistance, through the 6 Degrees of Freedom (read more on this Lens).  At best, most movement prescribed by the conventional fitness industry is three dimensional, incorporating vertical, fore/aft and side to side movement (along with combinations thereof).  Rarely do we see the full incorporation of the other three degrees of freedom which are basically full-range bending or folding in the fore/aft plane, twisting side to side and rolling to the side.  The best way to visualize the convergence of all these 6 Degrees of Freedom is to imagine all the ways in which an airplane can maneuver while in flight (again, you can find a diagram of this on this Lens).

The best manifestation that has been produced thus far incorporating this principle is a program called FlowFit from Circular Strength Training.  Once you understand the basic formula of movement in 6 Degrees, you can translate that into an infinite number of bodyweight and weighted training programs.

I'm working now with a very cool 6 Degrees Sandbag routine right now.  Keep your eye on the blog as I will be posting it in the next few weeks.  Anyhow, I digress.  If you want to keep aging at bay, stay well by incorporating movement through the 6 Degrees in your daily activities and in your training.

Enjoy the article...

 

'Regular excercise can slow down ageing'

By Lucy Cockcroft

Last Updated: 1:42am BST 10/04/2008

Regular exercise can help slow down the effects of ageing by up to 12 years, a study claims.

People may also be able to retain the ability to live independently for far longer if they exercise throughout middle age and into retirement, it found.

Aerobic exercise, such as jogging, improves oxygen consumption, which in turn improves the body's ability to convert fat into fuel for muscles.

The volume of oxygen we are able to consume is reduced with age, and therefore to maintain good health and the appearance of youth, more aerobic exercise is required.

Research by scientists at the University of Toronto in Canada has shown that high-intensity exercise, taken regularly for more than a year, can make someone as fit as a sedentary person who is 12 years younger.

The results are published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Studies have suggested that maximum aerobic power falls in men by up to half between the ages of 20 and 60.

Women begin to lose aerobic power aged around 35, with aerobic power again falling by up to half by the age of 60.

However, the researchers said that relatively high-intensity aerobic exercise over a relatively long period of time could boost aerobic power by up to 25 per cent.

Why can't they leave the poor egg alone...?

I wonder if they also checked on how much WHITE BREAD toast they were eating with their eggs?  The whole dietary cholesterol myth just won't go away.  I feel bad for the poor, constantly maligned egg...

Going to work on an egg a day? It might just lead to an early death, say researchers

By JENNY HOPE - More by this author » Last updated at 14:42pm on 10th April 2008

Comments (52)

Soft option: But seven or more eggs a week increases chances of death by nearly a quarter

Eating an egg a day increases the risk of premature death for middle-aged men, warn researchers.

 

 

They found that consumption of seven or more eggs a week pushed up the chances of dying from any cause by 23 per cent, compared with those who ate fewer.

And eating any eggs at all was linked with an earlier risk of dying in men with diabetes.

The latest research could re-open the debate about how many eggs are safe to eat - an issue which most nutritionists thought had been laid to rest in the last ten years...

Brad Pilon Interview - Eat Stop Eat and Intermittent Fasting

As many of you may already know, I have been experimenting with Intermittent Fasting for the last couple of months now.  Although controversy may continue to swirl around IF, as it does around any potentially paradigm-shifting idea in the area of nutrition or fitness, it is becoming increasingly clear that significant benefit can be gained through the addition of IF to a holistic wellness plan.

In the coming weeks, I will be pointing to various studies and fellow bloggers who are busy unearthing the evidence regarding the health benefits of IF.  But today I am very pleased to offer you an interview with author Brad Pilon, who penned the enormously popular Eat Stop Eat.

Brad’s work is what got me interested in IF in the first place, and I am very pleased that he agreed to share his time and knowledge in this 40 minute interview.  I really enjoyed our conversation and I believe that anyone can benefit from Brad’s insight, regardless of whether you are tempted to give fasting a try.

So I urge you to take a listen.  It is absolutely FREE.  But it is available only to subscribers of my Momentum Training News.  The sign-up process is easy, and you’ll have instant access to my interview with Brad as well as a host of other free audio interviews and my Clubbells 101 ebook.

Grab My Interview With Author Brad Pilon -->>

PS I've since posted this casual conversation about Intermittent Fasting with Brad Pilon.

Insights into Intermittent Fasting

Time flies, but I've been experimenting with Intermittent Fasting now for at least a couple of months straight.  I started out with once a week, and now I'm pretty regular on Mondays and Fridays every week, sometimes with an extra fast thrown in strategically.

I'm certainly no expert yet, but I do come up with some insights from time to time that I will share here in the blog for anyone who is interested.  And here are the first two...

• Don't drink too much coffee at the end of a fast.  It's probably due to the elevated levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine near the end of a fast, but if I drink too much coffee near the end of a fast I get extremely jittery and ridiculously hungry.
• Go breakfast to breakfast.  This will undoubtedly be different for everyone, but I find my easiest fasts are from breakfast to breakfast.  So I will eat breakfast one day and then nothing until breakfast the next (à la ESE).  I find that his way I have all the energy and concentration I need during the fasting day, then I continue fasting while I am asleep and wake up to a nice breakfast the next morning.  Easy breezy.

I'll keep filling you in as I go.

Cheers,
Adam