Read My Meat #1

Important articles (and their micro-summeries) to read and pass on...

Back To Form Fitness: "Stand Up!!" [6 Oct 2008]
You sit all day, so why not stand while training? Standing is good for everything you do and even better for your training program.

DaveDraper.com: "Joint function and assessment with Chuck Wolf" [1 Oct 2008]
If you're not assessing, you're guessing (thanks Alwyn!). Start from the big toe and work your way up.

Eric Cressey's Newsletter #127: "5 Keys to Bulletproofing Your Knees" [7 Oct 2008]
VMO, VML, ACL: Alphabet soup for all your hip-knee issues and debates.

Female Fitness and Nutrition Scientist: "No more Waifs!" [6 Oct 2008]
Tracy Anderson says woman should not lift weights heavier than 3 lbs. Cassandra Forsythe disagrees and has links to back her claim.

Fitness Spotlight: "Do Our Ancestors Tell Us Everything We Need To Know About Fitness and Nutrition?" [3 Oct 2008]
For natural selection to occur, behaviors must be present in the first place. Is the "Palaeolithic lifestyle" as accurate as we think?

Modern Forager: "Developing Hip Function: A Hallmark of Athleticism" [6 Oct 2008]
Your hips and core are all-important for athleticism. A strong posterior chain will increase strength and power for most everything you do.

ShahTraining.com: "10 Reasons to Start Deadlifting" [6 Oct 2008]
You pick stuff up (1,9), Pull stuff out (2), Walk/climb stairs (3,4). Weak abs/core (5,6), The Pareto Principle (7-8), More T & HGH (10)!

Straight to the Bar: "Quadruped Draw In and Variations" [30 Sept 2008]
Advanced core work for those looking to go beyond a static plank hold. Learn to "brace your abs" in a safe, effective way.

Entrepreneurial Manic-Depression

Tim Ferriss posted a great article on using the mental stages of building a business to your advantage. The stages are:

1. Uninformed Optimism
2. Informed Pessimism
3. Crisis of Meaning
4. Informed Optimism (-or-) Crash and Burn

I find many similarities between Ferriss's "Entrepreneurial Manic-Depression" and the Four Stages of Competency, which are:

1. Unconscious Incompetence
2. Conscious Incompetence
3. Conscious Competence
4. Unconscious Competence

My combined stages are as follows:

Stage 1: Uninformed Optimism and Unconscious Incompetence
At this stage, a sense of excitement and nervous energy about the new endeavor is overwhelming. The person does not recognize any deficits needing to be addressed. Everything appears to be awesome. Communicate freely with others and share your joy.

Stage 2: Informed Pessimism and Conscious Incompetence
The person is now aware that a deficit exists somewhere and wants to correct it. Fear and frustration begin to set in and the realities of the endeavor start to take over. Stay rational and make smart decisions.

Stage 3: Crisis of Meaning and Conscious Competence
The person is past scared, and feelings of despair kick in. This is the critical juncture where attention and focus are needed to maintain a sense of stability, or the endeavor will fail completely in a huge orange fireball. Reconnect with those around you and reaffirm your beliefs as much as possible.

Stage 4: Informed Optimism and Unconscious Competence (or Crash and Burn)
If the endeavor has not failed, the person emerges from Stage 3 with a new-found sense of calm and peace. The person is now aware of the hardships that come with taking on the endeavor and can make informed decisions based on experience and skill. Make smart choices and share your budding enthusiasm with others.

*Rinse and repeat*


These stages can be found in any project you take on. I know from personal experience that I just made it through Stage 3 of my personal training business. Lucky for me, I didn't crash or burn, and I can now enter the next phase of growth with more knowledge and experience than I did before. I know to expect the stages again as I face new challenges, and I will be ready for them. My network of friends and colleagues has expanded over the last three months (since I graduated college) and I have people around me that I love and trust, and who will get me through those tough times.

BRING IT ON, WORLD! BRING IT ON!

Bench Press + Overhead Press Day #2

Today was lame. Yesterday was good, but today was lame. I trained at HiFi yesterday, took advantage of another trainer's Prowler, and did some sweet energy system work (this includes rope climbs, ab wheel, box jumps and atlas stone lifts). I should have done my heavy lifting before my energy system work, because today I felt completely drained and could not get into gear for my session at LPFC. I fatigued way too early and didn't have the will power to finish today's routine.

T = 40'50''

BENCH PRESS
bar x 12
105# x 8
150# x 3
170# x 3
190# x 3

PLATE PINCH
30# (3 plates) x failure

Squat + Deadlift Day #2

T = 1:15'08''

STANDING GOOD MORNING
bar x 12
40 kg x 8
60 kg x 6
80 kg x 2 x 2

ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
40 kg x 8
60 kg x 6
70 kg x 3 x 3 x 3

LEG LIFTS (DIP GRIP)
BW x 8 x 8 x 8 x 8

STANDING RUSSIAN TWIST
50# x 15 x 15 x 15

Nothing major to report. I trained at Lincoln Park Fitness Center yesterday and got to play with their kilo bumper plates. I never get to play with bumper plates at my other facilities, so it was a great switch-up from the usual.