It's Just a Drink Away...

I have written about recovery in the past, you can read that here. Right now I would like to talk about post workout recovery nutrition. I would argue that the most important meal of the day for everybody is breakfast. If you're not eating breakfast then you can forget about your performance gains, ability to perform at a high level, or even your fat loss goals. The second most important thing you eat (or drink) all day is going to be what you take in immediately after your workout. But when I ask most of the people I work with what they use for a recovery drink, from general fitness clients to elite level athletes, I get no answer. In many cases, though, that's because people just don't know what they should be doing.. So here's a quick tutorial......

"Eest good for recover, da?".... Umm, not really.

I have done tons of research on the topic and I have experimented with my own post workout nutrition a lot. I'm not going to go into the science behind it because, well, I'm not a scientist. I'm simply going to give you a summary of what's going on after a workout and what you need to do to recover as quickly as possible based on research I've done written by people much smarter than me.

Workouts beat you up and break you down. Whether they are long endurance sessions, interval sessions, or short, intense resistance sessions. Your muscle glycogen is depleted (glycogen is what your muscles use for energy) and your body is put in a catabolic state (muscle breaks down). If you do nothing to reverse this, the result is any or all of the following:

- prolonged muscle soreness and fatigue

- poor subsequent performance

- overtraining syndrome, or at the very least "over-reaching"

- minimal gains in muscle mass or even losses in muscle mass (especially in endurance athletes)

- a lowering of your metabolic rate (essentially the rate at which you burn calories)

Here's what the smart guys say:

"Failure to consume carbohydrates after exercise results in higher than necessary level of muscle breakdown, thereby reducing the benefit that might be derived from resistance training" - Dr. Dan Benardot

"Rapid replenishement of muscle glycogen stores has a favorable impact on the prevention of muscle protein catabolism, on cellular rehydration, and on subsequent exercise performances within the same day or on subsequent days. Basically, if you don't replenish glycogen rapidly, your performance will suffer next time you train and you may even lose some muscle along the way." Dr. John Berardi

Here's what I say.... To reverse this process, it is crucial that you take in the right balance of carbohydrates and protein post-workout. Not only that, but there is a window of opportunity following a workout when your muscles are super sensitive and receptive to these nutrients. The research shows that within 30 minutes of a workout, glycogen synthesis is 3x higher than just 2 hours later. What this means is faster recovery times. The key macronutrient is carbohydrates. You want between 0.8g -1.0g of carbs per kilogram of bodyweight. The longer and more intense the workout session, the closer to 1g/kg you would want to be.. For most people, the 0.8g/kg is a good target. So for a 150 lb person (68 kilos), that's 54g of carbs. The research shows that the optimum ratio of carbs to protein is anywhere from 2:1 to 4:1, trending towards the higher ratio of 4:1 for endurance athletes and 2:1 for strength/power athletes. Don't get caught up in the numbers here so much. Just make sure you're getting about 50-60g of carbs and about 15-25g of protein and you'll be fine. Liquid form is best since it gets into your system the quickest. You want a type of sugar that triggers the quickest insulin response and a type of protein that is absorbed the quickest. Maltodextrin or dextrose are the fastest sugars to be converted to glycogen, whey protein is absorbed the quickest. The protein source should also contain all the essential amino acids, particularly leucine, and studies have also shown that supplementing with the non-essential amino acid, Glutamine, also helps recovery and muscle protein synthesis.

OK, so now you're thinking, "thanks, Coach, can't wait to mix me up some of that dextrose and whey.". 

Can you say Mmmmmaltodextrin!

Here's a couple easy suggestions. You've heard before that chocolate milk is a good recovery drink, (or maybe you haven't..) Well, it's OK. Unless you're lactose intolerant. Mix the powder (not the high-fructose corn syrup!) with fat-free milk and you'll get a recovery drink with about a 3:1 CHO:PRO ratio. Milk also contains all the essential amino acids. Read labels and use the right amounts of milk and powder to get the right amount of carbs and proteins.. Carnation Instant Breakfast is another one. Again, use fat-free milk. Fat just slows down the whole process of getting the carbs working their magic with your insulin response and you don't want to do anything to slow that process down. 

Or you can do what I do. I drink Ultragen from First Endurance. It mixes great with water, it tastes good, they use the best ingredients for fast absorption into the system and it just flat out works. I've been using it for over a year now and it has been awesome for my recovery. Today I was out for 2 hours on the bike in the 90+ degree humid weather doing threshold intervals. Hammering out 3x9:00 intervals in this kind of heat at heart rates over 95% max were crushing. I was spent when I got home and I'm not kidding when I say that within a couple minutes of drinking the recovery drink I already started to feel better. There's no doubt in my mind that the stuff works. If it didn't I wouldn't recommend it. I also believe in it enough that it is the only recovery drink that I am selling at the gym. If you are interested in some, let me know. Read here if you're interested in the research behind the product.

If you're not doing the post-workout recovery nutrition right then you are wasting a huge opportunity to get the most out of your training. And you are literally one drink away from fixing it.

When Are We Going to Do Cardio?

I get this question on a fairly regular basis. Usually, I respond with a blank stare in anticipation of the punch line as if I'm being told a joke. You know, like, "How many strength coaches does it take to figure out what my 80% 1RM is?". Most people who ask this question are the ones who are most interested in weight loss. The reason this question is asked is because for some reason people have been led to believe that 30 minutes per day of "cardio" in the form of exercise that increases your heart rate into the "aerobic zone" (I think that's the green one on the treadmill chart) will keep you fit and healthy. Activities that qualify, according to these same experts, range from gardening to shooting a few baskets with your grandmother. If I had to bet, I would put my money on this info coming from the same people who came up with the food pyramid that had us eating 8-11 servings of bread and grains per day for "health". But here's the problem, once it's out there and people start believing it, it takes a lot to re-educate. For example, when the "food pyramid" came into play everybody started eating a high carb, low-fat diet. The result has been that our country has gotten fatter and died of more preventable diseases in the past 40 years than at any other time in history, most of which have been directly attributed to a "Western" diet. Now the research is everywhere showing the error in our ways and of course there is a knee-jerk reaction going the opposite direction. Carbs are evil! Eat like a caveman! Oh, and I'd like to just say this about the Paleo Diet and eating like a caveman, if you're not eating bugs and tree bark in the Winter while you're sleeping 16 hours a day because there's only 8 hours of sunlight, then please shut the fuck up about how Paleo you are. You're not. Have a bowl of oatmeal and get over yourself.

Oatmeal?

Weight loss is a tricky topic because at some level, something different will work for different people. But there's certain rules that apply to everybody. The most significant factor in weight loss is going to be what you're eating, when you're eating it, and how much of it you're eating. To steal lines from Michael Pollan, "eat real food", "if it wasn't food 100 years ago, it's not food today", "if it's handed to you in a bag through the window of your car, it's not food". Everybody reading this will be nodding their heads in agreement. So why does everybody spend so much time on the inner aisles of the supermarket? Because that's where all the quick-to-prepare, sugary, salty, yummy stuff is! You want to lose weight? Take a quick check of an obese person's shopping cart and don't buy any of that shit. If you are overweight and want to lose weight, but think adding three hours of exercise a week is going to fix it for you while you continue to eat the crap that made you overweight, you're mistaken. Here's what I know. Every weight loss client I have worked with that makes the change to getting most (at least 80%) of their carbs from fruits and vegetables; their proteins and fats from fish, meat and nuts; eats them in the right amounts at the right times of the day; loses weight. And here's the kicker, they will lose weight regardless of what they're doing for activities. You get the nutrition right and you will get lean. You get the exercise right and it will make you stronger, faster, more athletic, and like Dan John says, "you'll look good nekkid". But my blog on nutrition is coming later, this one is on "cardio".

Cardio. I hate the term because it doesn't mean anything. I need to do cardio. What the hell is that? It's like when I ask somebody what their goal is and they respond, "I want to be more fit". Great goal. Hmm, let's see, how about we have you do some cardio.. Like I mentioned before, for most people, (many of whom are interested in weight loss), cardio means long, slow, endurance type work. Here's a test for you. Go to your local Planet Fatness, walk in the door and be greeted by the plastic smile, "Hello, member 3758, welcome to the non-intimidation zone, where people who hate working out come to hang out and get a complimentary bagel on the way out the door so they can get closer to their 8-11 recommended servings of grains for the day". Then walk over to the row of treadmills and look at the people doing their 30 minutes of cardio. Now take a picture of each of those people that you want to look like. Hang those pictures on your fridge so that you can see them all the time as motivation towards achieving the body that you want. You won't need a very large space on the fridge, in fact, I'm guessing you won't even need a camera. Know why? Because it doesn't work. If you want to have an impact on your weight by jogging, then you will have to jog at least 12 hours a week just to burn enough calories to burn about a pound and a half of fat. But chances are you're going to eat a lot more than normal because you feel that since you ran 12 hours you deserve it and then you won't lose any weight, except for the muscle loss that comes from long slow endurance types of efforts as all your Type II fibers become Type I fibers (think of the difference between what a sprinter looks like vs a marathoner). Also, if you're overweight, and you're running 12 hours a week, I know a great physical therapist I will recommend to you for the damage you will do to your joints, tendons, and ligaments.

Sprinters are strong, lean, powerful and look it. The guy on the left just looks really, really hungry. 

Let's just bag the term cardio now, OK? If your goal is fat loss you need to work out in such a way that it will increase your metabolism. The best way towards an increased metabolism is increasing your muscle mass. Muscle burns calories. Additionally, high intensity anaerobic conditioning recruits more muscles, works the cardio-respiratory system harder than aerobic conditioning, and can take 24-48 hours to recover from, which puts your body in an elevated calorie-burning state. Strength and power work increase your metabolism. High intensity anaerobic intervals done at 85-100% intensity increase your metabolism. The training programs at Dynamic are structured around these principles. If you are working the program that I am giving you, and you set your nutrition according to your goal, you will achieve the body mass you desire, you will get stronger, more powerful, and faster, your energy levels will increase, and you will look good nekkid. But remember, if you don't do the nutrition part right, then you will not achieve the body mass you desire. (There's also a big post-workout recovery, sleep and stress management component to it, but that will also have to wait till I'm not writing about "cardio")

Work your muscles hard. Do strength work and lift heavy weights. Do conditioning at high intensity. Sprint... As for long, slow, endurance type running, I'll leave you with a comment from top trainer and strength coach Alwyn Cosgrove, and you need to read this with his Scottish accent and understand the sense of humor it is delivered with, "If you run because you love running, then by all means, run your bloody heart out. But if you're running to lose weight, then you're a fuckin idiot."

What Makes a Great Coach, Part 3: Ability to Inspire

In part 1 and part 2 of "What Makes a Great Coach" I talked about the importance of higher education and commitment to excellence. In Part 3 I want to cover what I consider the most important quality a coach can have, (unfortunately it's the one that most coaches lack).


When I was a kid I had a baseball coach named Kim Fors. He was a great guy. Just your regular guy who liked to play sports as a kid and decided to volunteer his time as a baseball coach when he was in his 20's. He was my coach for one season when I was 10 years old. Remember when kids only played baseball for about 8 weeks in the Spring and played a different sport as the seasons changed? That's a rant for another day...... I'm pretty short now at 5'6", (I try to make up for it with a lack of sensitivity). You think I'm short now, you should have seen me when I was 10. When I was 10 years old I was about 2' 8", 65 pounds. I was a pretty good baseball player, always made decent contact with the ball and started at all the infield positions except first base.. I remember getting up to bat one day and Coach says to me "Buck, you're gonna hit a home run". I was never even close to hitting a home run, and at my size, it wasn't even something I imagined myself doing. So of course I looked at him like he was out of his mind and said "I can't hit a home run". He said, "Of course you can, get up there and give it your best shot. I think you can do it!". So I get up to bat all fired up because Coach believes in me. The pitch comes in, I swing, and make the truest contact with the baseball I've ever had. The ball is sailing into the outfield, over the center fielder's head. Of course the center fielder is "playing in" because the little kid is up. Anyway, the ball is flying, and I'm running as hard as my little legs could carry me. I'm watching the ball.. Going, going.... Bam! It hits the top rail of the fence in the deepest part of center field and bounces back into play. (It only ends differently in movies, people. You didn't really think I was going to hit a homer, did you?). I end up with a triple. My first triple ever! Inches from a home run. I will never forget to this day how excited I was and how excited Coach was for me. He said "I told you you had it in you! That was inches from being out of here!". And I believed I had it in me from that day on. Kim wasn't certified. He didn't spend weekends away at baseball coaching camps. He didn't watch DVD's and read books about throwing mechanics. He didn't study the game. But he had the most important quality that a coach can have. Something that's not learned in a book, classroom, DVD, or the internet. He had the ability to get people to believe in themselves, to achieve at a level that they didn't previously think they were capable of. That's what separates a good coach from a great coach. I've had a ton of coaches over the years and Kim is the one I remember above all of them. I can't remember what I had for breakfast. But I will remember until the day I die that one hit and how Coach got me to believe in myself.

I can't remember the name of the catcher that I was having a couple pops with here after the game, but I will always remember the day Coach Fors got me to believe.

I have yet to train the person at Dynamic that I don't have higher expectations of than they have of themselves. My primary goal, and the goal of all of the trainers at Dynamic is to get people to achieve at levels that they didn't think were possible. Not just in the gym. Hell, that's the easy part. I'm talking about the real world. When I see one of our clients take on a challenge like the Tough Mudder, or start trail running, or take up Cyclocross, or make a plan to start tackling all the 4000 footers in the White Mts I take great pleasure and satisfaction in knowing that what we're doing at Dynamic is starting to catch on in their lives outside Dynamic. Massive lifestyle transformations, better eating habits, more activities, accepting challenges they never thought possible. On average we see people about 3 hours a week. It's easy to make an impact on a person for 3 hours a week. I want to make an impact on the other 165. Those are the ones that matter to me the most. And they're the ones that matter most to my trainers. 

In 40 years I'll still be telling that story to my grandkids about Coach Fors and how he got a little 10 year old to believe he could do something that seemed impossible. My mission and the mission of all of my trainers at Dynamic is to help all of you create the same kind of stories for your grandkids. That's what coaching is all about.

This is Why You Don't See Skinny Seals: Tough Mudder 2011

Most of the things I sign up for I have a pretty good idea what I'm getting myself into. And then there are days like Saturday......

People think I'm nuts so they always point these crazy events out to me.. "Here you go, Kev.. The Death Race.. Hahaha.. You could do that.". The Death Race is an event that I almost wanted to do, if for no other reason, they had a great website, "www.youmaydie.com".. The Death Race is at the height of this new trend of "adventure" events where people pay money to have other people abuse them for their own enjoyment. The Death Race is a 24hr event where you have to do stuff like dig a tunnel to China, cut off one of your own arms and battle a wild boar with it until one of you dies. I would have done it, except I've recently decided that I have to get at least 8 hours per night of sleep or I get cranky, and the Death Race wasn't going to allow me to sleep for 8 hours. So I opted for the next one on the list, the Tough Mudder.

The Tough Mudder was brought to me last Fall by Mark Wholey. "Hey Kev, we should put a team in for this.". I thought it was a great idea for two reasons. First, it was a legitimate challenge at what was originally 8 miles up and down the face of Mt Snow with 20 obstacles thrown in the way (turned into 10 miles with 28 obstacles). Other events out there, like the Warrior Dash and the Spartan Race would have been a walk in the park for most of the people at Dynamic and I wanted something that was at least a bit daunting. Secondly, I always try to get people at Dynamic to set specific goals so their training has a focus and purpose. I don't like "Oh, I just want to be fit and lose a couple pounds as a goal". I do like, "I'm going to get through the Tough Mudder even though it scares the living shit out of me!". So I threw it out there as a challenge for people at the gym to set as a goal for 2011. I figured maybe a dozen or so would sign up for it. By mid-Spring we were at 41 team members, the largest team in the event which had 7000 people sign up. Not bad for a small gym in Nashua! The people that come to Dynamic absolutely rock!

Leading up to the weekend, the team was getting together for training events, mostly led by Staci and Beth. As the event got nearer and nearer people were starting to freak out a little. What are you going to wear? What about shoes, should I wear these bloodzilla mocs, or these fuddmuckers? How far do we have to swim? Are they really going to electrocute us? Is there really cow shit in the turd's nest? It was awesome! As somebody who races, I know how worked up one can get leading up to an event, so I was really  psyched to see people getting all nervous. 

Personally, I'm an idiot. I didn't think it would be too bad so I didn't train for it. Plus I was there to do it as part of the team, I wasn't there to do it for time, and I knew I could get through it physically.. Leading up to the Mudder I kept right on going with my regular training on the bike and lifting a couple days a week in the gym. I added sprints once a week. I figured the obstacles would be easy to get through from a physical standpoint. I figured there would be some shock value to freak people out a bit but I don't scare easily so I wasn't real worried about that either. I knew there'd be some cold water. Whatever, I take ice baths for my legs and lower back 4 or 5 times a week after my rides...

Weather turned out to be about as good as we could have hoped for in early May in Vermont. We arrived at Mt Snow and I was expecting a logistical nightmare, but it was possibly the most organized, best run event I have ever been to that had that many competitors. We found the Tragically Fit team and everybody was hanging out, smiling, warm, dry.... Warm..... Dry...... We touched up our face paint, took some pictures and headed off to the start. The guy at the starting line got us completely fired up and sent us off whooping and hollering down the mountain.

First thing we had to deal with was "The Death March" straight up to the top of the mountain. The frenetic pace from the starting line lasted the 100 yards down the mountain, around the corner, and then about 50 feet up. People were already slogging with the hearts beating out of their chest. It was a long grind up. I had decided I was going to hang with Danny Locapo for the race. Danny and I go back about 25 years, he's one of my best friends ever, and I was psyched to be able to do this him. I lost him about 10 minutes into the climb... We re-united at the top and I was determined to do a better job of sticking together after that. 

Only a true friend would paint your nose red for you.

Once over the climb, the mud started coming... And coming.. And coming... And then the water started coming. I think the first water hazard was just getting sprayed with hoses or something annoying, but then we had to crawl through these plastic culverts that descended into this foul smelling muck. By the time you got out the other side of the culvert, there was just enough room to keep your nose out of the water, catch your breath, and then go through another one. It wasn't long after that we got to the "Ballshrinker".. Now, I'm used to having my balls shrunk. Like I said, I've been taking 4 or 5 ice baths a week now so I've been shrinking my balls on a regular basis. My balls were ready for this. The Ballshrinker was a wire traverse through a 35 degree pond that completely submerged your whole body. I was not prepared for this. I couldn't breathe, and it felt like my arms shattered. My balls were fine, they were trained for this. The rest of my body? Not so much. But, whatever, a one minute traverse in 35 degree water wasn't a big deal. Once I get out I'll be fine right? Ummm, no. I wore stuff that really held the water well, and at about 7% bodyfat I was freezing my ass off from this point forward and it only got worse. I couldn't warm up for the life of me, regardless of the effort I would put in on climbs. Teeth chattering, body shaking, looking at people without shirts on or in short sleeves and I couldn't imagine how they were even alive. After another climb or two Danny's knee was really starting to bother him and slow him down, so like any really good friend of 25 years I said, "Sorry, I'm fucking freezing, I gotta go". Brett and Mike came with me and we ended up catching up with another group from the Tragically Fit crew (Kerry, Staci, Beth, Lisa, Nancy, Kim) and stuck with them for most of the rest of the day. I finally started to warmup a little as the sun got stronger and I dried a little and then we got to the "Walk the Plank", a 15 foot drop into one of the snowmaking ponds. But this time I was smart. I took my shirts off so they wouldn't get soaked again. Brilliant! Jumping into the water bare chested hurt like hell, but I don't think it would have been any better with a shirt on, and it really helped to not have my shirts drenched again. 

after walking the plank and swimming in 35deg water with no shirt on, my balls shrunk so far into my body they ended up in my mouth

But it didn't matter for long, we soon got to a gauntlet that you had to pass through where a guy with a high pressure fire hose soaked everybody coming through. I have no idea how the guy lived through the day without somebody beating the crap out of him. Getting towards the end we had to go through more snow, mud and water. I loved the big dunking booths full of ice water and dye. The Tough Mudder crew was there dumping bag after bag of ice into the water. People were coming out of the dyed water with this stained skin the color of deathly pale easter eggs. I got to the final water obstacle (or I thought it was anyways). It was sloped, greased monkey bars over another pool of freezing water. Maybe 24 monkey bars.. 12 up and 12 back down. My fingers weren't working, my body was shaking uncontrollably, and my eyes were glazed over... But you would have had to shoot me dead to get me to fall off the bars and into another pool of water. I made it across.. The rest was blurry.. Berlin Walls, water slides, electric shocks (what a jolt! that felt like I got hit with a plank 3 or 4 times), a half mile epileptic stagger back to the car for a dry change of clothes...

I would've preferred flamethrowers at this point but 10000V will do.

After that it was back to see Michele, Dawn and Sandy come across. I was the one that talked Dawn into signing up. Dawn has been working out with us for about a year now and has completely transformed her life. The Tough Mudder was an incredibly aggressive goal for her and I really encouraged her to do it. After just coming through the course myself, I knew Dawn could do it, but I knew it was going to take absolutely everything she had. I was so thankful that Michele was with her, although to be honest, I was just as worried about her at this point because Michele, cold, and wet are a really, really bad mix.. If there is ever another ice age, Michele will go first, and I will be close behind. I was sitting and watching (and shaking) from the bottom, trying to see if I could see them coming into the water slide above. An hour went by and then another one. It was 6:00. They had been out there for over 6 hours, and I knew with the sun getting lower they had to be absolutely freezing. Then across the way I saw Vince and Jaime get up with their cameras. It had to be them. Michele, Dawn and Sandy came around the hay bales and ran through the electrocution maze. The whole group of them were really pretty overcome with emotion, I might even have had a couple man tears on my cheek. Or maybe it was just thawed ice, I don't know. Others from the Tragically Fit team were running out to hug them and congratulate them. It was really pretty incredible.

I can't even begin to tell you how happy I was to see these three come across :)

The whole thing was amazing. I was talking to Danny after and we decided that it was the stupidest thing we've ever done sober. But I will tell you what, anybody who got through it has a level of mental toughness that others could only dream about. To anybody out there who completed the Tough Mudder, you are definitely a badass in my book. I am honored and thankful to have been a part of the Tragically Fit team, you guys showed grit, tenacity, and unrivaled determination and you should all be incredibly proud of yourselves. 

What Makes a Great Coach, Part 2: Commitment to Excellence

A few weeks ago, Conor, Chris, Kyle, Michele, and I travelled to Saco, Maine on a Saturday for an all-day seminar. Presenting were Eric Cressey and Martin Rooney, two of the top names in the strength and conditioning world. Cressey spent half the day presenting on assessment and re-conditioning of joint injuries. I'm not sure I've seen anybody more knowledgeable in how the shoulder works. It was a great presentation and we all got a lot out of it. Then Rooney came on and completely blew our minds. His first talk was "The Art of Exceptional Training", an incredibly motivational presentation. Coming out of there it was like being a little kid on Christmas morning and you just got the toy from Santa that you wanted more than anything and you couldn't wait to tell all your friends. We couldn't wait to get back in the gym and start working with people. It was that inspirational. 

In part 1 of "What Makes a Great Coach" I talked about educational background and a commitment to higher learning. In part 2 I am going to talk about a commitment to excellence. As a coach, a commitment to excellence means that you are committed to improving your knowledge and understanding through constant research, experimentation, and continuing education.

When I interview anybody for an internship or coaching position, the first question I ask them is what they are currently reading. If the only book they are reading is some Steven King novel then the interview is going to be relatively short. Regardless of educational background or years experience coaching, if a person is committed to excellence as a coach then they will have at least one book going at any given time that they are reading for the specific purpose of getting better as a coach. Ask any one of the trainers at Dynamic what they are reading and they will absolutely have at least one or two books they are reading for the sole purpose of becoming a better coach. Books on training methodologies, scientific studies, nutrition, personal development. There is no shortage of books out there written by the very best in the industry.

Seminars, webinars, DVDs, trade journals, and the internet are also valuable resources. I personally attend somewhere between 60 and 80 seminar hours per year and will also watch several training DVDs. I make sure that each of the trainers at Dynamic have the opportunity to also attend seminars that are of interest to them and are directly applicable to the training that we do on a daily basis. When we get a useful set of training DVDs you can be sure that everybody will watch them. The internet can also be an incredibly valuable resource as long as you are able to decipher the good from the bad. Honestly, there is a ton of garbage out there and it's important not to waste time on anything that isn't going to be helpful. I like to find the top 2 or 3 coaches in a specific area that I'm researching and focus on their information. Each of us at Dynamic follow coaches that we really get a lot from and when we find something that really hits home we share the information amongst each other. 

Each of us experiment with what we learn before it finds it's way into one of your training program. I am not going to put something into a program that we have not done ourselves to prove it's effectiveness. I will not put anything into a program that does not have a positive effect on the training program and yields the results that I am looking for. The programs at Dynamic are always under careful scrutiny and are always evolving.

At Dynamic, I have created an atmosphere that allows all of my trainers to have the time and means necessary to do what it takes to become the best coach they can be. I have talked to trainers from other gyms that spend 50-80 hours per week on the floor running sessions. Tell me this, where do they find time to become better? They can't. They never evolve, they burnout, and they become ineffective. You see it in the fitness industry all the time. My trainers spend between 20 and 30 hours running sessions so that they have plenty of time to do what it takes to get better. They have time to read and do research. They have time to workout and experiment with new techniques and training programs. They continue to learn and reflect on how they can be better every time they run a session. They stay sharp and upbeat. They thrive on getting better. My trainers are committed to excellence so that you will have the best experience and get the best results possible when you come to Dynamic. 

What Makes a Great Coach, Part 1: Education

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who is also a client at the gym. We were talking about the training I had planned for him and it was pretty obvious that my expectations for him were higher than his own. I said "Why do I feel like your health and fitness is more important to me than it is to you?". His response was "Because you're a professional.". Then later in the day I had one of my other clients come and tell me how he just went down to cancel his membership at Globo Gym and when they asked him why, he told them it was because he was working out at Dynamic now, to which they responded, "Oh, what do they have a degree in, history?". He said, "Not sure, I just know I get results at Dynamic, but I don't at your gym.". So all of this got me to thinking about what makes a great coach and trainer, and why I believe, that I have assembled the best group of trainers in the area with the potential to become the best group of trainers in the world. 

Let's start with education. All of the trainers at Dynamic Strength and Conditioning are required to have at least a bachelor's degree. The reason for this is simple, it reflects a commitment to higher learning. I don't, however, require the bachelor's degree to be in one of the many different exercise specialties whether it be kinesiology, exercise physiology, health sciences, etc... The reason for this is also simple. I have yet to meet the person who comes out of college that actually knows anything useful. The day you receive the diploma is the day you start learning. It's much more important to me what a person learns once they're out of college. The exercise science programs at a 4 year university will have some useful anatomy courses and basic biomechanics, but the actual practical knowledge that one comes out of college with in one of these programs is about zero, unless they were able to do an internship with somebody who knows what they're doing. Conor, who is the most recent trainer to join our staff, has a health sciences degree and he will be the first to tell you that he learned more in a 5 month internship with Eric Cressey and in his first 3 months working with clients at Dynamic then he could have ever learned in college. The reason I hired Conor is because he got a glowing recommendation from Eric, one of the top strength and conditioning coaches in the world, and his personality and attitude fit the dynamic I am looking for in my trainers. I'm not knocking the exercise phys degrees, I think it's wonderful that there are kids at 18 years old who want to dedicate their lives to helping people get stronger and healthier. I'm just saying that the title of the degree one holds is pretty much at the bottom of the list of what makes a great strength coach and trainer. For what it's worth, the National Strength and Conditioning Association which gives the most highly regarded certification in the country, the CSCS-Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, also requires a bachelor's degree.... But it doesn't have to be in an exercise discipline. Go figure. As I will get into in part 2, a coach's commitment to continuing education is one of the single biggest contributors to his effectiveness and success as a trainer, and much more important than what the classes were that he was taking between keg stands and sets of bench presses in college.

Certifications are also an important part of being an excellent trainer and coach. All of my trainers are required to get the NSCA-CSCS. As I mentioned, it is the most highly regarded certification among strength coaches and trainers in the country. It has a curriculum based on scientific theory and practical application, and while it offers little in the realm of functional anatomy or functional strength and conditioning, in order to acquire the certification one must possess a solid foundation in anatomy, physiology, program design and management. The NSCA-CSCS is an industry standard, and each of the trainers at Dynamic either have the credential now, or are in the process of acquiring it within a month's time.

Other certifications are important as well. As an example, we train people with kettlebells because I believe the kettlebell is one of the best tools available to develop full body strength, power, and power endurance. We do not treat kettlebells as the latest, greatest fad because Jillian Michaels is using them (poorly). We use them because they work and they give people results. When swinging a weight like a kettlebell, it is crucial that proper body mechanics and technique is used. So I sought out the best kettlebell instructors in the world and personally trained with them. When I was convinced that these instructors were the ones that would make me the best kettlebell coach possible, I brought them both to Dynamic and had them train my trainers. I have the best group of certified kettlebell instructors in the area, without question. I can not tell you how many people have come into Dynamic, having trained with kettlebells at other gyms, and have had horrendous form. This is what happens when trainers try to train people in methods that they don't understand themselves and haven't taken the time to learn. The bottom line at Dynamic is that if I am going to put it into our programs then our trainers are going to get the necessary training to coach it, if they don't possess the expertise already. And don't confuse the ability to do it, with the ability to coach it. When you step through our doors you are going to be coached at the highest level possible, by educated, certified coaches.

In Part 2 I will go into the traits that separate the good coaches from the great coaches, and why our staff is second to none.

You Can't Manage It If You Don't Measure It

Are you as fit as you want to be? Are you as lean as you want to be?  Are you progressing in your training? Are you on the right path to achieving your goal? Actually, let's take a step back for a second... Do you have a goal? A real goal, something specific. If the answer to any of these questions is no, then why not? I know this is going to sound like some lame infomercial, but here goes.. I'm going to give you the secret to achieving all of these things and it is only going to take you about 5 minutes a day! Keep a journal. It is the simplest, most effective thing you will ever do and it practically guarantees success.

I have every workout I've done in the gym or on the bike for the past 4 years logged in spreadsheets and training journals. Since I've been doing this, I have gotten, leaner, fitter, faster, stronger than I have ever been at any other point in my life. This is not magic, it is simply keeping track and staying focused. I was at a seminar yesterday and Martin Rooney nailed it, "You can't manage it if you don't measure it". 

Last week at Dynamic I had a workout up for our training groups that included 6 sets x 3 reps of the one arm kettlebell push press. I watched person after person pick up weights that I knew were well below what they could push press. Part of this is that my expectations for my athletes, in almost every case, is higher than their expectations for themselves (this is a good thing for you, as you will understand in a minute). These clients were not picking up lighter weights than they could handle because they were people who don't like to push themselves, on the contrary, these people always give incredible efforts. The problem was they haven't been keeping track. They don't know what they can handle for 3 reps because they don't keep any record of what they do in the gym on a daily basis. As I pushed person after person up in their weight selection I watched as at least 20 people put up personal best kind of numbers on the 1 arm push press. Looks of amazement on their faces after realizing how strong they've become. Now, they can see that their own expectations can match the level of my expectations. But here's the point I am getting at, if any of these people had been keeping a training journal they would have known exactly what weights they should be using already because there would have been a history of what they've done in the past. If you don't measure it, you can't manage it..

Here's how it works for me, and honestly, this takes me a total of 5 minutes a day.. Every day I get out of bed, I grab a cup of coffee and my journal. I write down my goals. First thing every day. I write the exact same goals day after day. Why? Because it focuses me. It reminds me what I want, what's important to me, what I'm going to do for the rest of the day to help me to achieve my goals. I write down 2 goals. One is a training goal, and it's specific. One is a personal/professional development goal, also specific. My goal is not "I want to be more fit".. If your goal is "I want to be more fit" then I want you to do something for me right now. This very second. Step away from the computer, do 25 jumping jacks, and come back... There, you're more fit. Now what? So make sure your goals are specific. It's also important that they are measurable. Always remember, if you can't measure it, you can't manage it. Let me tell you something, if you write down a specific goal every day, dedicate yourself to it, and focus on it, then you will achieve it. And I don't care what that goal is. The hard part is doing the work, but if you're willing to do the necessary work you will achieve whatever your mind sets out to do.

The rest of the journal entries for my day include how much I slept (the importance of the amount of sleep you get can not be understated, anything less than 8 hours is not enough, and I don't care who you are, if you are one of those that say "I'm good on 5 or 6 hours sleep", then try to get 8 or 9 and see how much better you are), nutrition intake (everything I ate and drank for the day), what recovery practices did I do (for example, foam roll, stretch, ice bath, massage, acupuncture, meditate, yoga, etc...), what was my workout, and then I finish the journal up with a few notes on the day.. I'll comment on energy levels, stress levels, what I did to help achieve my personal/professional development goals. Everything I write in the journal either helps me get closer to my goals or limits me in my ability to achieve them. If I sleep more than 8 hours it helps. If I make a couple bad nutritional choices it hurts. My workouts always help (as long as I also do the right amount of recovery). If I have an exceptionally stressful day it hurts. Everything is relevant and everything has an impact and as long as I keep track of everything I can do a much better job managing, measuring, and staying on track.

From a pure training perspective, the journal is invaluable. Going back to the example of the 6x3 push press we did earlier this week, you would know exactly where you were last time you did something like this, how well you handled it at the time, and what weight you should expect to be able to use this time. This is how you continue to make progress.

Like I said, this takes about 5 minutes a day, but the amount of information you're going to start logging is incredibly useful. You will have clear goals you're working towards. You will be writing down everything that is relevant. There will be things in there that will help you towards your goals and things that work against you. You'll have days in the gym or on your bike or on your run where you feel invincible. Take a look at your journal entries for the week or so leading up to that day and I guarantee you will see a combination of sleeping well, eating well, taking care of your recovery, low stress levels.. Have an awful day, on the verge of illness, feeling fatigued? Take a look at the days leading up to that. Too many intense workouts without the proper recovery protocols, poor nutrition, high stress, lack of sleep; all of these things could play a role. For a $2 investment in a notebook and 5 minutes of your time a day this could be the biggest life changer you've experienced in quite a while. 

For what it's worth, I'll share with you one of my goals.. For all of the people that come to train with us at Dynamic my goal is to be a bigger influence on your life during the 165 hours a week that I don't see you than I am for the 3 hours a week that I do. This is something I work on every single day because it's important to me. Thanks for reading.

Kevin