Last time I had the time to post we told you that we use two main pieces of equipment for isometric and suspension work: either a cam strap we make into a suspension device or a Universal Strength Apparatus (actually, a USA 'Pro').
The first option will run you about $20. The cam strap suspension tool is, frankly, just as good as almost any of the 'suspension trainers' out there on the market, particularly any that have a single connection point for both handles (i.e. the TRX or old JungleGym). A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video even more, so here's how we make and use one:
To throw it out there, we consider the USA Pro to be a worthwhile investment for a few reasons. One is that you don't have to do any adjusting. This is sort of laziness on your part if it is 'just you,' but if you have this hanging in your boxing gym or other facility, it is nice for folks to just be able to walk up to it and use it. The second reason is somewhat related to the first, in that you have fixed handles to use, which makes your ISO work both much faster, and even more importantly *consistent*, both between sides and from workout-to-workout.
16 December 2010
21 November 2010
ISOs and Suspension Work
Take note, this is where we sell out...
In all seriousness, a number of our friends have asked 'what we use' to facilitate all the suspension and ISO work we do, and there are really only two honest answers:
1) A cam strap, or
2) a Universal Strength Apparatus (USA Pro, actually).
Choice #1 is what you use when you want to go the 'cheap' route. Choice #2 is what you use when you want to avoid messing around with changing lengths, and trying to get them the same from workout to workout so that you can compare. And, while a USA Pro is quite a bit more expensive than a cam strap, it is quite a bit cheaper than many of the 'commercial' options out there.
So, sometime in the near future we will post a video regarding what kind of cam strap to get and how to use it for this purpose, and in the meantime if you want to get a USA head on over to the BodyweightCulture site using the link below:
In all seriousness, a number of our friends have asked 'what we use' to facilitate all the suspension and ISO work we do, and there are really only two honest answers:
1) A cam strap, or
2) a Universal Strength Apparatus (USA Pro, actually).
Choice #1 is what you use when you want to go the 'cheap' route. Choice #2 is what you use when you want to avoid messing around with changing lengths, and trying to get them the same from workout to workout so that you can compare. And, while a USA Pro is quite a bit more expensive than a cam strap, it is quite a bit cheaper than many of the 'commercial' options out there.
So, sometime in the near future we will post a video regarding what kind of cam strap to get and how to use it for this purpose, and in the meantime if you want to get a USA head on over to the BodyweightCulture site using the link below:
11 November 2010
Losing Fat Weight and Weighing In - KISS
Once more, folks are asking us what the ‘secret’ is behind making weight here at GMAAC. With the risk of displaying broken record syndrome, there are no secrets, folks. All the information you need is already out there, you just have to find it and apply it. One of our boxing coaches, who is eminently successful at this, doesn’t understand why people “can’t figure out ‘how’ to not eat,” as he puts it. Anyway, in that spirit, here is his bitter little “cliff’s notes” version of how to be an off-season relatively lean 205# athlete, who once or twice a year needs to box as a light-heavyweight (178#) in 16 weeks:
1)
1. 1. If you have traditionally had problems making weight, read the book “The Foundation Diet,” which will help you develop the mindset necessary for successful body composition training and lifestyle. Again, it’s probably your attitude and your lack of compliance holding you back, and not a lack of information.
2)
2. 2. Read Shelby Starne’s ebooks [available for purchase on the EliteFTS site] WRT the actual ‘diet,’ insofar as what food you will put in your mouth goes. These books are not for the faint of heart, but they work and work well.
3)
3. 3. Don't buy in to the whole “Interval Training is all you need…” movement. What we call “output” work is not only necessary as the ‘base’ of your conditioning ‘pyramid’ but burns more calories from fat, and burns a lot of calories over the course of weeks and months of a fight camp.
3. 3. Don't buy in to the whole “Interval Training is all you need…” movement. What we call “output” work is not only necessary as the ‘base’ of your conditioning ‘pyramid’ but burns more calories from fat, and burns a lot of calories over the course of weeks and months of a fight camp.
4)
4. 4. On the other hand, don’t do stupid, seated, repetitive exercises utilizing a piece of ‘cardio machinery’… this work burns less calories, and is so boring that it will actually make you stupider for having done it. If you are going to do conditioning/output work, there is no reason you cannot find something specific to your competitive endeavors to perform for a long duration. This activity will not only get you ‘in condition’ (both cardiovascularly and body comp-wise), but can also be used to improve your skill set. Think 4 five-minute rounds of paced mitt work, instead of sitting on a stationary bike.
4. 4. On the other hand, don’t do stupid, seated, repetitive exercises utilizing a piece of ‘cardio machinery’… this work burns less calories, and is so boring that it will actually make you stupider for having done it. If you are going to do conditioning/output work, there is no reason you cannot find something specific to your competitive endeavors to perform for a long duration. This activity will not only get you ‘in condition’ (both cardiovascularly and body comp-wise), but can also be used to improve your skill set. Think 4 five-minute rounds of paced mitt work, instead of sitting on a stationary bike.
5)
5. 5. Finally, adopt a sound meet-week protocol. There are some very smart people out there who have facepalm-dumb meet week strategies. I like to do the following:
5. 5. Finally, adopt a sound meet-week protocol. There are some very smart people out there who have facepalm-dumb meet week strategies. I like to do the following:
a. Weigh-In Day (– 2): Three servings of: a bottle of water (12 or 16 oz.), a poached chicken breast, and a handful of strawberries or blueberries. This is not the minimum, this is IT.
b. Weigh-In Day (– 1): Two servings of the above.
c. Weigh-In Day: Nothing. Yes, NOTHING until after you weigh in.
d. Competition Day: Start rehydrating with Smart Water as soon as you make weight, and then resume eating a ‘typical diet.’ If you try all the ridiculous “superhydration strategies” out there, and start ingesting crap like waxy maize supplements without having taken them before, you will end up feeling bloated and sluggish. These strategies are fine for bodybuilding, where you are only worried about how you look, but they are not beneficial for weight class athletes who need to perform.
As promised, fairly simple, but definitely not 'easy'...
As promised, fairly simple, but definitely not 'easy'...
27 August 2010
Monkeying Around
Coach Keen
Yeah, I’m punting on this one… But why not share one of the Boiler Room Gym’s favorite websites with the rest of GMAAC?
For all you GMAAC members who have not heard of the Monkey Bar Gym in Madison, WI, check it all out here:
http://monkeybargym.com/
Amongst all the great information on the site, you will find an outstanding article on improving vertical leap here:
http://monkeybargym.com/vertical-jump-training.html
If, by chance, you are too lazy to even read the article, there is a link to Jon Hinds’ free VJ program in the body of the article:
http://www.monkeybargym.com/images/stories/pdf/Jon_Hinds_Vertical_Jump_Training_Program.pdf
And, finally, while you’re on the site, you might as well download their free August workout templates to save for some rainy, off-season month when you don’t want to put too much thought into your programming and want something follow-along, but solid:
http://monkeybargym.com/images/stories/august_2010.pdf
http://monkeybargym.com/images/stories/august_24.pdf
And heck, why not look at their ‘workouts’ page and peruse some of the videos so you can see what you are doing…
http://monkeybargym.com/monkeybargym-workouts.html
Yeah, I’m punting on this one… But why not share one of the Boiler Room Gym’s favorite websites with the rest of GMAAC?
For all you GMAAC members who have not heard of the Monkey Bar Gym in Madison, WI, check it all out here:
http://monkeybargym.com/
Amongst all the great information on the site, you will find an outstanding article on improving vertical leap here:
http://monkeybargym.com/vertical-jump-training.html
If, by chance, you are too lazy to even read the article, there is a link to Jon Hinds’ free VJ program in the body of the article:
http://www.monkeybargym.com/images/stories/pdf/Jon_Hinds_Vertical_Jump_Training_Program.pdf
And, finally, while you’re on the site, you might as well download their free August workout templates to save for some rainy, off-season month when you don’t want to put too much thought into your programming and want something follow-along, but solid:
http://monkeybargym.com/images/stories/august_2010.pdf
http://monkeybargym.com/images/stories/august_24.pdf
And heck, why not look at their ‘workouts’ page and peruse some of the videos so you can see what you are doing…
http://monkeybargym.com/monkeybargym-workouts.html
25 August 2010
Race-Day Reflections
Coach Mohr
I had a solid performance in my qualifier this a.m. I had planned on
doing a more thorough and methodical warm-up than when I would just shot-gun it, like in years past. I came up with a template based on
target cadence and max HR which generates a warm-up for you. I
entered all the data and copied the output onto an 8.5x11 sheet of
paper.... that I left on the dining room table this morning. The funny
thing was that on the paper was also my list of things to pack for the
race. Unfortunately, I didn't include "the list" on the list of things
to bring with me.
That not withstanding, I did have the most solid warm-up I've ever had
prior to a race. Even though the course is a flat (relatively) 1 km
circle, I still brought along my trainer (the rear wheel mount kind) so
I could concentrate on HR and cadence and not worry about cars or
runners or dog walkers or bird watchers (seriously...). I spent 20
minutes working up to around 135 bpm in my 50x19 ring. I then went to
the john and then got back on the bike and started my progressive
interval. It was 2 minutes in 50x17, but in the harder resistance zone
going at 90 rpm (crank cadence). I then rested for 2 minutes and went
up to 100 rpm. Then did the same for 110. My HR's at the end of the
intervals were 140, 155 and 165. I then got the bike off the trainer
and rode the actual race route where I would do more intervals. They
were less strict than I would have prescribed, but it felt right. I
would do a dig at a little faster rpm, but an easier gear just to help
with some potentiation (yeah, I made that up), but also to prime my
lactic acid flushing mechanisms (yeah, I made that up, too).
I wanted to finish my warm-up no more than 5 minutes prior to the start
of my event. That's a tough call to make because no one wants to blow
their wad in their warm-up. I've been fearful of doing that throughout
my running/cycling "career." However, today, I figured I didn't have
much to lose and some more knowledge to put in the vault. When I rolled
up to the line, there had apparently been a snafu with the previous
cyclist's time (he was 3 laps in before everyone realized that no one
was recording his time). So, they were basically looking for someone to
just start whenever they wanted. This worked out great for me, so I
said I'd be ready to go in like 2 minutes.
I took off, and within the first lap, I could tell that the warm-up was
effective. About a minute in to most max effort trials, I feel like my
legs fill up with lead, and I spend the rest of the race fighting
through dead leg syndrome. Today was a little different. The speed with which my fatigue set in was much slower. That has a big psychological
benefit because if you feel like you just got punched in the face within
the 1st lap, then you know that the next 7 laps are gonna be too hard to
continue at your original pace, so you back off. Either way, the guy
who put down the fastest time last year had a commitment today. So, he
did his qualifying run on Thursday and posted an 8-lap time of 12:40. I
knew that was gettable because a month ago I posted 14:11 for a
9-lapper, and I was 95% sure that I went though the traps at the 8-lap
mark at 12:38. Today, I started my watch a little late, but I could see
pretty early that I was making good time. Also, while there was a
little bit of a wind coming out of the North, it seemed to lessen by the
time I had to ride. Also, for alot of other riders, there were lots of
dog walkers and what not on the road to deal with. My ride was pretty
clear from that standpoint. Either way, my 2-lap time was around 3:06,
which was on target, but my 4-lap time was 6:08, which was much faster
than my original plan was for. I think I was at 9:12-ish by the
6-lapper, and my stopwatch had 12:21 as my overall time. The
scorekeeper said I was at 12:25, and I figure he's probably more
accurate than I was. Regardless, for a 5.2 mile race, that's 25.13 mph.
Since getting >25 mph for one of my TT's was a goal of mine this year,
I'm pretty pleased with the overall result. I ended up being the
fastest rider (2nd place went to the guy that did 12:40 on Thursday, and
third was the Master's Cat 3 racer that I think was a tick over 13:00).
It's probably as good as I have felt about a competition effort and
result as I've felt in an awful long time.
I'm not sure how much the warm-up help my overall performance, but it
seemed to get my body in a better "race mode" than previous plans. I'll
have it more dialed in for my 9/11 race.
I had a solid performance in my qualifier this a.m. I had planned on
doing a more thorough and methodical warm-up than when I would just shot-gun it, like in years past. I came up with a template based on
target cadence and max HR which generates a warm-up for you. I
entered all the data and copied the output onto an 8.5x11 sheet of
paper.... that I left on the dining room table this morning. The funny
thing was that on the paper was also my list of things to pack for the
race. Unfortunately, I didn't include "the list" on the list of things
to bring with me.
That not withstanding, I did have the most solid warm-up I've ever had
prior to a race. Even though the course is a flat (relatively) 1 km
circle, I still brought along my trainer (the rear wheel mount kind) so
I could concentrate on HR and cadence and not worry about cars or
runners or dog walkers or bird watchers (seriously...). I spent 20
minutes working up to around 135 bpm in my 50x19 ring. I then went to
the john and then got back on the bike and started my progressive
interval. It was 2 minutes in 50x17, but in the harder resistance zone
going at 90 rpm (crank cadence). I then rested for 2 minutes and went
up to 100 rpm. Then did the same for 110. My HR's at the end of the
intervals were 140, 155 and 165. I then got the bike off the trainer
and rode the actual race route where I would do more intervals. They
were less strict than I would have prescribed, but it felt right. I
would do a dig at a little faster rpm, but an easier gear just to help
with some potentiation (yeah, I made that up), but also to prime my
lactic acid flushing mechanisms (yeah, I made that up, too).
I wanted to finish my warm-up no more than 5 minutes prior to the start
of my event. That's a tough call to make because no one wants to blow
their wad in their warm-up. I've been fearful of doing that throughout
my running/cycling "career." However, today, I figured I didn't have
much to lose and some more knowledge to put in the vault. When I rolled
up to the line, there had apparently been a snafu with the previous
cyclist's time (he was 3 laps in before everyone realized that no one
was recording his time). So, they were basically looking for someone to
just start whenever they wanted. This worked out great for me, so I
said I'd be ready to go in like 2 minutes.
I took off, and within the first lap, I could tell that the warm-up was
effective. About a minute in to most max effort trials, I feel like my
legs fill up with lead, and I spend the rest of the race fighting
through dead leg syndrome. Today was a little different. The speed with which my fatigue set in was much slower. That has a big psychological
benefit because if you feel like you just got punched in the face within
the 1st lap, then you know that the next 7 laps are gonna be too hard to
continue at your original pace, so you back off. Either way, the guy
who put down the fastest time last year had a commitment today. So, he
did his qualifying run on Thursday and posted an 8-lap time of 12:40. I
knew that was gettable because a month ago I posted 14:11 for a
9-lapper, and I was 95% sure that I went though the traps at the 8-lap
mark at 12:38. Today, I started my watch a little late, but I could see
pretty early that I was making good time. Also, while there was a
little bit of a wind coming out of the North, it seemed to lessen by the
time I had to ride. Also, for alot of other riders, there were lots of
dog walkers and what not on the road to deal with. My ride was pretty
clear from that standpoint. Either way, my 2-lap time was around 3:06,
which was on target, but my 4-lap time was 6:08, which was much faster
than my original plan was for. I think I was at 9:12-ish by the
6-lapper, and my stopwatch had 12:21 as my overall time. The
scorekeeper said I was at 12:25, and I figure he's probably more
accurate than I was. Regardless, for a 5.2 mile race, that's 25.13 mph.
Since getting >25 mph for one of my TT's was a goal of mine this year,
I'm pretty pleased with the overall result. I ended up being the
fastest rider (2nd place went to the guy that did 12:40 on Thursday, and
third was the Master's Cat 3 racer that I think was a tick over 13:00).
It's probably as good as I have felt about a competition effort and
result as I've felt in an awful long time.
I'm not sure how much the warm-up help my overall performance, but it
seemed to get my body in a better "race mode" than previous plans. I'll
have it more dialed in for my 9/11 race.
19 August 2010
Meet Prep
Coach Hansen
Results
After setting the stage with my RAW bench post, I'm sure you are all dying to know how my bench meet went… well, I will tell you: not that great. I did hit my opener of 402. On my second, 424 came halfway up and then stalled. I tried to grind through, and felt something funky going on with my right pec, decided that discretion was the better part of valor at that point, and passed on my third. Given how the pec felt I doubt I would have gotten it anyway, and if the mind doesn’t believe it, then you sure as heck aren't going to get the rep and ‘surprise yourself.’
Warm-ups
We arrived in Dubuque at exactly noon, since this was the latest you could weigh in. Fully dressed, I came in at 398lbs. Heavier than I would like, but I'm addressing that at the moment. We then headed to some weird restaurant to get some food, and based on the cuisine I mainly just tried to stay away from anything ‘off’ that would have given my any issues. Like many others, I get a nervous enough stomach from just competing, let alone what would happen if I ate the mystery-meat breakfast sausage that had been sitting out for 7 hours… so, off to the hotel room to relax for a few hours. We arrived back at the venue around 4:30 pm, as the rules meeting was at 5:15. After shooting the breeze with a few guys, and taking some empty-bar warm-ups on the bench we would be using, I decided to head over to the warm-up area for the rules meeting. It was here that I learned you couldn't use the thumb loops on wrist wraps; not a big deal, but any little change can affect your lifting, and it illustrates the point that you need to know the rules of the federation you are lifting in going in, as sometimes even the smallest ones can make a big difference.
I took my usual warm-ups: bar x10, 135x8 and 6, 225x6, 315x2, and then 365x1. I tried to space these out about 5 minutes apart, but that was a bit difficult as we only had two warm-up benches and lots of lifters. I hit the 365 about one minute before the first lifter went on stage, so the timing was right on as far as I was concerned. I found a chair close to the stairs, and waited for my name to be called. I will admit that I was quite nervous, as this was the first meet I had done in about 3 years, and by far the biggest. We were on a raised stage, in a large auditorium, in front of lots of people; I even had several friends who had come to see me lift and many more back at the gym wanting updates. None of this, based on my recent period of inactivity, helped my nerves.
Impressions
As I said, I was nervous, more so than I usually am, and it definitely affected me. It seemed that I could not get a real tight arch, and the weights just felt ‘off.’ We used the very thin, competition-certified Ivanko kilo plates for the comp lifts, and normal pound weights for the warm-ups. At the Gold’s, where I have been training for this meet, we train with these huge rubber weights that sit way out on the bar. As I said before, even the smallest things can make a big difference, and I think that not only did the odd appearance of the bar play into my nerves, but the fact that the weights were so close to the center of the bar actually made the balance feel a little different, and between mind and matter things were feeling unsteady as I Iowered my opener. In a perfect world I would train with the same (sized, at least) weights I would be using in the competition, and in the future I will be sure my grip location is centered spot on, so that there is no chance of feeling any lateral shakiness due to the more ‘dense’ load-out.
Programming
In the end, would I call this meet a success? Yes. It was my first meet in three years, and I did hit my opener and get on the board. As everyone at GMAAC is always cramming down your throat, the only way to get better at competing is to compete, and I lived to tell the tale. More importantly, having a definite metric to shoot for and a deadline date when the meet would be held, it forced me to put together a few months of good, consistent training. I now also know what to expect at a much bigger, ‘regional,’ meet. When considering that at this time last year I couldn't bench an empty bar without pain, I feel I have come a long way back. When I started training for this meet I was only benching a very shaky 365, and that was without a noticeable pause. So, 402 with a LONG, IPF-legal pause is progress. I definitely need to work more on my shoulders, as well as the upper back and triceps. I am a firm believer that if you fail in the bench press, it is usually one of these smaller, accessory muscles that fails you. Some more paused reps are in order as well.
What Lies Ahead
As stated, I do plan on slimming down a little; how this will affect my power remains to be seen. There is another meet at the same venue on December 3, so right now I think I will compete there to establish another benchmark. Leading up to that meet, special attention will be given to the lats, upper back, triceps and shoulders, and as they get stronger the RAW bench numbers should climb. Continued rehab/prehab on my still-aching, though not injured, shoulders is a must. After I get the details ironed out, I will update my program for the world to critique.
Thanks for reading, and happy competing! We’ll see you on the platform.
Results
After setting the stage with my RAW bench post, I'm sure you are all dying to know how my bench meet went… well, I will tell you: not that great. I did hit my opener of 402. On my second, 424 came halfway up and then stalled. I tried to grind through, and felt something funky going on with my right pec, decided that discretion was the better part of valor at that point, and passed on my third. Given how the pec felt I doubt I would have gotten it anyway, and if the mind doesn’t believe it, then you sure as heck aren't going to get the rep and ‘surprise yourself.’
Warm-ups
We arrived in Dubuque at exactly noon, since this was the latest you could weigh in. Fully dressed, I came in at 398lbs. Heavier than I would like, but I'm addressing that at the moment. We then headed to some weird restaurant to get some food, and based on the cuisine I mainly just tried to stay away from anything ‘off’ that would have given my any issues. Like many others, I get a nervous enough stomach from just competing, let alone what would happen if I ate the mystery-meat breakfast sausage that had been sitting out for 7 hours… so, off to the hotel room to relax for a few hours. We arrived back at the venue around 4:30 pm, as the rules meeting was at 5:15. After shooting the breeze with a few guys, and taking some empty-bar warm-ups on the bench we would be using, I decided to head over to the warm-up area for the rules meeting. It was here that I learned you couldn't use the thumb loops on wrist wraps; not a big deal, but any little change can affect your lifting, and it illustrates the point that you need to know the rules of the federation you are lifting in going in, as sometimes even the smallest ones can make a big difference.
I took my usual warm-ups: bar x10, 135x8 and 6, 225x6, 315x2, and then 365x1. I tried to space these out about 5 minutes apart, but that was a bit difficult as we only had two warm-up benches and lots of lifters. I hit the 365 about one minute before the first lifter went on stage, so the timing was right on as far as I was concerned. I found a chair close to the stairs, and waited for my name to be called. I will admit that I was quite nervous, as this was the first meet I had done in about 3 years, and by far the biggest. We were on a raised stage, in a large auditorium, in front of lots of people; I even had several friends who had come to see me lift and many more back at the gym wanting updates. None of this, based on my recent period of inactivity, helped my nerves.
Impressions
As I said, I was nervous, more so than I usually am, and it definitely affected me. It seemed that I could not get a real tight arch, and the weights just felt ‘off.’ We used the very thin, competition-certified Ivanko kilo plates for the comp lifts, and normal pound weights for the warm-ups. At the Gold’s, where I have been training for this meet, we train with these huge rubber weights that sit way out on the bar. As I said before, even the smallest things can make a big difference, and I think that not only did the odd appearance of the bar play into my nerves, but the fact that the weights were so close to the center of the bar actually made the balance feel a little different, and between mind and matter things were feeling unsteady as I Iowered my opener. In a perfect world I would train with the same (sized, at least) weights I would be using in the competition, and in the future I will be sure my grip location is centered spot on, so that there is no chance of feeling any lateral shakiness due to the more ‘dense’ load-out.
Programming
In the end, would I call this meet a success? Yes. It was my first meet in three years, and I did hit my opener and get on the board. As everyone at GMAAC is always cramming down your throat, the only way to get better at competing is to compete, and I lived to tell the tale. More importantly, having a definite metric to shoot for and a deadline date when the meet would be held, it forced me to put together a few months of good, consistent training. I now also know what to expect at a much bigger, ‘regional,’ meet. When considering that at this time last year I couldn't bench an empty bar without pain, I feel I have come a long way back. When I started training for this meet I was only benching a very shaky 365, and that was without a noticeable pause. So, 402 with a LONG, IPF-legal pause is progress. I definitely need to work more on my shoulders, as well as the upper back and triceps. I am a firm believer that if you fail in the bench press, it is usually one of these smaller, accessory muscles that fails you. Some more paused reps are in order as well.
What Lies Ahead
As stated, I do plan on slimming down a little; how this will affect my power remains to be seen. There is another meet at the same venue on December 3, so right now I think I will compete there to establish another benchmark. Leading up to that meet, special attention will be given to the lats, upper back, triceps and shoulders, and as they get stronger the RAW bench numbers should climb. Continued rehab/prehab on my still-aching, though not injured, shoulders is a must. After I get the details ironed out, I will update my program for the world to critique.
Thanks for reading, and happy competing! We’ll see you on the platform.
15 August 2010
Just Do It
Those who know us know that here at GMAAC, we *thrive* on competition. Competition, and the success we enjoy, however, is not the 'end.' It is the 'means' by which we keep moving ourselves forward on the journey, which is more important than the destination. Competition, for us, is about accountability. It provides metrics that tell you what you need to do to improve, and it is what gets you up at 0430 to train when you might otherwise sleep in.
The philosophy portion of the lecture now over, it can't be denied that despite the fact competition is a training tool for us, we like to do our fair share of winning. The reason that this seems to inspire comment from others is that we win in a wide variety of sports, many of which don't have a lot of overlap when it comes to skills or necessary attributes. We have had a GMAAC coach medal in his LWC meet and place top-10 in a 900+ participant duathlon in the same season. This year we had a GMAAC coach win gold at tournaments/meets in boxing, kettlebell sport, and armwrestling.
How do we do it? We 'just do it,' that's how... You have heard us say before that SPECIFICITY is KING. This applies on all levels. That is, when there is a boxing tournament coming up you need to do more boxing. When you are skewing your training for boxing, you need to do more actual boxing. Huh? This is only to say that you need to spar as much as possible, and when you can't do that you should at least hit a double-end bag or do some quality mitt work. Standing in one place hitting a heavy bag, or jogging, just don't cut the mustard. Make your training specific, and therefore efficient.
Similarly, when it comes to armwrestling we try to get to the table. When you are NOT on the table, however, don't follow the madding crown and sit on the end of the bench to do wrist curls, or use hammer preacher curls as the base of your routine; set up some bands and simulate pulling, and do some heavy ISOs using your body weight where you are hanging from a suspension system with your arm in an AW pulling position. Check out some Devon Larratt videos on YouTube and do an ISO "curl-hook" leaning over an incline bench...
The point here is that when training for sports, even our strength and conditioning work is sports-specific, and is programmed based on the actual sport needs, and not some ex-bodybuilder's (or even worse, physical therapist's) 'strength and conditioning template.'
John Brzenk said it best in a response to a guy assailing him about how Brzenk could possibly be such a dominant armwrestler when he doesn't train that heavy, doesn't deadlift at all, and didn't even know what the farmer's walk was. Brzenk replied to this line of criticism as follows: "If you want to be great at basketball, play basketball; if you want to be great at tennis, go play a lot of tennis; if you want to be a great armwrestler you need to get to the table, a lot. So, I don't know how much I can or could bench, because I take the majority of my 'max lifts' at the armwrestling table."
Seems self-evident, but, when you get down to brass tacks, there are few coaches and athletes who couldn't use at least a little more specific, *targeted*, training. If you *have* a sport, *focus* on that sport. Until next time...
The philosophy portion of the lecture now over, it can't be denied that despite the fact competition is a training tool for us, we like to do our fair share of winning. The reason that this seems to inspire comment from others is that we win in a wide variety of sports, many of which don't have a lot of overlap when it comes to skills or necessary attributes. We have had a GMAAC coach medal in his LWC meet and place top-10 in a 900+ participant duathlon in the same season. This year we had a GMAAC coach win gold at tournaments/meets in boxing, kettlebell sport, and armwrestling.
How do we do it? We 'just do it,' that's how... You have heard us say before that SPECIFICITY is KING. This applies on all levels. That is, when there is a boxing tournament coming up you need to do more boxing. When you are skewing your training for boxing, you need to do more actual boxing. Huh? This is only to say that you need to spar as much as possible, and when you can't do that you should at least hit a double-end bag or do some quality mitt work. Standing in one place hitting a heavy bag, or jogging, just don't cut the mustard. Make your training specific, and therefore efficient.
Similarly, when it comes to armwrestling we try to get to the table. When you are NOT on the table, however, don't follow the madding crown and sit on the end of the bench to do wrist curls, or use hammer preacher curls as the base of your routine; set up some bands and simulate pulling, and do some heavy ISOs using your body weight where you are hanging from a suspension system with your arm in an AW pulling position. Check out some Devon Larratt videos on YouTube and do an ISO "curl-hook" leaning over an incline bench...
The point here is that when training for sports, even our strength and conditioning work is sports-specific, and is programmed based on the actual sport needs, and not some ex-bodybuilder's (or even worse, physical therapist's) 'strength and conditioning template.'
John Brzenk said it best in a response to a guy assailing him about how Brzenk could possibly be such a dominant armwrestler when he doesn't train that heavy, doesn't deadlift at all, and didn't even know what the farmer's walk was. Brzenk replied to this line of criticism as follows: "If you want to be great at basketball, play basketball; if you want to be great at tennis, go play a lot of tennis; if you want to be a great armwrestler you need to get to the table, a lot. So, I don't know how much I can or could bench, because I take the majority of my 'max lifts' at the armwrestling table."
Seems self-evident, but, when you get down to brass tacks, there are few coaches and athletes who couldn't use at least a little more specific, *targeted*, training. If you *have* a sport, *focus* on that sport. Until next time...
02 July 2010
So Far, So Good
Coach Hand
Well, I am due the next article/post on here, but am feeling lazy and uncreative. There, I admitted it. So, I am just going to recycle an e-mail Keen sent me from a couple weekends ago during GMAAC’s latest official competition showing at a state sports festival, and hope there's a lesson in it:
“…it was pretty ridiculous, because there was this little fighter south of 140 who had fast hands, but for some reason had this right to the body he liked to lead with, and kept landing, but every time he would throw it he would pull his glove back to like his hip, and then keep it down there for a few seconds. It was so bad I was standing up on my toes waiting for him to get KTFO each time he did it, but it just didn’t happen, and he won the fight easy and damn did his coach talk him up afterwards. No mention of that ridiculous hitch.
Then, there’s this big dude competing as a heavyweight armwrestler, and winning, but he is standing there with his feet right next to each other, directly under his hips. Had like the worst leverage setup ever. I saw a guy from a lighter class trying to talk to him about it, and he just shrugged him off.
So I am sitting around my brother’s house later watching “The Magnificent Seven” on TNT HD and it gets to the part with the little exchange where Steve McQueen tells the old dude with the stupid plan “Sounds like that fellow back home, that fell off a ten-story building… yeah, on the way down people on every floor heard him saying ‘So far, So good…’ “ Just sort of made me laugh at the time, and I thought of those two proud morons. “
So, what is the point of this? The point is made in the narrative. You CANNOT afford, as an athlete, to ignore fundamentals and then, just because you are sliding by, think you are 'all that.'
This is, in large part, our responsibility as coaches. The coach of the boxer, if his defense was really that atrocious, can’t help but have noticed, and needs to have said something. If I had to guess, he probably falls into the “well, that’s just his style, and it seems to work for him…” trap. If something is technically incorrect, and can get you hurt or cost a victory, it is not a matter of style. It is a matter of stupidity and laziness, and you need to do what it takes to succeed, regardless of what you think your ‘style’ is.
Along the same lines, while it is something coaches should be constantly vigilant for, it is ultimately the athlete’s responsibility. This is who will win or lose if the day comes that someone exposes the technical flaw.
So, study your sport and the proper mechanics thereof. Then, NEVER STOP evaluating your own technique, to include through video review, and asking others to spot-check you, at a minimum. You’ll enjoy a better winning percentage and greater longevity. Just be sure you don’t get caught in the trap of “So far, So good…”
Well, I am due the next article/post on here, but am feeling lazy and uncreative. There, I admitted it. So, I am just going to recycle an e-mail Keen sent me from a couple weekends ago during GMAAC’s latest official competition showing at a state sports festival, and hope there's a lesson in it:
“…it was pretty ridiculous, because there was this little fighter south of 140 who had fast hands, but for some reason had this right to the body he liked to lead with, and kept landing, but every time he would throw it he would pull his glove back to like his hip, and then keep it down there for a few seconds. It was so bad I was standing up on my toes waiting for him to get KTFO each time he did it, but it just didn’t happen, and he won the fight easy and damn did his coach talk him up afterwards. No mention of that ridiculous hitch.
Then, there’s this big dude competing as a heavyweight armwrestler, and winning, but he is standing there with his feet right next to each other, directly under his hips. Had like the worst leverage setup ever. I saw a guy from a lighter class trying to talk to him about it, and he just shrugged him off.
So I am sitting around my brother’s house later watching “The Magnificent Seven” on TNT HD and it gets to the part with the little exchange where Steve McQueen tells the old dude with the stupid plan “Sounds like that fellow back home, that fell off a ten-story building… yeah, on the way down people on every floor heard him saying ‘So far, So good…’ “ Just sort of made me laugh at the time, and I thought of those two proud morons. “
So, what is the point of this? The point is made in the narrative. You CANNOT afford, as an athlete, to ignore fundamentals and then, just because you are sliding by, think you are 'all that.'
This is, in large part, our responsibility as coaches. The coach of the boxer, if his defense was really that atrocious, can’t help but have noticed, and needs to have said something. If I had to guess, he probably falls into the “well, that’s just his style, and it seems to work for him…” trap. If something is technically incorrect, and can get you hurt or cost a victory, it is not a matter of style. It is a matter of stupidity and laziness, and you need to do what it takes to succeed, regardless of what you think your ‘style’ is.
Along the same lines, while it is something coaches should be constantly vigilant for, it is ultimately the athlete’s responsibility. This is who will win or lose if the day comes that someone exposes the technical flaw.
So, study your sport and the proper mechanics thereof. Then, NEVER STOP evaluating your own technique, to include through video review, and asking others to spot-check you, at a minimum. You’ll enjoy a better winning percentage and greater longevity. Just be sure you don’t get caught in the trap of “So far, So good…”
18 June 2010
Hold It Just a Little Longer...
We have received lots of questions from our athletes and parents about the hows and whys RE: our implementation of what Coach Keen always refers to, in his training short-hand, as "Jay Schroeder EXTREME ISOs!!!"… Given that he does use this method a lot, *and* the fact that they are not actually Jay Schroeder isometrics as prescribed at his facility (at least, as best we can tell), we figured some explanation was due.
First, some history:
Many folks in the S&C community remember the hype surrounding Adam Archuletta and the 2001 NFL Combine, when he created a stir with not only his outstanding performance, but what people began to understand his combine training to be. Videos on ESPN of him doing ‘crazy stuff’ lit a fire of curiosity in people that was only stoked by the Jay Schroeder video ‘Freak of Training’… Our own Coach Keen bought that video, but found it so ambiguous as to methods and implementation as to almost completely preclude constructing a program just based on watching it.
Soon came the whole Jay Schroeder/DB Hammer/Brad Nuttall identity scandal on the internet, with the takeaway, GMAAC-wise, being that Coach Keen also emerged from that information fracas with “The Best Sports Book Ever” in his vast library, in an attempt to further understand and implement this type of program.
In the near future after the arrival of DB Hammer and Inno-Sport, there were other training groups and individuals who seemed to implement these isos, or other similar quasi-Inno-Sport and quasi-Evo Sport methods, into their training regimes, to include WannaGetFast and Kelly Baggett.
Coach Keen, after having seen almost all the products offered by the above-named individuals, has settled on his *own* way of implementing what he calls the “Jay Schroeder EXTREME ISOs,” but which are, in fact, just isometrics done in a way that he prefers (read: finds effective) after cobbling together all the above training materials. His opinion is that he does things about half Jay Schroeder-style and half Inno-Sport-style, but that idea is confusing in itself if you are one of the many people who believe that Jay Schroeder and DB Hammer may in fact be one and the same.
That, however, is enough for now. Regardless of who 'invented' them, and who is writing under what pseudonym, the bottom line is that Coach Keen has observed (recorded) measurable improvement when using these methods, primarily in power and power-endurance. The lower body use of these methods seems particularly helpful to the vertical jump. So, when programming these ISOs for GMAAC athletes (usually as part of 'GPP' or 'Off-Season' programs) his progression/set of rules is as follows:
1) First, when doing the bodyweight-only (which includes adding external load, via a weighted vest or belt) EXTREME ISOs, he uses a group of positions that closely resembles what is rumored to be Jay Schroeder’s core group:
• Lunges
• Push-Ups
• Scap Pull-Ups/Rows
• Wall Squats
• Glute-Ham or Single-Leg Reaching DL
These movements are, unless otherwise noted, held for a total duration of 5 minutes per contraction (per limb, if a unilateral movement). If an athlete is a 'true' power/strength athlete (as opposed to power-endurance), Coach Keen starts him or her off with 20% bodyweight added, and all ISOs are held to one minute (instead of five), with weight added once one minute is reached.
2) When performing these ISOs, the key is to, WHILE MAINTAINING PERFECT FORM, use the antagonists to pull oneself into as far a stretch position as possible, and then try to pull farther still, actively causing the opposing muscle pairs to ‘duke it out'. This is incredibly intense, and potentially painful, when done properly.
3) When performing the ISOs that utilize dumbbells (DB), the progression over time is from a hold -> drop and hold -> drop and reversal of movement:
• DB Upright Rows
• DB Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise
• DB Curl
• USSR Lunges
• Ankle Weight Hip Extension
These movements are initially performed with a 5-7# dumbbell for each movement for a timed hold. Once an individual can hold the dumbbell for 45 seconds, then progression is made to a drop-and-catch with a 5-7# dumbbell. Once the individual can ‘stick the catch’ for 3 sets of 15 reps per movement, a progression is made where the dumbbell is reversed as rapidly as possible, instead of stopped/caught, and held for 10 seconds, after the reversal motion, at the beginning of the eccentric portion of the movement (where the drop would be initiated from) before completely relaxing and dropping the weight again. 2-4 sets of 5-10 reps are done here, with speed and mastery being the goal. The USSR Lunges are simply bouncing/bodyweight lunges done with the same force absorption principles as the DB shoulder/upper work.
4) The EXTREME ISOs are usually done as a ‘recovery workout’ in a macrocycle, done on alternating days with very heavy or system/CNS-intensive work (heavy, long timed KB sets, or a lot of squatting and pressing above 90%) and the DB Iso/Hold/Rebound work is done in a completely separate macrocyle, where it would be alternated with lots of heavy, short-duration (15-20 sec) isometrics and isotonics performed near CJC, a la Inno-Sport and DB Hammer.
Did this post fully explain the reasons and methods for use of these isometric protocols? No, absolutely not, and we know it. But, that is largely because, like most folks out there trying to implement this type of work, we are experimenting and trying to find a way to make it all fit in. Also, it has hopefully shed some light on how and why we have implemented these low-load, but high power and duration, ISOs. Give them a try, and please give us your feedback.
First, some history:
Many folks in the S&C community remember the hype surrounding Adam Archuletta and the 2001 NFL Combine, when he created a stir with not only his outstanding performance, but what people began to understand his combine training to be. Videos on ESPN of him doing ‘crazy stuff’ lit a fire of curiosity in people that was only stoked by the Jay Schroeder video ‘Freak of Training’… Our own Coach Keen bought that video, but found it so ambiguous as to methods and implementation as to almost completely preclude constructing a program just based on watching it.
Soon came the whole Jay Schroeder/DB Hammer/Brad Nuttall identity scandal on the internet, with the takeaway, GMAAC-wise, being that Coach Keen also emerged from that information fracas with “The Best Sports Book Ever” in his vast library, in an attempt to further understand and implement this type of program.
In the near future after the arrival of DB Hammer and Inno-Sport, there were other training groups and individuals who seemed to implement these isos, or other similar quasi-Inno-Sport and quasi-Evo Sport methods, into their training regimes, to include WannaGetFast and Kelly Baggett.
Coach Keen, after having seen almost all the products offered by the above-named individuals, has settled on his *own* way of implementing what he calls the “Jay Schroeder EXTREME ISOs,” but which are, in fact, just isometrics done in a way that he prefers (read: finds effective) after cobbling together all the above training materials. His opinion is that he does things about half Jay Schroeder-style and half Inno-Sport-style, but that idea is confusing in itself if you are one of the many people who believe that Jay Schroeder and DB Hammer may in fact be one and the same.
That, however, is enough for now. Regardless of who 'invented' them, and who is writing under what pseudonym, the bottom line is that Coach Keen has observed (recorded) measurable improvement when using these methods, primarily in power and power-endurance. The lower body use of these methods seems particularly helpful to the vertical jump. So, when programming these ISOs for GMAAC athletes (usually as part of 'GPP' or 'Off-Season' programs) his progression/set of rules is as follows:
1) First, when doing the bodyweight-only (which includes adding external load, via a weighted vest or belt) EXTREME ISOs, he uses a group of positions that closely resembles what is rumored to be Jay Schroeder’s core group:
• Lunges
• Push-Ups
• Scap Pull-Ups/Rows
• Wall Squats
• Glute-Ham or Single-Leg Reaching DL
These movements are, unless otherwise noted, held for a total duration of 5 minutes per contraction (per limb, if a unilateral movement). If an athlete is a 'true' power/strength athlete (as opposed to power-endurance), Coach Keen starts him or her off with 20% bodyweight added, and all ISOs are held to one minute (instead of five), with weight added once one minute is reached.
2) When performing these ISOs, the key is to, WHILE MAINTAINING PERFECT FORM, use the antagonists to pull oneself into as far a stretch position as possible, and then try to pull farther still, actively causing the opposing muscle pairs to ‘duke it out'. This is incredibly intense, and potentially painful, when done properly.
3) When performing the ISOs that utilize dumbbells (DB), the progression over time is from a hold -> drop and hold -> drop and reversal of movement:
• DB Upright Rows
• DB Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise
• DB Curl
• USSR Lunges
• Ankle Weight Hip Extension
These movements are initially performed with a 5-7# dumbbell for each movement for a timed hold. Once an individual can hold the dumbbell for 45 seconds, then progression is made to a drop-and-catch with a 5-7# dumbbell. Once the individual can ‘stick the catch’ for 3 sets of 15 reps per movement, a progression is made where the dumbbell is reversed as rapidly as possible, instead of stopped/caught, and held for 10 seconds, after the reversal motion, at the beginning of the eccentric portion of the movement (where the drop would be initiated from) before completely relaxing and dropping the weight again. 2-4 sets of 5-10 reps are done here, with speed and mastery being the goal. The USSR Lunges are simply bouncing/bodyweight lunges done with the same force absorption principles as the DB shoulder/upper work.
4) The EXTREME ISOs are usually done as a ‘recovery workout’ in a macrocycle, done on alternating days with very heavy or system/CNS-intensive work (heavy, long timed KB sets, or a lot of squatting and pressing above 90%) and the DB Iso/Hold/Rebound work is done in a completely separate macrocyle, where it would be alternated with lots of heavy, short-duration (15-20 sec) isometrics and isotonics performed near CJC, a la Inno-Sport and DB Hammer.
Did this post fully explain the reasons and methods for use of these isometric protocols? No, absolutely not, and we know it. But, that is largely because, like most folks out there trying to implement this type of work, we are experimenting and trying to find a way to make it all fit in. Also, it has hopefully shed some light on how and why we have implemented these low-load, but high power and duration, ISOs. Give them a try, and please give us your feedback.
04 June 2010
Shoulder Health for the Bench Specialist
From Coach Hansen:
The shoulder is a wonderful joint, as long as you keep it working like it should. Sadly, the one exercise that can hurt it more often than any other is one that everyone loves doing, the bench press. If you are having pain in your shoulders during or after bench pressing, I hope you will take some advice from a guy who has been there and done that.
First, stop bench pressing for awhile. Just trying to ‘work through the pain’ is the fast track to nowhere. On the plus side, consider that you will lose a lot less strength from taking a few weeks off than you would from the few months to come back from a full-fledged injury.
Next, if at all possible, go see an expert. Rather than a self-diagnosis, or letting that "one guy" at the gym telling you what is wrong, go to a physical therapist or doctor. They should be able to pin-point the problem and give you the correct exercises to remedy the situation. Please remember, I am talking legitimate pain from an injury here, and not soreness. If you are honest with yourself, you will know the difference.
For the lucky ones who don’t have any pain from benching, let’s keep it that way by following a few simple rules. The first, and most important, is technique. This is probably, to be honest, what got you into trouble in the first place. If you have otherwise-healthy shoulders, and benching is causing pain and/or injury, you likely aren’t doing it right. The "body-builder" style of benching, for example, is a recipe for disaster when trained heavy. I'm referring here to benching with the back flat and the elbows flared, trying to get a stretch of the pecs. This not only puts a ‘stretch on the pecs,’ but a ton of stress on the shoulders. When benching significant loads, the shoulder blades should be pulled together, lifting you off the bench slightly, and the elbows should be tucked into the sides. A moderate arch in the back is good as well. Unless you are competing you don’t have to go crazy with the arch, but a little bit is definitely better than none. Dave Tate has a great video on bench press technique available on his website, Elite Fitness Systems. I highly recommend it, and you don’t have to be a full-fledged powerlifter to watch it. Everyone in the gym wants to bench more, and this video will help you with that. [and don’t forget, it’s FREE: http://train.elitefts.com/exercise-index/barbell/bench-press/ ]
Balance in training is second, and is as big a key as technique. A good rule of thumb is for every set of bench presses you do, a set of rows (low pulley, pulldowns, chin ups, bent over, whatever) should be done as well. I, personally, also recommend you include some overhead pressing based on its carryover to benching. A word to the wise here, however: if you are training the bench heavy, like getting ready for a meet, then don’t train the overhead press heavy at the same time. The shoulders are getting a lot of work from the bench, and heavy overhead pressing can be too much for them. This is why, for the same of variety and balanced development, I recommend periodically taking some time off heavy benching and concentrating on upping your overhead press movements. The results are usually happier shoulders and an increase in the bench due to the shoulder support strength and increased triceps drive. Be sure to pay some attention to the rear delts, as well. Rear delt flys, at a minimum, and face pulls are great for this muscle group.
Having dealt with my own shoulder troubles many times (and losing a ton of training time because of it) I have not only seem my own medical professionals and read the textbooks, but scoured the web for information. There is a lot of it, in fact, so much that it can be overwhelming. I will try to list some sites that I have found helpful, in hopes of saving you some time and grief of your own, in a future post.
Happy benching!
The shoulder is a wonderful joint, as long as you keep it working like it should. Sadly, the one exercise that can hurt it more often than any other is one that everyone loves doing, the bench press. If you are having pain in your shoulders during or after bench pressing, I hope you will take some advice from a guy who has been there and done that.
First, stop bench pressing for awhile. Just trying to ‘work through the pain’ is the fast track to nowhere. On the plus side, consider that you will lose a lot less strength from taking a few weeks off than you would from the few months to come back from a full-fledged injury.
Next, if at all possible, go see an expert. Rather than a self-diagnosis, or letting that "one guy" at the gym telling you what is wrong, go to a physical therapist or doctor. They should be able to pin-point the problem and give you the correct exercises to remedy the situation. Please remember, I am talking legitimate pain from an injury here, and not soreness. If you are honest with yourself, you will know the difference.
For the lucky ones who don’t have any pain from benching, let’s keep it that way by following a few simple rules. The first, and most important, is technique. This is probably, to be honest, what got you into trouble in the first place. If you have otherwise-healthy shoulders, and benching is causing pain and/or injury, you likely aren’t doing it right. The "body-builder" style of benching, for example, is a recipe for disaster when trained heavy. I'm referring here to benching with the back flat and the elbows flared, trying to get a stretch of the pecs. This not only puts a ‘stretch on the pecs,’ but a ton of stress on the shoulders. When benching significant loads, the shoulder blades should be pulled together, lifting you off the bench slightly, and the elbows should be tucked into the sides. A moderate arch in the back is good as well. Unless you are competing you don’t have to go crazy with the arch, but a little bit is definitely better than none. Dave Tate has a great video on bench press technique available on his website, Elite Fitness Systems. I highly recommend it, and you don’t have to be a full-fledged powerlifter to watch it. Everyone in the gym wants to bench more, and this video will help you with that. [and don’t forget, it’s FREE: http://train.elitefts.com/exercise-index/barbell/bench-press/ ]
Balance in training is second, and is as big a key as technique. A good rule of thumb is for every set of bench presses you do, a set of rows (low pulley, pulldowns, chin ups, bent over, whatever) should be done as well. I, personally, also recommend you include some overhead pressing based on its carryover to benching. A word to the wise here, however: if you are training the bench heavy, like getting ready for a meet, then don’t train the overhead press heavy at the same time. The shoulders are getting a lot of work from the bench, and heavy overhead pressing can be too much for them. This is why, for the same of variety and balanced development, I recommend periodically taking some time off heavy benching and concentrating on upping your overhead press movements. The results are usually happier shoulders and an increase in the bench due to the shoulder support strength and increased triceps drive. Be sure to pay some attention to the rear delts, as well. Rear delt flys, at a minimum, and face pulls are great for this muscle group.
Having dealt with my own shoulder troubles many times (and losing a ton of training time because of it) I have not only seem my own medical professionals and read the textbooks, but scoured the web for information. There is a lot of it, in fact, so much that it can be overwhelming. I will try to list some sites that I have found helpful, in hopes of saving you some time and grief of your own, in a future post.
Happy benching!
02 June 2010
VOODOO CHILE: Training 'Science'?
From Coach Keen:
As we have stated previously, GMAAC is all about proven sports-specific work, while using science to direct our curiosity in finding new and effective methods.
The focus is on the proven and time-tested methods, however, and we will never let the armchair theorists tell us to do what science says *should* work, as opposed to what we know *does* work.
Once example of a practice some of our coaches employ that doesn’t seem to sit well with the gurus who have never laced up a pair of gloves themselves is the use of Fibonacci sequences in planning out training cycles.
That’s right, the ‘Golden Mean’… The sequence of “Fibonacci Numbers,” for the uninitiated, is 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc., with the list being made up of each number being the sum of the two numbers before it. The Golden Ratio/Proportion/Mean is .618, which happens to be what you come up with, after the first few numbers, when you divide any number in the Fibonacci sequence by the one that follows it.
There are many arguments, both for and against, as regards using this mathematical construct in planning out training cycles:
-the proponents say that Fibonacci numbers show up so often in ‘perfection’ and ‘nature’ that they simply cannot be ignored; that is, if these mathematical ratios show up in flower petals, ridges on shells, spiral patterns in water and weather and the proportions of ‘classic’ art and architecture, why wouldn’t it be the case that the natural training and recovery rhythms of the human body are also attuned to this ratio?
-the detractors would tell us that, despite the overwhelming occurrence of this ratio in nature, there is no reason to assume that the “number of days on which you have a training session” is a metric that can or should be controlled by this numerical sequence. They likely believe that, *even if* this Golden Ratio applies somehow to training and recovery, it might just as well be the number of minutes per day you should exercise, or the number of reps to do in a workout, or the number of seconds a muscle should be under tension that this ratio is applied to…there just isn’t any scientific evidence to back up *how* to use Fibonacci numbers in training programming, and in light of that, you should rely on the sports science data that *is* out there regarding training and recovery. [Ed. Note: it is likely that the proponents of this concept, particularly the ‘way out there’ Kool-Aid Drinking Fib-ers, would say all of the above should have the mean applied to them.]
We here at GMAAC agree in part with both camps, and believe that our coaches who use Fibonacci training cycles do so in a way that falls within the common-sense realities that both camps seem to aim at one another.
Here’s why:
1. When you look at the most commonly-used Fibonacci-inspired training cycle, the three-week cycle, what you come up with is five days of ‘rest’ (with the middle day containing an ‘active rest’ workout), 15 straight days of training, and then a 6 day ‘peaking cycle’ actually composed of 2 three-day cycles: three days of rest, then a day of easy training, a day of moderate training, and then your event/peak. This kind of workout schedule ends up, as a practical matter, working out GREAT for us with respect to boxing when someone takes a fight about a month out, and, in fact, looks a lot like the tail-end of a training camp anyway. You come in fresh, you have a rest near the end, and then an easy-to-moderate ramp-up and you compete. These easy and moderate sessions at the end are great when an athlete needs to engage in a little activity for ‘weight management’ purposes, and help your athletes to feel energetic and springy going into a fight, as opposed to sluggish from sitting around for 4 days.
2. As the proponents point out, you can’t ignore the anecdotal data. A number of high-level performers in the sports world have noticed that they do indeed register a peak performance if their training calendar incorporates these numbers and sequences. We have noticed the same, and thus, “it works” so we “keep it.”
3. We like the long stretches of consecutive training days, as this is great when you are working with amateurs and have to consider ‘real-world compliance’… If you sketch out a program for a 14 year-old boxer that includes 4 training days a week for 6 weeks, invariably, between cold season, the Sadie Hawkins dance, being grounded, etc., one of those training sessions a week, on at least two or three of those weeks, is going to slide. That means that all of a sudden you have an athlete who, while supposedly preparing for an event, is ‘not training’ as often as he 'is training', calendar-wise, and that just doesn’t mesh with GMAAC’s long-standing belief that “the best athletes are always the gym rats”…
4. The consecutive training days also allow us to sit well with the sports science theorists and employ block periodization. In today’s world, regardless of the athletic factor examined, we simply do not have the time to employ linear/volume-based periodization schemes, and in the sport of boxing, there are TOO MANY physical attributes that we can (and need to try) to improve to do anything other than always be training *something* on that list “hard,” while at least “maintaining” the other attributes. Using the longer, three-month Fibonacci training block, the ‘guts’ of which has you train for 21 days, rest 3 days, train 34 days, rest 3 days, and then finish with a 21 day block that includes the 3 days of rest and 3 day taper/ramp, is perfect for this. Assuming that the athlete comes into that block with a sufficient base, both skill- and physical attributes-wise (which they do if they train with us…), this is a great set-up to do a three-part block set-up of either 1) General Endurance, 2) Power/Power-Endurance, 3) Fight Prep; or, 1) Aerobic, 2) Anaerobic Lactic, 3) Fight Prep/Anaerobic Alactic. All of these training blocks would have received much more comprehensive, 8-week blocks earlier in the training year, but when a fight is three months out this is a nice way to use shorter blocks and, building upon the base you already established earlier in the year: a) ‘touch’ each of these energy systems and make sure they are primed and ready to go, b) provide some exciting, fresh training that changes every few weeks, and c) use LOTS of sports-specific skills and drills to make sure your fighter is where they need to be physically, and then spend a few weeks on tactical preparation and HARD WORK based on what you know about the opponent.
5. Finally, that last double-three-day-ramp-up at the end would seem to satisfy what the experts currently hold to be a good ‘taper’ or ‘peaking’ strategy. While it used to be held (and still is, by many) that you needed to rest, and rest only, a lot prior to an event, science has backed-up the practice of resting, albeit sparingly, and then leading into an event with some limited volume and intensity work that seems to provide a tonic effect and allow for a peak/supercompensation on event day.
All of this, to reiterate our going-in statement, however, truly boils down to the fact that these training cycles seem to work for us and our athletes. That really is all that matters, and that there seems to be some evidence out there in the world that this *should* work is just gravy. If this is at all interesting, the best, and by far most comprehensive, training resource out there on using the Golden Mean to construct training cycles is “Consistent Winning” by Ron Sandler and Dennis Lobstein, which not only discusses the cycles mentioned about but has sections on holding a peak, training to peak on successive weekends, how to warm-up, etc. Remember, don't rely on luck, so "good planning!"
As we have stated previously, GMAAC is all about proven sports-specific work, while using science to direct our curiosity in finding new and effective methods.
The focus is on the proven and time-tested methods, however, and we will never let the armchair theorists tell us to do what science says *should* work, as opposed to what we know *does* work.
Once example of a practice some of our coaches employ that doesn’t seem to sit well with the gurus who have never laced up a pair of gloves themselves is the use of Fibonacci sequences in planning out training cycles.
That’s right, the ‘Golden Mean’… The sequence of “Fibonacci Numbers,” for the uninitiated, is 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc., with the list being made up of each number being the sum of the two numbers before it. The Golden Ratio/Proportion/Mean is .618, which happens to be what you come up with, after the first few numbers, when you divide any number in the Fibonacci sequence by the one that follows it.
There are many arguments, both for and against, as regards using this mathematical construct in planning out training cycles:
-the proponents say that Fibonacci numbers show up so often in ‘perfection’ and ‘nature’ that they simply cannot be ignored; that is, if these mathematical ratios show up in flower petals, ridges on shells, spiral patterns in water and weather and the proportions of ‘classic’ art and architecture, why wouldn’t it be the case that the natural training and recovery rhythms of the human body are also attuned to this ratio?
-the detractors would tell us that, despite the overwhelming occurrence of this ratio in nature, there is no reason to assume that the “number of days on which you have a training session” is a metric that can or should be controlled by this numerical sequence. They likely believe that, *even if* this Golden Ratio applies somehow to training and recovery, it might just as well be the number of minutes per day you should exercise, or the number of reps to do in a workout, or the number of seconds a muscle should be under tension that this ratio is applied to…there just isn’t any scientific evidence to back up *how* to use Fibonacci numbers in training programming, and in light of that, you should rely on the sports science data that *is* out there regarding training and recovery. [Ed. Note: it is likely that the proponents of this concept, particularly the ‘way out there’ Kool-Aid Drinking Fib-ers, would say all of the above should have the mean applied to them.]
We here at GMAAC agree in part with both camps, and believe that our coaches who use Fibonacci training cycles do so in a way that falls within the common-sense realities that both camps seem to aim at one another.
Here’s why:
1. When you look at the most commonly-used Fibonacci-inspired training cycle, the three-week cycle, what you come up with is five days of ‘rest’ (with the middle day containing an ‘active rest’ workout), 15 straight days of training, and then a 6 day ‘peaking cycle’ actually composed of 2 three-day cycles: three days of rest, then a day of easy training, a day of moderate training, and then your event/peak. This kind of workout schedule ends up, as a practical matter, working out GREAT for us with respect to boxing when someone takes a fight about a month out, and, in fact, looks a lot like the tail-end of a training camp anyway. You come in fresh, you have a rest near the end, and then an easy-to-moderate ramp-up and you compete. These easy and moderate sessions at the end are great when an athlete needs to engage in a little activity for ‘weight management’ purposes, and help your athletes to feel energetic and springy going into a fight, as opposed to sluggish from sitting around for 4 days.
2. As the proponents point out, you can’t ignore the anecdotal data. A number of high-level performers in the sports world have noticed that they do indeed register a peak performance if their training calendar incorporates these numbers and sequences. We have noticed the same, and thus, “it works” so we “keep it.”
3. We like the long stretches of consecutive training days, as this is great when you are working with amateurs and have to consider ‘real-world compliance’… If you sketch out a program for a 14 year-old boxer that includes 4 training days a week for 6 weeks, invariably, between cold season, the Sadie Hawkins dance, being grounded, etc., one of those training sessions a week, on at least two or three of those weeks, is going to slide. That means that all of a sudden you have an athlete who, while supposedly preparing for an event, is ‘not training’ as often as he 'is training', calendar-wise, and that just doesn’t mesh with GMAAC’s long-standing belief that “the best athletes are always the gym rats”…
4. The consecutive training days also allow us to sit well with the sports science theorists and employ block periodization. In today’s world, regardless of the athletic factor examined, we simply do not have the time to employ linear/volume-based periodization schemes, and in the sport of boxing, there are TOO MANY physical attributes that we can (and need to try) to improve to do anything other than always be training *something* on that list “hard,” while at least “maintaining” the other attributes. Using the longer, three-month Fibonacci training block, the ‘guts’ of which has you train for 21 days, rest 3 days, train 34 days, rest 3 days, and then finish with a 21 day block that includes the 3 days of rest and 3 day taper/ramp, is perfect for this. Assuming that the athlete comes into that block with a sufficient base, both skill- and physical attributes-wise (which they do if they train with us…), this is a great set-up to do a three-part block set-up of either 1) General Endurance, 2) Power/Power-Endurance, 3) Fight Prep; or, 1) Aerobic, 2) Anaerobic Lactic, 3) Fight Prep/Anaerobic Alactic. All of these training blocks would have received much more comprehensive, 8-week blocks earlier in the training year, but when a fight is three months out this is a nice way to use shorter blocks and, building upon the base you already established earlier in the year: a) ‘touch’ each of these energy systems and make sure they are primed and ready to go, b) provide some exciting, fresh training that changes every few weeks, and c) use LOTS of sports-specific skills and drills to make sure your fighter is where they need to be physically, and then spend a few weeks on tactical preparation and HARD WORK based on what you know about the opponent.
5. Finally, that last double-three-day-ramp-up at the end would seem to satisfy what the experts currently hold to be a good ‘taper’ or ‘peaking’ strategy. While it used to be held (and still is, by many) that you needed to rest, and rest only, a lot prior to an event, science has backed-up the practice of resting, albeit sparingly, and then leading into an event with some limited volume and intensity work that seems to provide a tonic effect and allow for a peak/supercompensation on event day.
All of this, to reiterate our going-in statement, however, truly boils down to the fact that these training cycles seem to work for us and our athletes. That really is all that matters, and that there seems to be some evidence out there in the world that this *should* work is just gravy. If this is at all interesting, the best, and by far most comprehensive, training resource out there on using the Golden Mean to construct training cycles is “Consistent Winning” by Ron Sandler and Dennis Lobstein, which not only discusses the cycles mentioned about but has sections on holding a peak, training to peak on successive weekends, how to warm-up, etc. Remember, don't rely on luck, so "good planning!"
28 May 2010
Body Comp for Cyclists
From Coach Mohr:
The coaches here at GMAAC are often accused of trying to look like models for Men’s Health. The worst insult in the world? No, but you get the point... We can't help our good looks, but it is true that we do actually expend effort, and put a premium, on ‘leanness.’ Let it be known, however, that it is not for cosmetic purposes, or at the expense of training time that could be better spent improving athleticism.
It should not take much discussion to convince a reader that there are good reasons to ‘maintain shape,’ and compete in a lower weight class if possible, (while maintaining the same amount of muscular bodyweight) in sports such as boxing, armwrestling, and GS.
However, I take the same approach to cycling and running events. My “walking around weight” is 175 or so in the off-season, but experience has shown me that in order to ride most effectively, I need to be at about 165. More specifically, losing as much of one's belly fat as possible really helps (me) with cycling because you:
1) weigh less, which helps with climbing,
2) have less frontal area, which helps lessen drag, and
3) can ride in a better tuck without your quads hitting your abdomen on every pedal stroke, which minimizes inefficiency and, again, lessens drag.
I can’t overstate how much the reduction in drag, from #2 and #3 above, can mean to a competitive cyclist. If we crunch some quick numbers based on a few quick assumptions, we get this:
a) If you are a ‘decent’ cyclist with an estimated 230 watts of power output,
b) And by losing your ‘belly fat’ you reduce your frontal area, and get a better tuck, and thereby reduce your drag from 8lbs to 6lbs at 30mph,
c) You will shave over 5 minutes off of your 40km time!
Those mathematical findings are HUGE! Again, these are based on assumptions, so your mileage may vary, literally, but the numbers are sound.
If absolutely nothing else, and you think I am being overly optimistic, I ran an A to B comparison on this website: http://bikecalculator.com/veloMetricNum.html
The comparison kept everything the same, except I went from 82 kilos to 75 kilos and reduced my frontal area from 0.40 to 0.39 (which assumption I tried to base on logic surrounding a ~1" circumference delta to a 5'9" cylinder). Even these modest numbers look like an overall improvement of 40 seconds, or about 1.3%.
And, the more important point is that it is ridiculous for an athlete to go out and spend $12,000.00 on aero wheels, aero frames, an aero helmet and aero bars only to gain a minute or two on your time, when you could get a similar, or even bigger, return from what essentially boils down to some dietary discipline and smart training.
So incorporate some table push-aways into your training, and start tracking your weight and BF%, even if you are not in a weight-class sport!
The coaches here at GMAAC are often accused of trying to look like models for Men’s Health. The worst insult in the world? No, but you get the point... We can't help our good looks, but it is true that we do actually expend effort, and put a premium, on ‘leanness.’ Let it be known, however, that it is not for cosmetic purposes, or at the expense of training time that could be better spent improving athleticism.
It should not take much discussion to convince a reader that there are good reasons to ‘maintain shape,’ and compete in a lower weight class if possible, (while maintaining the same amount of muscular bodyweight) in sports such as boxing, armwrestling, and GS.
However, I take the same approach to cycling and running events. My “walking around weight” is 175 or so in the off-season, but experience has shown me that in order to ride most effectively, I need to be at about 165. More specifically, losing as much of one's belly fat as possible really helps (me) with cycling because you:
1) weigh less, which helps with climbing,
2) have less frontal area, which helps lessen drag, and
3) can ride in a better tuck without your quads hitting your abdomen on every pedal stroke, which minimizes inefficiency and, again, lessens drag.
I can’t overstate how much the reduction in drag, from #2 and #3 above, can mean to a competitive cyclist. If we crunch some quick numbers based on a few quick assumptions, we get this:
a) If you are a ‘decent’ cyclist with an estimated 230 watts of power output,
b) And by losing your ‘belly fat’ you reduce your frontal area, and get a better tuck, and thereby reduce your drag from 8lbs to 6lbs at 30mph,
c) You will shave over 5 minutes off of your 40km time!
Those mathematical findings are HUGE! Again, these are based on assumptions, so your mileage may vary, literally, but the numbers are sound.
If absolutely nothing else, and you think I am being overly optimistic, I ran an A to B comparison on this website: http://bikecalculator.com/veloMetricNum.html
The comparison kept everything the same, except I went from 82 kilos to 75 kilos and reduced my frontal area from 0.40 to 0.39 (which assumption I tried to base on logic surrounding a ~1" circumference delta to a 5'9" cylinder). Even these modest numbers look like an overall improvement of 40 seconds, or about 1.3%.
And, the more important point is that it is ridiculous for an athlete to go out and spend $12,000.00 on aero wheels, aero frames, an aero helmet and aero bars only to gain a minute or two on your time, when you could get a similar, or even bigger, return from what essentially boils down to some dietary discipline and smart training.
So incorporate some table push-aways into your training, and start tracking your weight and BF%, even if you are not in a weight-class sport!
17 May 2010
The *what*?
From Coach Keen:
Yes, the ValSlide... no, we here at the Gold Medal Athletic Club are not taking up the mantle of celebrity body sculpting, but you have to recognize a useful product when it comes along. http://www.valslide.com/
The ValSlide is essentially a tool to rest your foot on which turns any carpeted surface into a slide board. Slide boards, if you were involved in the fitness industry in the late '90s, became sort of the "it thing" for a while in terms of lateral training and core training, but quickly fizzled out due to the space they take up and the price. Enter the ValSlide... actually, don't. While the ValSlide is high quality, and the 'hardwook floor attachment is nice' (we do own a couple pair of name-brand ValSlides), we here at GMAAC use the "Sliding Robots" for en masse athlete workouts, which you can get for $5 for an 8-pack at CVS. [ Where does the "robot" part come in? ]
With that out of the way, what does a boxer want with these? Two exercises with these beauties are absolute musts for the competitive boxer, and many other athletes:
1) Single-Arm Push-Ups [ First exercise, about 15 seconds in... ], and
2) Reverse Lunges [ Weighted reverse lunge... ]
The single-arm push-ups are great, because so many boxers suffer so much for all their internal rotation at the shoulder joint. Using a sliding disc to do this exercise in this manner allows the boxer to 1) get a little variety in the workout, 2) progress to a more challenging push-up variation, 3) 'open up' the shoulder joint a little bit, and 4) work glenohumeral extension strength. What more could you want? At least as a hurdle to put it in the 'exercise toolbox,' anyway...
The reverse lunge is also a good movement, primarily because unilateral lower body work is so underemphasized even with the likes of Mike Boyle, Alwyn Cosgrove, et al. banging that drum until everyone out here in workout land is deaf. This movement allows the athlete to work 1) single leg strength, 2) balance, 3) stabilization, and 4) hip flexor mobility all at once. It is not a replacement for the squat or front squat, if what you need is some seriously loaded lower body pushing, but outside of that specific need it is a pretty good bang-for-the-buck exercise, and goes great in circuits.
And, oh by the way, these things are obviously highly portable, so they are yet another tool that helps ward off the "I was on the road / I was stuck at work / I fell asleep reading to the kids and it was too late to go to the gym, but I don't have anything at home" excuse parade.
Enjoy!
Yes, the ValSlide... no, we here at the Gold Medal Athletic Club are not taking up the mantle of celebrity body sculpting, but you have to recognize a useful product when it comes along. http://www.valslide.com/
The ValSlide is essentially a tool to rest your foot on which turns any carpeted surface into a slide board. Slide boards, if you were involved in the fitness industry in the late '90s, became sort of the "it thing" for a while in terms of lateral training and core training, but quickly fizzled out due to the space they take up and the price. Enter the ValSlide... actually, don't. While the ValSlide is high quality, and the 'hardwook floor attachment is nice' (we do own a couple pair of name-brand ValSlides), we here at GMAAC use the "Sliding Robots" for en masse athlete workouts, which you can get for $5 for an 8-pack at CVS. [ Where does the "robot" part come in? ]
With that out of the way, what does a boxer want with these? Two exercises with these beauties are absolute musts for the competitive boxer, and many other athletes:
1) Single-Arm Push-Ups [ First exercise, about 15 seconds in... ], and
2) Reverse Lunges [ Weighted reverse lunge... ]
The single-arm push-ups are great, because so many boxers suffer so much for all their internal rotation at the shoulder joint. Using a sliding disc to do this exercise in this manner allows the boxer to 1) get a little variety in the workout, 2) progress to a more challenging push-up variation, 3) 'open up' the shoulder joint a little bit, and 4) work glenohumeral extension strength. What more could you want? At least as a hurdle to put it in the 'exercise toolbox,' anyway...
The reverse lunge is also a good movement, primarily because unilateral lower body work is so underemphasized even with the likes of Mike Boyle, Alwyn Cosgrove, et al. banging that drum until everyone out here in workout land is deaf. This movement allows the athlete to work 1) single leg strength, 2) balance, 3) stabilization, and 4) hip flexor mobility all at once. It is not a replacement for the squat or front squat, if what you need is some seriously loaded lower body pushing, but outside of that specific need it is a pretty good bang-for-the-buck exercise, and goes great in circuits.
And, oh by the way, these things are obviously highly portable, so they are yet another tool that helps ward off the "I was on the road / I was stuck at work / I fell asleep reading to the kids and it was too late to go to the gym, but I don't have anything at home" excuse parade.
Enjoy!
13 May 2010
Isokinetic Training - Practicality
From Coach Keen:
Many of the questions we get directed at us are based on the fact that we recommend isometrics and isokinetic exercise as regular parts of a boxer's strength and conditioning program. While the modern 'trends' in strength work seem to be toward polar stances supporting purely a 'powerlifting-based' methodology or 'functional/stability' strength work, any coach or program that neglects sport specificity, and intentionally overlooks the scientifically- and anecdotally-proven methods of isokinetics and isokinetics, is either ignorant or in denial.
The isometrics have been easier for folks to figure out, both in our gym and based on external comments we get. If you are still searching, here are a couple of quick resources:
Sandow Plus, which has much isometric info from various authors...
Quick video from BodyweightCulture on doing ISOs...
Our favorite, doing ISOs "Jay Schroeder Style"...
However, people seem to get lost, fast, when it comes to isokinetic work. And rightfully so, because there is not much information out there. We will avoid discussing programming with isokinetics right now, as that is a topic for another time. But, suffice it to say, if you can work isometrics into your schedule, it should not take much thought to figure out how to use isokinetics.
The BIG question is always "how do I *do* them?" with the "how" really asking how to perform them, apparatus-wise.
There are a few good answers to this question, we have found.
The first: eBay!
That's right, most of the Gold Medal Boxing Academy's isokinetic equipment comes from eBay. We have purchased an old Doug Hepburn platform-style isokinetic unit and two Mini-Gyms ( Video of Mini-Gym for wrestling... ) for less than $50 each. Also, we have who-knows-how-many Apollo Exercisers and Isorobic units that we have never paid more than $10, plus some shipping, for. The Mini-Gym, if you can find one, is the best of the bunch, quality-wise. The fact that the resistance is *truly* isokinetic, and that it rewinds the cable on its own, is huge. The Isorobic and Apollo units, however, are hard to beat when found for $5.
The second answer: the pool!
If you don't know that Rocky Marciano claimed to do a MINIMUM of 7 miles of roadwork per day for endurance, and a lot of underwater punching for power, you aren't much of a boxing training historian. That aside, his ideas about punching underwater for power are not lost on the current generation. While isokinetic water training is definitely not mainstream, there are people out there doing it, and most of them swear by its effectiveness.
The simple method of implementation: just hop in the pool, and box! You can shadowbox in shoulder-deep water and get good results, or if you are so inclined you can choose to do some movement/muscle training in the water. Here are a couple of resources for both adding resistance and an idea of some movements to use in that respect:
Overview of Marv Marinovich's pool training...
AquaLogix bells and fins...
Speedo Hydro Resistance trainers...
Good luck! Incorporate a little isometric and isokinetic training, and not only will you keep boredom out of your gym, but handspeed and power will go through the roof!
Many of the questions we get directed at us are based on the fact that we recommend isometrics and isokinetic exercise as regular parts of a boxer's strength and conditioning program. While the modern 'trends' in strength work seem to be toward polar stances supporting purely a 'powerlifting-based' methodology or 'functional/stability' strength work, any coach or program that neglects sport specificity, and intentionally overlooks the scientifically- and anecdotally-proven methods of isokinetics and isokinetics, is either ignorant or in denial.
The isometrics have been easier for folks to figure out, both in our gym and based on external comments we get. If you are still searching, here are a couple of quick resources:
Sandow Plus, which has much isometric info from various authors...
Quick video from BodyweightCulture on doing ISOs...
Our favorite, doing ISOs "Jay Schroeder Style"...
However, people seem to get lost, fast, when it comes to isokinetic work. And rightfully so, because there is not much information out there. We will avoid discussing programming with isokinetics right now, as that is a topic for another time. But, suffice it to say, if you can work isometrics into your schedule, it should not take much thought to figure out how to use isokinetics.
The BIG question is always "how do I *do* them?" with the "how" really asking how to perform them, apparatus-wise.
There are a few good answers to this question, we have found.
The first: eBay!
That's right, most of the Gold Medal Boxing Academy's isokinetic equipment comes from eBay. We have purchased an old Doug Hepburn platform-style isokinetic unit and two Mini-Gyms ( Video of Mini-Gym for wrestling... ) for less than $50 each. Also, we have who-knows-how-many Apollo Exercisers and Isorobic units that we have never paid more than $10, plus some shipping, for. The Mini-Gym, if you can find one, is the best of the bunch, quality-wise. The fact that the resistance is *truly* isokinetic, and that it rewinds the cable on its own, is huge. The Isorobic and Apollo units, however, are hard to beat when found for $5.
The second answer: the pool!
If you don't know that Rocky Marciano claimed to do a MINIMUM of 7 miles of roadwork per day for endurance, and a lot of underwater punching for power, you aren't much of a boxing training historian. That aside, his ideas about punching underwater for power are not lost on the current generation. While isokinetic water training is definitely not mainstream, there are people out there doing it, and most of them swear by its effectiveness.
The simple method of implementation: just hop in the pool, and box! You can shadowbox in shoulder-deep water and get good results, or if you are so inclined you can choose to do some movement/muscle training in the water. Here are a couple of resources for both adding resistance and an idea of some movements to use in that respect:
Overview of Marv Marinovich's pool training...
AquaLogix bells and fins...
Speedo Hydro Resistance trainers...
Good luck! Incorporate a little isometric and isokinetic training, and not only will you keep boredom out of your gym, but handspeed and power will go through the roof!
07 May 2010
Would You Look at That...
From Coach Hand:
So I guess we were right about Floyd Mayweather winning... And why wouldn't we be? The instinct of some to pick "he has good power for his size" over near-flawless defense and phenomenal handspeed and accuracy is based on romantic notions versus logic and boxing common sense.
The problem is, that same thinking can easily pervade your workouts.
Boxing can, at stretches, be a boring sport for sure. When you have been boxing for 5 years or more, and probably even just 8 months or more, there are days when the thought of hitting a heavy bag or doing 6 rounds of hard sparring just about wants to make you gouge your eyes out. However, what you CAN NOT do is allow that thinking to make you turn to the latest fad, or neglect the fundamentals, in your training.
There are really two factors, as we usually see them, at play in these scenarios:
1) The tendency to always look for the "next big thing"/"secret weapon"/"quick fix" in training programs, and
2) boredom.
Number one above is more dangerous than number two, as it is borne of laziness. There are coaches and boxers who never quite put together a good enough string of fundamental training, just because they are hoping that maybe by shadowboxing with a belt that has rubber bands attached to the feet and hands they won't have to spar as much, or that if they do some plyometrics with a weighted belt on they won't have to jump rope.
These folks need to be reminded that while a good coach keeps a sharp eye on innovation and science, in many sports the fundamentals are, in fact, "the fundamentals" for a reason. When you look at the greatest athletes in any sport, they are invariably gym rats. And when you look at those gym rats, are they doing crazy stuff? No. Michael Jordan is out shooting. Floyd Mayweather is hitting the mitts and sparring. Peyton Manning is out doing throwing drills. If you have coaches or boxers who don't understand this at your gym, help them understand. If, after a while, you determine they truly are lazy and just won't put the work in, write them off. That sounds harsh, but in an individual sport where every punch counts, you can't have dead weight dragging down the atmosphere of your team or your gym.
There is absolutely a time and a place for isokinetics in the pool, jumping onto plyometric boxes, and pretending to punch with kettlebells, but NOT as the basis for your training when you have an actual sport to train for; remember, SPECIFICITY IS KING.
The folks affected by #2 above have an easier fix; they already know they need to preserve the fundamentals, and they are willing to put in the work; they are just sick of it, or sometimes it has quit working. Change it up enough to make things fresh, but not so much that you lose focus. It is OK for a boxer to replace one 'regular' gym workout a week with a workout of shadowboxing only, where he alternates rounds of wearing 3# hand weights with rounds of wearing nothing on the hands. It is also OK to do one workout a week where, when you hit the heavy bag, before every single combination you throw you have to jab/spin/back out, back up two steps, and then come forward two steps and circle towards the imaginary opponent's lead hand / closed side and then throw.
The trick is this: keep working the fundamentals in slightly altered form, and alter them in such a way as to target *other* primary areas of need. The heavy bag example above is a perfect illustration; you can get some heavy bag work in, but also increase the movement and footwork component of that work greatly, which is sorely lacking in a lot of boxers. The best of both worlds.
The graphic below was used by the USA Boxing performance staff to illustrate what the important areas in long-term development of a boxer are, and I think it is also a good graphical representation of how time during a workout should be allocated. Take it, and run wild...
So I guess we were right about Floyd Mayweather winning... And why wouldn't we be? The instinct of some to pick "he has good power for his size" over near-flawless defense and phenomenal handspeed and accuracy is based on romantic notions versus logic and boxing common sense.
The problem is, that same thinking can easily pervade your workouts.
Boxing can, at stretches, be a boring sport for sure. When you have been boxing for 5 years or more, and probably even just 8 months or more, there are days when the thought of hitting a heavy bag or doing 6 rounds of hard sparring just about wants to make you gouge your eyes out. However, what you CAN NOT do is allow that thinking to make you turn to the latest fad, or neglect the fundamentals, in your training.
There are really two factors, as we usually see them, at play in these scenarios:
1) The tendency to always look for the "next big thing"/"secret weapon"/"quick fix" in training programs, and
2) boredom.
Number one above is more dangerous than number two, as it is borne of laziness. There are coaches and boxers who never quite put together a good enough string of fundamental training, just because they are hoping that maybe by shadowboxing with a belt that has rubber bands attached to the feet and hands they won't have to spar as much, or that if they do some plyometrics with a weighted belt on they won't have to jump rope.
These folks need to be reminded that while a good coach keeps a sharp eye on innovation and science, in many sports the fundamentals are, in fact, "the fundamentals" for a reason. When you look at the greatest athletes in any sport, they are invariably gym rats. And when you look at those gym rats, are they doing crazy stuff? No. Michael Jordan is out shooting. Floyd Mayweather is hitting the mitts and sparring. Peyton Manning is out doing throwing drills. If you have coaches or boxers who don't understand this at your gym, help them understand. If, after a while, you determine they truly are lazy and just won't put the work in, write them off. That sounds harsh, but in an individual sport where every punch counts, you can't have dead weight dragging down the atmosphere of your team or your gym.
There is absolutely a time and a place for isokinetics in the pool, jumping onto plyometric boxes, and pretending to punch with kettlebells, but NOT as the basis for your training when you have an actual sport to train for; remember, SPECIFICITY IS KING.
The folks affected by #2 above have an easier fix; they already know they need to preserve the fundamentals, and they are willing to put in the work; they are just sick of it, or sometimes it has quit working. Change it up enough to make things fresh, but not so much that you lose focus. It is OK for a boxer to replace one 'regular' gym workout a week with a workout of shadowboxing only, where he alternates rounds of wearing 3# hand weights with rounds of wearing nothing on the hands. It is also OK to do one workout a week where, when you hit the heavy bag, before every single combination you throw you have to jab/spin/back out, back up two steps, and then come forward two steps and circle towards the imaginary opponent's lead hand / closed side and then throw.
The trick is this: keep working the fundamentals in slightly altered form, and alter them in such a way as to target *other* primary areas of need. The heavy bag example above is a perfect illustration; you can get some heavy bag work in, but also increase the movement and footwork component of that work greatly, which is sorely lacking in a lot of boxers. The best of both worlds.
The graphic below was used by the USA Boxing performance staff to illustrate what the important areas in long-term development of a boxer are, and I think it is also a good graphical representation of how time during a workout should be allocated. Take it, and run wild...
28 April 2010
Playing the Odds
From Coach Keen:
A lot of people are picking Shane Mosley over Floyd Mayweather this weekend. In one sense I think that is OK, because it means that Floyd and Shane are playing their PR to the hilt, and Floyd is once again doing a fantastic job as the "heel" character that he created with the original 24/7 series against DeLaHoya.
What I don't understand is how ANYONE can EVER actually pick against this guy, until we see in some form or fashion that he has lost an ounce of
1) His handspeed, which is the best out there, or
2) his defensive skill, which is the best out there.
So, Mayweather over Mosley, in 12, after Floyd potshots Shane all night like he has so many others.
Floyd Mayweather highlights
A lot of people are picking Shane Mosley over Floyd Mayweather this weekend. In one sense I think that is OK, because it means that Floyd and Shane are playing their PR to the hilt, and Floyd is once again doing a fantastic job as the "heel" character that he created with the original 24/7 series against DeLaHoya.
What I don't understand is how ANYONE can EVER actually pick against this guy, until we see in some form or fashion that he has lost an ounce of
1) His handspeed, which is the best out there, or
2) his defensive skill, which is the best out there.
So, Mayweather over Mosley, in 12, after Floyd potshots Shane all night like he has so many others.
Floyd Mayweather highlights
Spring Has Sprung
It's been a while... Sorry. Fortunately, it is because we have been busy in a good way.
Speaking of busy-ness... we have been doing a lot of international travel lately, and some of our friends have commented on being 'unable' to train when those busy times show up, whether it be due to travel, being crushed at work, etc. There is never a legitimate reason for skipping training, truth be told. You always have enough time. Did you sleep more than 4 hours last night? Did you watch a TV show in the last few days? Did you surf the internet? Then you have time to train...
When you are feeling those doldrums, however, it can be tough to bust out of that rut. Here is the go-to trick combination that one of our old-timers at the Gold Medal Boxing Club who still trains uses:
1) Tell yourself that you will "just warm-up," and, after that 10 minutes of warm-up, if you still feel lousy you will just pack it in and do some stretching and mobility work before taking a recovery day. Invariably, for those people who have an ounce of athletic determination inside, once you have warmed-up you are fired up and ready to hit the bags and throw the weights around.
2) Do some "high rep" workouts when it comes to your weight training and cals. This can be useful not just for when you are feeling "lazy," but for when you are a bit beat-up but can't/won't take a day off. Do some high incline push-ups (shoulders above feet, not vice-versa) standing in a door way with your feet 2-3 feet behind you, so you are getting a good stretch, supersetted with some sort of high incline body rows (towel or strap closed over/in a door, body held straight at 45 degree angle or more from the floor at *bottom* position of row) and crank out a couple of back-and-forth sets of 50 reps. Then, do some lunges, one-legged Romanian Deadlifts with no weight (or the old forward bend/reach-touch for you functional folks) and finish off with some Jay Schroeder "ISO Exteme!" stretching/isometric work. This is an easy workout on paper, but with its emphasis on full ROM and quality movement, it will do you some good.
Have at it!
Speaking of busy-ness... we have been doing a lot of international travel lately, and some of our friends have commented on being 'unable' to train when those busy times show up, whether it be due to travel, being crushed at work, etc. There is never a legitimate reason for skipping training, truth be told. You always have enough time. Did you sleep more than 4 hours last night? Did you watch a TV show in the last few days? Did you surf the internet? Then you have time to train...
When you are feeling those doldrums, however, it can be tough to bust out of that rut. Here is the go-to trick combination that one of our old-timers at the Gold Medal Boxing Club who still trains uses:
1) Tell yourself that you will "just warm-up," and, after that 10 minutes of warm-up, if you still feel lousy you will just pack it in and do some stretching and mobility work before taking a recovery day. Invariably, for those people who have an ounce of athletic determination inside, once you have warmed-up you are fired up and ready to hit the bags and throw the weights around.
2) Do some "high rep" workouts when it comes to your weight training and cals. This can be useful not just for when you are feeling "lazy," but for when you are a bit beat-up but can't/won't take a day off. Do some high incline push-ups (shoulders above feet, not vice-versa) standing in a door way with your feet 2-3 feet behind you, so you are getting a good stretch, supersetted with some sort of high incline body rows (towel or strap closed over/in a door, body held straight at 45 degree angle or more from the floor at *bottom* position of row) and crank out a couple of back-and-forth sets of 50 reps. Then, do some lunges, one-legged Romanian Deadlifts with no weight (or the old forward bend/reach-touch for you functional folks) and finish off with some Jay Schroeder "ISO Exteme!" stretching/isometric work. This is an easy workout on paper, but with its emphasis on full ROM and quality movement, it will do you some good.
Have at it!
08 March 2010
More Feet/Ankles/Knees
From Coach Keen:
Surprisingly, some of our athletes who saw the 'lacrosse ball on the foot' post let us know that it has been even more beneficial for them than we let on.
In that vein, then, we share another somewhat-known, but little-liked and therefore rarely-done, tool(s):
The Javorek shoulder and ankle warm-ups. Coach Javorek's warm-ups, like his sport-specific dumbbell complexes, are long, get the heart rate up, and induce lactic acid burn. So, it seems that athletes choose to skip these unless they are already having 'an issue,' at which point the obvious benefit they provide outweighs the training discomfort and tedium.
There is a great YouTube video of the shoulder warm-up/complex. We do it with 5# plates, and that's plenty. You can find it here:
Javorek's Shoulder Routine with Commands
The ankle program is not as well known. The way we do it, it consists of 30+ straight movements (no rest) as follows:
-Running In Place
-Calf Stretch
-Double Leg Toe Raise and Hold
-Double Count Split Jumps
-Ankle Warm-Up
-Split Jumps
-Double Leg Toe Raise, from Side Edge (rock feet out onto side edge of feet at bottom of movement, then back to flat foot before coming up on toes)
-Split Jumps
-Once Leg Toe Raise, R/L
-Squat Jumps
-Double Leg From Side Toe Raise
-Split Jumps
-Double Leg Bouncing in Place
-Forward-Backwards Bounce
-Squat Jumps
-Once Leg Toe Raise R/L
-Side-to-Side Bounce
-Double Leg From Side Toe Raise
-Squat Jump
-One Leg Bounce in Place R/L
-Split Jumps
-One Leg Forwards-Backwards Bounce R/L
-Squat Jumps
-One Leg Toe Raise R/L
-Split Jumps
-One Leg Side-to-Side Bounce R/L
-Squat Jumps
-One Leg Twisting Bounce R+L
-Split Jumps
-Squat Jumps
-One Leg Toe Raise R/L
-Double Leg From Side Toe Raise
-Squat Jumps
Do ten reps each, with the exception of running in place and stretching for about a minute each. This will take you a good 5 minutes or more, and if your athletes do not have much in the way of lower-body work capacity this 'warm-up' could consitute a workout. If that is the case, it is probably even *more* important for them to do.
Huzzah!
Surprisingly, some of our athletes who saw the 'lacrosse ball on the foot' post let us know that it has been even more beneficial for them than we let on.
In that vein, then, we share another somewhat-known, but little-liked and therefore rarely-done, tool(s):
The Javorek shoulder and ankle warm-ups. Coach Javorek's warm-ups, like his sport-specific dumbbell complexes, are long, get the heart rate up, and induce lactic acid burn. So, it seems that athletes choose to skip these unless they are already having 'an issue,' at which point the obvious benefit they provide outweighs the training discomfort and tedium.
There is a great YouTube video of the shoulder warm-up/complex. We do it with 5# plates, and that's plenty. You can find it here:
Javorek's Shoulder Routine with Commands
The ankle program is not as well known. The way we do it, it consists of 30+ straight movements (no rest) as follows:
-Running In Place
-Calf Stretch
-Double Leg Toe Raise and Hold
-Double Count Split Jumps
-Ankle Warm-Up
-Split Jumps
-Double Leg Toe Raise, from Side Edge (rock feet out onto side edge of feet at bottom of movement, then back to flat foot before coming up on toes)
-Split Jumps
-Once Leg Toe Raise, R/L
-Squat Jumps
-Double Leg From Side Toe Raise
-Split Jumps
-Double Leg Bouncing in Place
-Forward-Backwards Bounce
-Squat Jumps
-Once Leg Toe Raise R/L
-Side-to-Side Bounce
-Double Leg From Side Toe Raise
-Squat Jump
-One Leg Bounce in Place R/L
-Split Jumps
-One Leg Forwards-Backwards Bounce R/L
-Squat Jumps
-One Leg Toe Raise R/L
-Split Jumps
-One Leg Side-to-Side Bounce R/L
-Squat Jumps
-One Leg Twisting Bounce R+L
-Split Jumps
-Squat Jumps
-One Leg Toe Raise R/L
-Double Leg From Side Toe Raise
-Squat Jumps
Do ten reps each, with the exception of running in place and stretching for about a minute each. This will take you a good 5 minutes or more, and if your athletes do not have much in the way of lower-body work capacity this 'warm-up' could consitute a workout. If that is the case, it is probably even *more* important for them to do.
Huzzah!
19 February 2010
Lacrosse For Boxing
From Coach Hand:
One of our coaches had the (mis)fortune of playing lacrosse in college. While he doesn't put *those* gloves on anymore, he has found a use for his dozen or so Brine lacrosse balls... trigger point massage.
Many boxers, due to all the time spent up on the toes, 'bouncing around,' and then pivoting suddenly, etc. are more beat up in the plantar flexors than they realize.
If you ask your average active boxer "do your feet or calves hurt?" the response will likely be "no," but have that person place 60% of their weight on one foot, standing on a lacrosse ball, and roll it around and I bet you'll find some "stuff" going on.
If this is done from heel to toe, slowly, and then the same thing is done along the outer sole and inner sole of the foot, followed by some work on the lateral gastroc either lying on the floor with bodyweight providing pressure on the ball or with the ball against a wall while 'leaning' the gastroc against the ball/wall, good things will happen. We have even had some folks who had 'achy knees' get some relief from this treatment focused on their soles and lateral gastroc.
P.S. - If you do this s-l-o-w-l-y, with a decent amount of weight on the limb you are working, it hurts. Sometimes, badly. Enjoy!
One of our coaches had the (mis)fortune of playing lacrosse in college. While he doesn't put *those* gloves on anymore, he has found a use for his dozen or so Brine lacrosse balls... trigger point massage.
Many boxers, due to all the time spent up on the toes, 'bouncing around,' and then pivoting suddenly, etc. are more beat up in the plantar flexors than they realize.
If you ask your average active boxer "do your feet or calves hurt?" the response will likely be "no," but have that person place 60% of their weight on one foot, standing on a lacrosse ball, and roll it around and I bet you'll find some "stuff" going on.
If this is done from heel to toe, slowly, and then the same thing is done along the outer sole and inner sole of the foot, followed by some work on the lateral gastroc either lying on the floor with bodyweight providing pressure on the ball or with the ball against a wall while 'leaning' the gastroc against the ball/wall, good things will happen. We have even had some folks who had 'achy knees' get some relief from this treatment focused on their soles and lateral gastroc.
P.S. - If you do this s-l-o-w-l-y, with a decent amount of weight on the limb you are working, it hurts. Sometimes, badly. Enjoy!
18 February 2010
Cardiovascular Measurement
From Coach Hand:
"To measure is to know..." right? We have been successful at GMAAC in getting most of our athletes to keep detailed training journals. However, many are still resistant to our advice about using top-end HR monitors. This, if you are in a sport with any type of endurance component, is a big mistake.
Recently, one of our own coaches did a workout that included three rounds of a circuit of squats, push-ups lunges, and pull-ups with a 70# weighted vest on, followed by some 'cardio output' work that consisted of hitting the double-end and heavy bags at a moderate pace until his heart rate got up to 145-150 before transitioning to riding an AirDyne bike until it came back down to 120. The graph of the workout looked like this:
So, why is having this knowledge helpful? As we've said many times before, there has to be a reason for what you are doing in training. If you can't tell me the "why" of any minute that passes on the clock during your training session, if you are not wasting your time it is only out of sheer luck. The coach above wanted the second half of his workout to be a 'cardio output' session, but wanted to use some skill drills to keep his heartrate in the appropriate range as opposed to some monotonous activity. So, with the "why" out of the way, he needed help with the "how."
Had he not been wearing his Polar RS800, he would have had no idea what was happening from a cardio-respiratory perspective. Ask your average boxer to "hit the heavy bag until you get out of the 'Maffetone Zone' and then ride the AirDyne until you are recovered" and what you would likely see is a guy hit the heavy bag until his pulse was actually closer to 180 than 140, and then ride the bike for 4 minutes until his heart rate is down to 105 or 110. Obviously, that kind of workout will not produce the same result that the coach above wanted, and therefore the watch was essential. Secondary only to the ability to set HR zones and thus influence your round lengths, recovery intervals, pace, etc. is the ability to graph individual workouts and variables such as HR and calories burned over time, with which you can properly adjust training volume.
So, using the above example, say you wanted to do some "road work"... you could either:
a) jog along at a nice slow pace, so that you know you 'stay aerobic,' or
b) do controlled-pace rounds on the double-end bag or with focus mitts until your HR starts to climb higher than you would like, using recovery intervals such as riding the airdyne while doing Jay Schroeder-style DB drop-and-cathches until your HR comes back down to the lower end of your established zone.
Which of those cardio output workouts do *you* think is overall more productive for a boxer? That's a serious question, by the way...
"To measure is to know..." right? We have been successful at GMAAC in getting most of our athletes to keep detailed training journals. However, many are still resistant to our advice about using top-end HR monitors. This, if you are in a sport with any type of endurance component, is a big mistake.
Recently, one of our own coaches did a workout that included three rounds of a circuit of squats, push-ups lunges, and pull-ups with a 70# weighted vest on, followed by some 'cardio output' work that consisted of hitting the double-end and heavy bags at a moderate pace until his heart rate got up to 145-150 before transitioning to riding an AirDyne bike until it came back down to 120. The graph of the workout looked like this:
So, why is having this knowledge helpful? As we've said many times before, there has to be a reason for what you are doing in training. If you can't tell me the "why" of any minute that passes on the clock during your training session, if you are not wasting your time it is only out of sheer luck. The coach above wanted the second half of his workout to be a 'cardio output' session, but wanted to use some skill drills to keep his heartrate in the appropriate range as opposed to some monotonous activity. So, with the "why" out of the way, he needed help with the "how."
Had he not been wearing his Polar RS800, he would have had no idea what was happening from a cardio-respiratory perspective. Ask your average boxer to "hit the heavy bag until you get out of the 'Maffetone Zone' and then ride the AirDyne until you are recovered" and what you would likely see is a guy hit the heavy bag until his pulse was actually closer to 180 than 140, and then ride the bike for 4 minutes until his heart rate is down to 105 or 110. Obviously, that kind of workout will not produce the same result that the coach above wanted, and therefore the watch was essential. Secondary only to the ability to set HR zones and thus influence your round lengths, recovery intervals, pace, etc. is the ability to graph individual workouts and variables such as HR and calories burned over time, with which you can properly adjust training volume.
So, using the above example, say you wanted to do some "road work"... you could either:
a) jog along at a nice slow pace, so that you know you 'stay aerobic,' or
b) do controlled-pace rounds on the double-end bag or with focus mitts until your HR starts to climb higher than you would like, using recovery intervals such as riding the airdyne while doing Jay Schroeder-style DB drop-and-cathches until your HR comes back down to the lower end of your established zone.
Which of those cardio output workouts do *you* think is overall more productive for a boxer? That's a serious question, by the way...
Ground Zero
The Gold Medal Amateur Athletic Club, your friendly neighborhood non-profit, has gone where we didn't want to go... into the 'blogosphere.' Yuck. I guess there is always the fact that we have still managed to avoid Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. I suppose those dominoes will fall, too, someday.
Regardless, given the havoc that the recent migration from GooglePages to GoogleSites unleashed upon our over-the-hill volunteer webmaster, we have decided to streamline and just put it all right here.
The idea is to archive some training-related content on here, use this page to keep folks updated on our activities, and generally spread the word.
All of this, of course, in the spirit of the Gold Medal Amateur Athletic Club's reason for incorporation: to promote amateur athletics at the national level, by directly supporting the parents and coaches in our events who donate so much time, knowledge and effort to the task of creating better athletes. These days, a major hurdle in the path to succes in that task is overcoming the trend of all those who seek to obfuscate the basic tenets of fitness and sports performance, while simultaneously "selling the secrets" at prohibitive cost.
Yes, the beaten path is for a beaten man. Here, science points us in new directions and functions as our primary navigator in uncharted waters, but we at GMAAC never forget that SPECIFICITY will always be KING, and "the fundamentals" are fundamental for a reason...
Regardless, given the havoc that the recent migration from GooglePages to GoogleSites unleashed upon our over-the-hill volunteer webmaster, we have decided to streamline and just put it all right here.
The idea is to archive some training-related content on here, use this page to keep folks updated on our activities, and generally spread the word.
All of this, of course, in the spirit of the Gold Medal Amateur Athletic Club's reason for incorporation: to promote amateur athletics at the national level, by directly supporting the parents and coaches in our events who donate so much time, knowledge and effort to the task of creating better athletes. These days, a major hurdle in the path to succes in that task is overcoming the trend of all those who seek to obfuscate the basic tenets of fitness and sports performance, while simultaneously "selling the secrets" at prohibitive cost.
Yes, the beaten path is for a beaten man. Here, science points us in new directions and functions as our primary navigator in uncharted waters, but we at GMAAC never forget that SPECIFICITY will always be KING, and "the fundamentals" are fundamental for a reason...
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