.

Since I wrapped up the Training Clients with Obesity series here this week and I’ve been super busy I’m just going to share a couple quick things with you today before I skip out for the weekend.

.

1.  This week I had my first article posted on the Personal Trainer Development Center site that is run by my good friend Jon Goodman.  Here’s a snippet of the article:

.

Personal training is a unique profession in that we are charged with the development and implementation of programs that can impact people’s weight, body composition, performance, injury status, emotions, and health.  Yet, as a profession we struggle with the fact that  people just don’t take us seriously.

.

Heck, I’ll even admit that when a friend or family member tells me that they’ve hired a personal trainer my first reaction is to cringe (at least on the inside).  Trying not to jump to conclusions I usually ask a few questions until I get a feel for the background and, more importantly, the methods the trainer is using to bring about results.  And all too often, I am disappointed to hear that my initial response was appropriate and that makes me sad for our profession.

.

While there are probably many possible reasons for this, I think that a major part of the problem stems from the fact that many trainers are researching health and fitness exclusively from the same places as those they are supposed to be trying to help.  To make matters worse, many of those trainers have no objective method to determine whether the methods presented in the materials they are reading are valid or are just pseudoscientific hype fueled by money and marketing.  In short, a lot of us are falling prey to the same mistakes as the people we are trained to serve.  No wonder nobody takes us seriously!

.

You can read the rest of this article HERE.

.

2.  Crunches may be good for your spine?

.

In recent years there has been a definite trend away from repeated flexion based movements (i.e., crunches) in the training of the abdominals due to the suspected risk of injury to the spine.  But a brand spanking new review written by my good friends Bret Contreras and Brad Schoenfeld presents pretty convincing evidence that perhaps flexion is not only less risky than we thought, but that some repeated flexion might actually be good for us.

.

I’ll be the first to admit that I was pretty solidly on the anti-flexion bandwagon, but since reading this article I’m very much reconsidering my stance to the point where I think it is reasonable to include some (although limited) flexion based work for the core.  I’d also consider those interested to check out Brad Schoenfeld’s latest post called “Do Crunches Cause Poor Posture?” that I think dispells yet another fitness myth.

.

I can’t wait to see the waves that this new article is going to make in this industry.  :)

.

3.  Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body is coming!

.

Last year I reviewed a product from my friend Rick Kaselj called Muscle Imbalances Revealed and it was absolutely stellar!  Rick had pulled together a bunch of really smart guys to put together several presentations examining muscle imbalances in the lower body and how to deal with them.  With Mike Robertson, Dean Somerset, and Eric Beard on the project was an obvious winner from the start.

.

Finally, a year later, Rick has put together yet another rock star cast including Dean Somerset, Tony Gentilcore, and Dr. Jeff Cubos to talk about muscle imbalances in the upper body and I couldn’t be more excited.  In fact, as I write this I’ve got my advanced copy of Tony Gentilcore’s corrective strategies video cued up to go in another browser window and I’m pumped to watch it (which is why I’m typing so fast and there are probably a ton of typos in this post).

.

The bad news is that the product actually won’t be released until August 9th.  The good news, however, is that Rick is giving away two free reports (one video and one text) called “8 Steps to Unravelling Your Muscle Imbalances” that you can access right now!   If you’re interested in scoring some free swag (who doesn’t love free stuff?) you can pick it up HERE.

.

And that’s it for me.  Have a great weekend!

.

Okay…so I wasn’t going to post anything today, but this week I stumbled across two things that I think are ”must reads” for the week.

.

The Truth About Bodybuilding Genetics

.

This is an absolutely stellar review research on the effects of genetics on muscle building, fat loss, and athletic performance by my friend Bret Contreras.  I absolutely think that this article sets the bar for all future articles to be written in 2011.

.

2011 – Your Best Year Yet

.

Let me preface this article by saying that I pretty much HATE rah-rah motivational articles.  Generally speaking, I think they make people feel good for about 5 minutes and then the feeling wears off leaving the person in about the same state they were before reading it (and having wasted 5 minutes reading).

.

This post, on the other hand, is a great guest post by Todd Durkin on Alwyn Cosgrove’s blog listing 83 ways to make 2011 your best year yet.  I love this list because it isn’t just theory and each item is an actionable.

.

I’ve personally printed this list and posted it above my computer.  I figured you might want to do the same.

.

If you could recommend an article to someone who could only read ONE article this week…what would it be?

.

So it is now November 17th and since the start of this month I’ve already given away 2 tubs of Nitrean protein powder, Advanced Techniques in Glutei Maximi Strengthening by Bret Contreras, Muscle Imbalances Revealed by Rick Kaselj, and as of Monday I awarded a copy of Bulletproof Knees by Mike Robertson to Bobby for dropping a comment on that post.

.

Since my initial list of giveaways was announced I figured I should let you know that I’ve also added the Strength Training for Fat Loss DVD by Nick Tumminello to the mix and yesterday I got word from Mike Boyle that he’s going to throw down a free copy of his new book for the giveaway as well.  Keep your eyes glued to this blog and make sure to sign up for my newsletter (left side of the page), RSS Feed, Facebook, and Twitter to make sure you don’t miss an opportunity to score some FREE STUFF.

.

And since I’ve been in a research geeky kind of mode this week, I figured I’ll thow down a FREE t-shirt courtesy of Alan Aragon today.  Alan quite simply has an incredible research review that I think EVERYONE should subscribe to, but that is beyond the point.  Today, I’m putting up one of Alan’s brand new Brainy Gear t-shirts up fror grabs.

.

Simply drop a comment below letting me know you want one (and which one you think is the most awesome) and your name will go into the hat for a free shirt at the end of the day on Friday.

.

What are you waiting for?  Get at it!

.

Okay…so I’ve been going a little nuts lately with my busy schedule and so much stuff on my mind, but I wanted to drop a quick Monday update.

.

.

1.  Measure Your Movement

.

It is pretty well known that people under report what they’re eating and over report their exercise.  On the exercise front, often I’ll use an Omron Pedometer to get an objective measure of physical activity for people.  While they aren’t perfect (and the BodyMedia FIT is probably better) they are relatively accurate and less expensive.  More importantly though, it will give you something to go on when you think you are moving a lot…and you really aren’t.  With the colder months coming I think people will be shocked at how little they actually move. 

.

I usually recommend that people record track their daily steps for a week (good models of the Omron brand will store 7 days worth of data) and then calculate a daily average.  Each week thereafter I have them attempt to add 500 steps per day.  And just so we don’t get confused here, I’m not saying that increasing your steps will necessarily result in more fat loss.

.

What I am saying is:

.

- Greater physical activity improves health markers (you don’t look very good if you’re dead).

- Increased activity decreases waist circumference even if you don’t lose fat (yep…smaller waist…not even dieting).

- 5 hours of physical activity per week doesn’t necessarily mean more fat loss, but better long term weight maintenance (i.e., you’ll keep off what you’ve lost).

-You probably think you move more than you do.

.

.

2.  Arm Ergometers Are Awesome!

.

In terms of cardiovascular activity, most people are used to the standard stuff like treadmill, bikes, and ellipticals.  Sleds and other circuit stuff have also become trendy as of late as well.  However, I’ve recently stumbled upon another really cool method for upper body cardiovascular training that is exceptionally badass.  If you’ve never tried and arm ergometer (basically an upper body bicycle), I’d highly suggest you give it a try.

.

Although most people would associate this primarily with a rehab setting, these are great for warming up the upper body prior to a workout, finishing up an upper body workout (your delts, biceps and triceps will be on fire), or for people who have knee or lower back issues the limit regular cardiovascular training.  More to the point, they are frigging HARD!

.

While commercial models (Monark being the most popular) can cost over $1500, you can often pick one of these up from a ”home health” type of store for anywhere between $50 and $150 depending on the gadgets attached.  I think these are awesome and would make a great addition to any home gym or studio where people are dealing with clients with knee and back issues.  Simply turn up the tension and crank it like a mofo!

.

3.  This Psoas IS Fillet Mignon

.,

Just in case you missed it, someone commented on my previous psoas post stating that the psoas is actually the cut of meat we adore called fillet mignon.  I very scientifically checked this out (okay…I acutally looked it up on Wikipedia) and this appears to be true.  Go figure.  If you ever get into a plane crash and have to eat the flesh of another human at least you know where to start.

.

4.  FREE Core Interviews

.

A while back I had the opportunity to interview a whole bunch of really smart industry experts about everything to do with creating a strong and sexy core.  Check out this list:

.

Mike Robertson

Nick Tumminello

Jim “Smitty” Smith

Leigh Peele

Lyle McDonald

Martin Berkhan

Jimmy Smith

Scott Abel

John Paul Catanzaro

Brendan Fox

Thomas Myers

And last but not least…Dr. Stuart McGill!

.

You want these interviews don’t you?  Yeah…thought so.  I figured that since I’m in such a giving mood lately I’d just throw these down for FREE too.  Go get ‘em!

.

5.  Reminder – Get Your FREE Glute Training Ebook

Don’t forget to score yourself the most excellent glute training ebook in the world by my buddy Bret Contreras by leaving a comment on this page.  Comments are closed for the drawing at the end of day today.

.

That’s it for me today.  Go get your free stuff!

.

Yesterday my stuff started showing up all over the place so I figured I’d throw up a few links to my content that has appeared on other blogs.

.

.

1.  Why the Psoas Isn’t the Devil

.

Over the past few years the psoas has been outright demonized and this post  that I wrote for my friend Rick Kaselj deals with my thoughts on the psoas, how its weakness can cause knee pain, and how to deal with it when it does.

.

2.  Videos of the Week

.

Each week Ben Bruno (whose blog I mentioned yesterday) posts some of the best training related videos he’s seen all week and this week one of my vids made the list.  You can check it out HERE.  Feel free to check out the rest of the videos as well as long as you realize mine is the most awesome. 

.

3.  Le soulevé de terre, un exercice incompris?

.

Okay…I have to be honest and say that I have no idea what Xavier is saying in this post.  He could be making fun of me for all I know, but he used some of my videos in the post so I figured I’d link it for any French speaking people who read my blog.  Check it out HERE.

.

And finally…what you’re all waiting for…FREE STUFF.

.

The Nitrean Protein that went up for grabs a couple days back was awarded last night (by random draw) to Carl who commented on the post.  So congratulations to Carl and good luck to everyone else on the upcoming items.  Keep commenting!

.

While we’re here I should mention that I’ve acquired two more free items for the Christmas giveaway this week.  The first is the Strength Training for Fat Loss and Conditioning DVD by my good friend Nick Tumminello and the second is the epic 675 page ebook Advanced Techniques in Glutei Maximi Strengthening from my buddy Bret Contreras.

.

And since it is Friday…and I LOVE Fridays…I figured I’d just put Bret’s ebook up for grabs right now.  If you aren’t familiar with Bret or his work, you’ll know this is probably one of the most thorough resources you’ll ever read about creating strong and fantastic looking glutes.

.

So if you’ve been following along you know the drill.  Leave a comment below and let me know that you want the ebook and I’ll award it to the winner by random draw.

.

Comments will be closed at the end of Monday so drop one below ASAP to score Bret’s incredible ebook completely FREE.

.