Greetings Peeps! Happy Thanksgiving to you. I hope you are setting up for a fantastic holiday that features feasting, family, fellowship…and fitness!
Most years around this time I produce a bit of content around those themes and this one is no exception. While I try to maintain a perspective of gratitude all the time, it’s during this season when I organize my thoughts to a greater degree.
I’d like to frame my expression of gratitude around the people in my life and the ways in which they’ve enlightened, inspired, and entertained me. This group naturally starts with my family and close friends, but it includes many others. My clients, with whom I work in my coaching and training capacities, are universally outstanding humans and I so deeply cherish those rich relationships. My neighbors, the people who work at the grocery store and coffee shop, and folks I interact with around the country…are awesome. Just about everyone I engage with in both my local community and the broader one we’ve created here at TLA has offered me an opportunity to listen, grow, say a kind word to, or just go away with a good feeling. You bring me up and I want to do and be the same for you. It’s the world we all should be living in and to which we should continuously contribute.
None of that is PollyAnna B.S. It’s true. I’m going to mention, in very general terms, a few of the lessons I’ve learned or had reinforced by those to whom I am grateful.
Everybody deserves to get what they want. That’s not always what I (or you, or any service provider) think they need. I can explain this one in the context of a coaching relationship. When someone has a goal, loves a sport, prefers a certain exercise, or needs a comfort food…there’s no need to take those things away. Give it to them. If they are expecting something to happen in a meeting or program…make it happen. This is not placation or pacification. It’s winning respect by acknowledging another person’s desires. This builds trust and creates a foundation from which we can communicate more effectively and ultimately address those potentially more serious needs. I understand this a lot better now than I did when I was starting out in human performance 40 years ago. Trying to drive just 1 kind of approach only gets you so far. Actually, research suggests that you’ll only reach about 30% of an audience or population with a rigid system. You have to have a model and a method, but it needs to be dynamic in the presence of each person. Military officers expect meetings to start early and end on time. They appreciate an agenda that is simple, clear, and relatively uncomplicated. Engineers and accountants love spreadsheets and graphs. A lot of people need the “why” before they can commit. Artistic folks appreciate a concept more than very specific constraints, which can make them rebel. Some want to cut to the chase. Others like to start with a casual conversation and approach the target from the back door. The point to all this rambling is that I’ve learned, from my work with thousands of people, that it doesn’t hurt me at all to give them what they are looking for. Doing so helps them to feel heard, empowered, and valued. From there we almost always go to great heights, achieving goals and forming very positive relationships.
Granting a little grace, and being granted it as well, is where our heads should be. The fact is we just don’t know what’s going on in someone else’s life most of the time. Judge, jury, and executioner stuff here. If we jump to rapid, and usually negative conclusions about someone’s behavior or attitude, we might not have the whole story. Sure, there are true jerks in the world, but so often we unfortunately catch a great person who is dealing with loss, stress, bad news, illness, injury, pain – this list can go on forever – and we might perceive or label them to be less than great. Give them a chance. Don’t be too quick to judge. Grant them some grace and remember times when you’ve been less than the best version of yourself, and someone let it slide. Most of the time in my coaching relationships our interactions are quite polite and positive. But I encourage my clients to bring whatever they are carrying to the table, let it out, and maybe use it productively. I don’t try to change people or tell them they should feel differently, but I acknowledge their frustration and ask how they would like me help…if they want that help.
The human body has incredible healing power. I think of the injuries and surgeries that I, and so many that I know have incurred. Everything from orthopedics to internal medicine to mental health issues. Things that look so bleak and dark at the outset. Yet to my amazement, when some care is applied to facilitate human healing, remarkable things occur. So much of healing is about taking the brakes off, and removing the obstacles and deterrents to normal tissue repair, hormonal balance, metabolic regulation, and cellular homeostasis. Healing is a journey. It’s not always perfect or complete, but it almost always trends in an upward direction when we get a few things right. And practice PATIENCE. That’s never easy on the front end, but it is incredibly rewarding on the back end. That’s a big part of this Lifetime Athlete thing. Giving up and quitting is not the option my clients consistently choose. They have the motivation and confidence to keep exploring the possibilities. To those who’ve taught me this, I offer great thanks. To anyone who needs a little reassurance about the resilience of human biology, just reach out to me.
The human mind is capable of astounding levels of creativity and ingenuity. An open mind that is willing to experiment is all-powerful. In this case I’m thinking about exercise selection and training program design. There are so, so, many great ways to achieve excellent results in health, fitness, and athletic performance. Run from the so-called experts who espouse that there is only one, true, and right way…their way. I’ve had the real pleasure of engaging with some brilliant individuals who have built home-made equipment, modified exercises, or developed programs that nobody ever thought of before. No sportsmedicine journal. No physician. No PT. No influencer guru. Nobody. Not even me and I pride myself on being relatively creative in this arena. I’m thrilled to learn from everyone, and to share or pay forward the wisdom.
In fact, a recent article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, entitled “Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Healthy Adults: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis” highlighted the point that outstanding results can be achieved with a variety of methods. This was a well-written article and study by some heavy hitters in the exercise-health-longevity field from McMaster University in Ontario. There is also a blog available with a simple summary graphic. The take-home message is this: Almost any type of resistance training program can work, and they are all significantly better than doing nothing. This message comes as no surprise to our community, but the gen-pop doubter/hater hordes need constant affirmation that they need to get off their asses and work out. Back to facts though, here are a few key points from the article.
- If you want to build muscle, more volume in training is helpful.
- Strength is developed best with heavy loads, but working hard with moderate loads is also very effective when safety is a concern.
- Optimal results happen when you try hard, i.e. approach momentary muscular failure on a few sets per week.
- The above statements are true regardless of gender or age.
This sets up a nice segue to talk about training for comprehensive fitness, athleticism, and functional longevity. As the aforementioned article suggested, strength and hypertrophy are very important and that’s why it’s one of the 5 Capacities of Athleticism (Human Performance) we emphasize at The Lifetime Athlete. You need to do that resistance training on a regular basis. However, you also need to work on power (both muscular explosiveness and aerobic/VO2max), agility (mobility, stability, reactivity, fluidity), and endurance (muscular fatigue resistance and cardiorespiratory/Zone 2 fitness). That’s why I think this evidence-based approach to program design and training is superior. It takes a little wizardry to balance all that stuff and blend it into a plan that is as safe as it is effective for each person. This is why the Training Tribe utilizes an Annual Training Plan that is block-periodized to bring out all those capacities in our team members. I also base the personalized training programs I do for all my 1-on-1 coaching clients on these principles but I specifically customize the content based on the Athletic Capacity Rating System which ranks ability in those 5 categories for the client and then compares it to a demand-based analysis of their target sport(s).
We can be as detailed and scientific as we want, but honestly it’s quite fun to occasionally just jam on a new workout. What I’ve got for you as a holiday bonus is a couple of training sessions that do just that. Get you out of a rut. Give you a new idea to try. Make it possible to get in a workout when you are traveling or entertaining. Have a bit of a challenge. Or any other reason you like. I’ve selected several great workouts that actual clients and T2 members are currently using. They will be laid out in table format followed by a text-based breakdown for each. The clients also receive video demonstrations and supportive discussions on the training.
Workouts of the Week (WOW) for A Fun Changeup! Happy Thanksgiving!
| WOW | PREP | PRIMARY | ACCESSORY | TIPS |
| A | 4-way Planks 1:00 each Tubing Pallof Press 20x each way | Ladder Lifts Wt↑ as reps↓ 12-10-8-6-4 reps 1:00 rests DB Bench Press DB 1-arm Row (L/R) DB Uni Push Press (L/R) | Rowing Challenge 1k all out 500 easy cooldown | Keep the rowing at RPE 8-9 first few times so you don’t puke. |
Workout A – Guns and “Rowses”: This baby is a gasser. Planks are feet and forearms/elbows facing down, left, up, and right. Pallof press with tubing or band is pressing forward with a sideways anchor in standing. Those ladder lifts will take advantage of the dumbbell rack or set because you can experiment with weight selection. Take as long as you need to complete the set, then rest just one minute between sets. You won’t be able to max out but the pump will be amazing. The all out 1000 meters on the rower is pretty much the bastard of fitness. There is data out there on performance, so we can have some fun with it. Get used to this gradually because it’s awful…yet awfully effective in power development.
| WOW | PREP | PRIMARY | ACCESSORY | TIPS |
| B | Indoor Activation Old School Cali’s :30 each Trunk Twist Side Bend Jumping Jack Windmill Air Squat Mountain Climber Superman Pushup Side Leg Raise Situp | Outdoor Stimulation Road Tempo Reps 8 x 60 yards 65% max speed Walk back rests MB Rainbow Chucks 20 reps Explosive Bunnies 2 x 5 yards Single Leg Power Hop 5 reps each leg | Indoor Consolidation EMOM’s 10 reps 6 rounds each KB Swing DB Push Press DB Hang Clean Elliptical 10:00 cooldown Zone 1-2 | Measure total distance hopped on each leg. |
Workout B Breakdown: A gym and outside (road, parking lot, etc.) combo. It has you getting outside in the natural light for some of the session. Flow through the calisthenics, but take as many breaks as you need or want. In the road reps (as long as it’s not icy), go just fast enough to use good speed mechanics but it should feel quick and light as opposed to fast and hard. The rainbow chucks have you using that deep countermovement backward overhead throw in a rainbow pattern, trotting to the ball, and throwing it back the other way. Explosive bunnies are jumps from 4 points of contact, doing max vertical/broad combo with overhead arm reach as you soar. The hops are done intentionally and powerfully, seeing if you can go a little farther each week. Every minute on the minute with those lifts will be 18 glorious minutes of schvettiness, followed by a nice cruise on ye ole elliptical.
| WOW | PREP | PRIMARY | ACCESSORY | TIPS |
| C | KB Work :30 each Fig 8 Around World Alt. Swing Goblet Squat 4-way Plank 1:00 each | EMOM’s 10 reps 6 rounds each ex “Moderately heavy” SB Front Squat DB Push Press DB Walking Lunge DB Hang Clean | Isometrics 1:00 each Bodyweight+reps to fatigue Lunge L Lunge R Mid Pushup Mid Situp Dead Hang/Pullup Test:Farmer Walk Max Distance | Go a little easy on the main lifts for the first few workouts. |
Workout C: This workout starts with an old school kettlebell flow series followed by some serious plankatosis. The EMOM’s (every minute on the minute) have you banging out 10 reps of the movement in straight sets at the top of every minute, then using the remainder of the minute to mill around and partially recover. Experiment with weight selection so one weight takes you from an RPE of 7/10 to begin but reaches 9/10 by the last set.
- For the front squat, hold the sandbag under your chin using an underhand grip. You may wish to put your heels on a board or stand on a ramp to enhance form.
- The push press is an overhead press that uses a slight leg impulse as opposed to strict form. You may prefer to hold the dumbbells with palms facing ears for greater shoulder comfort.
- For the walking lunge, hold the DB’s at your sides and keep your chest up, taking long and deep strides.
- Hang cleans use a powerful leg thrust so the arms can drive the bells up to a catch position.
- The isometric plus reps challenges require you to hold the exercise position in mid-range for 1 minute and then to pump out as many full-range reps as you can until you have reasonable fatigue. You don’t have to go to complete failure if you don’t want to.
- This workout has a weekly test. Grab some heavy DB’s and walk around (inside or out) as long as you can.
Those 3 sessions were just examples of the many things going on right now on our nationwide team. Below are 3 more specifically designed to help you get in some training during a busy Holiday. Sometimes a session like one of these helps you to #findaway #createthewin.
| WOW | PREP | PRIMARY | ACCESSORY | TIPS |
| D | Just maintain an attitude of all-day readiness. | 1 minute each of air squats and pushups every hour for 12 hours. | Double or triple up for any hour(s) that you have to miss. | Wear clothing that allows freedom of mobility. |
| E | Take your KB with you to work and everywhere else you go. | 1000 Swings fit into as many breaks in your day as you need to get it done. | Keep a log of reps so you don’t forget your total. | Use luggage if you are traveling. |
| F | Select any mode of cardio. | Accumulate 3 hours of easy Zone 1 effort over the course of a day. | You can mix modes or just do all easy walking. | Get outside with friends and family. |
Workout D Breakdown: 12 Hour Day. This is a fun one and requires no equipment. You’ll be amazed at how great a workout it is doing 2 minutes an hour for 12 straight hours. But if you are in a meeting, or on a plane…there are no frigging excuses. You owe yourself the makeup minutes because at the end of the day there must be 24 minutes of exercise accumulated. Invite anyone around you to join in. If they chastise you, shame them.
Workout E Breakdown: Swingtown. This was a fantastic Steve Miller Band song and I highly recommend it. Spend the day with your kettlebell and every chance you get, bang out some swings. You owe yourself 1000 reps by the end of the day. Luggage or gym bags work just as well. Heavy duty shopping bags full of groceries for the food bank are good. Hell, sacks of dogshit always work. No do is no option. We are not weak, lazy liars who don’t find the way to win.
Workout F Breakdown: One and Only Z1. Zone One. Your easy and lowest gear. 3 hours total any way you can slice and dice it. You may not even break much of a sweat. Get on the move multiple times per day. Expand your mind that being an athletic BEAST of a human does not always mean officially dressing out for an exhaustive workout. Moving often and confidently is so good for your health. Drag your peeps along. Spread the love and make the joy of movement contagious.
So those are just a few examples of (literally) the thousands of sessions we have in our extensive TLA database. I hope you enjoy trying a few of them out. Let me know what you think. And to each and every one of you, thank you so much for being so awesome. Happy Thanksgiving!