8/22/2022 Just the Day's Training...
Today: *Run: 5K; 26 ish minutes *Cycle: Commute; 27 minutes Prowler: 10x 80 yds Low (and I mean LOW) box squat: 5x10x45 GHR: 4x12 Deadlift: 4 RM Alternating Forward Lunge: 100 on each leg *Cycle: Commute; 25 minutes. I just hauled ass.
8/19/2022 OH MY GAWD! You've Got To Be Kidding Me.
I read a lot. No! I mean A LOT!!! I read many of the articles here at EliteFTS to have a conversation with anyone on the team even if by chance. I read many articles on "other" sites so that I can compare and YES, judge. I read books repeatedly to bring back "ah-ha" moments […]
8/18/2022 Again for the people in the back...Discipline v. Motivation
I don't care what anyone says, I don't motivate you. Music doesn't motivate you. PMA books and audio does NOT motivate you. It may and often does EXCITE you, but motivation comes from either moving towards something, like a goal, dream, a WANT or Away from something like being a fat bastard, heart issues, health […]
2/17/2022 Sending Them Off...
This week has been bitter-sweet for me. My college kids are going back to school, and a few of my adult participants have sold their homes and are moving out of the area as well. The gym is emptying out like the Boardwalk at the beach when summer comes to an end. I have a […]
8/16/2022 "Why I Respect Fit People"
"Because fit people with a physique is much more than how good they look... A well-built physique is a status symbol that reflects your hard work. Money can't buy it, nor can you inherit it. You can not steal it, nor can you borrow it. You can not hold onto it without constant work. It […]
8/15/2022 You Don't Have to Like It; You Just Have To Do It.
We all have exercises we like and will do them without question. However, they are the ones we tend to be really good at and probably don't need. Then there are those exercises that we loathe, No HATE! If we are going to "cherry pick" training sessions, it is without a doubt the sessions that […]
8/12/2022 SST (Super Slow Training)
Weight Training for the most part is about "Time under Tension". Most of the time we think about the tension part, which means we must lift MORE weight to improve. We can also at more time to that tension and we do so by adding either reps or sets. However, there is a THIRD option […]
8/11/2022 Pre-exhausted training.
Today I wanted to get everyone jacked and tired and to that end, I had a bunch of pre-exhaustion exercises before the main lift in training. To move the 225 or 250 should have felt like a ton and a half, and it did! Heart rates were kept high, the perspiration was flowing, and muscle […]
8/10/2022 Growth is...
Growth is growth no matter how small the improvement was. Remember what Nelson Mandela said, "It always seems impossible until it is done." Today's Training: Pop Your Heart Wed. Cycle: Commute; 28 mins Suspended Knees to Elbow: 4x12 Ab Wheel: 4x12 Decline Sit-ups: 4x12 Prowler: 10x80 yds. Sprints: 10x40 yds Concept II Row for Time: […]
8/9/2022 Pinky Down and Stretch The Lats
Again, we focused on the grip of the pinky and the ring finger in order to improve our overall grip strength. The pinky and thumb pressed together are still the weakest link in the upper body. Improving the pressure the pinky and ring finger exert will only make the exercises that require a good grip, […]
8/8/2022 Move Big Weight!
We didn't do a lot of exercises, nor did we load up on many accessory and supplemental exercises. We didn't move at a fast frantic pace, but what we did was move a shit ton of weight doing to of the BIG THREE! People on the way out of the gym today were saying already […]
8/5/2022 Use Your Pinky!!!
Like many of the coaches here at EliteFTS, I preach "Grip the bar tighter than you think is necessary" to help build the tension needed for the big lifts. However, I still witness various types of limp grip'n. So today I got on most of the lifters about increasing the grip if not the entire […]
8/4/2022 Be More Like Ray in EVERYTHING You Do...
There were no extras today. I had to "hard stop" the training because my Vanborgini needed some repair. The dashboard lit up like downtown during the Christmas season and I have to take care of her because she was worth it. Going on 200,000 miles and just a little younger than my son who is […]
8/3/2022 “I hated every minute..."
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” —Muhammad Ali Today's Training: Cycle: Commute; 27 mins Suspended Knees 2 Elbow: 4x12 Ab Wheel: 4x12 Crunch: 125 reps KB Swings: 8x40 Prowler: 10x80 yds. Concept II Rowing Erg.: 2500 meters for […]
8/2/2022 The Weight Room is a Microcosm of Sport.
The weight room is a microcosm of sport, and sports are a microcosm of society. WHAT? Is Harry going off on another mind trip? Not really. Think about it. What I see in an athlete in the weight room tends to transfer over into the sport the athlete is about to play. If I see […]
8/1/2022 If You Can't Grip it, You Can't Lift It
One thing I go apeshit over is a weak grip. I find people who shake my hand with a soft grip and a limp wrist deserve to have their arm torn off and beat'n with it over their head. The Grip is the first thing you establish when meeting another person. When I shake hands, […]
7/29/2022 (already?) 1000 rep Arm Routine
Yep, it's that time of the month again. Time to get tickets to the "Gun Show". After all, it is our Second Amendment Right! My morning run takes me through a park behind my house. The park is a lushly landscaped place that is very well maintained. Beautiful trees and bushes abound everywhere with the […]
7/28/2022 SSB Yoke Bar Squat
I love using the SSB Yoke bar. The design of it and where it sits on the shoulders makes for a bit more back extension and thus incorporates more muscle so when you go back to the straight bar you keep better technique by keeping the chest up, and the thoracic extended. The issue with […]
7/27/2022 Mental Toughness is a Lifestyle
Physical strength measures what you CAN do. Mental strength measures whether you actually do it. Today's Training: Cycle: Commute: 27 minutes Versa Climber: 10x50 sprint steps Ab Wheel: 2x20 Kettlebell Side Flex Bends: 2x20x heavy Flutter kicks: 4x25 OHP: 4x10 DB Lateral Raise: 4x10 Front Raise: 4x10 Cycle: Commute: 30 mins. I went the long […]
7/26/2022 There is something about running for me.
There is something about running for me. After a certain distance, it goes further than my body. A little more distance and it transcends my mind. When I go just a bit further, it enters deep into my SOUL... Today's Training: Run: 5K:8=28 ish minutes. Slow but not as labored Cycle: Commute; 26 mins into […]
7/25/2022 Today's Recipe!!!
One cup of: Cluster Two cups of: Fuck 'em UP! Today's Training: Run: 5K- A little bit over25 mins Cycle: 26 mins 4 way neck: 1x12x2.5 GHR: 4x10 Back Extension: 4x10 Ab Wheel: 2x20 Ab Crunch: 125 reps One Pin Dead Lift: 4RM Cycle: 25 mins (I had a nice tail wind)
7/22/2022
Day 4 of my quest to not be a "Butterball Turkey" almost got thwarted by a lie in my head about needing sleep and rest from my previous consecutive days of five Ks. Then one of the hundreds of voices in my head said something I wrote weeks ago..."If you don't like doing something, do […]
7/21/2022 Nothing But The Training
I've got nothing today. Just the stuff done today! Today's Training: Run: 5K; 25 mins (ish) Dynamic Squat: 10x2x55% Dynamic Deadlift: 10x1x60% Calf Raise: 2x100
7/20/2022 Ignore your pain.
Ignore your pain, and don’t think of quitting. Today's Training: Indicates stuff I did in addition. *Run: 5K Day 2 was not easier nor harder it just was... *Cycle: This is my morning commute: 26 mins. Suspended Knees 2 Elbow: 4x10 Ab Wheel: 4x12 Hyvk Truck Prone Pendulums: 3x10 AirDyne: 5 mins steady; 15x15/45 Work […]
7/19/2022
We were on the beach this past Sunday when my wife sent me a photograph she took of me late Monday afternoon. I looked and looked again and was NOT happy with the sight of the "beached whale" that I was looking at. Not only did I look like a large round mound, but I […]
7/18/2022 You Ought to Do it...
You ought to do things in spite of the fact you might not LIKE to perform it in any manner. For instance, I abhor stretching. I find it to be too boring and uneventful and much rather do "FULL RANGE" exercises and call them "my stretches". However, I know that if I don't devote some […]
7/15/2022 All successful People...
All successful people come with a highly competitive personality and love competing against all types of adversities. What is impossible for the others to perform becomes easy for them eventually. Today's Training: Cycle: 27 mins C/S Row: 4x10 Blast Strap Row: 3x50 V-Bar Pulldown: 4x12 Medium Band Tricep Pushdown: 3x50 Reverse Grip BB Curl: 4x8 […]
7/14/2022 The "Anderson Squat"
We started a new cycle this week and on our Max Effort Days, we are currently Six Rep Maxing. I am a stickler for technique and I find using 6 reps then 4 reps then 2 I can SAFELY increase a person's strength. Because we are all goal-seeking machines, for me, too many will compensate […]
7/13/2022 Think of quitting?
Do not ever think of quitting since it is going to make you weak over time. Today's Training: Cycle: 27 mins Suspended Knees to Elbow: 3x12 Ab Wheel: 3x12 Decline Sit-ups: 3x12 Concept II Rowing Ergometer: 5000 meters for time 19:47 was the best time of the day so far. Alternating DB Curl: 3x20 Alternating […]
7/12/2022 Accept pain with a smiling face.
There is a major difference between pain and injury. When you get injured, THAT pain reminds you NOT to do something. It needs to be acknowledged and dealt with the quicker the better. However, we need to accept the PAIN of exercise or a task that isn't an injury and not let it bother us. […]
7/11/2022 There are just 3 choices available.
"There are just 3 choices available to you: Either give up, give in, or give all that you have got." After 6 weeks of "Fat Grip" training, we went back to the normal grip and stuck with the double overhand. EVERYONE hit bigger numbers and was PISSED when their grips finally failed them. No one […]
7/8/2022 K.I.S.S.
Yes, it means "Keep It Simple Stupid" and we have all heard it time and time again and yet I see trainer after trainer, or dare they call themself "Coach" after "Coach" looking to make their nitch in the Strength and Conditioning field make up some bullshit combo exercise and put it on Social Media […]
7/7/2022 If you are not comfortable, get accustomed to it.
I don't think I have ever NOT felt some sort of ache or pain since I began playing sports as a nine-year-old up until even today. Seriously, not a day has gone by that I haven't gotten out of bed and gone into the bathroom without a hitch in my giddy-up. I've grown so accustomed […]
7/6/2022 Are you one of those people who are thinking of quitting?
Because the 4th of July was on a Monday some folks took Tuesday off because of whatever excuse they gave me. (I shut down when it starts to sound like one) Because we have another four-day week, I need to cram all of our five-day training into it. That makes Wednesday a great day to […]
4/5/2022 Is there anyone who likes to give up?
This one will test that. When it hurts (and it will) do you quit like most will, or will you fight through the discomfort and meet the objective? This is that time to bump your capacity to endure by 5%. That's it! Go 5% harder Today's Training: Cycle: 29 mins Face Pulls: 5x20 Pullaparts: 5x20 […]
6/30/2022
I am taking off tomorrow the 1st of July as well as Monday the 4th, so I squashed 5 days into four. "Super Legs" always leaves a mark. I don't care who you are, this combo even without the weight of a bar is going to give the delayed onset of muscle soreness because of […]
6/29/2022 To Do Great Things
Never has anything worth a while been accomplished from a comfortable position. We have to become uncomfortable in order to do great things and that is where the issue is. MOST people don't like being uncomfortable. Once they feel the pain of anything they tend to pull the plug on the task. I take a […]
6/28/2022 Nothing but The Training...
Today's Training: Cycle: 27 mins. Prowler: 10x80 yds AirDyne: 15x15/45 sprints OHP: 2 RM DB Lateral Raise: 4x6xHeavy DB Front Raise: 4x10x Moderate Rear Delt Destroyer: 1x60-40-20 x 36-28-18 lb kettlebells Shrugs: 4x6x HEAVY Cycle: 33 mins. Took the long way home.
6/27/2022 Be The Person
Be THAT person that went for it! Why not you? Why not now? Today's Training: Cycle: 29 mins Prowler: 10x80 yds Sprint: 10x40 yds Fat Grip Deadlift to a 2 rep max Let's see that G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu grip Reverse Hyper: 3x12 GHR: 3x12 Cycle: 27 mins
Do You Know What Rhymes With Friday? 6/24/2022
PULL-UPS, PUSH-UPS, CHIN-UPS, AND DIPS!!! THAT'S what rhymes with Friday Today's Training: Cycle: 30 mins Pull-ups: 50 in as few sets as possible Super Set w/ Push-ups: 100 in as few sets as possible Chin-ups: 50 in as few sets as possible Super Set w/ Dips: 100 in as few sets as possible DB Curl: […]
6/23/2022 Don't Pull The Trigger Out Of Anger
I blew it BIG time! NO...HUGE!!! I have no idea why but I've been in a foul fucking mood for the past two days. The type of anger that I thought I had matured past. (I joke about having to take medication for the rage but I don't really) One thing onto another, minute after […]
Tell Yourself the Truth! 6/22/2022
that you've wasted too much time as it is and that you STILL have other dreams and aspirations that will take effort and guts to achieve so you don't die a fucking pussy!!! Today's Training: Cycle: 27 mins Concept II Row: 2500 meters for time Dynamic Bench: 10x3 DB Fly: 4x15 DB Floor Press: 4x20 […]
6/21/2022 Be More Than Motivated
“Be more than motivated, be more than driven, become literally obsessed to the point where people think you’re fucking nuts." Today's Training: Cycle: 27 mins Prowler: 10x80 yds Dynamic OHP: 10x3 DB Lateral Raise: 4x15 DB Front Raise: 4x15 DB Rear Delt Raise: 4x15 Pull-a-parts" : 150 reps Shrugs: 4x15 Side Plank Hip Ups: 3x10 […]
6/20/2022 Oh Yes You Are In The Tour de France
My daily commute is a bike ride to and from my gym. Now, understand that I don't usually see anyone on the way in as it is 3:30 in the morning and if I see anything it's someone doing something illegal or illicit or just plain weird. So when I see another "cyclist"? You better […]
6/17/2022 No One Cares What You Did Yesterday
It's what you are doing TODAY that can make a difference. I've learned over the years to cut the athletic history in HALF for men. No, they never did score six touchdowns vs. "Polk High School" They didn't ALMOST make the Varsity, and Uncle Rico can NOT throw a football over that mountain. But maybe […]
6/16/2022 Motivation v. Driven
When we offered the "Driven" T-shirt here at EliteFTS, that was for me a MUST have. The shirt says it all. Motivation is the desire, the idea to achieve a specific goal. Drive means you will run right through anything standing in the way of that goal even if that something is yourself. "Motivation gets […]
6/15/2022 The only thing more contagious than a good attitude is a bad...
Attitude, not Amplitude determines your Altitude... Today's Training: Cycle: 28 mins Prowler: 10x80 yards Concept II Row: 5000 meters for time DB Shoulder Crank: 4x10 Combo these moves; Hammer Curl to overhead press. Externally rotate the hands and then do a slow deceleration of the full lateral raise DB Lateral Raise: 4x6x Stupid Heavy. If […]
6/14/2022 Getting Beat v. Quitting
I always wanted to play linebacker in the NFL, but due to genetics, my physical size is about 5'x5', so that just wasn't going to happen. I've always been pretty darn quick with a respectable 40 time and I am fairly strong for a charging Rhinoceros. But that damn height/weight thing has always been a […]
6/13/2022 Those Dang Fat Gripz
Fat Grip and 4orce Grips are two simple tools that will challenge any grip and the muscle in the forearms. We are in a block of them for the next few weeks and they humble everyone. I was at an increment this early morning that I knew everyone would be at later. No, it wasn't […]
6/10/2022 “From the time you take your first breath, you become eligible...
“From the time you take your first breath, you become eligible to die. You also become eligible to find your greatness and become the one warrior” ~David Goggins Today's Training: Cycle: 29 mins Pull-ups/Chin-ups: 50 reps in total Push-ups/Dips: 100 reps EACH The following exercises are to be done Negative Accentuted: DB Curl: 4x8 DB Supine […]
6/9/2022 I Added Another Rule to the Handbook...
At about 1:00 AM this morning, I couldn't get a Kenny Chesney song out of my head. I kept going over the lyrics, over and over, and over. I can't even tell you the name of the tune for my life. So as I lay there wide awake, I decided to get shit done. Heck, […]
6/8/2022 If I were a plastic surgeon...
If I were a plastic surgeon there would be no doubt, 100 percent of the time, I would put a "squeaky toy" in every breast implant. Today's Training: Cycle: 28 mins AirDyne: 10x20-10-20 Dynamic Bench: 10x3 Flat DB Fly: 3x10 Incline Cable Fly: 3x10 Push-ups: 100 reps Ab Wheel: 3x12 Crunches: 100 reps Cycle: 27 […]
6/7/2022 Hey! How Are Those New Year's Resolutions Coming Along?
When I woke up this morning for some reason my mind focused on that question. First thing... I wondered how all those New Year; New YOU people were actually dug in and hammering away at those big dreams? You all remember the rush at the gym come January, yea? How they faded some by the […]
6/6/2022 Fat Grip Deadlift Training (boy how people hate these)
The weakest link in the upper body is the pressure you can exert between the pinky finger and your thumb on the same hand. Years ago, I was the S&C Coach for the inventor of the "Wing T" offense and head coach, Chuck Apap. On a Friday night under the lights in the high desert […]
6/2/2022 Modern-day medicine and doctors treat the disease and not the ...
A couple of years ago my wife was diagnosed with Dilated cardiomyopathy. This was brought on by her constant lightheadedness and the feeling as if she were going to faint every time she stood up. I took her blood pressure and it would normally be on the low side, but this was ridiculous. We went […]
6/2/2022 Motivation Comes From One Place and One Place Only...
I hear all the time how so and so motivates you. You need a certain "playlist" in order to be motivated to train. You need your PRE workout in order to "get up" for your workout so you can kill it. That a certain person "motivates" you to do better. BULLSHIT! All of that EXCITES […]
6/1/2022 Don't Hit the Snooze Button
Two different people who missed yesterday's practices, came to me today and began to explain themselves as to "why" they weren't there. Not the first time I have heard, "I hit the snooze button and fell back to sleep", but BOTH of these people told me the same thing within an hour of each other. […]
5/31/2022 Get Past Your 40%
We all think we are working hard. We all think we are pushing our limits. But the reality of it is, NO YOU'RE NOT! Truth is we pull back on the throttle when we start to feel that discomfort. That level of PAIN that tells us to BACK OFF. That level is about 40%. If […]
5/29/2022 "NO! I'm NOT Natural Nor am I Comfortable"
I was perusing my social media page when a "memory" from a year ago popped up. A YEAR ago and it still holds true. "While shopping at Costco this morning I was asked by a very nice couple if I was "natural". I do believe my answer took them by surprise when I responded, "No! […]