Celebrating Achievement - Chris B

It's 2015 and it's been a long time between blogs.

What a massive year 2014 was.  So much progress made in and out of the gym for my Free To Be You PT clients and yours truly.

I've had the privilege and pleasure of working with some very hard-working, enthusiastic clients with big personal goals.  Whilst I've had to cut back on PT due to the ever growing pressures and demands of running my supplement company Nutrients Direct, I am always inspired and lifted by the effort and progress I get to observe and be a part of.

Life throws so many things at us that it can be overwhelming at times.  I've coached clients through the loss of loved ones, illness, injury, home and job changes.  For some of us, these  things can derail us from being our best selves.  At this point we can either shrug and say "Oh well." I guess that's all out of my control and I suppose my best days are behind me.  OR!  we can get pissed off, and refuse to accept that we are like leaves in the wind and our futures are in the hands of unseen forces.

I'm going to say this here and now.  Your best years can still be ahead of you IF you decide that that is how you want your story to play out.  I understand that there are kids, bills, people dependant on us, old injuries, financial pressures, roller coaster relationships, tyrant bosses, economic downturns etc., etc.  Yes.  That stuff is real, but hear me when I say this;  IF YOUR EXCUSES WIN............YOU LOSE.  I've seen too many people turn their lives around and get in the best shape of their lives at all ages.  Sure I had something to do with a few of them, but I am convinced beyond any doubt that the decline normally associated with aging, isn't actually due to aging at all - it's neglect.  Stop moving and your body will get weaker and weaker until you're afraid to walk without looking at the ground to avoid tripping or you  can't even wipe your own butt.  Move often, move functionally, practice flexibility, balance and perhaps most importantly work on strength and you will be shocked at how amazing you can feel.  Pain-free. Unstoppable. Strong.  A role model. Proud. Sure, it doesn't come easy and you have to get uncomfortable often for short periods of time, but man oh man are the rewards more than worth it. 

In June of 2013, a woman in her mid-50s came to me looking for help.  She'd had a terrible run as far as health is concerned, and basic movements that most of us take for granted were extremely difficult or impossible for her.  We knew she had had a full knee replacement on both legs and had lost strength, mobility and had gained lots of weight.  Like I tell all my new clients who are contemplating putting their trust in me and making a huge personal, emotional, time, effort and financial investment for a better life, "If you have a goal.  If you are willing to trust me.  If you are willing to work harder than you've ever worked, do things that are uncomfortable and at times a bit scary, then know that I will be just as, if not more committed to that outcome than you.  A brave woman named Chris accepted that challenge and in doing so, in the last year and a half has completely turned her life around.  She has transformed her body, her mind, her life and has just done something she always dreamed of doing but once thought was impossible.   She climbed the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu then kayaked around Antarctica and is frolicking around in USA somewhere as I write this.  Please enjoy this video I made to celebrate her amazing achievements.

The Best Energy Drink Of Your Life

Article by Jenna Barrington.

I had the urge to write about this daily habit that takes 10 minutes or less, but can have an incredible influence on you and your family’s health!

Right now in our world there are a lot of people who would love to feel better about their bodies. Studies show that a good portion of both men and women are unsatisfied with themselves or struggle with self-confidence. This is no secret, and it is apparent that as a society we are searching for better answers than painful dieting and hours in the gym. 

I was first introduced to the idea of green smoothies by Robyn Openshaw when I was a teenager.  I struggled a lot with body image during adolescence, and more than wanting to feel beautiful I also wanted to feel healthy. So I was always looking for the secrets to having a body I felt confident walking around in!

The idea is you find the right blend of fruits, veggies, and greens to throw into a blender that make a delicious smoothie and a powerhouse nutrient-rich boost for your body! The possible and proven benefits to drinking a green drink on a daily basis are awesome!

• Weight loss
• Mood enhancement
• Natural detox and cleanse
• Immune support/boost
• Huge percentage of daily need for vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
• ENERGY increase that lasts
• Fiber that you don’t get from juice
• You feel ‘light’ verses ‘heavy’
• Happy cells!!

Green smoothies are great at anytime during the day, but are particularly excellent forbreakfast. Our body goes through natural cycles  throughout a day where it focuses respectively on these three processes: Elimination, Appropriation, and Assimilation. In the morning we are typically in elimination mode and our body is focusing on releasing toxins and cleansing. 

Eating a heavy breakfast that is cooked can often be counter-productive to this cycle. Think of how it feels if you’re trying to clean the kitchen and before you’re done someone comes in and starts pulling out  food to make a big meal.  It would definitely slow you down or maybe even stop you from cleaning completely. Our body is the same way.

Our body responds the best to living and easily digestible foods in the morning. Living food means it is raw (uncooked) and is thus still full of enzymes and nutrients that aid digestion and fuel your body.

Convinced to give smoothies a try? Let’s address some common hesitations for those that need a push!

Tastes nasty?

The first time I made a green smoothie it was disgusting. I didn’t blend it well so it was chunky and I was a little too ambitious on the percentage of greens that I added.  In general we are used to overly-sweet food, and starting off your smoothie habit with too many veggies can cause you (and your family victims) to tank before finishing the first glass. Luckily our taste buds adapt over time. Try starting with 20% veggies and 80% fruit. Then slowly change it until you’re eventually drinking 50/50. Baby steps!

Can’t get over looks and texture?

I would recommend getting a good blender.  For example try a Blendtec. They are FANTASTIC. Your smoothies will feel like Jamba Juice.  But let’s be real, a good portion of us don’t have that kind of money to throw around just yet.  But don’t let that stop you from changing you life.  Any blender will do the job. Putting the veggies in and blending them for a bit first can help to get rid of chunks making them easier to drink. 

Bored?

Now that I’ve got a spouse to please, I’ve put a lot more energy into VARIETY. Don’t get stuck on one recipe. Try new things! Mix new colors! If you make your family drink something that tastes too weedy one day, make a really delicious one the next day. Find your favorites and have fun getting creative.

SOME OF MY FAVORITE RECIPES:

#1

• 1/2 Cucumber
• 1 whole lemon (just cut end nubs off)
• 1 handful of spinach
• 1 banana
• 2 tbsp of green super-food powder
• 1 tbsp of organic flax power
• 1 cup of frozen pineapple
• 2 scoops of organic yogurt
• Coconut milk/Water

#2

• A few handfuls of spinach and kale
• 1 Banana
• 1-2 cups of frozen berries
• 1 whole lemon (just cut end nubs off)
• 2 tbsp of organic chia seeds
• Water

#3

• 1 cup of carrots
• 2 tbsp of organic flax powder
• 1 tsp of bee pollen
• 1 whole lemon (just cut end nubs off)
• 2 oranges
• 1 banana
• A few slices of grapefruit or 3 drops of grapefruit oil
• 2 scoops of organic yogurt
• Water/Coconut milk

#4

• 1 mango
• 1 cup of carrots
• 1 apple
• 1 banana

Just not sure it is for you?

Maybe smoothies just aren’t and will never be your thing. That’s fine! As with everything, don’t take my word for it. Give it a good shot. If it is a good thing your body will let you know!

Thank you for reading!

Jenna Barrington

To see some of my references, and for more yummy recipes and information on green smoothies:
Simply Real Health
Green Smoothie Girl
Veg Kitchen
Better Raw (Body Cycles)

Studies:
Men
Women

Glute Masterclass

Dispelling the Glute Myth

by Bret Contreras | 09/16/09 Courtesy of http://www.t-nation.com/

Here's what you need to know...

• You've been lied to. Squats and deadlifts aren't the best exercises for building bigger, stronger glutes.
• Most people can contract their glutes harder during body weight glute activation exercises than during their max in squats and deads.
• The movements that target glutes the best will activate them with little to no weight. Follow a gradual progression for best results.
• The glutes are sleeping giants: Dormant and underused, but having tons of potential.
• Bodybuilders, models, and athletes need to be training their glutes based upon their specific needs.

Since 1995 I've read almost every study, article, and book ever written on the glutes. I've also developed several new glute exercises, which are more effective than what most people have traditionally been doing for their glutes. What I've learned will shock you.

Glute Gauges

Early in 2009, I was trained to use electromyography (EMG) software that measures and records the muscular activity of exercises. I suspected that the methods and exercises I developed in my gym were more effective than what the typical fitness publications were printing.

So after performing thirty straight leg workouts and experiments with wires and electrodes attached to me so I could measure and record the glute, quad, hamstring, and adductor activity of over a hundred different hip extension exercises, it became clear that the glutes have been the most wrongly-pegged muscle group in fitness.

I tested common and unique body weight, dumbbell, band, barbell, and machine exercises, and then tested three other individuals with varying anthropometry or body segment lengths to make sure the results I saw weren't atypical.

Knowing that the fitness population would seek scientific explanation to lend support to my data, I knew what my next step needed to be. Fourteen years after reading my first book about glutes, I wrote my own.

The Glute Guy

A colleague nicknamed me "The Glute Guy," and it stuck. I'm certain that I've done more research on the glutes than any other person on earth. My research made me realize two things:

1. Most experts don't know shit about the glutes. Despite the fact that the gluteus maximus muscles are without a doubt the most important muscles in sports and the fact that strength coaches helped popularized "glute activation," no one has a good understanding of glute training. Bodybuilders, powerlifters, and physical therapists think they do, but they don't.

In fact, the experts are so far off the mark that their best glute exercises can only activate half as many fibers as the glute exercises I'm about to show you.

2. Athletes' glutes are pathetically weak. Even people who think they have strong glutes almost always have weak glutes in comparison to how strong they can get through proper training.

Follow the Logic

Let's keep it brief. Here are the facts:

• The lower gluteus maximus is involved in three distinct actions; hip extension, hip hyperextension, and hip transverse abduction.
• The upper gluteus maximus is involved in five different distinct actions; hip extension, hip hyperextension, hip abduction, hip transverse abduction, and hip external rotation.
• These motions are the most important in sports and include sprinting, leaping, cutting from side to side, and twisting.
• The strongest joint action at the hip is hip extension/hyperextension.
• The hip can hyperextend ten degrees with bent legs, twenty degrees with straight legs, and thirty degrees when forcibly pulled back.
• Hip hyperextension is safe and occurs naturally during walking, running, sprinting, grappling, throwing, lunging, and hip flexor stretching.
• Length tension relationships dictate that a muscle contracts best when it's at resting length, which means that the gluteus maximus muscles contract the hardest from zero to twenty degrees of hyperextension.
• Hip flexor flexibility allows for hip hyperextension and is an absolutely critical component to maximum glute activation; tight hip flexors prevent hip hyperextension and maximum glute activation.
• A vertical jump involves maximal vertical propulsion. A sprint involves maximum horizontal propulsion.
• A sprint activates 234% more mean gluteus maximus muscle than a vertical jump.
• Due to the increased glute activation, sprinters commonly experience "butt-lock." Repetitive vertical jumpers experience "quad-lock."
• In resistance training, there are two distinct types of hip extension exercises: those that mimic vertical jumping and those that mimic sprinting.
• Hip extension exercises that mimic vertical jumping have vertical or axial directional load vectors and include squats, deadlifts, and static lunges.
• Hip extension exercises that mimic sprinting have horizontal or anteroposterior directional load vectors, involve hip hyperextension, and include reverse hypers, back extensions, hip thrusts, pendulum quadruped hip extensions, and pull-throughs.
• Hip extension exercises that mimic jumping will be referred to as hip extension exercises. Hip extension exercises that mimic sprinting will be referred to as hip hyperextension exercises.
• The propulsion phase of a vertical jump involves simultaneous hip, knee, and ankle extension, whereas sprinting involves hip hyperextension.
• Hip extension exercises are usually performed while standing.
• Hip hyperextension exercises are usually performed in the supine, prone, or quadruped positions.
• Hip hyperextension exercises can be performed with bent legs or straight legs.
• Straight-leg hip hyperextension exercises maximize hamstring contribution.
• Bent-leg hip hyperextension exercises place the hamstrings in a shortened state which limits their contribution and maximizes gluteal contribution.
• In order, the hip extension exercises with the highest glute activation are the kneeling squat (67%), deadlift (55%), sumo deadlift (52%) and Zercher squat (45%).
• In order, the hip hyperextension exercises with the highest glute activation are the single-leg bent leg reverse hyper (122%), hip thrust (119%), pendulum quadruped hip extension (112%), bent-leg reverse hyper (111%).
• Hip abduction, transverse abduction, and external rotation exercises often maximally recruit the upper gluteus maximus muscles to a much greater degree than hip extension or hip hyperextension exercises.
• A well balanced gluteal routine involves hip extension exercises, hip hyperextension exercises, hip abduction exercises, and hip external rotation exercises.

So Here's The Myth

Most people think they have strong glutes but they don't. They're the ones who believe squats, deadlifts, and lunges are the best glute exercises, and they've spent years getting very strong at these.

Squatting, deadlifting, and lunging, can make the glutes sore but they don't strengthen the glutes much. They target the quads and erector spinae. Even box squatting, walking lunges, and sumo deadlifts don't activate much glute in comparison to the exercises below.

If you study glute activation, you'll be blown away by the data. Most individual's glutes contract harder during body weight glute activation exercises than from one-rep max squats and deadlifts.

Related:  4 Myths About Female Glute Training

It's not that people don't know how to use their glutes or don't adhere to proper exercise form. It's just that the glutes aren't maximally involved in squatting, lunging, and deadlifting. They're only maximally contracted from bent-leg hip hyperextension exercises.

Just because someone's glutes are big, it doesn't mean that they're strong. In addition to training around three hundred "normal" clients over the past few years, I've trained elite athletes, from NFL players to powerlifters, sprinters to figure models. I taught each the exercises below, and I almost always had to start them off with their own body weight for resistance.

Although one of the powerlifters could do raw squats and deadlifts with over three times his body weight, when he first performed hip thrusts, he had to start out with two sets of twenty reps with his own body weight. We initially tried using 135 pounds on the hip thrust, which was roughly a third of what he squatted and deadlifted, but he could barely budge the bar.

The NFL players were both 350-pound offensive lineman who'd do hip thrusts for two sets of twenty reps as well. When you weigh 350 pounds, body weight exercises can be very productive! Both linemen mentioned that the hip thrust was the best posterior chain exercise they'd ever performed and remarked about how they loved the fact that they didn't have to wrap their knees or wear a belt to perform the exercise.

The Olympic sprinter had the best relative glute strength of the bunch, easily being able to perform twenty single-leg hip thrusts on his very first workout.

Exercise Progressions

Strength gains for the new exercises come very quickly. I started off using 185 pounds for ten reps on the hip thrust and within a year I could do 405 for five.

The following plan will get your glutes much sexier, stronger, and speedier. Since everyone possesses varying ranges of glute strength, I'm going to provide four phases, which become progressively more challenging and difficult.

Related:  30 Days to a Big Butt and a Great Squat

If you belong at phase one and start off at phase three, you'll just end up increasing your existing dysfunctional patterns, which will lead to a pulled low back, hamstring, or groin muscle. Play it safe by starting in phase one, then spend two to three weeks in each phase.

I included an array of exercises, some can be performed at your local gym or garage gym, and some will require specialized equipment. The equipment below should become staples in glute training and sport-specific training. They effectively train the sprint-vector and maximize glute activation.

Don't stop performing your squat, lunge, deadlift, and back extensions movements. Do these on your regular leg day and perform two weekly glute workouts on separate days. The workouts will be brief and won't get you very sore. Always begin each glute workout with a simple warm-up consisting of hip flexor stretches and a couple bodyweight glute activation exercises.

Phase One: Hip Flexor Flexibility and Glute Activation

You must possess adequate hip flexor flexibility in order to open up the hips and maximally activate the glutes. And you must be able to control your own body weight in order to learn how to contract the glutes properly before you begin adding weight.

Perform two sets of hip flexor stretches for sixty-second static holds, progressing deeper into the stretch as time ensues.

Pick two exercises and perform two sets of ten reps with a five-second isometric hold up top:

Glute bridge

Bird dog

Hip thrust

Single-leg glute bridge

Pick one exercise and perform two sets of ten reps with a five-second isometric hold up top:

Lying abduction

Clam

Fire hydrant

Phase Two: Glute Hypertrophy

Now it's time to progress into more challenging exercises and start packing on some functional glute mass.

Pick two exercises and perform two sets of ten to twenty reps:

Barbell glute bridge

Pendulum quadruped hip extension

Single-leg hip thrust

Weighted bird dog

Pick one exercise and perform two sets of ten to twenty reps:

Band standing abduction

Band seated abduction

Band external rotation

Phase Three: Glute Strength

At last, we've reached the maximum strength phase. By this time, you'll have developed a superior mind-muscle connection and will be able to maximize your glute activation through heavy strength training.

Pick one exercise and perform four sets of five reps:

Barbell hip thrust

Bent-leg reverse hyper

Bent-leg back extension

Phase Four: Glute Power and Speed

Finally, it's time to test out your new-found glute strength and increased locomotive capacity.

During these sprint sessions, you'll notice increased gluteal recruitment while running, and you'll be able to hold the "sprint position" throughout the entire 100-meter race. Make sure to spend about twenty minutes warming up and progressively increase speed as the sets progress.

Perform these workouts five days apart. On your first sprint session, work your way up to four 100-meter sprints at 80% max-speed. On your second sprint session, work your way up to two 100-meter sprints at 90% max-speed. On your third sprinting session, work your way up to one 100-meter sprint at 100% max-speed. Have a buddy bring a stop-watch and see if you can set a personal record.

When you finish with these phases, you can simply mix together your own glute program based on equipment availability and individual exercise preference. After building up strength on these exercises, your workout will never feel right without having at least one maximum glute-strengthener in your routine. The days of just squatting and deadlifting are long gone.

Tips for Special Populations

Bodybuilders

Most bodybuilders are right on the mark with quad training and way off the mark with glute and hamstring training. Their arsenal of exercises is too narrow. Bodybuilders should stay away from sprints, plyos, and one-rep maxes, as the risk-to-reward ratio just isn't great enough.

A better strategy is to just integrate some of the exercises listed below into your routine for higher reps. If you're a 300-pound bodybuilder, performing 20 controlled reps with a slight pause up top on the hip thrust with just body weight will really tax the glutes. Since the glutes are on average a 68% slow-twitch muscle, they may respond very well to higher reps.

Related:  Inside the Muscles: Best Leg, Glute, and Calf Exercises

However, there's also much evidence that shows that since the gluteus maximus is often the largest muscle in the body, it remains dormant during low-intensity activities in an attempt to spare energy for more intense purposes. In this way they are like "sleeping giants" – they only want to be bothered when absolutely necessary.

If you're a bodybuilder and you need bigger glutes, then you must perform the exercises below. Squats, deadlifts, and lunges aren't doing it for you. Perform a couple of heavy exercises in the 8-12 rep range, followed by seven sets of a lighter isolation exercise for 8-12 reps with shorter rest-times.

I'd suggest performing four sets of heavy hip thrusts followed by seven sets of either an abduction movement like a band abduction or a more targeted movement like a single-leg glute bridge or even a quadruped hip extension with a five-second isometric hold up top.

Many gyms have good glute machines too. These machines can activate the glutes to a much higher degree than typical standing free-weight exercises. Just pin extra weight to the stack if need-be.

Figure Models

TC Luoma has alluded to the importance of the "A-shape" for sexy female glutes. While the shape of the glutes are largely genetic, women still need to attempt to preserve the sexy A-shape as much as possible and watch their upper glute to lower glute ratio.

The girls in the "good" category have a sexy A-shape and can perform all types of glute exercises. The girls in the "bad" category have well-developed glutes, but are losing their A-shape due to overdeveloped upper glutes. Their upper glutes are getting too big.

These girls should avoid hip hyperextension, abduction, and external rotation exercise and stick to solely hip extension exercises. Although hip extension exercises don't work the glutes like hip hyperextension exercises do, they focus on the lower glutes and limit upper glute involvement.

Athletes

The glutes can't get too strong in sports. The stronger they get, the more powerfully they contract in sprinting and the better they protect against low back, knee, hamstring, and groin injuries. Charlie Francis talked about how there were only a few athletes in the world who could maintain "sprint form" in the 100-meter sprint and how sprinters knew they had a bad day if they felt their sprints in their quads.

Over twenty years ago, he was prescribing reverse leg presses as his main glute and hamstring exercise in order to prepare his athletes for the big race. The reverse leg press was like a donkey kick performed while standing backwards facing away from a leg press on a Universal gym.

Talk about being years ahead of your time! The reverse leg press is a great exercise, but the hip thrust and pendulum quadruped hip extension are even better.

FAQ

Q: Your research sounds pretty crazy. Is there any existing research to substantiate your claims?

A: Yes, there are, including a study performed by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) in 2006, which showed that a body weight quadruped hip extension activated more gluteus maximus muscle than a one-rep max squat.

There's also a study performed by Kearns, et al. which showed that back extensions activated more gluteus maximus muscle than straight-leg deadlifts, and a study performed by researchers at the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital that showed that jogging on a treadmill activated over twice as much gluteus maximus muscle as the Stairmaster. Even walking beat out the Stairmaster.

In Advanced Techniques in Glutei Maximi Strengthening, I explain these studies by exploring and analyzing muscle fiber orientation, load vectors, length-tension relationships, and angular kinematics. In the three studies described above, quadruped hip extensions, back extensions, and treadmill running (all anteroposterior actions) beat out squats, deadlifts, and the Stairmaster (all axial actions).

Q: You've been having your clients hip thrust for over two years? It looks pretty dangerous. Is it safe? Have any of your clients injured themselves?

A: Yes, the hip thrust is perfectly safe. In the past three years, I've had around ten male clients regularly hip thrust over 365 pounds for ten reps and around ten female clients hip thrust 135 pounds for ten reps. I've been hip thrusting 405 to 455 pounds for two year now, and my back has never felt healthier.

In almost three years of prescribing hip thrusts, not a single individual has ever hurt themselves from performing the exercise. Not only do they not lead to lower back injury, they even prevent lower back injury because they maximally strengthen the glutes; the best back-sparing muscle there is.

Why would any movement that focused on targeting the glutes – the strongest muscle in the body – through direct hip extension while keeping the spine in neutral be unsafe?

Q: Ronnie Coleman had the best glutes of all time, and he never did hip thrusts. Neither did Andy Bolton, and he deadlifted more than any man in history. Usain Bolt is the world's fastest man, and he never did any hip thrusts. What gives?

A: Ronnie's glutes would have been even bigger from hip thrusts. Andy Bolton could get stronger at his deadlift lockout if he did hip thrusts. And Usain Bolt could get even faster if he performed hip thrusts. They are that good!

Q: Activation exercises were meant to just activate muscles with body weight resistance. I don't think you're supposed to load them up.

A: You can load any movement in exercise. I agree that you shouldn't try to load exercises like scapular wall slides, but glute bridges? Come on! We're talking about the glutes. The powerhouse of the human body!

Q: Those exercises look funny. I don't want to do them at my gym.

A: You don't like humping? What's wrong with you? Just kidding, they are indeed strange looking. I have to confess that when I first started doing these at Powerhouse Gym I got some strange looks. Now I have half the gym doing them. I have people come up to me every day and say, "You're the guy who taught my friend the hip thrust. He taught me them and I never do a leg workout without them!"

They're no more awkward than Romanian deadlifts or hip adductions, but we've gotten desensitized to them. In time, they won't look so awkward. If you're okay with settling for half your possible glute activation, then don't do them. But if you want maximum glute strength, sprinting speed, low back health, and sex-appeal, then you better start thrusting.

Q: Are you sure that lunges aren't the best glute exercise? Every time I do them I can barely sit down for a week.

A: Yes, I tested them many times on myself and on several other people too. They sure make the "glute-ham tie-in" sore, but they don't make the upper glutes sore, nor do they cause a burn or a pump in the glutes like the exercises listed above. Contrary to popular opinion, they only get glute activation to at most 30% of MVC, while others can get glute activation to over 120%.