The Price You Pay

By: Joel Luedke

I want to start this article off being very clear.  I applaud anyone who gets into the gym to improve their health, wellness, physique, confidence or anything else that they are aiming to improve while there.  This article is in no way a knock on anyone, again I applaud you and if we/I can help in anyway, please let us know.

On to the article.  I had the opportunity to visit a gym this a couple weekends ago to get a workout in with a buddy.  It's hard enough to concentrate working out in a a new gym but I especially struggle because I can't help but observe what is happening around me.  As I was working out I wasn't watching everyone else who was working out that closely I was watching the personal trainers.

The personal trainers were an interesting collection of employees.  There was a guy who was either one of the biggest boxers I've ever seen or looked like he should be playing in the league.  The other one was just starting his first day on the job and the third just didn't quite fit the part but athletic enough.  They all appeared to have different styles of working out and I want to focus on the really big guy and the not so big guy he was working out.

It was leg day and so it started, leg extensions super set with walking lunges or something resembling them.  This was followed with calf raises and leg curls and that was leg day.  I overhead what they were talking about and I'm not sure if the client was serious when he said he had a great workout or if he just didn't want to disappoint the trainer.

As I watched all this happening I kind of felt bad for the client because he had just paid for something that I think that he could have done on his own and there was so much left on the table. All of this brings me to my main point of this whole article.  If you are going to start with a personal trainer do your homework, a lot of homework.  There are a lot of smart people out there that are there to help and can not only put you through a workout (not one they just thought about in their head) but can help you move better, get stronger and stay injury free.

Often times these personal trainers or coaches are going to be a little more money but they don't have to be. Also, you are most likely going to get what you pay for. So what can you do to find the best personal trainer for you?  First here are some questions that if they answer well they might be the person(al trainer) for you.

• What is your plan for the first and second block of my training?  And can I see it?
• What can I expect from your program?  More than just lifting?
• Who and/or what resources do you use to help improve your skills?
• How has your program changed/evolved over the past several years?

It is a short list but can get you started with finding answers to you either agree with or don't.  Unfortunately like most businesses you're going to have people who are in it just for the money because it can be a simple and easy job if you don't invest int it.  On the bright side there are a lot of people out there that have your best interest at heart and will do the research and work necessary to help you achieve your goals.  

If you're in the La Crosse area we would be happy to help recommend some people we really think can help you achieve your goals.  Even if you are somewhere else and have questions and want a second opinion, let us know and we would be happy to dig into it a little bit for you (with NO cost associated with it of course).

Keep up the good fight and let us know how we can help.

Mobility Monday: DNS-Shin Push

After a weekend of working on our Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization we should focus our Monday Mobility on it.  When you initially watch the video you may think this seems simple.  How hard could it be to sit up and down with just using your hip?  Well you will definitely find out how hard it is to maintain that control and it is incredibly difficult to activate your glute.  Give this one a try and see how it goes.

What It Helps
-Hip Mobility
-Hip Strength
-Motor Control

Study Spotlight: The Effects of Mental Fatigue on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review

By: Joel Luedke

This is one of those titles that you would think you just inherently know the the answer.  Of course there is going to be some effect of on your performance based on your mental state. Seems obvious right?  That was my line of thinking when going into this article and I even hesitated to read it but I'm glad I did because what they found I thought was very interesting*.  Worth checking out the summary below as it could have profound impact on how you approach exercise and workouts.

*This was a review study looking back on everything associated with this topic.

What They Did:

As mentioned above this was a review of the literature from two of the biggest journal databases in the world.  They look as far back as they could and found a total of 11 articles that they included.  This leaves open the possibility of a very open ended topic and one that more research could be done.

What They Found: 

The general findings I feel were not that surprising in that they found that there was a decline in endurance performance and an associated higher than normal perceived exertion when mental fatigue was present.  The other results I think were more eye opening.  The physiological variables that are often associated with endurance performance (i.e. heart rate, blood lactate, O2 uptake, cardiac output, max aerobic capacity) were not affected by mental fatigue.  Beyond that maximal strength, power, and anaerobic work were also unaffected by mental fatigue.

What It All Means:

Going to back to the obvious part we were talking about above I think the results show that you have a decrease in performance with mental fatigue and most would agree from personal experience.  The part I found most interesting with this study is that the physiological variables that were measured were not affected.  I think this leads us into a very powerful place in that you have so much control of what you body does through your mind and your thought process.

There are plenty of days when we don't want to do what we need to get done in life and in training.  The results of this study can suggest that if you are able to put yourself into a better state that you may be able to control your performance because it appears to not be related to your physiology.  See if you can work yourself out of having a bad performance due to mental fatigue by not "having" to do something but "getting" to do something and make the most out of it.  From the results above your body will let you.

LINK: The Effects of Mental Fatigue on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review

Mobility Monday: Most Painful Yet, Improve Your Neck Son

Head forward posture is extremely common these days to the point that "text-neck" is not a billable code for injury (I know right).  We set into these bad positions pretty easily because of that they are easy and don't require much for muscular strength, just the bones stacking on top of one another.  Obviously in the long run this isn't going to be good for your neck and your general spinal health.  I know I've been working on getting my deep neck flexors to get working again to help straighten my neck out and keep my head up and doing these mobs to help restore ROM on the extensor side.

Things It Helps:
-Neck pain
-Posture
-Spinal positioning

Friday Food: Easy Roasted Chicken w/ Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes and Carrots

Roasting is a great way to cook not only because it tastes delicious but it is also pretty easy and not attention consuming (which is always a perk for us).  Obviously there is good health in the chicken and even if you aren't a big brussels sprouts fan they are really good roasted and very good for.  So many nutrients that your body will thank you for later.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:

-1 small roasting chicken, cut into 6 to 8 pieces

-Kosher salt

-Freshly ground black pepper

-1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil, divided

-12 to 14 fresh thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish

-3/4 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved

-3/4 lb. new potatoes, halved

-3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

The Game Plan: 

1. Preheat oven to 450degF.  Line two baking sheets with foil and place an overproof roasting rack over one.
2. Pat chicken pieces dry and arrange on roasting rack.  Season generously with salt and pepper and rub skin with two tablespoons olive oil.  Scatter half the thyme sprigs over chicken.
3. Transfer to the seven and roast 35 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into deepest part of chicken breast registers 165degF.
4. Meanwhile, arrange Brussels sprouts, potatoes, and carrots on second baking sheet.  Drizzle with remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle remaining thyme sprigs over top.
5. Once chicken has roasted for 20 minutes, add vegetables to the oven and roast until golden born and slightly crisp.
6. Arrange chicken and vegetables on a platter and drizzle with chicken juices.  Scatter with thyme leaves.

Recipe Resource

Study Spotlight: Integration of Strength & Conditioning Principles Into a Rehab Program

By: Joel Luedke

This isn't your 'traditional' study or one that we typically cover on TAT but we thought it was

interesting none the less for any practitioner and/or person in the field of strength and conditioning or fitness.  We've talked on TAT before about 'working out' vs. 'training' and the need for a program or just a general plan when it comes to working with athletes/clients. A focus on the long term can yield much better results than just trying to wear yourself down each time you work out.

Also, while strength and conditioning and rehabilitation seem so far away from each other they really aren't when you break it down.  A colleague of mine said it best "the main differences between strength and conditioning and rehab are volume and intensity, that's about it".  When you really take that statement and break it down for the most part it is correct (I know there are arguments against it).  A lot of the same movements occur in both areas but are adjusted based on the condition and state of the athlete.  Now to the study.

What They Did:

In this study researchers went back and look in one journal database from 1950-2011 and another from 1982-2011 to find any information that they could that looked at using strength and conditioning principles in an injury rehabilitation program.  The reviewed all the articles they could and looked for potential outcomes from the studies.

What They Found:

The short answer is they didn't find much for research regarding utilizing these principles in injury rehab.  Apparently it has not been studied very much or looked at.

What It All Means:

You would think that based on 'what they found' answer this article isn't worth much and from the conclusion in the abstract you're probably right but look a little closer.

The article goes on to do a really good job breaking down why it would be beneficial to implement some of the principles of strength and conditioning into rehabilitation. The idea of putting a 'program' to your rehab is one that shouldn't be surprising but I know for me it made me think beyond just coming up with exercises for my athletes and actually thinking about the process they would need to go through to get back to health.  I had always increased difficulty and intensity as we progressed in their rehab and worked back into return to play but after spending more time in strength and conditioning and getting more familiar with these principles it was an eye opener.

The subtle differences you can find that increase the intensity and help better prepare someone for a return from injury are plentiful and having a plan when you start helps out tremendously.  The bottom line of this Study Spotlight is again to focus on creating a plan and/or program for whatever you are doing with a client/athlete and not just throwing something together on any given day.  It will help you not only yield more results but also limit your risk of injury along the way.

LINK: Integration of Strength and Conditioning Principles Into a Rehabilitation Program

Meal Frequency

By: Andrew Jagim

The concept of meal frequency has been on an interesting roller coaster of the past couple of decades. For the longest time it was ingrained into our minds that we should "Eat 3 Square Meals a Day to Be Healthy." Then people started becoming more and more overweight and unhealthy and this idea of 3 meals per day turned into 5-6 smaller meals per day for optimal health or those trying to lose weight.  And now I see the pendulum starting to swing back the other direction, even further than where it started with the increase in popularity of reduced meal frequencies and various time-restricted feeding patterns. So what's the best strategy? Is there really a benefit from eating 5-6 smaller meals per day?

Let's first define some of these terms before we go any further. Meal frequency, as the name implies, is simply how frequently you are eating meals or snacks throughout the day. For example, are you someone who eats 3 times per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) or 5-6 times per day (3 smaller meals and 2 snacks for example)? 

Next we have time-restricted feeding which is also referred to as fasting or intermittent fasting.  Which these eating strategies, you are essentially limiting the periods of time throughout the day during which you eat anything; meal or snack. Or, some fasting protocols actually have you go an entire day without eating or a 24 hr. fast.  The most common fasting protocol nowadays is probably a 16 hr. fast followed by an 8 hr. feeding window. So for example, someone following this fasting protocol would only eat between noon and 8:00 PM while fasting the rest of the day.  For the purposes of this article we are going to be primarily looking at the original dietary strategy, meal frequency patterns. 

Let's first look at some of the proposed physiological benefits of a higher meal frequency.  A lot of people believe that increasing meal frequency will help increase metabolism more frequently throughout the day which will help you burn more calories throughout the day and potentially help you lose weight.  This increase in metabolism from eating is referred to as the thermic effect of food (TEF) which is the amount of calories we expend digesting and absorbing our food.  However, if total daily calories are controlled this increase in the thermic effect of food will essentially be the same whether your eating 3 meals or 5-6 meals throughout the day as seen in the table below: 

Also, advocates of the 5-6 meals per day often tout that it helps curb appetite and reduce hunger cravings throughout the day because you are allowed to eat more frequently however some research actually shows just the opposite and the fact that people are limited to smaller portions and snacks throughout the day they aren't as satisfied and left slightly hungry. In my opinion it essentially comes down to preference and whichever feeding pattern best allows you to hit your calorie and macronutrient requirements throughout the day.  If 1-2 large meals works better for your schedule and prevents you from overeating, than 1-2 meals is the way to go. Conversely, if you are someone who does better with smaller more frequent meals to help better regulate hunger, cravings and hit your calorie needs than by all means opt for the 5-6 meal frequency pattern.

Mobility Monday: Loaded Hip Stability and Torque

We based some of our 'Importance of External Rotation' post staring from this video and definitely from this concept.  Creating torque in your major moving joints, hips and shoulders, can lead to so many positive things.  The main one being increased stability which then transfers not only to more force production but also to reduced injury risk which is huge and often times just as important as the performance enhancement.  If you've had problems with squats and/or bench press and your power or your pain it is worth checking out this video.

Things It Helps: 
-Creating Stable Shoulders & Hips
-Reducing/Eliminating Shoulder & Hip Pain
-Increasing Strength and Performance

Friday Food: Jamaican Jerk Chicken & Pineapple Avocado Salsa

Having just got back from a great trip to Jamaica (highly recommend it this time of the year) and having lunch every day that consisted of Jerk chicken from the 'Jerk Chicken Shack' on the beach I thought it only be best to a recipe representing that lunch out for Friday Food.  I hope it turns out as good as it was down on the island.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:
For Chicken
-5 chicken drumsticks
-1 cup orange juice
Jerk Seasoning
-1 tbsp ground cinnamon
-1 tbsp ground cayenne pepper
-1 tsp ground gloves
-1 tsp ground nutmeg
-1 tsp ground ginger
-1 tsp Himalayan salt
-1 tsp black pepper
Ingredients for Pineapple Salsa
-1 cup pineapple
-Cilantro
-Lime juice (infused w/ jalapeno)
-1 lime
-1 avocado
-1 pinch salt

Game Plan: 
Method for Pineapple Salsa
-Chop all ingredients and mix in a bowl
Method for Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 400degF
2. Coat chicken completely with Jerk seasoning.  Lay it on thick.
3. Sear the chicken on both sides on very high heat.  About 3 minutes on each side should suffice
4. When all sides are browned add the orange juice or stock and place your skillet in the oven
5. Set the timer for 45 minutes.  Add a bit more water or stock if needed during the cooking time.

Breakdown of the Swing: Part 4-Common Mistakes

In our final installment from Devan Weis of Journey Active of breaking down the Kettlebell swing she discusses the common mistakes she sees when completing the movement. Sometimes its better to know what not to do than it is just getting the instructions. If you have questions about the swing or wants tips, take a video, send it along and we will help along with Devan in getting it all corrected. Happy Swinging.

Common Mistakes - “Breakdown of the Swing” Part 4

The goal of this article is to highlight some of the most common mistakes seen in the kettlebell swing. Now, by no means have I covered all of the potential mistakes, but I feel have covered a few of the most important. Focus your energy on avoiding these, and many of the other mistakes will stay out of your practice as a result. If you’re curious about how to do a proper swing, be sure to check out my previous three articles on the TAT website.

Mistake #1: Attempting a swing or weighted hinge pattern before you are ready

Because kettlebells have become so much more popular in the last several years within fitness, many trainers teach kettlebell swings as part of their ‘high intensity training’, but the problem with this is many times there is zero assessment of participants beforehand. This results in lower back pain, injury, and low adherence to programs all because an individual wasn’t started with something like a toe-touch progression or a dead lift. If you’re training on your own- please, please, please don’t start with a swing just because it looks cool. If you’re training with a trainer and experiencing any pain- tell them & ask for a modification. A good trainer will give you one. What do I mean by all of this? Basically, if you can’t touch your toes after being warmed up, your hamstrings are not in a place to do a kettlebell swing. I could go more in depth, but I did promise to keep it simple :) So, go practice touching your toes (sorry, no video demo this time!).

Mistake #2: Failure to set up properly (or set up much at all)

Through my training with Strong First, I have been taught that my first rep is my set up. In other words, before even swinging a kettlebell, I’ve completed a rep simply by “addressing the bell”. I’ve attached a helpful article written by a Master trainer that explains this better than I can.

http://www.strongfirst.com/2-common-errors-kettlebell-swing-set/

Mistake #3: Leakage of the main acting muscle groups

Lats, ‘core’, & hamstrings all have their time during the kettlebell swing. The best thing you can do to ensure stability of your body & security of that flying piece of equipment in your hands is to maintain linkage of your acting muscles. Here’s a brief breakdown:

• During the set up of the swing- Lats should be engaged (“pulling the bell handle apart”), hamstrings should be activated (think bending at the hips & sitting back on your heels), core should be aware (no belly button towards the floor stuff here). Neck should be in alignment with the rest of the spine (think of looking about 3 feet out in front of you rather than looking up at the horizon or to the point you will stand to).

• At the hip snap to stand of the swing- Glutes and quads should be amazingly tight (I’ve been told “crushing a walnut” with my glutes), knees locked out, and core fully engaged. Spine should be in a neutral position (this means no looking down when you’ve reached the top & being sure that your back is neutral, not hyperextended)

• On the downswing, your lats are still engaged, your hamstrings re-engage, and there is no indication of a squat pattern (this means that your weight is back in your heels, you’re hinging at your hips, and not bending your knees more than you have to. Remember, your hips should always stay higher than your knees and shoulders higher than your hips!)

Mistake #4: Doing as many reps as you can (until exhaustion or failure)

I won’t touch on this much today, but we have something at Journey called ‘AMQRAPs’. It stands for: As Many Quality Rounds or Reps As Possible. You may have heard of ‘AMRAP’ (As Many Rounds As Possible) before, but the way we do Strong with kettlebells is a bit different. In my opinion, if you’re training to failure, you’re training your body to fail on you. Nobody wants to fail, am I right? Also, training to get as many reps or rounds as you can in a certain period of time doesn’t encourage proper form, it encourages haste, lazy set up, poor engagement, etc. So, long story short, take your time & perform as many reps as you can with SOLID QUALITY.

Friday Food: Skillet Chicken w/ Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

Coming back to a chicken recipe and this one sounds extremely good.  A little bit of everything you need and a bunch of different tastes that can help satisfy an taste you're looking to hit.  The original creator of it suggests asparagus and we agree that would be one of your best options.  Check it out.

Ingredients: 

• 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth 
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice (Maybe more depending on taste)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed

Game Plan: 

1. Preheat oven to 375degF
2. IF the chicken breasts are even in thickness, pound them down so they're all even.  This way all the breasts will cook through simultaneously.  Sprinkle each with salt and pepper.
3. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and cook for 6-7 minutes, turning once.  You want the chicken nice and browned on the outside (It doesn't have to be cooked all the way through yet.)  Set chicken on a plate and cover tightly with foil until step 5.
4. Remove skillet form heat and add the broth, lime juice, onion, cilantro and red pepper.  Return to heat. Cook and stir to scrape up the browned bits arm the bottom of the skillet.  Bring to a boil.  Allow to boil gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to around 1/4 cup.  (During this time you can steam some veggies to have on the side, like asparagus).  Reduce heat to medium-low, then add the cream and butter.  Stir until butter has melted.
5. Add chicken to the sauce and place the skillet in the preheated oven.  Bake uncovered until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 5-10 minutes.
6. Serve chicken with sauce spooned on top and any of the listed optional garnishes.  Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days.  Reheat to your liking.

Specialist vs. Jack-of-all-Trades

By: Joel Luedke

In the worlds of health, wellness, nutrition, performance and rehabilitation there is a never ending stream of information, data, tools, techniques and opinions.  This can present a problem to coaches, practitioners, professionals and the patient/client.  How do you handle it all?  Could you possibly take it all in and be good enough at it all to be a jack of all trades or should you settle in and become a specialist/expert in a specific craft?  This is something I've struggled with personally and we are going to look at the break down of the pros and cons in this article.

Jack-of-All-Trades

How I see this one defined is someone that knows a little (or more than that) bit about a lot of things to get them started and something they can build on but not dive too deep into immediately.  They can fill a big role due to being into many areas but this can also set them up for tough times due to the fact that they can miss things because they don't specialize in an area.  Pros and cons below:

Pros:
-A big toolbox of options
-Ideas/thoughts to call on
-Avenues to do so many things in so many areas
-Constant learning from many angles

Cons:
-No Niche/Specialization
-No 'go-to' technique or programming
-Spread thin (mile wide, inch deep)

Specialization/Finding Your Niche

This person I see as what you would think as your typically defined specialist.  You go in to get an injury looked at and then you are off to see the specialist for whatever injured body part you have.  This person knows everything about an area of two but if you venture out side of that (ex. an ortho looking at a concussion) they want nothing to do with it.  Pros and cons below:

Pros:
-You're the 'go to' person and specialist
-Becoming a 'leader' in a given field

Cons:
-Narrowed focus
-Working with a hammer, everything now looks like a nail
-Narrows scope of employment
-'Tunnel Vision'


My Personal Take:

The more I've thought about this and worked through the process I think everything is situational but the idea of 'jack-of-all-trade" vs. "specialist" applies in some capacity to each situation.  There are definitely times you need a specialist and they need to be seen because they are that good with their area of expertise.  That being said I think there needs to be plenty of 'generalists' or 'jack of all trades'.  In the areas that AJ and I work closely with we firmly believe the jack of all trades is the way to go.  When it comes to training in performance you can't pigeon hole yourself and only focus one style.  Moving into athletic training I think you can't just buy into one style of mode of treatment.  You could do all modalities and rehab and never do soft tissue work but I think you'd be missing a huge area to help yourself and your patients.  Vice versa you can't just do massage and never rehab the muscles and retrain movement patterns.

I've been a firm believer of having a 'big toolbox' and here is why.  You will be presented with so many things in life and your work that you need to be able to draw on a lot of information in order to make the right choice.  You can't rely on the same trick and if you haven't exposed yourself to a lot of different things you will run the risk of not being able to perform in that arena.  

Learn as much as you can, expose yourself to everything, drink the cool-aid and then just keep what makes sense to you and fits your mode of operation.

Here a couple resources that echo some more ideas around this.
Clinically Pressed Ep. 21: Coach John Baumann

Tim Ferriss: Jack-of-All-Trades

Mobility Monday: Olympic Gold Mobility

'Olympic Gold Mobility' isn't just for Olympians.  If you want to feel better in your everyday life and especially if you are working out on a regular you'll definitely want to treat yourself better in this regard.  They start off with a vibration machine which is definitely an option you can explore but another one that works out really well is a simple car buffer (see our Optimization Rec' of the Week for an option).  This is a great way to relax tight and tense muscles before you start getting into your soft tissue work and stretching.  Check it out.

Things It Helps: 
-All Sore Muscles
-Tight Hips
-Tight Shoulders & Pecs
-Improving Posture
-Loosening Up You Anterior Chain