The Gun Show

Ok, here is the deal. I am a Strength Coach, but being 28, I am also young enough to be "in tune" with my client base of high school and college football players. They bust their butt for me for 60-75 minutes for me everytime they train, and, like many young males, are constantly wanting to work on their "guns." At PTS, our Upper Body Workouts are concentrated on big, heavy, compound movements like presses, rows, pushups, chinups/pullups, shrugs, etc. that incorporate a lot of muscle mass, giving our workouts great efficiency. During one of our workouts, your arms WILL feel gassed before the end of the workout; even without any direct arm work.

Now, being the realist that I am, I know that these guys want direct arm work, and I also think it can help their performance. Yes, I (Gasp!) a Strength Coach, think my athletes need direct arm work. If the guys look good, they feel good. If they feel good, they play good! I put a lot of merit into that. In addition, doing accessory work for added bicep strength, deltoid strength, and tricep strength can definitely help improve performance on our compound movements for the Upper Body, which will help the entire package.

So how do we implement direct arm work? I write it into the program at the very end, and call it "The Gun Show." Basically, you pick a biceps movement, a triceps movement, and a deltoid movement. And cycle through them using time under tension. We find that :30 ON, :30 OFF works best. Time under tension is a GREAT stimulus for hypertrophy, and to be honest, I don't really care what my guys can Preacher Curl 10 times; I just want them busting their butt.

Again, choose a Bicep, Tricep, and Deltoid Movement, cycle through them by performing the movement for :30 ON, :30 OFF and watch the guns grow! We typically use 2-4 rounds.  Which takes all of 6-12 minutes. And that is more than enough!

Make sure you are choosing weights where you are on the brink of failure at the end of the :30!

Obviously picking up the pink dumbbells and flapping your arms is not going to do much of anything. Do work!

Welcome to the Gun Show!

Round 1

DB Preacher Curls on the Glute Ham Raise X :30

REST X :30

Band Pushdowns X :30

REST X :30

DB Front Raise With "Squeeze" X :30

REST:30

PERFORM 2-4 Rounds!

No Shortcuts

The problem with today's young athletes is that they are always looking for a "magic pill" or the fastest way to get reach their goals. I hesitate to recommend ANY supplements (aside from whey protein) to beginners, not because I don't think that they could benefit from them, but because these kids need to learn that they have to put in WORK to reach their goals.

I have a "pecking order" I talk about with my kids when it comes to getting their priorities in order before they take ANY supplements:

1.) Sleep. How many of you can honestly say you are getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night? Sleep aids in recovery from intense bouts of exercise, and allows your hormonal levels to return to an anabolic state.

2.) Nutrition. Are you eating 6X/day? Are you including a Protein and a Fruit/Vegetable at EVERY meal? Then you are not doing what it takes, and need to start!

3.) Exercise Intensity. Are you working hard or hardly working? If you want to make gains you have to WORK. Yes, it is that simple.

***NEWS FLASH***

HIGH INTENSITY EXERCISE LEADS TO GAINS!!!

If, and only if, these 3 components of training are being treated optimally to get results do I suggest taking supplements, and even then that list is very, very short.

The bottom line is that there are no shortcuts! It takes time and hardwork to get to where you want to be...that is a good lesson for ANYTHING you do in life.

Someone Has a Case of the Mondays…

Ever get a case of the Mondays? Well I do, because my favorite NFL team, the New England Patriots, are not very good...at all!

"Looks like someone's got a case of the Mondays..."

Aside from that, I really can't complain, life is good. I was watching the NLCS on commercial breaks from the Pats game last night, and found baseball "fights" to be extremely comical. I was watching Davey Lopes and Mariano Duncan (2 Old Men and the First Base Coaches for the Phillies and Dodgers) jaw at each other like 13 year old boys, and found the whole thing to be quite amusing. Baseball truly is a strange game, with odd "rules," twists, and rituals that only the players and coaches seem to understand. After I watched a bunch of old men acting tough, I got my laugh and flipped back to the NFL game...where they ARE tough. Can you imagine what Rodney Harrison must think when he sees a bunch of baseball players posturing, acting like they are going to fight, but not doing anything about it? I am not condoning fighting, but I will say that it seems to me that baseball players ought to steer clear of the tough guy stuff, and just play the game.

Rant aside, this time of year is great for a number of reasons. We have the World Series approaching, High School Football Playoffs, some VERY big college football and NFL games on the calendar, and the weather is simply amazing here in Upstate NY...crisp, autumn air during the day, and cool nights that allow sleep to come all-too-easily.

The fall is my favorite season, and it is also the shortest season, so get out and enjoy what is left of it. Here in NY, winter comes all too quick!

Environment

I would like to touch on the POWER of group training, and why it is far superior to personal training. While group training is financially more appealling for both the client and the strength coach, the number one advantage is simple; group training provides a better training atmosphere.

We have a smaller gym, but I actually like it when we get 15 guys in there, all working hard, sweating their you-know-what-off, and training towards a common goal. Everyone is right on top of each other, and this creates ACCOUNTABILITY. How can you not get that extra rep if the guy next to you is getting it on every set? How can you not give 100% when music is blasting, guys are yelling, and your focus is on the task at hand? The training envirionment created from group training is AWESOME, it is fun, and it is like a magic pill when it comes to results. You will always push yourself harder when held accountable, and when training with others, and that is why we only do group training.

After all, the results cannot be denied!

Big Game in Section II

Big game in Section II tonight, as LaSalle takes on Schenectady for the #1 seed in the Section II Class AA playoffs. It is sure to be a VERY well played game that features 2 of the best running backs in the state, nevermind the section, Marquis Terrell of LaSalle, and Marc Thompson of Schenectady. Marquis is actually a PTS client, and undoubtedly one of my favorite athletes to train. Marquis goes about 5'8" 172, but has BLAZING speed, and when he hits you, you will know about it. He reminds me a lot of Antoine Winfield of the Minnesota Vikings. All heart, and he BRINGS the wood on his hits. Whatever college ends up getting him, you are getting one HELL of a player. He is one tough dude.

Of course, I am not suprised by this; come see the PTS record board and you will see Marquis' name on virtually every record, speed and strength, for the "High School Male Under 185" classification.

Marquis in action this season breaking a tackle...something he does routinely!

This past summer, the PTS staff also worked extensively with the entire LaSalle team, so we would like to wish these guys the best of luck. We also would like to extend good luck to Schenectady, and are looking forward to a very well played high school football game! Kickoff is at 7pm from Schenectady High School, hope to see you there!