RossTraining.com Blog

It appears that my last entry has caused some confusion. My reasons for posting the entry were not to suggest that one needs 5 hours of training each day. On the contrary, I posted the entry to highlight the accomplishments of a 65 year old man. There are still people in this world who mistakenly equate age 65 with a feeble body and retirement home lifestyle. Clearly, this isn’t the case, and Sam Bryant is just one of many examples proving otherwise.

Fortunately, you won’t need 5 hours of training each day to live an active, healthy life. After all, who actually has 5 hours to train each day? And what would you do with 5 hours? As has been said before, less can be more.

I rarely train more than one hour each day. I do however use my time wisely. I train with intensity, and not a minute is wasted. I wake up early to train and then get on with the rest of the day. I may also mix in a brief mini-workout if necessary. That’s it. I’m not consumed with my own training. I’m busy running my business, conducting research, consulting with other athletes and coaches, etc. (not to mention being a husband and father). Even if I had 5 free hours (which will likely never happen), I wouldn’t spend it training. I don’t need 5 hours. When dealing with a strength or conditioning routine, a 5 hour workout is the last thing you’ll need. I spend much less time strength training than many, but am also much stronger than many who spend far more time working on strength.  It all boils down to quality over quantity and intelligent program design.

Furthermore, some may counter my comments and suggest that working as a coach somehow means that I run around doing pushups all day. This simply isn’t true. If I’m being paid to train an athlete, I’m not getting paid to show off. I am there to teach. If I need to demonstrate something, I can, but it usually isn’t necessary when working with experienced and/or professional athletes.  And if I’m conducting research at the university, it isn’t exactly proper etiquette to perform burpees in the computer lab.  Ultimately, no one cares what the coach can do. The coach is paid to prepare his team or fighter for victory. Bill Parcels is a great football coach, but he’s not in shape to get in the game. He isn’t paid to play, he’s paid to coach.

It is also worth noting that some of the stories regarding the training of professional athletes can be somewhat misleading. Consider a professional fighter for a perfect example. Suppose we are in the gym for 3 hours. Technically speaking, the fighter has been training for 3 hours that day. What many fail to realize however is that the fighter isn’t running around the gym doing pushups and pull-ups for 3 consecutive hours. If it is a sparring day, time is spent wrapping and taping the fighter’s hands. We may need to then wait for the ring to clear. We may need to wait for the sparring partners to be adequately warmed up. Some fighters need more time than others. We then need to lace up the gloves, apply grease to prevent cuts, grease the gloves to also prevent cuts, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, the fighter is still working very hard, but it’s not a non-stop 3 hour session. It is also worth noting that much of the work is skill based. When dealing with general health and fitness, you aren’t training for a professional sporting contest. You don’t need to drill new skills over and over again. Instead, you can strip your workout down to the bare essentials. When dealing with strength and conditioning, time is a poor measure of workout quality.

If you plan your workouts properly, you’ll accomplish what you need to accomplish without wasting an entire day. You can still live an active and enjoyable lifestyle outside of the gym. After all, we aren’t training for the gym. We are training to better ourselves, and ultimately better our lives.

Ross

Don’t let age slow you down.  Sam Bryant is 65 years young and still going strong.  Check out his story:

Bodybuilding Keeps 65 Year Old Young

Bryant competes against others who are 20 years younger.  His story is yet another example of the body’s potential.  At age 65, Bryant is all natural and continues to train several hours each day.  And while you may not be able to train for hours each day, you can certainly find inspiration in Bryant’s story.  Don’t let age dictate your life.  

In Bryant’s own words:

“The more you exercise, the more you stop the aging process. You get old in the mind. We are all living to age. If you think you’re old, then you start acting old. When you start acting old, you feel old, look old and act old.”

*****

I’m only in my 30’s, but I’m certain of the truth in his words.  As a younger fighter, I was fortunate to train with both Kent Ward and Rollie Pier (who are now coaches at Strike Zone MMA).  Kent is now in his 60’s and is still in better shape than most 20 year olds.  You’d be amazed at how strong and well conditioned he is.  Rollie is in his 80’s and still going strong.  When I was younger, Rollie was still getting in the ring to spar with the young amateurs.  He bought a new headgear in his 70’s!  He was in the gym every day.  I learned a lot from both of these men (in regards to the fight game and life in general). 

Staying young starts with how you act and feel.

Ross

In past entries, I have linked to various old school courses from the Sandowplus.co.uk site (great site).  Here are two examples:

One Arm Barbell Lifts

Hand Balancing 

Fortunately, while browsing through the Sandow site recently, I’ve found Adobe PDF versions of these courses (and more).  You can now download the entire manual directly.  Simply follow the link below, and you’ll find PDF versions of the above listed books and more.

Bob Hoffman Index

*****

In addition, updates have been made to several categories within the resource link below:

Equipment and Training Links

Enjoy,

Ross

We all have habits.  Unfortunately, more and more people seem to be living with more and more bad habits.  Take a look at the video below…

Listen how Jack describes the shopping experience at the grocery store. Does it strike anyone else as odd that his words are still true in today’s world?  It’s as if nothing has changed.  The bad habits that Jack identified still plague our society today.  I’m always shocked at the garbage that I see loaded in shopping carts.  It’s amazing that many of these items can even be passed off as food. 

You Can’t Eat What You Don’t Buy

When pondering your own shopping habits, it is useful to fall back on the advice of past poet John Dryden.  In his words,

We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.

Now think how these words can apply to someone who is trying to lose weight.  If you never buy junk food, how will you eat it in the middle of the night?  You can’t eat what you don’t buy.  By simply changing your shopping habits at the grocery store, you can begin to change your life (our habits make us).

As I’ve said before, often times the best advice is the most simplistic.  If you want to lose weight, stop looking for quick fixes and temporary plans.  If you really want to lose weight permanently, be prepared for a lifestyle change.  Start with the basics.  Shop the perimeter of your grocery store.  Shop your local farmer’s markets (great way to often save money).  Eat real food (ex. plants, animals, fish, etc.). 

If such foods were all you ever bought, it is actually difficult to become (or stay) overweight.  No one becomes fat by eating too many carrots and apples, and no one opens your mouth and forces you to eat junk.   And just in case you didn’t know, healthy foods are often far tastier than even your favorite junk food.  

Personally, I don’t count calories and I don’t count nutrient ratios.  I don’t count anything.  I eat healthy, fresh, real food throughout the day.  I eat to live, rather than living to eat.  I find joy in life and activity, not by pigging out at the dinner table.  I don’t eat cheat meals simply because I don’t like feeling like crap for the rest of the day.  I prefer the taste of real food and also feel much better (physically) afterwards.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that you need a cheat meal.  If you are eating the way you should, you’ll be eating tasty meals all along. 

I’m not suggesting that we all become fanatics, but don’t live your life waiting for the next cheat meal.  I enjoyed some ice cream on my son’s birthday this past weekend.  I’m not a food freak.  I do however prefer the taste of fresh/real food over any artificial/processed junk.  Eating real food is one habit that I’ll keep for the rest of my life. 

Ross

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.  My son also turns two this weekend, so I’ll be celebrating his birthday (and the holiday) with the family.  I’ll be back on the blog early next week.

Have a great weekend,

Ross

If you are interested in odd object lifting, a keg is one of the least expensive objects that you’ll find.  Most liquor stores will gladly sell an empty keg for the standard $10 deposit fee.  Liquor stores that are located near large college campuses are perhaps the best place to look. 

As a graduate of the University of Connecticut, I knew there were always kegs in the area.  A few years ago, I took the ride to my old school on a Monday morning.  Monday is the best day for kegs, as the college kids are often returning kegs from weekend parties.  I stopped at the one of the main liquor stores and asked if I could purchase a few empties.  The store owner looked at me like I was from another planet, but gladly agreed.  I had pick of the litter.  I walked around the side of the store and found what had to be 20 or more empties.  For thirty bucks, I had three fine empties. 

Opening The Keg

You can pop the spring out with a small screwdriver. Once the spring is out, you’ll turn the stem until the tabs are aligned and then pull out the stem.  You can then rinse out the inside and fill as much water as you need for lifting.  It is somewhat of a pain to open and then close the keg, but you’ll get used to it with a few tries. 

Video Demonstrations

Below are a few videos from Youtube that do a much better job at describing the simple process. The two videos show unique variations for opening the keg.

And here is another option:

And here is another link for those interested in opening a sankey keg.   

How To Use It

Fortunately, you won’t need to be certified in anything to lift your keg.  It’s really quite simple.  You can clean and press it, shoulder it, squat with it, bear hug it and carry for time, load and unload the keg repetitively to a raised platform, and so on.  As the water sloshes back and forth, you can expect a unique (and fun) challenge.

Use your imagination and you’ll think of many more exercises.

Ross

In a past entry, I commented on those who ask others what they are capable of in life. One example was the aspiring fighter who asked me if he was too old to pursue the sport of boxing.  He wanted the formula that would calculate (beforehand) what he could achieve.  Such an approach to life is flawed in many ways.  Perhaps most importantly, you end up living your life based on someone else’s opinion of what you can do. 

This past weekend I came across a quote that was related to this subject.  I was flipping through an old book that I’ve had for many years (Leadership Secrets of the Rogue Warrior, by Richard Marcinko).  It’s a quick (and fun) read that you can tear through in a day.  Marcinko has some interesting thoughts on the world. 

One of the more useful quotes is listed below:

“Conventional wisdom is no wisdom at all.  Conventional wisdom is taking somebody else’s word for the way things are…  It’s the followers of this world who rely on assumption.  Not the leaders.”

This is a powerful statement, which is unfortunately ignored by many in this world.  Much of the world instead promotes sameness.  When you go against the grain, you will often be criticized and doubted.  Almost every successful business owner who has started a business from the ground up had to deal with their share of doubters along the way (often friends and family).  

Just think of some of the truly successful entrepreneurs in this world.   Bill Gates didn’t take a class on how to become the next Bill Gates.  No one told him how to do what he did.  He didn’t live his life based on conventional wisdom.  He instead took chances and set out to do things his own way.  It shouldn’t come as a surprise that other successful entrepreneurs have also followed unchartered waters on their way to the top (ex. Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, etc.)   

Application To The Sporting World

Oddly enough, this entry has nothing to do with becoming the next Bill Gates.  It is actually closely related to training and sport. 

If you want to become a special athlete, you must differentiate yourself from the rest.  You can’t simply do what everyone else does and expect to somehow come out on top.  Training to become the best (at anything) means going above and beyond the idea of sameness. Consider the following example…

Suppose when you wake up tomorrow morning, a well known athletic trainer has put up a new 2-month routine on his website.  He has 1,000 dedicated readers who all religiously begin the workout.  At the end of the two month routine, how can any of the individuals expect to differentiate him or herself from the pack, when they’ve all done exactly the same thing? 

If you never raise the bar and set higher standards for yourself, how can you expect to rise up above others?  Great athletes differentiate themselves from the rest.  They go above and beyond what is expected of them. 

I never listen to others who tell me what I can achieve, because no one knows how much I’m willing to sacrifice and endure to achieve my goals.  There are times when I don’t even know.  How the hell will someone else have the answers for me? 

Take these words to heart.  Write your own future.  Most of us have more potential than we will ever come close to achieving. 

Ross

Hungry for chicken?   You may have a change of heart after watching this video…

As mentioned in a past entry, support your local farmers.

Ross

In a recent blog entry, I discussed the negative attitude that is prevalent is much of our society.  Everyone has something to bitch about, and the negative byproduct from this piss poor attitude is literally everywhere you look.  Not everyone agrees with my entry however.  One response was that people need to be aware of what is going on in the world.  They argued that it isn’t realistic to live with a happy-go-lucky attitude, as such an attitude would indicate a lack of awareness. 

Unfortunately for the responder, his argument has more holes than you’ll find at a shooting range.  Living without 24/7 negativity has nothing to do with awareness.  It also has nothing to do with running around like a flower child with no worries or problems.  I don’t need to hear you gripe about gas prices to realize that they have gone up, and I don’t need to like it.  When I fill my tank, the prices are listed in plain view.  I’m aware, but I won’t let it ruin the rest of my day.  Living without constant negativity has nothing to do with a lack of awareness.  

Being aware of a situation is different from letting the situation dictate, influence, and ruin your life.    I don’t run around all day ignorant to the fact that there are problems in the world.  I’ve been around some true hell-holes and dealt with some true scumbags.  I know it is out there, but I don’t dwell on it all day.  When you are negative, it’s easy to bring down the people around you.  It becomes a domino effect.  Much of the world is caught up in this game of dominos.  Fortunately, it’s easy to step out of the game.  Just do it.  It’s that easy.  You can change who you are as a person whenever you want.  You don’t need to be defined by who you were in the past.  Move on. 

You’ll then realize that much of the problems that you once bitched about really aren’t so bad when you look at the big picture.  Life is tough, but much of what the world considers tough is far from it.  There are plenty of people with bigger problems than you and I.  Living without constant negativity doesn’t mean you’ll become problem-free.  It simply means that you’ll be able to live your life without it being defined by the problem.

Need an example?  Check the video below.  Watch Mike Hummel bench press 600 pounds.  Obviously, 600 pounds is pretty damn impressive, but it’s much more impressive when you learn that he is benching with one arm!  I don’t know the full story, but he has a prosthetic arm from the elbow down.  He has lived with the prosthetic for a few years (that is all I know). 

Can you imagine losing your arm tomorrow?  I’m guessing you’d be pretty bummed out.  I know I would be.  I’m sure no one would have faulted Mike if he had given up powerlifting.  But guess what?  He didn’t let the incident define him.  He’s gone through extensive rehab and is back benching a hell of a lot more than most could with 4 arms, nevermind 2.

Ross

Take a look at the Nike commercial below.  It is only a commercial, but the message is loud and clear. 

It is always easier to make excuses, but there isn’t much reward in an excuse filled life.  Stop worrying about what natural abilities you may or may not have.  I personally know some average athletes (from the standpoint of natural ability) who busted ass, defied the odds, and eventually became world champions. 

Stop worrying whether you are tall enough, fast enough, young enough, etc.  Develop your own ability in the gym.

Just for an example, I’ve received emails from aspiring fighters asking if they were too old to start fighting.  These emails often come from teenagers who are still babies to the sport.  Why ask me?  Why should I decide your future?  Don’t let me or anyone else decide what you can do.  It isn’t up to me.  I won’t be there waking you up early in the morning to train.  I won’t be there at night pushing you through another session.  You need to write your own destiny.

And if you don’t achieve what you want, maybe it is your fault, and nothing else.  Take a look in the mirror.  Maybe your definition of hard work isn’t universal.  Ultimately, if you want something, go get it.    That’s it.  

No one receives a handbook at birth that lists what we are capable of achieving.  There will always be critics and naysayers who take comfort in seeing you fail.  It helps them to accept their own failure (ie. at least I’m not the only one who didn’t make it).  Stay away from these dream snatchers, but realize that they are in every city in this world. 

Shut them up with action.  It works better than any other form of communication.

Ross