Hey all, I got a little something today for you talking about how to build your workout a bit better. In the case of strength training, following a somewhat particular order of things is a good idea. The really easy answer to why this is, is your energy levels. Yeah, it’s that simple, the harder stuff is going to require the most energy you can get.

First- Best thing to start with after your warmup (see previous posts on warmups) is going to be the movements that will require the most energy, particularly from upstairs. If you have to think about it a lot because it’s new or very technical, it's first. You can pair it with some low impact or easier stuff like mobility or stability exercises. Ex: Power move or learning something new like a Turkish Get Up.
 
Second- The big bang for your buck strength movement of the day. It’s not to say some of these can’t be planned later in your workout, the caveat to that I would say is don’t do competing big money movements on the same day. If you’re doing Front Squats, maybe save Goblet Squats for another day if you want to do those 3rd or 4th in the session. Ex: Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Chin-Ups,
 
Third- Some sort of accessory movement or movements. Mostly talking unilateral or movement done with one limb at a time. This is also where I like to include the carries sometimes as well. Ex: 1-Leg RDLs, 1-Arm Presses, 1-Arm Rows.
 
Last- A bit of huff and puff, conditioning, cardio, fitness, whatever the heck you want to call it. Something that requires the heart and lungs to work just a bit harder.
Ex: Sprints, Battle Ropes, Jump Rope, Complex.

If you feel like you need a cool down of sorts, give yourself 5 minutes for that and you’re good to go. If you are little shorter on time, I would eliminate your accessory stuff first. Then start paring down sets from the first two as need be.
 
Questions? I’m sure many, feel free to reply to the email with them. I appreciate you taking the time to read just the same. Thanks very much for said time and hope you have yourself a week!

To make big progress you need to include something that is difficult or that you suck at, in your training. Of course I could rave about how this applies to life too, but that is not what this post is about, and I’m not interested in putting you all to sleep.
 
I’ll you myself for a quick example, the  post below of me doing 90/90 stretches and hip switches. For those that don’t know, I’m built a bit like the Tin Man, mobility tends to be my weak point, the hips being the biggest culprit of late. It’s improved, but I still need to get myself into some uncomfortable positions to help it improve. Of course, we all know cardio/conditioning isn’t my bag either, so that’s the second sucky part of my workout most weeks.

I’m all for keeping the barrier low to a degree to help everyone move more, no arguments out of here. For those that are looking to make a little more progress beyond that and are intentionally training, these difficult or sucky things are things that you’ll need to do to see more progress in your training.
 
For some of you, it may be a movement that is really forced feeling, like a squat for instance. The odds are, you’ll be squatting plenty in your program. Maybe a little bit to start, with an increased frequency as things improve. Could also be something as simple as, you run plenty, but don’t lift enough, time to include it more in your training. That's it for today my friends. Thanks for reading and feel free to reach out with questions, comments or feedback otherwise.

Some of you may or may not have heard a big commercial gym is not accepting members in January. They claim this is to focus on the member they currently have, but most of us are probably smart enough to know that this is them saying, the gym and their members are too good for the new years resolutioners. For me this is driving a gap between those that are currently active and those that would like to be, but have struggled to find the consistency.

People have pooed hard on the new years resolution thing. While I think there’s a point to it,  because why wait until the new year to start improving your health? It does not mean crafty coaches and trainers shouldn't take advantage of folks enthusiasm during this time. Professionals that actually care about doing good, will find a way to ride this wave of energy and get someone down their path to their fitness routine that lasts them a lifetime.

As I’ve said before, the health fitness industry SHOULD be (and is) about improving the quality of health of as many people as we can. This is the opposite of that. It’s not a shock to me that this gym has done this, I do call them the evil empire sometimes. Still, it’s pretty damn disappointing to have to explain things like; this stunt, crappy money grubbing coaches and snake oil salespeople masked as trainers, to friends, family and colleagues.

It is a fair question. The answer for me is simple, the day I stop taking new clients will simply be because I don’t have the capacity in my head to keep up with them all. I’d certainly keep anyone on a waiting list that still wanted to be or would find them a home that would take just as good of care as I would. I don't think the same can be said about this big box gym. That's the end of my ramblings for today, I appreciate everyone for reading and giving me their time today.