Movement is a skill!

in Bodyweight Training, Gymnastics, Interval Training, Kettlebell Training, Performance Coaching, Personal Training, Plyometric Training, Resistance Training, Skilled Movement by
You are always moving, aren’t you? Yes, you are. And if the quality of your movement is contingent on strength and flexibility it will become more dynamic with training. You must understand you cannot move well unless you are strong, and until you get strong, you cannot move well.

Put movement in the spotlight. It projects who you are and how you feel about yourself. It’s the outward physical expression of a body, and mind, well developed.

When you watch ballet, track and field athletes, or gymnastics what do you see? Is it evident that there is incredible strength powering the movement? You would have to be blind not to notice. You were born with the neurology to assure graceful motion. The ability to move well requires training.

In the vernacular of today’ modern training, we are striving to build strength over a range of motion. Do you feel you have strength during every degree of extension and flexion of the muscles of your arms, chest, back, hips, legs? If you feel the deficit, it’s time to consider how this situation may affect your life. Are you over 40? Do you have a sense that you are leading a sedentary existence? Lifestyle and neglect of your physical health will preclude the ability to move.

You may not be a ballerina or a gymnast. You are a person who can learn to move better. You can train athletically and not be an athlete. You can learn the physiology of movement, even if you are relatively sedentary. If you are the kind of person, who goes to the gym multiple times during the week, learning to move correctly will propel your progress forward exponentially.

If you train well, build strength and learn to move well, you will undoubtedly become aware of your limitations. An invaluable benefit of proper training is the awareness of a “weakness” and solutions to mitigate through focused training modalities.

An example might be the pull-up. Few of us can do one full pull-up. It might take a right amount of time to do three, or ten in a row. If you cannot accomplish your first full pull-up, there are a few ways to build up the supporting muscles – negatives, pushups with variations, bar work, and stretching. Think of this as a cocktail of upper body work focused on arms, chest, back and core muscles. Once you enlarge the picture of the training moment, the benefits become evident. You are training, and you are now moving better.

What’s in it for you? Why would you do all this work for a pull-up? The physical goal of your training investment should be to strengthen the mid-line, so you are graceful and powerful about all three planes of movement. But there is a second benefit. Your brain loves action. It flourishes in a high-energy situation. Activity is your best shot at higher brain function.

In all conversations about fitness or conditioning, if a quality athletic movement is missing, pick up your gym bag and run. You will be wasting your time. Learn how to move first. How you look and feel will take care of themselves.

We must learn to move better. There cannot be any higher purpose to training than excellent human movement.

 

 

Performance Training: Business Innovators Podcast

in Bodyweight Training, CrossFit Training, Gymnastics, Interval Training, Kettlebell Training, Performance Coaching, Personal Training, Plyometric Training, Resistance Training, Skilled Movement by

Performance Training: Business Innovators Podcast with Mike Saunders

I had an epiphany returning from living in Japan and working on my second Master’s degree from DU. My best shot at work is in helping people to better their immediate, and future lives.

It’s the focus that matters. Don’t find a reason to train, train for a reason.

My father had a heart attack at 59. He missed my graduation at The Art Center in Pasadena. It wasn’t a triumph for him. He didn’t take care of his health. He wasn’t looking forward. He had all the signs. Long before returning home, I realized that I might be going down the same path. Going to DU to compete for a sit-down, shut up, do as you are told job wasn’t bliss for me. A creative approach is my sweet spot. Having kids obviated a better path. I will be the best dad I can be – get strong, stay alive, protect the future of my family.

I quit DU and embarked on a ten-year investigation into the dynamics of proactive physical prowess, mental strength, and a tactical approach to life and business.

Mike Saunders agrees: Success leaves clues. It presents an opportunity to apply a proven system to test results.

Dan continues: I changed my path four years ago. I couldn’t train everybody. I closed my gym catering to fitness and martial arts. What came to pass is possible if you have a huge crew of people – I wanted to help a specific group. After interviewing my peer group, I understood that “Train for a Reason” means people will train if the atmosphere is efficient, safe, and fun. And they can make friends. The key point there is time. People would exercise if someone understood their needs and could get them in and out of the gym quickly.

I’ve witnessed the frustration with inefficiency in the gym. As a businessman, I relate to the importance of creating a program that is efficient and equates to a very high level of athletic ability while being portable and direct. It’s also cool that I can train anywhere.

Mike Saunders relates to the power of routine in a society that has acclimated to bigger, better, faster, and easier.

Dan shares that even three times a week, exercise done correctly and on an order (that matters), creates measurable results.

Dan shares that with online tools he dedicates himself to being accessible, for off-floor video coaching or in-person at his gym, he prides himself on caring about his clients through support, because that’s what influences long-term commitment. For those who want to do more, he offers programs that cater to challenge the athletically committed.

Mike Saunders also distinguishes between those who go to the gym without results and those who receive physical and mental improvement.

New clients arrive for an initial introduction understandably nervous about how they are about to be measured. They leave proud of themselves for how they feel and what they accomplished from a program which is different from the status quo.

I have a colorful way to understand the motivation to train beyond the superficial. You appreciate the real reason why you train, the bottom line, and the reason why you’ll sustain a challenge to your limits to feel better and empowered.

Modern training walks away from the myths. Simple training done very well works the best. The better you do the movement, the more you get out of it. Training is a process, which means you build your skill. Consistency is the key to success -it works well in performance, just as it impacts your business.

To hear more about the support that Dan makes available through coaching and training busy professionals, and the key to scheduling and committing to a better you, listen to the short 18-minute podcast at:

https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/dan-raabe-express-training-sytems/

 

Tactics In Strength Training

in AThletic Training, Bodyweight Training, Calisthenics, CrossFit Training, Gymnastics, Interval Training, Kettlebell Training, Performance Coaching, Personal Training, Plyometric Training, Resistance Training, Science of Behavioral Habits, Skilled Movement, Tactical Mental Training by
Tactics in strength training implies your approach has science. You strengthen all areas of your physiology with a plan. When you execute on that plan you experience a valuable win. Your brain, muscles, nervous system, and inner biology enjoy the efforts you invest. You are clear on your “why” to train. And your investment in the gym is paying off.

Is this you, or the you that will come when you find the right time and place to train? Here are the three tactical concepts in a productive training program.

  • Learn the skills.
  • Be dynamic with your priorities
  • Put consistent action behind your goals

The skills come from the world of action. In our experience a broad training with a good range of modalities works very well. It is important to remember that strength training is more than getting fit. You are developing functional strength. You are learning to move well. You are becoming an athlete in the broadest physical sense. The skills of physical training are tools that can assist you in a wide range of life tasks.

Avoid a major pitfall of the busy person. Schedule your training. Pick your top tasks for any given day and include training three times a week. If you are an insatiable gym goer it’s time to rethink your goals. If you are forty and above working with greater efficacy is better than working more. Invest time in your life. Invest time in recovery. Learn to work simple. Work fast. And work hard.

Going to the gym once a week is fruitless. It’s tantamount to failure and you will quit sooner than later. Begin with your “why.” Why do you train? Clarity will go further than hope. Then set a goal. Make it aggressive but achievable. And go to work. Be consistent. Pick a time that works. Collate your equipment. Be a little Spartan about it. Get hydrated. Mix your recovery drink. And go. Once you begin your warm up, any residual head trash you carry around with you will disappear.

We all need guidance and a push to get training programmed into our lives. I did at first. It took a few months of committed behavior to get the tactics in strength training to feel normal. But I had a goal. I’m a coach. I have a gym. I must be a product of the product. There is no way to duck out of the process. I hired myself. You must do the same. Hire yourself to fulfill your goal.

Tactical strength training is an incremental process. There must be process or the training won’t work. And if it works, who gets the bragging rights? And who cashes in on the bigger rewards of health and brain function?

Your coach is your guide. Our process includes building the person, the tactics in strength, and the physical development. You may not be an athlete. You do want to roll back your athletic years. That includes good motor function in your muscles. It means flexibility in your joints. And a healthy dose of youthful brain function.

That’s tactics in strength training.