This entry was posted on
February 15, 2010 by Mike Robertson.
It was tagged with
Training.
Dave Draper
At the IYCA Summit this past weekend, Jason Ferrugia and I were talking
shop about what off-season protocols we use with our clients to get them as
strong as possible. This topic immediately turned into the following
realization: It's funny how polarized we can become within the
strength-training community.
Some guys swear by linear periodization.
For other if it's not heavy sets of 5's, you're doing something
wrong.
And of course, we always have Westside for life.
However, the longer you do this, and the more you've experimented with
things, the more you realize how little all of that matters.
While guys are apt to argue about it for days upon end in an
Internet forum, the fact-of-the-matter is the longer you do this, the more
you realize what works best for
you.
If someone, somewhere hadn't gotten results from a training system, do
you think it would still be around?
And when you stop to think about it, how many guys have gotten great
results using linear periodization? Or a 5x5 protocol?
Westside? Or even a block periodization style routine?
At the end of the day everything, by-and-large, will work. The
issue, then, is finding what works best for you.
The hardest part of all this is when you realize that just because
something has worked in the past, doesn't mean it's guaranteed to work
again in the future.
So now I'm intrigued - what are your current goals, and what program
are you following do get the job done?
And even more importantly, is it working? If not, it may
be time to recalibrate a bit. Feel free to leave your thoughts and
feedback below!
Stay strong
MR
This entry was posted on
February 08, 2010 by Mike Robertson.
It was tagged with
Random.
The RTS 2010 Manifesto
Today's post is going to be a little bit off-the-cuff. I've got a
few things that I know I want to address, but how they all come across is
going to be interesting!
I've never written a manifesto before, so I think this is going to be
one part manifesto, one part mission statement, and one part motivational
piece. If nothing else, it's going to be something along the lines of
me thinking out loud, and you getting to see where my heads at
nowadays.
If you've been with me for any extended period of time, you've seen a
lot of changes.
My thoughts on training and coaching have changed.
The website has changed.
My career path, to a degree, has changed.
But in all honesty, I think I'm right where I need to be.
So here goes: The RTS 2010 Manifesto. We'll begin with the
website, because that's kind of the hub for everything I have going on
online.
The
Blog
As you can tell, I've been putting a ton of time and energy into the
blog. What once was a sporadic and haphazard event has become much
more focused and direct. My goal is to post at minimum four times per
week, and at most five times per week. I would like to think that one
those weeks were I only get four posts up, I'll fill in the gaps with some
quality newsletter content and Podcasts.
My goal is to make this blog a discussion piece and resource for
strength coaches, personal trainers, and high-end fitness
enthusiasts. I see the readership growing almost daily, and that
motivates me to continue taking things to the next level.
The
Podcast
Last year, I purchased a Mac with the goal of creating a Podcast.
Almost one year to that date, I've now developed 22 Podcasts with some
of the best and brightest in our industry. If names like Dan John,
Brett Jones, Eric Cressey and Michael Boyle mean anything you to, then this
Podcast is right up your alley.
One point of contention that I get in regards to the Podcast is
this: A few people (and in all honesty, it's probably only one or
two) get pissed when I don't "call out" interviewees. And I'm going
to tell you my stance on this, once and for all.
Many of the people I interview are not only great coaches, but people I
often consider close friends as well. In the course of a discussion
with a friend, would you ask them to qualify every statement? Or
"call them out?"
If you do, I'd imagine you don't have many friends. I also
imagine that's why you have nothing better to do than criticize me on an
Internet forum.
My goal with In the Trenches
Fitness is to talk to a variety of people within the industry, to see
what makes them successful. If they are successful, but use
techniques or methods that I don't necessarily use or agree with myself,
who am I to judge them?
If they get results, I want to know why. Maybe I'm missing
something, and there's information out there I can be using to get better
results.
My goal over the next year is to release 1-2 podcasts every
month. I already have some fantastic coaches lined up, so I'm really
looking forward to chatting with them.
Online Training
Services
Last month, I offered my "Help Pierre Help Haiti" training
discount. I discounted my online coaching services by 50%, and as
such, took on 16 new clients. All of the proceeds ($7700 in all),
went to the Pierre Garcon Haiti Relief Fund and the Red Cross.
As you can imagine, this has put a tremendous strain on my time.
Was it a great idea? I think so. Has it gone to a great
cause? Absolutely.
Is it kicking my ass in the process? Yes. ;)
As such, I've closed my online training services for the time
being. In the future, I'm going to open this up four times per year,
to a limited number of clients. Doing so will help me better manage
my time and resources.
Product
Development
In October of 2009, Eric, Bill and I released Assess and Correct.
Not only was this by far the most comprehensive product we'd ever pulled
together, but it's been our most successful as well. If
you're still on the fence, take a moment to review the testimonials we've
received from some top-flight people in our industry.
My goal in 2010 is to release at least one, if not two new
products. As I've mentioned before, my first release will be the
Single-Leg Solution (SLS). The SLS is not only going to cover my
thoughts and rationale behind using single-leg lifts in my programming, but
the exact progressions and coaching cues I use as well.
I feel strongly that there's a lot of misinformation out there on this
topic. Hopefully The SLS will bring the pendulum back to the middle a
bit, and give us better perspective on how to effectively use single-leg
lifts in our programming.
Newsletter
Last year I made a big move with my Newsletter; instead of simply interviewing coaches, I
made a focused effort to infuse more of my own knowledge and experience in
writing the pieces.
Needless to say, the result has been fantastic - my subscribers have
gone through the roof, and I feel like I have a perfect avenue to express
my "bigger" thoughts. The blog is perfect for quick hit information,
but the newsletter affords me more time and space to really flesh out my
ideas.
Again, if you're not a subscriber, I would definitely check it
out. Just for signing up you'll receive access to the following:
- A one-hour video presentation that I gave last year on the topic of
low back health and effective core training,
- My Self-Myofascial Release manual, and
- The Insight from the Experts PDF, and
- Access to all of my previous newsletters!
This is really a no-lose proposition, as I typically only send out one
e-mail per week (except for VERY specific exceptions).
Article
writing
With all the new ventures I've taken on over the past two years,
something had to give. In the past year, I probably wrote fewer
articles for external websites such as T-Nation than any year past.
My goal this year is to write at least one article for external sites
per month. Along with that, you'll also notice that I do quite a few
interviews and guest blogs, but my goal is to help spread my word by going
outside the confines of the RTS website a bit more. Stay tuned.
Video
clips
As I write this, I'm in the midst of reading Gary Vaynerchuk's "Crush
It" and realizing just how important video content really is.
You can find a ton of exercise video clips on my You Tube
page, and I'm going to use Tube Mogul to get my information out to more
and more sites.
But beyond simply posting exercise video clips, I'm also going to make
a concerted effort to create more video blogs that discuss things we're
doing in the gym. I think this will make for great content, as well
as immediately improving what you're doing in the gym.
Affiliate
Marketing
This is one of those sticky issues that tends to come up quite often,
and for good reason - there are a lot of shady internet marketers our there
whose only goal is to get rich quick using affiliate programs and dodgy
sales tactics.
Here's my view on affiliate marketing - yes, I will use affiliate links
in my blogs posts or newsletters. With that being said, however, here
are my quick and dirty rules for affiliate marketing on my site:
- I will never promote a product that I haven't reviewed myself.
- The product has to be great. The question I always ask myself
is, "If there was no commission associated with this product, would I still
promote it?" If the answer is yes, then it's acceptable.
- I always question the person behind the product. If I don't
like, trust AND respect them, I won't promote the product.
- Finally, would I be comfortable recommending this product to a close
friend or family member? If not, I won't promote it.
Period.
I believe in complete transparency here, so going forward here's my
take on affiliate marketing: If there's a link in my blog,
newsletter, etc. that goes to a product, you can assume I will make an
affiliate commission on it. Some times I will, and some times I
won't. Again, I will promote great products regardless of whether I
get a commission (ala Dan John's book and DVD's, products at Elite Fitness,
etc.).
And in that same vein, I understand 100% if you don't want to follow
that link. If you want to go directly to the source to purchase the
product, I get that. Some people just aren't comfortable with
affiliate marketing in general.
Just keep in mind that at the end of the day, I provide a ton of great
content for free. I hope that if a specific product I recommend can help
you achieve your goals, that you would help support me in return.
Sorry if that got a little long-winded, but that's my take on affiliate
marketing, once and for all.
Coaching and
IFAST
At the end of the day, coaching is my first love. I absolutely
love helping clients and athletes develop the body they've always dreamed
of. I was reminded of this the other day when I was taking two young
brothers through their workout - just seeing them wanting to improve
themselves immediately took my energy through the roof.
My goal in 2010 is
to absolutely kill it at IFAST. I want to be a better coach in
all respects; I want to better understand programming, client psychology,
and how to effectively communicate my thoughts and ideas to clients.
I also want to let the entire city of Indianapolis know that IFAST is
where it's at. I'll be attending a Cosgrove Business Seminar later
this month to take my business knowledge to the next level. I know we
provide a great service, but I also understand we're fighting a losing
battle if we're not getting people in the door.
Summary
I want to wrap this up by telling you a quick story, and the thought
process that led me to writing all this.
After watching my Colts lose the Super Bowl this past weekend, I was
absolutely crushed. Those of you who know me know that I'm a huge
fan, and 100% committed to the team.
Now I know what you may be thinking - it's stupid to get that tied to a
game or sporting event. But that's not the point of all this.
The reason it hurt so bad was because I was
committed. So many times we go through life at 50%
commitment; hedging our bets just in case something goes wrong.
Unfortunately for me (or maybe fortunately, I guess it depends), that
isn't in my DNA.
When you are 100% committed to something, you see the highest peaks
when things are going your way. On the flip side, you can also see
the depths of despair when the bottom falls out.
But for me, I can't do it any other way. If I'm not 100%
committed to my goals or what I'm doing, I' short changing not only myself,
but the people I'm working and associated with as well.
At the end of the day, I'm 100% committed to what I'm doing both here
and at IFAST. If I can help clients, athletes, readers or listeners
achieve their goals, then I know what I'm doing is working.
I have no doubt that 2010 is going to be our best year ever.
Those of you who know me personally know that 2009 had a lot of ups and
downs, but I also know that the lean times help you realize what you're
really made of.
If nothing else, the hard times have firmed up my resolve and
intensified my focus. Be on the lookout for a kick ass year in
2010!
All the best
Mike
P.S. - If you've enjoyed this, please forward it on to someone
else. Re-tweet it, post the link on Facebook, or e-mail it to a
friend. I hope I can help them the same way that I've (hopefully!)
helped you.
This entry was posted on
February 06, 2010 by Mike Robertson.
It was tagged with
Training.
Turkish Get-Ups
As I alluded to in my Dan John podcast from a few weeks ago, we're using
more and more Turkish get-ups (TGU) in our programming. Obviously,
it's a fantastic exercise, but it's got me thinking more and more about
why it's so
great.
When you break down a get-up, here's a short list of benefits I can
think of:
- Improved shoulder stability
(especially in the low traps and rotator cuff)
- Improved thoracic spine
extension
- Improved core
strength/stability
- Improved hip mobility in multiple
planes
- Improved hip extension
And while that's all fine and dandy, I think if we simply look at those
isolative points, we're missing the boat to a degree. Here are some
of the reasons I like to include Turkish get-ups in my programming.
1. Break the
monotony!
So much of what we do in the gym is purely front-to-back or
side-to-side. With TGU's, it breaks that monotony. It's not
only good for our bodies, but for our brains as well.
2. A Fantastic
Diagnostic Tool
While a
great initial assessment is important, we also need to adopt the
"always assessing" mindset. Quite simply, we're always watching our
clients and athletes move from the second they walk in the door.
TGU's not only give us a better idea of how they move, but also
the limitations they suffer from, and asymmetries that we should be working
to address.
3. Regaining our
athleticism
As I mentioned above in #1, so much of what we do in the gym is
regimented and strict. While a maximal deadlift is friggin' cool,
it's definitely not the most athletic thing I've ever seen. (And yes, I'm
sure powerlifters everywhere are going to be fuming all over the Interwebz
after I write this one!)
Athletics force us to react to
different situations, and adapt to them. This is one of the major
benefits of TGU's - they put us in a much more dynamic environment and
force our body's to adapt and overcome.
As you can see, I'm a huge proponent of the TGU and it's something I'm
going to be employing heavily in upcoming programs. If you'd like
more information on the TGU, I'd highly recommend checking out Brett Jones
and Gray Cook's Kettlebells
from the Ground Up DVD and manual at Dragon Door.
You can also find out more about kettlebell training in general from
the two podcasts I've linked below (because I know everyone likes free
stuff!):
Dan John
podcast
Brett Jones
podcast
Stay strong
MR
(Robertson Training Systems is an Affiliate
for Dragon Door)
