In This Issue:
– Robertson Training Systems Updates
– Training Tip
– Nutrition Tip
– Product Reviews
– Calendar and Coming Events
Updates:
Inside-Out reviewed on the FitCast!
In case you missed Bill Hartman and my episode a few weeks ago, we promised FitCast creator Kevin Larrabee a free copy for his review on the show. Both Kevin and resident nutrition genius John Berardi were raving about the product, so if you’ve missed the show be sure to download it now; it’s episode 25 with Dr. John Berardi.
As well, if you haven’t picked up a copy of the I/O DVD and manual, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Especially if you are dealing with chronic upper extremity issues such as a sore neck, tight upper back, or injured shoulders, you NEED this DVD and manual to get you fixed up.
Click here to get that upper body fixed once and for all!
Site Updates
As you can tell, I’m once again dabbling with improving the website and making the layout more user-friendly. If things go as planned, look for a total overhaul here at RTS in the coming months.
Training Tip:
Change the Lunge to Change the Muscles
Simply changing the midpoint position of the lunging foot can dramatically change the musculature used. For example, a short-stroke lunge puts an increased demand on the quadriceps. A moderate lunge balances the load between the glutes, hamstrings and quads. Finally, a long-stroke or extended lunge really blasts the glutes and hams.
Still not enough variation? Try lunges onto a box for increased recruitment in the VMO, glutes and hamstrings. As well, a lateral or angled lunge will require increased recruitment of the hip ab- and adductors as well. With all these variations, there’s no excuse not to develop some steel wheels!
If you’d like a more in-depth discussion of these lunges, check out my Single Leg Supplements article featured previously on T-Nation.
Nutrition Tip:
Increasing Water Intake
By Dr. John Berardi
Sedentary individuals should drink at least 2L or about 8 cups of water per day, athletes should drink at least 3L or about 12 cups of water per day, and athletes in hot weather climates drink at least 4L or about 16 cups of water per day.
Since following these recommendations can prevent dehydration and can actually assist with fat loss, you’d have to be a desiccated fool to ignore them.
However, try as they might, some individuals find it difficult to ingest up to a gallon of water per day. So try out these three proven strategies for increasing water ingestion:
1- Drink cold water – cold water is more palatable, improving “mouth feel” and ingestion
2- Add lemon – lemon increases urge to drink and also kills bacteria
3- Chuggables – always carry some sort of jug of water around to ensure you’re drinking. Rubbermaid makes a nice blue top container (Chuggables) that we recommend to our clients.
If you like this tip and want to learn more about JB and his products, check out his Precision Nutrition website.
Product Reviews
As I mentioned in my Blog a few days ago, I’ve got a ton of products to review in the upcoming newsletters. This time around I’m going to review Jason Ferrugia’s Combat Conditioning Secrets manual and Mike Boyle’s Designing Strength Programs and Facilities e-book.
Combat Conditioning Secrets – Jason Ferrugia
Let’s be honest here; as the saying goes, I’m a lover, not a fighter.
That doesn’t mean, however, that I don’t have the upmost respect for combat athletes and the training that they endure to be ready to enter the ring.
In this manual, Jay gives you all the tools necessary to design amazing programs for combat athletes. Beyond just merely covering strength training, he runs the gamut – everything is covered in here, from flexibility/mobility, assessments, conditioning work, and how to design programs.
The thing I really liked about this product is that it’s easy to follow – Jay is a really smart guy, but he makes this manual understandable so that everyone can understand it and employ the techniques he outlined.
If you’re interested in purchasing the manual, I suggest you do so quickly – Jay is going to up the price on either November 1st or 2nd, so order it today if you want to take your performance on the mat to the next level!
Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities – Mike Boyle
I’m not 100% sure of this, but I’m pretty sure Mike Boyle has been training athletes almost as long as I’ve been alive.
ANYBODY who’s been training people that long, and having as much success as Mike has, is someone I want to learn from.
In this e-book, Mike talks about a variety of topics, but most notable are his current views on setting up programs and how to set-up an efficient weight training gym. I can honestly say if I were to EVER go back to the collegiate level of strength and conditioning, I would follow his ideas on how to set-up a weight room. The stuff is so simple it’s genius.
As well, if you didn’t get a chance to check out Mike’s Functional Strength Coach DVD Series, this book does an excellent job of giving a brief synopsis as to why Mike designs programs the way he does. This book covers exercise selection such as knee dominant lifts, hip dominant lifts, etc., a little bit of science, and even gets into how you computerize your programming to make it usable on a larger scale.
I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of how to design their own training programs – this is going to be one of those books that I refer to for years to come.