Belt Squat

We picked up a new toy last week...

Check out our new Belt Squat

This piece of equipment is an essential item in any serious gym.

Why?

You’re able to load the lower body without loading the spine, which means you can still train your legs if you’ve hurt your back. It overloads the glutes and hamstrings whilst creating traction in your spine.

“I invented the belt squat in 1975. It’s absolutely the most incredible one piece of equipment. The cable device pulling downward will actually help correct pelvic tilt and it takes the pressure off your lower back. An incredible amount of volume can be done on the belt squat and the reverse hyper. The reason being? Traction. As we work out we’re getting instant restoration. So those are two pieces of equipment we live on.” - Louie Simmons

We’ve got both of these pieces now, ready to rehab and bulletproof your back.

Weekly Education Review

 Each week our coaches learn about certain topics which we then discuss as a group. This week:

Milenko soft tissue:

Milenko spoke about why using a trigger point combined with movement of the muscle works better to release the tissue you are targeting. This is what Kelly Starrett would call "Smash and Floss".

You apply pressure to an area of painful tissue and move the limb around in all different directions, through as much range as possible. It is like you are trying to perform your own version of Active Release Technique (ART) or trigger point therapy.

The movement is trying to "unglue" the deep mechanical restrictions of the tissue and restore the sliding surfaces.

Sarah sleep:

Sarah gave us a good review of what she learned about sleep.

• You should try to keep your circadian rhythm – this is achieved by waking with the sun and going to bed a couple of hours after it goes down.

• Manage light exposure – get blue light in the morning to wake you up / become alert. Early sun exposure is really good. Block blue light of a night to help prepare for sleep. Light sensors in the eye will be tricked by blue light into thinking it is still daytime. Blue light will suppress melatonin, which is a hormone that helps us fall asleep.

• Sleep improves your memory. If you learn something and then sleep or nap afterwards you will retain more information.

• Sleeping pills can be addictive. You also don’t go through all the sleep stages, so it isn’t quality sleep.

Some other circadian resets are the timing of your meals and exercise.

A good book on circadian rhythm is the circadian code by Sachin Panda https://www.amazon.com.au/Circadian-Code-weight-supercharge-energy/dp/1785042017/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1599944691&sr=8-1

The best book on sleep is Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep in my opinion. It explains the why’s and links poor sleep to so many health concerns. https://www.amazon.com.au/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=matthew+walker&qid=1599944812&sr=8-1

Some articles on sleep we have put on the site:

https://www.totalhealthperformance.com.au/post/2017/01/17/sleep-and-memory

https://www.totalhealthperformance.com.au/post/2017/08/01/sleep-more-to-increase-speed-and-performance

https://www.totalhealthperformance.com.au/post/2017/09/23/keeping-a-regular-sleep-routine-improves-health

https://www.totalhealthperformance.com.au/post/lack-of-sleep-and-it-s-impact-on-hormone-levels

https://www.totalhealthperformance.com.au/post/2018/07/31/sleep-to-lower-your-risk-of-injury

https://www.totalhealthperformance.com.au/post/benefits-of-napping

Toby mechanical advantage technique:

Toby talked about the 1RM front squat straight into the back squat for as many reps as possible.

• This is a way to prolong the time under tension on the muscles.

• It is an accumulation technique for a relative strength phase when done like this. You could use it for relative strength and also functional hypertrophy.

• If you wanted to use it for hypertrophy you could do mechanical advantage drop sets. Basically you take the hardest variation of a lift and then work towards the easiest. An example workout could be:

A1 – Pull Ups – 5 x 6-8, 40X0, 10 seconds rest

A2 – Chin Ups – 5 x max (maybe 1 or 2), 40X0, 10 seconds rest

A3 – Chin Ups Neutral Grip – 5 x Max (maybe 1 or 2), 40X0, 120 rest

Results Matter

 

@darcy.eade has been with us for 2 years now and is by far one of the strongest female athletes in the gym.

She has consistently increased in all her of her lifts while maintain a lean and athletic physique. One of her best lifts being a 115kg deadlift on a podium for 3 reps when she was 13 years old at 57kg body weight.

She is faster on the field and more dominant in tackles.

She achieved her goals through hard work and sacrifice. Most kids won’t be getting up to go to the gym before school, but she does, just like the majority of our junior athletes.

Looking forward to what we can continue to achieve in the future.

#thp#totalhealthperformance#totalhealthperformancecentre#teamthp

Don't Talk in the Gym

This is a simple tip. Don’t talk in the gym. It will distract you and make you lose focus. If you want to make gains in the gym you have to concentrate on what you are doing. People who talk about rubbish in between sets don’t make the same gains as those that stay focused on what they are doing. They don’t train with enough intensity. Their technique tends to be inconsistent and they can’t hit the loads that are optimal to them making progress.

Talking to your coach about technical ques or load selection is fine, along with the odd bit of encouragement to a training partner, but that should be it. You have to have laser like focus. The more quality reps and quality sets you have in your training sessions, the better the results will be.

This is why I never have any music on when I train or when I coach. I want to focus on what I am doing. I don’t want to be distracted by anything. Whilst music may be a source of motivation for some people, I don’t need it. And for most people I find it isn’t missed once they are training correctly anyway. They get immersed in what they are doing. I coach a lot of young people too, it is hard enough to keep them focused on their technique and give them appropriate ques they can respond to as it is, let alone if I threw on some music that they could carry on with as well.

Another thing is no phones. Leave it in your car or at the front door. Nothing will ruin your training like having your phone with you. That is a huge distraction for a lot of people. You can check all your social media bullshit after your session, this is the real world. Training is one of the only times people can’t lie to themselves. You either lifted the weight or you didn’t. You won or you lost. You had a dig or you dogged it. In the social world you can make everything seem perfect. In the gym, or on the field, you have to actually do it. So, forget the phone.

In a group or team environment you have to keep it business like. It doesn’t take much for people to get off track in a group and waste an entire session. I would see it all the time at footy training. This is why I would stick to myself. I’d tend to get in early so it wasn’t as busy, do my work, and get out and do some extra skill work on the field.

On a side note, I hear a lot of people talk about The Last Dance at the moment, saying how great it is. I enjoy it too. The thing I notice though is that people are missing the point. Jordan is who is because of his mentality, because of hard work. He was ruthless. He had high standards and would make everyone come up to his level, no matter the cost. He was obsessed. He had laser like focus on his goals. He didn’t waste a day or take a session off. He was intense.

If you want to be great at something and you don’t have that attitude, forget it. So, enjoy the documentary but maybe think about what you are going to actually do to improve yourself instead of just nodding say “yeah that’s it”. You don’t know what it is, you have probably never busted yourself for a week, let alone a decade or two.

If we learn from those lessons, some of us may be a chance of achieving our goals. But we have to be honest with ourselves. Get to work, focus, and don’t talk shit while you train.