I am NOT a hard headed guy when it comes to learning about strength, fitness and physical culture. I laugh at the morons who refuse to listen and learn.
Below you'll find two men I respect, admire and confide in to help me improve my own personal training and the training of others.
If you're open minded, you'll take advantage of these two Coaches as well, they are amazing, and honestly, that description doesn't do these men justice.
Check out The Virginia Beach Beast, Matty Wichlinski, I am going to set up some rings in my garage and will be attempting to go through these awe-inspiring bodyweight training progressions, check em' out:
Then we have Kelly Starrett, who spent 30 minutes on the phone with me today, going over various methods and tools to use to help get my shoulder back on track. I'm sure he's busy enough and didn't have to spend that time with me on the phone, but he did, and man, after taking action for 15 minutes my shoulder felt 100 times better.
Here's a video I used from K Starr and followed to help dramatically reduce my shoulder pain, check it out and USE it:
One of the best combinations for us strength fanatics is the ability to develop FREAK Strength AND to understand how to heal ourselves.
After talking with K Star we made some simple adjustments to my training as well, such as ring push ups with my thumbs pointing slightly outward (11 and 1 o'clock) to stop from my constant internal rotation.
I will be using strength drills to heal in addition to the soft tissue work, this allows me to keep training intensely which is something embedded in me. I took stock and realized I am rarely doing underhand pull ups, the majority are overhand, neutral or rope climbs. So, for a while, I'll be focused on underhand pulling.
Tonight's workout was pretty aggressive and felt GREAT with lots and lots of rounds of barbell muscle snatches and underhand pull ups. Shoulder felt solid and if I can lift aggressively I sleep better at night 🙂
Mountain Biking trip # 2 is scheduled with the boys and more running will be on the agenda as well. In fact, my hometown is holding a Turkey Trot with a 1 mile and 5k race. I'll enter the 1 mile. My best time was 5: 58 back when I was 14 years old! My goal is to beat 7 minutes. It's ON.
We need to compete, we need to challenge ourselves, both mentally AND physically.
Food for though no doubt.
Question for You: What do you have on your agenda in regards to competition or challenges for yourself. Drop a comment and make yourself accountable. Psyched to see what everyone has on their agenda!
Peace!
--Z--
Recommended Resources:
Do What You Love - Final USC Cert of the Year, On Sale!
Mobility Master - Heal Yourself
The Va. Beast Bodyweight & Kettlebell Workshop
I love Kelly Starrett’s mobility stuff, helped my shoulder mobility tons.
wish I knew more about mobility though, i bet my max snatch would thank me.
I’m challenging myself with an event called Tough Mudder. It a 12 mile course with 18 obstacles that include things like crawling in the mud, climbing 10′ walls and cargo nets, and jumping into water from a 15′ plank to name a few. To top it off it’s on November 21 and that might be a very cold day. I’ve been training for it since last month. We’ll see how it goes.
Hi Zach,
I’m challenging myself by constantly improving things I do by learning more and more and try out new things and look what happens. I do this for my body and mind.
Currently bringing my business to the next level and expanding it by getting more clients and move into a new location.
And for my body I’m teaching myself the olympic lifts.
My life is a constant challenge to improve and to get better in various ways and it will stay this way.
Z-
I am challenging myself to let go and forgive all of the crap and people that hurt mess I grew up. To look at it as a life expeierence. I am committed to making my word just that….my word and people clients,family can hold it as truth. I am working on unconditional love, my kids and most all kids for that matter love that way.
Body- I am working on listening and feeling what my body needs. One day may not deads, but tire flips, circus press instead of snatch, kettlebell instead of db. Whatever it Is I’m feeling my way through
Training for the “Vertical Mile” in February. 10 times up and down the stairs of a 45 story building. Really trying to up my cardio training by alternating stairs, long distance runs and hill runs.
Thanks for the post ach. Ive had a couple people come in talking about how chins are harder for them to get into position than pull ups. it makes so much more sense ans now I have some prehab for them to do daily so improve their position. self included. Thanks gansta.
Young money Pete
Thanks for the post Zach. Ive had a couple people come in talking about how chins are harder for them to get into position than pull ups. it makes so much more sense and now I have some prehab for them to do daily to improve their position. Myself included. Thanks gansta.
Young money Pete
Great videos! I think the “This is just hard” is a bit of an understatement for the eccentric inverted cross. BRUTAL maybe more like it? haha
Current challenge – Getting down to 6%BF. I’m 3 weeks into it. I started at 12%@243#. Right now I’m close to 10%. Still gaining strength! Not easy at 43! LOL!
Next challenge – I need to fill my freezer with elk and deer meat.
Final challenge – I do research and development for a backcountry ski and snowboard company. I climb mountains and snowboard down them.
Every season I try to beat the previous seasons total vertical climbed. This coming season I’m shooting for 750,000 vert.ft.
Hey Z!
Next year I am looking to qualify for the Olympic Weightlifting World Championships as Master in the Super Heavy weight class. I have already qualified for the PanAms. Right now I am going through another gpp cycle before strength and then back to training the lifts exclusively.
Hey Zach!
Love the information you present, from yourself and others. John Wooden said it well, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
Although we haven’t met (yet) I feel blessed to “associate” and learn from you and other like-minded strength and fitness pros.
As far as challenges? A high-schooler I work with sarcastically told me I was looking skinny – so, to have some fun I told him I’d put 10lbs of good weight on by Thanksgiving.
Time to put up or shut up!
I’ve been a mountain bike racer for over a decade now. I race with the fastest racers here in VT on a weekly basis and by no means am I as fast as they are. I could race in a lower catagory and win a race or two but that would defeet the whole purpose. I race with the best to push myself to new hights. Period. From this I learn to push myself harder in other areas of life. I may not win when I race, but make no mistake about it, I race to win.
Hey Zach-
I have my 3rd power lifting meet in about 10 days. I’m hoping to squat 225, bench 160, and deadlift 300. If I don’t get it at this meet, I definitely want to get it at my meet in January. After that, I’ll continue my quest for a 700 pound total.
Ugh, I’m sweating a little just seeing that in writing 😉
AJ
Yo Z what up, I was stoked to see K-Starr up on your blog! I’ve been following him since started up over there at modwod, its great stuff. I’ve been battling some elbow and shoulder issues myself, it definitely sucks.
Right now, I’m workin on getting my project/business off the ground, finishing EMT class for the fire department, getting ready to graduate college, and setting up and training with two adventure athletes in my gym! Later this year I’ll be taking a CPAT for the FD, and next spring/ summer, we’ll be climbing Mt. Rainier.
Keep the bar loaded and goals high!
Hey Z,
My challenge was to step out of my comfort zone and find out more about myself so I signed up for a two week parachuting course within the military. Today I jumped from a plane at 3500ft and found out more about myself within those 4-5 seconds of free fall than I probably did in my 26 years.
Keep up the great work.
Rich
Holy mother of all holy mothers! What are you, reading my mind or something? I ordered gym rings to have my own to train whenever I feel like it + for the trips. You know you can talk to me about the bench press for a millennia, but nothing trashes my chest like ring push ups. What Matty Wichlinski did in that clip with them…I was just going wow all the time but when he did the handstand rope push ups I was blown away.
What Kelly showed was right on the target for me too, that last hip stretch, I’m gonna be all over that.
This blog post was one heck of an info man! Bookmarked those pages like they’re my missing arms :p Thanks for this info BIG ZEE!
Oh yeah my KB just got here cos I’m preparing for a KB challenge that’s gonna be held at a gym I go to + if I’m gonna get a certificate I gotta get a whole lot better at them 🙂
Zach,
OK….Wichlinski….shit. OMFG. I’m freaking speechless. I got some rings a couple months ago, and they’re great, but I’m doing pushups, some dips. Been happy with how much harder these simple moves are when my hands are not locked onto something solid. But handstand pushups on rings? With spread arms? COME ON!!!! I’m not even worthy to watch this. Dude is insane.
I’m all for setting the bar higher, but this is ridiculous…. I cannot even fathom how much further I have to go…..
Thanks for the inspiration, Zach. Again.