Sometimes I feel pretty dumb about fitness

I have no idea what I’m talking about when it comes to strength and conditioning.

At least, that’s how it felt after I finished a full-day fitness seminar in Boston put on by Perform Better last weekend.  This was an amazing event featuring Todd Durkin (I wrote about meeting him before), Mike Boyle, and Gray Cook.

In case you don’t recognize the names, these are GIANTS in the strength and conditioning world.  We’re talking about the guys who not only train pro sports teams.  These guys train some of the most explosively strong athletes on the planet:  American football, hockey, and more.

The day was broken into morning/afternoon:  lectures/hands-on practical.  So tons of knowledge was dropped before lunch and after lunch we actually were trained, hands-on, by these guys.  Both experiences were amazing.  Here’s what I learned from the day – there are many take-aways you can put to use yourself…

And you aren’t the only ones with your question.  Most people have the same 10 to 20 questions.  All that differs are the numbers.

Last week I asked you to submit your questions for me – and I got flooded!

I’ve recorded the answers in the audio below – just click the start button and listen.  It’s only about a half hour or so, and I’ve got a surprise at the end.  So enjoy!

Everybody and their brother in the fitness world are writing posts about the new year.  And everyone is ripping each other off, generating marginal content, and feeding cliches.  Not to mention the fact that the content for 2010 is exactly what everyone wrote in 2009, which is just like 2008, and 2007… etc.   Here is my send-up to all the lame post topics I’ve seen in the past four weeks…

#6 – “The Top Fitness Things I Learned in 2009″

My answer:  Nothing.  Seriously, there’s very little truly new in fitness.  The core principles have been around for decades and new discovery is very limited.

#5 – “My Fitness Predictions for 2010″

My answer:  Some people will get fatter.  Some people will lose fat.  Some people will gain muscle.  Some will lose muscle, thinking they are losing fat.  Overall, sadly, not much will statistically change in 2010.

#4 – “My New Year’s Resolution Is To Finally Get in Shape in 2010″

My answer:  Resolutions are not goals.  See this.

#3 – “Start Now To Work Off The Holiday Treats You Ate at the End Of 2009″

My answer:  You should have started working BEFORE Thanksgiving, and you should have limited your binge eating to only Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years (3 days, not the 3 weeks many of you took “off”).

#2 – “How To Get Motivated For 2010″

My answer:  If your motivation is only triggered by the calendar year incrementing to 2010, then you need some serious lessons in motivation.

#1 – “How To Make 2010 Your Best Year Ever!”

My answer:  Work hard.  Really hard.  Excellent fitness takes hard work (physically) and hard work (mental discipline).

So, what would YOU add?

Join the forum discussion on this article, or comment below.

Buddy McKee squatting 810 Lbs. at age 53 at the APF Louisiana Open in Sept. 09 [pic taken by Teresa Frank]

Buddy McKee hasn’t followed a typical path. It’s been an exceptional path, covering multiple sports, various powerlifting records, NFL free-agent, competitive bodybuilder, full-contact karate (before MMA was in vogue), teacher, and coach.  And if that weren’t even, he even recorded a hit song he wrote and sang (#80 on the national charts many years ago).  [For a more complete bio, scroll to the bottom of this article.]

Buddy is STRONG.  His in-meet records are Squat – 810 lbs. Bench Press – 600 lbs. Deadlift – 622 lbs. And of course, in the gym he’s lifted even more.

He’s held various titles and records recently in the over 50 class.  And, at the prime age of 54, he’s still competing and 2010 may hold a couple of new records for Buddy.

I talked with Buddy a couple weeks ago, and he was kind enough to let me record the call and share it with you!

The tool below lets you listen to streaming audio of the interview. LeanLifters will get the full MP3 download via email.

1) Hypertrofreak is available at http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/more/hypertrofreak.html and anyone who comments on the forums by December 31 will get a 20% coupon.  More news about the program coming in January.

2) I’m working on consolidating emails so that you get multiple articles in each email.  Bear with me if the formats don’t come out right!  Also, of course, some articles are only for LeanLifters.

3) Every month I’ll give a free lifting routine to the top contributor on the forum!  Go to http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/forum.  Go there, even if you don’t contribute because you’ll learn from peers there.

4) Goal setting.  It doesn’t have to be a failure in 2010 for you.  You can set and achieve amazing things!  Subscribe to http://goaltriangle.com .  In a couple weeks Ill be starting a series there entitled “6 Weeks

High School Lifting Getting More Elaborate

Some researchers from Wisconsin recently surveyed high school strength and conditioning coaches to find out what routines they were doing.  I figured since many of you have kids, and lots of you ask me questions about kids and weight training, this might be interesting.

Among various fun facts appearing in J Strength Cond Res, 23(8): 2188-2203, 2009:

• 95% of coaches use a periodization model (though there were wide ranges in the types of periodization)
• 97% include at least one Olympic lift
• 100% use plyometrics
• The most common answer to “what is the single most important lift” was “squat or squat variations”

If you have a kid in high school training, do these match what your child is doing?

By the way, I now include a copy of my report “Starting Weight Training, For Older Adults and Younger Youths” with every order at http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/more/fullbodyattack.html .

Two Lessons For Older Lifters

Can aerobic training improve strength and/or power in older people?

The answer is yes, but the gains are quickly lost, according to a study (in press) from Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.  The test subjects were

I’ve reprinted the original article, which appeared online on October 30, 2009.  It’s pretty long but well-written.   The bolding of certain statements is mine.

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BY LENNY BERNSTEIN

Washington Post Service