A few weeks ago I went on the Power Athlete Podcast with John Welbourn and Luke Summers and talked training. Interesting conversation with the guys that developed Crossfit Football
Here’s the link:
Here is a free article on StrengthCoach written by Strength Coach Podcast host Anthony Renna. It’s a good counter point, one that goes back to the old “Once you actually know the rules, you can break a few.”
Don’t Look Into My Window (until you talk to me first)
“I often ask coaches or trainers to visualize a prospective athlete or client simply watching a workout through a window. No sound, just the visual. Are they impressed? This is the mirror and the window. Coach like people are always watching and like it’s a direct reflection of your skills.” Michael Boyle– Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities
This is certainly great advice from Coach Boyle. I always have it in the back of my head as I train and coach my clients. One of the core values at Five Iron Fitness is “Complete Focus” and this is perfectly in line with the idea of “Coach like people are always watching and like it’s a direct reflection of your skills.”
But I also have a little bit of a problem with this idea. I have a few clients who I would not want you to be watching…unless we spoke first.
Why?
Because they don’t always have the best form, even after training with me for 11 years
Because without truly understanding a person’s background, you can’t really understand their program.
Because if you don’t know that person’s injury history, you won’t understand why they aren’t doing certain exercises.
Because if you don’t know their personality, then you won’t understand why they can’t chew gum and foam roll at the same time. (literally)
Because if you don’t know that person’s goals, you can’t make a judgment about their “skinny fat” belly and say the program is not working. Maybe they’re not here to get rid of it.
Because if you don’t know what is going on in their personal life, you can’t always understand their focus or effort.
Case Study
I train Stan Golden (76) with his wife 2-3x a week for the last 11 years.
Here is what an hour with Stan looks like:
Click here to read the rest of the article. You do not have to be a StrengthCoach.com member to read it, it’s in our Free Articles section.
Lower Back Stretches to Relieve Back Pain [Ep41]
Free Download: Glute Activation & Hip Mobility Routine [PDF]
The lower back stretches featured in the video above are great for relieving back pain and tightness.
Before you plough stright into the different exercises though, it’s important for me to mention that there are of course numerous different potential causes for the tightness and pain in your back.
Sometimes the muscles of the low back get tight and feel like they need stretching as a result of weakness, or to protect a more significant injury… just to highlight a couple of examples
It’s important that if you’re regularly experiencing lower back pain and stiffness, that you get a physical therapist to assess your back and determine the root cause.
The cobra stretch from the elbows is a gently way of stretching your low back into extension from top-down, you can then progress to supporting yourself on your hands as your extension improves.
Begin by lying face-down on the floor. Bring your hands palms down in-front of your face and press your forearms into the ground to lever your chest off the floor.
Be sure to breathe out as you push yourself off the ground.
When this is easy, you can progress onto working with straight arms, pushing only through your hands. This will increase the amount of extension required from your low back.
This exercise is particularly good for those who suffer from lumbar disc problems and sciatica. Those who have irritable lumbar facet joints, however should avoid it.
Child’s pose is a fantastic stretch into lumbar flexion, as well as thoracic extension.
Begin by kneeling upright. From there sit back onto your heels, and band forward to bring your torso down to the ground.
Reach your arms forwards and feel your chest sink downwards to the ground as you breathe out and relax.
This lower back stretch is fantastic to reach muscular tightness in the low back, but should be approached with caution if you know you suffer from a lumber disc bulge or prolapse.
Knee hugs are a super-simple way of achieving a stretch through the muscles of the low back, while also working on hip flexion.
Lying on your back on the ground, bring both knees up towards your chest and wrap your arms around them, hugging them tightly.
You can do this lower back stretch either with both legs, or one at a time.
One of my favourite exercises to work on lumbar stiffness is the simple knee drops exercise.
Lying on your back, you can either do this with your feel flat on the ground, or with them elevated, making the exercise more difficult.
Place your arms directly out to your sides, which will help to keep your shoulders down as you drop your knees from side to side.
You should aim to keep your knees and ankles together as you allow your knees to drop together slowly, with control from the left to the right, and back again.
The Iron cross exercise is a somewhat more advanced option, which will not only give you a good low back stretch, but also in many cases a lateral hamstring stretch too – depending where you’re tight.
As per the knee drop exercise, spread your arms out to your sides and aim to keep your shoulders on the ground as you perform the drill.
From there keep one leg relatively straight and kick the other leg across towards the opposite hand.
As with any exercise, if this causes you any discomfort, make sure you stop and seek professional advice.
Good luck with these lower back stretches. I’m sure they will help with your back pain if you work on them gently over the coming weeks.
You may also find the following related articles interesting:
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Doug Pearson, one of our MBSC Thrive licensees, asked me to come up with an updated book list. I sat in front of my book shelf and wrote down titles to share. Here they are, with links for easy ordering.
Start with Why– Simon Senek – maybe my favorite of the last year and the motivation behind my new Functional Strength Coach 6 DVD’s
Talk Like Ted– Carmine Gallo, another big influence that really got me thinking about effective presentations.
You Win in the Locker Room First- Jon Gordon and Mike Smith – I just finished this and have already begun to buy copies as gifts. A must read for every coach as Mike Smith open’s up about what failed in Atlanta ( not many coaches are that candid).
Extreme Ownership- Jocko Willink and Leif Babin – a great read on leadership in business that I’ve already reviewed here.
Slight Edge– Jeff Olsen – my favorite personal development book of the last year.
Legacy– James Kerr – my favorite book ever on team building and culture creation.
David and Goliath– Malcolm Gladwell, another Gladwell classic
Five Dysfunctions of a Team- Patrick Lencioni , another tremendous team building book. This is a must read for every manager and every staff.
Creating Magic- Lee Cockrell – one of my favorites of the last few years. I found myself repeating Cockrell’s quote “what if the way we always did was wrong” quite a bit.
The One Thing- Gary Keller – read this one and then really think about the message. It might change more than one thing.
One Word That Will Change Your Life- Jon Gordon and Jimmy Page – I can tell you that reading this made me a better husband and a better father, two things that are more important than being a better coach.
Training Soccer Champions- Anson Dorrance and Tim Nash – this is one of my absolute favorite coaching books and the best I have ever read specifically about coaching female athletes. I have purchased and gifted at least 15 of these for friends that coach females.
Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs – Carmine Gallo – a great book about a true genius ( maybe not the best guy but, a genius nonetheless)
Why We Get Fat- Gary Taubes – this book will really make you think. I probably also should add End of Overeating to this list
Goals- Brian Tracey – this is an all time favorite. Whenever I meet anyone looking for career advice the first thing I say is “have you read Goals”?
Today Matters- John Maxwell – one of many Maxwell classics
