Here are some excerpts from the new book The Elite Trainer: Strength Training for the Serious Professional by John Paul Catanzaro. Visit www.TheEliteTrainer.com and pick up your copy today! Sequence Rotation Most successful strength training plans will vary loading parameters on a regular basis. Exercise sequence is one such variable that can be altered between…
The following template is inspired from the work of the late Professor Yuri Verkhoshansky, who was a senior track and field coach for the Soviet national team for many years, a pioneer of the shock method of training (known as plyometrics), and an innovator in the area of planning and training periodization. MAXIMUM SIZE METHODS…
In life we take many things for granted. People are told to go on a low fat diet and do some aerobic training, and yet they still gain body fat. Your blood work shows slightly altered cholesterol and thyroid levels and right away you’re told to go on medication. The trainer at your local gym…
It’s been said that personal trainers receive the majority of information from muscle magazines. What’s frightening is that they blindly apply this new-found (sometimes quite inaccurate) knowledge with themselves, or worse, their clients. Remember, don’t believe everything you read … sometimes a little knowledge can be very dangerous! Well, it’s about time as trainers that…
Q: All the techniques on your DVD are awesome! If you’re pinched for time, which general warm-up method would you use? A: Make sure to perform dynamic stretching before every workout. It just takes a few minutes but can make a big difference in your performance. To recap, when performing dynamic stretches, use the pendulum…
If there’s one constant in strength training, it’s variety. Those who vary their programs will often make consistent progress. What’s common in most programs, however, is a lack of variety! Most trainees do the same thing over and over, not only between routines but also within them. They perform the same exercises and set/rep schemes;…
The typical side-lying dumbbell external rotation overloads the middle of the range. If you use a resistance tube, it overloads the end range. But there’s a way to overload the start range. I learned this from shoulder specialist Dr. Dale Buchberger, so I coined it the Buchberger External Rotation. Simply lean back while performing a…
The lateral raise seems like such a simple exercise. How many variations can there possibly be? Well, the answer to that question, as I’ll soon show you, is “Plenty!” Since a recent study has revealed seven segments of the deltoid, not just three, and the ball and socket configuration of the glenohumeral joint allows more…