Sharpen The Blade

Don’t Believe The Hype

There is quite a bit of noise around static stretching these days. Both for it and against it. Maybe a lot of it is just clickbait. Maybe some people really believe it will cause joint laxity and kill strength in the gym. While some think static stretching is a waste of time, I’ll argue that the fear around stretching is a much greater waste of time. So I’m going to lay out a case for why everyone should static stretch.

If they want to. I don’t care what anyone else does. Just don’t be concerned that gaining flexibility is going to cause all sorts of irreparable harm to body and performance. I’m empathetic to the strength community and its dogmas. The barbell has been a cornerstone of my training and still is. But if you like to stretch, don’t worry that it’s going to kill your gains. Or make your joints dangerously unstable.

This article isn’t about any specific stretching program or protocol, just some general thoughts on the benefits of stretching. You can experiment for yourself based on goals and specific issues to be solved.

Here is a little bit about my own experience and other thoughts on the matter.

When I Lost My Flexibility

When I was younger I was naturally flexible. The pancake stretch came easy for me. We stretched at the beginning of football practice every day. And amazingly it didn’t make us weak, slow, or unstable.

Throughout my twenties and thirties I did a pretty balanced mixture of lifting, hiking, skiing, climbing, and yoga. I was fit, flexible, and adapted to many physical activities. I never had injuries.

Then towards the end of my thirties I got bit by the strength training bug again in a big way. I regained the top end strength and muscular size I had when playing football. And I looked and felt like a tank again. I was always reading about strength, studying, listening to podcasts. With so much more information at our fingertips than I had in high school and college, I went down the rabbit hole. And learned a ton.

But I also bought into the negative dogma around stretching that kept popping up online. Many seem to think it’s a total waste of time for strength athletes, if not counter-productive. I convinced myself that deep squats were all the mobility I really needed. And I eventually lost the ability to do a pancake stretch altogether. Or do a couch stretch or downward dog. I was stiff and tight. And I started pulling muscles and accumulating injuries.

All I did was lift heavy, and then deal with feeling like I got hit by a truck every morning. Running felt terrible and clunky, I lost some of my jumping ability and springiness, and I wasn’t as quick and agile on skis. I didn’t feel like much of an athlete any longer, and I hated it.

So I started stretching again. Not necessarily before workouts, but at least before bed or in the morning. Maybe for thirty minutes. Maybe for an hour. It’s easy to stretch while listening to a podcast or music. Don’t pretend there isn’t time for it. Netflix doesn’t care it you’re sitting on the couch or if you’re on the ground stretching.

Feeling Good Feels Good

And I felt so much better. Even if the benefits don’t extend beyond the immediate aftermath of a stretching session, getting in bed feeling loose and comfortable in one’s skin is a simple pleasure. Joints that no longer feel creaky and stiff are happy joints. It just feels good. And it takes a masochist or a dogmatic zealot to argue with that.

People drink alcohol every day just to feel better temporarily. So if stretching to feel better for a few hours seems crazy to someone, just tell them that stretching has some similar benefits to a couple of shots of whisky. Without the hangover. Feeling good is an obvious reason why everyone should static stretch.

Most Of Us Who Lift Aren’t Only Powerlifters

I’ve been skiing since I was two years old. I still like to ski hard and I don’t want to make adding pounds to my deadlift so important that it impacts my ability to haul ass down a mountain. It goes without saying that skiing has inherent risks to it. At highway speeds, a fall on skis involves powerful forces tossing us down the side of the hill like ragdolls.

No amount of stretching will prevent certain injuries. But like an airplane wing is intentionally designed to bend so it won’t break, there are benefits to preparing the body with the same intentions in mind.

My own personal experience proves out that having extra range of motion throughout the body can allow us to walk away from some accidents unscathed. Or with a minor injury instead of a major one. It might be a fall on skis that forces the body into the splits. It might be getting twisted into a pretzel in a wrestling match. If somebody has intentionally put their body in similar positions beforehand they’re better prepared.

I love to sprint. And when I stretch beforehand I feel significantly more fluid. I may or may not be running any faster. But the sensation is effortless. Feeling truly athletic simply feels right and is a key reason why everyone should static stretch.

If all you want to do is squat, deadlift, and bench press, don’t worry about flexibility. Just don’t assume that heavy squatting alone will necessarily make you run like a cheetah. Or be able to perform overhead kicks in martial arts. Not that stretching alone will either, but it helps tremendously.

If you want to participate in life in a more dynamic way, increased flexibility has so many obvious benefits that all it takes is a little objective reflection to realize it’s worth a bit of time.

Mental Confidence and Aging Benefits

Stretching requires getting down on the ground. In a culture that primarily sits in chairs, a modern convenience, getting down on the ground allows us to tap into movements and positions we’re evolved for but miss from sitting all of the time. Like hanging out in a deep squat. Doing life’s chores on the ground was normal before we had chairs. Kneeling to skin an animal or grind corn into cornmeal.

One of the problems with a chair based society is that we never get down on the ground. In old age, falling and getting stuck on the ground is a real risk for many people. It should seem obvious that getting down on the ground daily and having to get back up is a good practice. The mental benefits of having that confidence speak for themselves. This is another reason why everyone should static stretch.

And just like preparing the body for the impacts of skiing, an aging population that isn’t brittle and stiff is less likely to sustain life threatening injuries during falls.

Flexible Freaks Of Nature

Sometimes we need look no further than high performers who have tremendous flexibility to see the benefits. Or at least see that being flexible isn’t problematic.

Dmitry Klokov is one of the strongest weightlifters on earth. He looks like a pro bodybuilder, but his mobility is almost that of a gymnast. And he even commits the mortal sin of stretching before lifting. But he has snatched over 210 kg and clean and jerked over 240 kg. Being flexible hasn’t hurt his strength at all.

Kadour Ziani was one of the first people to make a living doing nothing more than dunking a basketball. At less than 6’0″ tall, he can kick a basketball wedged between the rim and backboard at 10’0″ above the ground. Very few people on earth can jump as high as he can. And he’s still doing it at 49 years old. And after a full rupture of his Achilles tendon at age 46. He claims the secret to his ability, longevity, and injury recovery is very deep stretching around his knees, ankles, and feet. Testing the limits of the range of motion of his joints. He has great genetics as well, but genetics don’t last without proper care and maintenance. And he uses mobility to retain his ability.

David Goggins is a former Navy Seal and ultramarathon runner. Years of beating his body to a pulp left him tight, injured, and sick. He fixed himself with daily stretching sessions that lasted multiple hours. He lengthened his psoas muscles, the primary hip flexors, and claims it cured not only his body but his anxiety. And it allowed him to return to running when he thought his career was over.

When people who have pushed the human body to its limits swear by stretching, it’s not a bad idea to listen. Another reason why everyone should static stretch.

Stretching Won’t Solve Every Problem

Stretching won’t solve every ache, pain, and bodily disfunction. That claim would be foolish. Some structural injuries and neurological issues require different interventions. But for many athletes, including powerlifters, being more flexible provides a lot of health and performance benefits. And just because it doesn’t fix everything, that doesn’t mean it won’t fix or improve all kinds of issues and physical dysfunctions.

The Same Thoughts Apply To Foam Rolling

Foam rolling is subject to much of the same hype. I personally find that stretching has more permanent and lasting benefits than foam rolling.

But like stretching, foam rolling is just what I need to feel better sometimes. It loosens up tightness in the body, removes aches, and provides relief. I’d rather foam roll if I have pain and tightness than take an Advil. Even if the benefits of foam rolling are up for debate, there are literally no negative side effects. Which means there’s no risk in trying it.

You Don’t Have To Be a Yogi

Even if flexibility isn’t a top priority, there are lots of reasons why everyone should static stretch. Even just a few minutes a day. The benefits will accumulate over time, making anybody feel better, perform better, and age better.

Reach out if you’d like suggestions on stretching regimens, or look around the web for different ideas. Everyone has different goals and needs. But Zack Height, and Josh and Trevor Hash from Strength Side, have a lot of good advice and programming. Both free and paid. Happy to stretching, and here’s to feeling good.

Get Bouncy

I’ve been barbell lifting for thirty years. I’ve built relatively good strength. And the work I’ve put in created a physical foundation for me to stay active and athletic into my forties. As well as giving me a decent physique and base for building muscle. However, even at my strongest I didn’t always feel good. Or maintain resilience against injury when sprinting, jumping, or otherwise attempting to be athletic. Powerlifting movements have many benefits. But on their own they aren’t sufficient for developing the ability to run full speed or dunk a basketball. I would wholeheartedly encourage anyone to develop their top end strength. However athletes also need to train the tendons for athleticism.

I’ll always squat, but training like a powerlifter all of the time makes the most sense for competitive powerlifters. If the tendons and connective tissue aren’t elastic, or able to accommodate long ranges of motion and changes of direction, injury and joint problems are more likely to occur.

But Doesn’t Heavy Barbell Lifting Train The Tendons?

Yes, squats and deadlifts absolutely train the tendons for athleticism in certain ways. But any activity will build specific adaptations to the imposed demands of that activity. Heavy deadlifts are a relatively short range, bilateral movement. And we adapt specifically when we do this movement over and over.

The body builds thick lower back connective tissue that’s great for bearing a heavy load in an isometric fashion. And flexibility is relatively unimportant. There’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s not always so great for sprinting which requires a much greater range of motion and mobility through the back, hips, and legs. An all out sprint requires extreme hip flexion in one leg along with extreme hip extension in the other leg simultaneously. It’s important to train tissues of the lower back to be much more flexible and elastic to accommodate the necessary positions.

We also want the tissues to adapt to the high impact of striking the ground at full force. Which is different and more dynamic than lifting a heavy weight slowly. The speed of the movement can generate very high forces on the body even with no added weight. The tissues also have to be able to change positions and reverse motion very quickly without straining or tearing. In my experience, years of deadlifting (and sitting) promoted a state of lower back stiffness in my body. This then led to a handful of other issues in my hips and legs. And increased tendency to get injured.

Adapting To Varied And Unpredictable Movements

A movement like the deadlift is also relatively predictable. It happens in one plan of movement. It’s symmetrical. The ground is flat and nobody is going to run in from the side and knock a lifter off balance. It generally looks the same every time. But jumping for the rim in a basketball game and landing in unexpected positions results in very different demands on the body. Landing on one foot, two feet, off balance, etc., means the body has to be ready to absorb force from many angles without breaking.

One of the best ways to prepare for highly athletic and unpredictable movement is to train the body’s strength through a long range of motion. Building the connective tissues and muscles when they’re fully lengthened at their end rages of motion. And in their most vulnerable positions where they’re under tension and most likely to tear.

This builds tendon resilience and elasticity in the structures of the body. Which comes in quite useful when reacting to an opponent at full speed. Or riding a surfboard on a moving wave. Changing directions quickly and forcefully. Engaging in explosive movements that test the tissues from different angles. Or moving across a court, field, or undulating natural surface in multiple directions.

We Can Do Both

There’s no rule that says someone can’t get big and strong, and then work on the specific skills and adaptations to be able to run fast and jump high. Whether we develop these abilities simultaneously, or in a phased manner.

For football players who need to add size and muscular strength for greater force production against opponents as well as rapid acceleration off the ball, muscular strength and size are important physical attributes. When the connective tissues have proper development and are able to transmit great forces, stronger muscles drive greater forces through those tendons and other fascia. So increasing one’s max squat and deadlift, along with strong tendons, have beneficial applications in this scenario.

However, a basketball player with a thinner build may benefit most from a greater focus on training the connective tissues over the muscles. They mostly need to train the tendons for athleticism. A lighter player can be extremely quick, explosive, and bouncy simply due to well developed connective tissue. Depending on style of play, it may be counter-productive to get big and bulky and try to build a massive squat. Again, being able to grind out a heavy squat won’t necessarily make someone slow. But don’t expect it to automatically translate to a higher vertical jump. Especially if the squatting adds significant body weight.

On the other hand, developing healthy and resilient connective tissue is still important when building muscular size and strength. If big muscles are like the engine of a car, and the connective tissue is the frame and drive train of that car, then strong muscles with underdeveloped connective tissues is like putting a Ferrari engine inside of a Prius. An engine that powerful is bound to break the frame to pieces. The brakes won’t be able to decelerate the high forces and speeds without wearing out. And the wheels may fall off trying to turn at high speed.

How To Train The Tendons and Connective Tissue

Training the connective tissue properly requires exposing those tissues to high tension. The highest tension is achieved at the end ranges of motion a given joint is capable of. These are positions where tendons and joints are most vulnerable to injury. This means bearing a load through a great enough range of motion that the connective tissues must support the external resistance to a great degree. The muscles will participate with the movement of course. But at extreme ranges of motion the connective tissues will engage to a greater extent.

What is meant by extreme ranges of motion? As an example, a sissy squat moves the knees through a longer range of motion than a low bar back squat. The knee angle will be fully closed compared to a low bar squat with a more open knee angle.

Or Nordic curls where the position of the body relative to the pull of gravity puts the highest tension on the muscles and tendons when they’re at their greatest length.

Doing sissy squats, even with bodyweight, works the patellar tendon far harder than heavy low bar squats even though the external load used is lighter. I haven’t measured this objectively, but I’ve done the movement enough times to know this is the case. A movement pattern switches from muscle dominant to more tendon dominant by increasing the range of motion.

Training Intensity

It’s also important to focus on greater intensity to ensure the tension is as high as the tissues can safely handle. Both through adding load and increasing range of motion. This causes greater remodeling and adaptation of the tissues. As well as increased hypertrophy in general due to more breakdown of the soft tissues. That said, higher volume work with light loads or assistance in extreme ranges of motion can be beneficial when starting out with this style of training to build adaptations without pain. Higher volume is also good active recovery due to increased blood flow. Since tendons generally have lower blood flow than muscles, anything that increases blood flow is great for healing.

The high tension that comes with this style of training will cause greater inflammation. And longer recovery times, so it’s important to listen to the body and not overdo it. Short range training in decreased ranges of motion can be a good compliment as well. The strain on the tendons is reduced and therefore less damaging, but the blood flow is still significant and beneficial for flushing the tissues and delivering nutrients.

Muscle Stiffness And Elasticity

Training the ability of the connective tissue to retain stiffness is also helpful. The brief pause between an eccentric motion and concentric motion is called the amortization phase. For example, between the foot striking the ground during a sprinting motion, and the foot subsequently pushing back off of the ground. A short amortization phase is what makes us faster, quicker, and bouncier. And a short amortization phase requires stiffness of the tendons. Just like a stiffer spring in a pogo stick will bounce higher and more quickly than a soft mushy spring that collapses under tension.

We can train stiffness by engaging the amortization phase through activities like sprinting, jumping rope, agility drills, etc. I like to call this type of work getting bouncy. Some days I increase the intensity. But I’ve found that light, repeated work of several hundred reps (jump rope, etc.) every day builds the tendons of the lower legs and feet very well without injury. High volume work of this sort was called the extensive method by Russian coach Yuri Verkhoshansky. And is useful for building a base of stiffness in the feet and to train the tendons for athleticism. Then occasional high intensity training sessions can benefit from the base that exists.

Kangaroos use elastic energy from their enormous lower leg tendons to reduce muscular output. This makes them very efficient at higher speeds. Reducing the oxygen requirements of the muscles when bounding long distances repeatedly. Humans can develop a bit of the the same elastic ability into our own tendons and put it to use.

In Conclusion

Athleticism and soft tissue resiliency require particular adaptations that can’t be built only through heavy barbell lifting. It’s necessary to train the tendons specifically.

And while tendon focused training is great for athletic ability, it’s also great for aging well. And avoiding injuries and pain as we get older. Elasticity is an important physical quality so we don’t get stiff, rigid, and fragile. I’m a proponent of getting bouncy. Whether that’s for being more athletic or for being able to handle falls without getting hurt when older.

If you have any interest in programming to train the tendons for athleticism, please reach out to me any time at sharpentheblade@protonmail.com. I’ve improved my own athletic ability significantly into my forties and would love to share what I’ve learned.

Overcoming Resistance

I recently read a book called The War Of Art by author Steven Pressfield. It was an enjoyable read and I found it to be full of practical advice and tongue in cheek humor. The structure is comprised of 1-2 page, bite sized and easily digestible thoughts on how to be productive as an artist. Or productive in general. One of the foundational concepts discussed in the book is what Pressfield calls resistance. This is the tendency to avoid starting projects. Procrastination. A person obviously won’t be successful if they can’t complete projects, let alone start them. So the book also discusses how to identify and overcome resistance and avoid procrastination.

Reading Pressfield’s thought on resistance reminded me of some simple methods I’ve come up with for myself to start projects, complete projects, and accomplish more. I’d like to share my approaches in the hopes that they might be of use to somebody else.

Identifying Resistance

The first step in overcoming resistance is developing an awareness of what it is. For starters, here is a short paragraph Pressfield wrote about the subject:

“Resistance cannot be seen, touched, heard, or smelled. But it can be felt. We experience it as an energy field radiating from a work-in-potential. It’s a repelling force. It’s negative. Its aim is to shove us away, to distract us, prevent us from doing our work.”

Do you ever plan to do something but find yourself having to battle against this invisible force to get going?

In my own life, it’s the feeling of overwhelm when starting something difficult. It’s the fear of failure. It’s making excuses, and deciding that the day was too exhausting so watching youtube videos for the evening would be more relaxing than working on a project. It might be toggling over to the next tab in my browser to check my email when I should be writing instead (which just happened).

It’s looking at the entire mountain that has to be climbed before taking the first step. And letting it seem too big to even try. It’s cheap dopamine hits that distract us. And the world is more full of them than ever before. It’s mindlessly surfing Instagram before realizing thirty minutes went up in smoke.

It might even be a tendency to be overzealous and unfocused when it comes to our goals. I’ve been guilty of wanting to accomplish too many things simultaneously and then not doing any of them because I wasn’t realistic and didn’t prioritize.

The Results Of Resistance

Some results of resistance are mental. For me, resistance almost always leads to guilt. And disappointment. I knew I had the chance to get one step closer to my personal goals which take effort. But somehow I didn’t get around to it. Then I might feel a touch depressed. Or even angry at myself. And the feeling that precious time slipped away drives me crazy.

And then there is the more objective result of nothing getting done. Where there was once no article written, there’s still no article or accomplishment of any sort.

The only positive result of resistance for me is that it makes me think of methods for avoiding it going forward. And that gives me something to write about. So with that here are some of my methods and mental tricks.

Just Start, Who Cares If It’s Crap

One insidious form of resistance can manifest as self doubt. Questioning whether or not we’re any good at something. I never thought much about being a writer. But the urge to share knowledge was too great.

I often have ideas but question my writing skills. It’s never been a real strength for me. But I know that if I keep doing it I’ll get better. So I just have to start.

And in order to start, I sometimes have to give myself permission to be a terrible writer. Which I most certainly am a lot of the time. I tell myself “just start, who cares if it’s crap.” And then I at least get some momentum. I start. Lots of times I do end up with crap, but sometimes I also end up with something half usable. And a lot of the time a steamy pile of crappy writing has some salvagable parts that I can save and reorganize. These serve as a starting point to continue the crap next time.

This mental trick is a go-to for me when I need to overcome resistance. It at least gets me over the hurdle and gets me working so that if nothing else I’m practicing a skill I want to develop.

Just Commit To 15 Minutes

Sometimes I want to write, but it means sitting down at the computer on a sunny day. And I already spent the whole week at the computer. It doesn’t have much appeal but it’s a necessary evil.

So I tell myself I’m just going to write for fifteen minutes and then I can be done. Maybe I’ll just lay out the structure for a new article I’m thinking about and be done. Or I’ll write garbage for fifteen minutes and then never use it.

Or I might start writing and find it feels good. Ideas are flowing. Words come easily. I feel confident and it ends up being fun. I feel like I’m accomplishing something.

And so I end up writing for a couple of hours and knocking out an entire article.

Either way, I overcame resistance. And I also started building a habit. Which leads me to…

Build Habits

I’ve been lifting weights for thirty years. And I’ve never stopped. Some people can’t stand the thought of the gym. But I can’t stand the thought of not lifting weights. All it really boils down to is that I’ve made it a habit. Perhaps there is a downsides to an exercise habit. But the pros generally outweigh the cons. And anyone who has built an exercise habit knows that there comes a point where it’s easier to go to the gym than avoid it.

So build habits bit by bit. Create tricks to do something consistently for a few months and one is well on the way to creating a new habit and greater productivity.

Pick A Lane

As previously mentioned, I have a tendency to bite off more then I can chew. I hate the constraints of space, time, and energy. I want to pursue every opportunity and idea. But the reality is that I’m always more productive when I narrow my pursuits to a couple of key items and go all in.

An analogy from lifting and fitness is that I see trainers in the gym having people do new, random exercises every time they come into the gym. But their clients don’t seem to get great results from what I can see. On the other hand I’ve always made my greatest progress when I choose a training program and stick to it without deviation for at least six months or more. It isn’t always novel and fun. And it can get repetitive. But it works.

So pick a lane and stay in it until results become evident.

Bite Sized Chunks

Just like climbing a mountain seems more daunting when thinking about the entire climb all at once, completing a project can feel like a giant mountain when we think about the whole process as one giant task.

But a project can be broken down into its components, and each individual component feels a little easier to take care of. Here are some examples.

Example 1

I recently had to replace a solenoid in my sprinkler system. The part that turns the water on and off for a particular zone of the lawn. I did it once years ago so I knew it was going to be a bit of a project. And every time I thought about dedicating a chunk of my Saturday to knocking it out I felt resistance creep up.

Then I thought about it in terms of steps. First, I could just identify which solenoid is broken and remind myself how the wiring works. No commitment beyond that. I realized a big part of my resistance was simply figuring out how to do it again so I’d just take care of that one step.

Then on a separate day I’d collect the parts and lay out the tools.

Then on a third day I’d actually perform the work.

What ended up happening is that I identified the broken solenoid and wiring scheme in about five minutes and suddenly realized the repair was going to be easier than I remembered. By virtue of simply tricking myself into starting the process I developed momentum.

So I went straight to the hardware store to pick up the parts I needed. Then came home, grabbed my wire cutters and strippers, and replaced the solenoid in under a half hour. I just had to start! And this method helped me trick myself into it.

Example 2

I also decided recently that I want to improve my slide guitar playing in open E tuning.

So I broke the process down into parts.

First I’d relearn how to tune my guitar to open E.

Then I’d write out the scale patterns along the fretboard in that tuning.

Then I’d memorize the scale patterns without the slide.

And finally I’d pick up the slide and start working on phrasing, etc.

It worked great, and I also use the fifteen minute commitment to keep my practice regular. Just picking up the guitar for a little while every day ends up resulting in progress.

And for a bonus tip, I realized I’d play more often if I made it as easy as possible for myself. I re-positioned my amp in a convenient spot in my living room and put my guitar in its stand right in front of the amp so I don’t have to go to the other room, get it out if its case, put the strap on, etc.

These things sound trivial, but it’s amazing how much they help avoid resistance and procrastination. By eliminating every little excuse I play more often.

Trick Yourself Into Being More Productive

I hope these ideas help somebody break through resistance and avoid procrastination. Sometimes we just have to use mental games to trick ourselves. Go forth and conquer!

Knees Over Toes Success Story?

For the past four months I’ve been following the Athletic Truth Group (ATG) programming created by Ben Patrick who goes by the monicker Knees Over Toes Guy. Ben is a charismatic character with a compelling personal story of knee health and athletic transformation. He is a born salesman, so it’s no wonder I was convinced to try out his training programs. But is there some real substance to the programs he has developed? Or is it all hype? It may be too soon to tell if I’m a Knees Over Toes success story. But I figured the only way to know for sure was to try it for myself. And I’ve certainly noticed some promising developments so far.

Background On ATG

The ATG philosophy proposes that we can all create and maintain healthy, highly functional and resilient joints through life. All while simultaneously increasing our athletic ability. It suggests that we’ve been scared away from using our joints to their full ability, and through their full ranges of motion, by prevailing medical and exercise advice. As a result we’ve actually seen a greater incidence of dysfunction and pain as our joints lose their mobility and strength.

I’d argue there’s a huge nutritional and toxicity component to the degeneration of the human body as well. But being a lifelong squatter my personal experience has been that squatting heavy weights below parallel has actually helped keep my knees stay healthy well into my forties. I’ve “used it”, so I didn’t lose it. So the idea that expressing strength through a full range of motion is good for joint health resonates with me. And if we want to avoid injury and pain in extreme ranges of motion, we need to train those ranges of motion.

Above and beyond curing chronically painful joints, Ben Patrick has developed high level athletic ability through his programming. He has a 40+ inch standing vertical jump. And claims to run a 4.4 second 40 yard dash at over 30 years of age. This would place him in the top tier of the NFL combine results. I can’t verify his 40 time. But he does have plenty of videos online showing his ability to dunk a basketball with ease.

So between the promise of healthy, bulletproof joints, and the potential of increased athletic ability, I decided it was at least worth a shot to try the ATG program. I was looking for a break from heavy barbell lifting and this seemed like a potentially rewarding experiment.

I’m not going to lay out the programming here. This article is just meant to give some context while sharing my experiences having followed the program for four months. And it’s not my program to share for free. You can learn more on the ATG website (not an affiliate).

My Progress

I started the ATG program with a squat and deadlift that are both in the 500 lb range. I think this was a huge advantage. And despite some occasional knee soreness in recent years I still had pretty stout and healthy joints to begin with.

Either way, I started with the Zero program which is all body weight exercises. Ben has done a nice job of developing a phased program. It works people through an incremental progression so that ability is developed bit by bit over time. And without causing pain which is important. He has also figured out effective ways to regress each movement. This way everyone has an attainable starting point depending on personal ability.

That said, I started with a relatively decent level of ability. And was able to meet the requirements to graduate from the Zero to Dense Strength programming in a matter of weeks. I then stuck with the Dense program for the recommended twelve weeks. This phase begins to introduce external resistance. And the abilities I developed during that phase were pretty exciting.

At forty four years old, I’m now doing unassisted Nordic Curls and Reverse Nordic Curls (or Human Knee Extensions). This honestly made me as satisfied as the first time I deadlifted over 500 lbs. And I’m performing these relatively intense movements with no pain whatsoever. I’d call this a Knees Over Toes sucess story since I could never perform these movements in the past.

I haven’t yet experiemented with my ability to withstand high impact activities like basketball, tennis, or skiing without joint pain. But I’ve been doing a bit more running. And I can feel that my knee tendons are stronger and thicker than they were. It feels good and lends a sense of confidence. And I have no reason to believe these benefits won’t continue to accrue. It feels like the architecture of my knees and lower legs is being rebuilt.

My flexibility and mobility is reaching new levels all around. I’ve developed the ability to do full range split squats with front heel on the ground and my back knee off of the ground. My running stride feels great as I work my abilities through these extreme ranges of motion.

Unexpected Benefits

I train primarily for function and strength. Aesthetics are an afterthought. But the ATG program has developed my quad aesthetics nicely. I’m seeing increased definition and separation in my quad muscles. And my vastus medialus has taken on the trademark teardrop shape to a greater extent. My calves are noticeably larger and highly defined as well.

I’ve been following the five day per week ATG programming. But I’ve also been adding a sixth day each week to squat heavy. Since I get a ton of volume each week from the ATG program, on my heavy day I just work up to a single. High intensity, very low volume, which I recover from from easily. And I’ve managed to progress well from week to week. Today I squatted 455 lbs. And it moved quickly. I had a decent amount left in the tank.

I’ll be curious to see how long I can contunue to add 5 lbs. each week. I like keeping my body and nervous system used to the heavy weight. And I feel it gives my hips and top end strength some work that isn’t included in the ATG program. After all, the hips are a prime mover when jumping and running. I digress, but I’ve maintained top end strength throughout the ATG program even though I haven’t been focused on strength. My knees are also recovering quickly from these heavy squat days which is a welcomed surprise. Bigger stronger knee tendons have a lot of benefits. I look forward to seeing how this plays out in the future when I go back to a strength cycle.

More Updates To Come

I’m now three weeks into the Standards phase of ATG programming, which comes after Dense. And I’ll post another follow up article as I progress. But I’m already doing 1-legged back raises with half of my bodyweight on the 45 degree back raise.

I’ve really enjoyed this programming so far and am optimistic about my continued knees over toes success story. I’ll also be curious to try the upcoming Athletic Potential phase of the program. And start experimenting with my body’s ability to handle high intensity ballistic movements without pain.

It should be noted that the program does have a monthly subscription fee. But it’s far less than hiring a personal trainer. And it comes with online video form coaching. The coaches have consistently responded within 24 hours. It’s possible to watch Ben’s free videos online and take a guess at building an ad hoc ATG program. But I’ve personally made better progress just paying for the program laid out by ATG.

If you have any questions abouty my experiences with this program, please leave a comment or send me an email.

Breathe For Relaxation

When I’m dealing with stress, my breathing becomes shallow. It’s a common human response to both chronic daily stress and acute stress. The mind becomes consumed with something that has to be dealt with. The sympathetic nervous system kicks in. And often times the muscles in our midsection tense up and we don’t breathe deeply like we should. The first step is to develop an awareness when this happens. Then it’s important to change breathing patterns to regain a state of homeostasis so the stress can be dealth with appropriately and released. And also to prevent continued shallow breathing which could exacerbate the stress further and create health problems. After all, oxygen is a nutrient we can’t live without for very long. In case it helps somebody I wanted to share a simple breathing pattern I’ve discovered when I need to breathe for relaxation and maintain a sense of well being.

Bad Habits During Times Of Stress

I’ve noticed a few things I do subconsciously when I’m dealing with something stressful.

-I have a tendency to hold my breath at the top of my inhalatioon.

-Then I often force the air all the way out of my lungs when I exhale by squeezing with the muscles of my rib cage. This builds tension through my breathing muscles.

-I’m also more likely to breathe into my upper chest instead of my stomach.

-And at times I’ll even breathe out through my mouth.

-As my breathing devolves into this pattern I’ll also start to fidget more and pay less attention to my posture. This can result in racing throughts, etc.

As we’ll see next, there’s nothing relaxed or relaxing about breathing this way. If you notice yourself doing any of these things I’d recommend being more aware of your breath so you can make corrections and feel better. You’ll find some suggestions below.

The Way A Dog Breathes While Asleep

One day I was watching a friend’s dog breathe while it was sleeping. The first observation was that he was breathing through his nose. We’re supposed to breathe through our noses and not our mouths. It paces our breathing a bit and the nose is designed to clean, warm. and moisturize the air coming into our bodies among other things. Those nose hairs are there for a reason.

He also breathed into his belly which indicates deep breathing. Deep breathing means breathing into the bottom part of the lungs more so than simply taking in as much air volume as possible. And breathing into the lower part of the lungs keeps the body and mind in a more parasympathetic state of relaxation and recovery by stimulating the vagus nerve.

I also noticed the dog’s breathing was fairly rapid. I’ve read a fair amount about the Buteyko Breathing method which suggests that the cause for many chronic health issues like asthma could be overbreathing. A certain level of overbreathing can diminish carbon dioxide levels in the body which has negative health impacts and can actually reduce oxygenation of the body’s tissues and cause constriction of blood vessels and airways.

Therefore one of the tenets of the Buteyko approach is to slow down the rate of breathing. But this dog was actually breathing pretty quickly. It was just relaxed and effortless, and I think that’s the key more than the pace. It occurred to me that I may have inadvertently been practicing Buteyko breathing incorrectly and had been holding my exhales back to some extent as a way to slow down my breath. The more I’ve paid attention , the slight restriction of my exhale actually makes me feel more tense.

I digress, but the dog’s breaths in were relatively quick. However they were deep. As into his stomach. And his exhales were quite rapid as well. The exhale almost had the sound and cadence of a sigh. But it wasn’t a true sigh given the dog was sleeping. It was more of a simple letting go. There was no resistance of the air on the way out. His whole rib cage just relaxed and the air flowed out quickly and easily. There was no pause between the inhale and exhale. As soon as his inhale was complate he exhaled immediately. And it also wasn’t a full forced exhale. Just letting it out easily.

In contrast to the inhale, there was a short pause at the end of his exhale. While holding at the top of my inhale doesn’t feel right to me, I’ve noticed that a quick pause after I exhale does feel relaxed and natural. Perhaps this is the way to achieve the Buteyko goal of fewer breaths per minute without creating any tension in the breathing muscles.

Sleeping Humans Breathe The Same Way

Shortly thereafter I noticed that a sleeping girlfriend was breathing the same way. Quick, deep nose breath in that immediately treansitioned into an easy and audible “letting go” through the nose on the exhale. With the same brief pause before inhaling again.

If mammals breathe this way when the conscious mind is turned off and at rest, I have to think this is a natural breathing pattern we should pay attention to.

I also began to notice that any time I was having trouble falling asleep there was something off with my breathing pattern. So I began to consciously breath like I was already sleep. And I found that it usually put me to sleep rather quickly.

So I decided to use this breathing pattern in my day to day life to see what would happen.

And I learned that it helps me stay more calm and focused when I feel stress and tension building. I don’t hold tension when I breathe this way. I feel more in control of my mind and I feel sharper. And my sense of well being is greater overall.

Technique Cues

To distill this down to some actionable bullet points, here are the main things I focus on:

-An easy breath into my stomach. Not particularly slow or fast, just easy and “deep”. Meaning breathing into my stomach as opposed to shallow chest breathing.

-No pause at the end of my inhale. This helps avoid any sort of tension in my rib cage that might feel like I’m holding my breath. I just transition to my exhale immediately.

-My exhale is simply a letting go. If I don’t fight the exhale, the weight of my shoulders, chest, and back just push the air out naturally and easily. It’s a quick exhale, and it’s audible. I can hear the air coming out through my nose. It also doesn’t feel like a full exhale as I mentioned above. Maybe 2/3 of an exhale. In my experience, unless the muscles of my rib cage and diaphragm contract and clamp down hard enough to push all of the air out of my lungs, a relaxed exhale never expels all of the air in my lungs. I believe this helps retain some of the carbon dioxide that creates the Bohr Effect in the body. Higher levels of CO2 in the blood actually facilitate the release of oxygen from hemoglobin to the tissues of the body. This increases oxygenation and aligns with the objectives of Buteyko Breathing.

-I naturally pause briefly at the end of my exhale, but there isn’t any tension or constriction on the rib cage at all. It feels natural and unstrained in any way.

-I don’t count my inhale/exhale/pause. And I don’t concern myself with how quick or slow my breathing pace is. It changes from situation to situation. It might increase during stress or when I’m walking. Maybe it slows down when relaxed. The body’s need for oxygen changes and I just roll with what it wants.

Watch A Dog When It Breathes

Give these cues a try if you feel you could use some help learning to breathe for relaxation. And pay attention to your dog or your loved ones sometime while they’re sleeping and see if you can pick up on the pattern. Ultimately that’s a better way to understand what I’m trying to describe with words.

Is it appropriate to breathe like we’re asleep when we’re awake? I don’t have any data at my fingertips to say definitively, but it has been beneficial for me. There are so many breathing techniques out there, and many of them require certain counts and cadences. But I’ve ultimately never found them to feel natural or particularly beneficial. For me, focusing on the breathing patterns we use subconsciously when we’re at rest has proven to work best. They seem to be hardwired into our genetics.

Give it a try and please leave a comment if you have any particular outcomes, good or bad.

Gaining Some Credentials

It’s been quite a long time since I wrote any new articles. And that isn’t for no good reason. I spent the past half year preparing to take the CSCS exam. I set this goal to keep busy amidst the insanity of 2020. And I made a commitment to refrain from other pursuits until this was completed. I know that if I try to do too many different things at the same time I’ll lose focus. I’d rather set some things aside and give one pursuit all of my attention. By keeping my eye on the prize I passed the test a couple of days ago. I am now a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

More To Share

I’d been thinking about getting some credentials in this area for quite some time. If I’m going to create content that will help people in their efforts to sharpen up in all ways, I now feel a bit more qualified. I’ve been in this game for a long time. And have developed my own views on strength, fitness, wellness, nutrition, and mindset. I’ve tried a lot of things personally and feel I’ve got a solid grasp on what works. But I definitely gained a lot of new insight that will inform my writing going forward.

I also plan to start working with some clients 1-on-1 (if you’re in the Tampa Bay or Denver areas of the USA feel free to reach out in the comments if interested in strength coaching). But I’m also very excited to get back to writing and content creation again. This virtual medium is so remarkable in it’s ability to reach far and wide. And even during my recent hiatus people continued to read my articles and sign up to my email list. It was a testament to the power of the written word and it’s ability to endure. Once it’s created it takes on a life of its own. I’m extremely grateful for every person that found value in my thoughts and experiences from training and living!

So just a quick post to say hello again, and share what is for me an exciting update on what I’ve been doing and learning. Looking forward to bigger and better things in 2021.

How To Stop Knees From Cracking

I’ve been squatting for close to thirty years now. And while bouts of tendinitis and knee pain have come and gone, my knees generally feel very good. I think squatting regularly has actually helped keep my knees young and strong. I also have good squat form and general mobility, and take care of my health. However, my knees have audibly cracked and popped slightly while squatting for many years now. It doesn’t cause any pain, it just never seemed quite right. But while dealing with some light tendinitis recently I happened upon a couple of methods to stop knees from cracking.

The Root Of The Problem

Through trial and error I discovered that both my light tendinitis and cracking knees were the result of the same underlying problem. Tight muscles and connective tissue upstream and downstream from my knees. I’m relatively flexible and have always stretched. But I still had a decent amount of gunked up tissue in my thighs and lower legs.

Knots in my muscles, tendons that were crunchy when rubbed, and muscles that didn’t slide past one another easily as if they were glued together. Nothing that kept me from getting into a deep squat position at will. Just enough to prevent my knee cap from tracking properly.

So I started stretching more and massaging the tendons around my knee. That all made a nice difference and the improvements were welcomed. I also continued to do some foam rolling, but I was focusing more on my IT bands than my quads. Without realizing my quads were the bigger problem.

Discovering A Useful Device

Then one day I was at the gym and saw a guy using a massage stick to dig into his quad muscles.

If you don’t know what a massage stick is, it’d pretty much what is sounds like – a stick. A stick with handles on either end and a section in between that rotates. It allows a person to give their legs a very effective deep tissue massage.

It’s a fantastic torture device. And it’s extremely effective if you can handle the pain (thankfully it’s a manual device so adjusting the intensity is easy). Effective enough that I was able to loosen up my thighs and lower legs enough to stop my knees from cracking while squatting for the first time in a long time. My patella moved across my knee joint smooth as butter. No cracks whatsoever.

So I started rolling out my legs before and during squat workouts. And on non-lifting days too. Not just my quads, but my my shins and calves. I hit every part of my legs that I can, and when I find a knot or sore spot I spend a little extra time working on it until it loosens up. Aside from the odd, stray pop I’m now more or less crackle free when squatting. And I expect the improvements to continue as regular work on my legs loosens up problem spots bit by bit.

Not to mention the tendinitis I was working through is no longer bothering me. Loosening up my quads and lower legs is preventing tight muscles from putting undue strain on my tendons and yanking my patella out of place.

Stretches That Help

As part of the stretching I’ve been doing as a compliment to the massage stick, I utilize the couch stretch. It loosens up my quads and hip flexors very deeply. I do this before and during a squat workout as well. Holding it for a full two minutes seems to make a noticeable difference for me.

I also do low lunge stretches to open up my psoas muscles/hip flexors. I personally feel a release all the way down the front of my quads when the upstream tension in my hips is reduced.

And general stretching of my whole body seems to help. Nothing in the body exists in a vacuum. It’ all connected.

Knee Sleeves

I also recommend knee sleeves (not an affiliate link). The ones I use don’t provide any real compression or assistance, although that’s an option. They mostly keep my knees extra warm. The tendons and ligaments simply feel more pliable once I’ve started to break a sweat. And therefore my knees feel better. Common sense tells me this is worth the investment.

So these are some things have helped me and I wanted to share in case they might help somebody else. Give them a try, and if anyone else has had success working through knee issues, please share what worked in the comments.

Creating Instead Of Reacting

Just a quick thought on a simple but powerful mindset shift. In fast paced modern life it’s easy to become overwhelmed with too many things to take care of and find ourselves existing in a state of reacting to everything happening around us. But constant reaction puts us on our heels and drives stress and feeling out of control. It also separates us from our innate power to create the life we experience. Lately I’ve been mindful that I’m creating instead of reacting. And the fact that the word “create” includes all of the letters of the word “react” struck me as interesting. Just like rearranging letters, we can rearrange our mindset.

A mental state of creation puts me back in the driver seat and centers me back into my sense of personal power. I feel more grateful, less stressed out, and more excited about the future I can decide to forge for myself. That alone makes it worth it.

For me, the act of creating is a combination of taking action and taking time to envision the life I want to live. Both are empowering, and envisioning gives me ideas to act on. These are the opposite of simply reacting to outside circumstances in a state of stress, survival and uncertainty. They’re deliberate forward movement.

Creating also involves a measure of surrender to a greater intelligence and knowing I’m not alone in my efforts. That may sound counter intuitive in the context of an article about taking control back from outside forces. But I’m trusting that what I put out will return to me. I can’t help but sense a greater power when I see the world and the miracle of life. A power that is constantly creating, and that reflects our intentions back to us. So I’m putting out gratitude for the life I have, warts and all, and the life I will experience in days to come. Gratitude is a state of having received blessings, but there’s no reason we can’t experience gratitude in advance of receiving blessings to come. All it takes is imagination, and in my own experience it brings more of what I envision into reality.

And I figure living in gratitude is a no lose decision anyway. At the very least it’s a great frame of mind for being healthier and enjoying life. So even for those who aren’t metaphysically inclined, there’s always that.

Simple But Not Easy

This is a seemingly straight forward change to make, but it takes copious amounts of attention to maintain it. The human mind can be an unruly beast to tame. Meditation helps. And vigilant awareness.

It’s common to slip back into autopilot and become reactive again when life gets crazy. Sometimes it’s like we’re juggling too many balls. But it’s a matter of being conscious of our state of mind and going back into the realm of creation whenever we catch ourselves reacting. Let the balls that are rubber hit the floor, and put more focused intention on the ones that are glass.

It can be life changing and profound if one practices regularly. It takes about two months to form a new habit, so set an hourly reminder on your phone if necessary. Put sticky notes on your mirror and steering wheel. Ask your friends or family to remind you. Doesn’t have to be overly complicated, but by being diligent for a couple of months and staying focused we can all develop a new mindset that allows us to become happier, healthier, and more grounded in the vision and reality we choose for ourselves.

Is The Ketogenic Diet Right For Me?

I ate a fairly strict ketogenic diet for a year. I learned a lot about eating a high fat and low carb diet. And experienced many of the benefits of that way of eating first hand. Low inflammation meant my body felt great and my mind was clear. I was certainly lean. And my energy was steady and I could go without eating for long stretches. I fully expect the ketogenic diet will be one that I utilize in the future as well. But I realized it’s not the best way for me to eat all of the time. And while for me it might be something to cycle in and out of, there may be others who do well on this diet all of the time. And there might also be those not really suited to it at all. We’re all different. Some of you may have dabbled in the ketogenic diet, or have considered giving it a try. And you may be asking yourself – is the ketogenic diet right for me?

After being in ketosis for a year, and then going back to eating some carbohydrates again, my answer to that question is now that it depends.

And I’d like to introduce a concept that helps explain why ketosis is better at certain times, and for certain people, than others.

The Oxidation Rate

For a car to run optimally, it’s engine has to be set to idle at the correct speed. When idling at the proper RPM, energy will be generated and utilized most efficiently The human metabolism, our biological engine, is similar. And the idling speed of the metabolism is called the oxidation rate.

The oxidation rate is essentially how well the body converts the food we eat into energy. To be used for moving, thinking, feeling, relationships, and staying alive in general.

If it’s too slow or too fast, the body isn’t idling at the ideal level and energy production will be inefficient.

A slow oxidation rate means a person isn’t producing enough energy to function well in the first place.

With a fast oxidation rate, a person produces energy but burns through it so fast that they tend to crash.

This means a balanced oxidation rate somewhere in the middle is ideal.

The Intersection Of The Ketogenic Diet And Oxidation Rate

Of course, you may be wondering what the hell the ketogenic diet has to do with the oxidation rate. But these two concepts do have an interaction. After all, the ketogenic diet is based around using specific types of foods to fuel the metabolism.

A high fat, low carbohydrate diet tends to help slow the oxidation rate down. While a lower fat diet that includes higher amounts of carbohydrates helps to speed up the oxidation rate.

And this is why I now see the ketogenic diet as a tool to be used at certain appropriate times. When the oxidation rate is high, the ketogenic diet is ideal for bringing the metabolic RPM back down toward an ideal level. It prevents the body from burning through fuel too quickly.

Conversely, when the metabolism is sluggish and we want to raise it, higher carbohydrate intake is beneficial.

Stepping Away From Diet Dogma

So it doesn’t have to be black and white, nor should it be dogmatic. Some will argue that we should eat a ketogenic diet all of the time or we’ll risk Type II Diabetes, heart disease, visceral fat accumulation, high inflammation, etc. This is probably true in the context of eating lots of sugar and carbohydrates all day, every day. But perhaps not if we’re adjusting the diet as necessary.

And while it’s always best to avoid simple sugars in junk food, soda, candy, and perhaps even the fructose present at high levels in many modern hybridized fruits, adding some lower glycemic carbohydrates at times may have its place for many of us.

Some will have valid arguments for why we should never eat carbohydrates, and that’s fine. That may be good for them and others, and it might be the key to their well being. More power to them. I’m just going to suggest that there may be a more scientific way to periodically adjust the diet based on lab testing. For what it’s worth. And while the following is anecdotal evidence, this approach has proven to be helpful for me.

When I Started Eating Carbohydrates Again

In the midst of some big life changes recently, I started to feel overwhelmed easily. I was irritable and wasn’t handling stress well. And I wasn’t sure why because the ketogenic diet had me feeling so good in previous months.

So I got in contact with a nutritionist I know and I sent along a hair sample to get my oxidation rate checked. More on that later.

Turned out my oxidation rate was very slow. And perhaps a year of eating high fat, low carb contributed to pushing the rate lower.

It was suggested I add some carbohydrates back to my diet. Some sweet potatoes, white rice, starchy vegetables, and other clean, low glycemic carb sources.

And within a couple of days I felt much calmer. I felt much more energetic. And quite honestly I just felt better despite the benefits I’d been seeing from a ketogenic diet.

And I also felt my athletic performance and strength gains improve. I’ve actually gotten leaner as well and put on muscle.

The nutritionist also dialed in a mineral and vitamin supplement program for me aimed at increasing my oxidation rate. This is not just a basic multi vitamin, but a very specific set of nutrients based on test results.

When my oxidation rate increases in a future hair sample, I’ll use the ketogenic diet and different supplements to lower my oxidation rate back down to proper idling speed.

On a bit of a tangent, another benefit of optimizing the oxidation rate is increased detoxification of heavy metals and other toxins.

How To Test The Oxidation Rate

If you’re asking yourself “Is the Ketogenic Diet Right For Me?”, you may want to consider taking a look at getting your oxidation rate tested.

You can send a hair sample to a lab called Analytical Research Labs and you’ll get a full report back that includes your oxidation rate.

This analysis is based on the ratios of certain macro-minerals found in the hair.

Don’t just look at the levels of minerals in the hair as an indication you require more or less of something. Sometimes a high level in the hair actually means we’re losing too much of certain minerals from our cells. Instead, just know that these ratios between the minerals will show how well the body is producing energy and dealing with stress.

And with that knowledge one can adjust their diet to either speed up or slow down the oxidation rate.

For a more dialed in interpretation of the hair test results, I’m happy to guide you to a great nutritionist who knows how to read a hair tissue mineral analysis, so feel free to reach out to me. In my opinion it’s worth the investment to work with someone knowledgeable and avoid guessing games.

Just a little actionable advice anyone can use to inform their diet. It’s a way to stop wondering “is the ketogenic diet right for me?”, and start using the right foods as a tool for optimal energy production and health.

High Intensity Training Without A Gym

I’ve been barbell lifting like usual lately. And I’ve also been going to a gym for weekly conditioning workouts. It’s not a Crossfit gym, but they do some Crossfit style sessions a couple of times per week. Meaning they’re focused on high intensity intervals or chipper style workouts, etc., with varied movements. It’s a nice compliment to my lifting, but life happens and I’m not always able to make the scheduled workouts. So at times I’ve started looking for ways to get high intensity training without a gym. That way I don’t miss a week and set myself back.

I’ll plan to share new conditioning workouts as I come up with new ideas, but one I do once a week as of late is very simple and literally requires no equipment.

A Pair Of Shoes And A Park

I watched a very informative video on proper distance running technique recently, and I wanted to practice this new approach. But I’m not a big jogger unless I’m at the beach. I do like running on grass though and actually enjoy shuttle runs because it feels more like football two-a-days. So I started going to the park and running back and forth across a grass field with a focus on proper technique over speed.

In time my technique got dialed in and I realized I could basically turn the shuttle runs into a type of fartlek. Where I’d run easy in one direction, and much harder coming back. Not a sprint, but about 90-95%. And instead of focusing on stride length, I keep my technique consistent regardless of output and focus on the quickness of my leg turnover to push the pace. Essentially more strides as quickly as possible instead of bigger strides. I’m still covering some ground with each stride when I pushing harder. But it’s not true, all out sprint where I’m reaching with each step. One benefit of this approach is that the quicker, shorter strides don’t make me as sore the next day. But they make me gassed just as easily which is the point here. This is for conditioning.

So I started doing that for fifteen minutes. Back and forth over a distance of about 100 yards. It’s a good chance to get some sunshine and Vitamin D while breaking a sweat on sunny days as well. A nice reason to be at the park. Or anywhere else you can run back and forth unimpeded for that matter.

An Added Wrinkle For Increased Challenge

And then the light bulb went off that I can make this a little more challenging by adding five burpees at the end of each “sprint”. The nice easy jog back to the start is essentially what makes this more of an interval workout. I’m not sitting still during that time, but I’m going very easy during that phase and catching my breath a little bit.

I set a stopwatch for fifteen or twenty minutes depending on how I feel, then I start going back and forth. Most of the time I don’t even bother to count how many cycles I get through. I just go and push myself as hard as I can on a given day.

No Excuse Not To Train

It’s simple, it’s free, and all it takes is a pair of shoes and a patch of grass. And it’s not long, slow cardio. So even though I do this regularly I’ve maintained a body weight of around 210 lbs., and it doesn’t detract from my strength training at all. And since it’s so convenient and inexpensive, there’s no excuse not to train and get in great condition.

Give it a try if you’re looking for quick, effective high intensity conditioning without a gym. It’s fun to have lots of gadgets and gizmos at a gym, but running is as primal, basic, and dare I say functional, as it gets. And sometimes it’s nice to keep it really straight forward.