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Athletes don't look like Athletes by mistake. They train and eat like Athletes.

4/9/2012

6 Comments

 
First off, let us look at what generally constitutes an athlete's
physique:

  1. Lean

  2. Great muscular tone

  3. Nice glutes ("butt" for those who fell asleep in anatomy)

  4. Nice Legs

  5. Strong, defined arms

  6. Strong, attractive core/midsection

  7. They are flat-out generally attractive, wouldn't you agree?

Now, I would be flat out blown away if there was a single person who reads
this post that does not want every single one of those attributes above.
However, there is one huge mistake going on, it is only the athletes that are
training like athletes. What I see happening in every single gym I attend is
masses of people training like they are preparing themselves for the Boston
Marathon. Miserably trudging along on a treadmill, stairmaster, and the like.
Common sense is not so common people, because it looks as though many of you are
training for the emaciated marathon runner look! For comparison, let us look at
what the general long distance runner physique looks like:

  1. Malnourished or chubby even!

  2. Skinny, yet have a high % of body fat

  3. Chubby (yes, this is not a typo, you will often see a chubby runner who logs
    tons of miles)

  4. Injured

  5. Frail

  6. Inflexible

Again, I would be flat out floored if these were the attributes you were
looking for in your physique! Being that this blog is so new I do not want to
turn away readers, but if you are the person who knowingly trains strictly
aerobically with the strong belief that it is what is best for you, chances are
you will not like most of my material. To not get too far off track, let us look
at why athletes look the way they look. Athletes are explosive, strong, and
flexible because of the demands imposed on their bodies. They jump, sprint, hop,
bound, push, pull, rotate, kick, and throw, which are actions that require much
force, strength, and coordination. For those of you saying, "I cannot walk and
chew gum at the same time," the good news is you do not have to be good at those
actions, you just have to be good enough at them to not hurt yourself. Chances
are that you can become quite athletic by tapping into some genetic athletic
potential that you never knew existed! Without ranting further, here is what you
need to do:


  1. Start strength training (females, mark my words "you will not get huge and
    overly muscular, I promise."

  2. Start performing high-intensity-intervals instead of steady-state continuous
    aerobic exercise. (Less time and more fat loss)

  3. Perform total body workouts, with an emphasis on multi-joint movements.

  4. Learn how to train in a functional manner; Let me state this differently,
    "get your butt off the machines!"

  5. Focus on your nutrition! YOU CANT OUT EXERCISE POOR NUTRITION! 
    Ah-hem...Head to 1st Street and do the 24 DC!

  6. Stretch, especially your hip flexors, chest and shoulders for all you desk
    jockeys out there.

  7. Learn to foam roll, this will start out as a literal pain in your ass, but
    it will become your best friend.

  8. Hire a qualified trainer! If you do not know where to start, I will help you
    find the right one for you!

  9. If this sounds like a lot of information, it is! So if you have read this
    far, take the time to ask a few questions in the comment box.

Cheers!


Coach Street

6 Comments
andrew
4/9/2012 12:35:25 pm

Why do you go by Street? Also as a fitness professional, how do you keep customers motivated when they don't see the scale drop? Even when they are doing the right routine as listed above. So you know there burning fat and gaining lean muscle and their clothes fit better? They still complain about the # on th scale? It seems to be a huge issue and many people quit or give up?

Reply
Street link
4/10/2012 01:26:16 am

Andrew, I go by "Street" because my last name is defined as street, the road, or the way in French. To answer your other question, what people say they are doing and what they are "actually" doing are usually two very different things. Losing weight is very complex. If people are overweight, they do in fact need to see the scale drop. Someone who is 50# overweight should be seeing the scale move. Shedding body fat and gaining muscle don't just magically equal each other to lead to no weight loss. On the flip side, someone who is in a healthy weight range can in fact stay the same weight or even gain some weight while drastically improving their body composition. I hope this helps!

Reply
Andrew
4/10/2012 05:00:31 am

That's cool. That definitly helps. Also how do you keep clients motivated? Maybe they are not doing what their suppose to, do you just get firm and call them out? Or is there a better way to motivate them?

Reply
Street link
4/10/2012 10:05:43 am

This is where coaching becomes an "art form." People are motivated in different ways. Sometimes setting realistic expectations is a good place to start. Making sure actions and behaviors match the goal is another good thing to discuss. Positive encouragement always helps, but sometimes you have to be brutally honest with people because that's what they need. Only you can determine which approach works best.

Andrew link
4/10/2012 09:49:44 pm

Awesome thanks! Brandon check out my nutritional blog that I started last year. I have not done much with it since last March, but it's something that I want to improve and incorporate Advocare with it. Maybe you have some ideas for me ect? Thanks for sharing your blog. Looking forward to more posts.

Reply
CFNM link
7/6/2012 05:55:13 am

Great site, was just reading and doing some work when I found this page

Reply



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    Brandon LaRue is passionate about strength, nutrition, and leadership in people's lives. He believes it all starts with one's health and fitness, as this spills over into all avenues of life.

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