The Bone Health Blueprint

After I record an episode, I always have a million & one ideas rush through my brain on areas I should have elaborated more or aspects I left out that were important. So as part of that, I have been writing these down and will be using as a what I'm calling "Training thoughts from the day" episodes. I'll use these to try & make sense of the web of thoughts I go through when reading all the literature I report on for this podcast. I'll do my best to keep these short but highly effective in delivering you some applicable info to press forward in your own training. The first of which is showing the relation & importance of volume, velocity and variation and how you can use all three to keep progressing and having fun with movement.

A very special episode with Kristofor Healey, former Special Agent with the Department of Homeland Security and current author, podcast host and entrepreneur. Kristofor is someone I look up to as a man of pure integrity, purpose and tenacity, truly embodying the essence of those descriptors. We discuss how those terms have driven him professionally as a Special Agent & entrepreneur, and personally as an athlete, trainer, father & husband. His daily dedication and application of fitness and the mental structures he has built over many decades provide some key insights for anyone looking to get to the next level of personal development. Tune in and see how integrity, purpose and tenacity can become a vital part of your every day.

Kristofor hosts a podcast "The Indispensable Man Podcast" and recently penned his first book "Indispensable: A tactical plan for the modern man"

Accessing those and more can be found at Kristofor's website: Home - Indispensable Man

What if you kept the resistance, volume, and overall rest time the same, but altered how the rest time is taken, would you expect a different result after 10 weeks of training? I love this topic because it shows a flaw when only using volume (reps x sets x resistance) to track training over time. Volume can be the same on paper, but what will not be presented are critical variables such as time under tension, velocity, and intention to move a resistance quickly. This is the basis of this episode, where fatigue comes into play and slows down repetition speed (thereby increasing time under tension) or providing rest intervals after each rep to maintain high repetition velocity (but reducing time under tension). Do you think each tactic will improve overall strength the same? Will one have enhanced hypertrophy over the other? Better tune in and find out!

Article of reference:
Davies, T.B., et. al. Effect of set-structure on upper-body muscular hypertrophy and performance in recreationally trained males and female. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 36(8)/2176-2185

Bringing back the man, they myth, the legend, Chad Trudo - The Direction of Strength & Conditioning at Aurora University. In this episode, Chad and I break down a recent article on post-activation potentiation. The theory behind this tactic is the use of a traditional exercise followed by a high velocity movement with hopes that the traditional exercise primed the nervous system to perform better during the high velocity movement. Kind of a mouthful there, but the idea has some real prowess in the world of strength and conditioning with tons of data supporting its use. But, before you apply this strategy there are a few things you may need to consider, such as: 1. How heavy of a load should I use during the strength exercise, and for how many reps? 2. What kind of high velocity movement pairs well? 3. How long of a rest interval should I use between the two movements? 4. How can I make sure fatigue doesn't affect my performance? These are just a few questions we attempt to answer using the latest data. Dive in and get all the juicy details.


Guest: Chad Trudo
IG: @coachtrudo

Article:
Tsoukos, A., et. al. Potentiation of bench press throw performance using a heavy load and velocity-based repetition control. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 35(2S)/S72-S79.

Ok, so you're walking into the gym, and it feels like chest day. Should you choose the Barbell or the Dumbbell for bench press? Which one is going to offer the best workout for the pec major, anterior deltoid and triceps? Or are they both the same when it comes to the overall goal of your efforts... to get stronger and grow the size of your muscles. This episode walks through 3 separate research articles to provide an answer to all of your questions. And I bet you'll be surprised by the answer. Tune in and enjoy!

A totally uncut, unscripted discussion with an expert critical thinker of the fitness world, Dr. Peyton Vickers.  There are so many instances where we've been told that squatting is "bad" for your knees, or there is a "perfect posture" or a "perfect technique" for every exercise. But have you ever questioned those bold statements? There are so many myths in the fitness world that it has become difficult to distinguish the truth from the oversimplified lies. Or we fail to realize that there is a lot of grey area when it comes to exercise and each individual person. As Peyton will tell you, ask a question about anything fitness specific to "you" and his answer will begin with, "it depends..." 

My intention for this episode is not to make fun or condescend anyone or anything, but for you to take a deeper look from new perspectives at your body and your fitness routines. I think you'll quicky realize that the grey area is an exciting place to be.

If you'd like to follow or reach out to Peyton, find him on Instagram at:
@dr.pvick.aps
OR
@advancedprogrammingsystems

If you've ever exercised when it's hot outside, you've likely noticed that whatever was easy in cooler temperatures is now quite challenging when it's hot. Why is that? Our body can do some amazing things to adapt to hotter temperatures, but also needs some time to acclimate. Research has shown that 1 - 2 weeks of exercising in the heat allows for your physiology to make some key changes. In this episode we dive into the details of how our bodies cool themselves during exercise, what physiological changes take place due to heat exposure, and how long to expect these changes to take before you can reap the benefits.

Should you be doing the same movements over and over, month by month? Or, should you be sprinkling in some variety along the way? Even better yet, should every workout look different than the last? These are all great questions and many of which have been asked countless times. But are the words variety and progressive overload mutually exclusive? Or is there a deep relationship there that holds some truth? It sounds like you better tune in and find out! I think you'll walk away with a better understanding of how to use variety and consistency harmoniously  in your training program.

You've likely heard (or even experimented) with supplementing with creatine to enhance your exercising capacity. It is well documented that creatine supplementation of anywhere between 5 grams per day to 20 grams per day alongside a resistance training program has been shown to improve muscle size, muscle strength, or a combination of the two. But does the brain use creatine for normal functioning? If you asked me this question 6 months ago, I would respond "I have no idea." After some research and diving into this paper that answer has quickly changed. In this episode we'll dive into a recommended dosage of creatine supplementation, what the purported positive effects are, and how you may consider experimenting with creatine to enhance your cognitive capacity.

If you heard you could improve your maximal strength & explosive strength by a 12-minute workout done 2 times per week for 6 weeks, would you do it? No, this isn't a fake proposal or a punchline to get you to buy a product. It's what can happen if you focus on the kettlebell swing. This episode reviews an article (and one of the few at that) that compares kettlebell swing training to the jump squat exercise to see which enhances your capacity to improve strength and power. I think you may be surprised with the findings! Be sure to tune in to find out how you may consider implementing the swing into your training program.