Bodytribe

robregan asked: Do you have tips on getting faster? Ive heard the best things as far as improving are actually sprinting and plyos. I'm not a heavy squatter but I'll do whatever it takes. I also do various glute max/med exercises.

I have many tips for getting faster, but I do have to ask… faster at what? And, here’s something I think everyone should ask themselves first… why? Not that it isn’t a bad goal, but if we don’t ask why, the what and the how are useless.

Here are some ideas on increasing speed…

1) start slow. Yup, contrary to the popular maxim that moving slow makes you slow, the mastery and embodiment it takes to learn certain movements slow can easily be speeded up, and in most cases shouldn’t be fast until they are mastered slow. Now this doesn’t work for olympic lifting or sprinting, but it does for just about every thing else.

2) Relax. To move fast you only need to generate the right amount of tension and let momentum do its thing. A punch is slow if there is tension throughout. A sprint is slow if all the muscles are constantly on. Movement mastery is the understanding of what to NOT fire as much as what to fire. Breath, relax and flow.

3) visualization. This is a big one… can’t go into it now, but you can spend your life mastering this, and with good outcome.

Oh… have I not actually mentioned any exercises yet? That’s because they’re superfluous if these things above aren’t understood. But the basics are always the basics because they’re the basics… squats, deadlifts, cleans, presses, etc. They are meant to teach us understanding of foundation strength and postural control, from which we can then  learn to explode. Glute max/med exercises? Yeah, alright, but how about simple GLUTE exercises… doesn’t matter if the max, med, min, or mongo is the focus. Use that posterior chain, and fire dem hips. 

Now answer why and for what and the dialog can continue… 

vivrelarge asked: Hi my name is Eric, I'll be losing 200lbs in the next 2 years, I do not go to a gym but I do have a place for training (a big field and weights) love your approach, I do need to cultivate Self-Awareness, Self-Reliance and Self-Importance as you so eloquently put it. Any advice u can give me will be appreciate Thanks in advance. Vivrelarge

For folks with serious inquiries, please email me. Bodytribe@gmail.com. Keep in mind, big questions require big answers (and non-fitness questions, i.e. aesthetic or vanity-based inquiries, will be ignored). I haven’t that much time, but I’ll try. Also keep in mind, I do this for a living, so as helpful as I try to be, a boy has to keep a roof over his head. One way to help is to donate to my online show Strength Rituals…

http://igg.me/p/173587/x/1754747

 That way I can try to spend more time on here answering questions.

rulesforheroes asked: I was curious... is there available training/ classes for this? (Bodytribe?) And where are y'all located?

http://www.bodytribe.com/

lesbras asked: Since you don't like sit-ups and crunches (who does?), what body-weight core exercises do you suggest?

Now we’re talking about getting stronger, right? Because no exercise in the world reduces fat directly from an area… so if we’re on the same page about fitness and strength, then let’s begin…

Every exercise should have the spine as a major point of interest, and the spinal muscles are made as much, if not more, for stabilizing than moving. So learning the proper spinal awareness for every movement negates having to spend much time focusing directly on what are often called ‘core’ exercises (especially ones lying on the floor). That being said, sometimes spinal (not “core” since for every movement there is a different “core”) specific movements can be useful for achieving greater spinal awareness. Ain’t nothun’ wrong with a good ol’ plank, except it is usually done pretty poorly or people get good at it and never make it harder. Wanna know why gymnasts rarely do crunches? Because learning to hang, climb and swing from things will keep you strengthening your spine. If that seems too advanced, then raising the legs from a hang ain’t bad.

But ya ain’t gonna beat the foundation movements… squats, deadlifts, pullups, presses, planks (if you learn them all correctly) for getting your spine stronger. There are times for supplementation, but start with the basics.

theaztro asked: A follow up question, since you're online and answering them: What can I do to make my pushups more effective? I have to do about 30 before I start to feel anything, and from what I've read that seems to be too many reps for too little result.

Oh, here’s a can of worms. I am a pushup technique freak, and have discovered, from teaching workshops and classes around the country, that most folks are downright sloppy. There is a shoulder and hip awareness that most folks don’t have, but I’m not sure I have to time to get into this today. I’ll be posting a video and possibly an article about them someday soon, and there is an entire section about them in my Strength Rituals DVD (read about it here).

goobsyplz asked: since this blog seems to be very active today, I was wondering if I could have this question answered. I injured my spinae erector on my left side doing OHP. I've been waiting for it to heal for a week, and it IS way better. However, deadlift day is coming up. Would it be counterproductive to deadlift, even with perfect form? Since the injury, I've done all my other main lifts with no problems. Thanks.

Oh, tricky, since we’re again dealing with injury and I haven’t worked with you before. That’s a generalization, talking about the erectors. Far from an exact diagnosis, nor could you probably make one without special equipment or a serious hands-on session with a pro. So the safe, professional me will give the safe, professional answer of “it wouldn’t be safe or professional for me to give an answer.”

(meanwhile, the secret, inside me is saying try it lightly and see how it goes) 

rainamermaid asked: I am wondering if you have any good books/website recommendations for fitness despite chronic illness/disability/injury? I personally have a few health issues that cause a lot of issues in my fitness life. I am always looking for new ideas to do things, resources, and suggestions. I'd rather ask a person who might know than pick a random book or site :)

Hmmm… tough call. Since recommending movement programs without knowing anything about a body with existing trauma seems potentially dangerous, I’m going to suggest finding someone you can meet with one-on-one. I don’t know where you are, but my network spans far. Perhaps I can recommend someone to you in your area…?

milimetrico asked: Today I finally read some of your entries here. And yes it is true, sadly tumblr seems to be missing out on real, live, fitness, strength blogs. Most of them are nothing but pictures with pretty girls, food, and wishes. Nothing about plans, workouts, etc. That's my mission. Feeding people with knowledge, motivation, etc. But now, let's get to the point, I've tried to build my own Sandbag, but it didn't workout very well, it seems to be some space left, and sand bags in it are always floating.

Honestly… homemade sandbags rarely work for any length of time, unless they’re fairly light. Anything beyond 40-50 pounds will have issues. there are many ways to try to make them work… I haven’t seen too many succeed. Consider purchasing one. I recommend Alpha Strong, as they can take a beating better than any other, but there are others out there too (although the Alpha Strong are the best).