A quick note for today

I’m heading out to LA-LA Land [Paris Hilton], Hollyweird [Tom Cruise], The City of Angels [Diane Lane…she’s on my wife approved list]…Los Angeles, California, or in the words of the Governator…Kah-LEE-Fo-NEE-Uh. It seems that this trip is becoming a tradition of sorts as this is the second consecutive year I’ll be in LA just before Thanksgiving.

I’ll be consulting [drinking beers] with some of the top minds in the fitness/sports training/rehabilitation field throughout the weekend as I update my Active Release Techniques skills as well as discuss the finer points of strength and conditioning [drink beers] with the likes of Alwyn Cosgrove and hopefully the NSCA Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Robert Dos Remedios [The World’s Largest Vegan].

Whenever I get a chance to spend time with these guys and discuss the finer points of training [drink beers], I always come away with something new and interesting to think about [hangover] or to integrate into my business or training philosophy [Tylenol].

If I can, I’ll update throughout the week.

Later

*You hear plenty of trainers talk about deloading for CNS recovery (by the way, I question whether it’s CNS but more likely peripheral issues that need the recovery) to dissipate fatigue and allow increased performance to be demonstrated. Rarely have I ever heard anyone mention the importance of deloading or performing cycles of lowered intensity with higher volumes to allow connective tissues to adapt. Connective tissues adapt more slowly than the muscular system does, so prior to periods of intense loading consider a cycle of hypertrophy-based training to produce a protective effect in the connective tissues. Do the same after a heavy strength-based cycle. It could mean the difference between a PR and an injury.

*Set a PR, stabilize your abilities at that new level of performance, repeat.

*Once you set an intensity-based PR (you lifted more weight), you need to follow it with a period of reduced intensity and increased volume regardless of your intended training program. For every increase in your ability to produce intensity there is a reduction in work capacity and adaptation reserves. Training at a slightly lower intensity and increased volume increases work capacity at a higher level of intensity than that prior to the PR and will allow greater intensity to eventually be produced. Trying to set another PR without sufficient adaptability will quickly lead to a plateau or regression.

*The longer your periods of intense loading, the longer your period of deloading and the lower the intensity during the deloading phase. Two steps forward, one step back. Four steps forward, two steps back.

Later

Okay, Okay…it’s been a while since I’ve posted on my blog. Life gets in the way, eh?

I was provided incentive to post something new and interesting by my good friend Alwyn Cosgrove (by the way, AC has one of he best blogs on the net at http://alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/).

Actually, he threatened me.

See, I’m about to make my annual trip to the city of Angels, Hollyweird, the left coast, LA-LA land, the home of Lindsey Lohan (she wants me)…you know, Los Angeles, California. Well, Alwyn (did I mention he’s a former international martial arts champ) has indicated (I did say threatened, right?) that upon my arrival I will receive a knee to the face if I don’t post something of interest.

Well, after seeing Rich Franklin take a knee from Anderson Silva at UFC 64 (don’t worry folks Rich was okay once they found his nose under his right eye) and getting inside info that Alwyn is training at a top MMA gym in LA, I decided that posting would be in my best interest.

However, just in case, I am preparing a tactical defense passed down from generation to generation of non-international martial arts champions where we skillfully block the opponents knee with our noses. If that doesn’t work, I’m thinking that perhaps a cheek bone or jaw defense may be equally effective. I’ll keep you posted.

Speaking of my friend Alwyn, unless you’ve lived under a rock in the fitness world, you probably know that he and cancer recently had a battle in a back alley near UCLA. Well, not surprisingly, Alwyn made cancer his bitch and left it crying by a dumpster (probably the result of a knee to the face). As a coincidence, my favorite morning radio show, The Bob and Tom Show (www.bobandtom.com) are holding their annual fund raiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you’ve watched Comedy Central recently Bob and Tom were the hosts to one of the best comedy specials of all time.

Anyway, I was involved in a little fund raiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society myself earlier this year as part of the JP Fitness Summit (www.jpfitness.com) where we raised over $1,000 in just a few hours and wanted to make you all aware that you can listen to the Bob and Tom Show all day tomorrow (11-10-06) and make your own donations. If Bob and Tom aren’t available in your area, you can get them on the net.

If you’re of a crabby disposition and don’t like comedy or morning radio, you can just visit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society website at http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/hm_lls or for those of you who were dropped on their heads as small children and enjoy the pain, agony, blisters, shortness of breath, and general feelings of being near death while competing in endurance sports like marathons and triathalons, you can donate and participate at the Team in Training website at www.teamintraining.org.

Now, I promise that I will post issues of great interest from this day forward (at least a little more regularly) as long as everyone promises to keep the fighting clean.

That means no knees to the face.

Later