How many of you out there are tired of the same old press routine?
I know that as a coach, I find myself becoming bored with all the usual training methods. So, I always take it upon myself to mix it up as often as possible for my athletes as well as myself. I can't stand doing the same, lame shit all the time. That's why I love the Conjugate System that Westside Barbell utilizes to build the strongest mothas on the planet! The same goes for Zach Even-Esh's, Underground Strength training style - that shit is intense, but is varied enough that athletes see huge gains quickly.
My point here is that if you are using a routine, you are not tapping into your true, ultimate strength.
Here is one way to throw your body a major curve ball and elicit a potent response...
WHAT: THE METHOD seminar is designed to expose not only CrossFit Central athletes, but all serious athletes in the ATX area to the type of training methods used at Red Black Gym in our specialty programs to take athletes to the next level of performance and strength.
This is a hands-on training seminar in which individuals will learn how to perform and utilize the dumbell quick lifts(db clean & jerk and db snatch), the tire flip, kettlebell work, strongman training tools, chains and various forms of accommodating resistance, and the versatile sandbag.
Respect The Sandbag
To put it simply:
THIS IS GOING TO BE BADASS!!!
YOU NEED TO BE THERE!!!
WHEN:Saturday, December 17th at Red Black Gym from 10am-1pm
Let me just say that the videos below are in no way meant to upset or offend anyone. I posting them in order to display to you all that there are many forms of strength, all of which should be respected. So, that being said, I could really give a shit less if any of this offends you.
I did a bit of editing to my blog today. Just some minor tweaks, but one section I really worked on was my "About Me" tab. In doing so, I realized that in order for you guys to really trust me and follow my advice, you need to know who I am and what I'm about. So, this is my effort in sharing that with you all.
Travis Holley My mission is to add value to the lives of others and impact the world with my knowledge and passion for living powerfully through strength.
I grew up in the wonderful and exciting town of Evanston, Wyoming(look it up). It was a great town to grow up in, but with not a whole lot to do, I spent most of my time outside causing trouble in the neighborhood or playing sports. This is where I developed my passion for fitness and an active lifestyle.
My main sport in high school was soccer, but I also wrestled, played hockey and football. As a high schooler, I was already certain of what I wanted to do for a profession, so I enrolled in Western Wyoming Community College where I was able to start on the road to becoming a personal trainer and coach. My time here was extremely valuable, and taught me the basics of being a top-level trainer. I became certified as an ACE personal trainer at the age of 18 and started training college students and professors.
I loved it and was hooked!
I finished my college career at the University of Northern Colorado with a BS in Exercise Science. While wrapping up my final semester and internship, I was introduced to CrossFit through my mentor, Dennis Marshall. My first WOD was “Cindy”….I was wrecked!!!
I was also addicted!!!
I soon started the first CrossFit program at the gym of my internship and was able to build it to a successful program that 40 people took part in. I soon moved to another gym where I started another CrossFit program from the ground up. This time, we(my staff) developed it to the point that it was the primary source of income for the globo-gym it was housed in!
As a avid CrossFitter, who had drank all the Kool-Aid, I followed CrossFit Central’s website closely. This turned out to be extremely valuable when the CC staff posted that they were looking for CrossFit Coaches. I applied, as suggested by my girlfriend, Crystal, and here we are!!!! It was the best move I could have ever made for myself and my career!
This is where I'm privileged to work
Today, I am a certified Level 2 CrossFit Trainer, certified Underground Strength Coach, certified CrossFit Powerlifting Coach, and CrossFit Mobility certified.
I am responsible for coaching approximately 75 CC clients, training numerous PT clients, creating and running the Strictly Strength program, programming for and running the Strictly Strength classes, co-training the University of Texas Men's Rugby Team, and training Austin’s elite-level firefighters.
I love what I do! I am a GIVER!
My mission is to add value to the lives of others and impact the world with my knowledge and passion for living powerfully through strength.
I am willing to bet that most of you out there have not heard of the Lightened Method, right? Understandable. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to "lighten" something when you're trying to get sillystrong. But, today, at the Red Black Gym, we hit a crazy-ass SWOD centered around exploring the Lightened Method for the first time---It did not disappoint!
So, what is the Lightened Method? Well, to put it simply, it is a form of training that allows athletes to actually lift more than what they are capable of otherwise. This already sounds pretty badass, right? Well, before you get too excited and run to your nearest gym, let me dive in a bit more.
I'll show you a video of us knocking out some deadlifts using this technique so that you get the idea of how to set this up. The first time you set this up it may be a little tricky to get it just right, but once you have a system, it's all good.
Here's are SWOD...
Looks pretty badass, right? It also appears to be pretty straight forward if you don't have the "WHY?" that drives it, so let's talk about that right now.
You see, your body is freaking awesome in the way that it works....AND... if you train smart enough, you can use it's amazing ability to adapt to get sillystrong.
The Lightened Method is one way that we can trick our bodies into building lean mass and increasing strength. As far as your body is concerned, it only remembers certain segments of any lifting effort; the top or finishing position. It remembers the external load it experienced as well as the speed at which it moved to get to the end range of motion. So, as you are probably figuring out, by adding the bands that assist the lifter the most in the bottom and the least at the top, the athlete is able to move heavier loads than their 1RM. Doing so allows the body to only remember holding X weight in the finish position. This training phenomenon, when supplemented properly with the Lightened Method, stresses the body and CNS - forcing it to adapt to the new, heavy weight that it just experienced.
Badass, right?!!!
Now, I understand that a lot of you probably don't have access to gym that accomadate this training method, but it is important that you know it's out there. There are also other, more accessable was to get the same end result that I will share with you later, but until then....
Alright. Alright. Get your mind out of the gutter, people!
We are not going to be discussing that type of grind, but rather the grind you find yourself in when you're pulling a huge deadlift. Not quite as enticing, but stay with me here.
I promise it's worth it.
My good friend and training partner, Michael Winchester sent a link to me today to a article on T-Nation that is worth a read! Check it out HERE.
As I read it, it got me thinking...
"Do people even know what it is to fight through a deadlift repitition?"
I found it scary and a little sad to think that there are those of you out there that have never actually fought for every inch of something so seemingly meaningless as a deadlift.
I hope that you all have had the experience of a 10 second deadlift. For those that haven't yet, these "grinding" reps are the longest, toughest, and most humbling experiences you can imagine. I remember the most epic pull I've ever had - at the time, it was a PR lift of 385lbs. I got myself jacked up and went right for it. I started the pull, the bar slowly broke from the floor, and where most deadlift become easier as the momentum builds, on this occassion, it did NOT. It seemed as though the bar was slowing down with every inch. Although the speed was painfully slow, I was not going to give up! What felt like 30 minutes passed and I was now at the top of my knees with a long-ass way still to go! I hit several sticking points along my thighs that resulted in what I like to call, the "jack-hammer effect". This, as you can imagine, is when your body begins to quiver and bounce around uncontrollably under the shear load and stress of the movement. Pretty hilarious stuff when you see someone start convulsing like they've just stuck there finger in an electrical socket. But, again, I was not going to be stopped. I finally reached the top of the lift, where I quickly dropped the bar to the floor so that I would be able to catch myself if I were to pass out. I saw my own personal light show with all of the stars I was seeing when it was all said and done.
Almost
Now, you may be asking yourself,
"Why would anyone want to keep lifting at that point?"
"Why does this crazy bastard want ME to have this experience? It sounds horrible!"
Let me be straight with you...It is absolutely horrible! It really is. But, it is also one of the most rewarding and most symbolic experiences you can have. You see, you just fought through hell to lift a silly-ass bar off the floor. That has to be one of the dumbest things to fight for, right?
NO!!!
It would have been so easy to just say,
"This is too heavy!"
"I can't do this!"
"Today's a bad day."
"I'll try it tomorrow."
BULLSHIT!
If you don't fight for yourself and your strength, you will never fight, and you will never have the strength required to live an OUTSTANDING life.
So next time that bar doesn't break off the floor as easy as you had hoped -
