The link for the video below shows highlights of my instructing fellow “Primal Movers” on the art of natural movement patterns, reverse engineering your drills, all in beautiful, sunny Ventura, CA, this past April, at the inaugural Primalcon, an event organized by Mark Sission from Mark’s Daily Apple. Check out his site for great tips on healthy eating, picking the right supplements and a general sharing of philosophy on being healthy humans 
August 8, 2010
Primalcon Video
July 7, 2010
Understand digestion
I am submitting as a blog an article I had sent out a couple of years ago in a newsletter about the digestive system.
It’s a great tool, which a client of mine recently labeled that I use “nutrition as a weapon” in my arsenal of knowledge. Before even me telling you HOW to eat, it is important to understand HOW the digestive system works, because when a client comes to me and asks me for a lazy, easy way out, I explain that I do not call the shots and do not have God-like powers to change the human chemistry and physiology. I can only change your physique by working with how we’re “engineered”, but I cannot change the engineering. You can NEVER cheat your way thin, as some crazy diets may have you believe…
First, a little comparison between meat-eating animals and grass-chewers is necessary before getting down to Humans
CARNIVORE VS HERBIVORE
Carnivore: strong stomach acid, small stomach, short large intestine (colon) and fast transit time (i.e. quick excretion).
Herbivore: salivary carbohydrate enzymes (chewing/ruminating, like cows vs. no chewing like lions), weak stomach acid, large stomach, long large intestine where the food is held and broken down, using bacteria to break down indigestible fiber, slow transit time.
Check out the diffs between meat-eaters and grass chewers
HUMAN SYSTEM
The human system is closer to that of a primate, who have a slightly longer large intestine and shorter small intestine. But both share attributes of both systems:
-Salivary enzymes (to start digesting carbs) herbivore trait.
-Strong stomach acid (to digest meat), carnivore trait.
-Short large intestine carnivore trait.
-Fast transit time carnivore trait.
-Use bacteria to breakdown indigestible fiber in the large intestine (herbivore trait).
In our modern environment, STRESS can affect your digestion in the following ways:
-Reduction of saliva production, thus, less breakdown of carbs in your mouth.
-Reduction of stomach acid production, leading to heartburn/GERD (thus you don’t have too much acid, but rather NOT ENOUGH to break food down).
-Reduction of protective mucus in your small intestine, leading to ulcers.
-Reduction of protective mucus promotes alkaline bowel, leading to an inflamed colon, (irritable bowel syndrome, colitis).
Now you know. Next post: WHAT TO EAT AND WHEN.
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June 15, 2010
Missing in Action
Hello, my fellow Actionauts.
I may have been missing at Action (Fitness, the facility) but not so much in action.
Fatherhood has been trying, rewarding and exhausting. I didn’t become apparent until I became a parent (notice the clever choice of words here?) and I had to be clever about NOT putting my foot in my mouth and actually practice what I preach when I used to talk about time management to super-busy clients who would skip their fitness priorities.
So, I am able to squeeze intelligent, total-body training sessions in short amounts of time. I may have lost a few pounds in the process of lack of sleep, but knowing the importance of balancing physical activity, sleep (for hormonal balance), nutrition and environmental factors, I was able to lessen the effects of the demands of parenthood (mostly the sleep deprivation).
In terms of time management, I not only carry a full load of clients, take classes to upgrade my knowledge but also make sure to dedicate a certain amount of time for training. My goals may have been more for maintenance, but also these days, I am learning about modalities to not only pack on mass, shed pounds with less effort and breaking personal records at every workout. The fitness protocols I have learned in Wildfitness and RKC are yielding phenomenal results amongst my clients. Clients move up to a few thousand pounds more per workout effortlessly.
Those looking to shed fat, shed it, looking to pack mass pack it on, those looking to move without pain now move without pain! Simple solutions through smart work requiring dedication!
I’ll be posting some testimonials soon of new clients and their rapid progress! If you haven’t gotten on the Philippe Train yet, come aboard! (Another clever pun)
April 18, 2010
Diary of a fit Dad
Or the latest installment in the Fletcher Chronicles
Being a new parent is like the Matrix: you cannot be told, you have to experience it to get it. Just like getting through Hell Week as a Navy SEAL, or the RKC weekend workshop, you can never underestimate how mentally unprepared you may be, even if you are physically conditioned.
Of course, all concepts related to schedule become null and void. Interestingly, some folks perceive my wife and I as big schedulers, but they fail to realize that we are quite accommodating, both working in service oriented industries. Adjusting to a new, not very flexible customer is nothing new.
WORKING IN SHIFTS
Being tired doesn’t quite cover the feeling of what it takes to be feeding, pumping breast milk (so we can take turns feeding him), cleaning him and repeating the process every couple of hours. I have the easy part, because I don’t have life force producing boobies, therefore am not privy to the industrial strength vacuum action happening at the nipple, nor the enjoyment or “machine on human” breast action caused by the pump (or robot porn).
Ever see the Seinfeld episode where Newman says “the mail never stops”? It’s like that.
So, when you say you’re tired but are not a parent, suck it up and shut up, because rest is around the corner. For us, it’s not an option. I’ll take a 12-hour all day powerlifting workshop, though the thrill and satisfaction are a bit different…
So, catnaps, splitting feeding times so one parent can meander through the day only half-dazed is the way to go. My wife usually lets me sleep through the rest of the night so long as I try to do the last feeding or two.
HORMONES
It’s all about hormones, yes, just like training. Stress management, insulin release, HGH. Fletcher had to be bottle fed before he was breast fed because of being born premature. So, to all the La Leche women who live by the breast only and frown at the bottle, it’s not easy to retrain a little kid born with a handicap and no choice. Yes, we’re proponents of the Bradley drug-free baby delivery, want to breast feed because it’s the best, cheapest method available and yes we know it’s optimal for all aspects of the baby’s development. But life has a way of throwing sticks in your spokes. I want my baby fed, I want him growing and resting and I want the same for my wife and I, so sometimes, rather than fight a kid at 2 in the AM who is not getting what he needs from the breast because he is too tired, he gets the bottle with mother’s milk in it. (It’s easier for a baby to drink from the bottle than it is to feed from the breast, in case you didn’t know, and you lose certain benefits. But until I see proof that breast-fed only babies who have grown up are all rocket scientists, super athletes and can fix our health care and are immune to all diseases, I’ll follow the 80%-20% rule of “be good 80% of the time, and the remaining 20%, try to cope so you can go back to doing the best you can”.
If your sleep patterns are off, your stress levels are out of whack. Your fitness suffers, your ability to burn fat is hindered, you produce more cortisol and your mental capacity drops. For a trainer like myself, it’s a hard reality and a tough thing to squeeze in a workout, train clients and teach a very active class at the end of the day (I am wiped out usually when the time comes). Yet somehow, we manage. The rush of endorphins from being a new dad and watching my kid for whom I’d give my life releases the endorphins that make me push through my day. I am an army of one while my wife, the Mothership, the Queen Bee ensures the rascal is alive and provided for with the best food nature produced. And on the occasion we have to compensate with formula, we are not losing sleep over it. As a matter of fact, we gain some as Fletcher tends to sleep longer then. Yes, formula also helps alleviate the hormonal yo-yo that occurs as a result of breast feeding. Small victory for formula, one battle in the breast feeding war, but still one to account.
TRAINING
My workouts are not nearly as long as they used to be. I hardly ever push to failure because it’s pointless and sets me back a day or two. But I train hard, moving high volume and weight without restriction of time other than those imposed upon myself. Usually, that is. Now, the necessity to come home after a shift and help my wife, grocery shop, do laundry, take care of bills or try to run a business with many aspects still in development takes precedence over higher performance. Maintenance and intelligence become the guidelines, biofeedback the protocol by which I decide on any given day what I will do for training. Density is my goal (meaning moving the load in as little time as possible). I’d take the normal RKC snatch test and bump the weight from 24 to 28kg. Or, I’d push for a new Deadlift personal record in under 10 total reps, warm-up included. I’ll swing a 40kg bell 100 times, thus moving 8800lb in 3 minutes or less, doing my heart, my lungs and my muscles a favor. Bottom line: I lost a few pounds, but my body is still chiseled, lean and strong.
I don’t spend time worrying about my reps, the weight I push or how I compare to another. I still have all the skills I had before I was a dad, maybe even added a few more, and I still deliver amazing results to my clients (I just helped someone lose close to 5lb of fat and gain almost 20lb of muscle in 33 days. Wanna know how? TRAIN WITH ME!!). Maybe because I’ve removed the worries, I’ve removed the stress from my performance and how I measure up and therefore make up for the negative effects of the lack of sleep. Any setbacks can be regained and if you’re not strong in times of hardship, your strength is only a weakness.
It does take a village, and Noëlle and I are very grateful for the help we received from friends who brought us meals the past 2 weeks since we took Fletcher home. He is now 3 weeks old and all 3 of us managed to still be alive
Funny thing happened with food, by the way: I’ve indulged in foods that normally only grace the shelves or pantry inside my head and haven’t paid the price for it. I don’t intend to find out how far I can push my luck, so rest assured my hearty steak tartare, raw broccoli and almonds are back on my plate! And did you know that Guinness is a great product to help produce more breast milk?
April 5, 2010
Baby training is indeed spot on!
If I’ve put you through the series of moves babies perform when they start to grow, you’ll be happy to know it ain’t a lie!
Everything I ever teach and put people through comes with a stamp of approval and first-hand experience. Like a true ninja, I take what’s best and most effective and tailor it to fitness. The series of moves I learned from Matt Walker, a coach for Wildfitness, then later on expanded to suit a more personalized style, is being proven to me by my week-old son Fletcher. A preemie he is, but that just means he’s in a rush to go places (like home after a week for Easter).
I tried some kangaroo care with him yesterday (skin on skin bonding and hormonal development benefits), not thinking he might be hungry an hour after his previous feeding. The kid was so hungry he was going to crawl and claw his way to some food (almost my own nipple. That would have been funny, though).
On a slightly more serious note, his strength amazed me. He moved his neck and chest up from me, pushed so hard with his arms I felt his sharp little nails dig into me. He even pushed himself almost away from me with his curled up little legs, till he spread out in Spiderman fashion and looked around.
It’s true that we don’t know how strong we can be, and we tend to inhibit that strength over time.
In a few months, around or before Summer, I’ll be setting up a workshop with another gentleman who is truly in touch with his body and knows how to use biofeedback to accomplish virtually limitless feats of strength, constantly breaking personal records. His name is Adam Glass. Check out his blog HERE and see for yourself how you can regain your full strength potential, no matter your goal or present ability.
And next time someone calls you a baby, it means you’re strong, pure, flexible and a tad uncoordinated. Like being called a dog, it’s not bad (loyal, friendly, loving and protecting), though I suspect no one will ever call you a baby after Adam Glass’ workshop!
March 28, 2010
Welcome to the world!
So, my wife Noëlle and I have been blessed by bragging about the easiest pregnancy. No morning sickness, kid right on track, smooth sailing. We even joked about it Friday night, March 26, at 34 1/2 weeks, before going to bed, with Noëlle’s mother Phyllis and sister Melissa in town for her baby shower (which was Saturday, March 27). I was a small kid, born a little early, so not too big and easy to shoot out. Noëlle was a 9lb cannonball. We even just had the crib, the car seat and some other basics that arrived. Therefore everything we needed for the baby.
Saturday March 27, 5:30AM, Noëlle is having contractions. We were thinking Braxton-Hicks, practice contractions and baby massage. Stuff we covered in our birthing class that she couldn’t attend today because of her baby shower today. I thought it might be the real deal, since this was off-color considering the rest of the pregnancy.
After the shower, the nurse’s line at Kaiser suggested we go get her checked out, to reassure her. Well, things took an unexpected turn…
3cm dilated. No water breakage, but labor. Yikes. That qualifies as a preemie. We wanted natural childbirth, but the doctor suggested we take a drug called tributylene (sp?) to stop the labor for hopefully 2 weeks and brings us to 36-37 weeks. At 34 1/2, they don’t stop labor, but it allows for the baby to not have a bunch of IV’s and tubes stuck in him by coming early. 2 shots of the drug later, the kid wants nothing to do with it and he’s coming out.
So, we went from wanting to keep him in longer to wanting him out quicker! Might as well, right?
I’ll spare you the actual labor details, but will share a couple: the doctor had to break the bag of waters, which splashed so strongly it knocked the mid-wife backwards! But before that, as I was coaching Noëlle through her contractions and she was doing pretty good, the pain became very strong to the point of wanting drugs.
We were offered two choices: epidural or some IV name I forgot. One takes the edge off, is an IV but can leave the kid a bit comatose. I wasn’t gonna have any of that. The epidural, well, she was way fidgety for it. But, the doc checked her dilation before deciding. She was at 5cm when the stronger contraction started, went from 4cm to 5cm in an hour. Then she went from 5cm to 9cm in 30 minutes, right as they were deciding which drug to take (I wanted the one with the least risks for the kid, but was going to respect my wife’s pain and decision, while reminding her of the long term).
Needless to say, at 9cm, the kid is almost out. So, about 15-20 minutes later (felt pretty short), our baby came out. We didn’t get a chance to do the one-hour skin-on-skin contact, as every minute counts for a preemie, so I cut the cord right away too. But at least she did it drug-free!
Our son is in the NICU right now, doing OK considering. He needs some help to breathe, grunting a little bit, and will be connected to a tube that allows him to breathe room air (no respirator), until they need to discharge him. He’s a fighter. He was fighting to get out, feeling whatever was causing the womb to not be safe anymore was not a good place to hang anymore. He’s been kicking throughout the pregnancy too
Everything was going well, but that means nothing. You can’t expect the perfect plan. Never happens in my life, that’s for sure! But seeing the little guy squirm made me feel better, even if he’s a little early. 18.5 inches (47cm), 5.08lb, (2.5kg).
Please join us in welcoming Fletcher Marek Til (Marek after my Dad).
March 17, 2010
Not another diet book
This is not another diet book. It’s more of a lifestyle presentation, through a colorful every day joe, Ken Korg and his alter ego, the primal hunter gatherer Grok.
Mark Sisson breaks down myths and easily presents how our bodies function and how we should eat, what some things that are perceived good for you aren’t etc. Pretty close to my philosophy. The best part of the book, he presents the plan through a very relatable story in one chapter that I am sure will hit very close to home to some of you.
He also summarizes every chapter with a “Cliff’s notes” version at the end for those of you who want the nitty gritty.
Mark is also 56 years old and has a body that most 25 year-olds would envy.
Get the book today on Amazon by clicking the banner below.
March 5, 2010
My VOW to You!
That’s Video Of the Week, yes, but also a promise I am making to you all. So it’s more that a V.O.W., it’s a vow, a call to action!
Please just watch this short video
Here is a testimonial from a client, Sabrina Lee, about her recent progress… Sabrina is working her way to 100 snatches with a 16kg/35lb kettlebell, started training almost exclusively with kettlebells in July 2009, and went from a recent baseline of 44 snatches in 5 minutes to 93 snatches in about a month or so. Sabrina is also a petite woman who is on track with her goals and has a healthy body image. Here she is, in her own words:
Thank you for helping me all these years. What am I talking about? You are still helping me. You have become much more than a trainer; you have become a coach as well.
Here are my thoughts on my kettlebell training so far. I have never anticipated a single instrument like a kettlebell can offer so much. I have recently gained 10 pounds of muscle, and yes, I look slightly bigger but not bulky. I look much more solid, but I feel more flexible. This feeling is coming from inside. I feel I can move every which way. I have to thank the windmill for that. Kettelbell training is very efficient. I was used to working with different machines for different body parts. Kettlebell changed all that. I just need one instrument and I can have a total body workout. I am currently working with a 16kg and my goal is to do 100 reps. I thought doing with a 12kg would be enough of a milestone for me…but no… I am going for the 16kg and the thought of moving 3500 pounds in five minutes has never entered my mind when I was only doing leg press, bench press, and squats. I look forward to the day when I can attend the RKC certification.
Oh, I am wondering whether my metabolism is up. I feel the food I eat is burnt or absorbed right away as soon I put into my system.
And here’s one from Steve Bott, another client who’s been with me a while and took a recent hiatus, but attended 2 all-day kettlebell workshops and had a recent refresher with me and looked really solid, proving that the knowledge instilled was fully “absorbed” by his body!
In the past 3 year that Philippe has been my coach, I have seen my
fitness level rise beyond my expectations. Philippe incorporates the
Wild Fitness approach, RKC (Russian Kettlebell) techniques, and
Martial Arts into his coaching, and his knowledge in these areas (and
ability to teach them well) has strengthened my body, increased my
flexibility, and enhanced my coordination. In Philippe’s all-day
workshops, I’ve had the opportunity to refine many of the skills I’ve
learned from him, and I was surprised at how well my body responded; I
was able to sustain a difficult workout over an extended period of
time! I can trust Philippe not only to provide a challenging (and
often enlightening) workout, but also an overall experience that
constantly evolves as his knowledge grows.
February 25, 2010
What “Chain” Gyms Don’t Want You To Know (Part 1).
CONTROVERSY WARNING: I will name corporate gym chains and their practices. I will disclose things trainers should know when applying, as well as help people looking for trainer recognize when they’re getting a deal, ultimately helping both sides reach the best decision regarding what’s most important: training.
This article is not weeks, but at this point, years in writing and is based mostly on my own experience in the trenches, as well as feedback from colleagues, clients and members. Because of recent research of mine for a business plan, I decided that the best way to research my competition was to go work for the competition (and in one case, just investigate as a member). Part 1 today, we’ll talk about the veil that’s being pulled over your eyes. I had to break it up because of the amount of information, even though I can fill a library with what I know now!
The Tiffany Box Wrap:
This is a PR concept that centers around branding and social proof. If you take a lump of coal and place it in a Tiffany brand box and wrap it, your perception of the lump of coal elevates it to something of high value. And because it’s Tiffany’s, someone will buy it, which will beget another purchase, and another and so forth, regardless of the quality. That’s social proof: if someone else is doing it, it must be good.
Apply that concept to an expensive gym chain, say, Equinox. While there may be a few good trainers there, your perception of the quality of training you may receive is elevated because they can pump serious dollars into their branding, the amenities of their gym and the very high price of training, something an independent trainer cannot compete with. You’re mostly paying for overhead, while the trainer gets 30% at best. Back in the day, that’s why I chose to train at Bally’s, arguably a less fancy facility, but with better payout per session, meaning the gap between what the client paid and what I was getting was narrower (at the time, since they now have adopted the same policy as their competitors, making it even more difficult to build a business). For a place like Sports Club L.A., you will get a price that is “fair” compared to Equinox, as their facility is very dated, with nasty carpet, but the payout to the trainer is not any better than Equinox. What Equinox and Sports Club offers though is a more affluent clientèle, which means more likely to afford training. And the powers that be know that, so they punk you! So, that $220 session you pay for only gets the veteran trainer (over 3 years) around $50, if the trainer works a full time gig, which is extremely difficult to pull off, considering client cancellations and available hours in the day when people actually DO train. Starting payout is about $23 per hour, the gym makes the difference. Yikes! An average trainer is lucky to get in 15-20 hours a week in this economy, in a corporate gym. Too many other trainers around to fight with. So the hourly incentive is very hard to reach! I just looked at a payroll at Bodies In Motion, and unless those trainers go home to the 1950′s, there is no way they can sustain a living with $169-$224 every 2 weeks. Means they have to get “creative”…
Independent Trainers and Boutique Studios:
Let’s switch tracks a bit and go to your independent trainer or boutique studio. Depending on the location, your boutique-sized training studio will offer a smaller, more personal feel. If it has a few trainers teaching there, they are either staff (and get paid very little to baby-sit a boot camp or circuit class, merely keeping you accountable rather than offering real training advice) or independent trainers who pay rent. Those are the trainers you want to go with (more in part 2). The indie trainer or studio doesn’t have the luxury of pumping cash into branding. Their job is to generate leads and get clients. The cost of getting a client these days is very high, especially with this economy. It takes free sessions (corporate gyms at least pay the trainer around $8/hr for the free session, for new trainers only), mailers, social media tools, health fairs, flyers and more just to get a potential client through the door, then they need to purchase a training package. While the potential for income is greater for the trainer without the cost being hijacked for the buyer, the quality of training usually surpasses that of a corporate gym trainer (the few that do well in corporate chains either have no room for new clients, or simply take their clients away from the gym because their income is peanuts. The client and the trainer both know that and if management was tuned in, they’d pay their trainers better and thus wouldn’t lose revenue from those clients).
How Can I Say Indie Trainers Are Better?
The reason I say training with an independent trainer is usually better (I’ll name chain gyms with good trainers too, though) is because THEY NEED YOU TO SEE RESULTS to stay in business. Keeping a client is easier than getting a new client. They have much more at stake than in a corporate gym environment where member traffic is high, with a potential supply of fresh clients should some of them cancel. Knowledge and skill levels are much higher too. Take me for instance: I spend THOUSANDS yearly on education alone and am not recouping that cost. It only serves as a way to differentiate me from the next guy. I’m the car with all the bells and whistles for the price of a entry level luxury sedan (hey, no one ever said PT is for everyone!) vs. the same car without the options. Few corporate gyms offer the support and growth potential of an independent gym, Gold’s Gym being one of them, recognizing a trainer’s skill level and thoroughly checking their trainers out before hiring them.
While other gyms allege to provide you with the tools to grow, they really want you to follow a cookie-cutter approach to training, whether you are a client or trainer. This “in-the-box” thinking has the quality trainer leave, frustrated by their high qualifications not being put to use. How fun is it for trainers knowing their skills don’t transfer? They start at the bottom, and there will always be someone happy to take their spot, be they good or not. Regardless of your fitness level, background or health issues, they put everyone in the same boat. The client has to go through it, the trainer has to put you through it. The trainer may have greater knowledge, but is not allowed to showcase that knowledge if it doesn’t match the corporate structure. Where do you find that? Equinox and Sports Club L.A.
I don’t know about you, but that kinda takes the “personal” out of personal training, wouldn’t you agree?
In Part 2: What And How Trainers Get Paid I will show you how trainers are duped by management by setting difficult to reach goals, only to be blamed later when management doesn’t offer them the possibility to grow. Learn, as a trainer, which gyms do what and where is the best place to apply for a job as a staff trainer. This affects the buyers too, because it all boils down to money, and if your trainer isn’t making money, they ain’t happy. If they are satisfied, I would seriously question their abilities, because a truly knowledgeable trainer pulling from their vast education, knowledge and experience will not give it away for nothing. How much do you think you’re going to get out of someone making under $20/hr? You need to know what the trainer gets, not what you pay, to truly assess the quality of your training.
Also: Which gyms have trainers without certifications, or advertising trainers with certain skills but are lying about it!
Part 3: Negotiate The Rate will show you how to get the best bang for your buck. Trainers, build value! Buyers: be informed! Plus a list of local gyms I recommend (besides mine of course) based on your budget, where you live and what you want out of your fitness.
Make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed, bookmark this page or visit often, as this is information few are willing to disclose! I might even get in serious trouble for it!
February 21, 2010
Define “Functional”
Following along the thought process and training approach of some very respectable colleagues of mine, I wanted to share some of their knowledge with mine, as well as experience and facts.
What is “functional”?
That’s a loaded question. Literally, it means something relating to the way something functions or operates. It’s been a “buzz word” thrown around in the fitness industry because it creates an emotional trigger in your brain making you believe whoever is using the word knows what they are talking about (whether there is an actual functional application to the movement or not). Case in point: how is a side bend holding dumbbells overhead functional in ANYTHING you do in your daily activities? How is doing biceps curls standing on a BOSU ball strengthening your core better than a plank? (“Core”, by the way, is the best friend of the word “functional”. Almost a guarantee for a successful sale of training. Almost, because people are getting smarter, I hope).
People will argue that standing on a BOSU creates imbalances and forces you to work harder at staying upright. Fair enough, it does create a challenge. But how’s that improving your curls? You dissipate your effort and focus staying upright and therefore curl a lighter weight. Go heavy, you WILL go home on a stretcher. Besides, what’s “functional” about curls anyway? Developing the biceps that way only isolates it and when do you EVER curl anything heavy in real life (you don’t, even when you think you do. Email me if you want to argue this)? Work on developing a stronger back with pull-ups or deadlifts, even rows. Your biceps will work throughout these exercises AND you strengthen your core too without trying (try deadlifting a heavy weight with weak abs and back, or without recruiting those muscles. Doesn’t happen!).
How do trainers fool you?
Trainers will conjure up an exercise that will make you “feel” muscles burning through a complicated drill combining (lack of) balance while managing a weight that is “offline”, or deviated from your center of mass. That alleged controlled instability is designed to challenge your proprioception and will be sold to you as “functional”. Again, challenge the drill by trying to apply it to something you do. And here’s the funky thing: if you can’t find a use for the move, you might get a bogus answer like “we need to shock your muscles by doing something unusual, having them do something they don’t normally do so that when you’re caught off-guard, your body will better adapt to the situation”. Again, even I said such things and believed them (in my early days of training).
Here’s an easy way to debunk the funk in “funk-tional”: let’s apply the concept to self-defense tactics. You learn to punch, kick, stab, deflect or break. You never know what an assailant can do to you, yet you practice the drills over and over till they become part of your muscle memory so that in the event of an attack, your reflexes take over and you just react. Under duress, we revert to what we know. If you’ve never practiced any self-defense tactics, your chances are slim under attack. If you do stupid-ass moves in the gym that “burn” but make zero sense in practical applications, your muscles, however shocked, will NOT respond to the challenge appropriately, because they are “confused”.
Muscle Confusion:
Here’s another idiotic concept. “Let’s confuse your muscles to make them respond”. What happens to YOU when you are confused? Do you give smart answers? Do you drive safely? Do you operate quickly or stall/hesitate? The same goes for your muscles. Confusing your muscles yields NO results. You want them to grow strong or big? Lift heavy, or a lot, consistently. The WOD concept (Workout Of the Day) whereby you lift differently so you can adapt to various situations is only still around because the statistics regarding injuries haven’t caught up yet. Those who are successfully gaining results do not factor in the fact that:
A) They are already fit and disciplined.
B) They are consistent in their changes, and actually vary their load, intensity and specificity.
Yes, there are benefits to practicing random acts of training. But that refers to skill development, biofeedback, specialized variety (doing the same drill a variety of ways: light, heavy, bilaterally, unilaterally…), rest/recovery and most importantly fun! What’s the point if you don’t have some fun? (See my previous article)
Implied Knowledge:
When you go see a doctor, lawyer, trainer or any trade person in an arena you are not familiar with, there is an implication that the person you are getting the information from is knowledgeable in their professional field. This goes for trainers receiving education for a certification. Some apply it, some don’t and just want to get it over with to just go work at a club and be allowed to called themselves “certified”. Among those that apply it, few question the source because they implicitly trust their teacher. I used to be one of those people. I even taught things I didn’t quite buy because I learned them from a trusted source, even if it didn’t work. I would do everything by the book, and still, the results would be marginal or the pain remain present (I’m not referring to a client’s lack of accountability, which is a different topic). I’ve acquired a lot of education over the years and am confident to pass on effective knowledge, discarding the wrong, using the right. Basically, I transferred my Ninjutsu training philosophy of “answering before questioned, applying every form of martial art known at that time in History”.
The more I learn, the more I discard, the more I simplify. I don’t complicate things and falsely label something as functional unless it truly is functional. I’m not saying your trainer might be fooling you on purpose, just that they might themselves have fallen prey to misdirected concepts in the attempt to justify the cost of their education. It’s almost like going to see a movie and trying to like it to justify the cost, even if it’s a dud. And for those that train with me or share my knowledge, rest assured that I do not pass on bogus information to you. As a matter of fact, as a coach, I filter through the pile of coals to find the diamond, which I then cut for you, saving you time, money and injuries in the long run. I train in a variety of systems. The good systems uprade, fix bugs and become more efficient. If your coach/trainer doesn’t do that, you’re not making progress either.
