Joey’s Gym Class

Ahhh . . . the Deadlift, an exercise you love to hate! I hit a personal record of 365lbs the other day, not bad considering I was maxing at 295lbs for a couple of weeks. Its funny because the move is so much more mental than anything else. In those 3 seconds it takes for you to lift that bar off the floor for a 1 rep max, its your mind that is working the hardest!

I always found the deadlift fascinating. When I first started training, of course I thought it was bad for the lower back and you could hurt yourself, but after doing my homework, it turns out that it is one of the most functional lifts to perform! Certain variations are critical to help prevent lower back pain, and the heavier versions are unparalelled to building total body strength and hitting almost every muscle on the back of your body. It is crucial for posterior chain development, increasing mass, and increasing bone density. Besides all of that, lets not forget that it is also just one sexy lift!

I came across the write-up below on one of the forums, I do not have the name of the author, but I could not have put it better myself! So without further adieu I present to you an Ode to the Deadlift:

Have you ever done deadlifts? I mean, have you gone into the gym thinking like. “ok today is deadlift day!”? No?

I do.

I think that there is no other exercise like it in the world. I fear it, hate it, and love it. I look forward to deadlifts like a child looks for candy. It is a drug and I am hooked. Tonight I go forth to do battle with it.

I feel nervous, like I was before my first real kiss. I will be singularly focused tonight to get a certain weight for 1 rep. This is the key for future deadlift workouts. I feel that this exercise could in fact have its own day if I could find the time. I must hit this weight, there is no question I am ready for it, just a question if my mental state will be strong enough to get it done.

I picture it now as I sit here waiting for the time to go lift to appear. The bar is loaded 4 plates on each side, it is resting on the floor. I see a face from a nightmare on the bar, it appears to be laughing at me, mocking me, taunting me to try to lift it. I walk over, squat down and set my hands. I breath deeply eyes not really in the present, mind tightening down to a narrow laser sharpened beam of utter concentration.

I take another breath, and lift it off the floor. I struggle, feeling the bar scrape my shins bloody. I feel the titanic strain on my arms, grip, shoulder, all over as the bar clears my knees. I stand up and pull the shoulders back, sweat running in a flood down my face, veins bulging on my neck. I lock it out and lower it to the floor.

It is done! The battle is over and I have beaten the demon, it no longer taunts me but rather sulks away to wait till next week. It never really is defeated, just beaten back for a time. I wipe my brow, my whole body is afire with a righteous blaze of accomplishment. Then, I realize that next time…next time is fast approaching for battle. I must stand ready each time to defeat the deadlift.

Great stuff . . . Now go lift something heavy!

Stay strong,

Joey

This has been a Joeys Gym Class Production

One of my athletes asked me the other day what I thought about the “5-hour energy” drinks (insert eye roll here). I am sure that his question was due to the fact that their new ad campaign features a number of different professional athletes promoting the product on TV commercials. A little piece of me dies whenever I see one of these commercials and what it is teaching the viewers!

Anyhow, I proceeded to inform him of the fact that yes the drink will work - BUT, and no one can put this better than Coach Mike Boyle, “You are really just mopping up the puddle instead of fixing the leak”. It’s true, most energy supplements will work, but you must try and find out what is causing the drag in energy in the first place. Start thinking in terms of the CAUSE first, try to fix that before you start to rely on the supplement.

As soon as I tell him this, he looks at me and says “You always think like that, dont you!” - I then proceeded to tell him how “Yes I do, I rock!” and then had him superset Spiderman Pushups and Bulgarian Split Squats for his comment.

So now in 2009 many people create resolutions, and many never follow through. This can possibly be because they are looking at mopping up the puddle instead of fixing the leak. In order to reach success, the decision making process for accomplishing your resolutions have to be made on fixing the leak, in other words the real source of the problem. Most people focus all their energy on just the puddle.

Of course, being a fitness professional, I hear many many New Years resolutioners talk to me about their goals, and 2 months later, most of them always fall off. They do so because they are thinking about the puddle, they come to me talking about how they want to finally lose weight and get in shape. And that this is the year that it will be done - by looking at the puddle, they are usually watching what they eat, and start to exercise more. And that is great - but it is not the leak.

Usually people start out with the best of intentions, but they lack the planning to follow through. Instead of living meal to meal, or workout to workout, start planning and thinking ahead. Make it a point this year to focus on long-term solutions instead of short-term fixes to your goals whatever they may be, and you will find yourself coming that much closer to achieving them.

Stay focused!

Joey