Today I have an excellent guest post for you from David Haas. David works for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance and he has an important message to share. Cancer is a terrible disease that affects all of us in one way or another. These days, many people have battled cancer themselves and at the very least have had a family member, friend, or someone they know diagnosed with it. Cancer has affected me in a strong way, as I’ve had family members and loved ones come down with this disease. The more helpful information we have about cancer out there, the better, so I hope you enjoy David’s post and relay it to others.
A cancer diagnosis can be very traumatic for patients. Whether people have just been diagnosed or are in remission, it is essential that they take care of themselves. Preventing and fighting cancer requires hard work and commitment. One way to take charge is by getting plenty of exercise. Although fitness is not a cure, it can help against the battle with cancer. Fitness will improve a person’s physical and mental health. People should find a way to be physically active both during and after cancer treatments.
Over 10 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, 25 percent of the cases can be attributed to a sedentary lifestyle. As a result, the American Cancer Society is encouraging patients to get plenty of exercise. Not only can physical fitness reduce the risk of cancer, it can also improve treatment outcomes in those who have already been diagnosed with the disease.
Cancer patients must deal with negative side-effects on a regular basis. The treatments often cause a person to feel tired and weak. In addition, it’s not uncommon for treatment methods to affect a person’s mental state. Exercise comes in handy because it helps patients manage the negative side-effects. Fitness can improve a patient’s energy levels and overall quality of life. Studies have shown that regular exercise helps fight cancer related fatigue. Along with that, it also improves a person’s physical functioning, muscle strength, endurance levels and immune system. Exercise even wards off depression.
In the past, doctors used to tell cancer patients to avoid exercise. They didn’t want their patients to push themselves. Thanks to recent studies, these opinions have changed. The majority of doctors are now encouraging their patients to get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. Whether people were just diagnosed, are going through treatments or in remission, it essential that they participate in aerobic exercise. Some possible activities include swimming, cycling or jogging. An active lifestyle is proven to be beneficial.
Although physical activity is good, clinicians should tailor workout plans on an individual basis. Each patient has a different fitness level. Not only that, but a patient’s specific diagnosis should also be taken into account. Certain aspects of the disease can affect a person’s safety level when exercising. For instance, some cancer patients have a weakened immune system. If people are receiving treatment for mesothelioma, they may have a low white blood cell count. In cases like this, the doctor usually advises them to stay out of public gyms.
Many cancer patients suffer from weight loss during their treatments. Fortunately, exercise can help prevent this problem from occurring. Physical activity helps patients maintain a lean body mass. In the long run, patients have increased strength and improved health. Cancer survivors are better at coping and recovering from treatments. Women who exercise after receiving breast cancer treatment tend to live longer than those who do not. These women also face less of a chance of the disease coming back.
Joining the organization in 2011, David Haas is a cancer support group and awareness program advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. In addition to researching the many valuable programs available to our site’s visitors, David often blogs about programs and campaigns underway at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance, as well as creative fitness ideas for those dealing with cancer, while creating relationships with similar organizations.
What’s up with all these singing shows that are on TV these days? I don’t watch a lot of television, but it seems like every time I’ve turned on the TV in the past few months, one of these shows has been on (at the very least, I’ll see a commercial for one of them): American Idol, The Voice, X-Factor, The Sing-Off, and probably others that I don’t even know about. Now, as I’ve confessed on the blog before, I did fall prey to a few episodes of the first season of The Voice last summer. I admit that. In retrospect, I’m not very proud of it, but I will say that I did NOT watch a single episode of Season Two.
With all these singing competitions on the tube now, a slew of questions inevitably entered my mind. Why are so many Americans interested in singing, of all things, and why do we continually have to find America’s next singing sensation? Why can’t we search for America’s latest Chess sensation?
I’ve noticed that the “stars” these shows aim to find always seem to be pop singers, too. Why pop singers? Why couldn’t we look for the best new metal band? Why can’t we find the next Pantera? HA! Trick question; there will NEVER be another Pantera!
Alright, I think I’ve posed enough questions for now. And I do understand that Chess and heavy metal probably don’t appeal to the majority of people.
As I was contemplating all of these questions, I finally realized something. Before I reveal my thoughts, however, let me bring your attention to American Idol for just a second. American Idol, a show meant to find America’s next singing superstar, is currently in its eleventh season on TV. Let me repeat: eleventh season. That’s a lot of seasons, and there aren’t any signs it’s slowing down. From this I can draw one major conclusion: that we, as Americans, are obsessed with finding the latest and greatest thing. This is certainly true when it comes to pop singers, and unfortunately, it’s also true when it comes to fitness.
Too often, I see people seeking out the latest and greatest fitness craze. You know, the type of training that everyone and their cousin are doing right now or the system or piece of equipment that’s being advertised all over TV. The truth is, these things don’t last very long, and rarely pass the test of time. And with the entire buzz that surrounds the “hot” modes of training, sometimes we tend to lose sight of the basics, or “classics,” as I like to call them. One of those “classics” that immediately comes to mind is the lowly barbell.
These days, the barbell is getting a bad rap in certain fitness circles and is being used inappropriately in others. The barbell has been around for a long time and is a tried-and-true piece of equipment. It’s a very simple tool that, when used properly, can help you achieve many of your fitness goals. Want to get stronger and gain muscle? Enter the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Want to lose fat? Enter complexes and the famed 8 x 20:10 (8 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest; widely referred to as “Tabatas” but not quite the same as the strict definition). All you need is a barbell and some weights and you can put together a fantastic training session.
Perhaps one of the best qualities of the barbell is that it’s a simple tool, and simplicity is a notion that I can’t emphasize enough. I know I’ve talked about it before and I’m sure I’ll talk about it again in the future. More times than not, the way to attain your fitness goals is very simple. Dan John talks about many of his strength training programs being “so simple, you won’t even do it.” The same is true here; many of the principles, methods, and exercises that are a key to fitness success are so simple, most people won’t even utilize them.
Don’t follow the fitness fads that may be getting attention in the popular media and don’t stray too far from the path of simplicity. Don’t let simplicity fool you; in fitness and in other areas of life, it is often the most simple, direct approach that works best. Unless you’re a contraindicated lifter, always revert back to the barbell in your strength and conditioning program and the simplicity it exudes. Coincidentally, as my buddy Greg Robins stated in his post yesterday, “Simple isn’t always flashy, but simple works.” So grab a barbell, throw some weight on, and get after it. And don’t watch American Idol.
Hey all! I’m back from my extended hiatus and hoping to get a few posts up in the next couple weeks. Today, check out an article I wrote for Tony Gentilcore over at his site:
Last year when I began working at Dynamic, I quickly realized that my fellow coach, Chris Martin, was a heavy metal connoisseur. Before I met Chris, I was pretty content with my knowledge of metal. If you looked at my music on iTunes, you would have found the likes of Mudvayne, Slipknot, Rage Against the Machine, Metallica, and Sevendust, just to name a few. Now, since Chris has taken me under his wing, I’ve been introduced to metal powerhouses like Flotsam and Jetsam, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Killswitch Engage, and Eye Empire. Perhaps most importantly, Chris has helped me to comprehend the greatness, and truly discover my passion for, Pantera.
Some of you may be scratching your heads and wondering how on earth, as an iron enthusiast, Pantera was not a staple in my iTunes library. Before you go suggesting that I get my testosterone levels checked, I did buy their fifth major studio album, Reinventing the Steel, when it came out, and I was only a mere 3 years old when their first big album was released. So cut me some slack, okay?! And just for ya know (inside joke), I do own all five Pantera albums now, and they hold a permanent spot in my car for continued playing.
As Pantera has been a mainstay during car rides and training sessions for a while, I’ve come to believe that it’s not simply their angry, aggressive, in-your-face sound that’s conducive to training and lifting heavy things. In fact, and maybe to your surprise, you can learn a lot about weightlifting from Pantera just through some of their song titles. Let me take you album by album so you can see what I mean.
Cowboys From Hell (1990) – Track 6 – “Domination”
A large part of the iron game is mental, not physical. When you’re preparing for a heavy deadlift or getting ready for any max attempt, you have to believe that you will dominate the weight. Visualize yourself nailing the lift. As I’ve heard Tony Gentilcore say several times, “Lift with some purpose.” Don’t waste a ton of time setting up and over-thinking it. Too many times do I see people psych themselves out and miss a heavy lift. Missing a lift sucks and it really shouldn’t happen in the gym. So remember, lift with some passion and intensity and DOMINATE the weight!
Vulgar Display of Power (1992) – Track 4 – “F***ing Hostile”
Back when I played Pop Warner Football in the sixth and seventh grade (I was too big in eighth grade), I remember my dad telling me how football was a game of “controlled insanity.” I will never forget that phrase, especially since I’ve come to find out that what happens in the weight room is much the same. When you step on the football field or into the weight room, your mindset needs to immediately change. It’s time to get down to business and focus, not a time to mess around or go through the motions. That’s not to say that you can’t talk to anyone or crack a joke, but understand that things are different in the trenches. It’s the one place where you’re allowed to get HOSTILE.
Socrates was quoted as saying, “No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training…what a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” I feel that it would do the average person a lot of good if they made it a priority to focus on increasing their strength levels. The benefits of getting stronger are too long to list here, but a few that quickly come to mind are an increase in lean muscle, increased bone density, and a lessened risk of injury. It’s important to build a solid foundation of strength and the typical gym go-er should continually strive to get stronger. As a powerlifter, I’m working hard to get stronger as well, but I don’t just want some “strength.” I want strength BEYOND strength. So in other words, keep lifting things up and putting them down.
The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) – Track 2 – “War Nerve”
I commonly think of my training sessions as, “Going to war against the iron,” or, “Fighting the war against gravity.” Similarly to what I said earlier about being hostile, when you step in the weight room and that war nerve is struck, it’s on. But don’t forget some important aspects of war. What would you do before a war to put yourself in the best position to come out victorious? You would prepare for it, right? So prepare yourself for what is going to transpire on the battlefield that is the weight room. Make sure you take time to warm up and do your foam rolling, mobility, movement prep, and corrective exercises. Get enough sleep and take care of your nutrition and hydration. Set yourself up for success when that nerve is struck, and win the WAR against the iron!
Reinventing the Steel (2000) – Track 3 – “Yesterday Don’t Mean Sh*t”
One of my favorite quotes of all-time is from former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz. It goes as follows: “If what you did yesterday seems big, you haven’t done anything today.” Back in December, I competed in my first-ever powerlifting meet. I had specific goals going in, and I ended up achieving two out of three of them. I squatted 402 lbs., benched 281 lbs. (didn’t hit my goal of 300 lbs.), and deadlifted 524 lbs. All in all, I walked away with a smile on my face and was pretty happy. That’s all well and good, but come the next day, it was time to think of what I was going to do to make myself better and get stronger. My meet was in the past and preparations were already underway for my next meet this June. Achieving your goals and setting PRs are great, but the cool thing is that once this happens, you get to set new goals to work towards and you can push yourself even further. It’s important not to lose sight of what you’ve done, but if you continue to focus and dwell on these things, you’re missing out on future opportunities to improve. Ask yourself what you’ve done today, because YESTERDAY DON’T MEAN SH*T!
Hopefully now you realize some of the weightlifting lessons Pantera has taught us through their music. I encourage you to spread their message, and if you do, please spread it LOUDLY.
This past Friday, I posted Part I of my interview with Molly Galbraith. If you haven’t read it, I HIGHLY suggest you take a few minutes and do so by clicking HERE.
In Part I, Molly discussed competing in Figure vs. Powerlifting, and also talked about her struggles with her weight, food obsession, and autoimmune disease. As if that wasn’t awesome enough, Molly is back today to get down to the nitty gritty of her current training and nutrition, and to share her thoughts about women and strength training.
There was an overwhelmingly positive response to Part I, so thank you everyone for reading and thanks again to Molly for a great interview!
Conor Nordengren: Molly, talk a little bit about your diet and your training. Do you have any powerlifting meets coming up?
Molly Galbraith: My current nutrition program, like many others in the fitness industry right now, is a version of intermittent fasting. My business partners and I call it The Modified Warrior Diet. The reason being, one of our other partners took Ori Hofmekler’s nutrition plan in his book ,The Warrior Diet, and modified it for strength and physique athletes. The most basic version of the MWD is a 14-16 hour fast, followed by 4-6 hours of “under-feeding” and then 4-6 hours of “over-feeding/feasting.” I have been following this program for over 2 years now and I love it. Since starting a MWD, I have more energy, I have been able to lean out slightly while eating a pretty crappy diet (hey! Just being honest here! ;-D), my workouts have been great, I am not constantly thinking about food, it’s more convenient than eating every 2-3 hours, and there is a lot more forgiveness if you want to have some cheat food. I will include a sample training day menu:
9 am: wake up, 5 g BCAAs, 24 oz water, 2 krill oil, 1 multi vitamin, 1 probiotic, 2 GI restore
10 am: black tea with 1 TBSP raw, organic heavy cream
2pm: 6 oz. vanilla Greek Yogurt, ½ c. blueberries, 25 raw almonds, 1 multi-vitamin, 2 GI restore
4:30pm: 2 whole eggs, 2 whites, scrambled in 1 TSP pasture butter, ½ apple
5:15 (pre-workout): 5 g Alanine, 1 scoop Geronimo, 1 g Acetyl L-Carnitine
5:30-7: workout
7:15: 5 grams Leucine and protein pancake
Protein Pancake: 1 whole egg, 3 whites, 80 grams unpasteurized and organic cottage cheese, 30 grams gluten-free oats, blended together and cooked in 2 TSP pasture butter
7:45-10: “Over-feeding/feasting:” (usually around 80-100 grams of protein, 40 carbs, 50-70 grams of fat) 2 krill oil, 1 Protandim, 1 Chasteberry Extract, 2 Adapten-All, 2 iron bis-glycinate
Example of over-feeding/feasting: (often have 16 oz fresh vegetable juice while making cooking)
10 oz chicken
5 oz sweet potato
1 cup broccoli
2 TBSP pasture butter
3 oz avocado
1.5 scoops protein powder mixed in 8 oz. whole, unpasteurized milk
11:00: 12 oz decaf green tea, 100 mg CoQ10, 100mg idebenone, 2 krill oil, 5000 IU Vitamin D (if I haven’t gotten any sun that day)
While the MWD is a great plan for leaning out, we have also had clients gain significant amounts of lean mass on this diet. We actually have a manual coming out in the next few months, so keep your eyes peeled. It will include a 70+ page manual with a comprehensive description of the diet, its benefits, how to execute it properly, plus a brief overview of training, supplements and cardio. It will also include Excel templates to help you figure out exactly how much you should be eating at each meal and “hacks” for people who need to modify the diet further to fit their lifestyle.
Regarding my current training, here is a little background: after my meet in 2009, I wanted to keep getting stronger but I noticed that I was plateauing and my strength was even decreasing in some areas. I knew if I wanted to keep getting stronger I would have to focus on my weaknesses, so I decided to go to Indianapolis to see Mike Robertson and Bill Hartman for an assessment. Since I had always focused a lot of time and energy on posterior chain work and upper back work, I figured I might have a couple of issues that needed addressing, but I thought that overall they would be pretty impressed. WRONG! Mike and Bill basically told me that I had no glutes, no hamstrings, no anterior core, no serratus anterior and no low traps. I also had tight hip flexors, poor ankle mobility and anteriorly rotated shoulders and hips. Wow. I was shocked. In my opinion, the only good news was that if I was that messed up and still pretty strong, then I would be ridiculously strong once I was “fixed.” So for the last 2 years Mike has been writing all of my programs for me. For the first 6-9 months I was doing very little heavy lifting and a lot of mobility work, core stability work, glute activation work, etc. Over the last 15-18 months I have been transitioned back to heavy lifting again while still putting a lot of emphasis on form. Since training with Mike I have hit rep PR’s in just about every lift, and I have hit all-time PR’s in front squat, back squat and RDL. I am confident that within the year I will smash my current PR’s in bench and deadlift as well. I considered doing a meet in April, but I haven’t made any decisions yet. But speaking of PR’s…
CN: Based on the way you’ve been killing it in the weight room, there’s no doubt you’ll hit new PR’s in the bench and deadlift this year! But yes, speaking of PR’s, what are your current PR’s in competition and in the gym?
MG: My best lifts in competition are: squat – 237, bench – 148, deadlift – 341. My best lifts in the gym are: squat – 245, bench – 150, deadlift – 315. I also have some rep PR’s that I am pretty proud of and they are as follows:
Front squat: 235 for 1, 170 for 18
Back Squat: 180 for 12
Mid-thigh Rack Pull: 405 for 5
Deadlift: 225 for 15, 155 for 54 (random competition I entered. I don’t normally do 50+ reps on DL ;-D)
RDL: 255 for 5
Good Morning: 160 for 6
Glute Ham Raise: + 45 lbs (holding a plate across my chest) for 10
CN: Those are excellent numbers, Molly! And I have to say, I am always impressed with your form. Okay, I know you and I are on the same page when it comes to women and strength training. Tell us why you think women should throw away their 5 lb. dumbbells and lift some appreciable weight.
MG: Oh wow…where do I begin? I guess I should first point out that I used to be one of those women. Yes, I have actually used the phrase, “But I don’t want to get bulky…I just want to tone.” I just cringe at the thought of it, but it’s true. I also want to point out, badgering women and telling them that what they believe (i.e. lifting more than 5 lbs will make them bulky) is “stupid/idiotic/ignorant” will only make them defensive and they will shut down and not listen to you. So make sure you approach it from a more positive and encouraging point on view. Instead of, “I can’t believe you think lifting weights will make you bulky. That’s so stupid!” Try saying, “I know you are kind of nervous that lifting more than 5 lbs will make you bulky, but you should really check out some of these women who are really strong:
They just have an awesome, athletic look and I think you could be really strong too if you wanted to be! Plus, think how bad-ass you would feel doing chin-ups!” That way you are simply introducing her to the idea, giving her examples that prove her wrong without making her defensive, and encouraging her and helping her believe that she, too, can be strong.
So why am I such a believer in lifting heavy things? Here are just a few reasons:
1) It’s just awesome, plain and simple.
2) It is one of the best and most efficient ways to get lean.
3) It’s an amazing confidence builder, especially for women.
4) It gets better results in less time than just doing cardio or lifting light dumbbells.
5) It teaches discipline, focus, determination, goal-setting, and persistence.
6) It not only gives you a strong body, but it encourages a strong mind as well.
7) It gives you curves in all the right places.
8) It helps build bone tissue and will help keep your bones healthy and strong as you age.
9) It also helps build muscle tissue that will increase your metabolism and keep it from declining as you age, allowing you to continue eating lots of yummy, clean food while staying lean.
10) It helps prevent injury and promotes good posture (when done correctly).
11) It’s makes you a great role model for young girls as it allows you to show them that being active and strong is cool, as opposed to being unhealthy and starving yourself for an unnaturally thin look.
12) It can be a great stress reliever! (Just don’t use it as your sole source of stress management. You can easily burn out that way).
CN: Right on! Unfortunately, the stigma that lifting heavy makes you big and bulky will probably never go away. How do you address this notion with your female clients who are hesitant to deadlift and squat heavier weights?
MG: To be honest, we don’t get much of that with our female clients and I believe it’s because when they start training with us or start taking our classes, they see our other fit, strong female clients fighting with each other over who gets to use the 90 lb KB, and they see how wonderful they look and it eases their concerns. The biggest issue arises when women have tried strength training in the past without addressing their nutrition. In this case, they begin weight training and adding some muscle, but if they don’t change their nutrition, they may not lose any fat. Therefore they are gaining muscle while the amount of fat they have stays the same…of course they are going to get bigger! They are adding something without losing anything else. What they don’t realize is that if they change their nutrition, they will add muscle and lose fat and over time, because muscle is denser than fat, their body will look drastically different, even if the scale doesn’t change that much. We have a client who only lost 8 lbs on the scale but she went from squeezing into a size 8 to comfortably fitting in a size 4 and she lost about 6 inches around her waist.
This is why we hammer nutrition and lifestyle changes with our clients. We explain that we only have them for 2-3 hours a week and that it’s what they do with the rest of their week that really matters! We encourage them to eat whole, unprocessed foods like: grass-fed beef, salmon, bison, whole eggs, broccoli, peppers, sweet potatoes, pasture butter, almonds, avocadoes and some fruit. We also encourage them to get enough sleep, take time to meditate daily if possible, get some sunshine when possible and supplement with vitamin D otherwise, get their digestion in order, and not kill themselves in the gym. We also work on all aspects of fitness including: soft tissue mobilization through foam rolling, mobility and stability in the correct parts of the body through our dynamic warm-up, muscle activation and proper movement patterns through our extended warm-up, strength and hypertrophy gains through our strength training, aerobic and anaerobic capacity through our conditioning, and flexibility and proper breathing during the breathing and stretching portion of our workouts. As you can see, we offer a very comprehensive program that is all about lifestyle change. I have never had a female client who trained with us and also changed their lifestyle who felt that lifting heavy things made them “bulky.” So use examples of current female clients as well as videos of women like me and the other women from Girls Gone Strong to quell their fears and then make sure they change their lifestyle so they get the results they are after. That will make a believer out of any woman!
CN: Wow, that’s some outstanding advice! Finally, and most importantly, when is the Girls Gone Strong crew going to make an appearance in the Boston area?
MG: Hahah! Obviously the most important question of all… . We are trying to plan our traveling schedule for this year as we have been blessed with invitations from many places including gyms, universities, frat houses (haha kidding!). But Boston is one place that is most definitely high on our list! We are all dying to visit places like Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning and Cressey Performance, just to name a few! I would venture to say we will get there sometime in 2012! The real question is…is Boston ready for us?!?
CN: Haha! Trust me, you would all be welcomed with open arms! Thank you so much for your time, Molly. It was an honor to interview you, and before you go, tell my readers where they can find out more about you and Girls Gone Strong.
MG: Thank you for having me! It’s an honor to be your first interview! I have several websites where readers can find out more about me. My personal website will be up and running in a few days:
Today is a big day here on the site, as somehow, someway, I scored an interview with Molly Galbraith. Yes, you read that right, THE Molly Galbraith of Girls Gone Strong fame.
I had the pleasure of meeting Molly last summer at The Midwest Performance Enhancement Seminar in Indianapolis. I definitely was a little star-struck, as I have been a fan of Molly’s from afar for quite some time now. I think I managed to say something other than, “I like turtles,” but I’m not really sure, since it’s possible that I blacked out.
Molly is one of the nicest people in the strength and conditioning industry and also one of the nicest people you will ever meet, PERIOD. She is a top-notch trainer and coach, and possesses a wealth of intelligence and expertise when it comes to training and nutrition.
I love what Molly and Girls Gone Strong are doing for women and our entire industry. They have shown women that it is okay, and in fact, pretty darn awesome, to lift heavy things and still be feminine. Molly and her crew are an inspiration to many people, myself included.
It was extremely gracious of Molly to grant me this interview and I can’t thank her enough. She took a considerable amount of time out of her busy schedule to provide very detailed and thorough answers to my questions. As you will see, Molly has a great deal of passion and enthusiasm for her craft. She has a ton of knowledge to share and there’s no doubt that you will learn something from this interview.
So, without further ado, here is Part I of my interview with Molly Galbraith.
Conor Nordengren: Molly, thank you so much for doing this interview. You are the first person I’ve interviewed for my site! To get things going, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Molly Galbraith: Conor, you are a brave man! I tend to be very long-winded so I will do what I can do to keep my answers succinct!
Long story short, I was a competitive gymnast and cheerleader growing up and I got away with my horrible eating habits for almost 10 years because of my constant activity. My weight fluctuated quite a bit after that and I ended up quite heavy and quite miserable in 2004 at age 19. I got very frustrated with myself at that point. I was working 2 jobs, taking 18 hours in school, had a lot of friends, a great social life and to be honest, I was really kicking butt in every aspect of my life except my health and physique. The reason this frustrated me so much is because the two things you have control of in your life are: what you eat and what you do with your body. You can’t always have control over your boss or your family or your teacher or your friends, but you can absolutely take control of your nutrition and exercise. At that point I decided to get a trainer and start working out and cleaning up my diet. Of course, at the time that meant going from McDonald’s 3 times a day to turkey sandwiches and Gatorade, so it wasn’t ideal but I tried. Over the next year I absolutely fell in love with training and nutrition and started reading everything I could get my hands on as well as spending as much time as possible around people who also felt passionately about those subjects.
Fast forward to 2012 and I am co-owner of Red Point Fitness, an online nutrition and training company, co-owner of J&M Strength and Conditioning, a studio gym where we offer private, semi-private and group personal training classes, and a co-founder of Girls Gone Strong, a movement helping re-define what it means to “train like a girl!” So yeah…I’d say that sums it up!
CN: Awesome! You’ve certainly gone through an amazing transformation, which isn’t easy to do! Speaking of transforming your body, you’ve competed in Figure Competitions as well as in Powerlifting. Which have you enjoyed more and why?
MG: I honestly think I have to say Powerlifting. I enjoyed Figure Competitions while I was preparing for them but I always had a tendency to rebound really hard afterwards regardless of how clean I kept my eating. My body really rebelled after each show (I have done 3) and each time it took months to get back to where I felt like my body was functioning properly again, and to be honest, I still feel like it’s not back to normal from my last show in October of 2008 (but I will address those details in my next answer).
Prepping for her last show in 2008
I also really despise the politics in Figure. While politics do play a role in Powerlifting, they seem to be more prevalent in Figure, simply because of the pure subjectivity of the sport. And it’s pretty devastating to work your butt off (literally) for 16-18 weeks only have someone tell you what parts of your body still don’t look “good enough.” You really put yourself out there and open yourself up for critiques from judges and the frustrating part is, a different judge on a different day would have a different opinion. I found it disheartening and it was definitely a blow to my ego each time. And yes, in Powerlifting you compete against other people, but you are also competing against yourself trying to beat your own PR’s, which is very objective. You set a PR or you don’t. It can be hard to objectively compare how you looked from one Figure show to the next, especially when you get conflicting feedback from the judges, something I found frustrating. I also have always battled a bit of a food obsession and Figure didn’t help that obsession at all. You can read more about my battle with disordered eating here:
Plus, there is nothing better than feeling super strong in the weight room. And as my fellow Girl Gone Strong Nia Shanks constantly preaches, one of the best ways to get the body you really want is to focus on performance goals and getting stronger. Powerlifting FTW!
Deadlifting on Venice Beach…no big deal
CN: Agreed! I’ve read that you’ve been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and Adrenal Dysfunction, which impacted your decision to make the switch from Figure Competitor to Powerlifter. Give us a little background on these conditions and how they affect your life and your training.
MG: You are correct. I was diagnosed with these in early 2009. I had just finished my last Figure Competition and I could tell something was very, very wrong. My weight was skyrocketing despite a very clean diet, I was super fatigued and exhausted all the time, my skin was super dry, I lacked motivation and I was just feeling general symptoms of depression. Not a “sad” depression, but rather an “everything feels like the biggest deal in the whole world and I have no energy for anything” kind of depression. It was awful. I could hardly get out of bed, my training wasn’t going well, and I looked and felt like crap. Finally I decided to go see a Functional Medicine Doctor in my area named Lena Edwards. After running dozens of tests, she determined that I had Hashimoto’s (autoimmune hypothyroidism), PCOS, and Adrenal Dysfunction.
Hashimoto’s basically means that my body is attacking my thyroid and therefore it’s sluggish and not functioning properly. This caused weight gain, fatigue, dry skin, lack of motivation and an overall feeling of exhaustion. PCOS is a female endocrine disorder with has many common symptoms, but I have been quite lucky as the only symptoms I have experienced are weight gain and polycystic ovaries. Other women experience hair loss, excess hair growth on the face and other areas of the body, discoloring of the knees and elbows, acne, mood swings, etc. Finally, I have Adrenal Dysfunction. My Doctor, Lena Edwards, is an adrenal expert and wrote a great book called Adrenalogic. She explains that Adrenal Dysfunction is not simply the adrenals giving out (a common misconception), but rather, it’s a disconnect in the feedback loop between the brain and the adrenals. Two common symptoms of adrenal dysfunction that I experienced were: difficulty getting out of bed in the morning (caused by little to no cortisol in the morning) and lots of energy around bedtime (which is caused by my high cortisol at night). Low blood pressure, low thyroid function and weight gain are also all symptoms of adrenal dysfunction and I experienced all of those as well, although it’s difficult to figure out to which issue I can attribute those symptoms.
As you can imagine, these symptoms were wreaking havoc on my physique, my mood, my workouts and my life. I got so sick of stressing about how I looked that I decided to truly focus on performance goals and train for a powerlifting meet. I realized if I kept focusing so much on my appearance I would end up even more depressed, so I decided to start training for Powerlifting and I did a NASA meet in May of 2009.
For the last 3 years I have been working with my Doctor on a comprehensive plan to get healthy. A couple of things that have helped dramatically include: going 100% gluten free all the time (I don’t even cheat with gluten), sticking to raw, grass-fed dairy most of the time, eating 80-90% organic, taking a high quality probiotic, taking a great supplement called Protandim, getting my vitamin D levels up to an acceptable range through a combination of regular sunlight, supplementation, and a very cool, unique tanning bed that I bought for my home, and trying to get more sleep and more ‘regular’ sleep which is what I struggle with the most. I still don’t feel 100% up to par but it’s a process. Your body is constantly changing and you must change your nutrition, exercise and supplementation to complement those changes and help you reach your goals.
Note: That wraps up Part I of the interview. Check back next week for Part II where Molly talks about her current training and nutrition, as well as women and strength training. You won’t want to miss it!
Recently in the gym, I’ve seen a case of Vladimir Janda’s Lower-Crossed Syndrome (Type A). In today’s blog, I’m going to briefly discuss LCS, tell you what it’s all about, and share with you some thoughts on how to go about correcting it. So, here we go!
Lower-Crossed Syndrome is a specific pattern of lower body muscle tightness and weakness that cross between the dorsal (back) and ventral (front) sides of the body. LCS is characterized by tightness of the thoracolumbar extensors which crosses with tightness of the iliopsoas and rectus femoris (two of the hip flexors). It is also characterized by weakness of the abdominals (particularly the deep abdominal muscles) which crosses with weakness of the gluteus maximus and medius.
Janda classified the thoracolumbar paraspinals, iliopsoas, and rectus femoris as tonic muscles, which are prone to tightness. He classified the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, gluteus maximus, and gluteus medius as phasic muscles, which are prone to weakness. There are also certain postural changes that are consistent with Lower-Crossed Syndrome. Two of the most prevalent ones, which I’ve seen in the case in question, are an anterior pelvic tilt and an increased lumbar lordosis. So where do we go from here, you might ask? Well, below are just some thoughts off the top of my head on where to begin when addressing Lower-Crossed Syndrome.
1. Tissue Quality!
I included the exclamation point because I can’t stress this enough. We need to get some length out of the hip flexors and thoracolumbar extensors. This starts with some dedicated SMR (self-myofascial release), or foam rolling. Of course, be sure to concentrate on the rectus femoris and the thoracolumbar region, but do not neglect other areas of the body. For example, while foam rolling your legs, get the TFL/IT band, adductors, glutes, hamstrings, and calves/peroneals. While foam rolling your back, spend some time on the upper, middle, and lower traps as well as the lats. Hit the posterior rotator cuff and pectorals while you’re at it. Our body is essentially a linked chain, so when an issue arises in one part of the chain, it is important not to forget about the surrounding areas, as that is where the true source of the problem may be.
Feel free to make a tennis or lacrosse ball your friend, too. These are great for digging into certain parts of the body. A personal favorite of mine is to use a lacrosse ball on the rectus femoris. While rolling out this muscle, pause when you feel a trigger point, and flex your knee with the ball applying direct pressure to the spot. This hurts like hell, but it works like a charm in breaking up nasty adhesions.
To further promote length in the hip flexors, include plenty of hip flexor mobilizations in your dynamic warm-up. Wall hip flexor mobilizations, as seen below, are an excellent choice, and I’d also recommend lunging variations.
A couple of my favorites are reverse lunges with posterolateral reach and walking spiderman lunges, but your basic forward lunges will suffice as well.
Also, even though there may be some debate questioning its overall effectiveness, I still believe in static stretching. Take the time after a training session to stretch your hip flexors. My favorite stretch is shown below by my co-worker Josh. With this stretch, make sure your chest is up tall and your spine is in neutral. Squeeze your hamstrings and glute hard, and hang out here for 30 seconds to a minute on each leg before repeating. To enhance the stretch, rotate towards your forward leg. To enhance it even further, rotate and reach posterolaterally (back and to the side). Always focus on rotating through your chest.
Lastly, find a good manual therapist, preferably one who practices ART (Active Release Technique) or Graston. It’s a step above SMR and will benefit you even more. I’ve been seeing an ART practitioner every week for a couple of months now and it has certainly made a difference in how I feel and move, which has positively affected my training in the gym.
2. Anterior Core Progressions
The anterior core needs plenty of attention and strengthening. The true function of the core is to stabilize the spine, so we will train the anterior core with stability in mind. A good place to start is with low-level strengthening exercises, such as front planks against a wall. I like the front plank against the wall because it allows the individual to find neutral spine without a huge challenge to the core. However, you may find that these are actually harder than they look! Stick with holds of 8-10 seconds for the appropriate number of repetitions. To add difficulty, perform one-arm holds or “march” your arms by retracting and protracting the scapula. Once the plank against the wall has been mastered, progress to a plank with arms on a table, and then to a plank from the floor.
From there, consider advancing to stability ball rollouts and TRX fallouts.
3. Glute Activation and Hip Hinging/Hip Thrust Progressions
In addition to the anterior core, the glutes need to be woken up and strengthened. One of the primary roles of the gluteus maximus is hip extension and a great place to start is with the tall-kneeling hip thrust. I like the tall-kneeling hip thrust because it makes it easier for the trainee to separate hip extension from lumbar extension. Let the individual master the tall-kneeling hip thrust and really feel the glutes working before moving on to supine hip thrust variations. Below, Mike Reinold shows the tall-kneeling hip thrust utilizing a dowel rod and tubing. I would start with just bodyweight and then progress to this version.
Notice the position of Mike’s feet in the video: they are together, with his feet about shoulder width apart. This is a very advantageous position for people with LCS, as it “slackens” the hip flexors and allows for more hip extension and a better glute squeeze at the top of the movement. Progress to bilateral and unilateral supine hip thrust variations after proper technique and glute firing has been achieved in the tall-kneeling hip thrust.
To hit more of the glute medius, toss in some hip abduction movements, such as mini-band walks and x-band walks.
4. Proper Coaching and Cuing
Those demonstrating LCS will need a healthy amount of coaching and cuing. Coaches must make sure that these clients are using correct technique at all times, especially during exercises aimed at activating and strengthening the anterior core and glutes. LCS clients are highly susceptible to compensating during these movements, so be certain that the exercises they are performing are consistent with their current level of ability. With their permission, be hands-on and ensure that they’re activating the targeted muscles.
Assist your client in finding neutral pelvis and neutral spine, especially during core exercises. A great cue I learned from Mike Reinold is, “Neutral, brace, breathe.” Find neutral pelvis/spine, brace the core musculature, and breathe. Remember, those with LCS have been stuck in this posture for a considerable amount of time; it is going to take tons of coaching, cuing, poking, and prodding to reverse it, which leads me to my final point…
5. Commitment
Coaches and clients should understand that, like most training and rehabilitation, correcting LCS requires time and effort. As a client, it is going to demand some changes in your training and possibly your lifestyle. For instance, are you a runner who constantly hangs out in anterior pelvic tilt? It may be worth your while to consider limiting your miles for a while during your off-season and focusing on correcting your LCS. Know that you will be starting your corrective regimen with repetitions of very basic exercises. You must master these exercises before your coach or therapist will consider giving you slightly more advanced movements. Foam rolling, manual therapy, stretching, and mobility will also be a regular part of your routine. If you buy into these modalities and your prescribed program, then you will ultimately reap the benefits of improved muscle balance and posture.
By no means is this an exhaustive list, but hopefully you’ve learned something about LCS and how to go about treating and addressing it.
Although physical activity is good, clinicians should tailor workout plans on an individual basis. Each patient has a different fitness level. Not only that, but a patient’s specific diagnosis should also be taken into account. Certain aspects of the disease can affect a person’s safety level when exercising. For instance, some cancer patients have a weakened immune system. If people are receiving treatment for mesothelioma, they may have a low white blood cell count. In cases like this, the doctor usually advises them to stay out of public gyms.
. We are trying to plan our traveling schedule for this year as we have been blessed with invitations from many places including gyms, universities, frat houses (haha kidding!). But Boston is one place that is most definitely high on our list! We are all dying to visit places like Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning and Cressey Performance, just to name a few! I would venture to say we will get there sometime in 2012! The real question is…is Boston ready for us?!?
