Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Personal Training versus Coaching

If you want to get strong (and you should, since strength makes everything easier), you need to know what you are doing. As a coach, it is my job to teach you how to lift, and how to program the lifts. However, it is not my job to follow you around the gym holding a clipboard and making sure that you workout, or chatting with you about the weather, or changing the weights for you. I don't want to sign you up for months of sessions. I want to teach you, so you can succeed on your own.

Buy the book, read it, attempt the lifts, and hire me to make sure you are doing them right. Then continue to do them right on your own.

Of course, if you really want to sign up for months of sessions, and help me put my kids through college, I'd be happy to do it. . . .

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Why Strength?

Strength is the fundamental physical adaptation. Without it, all tasks of life are more difficult. Have you ever noticed people struggling to get out of a chair, people for whom walking is a burden, those who need to use the motorized carts in the stores? In large part most of their problems are caused by a lack of strength! It's a vicious cycle--we spend our lives sitting, and we weaken as we age. We weaken, and activity becomes difficult, so we sit more, which makes us weaker. We slide into old age obese and unable to move! Can this be stopped?

Yes! Strength is not easy to get, but it is simple to get. Lift heavy things, and then, after a few days, lift heavier things. Your body will respond. Everyone who is alive is able to increase strength. Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training teaches five basic lifts: the squat, press, deadlift, bench press, and power clean, and tells you how to do them to increase your strength. I can provide coaching in person. Contact me, and we'll work out the details.