Synergy Strength Systems

Life Lessons From the Prowler

2011-07-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

Life Lessons from the ‘Prowler’
By Charles GardnerPublished: April 26, 2011
Posted in: Training
Tags: Charles Gardner, lessons in life, prowler, training

How many of you out there have used the Prowler? If you have, you know firsthand that using one is a life changing experience. To quote Dave Tate, “it’s the fastest way to hate your life.”

Well, I’ve included below what I think the word Prowler really means.

P = persistence, the quality that allows someone to continue doing something even though it is difficult or opposed by others.

R = resist, to remain strong against the force or effect of something.
O = overcome, to successfully deal with or gain control of something.

W = will, a strong desire to do something.

L = long suffering, to be patient during difficult times.

E = encouragement, something that makes someone more determined, hopeful, or confident.

R = respect, to regard someone as being worthy of admiration because of good qualities.

The above definitions are a small acronym I came up with for what the Prowler really is. It isn’t only a tool to get you in the best condition you could ever be in. It’s also a tool that conditions and strengthens the mind. I own one myself (plus I make my clients use it) and I can tell you that it really does become a mental battle, especially after a tough training session.

I hope you enjoyed my breakdown of the Prowler. Here are some videos for your enjoyment:

tire flip!

2010-06-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

circuit ending

2010-06-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

strongman(women) circuit cont'd

2010-06-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

power circuit part2

2010-06-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

Strongman (Women) circuit

2010-06-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hey every body I'm back!! I know I haven't been on in a while, I have been working on my youtubepage and my new facility! So here are some of the videos i have that are also on my youtube page check them out!

More on the Deadlift

2010-06-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

More on The Deadlift: Preparation and Technique  

The deadlift is the king of all the lifts out there. Now some might say the squat is, but I would have to say that the deadlift trumps it simply from the difficulty it provides, both mentally and physically. Let's look at the deadlift a little closer and see how it should be prepared for and done.

The posterior chain is the main target of this lift. The posterior chain includes, but is not limited to the hamstrings, glutes, and calves, lower and upper back, and plantar fascia. Yes, the plantar fascia. Although, these muscles appear at first glance to be inactive, they are not. The plantar fascia plays a significant role in lower leg stability, much like the bicep stabilizes the arm during a bench press(more on that later). Since the deadlift starts at the feet, the first muscles that fire along the kinetic chain are the plantar fascia of the feet. If this muscle is tight or damaged in any way it will travel up the entire leg, ultimately, affecting the hip drive needed to complete the lift, not to mention the ankle, knee, and hip issues that can occur.

So, what are some solutions to this problem? Before deadlifting, use a tennis ball, and roll the plantar fascia of the foot. For those new to myofascial release, the plantar fascia is located in the arch of the foot. Also, make sure to roll the surrounding muscle tissues that may feel tight as well. Some of these include the calves, hamstrings, and glutes (but you do that already don't you, hint, hint). The next part that I feel is also very essential is hip drive. When teaching the deadlift, it is key to teach the client or athlete how to arch the back, elevate the chest (thoracic extension for you anatomy guys) and push the hips down toward the ground and explode into hip extension. This takes time to do simply because most people do not know how to use their hips to provide motion. They will instead try to use the low back.

The best way to teach hip extension is by going through a proper hip and low back warm up. Some of the exercises I like to use with my clients are hip bridges from the floor with no load (beginner) for 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps to loaded hip extensions using a 45lb Olympic bar (intermediate/advanced) for 2-3 sets of 12 reps, then doing some reverse hyperextensions off a Swiss ball for 2-3 sets of 15 reps or 45 degree hyperextensions for the same set and rep scheme. I have used this warm-up with great success with my clients and have kept their low backs healthy and strong with this warm-up. One thing to remember with your warm-up - it’s just that a warm up. It shouldn’t take you any longer than 10 minutes to do.

With all that being said, the only thing left for you to do is to put these things into practice and get to deadlifting and watch the numbers go up.
 
Charles Gardner, B.S, CPT, ISSA SPN, Licensed Precision Nutrition Coach

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/directory
http://synergyhealthandfitness.blogspot.com/

The Barbell Complex: Its Uses and Benefits

2010-06-07T16:35:00.000-07:00

The Barbell Complex: Its Uses and Benefits
As the title suggests what will be discussed in this article is the barbell complex this article will attempt to shed light on a what the purpose of this exercise is and one of its hidden benefits when it comes to training the new lifter or seasoned athlete. The first thing that needs to be done is to define what a complex is, a complex by definition is a series of movements done with a barbell or dumbbells to completion before resting. With this definition out of the way let’s look at some of the movements that are usually performed when doing a complex. The shoulder press, bent-over row, Romanian deadlift, deadlift, and squat. Before we get to the hidden jem of the complex let’s look at what the complex is known for. It is known for its fat-burning prowess and metabolic conditioning genius (not to mention its ability to make you want to throw up that Denver omelet you just made from your precision nutrition book), however the hidden jem within this movement is its ability to train the new lifter in all the basic lifts and teach proper form and technique. How does this occur one might ask well to keep t simple it happen due to the repetitive nature of the complex. The neuromuscular system learns how to get the trainee or athlete’s body into the proper positions through repetition. The complex forces the lifter to repeat these over and over again so when they actually start doing those movements outside of the complex they can ‘naturally’ get into those positions with very little instruction. Now I know this may sound heretical to all you purist out there who still teach these movements separately citing that “that’s how I learned” or “the separate approach worked for me,” well it’s time to modernize and try this out and watch your stress levels drop when training new clients and even seasoned athletes who may have forgotten some of these basics (yeah it does happen with all the certified bosu ball trainers out there now). The complex is a beast of an exercise with many benefits the new one being teaching new lifters how to do it.

Training Journal part 3

2010-06-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Training journal part 2

2010-06-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

Workout Journal

2010-06-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Rose

2010-05-23T15:57:00.001-07:00

She's the powerhouse doin the circuit in the vid!!!

PowerCircuit Training

2010-05-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

Watch the fun!!!

Stressors as Motivators

2010-05-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hey guys I hope your weekend is going well, mine is going awesome so far, I got a great training session in today and I have a few more to go. Anyway, enough about that I have a motivational tip for you to take you through this week. As the title suggests its all about stress. Now I know most of including myself suffer from stress, stress from work, life, family commitments, and many other things. I also know that if you workout you may be missing the best way to make your workouts more productive. "What are you talking about?" you may be asking well I'm not talking about the latest energy supplement, or diet fad, what I am talking about is simply using all the frustration that you accumulate over the day and focusing it into your training. Use the anger to your advantage and watch your lifts go up and your results be that much better. Now am I saying purposely stress your self out, NO!! What I am saying is that when you have high stress day(s) train harder and faster you will feel better not only because you got rid of those negative emotions but also because you just might have had one of your best training session ever! So the next time your stressed out instead of letting it bum you out, use it as rocket fuel to blast through your next training with focused rage!

Passion Trumps Everything,
Charles Gardner B.S., CPT, SPN

new youtube page

2010-05-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hey guys I have a new YouTube page up here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/SynergyStrength1 and running check out some of the clips and the training pics it starts out black and then goes right into it. Check it out! Let me know what you think and by all means subscribe. Have a great weekend.

Strength and Honor,
Charles Gardner B.S, CPT, SPN

Conditioning part 2

2010-05-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

One of the ladies gettin it on the battling ropes!!!

Conditioning Day 1

2010-05-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hey guys check out this video of one off mmy guys gettin it on the sledgehammer! We also did some prowler and battling ropes to, but to finish off he did some tire flips at the end, just for kicks (ran out of time so we only got the sledghammer part)

Big Changes

2010-05-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hey guys I hope your weekend is going well I have a couple of announcements to make:

1. The company is changing its name, for the last 7 years you guys have know it as "Synergy Health and Fitness" well times have changed and we have too, the new name now "Synergy Strength Systems." Same service Stronger Attitude!!

2. Another change that will will be taking place is our location we are currently in the process of moving operations to Oakwood University, I will be personally overseeing the upgrading of the weight area to the high standards that I have and that you as customers have come to expect from me.

3. Training schedule changes: Due to the new location that we will be moving too I just wanted to let you guys know that I will be able to increase you're training days as well (if you want) it will also allow you guys to have access to my nutrition class (in development).

4. Official summer hours of operations: 5:30 am-6:30pm Mon-Thursday, Friday 5:30 am to 11:30 am and Sunday: By Appointment Only, unless nutrition class is scheduled

If you guys have any questions let me know I can be reached @ hulk801@yahoo.com

Sincerely,
Charles Gardner
Strength and Honor

Power Pancakes

2010-05-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hey guys here's an awesome recipie for panckaes thats quite tasty, let me know what you think:

12 oz of quaker oats

3 egg whites 1 whole egg

2 scoops of Metabolic Drive protien

2 handfuls of chopped walnuts

3 teaspoons of flax meal

6-8oz of water

Mix in a blender and let sit for about 5 min.

Set stove to med heat spray skillet with pam

Pour the mix to desired size pancake flip pancake when it bubbles in the middle.

Serve with fruit, honey, or sugar free syrup.

Enjoy guys!

F.B.T

2010-05-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody I hope every ones Mother's day was awesome and you got to spend some time with your mom. I know I haven't posted in a while and that's because I have been busy working on some really big things for my business(you will find out more as it progress'). Anyway what I want to talk about today is something that you may not be aware of but that is key for optimal training and can have a direct effect on your training sessions. It's a term I coined to describe a little known training technique that I feel will help all lifters do better, and its called Full Body Tightness or F.B.T for short. I have been training people for almost 10 years and had always wondered why not only the average gym goer but also my clients were having trouble with not only the heavy loads but also the light ones too, and after years of observing this I finally figured out that it was a lack of teaching the technique of FBT.
At this point you are probably wondering what FBT is well its really very simple it is the prep-stage before the actual lift or lifting occurs it is the process by which one creates muscular tension throughout the entire body in order to perform the exercise,in other words tense up. Now I know most of you have been taught to work the body in segments by reading such wonderful material as Muscle and Fitness, Shape, Oxygen, Muscular Development and so forth. However the body doesn't work in segments it works as a unit. What this means is that when you are performing something as simple as a standing bicep curl there are other countless actions within the body taking place, such as the internal and external oblique and abdominal muscles are working to keep you up-right and your legs are working to 'ground you' so to speak. Now here's where it gets cool and where full body tightness comes into play, when you start the curl your whole body should be tight to give the biceps the support they need inorder to curl the weight quickly and explosively, now I know that most of you have been taught to move the weight slowly so that you can 'feel' the muscle working, well I'm here to tell you the exact opposite, the weight should come up quickly the nuero-muscular system needs to be trained to move fast while form should be maintained throughout.
This is another benefit of FBT style training it actually teaches you how to become more explosive on a lift and durring a lift and maintain form simply becuase its very hard to deadlift, bench, squat or even do a push-up with your whole body relaxed. Give this a try this week on all your big lifts as well as on you assistance movents and give me your feedback on what happened.

Prowler Aftermath

2010-05-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

The aftermath of the prowler she actually ran 5 of them I'm proud of her she's got heart.

1st time on the prowler

2010-05-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

My cousin beginning her summer at my place, gettin on the prowler!!!

Intensity

2010-05-04T05:29:00.000-07:00

Hey guys I hope all of you are doing well this week and that your workouts are going great. Well if you are feeling down I'm gonna try to motivate you a little bit. How intensely do you train? No seriously how intense are you? Do you talk more than you lift? Are you checking your cell phone while lifting? If you are I have news for you you are not training you are 'working out'. Yes I said it, there is a difference if you are working out you usually don't sweat, your muscle don't feel like they are being ripped off, and your thoughts are not a jumbled mess cause you don't have any blood in your brain. Most people would describe this as insane or say things like "you don't have to work that hard to get in shape." Well I have news for you those people are wrong dead wrong, in order to make progress and the key word here is progress you have to make things harder at least in the gym you do, cause life does that for you automatically. When you train verses work out you have set goals that you work towards much like you do with your life, job, marriage, or whatever it is. Now if you take the "you don't have to work that hard" approach to those things you end up fired or divorced. Taking that same approach with training leads to injury or no results, which one do you want? I will take the intense approach.

Strength and Honor,
Charles Gardner, B.S., CPT, ISSA SPN

If you have anything to add to this feel free to leave comments in the comments section.

Shoulder help

2010-05-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

Oh My Aching Shoulders
Gender: Female
Age: 40
Goals: Fat loss/Strength gain/ to play on her company softball team
Medical Issues: Micro trauma to the left rotator cuff
Jane Doe is 40 years old and would like to play on her company softball team; however she has few issues that need to be taken care of first. The first issue that needs to be addressed is getting the weight loss issues handle. The above client hasn’t given a specific amount of weight that she would like to lose so let’s presume that she would like to lose about 25lbs and that needs to be done in 10 weeks, now considering that the above clients nutrition knowledge is like that of the average American (which is very low just for the record) the simple approach of consistent eating i.e. 3 meals a day for the first month would be ideal. Once that is accomplished then we would introduce the idea of more meals in smaller portions sizes. Because as the research has shown frequent smaller meals lead to a greater reduction in body fat and a greater accrual of lean mass. This step is key in not only achieving success with the weight loss but also for teaching the client how to eat sensibly and in moderation for a lifetime not just while they are training.
The next phase that would need to be followed is movement screening and conditioning assessment. Considering that we already know that the shoulder is injured then the ROM on the left shoulder is already going to be lessened depending in the type of movements involved and there will in most cases be some discomfort when doing certain movements. The idea is to come up with a program that allows the individual to train while minimizing pain, the use of pressing movements should diminish but not disappear altogether and the use of pulling movements should increase i.e. , some sort of rowing movement a good example would be the seated row. The conditioning assessment can take many different forms the simplest one is the 1 mile test see how long it take the individual to complete a mile on the treadmill and then try and get them to reduce the time it takes during the 10 weeks this is a linear progression.
Since the above client is also interested in increasing her strength, the program would revolve around increasing strength. The exercise selection would be built around that goal using basic compound movements which burn the most calories and produce the greatest strength gains in the shortest period of time. Prehab/rehab/ exercises for the shoulder are inserted at the beginning when training the upper body and mobility work is used on lower body (note client is training 2x per week). As it pertains to safety there is and always will be inherent risk when one decides to start working out or training, that is why it is very important to have a physical check-up before beginning a workout regimen. When dealing with a novice or even an advanced trainee the safety of an exercise should take priority, however since we are dealing with a novice then any exercise done is going to be high-skill oriented even something as basic as a push-up can be high skill to a novice trainee especially for a 40 year old woman with micro-trauma to the left rotator cuff (note the push-up would be a contraindicated exercise under these circumstances at least in the beginning).
The appropriateness/safety of an exercise solely depends on the skill level of the client as we have covered already the client has micro trauma to the left rotator cuff, so as the surrounding tissues get stronger with the rowing movements, compound and accessory movements, which could be everything from face-pulls to I’s-Y’s-T’s and As, the client can the transition into more of the pressing style movements with modifications. Which would then mean that the client could indeed perform push-ups an exercise that was once a contraindicated exercise is now no longer unsafe, inappropriate, or contraindicated.

Deadlifting Technique a Closer View

2010-05-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

More on The Deadlift: Preparation and Technique  

The deadlift is the king of all the lifts out there. Now some might say the squat is, but I would have to say that the deadlift trumps it simply from the difficulty it provides, both mentally and physically. Let's look at the deadlift a little closer and see how it should be prepared for and done.

The posterior chain is the main target of this lift. The posterior chain includes, but is not limited to the hamstrings, glutes, and calves, lower and upper back, and plantar fascia. Yes, the plantar fascia. Although, these muscles appear at first glance to be inactive, they are not. The plantar fascia plays a significant role in lower leg stability, much like the bicep stabilizes the arm during a bench press(more on that later). Since the deadlift starts at the feet, then the first muscles that fire along the kinetic chain are the plantar fascia of the feet. If this muscle is tight or damaged in any way it will travel up the entire leg, ultimately, affecting the hip drive needed to complete the lift, not to mention the ankle, knee, and hip issues that can occur.

So, what are some solutions to this problem? Before deadlifting, use a tennis ball, and roll the plantar fascia of the foot. For those new to myofascial release, the plantar fascia is located in the arch of the foot. Also, make sure to roll the surrounding muscle tissues that may feel tight as well. Some of these include the calves, hamstrings, and glutes (but you do that already don't you, hint, hint). The next part that I feel is also very essential is hip drive. When teaching the deadlift, it is key to teach the client or athlete how to arch the back, elevate the chest (thoracic extension for you anatomy guys) and push the hips down toward the ground and explode into hip extension. This takes time to do simply because most people do not know how to use their hips to provide motion. They will instead try to use the low back.

The best way to teach hip extension is by going through a proper hip and low back warm up. Some of the exercises I like to use with my clients are hip bridges from the floor with no load (beginner) for 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps to loaded hip extensions using a 45lb Olympic bar (intermediate/advanced) for 2-3 sets of 12 reps, then doing some reverse hyperextensions off a Swiss ball for 2-3 sets of 15 reps or 45 degree hyperextensions for the same set and rep scheme. I have used this warm-up with great success with my clients and have kept their low backs healthy and strong with this warm-up. One thing to remember with your warm-up - it’s just that a warm up. It shouldn’t take you any longer than 10 minutes to do.

With all that being said, the only thing left for you to do is to put these things into practice and get to deadlifting and watch the numbers go up.

Charles Gardner CPT, SPN
Adapt, Adjust, and Overcome!

 

Nutrition 101

2010-05-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys I think I'm getting this blogging thing down still having trouble loading pics I can't see them before I post them(any ideas on how to fix this). Anyway enough on that lets get to the nutrition. Anyone who know me or has trained with me knows I am big on eating right, now when I say right I mean making sure I get my protein, carbs, and fats not to mention my veggies and fruits. The one nutrient I want to talk about is one of the most misunderstood nutrients and most feared, carbohydrates. Now for those in the know you understand that carbs provide energy for your workouts and help in the repair of muscle after workouts. However the general public eats carbs all the time with everything and wonders why they can't lose weight carbohydrates are rich source of energy however if that energy isn't burned its stored in the body as fat. Here's a simple equation kcal burned vs. kcal consumed, meaning if you burn more than you consume you will lose weight if you eat more and move less you will gain weight. However the types of food you consume determines how fast you burn it. Let look at a chicken breast over a bowl of frosted flakes, the chicken breast requires more energy to digest which leads to some caloric burn and elevated metabolism where as the frosted flakes are burned quickly cause a sharp increase in insulin with a sharp drop off later. This process is what leades to fat gain, high spikes in insulin which is a hormone produced ny the pancreas this hormone when controlled can actually help lean you out as opposed to fattening you up. How can I control this hormone you might ask well one of the things you can do is eat or drink your carbs when you need them such as on workout days i.e, during and after your workouts. Also remember eating 5 to 6 meals a day helps to. I will be back next week with more.

Strength and Focus

Charles Gardner

Jess doin light chain push-ups

2010-05-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

Jess deadlifting!

2010-05-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

2010-05-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

Brandon G. owning the Glute Ham Raise!!

Upper Body Arm Finisher

2010-05-02T18:43:00.000-07:00

One of my guys finishing his arms off! Checkout the definintion he's only 22 yrs old!!

Front Box Squats with 315

2010-05-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

This is me squattin 315 x5 on the box squat! That one hurt bad the next day ;)

Deadlifts Light

2010-05-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

One of the girls learnin how to do deadlifts

Synergy Health and Fitness: An Introduction

2010-05-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys (and current synergy members)allow me to introduce Synergy Health and Fitness. Synergy health and fitness was born out of a need, a need to change peoples lives and change them permanently. At Synergy health and Fitness we have three things we live by: 1. Passion trumps everything! 2. Do or do not there is no try! 3. Tie it, Beat it, Smash it!!( all my Strength guys out there should know this refers to PRs) Now don't get me wrong we aren't only about lifting big and getting strong although that is really fun too, we're also about helping one build a better self image and helping and encouraging others in our 'tribe'. So if you want to learn the newest most effective ways to get strong, healthy, and fit, stay tuned.

Till next week
Strength and Focus
Charles Gardner B.S., CPT, SPN