Dave Barr: Exclusive Interview About Supplements, Testosterone, Growth Hormone, and Exercise

One of the things that I love doing is hanging out, talking shop about exercise, nutrition, and movement.    I feel so honored to be able to pick the brains of many of the top people in the industry.

Movement, Movement, Movement

A few weeks ago, Cal Dietz from the U of MN left me a message that Neil Rampe, the therapist for the AZ Diamondbacks was going ot be in town, so I should stop down for a movement pow wow.   I was sooooo stoked and it was a great meeting.

Three hours there flew by like it was 20 minutes.  Movement of all forms was discussed from cranial work for more internal rotation (like 30 degrees more in minutes), breathing patterns, asymmetries, soft tissue work (a great local soft tissue expert was present too), and how to extract maximal performance from athletes.  Great, great time.

More This Weekend

Just last night I was hanging out with Dave, Brad Nelson, Adam T Glass and Frankie Faires and will be with them and many more today too.  Aaron S from UND (great strength coach at Univ of North Dakota) will be sleeping on my couch for 2 nights (check out his blog HERE) and a few others are scheduled to be in town also.  The amount of information I will be able to pick up and use after just a few days is going to be insane, and I am so excited about it.  I am like a kid in a candy store.  Whooo ha.

Conferences for Vacation?

I am a huge geek and I go to conferences on exercise physiology for fun.  This past May Jodie and I flew out to Seattle for a vacation and I attended the American College of Sports Medicine’s Annual conference for 3 days.  I decided to not present this year, so I just got to hang out with much less stress and absorb as much as I could (read, pester people at posters about their research).

I had a blast and learned tons of new things, although some of the presentations can be a bit dry.  Ok, a bit dry is an understatement, but I endure this all to bring you just a few worthwhile tidbit of info to have you set another PR.

Enter the Barr

Good thing there are other geeks (albeit with much bigger arms) than me there like my good buddy Dave Barr.   Dave is a very bright guy and has a great background in exercise physiology and nutrition.  He currently works for Muscle and Fitness, so be sure to check out his blog there below

David Barr’s blog at Muscle and Fitness

I was able to corner him and got to pick his brain.  Luckily for you I have it on tape here!

Sit back as Dave Barr drops knowledge bombs from the ACSM 2009 Annual Conference.

Note this was previously released as a special bonus, but now I am making it available to everyone.  The conference was this past May, but many time oral presentations have data that is not published for many months to even years after it was presented (if it gets published); so this info is still cutting edge.

Enjoy!

Thanks Dave!!

Let me know what you think about this in the comments section!

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

PS

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Inside Look at Grip n Rip 2.0 from Swager Strength

If you missed Grip n Rip 2.0 this year, you missed out.   I unfortunately was noly able to stay there for about 3 hours in the AM and since Jodie and I were hopping on plane that early afternoon to Baja Mexico (more details on that soon too).

Great stuff and the guys from Swager Strength were there in full force too. I picked up one of their 2 inch solid axle thick bars. SWEET!

This is about twice the diameter of a normal bar and there is absolutely ZERO flex to it. I love it so far.

Check out the video below of Adam Glass, Brad Nelson, and the guys at Swager Strength for an inside look at Grip n Rip 2.0

Summary

Great stuff and I will hopefully make it to the next one for sure!

Be sure to check out the fine folks at Swager Strength for some amazing products that you will not find anywhere.

Tell them I sent ya. I get nothing to promote them. Not one cent, but they are stand up guys who make excellent products at very fair prices.

If you went to Grip n Rip, drop me a comment on how it went and what you thought of the event.

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

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The Secret To Adding Muscle and Strength as Fast as Possible

Bob Diry, circa 1914

I know you see this advertised everywhere and everyone seems to have their own secret on how to do it.

I would know, since like you, I have spent well over half of my life looking for the secret to gaining muscle and strength.

I’ve read supplement ads from cover to cover, more research studies than you can shake a stick at, physiology text books, interviewed and chatted with many top strength and nutrition coaches, attended several conferences, certifications and seminars.  Heck, I’ve even given seminars on those topics.

I’ve spent 14+ years full time in college and paid a couple hundred thousand in tuition (and still will be paying–yikes) looking for the “secrets’.

I’ve even spent money on supplements, most of which turned out to be utterly worthless and only made my wallet lighter.

A new version of Supertraining came out and I was so stoked to get it as a Christmas present and bring it on vacation to read and relax.

Pay attention now and I will reveal this secret for training.

Are you ready?

Are you sure?

Here it comes!

Here is the secret from the very wise words of Dr. Zatsiorsky

Lift
* As often as possible
* As heavy as possible
* As fresh as possible

That is the “secret” to progress!   Seriously it really is as much of a secret as you will get.

How you do that is the art portion of the equation.

While there are many methods I find testing your movement (biofeedback) to be the best way to put you on track.

Summary

You job now is to accumulate as much volume (weight x reps) as possible, while putting the least amount of effort (staying fresh) as often as possible (frequency).

I did not say it would be easy though, did I?  Anything worth attaining will require work, but you need to work intelligently.

What are your secrets dear reader?  What has helped you make progress in the fastest way possible?  Let me know by posting a comment as I love comments!

Rock on
Mike T Nelson PhD(c)

PS

I need to give my buddy Geoff Neupert a shout out for publishing a post recently that reminded me of the secrets.  Be sure to check out his blog post here at Chasing Strength

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Gym Movements Biofeedback, Z-Health Joint Mobility, Where is the hard data?

Walter Miller, Strength Athlete, Middleweight wrestling champion circa 1919

I am back!  Did you miss me?

Thanks for your patience with my response to comments last week. Jodie and I had a blast in Baja Mexico at a small town called La Ventana. We went down with some friends to hang out, see that orange thing in the sky that they call the sun and kiteboard.

We had a blast and Jodie did great kiteboarding too! I got out and rode 4 days (every day that there was wind) and even did a 7 mile downwinder back to where we were staying. More details to come soon.

Gym Movements, Z-Health, Hard Numbers Please!

One of the requests that I have received is one asking for hard numbers. Since I am a researcher, I like numbers. Heck, I did a whole MS in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics, so I better like numbers! ha! To be honest, they were never my strong suit, but after years of practice I got pretty good at it. When I started I did not think any math beyond Calc 4 even existed, wow, I was wrong.

I need to thank Kevin who is a strength coach on the East Coast for taking the time to do this. While this is far from a peer reviewed, placebo controlled study, it does show us some important things.

Take it away Kevin!

Mike

I purchased Gym Movements and I am really looking forward to the video. This past weekend I have been testing myself and 2 of my high school clients with both Z Health and some of the material I saw from the Gym Movements clips. this past weekend I had a girl I train do the following

Step 1 Toe touch test

Step 2. Vertical Jump Test (18 inches on a jump mat)

Step 3 do a “bad squat on the toes for 10 reps

Step 4 Jump again (16.4 inches)

Step 5. do some Z Health drills (ankle and hip mobility)

Step 6 Retest vertical and hit 18.2

Step 6. Static stretch (hit 16 inches)

Step 7 Z Health drills (18.5)

She looked at me like I was crazy and asked what I was doing? I filled her in and she was very interested in what I had to say

With me this weekend I have been doing static stretch tests, Active Isolates tests and Z Health test and EVERY TIME. I get more range of motion with the Z Health Drills I learned from Sara’s DVD.

I will let you know what I think about the Gym Movements DVD, but I think a combination of the Gym Movements DVD and getting the Z R-Phase is what I need

I am amazed how much your body “clears up” by just doing the ankle Mobs.

Thanks

Kevin

What Did We Learn

Now we have some hard numbers to show that what you do training wise and mobility wise has an IMMEDIATE effect upon your body.

Good training and mobility results is massive changes, very fast! I first learned this at the R-Phase cert from Dr. Cobb. When I do Z-Health sessions, the whole premise is that you have them walk (gait) and then try a Z-Health drill, then have them walk again. If their gait (walking movement) is better, that is a good drill. If not, then try another drill.

Exercise will have the same effect.

Good exercise= better movement and performance

I Want To Hear From You!

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments and if you have any similar data, I would love to hear from you!

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

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Biofeedback Training Via Gym Movements and Spiked Kettlebell Swings

Thanks for all the great orders of the Gym Movements DVD.  Much appreciate it from everyone!    The comments have been great too and it is amazing to hear from people in Kangaroo Land (Australia), Kiwis (New Zealand), Canada, the UK, Serbia and many other places including the good ole USA too.   I love it.

Biofeedback Testing

Dave “the Athlete Creator” and I had a great bench session last night via biofeedback (as explained in the Gym Movements DVD) and ended up training for over 2 hours!   We did some Z-Health joint mobility to warm up and then did some bench,  board work, and inverted rows.  We even threw in some random kettlebell work last night including double kettlebell clean and 1 arm cleans with Sparky (aka the Bulldog, the 40 kg KB).

Video of Spiked Kettlebell Swings!

If you want to really add some stress to the glutes and hamstrings (posterior chain for you geeks), have a partner add a push (eccentric load) on the kettlebell swing.  Start out with a lighter push and then crank it up from there.  Keep your kettlebell swing form the same though.    Don’t call and complain if your glutes and hamstrings are so sore it makes sitting down the next day difficult.  Good times!

The PR Train Rolls On

Despite getting an all time PR last week on the bench, I added another PR by adding 3 reps to my reverse band bench work even after doing 9 sets of singles around 90% 1 RM (all done with a pause and audio commands).    My plan now is to keep working more pause work at the chest to get that up to my touch and go PR and one step closer to my 2010 goal of bench pressing 240 x 1 in competition at the Twin Ports Open in June of this year.

Notice that I did not PR again in the exact same lift (although that can happen), but it was a similar lift.  You can almost always PR in some direction EVERY session!

Small, consistent steps forward day in and day out = huge gains over time!

More stimulation of the muscle = bigger muscles!

Deadlift Dave

Even though Dave had not done any deadlift or really any lower body work for almost 4 months, he ended up pulling 7 singles over 90% of his 1 rep max on his first lower body day back.    Needless to say, he was sore for days afer it.

Summary

Constant progress can be made, but it may not always be

on the exact same lift at the exact same parameters.   The key is to make sure you are always going in the right direction.   Make sure your ladder is against the correct wall before scaling it!

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

PS

If you missed the last post on the special limited time offer on the Gym Movements DVD on how to use biofeedback, check it out below as it expires tomorrow (Thurs Feb 4) at midnight (central standard time).

Gym Movements Biofeedback DVD is available now!

Gym Movements DVD is Now Available: Perpetual Progress in the Gym Now!

I am totally stoked that the Gym Movements DVD is finally available for everyone to order.  I literally just got the green light minutes ago!

You are going to be blown away by the progress in the gym you will make from the  Gym Movements DVD using biofeedback for exercise program design.

The feedback we have been getting is really nuts and to be honest, has exceeded my expectations.

There is a special introductory price too for a limited time.

Go to this link now

Gym Movements: Perpetual Progress

Special Bonus from Extreme Human Performance ONLY

When you purchase the Gym Movements DVD HERE, you will only get access to this special teleseminar that I will be conducting at the end of the month.   I’ve been using this system for over 2 years and I will answer tons of your questions and give you the inside track on how to maximize it.

I will reveal things that only my online consulting and personal training clients know and secrets that have never been published on this site.    This will jump start your progress like crazy and you can ask me your questions directly.

Again, this only applies if you order the Gym Movements DVD from this site!

This is an additional bonus not to be missed.  I normally charge at least $110 an hour for my time, but you will get it for free.

This special bonus is only for Extreme Human Performance customers and It is also for a limited time only!

You must have your order placed by midnight central time this coming Thurs Feb 4 to get the free teleseminar! No exceptions.

FAQ

Who Do I Contact with Product Questions?

I am selling the product only, and it is something that I truly believe in and have used for well over 2 years; but I did NOT make the product nor do I do the marketing for it.  Any direct product questions and order information please see the website at Gym Movements: Perpetual Progress

Why Are You Selling This?

It is something that works great and as stated above I have used it on myself and others for quite some time (read: years) with amazing results.  I will only sell products here that believe in 100%.

What If I Don’t Want To Buy This Product

That is up to you and I will continue to bring you the latest information on how to break a crazy number of personal records in the gym and on the field, all for free, so keep checking in!  Keep in mind that I will refer back to the Gym Movements DVD though since it has all the exact details on how to use the program to the fullest degree.

How Is This Different Than Any Other Fitness Program Design?

Gym Movements gives you the ability to simply and easily measure your own biofeedback, allowing you to custom-design your workouts each and every time you go to the gym. The result is a new personal record virtually every time you train.   Does your current training program do that?

Why Are Personal Records Important?

You are either going forward or backwards. If your body is constantly doing more, lifting more, doing it in less time, your body has no choice but to add muscle and strength!

Can I Forward Your Site Info to My Friends?

YES!  Please forward this to all your friends, send it out on twitter, facebook, etc  Spread the word.  Hit the stumble icon just below here, the twtter icon on the top of post, go crazy.

Summary

Gym Movements is finally here and you owe it to yourself to go and check it out now before the special bonuses go away.

Gym Movements: Perpetual Progress

Rock on
Mike T Nelson
PS
If you have comments please place them below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.  This will be the fastest way to get your questions answered!

PPS

Don’t forget that when you purchase Gym Movements from this site, I will have a special teleseminar for all those that purchased it by midnight central time, this Thurs Feb 4.  You will only get access to this special teleseminar if you purchase the Gym Movements DVD HERE.  I’ve been using this system for over 2 years and I will answer tons of your questions and give you the inside track on how to maximize it.  If you miss the call, I will send you the MP3 of it but again only if you buy the DVD here.   Get your copy of Gym Movements NOW by clicking HERE.

Exercise Program Design by Biofeedback Parts 1-7

Give Traditional Program Design the Finger and Destroy Your Old PRs!

So I was probably not supposed to deadlift tonight, but I like deadlifts and I wanted to try some B-Stance Deadlifts and Kettlebell Get Ups (formerly known as the Turkish Get Up, but I guess the Turks are not the only ones doing them).

I did a 2.5 hours bench-a-thon on Tuesday night with Dave “The Athlete Creator” and I hit an all time PR (personal record) on the bench at 240 lbs.  Not my end goal by any means, but moving forward and hitting all time PRs is great. To be fair we also did some neutral ring rows and kettlebell presses and kettlebell swings too. I was starting to have flashbacks for awhile there to pretty much any commercial gym on a Monday, which as you know is national bench and bicep curl day.

Squats and More Fun!

Wed night I hit up a lighter session of bottom pause squats (to an 8 inch box) for about 4 doubles, wide grip rope pull ups for singles and feet up push ups, which all tested well via biofeedback (as featured on the upcoming Gym Movements DVD).

I had not done any trap bar work in about 2 weeks so I hit up a nasty routine I’ve been working on. In short it is 10 x 10 but work to decrease the time. So Wed night I hit 265 x 10 for 10 in 21 minutes and 30 seconds for a total volume of 26,500 lbs. If you want the full details, leave a comment below and more than 12 comments and I will have a whole post with all the details.

More Deadlifts!

I did not sleep very well last night, had to work during the day, and decided to hit up some B-Stance deadlifts tonight as mentioned.

While the temp is never warm in the winter at the Extreme Human Performance Center (tonight it was 34 F, but the windchill was zero), the music on the stereo system is always amazing. Tonight was no exception and was provided by those Swedish death-medlers Soilwork.

Here is a great song by them (watch out, there are few bad words so if you are offended put on some ear muffs)

B-Stance deadlifts tested fine for awhile and worked up to 315 x 3 for 2 sets and the switched to regular deadlifts for a few singles (pronated, both palms down, for grip work) at 315.

Movement tested well, so I added 70 lbs of chains, went great! Whoo ha.  No problem at lockout either with all the chains off the floor.

Talking Weights

I had to head off to work, so I figured I would end on that high note and as I was cleaning up I saw a 25 lb plate that was just begging to be added to the bar (am I the only nut that thinks the weights talk to them?) I threw those on the end and after a long session on Tuesday, 2 sessions yesterday with a deadlift movement of 26,500 lbs and sore hams and glutes, 365 for a single was easy.  Very easy actually.

Summary

In the past I would have not even thought of doing deadlifts again and heck I probably would have opted to skip that day due to DOMS (muscle soreness). Now I have a tool to check it and test would is best.

Quality movement + volume = bigger muscles

If you are recovered, your body HAS to respond by increased strength and muscle hypertrophy (bigger muscles).

If you missed many of the biofeedback videos, I have posted them below here. This is a series that Adam T Glass did, so a huge shout out to Adam.

I feel so good I will probably hit up some kettlebells snatches yet tonight.    Whooo hahahahhaha.

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

PS

If you are interested in the routine from hell details of GVT meets EDT, leave a comment below and if I get 12 comments by this Sat night I will post it for you!  Spread the word.  You can help by signing up to my RSS feeds below and hit the button —>

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Biofeedback Videos

All Aboard the Biofeedback Bus: A Radical Tour of New Personal Records, Inspiration and Knowledge

Biofeedback testing is going great and athletes are busting PRs (personal records) left and right. Today we are going on a tour.

Be on the lookout for 1) results 2) inspiration  3) knowledge all leading up to more muscle and strength. All aboard the biofeedback bus and keep your hands inside at all times!

You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves. ~Abraham Lincoln

Inspiration

The first stop we have is to pay homage to Josh “the World’s Strongest Librarian”  for racking up PRs (personal records) like a crazy man on a mission from God.  It must be the hat and shoes.

Read it and weep weakness!

First Goal of 2010 Fell Today: 500 lb Deadlift

Charles in Charge

Next stop is the firehouse where Charles Bustos RKC is putting the smack down on some poor, unsuspecting athlete.  He has graciously allowed us to view it too!

A Student of Your Own Body

Along the way we visit Geoff Neupert as he chimes in with his thoughts and results from biofeedback testing below

Become a student of your own body blog post

Why are PRs important?

Now our journey takes us north.  Like way the heck north to that cold desolate land that tests man willingness to live (and will freeze the feet on your bulldogs) in North Dakota.   Don’t blink as you will miss that one fence post.  Make sure to take a picture.

We find strongman and grip gorrilla Adam T Glass who takes us to the PR school of ultimate performance for a great lesson.

Programming and PRs Why Its Important

What Do YOU Think?

I hope you enjoyed our journey today through the land of strength and more muscle via the biofeedback bus.

Let me know what you think and what are your results so far?   I love comments!!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS

The Gym Movements DVDs will be available soon, so stayed tuned here!

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Gym Movement Trailer

The time is coming.

It will be here very soon!

Do you want to learn how to break a personal record at the gym virtually every time using biofeedback and other methods?

Do you want to gain muscle and lose fat?

I am betting that you do!

Thoughts?  Comments?  Let me know!  I want to know what YOU think.

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS

Be sure to get the inside knowledge by being on my newsletter list.  You will be the first to get Gym Movement once it is released and free videos instantly.   Sign up today at

Extreme Human Performance Newsletter Sign Up

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Raising the Dead: Deadlift Training Biofeedback Style

Happy 2010!

Here comes a video of part of tonight’s training at the Extreme Human Performance Center and a secret deadlift training tip you will not see anywhere else.  Seriously, I have looked and I have not seen it talked about anywhere.

It is freaking bitterly cold here in Minnesota, so the garage temp was around 30 F–really not that bad once you get warmed up.  I will have all my goals for 2010 coming up soon, but on the list is a bigger deadlit, so time to start off 2010 with some deadlifts.

I tested reverse band deadlifts with just 135 on the bar and the bands deload it about 75 lbs at the bottom and about zero at the top. I like this set up to really overloads the lock out (where I need work).

I tested a forward bend first (biofeedback) and was at about the first joint on my index finger. I did 3 reps of the deadlift and then retested. This time I got to about the base of my index finger, so about 2 inches more. Reverse band deadlifts it is then.  I’ve done it long enough to know if I can get to about the base of index finger I am good to go.

Biofeedback Testing Video
(with 475 lb reverse band deadlift)

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Top Secret Deadlift Weak PointTraining

A very cool stance to bring up your weaker leg in the deadlift is the B-Stance Deadlift. I need to thank Adam T Glass for recommending this. I’ve read a fair amount of old time strongman training and even there you don’t hear of it mentioned much.  Interestingly I spend much of my time reading neuroscience and exercise physiology, but for training I am reading about stuff people were doing in the early 1900s or before on up to the 1960s.   The amount of training knowledge from those areas is amazing.  This was well before drugs entered the picture and the old time strongman looked great, were extremely strong and very athletic.

B-Stance Deadlift Setup

1) Set up like a normal deadlift, so shins about 4-6 inches from the bar
2) Slide one foot back so the ball of foot is about a

t the heal of the other foot
3) Perform a normal deadlift

How Do I Know Which Foot To Put In Front?

I would test both configurations and go with the one that tests better. It seems that the weaker leg will normally go in front. This is a great way to bring up your weaker leg in the deadlift and make it VERY specific.

B-Stance Deadlift Video

Obligatory Death Metal Video

Six Feet Under “Shadow

of the Reaper”
Since I am going with a slight horror theme here I had to throw this one in.

Note: if you don’t like death metal and freaky images, you will want to pass on this one)

Action Time!

Your homework assignment, if you accept it, is to test a B-Stance Deadlift with your left foot in front and then with your right foot in front. Add them to your program for 4 weeks at about 1-2 times a week and report back here with your new PRs.  Start very light when you start out and make sure your form is right on.

Drop your PRs and any questions here in the comments!  I want to see atleast 8 people do this and report back some massive PRs.

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

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