#122 - Don't Call It Come Back! Power Cleans for the Masters Lifter
40fit Radio
Coach D and Coach Trent are back (finally) with a new episode, broadcasting from THE Wichita Falls Athletic Club, the home of Mark Rippetoe and the birthplace of the Starting Strength model. Today they discuss the role of the power clean for the Masters lifter -- should you be doing it? Should you skip it? What's the point anyway? While the power clean is a very useful tool for the young athlete, especially in power-based sports such as football, hockey, or track and field sports, it's application to real life for the older lifter is less obvious. Basically, the clean is a fairly simple...
info_outline
#121 - We're Back!
40fit Radio
After a several month hiatus, Darin and Trent are back with 40fit Radio!
info_outline
#120 - ALL or NOTHING: Getting Away from the Extremes in Your Health and Fitness
40fit Radio
Coach Darin has said it before, humans like to "complicate to validate." The bigger, faster, more complex, more "science-y," the better! Right? Likewise, the idea that fitness is an intense, all-in pursuit pervades media and popular training programs. Frankly, it's exhausting!
info_outline
#119 - Coaches' Corner: Low Stress Programming for Intermediate Lifters
40fit Radio
Darin, Trent, and Charity convene for another coaches corner, this time offering some strategies for lowering systemic stress while programming for the intermediate lifter.
info_outline
#118 - Exploring the Micronutrients: Vitamins and Minerals
40fit Radio
Coach D and Trent discuss the most important vitamins you should be getting from your diet and supplements.
info_outline
#117 - Why You Should Stop Worrying About PR's
40fit Radio
Coach D, Trent, and Charity discuss the tendency of strength coaches and athletes to get hung up chasing PR's on the bar, and missing the forest for the trees -- that is, the greater PR's in life such as raising good families, growing mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
info_outline
#116 - Cardio Is Not a Magic Bullet
40fit Radio
It's January, and that means there are millions of people trying to make good on their New Years' Resolutions. For many, this resolution involves losing weight, cutting body fat, and "leaning up." And predictably many resolutioners first instinct is to hit the cardio machines -- treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes, etc.
info_outline
#115 - Getting Back Into the Gym After COVID
40fit Radio
Coach Charity Hambrick returns to the show to discuss her experience contracting COVID-19 and her slow road to get back into training afterward. Though she contracted COVID back in October 2020, Charity had lingering fatigue and muscle cramps for weeks, and loss of smell that lasted for over three months. Despite the mental blow of losing her training momentum -- she had been setting PR's just prior to getting COVID -- Charity has consistently hit the gym and is regaining her strength levels.
info_outline
#114 - Masters Programming: Volume vs Intensity for Longevity
40fit Radio
In today's episode, Coach D and Coach Trent discuss the concept of selecting appropriate volume and intensity for a Masters athlete. These are two of the main programming variables, and all athletes need a blend of intensity (heavy-ness) and volume (how many reps) to drive adaptation in their desired physical skill: strength, conditioning, hypertrophy, etc. And in general, both intensity and volume must go up over time to increase the amount of stress and therefore drive more adaptation.
info_outline
#113 - Getting Warm When the Weather Is Cold
40fit Radio
In the strength community, the typical advice for warmups is to start with the first barbell lift you will be performing. For many people this will be the squat, so the warm-up would consist of two sets of five with the empty bar, then a few progressively heavier sets until the lifter is ready for his working sets. It's quick, efficient, and, prepares most lifters for the task at hand -- squatting. Masters athletes, however, may find that they need more than the barbell to get warm before their workout.
info_outlineToday a member of Fort Worth Strength & Conditioning joins the show to discuss his journey going from overweight and diabetic to fit and strong with well-managed blood sugar.
Clif Hadley is a 61-year old IT professional with no prior athletic background (well, not since high school at least!) and no background with lifting weights. He found himself in his late 50's overweight with midline obesity, high A1C levels, and poor control over his blood sugar throughout the day. Making some basic dietary changes such as cutting out processed carbs (especially breads) and doing cardiovascular exercise on the recumbent bike helped him lose some weight in the short run, but he still had too much body fat, lacked muscle mass, and, most importantly, had high blood glucose levels.
At Fort Worth Strength he began the novice linear progression, squatting, pressing, benching, and deadlifting three times per week, starting a low, manageable weight and adding 5lbs per workout. After several months he climbed to a 250lbs squat for a double, 260lbs deadlift for three, 100lbs press, and 125lbs bench.
After approximately 6 months of training he developed persistent back pain in his lower back, which did not resolve with training modifications. An MRI revealed he had a cyst in one of his lumbar discs, which his surgeon was able to clear with a cortisone injection. This setback caused him to lose a couple months of training, but as soon as he was cleared by the physicians he returned to training, using partial ROM lift variants to regain strength and mobility in his spine.
Soon he was back to performing the big lifts with full ROM and within striking of his old numbers, when the COVID pandemic forced the gym to close. Undaunted, Clif resumed training when the gym reopened and is currently lifting heavier than ever. To keep his recovery high and his back feeling good, he lifts heavy twice per week, alternating intensity and volume days. In the middle of the week, he performs squat variants that are less taxing on the lumbar spine and spinal erectors such as the leg press. He also uses the mid-week workout for conditioning, during which he alternates between short, intense HIIT sessions on the echo bike or rower and longer duration, medium intensity rows.
Clif is a great example for masters lifters, who may feel that they are too old or too long past their prime to feel strong, healthy and athletic again. By trusting the program, showing up consistently, and working hard, Clif has been able to get strong, lose body fat (he donated 27 pairs of slacks to Goodwill because he kept losing inches off his waist), and manage his diabetes, even with some unfortunate setbacks in the process. His A1c levels have decreased from the high 7's to 6.1, and continue to fall. His lifts are strong for his age group, his back feels great, and he has managed to maintain his waistline for several months.
Connect with 40fit Radio