The latest book in the New Rules of Lifting training series is now available! You can pick it up HERE .
This is the first book that I feel really reflects the programming that we do at Results Fitness.
The first two books had great programs in them, but I was brought in as a fitness consultant for these books.
In other words – the original books weren’t what we’d do if you joined Results Fitness.
This book is as close as it gets to being a member of our gym, without actually living in Valencia, Ca.
Here’s part one of an interview that I just did with my co-author Lou Schuler:
Alwyn, let’s talk about the origins of our book. In the Introduction, I tell readers why I had to change the way I trained. Short version: I hurt my shoulder playing lumberjack in my back yard, I reinjured a knee in the gym, and I got a hernia. There was a point in the summer and fall of 2008 where I could barely walk. Running was completely out of the question. I was forced to rethink not just the exercises I did or the way I did them, but the goal of training itself.
As it happens, around that time you and Rachel changed the way you trained your clients. What was different about your clients circa 2008, vs. earlier clients? And how did you change your programming strategy to address those differences?
AC: Well the changes came around long before 2008 Lou. Probably closer to 2002 we started noticing it, and in 2004 or so we’d made a massive switch.
Simply put, our new beginner clients were arriving in worse shape than beginners maybe 5 years previously had arrived.
We’ve tracked the posture, range of motion, functional movement screen scores and initial body fat percentage of every new member at Results Fitness since we opened almost eleven years ago. We have more data on exercise than most peer-reviewed published studies have collected. People were arriving in worse condition than ever before.
A fitness program could have consisted almost entirely of weight training and cardio in the past. Now we had to address muscle imbalances, core strength and stability, dynamic flexibility, direct power training alongside strength and cardio.
As a result – our programming started to change around 2004, but we’re constantly tweaking. Each year we sit down and revamp the entire programming.
I’m excited because this is the first time I’ve been able to share exactly what we do at Results Fitness with the general public. The first two books in our series were good of course :) , but this more accurately reflects the training experience that our in-house clients are familiar with.
When I decided I was going to invest time for core training at the beginning of each workout, I didn’t really have a plan. I mean, that was my plan – to do core exercises. So I would do some stuff I got from McGill, some stuff I got from different articles, and some stuff I picked up from who knows where. I would just do stuff, then make it harder, then move on to new stuff.
I was genuinely excited to realize you had a systemic approach to core training. I could try to explain it to the readers, but I would just end up repeating what you told me.
AC: If it weren’t for dead guys, we’d probably never have started doing crunches. That’s because for years, much of our knowledge of the way muscles work was based on the study of human cadavers. By looking at the anatomy of corpses, modern scientists figured that the function of our abdominal muscles must be to flex the spine. Which is exactly what you do when you perform a crunch, a situp, or any other move that requires you to round your lower back. As a result, these exercises were popularized as the best way to work your abs.
But the reality is that your abs have a more critical function than flexing your spine: Their main job is to stabilize the spine. In fact, your midsection muscles are the reason your torso stays upright instead of falling forward due to gravity. So your abs and lower back actually prevent your spine from flexing.
The upshot is that if you want better results from your core workout, you need to train your abs for stability.
LS: Now let’s get specific. When we talk about stabilization, we’re talking about static exercises. Some people will look at that and think, “Planks? Side planks? Why do I need a book for those?”
But once you get past those basic exercises, the stabilization exercises in NROL for Abs get really hard, really fast. Even our models for the photo shoots couldn’t hold a couple of them longer than it took for the photographer to snap off a shot.
So explain how you progress within the stabilization category, and why it’s important to take those steps one at a time.
AC: The purpose of the core (not just the abs) is to stabilize the spine. That’s the basic level we begin at. But when we examine more closely – the reality is that the core functions to stabilize the spine while the extremities are moving and producing or receiving force.
So stage one is pure stabilization. That’s our entry level – the ability to stabilize the spine without any change in forces or loading.
LS: The next category is dynamic stabilization, where you’re moving a load around the core. This category includes a lot of exercises that people have seen before, like cable lifts and chops, Swiss-ball rollouts, and Valslide push-aways.
But I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen them done the way you want them done. Just to pick one example, the cable lifts and chops, you tell readers to do them from kneeling or half-kneeling positions, with the shoulders and hips facing forward throughout the movement. If you can’t turn your shoulders and hips, it’s a much harder exercise, and most of us have to cut the weight in half to get it right.
Explain your thoughts here – why not let readers do those exercises the fun way, with full-body rotation?
AC: Level two is what we call “Dynamic stabilization”. It’s kind of a misnomer I suppose. The purpose of this phase is to maintain spinal stability while moving an extremity and changing force and center of gravity. For example – instead of merely holding a plank – we’d do a plank with a mountain climber or a pulldown to really challenge stability.
Gray Cook was the one who really brought the chops and lifts to my attention. Now if you use your full body to pull the weight stack – you’ll definitely use more weight – but at that point it’s a core strength exercise – the core is moving. We want core stability – make the extremities move and challenge the core to resist rotation.
The final category is integrated stabilization. Readers are doing lunges, squats, and walks with unbalanced and offset loads. You also have Turkish get-ups in this category. I’m sure a lot of the people reading this – coaches and experienced lifters – will want to start with those exercises, and skip the first two exercises.
What will they get out of the exercises by building up to them with weeks of preparation, vs. jumping right in?
AC: Level three is integrated stabilization where we do traditional exercises with a twist – for example using one dumbbell instead of two in a lunge, or shoulder press. Basically we offset the center of gravity and force the core to work harder than it would with a traditional exercise.
Now of course someone can jump in and train anywhere they want. But that shows a real misunderstanding of the programming. If you aren’t used to this type of training then you’ll progress faster by following smart progressions.
Training is a process. Just follow the recipe. And besides – we give enough variation of even a simple plank that will challenge most people. Try a one arm plank wearing a weighted vest with your hand on a medicine ball and your feet in the TRX straps if you’re not convinced !!
–
AC
PS – You can pick up a copy of the New Rules of Lifting for Abs – HERE .
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