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Training Logs Vol 1
Come here to see our programming and watch the progress the guys make
8/30/14
Two new guys showed up today, Jason R and James P. After a brief introduction to our methods they were put through our dynamic warm-up and got ready to start lifting.
Most new athletes don’t understand how to squat correctly. Keeping the spine in a neutral alignment is critical to safety. This is achieved by activating the spinal erectors and abs and keeping them on for the entire lift. Until the athlete can perform squats while maintaining this neutral spine we have them squat to a box with a kettlebell or plate to help counterbalance them. Depending on skill level and flexibility we can usually lower or remove the box in a session or two. Once they demonstrate the ability to create midline stability (neutral spine) they can begin using a barbell.
Squat/Goblet (holding a 20# KB) to a 20” box
James: 4X10 (SetsXReps)
Jason: 4X10
Press
We use the strict press to develop upper body strength. It is a classic barbell strength movement that used to be one of the Olympic lifts. It requires tremendous power to drive the bar off the shoulders and once again challenges the athlete to engage their core to create the stable midline/neutral spine. Both of these guys came in pretty strong to start.
James: 3X5 @ 40kg (88#)
Jason: 5X40kg; 4X40kg; 3X40kg
Metabolic Conditioning (Met-Con)
After our strength workouts we move into the conditioning. I use a CrossFit style template of constantly varied, functional movements performed at high intensity.
5:00 AMRAP (as many rounds or reps as possible in the time allotted)
One partner pushes prowler 100’ loaded with 25#
While the other does burpees
When athlete A gets done with the prowler they switch and athlete A does burpees, picking up the count where B left off. Score is total burpees
Today the guys got 40 total burpees. We will test again in a month or so.
9/2/14
Austin B returns to training today after a few days’ absence. Last time he complained of some lingering knee pain so we regressed him a little on squats back to a box. James and Jason are still on the box today but they are doing a great job maintaining the ever- important midline stability.
Squat/Goblet (holding a 20# KB) to a box
James P: 4X10 to 20” box
Jason R: 4X10 to 20” box
Austin: 4X10 to 14” box
Bench Press
Ah, the bench press. These guys absolutely love this movement. So much so that they came to us pretty well-developed (at least in terms of strength if not form technique) in this lift. James has been benching for years in the Oregon penitentiary system and takes to doing it with a full range of motion quite easily. When asked where we should start for a set of five he says, “Oh, two wheels (45# plates are referred to as wheels) for sure.” Turns out most of these guys are already able to out bench their coach.
James P: 225X3X5
Jason R: 180X5; 180X4; 175X4 (we may have overreached a bit with Jason’s starting weight)
Austin B: 205X5X2; 205X4
Deadlift
I probably have more anxiety teaching this lift than any other. Getting athletes to “set” their back on set up and keep it set throughout the lift has proved difficult. Much like a doctor, my first priority with these guys is to DO NO HARM. Having one of them hurt their back and be unable to work is one of my worst fears. Luckily, these guys take to it pretty well and we are able to put some moderate weight on the bar the first day. Because of the extremely taxing nature of this lift on the central nervous system (CNS), we warm up and do one set of 5.
James P: 250X5
Jason: 185X5
Austin: 205X5
Metabolic conditioning
I love short intense met-cons where we tap into the glycolytic pathways almost entirely. The glycolytic pathway is a fancy exercise science term that means the muscular activity is performed almost entirely anaerobically. Emptying the muscles of their stored glycogen is one of the surest ways to achieve the neuroendocrine response I wrote about in the Metaphysical Fitness Manifesto post. WODs that allow the athlete to work for about 1:30-3:00 continuously with little to no rest. Those of you that don’t have experience with CrossFit or high- intensity interval style training might be thinking, “How can you get a benefit from a workout that doesn’t even last 5:00?” Those of you who have done the WOD I laid out here will know the answer.
21-15-9 (You will see this rep scheme often. It means the athlete performs three rounds of the exercise that follow, 21 reps the first round, 15 the second, and 9 the third and final.)
21-15-9
Russian KB Swings
Push ups
James P: ~3:15 (James had to use a light KB due to his unfamiliarity with the movement)
Jason R: ~4:15 (Jason needed to do push ups from his knees for a few reps of the last round)
Austin B: 2:45 Rx (Rx is a designation we use to say the athlete did the WOD exactly as intended with no modifications)
Jason and James had to leave and Austin wanted some more work, so we followed up with one of my personal favorites, Fast Fran. I wrote about Fran in my first post. It’s a classic CrossFit workout with the 21-15-9 rep scheme. As Rxd it is 95# thrusters and pull ups (follow this link to see someone do it about as fast as humanly possible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYaqy4zcAJg)
Fast Fran allows the average athlete to hit a sub 3:00 Fran. To that end it is scaled as such: 21-15-9 Empty bar (#45) thrusters and jumping pull-ups. Austin’s was further scaled to 15-9-5. As motivation I did it alongside him at the full rep scheme.
Austin B: ~2:00
Coach B: 1:35
9/6/14
Only Austin shows up today. The others have a previous engagement.
Back Squat
We get Austin back under the bar as his knee is feeling better.
Austin B: 80kg (176#) x3x5
Press
Due to the fact that Austin has never trained the press before, his body adapts very quickly to any training stimulus. Despite not having trained this lift in weeks, we are able to pick up with a higher intensity (weight) than our previous session.
Austin B: 45kgX3X5 (99#)
Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
Sometimes it’s good to reinforce the need to maintain midline stability in the deadlift by working from the top down.
Austin: 55kgX5 (116#)
Metabolic Conditioning
3 rounds for time
Row 250m
Wall Ball 20,16,14# (we stepped down the intensity or weight each round to prevent form breakdown)
5 Rope climbs (a modified version where the athletes starts on the floor and pulls themselves up to standing and then lowers back to the floor.)
Austin B: 10:00
9/7/14
Today I got started with my first private pay individual client, Jake S. Jake is finally detoxed and ready to start moving. It’s my belief that the neuroendocrine response from training will begin to act as a substitute for his DOC. At the very least, expending this kind of energy will help him deal with post-acute withdrawal symptoms and he’ll start sleeping better.
Squats
Despite being very flexible Jake has little experience with proper squat technique. He is, however, very coachable. With just a few cues he is able to sufficiently maintain midline stability and perform squats with a 10# to counter balance him well below parallel.
Jake S: 4X10 w/10# plate
Press
As I said (or maybe I didn’t), nothing builds raw strength like the strict press. Lay people and gym rats always want to know, “What do you bench?” If you really want to know how tough and strong someone is ask them, “What can you strict press?” Jake started off easy with some light aluminum technique bar work and then progressed to a single arm KB press for his first day.
Jake S: 3X7 w/25# KB
RDL
Here we just worked with an ultralight bar and moved him through the range of motion and attempted to teach the ever-important midline stability or “setting the back.”
Metabolic Conditioning
I’m blown away by this kid’s work capacity on his first day of training. I set him on the task written below and he performs all the movements with great technique and works hard the entire time.
5:00 AMRAP
50’ Prowler push
7 Ab Mat Sit ups
50’ Prowler push
7 burpees
Jake S: 4 rounds plus the second prowler push!
9/9/14
Three guys today: James P, Austin B and Jake. Looks like James is starting to crave the feeling of getting stronger and for the first time in his training career has an actual program with some science behind it.
Back Squat
James and Austin are under the bar now. Jake is progressed to a 25# plate to a very low 8” box where he is coached to come to a full stop and maintain midline stability.
James P: 175X3X5
Austin B: 175X3X5
Jake S: 4X10 w/25# plate
Bench Press
Once again, I think I overreached with a couple of the guys’ loading schemes. I figured Austin would have adapted to the training stimulus from the last session. However, I underestimate the fact that regarding this lift he’s not a novice and therefore not going to be able to follow a simple linear progression. James likely started a little low, so he was easily able to complete his work sets. Jake again surprised the hell out of me and was able to move the initial weights really well. Unfortunately, he ran into a wall on the third set. My mistake, not his failure.
James P: 235X3X5
Austin B: 210X5 4; 205X5; 205X54
Jake S: 95X5; 105X5; 110X53
Metabolic Conditioning
6:00 AMRAP
Pull ups (James did 3, Austin 2 and Jake did 5 ring rows)
10 box jumps 20” box
10 super mans
Jake S: got 4 rounds +11 reps
Somehow the other guys’ results escaped my log book L
9/11/14
Back squat
James and Austin are able to add almost 10# to the bar each session. Both maintain good form and stability throughout the lift. Sometimes James needs a little prodding or feedback, “Stay tight” or “Chest up” work fine. Jake rocks out some goblet squats while the other guys are warming up and we move him under an empty bar to see how he handles it…Like a champ, that’s how.
James P: 185X3X5
Austin B: 185X3X5
Jake 4X10 goblet squats 10# bell
Then 3X3 35# bar
Press
James and Austin add weight to their last press session. It’s getting challenging for both of them. Jake moves up to a bar and once again exceeds expectations. He is easily cued or placed into the correct finish positon and after a few attempts is able to do it without cues.
James P: 115X3X5
Austin B: 115X3X5
Jake S: 35X3X7
Metabolic Conditioning
3 rounds for time
20 Cal Airdyne or row (Austin rowed)
50’ Prowler push 25’ down high handles 25’ back low handles
15 KB swings .5-1 pood (http://bit.ly/1dkNxix)
James P: 9:48 Austin B: 9:35 Jake S: 10:06
9/14/14
Only James shows up today. Jake reports that he thought it was on Sunday (to be fair his first day was last Sunday). Austin reports showing up and not checking but thinking no one was there. We were.
Back Squat
James is once again able to add weight to the bar! He is more and more able to grasp the concept of midline stability. Feedback as simple as “good rep” or “nope sloppy and loose” work well for him and he reports catching on to what needs to happen in order to earn a “good.”
James P: 90kgX3X5 (198#)
Bench Press
We may just be running out of room on the bench press. This week we added a few pounds to last week and he was at the top end of his ability on the fifth rep of the third set. Nevertheless…
James P: 110kgX3X5 (242#)
Deadlift
James continues to pull very nicely. He still has to be hammered on to set his back before each pull, but when he sets it right, it looks solid.
James P: 118kgX5 (~260#)
Metabolic Conditioning
7:00 AMRAP
10 Wall Balls @20#
10 Ab Mat sit ups with 20# med ball
100’ Prowler Push High handles down 50’ low handles back
James got 3 rounds + 13 reps
After the WOD, James comments several times that that workout kicked his ass. I ask him directly if he can relate the feeling to drug use and he instantly makes the connection. “You’re right” he says, “Pretty similar.” Yep James, pretty similar, just no shame and guilt…
Metaphysical Fitness Manifesto
For some time now, we in the substance abuse treatment field have paid lip service to the importance of exercise and nutrition for people in recovery from alcohol and other drugs. Indeed, we know from numerous studies that in many cases exercise and changes in nutrition can successfully treat people suffering from depression, anxiety and anxiety’s evil cousin, insomnia. [1] Anxiety and depression are undeniably the most common underlying causes for substance abuse. [2] What I’ve noticed, however, is that although this is understood by treatment professionals, we do little to nothing to instruct clients on principles of modern nutrition, much less proper methods of strength & conditioning. I won’t even get into the sad fact that many so-called “healthy” recovering professionals are anything but.
It is well understood that the surest way to kick an addiction is to start a new one. Hell, it’s easy to stop doing so much acid and ecstasy when you start doing heroin. It’s easy (well maybe not easy) to quit smoking and start eating candy. Stick your head into any number of AA meeting halls and you’ll see plenty of coffee, cake and carcinogens.
A lot of this boils down to physiology. Addicts in early recovery have lost a lot of their ability to produce feel-good hormones due to the down regulation stemming from the primary addiction. Basically, the body is saying, “No need for me to make endorphins or serotonin since you keep shoveling the chemical that looks like it in.” Once the addict stops trying to fill the hole inside them it takes a while for the body to gear up production again.
In the interim—and this could take a while—a few things can happen. 1) The addict can be miserable and depressed which often leads to relapse. 2) The addict can find a lesser addiction to once again artificially make those chemicals. Chocolate, sugar and junk food trigger some of the same brain centers and neurotransmitters as heroin. [3 ] 3) They can, and do, get loads of pharmaceuticals. Things to calm them down, things to help them sleep, things to stop the nightmares (these are very common) and of course antidepressants. Sometimes they do 2 & 3 and it doesn’t do shit and they are left with 1. Other times they find something meaningful to act as number 2. Rock climbing, bird watching {I bet somewhere one time some dude quit doing smack to bird watch}, surfing, running marathons; some activity that gets the body to produce those chemicals it stopped making. This is where a strength & conditioning program that uses CrossFit style conditioning can be very effective.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with CrossFit, let me give you a brief overview of it and why I believe it is particularly well suited to be used for A&D Tx. The history of CrossFit is well documented elsewhere (need to catch up? Follow the link http://bit.ly/1pIIJcK) so I won’t take the time here. CrossFit, is a way of combining the best practices of modern principles of strength & conditioning training into short intense workouts or WODs (Work Out of the Day). CrossFit HQ defines themselves with this statement, “CrossFit is constantly varied, functional movements, done at high intensity.” Constantly varied, means work outs are always changing so you don’t get bored. Functional movements, are movements we find in life. Things like pulling or lifting, squatting or sitting and standing, pressing or putting things away overhead. High intensity, means doing it heavy (a relative term) and fast. When prescribed or Rx’d correctly, the intensity of these workouts produce a physiological effect similar to what many addicts, particularly IV users, are searching for at the bottom of a needle, business end of the pipe or rolled up dollar bill. Namely, an endorphin rush and some physiological effects that although aren’t exactly pleasant, make the user feel alive. For example, at the end of a famous CrossFit WOD called Fran (21-15-9 reps of thrusters @ 95# & pull ups) the athlete’s heart will be racing, they will be pouring sweat, they may feel a little nauseated, and most importantly they will be experiencing that endorphin rush. Clearly, this isn’t to the level of injecting drugs, but it’s similar {take it from me don’t experiment if you haven’t already}.
What’s great about this method of achieving this effect with exercise as opposed to drugs, is the absence of shame and guilt. Speaking personally, almost every time I shot-up, I felt shitty about myself and what I was doing immediately after. I imagine this sentiment will resonate with many former users. Achieving the similar neuroendocrine response through exercise left me feeling empowered and proud rather than weak and ashamed. Win, win.
Let me back up to the “Rx’d correctly” thought again. The work out I described is brutal. Many people can’t even do it as it’s written. Does that mean they aren’t ready for this intense form exercise? No, this is where scaling comes in. By this I mean, we scale or reduce the volume (reps) or intensity (weight) to match the level of the athlete. This particular WOD is designed to take around 3-4:00 to complete as written above. The best guys and gals in the world do it in under 2:00! Needless to say (or maybe not) most people doing CrossFit can’t hit these goals. In order for it to happen, the coach needs to scale the WOD appropriately to each individual. This is critical to achieving the neuroendocrine response I described above. What’s more, properly scaling and programming in general is safer and less likely to lead to burnout. But I digress; this is the conditioning part of strength & conditioning.
Before the conditioning I am a proponent of old school barbell movements. Think squat, deadlift, press, bench press and the Olympic lifts (snatch and clean & jerk). These are performed with perfect technique and weight is added to the bar each session or each week; this steady adding of weight is called a linier progression. Strength gains are the goal but never at the expense of form.
In addition to the physiological benefits of this training, there are very tangible social ones as well. One of the things that makes CrossFit unique and, frankly, so successful, is the often referred to, “community aspect.” These WODs are designed to be done in a group setting. Unlike commercial gyms, or as CrossFitters derisively call them, Globo Gyms, where members greet each other with grunts or nods, members of CrossFit gyms are encouraged to get to know each other. This familiarity breeds a closeness that translates into a friendly competitive nature (important in a team environment where people are chasing performance) and maybe more importantly in this case, accountability. Members of a gym’s community hold each other accountable for movement quality, work ethic and showing up. It’s not uncommon for members to call each other when they haven’t see a friend or community member around the gym for a few days. This phenomenon is one of the cornerstones of the 12-step programs. You have to look out for each other and reach out when you suspect something might be wrong. Works real well here too.
Exercise itself can be addictive and CrossFit especially so. There exist numerous anecdotal stories of people who came to CrossFit from other fitness areas and were instantly hooked. Guys and girls who have been lifelong cyclists, body builder/gym rats or marathoners find themselves challenged to do CrossFit and never go back. Additionally, many formerly sedentary individuals try it and are equally hooked. Whether it’s the community aspect of shared suffering and encouragement, the variety of the ever-changing workouts or the neuroendocrine response the intense workouts leave one with, many of the people who try CrossFit find a passion for it and for fitness in general.
This particular style of strength & conditioning lends itself well to recovery. The nature of the sport is such that there are constantly new goals to set, reach and exceed. Whether it’s a new one rep max in one of the lifts or a personal record (PR) on a run or a repeated workout, even the ability to do a new complex movement like muscle ups or double unders can give the recovering athlete something to feel good about for days. These good feelings help to drive the addict athlete to perform better and stay clean.
Furthermore, as the body becomes stronger and more flexible so does the mind. I always like to point out that one of the side benefits of this training is that the way people carry themselves changes. People begin to walk with their chest up, shoulders back and head held high. This is contrary to the addict’s default position of slumped shoulders and gazing at the ground. I was always amazed at how often my clients found drugs on the ground. They would come to group and talk about how difficult it was to not pick up or toss out the bag of dope they found while walking down the street. It was as if we all are walking over a veritable cornucopia of illicit street drugs out there if we would only look down. Now maybe we are all just less adept at finding them, but not once has one of my athletes or anyone at the gym come up to me and said, “Joe, look, I found this bag of smack sitting on the street.” Maybe we just choose to walk with our heads held high instead.
If we make this style of strength & conditioning and proper nutrition (to include life skills development in shopping and cooking) into the core curriculum of A&D treatment in general, but specifically in an aftercare/recovery house/clean and sober living setting, we can greatly improve outcomes.
More to come…
[1] Exercise treats anxiety, depression, and insomnia
Oeland, A. M., Laessoe, U., Olesen, A. V., & Munk-Jørgensen, P. (January 01, 2010). Impact of exercise on patients with depression and anxiety. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 64, 3, 210-7.
Jazaieri, H., Goldin, P. R., Werner, K., Ziv, M., & Gross, J. J. (July 01, 2012). A Randomized Trial of MBSR Versus Aerobic Exercise for Social Anxiety Disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 68, 7, 715-731
Passos, G. S., Poyares, D. L., Santana, M. G., Tufik, S., & Mello, M. T. (January 01, 2012). Is exercise an alternative treatment for chronic insomnia?. Clinics (são Paulo, Brazil), 67, 6, 653-60
. Goldberg, L., & Elliot, D. L. (2000). The healing power of exercise: Your guide to preventing and treating diabetes, depression, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, and more. New York: Wiley.
Daley, A., & Jolly, K. (June 09, 2012). Exercise to treat depression. British Medical Journal, 7860, 6.
aan, . R. M., Collins, K. A., & Fitterling, H. L. (April 01, 2009). Physical exercise and depression. Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine: a Journal of Translational and Personalized Medicine, 76, 2, 204-214
Melanson, K. (January 01, 2007). Nutrition Review: Relationships of Nutrition With Depression and Anxiety. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 1, 3, 171-174.
[2] Anxiety depression as underlying causes of addiction
Franken, I. H., & Hendriks, V. M. (January 01, 2001). Screening and diagnosis of anxiety and mood disorders in substance abuse patients. The American Journal on Addictions / American Academy of Psychiatrists in Alcoholism and Addictions, 10, 1, 30-9.
Scorzelli, J. F., & Chaudhry, S. Z. (January 01, 2009). Relationship between anxiety and addiction to a depressant drug. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 41, 1, 61-6.
Frischknecht, U., Beckmann, B., Heinrich, M., Kniest, A., Nakovics, H., Kiefer, F., Mann, K., … Hermann, D. (January 01, 2011). The Vicious Circle of Perceived Stigmatization, Depressiveness, Anxiety, and Low Quality of Life in Substituted Heroin Addicts. European Addiction Research, 17, 5, 241-249.
Mann, R. E., Adlaf, E. M., Adlaf, E. M., Hamilton, H. A., Hamilton, H. A., Hamilton, H. A., Hamilton, H. A., … Rehm, J. (January 01, 2011). Estimating the Prevalence of Anxiety and Mood Disorders in an Adolescent General Population: An Evaluation of the GHQ12. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 9, 4, 410-420
DuPont, R. L. (January 01, 1995). Anxiety and addiction: a clinical perspective on comorbidity. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 59, 2, 53-72.
[3] Junk food, sugar, & addiction
Harrington, M. (January 01, 2010). Is junk food addictive?. Lab Animal, 39, 5.)
Bennett, C., & Sinatra, S. T. (2007). Sugar shock!: How sweets and simple carbs can derail your life, and how you can get back on track. New York: Berkley Books.
Fortuna, J. L. (January 01, 2010). Sweet preference, sugar addiction and the familial history of alcohol dependence: shared neural pathways and genes. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 42, 2, 147-51.
K Garber, Andrea, and Robert H Lustig. “Is fast food addictive?.” Current drug abuse reviews 4.3 (2011): 146-162.
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