Welcome to Pain Cave Fitness.

A note on running for the combat athlete.

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:27:00 +0000

Ill keep this one short today. I see a lot of people that train in MMA, BJJ etc, like to run long distances. While running is a "cardiovascular" activity, it has no place outside the prep and base periods of training. Running, while helping increase oxidation in the body (bad and good) it tends to cause more problems than benefits.

Every exercise you do needs to be done according to the cost vs benefit ratio. If I do this activity, what is it going to cost me (what bad can happen) and what benefit will it give me (what good will come out of it in relation to the training schedule).

Most people don't know how to "run right". That being said, I have to leave it up to you to decide if you run right or not (cause I cant SEE you running right now hehe) but if left up to their own devices, most people get confused from POSE running to Heel Toe to whatever.

And we are talking about long distance running here. For marathoners and triathletes, it is a necessary evil but for the combat athlete who switches energy systems in a heartbeat (pummeling right into take down defense and back up to punching and kicking) there is no direct translation for them.

Sprints with medicine ball tosses is more of what I'm talking about. But if you are in the prep or base period, then running distances of up to 4 miles can actually help prepare the body for more intense, short bursted training that is going to come in the build and peak phases.

As we get closer to the peak and race/fight phase we need to lower strength and size training (most of that should be done in base and build cause lets face it, you aren't going to get any bigger or stronger 3 weeks out of a fight or race) and raise endurance and skill training with a dab of muscle power (explosiveness) while dropping exercises that can cause injury.

And just for R&M here is a little bit for you:

Rebuilding the Athlete Pt4: Limitations in respect to training.

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:42:00 +0000

As we train any athlete, we have to understand a few things:

1. their goals
2. their experience
3. their mental capacity for learning or following (ill touch on this later, some people dont care about the why)
4. their physical strengths and limitations
5. their schedule

This post will talk about limitations because I think that has the most to do with prep, base and build phases of training. With physical limitations, we are not only talking about handicaps such as loss of motor skills or loss of appendage. I mean more things like flexibility, body type and range of motion.

But arent flexibility and ROM the same thing? No. Flexibility is the "ability of a muscle to stretch to its fullest extension". ROM is the ability of muscles to move joints synergistically through its full range of contraction (or flex), abduction, adduction, and extension. Without diving into a dictionary to explain these, ill leave that as homework for you reading this. Just remember that everything in the body moves together, there is NO SUCH THING AS AN ISOLATION EXERCISE. I will lose my voice telling people over and over on this one.

But Nick, what about a preacher curl, or a leg curl, or lateral raise.

No. Lets look at this for a bit. Say you are on the preacher curl machine, you might be putting more stress on the bicep, but you still have to use your wrist muscles and shoulder muscles for stabilization.

Flexibility is a given trait that can be trained, but up until the persons specific body type or muscle make up and joint activity limits them from attaining a full stretch. Its also important to train exercises through the full ROM unless you have a specific goal in mind that will limit ROM, like training a fighter to Gorilla Press someone out of mount. For this, you may limit them to get under a barbell on the floor with a spotter and train from the lowest point their elbows hit the floor up to full extension. But by doing this, you cannot neglect the rest of the ROM, you will just have to train it in a different way.

Body Types, as given to us by science through bodybuilding, are as follows

Ectomorphic
Mesomorphic
Endomorphic

*from http://www.fitbuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/somatotype-body-types.jpg

Each of these 3 types of bodies have different traits. Many Pro Bodybuilders and MMA Fighters are Mesomorphs and Ectomorphs. Mesomorphs have an easier time putting on muscle where Ectomorphs have an easier time staying very lean. This doesn't mean that an Endomorph cannot look closer to one of the other 2, it just means that they have to learn how their body adapts to food and training.

Range of Motion Training is very easy to do. Most of it is done unloaded, meaning no weight or very light weight. If we are correcting someone's ROM we need to do it unloaded because more than likely they have an instability and training a loaded joint with an instability= injury.

Point to take from this: Understand the principles of Body Type, ROM and Flexibility and understand how they may limit your training, but its up to you to find ways to correct imbalances and work with what you have. Never give up and don't be so hard on yourself. It takes a long time for people to understand what works best for them.

RIP Adam Bennet

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:10:00 +0000

Adam, who trained with us at Hard Target Martial Arts, and had the heart of a warrior, just passed away. As we do not yet know the details, we are aware that he was in China on an internship. I ask all of you to please keep Adam and his family in your thoughts, prayers and meditations. He has reached the end of his race, and remember that we all will one day as well.

Good bye sir. You will be missed.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/topstories/story/1057510.html

Rebuilding the Athlete Pt3: Base Training Phase.

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:06:00 +0000

The season ended, the injuries were fixed and the athlete is ready to begin a period of training again (goal specific, remember there are workouts and then there is training). Base training is exactly what one might think of when they look at a pyramid, the longest part at the bottom. It is what all other fitness traits are built upon. For example:

You cannot have speed without building up the cardio system.
You cannot lift maximum weight until you stabilize all the joints associated with the exercise.
You cannot run until you walk. Ok, maybe that one was too easy but you are getting my point now.

There has been a term coined GPP, or General Physical Preparedness. It is basically all the basics. For you english teachers out there, dont hate me for that sentence. Its getting the body ready to move together without specificity. It is training all the energy systems at the basic level, preparing the body for more detail and goal specific training later on.

Its the foundation of the fitness house you are building. Things included in GPP are basics like push ups, pull ups, sled dragging, tire ironing, washing clothes, walking, giving the dog a bath etc.

No really it is any non specific movement that makes the body work all energy systems together at a low enough rate that you build upon the progressive resistance you have applied. Long runs instead of sprints. You get the picture.

Next, the build phase.

Rebuilding the Athlete Pt2: Prep Training Phase.

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:48:00 +0000

Ok, so we have a basic understanding of where we might be in any given training cycle, or maybe not (for those of you that are new to the terminology used to describe these things. Keep in mind they are just labels.)

Other Fitness Professionalls may coin killer words and phrases to "lock-in" their idea, however as I have stated before and has been proven by science (more studies are coming out all the time, but unfortunately a lot of them contradict each other):

Methods are many, Principles are Few. ....(that was three periods. Period)

We break those down into the phases of training, and these can even be applied to those that dont want to compete. Al Cosgrove is a great motivator of the next "gala or event" to prepare for (fat loss, muscle gain etc for the maybe non-competitive athlete) but all human beings respond to Progressive Resistance.

In my words, Progressive Resistance means slowly adding more of each of these three throughout the training period:

Time: The amount of time work is being done
Intensity: The rate at which work is being done
Volume: How much work is being done.

Now all 3 of these apply into the Phases of training. Right now Lets talk about the Prep or Preparation Phase.

Prep phases are usually started by inactive, injured or athletes just coming down from a compete phase. In Football, after the season is done, general Strength and Conditioning is maintained or even taken down a notch to insure proper recovery between seasons. The Player cannot keep the same level of fitness all the time, and attempting to do so brings illness and injury.

Remember the steps we talked about, Prep is at the bottom left of the diagram. Usually a longer period of training, it can be determined by the next goal. Once the next goal is given, then we plan on moving from Prep to Base. Prep can also be looked at as injury recovery time or strengthening of a injured part of the body.

Example: the rotator cuff tear. We cannot just throw the athlete back into a build or peak phase without proper rehab prescribed by a kinesiologist or physician. Once that is done, we can work around the guidelines to insure the injured area is brought back up to strength.

You are only as good as your weakest link.

Rebuilding an Injured Athlete

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:29:00 +0000

So you just got back from a rotator cuff tear, or the flu and your doctor has cleared you to start training again. Lets get back to the basic terminology between training and workout:

My definition can be re-read Here. Sorry for those that thought I was going to write that out again. Shame on you.

Once the athlete decides that he wants to get active again and is properly cleared by medical peeps, the must have a plan on where to go. Even if its short term, you still need a goal. If you cannot perform 20 pushups in a row, that may be a micro goal with the main goal being able to compete in sport again in 6 months (depending on prior level of fitness and the ability for energy systems to react to progressive resistance)

Lets look at the basics of this idea and the terminology of periodization. Starting over a training cycle or after an injury you need to get back to basics. We call this GPP or Base Training. Without these you cannot build up to a compete phase.

Again, lets look at the phases (ill type these out for those of you link scaredy cats)

1.Prep (more on that later)
2.Base
3.Build
4.Peak
5.Compete

Then lets examine the 3 ways to train in those periods. You can change 3 things.

1. Time
2. Intensity
3. Volume.

Starting over, no one should be anywhere near what they were trying to do before they got injured or if they are starting over a new training cycle. This is the time to hire a qualified fitness trainer to help dissect this information so that when it enters your earhole it can get stored in the correct brain space.

Marinate on this. Training Cycles look like steps going up. Every 2 steps, imagine a small drop back to a lower level of fitness, but above the starting point. That is how we look at periodization.

Energy Systems

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:29:00 +0000

Here is a great little chart showing which energy systems are in use and the fuel used. Thanks to Elite FTS for putting this together.

Words from Dana White

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:50:00 +0000

Not sure if the respect level is the same in the MMA world after this, but who am I to say.

reprint from here

EliteXC tapped out and a crowbar couldn't pry the ear-to-ear grin off UFC president Dana White's face.

"Today is a great day in MMA. Pro Elite is dead," he says in reference to EliteXC's parent company. "These guys were bad for the sport so thank God they're gone."

The two-year-old fight club announced earlier this week it was shutting its doors for good. The company lost $55 million since it began and there was brewing controversy over whether EliteXC brass tried to influence the outcome of its Oct. 4 CBS show.

Last-minute stand-in Seth Petruzelli claimed he was told to stand and trade blows with its biggest star, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson. Ferguson is a knockout specialist with a weak ground game and asking Petruzelli to stand is seen by many as a move that would favour Ferguson. Petruzelli won the fight in 13 seconds with a stoppage due to strikes.

There are reports that CBS was set to buy EliteXC, but after watching the debacle unfold live -- which included the seemingly objective EliteXC vice-president cheering for Slice from his cageside seats -- CBS officials put away the chequebook.

The trucker-mouthed White was not short of words for outgoing EliteXC executives.

In a recently posted video blog, White calls Jeremy Lappen, EliteXC head of fight operations, a three-time loser for his newest failed attempt at MMA promoting.

"Jeremy, you have a law degree, go get a real (expletive) job," says White. "Your parents must be really bummed out. You spent all that money on a law degree and you're (messing) around in MMA trying to screw up this business. Go screw up somebody's (expletive) court case."

He also had some parting shots for vice-president Jared Shaw, whose father Gary -- a long-time boxing promoter -- launched the outfit before handing the reins to his son.

"You got a rich daddy. You can live at home with your mom and dad. In the basement," says a chuckling White. "You don't even have to get a job. You can go hang out at nightclubs and deejay.

Insiders say the overambitious growth of the fight club ultimately led to its demise.

Early on, the company spent more than $10 million, purchasing King of The Cage, Cage Rage, Icon and South Korea's SpiritMC.

Despite buying its way to become the No. 2 outfit behind the UFC, EliteXC failed to strike a chord with MMA purists who blasted the fight club for trying to make stars out of fighters like Internet backyard brawler Ferguson.

Pro Elite was successful on some fronts. It became the first MMA outfit to secure a prime-time network deal and it was able to bring women's MMA to a new level through Gina Carano. Today, Carano, along with Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, Nick Diaz and, of course, Kimbo Slice are looking for work elsewhere.

Epoc and Pavel

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:20:00 +0000

Well if I didn’t believe it first, it seems that the whole work harder during your training and burn more calories after the workout has come around to Hard Style Kettlebell man Pavel. It’s time that we start fusing multiple disciplines to continue to see changes we want.

from his newsletter

Mazzetti et al (2007) have compared the effects of slow and explosive squats and discovered that the latter burned 13% more calories during exercise and 7% more one hour after exercise. The scientists have concluded that "by using explosive contractions and moderate exercise intensity, experienced recreational exercisers can increase their energy expenditure during and after resistance exercise, and this could enhance weight-loss adaptations."
It is no rocket science —by pulling harder on your Kettlebell you are working harder and thus burn more calories. If you want to burn fat —go hard style!

So let’s look at this. Explosive squats do use more energy than "regular" squats, and what we mean by explosive is a fast positive no pause and then a controlled negative with a rest. Sometimes though, you don’t have to rest at the bottom, but the rest does 2 things:

1. It removes the bounce mechanism in muscle that acts like a trampoline. You neutralize the movement of the weight back to static, therefore actually recruiting more fibers in the next rep.
2. It lets the person safely "start over" and get balanced so they don’t injure themselves or others with a weight flying off the back or popping a piece of connective tissue.

There are times in a training cycle that we want to use both of these. It is not good to always train explosively just like it is never a good idea to always train at the same tempo. It all matters on what your end goal is and how you have your program structured. For example, if you just started out training, there is nothing good going to come out of you explosively doing anything without first "learning" proper mechanics and finding what we call the groove. Doing so invites injury and injury sucks because it is unforeseen rest periods, and unforeseen rest periods wreck havoc on the psyche of the athlete.

At the opposite end of the scale we have the conditioned athlete that needs to overcome a plateau, so instead of doing a 3-3-3 squat (tempo) they will incorporate the explosive variety of an exercise. That being said, I personally do not think you need more than 1-2 explosive exercises per workout. They are metabolically and mentally demanding, and once you break down the mind muscle connection, your coordination wavers and form suffers.

In the next few posts, we will look at an athlete coming back from injury or sickness and examining all the aspects that need to be considered when putting a training program together. Let’s say the doc cleared them and all is ready to go again.

We will start the rebuilding.

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:51:00 +0000

The man is returning to cycling

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:26:00 +0000

Lance Armstrong will compete again in Tour de France
ARMSTRONG AIMS FOR 8TH TOUR TITLE
Mercury News Wire Services
Article Launched: 09/09/2008 07:40:06 PM PDT

AUSTIN — Lance Armstrong is getting back on his bike, determined to win an eighth Tour de France.

Armstrong's return from cancer to win the Tour a record seven consecutive times made him a hero to cancer patients worldwide and elevated cycling to an unprecedented level in America.

Armstrong, 36, told Vanity Fair in an exclusive interview posted on its Web site Tuesday that he was inspired to return after finishing second last month in the Leadville 100, a lung-searing 100-mile mountain-bike race through the Rocky Mountains.

"This kind of obscure bike race totally kick-started my engine," he told the magazine. "I'm going to try and win an eighth Tour de France."

Armstrong's comeback trail might bring him through the Bay Area.

The cycling journal VeloNews reported on its Web site that Armstrong will compete with the Astana team in the Tour de France and four other road races, including the Amgen Tour of California, which winds through the Bay Area in February. The other road races would be Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia and the Dauphine-Libere.

In a video statement on his foundation's Web site, Armstrong said details — such as a team and schedule — will be announced Sept. 24 at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City.

"I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the
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global cancer burden," Armstrong said in a statement released to the Associated Press. "This year alone, nearly 8 million people will die of cancer worldwide. ... It's now time to address cancer on a global level."

But there are no guarantees Astana will be allowed to race in the 2009 Tour de France. Race officials kept the team out of the 2008 race because of previous doping violations.

If Armstrong and his team aren't invited in 2009, he plans to appeal directly to French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

"I've already put a call in to him," he told Vanity Fair.

In the Vanity Fair interview, Armstrong told the magazine he is 100 percent sure he will compete in the Tour next summer.

"I think it's great," said longtime teammate George Hincapie, who added he spoke with Armstrong on Tuesday morning. "Like I said earlier today, without Lance half the teams in this race probably wouldn't be around. He's done more than anyone for the sport, especially in America and around the world."

Armstrong noted in the magazine interview that other athletes in his age range are competing at a high level, specifically 41-year-old Olympic medalist swimmer Dara Torres and 38-year-old Olympic women's marathon champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita of Romania.

"Older athletes are performing well," he said. "Ask serious sports physiologists and they'll tell you age is a wives' tale."

Age might be an issue for Armstrong in the Tour de France. Only one rider older than 34 has won the Tour — 36-year-old Firmin Lambot in 1922.

The sport has missed Armstrong's star power, though skeptics refuse to believe he could win seven Tours without the help of illegal performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong has been in several public spats with officials at the World Anti-Doping Agency.

"There's this perception in cycling that this generation is now the cleanest generation we've had in decades, if not forever," Armstrong told Vanity Fair. "And the generation that I raced with was the dirty generation."

Although many riders were caught doping, Armstrong never tested positive and always has maintained he was a clean rider, using hundreds of passed drug tests during his career as proof.

With his riveting victories over cancer and opponents on the bike, to his work for cancer awareness and gossip-page romances, Armstrong has become a modern-day American icon.

He was an established sprint champion when he was diagnosed in 1996 with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. Doctors gave him less than a 50 percent chance of survival.

Surgery — he has a half-moon scar on his head from the brain operation — and brutal cycles of chemotherapy saved his life. From there, it was determination and powerful self-discipline that led him back to the bike.

His stunning win at the 1999 Tour de France was just the start. He went from bring a sprinter to a technical expert who could climb mountains at speeds that punished other riders.

Armstrong's goal every year was to win the Tour de France, the sport's biggest race, and he dominated the Pyrenees and Alps like no other rider ever had.

His Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer awareness, but his social life has done just as much to keep him in the spotlight.

After his divorce from Kristin, the mother of his three children, Armstrong has had high-profile relationships with rocker Sheryl Crow, fashion designer Tory Burch and most recently, actor Kate Hudson.

Associated Press Writer Jerome Pugmire in Paris contributed to this report.

Evan Tanner from Sherdog

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:54:00 +0000

Former UFC Champ Tanner Dead at 37

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Tuesday, September 09, 2008
by Loretta Hunt (lhunt@sherdog.com)

A body believed to be that of former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner was found Monday in the Palo Verde mountain area, the Imperial Valley Press has reported.

Calls to the Imperial Valley sheriff’s department and coroner’s office were not immediately returned.

Tanner, 37, had embarked on a camping trip some time around Sept. 2 into the desert-like region north of Brawley, Calif., approximately two and a half hours east of San Diego.

Sherdog.com has ascertained various unconfirmed reports that Tanner’s body was identified Monday and that relatives have been notified. An autopsy is said to be scheduled for Tuesday.

Deana Epperson, who grew up across the street from Tanner and his family in his hometown of Amarillo, Texas, said she'd been told that the fighter had texted friends in Oceanside as late as Thursday, telling them that he'd run out of water and gas for his motorcycle. Authorities were then contacted to try and locate the fighter.

Tanner had last been connected to the Compound Mixed Martial Arts & Fitness gym in Oceanside, Calif. Co-owner Claudia Ortega said she and her husband had reached out to Tanner a year ago after he had visited the facility. In recent weeks, Tanner had moved back to the area and visited the gym on a few occasions to train.

Ortega said Tanner told her he planned to “take a couple of trips,” then settle at the gym.

“He wanted to make it his home,” said Ortega. “”We really wanted to see him succeed in any way he could.”

Tanner was a self-made mixed martial arts standout. A two-time state championship wrestler in high school, he made his professional debut on a whim with the Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation in 1997 and defeated three opponents in one night -- including eventual UFC title challenger Paul Buentello -- in one night to win a heavyweight tournament. He would later defend the title against Pride Fighting Championships and UFC veteran Heath Herring, among others.

He enjoyed his greatest success in the UFC. Tanner won 10 of his first 12 fights with the promotion, losing only to Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin. His UFC run was highlighted by his upset victory over David Terrell at UFC 51 in February 2005, as he stopped the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt on strikes to capture the middleweight championship. Tanner relinquished the 185-pound crown in his rematch with Franklin at UFC 53 four months later, as he absorbed a brutal beating after knocking down the popular Ohioan with a right hand in the first round.

Tanner, the first American to win the Pancrase Neo-Blood tournament in Japan, lost four of his last five fights. He made his final appearance inside the Octagon at “The Ultimate Fighter 7” Finale in June, as he dropped a split decision to Kendall Grove in Las Vegas.

Tanner had recently started his own blog in association with SpikeTV.com.

“I've been sitting around this apartment, bored to tears, waiting on the last of the gear I need for the desert adventure to come in the mail. I've really been looking forward to getting out there,” wrote Tanner. “It seems some MMA websites have reported on the story, posting up that I might die out in the desert, or that it might be my greatest opponent yet, etc. Come on guys. This isn't a version of "Into the Wild". I'm not going out into the desert with a pair of shorts and a bowie knife, to try to live off the land. I'm going fully geared up, and I'm planning on having some fun.”

Brian Knapp contributed to this report.

This is fitness

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:41:00 +0000

Thiago and Champion Nutrition

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:54:00 +0000

Not sure what he was thinking

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:03:00 +0000

I am Rampage fan from his days in Pride. Even though it looks like the UFC is the great equalizer, we expect top notch athletes to behave like top notched athletes.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was arrested and held on $25,000 bail following a traffic accident Tuesday afternoon in Costa Mesa, Calif.

According to Costa Mesa police Lt. Paul Dondero, an officer observed the 30-year old Jackson driving with a flat tire on his 2008 Ford F-350 pickup truck and talking on his cell phone (which recently became illegal while driving in Calif.) and attempted to pull him over.

Dondero said Jackson, a resident of Irvine, Calif., ignored the officer and continued driving with the officer in pursuit.

Police had received a report of a vehicle involved in a collision on the 55 Freeway in Costa Mesa, which struck other vehicles and fled the scene, Dondero said.

The chase continued with the vehicle weaving in and out of traffic, including at one point driving on the wrong side of the road and even on a sidewalk, scaring pedestrians.

Dondero said Jackson hit two cars at 19th Street and Newport Boulevard at 1:13 p.m., but failed to stop. He said a Costa Mesa police officer saw the truck near 17th Street and attempted to pull it over.

Jackson fled and hit at least one more car before the five-minute chase ended with his arrest, the lieutenant said.

The car continued to Newport Beach, where the tire blew out and came off the rim and he was taken into the Orange County Central jail. The fighter was charged with hit-and-run driving, felony evading and reckless driving.

UFC president Dana White flew to Orange County upon learning of the arrest and said he was driving to the county jail to post bail for Jackson.

The story was initially reported by the website TMZ.com, which has photos of Jackson lying face down on the street behind his truck, a 2008 Ford F-350 turbo diesel, as a police officer has his gun drawn and is pointing it at him.

Jackson won the UFC light heavyweight title by knocking out Chuck Liddell at UFC 71 on May 26, 2007. After a successful defense against Dan Henderson on Sept. 5, Jackson lost the belt to Forrest Griffin on a controversial decision at UFC 86 on July 5 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Jackson’s manager/trainer, Juanito Ibarra, did not immediately return phone calls.

Balance

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:31:00 +0000

Balance is something more than steadying something against 2 opposing forces. It is also a state of mind, a state that has driven many mad in the pursuit of. Balance doest have to be illusive, it can be as simple as saying this steak was enough, or I haven’t drank enough water today; it can also be “I have trained enough this week, let’s spend some time with the fam”.

However, let’s look at balance as give and take between your body and the forces placed upon it. Balance is necessity in sports. Balance is necessity in non -sports.

Why do we want balance?

Balance is the point in which we know we can come back to that lets us start over, whether it be the start of a lift or after taking a missed shot in a BJJ match. You know where you need to get back to so you are able to reset and send energy in the form of motion out as fast and hard as you can, all the while staying in control. Without this centeredness, one cannot regroup mentally and physiologically to prepare for the next attack or next defensive situation. If your opponent finds you off balance, he strikes with ease. In contrast, when you knock your opponent off balance, it is easier for you to attack and win the battle.

In lifting, we need balance to support the skeletal and muscular systems when moving outside the center and into one of the 3 planes, separately or all at once; with or without load. Without balance in lifting, we cannot apply the forces our muscles create appropriately, and then the outcome lacks true intent. Force is not generated in-line, and you do not reach your full potential and your training suffers.

When you train for a long time and do not examine the body for weakness, your balance suffers as you create imbalances.

Imbalances, the opposite to center.

Imbalances are easy to see. Are you typing right now or looking at the screen? I bet your shoulders are rounded in and your neck is jutting forward. This I call the computer syndrome. Boxers and Martial Artists do this all the time from being in the forward ready stance. Over and Over, for hours on end most of humanity has this issue. It is a true imbalance that can be easily fixed.

Think about this, you round your shoulders and neck all the time, and then you go out and try to lift or compete. You explode with full force, not realizing you have an imbalance that now causes misalignment of muscle and skeletal tissue. You can’t stop yourself when you miss the target or drop the bar, but your body continues to move in that direction. Next thing you know, you hear a pop or a crack and then searing pain. What is it? An injury and now you are side lined for weeks if not months.

And all you needed to do was some corrective exercises.

Stay tuned as I release a few small exercises anyone can do to help fight back against our enemy: the imbalance. First step is to see these imbalances. Next step is to fix them with corrective exercises. 3rd step is to fend off injury with stretching and joint mobility training that may only add on 10 minutes to your workout. Find a good sports medicine doctor or sports physical therapist. They can show you anatomically what is wrong with you or what you have a propensity to be stricken with.

Knowledge is power. Use it to stay in the game longer, win the match or just plain live pain free. Your body will thank you.

100th Post

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:46:00 +0000

Just a quick note to point out the 100th post for the Pain Cave. Thanks to all that visit and please email me anytime if you want me to impose my opinion on you.

She motivated me

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:35:00 +0000

from here

Welcome to My Pain Cave
Jump to Comments

Daniel destroyed us this morning at boot camp.

It didn’t help that I pulled a rookie move and showed up to the workout without having any sort of snack beforehand. Usually it’s just half an apple or a handful of blueberries - it doesn’t seem like it should make that much difference, but it does.

I got a brutal reminder of that this morning as I suffered the wrath of a Week 4 Thursday muscle-burner.

Fifteen minutes in I was holding a push-up plank, dripping a near-steady stream of sweat onto my mat and seriously beginning to wonder if I was going to make it. Daniel’s voice reached me through the ether of my suffering: “I know you don’t think you’re going to make it but you are. I know you are.”

He wasn’t talking to me. He was talking to everyone. In fact, he was on the other side of the court when he said it but it came through loud and clear. I tightened my abs, gritted my teeth, and started counting the drops that were falling off the tip of my nose.

I went into my pain cave.

Sal and his cycling teammates talk about the “Pain Cave” a lot. It’s that place you go where you are enveloped by a complete and raw brand of pain. You reach it after feeling the seering inside of you and then ignoring it. You reach it when every voice inside of you has screamed for you to stop and you have silenced them all. The quiet of the pain cave is eerie and horrific.

It’s still but not calming. It’s excruciating and peaceful all at once. It’s simultaneously transcendent and brutally immediate. The agony is almost tangible.

It is the best and the worst feeling.

To be honest, The Pain Cave is one of my favorite places in the world. It is hugely rewarding and ridiculously satistfying. Of course, I have been known to exhibit masochistic tendencies now and then. :) (And Daniel was right - I did make it. Just barely.)

I made the obligatory stop at Stumptown on my way home and picked up an Americano to bring home to Sal. Walking from the car to the coffee shop I was euphoric… or delirious… one of the two.

At home I discovered a new equation:

The Pain Cave + raging hunger + post-workout high = Cocoa Puffs

Well, modified cocoa puffs, anyway. With the early morning light streaming in through the kitchen window I combined Fiber One, non-fat milk, and a scoop of chocolate protein powder.

The milk turned brown and chocolaty, the Fiber One crunched just so, and the Pain Cave drifted slowly away.

I’m heading north to a family reunion, shooting a wedding on Sunday, and then staying with friends in Seattle on Monday so posting will likely taper until my return.

In the meantime, go find your pain cave already - it’s calling to you.

Intensity

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Intensity can be described as the rate at which work is being done. Or at least thats they way I like to think of it. Lets look at this on a scale.

Lets take the Bench Press of 135lbs at 3 sets of 10. If we say that the first set takes you 50 seconds to complete, the second takes you 55 and the third takes you 59, your total work time is 164 seconds. Lets also say rest for the first set is 1 min, the second set also one minute, you have a rest period of 2 minutes. Since the final set rest period is usually determined on how quickly you move from this exercise to the next, overall workout intensity is easily changed by this final set rest period. For this purpose lets say 3 minutes in between exercises.

Exercise Bench Press has 164 seconds of work and 300 seconds of rest. this is a ratio of about 1:2. While this ratio really means nothing to the general trainee, it is used to demonstrate the point of time as a determining factor of intensity. Time is the easiest way to change intensity of a workout.

Changing the weight and using the same ratio also increases intensity to a degree. It makes it hard and more work is done, however the rate of work being done does not change unless the time it takes to complete the entire exercise does.

Most people that are involved in determining the tempo of each exercise's rep scheme look at intensity as breaking each part of the rep down to a number as well. We can use this number to determine time under tension, another variable of intensity.

Lets say that the concentric (muscle shortening or contracting) phase of the bench press (the push off the chest) takes you 2 seconds, the pause or isometric (tension between load and muscle are equal) at the top is 2 seconds and the eccentric (or lengthening, negative) phase is 2 seconds, this rep has a tempo of 2:2:2. Most people do not need to worry about this variable at all, as total work is more important for beginners than rep tempo. But we will still look as this tempo as a 6 second rep. 10 reps with 6 seconds are approximately, thats right: 60 seconds.

In training, we look at altering each workout's intensity to change the goal and outcome of each, meaning that variable intensities create different muscle responses. Intensity is a great way to shock the system, either going from and extreme high or an extreme low. Keeping intensity too high for too long will actually have a negative impact because extremely high intensity creates certain chemicals in the body to increase and create a severely acidic state that will break down muscle tissue instead of build it. We call this catabolism. Staying in this catabolic state for too long leads to over-reaching, then over-training. More on those later.

For those that do a lot of cardiovascular training, the best way to gauge intensity is heart rate. There are scales of measurement out there that determine workout intensity, but the good ones are never on the side of a piece of equipment. Those fat burning zones on the treadmill, yeah, just plain silly. Use a heart rate monitor.

For those that do not have a heart rate monitor or are just into walking or jogging you can use the talk test and the perceived exertion scale. I used to use this a lot when training for triathlons. Each workout during the week was at a different intensity and length. Here is a copy of that scale*:

* Level 1: I'm watching TV and eating bon-bons
* Level 2: I'm comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
* Level 3: I'm still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
* Level 4: I'm sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly

* Level 5: I'm just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
* Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
* Level 7: I can still talk, but I don't really want to. I'm sweating like a pig
* Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period

* Level 9: I am probably going to die
* Level 10: I am dead

An easy way to derive your workouts using intensity as a modifier is too have different days of the week that use different intensities. Long, slow workouts are usually not that intense. If you train long and slow all the time, you will perform long and slow. Maybe good for the boudoir, but not for athletics. Say one workout is long and slow, one is medium length and a little faster, then the final day is short sprints. You can also alter resistance training in the same manner.

Writing this one was intense! I'm off to eat bon-bons on the couch and enjoy a Racer 5 IPA.

*about.com

"Work" Out

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:34:00 +0000

Working inevitably explains all things that we do for fitness. We use the term everyday, but do we really understand what it means? I use 2 words to describe the feats of physical enhancement.

1.Workout
2.Training

Although we could beat the bush to a bloody pulp on what these mean to each of us, since this is my website, I'm gonna tell you what I think.

Workout:

A general term used by 95% of the 98%er's. A term used for those that do more than workout, what we call the 2%ers is training. Workout is using tools to create "work" or movements of load for time, speed, or power. There are more technical terms we use for these, but there are other websites out there that "mystify" these issues for what i think is no other than to make people rely more on them. I want everyone to understand these terms in order to help themselves and help other in their fitness goals.

Wikipedia defines work, in what i might say an excellent article as:

Workload can also refer to the total energy output of a system, particularly of a person or animal performing a strenuous task over time. One particular application of this is weight lifting/weights training, where both anecdotal evidence and scientific research has shown that it is the total "workload" that is important to muscle growth, as opposed to just the load, just the volume, or "time under tension". In these and related uses of the word, "workload" can be broken up into "work+load", referring to the work done with a given load. In terms of weights training, the "load" refers to the heaviness of the weight being lifted (20 kg is a greater load than 10 kg), and "work" refers to the volume, or total number of reps and sets done with that weight (20 reps is more work than 10 reps, but 2 sets of 10 reps is the same work as 1 set of 20 reps, its just that the human body cannot do 20reps of a heavy weight without a rest, so its best to think of 2x10 as being 20 reps, with a rest in the middle).

This theory was also used to determine horse power (hp), which was defined as the amount of work a horse could do with a given load over time. The wheel that the horse turned in Watt's original experiment put a certain load on the horse's muscles, and the horse could do a certain amount of work with this load in a minute. Provided the horse was a perfect machine, it would be capable of a constant maximum workload, so increasing the load by a given percentage would result in the possible work done decreasing by the same percentage, so that it would still equal "1 hp". However, horses are not perfect machines and over short time periods are capable of as much as 14 hp, and over long periods of exertion output an average of less than 1 hp.

Training:
Training is a term than many people use synonymously with workout, but i feel they have different meanings. Training, is a series of workouts in a certain order that is used to increase proficiency in a certain area of athleticism. Olympic sprinters train for the Olympics by working out using certain criteria designed to make them get in shape for the event. In shape we mean neurologically proficient, with muscle endurance and strength that is designed to improve fitness for their sport.

What I want people is getting out of the workout mentality and into the training mentality. In the training mentality, we keep track of progress and work toward a pre planned goal. Following this blueprint for physical success is the training program. By getting into this mindset, everything you do has a goal, you act with a purpose and not just meander through a gym looking more bored than if you were watching paint dry. We want people to be a part of the routine, feeling the pain and the elation that comes after endorphins are produced to counteract the pain. If it was a street drug, I would buy it by the truck load.

We all to often want to remove ourselves from the act of fitness by putting on headsets and getting lost so we are not physically or mentally "checked in". I feel that this is detrimental to overall progress, because you are more apt to get bored and stop altogether.

Find ways to train anywhere and with anything. The tools are all around you, all you have to do is use them.

Hmmm

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:33:00 +0000

Here

Qualified Instruction

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Fri, 30 May 2008 18:10:00 +0000

Fads. New gizmos. New workouts and exercises. Gosh they look nice, they are different too! Maybe I should try, or maybe its time for me to step it up. I’ve been doing this (my regular routine) for a long time, I need something new, something spicy. I’ll think I’ll try (fill in blank).

Great, you know that you are progressing and it’s time to move up a notch. It’s time to change the routine totally or maybe just mess with rest periods. Maybe your friends have a new tool and you want to start training with that. But are you ready, physically, mentally and physiologically? Do you have full range of motion of all limbs? Do you have enough flexibility to contort your body into a certain position loaded and then return to the start safely? Do you have enough muscle endurance to hold these positions for long periods of time? Can you work through the pain? Can you or do you know how to effectively transfer power through your body?

If not, you need someone to analyze you, note your weak points and teach you how to do what you are about to take on. Too many people read or see things and automatically jump at the chance to try them the next workout session, sometimes without even knowing how to do very part of every move of the exercise properly. You wouldn’t try a triple lindy from the high dive if you don’t know how to swim would you?

A good coach or trainer is important when undertaking new routines. They supply you the expert eye and point out when you do things wrong. Here are some things you need to look for in a good coach or trainer:

1. Do they look the part? If they aren’t in shape themselves chances are I wouldn’t stick around to hear their advice on workouts or diets. Maybe they have an injury or are a past champion, but that gets into the next point.
2. Do they have the credentials necessary to teach you the skill you are about to learn? I wouldn’t go to a car mechanic to learn how work on trombones.
3. Beware the Jack of all Trades, master of none. Even in professional sports training, there are areas of expertise. Most gym rats that think they are trainers are the bottom of the barrel. STAY AWAY! These guys will talk to everyone in the gym about their form all the while you never ever see them sweat.
4. Reputation. This is probably the easiest way to tell if someone is a fake or not. Google them and talk to other people. Most of the time you can find the information you need from others.

As the methods of training change, the principles never do. Follow these principles and you will never be lead astray:
a. Work on the basics first. Range of motion, flexibility and general muscle endurance.
b. Bodyweight movements before loading. If you can’t do 10 pull ups, skip the lat pull down machine. If you can’t do 20 pushups perfectly, skip the bench.
c. Skip the lame steady state cardio. More and more studies PROVE this does nothing for fat loss unless you are “enhanced”.
d. Track your progress. I cannot state this enough. You cannot add any modification to any aspect of training unless you know where you have been.

All in all remember to keep this fun. Unless you get paid for your athletic endeavors, keep training simple and something you look forward to, not dread.

Remember to go see Bigger, Faster, Stronger the movie.

Cheer!

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:25:00 +0000

Pro Grade vs Muscle Driver Kettlebells

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:57:00 +0000

Dear Nick: What Kettlebells should I get?

While attending the IKFF Kettlebell Instructor course this weekend, I got to play around with the competition KB's made by Pro-Grade. As a long time user of the Muscle Driver bells, I was skeptical about using these seemingly one size for all weight bells and truly wondered if there was a difference between the two.

Boy was I shocked.

To give a little background, I had learned second hand on how to use these tools from my JKD instructor as he had a little time using them at the Inosanto Academy in Marina Del Ray Ca. I had perfected what I though was correct technique, but as I found out at my buddies gym in Tucson where the seminar was held, I was off by small degrees on a couple of the lifts. These degrees of error are extremely amplified when you start doing lifts over 3 minutes in length.

The correct idea of bone stacking for GS competition lifts and what I call the general fitness form many learn by watching videos is way off: the latter uses more muscle power where the former uses the skeletal system during appropriate rest periods.

Example: When snatching, the correct GS position at the top of the lift is hand of bell across palm pad of hand, stacking the hand, elbow, shoulder and foot so the force is straight down while the arm is close to the head.

When beginners tend to snatch, they put the bell higher up in the hand bending the wrist and putting all stress on the arm flexors while the bell is leaning.

Also I noticed how the Pro Grade bells seemed to all fit the same way in the hand during all lifts no matter the weight. This is helpful when you train for competition because all the bells are the same size, just like a professional basketball in the NBA is the same size for all games.

Muscle Driver

Pro Grade

I can say learning on the MD bells was a great experience though, and much cheaper than if I wold have bought all Pro-Grade bells. There is a line though that most KB enthusiasts will cross if they train long enough, the Pro-Grade bells do make a huge difference for experienced lifters. You will want the same feel in the hand, the same rest places the bell touches during the clean and snatch. You know where it lands in the rack and you know how much space it takes up between your legs during the swing.

I cant say much for the Dragon Door, Ive only used them once over a weekend as well.

Jordan examines the diff between Dragon Door and Pro Grade, worth a read.
http://averagetoelite.blogspot.com/2007/12/pro-grade-vs-dragondoor.html

Coming May 30th

Info@paincavefitness.com (Nick Lacaria) — Thu, 15 May 2008 01:56:00 +0000