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There are many things in life I enjoy:
Few things give me as much jubilation as deadlifts, though. I like performing them, I like coaching them, I like dreaming about them, and I like writing about them. I did a series on Instagram not too long ago called “30 Days of Deadlifts.” Each day, for 30 days, but not necessarily in a row, I provided a quick 60 second programming note, technique consideration, and/or general piece of advice on the deadlift. It was a big hit. So much in fact that T-Nation.com asked to repurpose the whole enchilada to use on their site; albeit I’d expound on things a bit more in exchange for them tidying up my prose. Here’s Part II (or Days 11-20). —> BOOM, Shaka-Laka <--Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2018/10/30-days-deadlifts-days-11-20/
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Even with the advancement of social media, digital marketing, robo-emails, and other automated options that make building one’s clientele roster more efficient, there is still something endearing about good old-fashioned word of mouth. Not only is it free, but it typically is embedded in and built upon trust. Yet, as easy and as simplistic as that may sound, what makes word of mouth work is that it is organic. There is no algorithm, but there are some things that you can do to help your clients have an exceptional experience. Customer service, customer service, customer serviceI remember one time when I was searching for a car. I loved a specific European brand, make, and model, so I narrowed my choice to a particular dealership. I went in several times and the sales staff overwhelmed me with attention, reading materials, and all the espresso that one could drink. They used terms like "family" and "valued customer." I was assigned a personal sales agent who picked me up from work one day so that I could test-drive the car. He kept telling me to “take the corners,” so I did. It was exhilarating. Needless to say, the amazing customer service wowed me and it was a deciding factor in my purchasing the car. A few days after picking up the car, I had a question and could not find the answer in the elaborate, but not-so-user friendly, car manual. When I called to speak to my sales agent, he immediately replied, “Tyra who?” I thought: How many Tyras have you sold cars to in the last 3 days? Gone was the overly effervescent personality and "we are family" mantra. His voice didn’t even sound the same. And even after I jogged his memory as to who I was, he was indifferent and he could not answer my question. When I asked to speak to the director of sales, I was told that he would call me back at his earliest convivence. This was in 2002; it is 2018 and I am still waiting for that return phone call. And no, I never found out the answer to my question. To borrow from a phrase that was popular in the 90s and 00s, I got played. Service after the sale, in this capacity, required engaging with the customer. Although I do not recall my exact question, a return phone call or even a: “We don’t know” would have gone a long way to rebuilding my trust and respect for this business. Why word of mouth really mattersLater, when several of my colleagues or friends asked about my car, I told them that I would drive to Philly or Baltimore before I ever purchased another car from that dealership or recommended them to someone else. I tried to remain diplomatic. Perhaps my experience was an outlier, but what if it wasn’t? I did not want to run the risk that people who I respected and cared about might have a similar experience. If they thought enough of my opinion to ask for it, I wanted to be fair and honest. Our sphere of influenceLike most friendships, familial or even work relationships, we all have a sphere of influence, and that is why word of mouth is critical. Word of mouth is a pseudo-vetting process that some potential clients depend upon when determining who they want to work with. And, based upon the relationship between the parties involved, one person’s endorsement can carry quite a bit of weight. The poor customer service that I experienced left such a sour taste in my mouth that I will never forget that experience, but for all of the wrong reasons. Conversely, I have had amazing experiences where the business’ representatives were attentive and responsive. On numerous occasions, I have referred other people to these businesses. Clearly, we want our clients to remember us; we want our clients to have an exceptional experience. When they do, there is a stronger likelihood that they will, via word of mouth, make referrals. And because word of mouth is still one of the best ways to gain new clientele, be sure to make customer service a priority in how you deal with clients—before, during, and after the sale. via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2018/10/31/getting-new-referrals-the-old-fashioned-way/
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In the past five years of conducting our annual Freelancing in America study (PDF), we’ve witnessed an incredible upsurge: 3.7 more Americans are freelancing, which now totals 57 million workers. Not only that, people are increasingly freelancing by choice. When asked whether they went independent more by choice or necessity, 61% said by choice, which is up 8 points since 2014. Both freelancers and non-freelancers prioritize lifestyle that they want, but freelancers are more likely to get it. 84% of freelancers say freelancing enables them to lead their chosen lifestyle, compared to 63% of non-freelancers. In order to adapt to an ever-evolving work landscape, freelancers are proactively updating their skills to be as marketable as possible. 70% of full-time freelancers participated in skills training in the past six months, compared to 49% of full-time non-freelancers. In fact, freelancers find skills training to be even more valuable than a college education. That said, freelancers continue to face unique challenges. Income predictability, access to affordable healthcare, and getting paid more for the work they do are all top concerns for freelancers. Cost is a barrier for many freelancers to accessing training, particularly full-time freelancers who don’t have the same access to employer training programs. And while freelancers report better work/life balance with more stimulating work, more time for the people they care about, and less stress than a traditional job, freelancers feel anxiety about all they have to manage, the unpredictable nature of the work, and the isolation of working on their own. As the midterm elections near, freelancers are highly politically active--a staggering 19 points higher than non-freelancers--and they’re an increasingly engaged constituency. They’re looking for candidates who support freelancer interest. 72% would cross party lines to vote for a candidate that supports freelancers. But the majority do not feel well-represented by government leaders. To win freelancer votes, candidates should focus on making healthcare more affordable and accessible, as well as supporting retirement savings and higher pay. As we look toward the future, the freelance workforce will likely continue to grow. We see that younger generations are freelancing at a higher rate, many of whom may never have a traditional job. Government leaders need to recognize the changing workforce and gain more insights into it, which starts with better data. Read the report here (PDF) and you can also see the full results deck here. via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2018/10/31/freelancing-in-america-2018/
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Have you ever played double Dutch? Imagine two long jump ropes moving in sync in opposite directions at the same time. As the jump roper, you have to find the right moment to jump in without interrupting the flow of the ropes or getting your feet caught in one, or both, of the ropes. When making the decision to start freelancing, it may feel as if you are playing a game of double Dutch—patiently waiting for the right time to go. If everything is not timed perfectly, you have to start all over again. In this sense, double Dutch is analogous to launching a freelancing career. Taking the leapBy the time most people decide to freelance, they have already figured out that they can do it and they have also figured out what they can do. Whether it is photography, writing, event planning, accounting, or graphic design, the skill typically comes before the actual freelancing. The hard part often comes with making a mental commitment to seeing it through. Once someone has made up their mind to start or to go, the rest can be relatively seamless. And just like the game of double Dutch, there is a far less likely chance that you will get tripped up in the process. So, when should you jump in? Age ain't nothing but a numberThere is not a set time or set age for someone to start freelancing. I started at 38 and one of my favorite clients started at 55. I know others who have started in their 20s and others who began in their teens, so starting really isn’t about age; it is about preparedness. The one thing that we all have in common is that we all felt as if we were ready; yet even that can be a nebulous concept. I knew I was ready in terms of my skill set. My older client felt as if his life experiences and credentials were his launching pad and for a 29 year old freelancer who I mentor, her readiness was determined by having enough capital saved to leave her 9 to 5. For each of us, the motivation to push our START button was different, but none of us felt as if the decision was a premature one. Vocation or avocationFor some, freelancing will always maintain the position of being a source of additional income. There is nothing wrong with this. Many people enjoy freelancing on the side while also enjoying the security and fringe benefits of being someone else’s employee. But for others, the desire is so strong that just freelancing on the side or in a part time capacity is not enough. There is a tangible pull or desire to do more and to do it with greater frequency. It feels like you are purposed to do something. Over time, especially in an American context, we seem to think of a vocation as a job, but it is more than that. Derived from the Latin word vocationem, your vocation is literally a calling. Conversely, avocation is thought of as “a calling away from one’s occupation”. We often think of an avocation as a hobby. I share this in order to suggest that if your desire to freelance feels more like a calling than a hobby, it just may be a sign that it is time for you to start your freelancing career. Of course, you want to make sure that you have a plan in place and that you have thought through the logistics of what you plan to do. Most importantly, make sure that starting will not create other hardships or conflicts in your life—this leads me to the third thing that you should consider. AffordabilityIf there is one impediment that keeps most of us from starting, it’s that we can’t quite afford to freelance full time. The first time I thought about freelancing full time was as early as 2000, but I did not start until 2011. There were numerous variables at play, but one of the most important ones revolved around money. I neither had enough volume nor enough clients to make a living or enjoy the quality of life that I had grown accustomed to. So, I waited. I kept working for other people, but I never gave up. Instead, I started saving and building. I saved a year’s worth of my salary and paid off as much debt as I could because I planned to boot strap my business and not rely upon investors or outside funding. While others may be able to skip this step and they may opt to get funding, it is important that you try to start with capital in your reserves. It is also important to realize that affordability isn’t just about the bottom line or whether you can monteraily afford to freelance full-time. Affordability may include factoring in more than just finances; there is a need to consider how your decision affects those who you are responsible for. Not only will your financial resources be affected, but so will your time. Talk to your spouse or partner, and if children are involved, you may also want to include them in the decision-making process. With health insurance, life insurance and other expenses, you want to make sure that you have safety nets in place before you start. As someone who never mastered double Dutch as a child, I now realize that starting anything that is difficult is often more of a mental decision than just a physical one. Going from freelancing on the side to freelancing full time and using it as a springboard to start a business has been one of the most difficult, yet fulfilling things that I have ever done. So, just like the game of Double Dutch, get prepared and jump in when you are ready. via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2018/10/30/when-should-you-start-your-freelancing-career/
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We are so excited to continue to grow a real home for freelancers across New York City! It has been great to see so many of our members stop by to cowork and attend our events. It lets us know we are doing our part to build community at Freelancers Hub. If you have yet to visit us, we invite you to attend our events coming up:
As always, all of our events are free. Pretty sweet deal, right? RSVP today. via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2018/10/30/meet-us-at-freelancers-hub-new-york-citys-home-for-freelancers/
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This is a post from a member of the Freelancers Union community. If you’re interested in sharing your expertise, your story, or some advice you think will help a fellow freelancer out, feel free to send your blog post to us here. Being on a budget is difficult, even under the best circumstances. But when you’re often unemployed, underemployed, and underpaid, as freelancers often are, an already unstable situation can soon turn into a financial tightrope. Here are just a few tips to help you–and your bank account—stay balanced year round. Calculating a monthly budgetLet’s start off with a few numbers. First, figure out your average monthly net pay (your monthly take home after taxes and deductions). If you’ve been doing this for a while, you probably already know this figure to the penny. If you’re new to freelancing, you can ask around to see what others are pulling in, or even look online for freelancer rate tips. Then, figure out how much you really need each month. Not how much you want; not how much you normally spend, but the lowest amount you can eke by on each month. (Ahhh, the freelancer’s life.) Once you have those two numbers, you can build from there. For help, look at this sample budget online from Consumer.gov. Pay yourself firstYou “pay yourself first” by putting your hard-earned money into a checking or savings account and letting it grow. Experts suggest saving at least 5% or 10% of your income each month, more if you can afford it. If you can afford it, consider a traditional or Roth IRAs. Remember, having a bank account helps you:
Don’t forget about online banks. They often have higher interest rates than traditional banks. Quick Tip: Open up bank accounts for your children too. Many banks have special accounts for kids. It’s been proven that adults who learn simple financial concepts like saving as children are more likely to avoid serious financial problems as adults. Try a credit unionNeed more credit? Or maybe you just prefer the “personal touch” with your banker? Consider joining a credit union. While banks often make financial decisions based on their shareholders' needs, credit unions are more likely to base their decisions on their clients’ needs. Unlike banks, they make their money primarily on client accounts and fees, not from stock shares. They also:
Cooking up savings on your grocery billsDon’t let tight finances affect your ability to provide healthy, nutritious meals for yourself or your family. Buy fruits, veggies and other perishables in smaller quantities by going to the store more often. This will help you avoid wasting money on food that goes bad before you eat it. Cut the cord on costly phone servicesSwitch out your costly phone service for one that’s less expensive. Try calling your current service provider to see if they offer any cheaper packages. If your income is low enough, you may qualify for the Lifeline program. Lifeline service is available for either cellphones or landlines and may be free, or just a few bucks, depending on the service you ask for. You can learn more at https://www.fcc.gov/general/lifeline-program-low-income-consumers. Keep medical costs as low as you canHaving affordable health insurance can protect you from sky-high medical costs if you or a loved one member has a medical emergency. I'm a freelance writer, a freelance blog writer, freelance copywriter, freelance web designer, and a freelance just-about-anything-else you can put the word "freelance" in front of. Don't believe me? Check out www.merrietriplettmarketing.com to see more of what I do (freelance of course). via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2018/10/29/keep-your-money-in-your-pocket-budgeting-for-freelancers/
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I’m always asked what’s the main difference between training professional athletes and those who think they’re still an athlete. Not much, really. I still very much prefer to treat my general population clients like athletes – encouraging them to lift, hoist, push, toss, and drag things every which way – if for no other reason than they can. However, part of my job as their coach is to know when to pump the brakes and to keep their ego in check. In today’s guest post, California based strength coach Scott Hansen discusses some subtle nuances and tweaks that can be made to a strength & conditioning program catered to the more “mature”” crowd. Enjoy. Favorite Movements For Athletes and Modifications For Adult AthletesWhen I was 20 years old, I could do just about anything. Squat 10×10, sure. Hell, we did that a for a few months out of each year back then. Deadlifts so heavy you could feel your soul cracking? Check. And with ugly technique that would make the Diesel Weasel blush. [embedded content] Note From TG: 10 points to Gryffindor for the Diesel Weasel reference. With time, experience, injuries, and spending a solid percentage of my yearly income over the last decade plus on learning from people smarter than me, I’ve come to realize a few things: 1) Young athletes need load and stress to build strength and physical resiliency. I.e., Full ranges of motion and big lifts that require a lot of work. Cleans, snatches, barbell bench presses, chin ups, front squats, deadlifts, etc. Planet Earth is trying to make you small, frail, and weak from the time you turn about 20 years old onward Unfortunately, after you’ve spent a couple of decades on the planet, you’ve accumulated some wear and tear. It’s kind of like an apartment: You might take pretty good care of it for the most part, but every now and then you throw a ripper and the carpet gets stained. Over 20 or more years, there are lots of little stains and dings on the walls. The stains and dings aren’t necessarily bad enough to knock the building down, but it’s certainly not in the kind of shape it was in when you first moved in. Well, that beat up apartment is more or less your body. The way we trained when we were young might have been the best possible way to train then, but we probably need to make some modifications to it as we get a bit older. I’m not saying to train solely with resistance bands and shake weights in group exercise classes. I’m just saying that we can train hard and more intelligently to respect how our bodies have changed over time. The same qualities still have to be trained, mind you. We still need to get strong and train to build and maintain muscle. We need to be mobile, athletic, and not gas out walking down to the mailbox. As a matter of fact, we can still thrive and be better than we were in our younger years, as long as we’re smart. Here are my favorite lifts for each movement pattern/quality for those under 25 years old, and how things should be modified for the slightly more, uh, mature crowd. PowerAthlete: Hang Clean[embedded content] Adult Athlete: Box Jump[embedded content] I love Olympic lift variations. From creating power to absorbing force on the catch, hang cleans can be a great tool for a younger athlete. They also require a ton of wrist and thoracic mobility, and an awkward catch might just make you have to call out of work the next day. Replacing cleans with box jumps means you get a huge percentage of the pros, and none of the cons, so I use it as a main power exercise in my adult athlete programs. Just make sure to do them right! SquatAthlete: Front Squat[embedded content] Adult Athlete: Double Kettlebell Front Squat[embedded content] I’m a big front squat fan. You really can’t do them wrong, you have less shear stress on the spine, and you get a ton of good stuff expressed: thoracic spine mobility, upper back and core strength, hip mobility, and of course lower body strength. Similarly to cleans, you need solid wrist mobility, and since the majority of adults have spines that look like question marks, I don’t love front squatting for most adult athletes, most of the time. Rather, I like hammering double kettlebell front squats. Similarly to box jumps and cleans, I feel like you get a huge chunk of the benefits of front squatting without the learning curve or discomfort on the wrists, and you can keep the spinal loading down. DeadliftAthlete: Trap Bar Deadlift[embedded content] Adult Athlete: Trap Bar Deadlift/Kettlebell Deadlift[embedded content] Note From TG: That time when I thought it would be cool to grow a beard. Trap bar deadlifts are a great full body lift, and I tend to prefer them over conventional pulls. With the weight evenly distributed around you, you can load these up pretty heavy and get a huge training stimulus without having such high prerequisites as barbell deads. I certainly employ these for my adult athletes, and heavy, but I’m even more diligent on technique than I am with any other exercise, which means I tend to progress it a little more slowly. Wendler’s 5/3/1 works great here, just stop on the top set at 10 at the most. Otherwise, you’re liable to take a nap for 3 days. For the much older athlete, I just go back to the question “how strong is strong enough?” If I can get that with a kettlebell instead of a trap bar, then I’ll go with that, but that might come down to how heavy your bells go. Split StanceAthlete: Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat with Front Foot Elevated[embedded content] Adult: Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat OR Double KB Front Rack Split Squat[embedded content] RFESS have a special place in my heart after coaching them at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning for so long, and because getting brutally strong on these is vital to being able to perform on the court, field, ice, or mat. By elevating the front foot as well, you get an even bigger range of motion, and moving big weight through big ranges of motion is how you get strong. Adult athletes can certainly do these as well, but sometimes are a bit limited with ROM for the front foot elevated version. I also like to keep them with split squats to allow for some extra big toe mobility work built into the lift, as so many people tend to get stiff there over time, and stiff toes lead to balance issues and falls. By front loading it, we can get more core work in and reinforce thoracic extension as well. Horizontal PressAthlete: Close Grip Bench[embedded content] Adult Athlete: Low Incline 1-Arm DB Bench[embedded content] I’m a big advocate on narrower grips on presses for most people, so naturally I love close grip benches. They’re a little easier on the shoulders and you still build the same upper body strength as with a wider grip. I like index fingers on the edge of the smooth part of the bar, so not crazy close. The wrist and shoulder issues with the aging athlete play a role here, and I prefer to see them doing more one-arm pressing, and on a low incline. This is more shoulder friendly, brings a bigger core component into the mix, and allows for asymmetries to be worked through, rather than around. I know, I kind of copped out here and picked two. Sue me. Vertical PressAthlete: Standing DB Press[embedded content] Adult Athlete: Landmine Press OR Half Kneeling 1-Arm Bottoms Up Kettlebell Press[embedded content] I know a lot of people love the press done traditionally with a barbell, and I do too. If you put a gun to my head and ask me what my favorite vertical press for athletes is, I’m going with the dumbbell version, though. Again, I don’t have any problems with barbell pressing, I just like the more natural rotation in the shoulders with dumbbells, and as we see more and more young athletes developing nasty forward head postures and stiff thoracic spines from all the phone and video game time, the dumbbells just seem to be a better fit. Most adult athletes would benefit from spending the majority of their “overhead” work in a more “high incline” space, which the landmine allows. It all comes back to shoulder and thoracic spine health, and life just tends to cause us issues over time. One caveat to this is the half kneeling bottoms up kettlebell press. The bottoms up bell triggers the rotator cuff to work to a greater degree, and the half kneeling position keeps from being able to use lower back extension as a replacement for the arm to move overhead. I’ve seen a lot of people who couldn’t go overhead without pain, but the bottoms up press felt great, so it’ll depend on the individual here. Chalk this up to cop out number two. Horizontal PullAthlete: 1-Arm DB Row[embedded content] Adult: TRX Inverted Row[embedded content] DB rows should be a staple in every program, and especially so in those of our athletes. Building a big, strong back helps us obviously in sports, and helps to keep our shoulders strong and healthy as well. I have no problem with doing these with adult athletes at all, I just like to slow down the tempo and try to get more out of less load. Body English tends to be a factor in these as the weight goes up, and even a little bit with someone who’s got a history of lower back crankiness can cause issues. This is why I love TRX inverted rows for this population. They allow for a natural rotation on the shoulders, you can load them up with vests or elevate the feet, and people can generally do them more frequently than more traditional heavy rows. Vertical PullAthlete: Heavy Chin Up[embedded content] Adult Athlete: Ring Chins[embedded content] Mike Boyle has talked in the past about how he likes athletes to have at least a 1-1 strength ratio of chin up strength to bench press strength to mitigate shoulder injuries, and I concur on that wholeheartedly. When we start getting older, though, shoulder issues can lead to elbow soreness on chins, so if people have the ability to go overhead, I prefer they do their chins on rings for better shoulder mechanics, and if that’s still too much, X pulldowns are a great solution. Much like landmine presses, they aren’t 100% overhead, but still get a lot of the benefits. Core Anti ExtensionAthlete: Medicine Ball Rollouts[embedded content] Adult Athlete: Bodysaw[embedded content] Loading rollouts takes some creativity. Sure you can use a vest, but eventually, when you’re wearing 2 or 3, they can get cumbersome and they’re a pain in the ass to take on and off between sets. I’ve found that using a heavy slam ball is a great way to continue challenging rollouts and it’s become my favorite variation. Much like a lot of the other modifications, the overhead movement for the aging athlete can be problematic, so hammering bodysaws is my preference. LocomotionCarries are great, and there are a ton of variations on these, all of which are great. Farmer’s walks, suitcase carries, overhead walks, and the like all have their benefits, but I don’t think any of them quite give the same bang for the buck as heavy ass sled pushes. There’s no eccentric component, so they’re great for people with knee issues, and give a huge single leg strength benefit. And since there’s no eccentric, they don’t need a ton of recovery, and can be used more frequently. I’ve found that farmer’s walks, when done really heavy, can kind of fry people’s nervous systems more, so, while I use them frequently, if I had to choose, I’d go sleds. Obviously, the issues that tend to limit our adult athletes are things that we want to address in our programming and improve upon, but we can still be safe and train hard given the circumstances, and not be relegated to endless hours of correctives and foo foo exercises. Don’t stop challenging yourself or your clients, but keep them challenging in ways that make sense so they can keep excelling for many years to come. About the AuthorScott Hansen is a Bostonian transplanted in Southern California, a strength/fitness/wrestling coach, educator, sub par surfer, and die hard New England sports fan. He works with adult athletes, as well as an assistance wrestling coach and strength and conditioning coach for La Costa Canyon high school wrestling in Carlsbad, CA. Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2018/10/favorite-movements-athletes-modifications-adult-athletes/
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Today I wanted to share some quickie thoughts with regards to pull-up/chin-up programming. I firmly believe possessing the ability to perform a pull-up, if not multiple pull-ups, is one of the most rewarding and worthwhile achievements to accomplish in the weight-room.
When it comes to programming the pull-up/chin-up here are some things to consider. 1. All Rows CountI think where a lot of trainees (and even coaches) go wrong is falling into the trap that in order for someone to perform their first pull-up/chin-up that they have to do pull-ups/chin-ups. My friend Meghan Callaway did a great job of extolling why this is not necessarily the case in THIS post. That said, I think all rowing movements count and should be utilized in this scenario. Yes, specificity matters and takes precedent. However, building pulling strength in general – incorporating row variations from varying angles with varying implements with varying set/rep schemes – is going to have a profound carryover for pretty much everyone. [embedded content] What’s more, and as my other good friend, Bryan Krahn, has noted on several occasions…building a muscular physique can take years (if not decades). As such, “its best to use joint friendly exercises as your training “cake” with other effective yet potentially problematic moves serving as “icing.” When it comes to back training: Cake: Rows (ALL FORMS <— seriously, use them all) Icing: Pull-ups Pull-ups can (not always) beat up people’s elbows – particularly when volume is cranked up and someone’s not prepared for it. To that end, be intelligent and don’t downplay your rows. 2. Do MoreNow, forget what I just said about volume. I think one of the biggest mistakes I see most people make with their pull-up/chin-up programming is that they simply don’t train the pattern enough. Most people will train their pull-up once, maybe twice per week. This isn’t enough. Strong First coach and pull-up badass, Artemis Scantalides, will often advocate a frequency of 4-5x per week. To mirror what I mentioned above, though, when Artemis says 4-5x per week that includes a hodge-podge of ground based drills like push-ups and hollow holds, pull-up assistance drills such as band-assisted pull-ups, eccentric pull-ups, and flexed-arm hangs, in addition to TRX row variations or even hybrid drills like a Rack Pull-Up. [embedded content] So, not just pull-ups/chin-ups. Starting to catch a theme here? One day may include nothing but Hollow Hold drills; the next Flexed Arm Hangs for time; and the next Band Assisted Pull-Ups. Later in the week you toss in some high-rep TRX Rows. All told that’s four separate “exposures” during one training week that either hit the pattern itself or have a favorable carryover. You can bet this will be a far superior and time efficient manner to finally conquer that pull-up/chin-up conundrum. 3. Easy Training Is Good TrainingI’ve championed this saying before, but it bears repeating. I’d rather my clients leave the gym feeling refreshed and wanting more than feeling like the lost an arm-wrestling match to a tank. That doesn’t even make any sense, which is precisely my point. Neither does it make sense to train to failure every…single…set…of…every…single…day. Missing reps routinely does you no favors. Straining, fighting, and clawing for every rep does you no favors. By contrast, hitting your reps helps you. Ensuring the bulk of them are clean, “fast,” and performed with pristine technique helps you. With regards to increasing the total number of pull-ups you can perform this is key. It’s called greasing the groove, and it works. Lets say you can currently perform four pull-ups and you want to be able to do more. Stop TESTING the total number you can do and actually BUILD it. Every few hours, perform HALF that number; in this case two. This will ensure each rep is textbook. Jesus himself will weep because these reps will be so immaculate.
You will be able to perform more than four pull-ups after all that. And you won’t feel like a bag of dicks either. The Ultimate Pull-Up ProgramIf you’d like more similar insights on the topic I’d encourage you to pick up Meghan Callaway’s fantastic resource. It’s impressive, thorough, and something she put a ton of work into. I can’t say enough good things about it. Whether you’re a male, female, beginner, or elite lifter…this manual will have something to offer you. It’s currently on SALE for half-off the original price and the sale ends TONIGHT (10/27) at midnight. Soooo, you need to act fast. Go HERE. Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2018/10/3-quickie-programming-notes-pullup/
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This is a post from a member of the Freelancers Union community. If you’re interested in sharing your expertise, your story, or some advice you think will help a fellow freelancer out, feel free to send your blog post to us here. An effective way to establish a market position and build your business is to experiment with your marketing efforts by focusing on niches. This means you pitch certain services or skills to specific target markets. It’s in contrast to marketing as a generalist in your field, reaching out to all possible desired types of potential clients. I’m not saying that you should concentrate your long-term efforts on marketing only one skill or going after a very narrow group of clients. I’m advocating for an overall marketing strategy that includes experimentation with niches to test opportunities. These might be niches ignored by your competition or ones that you can dominate due to a highly customized approach. Ultimately, you’d aim to build visible and profitable positions within several niches. This would be a component of your marketing plan while still offering a variety of services to a reasonably broad market to ensure diversification. Let’s say that you’re a programmer who develops websites. You can develop just about any type of site for any type of client using the most popular programming languages. That’s just like thousands of other developers around the world. You can market your services to everyone you can reach, but that isn’t very efficient. It’s like randomly sending out a boilerplate email to 1,000 companies across the country and hoping for a one percent response rate. Taking the niche approachInstead, what if you take a niche approach? First, you consider the types of Web sites you prefer building, the knowledge you have about particular industries, your credibility with a category of businesses and other characteristics that set you apart from other programmers. Then, you focus your marketing efforts on one or two niches associated with the following:
Focus your demographicsAnother niche approach is to focus on your own demographic. Use your own experience and insider knowledge to identify ways to target clients your age, education level, living situation, lifestyle, business sector, etc. After all, you might share certain business values, work situations, industry views and interests. A slightly different entry point is to look for products and services that cater to your demographic. Then, market to the companies that offer those products and services. You tailor your services to their needs related to serving people in your demographic. This idea could be developed many ways as a specialty. Be flexibleIf one niche doesn’t work out, you move on to others. The goal is to experiment to find niches—pain points that you can address in selected markets—that yield the number and type of clients you want to have for the projects you want to do. These are called “verticals,” as you’re building depth in one or a few defined areas. At the same time, you remain open to general work that comes your way. That allows you to be diversified and maintain steady revenues to experiment with new niches. I warn my associates about becoming overly dependent on single niches. It’s like only knowing how to use one software tool. If something dramatically changes in the customer’s market and it’s no longer the tool in demand, you suddenly could be left with no clients. Niches typically come and go, so it’s wise to always be on the hunt for new ones. Go outside your comfort zoneIt’s also a good idea to look for niches outside your comfort zone. Also, look beyond your obvious client market based on your experience or connections. This allows you to explore new types of opportunities and pushes you to build on your skills and knowledge. Ask yourself question like the following:
I encourage you to experiment with skill and market niches. Depth from a focus on verticals along with diversification in other areas of interest are the foundation of a sustainable and profitable solo venture or microbusiness. This article is an excerpt from Doug Freeman’s new book, Smart Marketing for Solopreneurs and Microbusinesses. It’s available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, in paperback and e-book editions (162 pages). Information is available on Freeman’s company Web site at www.ideascapeinc.com. Doug Freeman has been self-employed for over 35 years. He has provided a wide variety of communications and consulting services to clients including Intel, Hewlett-Packard, T-Mobile, NASA and the U.S. Dept. of Energy. He also co-founded four small businesses, in publishing, entertainment and management consulting. via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2018/10/26/build-your-business-by-narrowing-your-focus/
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BUT FIRST…CHECK THIS STUFF OUT1. (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Los Angeles, CAThis workshop will piggyback on the material Dean Somerset and I covered in the original Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint. We just returned from Slovenia where we taught the course to 40+ fitness professionals from across nine different countries. We received amazing feedback With this iteration, though, we’ll be going a bit deeper into the coaching and programming side of things:
All who register will: 1. Receive free access to the digital version of the first series. 2. Receive 1.4 continuing education credits via the NSCA. 3. You also get a super secret bonus we won’t reveal until the weekend of. HINT: Attendees are blown away by how cool is is. To register and for moe details go HERE. 2. Coaching Competency Workshop – NYCI’ll be back in the city that never sleeps this Fall to put on my popular Coaching Competency workshop. Albeit this will be condensed version (five hours instead of seven); a fitness amuse bouche if you will. Honestly a better title for this workshop would be: From Assessment to Profits. I’ll go into detail on how to create better “buy in” with potential clients, in addition to creating a better (current) client experience. Full details (itinerary, location, and cost) can be found HERE. SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
STUFF TO READ WHILE YOU’RE PRETENDING TO WORKThe Ultimate Pull-Up Program – Meghan CallawayIf you’re someone who’s been struggling to get over the first pull-up conundrum, or someone who’s looking to take their pull-up prowess to the next level, to be blunt… ….the program is…the….shit. Meghan has gone into superb detail with this resource and has added 40+ pages of additional content to the original version. I’ve used it with my own clients and I can vouch that it works. It’s currently on SALE at 50% off the original price and it ends tomorrow (Saturday, 10/27). You’ve got a little over 24 hours to take advantage. What I Learned During 13 Years of Strength Training – Sivan FaganYES! This article rocks. Anything that encourages women to STRENGTH TRAIN is cool in my book. Plus, I know Sivan, and she’s an excellent coach. More people need to hear her message. Nagging Injury? Rest, Ice, and Stretching May Not Be Enough – Tim DiFrancescoI respect the message Tim conveys in this article. Rest is rarely going to be the sole answer with regards to addressing nagging injuries. Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2018/10/stuff-read-youre-pretending-work-10-26-18/ |
AuthorI have 5+ years experience working as a medical transcriptionist. When I am not working, I enjoy sports like playing basketball or judo. I love making friends and connections. Archives
April 2023
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