Ground Up Strength Feed

What Do We Mean By "Strength Training"?

Tue, 11 May 2010 17:24:23 +0000

An ongoing conversation with Kathryn Merrow reminded me that the term "strength training" may not mean the same to every body. The meaning it has to Kathryn and here clients, for instance, may not be the same meaning that we apply to it here at Ground Up Strength.

And what of all all the other associated terms like weightlifting, weight lifting, resistance training and bodybuilding? Some of those as well could mean slightly different things to different people. Here is what WE mean by these terms:

1. Strength Training: training done to increase muscular strength and therefore absolute force production. We usually talk about strength in terms of movements rather than individual muscles so when we say "muscular strength" we mean the large muscle groups being used in a coordinated fashion. The simplest way to put it? We like to lift heavy things.

None of this means that we are not interested in other reasons for strength training! The fact is that Ground Up Strength caters to the "regular person" and not to the powerlifter.

2.Weight lifting (with two words): a generic term meaning any weight lifting activity. It usually has the connotation of heavier lifting activities rather than lighter isolations but it lacks any specific definition when used in two separate words.

3. Weightlifting (one word): specifically refers to Olympic Weightlifting and its associated lifts the Clean and Jerk and Snatch Lift.

4. Bodybuilding: training for muscular hypertrophy. Bodybuilding is solely concerned with the development of muscle mass and strength gain is only a secondary concerned as it relates to the ability to gain mass.

5. Resistance Training: any kind of exercise performed using some kind of external resistance whether free weights, machines, or even body weight.

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by EricT

The Gus Newsletter: More a Letter Than "News"

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:57:49 +0000

It has recently occurred to me that since I am putting so much effort into the Ground Up Strength newsletter, to the point of writing a free ebook for our subscribers that is already seven chapters and growing, that I should write a bit about why you should subscribe to it. What makes it different than other letters?

Well, it's an actual letter. Although of course I give reports of new GUS articles and pages I try to say something unique and new about each and every one of them. It's not just a collection of links it's information, insight, opinion, and rants you will not get on Ground Up Strength itself.

But it's more than that. I try to include something new and unique for each newsletter, much of it completely independent of GUS activities. There are full-fledged articles and tips and more. The fact is I work as hard on the letter as on anything I produce for GUS or for any other place. I am so adamant about doing so that I have considered not calling it a 'newsletter' but simply calling it the GUS Letter. I'm proud of it and I think it is a great source of information. I only hope that I can continue to improve it as I learn more about what my subscribers need and want.

You have to be a subscriber to get it. Members of GUS also get access to the newsletter archive list. But nobody who is not a subscriber or is not a GUS member will ever be able to see the entire newsletter archive. It is truly for you and only for you. I change the location of the archive list with each new edition. This is an inconvienence, I know, to my subscribers since it makes it difficult for them to share the list. However subscribers can share the actual newsletters and they are free to share links to any individual entry since those links to do not change (only the parent location changes).

By subscribing now you get a free pdf which contains some key articles from GUS and an additional nine pages of original information related to those articles. That is just a sampling of things to come. The new ebook, to be entitled "Breaking into Strength" will be unlike any free document you have ever received. I feel confident in saying that because, frankly, most people in the industry will think I am insane for giving it away!

Since writing this I've decided to release eBooks in installments so that you do not have to wait around for me to complete it. I want you to expect value and I aim to try my hardest to deliver it. Sign up for the newsletter now and recieve two free downloads.

Take a look at a sample issue such as Fitness, Oxidative Stress, Vitamins and Contralateral Strength Differences.

If you are already a subscriber and you would like to comment, criticize, or suggest, then this is the place to do it. Feel free to leave a comment here. If you like the newsletters then maybe you will feel like joining in here at GUS.

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by EricT

Why Waiting Until You Are Thirsty Is NOT Too Late

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 22:19:37 +0000

If you wait until you are thirsty it is too late. You are already dehydrated. You ever heard that? I'll bet you have. Right before you were told to pour a gallon or two of water down your throat every single day. Complete and utter bull-hockey.

This is the fourth part in the series Ross Tucker and Jonathan Dugas in which they tackle the all-important thirst myth. This myth is embedded in diamond hard stone and I have no illusions that even this excellent article will break it out…but it will darn well expose it to the air where it can begin being removed once and for all (don't make fun of my analogies, now!) I've been patiently explaining to people and debating with people about the fact that you can trust your thirst but I lacked the scientific chops to do it justice. Enter Science of Sport.

So, if you have been listening to the guru talk on strength or bodybuilding sites and drowning yourself in gallons of water a day you need to read this and stop torturing yourself. I cannot even believe that people are doing this even when they are sitting around doing nothing…let alone when doing the cardio bunny routine or lifting weights.

This article is aimed at endurance athletes…and not just that but ULTRA endurance athletes. So listen up because if it applies to them it darn well applies to you.

Fluid Intake, Dehydration and Exercise Part IV: Why Waiting Until You Are Thirsty is NOT Too Late

The entire series can easily be accessed from any one article in the series.

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by EricT

Reverse Breathing

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:12:04 +0000

Previously I've called upper chest breathing either inverted or paradoxical breathing. In case you haven't gotten the news flash, it's bad. Now, I'm seeing something called 'reverse breathing' being promoted for martial artists. Wikipedia says that it is "Ancient Chinese Secret".

The practice appears to be an almost perfect instruction on incorrect breathing. The idea is to expand your abdomen while breathing out and pull your stomach in while breathing in. Absolutely ridiculous and a good way to 'gas out' for a martial artist. Here is a some excerpts from an article at DragonDoor. It's full of nonsensical gobbledygook but these are the highlights of the instruction:

From DragonDoor by Tim Heurtz:

"To begin, stand with your feet shoulders wide, relax your shoulders into their sockets and “swallow” your chest (swallowing your chest is believed to stimulate the thymus gland which aids in the immune system)."

Let's stop there. What? Double what? I believe, I believe.

"Tilt the pelvis up and touch your tongue lightly to the roof of your mouth. Tuck the chin in a bit and you’re ready to start."

Incidentally, the tongue thing is also how you can ward off the death touch.

"Expel all your air and push not only your stomach out, but also your sides and lower back… Inhale slowly through the nose and pull your stomach in while lifting the perineum (that no-man’s land that separates the front from the back – just another way of working the anal lock or the squeezing and lifting of the anal sphincter and sex organs)."

While your busy trying to lift your perineum let me rant just a bit on how very WRONG that is. That is textbook bad breathing. No wonder they have a disclaimer after every article. The abdomen should never pull in during inhalation and when it does you have lapsed into an unhealthy breathing pattern which is physiologically reverse of what it should be. Who promotes practices that are 'reverse' of what our body's are made to do?

Learn how breathing is supposed to work with this handy category called breathing.

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by EricT

Deadhang Pullups Versus Whatever

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:21:41 +0000

A "question" about so called deadhang pullups has found it's way into way too many trainee's minds. We can blame Crossfit once again for muddying the waters.

All "variations" of the pullup are really not changes to the basic exercise, they are just changes to grip. Beyond that you just pull your body up after hanging from a bar. You either start a pullup from a completely stretched "dead" hang, you do a little bit of cheating with your legs, or perhaps leave the elbows flexed a bit. But the mechanics of the exercise is basically the same.

For those of us who are proficient at the pullup there is no controversy here. I dare say we at GUS are beyond proficient since most of us can strap quite a bit of weight between our legs and pull ourselves up. Let's assume we can rep out pretty good from a "dead" hang.

What I'm saying is we really just don't care THAT much. Most of our pullups are done strictly. The only 'controversy' that exists between the widely known variations of the pullup is with the bodybuilding community. Do wide grip pullups hit the upper lats, bro?

Crossfit, with it's kipping obsession has managed to put the "deadhang" term into popular use and thus create a quite unneeded question. Trainees think they must hang from the bar for five seconds between each rep or they are not being strict.

It's all just a spillover. The controversy is between Kipping Pullups and regular pullup. Why there should be a controversy I don't know. If you want to do a kipping pullup do a kipping pullup. It doesn't offend my sensibilities so let's stop being so precious about it. I'll look for you at the Olympics. I'll bet your ring routine will be stellar.

They are two quite different exercises in my mind and it's like comparing a deadlift to a clean.

There is absolutely no reason why a trainee who is not interested in Kipping pullups needs to analyze a regular pullup to such an extent. Funny thing is the people who do this are having trouble doing pullups. So there you go. This is analysis paralysis at work. If you can barely do one pullup then deadhang is just a word. Just because crossfitters must have at least a 3 to 1 ratio between analysis time and workout time doesn't mean we must follow suit.

Institutionalized zeal is never appropriate, in my opinion. There is a fine line between passion, camaraderie, and FERVOR for a method that replaces what should be passion for results.

By the way, if you really cannot do a pullup, you may be interested in my article Can't Do A Pullup? Stay Positive. It is full of lots of words and lots of tips.

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by EricT

Using Pictures To Learn Lifts

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:17:48 +0000

YOUTUBE is one of the coolest things ever invented. No doubt about it. But using youtube videos to learn your lifts from can present quite a conundrum. There may be one or two grains of wheat in a big old pile of chaff. And even once you find the grainy goodness you may be misled in many ways.

You can't depend on even a VERY GOOD example of form by somebody else to show how YOU should look while performing an exercise. But at least it is a moving picture. At least it can have sound. The person making the video can give a few instructional cues rather than just "show" you.

And yet there are people out there telling us to use STILL IMAGES to learn! Holy smackerel!

When it comes to learning the lifts IS a picture worth a thousand words?

Find out what I think in my blog post Are Weight Training Images 'Picture Perfect'?

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by EricT

Check out our blogs

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:29:57 +0000

In case you haven't noticed we have some new blogs here at GUS. They promise to be full to the brim of good vibes and good conversation. OK maybe the vibes may sometime sour but the conversation will always be good! I have added one myself which will be a more casual and loose kinda blog than what I do at GUStrength's Blog. I haven't even finalized the design of mine (sorry) I just jumped right in.

Check them out:



Joe Weir Strength Blog

Anuj's Training Blog


Eric Troy's Blog

Comment if you feel like it. Disagree. Agree. Question.

Or post in the forum. As a member or guest.

I'm not going to go all strengthmill on you and claim it's "the most intelligent strength forum in the universe" or whatever. But then again we are intelligent enough to know we don't know everything.

Creative blog names, aren't they?

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by EricT

Do Sports Drinks Prevent Hyponatremia?

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:04:22 +0000

Hyponatremia is an electrolyte imbalance in which the sodium concentration in blood plasma falls lower than normal. It has been believed, for many years that we "lose" salt through our sweat.

This is why our high school track coach encouraged us to take salt pills. Hyponatremia is also what sports drinks are supposed to prevent. As far as most coaches were concerned back then, we were losing salt by the gram as soon as we started sweating.

Even today, many except this without question. In fact, I had a brief conversation with an acquaintance just the other day in which Gatorade came up. I told her how I used to love Gatorade for it's taste (except the green kind) but that I realized that I drank MORE when I used Gatorade or other sports drinks as compared to when I just drank water.

It was no surprise however, when she muttered the "it replaces your electrolytes" line without complete conviction. I, in a moment of naive enthusiasm for human intelligence, began to explain how there was very little real science to support…but I stopped myself before any of the remaining hairs abandoned my scalp.

Through the amazing power of marketing, people are able to use the words like "electrolytes" confidently without even having a clear idea of what electrolytes are!

That brings me to the last installment of Theories and Fallacies of Muscle Cramps by Ross and Jonathan of Science of Sport.

Continue Reading » Muscle Cramps Part V

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by EricT

So Many Good Programs...

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:59:25 +0000

And so many gyms collecting fees for nothing

If you're reading this page you probably fall loosely into one of three categories (I mean loosely because you can't really put people into boxes):

1. You train or work out…whatever you want to call it…regularly

2. You are just beginning to work out and are looking for ideas, info, answers…

3. You want to begin working out and are looking for ways to get started

If you fall into the first category you may take it all for granted. If you fall into the second or third category you are, just possibly, overwhelmed by the possibilities.

One thing I try to remember is that there is a whole world of people out there that never heard of this site. That never heard of me. That have never lifted a weight. That are out of shape.

image by Getty Images
via Daylife

And that will need more than a few empty aphorisms to get them into shape. "Get off your butt and pick a program" is probably the worst thing I could say to someone who is daunted and intimidated by the overwhelming task of changing their sedentary lifestyle. Now a lot of the trainers and coaches out there may disagree with me. "Overwhelming?", they will say. "You just have to do it. You just have to stop being lazy and do it." These attitudes themselves are a big pet peeve of mine because most terse statements like these require all sorts of qualification to be useful.

They seem to forget that not everybody is an athlete nor does everybody want to be. And before you tell me that every one SHOULD want to be an athlete, I would warn you to keep your value judgements to yourself.

When you can't extend yourself beyond your own very limited little corner of reality; if you are caught up in your own little world; and if you can't relate to what someone is going through, how can you hope to help them? Many "hardcore" trainers wonder why someone like Richard Simmons was so successful. You want to know why? Because he understands the people he is dealing with. He 'gets it'. Make fun and criticize all you like but 'getting it' is half the battle. The other part is he CARES. So while you are putting the Simmons of the world down and showing how knowledgeable and smarmy you can be…people are turning the page looking for someone who can stop obfuscating for a minute and show them he or she cares just a little bit.

People who are overhelmed by the challenge of changing their lifestyle don't have time for ego trips.

But why is it overwhelming? There are many reasons.

I've made a series of blog posts that discuss some of the reasons why:

The Paradox of Choice

Fitness: All Encompassing Means Paralyzing

Guilt and Exercise Don't Mix

If any of the stuff in these posts sounds familiar to you and if you feel like you could use some help getting started, then come on back and let us know what we can do for you. We will do whatever we can and we won't charge a penny.

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by EricT