Robertson Training Systems Newsletter 4.34

In This Issue

- Robertson Training Systems Updates
- Nutrition Tip
- Guest Article by Michael Boyle
- Upcoming Interviews
- New Articles and Blog Posts
- Schedule

Robertson Training Systems Updates

Building the Efficient Athlete on Sale this week ONLY!

With the labor day weekend almost behind us, it's always nice to have time to reflect. This past weekend, I had the chance to step back and realize how much I'm enjoying things - and one of the most profound changes I've made lately is the ridiculous amount of coaching I've been doing.

With the opening of the I-FAST facility, things have been fast and furious - but in a good way. Each and every day I have the opportunity to work with people; whether it's to help them lose body fat, fix up nagging injuries, or to flat out help them become a freaky athlete, I'm about as happy as can be from a professional perspective.

So with that being said, I started chatting with my good buddy Eric Cressey and we decided that it's time to share the love a little bit - if you're serious about taking your coaching and assessment skills to the next level, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Building the Efficient Athlete. This DVD series takes you step-by-step through the assessments, programming and coaching cues that Eric and I use everyday.

And to sweeten the deal a bit, I'm going to take it a step further. I found a ton of RTS gear when we moved, so here's what I'm offering:

If you purchase any 2 products, I'll ship you a FREE RTS t-shirt.

If you purchase any 3 products, I'll ship you a FREE RTS t-shirt AND hat.

If your purchase 4 or products, I'll ship you an RTS hoodie - 'cause you know it's gonna be cold soon!

Here's all you have to do to get the discount and additional goodies (if applicable):

1) Add the product(s) to your cart and click on the "Checkout" link; insert all personal information
2) If you are purchasing two or more items, please place your t-shirt/sweatshirt size in the "How Did You Hear About Us?" section
3) BEFORE YOU CHECKOUT, place the discount code LABOR08 in the discount section and click on "Apply"
4) Complete your order

You can order directly from either the Building the Efficient Athlete website, or my Products page if you'd like to purchase multiple items.

(Please note that I will ship the freebies myself at the end of the week in a separate order).

Hurry! This sale will end Friday night at midnight. Thanks for your support!

Now Available for Download Absolutely FREE - Self Myofascial Release: Purpose, Methods and Techniques

Over the past couple of months I've been hinting at a new project I've been working on, and it's finally complete!

While everyone and their grandmother knows about foam rolling and SMR techniques, I wanted to develop a simple, user-friendly manual that people can print off and take to the gym. While you may not learn anything "new," I hope this manual will help either you, your clients, or even your friends and family get healthier and enjoy their training more.

Download this free resource at the link below:

Self-Myofascial Release: Purpose, Methods and Techniques

New articles up!

I have a new piece up at FigureAthlete.com - enjoy!

The 5 Reasons You're Not Succeeding

Follow along with one of my clients....

A few weeks ago, Nate Green came to me because he was a little dinged up and wanted some outside perspective as to how he could get fixed up. As we all know, the hardest person to train is yourself! Objectivity is really easy when it doesn't involve your own training.

Regardless, Nate is running updates at his blog, so I thought I'd send you his way. If you want to learn more about how and why I do the things I do, this would be a great place to start. Nate's not only a great young coach, but he's a really entertaining writer as well. Here's the link:

The Nate Green Experience

Nutrition Tip

Fiber Facts
By John Berardi

Shoot for about 40-50g of mixed fiber per day when dieting, but no more. The absolute lower limit is 20g per day. Your main fiber sources should be (in order of importance): vegetables, beans, nuts, fruit, and grains (like oatmeal). If you eat 1 oz of mixed nuts, 1 apple, 2 cups of kidney beans, and 2 cups of mixed vegetables each day, you'll be getting 41g of fiber. A small amount of supplemental fiber is okay. You can get soluble fiber from psyllium, guar gum, and apple pectin, and insoluble fiber from flax seeds.

If you like this tip and want to learn more about JB and his products, check out his Precision Nutrition website.

The Wisdom of Mark Rippetoe

By Michael Boyle

www.strengthcoach.com

I love when someone makes me think. Last week on t-nation, a site I visit less and less these days, Chris Collucci interviewed Mark Rippetoe, a great strength coach and a great writer here.

I know an article or an interview is good when it causes me to change my thoughts about my program and ultimately change my program. This interview did both.

Before I continue with my praise of Mark Rippetoe let me make it clear that I find his support of Crossfit incongruous. How such a great coach can support a program that expresses absolute disdain for technique or safety is beyond me. However, for those who have seen me speak this is the “disagree versus dislike” think. I vigorously disagree with Coach Rippetoe on Crossfit but really like his thoughts in many areas.

Lets get back to the good stuff. Rippetoe is disciple of Bill Starr. Early on, so was I. I think The Strongest Shall Survive is a fundamental book we all should read. Sort of like being made to read the classics in school. I need to add it to Recommended Reading on strengthcoach.com . In fact, my first instructor in Weight Training at Springfield College ( Bruce Buckbee) had come to teach at Springfield from Hawaii where he worked with Bill Starr. Strongest Shall Survive was our text in class. Talk about a great education.

In the interview Coach Rippetoe talked about the simplicity of a basic linear program Select your fundamental exercises, get good at performing them and, get strong by adding five pounds per week. So beautiful and so simple. I immediately emailed my staff and said “we need to make our beginner program simpler” Our program is not basic enough and trust me, we are pretty basic. What you realize is that if a kid bench presses once per week for ten weeks, he/she only get 10 chances to improve at the skill of bench pressing. That is simply not enough. In our desire to have a well-rounded program we insert too much variety. We don’t give the kids enough exposure to the basics and, then we wonder why they are not mastering the basic lifts.

This fall our new athletes ( those that have never trained with us before) will use the most basic program we have ever implemented. We will use a Big Three as Starr recommended of hang clean ( Starr was a power clean guy), front squat ( Bill favored back squats) and bench press. In addition we will include Trap Bar Deadlifts for in effect a Big Four. We will then fill in the blanks with some chins and rows. The emphasis will be on developing a solid technical base from which to expand.

Rippetoe puts it simply “nothing works better ( for a beginner) than a linear progression of simple barbell exercises, that has you go up in weight every workout”. What Rippetoe overlooks or understates is that learning is also faster through repeated exposures. Coaches worry too much about kids getting bored. A kid who comes twice per week for ten weeks will not get bored by twenty squat workouts but, they will have a better chance of becoming a better squatter.

Michael Boyle is the owner and editor of www.strengthcoach.com a website dedicated to providing the best performance enhancement information on the internet.

Upcoming Interviews

Buddy Morris, head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Pittsburgh (http://pittsburghpanthers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/morris_buddy01.html)

Mark Rippetoe, author of Starting Strength and Practical Periodization (http://www.wfac-gym.com/)

Frank Zane, former Mr. Olympia (www.frankzane.com)

Leigh Peele, fat loss expert and author of the Fat Loss Troubleshoot (www.avidityfitness.net)

If you would like to submit a question for one of our upcoming interviewees:

1) Please send an e-mail to info@robertsontrainingsystems.com
2) In the subject heading, please list the person your question is directed towards (i.e. Mike Boyle)
3) In the body of the text, list one or two questions you'd like to have answered.

We can't promise that our interviewees can answer all questions, but we'll do our best to get a nice mix of questions. Thanks for your support!

Latest Articles	Latest Blog Posts
The 5 Reasons You're Not Succeeding	Eating Healthy while Eating Out
Top Priority for Lower Traps	'Tis the Season for Knee Injuries

Stay Strong

www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com