20 Truths To Training

Post by Mark Ehnis

Ever since we began our Blue Collar group at the gym I’ve had many more questions than normal. Maybe you’re an athlete looking to transform into a beast. Maybe you’re new to training or have never been properly taught. Maybe you’re an ex-athlete looking to stay in the ‘game’ and train like one. Maybe you’re just a man that wants to train like a man. Being lazy and average isn’t your style so you need some guidelines to keep you on your path when things get foggy. In a world where exercise is everywhere, and everyone knows everything because they read it in the latest magazine, the stone cold truth can sometimes get lost in the mix of Shake Weights, hair gel infomercials, and the latest “hardcore” training style.  I give you the List of Truth. Check it out below and get a move on with confidence knowing that what you’re doing is correct and you aren’t wasting your time.  

The Stone Cold Training Truths...read below...because Stone Cold said so..

1. Train 3-4x per week with free weights, bodyweight, odd objects, and if possible, any strongman implements. Leave the machines for the hamsters.
2. Use compound movements. Make these the focus of your program and get strong at them. Your body functions together. Train it that way. Bench, squat, deadlift, rows, chin-ups, presses, push-ups, lunges, jumps and all of their variations- are the tools that will get you the results you want. Don’t try to use a hammer to paint a room…use the right tool.
3. Train for strength. Even if you’re training for fat loss or muscle gain- gaining strength will aid both of these processes. If you aren’t adding weight to the bar chances are you probably still look and perform the same. 3-6 sets of 1-5 reps for strength. And no, higher reps with light weight doesn’t “tone” (whatever that means) or help with fat loss…it makes you stay the same and wastes your time while training with weights that weigh less than my lunchtime sandwich.
4. Hit clean, controlled reps. Never go to failure or have a spotter help you force reps. Your last couple reps should be tough (must strain to get stronger) but doing funky stuff to grind our crap reps is dumb. 
5. Don’t eat like crap and eat enough non-crap food. The less ingredients and the less processed the better. If you eat like a bird chances are you’ll be as big and as strong as one.
6. Stay consistent and patient with your regiment. Don’t miss workouts or meals. Stay on the same program for 8-12 weeks…minimum. Adding muscle isn’t easy despite what the local gym hero told you. Patience and dedication must be applied.
7. Perform a warm-up. YouTube ‘Dynamic Warm-up’ and pick at least 10 exercises that you see. Do those before every workout not matter what. This will work wonders for you mobility and overall movement so you don’t walk around like you’re in a straightjacket.
8. Foam roll. Invest in one of these or get a PVC pipe and roll your entire body on it before every training session. I can’t believe some trainers don’t do this with their clients. If you have a trainer and have never foam rolled, then I recommend rolling yourself to someone who cares about having you feel awesome. You’ll thank me later. 
9. Ditch the body part splits. You aren’t a bodybuilder so don’t train like one. Full body days or upper/lower splits. The extra frequency and volume of doing this gets you faster results.
10. If you don’t know how to do something… ask. Hire a (smart) coach or ask a more experienced, non-douchebag lifter.
11. Use proper technique. Do things the right way. Quarter-squatting 315lbs isn’t cool no matter what your bro’s tell you. Use a full range of motion and add weight when you can properly perform your stuff.
12. Keep a training log. Actually track what you’re doing. The more detail the better. At the very least write down your weights so you know what to beat next time….or what time that one special girl comes to the gym…
13. Find training partners to train with or a gym that will make you better. If you can’t do this then invest in your own equipment for your basement or garage. If this isn’t possible then invest in some good headphones and music, don’t look friendly, and find a gym that at least has the proper equipment.
14. Don’t blow your cheese on supplements. Only a few are worthwhile for what most guys are looking for- and these are more for convenience than anything. Buy (invest) a training book or hire a coach with that money instead.
15. Your cardio should consist of 5-15 minutes of metabolic finishers/intervals, pushing/sprinting a sled or prowler, strongman medleys, or sprints (this includes hill sprints). 30-60 minutes of random jogging, riding a stationary bike, or treadmill is boring. If possible, never do this. For a results standpoint and simply a man standpoint. And yes, something is better than nothing so if you must do some sort of cardio then go for a 30-45 minute walk…yes, a walk.
16. You won’t see your abs unless your body fat percentage is low. Doing endless ab exercises won’t change this. Get strong at the big movements (which all involve bracing your abs) and you’ll be surprised at your midsection’s appeal- granted you have low enough body fat of course.  
17. Get enough sleep. Shoot for around 7 hours at least. And if you don’t get enough sleep then don’t tell everyone about it. Don’t be an obnoxious, whiny, girly-man.
18. Train your grip to be strong. A strong grip will improve all your lifts and is cool points on the manhood scale. Points also awarded for large forearms, traps, and neck. Train these as well.
19. Did I already mention be patient? That training the right way is hard work and NOT for the mentally weak or noncommittal? That lasting results take time? It’s hard for 98% of people to add muscle so don’t worry about getting “too big” from training to get strong. 
20. In short, have a goal. Following a bunch of conflicting training philosophies will just conflict with your goal. Compete against yourself and don't worry about what everyone else is doing. Training is hard. Stick with it and you'll probably find out a lot about yourself. 

This basic list may seem simple but it’s packed with info that many people don’t know or don’t follow. If you have any questions or if I forgot anything then comment below or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter. Would love to help you out or add to this list if necessary. The few of us that roll this way must stick together. 

Thanks for reading and feel free to share this with anyone who might benefit. Train hard!

-Mark 

@PowerStrengthTS

PowerStrength Blue Collar Crew!

We recently formed the Blue Collar training group at the gym for adult guys. These guys are ex-athletes or guys looking to get in great shape using the methods our athletes use at PSTS. Within the last year, only a handful of people trained with us that weren’t athletes. I don’t believe in doing anything halfway so adding a bunch of random groups filled with random people with varying goals just to gross a few more dollars wasn’t going to happen at PSTS. The demand has been there for a while and I had to wait until the time was right to kick it off. I love helping anyone who is serious about getting results in the gym and taking control over their life so I was really looking forward to the day to get this rolling. We started over a week ago with 8 guys. 

This group may look different from the outside looking in, but they all have the same goals. Get in better shape (get stronger, lose fat, build muscle), train to be awesome with a group of dedicated individuals, have fun, and learn how to do a few new things (the right way) while they’re at it. We have guys of all ages and from different backgrounds but they all come together to kick some ass. These workouts have already gotten to be pretty intense and are fast-paced. No time for useless chatter. Zero distractions as everyone is on the same page. Have you ever trained in a gym where guys want to chat more than train? It sucks. It's ineffective. Then they wonder why they aren't making progress. These guys aren’t wired like that.

Some of the guys performing Farmers Walks and Sled Drags to end their workout- two AWESOME exercises!

This group is going for 10-weeks and they train twice per week at the gym. They were given other workouts to perform on their own. Performing these extra workouts is highly stressed as we’re after lasting changes- not some quick fix. You’re either committed to making a change or you’re not. It hasn’t even been two weeks yet and guys are already saying how they are moving and feeling better. Feeling more spring in their step when they walk and aren’t getting as winded doing simple tasks.

Some of these guys are fathers so helping them to feel better to do things like play with their kids, or improve their health to exemplify living a healthy lifestyle, is awesome and very rewarding. Some other guys are younger and looking to shed some fat and build muscle. They are learning new (and EFFECTIVE) ways to train that will be with them for the rest of their lives. No more going to the gym and not knowing where to begin, what exercises to do, how to do a lift, including all of the other intangibles that come with training. 

Above all else, ALL these guys are building up the mind and embracing what being a man is all about- stepping out of your comfort zone, pushing yourself to the limits, never quitting, and being there to support those around you.

Looking forward to this journey with my team!

-Mark

PSTS Summer 2012 Re-Cap

 Post by Mark Ehnis

There are a few reasons for the lack of posting on here- if you were disappointed by this then you have my sincere apologies! We just wrapped up our second summer at PSTS and it was one for the books! We had a huge influx of awesome athletes come to us and my days were spent sweating it out in the gym chasing fast and lasting results! We are also revamping our website/blog as we speak- once this is finished with there will be more posting- I promise! In the meantime...here's a quick recap of the highlights of our summer at PowerStrength. 

College Volleyball PowerStrength Style!

PowerStrength is a blue-collar strength and performance facility and our athletes reflect that. Our workouts are tough and our athletes are strong. We’re known for our intensity and lifting heavy (correctly!). We have a stable of football players that fuel our gym. However, this summer we have seen some new faces and have welcomed them big time!

PSTS First Year Re-cap!

June 2, 2011 was the first day the gym was opened. About ten athletes trained that day. A lot has happened since and a lot more will happen this upcoming year. The past year was a success in the fact that we had the opportunity to change many athletes lives both mentally and physically. We will continue to give the best service we can to those who invest and believe in us. The PowerStrength system has worked with all of our athletes and I want the opportunity to help as many as I can. If an athlete is driven to become better, there should be a proven system in place to help them get there no matter what. 

                                                                                   

Here are a few progressions of the main garage. However, PSTS is more than just a garage being transformed into a gym...

Below are some observations and knowledge bombs I have encountered and reflected on as I re-capped the past year over and over in my head. Some things I have harped on before but they were reiterated as time went by. Check it…

May AOTM and Mobility Progress

The athlete of the month for May is Evan Macauley. Evan trains 2-3x per week and has been training since September of last year. He plays football, basketball, baseball, and throws for the track team. Despite all these sports and busy schedule, Evan and his parents still MADE time to get to his workouts. Evan has supportive parents who make his training a priority and don’t make excuses. He is in 8^th grade and is a great example of how a young athlete should develop. Evan sets goals, reaches them, and immediately sets new ones. He has adopted our blue-collar work ethic and has matured a lot in the past nine months. His discipline and responsibility as a young man may be one of his greatest improvements...

Max Testing for Athletes

 Let me preface this by saying, you need to train heavy to get stronger- muscularly and neurally. Where does maxing out (achieving a 1-rep max) have its place in an athletes program? Does it even have a place? Should young athletes max out? The past week at PowerStrength were 'testing' days. Check out how it went and a little bit of our philosophy on when we test...

PowerStrength Toughness

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to our athletes who have been training hard this past month. The last 4 weeks have been intense and our athletes continue to raise the bar. A lot is demanded of them and they don’t disappoint. I’m proud of the responsible, young adults they’re growing up to be.

A good representation of this was demonstrated this past weekend...

Perseverance

You may recognize Austin from being our November Athlete of the Month. Austin was having a very productive senior year of football when his leg was rolled up on from behind- tearing his ACL and MCL. This was a devastating injury as Austin prepared for MONTHS (since December, not just the 2 months in the summer) so he could have a great senior year and potentially fulfill his goal of playing college football.

Competition, Progress, and Rewards with High School Athletes

Competition

Competition is a good thing. You need to compete in training to test yourself physically and mentally. To learn how to not quit when things get challenging and push farther and harder than you ever thought you could. I think it’s necessary for athletes to constantly train in a competitive environment.

25 Things from 25 Years

I had my 25^th birthday this past week. 25 sounds a lot older than 24. Knowing this, I had mixed feelings about it. I’m not big into my own birthday- meaning I don’t feel the need to celebrate it for a week, or even a month like some people (these people are attention hogs).  I got to thinking about my life. 30 is just around the corner and after that it’s a blur… or so I hear. Personally the last 5 years was a blur. So I decided to sit down and write a random list of things I’ve learned and observed about training and life. I left some stuff off, but some stuff on this list will most likely change, as I grow older. I sure hope the numbers at least get higher…

Build it Up

I can’t stress enough the importance of building a foundation of strength before you progress in your training program and go after the big weights. The other night I was watching YouTube videos of unsupervised AND supervised kids in weight rooms performing heavy lifts with terrible, back breaking form. Awful coaching, incorrect and unsafe spotting, and obviously improper progressions that prepared these kids to work up to that weight. (*Yes, athletes need to train heavy. But keep in mind that they aren't powerlifters or olympic lifters- they're athletes. Use the tools from these separate sports to build the athlete.)

Could probably see his spine literally sticking out of his shirt if the camera angle was better...

All In- Part 2

 To be all in you have to take a step back and be honest with yourself and what you want. In part 1 I related being “all in” to some of the stuff going on in my own life. In part 2 I want to shift the focus towards athletes and their training. You’ll see that these steps and guidelines can transfer to any part of life- not just the gym or the field. Anyone who has truly trained knows how training can mold a mindset like little else can. Whether you want to earn more playing time, become a starter, pack on muscle, earn a college scholarship, or just go after what you want in life- you’ll have to start by being all in towards your goals. Start with these 5 guidelines listed below.

All In- Part 1

Lately, I’ve had a lot on my mind. More so than usual. Besides all the personal crap and stresses that everyone deals with on a daily basis, I’ve been thinking a lot about my athletes, how to grow PowerStrength, and all the new possibilities and opportunities that present themselves more and more every day. Don’t get me wrong- this is fun and exciting to think about and I’m thankful for any opportunity that comes my way. However, I have realized that all this thought has led to just that- thinking. Too much thinking lately has caused me to be inactive, or only, partially committed to new ideas and opportunities. This has carried over to some of my daily responsibilities as well. This is very uncharacteristic of me.

So I asked myself, “Are you all in? Training, business, and relationships- are you all in?” I like to be my biggest critic so I answered no to all of these. I know what I’m capable of and right now I know I can do better.

Major 4-week FREAK Transformation

Post by Mark Ehnis

Gus is one of PowerStrength’s biggest all time gym freaks. He had insane results in his first 4 weeks of training. Gus trained 4-5x per week, never missed a workout, trained hard every session, and took his nutrition and recovery just as seriously as he took his training. He came to PSTS to add size and strength, but also to maintain his athleticism. Not only did he accomplish these goals, but he was a great addition to the gym and a fun athlete to train and be around. Like many of our athletes, Gus was a good athlete when he came to PSTS, but he came to us to get an edge and to get more serious about his training. So far so good. Now for the results...