In my previous interviews with nutrition savant, Ori Hofmekler, we covered post-workout nutrition and thyroid health. So now it’s time for Ori to set the record straight with regard to pre-workout nutrition. Get ready for some surprising revelations!

CW: Ori, is it true that you’ll burn more fat if you train in a fasted state? Is this equally true for cardio and strength training?

Ori: In theory, fat burning is maximized when you train in a fasting state. That’s because exercise while fasting forces a fast depletion of glycogen and an increased utilization of fatty acids for energy. Furthermore, this regimen improves insulin sensitivity, which is essential for burning fat and maintaining a lean body. Nonetheless, training while fasting has a serious drawback: it compromises your peak strength and durability. Apparently with a more profound effect on strength.

CW: So is there any viable way to maximize fat burning without compromising your strength?

Ori: Yes, indeed. In fact you there are two good options. First, you can use whey protein as a pre-exercise meal, about 30 minutes before training. Whey protein serves as the ideal fuel for your muscle during prolonged intense exercise and there’s evidence that it actually increases your capacity to burn fat during and after exercise.

CW: That’s pretty exciting to hear. Please explain the mechanisms involved.

Ori: First, whey protein is the richest natural source of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), which primarily serve as a muscle fuel substrate via the alanine-glucose pathway. This pathway is your body’s most cost-effective fueling system. It converts BCAAs into glucose in the liver which is then released to your muscle in exactly the amount your muscle needs without overly-spiking insulin. Hence, whey protein enables you to sustain prolonged intense performance in times of carb deprivation and glycogen depletion. Also, whey protein allows you to perform at a higher intensity for longer periods of time so you’ll burn more energy and fat than training while fasting.

For that purpose I use 2 scoops of Warrior Whey 30 minutes before training.

CW: Ori, since I consult with you on a regular basis, I know what the second option is and I think people will be surprised and excited to hear it. Fire away!

Ori: Yes, the second option will surprise many people. An excellent pre-exercise snack is dark chocolate. I’m talking specifically here about the kind with no sugar added. Chocolate has the highest concentration of flavonoid polyphenols, which, along with energy boosting co-factors yield the most powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and energizing effects on your muscle. Furthermore, cacao demonstrates fat burning properties, and it has the most profound effect on boosting nitric oxide, which is essential for the regulation of muscle performance, repair, and growth.

CW: Over the last few years, nitric oxide-boosting supplements have become the rage amongst strength and muscle-building athletes. Can you talk a little about nitric oxide, its role, and is it beneficial to boost it while training?

Ori: Nitric oxide (NO) is a small molecule that functions as a modulator of muscle function, and it participates in the process of muscle repair and growth. The enzyme that produces NO – nitric oxide synthase (NOS), plays an essential role in the regulation of blood flow (vasodilation), force development, and muscle contractile properties. Nitric oxide triggers gene expression and growth factors that facilitate muscle fiber repair after mechanical stress or injury. In addition, it promotes insulin sensitivity and regulates testosterone production via the NO-cGMP pathway.

CW: Wow, since dark chocolate boosts NO production, and since NO helps repair damaged muscle while potentially boosting testosterone and improving insulin sensitivity it sounds like chocolate could also be an ideal post-workout supplement.

Ori: Correct, that’s why I also use it after the first post-workout feeding of pure Warrior Whey.

CW: Are there any side effects from boosting NO too high?

Ori: Yes, NO may act in your body like a double-edge sword. Nitric oxide’s metabolism yields some of the most deleterious free radicals in the form of oxidized nitrites and peroxynitrites. These are highly reactive molecules that, when in excess, lead to accumulated oxidative stress, inflammatory disorders, mitochondrial and DNA damage, lipid per oxidation, insulin resistance, and impaired energy production.

CW: That sounds pretty bad, indeed.

Ori: Unfortunately, the story gets even worse with excessive or chronically elevated NO: it can inhibit testosterone production. Accumulated excess of its free radical metabolites have been shown to cause damage and destruction of the Leydig cells that produce testosterone. This, by the way, is one of the reasons why testosterone production is shattered during chronic inflammatory disease, or after steroid abuse.

CW: I always suspected that those NO-boosting supplements you see in newsstand muscle magazines were garbage, that’s why I never used them. Am I correct?

Ori: The problem with those NO-boosting products is that they’re typically formulated to boost NO, but are not designed to protect your body against its toxic metabolites and related side effects that I just mentioned.

Virtually all NO-boosting supplements are made with free form amino acids and synthetic ingredients that are applied in excessive dosages that don’t fit human biology. If you shove in stuff that artificially boosts NO to unnatural levels, sooner or later you may experience those side effects.

CW: Well, I certainly haven’t seen any fine print in those muscle magazines that state the side effects you mentioned. Now we know why they kept that info out.

Ori: You’re right, Chad. You can’t expect to get this information in muscle magazines because their livelihood depends on advertising money from these same companies.

CW: So we know now that boosting NO production can be beneficial, but we must not boost it too high with any of those NO-boosters you see in muscle magazines because you might eventually experience just the opposite of what you’re after. Is there any natural alternative to those supplements? Is there a natural, effective way to get the full benefits of nitric oxide?

Ori: Yes, by eating chocolate with no sugar added. Chocolate is not just the most viable NO-boosting food, it actually helps protect your body from the side effects of its metabolites by binding and neutralizing these free radicals.

Indeed, chocolate has been associated with reduced inflammation, improved blood circulation, and enhanced cardiac function. It’s also been attributed as an immune supportive, muscle repairing, and libido-boosting food. And based on recent reports, chocolate has been demonstrating insulin sensitizing and weight loss promoting properties.

CW: Wow, people are going to love to hear that the right kind of chocolate can provide so many benefits from fat loss to muscle growth.

Ori: Yes, I believe that along with whey protein, chocolate is probably the most effective functional food for your muscle before and after exercise. The problem is that virtually all chocolates today are made with sugar, fructose, synthetic sweeteners or chemical alkali. All of those additives negate the benefits of chocolate.

This is why we created our new innovative whey chocolate product – ChocoWhey. This chocolate treat combines all the benefits of whey and chocolate into one product. It’s made with no sugar or alkali added and based on my experience, if you use it as a pre-exercise snack, you’ll certainly notice the difference in your muscle performance and overall conditioning.

CW: I’ve definitely noticed that I’m stronger and sustain my strength for longer periods of time when I use ChocoWhey before training. Tell the readers how you recommend they take ChocoWhey.

Ori: I eat 3-4 nuggets or half a bar (30 grams) 10-15 minutes before training. And then, for post exercise, I eat 5-6 nuggets or one 2-ounce bar about 30 minutes after my first whey recovery meal. Whenever I have a training workout that’s a few hours long, I eat ChocoWhey bites before, during breaks, and after the training session, a few bites at a time.

ChocoWhey consists of 45% whey protein and 55% dark chocolate. This product can nourish, energize, and naturally boost NO in your muscle, acting as both an anti-inflammatory and anabolic food.

CW: Thanks again Ori for another fascinating interview!

Ori: It’s my pleasure, Chad.

Who would’ve guessed that research is accumulating to support the use of chocolate as a super food? And Ori made it even better by combining it with his outstanding whey protein. ChocoWhey not only tastes incredible, but it could be the missing link for helping you build a bigger, leaner, stronger body!

Ori’s Workout Nutrition Protocol
30 minutes before training: 3-4 nuggets or 1/2 bar of ChocoWhey
30 minutes after training: 3 scoops of Warrior Whey
30 minutes later: 5-6 nuggets or 1 full bar of ChocoWhey

Stay Focused,
CW

While I was roaming around Ipanema Beach in a somewhat dehydrated state, I was relieved to see a cool little stand that sold coconut water, straight from the source. After mumbling through enough Portuguese to get my order across to the distracted Brazilian dude working the hut, he grabbed a young coconut, chopped off the top with what appeared to be a machete, and stuck a straw in the opening. I handed him a few reais and off I went because I didn’t want to find out what other uses he might have for that machete.

Coconut water is readily available in Rio and it’s as much a part of their culture as iced tea is to America. In Brazil, there aren’t any outrageous claims with regard to the purported health benefits, and that was a refreshing change from what I’ve been seeing around Los Angeles.

I’ve been prescribing fresh coconut water as part of my athlete’s daily nutrition program for years and the results have been excellent. But as soon as marketers get their hands on a product with a few health benefits, everything goes to hell.

I was reminded of this fact when a friend recently told me that she tried coconut water and it “didn’t do anything.” I’m not exactly sure what she intended it to do, but it’s likely that she read some outrageous claim like it can fix cancer, obesity, diabetes or something along those lines. And it doesn’t help matters when ConsumerLab found that two of the leading brands made label claims that didn’t hold up under testing, as reported last year by the NY Times.

Nevertheless, coconut water’s role is simple: hydration. Now, I believe that coconut water benefits your body and performance beyond hydration, but I’d only be guessing what those other benefits could be since it’s too early to say. However, I know it’s better than water and any other popular sports drinks that are tainted with neon coloring and chemical additives. And don’t believe the sparse research from obscure journals that claim water, coconut water, and sports drinks are the same since they all equally restored the amount of body weight that was lost through training.

Adequate hydration is considerably more complex than just restoring your body weight. Blood tests should have been performed to measure electrolytes, as well as tests of reaction times, cognition, etc. to get a clearer picture. Those are the factors that matter when it comes to performance, and fresh coconut water surely ranks best when compared to water or neon sports drinks.

How can I say this? Because the nutrients in fresh coconut water are in their natural form, paired with all the other known and unknown compounds that increase assimilation. This is why it’s shown that people who eat a lot of citrus fruits are healthier than those who take a lab-made multivitamin with similar nutrients.

Dr. Marian Neuhouser summed it up best when she said, ”The vitamin C in a multivitamin is likely just not as effective as the vitamin C in a citrus fruit, where it’s also surrounded by fiber and flavonoids and carotenoids. All these nutrients working together is what really keeps you healthy.”

And this is exactly why fresh coconut water beats regular water or Jolly Rancher flavored sports drinks. It’s also the reason why the only multivitamin that I use with clients is plant-based. You can find that excellent multivitamin at this link.

Is coconut water perfect for athletes? Probably not since it doesn’t contain enough sodium to replenish your needs when you’ve been sweating heavily. Indeed, sodium is the electrolyte we lose most when sweating and coconut water doesn’t contain much of it. But the solution is as simple as adding a pinch of salt to each 16 ounce bottle – that’s what I have my athletes do before and after intense training.

The catch, however, is that we all don’t live on Ipanema Beach where fresh coconut water is readily available in little huts. Nevertheless, Whole Foods and some other progressive health food stores sell what I consider to be the best tasting coconut water on the market: Taste Nirvana’s Real Coconut Water.

If you want to know what coconut water is supposed to taste like, pick up a glass-bottled version of Taste Nirvana. There’s nothing in it but pure coconut water, unlike those sour-tasting versions that are sold in gas stations and liquor stores that contain additives to preserve shelf life.

When I’m working with athletes that are in an intense training phase leading up to a competition, I’ll have them start their day with 16 ounces of fresh coconut water with a pinch of salt added. You can also use it before and/or after intense training when you sweat a lot.

Finally, the time I consider coconut water to be invaluable is immediately after my fighters weigh-in for a competition. As soon as he or she steps off the scale, 32 ounces of coconut water with a few pinches of salt jumpstarts rehydration and ensures that they’re one step closer to being able to fight with fury the next day.

Stay Focused,
CW

However, the thyroid is probably the most misunderstood parts of your body when it comes to fat loss. It’s absolutely essential to have your thyroid working for you, not against you, as is typically the case with most dieters out there.

Last week I interviewed nutrition expert, Ori Hofmekler, about post-workout nutrition. The response was so large and favorable that I invited him back to discuss thyroid function and how to maximize it.

With this information you’ll be one enormous step closer to finally burning off your most stubborn fat.

CW: Ori, thanks for coming back to talk with us. First, explain why the thyroid is so important for fat loss and overall health.

Ori: My pleasure, Chad. The thyroid hormones regulate your body’s energy utilization, metabolic rate, body heat and they also regulate how sensitive your body is to other hormones. Hence, your thyroid hormones affect your capacity to produce energy, burn fat, and sustain a healthy metabolism.

CW: That explanation alone should make people realize just how crucial thyroid hormones are for fat loss. What happens when the thyroid isn’t working like it should?

Ori: Impairment in thyroid hormone production, such as seen in the case of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), leads to a sluggish metabolism, intolerance to cold, and a diminishing capacity to break fat storage for energy. The principle thyroid hormones are T4 (tyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine). T3, the active hormone, is 7-10 times more potent than T4, which is actually a pro-hormone.

CW: So the key hormone here is T3. We need to convert as much as possible from T4, right?

Ori: Yes. In a healthy body up to 80% of T4 is converted to T3 by peripheral organs such as the liver, kidney, and muscle.

CW: And this is why I always say that to burn stubborn fat you need to make sure your organs are working at their peak. So what causes hypothyroidism?

Ori: An underactive thyroid condition is mainly caused by thyroid suppressing chemicals.

CW: Give us some examples.

Ori: Those chemicals include: drugs, plasticizers, industrial iodides, petro-chemicals, antiseptics, selenium salts, and many thyroid inhibiting substances that are found in the foods we eat. Hypothyroidism is also a result of extreme low calorie restriction, inferior protein intake, and a deficiency or excess in iodine and selenium. One of the most typical factors of hypothyroidism is an impairment in the body’s capacity to convert T4 to T3. This impairment is largely caused by chronic calorie restriction and amino acid deficiencies.

CW: In the past when I suspected an imbalance of thyroid hormones with my clients, I sometimes put them on iodine and selenium supplements since those nutrients were purported to support thyroid health. But in many cases their symptoms got worse. 

Ori: The thyroid is a highly evolutionary conserved organ which evolved to support the primordial shift of organisms from the sea – the iodine-rich habitat – to more iodine deficient grasslands and woodlands that were the early human habitats. What this means is that the human species evolved to do well on a moderate to low iodine diet. By effectively trapping and storing iodide ions from foods that contained little iodine, the human body has been capable able of utilizing this mineral for hormonal production and optimal organ functions.

As is the case with most substances, either too little or too much can cause a problem. About 100 years ago, populations in certain world areas suffered from epidemics of underactive thyroid due to iodine and selenium deficiency in the soil. Since then, iodine and selenium supplementation became a mandatory method to prevent hypothyroidism.

The problem is that in the past 50 years supplementing with iodine and selenium has turned out to be utterly counter-effective.

CW: That’s definitely what I experienced with my clients. What was the problem?

Ori: The reason for your lack of results is due to an excess of iodine and selenium. Soil areas that were previously deficient in iodine and selenium are now plugged by an excess of these minerals due to the deposition of industrial waste and agricultural chemicals. So there’s actually too much iodine in our food and soil. Accumulating evidence indicate that excess iodine can increase the prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease, hypothyroidism, and even thyroid cancer. And excess selenium has been linked to an underactive thyroid, shattered metabolism, obesity, and mental disorders.

CW: Wow, that’s a frightening list of disorders. So how can people determine if their thyroid needs help?

Ori: There are five symptoms of an underactive thyroid:

1. Sensitivity to cold.
2. A lower body temperature. Check your body temperature upon rising. If it’s below 97.5 degrees you may suffer from an underactive thyroid.
3. Abnormally high TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) as determined by a blood test. A TSH value over 1.50 means that your thyroid isn’t functioning properly and as a consequence your body over pumps TSH to compensate. Many doctors mistakenly regard a TSH value of 2.50 as borderline high. But based on recent research, the true high limit of TSH is 1.50.
4. Chronic fatigue.
5. Difficulty losing weight and leaning down.

CW: That’s excellent information, Ori. What steps can people take to prevent hypothyroidism?

Ori: First, stay away from substances that suppress thyroid hormone activity.

CW: What are some examples of those substances?

Ori: Thyroid suppressing chemicals include: petro-chemicals, PCBs, pesticides, industrial iodides, chemical detergents, parabens, chlorine-containing substances, cobalt, and cadmium paints.

In addition, you should avoid: chronic extreme caloric restrictions, high glycemic foods, chlorinated or fluorinated water, and thyroid suppressing (goitrogenic) foods.

CW: Tell us some foods that fall into that category.

Ori: Thyroid suppressing foods include: soy products, uncooked cruciferous vegetables, parsnips, cassava, millet, and Brazil nuts.

And certain drugs such as diuretics, iodide antiseptics, and histamines are thyroid suppressors.

CW: So what’s your position on supplementing the diet with iodine and selenium?

Ori: Iodine and selenium supplements suppress the thyroid. They should be avoided.

CW: Wow, that will come as a shock to many people. Tell us what supplements support the thyroid.

Ori: The most proven and effective thyroid supportive herb is commiphora mukul, the active ingredient in gugglesterone. Other thyroid supportive herbs are shilajit, milk thistle, and bacopa monavari.

I recommend that people supplement their diet with thyroid enhancing herbs to help counteract the effects of common thyroid inhibiting substances.

CW: Once again, Ori, thanks for your outstanding information.

Ori: You’re welcome, Chad.

If you suspect that you suffer from hypothyroidism and you’ve been struggling to lose stubborn fat, I highly recommend that you try Thyrolyn, Ori’s herbal support formula for the thyroid. My clients have experienced excellent results with his formula and it definitely helps burn stubborn fat. Take 6 pills on an empty stomach in the early afternoon each day.

Stay Focused,
CW

Since the spring of 2010 I’ve been implementing Ori’s unique principles and supplements with myself and my clients. The results were so impressive that it was time I met the man in person to talk shop. Listening to Ori speak about nutrition must be what it feels like to sit in a room with Bill Gates and hear him discuss computer technology.

Yep, I was blown away by the meeting. And since we all try to maximize post-workout nutrition, I wanted to share what Ori Hofmekler had to say.

I’m honored to have Ori here in this exclusive interview.

CW: Ori, throughout the majority of my career I’ve recommended fast-acting carbs with protein powder in the post-workout meal in order to get an insulin spike and shuttle amino acids into the muscles for growth and repair. But after consulting with you I’ve realized that I might have been wrong with this approach.

Can you explain the problems with ingesting simple carbs such as raisins or cherry juice immediately after training?

Ori Hofmekler: First off, after training your muscle becomes temporarily insulin resistant. That’s due to tissue micro-injuries which impair the mechanism that utilizes glucose in your muscle. Putting a high glycemic fuel in your muscle right after exercise will jeopardize energy utilization and disrupt your insulin sensitivity. High glycemic fuel includes all kinds of sugars, dried fruits and refined flour.

One of the biggest misconceptions is the idea that an insulin spike is necessary for boosting protein synthesis in the muscle. The truth is quite different. The real factor is not insulin spike but rather insulin sensitivity.

It has been proven that as long as insulin sensitivity is high, even low (fasting) insulin levels along with amino acids will be sufficient to trigger mTOR/AKT – the cellular pathway that deposits protein in the muscle towards repair and growth.

Overly spiking insulin with simple carbs immediately after exercise impairs insulin sensitivity and diminishes your capacity to sustain a healthy metabolism and a lean, strong physique.

CW: We all know that the few hours after training are important to maximize for muscle growth and fat loss. What’s the best approach to post-workout nutrition when a person is trying to add muscle without inhibiting fat loss?

Ori: The post-exercise period isn’t just your window of opportunity to build muscle, it’s also your ideal opportunity to burn fat.

What many people fail to understand is that exercise only initiates the first phase of fat breakdown; it does not grant the completion of the fat-burning process.

After exercise there’s a substantial increase in the level of circulating free fatting acids coming from adipose tissue, and unless these are mobilized to the liver and muscle for final utilization, most of them will be re-esterfied into triglycerides and re-deposited back in the fat tissues.

Yes, all your hard work to burn fat will be wasted!

In order to grant an effective completion of the fat-burning process you must manipulate your muscle to suck in the circulating free fatty acids that were released by exercise. And the way to do that is to wait for 30-60 minutes after exercise before having your recovery meal.

CW: So much for the notion that post-workout nutrition must begin as soon as the workout is finished.

Ori: Yes, by waiting 30-60 minutes it will give your body the time needed to remove circulating fatty acids for utilization and thus prevent re-deposit and build-up of fat in your adipose tissue.

CW: So why is the post-exercise period a person’s ideal window of opportunity to burn fat?

Ori: It’s because of empty glycogen reserves. Glycogen is your body’s most immediate and preferred fuel for survival activities, such as the fight or flight response. Hence, your body regards glycogen replenishment as a top survival priority. And that’s what happens after intense training: your body is forced to swiftly convert fatty acids into glucose, via gluconeogenesis, which are then used for glycogen replenishment in your muscle.

What this means is that fat breakdown and utilization reaches a peak, not during exercise, but right after exercise. Importantly, this process can only reach its peak in a fasting state. It will be utterly inhibited by carbohydrate feeding.

CW: Fascinating. I can’t tell you how many times I recommended carbs during and immediately after training to clients who wanted to burn off excess fat. Eliminating carbs during this period has drastically increased my client’s rate of fat loss. 

Ori: You’re right, Chad. I was glad when you told me that you removed carbs from Ronda Rousey’s first post-workout protein feeding as you prepared her for her title fight against Miesha Tate.

CW: Yes, that was a key component for leaning Ronda out so she could drop a weight class. So when is the best time to eat carbs in general? 

Ori: The right time for eating carbohydrates is at night when the muscle is no longer insulin resistant like it is directly after training. For effective glycogen loading, eat slow-releasing complex carbs from whole plants the night before training or competition. Ideal sources are corn, quinoa and oatmeal.

With all that said, you still need to feed your muscle to grant repair and growth in the post-exercise period. And you need to do that without inhibiting the fat-burning process.

Therefore, you should use quality whey protein with no sugar added. This is your best bet. Quality whey protein not only nourishes your muscle with essential amino acids and bioactive immune-boosting nutrients, but it also promotes insulin sensitivity via peptides such as CCK and GLP-1. Importantly, insulin sensitivity is necessary for both muscle growth and fat burning.

CW: So what’s the best approach to post-workout nutrition?

Ori: If your goal is to burn fat and build muscle, you must take advantage of the post-exercise window of opportunity. Avoid feeding for 30-60 minutes after training, and then have 40-60 grams of whey protein with no sugar added for recovery. Three scoops of Warrior Whey is ideal at this time. To further enhance muscle build up, have a second recovery meal – same amount of whey protein – about 60 minutes later.

CW: What if a guy isn’t interested in burning fat? Can he have carbs in the post-workout window?

Ori: Yes, but carbs should only come in the second post-workout feeding. And this is only applicable when you’ve trained hard for more than two hours, such as long, intense sparring session or other very high endurance activities. The first feeding should be immediately after exercise from 40-60 grams of quality whey. This is for people who aren’t worried about burning fat – they need to feed their muscle with fast assimilating proteins to stop the catabolic process and promote recovery.

The second feeding should come 30 minutes later and it should include another 40-60 grams of whey. At this time you could have a handful of organic raisins or a bowl of berries. Fruits are densely packed with antioxidants and yield an alkalizing balance effect on your body, which is typically over-acidic after intense, prolonged training.

CW: Terrific information, Ori. Thanks for your time and incredible insight.

Ori: Thank you, Chad.

Ori’s Warrior Whey is the best protein powder I’ve ever used. Through research and development he has created what I consider not only the most effective protein powder for supporting muscle growth and fat loss, but it also tastes incredible. It’s the only whey protein I currently use.

For only $24, you can try Ori’s Warrior Whey. I bet you’ll never use another whey again. You can find out more about Warrior Whey at this link.

Ori’s Post-Workout Protocol for Fat Loss and Muscle Growth
30-60 minutes after exercise: 3 scoops of Warrior Whey in water.
60 minutes later (for maximize muscle growth): 3 scoops of Warrior Whey in water.

Ori’s Post-Workout Protocol for Extreme Endurance Athletes
Immediately after exercise: 3 scoops of Warrior Whey in water.
30 minutes later: 3 scoops of Warrior Whey in water with a handful of organic raisins or a bowl of berries.

Stay Focused,
CW

Mastering the false grip pull-up is the first, and most difficult, step toward achieving a powerful muscle-up. Most guys have trouble with a muscle-up because they don’t have the strength to pull a fast pull-up with a false grip, especially from the full hang position.

So let’s do a quick overview of the wrist positions for the rings.

The picture on the left shows the normal wrist position when doing a regular pull-up from rings. This is the strongest and most comfortable position for the wrist. The picture on the right shows the false grip – the grip that makes you instantly feel as weak as a malnourished marathon runner.

The purpose of the false grip is to elevate your wrist so it’s the same height as the bottom of the rings. Without this wrist elevation it’s virtually impossible to rotate your hands and continue into a dip.

When a guy attempts to hang from the rings with a false grip he usually can’t fully straighten his arms, much less pull with any significant strength. It’s definitely an uncomfortable wrist position at first. But like any exercise, you’ll get stronger and your range of motion will quickly increase if you practice it.

Before you attempt a false grip pull-up, it’s essential to have the right rings. The only kind of rings worth buying are made of wood. Plastic, metal or rubber coated rings are too slippery, especially when your hands start sweating. Wood absorbs sweat and is easier to grip. Also, chalk is necessary to keep a rigid wrist position.

My favorite rings for the money are from Christian’s Fitness Factory. It’s the best $82 you’ll ever spend. You can get their wooden rings by clicking this link CFF Wooden Rings.

Now let’s move on to the false grip pull-up. Here’s how you do it.

Starting position: establish a strong false grip and hang with your arms straight, or as straight as you can initially muster, with your legs straight and held in front at a downward angle. This position engages your abs and puts your body at the correct angle to mimic the first part of a muscle-up.

The pull: pull your body as high as possible while keeping your legs in front at a downward angle. The goal is to get to the point where your chin is a few inches above your knuckles, as shown in the picture below. Don’t worry about pulling fast, this is a slower, high tension strength exercise. Plus, it’s easy to lose the false grip if you go too fast at first. Look closely at my wrist position in the pictures so you know you’re doing it correctly.

I’m leaning back as I pull up to the top position because that body angle is necessary to flip your hands, thrust your hips back, and continue into a dip for a muscle-up. Leaning slightly back as you pull up ensures that you’re training the correct initial movement pattern to carryover to a muscle-up.

Lowering phase: the first time you attempt to lower your body into the full hang you’ll probably lose the false grip. The key, again, is to use chalk. Also, lower slowly and concentrate on your wrist position. With a little practice you’ll get the hang of it.

Perform the false grip pull-up for 5 sets of as many reps as possible 2-3 times per week. Once you can perform five full range of motion reps you’ve developed sufficient pulling strength for the first half of a muscle-up.

Stay Focused,
CW

So a guy will train hard and neglect the external rotation movement. Then one day he tears his rotator cuff or experiences a shoulder injury. One of the reasons this can happen is because there was a significant strength imbalance between the internal and external rotators. Few guys need more internal rotation work because they’re already getting so much of it from a plethora of horizontal pressing exercises.

One thing a guy can do to make his shoulders stronger and healthier is train his external rotators. When you think of training the external rotation movement you probably have visions of isolated exercises with red rubber tubing or 5-pound dumbbells.

However, one exercise that has always been part of my athlete’s strength programs is the upright row with external rotation. The benefit of this movement for power athletes is that it also engages the posterior chain since it starts from a high hang position that engages the hips. Plus, it’s about as explosive as an external rotation exercise can be. Those two factors allow you to train with heavier weights: something every power athlete loves.

I’m not a fan of most upright row variations anymore, thanks in large part to the writings of shoulder experts like Eric Cressey. Nevertheless, in terms of shoulder health I like this exercise for two reasons.

First, the movement consists of only a partial upright row so that reduces the risk of impingement. Pulling any higher can place undue stress on the shoulder joint, even if they’re healthy. Second, the exercise smoothly transitions into external rotation and most of us need more strength in those muscles to balance out the shoulder joint.

Also, the upright row with external rotation is an excellent intermediate step before merging into more complex Olympic lift variations such as the hang snatch. And it’s also a great stand-alone muscle builder.

Before we get to the video, I must clarify which type of athletes should perform the upright row with external rotation because it’s not for everyone. Even though it’s great for strengthening the external rotators, it’s not for someone who recently injured his shoulder or had shoulder surgery. In the early stages of physical therapy slower, lighter exercises should be emphasized.

But if you’re a guy who wants to build some muscle and balance out your internal/external rotation strength while engaging the posterior chain, give this exercise a try. Start with 4-5 sets of 6-8 reps twice per week.

Stay Focused,
CW

The training program a power athlete such as an MMA fighter or running back must follow is replete with explosive strength exercises that challenge full body stability.

An essential component for progressively building an athlete’s performance while keeping him healthy hinges on a strong, stabile foundation of support from the core musculature. I’m not just talking here about building strong abs: your lats and glutes are just as important, if not more. And everyone knows that you’re only as strong as your weakest link.

One muscle that I’m constantly seeing as problematic is the quadratus lumborum, or QL as it’s commonly referred to. Thanks to my work over the last few years with Dr. Craig Liebenson, owner of LA Sports and Spine, I’ve come to realize just how important this muscle is for power athletes, including anyone with back or knee pain.

The importance of the QL becomes evident when you look at its anatomy and function. First, the medial fibers that attach to the spine also connect the ribcage to the pelvis. So these medial fibers play a crucial role in stabilizing your torso in the frontal plane. If you’re holding a heavy briefcase in your right hand, the left QL contracts to keep you from leaning to the right. In fact, research (Knapp 1978) suggests that paralysis of the QL makes walking impossible, even with braces. And when you throw or kick explosively, the QL must fire hard to maintain the correct torso position and provide the spinal stability to transfer power throughout your body.

Second, the lateral fibers play an important role in lateral bending mobility. When you lean to the side, the lateral fibers must lengthen and then contract to pull you back up. Although, from a training standpoint, Dr. McGill demonstrates that it’s best to strengthen the QL with static exercises to preserve the intervertebral discs. Bending to the side, especially under load, is very stressful to the discs so that movement should be avoided. Another key point I learned from Dr. McGill’s research is that the QL needs endurance strength since its primary role is to provide lumbar stability.

The QL, like many muscles in the body, can have far reaching, deleterious effects when it’s weak or spastic. Through Dr. Liebenson, I learned a series of compensatory actions that can occur when people have patellar tendonitis, that annoying dull pain directly below your knee cap.

You see, the QL works with the contralateral glute medius muscle when you’re walkig. So if you’re walking with a heavy briefcase in your right hand, the left QL and right glute medius are firing hard to maintain correct posture and gait. However, when those muscles are weak excessive stress can be put on the right knee because the hips and core can’t stabilize the movement pattern.

Put another way: when someone has right knee pain the right glute medius is usually weak. And since the right glute medius works with the left QL, there’s usually weakness or trigger points in the left QL. In other words, if you have right knee pain, strengthen your left QL and your right glute medius in order to take stress off the knee.

Indeed, the QL is a vastly important muscle that must have plenty of endurance strength, and even more important, that endurance strength must be balanced as you test the QL on each side. If you can hold a right side plank for 70 seconds and a left side plank for only 4o seconds your left QL needs help.

A strong, healthy QL is essential for everyone from fighters to those who have knee pain. That’s why I shot the following 12-minute video with Dr. Liebenson to teach you how to test and strengthen this often neglected muscle. If you missed my discussion with Dr. Liebenson on the role of the QL for performance, you can check out the YouTube video at this link.

Strengthen the QL and you’ll become a stronger, healthier, more explosive athlete!

Stay Focused,
CW

Question: Hi Chad, I have read many of your articles and books and I appreciate the insight that you have provided me and others. My question is regarding the standard bench press. I am an amateur mma fighter with aspirations of competing at the pro level and an avid weight lifter. It is no surprise that I have become attached to the bench press, but after reading some of your work I question its usefulness.

Thanks,
Ryan

CW Answer: The bench press is a very polarizing exercise, much like the barbell squat. On one hand, the bench press has been a mainstay in strength building programs for 50 years, and most guys love to do it. On the other hand, when you consider the alternative exercises to train the same muscle groups, the bench press is not a very good choice.

The problems with a typical barbell bench press arise when you look at the structure and function of the shoulder joint. The shoulder complex consists of the scapula, clavicle, and humerus. It’s the collective movement of these three segments that lead to the greatest gains in strength while preserving or improving joint health.

So what’s wrong with the bench press? Your scapulae (shoulder blades) are locked into place during the movement. This creates imbalances since the muscles that move the scapulae aren’t recruited. Second, the lack of scapular movement puts excessive strain on the soft tissue around the anterior portion of the shoulder joint. Anyone who’s spent any effort on the bench press knows exactly where this shoulder pain is.

Even though there are dozens of bench press variations that incorporate dumbbells and various angles, the overriding problem is still the same: there’s very little scapular movement.

One muscle in particular, the serratus anterior, is essential to build punching strength and improve your shoulder health by holding the scapulae in their proper position. When you throw out a long jab toward your opponent, the serratus muscle is what gives you that powerful “pop” at the end of the movement. The bench press when performed with the shoulder blades pulled back and locked into place all but eliminates this important muscle.

So does a fighter need the bench press? No. There are more effective ways to strengthen the muscles that surround the shoulder complex. You should focus on upper body pushing exercises that allow your shoulder blades to move freely, thus activating the serratus anterior.

Now for a simple drill. Make a knuckle with each fist and hold your arms straight out in front. Next, push your knuckles another 3-4 inches forward and feel your shoulder blades move apart. This is the movement that recruits the serratus anterior.

Any typical barbell or dumbbell bench press, when you’re lying on your back, doesn’t allow for full scapular movement. Plus it doesn’t engage the core and hips as much as some of the other alternatives. To have a strong punch you must have strong hips and a strong core.

That’s why I use the one-arm floor press with rotation to build a fighter’s punching power. This exercise allows for full scapular movement and it builds strength in the hips and core.

In addition to the one-arm floor press with rotation, I use many variations of the push-up, handstand push-up, and standing cable chest press. The key with those variations is to push past the normal end range of motion to spread your scapulae. Remember, the humerus, clavicle, and scapula are designed to move together so you should train exercises that allow for natural, fluid motion in the shoulder complex.

I’m also a huge fan of dips from rings. With rings you can gradually increase the range of motion to the point where your thumbs touch the outside of your pecs when you’re in the bottom of the movement. Building strength through this full range of motion is excellent for improving shoulder mobility strength that lasts. Ever since I started using the rings exclusively for my upper body work I haven’t had to stretch my pecs and my shoulder health and mobility is better than it’s ever been in my life.

That’s why I use rings with all the athletes I train.

The only people who should train a traditional bench press on a regular basis are powerlifters. If you’re not a powerlifter stick to variations of the push-up, handstand push-up, standing cable chest press, dips from rings, and the one-arm floor press with rotation.

If you want to learn my system for building explosive power, check out my upcoming seminar in Phoenix, AZ on February 2-4 by clicking this link.

Stay Focused,
CW

I prescribe strength exercises for the vastus medialis whenever a client comes to me with knee pain and it always helps. It might not completely rid the person of knee pain because, as mentioned, there can be other factors at work. But sometimes it’s all that’s needed.

Whenever you have joint pain, start with the simplest solution first. Strengthening the vastus medialis muscle should be your first line of attack.

The lowest portion of the vastus medialis, closest to the inside of the patella, is thought to contain fibers that run in a more oblique direction than other parts of the muscle. These vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) fibers are often mentioned in clinical settings as being the ones that are typically weakest and most difficult to recruit. The jury’s still out with regard to the possibility that those VMO fibers even exist because anatomists have had a tough time finding them on cadavers.

In the past, trainers and physical therapists often used the leg extension exercise to strengthen the vastus medialis. On paper, this approach seemed valid. However, in practice it rarely helps and sometimes exacerbates the problem due to the large shear forces that accompany the leg extension movement.

The best exercise I’ve found to increase the strength of the vastus medialis, and maybe the VMO (if those fibers exist), is the step-down. It effectively strengthens the vastus medialis without putting excessive strain forces on the patellar tendon. When you perform the step-down correctly, you’ll feel tension directly on the inside of the knee, in the vastus medialis.

The video below shows the proper technique for the step-down. But before you watch it keep these three points in mind.

1. Perform the exercise slowly: it’s not easy to target the vastus medialis so you must move slowly to develop the mind-muscle link you need to activate the correct fibers. Push through the ball of the foot on your working (elevated) leg throughout the contraction.

2. Hold weights if necessary: if you can easily perform 15 reps without feeling much tension in your vastus medialis, you’ll need some external load. Start light, maybe a pair of 20-pound dumbbells if you’re a strong guy, and work up from there.

3. Stop if the exercise causes more pain: prescribing rehab exercises is rarely simple since your problem might be more complex than one exercise can fix. With the step-down, or any other rehab exercise, if you experience more knee pain after the exercise you should not continue. You should feel less pain and more strength around your knee after each set is finished.

Step-Down: perform 3 sets of 15 reps with each leg, every other day, until the knee pain goes away.

Finally, I’ll be covering all of my best joint rehab exercises in my seminar in Phoenix, AZ on February 2-4. To find out more seminar details, click this link.

Stay Focused,
CW

The muscle-up is one of those strength exercises that’s tougher than it looks. Before I attempted my first rep last spring I could easily do 25 pull-ups and dips from the rings. So when my gymnastics coach showed me the technique, I thought: Heck, I just need to pull really hard in the pull-up portion, flip my hands, and my body will continue into the dip.

I was wrong.

Yep, I failed miserably the first time I tried a muscle-up. And most of my athletes do too, even though most of them are already pretty strong and fit when they hire me. This exercise requires a lot of technique – you can’t fight your way through it, regardless of how strong you are.

So there are two important steps to prepare you for the muscle-up:

1. Perform dips and pull-ups from rings through a full range of motion

If you haven’t been training the pull-up or dip on rings, it’s time to start. Your shoulders, chest, and upper back must first get accustomed to the instability of the rings.

Second – and this is crucial – you must work up to a full range of motion pull-up and dip. The dip is especially important here. When you transition from a pull-up to the dip in the muscle-up your hands will be very close to your armpits. So you must have strength in that position to pull off the movement. This strength comes from building your strength and mobility so you can perform the full range of motion lowering phase of a dip where your thumbs touch the outside of your pecs.

Be sure to stretch your shoulders, pecs and lats, too.

2. Work up to 5 full range of motion pull-ups with a false grip

The most difficult part of learning the muscle-up for me, and virtually everyone I talk to, was getting accustomed to doing pull-ups with a false grip. The false grip (aka, deep grip) is the wrist position that allows you to flip your hands into the correct position during the transition phase between the pull-up and dip. If you grip the rings normally and attempt a muscle-up you’ll never make it. Your wrists must be the same height as the rings, hence the necessity of the false grip.

I’ll tell you upfront that doing pull-ups with a false grip is very humbling. You’ll swear your arms will never fully straighten at first when you attempt to hang in the bottom position. But like any difficult movement, be patient and your strength will increase rapidly.

Once you get the point where you can do 5 full range of motion dips on the rings and 5 full range of motion pull-ups with a false grip, you’re ready to start experimenting with the muscle-up. Check out the video below so you can start studying the muscle-up. This post just briefly covers a few of the key points.

Importantly, nothing beats hands-on instruction and coaching. Especially for complex exercises like the muscle-up.

That’s why I’ll be covering it in my next seminar. The muscle-up is one of 5 essential rings exercises I’ll teach in my upcoming Phoenix seminar on February 2-4. To find out how to attend this awesome coaching event click the Phoenix Seminar Details here.

Stay Focused,
CW