I'VE FINALLY FOUND THE PERFECT WORKOUT!!!

Strength and conditioning has been my profession for quite a few years now. As with all professions, there are certain aspects of a person's career that start to grate on the nerves after awhile. Well I've got an issue on my mind right now that I need to get off my chest.

I hear the same questions and comments from people all the time. People interested in strength and conditioning hear about the latest fad that is the guaranteed end-all-be-all workout. Do this system and you'll get amazing results. It's amazing! People will see a commercial, read an article in some magazine, see something on the Internet, or go to a conference and hear some "new" way of training and think, "That's it!!! I now know why I or my athletes didn't make the Olympics last year." They take what they see or hear at face value and think they've just discovered the super secrets of the elite athletes.

My favorite of these "super secrets" is the "core". This one came out a few years ago and it seems that it's all that anyone is talking about anymore. If fact, a huge percentage of the athletes and coaches that I've worked with over the years are under the impression that there is no other muscle in the body but the "core". And by the way, I don't remember the core being a muscle that we talked about in kinesiology or gross anatomy class. As far as I can tell, judging by what everyone else is saying, there has been an outbreak of core weakness of epidemic proportions and if we don't alleviate it all athletes will go the way of the dinosaur.

I also get asked about kettle bells a lot. There is a huge amount of people that are under the impression that kettle bells are the only and best weight lifting implements available to develop strength. Apparently barbells and dumbbells have no place in the world of the tactical athlete's strength program. I'll let you in on a little secret, a 45 pound dumbbell weighs the same as a 45 pound kettle bell. In fact, the last I knew, so does a 45 pound sandbag, barbell, stone and medicine ball. I'm not saying I don't like kettle bells, but I am saying that there is a whole other world of important implements that should be included into the warrior's program.

Then comes the "sports specific" ilk who believe that everything the athlete does in the weight room should resemble the exact move the athlete does on the battlefield. Please understand me, sport specific training is important but let's not get carried away. Sport specific training is much more complex than making sure you're doing a movement that is exactly like the movement that you're doing in the field. Sport specific training should include movement patterns, movement speeds, intensities, etc. Let's put it this way, I've never asked my hockey players to do squats in skates on the ice.

Then there's the balance fanatics. All exercises should be performed on exercise balls, bosu balls and wobble boards. Some of the stuff I see coaches program for their athletes looks more like a circus act instead of an exercise routine. Where's the monkeys, clowns and the umbrellas? Maybe I could do a set of squats on a wobble board while balancing on the elephants back.

Then there are the people that make you believe that one single workout protocol is good for everyone. I'm here to tell you, that is absolutely false. All tactical athletes have different needs. All people have different muscle imbalances, energy system needs, speed needs, strength needs and injury needs. There is no one-hit-wonder program for all.

Now, be very clear, I'm not saying that "core" training, kettle bells, sports specific training and balance training don't have a place in the tactical athletes workout. I'm simply saying that all have a place along with Power lifting, Olympic lifting, strongman training, sprinting, and plyometrics (just to name a few). The more implements, protocols and movements that you put into your workout, the better off you are. You will develop a more rounded tactical athlete.

Here's the truth. Getting into shape is hard. It takes sweat, work, dedication, lifestyle changes, commitment, etc. There is no pill, no diet, one piece of equipment, one workout, one circus routine, one exercise, or one way to get into shape. I've said it before and I'll say it again; science is telling us something completely different.

As I've said before, there is a lot of ground that needs to be covered in respect to all the different aspects that are needed in the tactical athletes training. Please stay tuned and we'll talk about them more and more as time allows.

That's it for now.

Mike Sanders

THE HOBBY THAT TURNED ON ME...AND CHANGED ME.

I love to read. I love to learn new things and have a wide range of interests. I like to read about the military, psychology, exercise science, wilderness survival and Christianity, just to name a few. As with most things that come into my life, I like to analyze and think about what I've learned and how it fits into my own little world. Sometimes this process of analyzing and thinking about the subject I'm reading about can become difficult for me. The reason is because it causes me to sometimes look deep within myself and sometimes I don't like what I see. I've also realized the subjects that shake me up the most are the areas I need the most personal work in. To some, this may seem like a bad idea, to submit yourself to something that may cause you to be uncomfortable or even cause a little pain. I, on the other hand, think its part of my personal growth process and find it invaluable.

I believe deeply that how I grow as a person is extremely important to myself and the rest of the world. How I am and what kind of a man I am affects my daughter, my wife, my co-workers, my athletes and the other various people I come in contact with everyday. I don't like what I feel when I don't like what I see inside myself. There's only one person that has the power to change myself, and that's me. But I need help understanding what's going on inside of me; that's why reading is so important to me.

We all came into this world without any baggage. We picked up that baggage over time through people we've met, events we've been through, the way we've been treated, and the challenges we've been met with. Those so called happenings have caused us to be the people we are; some of it's good and some of it's not good. What we do with the events that have affected us are completely and totally up to us. We can change. If you see something inside of you that you don't like, figure out what it takes to change it, quit blaming the people that may have caused it, and make the change. Don't let other circumstances and individuals have that power over you.

There's no magic formula for change. It's not easy. It takes time and dedication. It's hard. Change can be downright painful. But, now that I think about it, everything that's ever allowed me to grow was pretty tough. That's how it works. Growing takes work, lots of sweaty, dirty work.

Books are full of people who have overcome incredible odds. Books teach us how our thinking can sometimes be misdirected. Books teach us how our bodies and minds work and how incredible they are. Books teach us that we are all incredible beings that are capable of incredible things. We've all got it in us. Trust me, it's inside you. I used to think it wasn't inside me either. It's up to us to dig deep inside ourselves and find it. I'm far from perfect and have a lot of work to do. We're never done growing. If you think you're done growing, think again. I've made the mistake of believing that one myself as well.

Reading is a great tool for growth. Take if from people who are facing some of the same challenges you are. Take it from people who are facing challenges that are much bigger than the ones you're encountering. Learn from them and grow.

God bless,

Mike Sanders