Winter 2009 at Sullivan Training Systems

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Below is today's post which is a mind dump on some things I am thinking about. It is one of those posts that I always ask myself after writing, "why am I telling people this?" I think the reason I write posts like this is it helps me lay everything out in front of me, highlights issues, holds me accountable because people know I can be an idiot, and also highlights some issues in owning your own business.

Winter is usually a pretty stressful time of year for me. As a new business owner I have done a piss poor job in managing the business in the best way possible. Basically what has happened in the almost 2 years that I have been in business is as follows:

Summer: absolute gongshow, plenty of athletes, 10-12 hours per week of training with the Mass Satellite Program, lots of general fitness clients, people getting great results, play golf 3 times a week, party two nights a week, do a couple of trips to cape cod and the islands, life is good. Except that the appropriate thing for me to do would be stuff a lot of the cash into the mattress to provide a cushion as business slows down or save for some new equipment, or save money for necessities like rent, food, a new vehicle (mine is just about ready to power down), you know the usual stuff.

Fall: Business slows down but I hang on to a lot of my hockey guys as they get ready for their winter season. I didn't do a good enough job of retaining general fitness clients for fall, but my staff has gone back to school so expenses are less since I am running a one man show. I am paying my bills but can no longer afford to golf or party a couple of nights per week.

Winter: Since I have been running the place by myself, I have been operating as a trainer who happens to own a facility. I need to retool my mindset and try to look at it as a business owner who trains people. For more clarification, when I have staff in the summer, my role is to design all of the workouts, plan the sessions, attract clients, keep clients, answer the phone, and train a couple of groups per day. In the Fall, I do everything including running every session in addition to the other jobs. However, I find that the business development stuff suffers as I focus on developing great training programs and running successful sessions. So now I have spent less time on getting new clients which means all of the hockey guys who have gone back to playing will only be here once per week, which means monthly dues will be a lot less. Now I have to try to scramble for clients, make late payments on bills, let the books go to hell, and have a nervous breakdown. Real chicken with the head cut off type of act.

My saving grace this winter will be some of the teams that have chosen to train with us in season as well as my duties as Assistant Hockey Coach at North Quincy High School.

Spring will pick back up with my hockey players, new fitness clients, and always a couple of other positive surprises.

A case of the Mondays.....

A bunch of random thoughts:

1. With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I plan on taking some time away from training athletes and clients. I think it is important to spend some time with Family and Friends this week and in the coming holidays. Having said that (any Curb fans out there), I do plan on getting into the gym on Thursday morning, Friday morning, and once more over the weekend. These will be brief but intense workouts to combat the caloric intake of the holidays. Usually at about 8pm on Thanksgiving, I take two pieces of Italian bread and begin to build...layer of stuffing, pile of turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, miracle whip, salt and pepper. I literally have to step on it to get it in my mouth, so I figure I need to keep training.

2. For my winter athletes, this is their last week of training before hockey tryouts. These kids are in the best shape of their lives and are looking forward to attacking tryouts. These kids were all beginners when they came in. Most are still relatively skinny kids but their strength levels have shot up as well as their mental toughness reserves and I believe they are ready to go.

3. The past couple of weeks I have had the pleasure of working out with my longtime friend, Chris Cullen, who is in town for Thanksgiving. Chris is an Army Pilot who flies Blackhawk helicopters (how cool is that) and is stationed in Alaska and recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. On Friday we did a team competition in which we pit civilians (Brian Sull, Joe Fernald, and myself) against US Military (Chris Cullen and Mike Aylward USMC). The workout consisted of 5 chinups, 10 steps lungewalk, med ball side toss x 3 (left and right), and a 100 yard sprint out and a 100 yard sprint back as fast as possible. We competed head to head in each round and am sad to report that the Civi's lost 5-3.

Saturday Sweat being postponed.

Quick Update.

I am postponing all Saturday Sweat workouts until after the holiday. Check back after Thanksgiving to see the updated schedule.


TSull

Heading in to the Holiday Season...

Right now, a lot of fitness professionals and strength coaches are starting to write about the holiday season. It is said that most people will gain somewhere between 3-10 pounds of fat during the holidays with some people gaining even more. I think the reason why a lot of people get fat is this steady progressive weight gain. Most people don't blow up over night but if you think about 8 pounds of fat per year, that means in 5 years you are 40 pounds heavier, which is a whole lot more than you weigh now. Here is how I typically advise people to get through the holiday season.

1. Don't try to diet through the holidays. People will think you are a douchebag if you start talking about no stuffing or mashed potatoes as they shovel it on their plate (pass me my shovel please).

2. Maintain or increase your training intensity. Workout on Thanksgiving morning before the feast, and the day after as well. The best type of workouts to help battle fat gain are fast intense circuits or interval sprints which will elevate your metabolism for hours after.

I think just increasing your training intensity from Thanksgiving - New Years can work wonders for you. You will head into the new year with a solid idea of what it takes to prevent, and even lose fat so if you decide to make a resolution to lose fat, you have a jump start on all of those hogs who will be signing up for gym memberships come Jan 1st. These same people will spend 30 minutes on the elliptical sipping on a gatorade sports drink which will contain more sugar and calories than they will burn during their workout. They will be shocked that they aren't losing weight and will quit by Feb 15. Don't be that person. If you need ideas, just ask.

Best,

TSull
tom@sullivantrainingsystems.com

Building Leg Strength.

Back at it today after a long weekend in Montreal. I spent the weekend playing in a hockey tournament with some close friends at Les 4 Glaces in Montreal, Quebec. We were able to secure the championship trophy along with some serious off ice antics. Back to the business at hand...

Mike Boyle and Single Leg Squats

Mike Boyle just released Functional Strength Coach 3.0, which is a DVD set where Mike gets into detail about all of the latest and greatest in the industry of strength and conditioning. One piece that has created some stir is the section on squatting. In short, Coach Boyle explains how he believes that in order to build your most powerful legs, you should be training them 1 at a time. Just as some practical feedback, my Fall Athletes did some front squatting last week. When they looked at their weight sheets, they were nervous about doing poorly because they hadn't done a two legged squat since October 10th. The worst performance out of the group was a 25 pound increase in their heaviest 3 rep set, with the best performance being a 55 pound increase. That should eliminate any questions of whether or not you can get stronger doing 1 legged work. Most of the leg work that the athletes in my facility had been doing was the rear leg elevated split squat with dumbells and barbells.

If you are interested in building some solid pistons, these should be a staple in your program. I think the girls that read the blog will get some serious benefit from doing these as well. Beware that the first few times you perform these, you will have some soreness in your butt and hammys.

Best,

TSull

tom@sullivantrainingsystems.com

A Day in the Life.

I recently finished a Fat Loss Manual that is just a compilation of some of my thoughts on dieting for optimal physique with an eye on the real world. Most people can't and aren't willing to eat like bodybuilders (travelling with coolers full of chicken and brown rice), so I wrote this with you folks in mind.

Send me an email at tom@sullivantrainingsystems.com if you would like a free copy.

As for the rest of this blog, it is a day in my life, and just a peak into what I do, day in, day out.


Here is typically what a day in the life of world famous, fitness pro Tom Sullivan looks like:



6:00am: Wake up, head to gym. Eat a quick breakfast of greek yogurt with added protein, walnuts and a piece of fruit.

6:30-7:30: First client of the day (Dad). Dad has some creaky knees, lower back pain, a tweaked neck, and occasional shoulder pain. 5 times a week he is in the gym getting a training effect, so I don't want to hear about your injuries. Any good trainer can train around your injuries effectively.

8:00-9:00: Another morning client on Tuesdays and Thursdays (Dayls).

10:00-11:00: Last morning client(s) of the day. Usually a small group of 2-3 men looking to get lean.

11:00am: Another scoop of protein, apple smothered in cinnamon raisin PB (Peanut Butter & Co. delicious). Return emails, phone calls, marketing activities, brainstorming, blogging, reading, researching. PS. My promptness in returning most peoples' calls really blows. In the words of Jason Smith, "It's gotta be better."

12:00pm-2:00pm: From 11:50 - 12:00, I watch an assortment of YouTube vids to get motivated to train for the day. If I am excited to train on that day, I will watch olympic weightlifting technique videos or people front squatting Toyotas to get in the zone. If I am being a little, whiny bitch (waahh, I don't like to train by myself) I will watch something more motivational. Then I foam roll, warmup and get into my workout. My favorite workout right now is Front Squat, Bent Row, DB Military Press for a rep scheme of 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

2:30-3:00: Catch breath, shower, eat. Prepare for athletes.

3:00-8:00pm: During this time I see an average of 8-10 high school hockey players, 4-5 general fitness clients, and sometimes a 12-13 year old hockey team. These 5 hours are my reminder of why I do what I do. I love my morning clients and the time we spend together, but my true passion is teaching kids. To take a 130 pound kid who looks like a baby deer on ice, and in 5 weeks watch him hang clean his bodyweight (which is now 140-145 pounds) for 3 reps with excellent technique, and wash that down with a circuit of sprints, squats and 25 foot rope climb for 7 rounds, is unreal. To see a kid get to the ceiling climbing the rope for the first time and jump down with a huge smile and ripping my arm off with a high 5, makes me feel like the luckiest guy on earth. It has a tendency to give me some perspective the next time I get in my car with the hood bungy'd down that barely starts and is like chick repellent. It also puts me at ease when I ignore calls from my student loan lender and wake up in a cold sweat because I can't pay some of my bills on time this month.

8:30p: Home. Dinner (which lately has been a slow cooked stew, chili, or pile of other warm dead animals.) Little TV in my fat guy pants, comatose. Rinse and repeat everyday.

Fall Training Methods at Sull's Gym.

I thought I would take an opportunity to share some insight to what I have been up to in training my athletes, clients, and myself lately. It helps me as a coach to take a step back and evaluate what's working, and what isn't.

Athletes

This fall I had the good fortune to be able to continue working with some of my athletes who have been with me since the beginning of summer. These kids have worked hard since June and the results really are amazing. Most of these guys are skinny kids who were slow, awkward, and weak. Some of these kids are now Hang Cleaning bodyweight for reps of 3 with solid technique, knocking out sets of 30 push ups, and 10+ pull ups. Their speed drills look really crisp and their conditioning levels are solid. Another point to mention is how "tough" these kids have gotten. Through training with heavy weights, challenging circuits, and competitions these kids have built a resevoir of mental toughness that will be exciting to see how they use them in the upcoming season.

So what has been working for these kids:

In the summer, when you have 120 minute sessions four times per week, no homework, and no organized sports, you have lots of freedom in what you want to do with athletes. In the Fall, we now have 80 minute sessions three times per week so it has become crucial that we have no wasted time. For our warmup we do 4-6 movement drills that include various skips, walks, and dynamic stretches followed by pull-ups (3x as many but not to failure), push ups, and either overhead squat practice or 3 sets of light olympic lift technique work. This type of warmup allows for repeition and practice and also to prepare the athlete to have primed his system for the lifts to come later in the workout. I think this type of warmup has been huge. We will do some jumping, some speed, Abs, and lift (not rocket science, just great technique with challenging weights). One day per week, we do the same set up but the lift changes to a circuit. Each circuit is designed to push the athletes limits of focus, technique, strength, and conditioning. A typical circuit might be to push the sled for 25 yards, climb a 20 foot rope, perform 6 goblet squats, and sprint 200 meters. Rest for 30-60 seconds and repeat somewhere between 4-7 times. It's amazing at how taxing these are. I will perform the circuit earlier in the day with my training partners and will lie on the turf for 10 minutes with my chest pounding and these kids will fly through a circuit and walk out the front door as if nothing happened.

Clients

Most of my regular clients come to train 2-3 times per week. I think for them, it is the hardest part of their day. Getting to the gym can be a victory in itself for people who work traditional jobs, so it is up to me to provide them with an exceptional experience to make their trip to the gym as productive and enjoyable as possible. I follow a similar format for their sessions as I do with my athletes. We always foam roll and work on soft tissue, go through a dynamic warmup, followed by adding in either a few sets of basic strength or movement patterns. Once per week we will do a ladder to get them moving their feet quickly (plus they enjoy this) and then it is on to abs. All of the ab drills I do with this population are some sort of a plank, anti-rotation, or anti extension exercise. Then we have a quick rest and water break (during this time I lay out whatever gear will be needed for their workout) and then it is on to the meat of the session. All of my sessions with these folks are a circuit combo of strength exercises, power exercises, mobility drills (active rest), and a conditioning exercise. A sample from last week would be: 100 pound sled drag for 25 yards, 4 T-Pushups, 3 Med Ball Slams, 5 Plate Raise Squats, Side lying Windmill, Med Ball Scoop Toss, and a hip mobility drill. We perform one round, rest for one minute and repeat for a total of 5-8 rounds depending on fitness level of each client.

Teams

I currently have two Select Hockey Teams (12-13 year olds and 13-14 year olds), and one midget youth program that I work with. For these teams, I only see them once per week for 60-75 minutes. With these teams on such a limited time basis, it is crucial that they get a productive session. The format remains the same for the teams as my high school kids for the most part. We do a dynamic warmup, a jumping/landing drill, a speed drill (tennis ball drops are their favorite), some stability abs for a couple minutes, then onto some other work. We will spread them out on the turf and have them go through a circuit of basic bodyweight strength stuff in their own little area where I fly around correcting technique. If they are focused and do everything I ask, we finish with some relay races and other fun stuff.

Myself/Training Partners

For the past 3 weeks, I have trained 6 times per week. Why 6 times? 3 times per week I perform the high school athlete workout. How can I effectively coach and expect things of the kids who come through the door if I can't perform and recover from the same workouts? The other three days per week I do some type of a metabolic circuit because as the months get colder I find myself eating shittier food and drinking more beer than I typically would, so I try to offset that in the gym. Is this sound logic? Not really, I could make better progress doing a better job in the kitchen and cutting back on the moonshine, and not having to train as hard. I guess it comes down to priorities and being in single digit bodyfat just isn't a high priority for me. A tyical training week for me will look like this: every session starts with a foam roll/soft tissue session followed by a dynamic warmup followed by some plyos and speed (which I do three days per week), followed by 8-10 minutes of abs and stretching. Monday is close grip snatch for 6 sets, rear leg elevated split squats for 5 sets and a variation of weighted pullups for 5 sets. Then conditioning for 12 minutes of sprints or slide boards. The rest of the lifts look like this with an explosive/olympic lift followed by two big compound lifts done with heavy weight.