gains Archives - Yard Athletics

The Myths of Weighlifting w/ Ilan Cumberbirch

Ilan — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 05:44:38 +0000

By Yard Athletics – Feb 15th, 2019

Greetings! Today we are starting out a new series, diving into some of the myths that surround lifting weights, especially when it comes to gaining and losing weight, leaning out, bulking up, risk of injury, the works. And what better resource to ask than founder and director of Yard Athletics, Ilan Cumberbirch.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave with no access to the internet, Ilan is the all-seeing, all-knowing leader of Yard Athletics and a veritable guru when it comes to strength and conditioning.

Many times when people first approach lifting weights, they see it as intimidating not only because they might not know proper technique of the exercises (or even the exercises themselves) but because they feel like it won’t get them the results they want. Maybe someone told them squats cause you to balloon up 4 pant sizes in a week, and therefore they stick to the eliptical machine.

Ilan is here to change all that! We have a laundry list of questions to throw at him, but as always if there’s something you’re not sure about just send an email to info@yardathletics.ca and we can include it on the blog.

Q: Ilan, what are the main questions you get asked when someone is interested in starting a lifting program?

A: The questions vary depending on the individual asking.

Generally there are skeptics due to preconceived ideas about the “Golden Era” of bodybuilding, and watching Arnold, Ferrigno and Stallone on the big screen. They either believe that they will instantly morph into super-human beings by touching a weight, or that weight training is bad for their body. Quite the opposite…

Many people feel that they “know their body”, but have apparently tried everything under the sun in order to attain their goals with little to no success. Questions usually include:

– “What makes your program different than others?”

– “Will you be able to work around my injuries? I read that squatting past 90 degrees is bad for my knees”

– “I enjoy doing spin 5 days/week, pilates 3x/week, Crossfit on the weekends and ultramarathons every 3rd Sunday. I want to put on 20 lbs of lean muscle mass, have busting biceps, washboard abs, and sweeping legs in the next week: can you do this?”

– “I don’t want to get a big neck, legs and shoulders, I just want to ‘tone’ my arms, shrink my waist and have a Kim K backside.”

In terms of my response to “What makes your program different than the others?”; there probably isn’t much difference between the program I prescribe and programs you might have followed in the past. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. If anything, the program I am most likely to prescribe will be extremely simple. A large focus will be on technique, full range of motion, and hammering home the fundamentals to ensure that the individual moves in the most bio-mechanically efficient manner they are physically capable of. What will vary is their willingness to commit to the program and comply to the prescribed sets, reps, intensity, rest periods and exercises on a consistent basis. Nothing beats hard work and consistency.

“How will you be able to work around my injuries? I read that squatting past 90 degrees is bad for my knees”

Over the course of one’s lifetime, we all experience injuries. Finding ways to work with around these injuries them is what differentiates those who are willing to succumb to said injuries and those that want to overcome them. Now, by no means am I a proponent of the old adage “No Pain, No GAIN!”. Quite the opposite. Working through a pain free range of motion is imperative to longevity and health through one’s lifetime. Finding variations of different movement patterns which allow you to move pain free is what we are after. If a back squat is not achievable due to poor shoulder mobility, let’s utilize a front squat, goblet squat, belt squats, trap bar deadlifts, or more unilateral work. If overhead barbell work is not achievable due to past shoulder injuries, let’s utilize landmine variations and single arm dumbbell variations. Let’s address the limitations and strengthen your weaknesses. As the other old adage goes, “there are many ways to skin a cat”. Training through one’s full range of motion not only strengthens the musculature, it also strengthens the ligaments, tendons and bone structure due to the loads and stressors placed on them which will have a very positive impact on your physical abilities, especially into the latter years of one’s lifetime.

“I enjoy doing spin 5 days/week, pilates 3x/week, Crossfit on the weekends and ultramarathons every 3rd Sunday. I want to put on 20 lbs of lean muscle mass, have busting biceps, washboard abs, and sweeping legs in the next week: can you do this?”

1) I cannot do anything, I can only assist you in achieving your goals. Often times clients look to their trainer for the answer when the answer lies within them. Be truthful and realistic with yourself, we are simply here to facilitate your success and provide you with the greatest likelihood of achieving your goals.

2) Less is more. The minimum effective dose required to achieve a desired outcome is what we are after. It may be difficult, however there eventually becomes a point of diminishing returns on one’s physical investment into their training, where we begin to see neutral or negative adaptations. No point beating your head against a cement wall. People are so over programmed these days, under the false misconception that doing 2-3 workouts/day is the only way to achieve their physical goals, on top of managing their careers, family and social life. We need to be realistic in our expectations and demands of ourselves and remember that it is a process. There is no overnight recipe or quick fix. It is a lifelong journey which is meant to be enjoyed, not something suffered through all in the hope of attaining a bikini body by spring break in Cabo for that one hot Instagram post a week before you leave.

3) Rest is a weapon. If you’re going to break it down, you have to build it back up. Rest is where the adaptation takes place, so we need to prioritize adequate sleep, nutrition and recovery over increased training stimulus.

“I don’t want to get a big neck, legs and shoulders, I just want to ‘tone’ my arms, shrink my waist and have a Kim K backside.”

We will address this question in the next blog post, so stay tuned…

The post The Myths of Weighlifting w/ Ilan Cumberbirch appeared first on Yard Athletics.

TRANSFORMATIONS – Sam Shaw

Ilan — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 15:56:43 +0000

Happy Monday to all the #YardHard faithful… we’ve got a special edition of TRANSFORMATIONS today, featuring none other than Yard Athletics coach Sam Shaw. Sam took part in the “Yard vs. The People” challenge, hoping to gain as much weight as he could in one month to beat Ilan Cumberbirch’s loss.

That’s right folks, some of us out there can afford to gain weight as a fun challenge…! If only we were all as lucky as Shaw-Zo.

Without any further introduction it’s over to Sam to walk us through his journey.

“Nutrition

I will try to keep it short and sweet (literally). This was by far the hardest aspect of the challenge for me. Not simply from the amount of calories that were increasing but the timing of intake as well. I came into the challenge with the goal of adding 1-2lbs a week which meant about a 500 to 800 caloric increase to my regular diet. What I soon realized was that this approach wasn’t going to work for me from a ‘whole’ foods approach as it became difficult to reach my surplus
on a day-to-day. I just couldn’t handle it ya know?!

I tried to keep it purely clean in terms of macronutrient intake during my first week (Whole foods – high quality protein, loads of vegetables, quality fats). Following that first week I began supplementing with a “Quick Mass” weight gainer consisting of a 3:1 CARB:PROTEIN ration (1500 calories daily serving) simply for easy access calories. This was consumed throughout the day but most importantly during and directly following my training. The idea being that carb feeding during/following training increases the rate of its oxidation and storage as glycogen thus leading to a potential decrease in storage as fat and providing a readily available energy source for training.

I believe this dietary timing change had a dramatic impact on my endurance capacity during the 4 week program. I was hitting high repetitions on my core lifts (deadlift/squat/bench) that previously had never attained. I was surprised how much and how long (sets) I could maintain some of the weights I was getting to. It was quite savage during the last 3 weeks, and I definitely took some luxuries. I didn’t relent to a complete ‘dirty’ bulk standard, but there was nothing clean about the after work pizza specials that were happening. I basically let loose – no restrictions or concerns but I tried to keep in mind my macros along the way while tracking my total caloric consumption. Life was good. Except I felt terrible.

Training

Strength gain and endurance was the goal for me that month. I followed a standard 10×10 German Volume Training (GVT) model three times a week and supplemented each day with accessory complexes to maintain/increase muscle mass. GVT work was monitored with rest periods of 60 to 90 seconds. Accessory work was structured in relation to the primary GVT movement pattern worked that day (Squat, Bench, Row). In addition, I added a purely strength focused training day once a week based around a hinge pattern (Deadlift Variation).

Monday – Barbell Club (Olympic Lifting) and accessory arm work
Tuesday – GVT Training (Back Squat) and accessory unilateral lower body complexes
Wednesday – GVT Training (Bench/Row) and accessory unilateral/bilateral upper body
complexes
Thursday – 5×5 Strength Day (Deadlift) and accessory unilateral/bilateral full body complexes
Friday/Saturday – GVT Training (Front Squat) and accessory unilateral/bilateral lower body
complexes

Take-Away

Overall I am glad I went through this process as it is something I’ve never truly committed to. As Ilan has mentioned in his process – each individual is unique and you need to find what works for you in a way that is sustainable and enjoyable. For me, I have not continued in the same fashion as that challenge month (in terms of nutrient intake) mostly because my body was in a constant state of bloating. However, the process has enlightened me on the nutrient guidelines that work specifically for me and I have / will continue to implement them in a more realistic fashion moving forward. Since the challenge month I have maintained my weight and increased my strength substantially, so I guess I just have to trust the process. For anyone embarking on a similar journey I would simply recommend making sure you have an idea of your current caloric intake. Track you calories for a few days and you may realize that having a true surplus is a lot more difficult than you might have thought. Be realistic with your goals, find out what works for you and stick to a plan!!

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