Last week during a small group training session, I was approached by someone (who seems to be giving me plenty of video ideas and blog topics lately… Thank you ;). This individual was scrolling through Youtube and asked me if I can show her how to do a barbell clean and jerk because it looks cool. Besides my jaw dropping and almost falling to the floor, I am not a fan of the barbell clean and jerk for certain populations. First, I am NO expert at this movement, I never will be and I have no desire either. I can do this movement with a kettlebell and I RARELY even use them in my own program at this point. It takes a ton of perfect joint mobility and strength to be able to perform it; after years of our population being sedentary, stuck in long commutes, high stress, and plenty of movement dysfunctions, let's not throw in a higher risk movement for the purpose of it looking cool. I understand that we aren’t the “cool” gym with the “cool” movements.
But, I do believe that every program should have the following in it: A push, pull, hinge, squat and carry.
Examples of each:
Push: Military Press, Floor Press
Pull: Row, pull-ups
Hinge: Deadlifts, swings, cleans, snatches
Squat: Goblet, front, pistols
Loaded Carry: Farmer, Rack, Overhead
Plus, a rotation/counter-rotation and throw a get-up in there and you have a complete program with all of these basic movements. There is nothing fancy when it comes to REAL strength and strength that can be used for life.
My program hasn’t changed in years. It is the same basic movements, with different progressions and regressions, depending on what I am training for or what my goals are. The only thing that really changes are the sets/reps/rest period/weights. Some may say that this is boring as $h*t. Nothing changes. How do I stay motivated doing the same things over and over again?
Real RESULTS that are sustainable. That’s it. Pretty darn simple. You won’t see me squatting on bosu balls and doing things because they “look cool” so I can throw them up there on Instagram and get a TON of likes. I could give two $hits about that. I want to do sustainable movements that can assist with my other goals (mountain biking, hiking, picking up my child and chasing him, etc.) I want to be able to do this when I am in my 70s, 80s, and if I’m lucky beyond that. If I put something up on social, it is to show the boring, the basics and educational-type things and that I do my best to practice what I preach in every aspect of my life.
So, the movements that I do on my personal Instagram page, it's the same every single day of each week. It really doesn’t change much. It’s pretty boring to some, but gets me what I need to live a strong, healthy life. If you haven’t and are interested, you can follow me on Instagram @CoachCharlene139. I post my training videos, tips, and such so that you can see I am doing the same things that you all are. I am teaching you the same basic movements that I truly believe every human should be able to do (or at least some sort of progression or regression of these basics). I know for a fact that the ANCHOR training/system/principles aren’t for everyone, but deep down inside even though some may not see it, I truly believe this system can be for everyone. We can work around injuries and meet you where you are at. We can push you outside your comfort zone when you are not doing it yourself. We can ease you back and tame you when you need to rebuild the fundamentals. We can keep you strong and healthy in mind, body, and spirit/energy (whatever you believe). It all works together. We can build a strong foundation so that you can conquer anything that life has to throw your way. I believe when you have a strong mind, body, and spirit/energy you have the best defense to attack disease, injuries, and illnesses. Our bodies are amazing healers and can really take care of you when you treat it well and give it the support it needs.
With all that said, ANCHOR may not be very circus-like and boring at times. I don’t believe in certain movements for certain individuals and I like to take the lower risk movements for the best results. So, next time you are scrolling through Instagram or Facebook and see a “cool” movement, just think about how strong and prepared you are to conquer real life goals. Most of the crap you see on social media is that: Crap, for entertainment and likes.
Until next time,
Pick up heavy $h*t and put it down,
Charlene
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