Lou, Bill - CSCS conference - Vegas

[wingsfan]

Lou or Bill, are either one of you at the CSCS conference in Vegas right now? how's it going? did you get to Alwyn's presentation?

[Bill Hartman]

Just got back from NSCA National Convention yesterday and I'm still recovering a bit from the subtle time change.

I got the chance to hang with Alwyn, Dos, Lou, Tom Incledon (genius!), Lorne Goldenberg, some of the folks from Rodale, and assorted others.

Alwyn and Dos' presentation was first hour on the first day. I would have to say that of all the presentations, theirs may have been THE most applicable of all. It was the only one that you could literally begin to implement the next day.

Tom and Lori Incledon both presented as well. Lori's book Strength Training for Women is now in its second printing at Human Kinetics. If you don't know Tom, he's probably got more testing info on more athletes than anyone in the world. You can find out more about him at www.thomasincledon.com. I'd have to write a book just to explain what he's done. He's also a helluva strongman.

I spoke with Lou over drinks (and around drinks and under drinks) and he remains one of the coolest and most intelligent human beings around (then again I was probably drunk most of the time ). After speaking with Alwyn and Lou about their upcoming book, I'd be buying it if I were you.

On a personal note, I attended a 4 hour pre-symposium on golf fitness training. I want my money AND those 4 hours of my life back!! It was a tremendous waste of time. It seemed more like a commercial for their own companies than an instructional symposium. From what I gathered from what little they spoke of their actual training, I was unimpressed. Especially when they broke out the wobble board. Jeesh!

There was some really good stuff and not so good stuff on transfer of exercises to actual performance measures. If you've read Science and Practice of Strength Training, Zatsiorsky provides a calculation of transfer of training. In the presentation, the speaker (his name escapes me) showed how to use the equation to determine the value of certain exercises for certain performance measures. The most valuable point was that while you can generalize that some exercises are more valuable to achieve greater performance, the must still be individualized as what may be valuable for one athlete may be negative for another. I wasn't shocked by this, but it was nice to see someone say it.

Mark Verstegen talked for 2 hours on one day. He gave a general outline of their approach at Athletes' Performance, but not a lot to take home. Nothing seemed earth-shattering. He did show some before and after video to demonstrate funtional improvements with training.

Steven Fleck spoke at the same time as Dos and Alwyn. Alwyn was able to sum up Dr. Fleck's presentation in one sentence which the crowd (and it was quite a crowd by the way) just loved.

It was a great time in general. Lots of social interaction in the evenings. I lost $50 on blackjack (I don't gamble). And there was an off-the-hook evening that will not be discussed. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?

Bill

[Lou Schuler]

What Bill said.

I actually found myself skipping more presentations than I attended, mostly because the lectures tended to lack practical applications (as Bill noted), but also because I found I was learning a lot more in the conversations I had with friends and colleagues before and after the formal sessions.

I also got to meet and hang out with Chris Shugart from T-nation, who's a very nice and down-to-earth guy.

I don't recall getting fully drunk, although Bill may remember events more accurately than I.

The night he's referring to -- Friday -- the hotel's main bar was filled with all the people most of us would gladly pay to meet and chat with. On one side sat Alwyn, Dos, Bill, Tom and Lori Incledon, Scott Quill and Courtney Conroy from MH and MH Books, and a few others whose names escape me.

On the other were Joey Antonio, Jeff Stout, Doug Kalman, Staci Wilson (a gold-medal-winning soccer star who's now a CSCS), and some women who are, shall we say, outrageously healthy.

I moved back and forth between the two sides, trying to make sure I got a chance to chat with everybody, but was also the first one to crap out and go up to bed. It was midnight there, but my body kept reminding me it was 3 a.m. East Coast time, and that it would wake me up in two hours.

Next year the conference is on this coast -- in
Washington, D.C., I think -- and I'm already looking forward to it. No plane flight, and no adjusting my body clock three hours in the wrong direction.

What could be better?

[Jean-Paul]

What could be better?

I'm going to go to that one... Its not a party till I show up! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm supremely jealous of you guys who got to go hang out in Vegas.

[bipennate]

Originally posted by Jean-Paul:

quote:

---

What could be better?

I'm going to go to that one... Its not a party till I show up! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm supremely jealous of you guys who got to go hang out in Vegas. [/quote]I'll most likely be going to that one, too (either that or ACSM...I don't think that I can afford to go to both...): I can drive to DC, and I can stay with friends, making the only costs the price of admission and food.

Of course, something tells me that Vegas might be just a *little* more fun!

[kuri]

What did Alwyn & Dos present on?

I wish Dos would have another Cougar Seminar out here in CA and invite Bill along with Lou & JP this time.

The hour or so I got to hear Incledon speak at Dos's was a pleasure. Danny would love what he has to say about strongman training.

[Mahler]

Geeezus, all that talent in one place. Amazing.

Mahler

[GqArtguy]

Wow Ill be living in DC, Ill definately hit that one up.

[Chris Correia]

Thanks for the summary, gents. I almost went to Vegas this year, but the timing was a bit awkward. However, I expect I'll be at the one in DC. . . maybe even as a tadpole CSCS!

[wingsfan]

good info Lou and Bill. thanks. I'm looking forward to being at the one next year in DC.

[Lou Schuler]

Hey, if we're all going to the conference in D.C. let's make sure we all get together at least once.

[wingsfan]

Originally posted by Lou Schuler:
Hey, if we're all going to the conference in D.C. let's make sure we all get together at least once.

sounds good. i hear they've got a few nice "ballets" around the city that would allow for interesting entertainment......

[Mahler]

I am not too far from DC myself. I feel a mini-retreat coming on.

Mahler

[Bill Hartman]

Hey Lou,

Perhaps we need an NSCA JP Fitness SIG (special interest group before anyone asks)

Bill

[Adam H.]

Originally posted by kuri:
What did Alwyn & Dos present on?

From Shugart's conference recap on T-Nation

Utilizing Combination Lifts in Your Training Program — Alwyn Cosgrove and Robert dos Remedios

This was a great practical presentation, which is nice to attend in between talks where you're clobbered with charts and studies. The focus in this one was on combination lifts, basically performing two or more exercises in sequence using the same load (weight) and the same barbell. You never let go of the bar during the sequence. Example: Perform a squat and then an overhead press within the same set:

Combo lifts are broken down into three categories:

1. True combinations: This is when two or more lifts are done together with a distinct pause between each. (Still, never put the bar down.) Example: Power clean + front squat.

2. Hybrids: In this category, there's no pause or separation between the lifts. The movements flow into one another. In fact, the previous movement sometimes isn't completed before the next starts. Example: Curl into lunge into press.

3. Complexes: Still doing two or more exercises and still not putting the bar down, only now you complete all your reps with one movement first, then complete all your reps with the next movement. Example: When combining a squat with an overhead press, perform 5 reps of squats first, then 5 reps of overhead press without dropping the bar.

• Combination lifts can be grueling. A five-movement complex x 6 reps has a total volume of 30 reps per set! At only 100 pounds, that comes out to 3000 pounds of total work per set. That's puke-tacular!

• Combo lifts are great for those who lack equipment or space. They can make good warm-ups, or be used for in-season athletic training because they're time efficient.

• Combination lifts can increase work capacity, break up training monotony, burn fat like a wildfire (the presenters have used combos to bring an athlete down a weight class), and develop mental toughness.

• If you want to try combos, use familiar movements. Don't put unfamiliar exercises together.

• The weakest exercise in the sequence determines the load you'll use. Don't use exercises like triceps kickbacks because the small load required is too limiting for the other movements in the combo.

• If you see "3 x 10" in an exercise prescription, it's usually outdated.

Sounds like a great presentation and something to incorporate into my training program.

Adam