Fitness Tips

Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Lessons Passed On

 

Thank You

This newsletter is a personal shout-out to 4 guys. 

  • Ron Theberge
  • Frank Gramarosso
  • Al Carius
  • Ken Popejoy

Lessons Learned

All four of these guys were my coaches and each of them had a major impact on my life.  The list of lessons learned from them is too long to write.  But the lessons went well beyond the field. The majority of their teachings were to prepare us for real life: 

  • being part of something bigger than yourself 
  • dealing with hardships 
  • sacrifice
  • always conducting yourself properly  

Full Circle

My life has come full circle, I recently became my daughter’s assistant soccer coach.  Although these girls might just be 7 years old, it’s never too early to learn what it takes to succeed on and off the field. 

How I got so lucky to have these guys in my life I will never know.  But I thank them because their teachings and examples are about to be passed on to another generation!

Image Credit: Matt Jones via Unsplash

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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | The Godfather of Strength

 

Back To School

Two weeks ago I got to spend the weekend with the “godfather” of strength training.  Mark Rippetoe, better known as Rip, put on a strength clinic here in L.A.  30 hours of squats, deadlifts, presses, bench presses, and power cleans.

The Godfather Of Strength

To say Rip is a character would be a massive understatement. Rip is a cross of Bill Parcells, who has won multiple Super Bowls as a coach, and Steve Jobs. Like Bill, you better have some thick skin because he'll gut you like a fish in front of everybody as I got see a few times.  He also has some Steve Jobs in him. Like Jobs was to technology, Rip is to strength training, he is light years ahead of the majority of us in the fitness community.

Weight = Strength

Rip has been in the strength world for over 40 years and has coached world record weight lifters, NFL players, and even cyclists. He has built a system that incorporates physics, using the greatest amount of muscle mass use over the longest effective range of motion, and loves to argue why his philosophy is the best.

My first real interaction with Rip was on Saturday morning after he and the class watched me finish up my last set of heavy squats. He said to me, “Good looking squats, do you know what you are doing wrong?”  Having read and watched all of his books and videos I knew exactly where he was going.  “Erik, you are too damn skinny! A guy your height needs to weigh 245 lbs., you need to go put on some weight.  Do you know why that’s a problem?”  I replied, “Yes, Rip because I’m at a mechanical disadvantage.”  “Fix it”, he said and walked away.

Knowledge Is Power

Rip’s personality, politics, and general demeanor are for a select few, but what I couldn’t deny was his expertise, experience and the opportunity to learn from the best.  While I have no intention of putting on 45 lbs. at this point of my life, the amount of material that I’ve learned because of him was truly expansive. I’m extremely grateful for the knowledge gained and I’ve become better at my job because of his work. 

Thanks Rip, it was an unforgettable weekend! 

Image Credit: The Guardian

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Erik's Weekly Fitness Tip | Back To School

 

This past weekend I was away at a seminar working on my Continuing Education credits. 

No time to write a newsletter. Sorry!

Image Credit: Orion Pictures

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