I work as a professional trainer. If anyone does not think that the gym is a dangerous place to go without the fitnessrevolution.com programs – they should look again. I find the pictures on the fitnessrevolution.com website and your workout plans important beyond description. Here are two examples:
Actual case #1:
A six foot five inch tall man in a large gym that I work in came up to me and asked what he could do the fix his back. He said he was performing a seated row and heard his back pop. I went to the row position and asked him to describe the motion. He told me he leaned forward and pulled the weights and after his rowing he leaned forward to put the weights down then popped his back. I suggested he get a back X-ray. It was clear to me that he had done some damage – probably disc related- in the lumbar region. He was lifting a large stack of plates with no thought to the phase of training he was in. Worse still he had no concept of the one rep max and its use to determine weight loads. Was it adaptive or maximum strength? He had no idea. And worst of all, his form was awful. Leaning forward with a large stack of weights is a prelude to a disaster. It is similar to standing without knees bent and leaning over from the waist to put a heavy box down. No one would do that would they? So this man seriously injured his back. He hasn’t been back to the gym since then and that was over a year ago and as I think about it it is almost two years. So I think he must be in physical therapy after surgery or simply is suffering and not working out. Either way this is a stupid self inflicted injury.
Actual Case #2:
A former collegiate football player in his early 30s pulled a bicep off the bone while doing a series of intense bicep exercises. People always think that former – fill in the blank – tennis players, football players, basketball players etc. – know all about lifting. In fact they are almost as clueless as the guy lifting next to him!!! Sometimes they are worse because they think they did it in college so it will work now. This guy did several hard sets of biceps exercises. Then suddenly, the biceps fully tore off the bone – weak connective tissue area from a former injury probably – and curled up. The arm swelled up enormously, the lack of blood flow to the brain caused him to pass out. He was rushed to the hospital with EMT assistance in an ambulance and the arm was surgically repaired. Tragically, the second operation that was performed on the arm was a disaster and nerves were cut to his hand. This eliminated the ability of his right hand to close. When he came back to the gym, I made a sling for his hand from a lifting strap. A bolt of inspiration led to the idea that a D ring could be sewn into the strap. By doing this he could do fly chest exercises and a few other exercises. But it was a sad sight – AND COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY.
Using the FITNESSREVOLUTION.COM programs I always start people at the beginning. Do the Adaptation to strengthen muscles and connecting tissues. Then select your year. Do you want core strength, maximum strength or maximum size. Follow the guidelines, don’t rush it and you will get results. People – particularly young men ALWAYS want to rush ahead. Some have no idea what a one rep max is and just punish themselves with little training effect. Sometimes it results in life changing disasters like these two actual situations. So tell people to be careful out there the gym is a dangerous place. Your programs are well thought out to avoid injury, work for all age groups and frankly your programs are ridiculously inexpensive. They work for a lifetime of improvement in physical strength, health and wellness. Why would anyone not use your programs? Strangely, using your programs with my clients is a help for my training business. People think I know what I am doing and the results are visible in the lives of my clients and that is wonderful. Thanks again.
