The Interviews Thread
- Thread starter Typhon
- Start date
Derwyddon
Good morning everyone
Here is the Derwyddon interview, I've had a quick read through and I'm very pleased with the outcome as a lot of the answers are so good they make my questions look good by association!
Ladies and Gentleman, the must misunderstood person on the internet:
Questions:
What made you first think about fitness as a career?
When I first started learning about fitness and weight loss I was pretty much like most women. Pretty dumb. The more I learned, the more I built my "bull****-o-meter" I started to realize - I have a real feel for this. My academic background in biology and chemistry didn't hurt either. I started spending a lot of time helping people around the forums, in the gym, in my life. In 2007 I finally decided I wanted to dedicate more time to this, and the only way to dedicate more time to it was to actually make it a source of income.
I really appreciate the chance to help people reach their goals and change their lives. I invest myself in each of my clients and it's a great job to have.
I must admit I'd never heard of a 'fitness chef' before, could you explain what a fitness chef does?
Right now it's not a big part of my business yet, I make custom meal plans and recipes for clients, as well as have a cook book coming out soon!
However, in the future, it will be a part of my business to hold healthy cooking parties in peoples homes. Basically they will pick the menu and the number of guests and we'll have a cooking class in their own home, teach them to make some healthy dishes and how to make more healthy choices in their food - and we'll do it as a big party.
The other future aspect of my business will also be meal preparation and delivery locally. This will be implemented within the year.
What are the best and worst parts about being a personal trainer?
The best: It's cliché, but the chance to help people. It's really great to watch a person transform in front of your eyes and knowing you helped them do that. The mental transformation can be great, too. I've made close friends with some of my clients.
The worst: There are two things really that pop to mind immediately. The first is frustrating - you can't make people follow the plan. Honestly, you can give them the tools but you can't do the work for them. I can hold their hand and walk them through each day, but I can't smack a donut out of their hand or toss them over my shoulders and dump them at the gym. Actually this makes me laugh for a second, because I just remembered a time I held an intervention at a Taco Bell for a client I found there.
The second part I've encountered with one client in particular - the emotional struggle some people go through. It's painful to watch someone with very bad body image issues trying to start a new life for themselves. All I can do is be there for them, give them the tools, and give them as much support as I can. I've taken one client out bowling just to talk to them about how they were feeling and try to help them feel better and work through some of these issues. Fatloss can be a very emotional issue for some people.
How would you sum up your training style in 3 words?
Custom, intense, ever-shifting
When you take on a new client, what is the most frequent weakness/imbalance that you need to correct?
It's kind of sad, but with the people I work with probably 50% of them have completely neglected lower body training before coming to work with me. Yes, the entire lower body. I do work with some more experienced people and some pretty skilled athletes, but most of my work is with the generally uneducated (regarding fitness) and think the treadmill is plenty of work for their legs. It's sometimes a challenge to get these people to realize no, it really isn't.
If you could only ever perform one lift for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Aw, man, I always cringe up at these kinds of questions. My style of (self)training is so dependant upon versatility and evolution. I really believe the best bodies both aesthetically and in terms of functionality come from diverse training routines and never becoming stagnant. But if someone held a gun to my head, I'd probably pick something explosive or unconventional.
What made you interested in endurance training? How difficult has the transition been from strength to endurance training?
Oh no, you had to ask me this, didn't you. It's certainly been interesting. You see, I am very strong naturally, and strength training is just something I'm good at. I could spend half my life in the gym and be happy.
But with endurance training, you see I had asthma very bad as a child. So not only did I not develop any endurance base, but I became pretty afraid of it from the attacks I had. But I'm planning on getting certified as a Sports Conditioning Specialist this year, and I'm not interested in not being able to practice what I preach. It also seems like such a thrill to me to compete in endurance sport such as triathlons and such. The transition has been difficult mentally, that's for sure. I can't tell you how many times I get up to go do my thing and think "I could do some squats in stead! Er, go… outside… do… your walk….." The more I push myself mentally the easier it gets physically.
What is your pet peeve in commercial gyms?
Aside from not being taken seriously enough to be given basic courtesy in small towns I visit because a woman couldn't possibly need that piece of equipment…. it would have to be watching people perpetuate myths and falsehoods in training that lead them absolutely nowhere. The last time I went to a new gym I had to listen to a group of housewives discuss toning technique while leisurely strolling on recumbent bikes watching Rachel Ray. Someone actually asked me if I was okay because the look of pain on my face.
What do you think is the most common piece of bad advice given out within the fitness community? What about on the fitness.com forums?
Most common? That's kind of hard, there are a lot of very common misconceptions. Outside of the fitness community the whole process is greatly misunderstood. It's hard to listen to a lot of people talk about losing weight in particular. Don't eat before bed, turn your fat into muscle, high reps low weight for women, carbs will make you fat, fat will make you fat, etc.
On these forums? Mostly what we see are people who don't adequately know how to research or reason what they read. People who get over zealous at the newest study or diet and start handing it out like tried and true information. Our bodies can be very sensitive issues for a lot of people and we have to be careful not to perpetuate myths or misinformation. These forums honestly changed my life and I try my best to search out bad information and squash it.
Should women train any differently from men? i.e. rep ranges, recovery, nutrition etc…
No and I actually feel pretty strongly about this. Well, on the actual training part at least. Our bodies are different, and even us feminist types can't deny that Women's metabolisms and chemistry are different, I wouldn't set up the same diet scheme for a woman as I would a man who was the same height and weight. But when it comes to the weight room, hells yeah get it on girls. As far as rep ranges, recovery, exercise choices etc - I customize this for each person, but this part really isn't based on gender so much as the persons actual physical needs. One of the hardest things to convince women of is that it's okay to go heavy!
What is the most rewarding thing you've ever done?
Volunteered in a shelter for abused women. Social work is my true passion in life, but I finally got to a point with the birth of my daughter that I had to accept that I would never be able to support a family on a social worker's salary. It was a heartbreaking time in my life having to accept this, but it's part of what lead me to my current path to becoming a doctor. I still have a lot of mixed feelings about this, but I have to live my life for my daughter more than myself, and I'll never regret that.
How long have you suffered insomnia and do you think this negatively affects your training?
I don't suffer from insomnia exactly, what I have is a form of Narcolepsy. It actually has worked more in my favor than not! I can get by with little sleep and my sleep schedule is very adaptable. Basically, anytime I decide I should sleep - whether I'm tired or not - I can be asleep within five minutes. I can also get up and be up and moving within a minute of being woken up. Not always, but usually. I don't get much sleep but even with that AND being in a deficit I've made strength gains consistently. Not too shabby.
Have you ever had a crush on anyone from the forum? (no names needed)
It's no secret that Evolution and I are madly in lust with each other. We allow Mreik to join our games occasionally, but only if he puts on the collar.
What's your best feature?
I think my openness and willingness to look at other points of view, admit when I'm wrong, and always strive to learn and grow both as a trainer and as a person as a whole. I know I come of as a real bitch sometimes on the forum, but I really am a very compassionate and open person. Every person I've ever met has walked away with a piece of my soul happily and freely given.
Which forum member would you most like to have as a training partner?
Evo, for sure. We've always joked that it would be awesome to live near each other so we could train together. I think we'd give each other a run for our money. Aside from that, though, I think LeiYunFat. 1) I think we'd get along great 2) the way we like to train is similar. We can chop down trees for cardio.
What do you thing is the most under rated exercise?
I'm actually going to have to take this another way and name a couple of TYPES of lifts. The Olympic lifts in general, as well as more unconventional stuff like odd object training. People get so stuck in boxes and comfort zones that they don't utilize whole fields of training that could give them results. I can often tell the kinds of people who have well rounded training and the kind that get stuck in a rut of one mode of thinking by watching how they move, lift, operate.
Good morning everyone
Here is the Derwyddon interview, I've had a quick read through and I'm very pleased with the outcome as a lot of the answers are so good they make my questions look good by association!
Ladies and Gentleman, the must misunderstood person on the internet:
Profile
Name: Sara Morse, work professionally as S. Max Gordon
Age: 22
Height: 5'9
Weight: 155
Occupation: Head of Auctions for an Antique Dealer, Personal Trainer
Marital status: Temporarily Married
Years training: 3 seriously
Favorite TV show & film: TV: Battlestar Galactica, Movie: Total Recall
Name: Sara Morse, work professionally as S. Max Gordon
Age: 22
Height: 5'9
Weight: 155
Occupation: Head of Auctions for an Antique Dealer, Personal Trainer
Marital status: Temporarily Married
Years training: 3 seriously
Favorite TV show & film: TV: Battlestar Galactica, Movie: Total Recall
Questions:
What made you first think about fitness as a career?
When I first started learning about fitness and weight loss I was pretty much like most women. Pretty dumb. The more I learned, the more I built my "bull****-o-meter" I started to realize - I have a real feel for this. My academic background in biology and chemistry didn't hurt either. I started spending a lot of time helping people around the forums, in the gym, in my life. In 2007 I finally decided I wanted to dedicate more time to this, and the only way to dedicate more time to it was to actually make it a source of income.
I really appreciate the chance to help people reach their goals and change their lives. I invest myself in each of my clients and it's a great job to have.
I must admit I'd never heard of a 'fitness chef' before, could you explain what a fitness chef does?
Right now it's not a big part of my business yet, I make custom meal plans and recipes for clients, as well as have a cook book coming out soon!
However, in the future, it will be a part of my business to hold healthy cooking parties in peoples homes. Basically they will pick the menu and the number of guests and we'll have a cooking class in their own home, teach them to make some healthy dishes and how to make more healthy choices in their food - and we'll do it as a big party.
The other future aspect of my business will also be meal preparation and delivery locally. This will be implemented within the year.
What are the best and worst parts about being a personal trainer?
The best: It's cliché, but the chance to help people. It's really great to watch a person transform in front of your eyes and knowing you helped them do that. The mental transformation can be great, too. I've made close friends with some of my clients.
The worst: There are two things really that pop to mind immediately. The first is frustrating - you can't make people follow the plan. Honestly, you can give them the tools but you can't do the work for them. I can hold their hand and walk them through each day, but I can't smack a donut out of their hand or toss them over my shoulders and dump them at the gym. Actually this makes me laugh for a second, because I just remembered a time I held an intervention at a Taco Bell for a client I found there.
The second part I've encountered with one client in particular - the emotional struggle some people go through. It's painful to watch someone with very bad body image issues trying to start a new life for themselves. All I can do is be there for them, give them the tools, and give them as much support as I can. I've taken one client out bowling just to talk to them about how they were feeling and try to help them feel better and work through some of these issues. Fatloss can be a very emotional issue for some people.
How would you sum up your training style in 3 words?
Custom, intense, ever-shifting
When you take on a new client, what is the most frequent weakness/imbalance that you need to correct?
It's kind of sad, but with the people I work with probably 50% of them have completely neglected lower body training before coming to work with me. Yes, the entire lower body. I do work with some more experienced people and some pretty skilled athletes, but most of my work is with the generally uneducated (regarding fitness) and think the treadmill is plenty of work for their legs. It's sometimes a challenge to get these people to realize no, it really isn't.
If you could only ever perform one lift for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Aw, man, I always cringe up at these kinds of questions. My style of (self)training is so dependant upon versatility and evolution. I really believe the best bodies both aesthetically and in terms of functionality come from diverse training routines and never becoming stagnant. But if someone held a gun to my head, I'd probably pick something explosive or unconventional.
What made you interested in endurance training? How difficult has the transition been from strength to endurance training?
Oh no, you had to ask me this, didn't you. It's certainly been interesting. You see, I am very strong naturally, and strength training is just something I'm good at. I could spend half my life in the gym and be happy.
But with endurance training, you see I had asthma very bad as a child. So not only did I not develop any endurance base, but I became pretty afraid of it from the attacks I had. But I'm planning on getting certified as a Sports Conditioning Specialist this year, and I'm not interested in not being able to practice what I preach. It also seems like such a thrill to me to compete in endurance sport such as triathlons and such. The transition has been difficult mentally, that's for sure. I can't tell you how many times I get up to go do my thing and think "I could do some squats in stead! Er, go… outside… do… your walk….." The more I push myself mentally the easier it gets physically.
What is your pet peeve in commercial gyms?
Aside from not being taken seriously enough to be given basic courtesy in small towns I visit because a woman couldn't possibly need that piece of equipment…. it would have to be watching people perpetuate myths and falsehoods in training that lead them absolutely nowhere. The last time I went to a new gym I had to listen to a group of housewives discuss toning technique while leisurely strolling on recumbent bikes watching Rachel Ray. Someone actually asked me if I was okay because the look of pain on my face.
What do you think is the most common piece of bad advice given out within the fitness community? What about on the fitness.com forums?
Most common? That's kind of hard, there are a lot of very common misconceptions. Outside of the fitness community the whole process is greatly misunderstood. It's hard to listen to a lot of people talk about losing weight in particular. Don't eat before bed, turn your fat into muscle, high reps low weight for women, carbs will make you fat, fat will make you fat, etc.
On these forums? Mostly what we see are people who don't adequately know how to research or reason what they read. People who get over zealous at the newest study or diet and start handing it out like tried and true information. Our bodies can be very sensitive issues for a lot of people and we have to be careful not to perpetuate myths or misinformation. These forums honestly changed my life and I try my best to search out bad information and squash it.
Should women train any differently from men? i.e. rep ranges, recovery, nutrition etc…
No and I actually feel pretty strongly about this. Well, on the actual training part at least. Our bodies are different, and even us feminist types can't deny that
Women's metabolisms and chemistry are different, I wouldn't set up the same diet scheme for a woman as I would a man who was the same height and weight. But when it comes to the weight room, hells yeah get it on girls. As far as rep ranges, recovery, exercise choices etc - I customize this for each person, but this part really isn't based on gender so much as the persons actual physical needs. One of the hardest things to convince women of is that it's okay to go heavy! What is the most rewarding thing you've ever done?
Volunteered in a shelter for abused women. Social work is my true passion in life, but I finally got to a point with the birth of my daughter that I had to accept that I would never be able to support a family on a social worker's salary. It was a heartbreaking time in my life having to accept this, but it's part of what lead me to my current path to becoming a doctor. I still have a lot of mixed feelings about this, but I have to live my life for my daughter more than myself, and I'll never regret that.
How long have you suffered insomnia and do you think this negatively affects your training?
I don't suffer from insomnia exactly, what I have is a form of Narcolepsy. It actually has worked more in my favor than not! I can get by with little sleep and my sleep schedule is very adaptable. Basically, anytime I decide I should sleep - whether I'm tired or not - I can be asleep within five minutes. I can also get up and be up and moving within a minute of being woken up. Not always, but usually. I don't get much sleep but even with that AND being in a deficit I've made strength gains consistently. Not too shabby.
Have you ever had a crush on anyone from the forum? (no names needed)
It's no secret that Evolution and I are madly in lust with each other. We allow Mreik to join our games occasionally, but only if he puts on the collar.
What's your best feature?
I think my openness and willingness to look at other points of view, admit when I'm wrong, and always strive to learn and grow both as a trainer and as a person as a whole. I know I come of as a real bitch sometimes on the forum, but I really am a very compassionate and open person. Every person I've ever met has walked away with a piece of my soul happily and freely given.
Which forum member would you most like to have as a training partner?
Evo, for sure. We've always joked that it would be awesome to live near each other so we could train together. I think we'd give each other a run for our money. Aside from that, though, I think LeiYunFat. 1) I think we'd get along great 2) the way we like to train is similar. We can chop down trees for cardio.
What do you thing is the most under rated exercise?
I'm actually going to have to take this another way and name a couple of TYPES of lifts. The Olympic lifts in general, as well as more unconventional stuff like odd object training. People get so stuck in boxes and comfort zones that they don't utilize whole fields of training that could give them results. I can often tell the kinds of people who have well rounded training and the kind that get stuck in a rut of one mode of thinking by watching how they move, lift, operate.
Or maybe not...
Most misunderstood...perhaps lol
How big of a drop was your fall flynfree. I remember seeing on oprah this guy who fell from a really high height (couple thousand metres?) and survived on the canopy.
Good to get to know everyone a bit better, makes post a little more sincere than the argumental attitude of anonymity.
How big of a drop was your fall flynfree. I remember seeing on oprah this guy who fell from a really high height (couple thousand metres?) and survived on the canopy.
Good to get to know everyone a bit better, makes post a little more sincere than the argumental attitude of anonymity.
I think it's going to be Evo, then, when I can think of the questions, Chillen. That might be it from me for a while though, I'm having trouble thinking of new questions to ask
You said you wanted to interview me, when's that coming?
I have lots more to say to you Sara, I just have to work righht now.
Ditto. I've been too busy this week to spend much time here, but I did want to thank CCR for putting this together and everyone for responding. I'm still behind on FF, Stingo and Der but look forward to reading them more thoroughly this weekend. Awesome stuff.
Most women are pretty dumb about fitness. That was clearly the context in which I said it. Not only that but you know me better than most people on this forum, you read that whole thing and that's all you had to say?
You know I had to say that one thing most importantly -because I do know you better then most, the way you choose your words on here at times bothers me -who cares maybe, but I'm being honset. I totally get what you mean about women, but the word dumb is an awful way of stating it. How about mis-informed, or something like that, thats all.
And this is why you are the most mis-understood IMO.
You know Sara, I wasn't trying to take anything away from you by saying what I said -I was trying to help others to see what you meant. But whatever, seems I can't have a friggen opinion. I'm a women, and I at first I felt offended. And I'm entitled. I'm done with this, ask a mod to delete my post if you really desire so I don't rain on your parade.
Aw, don't think like that, I think your answers were A* and are going to be really helpful to people
Remember the way you got offended at the 'What's your favourite feature' question? You read it a little different to how I meant it to sound and when you took it the wrong way I got offended by your interpretation. I realise now that my question probably wasn't worded that great in the first place and your mistake was understandable.
You can't control peoples perception of your tone, but you've set it right now so I doubt people will dwell on it
Personally, I read it as you said you meant it and I agree with you too, just listening to my girlfriend talking to her sister about losing her post-baby belly by doing sit ups makes me cringe
My girlfriend is getting better though, she told me yesterday that she'd recommended her friend to do 'Morning glory's' to build the back to balance out the ab work. Well, she tried
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Evo
Questions
What’s your porn star name? That’s the name of your first pet and the street name where you grew up
Rex Long Lane
Tell us a bit about the highland games, what events are involved and how do you train for them?
I’ll talk training first and then list the events. The throwing sports are unlike training for other strength sports in that going to the gym is not really necessary. There are a number of pro throwers whom have never stepped foot into the gym; they spend hours and hours daily throwing. My group of throwers usually meets twice a week and then three times a week the closer we get to a game. The closer we get to a game, we’re more likely to have practices where we run through each implement three times as we would in a game situation and we’ll cut the chit chat out so that our rest times are shorter.
Training is pretty sport specific for the games, you can get stronger in the gym, but you don’t become a better and farther thrower without spending a lot of time in the field throwing the implements. It’s funny…when I first stepped out to train for the games and Jonathan told me we’d be doing a 56 pound weight for distance, I kind of laughed. I thought it’d be easy since 56 pounds is not a lot of weight. All that goes out the door when the weight is hooked to a chain or a ring and you’re spinning or moving with it…it then feels like you’re trying to pull a mac truck. Speaking of which, I’d classify the sport as more of a pulling sport than a throwing sport…just that the implements leaving your hand (being thrown) is a by-product of a very powerful pull.
A normal practice will usually consist of 2-3 hours of throwing 4ish implements about 6-15 times. It’s amazing how much technique work goes into this sport. We might use tires at certain distances which require only half or ¾ power to hit and just work on technique more than anything. Of course strength is an important consideration, but the better throwers aren’t always the stronger throwers, they just have the best technique. Technique cannot be stressed enough. The Highland Games are a combination of power, timing, speed, and efficiency. For example, poor timing and speed is the difference between successfully flipping a caber, not flipping the caber and even moving up to a heavier caber. Not reaching back far enough and turning the body at the right time might be the difference in throwing a hammer 40 feet and 80 feet (or more).
As far as gym work goes, most of your throwers follow a pretty similar set up-push pressing, front squatting, Olympic lifts and it’s variants, rotator cuff work, inverted rows (most are too fat to do regular pull ups ), and single leg work. I think the funniest thing that we tend to debate about is which angle of bench will have the most carry-over to the stone throws and whether the deadlift should be a dead lift or if it’s an effective exercise for Highland training. Most of us don’t concentrate on cardio much unless we just want to. I think the attitude towards cardio is summed up as “my cardio is done running with the caber.” It’s a joke but pretty true nonetheless.
I will say this-Bill Kazmeier (if you don’t know who that is, you NEED to look him up) was asked what his greatest contribution to helping his weight over bar was. He said aside from actually throwing the WOB implement, it was front shoulder raises. He could do reps with the 85 pounds on the front shoulder raises. That’s freakin’ incredible. So there’s an instance of using what is typically seen as a bodybuilding movement to really work for you for the games carry-over.
I will say the most interesting thing about the games is wearing a kilt. The first time it can be a shock as you show up and realize if you hadn’t worn a kilt, you’d have looked strange and been the only one. This is the only sport that I know where you wear a skirt and a pair of hose and run around throwing heavy stuff.
I’ll summarize the events and provide a link for more details.
We have 2 stones for distance (each one with its own rules), a 56 pound weight for distance, a 28 pound weight for distance, a 22 pound hammer for distance, a 16 pound hammer for distance, a 56 pound weight for height, various size cabers, and a 16-24 pound sheaf for height. Some games will have other various events like farmers walk. At our festival, we do a Thistle Carry which is an implement shaped like a thistle and carried like a zercher carry for distance. It weighs about 340 pounds.
For a good description of the events, go here
Do you have any plans to compete professionally?
I’d like to some day. One of my fellow throwers will prob be in the pro ranks within the next two years. I hope to follow suit within 5.
Do you think steroids should be allowed in sports?
I’m pretty ambivalent on this issue. I think what they should do is stop testing. It’s my experience that a majority of professional athletes are using something. As a couple of my kinesiology professors have said, “at the Olympic Training Center, it’s not about stories of incredible training being done, but crazy chemicals they’re putting into their bodies.” I don’t understand why professional athletes are seen as role-models. They’re usually the worst behaved in society. I was having this very discussion with a fellow coach of mine because a student of mine had asked me to work with him on his senior project paper. He’s tackling the issue of the physiological impact of taking steroids. I think we hold athletes to some high standard that they shouldn’t be on. Think about how many times in the news you’ve seen some pro-athlete that has done something illegal and the crazy steroid scandal going on in baseball right now. I’m really just tired of hearing about it over and over again. It seems society is actually shocked when professional athletes do something unlawful or immoral. C’mon, they’re not boy scouts.
Would you rather I gave you $1,000 or 100lbs on your deadlift?
100 lbs on my deadlift without a doubt. I have issues with my deadlift. I’d blow a thousand and then spend the entire time thinking about how I’d respend the money and be unhappy with how I spent it in the first place.
Did you get any Valentines cards from any of the girls at your school this year?
A good number and a ton of cookies, brownies, flowers, and candy. For the record, I really don’t like hard candy at all. I’m not a huge sugar fan and aside from pecan pie and vanilla ice cream. If I never saw a sugar-laden product, I wouldn’t be sad.
What would you say is the best part about being a teacher?
Really it would have to be the amount of time off that I can spend with my kids and competing.
Do you have any tips for gaining the attention and respect of a class full of school kids?
My weekly total of kids that I have in my class is around 400. I’ll have about 250 of those on B days and the remaining on A days. One of the keys I have found is to set rules and guidelines and stick to those. Every class is structured about the same-we have a warm up that includes dynamic and static stretching, push ups, squat thrusts, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, super mans, and crunches. Then we move into some sort of aerobic movement whether it be jogging for time, interval sprints, bleachers, etc
The kids know that they aren’t graded on performance, but they are graded on effort. I think also that my ability to “walk the talk” has helped. As an example-I can’t expect my kids to pump out 50 push ups if I can’t. And aside from the physical aspect, I tend to lecture not only on ‘dumbed-down’ exercise physiology but I also address dietary concerns such as macro and micro nutrients, calculating BMR, diet myths, etc. The kids do a food journal and track protein, carbs, fats, kcals and compare it to their BMR and look for weaknesses in their diet and how they can improve. So I have to be knowledgeable in a number of areas and when I don’t know the answer to something, admit it and find out the correct answer. The kids respect and understand not knowing something and doing the research to get the answer rather than trying to lie and look like you know what you’re talking about. And the kids will know.
A couple of other things that have helped is to be approachable. If the kids think you’re going to disrespect them or act like you’re better than them, then you’ve lost them. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a sense of humor and can joke around while being able to draw the line between friend and teacher.
It also helps that they think I can crush them with my bare hands
Which achievements are you most proud of in your life?
a)Professional
b)Physical
It would have to be professional. I was told a lot as a teenager that I wouldn’t amount to anything or be successful. A lot of this had to do with my performance in school, my alcohol and drug usage, and the friends I hung with.
When you start teaching a class for the first time which routines do you start them on to build strength?
For a lot of these kids, the most exercise they get is with their thumbs on their PS2s or Xbox or computers or texting or etc. So I start with a lot of bodyweight resistance to build strength. Once they can pump out 30 push ups and what not, we start moving onto chains for push ups, inverted rows, etc I typically also start a week kid off with squatting with the bar and using the leg press. We’ll eventually ditch the leg press with the exception of the occasional use for it for calf raises and single leg work.
Do you get your pupils to squat? If so, do they still have the natural capability to go below parallel as teenagers or has the curse of awful flexibility and balance that affects us desk workers already struck by that point? (How do you remedy the situation if they can’t squat deep?)
Everyone who goes into the weight room squats. They do not do a single curl or extension until they have earned the right. The football players I train will usually work up to a 3-5 RM for their squats once a week. My soccer players will squat with lighter weight, higher reps, and for time. All the athletes will spend more time doing unilateral leg work than bi-lateral and I’m fiercely fond of bb step ups and Bulgarian squats. So, yeah…they squat even if it’s just the bar. The basketball players are another issue due to many of them being extremely tall.
I haven’t found a percentage that can or cannot squat below parallel. The girls tend to be able to go lower in depth than the guys I have found in my experience. For those that lack flexibility, we spend a good deal of time doing box squats and then lowering the height as their flexibility increases. At first, I have to spend a good amount of time just enforcing technique. If you don’t get them using good technique on lighter weights, they’ll really go to pieces on a heavier weight. I noticed one common trend-most of the kids want to start with their feet extremely close, their knees going forward, and the bar on the back of their neck rather than the “shelf”.
So between mobility drills, stretching, high box bb step ups, overhead squats with the bar, and lowering depth gradually I find that flexibility becomes less and less of an issue. Also, a lot of times I’ll find the issue might not be flexibility but that the weight on their back is heavy for them and they come up early because they’re unsure of themselves.
Overhead squats with the bar are good for seeing if any imbalances are creeping up.
What is your view on teenagers lifting heavy? Is it a positive thing or could it stunt growth?
I’ve never seen any literature that shows lifting stunts growth. I never have any of my athletes do true 1RMs, but they will do heavy triples and doubles and work up to 3RMs. For most of the kids, just getting them to squat is awesome. So, for the general student who isn’t an athlete worrying about their squat numbers, I’ll have them squat in the 8-12 rep zone. I think heavy is such a subjective term to each person lifting. What’s heavy to my students isn’t anything near to my definition of heavy. So, I suppose for most of them they do lift heavy in the relative definition of the term, because I’m always pushing them and as the weight moves up, it’s heavy at first. I do have one kid that’s 14 squatting in the mid 300s for reps. As an example, I have a kid who finally hit their bodyweight (165) on the bench and bwX1.5 on the squat. He’s been working on this for a bit of time and I when he hit it, he got off the bench and gave me a huge high five and hugged me. He had been getting extremely frustrated, but we kept at it and once he hit it, he was completely driven to bring his numbers up. So many of the kids don’t understand the time you have to put into the iron to get really strong.
What do you think is the most common training misconception that people hold?
I can think of three right off the top of my head: Lifting weights makes you bulky and slow, squats are bad for your knees, and deadlifts are bad for your back. There’s a lot more to it than that, but we’ll leave that for another day.
If you were given 24 hours to live, how would you spend it?
This might sound really bad, but I’d spend it drinking, having sex, and sky diving (maybe all at the same time).
Angelina Jolie has just called to say she’s dumped Brad and wants you to take her out on a date. Where would you take her to wow her pants off?
Oh, I’d set up a picnic with wine and take a long walk on the beach. I’d whisper soft nothings in her ear and…jk I’d take her to Disney Land so we could ride roller coasters together. It may not be a wow kind of thing, but it’d be a lot of fun. Laughter leads to love.
Which forum member do you most admire?
This is a really tough one. I don’t really dislike anyone on the forum. And there are a number of posters that I admire for different reasons for issues that they’ve overcame in their lives or what they’ve accomplished. A few that come to mind are Georgen, Jenn, Anthony, FF, Chillen, Sara, and Nae. However, the one I’ve come to know and love best is Matt (Mreik). I do have to say though that I have spent a lot of time on the phone and over messenger with Sara (Derwyddon) and we’re extremely close.
Profile Questions
Name: Joshua Morgan
Age: 30
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 204
Occupation: Teacher/soccer coach/volleyball coach
Marital status: In a relationship
Years training: 4
Favorite TV show & film: Matlock and Braveheart, Stranger than Fiction
Name: Joshua Morgan
Age: 30
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 204
Occupation: Teacher/soccer coach/volleyball coach
Marital status: In a relationship
Years training: 4
Favorite TV show & film: Matlock and Braveheart, Stranger than Fiction
Questions
What’s your porn star name? That’s the name of your first pet and the street name where you grew up
Rex Long Lane
Tell us a bit about the highland games, what events are involved and how do you train for them?
I’ll talk training first and then list the events. The throwing sports are unlike training for other strength sports in that going to the gym is not really necessary. There are a number of pro throwers whom have never stepped foot into the gym; they spend hours and hours daily throwing. My group of throwers usually meets twice a week and then three times a week the closer we get to a game. The closer we get to a game, we’re more likely to have practices where we run through each implement three times as we would in a game situation and we’ll cut the chit chat out so that our rest times are shorter.
Training is pretty sport specific for the games, you can get stronger in the gym, but you don’t become a better and farther thrower without spending a lot of time in the field throwing the implements. It’s funny…when I first stepped out to train for the games and Jonathan told me we’d be doing a 56 pound weight for distance, I kind of laughed. I thought it’d be easy since 56 pounds is not a lot of weight. All that goes out the door when the weight is hooked to a chain or a ring and you’re spinning or moving with it…it then feels like you’re trying to pull a mac truck. Speaking of which, I’d classify the sport as more of a pulling sport than a throwing sport…just that the implements leaving your hand (being thrown) is a by-product of a very powerful pull.
A normal practice will usually consist of 2-3 hours of throwing 4ish implements about 6-15 times. It’s amazing how much technique work goes into this sport. We might use tires at certain distances which require only half or ¾ power to hit and just work on technique more than anything. Of course strength is an important consideration, but the better throwers aren’t always the stronger throwers, they just have the best technique. Technique cannot be stressed enough. The Highland Games are a combination of power, timing, speed, and efficiency. For example, poor timing and speed is the difference between successfully flipping a caber, not flipping the caber and even moving up to a heavier caber. Not reaching back far enough and turning the body at the right time might be the difference in throwing a hammer 40 feet and 80 feet (or more).
As far as gym work goes, most of your throwers follow a pretty similar set up-push pressing, front squatting, Olympic lifts and it’s variants, rotator cuff work, inverted rows (most are too fat to do regular pull ups
), and single leg work. I think the funniest thing that we tend to debate about is which angle of bench will have the most carry-over to the stone throws and whether the deadlift should be a dead lift or if it’s an effective exercise for Highland training. Most of us don’t concentrate on cardio much unless we just want to. I think the attitude towards cardio is summed up as “my cardio is done running with the caber.” It’s a joke but pretty true nonetheless. I will say this-Bill Kazmeier (if you don’t know who that is, you NEED to look him up) was asked what his greatest contribution to helping his weight over bar was. He said aside from actually throwing the WOB implement, it was front shoulder raises. He could do reps with the 85 pounds on the front shoulder raises. That’s freakin’ incredible. So there’s an instance of using what is typically seen as a bodybuilding movement to really work for you for the games carry-over.
I will say the most interesting thing about the games is wearing a kilt. The first time it can be a shock as you show up and realize if you hadn’t worn a kilt, you’d have looked strange and been the only one. This is the only sport that I know where you wear a skirt and a pair of hose and run around throwing heavy stuff.
I’ll summarize the events and provide a link for more details.
We have 2 stones for distance (each one with its own rules), a 56 pound weight for distance, a 28 pound weight for distance, a 22 pound hammer for distance, a 16 pound hammer for distance, a 56 pound weight for height, various size cabers, and a 16-24 pound sheaf for height. Some games will have other various events like farmers walk. At our festival, we do a Thistle Carry which is an implement shaped like a thistle and carried like a zercher carry for distance. It weighs about 340 pounds.
For a good description of the events, go here
Do you have any plans to compete professionally?
I’d like to some day. One of my fellow throwers will prob be in the pro ranks within the next two years. I hope to follow suit within 5.
Do you think steroids should be allowed in sports?
I’m pretty ambivalent on this issue. I think what they should do is stop testing. It’s my experience that a majority of professional athletes are using something. As a couple of my kinesiology professors have said, “at the Olympic Training Center, it’s not about stories of incredible training being done, but crazy chemicals they’re putting into their bodies.” I don’t understand why professional athletes are seen as role-models. They’re usually the worst behaved in society. I was having this very discussion with a fellow coach of mine because a student of mine had asked me to work with him on his senior project paper. He’s tackling the issue of the physiological impact of taking steroids. I think we hold athletes to some high standard that they shouldn’t be on. Think about how many times in the news you’ve seen some pro-athlete that has done something illegal and the crazy steroid scandal going on in baseball right now. I’m really just tired of hearing about it over and over again. It seems society is actually shocked when professional athletes do something unlawful or immoral. C’mon, they’re not boy scouts.
Would you rather I gave you $1,000 or 100lbs on your deadlift?
100 lbs on my deadlift without a doubt. I have issues with my deadlift. I’d blow a thousand and then spend the entire time thinking about how I’d respend the money and be unhappy with how I spent it in the first place.
Did you get any Valentines cards from any of the girls at your school this year?
A good number and a ton of cookies, brownies, flowers, and candy. For the record, I really don’t like hard candy at all. I’m not a huge sugar fan and aside from pecan pie and vanilla ice cream. If I never saw a sugar-laden product, I wouldn’t be sad.
What would you say is the best part about being a teacher?
Really it would have to be the amount of time off that I can spend with my kids and competing.
Do you have any tips for gaining the attention and respect of a class full of school kids?
My weekly total of kids that I have in my class is around 400. I’ll have about 250 of those on B days and the remaining on A days. One of the keys I have found is to set rules and guidelines and stick to those. Every class is structured about the same-we have a warm up that includes dynamic and static stretching, push ups, squat thrusts, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, super mans, and crunches. Then we move into some sort of aerobic movement whether it be jogging for time, interval sprints, bleachers, etc
The kids know that they aren’t graded on performance, but they are graded on effort. I think also that my ability to “walk the talk” has helped. As an example-I can’t expect my kids to pump out 50 push ups if I can’t. And aside from the physical aspect, I tend to lecture not only on ‘dumbed-down’ exercise physiology but I also address dietary concerns such as macro and micro nutrients, calculating BMR, diet myths, etc. The kids do a food journal and track protein, carbs, fats, kcals and compare it to their BMR and look for weaknesses in their diet and how they can improve. So I have to be knowledgeable in a number of areas and when I don’t know the answer to something, admit it and find out the correct answer. The kids respect and understand not knowing something and doing the research to get the answer rather than trying to lie and look like you know what you’re talking about. And the kids will know.
A couple of other things that have helped is to be approachable. If the kids think you’re going to disrespect them or act like you’re better than them, then you’ve lost them. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a sense of humor and can joke around while being able to draw the line between friend and teacher.
It also helps that they think I can crush them with my bare hands
Which achievements are you most proud of in your life?
a)Professional
b)Physical
It would have to be professional. I was told a lot as a teenager that I wouldn’t amount to anything or be successful. A lot of this had to do with my performance in school, my alcohol and drug usage, and the friends I hung with.
When you start teaching a class for the first time which routines do you start them on to build strength?
For a lot of these kids, the most exercise they get is with their thumbs on their PS2s or Xbox or computers or texting or etc. So I start with a lot of bodyweight resistance to build strength. Once they can pump out 30 push ups and what not, we start moving onto chains for push ups, inverted rows, etc I typically also start a week kid off with squatting with the bar and using the leg press. We’ll eventually ditch the leg press with the exception of the occasional use for it for calf raises and single leg work.
Do you get your pupils to squat? If so, do they still have the natural capability to go below parallel as teenagers or has the curse of awful flexibility and balance that affects us desk workers already struck by that point? (How do you remedy the situation if they can’t squat deep?)
Everyone who goes into the weight room squats. They do not do a single curl or extension until they have earned the right. The football players I train will usually work up to a 3-5 RM for their squats once a week. My soccer players will squat with lighter weight, higher reps, and for time. All the athletes will spend more time doing unilateral leg work than bi-lateral and I’m fiercely fond of bb step ups and Bulgarian squats. So, yeah…they squat even if it’s just the bar. The basketball players are another issue due to many of them being extremely tall.
I haven’t found a percentage that can or cannot squat below parallel. The girls tend to be able to go lower in depth than the guys I have found in my experience. For those that lack flexibility, we spend a good deal of time doing box squats and then lowering the height as their flexibility increases. At first, I have to spend a good amount of time just enforcing technique. If you don’t get them using good technique on lighter weights, they’ll really go to pieces on a heavier weight. I noticed one common trend-most of the kids want to start with their feet extremely close, their knees going forward, and the bar on the back of their neck rather than the “shelf”.
So between mobility drills, stretching, high box bb step ups, overhead squats with the bar, and lowering depth gradually I find that flexibility becomes less and less of an issue. Also, a lot of times I’ll find the issue might not be flexibility but that the weight on their back is heavy for them and they come up early because they’re unsure of themselves.
Overhead squats with the bar are good for seeing if any imbalances are creeping up.
What is your view on teenagers lifting heavy? Is it a positive thing or could it stunt growth?
I’ve never seen any literature that shows lifting stunts growth. I never have any of my athletes do true 1RMs, but they will do heavy triples and doubles and work up to 3RMs. For most of the kids, just getting them to squat is awesome. So, for the general student who isn’t an athlete worrying about their squat numbers, I’ll have them squat in the 8-12 rep zone. I think heavy is such a subjective term to each person lifting. What’s heavy to my students isn’t anything near to my definition of heavy. So, I suppose for most of them they do lift heavy in the relative definition of the term, because I’m always pushing them and as the weight moves up, it’s heavy at first. I do have one kid that’s 14 squatting in the mid 300s for reps. As an example, I have a kid who finally hit their bodyweight (165) on the bench and bwX1.5 on the squat. He’s been working on this for a bit of time and I when he hit it, he got off the bench and gave me a huge high five and hugged me. He had been getting extremely frustrated, but we kept at it and once he hit it, he was completely driven to bring his numbers up. So many of the kids don’t understand the time you have to put into the iron to get really strong.
What do you think is the most common training misconception that people hold?
I can think of three right off the top of my head: Lifting weights makes you bulky and slow, squats are bad for your knees, and deadlifts are bad for your back. There’s a lot more to it than that, but we’ll leave that for another day.
If you were given 24 hours to live, how would you spend it?
This might sound really bad, but I’d spend it drinking, having sex, and sky diving (maybe all at the same time).
Angelina Jolie has just called to say she’s dumped Brad and wants you to take her out on a date. Where would you take her to wow her pants off?
Oh, I’d set up a picnic with wine and take a long walk on the beach. I’d whisper soft nothings in her ear and…jk I’d take her to Disney Land so we could ride roller coasters together. It may not be a wow kind of thing, but it’d be a lot of fun. Laughter leads to love.
Which forum member do you most admire?
This is a really tough one. I don’t really dislike anyone on the forum. And there are a number of posters that I admire for different reasons for issues that they’ve overcame in their lives or what they’ve accomplished. A few that come to mind are Georgen, Jenn, Anthony, FF, Chillen, Sara, and Nae. However, the one I’ve come to know and love best is Matt (Mreik). I do have to say though that I have spent a lot of time on the phone and over messenger with Sara (Derwyddon) and we’re extremely close.
Yea good points, iv heard many times DL's are bad for your back.
The thing i dont get is that, why do people always advise you to pick things up with bent knee's etc etc or else you can damage your back? Health & safety at work involves that also.
It confuses me. And DL's are exactly the same motion of lifting, but with even more weight!
Obviously, but what i meant is many people say lifting things from the ground is bad for your back.
An example a couple of months back, we were changing my mates car wheel. I was pulling on the wrench to unlock the nut...knee's bent (bit like a DL) and this old man who lives near me say's 'youll hurt your back doing that'
Its most likely them who's wrong, but i dont know where they get it from.
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Evo sounds like an awesome gym teacher! I mean, playing dodge ball wasn't bad in my HS days, but we never got much action in the weight room, and our teacher didn't know the difference between his dick and a dumbbell.
Yeah, same here, we had a ton of gymnastics equipment but I didn't get to use any of it for the whole 7 years I was there. I did get to use weight machines once, and I mean literally once in 7 years