The Workplace

“Every minute you complain about a nightmarish workplace and every minute that you play in the drama and every minute that you participate in workplace gossip is energy that fuels the nightmare. Wake up from the nightmare, don’t fuel it. You can’t replace the time and energy lost.” – X Fitness ‘Soul’ series

Workplace drama and workplace gossip is poison to your mind and body. There is no greater waste of time and energy than complaining and gossiping about your workplace. Left unchecked, workplace childishness and dissatisfaction will drop your IQ, torture your soul, and turn on the cortisol switch that will flood your system with the deadly fat-building hormone.

The side-effects will get worse years later when you add up the time wasted in workplace stupidity. As time passes, regret will build as you add up the time wasted in mind-numbing gossip. You can’t replace wasted time. You can’t replay years of stress, anxiety, and unhappiness. And, contrary to popular myth, you can’t make up for lost time.

Even Gandhi found time to work out…

“…no matter what amount of work one has, one should find some time for exercise, just as one does for one’s meals. It is my humble opinion that, far from taking away from one’s capacity for work, it adds to it.” – Gandhi….man, even Gandhi found time to work out.

Excuses Detox – The Fitness Secret

I am an expert on excuses because I have heard every one ever invented. July has been a banner month for excuses – from my team and from those who want to know what’s the best workout program to lose fat overnight and build muscle at warp-speed.

The best workout program has 3 elements:

1. It’s the one you don’t miss,
2. The one that you actually do, and
3. The one that you spill your guts at.

The first secret is just show up. The second secret is work like a farm animal after you show up. The actual workout program is irrelevant if you fail to appear. If you don’t show up, there is no workout in the world that will work. And no workout will help if the workout becomes an extension of social networking.

The third secret is stop eating junk. No workout has ever been invented to counter junk food consumption. Eating and drinking garbage can’t be canceled out by working out. Stop blaming the workout, the equipment, your coach, and any other target of your wrath for not losing fat.  Blame your food and beverage decisions. Blame your lack of willpower. Blame your weakness. Blame yourself. Stand in the mirror and point directly to the cause.

There’s another secret – stay away from enablers. An enabler is any person who develops, promotes, or rewards your weaknesses. An enabler is a co-conspirator that builds softness – an accomplice who gives your weaknesses strength. An enabler is a party to the offence of rationalizing irrationalization, the skill of justifying the avoidance of work by self-deception. Rationalizing irrationalization is expert alibi-making – high performance self-bullshitting that leads to delusion and illusion.

The excuses I’ve heard this month are professional excuses. There is a progression of excuse-making. It starts with amateur excuses…inexperienced, rookie excuse-making. With practice, excuse-making reaches the next-level – professional. The big leagues. Expert excuse-making. Chronic excuses that block whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish. The problem with professional excuse-making is curing it. The deeper the bullshit, the harder it is to purge it. The solution is an excuse-making detox. A cleansing of bullshit. Purge it before it piles up.

Lastly, check the calendar. As each day passes, you are getting older. Old is not a number. Old is inactivity. Old is the stoppage of playing. Old is living vicariously through others. Old is walking slower, talking slower, thinking slower, moving slower…doing slower. Being slower. Old is standing still. Old is a state of mind that raises the white flag, surrender the fight – giving up at any age. Wearing the cardigan, asking for a 15% discount, scolding others for what you got scolded for when you were young.

Old is retiring from the human race, retiring from planet Earth. Old is a lower pulse.  Old is shutting down the hormones – letting your adrenaline gland rust.

Old is when your pension matters more than your passion. Old is when you let your dreams die – dream-slaughter, dreamicide, or simply dream-death by natural causes.

Every workout you miss, every excuse you make, is another giant step to getting old while your birth certificate says young.

(excerpt from the “X Fitness Training Manual” – soon to be released)

Case Law

No cross-border right to lawyer/right to silence:

by Gino Arcaro M.Ed., B.Sc.

No free trade of constitutional rights.

 

Canada will not adopt American rules regarding right to a lawyer and right to silence. On Oct. 8, 2010, the Supreme Court of Canada released a trilogy of case law decisions regarding interrogations during major crime investigations that confirmed:

 

i.              An adult offender does not have right to have lawyer present during interrogation

 

ii.             The police may ignore the decision to remain silent and try to change the arrested person’s mind

 

iii.            Adult offenders don’t have the right to a second opinion – a re-consultation – after they speak to a lawyer, if the nature of the investigation remains unchanged (ie: victim dies or lives, changing the severity of the offence)

 

All three cases involved major crimes – 2 homicides and a series of attacks against women. The SCC sent a message:

1. Canada will not adopt the American rulebook. The American Miranda rights won’t cross the border. Canada will keep a separate constitutional identity regarding the right to a lawyer being present and the right to remain silent in major crime interrogations. These rules have been in place. They will not change.

2. Victims of major crimes will not be ignored. The suffering of major crime victims is just as important as the suspect’s rights.

3. The police have and will continue to be afforded reasonable opportunities to question arrested suspects to determine the truth in horrific major crime cases

4. Adult offenders will continue having the right to lawyer consultations – as always. Offenders may refuse to confess – as always. The only difference is that the suspect of major crimes will not call the shots during interrogations.

5. NO EXCUSES POLICE. NEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT LAWS BEING AGAINST YOU.

This is part 1 of a four-part series that will explain each ruling in detail. Three separate articles will be posted explaining the circumstances of each case, the specific judgments, and practical application.

The Interrogation "Fine Line"

R. v. Wheeler (2010 )[1]

By Gino Arcaro M.Ed., B.Sc

i.                    The fine line

Interrogation is the most challenging investigative skill because there is no clear line separating admissible statements from inadmissible. It’s the equivalent of a playing field with no clear sidelines. Blurred boundaries. How can you play the game when you don’t know if you’re in-bounds or out-of-bounds.

Here is a quote from R. v. Wheeler(2010) that emphasizes this point:

 

“Police officers, in order to further advance investigations, often walk a fine line in attempting to elicit as much incriminating information as possible before an individual chooses to invoke his or her right to silence or contact legal counsel, without breaching the individual’s Charter rights or without crossing the voluntariness line.”

 

ii.                  the uniqueness of interrogation

Interrogations are the most unique type of human communication because: (a) conflicting interests. One person benefits from obtaining a confession while the other person suffers consequences by confessing (b) emotions. Interrogations surround the issue of crime – often major crime. The types of crime involving horrific suffering. Victims need to protected – past and future. This stressful environment builds natural emotion. The people in the room are all human. Both the police and the suspects are susceptible to the pressure built by the conflicting interests – solving crime versus trying to avoid the consequence of committing crime.

 

iii.                “Aggressive” interrogation

Passion makes a major impact on communication. Interrogation is a type of communication that evokes passion. Raised voices, bad words.

 

The phrase “aggressive questioning” may be the most abstract word associated with interrogation. Not just multiple interpretations, countless. 

 

What constitutes “aggressive” questioning? Bad manners, rudeness, unfriendliness? Making a suspect feel uncomfortable? What’s the volume level that separates passive from aggressive questioning?

 

iv.                 The concept of “suspect”

There is a finer line between two fundamental beliefs that govern the authority to arrest – reasonable grounds and mere suspicion. In some cases, there is only one clear suspect based on circumstantial evidence, creating an investigative bind:

a)       if the line been crossed from mere suspicion to reasonable grounds, an arrest is authorized and the suspect must be informed of the right to counsel

b)       if the line has not been crossed, mere suspicion does not authorize an arrest and an interrogation can be conducted by consent only.

c)       if only mere suspicion exists, the police simply cannot wait until reasonable grounds materialize. A suspect poses a potential threat to public safety but the suspect’s privacy must be respected. The public safety/privacy paradox – another investigative bind. Interrogate now or delay it. Catch-22. Damned if you doo, damned if you don’t. Negligence now or negligence later

 

v.                   R. v. Wheeler(2010)

This case law decision addresses these issues. The full article is found at:

www.reid.com,  the website for the REID interrogation technique

---

[1] YKTC 7 (CanLII)

225 lb bench press testing – part 3

 

By: Gino Arcaro, M.Ed, B.Sc. Level # NCCP – Head Coach, Niagara X-Men football team.

 

Part 3 – finding #1

 

The solution part of the findings is extensive. Each one will be explained individually. The article focuses only on the first finding.

 

To emphasize a previous point – the majority of athletes studied were entry-level athletes, not accomplished higher level or elite athletes:

 

Finding #1: mind-set & set-calling determine 225 lb bench press performance.

 

This is the primary conclusion. The difference between ordinary or mediocre 225 bench press testing and extraordinary testing is the connection between extreme mental strength and “in-progress” decision-making.

 

225 testing measures fatigue management, referring to the ability to prolong power and strength during a workout by building a tolerance to the physical discomfort of lactic acid buildup and a tolerance to mental fatigue brought on by our instinct to flee from the demands of hard work instead of fighting through it.

 

Testing ‘rep volume’ at a fixed weight tests the body and mind’s capacity for sustained power – the connection between stamina and strength. To consistently add reps to bench press testing, fearlessness has to be developed by converting the fears of the bar and of discomfort to an intense need – a basic survival need. That’s the secret to building a mindset to bench press 225 for mega reps. Change the way discomfort is perceived. Turn pain into pleasure. Changing the focus changes the outcome. The problem is that fearlessness has to be developed – it doesn’t just happen. 

Set-calling refers to “in-progress” decision-making – making the call about sets, reps, and weight on the bar during the workout. Scripted workouts are limiting. A rigid workout has only one benefit – it provides a general plan. But, following the plan without making strategic adjustments during the workout limits progress. It does not maximize growth.

 

The amount of weight, the number of sets and reps need the right call during the workout, not before the workout. That’s the key. Set-calling can stretch limits, by breaking the mental barrier that blocks reps and eventually hides them, buried by the intense pressure caused by mental fatigue – mental weakness conceals potential.

 

Set-calling needs expert coordination – a coordinator who knows how to make the right call. The right calls are needed to change the reaction from flight to fight. The ability to fight for more reps doesn’t just happen – nothing just happens.

 

Mind and body are connected. The body doesn’t quit first. The mind does. We have an instinct to avoid pain – emotional, physical, intellectual. Our first instinct is to run – flee. The mind’s negative influence is heavier than the weight. With every rep, the volume increases: “PUT DOWN THE BAR.”  

 

Dramatic improvements happen when the mind becomes tougher than the body and expertly coordinated decisions are made during a workout. Not equal strength, tougher. The mind has to be stronger than the body but mental strength is not built in isolation – it’s connected to physical strength built through expert set-calling – making the right call repeatedly during the workout, not before it. 

 

To re-cap, mind-set & set-calling is only the #1 finding that leads to a solution. The remaining findings will be explained as this series continues.

Interview

 www.­blogtalkradio.­com/­ultimateminduniv­ersity

Interview with Gino Arcaro about unconventional football coaching methods (ie: no kicking, onside kicks) and strength training motivation.

Scroll to Monday, Feb 8th. Press play. It’s free.

225 bench press testing – part 2

By: Gino Arcaro, M.Ed, B.Sc. Level # NCCP – Head Coach, Niagara X-Men football team.

“How many reps can he lift 225?”

Football is another form of strength training. It’s strength training with a purpose – human collisions. That’s why that question is right up there with, “What’s his 40 time?” and “Do you have game video?” Game performance, speed, and strength are the part of a complex process for football players to get recruited for the next level.

225 bench press testing has been a major part of our football program because of this reality – it is impossible to move to the next level with developing serious power in the weight room. Strength and football performance are deeply connected. And, not just ordinary power and strength – extraordinary. That’s part of the selection process for every ‘next’ level. The higher the level, the higher the expectations, and the lower the number of athletes who move on – athletic Darwinism. Selection of the strongest and fittest.

Our study spans 4 decades using the case study methodology. The strengths of the study are:
1. volume. Over 1000 athletes have been coached and observed. The total group includes a wide range of athletes including football players, female bodybuilders, male and female law enforcement candidates, hockey players, boxers, and cage fighters. Performances have been documented in case-study style.
2. similar context – bench press testing has been part of the core training for every athlete – male and female. The basics of the program have been consistent.

However, the study has significant limitations:

1. entry- level. The majority of the athletes were not accomplished, elite athletes. Most were high-school or open-admission collegiate students, meaning they were in the early stage of athletic development, nowhere near full potential – not-tapped out with limitless room to grow. This entry-level stage has a broad definition of strength training experience, ranging from the casual lifter to those who have developed positive training habits. Regardless, entry-level athletes have much more room for development than elite athletes who have to struggle to add a few more pounds to a lift. This impacts the rate of lifting success that was experienced in this long-term study.

2. dissimilar context. Despite the similarities of the training programs throughout the 4 decades, the differences in strategies have been significant enough to prevent ‘absolute’ conclusions

The findings have been broken down into 2 categories: (i) problems (ii) solutions.

The problems with bench press progress, the blockers that prevented 225 testing gains boiled down to one word – fear. Fear of the bar, fear of discomfort, anxiety of not knowing what to do.

Heavy benching is a high-risk activity. Lying on your back while holding heavy metal above your chest, trying to balance giant steel plates and a bar that are capable of crushing you to death or causing catastrophic injury, is not a natural activity. Anything that is not natural requires a natural struggle – a long, long road. Like all high-risk activities, fear of the risk itself must be overcome or performance not only standstill, it deteriorates rapidly. Left unchecked, this leads to quitting.

Fatigue mismanagement is another cause of fear. The inability to handle discomfort leads to physical and mental weakness. Eventually, you can’t think straight preventing the right call to be made at every interval of a workout.

It’s easy to dismiss inexperienced athletes as being lazy but the true cause is inability to become fearless in the weight room. Not reckless, fearless. No one is born fearless. Fearlessness has to be taught and learned.

Like all failures to improve, two deficiencies are to blame – deficiency of knowledge and deficiency of execution. Not knowing what to do or how to do it.

Part 3 looks at the next part of the findings – the solution.

225 lb bench press testing – part 1

By: Gino Arcaro, M.Ed, B.Sc. Level # NCCP – Head Coach, Niagara X-Men football team.

The universal test that measures upper-body strength for football players is the number of bench press reps at 225 lbs. The challenge is pushing a significant weight multiple times directly against gravity, a skill that almost never happens in actual football. Rarely does a football player lay flat on his back and push a weight directly upward, through gravity

225 lbs bench press is part of the litmus test for advancement to the next level, part of an on-field, off-field performance evaluation that measure what was done and what may be done- accomplishment plus potential. The central attraction of ‘Combines’ is the 225 lb testing, where strongman contest meets the carnival.

225 is used regardless of body weight. A 200 lb running back and a 300 lb lineman both have to bench press the same weight. What does it prove? Some relevance and some irrelevance. The 225 lb bench press creates one of countless ‘presumptions’ that coaches and scouts hope will convert into absolute truths.

To some degree, there is a relationship between pressing one’s own bodyweight, single-rep max, and 225 reps. The key to 225 bench press testing is volume + intensity, on testing day and the weeks and months leading up to it. How to increase 225 lb bench press reps has been a central focus of a 40-year study X Fitness 1 & 2. This research has not reached an absolute formula but a number of practical findings have been found. These findings will be shared in Part 2.

Immigrant Song

In honour/honor of Immigrant Week….a thousand thanks to my parents for taking the boat ride from Italy to Canada. We are deeply indebted, eternally grateful.

 

Immigrants knew the secret to strength training – it was called manual labour. They did 8-hour lifting 5-6 days per week, didn’t take days off, didn’t worry about recovery time, didn’t take steroids, didn’t take creatine, and didn’t worry about carbs. The natural struggle.

- from “Soul of a Coach”

 

Gym music of the day – Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCvMKcNJCAY