Warning: This post might offend some of you, but it may also inspire educational efforts, so the time and money put into education translates into more clients and increased revenue for ones buisness.

               “I believe a college education is quite overrated, that’s the reason I don’t put letters
                 after my name. I don’t belive it means anything.”

This is a direct quote from one of the - in my opinion - world’s best strength coaches, who, BTW, has a an undergraduate degree in Science as well as a graduate degree in Exercise Physiology.

Why do you want to be certified?

In the last couple of months I have - first or second hand - heard about trainers, who contact a
certifying body after they have failed a written exam by one or two points and ask the certifying body if their near missed is good enough for a pass.

Judging fellow beings is always a doubtsome act, however, begging for a pass indicates to me that that individual just wants the “piece of paper”; they just want to put the letters after their name.

I am aware that in certain cases the letter after your name decides whether you have a job or not, and thus I can empathize with a trainer who, in risk of losing his/her job, tries their luck with the certifying body.

Don’t get me wrong, certifications are great if they lead to knowledge applied to succesfully help clients, but if certifications are just letters after your name, it’s misleading to those our buisness is all about - the clients.

It’s my honest opinion, that if you are taking certifications to keep your job or to add credibility by putting letters behind your name, you are behind the game.

I understand why employers tend to look at certifications when they judge a trainer; it’s easier and there are also insurance aspects involved.

However, to move this industry forward we must focus on one question: Which tools do I have to help the client in front of me?

And likewise, those of you who own a training facility must ask: What is this trainer able to do with the with the clients in front of them?

Besides basic all round knowledge in the form of a CPT, CSCS, BSC, MSC, etc. our continuing education, at any point in time, should focus on our “weak links” as trainers/coaches?

What are the questions you can’t answer when you create training  programs?

What are the tools you are missing when you create training programs?

Those are the questions that should guide your continuing education - not the desire to put letters behind your name.

The quote in the beginning of this post is from Charles Poliquin and can be found in his book the Poliquing Principles (1997 edition).

To your success,
Karsten Jensen

The topic of today’s blog is stairs, one of my favourite ways of getting some extra leg work in.

My personal favourite is walking up three steps at a time. That gives some really nice extra work for the gluteus maximus, which supplements my walking lunges and squats really well.

Here are a bunch of ways to work stairs:

• Regular walking.
• Walking, but don’t hold onto rails.
• Walking, two steps at a time.
• Walking, three steps at a time.
• Walking, any kind, but holding weights, for example over your head.
• Running, one step at a time, focus on frequency.
• Runing, two or three steps at a time, focus on take off power.
• Jumping, two legs 2-7 steps at a time (I once saw a former Danish Champion in Javelin jump up 7 steps)
• Jumping, 1 leg, 1 or more steps.
• Jumping, 2-3 steps up followed by 1-2 steps down. An amazing workout for the calves.
• Walking DOWN 2 steps at a time. A great quad workout.
• Walking DOWN backwards. Good focus and relaxation.

What tools do you have in your tool box if your client can’t get to the gym?

If you are creative and knowledgeable, you will make use of whatever “equipment” is available, for example stairs.

I have never experienced an environment where I could not train just a little bit. I get a workout in, even when I am sitting in an airplane seat.

If you are a strength coach for elite athletes, improving their work capacity is a highly important goal. But, what do you do when there does not seem to be any more regular training time available in the schedule?

Do you have the tools to show your athletes how to “train” in ANY environment?

If not, “Have Fun Training on The RUN” might be what you are missing. GET it here.

Committed to your uninterrupted success,
Karsten Jensen

PS: “Have Fun Training on The Run” features 47 ways to use your body in any environment and like I explained above, these tips are useful for anyone from the complete beginner to the high performance athlete.

PPS: If you apply Core Force Energy Principles to your stair workout, you will see your power explode. But Core Force can also be used to reduce pain when you are walking on stairs. There is a whole section on the DVD’s devoted to that.

Q: I have gained about 10 pounds of extra weight during the holidays and I thought about using the 8 minutes solution because I don’t have a lot of time to train. However, the program does not seem to provide any fatloss effects. Will The 8-Minute Solution help me lose fat?

A: “8-Minute Solution For Radiant Health And Strength” program is not, per se, designed to help you burn fat, but even the basic variation of the programme will help you (or a client) burn fat, if the program is combined with proper nutrition.

However, with a few tweaks the program can become a powerful fatburner!

• Perform program 3 (for at least 20 min) each morning before your breakfast (Do take in a cup or two of Green TEA and 1-2 glasses of water). Perform this program outside if the climate allows.
• Each evening, perform Hindu Squats supersetted with Hindu Push Ups. The ideal fatburning solution is to perform each exercise for 3-8 timed sets of 30-40 seconds. This requires good experience with both exercises.
• Another solution is to use ladders, performing 3 Hindu Squats - 3 Hindu Push Ups - 6 Hindu Squats - 6 Hindu Push Ups…when you get tired, don’t stop moving, but start over with 3 reps of each exercise.
• Set a time limit for these exercises, for example 15-20 minutes, and KEEP MOVING. Your main goal is to get a sweat going, get your heart rate up and preferably also get a good muscle burn,  which is a key to burning fat.

Now here is a trick I learned from Matt Furey (mattfurey.com) if you are interested in bringing your abs out fast:

• In the down position of the Hindu Push Ups take a 2 second break and attempt to pull your pelvis towards your ribcage with a controlled but “deep” contraction of your abs.
• Also, breathe deeply and audibly during the whole session to get as much fat burning oxygen into your body as possible.

I would be pleased to hear about your results, but don’t come after me if you have to buy new clothes as well

Hurry over to www.yestostrength.com and get “The 8-Minute Solution for Radiant Health and Strength” by clicking here.

Committed to your uninterrupted success,
Karsten Jensen

PS: One of the the most mindblowing experiences I have had with training occurred when Garin Bader explained to me - over the phone - how to apply Core Force Energy to Hindu Squats. Get his program here and watch with awe at your increased strength.

PPS: Your daily activities can be a powerful fatburning tool as well. Certain studies have shown that the awareness that daily activity burns fat, actually INCREASES ones fatburning potential (I found this in an old version of realmindpowernews.com). Get “Have Fun Training on The Run” and learn 47 (47!) ways to burn more calories as well as build strength, while you do something else. There are NO MORE excuses, for you or your clients, for not exercising.