Episode 182: Snapping Necks and Cashing Checks with Martin Rooney

Martin Rooney joins Kevin to talk about training around the world and MMA Training. Kevin and Jon open up the mailbag to talk about sets and reps, injuries, and more. And PJ Striet talks about the fitness industry with Kevin.

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Martin Rooney Interview (Check out Martin’s NEW BOOK)

• Long time fan from your time at Elite Fitness. I preordered your book and can’t wait to wait to get it.My question is about your various Warrior Challenges. My training is strength focused and I have been using the 5/3/1 program for some time now with great success. Where do you suggest one puts the various Warrior Challenges into an existing program? At the beginning of a session kinda’ smokes the rest of the workout, but if you wait until the end of a session, you can’t do the challenge justice.Thanks Martin.– Dave
• Mr. Rooney,

  Greetings from Finland and thanks for your great seminar over here during last fall!

  Question: Based on your excursions around the globe, what is the one main thing you´ve learned from  overseas that you could take back to the States to help your athletes get better results?

  Also,  on the same token  what one thing you would take from the North-American training systems to improve European training system?

  Thank you in advance and looking forward to see you in 4 weeks!

  Joni

  Helsinki, Finland
  

• I live in the UK, I am a 37 year old female and have just started kickboxing and love it. What would be some good conditioning exercises? I do 2 kickboxing classes a week, and 2 boxercise classes. Should I do some running, and general conditioning like body weight squats, sit ups etc, and what do you think of skipping as a conditional tool. thanks -Clair
• The last time I saw you in person as well as in your book you talked alot about how the culture of Martial Arts as a whole has a risk of fading away in the new evolution of Mixed Marial Arts.  Alot of focus on fighting and conditioning but not a lot of focus on things like Tradition, Honor, Self Respect and other things covered through the various martial art systems metioned in your book Ultimate Warrior Work outs.  My Question is what are some things that people or trainers can do to instill these values in a mixed martial arts world or enviroment so as to not lose sight of what MMA is truely rooted in.
  Second and thirdly.. Do you use the TRX either in your warrior progams or in other programs at the Parisi Speed School and Third I am still a bit gimpy from an  injury to my Antior Shoulder and Biceps tendon it was mostly a strain and not a tear are there any particular exercises that should be renforced not just to my injury but for others to increase overall shoulder health?
  Thanks So Much,
  Brian Sargent

Mailbag

• Hello Kevin, Leigh, and Dr. Fass,This question is directed towards Dr. Fass, but I would welcome anyones input. I have developed an annoying dull pain in my right shoulder that feels similar to a bruise. My shoulder is more agrivated on some days and better on others, So the severity of the pain is very inconsistant. Some days I hardly hurt at all, and some days the pain will increase throughout the day. The soreness is located mostly around the anterior part of the delts, but the soreness is not superficial. It actually fells very deep within the shoulder joint . I can actually locate the agrevated sore spot with my thumb within a slender strip of the anterior delts. The problem is my range of motion is affected by this irritation. Placing my right hand accross my chest, and onto my left shoulder intensifies the pain to a sharp piercing type that is pretty intense. If I leave my right hand on my left shoulder and begin to raise my elbow, the pain gets even worse. Reaching behind my back also agrevates it to a lessor degree. I have a very wide shoulder base for my height. I continue to do my daily P90X workouts as best I can. I take some Naproxen Sodium sometimes, and that really seems to help. The arm circles and other shoulder warmups that are part of P90X seem to help my shoulder feel better durring the workout, but sometimes pull ups and pushups seem to make it pretty sore the next day.What do you think the cause of this could be? Do you think I may have some kind of impingement? Is it possible their could be some muscle pinching between the Coracoid process causing internal bruising? Why would it be worse some days than others? Could I be sleeping on it wrong?The Fitcast may very well be the best thing about itunes. Don’t change a thing!!Jody

  P.S. I’ve experienced almost exactly the same thing with my left shoulder in the past, but eventually it got better, and I have no problem with it now. The right shoulder has been like this for a while now though, and I starting to wonder whats going on here. I want to graduate to more compound movements, and heaver lifts in the future, so I need to get a handle on this.

• Hi Fitcasters,I’m a 25 year old male, 6’1, 190 lbs. and in the 12-15% bf range. I’ve lifted weights regularly for the past 5 years, I put on about 20 lbs of fairly lean bulk in that timeframe.My goal is gain mass while maintaining current bf levels. However, I have much less time to devote to working out due to work and family obligations. I have a gym in the basement that I can do almost every exercise in but in the interest of time I’ve simply developed a push/pull program that I do 4 times a week in the morning before work. I do flat bench, overhead presses and squats on push day and bent-over rows, chins and deadlifts on pull days. I usually do 3 sets of 8 for upper body exercises and 3 sets of 10 for lower body exercises. And from week to week will increase weight or reps when possible and mix in a few variations of these exercises.My question is, are these 6 exercises giving me the most bang for the buck? And am I getting enough volume here to make any reasonable gains over time? I understand I can’t expect the same results that I earned when I was putting more time into my workouts, but I’d like to maximize what I am doing these 45 min sessions 4 times a week before work. Over the past few months I haven’t noticed any siginificant gains in size or strength.Thanks, keep up the awesome work!

  Mark

• Hey Kevin,
  I have a suggestion for your site. I am fairly well versed in fitness and nutrition but occasionally you or one of your guests will mention terms that I was not familiar with. I typically listen to the show on my ipod while working the assembly line at the local auto factory and will google what I can remember when I get home. I thought it would be kind of convenient and informative to all the listeners if you could post a “Glossary of Terms” with a brief definition on your website. It could include equipment, exercises, stretches, human anatomy, supplements and nutrition, etc. I realize you are quite busy and this could take a while, but it could be a work in progress and you might enlist the help of Jon and Leigh. Anyway, just a thought. Love the show. Can’t get enough.

  Regards,
  Jerry from Nashville

• Hello, I am a somewhat new listener, and I haven’t managed to listen to all the old podcasts yet, so I am sorry if this question has already been asked. I work on my feet for nine hours straight, 5 or 6 days a week. Usually by the time I get off work and am ready to train, my feet are very sore, and my knees, hips, and lower back will also be a little stiff and sore. I thought my body would adjust, but after a month at this job, I am still tired and sore by the time I leave work. It makes it difficult to work as hard as I would like to in the gym. What would you suggest for this? Are there certain shoes, exercises, or stretches you would recommend? I’m sure anyone who works in a retail job or restaurant can relate, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!-Matt
  Gaithersburg, MD
• What up!
  I am a NASM certified PT who loves writing programs, but always gets into a “brain freeze” whenever I think about developing a workout for myself. Being fitness professionals, do you write your own personal programs, or do you look to others for your own workouts? Are there any resources you frequently use for what you do for yourself?
  Thanks guys, the podcast is invaluable.

  Jarid