Training Tips With the Freak Maker Himself!

Just this past Saturday, Darren and Christina Mehling held the first of this year's many "Team Freak" meetings to share tips on training. The seminar was graciously hosted by Chris McDole and Dave Beakley of McDole's Gym on 181 Stradbrook St. Around 40 or so Freaks (capital F!) gathered around the squat rack and other weight equipment to see what secrets they could pry from the Freak Maker's mind. I'll be discussing the highlights of the seminar.

Squats

Focus on putting the hamstrings into it--if you can't go below parallel (ie the crease of your hip below the top of your knee) it's more than likely a problem of hamstring flexibility.

Spread your knees out wide as you descend and rise, andkeep your weight on your heels… do not allow your heels to rise off of the floor.
Keep the bar over your feet--the bar should go straight up and down, not come forward as near the bottom.

Overhead Press

Keep your elbows in front of the bar, as opposed to keeping your elbows flaired out to the side, which puts a lot of strain on the rotator cuffs.

Always look straight ahead while doing the movement.

When bringing the weight down, rest it on the shoulders, like a front squat's "rack position."

Bring the bar all the way overhead, to full arm extension, to ensure full range of motion. Activate the traps at the top of the press to complete the movement and protect your rotator cuffs.

Dumbell Bench Press

Like the Overhead Press, it's common to flair out the elbows with the dumbells so that your arms are all the way out, parallel with the shoulders. Again, as with the Overhead Press, this is a major risk to the rotator cuffs. Use your lats and traps to keep your elbows closer to your torso and protect your shoulders.

Keep the feet firmly planted on the ground. This gives you more of a drive and better balance.

Arch your back--this, combined with keeping the elbows closer to your torso, will give the pecs complete stimulation, while at the same time protecting the rotator cuffs.

Attitude Adjustment

Near the end, once training was over, Darren explained the difference between a Freak and "everyone else":

Never train for a "Novice" contest. Train for a National contest. Be a pro in your mindset.

A Freak is more than just someone with an e-mail of the program with the Freak Fitness logo on it; it's an all encompassing mindset. Most important of all (this is a direct quotation):

"You gotta work fucking hard!"

Leave no stone unturned! Don't go and give yourself a reason to say, "well, I could have done this, but..."

"When I trained for the Provincials," Darren said, "I outworked everyone. I won because I saw no other outcome other than winning. There's no such thing as luck."

Everyone left the seminar with greater knowledge, motivation, and dedication than ever before. Thanks to everyone at McDole's Gym for having hosted the event, and Darren and Christina Mehling, two great coaches who do everything in their power to help their athletes succeed!