This is going to be really quick (but just so everyone knows, this is the third day in a row that I have blogged…..score!!!!), since I’m leaving for the weekend to visit Mike Robertson and Bill Hartman in Indianapolis. I’ll be spending most of my time at their facility, I-FAST observing and watching them train their clients/athletes.
It’s always great to be able to see what other coaches are doing in the industry, and I’m sure I’ll learn a ton. As well, I’m looking forward to getting a good lift in tomorrow with the I-FAST crew, and Bill is going to sit down with me and see if he can figure out what the hell is going on with my knees. Additionally, word on the street is that Mike has an epic dinner planned for Saturday night. Can you say dead animal flesh!?!
On an aside, I’d rather pass a kidney stone than fly. This is officially the first time I’m flying alone, and well, US Airways better have some nunchucks available to knock me unconscious. Although, I guess I’d settle for a bag of gummy bears to keep me occupied. I promise I’ll be a good boy.
I have a friend who’s attempting to join the FBI later this year, and unfortunately, one of the tests she has to pass is a timed 1.5 mile run. To prepare, she’s been running like a bat out of hell lately, and of course, her shins are banged up as a result. Anyone who has read my blog for any period of time knows how much of a fan I am of distance running to get in shape (Hint: I’d rather swallow ebola). Nonetheless, in this instance, it’s not quite as simple as me telling someone to simply “stop running.”
Either way, before she heads to Quantico and get all Clarice Starling up their asses, I suggested she watch the above video from dieselcrew.com showcasing their shin splint rehab protocol. Great stuff.
A reader of my blog (thanks Courtney) sent me a link to this article from MSN Health & Fitness a few days ago titled “9 Fitness Rules You Should Break”. According to her, it’s designed for maximum eye-stabbage, and I couldn’t agree more.
I think I counted at least 37 things in the article that made me want to jump into a shark’s mouth. But I do have to say that the statement that took me over the edge was this:
While it’s true that protein is a vital muscle food, your body can only use so much of it. “Any extra protein calories you take in will be stored as fat,” says Molly Morgan, R.D., owner of Creative Nutrition Solutions in Vestal, New York. “As a general rule, remember that 20 percent of your calories should come from protein. So if you’re eating an 1,800-calorie diet, try to shoot for a maximum of 360 calories, or 90 grams, of protein each day. Low-fat milk and cheese, broccoli, and chicken are all good sources of lean protein.”
First of all, I despise blanket statements such as “any extra protein calories you take in will be stored as fat.” if you’re ingesting more calories than you’re expending then any extra calories of anything will be stored as fat; I don’t care if it’s carrots. Assuming that the 1,800 calorie diet above is at a deficit, how is it possible that any extra calories coming from protein will be stored as fat? Hello McFly!?!
Secondly, I hate basing diets off of percentages. I’d much rather base macronutrient “needs” off of a gram value based off of one’s current (or even desired) bodyweight. It’s a lot less hassle, and a bit more realistic for people to follow. Thirdly, since when is broccoli a good source of protein? I think my shower curtain has more protein in it than broccoli. Then again, Ms. Morgan’s company is called Creative Nutrition Solutions, so does this really surprise anyone?
I read an article by my good friend Leigh Peele not too long ago which talked about the role that NEAT/NEPA play in our daily lives. For those not in the know:
NEAT: Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis
NEPA: Non-Exercise Physical Activity
Both are essentially the same thing, and can range anywhere from gently tapping your foot on the ground while you’re patiently waiting in line at Starbucks, to taking the stairs rather than the escalator.
We all know that in order to lose fat, we need to be at a caloric deficit. This can happen through a decrease in total calories, an increase in physical activity, or a combination of both. Unfortunately, with regards to the former (dieting), your body hates you. Metabolically (and hormonally) speaking, your body will do everything it can to preserve fat. I mean, when you think about it, you’re basically working against thousands of years of evolution when you go on a diet. The body can’t distinguish between your attempt to get six-pack abs and well, starving. As such, it will do everything it can to keep the body “alive.” To illustrate my point, I’m going to steal from Lyle McDonald’s book, The Ultimate Diet 2.0
Underfeeding
Calories…………………………….down
Protein………………………………no change or up
Carbs/fat (energy)………………down
Insulin………………………………down
Total Testosterone……………..down
Free Testosterone………………down
GH…………………………………..up
IGF-1……………………………….down
Thyroid…………………………….down
Catecholamines…………………up
Cortisol……………………………up
Leptin………………………………down
Gherlin…………………………….up
Cellular Energy State…………down
Protein Synthesis……………..down
Bodyfat Levels…………………down
Muscle Mass……………………down
NET EFFECT……………………..body is systematically catabolic
To summarize: metabolic rate plunges (t3-t4, leptin decreases), you feel hungry (gherlin increases), you don’t move around as much (NEAT/NEPA are non-existent), and people pretty much hate being around you.
Personally, I’d much rather see people attempt to increase their physical activity (NEAT/NEPA included) than go on some prolonged diet that’s only going to make them look like an Olsen twin. As Leigh pointed out in her article, when trainees are more cognizant of including more activity in their daily lives, fat loss tends to soar because they’re burning more overall calories throughout the day. Mind you, I’m NOT implying one shouldn’t reduce their caloric intake. Rule #1 for fat loss is total calories (calories in vs. calories out), lets not get carried away.
Rather, all I’m trying to say is that many people take it to the extreme and reduce calories too low in the first place. As I alluded to in the list above, underfeeding leads to a cascade of events (hormonally) that tend to lead to in-activity, and less than stellar results.
Nevertheless, in an attempt to increase my NEAT/NEPA, I’ve been going for a lot of 30 minute walks around Davis Square in the mornings before breakfast, and I’ve even resorted to folding my laundry and making my own ham sandwiches for a change. Additionally, and while this falls outside the lines of what NEAT/NEPA entails, I’ve also tried to make a “to do” list to complete throughout the day while I’m at CP. As an example, every hour I try to do 20 push-ups, or maybe 20 body-weight squats, or I might throw in some low-grade mobility/flexibility drill like squat-to-stand w/Reach:
So, what are YOU going to do today? I realize that many of you are at work as you read this and are going to be restricted. But who’s to say that you couldn’t sneak away for two minutes to go do some scapular wall slides in an empty office? I mean, if everyone else can take ten minutes to go smoke a cigarette, why can’t you get away to go work on your scapular-humeral rhythm?
UPDATE: since I originally wrote this blog this morning, I’ve already gone for a 30 minute walk, rescued a litter of kittens from a dumpster, planted 14 apple trees, moonwalked through Faneuil Hall, and washed my cereal bowl. That’s NEPA people. Ya got served!
*Jessica Alba Will Be Mine, Oh Yes, She Will Be Mine
Normally I don’t go out of my way to address this kind of stuff, but well, I just couldn’t resist. Plus, I’m in a bad mood since I’m already getting my ass handed to me in our CP bracket pool (goddammit Binghamton!!!!!!)so whatever.
Q:
Alright Big Tony! I read your article on t-nation.com and the last time I checked when did pitchers even become strength coaches? By the way how much do you lift, believe and do what you say? You don’t look like you lift very much.
A: Yeah, I know what you’re sayin dude. I mean, given the recent recession, people just aren’t hiring. Professional tank driver was taken. And unfortunately, Minka Kelly isn’t hiring anyone to be her personal stalker. So in the end, I had to resort to the strength coach thing.
Then again, what do I know? We only had athletes from eleven Major League organizations train with us this past off-season. And none of them trained on a BOSU ball no less. Weird.
As far as not looking like I don’t lift that much.
And let me just say that I am by no means saying that a 500 deadlift is anything extraordinary. Nor am I saying that it constitutes as “strong.” I mean, what is strong? There are plenty of dudes out there who can squat 600 lbs, but can’t even perform a 1-legged bodyweight squat. Is that strong? Sure, kinda. But what it really says to me is that they’re really good at a particular lift and suck at everything else. Strong is subjective. Go to a Cirque du Soleil show and try to tell me that those performers aren’t strong?
Nevertheless, I do like to think I practice what I preach. Which is to say my arms look freakin “gunny” in that video.
Tony Gentilcore is one of my favorite guys in the industry. Not only does he consistently deliver some of the most cutting edge training and diet info you will find anywhere, but he delivers it in a “spit-coffee-all-over-your-laptop” hilarious way. I have decided to collect a few bites from some of Tony’s pieces over the past year or so. Enjoy responsibly (no drinking and computing). Continue reading………
Wow, I’m speechless. This is pretty much the proudest day of my life. Even moreso than the first time I benched 135 for the first time back in 8th grade (BIG WHEELS!!!). Or, I don’t know, finally beat Soda Popinski in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out.
Needless to say, a big thanks goes out to Mike Howard for taking the time to compile that list (and Leigh Peele, for posting it on her site). Always nice to know that there are people who enjoy what I have to write and don’t think I suck. I’m pretty sure this is going to go down as one of the most inspiring collection of quotes ever known to man. Maya Angelou??? JFK? Ghandi? Optimus Prime? All brilliant, no doubt. But lets be honest, none of the aforementioned hold a candle to me. No diggity, no doubt son!
Alright, better late than never. It’s still technically Monday, so I have some time to get a blog in. Just so everyone knows, I just spent the better half of the weekend berating Kevin Larrabee for admitting that he’s never watched Pulp Fiction. The dude has watched every Jason Statham movie ever made (which isn’t saying much), yet has never watched one of the greatest movies ever made. I mean come on, I’d rather wash my face with broken glass than watch The Transporter 19. EPIC fail Kevin Larrabee. EPIC fail.
Honestly, I haven’t seen him this excited about a book since the re-release of Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. He’s so cute.
In all seriousness, I have a stack of books on my bookshelf that are still waiting to be read*, but because of Brian, I’m moving this to the top of the list. Read his review here.
2. If I have to listen to one more parent tell me that their kid needs to work on their sprinting mechanics (even though said kid can’t perform one clean body weight lunge), I think I’m going go nuts.
3. My good friend, and fellow admirer of the badonkadonk, Mike Robertson unveiled his new Podcast earlier this week. In an effort to elevate the industry as a whole, Mike’s mission is to “keep it real,” and show the world that there really are better ways to train that what you see on TV and in the magazines. Check out the first episode here.
And you didn’t hear it from me, but word on the street is that a certain someone who’s first name begins with a T and ends with Mr. Kate Beckinsale might be on as a guest soon. Topics may or may not include the following:
– Who shot first: Han Solo or Greedo?
– How I’d rather have a healthy athlete throw a chainsaw at his/her own face than include unstable surface training in their programming.
– Whether or not we should mandate a law to tell Jillian Michaels to shut up.
– As well as other relevant stuff pertaining to lifting heavy things, program design, and how dudes with over 5000+ posts on a forum really need to get a life. Stay tuned………
That’s all I have for today. I was going to include a video of a 500 lb deadlift I did over the weekend, but I can’t seem to find my adapter I need for my digital camera. Instead, I’ll just include the trailer to the latest X-Files movie that I watched the other night.
Don’t bother renting it. I can summarize it for you right here:
Mulder: Hey, I’m socially awkward (see, I grew a beard), and believe in aliens. Want to make out?
Scully: Yes.
Fade to Black
I should write movies, I swear to god.
* Dating for Dummies, Crime and Punishment, and Everyone Poops. You know, the classics.
While I’d like to sit here and tell you that this is going to be some advanced article on program design, in reality, it isn’t (well, at least for some of you).
I’m not going to reveal some secret quasi-functional, homeostatic overreaching, Eastern Bloc pyramid mesocycle you’re missing out on. Nor am I going to provide insight on any advanced techniques that will increase your peak power by 87.359%.
Rather, the goal here is to give you a bit of “tough love,” and take an objective look at some of the small (yet important) aspects of program design that many trainees (possibly you) tend to overlook, or worse, ignore altogether.
Sports hernias seem to be rising at an epidemic rate as of late in sports such as hockey and soccer. Mike Boyle wrote a fantastic article titled Understanding Sports Hernias for strengthcoach.com not too long ago, and I wanted to share a small snidbit (yes I said snidbit) here with you:
In truth a number of different conditions fall under the umbrella of sports hernia. However, the most interesting thing about the sports hernia is that it almost always seems to begin as groin pain, not as abdominal pain. Most sports hernia sufferers, when interviewed or evaluated, will describe a groin injury that gradually progressed into a painful lower abdomen. This often-overlooked fact may be the real key to solving or understanding the problem. Sports hernias are not traumatic. There is no singular incident but rather a gradual progression. What begins as a groin pain progresses into an abdominal pain. So in reality, the “sports hernia” may be secondary injury. In fact sports hernias may be the reaction of the abdominal muscles to a groin injury or more specifically the reaction of the abdominal muscles to a change in the mechanics of the hip joint.
As you can see from above, the adductor (or groin) group is a fairly dense area of muscle consisting of five muscles (the gracilis isn’t labeled). In particular, and as Boyle notes in his article, the adductor brevis and pectineus both aid in adduction as well as break hip flexion during sprinting. As an example, think about what hockey and soccer both involve a lot of? Hint: adduction/flexion.
Unfortunately, many trainers and therapists try to treat sports hernias by just solely focusing on strengthening adduction while stretching the hip flexors. This would be analogous to trying to fix a leak in your ceiling by putting a band aid over the actual leak, while completely neglecting the fact that the leak is coming from somewhere else.
So after watching that video either one of two things happened:
1. You’re completely grossed out.
2. Your computer screen is pregnant.
Again, abdominal pain in the form of a sports hernia may in fact be a secondary injury due to scar tissue build up in the adductors. As such, it’s important to try to improve the soft tissue quality in that area. One of the best ways is to foam roll your adductors as shown above (also known as the testicle tickler. Sorry I couldn’t resist). It won’t feel good, but it will go a long way in terms of preventing many common dysfunctions that manifest themselves in the hip/groin complex.
Surprisingly, these are not quotes from a recent date I went on. Note to Emily: I had no idea I forgot my wallet. Really, my bad. Thanks for dinner! It was delish. Call me.
Rather, these are quotes from this past Saturday from three different female clients who obviously adore me to pieces and think I’m the best trainer ever.
When all is said and done, my day isn’t complete till someone tells me how much they hate me or threatens me with a broken beer bottle after they’re done with their Airdyne intervals (I love you too Mom). It just comes with the territory I suppose. That being said, it still doesn’t prevent me from making them do this:
I decided that the guys can’t have all the fun, and had some of the girls of CP do their own version of a sled medley over the weekend. Good job girls! Next week we’ll add a plate, and whoever gets the fastest time will get an 8×8 picture of me to put on their desk at work to inspire them and/or throw darts at. God, I love my job/fear for my life.
