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Morning Cup of Vomiting In My Mouth (Cans of Soup Get You Strong!!!)

During my 35-40 minute drive (both ways) to work everyday, if I’m not getting my Louie DeVito on, I’m usually listening to one of my favorite talk radio stations- 96.9 WTKK, Boston’s Talk Evolution. In particular, I often listen to Michele McPhee and her Outrage of the Day. Granted she hasn’t updated her blog in a while (you can easily find her on Facebook, however), but every night Michele will do what can only be described as passing a kidney stone while she goes off on whatever she’s outraged about that day.

Similarly, I too have instances during the week where I’m outraged. Accept in my case, I tend to have an uncontrollable urge to throw a chainsaw at someone’s head for saying, writing, or doing something stupid.

You know, stuff like this:

Is it me, or is that guy’s ACL crying? Nope, that’s just my soul.

Anyways, I started the Morning Cup of Vomiting in My Mouth as a tribute to McPhee’s Outrage of the Day. It’s been a while since the last installment, so lets get right to it.

A friend of mine (Joey Taraborelli, a strength coach located near Providence, Rhode Island) sent me this link to an article last week. Long story short, a woman approached him to see if he would be willing to go over her strength training schedule as she prepares for her first half-marathon. She handed Joey the article (linked above), and needless to say, he was awestruck at how awful the information was. To quote him:

After you pee your pants laughing, you might want to include this as a blog next week about all these runners getting atrocious advice from these so-called “strength training for runners” experts.

In the article’s defense, it is a bit outdated (circa 2000), and the author does touch upon some valid points that I completely agree with. Specifically:

1. Runners need to improve their speed- that is to say, it’s not about who can go the longest; it’s about who can finish the race the fastest.

2. Runners should incorporate strength training as part of their routine- I’ve actually done two interviews on this topic, HERE and HERE.

Um, that’s about it. The rest of the article, sadly, just goes on to perpetuate many of the common exercise myths that one would expect to hear from an article sub-titled All You Need For Strength is a Can of Soup.

Some of my favorites:

  • Low weight, high reps so you don’t get big and bulky. Of course, because adding muscle is so easy- especially when you’re running upwards of 20-30 miles per week.
  • “The worst mistake you can make while lifting is holding your breath.” Really? Ever heard of the Valsalva maneuver? Granted, I recognize the target audience for this article aren’t going to be doing max effort deadlifts any time soon, but this is an awfully broad blanket statement to make. That’s like me saying “any woman who’s name starts with Tracy and ends with Anderson is a dirty pirate hooker.” Except in this case, it’s completely true.
  • How is it that five out of the six “spectacular strength exercises for runners” focus on the upper body? Correct me if I’m wrong, but runners run with their legs, right?
  • Moreover, the row variation shown in the article is just laughable. Seriously, W to the TF.
  • And do I really have to explain, again, why I’m not a fan of crunches?

I’m sure I could go through again and pick out 22 more things that are equally vomit worthy, but I don’t want to beat a horse while it’s down. Besides, I have like ten minutes before athletes are going to walk through the door, and I have a protein shake to drink. PROTEIN!!!! On that note, have an awesome weekend everyone!

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Q and A: To Deload or Not to Deload. That Is the Question.

Q: If possible I was hoping to get your quick take on how many athletes achieve the advanced status that would likely necessitate de-loading by intensity- that is, if you had to give an educated estimate. Some coaches have said that the vast majority of lifters never really progress beyond that intermediate stage, so I was wondering if you agree with that assessment or if those coaches were likely selling many athletes short.

A: Great question. Personally, I’ve always been in the camp that believes if someone is going to over-train, they’re going to do so as a direct result of too much volume rather than intensity. I mean lets be honest, most trainees would rather add more sets/reps week in and week out (certainly not a bad thing), than more weight on the bar. As such, you’ll see guys performing 47 sets of bench press at every possible angle (incline, decline, upside down) and wonder why, after five years, they’re not getting any stronger.

Moreover, the vast majority of trainees tend to think they’re more advanced than what they really are. Generally speaking: If you can’t perform ten reverse lunges without tipping over like a drunk college student on Spring Break, then you have no business asking whether or not you should be using chains during max effort squat days. Similarly, if you can’t perform at least five strict pull-ups with your own body weight, then you really shouldn’t be concerned about which day of the week you should be blasting your biceps. Unless of course it’s Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Sundays are reserved for playing Battleship, eating dead animals, and taking chicks out to Applebees. Anyone who says romance is dead, never went out on a first date with me.

Okay, so I’m obviously being an ass. Everyone knows that Applebees is way too classy for a first date. Nonetheless, we like to incorporate de-load weeks every 4th week at CP. However, that’s certainly going to depend on a few factors. Namely:

1. Training age- a 35 year old “weekend warrior” just starting out vs. a 35 year old competitive power lifter. Who do you think will warrant structured de-loads?

2. Training history- If “working out” entails brisk walks on the treadmill while watching the Jonas Brothers on Ellen, then it’s safe to assume you probably won’t need to de-load.

3. Injury history- people who are beat up, generally need more breaks from loading.

4. Mode/type of training- this can tie in with training history, but it stands to reason that someone who’s a casual gym rat- and uses nothing but a Smith Machine and a BOSU ball, probably won’t need to worry about structured de-loads as say, someone who follows a Westside(ish) training template and/or has used a dumbbell heavier than 50 lbs.

5. Frequency of training- sorry, but if you’re one of those people who trains every other Thursday, but only if the Dew Point is above 33.474965848300223% AND it’s an “even” day, then you don’t need to de-load.

As well as a few other factors that are alluding me at the moment.

As I mentioned above, when it comes to de-loading, I’m more inclined to drop volume than I am intensity. Through the years, I have found that this approach works best for most (read: not all) trainees.

So, for example, if I have someone front squatting it may look like this:

Week 1: 5×5

Week 2: 4×5

Week 3: 3×1 @ 90 %, 2×5

Week 4: 3×3

As you can see, each week the training volume fluctuates:

Week 1: High Volume

Week 2: Medium Volume

Week 3: Very High Volume

Week 4: Low Volume

Side Note: for the sake of simplicity, I’m purposely not including the additional “accessory” work that would entail the rest of the training session. Rather, I just wanted to demonstrate my point about lowering volume in week four, while keeping the intensity in place. I know, I know, I suck at life. But this blog post is getting long enough as it is. Here’s a picture of Jennifer Esposito to make up for it.

People tend to get into the mentality that more is better- but you also have to realize that fatigue will always mask one’s true fitness level. While I think that people have to go out of their way to overtrain (it’s not as common as people make it out to be), I also feel that taking a back off week from time to time is a perfect way to keep the body fresh, and not feeling to beat up. Now that’s what I like to call science people. Look it up sometime.

Be that as it may, there are obviously a multitude of ways to structure de-load (or back-off) weeks, and I’d be remiss not to give a shout out to Eric Cressey’s Art of the Deload manual (check it out HERE), which goes into much further detail than this blog post ever could. In the end, I do feel that incorporating deload weeks will bode well for many trainees- it’s just going to depend on a few factors. Hopefully that answers your question.

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Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday (My Mom Yelled At Me Edition)

It seems I committed the cardinal sin of blogging last week- and people are pissed. While I appreciated the notes and emails from various readers telling me to get my butt in gear and update the blog (I love you too everyone), it wasn’t until I called my mom last week to check in, that I feared for my life. You see, I’m originally from central New York (the Finger Lakes region to be exact), and I only make it home once or twice a year to see my family. As you might expect, my blog tends to be an easy and convenient way for my “peeps” to keep tabs on me. Nevertheless, being the good son that I am, I still try to make a conscious effort to call my mom once a week to check in. You know, to make the Baby Jesus happy.

The following is a detailed transcript of my last conversation with Mom

Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring

Me: Hi mom, I love you.

Cue Darth Vader theme music

Mom: Why haven’t you blogged this week?

Me: Um, I uh, was busy going to church and knitting sweaters for the homeless?

Mom: Don’t bullshit me Gentilcore. No son of mine neglects his responsibilities. Didn’t I raise you the right way?

Me: You’re right mom. I can’t believe I pulled a Fass, and thought I could go a lunar cycle without blogging. I’m on it.

Mom: Your meatloaf is on its way.

1. So, I have been experimenting with some Olympic lifts lately, implementing some “cleans” into my programming 1-2 days per week. Let me just be blunt- by “cleans,” what I really mean to say is “explosive reverse arm curls.” I think there’s a lot to be said about stepping out of your comfort zone from time to time and experimenting with different training modalities. Which is to say, goddammit I suck.

2. One of the cool things about working at CP is the fact that we have people from all over the world stopping by to say hi and to observe. To be honest, it’s quite humbling at times to know that people travel from exciting and exotic places like England, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Pittsburgh (note sarcasm) to watch Eric, Brian, and myself coach.

What’s more, it’s always a great feeling when other fitness professionals walk in and compliment us on how well our athletes/clients are coached. I’m not one to blow sunshine up my own ass, but when a strength coach from Australia (Joey Hayes) stops by after visiting several other facilities across the United States, and goes out of his way to say that we’re the best facility he’s been to in regards to coaching, program design, atmosphere, and overall structure, I think that’s pretty darn cool.

3. I came across this cool video from Jim Smith (Smitty) from Diesel Crew talking about 3D Ankle Mobility. For those of you suffering from shin splints and/or chronic knee pain, give this a look. Definitely worth five minutes of your time.

4. Last week, er, I mean two weeks ago, I briefly talked about ankle sprains and how many of us can benefit by just getting out of our shoes more often. I know this goes against the grain of what most of us have been led to believe, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense- the shoes we wear are what causes many of our chronic issues as it relates to things such as fibromyalgia, anterior knee pain, lower back pain, etc. I know people like to toss out terms like over-pronation, supination, flat feet, no arches, blah blah blah. But the truth of the matter is, 99.5596% of us weren’t born with all these issues, and it wasn’t until the mass marketing of “athletic” foot wear that many of these dysfunctions started to reach epidemic levels.

Now, don’t get me wrong- I think it’s a bit overzealous to just tell people to blatantly stop wearing shoes altogether. I recognize that there are exceptions to the rule, and some people just need the extra cushioning when they train. Similarly, I don’t think it would go over too well if you walked into your next business meeting with sandles on. That said, I think the more we can get people out of their shoes, the better. At the very least, do all your warm-up, dynamic mobility, activation drills barefoot. If possible, all deadlift variations should be done barefoot- this will obviously be contingent on how strict your gym is. Likewise, all box squat variations can be done barefoot as well.

On an aside, I went sprinting yesterday at the Harvard football stadium (turf), and to test my bad-assery, I did my build-up sprints barefoot. While my feet were fairly sore by the end of day (which could have very well been a direct result from walking around the city all day), I will say that it felt really good. To be continued……….

5. Go see (500) Days of Summer. Hands down, the best movie I’ve seen so far this year. What can I say? I like to lift heavy things and have an affinity for movies that explore the intricate dynamics of relationships. Read: I like to heavy things and won’t be making out with anything other than my left arm for the foreseeable future.

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Academic Quarantine

It’s 6:35 in the morning as I type this, and I’m just finishing up the omelet I made for breakfast. In about 25 minutes, I’ll be wondering what in the the hell am I doing up this early heading out the door to Agganis Arena at Boston University to spend the day with 20+ other fitness professionals as we listen to Mike Boyle speak during his Functional Strength Coach Vol 3 lecture. Essentially I’ll be spending the next eight hours of my life soaking up every word that Mike has to say- academic quarantine if you will.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Mike, he’s kind of a big deal. From a personal perspective, he’s been a great mentor to me, and has undoubtedly had a significant influence on how I train athletes. Similarly, he also trained Jennifer Garner back in the day, which essentially makes him my hero.

In all seriousness, I honestly can’t even tell you how many times I’ve listened to him speak and/or lecture. All I know is that I never get sick of it, and I always come away a better coach/person. That said, you can definitely look forward to watching the lecture soon on dvd. In the meantime, you can check out Vol 1 and Vol 2 .

Also, Eric and myself will be taking part in the Jimmy Fund Fantasy Day at Fenway Park all day tomorrow (Saturday the 18th). It’s a great cause and there’s going to be a ton of great activities going on. We’ll have a table set up assessing shoulders and talking shop with whoever wants to stop by, and if you’re bored and want to bring me a bag of beef jerky, I wouldn’t be opposed to it. Jusy sayin……

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Muggles Getting Jacked

Anyone who’s read mine or Eric’s articles will know how much we preach the importance of training environment as it relates to success in the gym. Simply put, it’s kinda hard to get fired up for max effort bench when you’re surrounded by housewives waving around their pink dumbbells and Celine Dion is blaring over the radio. Too, I think it’s pretty much scientific fact that your testosterone levels drop 47.49875% every time you witness someone curling in the squat rack.

That said, we like to think that CP has become a place where like minded individuals can come together, lift heavy things off the ground, listen to a lot of “my mother never loved me” music, and make fun of Kevin Larrabee every time he gets stapled while attempting a 300 lb bench press. Likewise, we also recognize (and embrace) the overwhelming sense of camaraderie that develops amongst our athletes and clients. This has never been more apparent that this week, with the new Harry Potter movie coming out.

That’s Stanford University right-handed pitcher, Will Krasne performing a set of trap bar deadlifts with the Sorting Hat on. If you listen really close, you’ll hear him shout GRYFINNDOR on his last rep. Personally, I think Will’s more of a Hufflepuff- but I digress.

Not to be out done, here’s CP’s longest tenured client (and fellow Harry Potter fanatic) Steph H-B, performing overhead squats with her Nimbus 2000 broomstick.

As you can see, we take ourselves pretty seriously at CP. Just wait till The Hobbit comes out. I’m totally going to bust out my Gollum outfit. One ring to rule them all…….

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Q and A: My Ankle Has An Ouchie, Can I Still Train?

Q: Long-time listener, first-time caller. You probably get a ton of emails, and I don’t want to take up too much of your time, so I’ll keep this short.

A few weeks ago, I suffered what the doctor called a moderate/severe high-ankle sprain playing basketball. He put me on crutches for weeks, and I’m in a walking boot/brace for at least another few weeks.

I read your article on training while injured, but it doesn’t seem to cover my case- a pretty severe injury that greatly limits my training options. I can’t do anything standing up (like squats and deads) and anything one-legged I can only do one side. Can you suggest a decent routine I can use until I can get back into my usual program? I don’t want to spend the next month doing just upper body if there’s something better for me to be doing.

(I’m 30, an intermediate lifter, with no other injuries).

I interrupt the scheduled knowledge bomb that’s going to follow to post a picture of Olivia Wilde:

Fun fact about Olivia Wilde- she eloped with her husband, who is an Italian prince, when she was 18. Pfffffft, whatever. That doesn’t impress me. Fun fact about Tony Gentilcore- eating at The Olive Garden is considered fine dining. Which is it ladies- being showered with extravagant jewelery and taken to exotic places all around the world, OR, all you can eat bread sticks? I think the choice is clear. SALAD BOWL!!!!!!!! Who says romance is dead?

A: Thanks for contacting me. I can definitely relate and know how frustrating it can be to not be able to train they way you’d like. The fact of the matter is, anyone who’s been training for any length of time will get hurt at some point. The question is: will you be the type of person who throws up the proverbial “white flag,” and spends the duration of your injury sitting at home watching The Price is Right and eating everything in sight? Or, are you the type of person who’s going to put away the Vagisil, and find a way to make lemonade out of lemons? Unfortunately, most people would fall into the former category- and I applaud you for not being so lame.

A few thoughts:

1. Stop wearing high top shoes and/or Nice Shox and/or whatever it is that you’re wearing on a daily basis that’s limiting your gross ankle mobility. Providing “false” stability to a joint that normally wants to be mobile, is a recipe for disaster. In this case, said disaster is a high ankle sprain. Coincidentally, high ankle sprains were pretty much non-existent 20-25 years ago. Today, it seems you can’t go one week without hearing some story on SportsCenter about an NBA or college player going down with a high ankle sprain.

Conversely, look at soccer players. Very rarely do you see high ankle sprains in that athletic population despite the fact they don’t tape their ankles or wear “supportive” shoes. If you can, try to get some Nike Frees to wear for general purposes, and train barefoot as often as possible. Seriously, every time someone wears Nike Shox, God kills a baby seal. True story.

2. We’ve had quite a few athletes come to us with a similar situation such as yourself, and while you’re likely just going to have to accept the fact that you’re injured, and your training options are limited for the next few weeks- it’s certainly not the end of the world. Too, it’s a safe bet that you’ll still be able to elicit a training effect.

Lower Body Stuff

Obviously you won’t be able to squat with a boot on your ankle. Ironically, we had an athlete come to us a few weeks ago wearing an ankle boot who’s therapist told him he could squat. Lets think about this for a second: he’s wearing a boot that will undoubtedly limit his dorsiflexion in that joint. Given the fact that the ankle needs approximately 15-20 degrees of dorsiflexion to squat- that doesn’t make a lot of sense. In fact, it’s downright stupid. I guess they don’t teach that there book learnin in some therapy schools.

That said, I think you “may” be able to perform rack pulls for the time being. Granted you do have to stand, but there won’t be a lot of dorsiflexion involved, and it will be a great way to still train your posterior chain during this time. Of course this is going to be contingent on your comfort level. Other options: pull throughs, reverse hypers (body-weight only), 45 degree back extension, etc.

As well- you noted that you have one good leg. Train it! There’s actually quite a bit of research showing that training the healthy limb will carry over to the injured limb- helping to improve recovery. As such, exercises such as one-legged squats and/or band assisted pistol squats would bode in your favor.

Upper Body Stuff:

Have at it. Pulverize the pecs, blast the biceps, whatever. You name it, go for it. If your chin-ups suck, take this time to really hammer away at those. You stink at push-ups? All the more reason to include more push-ups into your routine. Heck, take this time to get your bench numbers up. Again, make lemonade out of lemons. Moreover, I’ve never come across an athlete/client who didn’t need to work on their core stability/strength. The point is, you still have a lot of options and you can undoubtedly maintain a training effect during this time.

Good luck and keep me posted!

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Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday

I’m not going to lie, we’ve had a miserable summer up here in New England. I think there were three days in all of June where it wasn’t cloudy and/or didn’t rain. Similarly, July hasn’t been that much better- although this past weekend we had two straight days of sun. Woo hoo! Needless to say, it’s a beautiful day outside, I’m as white as a ghost, and I’m sitting here in front of my laptop writing a blog post. Read: this one will be quick.

1. Julianne Hough, of Dancing With the Stars fame (no I don’t watch it- okay maybe once) is apparently releasing a workout video where she does and entire workout in high heeled shoes. GWLLLLWPEHGHFSSFDSGOAHSAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Sorry, that was just me swallowing my tongue.

Seriously, watch the video and tell me you don’t want to cringe. $20 says she’ll have the back of a 50 year old by the time she’s 30.

2. I’m starting to become a big fan of including more supplemental (body-weight) lifts in during the week. Specifically, these lifts are added in to help promote blood flow as well as force people to work on movement patterns that they typically ignore. On an aside, they’re also a superb for improving one’s conditioning levels, as displayed by my shirt the other day.

3. Whenever I go into a commercial gym, it’s really hard for me to turn the coach in me off. I’m constantly observing people and what they’re doing. And, as you might expect, I’m constantly resisting the urge to walk up to people and offer tips and/or pointers. I mean, I spend eight to ten hours a day coaching people at CP- I’m programmed to coach. That said, I’ve somehow learned to filter out the stupid when I train at commercial gyms, and just mind my own business. Besides, no one wants to be bothered while they’re training (I know I don’t)-especially by some complete stranger with Wu-Tang blaring out of his iPod.

Be that as it may, yesterday I saw some dude squatting with a decent amount of weight on the bar (to depth no less!). Moreover, a few minutes later I saw the same guy doing Pallof Presses– and I just about shit myself. I literally wanted to go over to him and give him a high five for being awesome. We made eye contact (no homo), and ended up chatting for a bit. Come to find out he’s interning over at Mike Boyle’s place for the summer, and has been planning on coming out to CP one of these weekends to observe. Small world.

4. I wanted to give a quick shout out to CP client Chris Perry who while over in France, sent us a picture of himself wearing his CP shirt next to Jim Morrison’s grave site. This just goes to show that CP is taking over the world. More importantly, I can now check that one off the Places People Need to Take a Picture of Themselves Wearing a CP Shirt list. Still have a few more to go though- namely:

  • The Space Station
  • Next to Biggie’s gravesite
  • Inside a live volcano (how badass would that be?)
  • Cybertron
  • Castle Greyskull
  • Kate Beckinsale’s front yard. Or poolside, doesn’t matter.

Get it done people!

5. The new Harry Potter movie opens in three days. Just sayin…..

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Exercises You Should Be Doing: Barbell Roll-Out w/Push-Up

During my down times at CP, I can be found doing one of several things:

1. Writing programs

2. Eating and/or thinking about dead furry animals

3. Walking around the facility re-enacting the “I will find you, and I will kill you” monologue from Taken.

4. Seeing how long I can go playing techno over the stereo before Eric (or worse, Michelle) give me the look of death. And just for the record, I’m slowly converting more and more people to the awesomeness of Tiesto, Louie DeVito, David Waxman, etc.

Don’t act like you weren’t just bobbing your head when the beat kicked in. Bleep bloop bleep bleep bloop blipp. That’s called music people. JAZZ HANDS!!!!!!!

5. Conjuring up new exercises to try with my clients, which they’ll inevitably hate me for. My latest, and admittedly not that exciting creation- the Barbell Roll-Out w/Push-Up.

Lately I’ve been a big fan of combining exercises- albeit, I still like to keep things simple. Which is to say, I don’t find much value in trying to make things more complicated than they have to be. Sure you want to challenge your athletes/clients with new (and fun) exercises that will elicit a training effect; however you also need to have a “trainer filter” and recognize that most trainees don’t need fancy set-ups and gadgets. I mean, lets be honest- how many times have you walked into a commercial gym and witnessed someone squatting, and thought to yourself, “wow, that’s a really good lookin squat?” For most, I’m willing to bet it’s less than five.

Suffice it to say, I think if more trainees spent time nailing down the basics (squats, deadlifts, chin-ups, push-ups, etc), rather than making asses out of themselves trying to perform a push-press on a BOSU ball, they’d be surprised at the results.

End Rant

That said, back to the point of this post. As I stated earlier, I do like combining exercises- particularly with my fat loss clients.

What Is It: Barbell Roll-Outs w/Push-Up

Who Did I Steal It From: I have no idea, I’m sure someone thought of this one before me. But who cares- hot girls squatting are hot. I’m re-posting that picture again because I can:

What Does It Do: I love roll-out variations for two reasons, 1. trains core stability in an anterior/posterior fashion, and 2. resists trunk extension, as Mike Robertson noted in a recent newsletter. Additionally, by including the push-up, you’re also getting a great closed-chain movement for scapular health, as well as proprioceptive feedback in the shoulder joint due to the slight instability involved.

Key Coaching Cues: Because roll-outs force you to engage the “core” musculature in an anterior/posterior fashion, you know you’re doing it wrong if the hips tend to sag down as you descent towards the floor. Similarly, the hips shouldn’t “hike” up in the air either. You want to try to maintain as much of a neutral spine as possible throughout the duration of the movement. Keeping the abs tight (brace) and firing the glutes will help in this regard.

Additionally, during the push-up portion, you want to keep the elbows tucked in, and “pull” yourself down to the bar, touching your chest with each repetition. I like to do this for 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps, but you could also do this for time if you’re really mean.

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Dan John Quoteable Quotes.

I’m a day late, I know. Truth be told, I’m writing this Monday night because I’m essentially still recovering from the insulin coma I put myself into over the weekend. Nonetheless, it was great to get away this past weekend- eat dirty (as my friend Pete would say), spend a little time on the water, as well as catch up on some reading.

Speaking of which, as some of you may know, I’ve been reading Dan John’s book Never Let Go.

I finally finished it this past weekend, and all I have to say is that it’s hands down one of the best books I’ve read in a while. I’ve always felt that one of the true indicators of a great book is how re-readable (is that even a word?) it is- and I can honestly say that I’ll be referring back to this book time and time again. I mean, how can you not absorb every word someone with over 30 years of coaching experience has to say?

All the same, below I’ve collected just a handful of quotable quotes from Dan John himself with a few brief comments of my own below. Enjoy.

1. Back in the 1970s, I ate a high-protein diet to get bigger and stronger. As a senior at Utah State, I weighed 218 pounds with eight percent body fat, and threw the discus over 190 feet.

Then I got some advice from the people at the Olympic Training Center. I needed carbs, they advised, and lots of them. They pointed to studies done on the American distance runners. Being an idiot, I took the advice to eat like emaciated, over-trained sub-performers. It took years of high carbohydrate grazing to learn the evils of this advice.

TG Comment: Carbs aren’t evil and they do serve a purpose- however you’re kidding yourself if you think you’ll achieve any appreciable fat loss with a diet consisting of 60% carbs. Dieticians are funny.

2. Two great principles of strength and conditioning:

  • Everything works
  • Everything works, but only for so long

TG Comment: However if you can’t bench press your bodyweight for one rep, you have no business using chains or bands.

3. In quoting an interview by Dr. Arthur De Vany regarding his insights on early human activity:

“My cardio is the fast-pace of my workout. And it’s sprinting in a field or on a stationary bike. I never put in miles or time on a treadmill. It’s boring and worthless.

Look at joggers and distance runners. They aren’t slender; they simply have no muscle mass. They’re weak, they can’t generate power, and in spite of their slender appearance, joggers aren’t lean. The average body fat content of jogging club members was twenty-two percent in one study. Anything above thirteen percent is deleterious.

I wouldn’t jog for health, but playful runs are wonderful. Vary the speed and terrain and you have a really great activity that’s fun and healthful. Routinized jogging is factory work, not natural activity. If you log long miles on a track, I believe you’re compromising your health.”

TG Comment: Again, you need to get fit to run, not run to get fit. If more people followed this simple piece of advice, I’d be less inclined to want to stab myself in the face with a machete.

4. Years ago at a clinic, a young man told me, “Squats hurt my knees.” I asked him to demonstrate for me, and after he did said bluntly, “Squats don’t hurt your knees; what you are doing hurts your knees.”

TG comment: I think it’s great that more people are squatting. Unfortunately, what many trainees “think” is a squat, is anything but. And no, squatting in the Smith Machine isn’t any safer- it’s worse in fact. Stop. Relearn. You’re not that big of a deal where you can’t ask for some coaching.

5. Attack fat from any other goal. I fought this for years, but I have come to this simple conclusion: If you are doing this and this and that and this…you can’t also have the energy to lose fat. I recommend two- week to four- week periods of commitment. Doing something as simple as the Atkins two-week induction, literally a feast of fish, meat, eggs, and cheese for two weeks, will allow you to focus on the single goal of losing fat. One or two concentrated two-week fat attacks a year seems to do better than the fifty-two-week-a-year diet failures most people endure.

TG Comment: Many trainees have training ADD. One week they want to focus on strength. The next, fat loss. Pick one and go with it. 100%. Fat loss demands total focus. As Dan reiterates repeatedly: fat loss is war. There are no little steps. Yes it’s hard. You’re going to feel like poop at times. Deal with it.

6. Much of a beginner’s training is with weights not beyond much more than bodyweight. Yet I will get emails from delightful young people with intense periodization schemes and dozens of curl variations. Here is a little workout I recommended recently for a man my age (just past old) who hadn’t lifted in three decades.

Goblet Squats

Half-Turkish Get-Ups

Lawn Mowers (one arm rows)

Push-Ups

Suitcase Carries (walk with one DB for fifty yards, turn around and come back using the other hand)

When I explained the reps and sets, and I quote myself, “Do a couple of reps with the exercise and get a feel for it. Do it again, but make sure you are doing each rep right. Try to do a little more each time…either more sets or more reps. In two weeks, try to do this workout six or seven times.”

He emails me back to tell me, “This isn’t what they are doing in the magazines.”

Right. And the magazines don’t recommend taking off thirty years first.

TG Comment: People think they’re more advanced than what they are. More often than not, less is more. It often amazes me how I’ll get people coming in for evaluations asking whether they should be incorporating ME (Max Effort) deadlifts into their program, when they can’t even perform a simple body-weight lunge without tipping over! Make sure your program fits your experience level. On an aside, leg presses suck.

7. If it’s important, do it every day.

TG Comment: If your soft tissue quality sucks- foam roll. Every day. If you have the mobility of a pregnant mongoose- do your dynamic flexibility drills. Every day. If your squat technique sucks-squat. Yes, everyday (there’s no rule against it). If the hot Starbucks girl continues to ignore your phone calls- simply key her car. That will learn her!

8. Look at your goals. Look at your behavior. Does your behavior match your goals?

TG Comment: Sorry dude, but drinking a kegger every weekend isn’t going to help with that six pack you’ve been trying to get since freshman year. Likewise, as much as you’d like to think that grabbing a few M&M’s here and there from your secretary’s desk won’t mount to much- there’s a reason you’ve been trying to lose the same 20 lbs for five years.

9. The single best piece of diet advice I ever heard came from (don’t laugh) peak-performance consultant Anthony Robbins.

Robbins got his advice from one of his clients. It’s called the Alpo Diet. Invite a dozen friends over to your house. Tell them by the end of the month you’re going to lose ten pounds. Tell them if you don’t, you’ll eat the can of Alpo in front of them.

For the next week, every time you feel the urge to take a piece of chocolate from the cubicle next to you, reread the contents to the Alpo can. If someone offers you something smothered in goo, open the Alpo can and take a deep sniff.

TG Comment: I guarantee that ten pounds will come off. If not, I recommend Classic Chunky.

10. Occasionally, restart your training with the Zen notion of the beginner’s mind. Find a book or training article that has a two-week beginner’s program and follow it. Have a buddy watch your lifting technique, and allow comments. Hey, here’s one: During the pull-up, go from straight arms to chin over the bar. Really, try it that way. It’s called the right way.

TG Comment: Dan John is my hero

11. Someday you’re going to pay for the 10,000 crunches you were sure would build a six pack. Instead, those built a bad lower back. Ab work does absolutely nothing for you. Just ask any long-time strength coach.

TG Comment: I concur. I can think of 1001 more productive ways to spend your time in the gym than by doing freaking sit-ups/crunches. Hell, I’d rather you pick your nose than do crunches.

12. Here’s my ultra-secret training diet regime: Follow Mom’s rule first!

  • Eat breakfast everyday
  • Be sure to eat three meals a day
  • If you’re hungry an hour or so after a meal, you didn’t eat enough protein
  • Water should be your major beverage
  • There nothing more fiber can’t cure

TG Comment: When in doubt, eat protein. Likewise, just because something has protein in it, doesn’t mean it’s a significant source of protein. In other words, ladies, peanut butter (while a great source of healthy fats) isn’t protein.

13. There’s pain and there’s injury. Learn the difference

TG Comment: if something is “stingy,” that doesn’t mean you’re hurt. I’m talkin to you…………Colleen!!!

14. Here’s a great home workout that allows you to train and work on the usual issues I find ailing most people:

  • Right-leg Bulgarian Split Squats with DB in suitcase position, 10 reps
  • Left-leg Bulgarian Split Squats with DB in suitcase position, 10 reps
  • Goblet Squats, 10 reps
  • Deep Push-Ups, 10 reps
  • Doorway Chin-Ups, 10 reps
  • Ab Wheel, 10 reps

Try to do these six movements one after another straight through without resting much between movements. Repeat this sequence, after a minute or two of rest, three to five times.

This short workout, a supplement to your regular training, will help with cardio, help with muscular development, and help with general training. But most important, it’ll help you work by yourself on full movements and applying the lessons of coaching.

TG Comment: I actually did this exact workout two weeks ago with Georgia Southern athletic trainer Matt Biancuzzo who happened to be visiting CP for the week. Matt will be the first to tell you this program kicks your ass. Screw the elliptical trainer- do this instead.

15. Measure your progress in the weightroom one of three ways:

  • Your deadlift max increased
  • You did more real pull-ups
  • Your three-jump increased

Why the deadlift? Well, I have yet to see any aids-besides straps; don’t use them- that make deadlifts easier. In fact, I don’t even know a trick that really works besides just getting stronger. Your buddies can help you bounce a bench off your chest, help you through the sticking point, and assist the top part “just a little,” but I don’t know anything to aid a deadlift.

The pull-up also fits the bill. Be as strict as possible. Why? Because no one gives a damn about how many pull-ups you can do. There’s no professional league, no Olympic gold medal nor any celebrity endorsements. It’s a measurement. Don’t cheat and turn this into some kind of dance move; just use your arms and back.

TG Comment: I could literally keep going, but honestly…..just go buy the book.

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Happy 4th!

In light of the fact that no one is at work today reading this blog, I’m going to keep this one short, and just wish everyone a happy 4th! I’m actually hanging with my business partner and girlfriend (three cheers for the third wheel) this weekend, at her family’s lake house in New Hampshire.

Itinerary includes:

1. Eating copious amounts of dead animal flesh

2. Not training

It’s going to be glorious.

See you next week!