January Archives

Well, I’m still here in Texas still getting ready to head back to Boston and I figured that since I had a few minutes to spare, I’d sit down and hammer out a quick post sharing a few highlights of my trip:

1. The Good News – There was absolutely no reason for Lisa’s dad to pull out his gun. WHEW! Which is a shame, because I really wanted to showcase my Matrix style, bullet-dodging prowess.

Truth be told, I think I made a pretty good impression with Lisa’s family (only dropped one f-bomb!), and I can’t wait to come back and visit more of the state.

2. Texas is big. Nuff said. And, I think I saw more NRA signs and badges in five minutes than I’ve seen in the four+ years I’ve been in Massachusetts combined. What’s more, there’s no state income tax! Pssssst, Eric and Pete, we need to move CP to Texas…….(only slightly kidding).

3. Lisa and I drove to Metroflex Gym in Arlington, TX to get a quick lift in on Saturday morning.

For those who aren’t familiar, Metroflex is known as a hardcore gym that many professional bodybuilders train at, as well as a slew of powerlifters. Most notably, Ronnie Coleman train there. Yeah buddy!

We got directions off their website, and after a quick 20 minute drive, parked in the parking lot, got out of the car, and I immediately heard the “my mother never loved me” music blaring from inside. Right then and there, I knew this was going to be EPIC.

We walked in the front door and were immediately greeted by this ginormous dude who looked like he just got done arm wrestling a bull. I asked if we could get a day pass and he said, “sure, that’ll be $20. The only rules we got is to pick up your shit, and don’t bother any of the pro guys until they’re done training if you want an autograph.”

Easy peezy.

We walked around the corner and immediately noticed the various graffiti on the walls, as well as the numerous pictures (and quotes) from all the famous people who have trained there – in the bodybuilding and powerlifting ranks, anyways.

What was most amusing was that there was a guy literally walking around with a blow torch, welding things back together. Nothing says “hardcore” than some random dude blow torching two barbells together in the middle of the madness. At one point he was like five feet away from Lisa as she was doing one-legged hip thrusters with chains across her waist.

The guy who greeted us at the door was training what looked like an amateur bodybuilder getting ready for a show. I decided that as much as I wanted to jump in on the gun show, I would start with some speed pulls vs. bands. I ended up working up to 405 (5×2), which I felt was acceptable given than I was half the size as everyone else in there.

From there I moved on to some front squats, followed by glute ham raises, and then did some kettlebell swings with Lisa. By the end, both of us felt like we needed a tetanus shot, but it was exactly the type of environment that I’ve grown to appreciate, and that most people reading would benefit from immensely if they could experience it just ONCE! As I’ve stated numerous times before, nothing (and I mean NOTHING) beats a kick-ass training environment.

4. Not surprisingly, it was a total meat fest while down here. And, I’m going to go out on a limb and just say that Texas has THE best BBQ. Ever. No competition. Saturday night, we ordered food from this place called – appropriately enough – Feedstore BBQ; and to say that it was anything other than the best meal I ever had, would be an understatement.

5. I was able to snake a couple free, three-day passes online, so we decided to train at a local commercial gym the last few days we were down here. I don’t know if it has anything to do with what they drink in the water, but I never saw so many people training with partial ranges of motion in my life.

Seemingly, almost every person I saw in the free-weight area was going out of his or her way to NOT train with a full range of motion. Bench presses, overhead presses, curls, squats, you name it, I rarely saw a full ROM.

What’s up with that Texas??????

6. And, finally, you can’t visit Texas and not attend at least one rodeo. As luck would have it, Lisa’s dad and step-mother bought tickets to the Fort Worth Stock Show, and we spent most of the afternoon Sunday walking around looking at horses, cowboys, and this:

I want to eat it!

In addition, as noted above, we attended our first rodeo which was unlike anything I have ever seen. I thought carrying around a chainsaw was manly, but after watching these guys get on the back of a bull (or horse), and risk their lives, I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that nothing I do is as bad-ass as what they do on a nightly basis.

On that note, my girlfriend is giving me the cue that I need to pack so that we can make it to the airport. See you back in Boston!

I’m a little late in getting this post up because Mother Nature is currently beating the snot out of us up here in New England. I spent the better part of the morning digging mine and my girlfriend’s cars out from the snow, and then had to put off all my plans of catching up on work when the electricity went out in her building for the entire afternoon.

Anyhoo, here’s the dealski: I am up to my ears in emails and programs I need to catch up on. Thankfully, I have a pretty cool video to share with you instead of writing up some lengthy blog post.

Earlier this week, NESN (New England Sports Network) came to CP to film a segment on Red Sox third basemen, Kevin Youkilis’ off-season training.

As you can see, Kevin is kicking ass and taking names and should be ready to go for what should be a pretty exciting 2011 season!

On an aside, I’m traveling down to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area this weekend, and outside of eating copious amounts of dead animal flesh, I was hoping to get some good training sessions in as well. To that end, I was wondering if anyone reading could point me in the direction of a good gym down there? Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Big (and early) day at Cressey Performance today: NESN (New England Sports Network) is coming in this morning with their cameras to film a story on how we train all of our pro-baseball guys. Should be pretty exciting and it’s going to be great exposure for us.

As such, going to keep it brief today and just use this as a miscellaneous post.

1. Our resident chiropractor/manual therapist, Nate Tiplady, sent me this pretty cool website detailing which supplements are worth while, and which ones are more along the lines of snake oil, foo-foo, bullshit.

Check it out HERE.

2. One of my clients posted this picture on my Facebook page, and I think it speaks volumes at the state of our society when 5XL t-shirts are sold out before larges.

Or, smediums in my case.

3. To me, one sign of a great movie, among other things,* is whether or not you’re still thinking about it hours after the fact. Yesterday, my girlfriend and I went and saw Black Swan (i.e., also known as the movie where Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis make-out), and I have to say, it was pretty, pretty, preeeeeeeeety messed up.

Afterwards, we went to dinner and couldn’t help but talk about certain parts. I can see how this is the type of movie that people either hate or love; but in my case, I absolutely loved it. Portman was stunning, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she walks away with a Best Actress award this season. Likewise, the director, Darren Aronofsky, should get some recognition (finally) and get a few nominations as well.

4. Someone sent me THIS link to a NY Times article discussing how higher-end gyms such as Equinox are opening up bare-bones, low cost gyms that include no trainers, no classes, and apparently no regard what-so-ever on actually helping people get healthier.

I don’t know, I look at places like Planet Fitness which post signs reading “no deadlifts allowed,” and places like the one above, and can’t help but think how much of a disconnect there is in this industry.

5. And lastly, I just started reading a really cool book last week titled Physics of the Impossible.

In it, the author discusses whether or not things we see in the science fiction world (Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Fringe, etc) can actually be accomplished in today’s world. You know, things like teleportation, Death Stars, Light Sabers, psychokinesis, and whether or not Kevin Larrabee will ever bench 300 lbs.

It’s a really interesting read, and I highly suggest it for those who are uber geeks (like myself).

* Other Things: boobies, nunchucks, zombies, and of course, Matt Damon.

Interestingly, many trainees and coaches make the mistake that squat depth is solely about tissue length. In essence the thought process is such that one generally assumes the reason why someone can’t get to depth is because of poor tissue length and quality. While true much of the time, on occasion, it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Eric Cressey and I had a little “skull-session” on this not too long ago, and he happened to bring up a very valid point. Namely, if we know that tissue length requires an increase in the number of sarcomeres in a muscle; and we compound this with the fact that recent research has suggested that (typical) stretching basically does nothing more than increase our tolerance to it (Weppler and Magnusson 2010); and we know that the vast majority of people don’t stretch nearly enough in the first place, how is it that modalities such as PNF stretching work so well?

In other words, if it were only about tissue length, then why are modalities such as PNF techniques (which utilize active firing of a muscle against resistance for a short period of time, followed by a 5-10 second stretch) so affective?

Two words: Neural inhibition.

As renowned physical therapist, Gray Cook, has noted on numerous occasions, we need to start thinking more along the lines of movement patterns, and less on individual muscles. For instance, will spending 30 minutes of a training session doing nothing but activating the glute medius improve one’s squat; or will improving the squat pattern help turn on the glute medius?

More to the point, what’s often seen as a weak this or tight that, can often be the result of a faulty motor pattern that the body has lost the ability to perform.

Using a common example, the toe touch progression is a simple (albeit highly effective) exercise to improve body awareness (or sensory awareness) for deep squatting. While often overlooked, it simply teaches relaxation of the tension in the lower back and how to shift weight from the heels to the toes (and vice versa) in a smooth and consistent manner.

You can also think of it as teaching your body that it’s okay to enter into deep ranges of motion while simultaneously convincing it to “release the brakes.”

Lets be honest, if you have a major disconnect at something as simple as touching your toes, squatting, even if it looks good to the naked eye, might not be the best idea.

Ask anyone who can’t touch their toes what the main culprit is, and 9 out of 10 will say they have tight hamstrings. What’s surprising is that most do not have tight hammies! Instead, what’s happening is that they’re demonstrating a faulty movement pattern by firing a muscle that should be lengthening in an attempt to not fall backwards.

Note:we could also talk about “neural tightness” here, but my head already hurts from using too many big words.

Popularized by Gray Cook, the toe touch progression essentially fools the body into allowing some length at the hamstrings. I’ve seen it happen almost on a weekly basis: Joe Schmo walks into the facility and explains how he hasn’t been able to touch his toes since stone washed jeans got him laid back in 1986. While there’s bound to be a tissue quality issue, I can usually (not always) have him touching his toes in a matter of ten minutes. Here’s how:

Grab a 2×4 or anything similar and place it on the floor. With the first progression, you’ll place your toes on the board, and your heels on the ground, which throws the body into a posterior weight shift.

Place a ball, rolled-up towel, or foam roller between your legs and squeeze. This does two things: 1) it forces you into a short-foot posture (no longer pronating), and 2) it forces the adductors – which are hot-wired to the core – to fire, and provide more stability. Through a process called reciprocal inhibition, the lower back can now sit back and relax for a bit.

With your knees slightly bent, reach up into the air, bend over, and try to touch your toes. As you reach a sticking point, squeeze the ball/foam roller as hard as you can. With each rep, you should notice yourself inching closer and closer to your toes.

Rave music, glow sticks (and shirts**) are optional. Perform ten repetitions and proceed to the next variation, which is…..

The same exact sequence, except this time, you’ll place your toes on the floor and your heels will now be elevated. Using the same protocol as above, perform ten repetitions.

Jesus, that’s a good beat.

So, with a little diligence, you should see a marked improvement in the movement pattern within a few sessions, if not a few minutes. So, again, do you really have tight hamstrings? For a few, maybe. But more often than not, it comes down to a faulty movement pattern that just needs to be re-grooved.

** Naiiiiiiled it!

I had an interesting discussion with one of our new interns, Paul, the other day. As is stands, this is the first full week for our new interns, and to say that they were thrown into the gauntlet at the start of the week is an understatement. They went straight from orientation Monday morning, to coaching through our busiest day ever at Cressey Performance; where we broke the 100 session benchmark for the very first time. 117 to be exact.

We expect this time to be a transitional period for the first few weeks of their internship, and as such, we fully understand (and welcome) that there are going to be a lot of questions ranging anywhere from exercise technique, assessment protocol, programming strategies, to why is Tony coaching with his shirt off. Again.

Anyways, back to Paul. Yesterday, after watching one of our young(er) athletes perform a set of trap bar deadlifts, he walked up to me and asked:

Even if the set isn’t perfect, how strict do we want to be when coaching these kids?

Essentially what happened was that one of the kids performed his set, and while his lower back was fine, his upper back was rounding a bit. To his credit, Paul wasn’t sure whether or not we wanted to be that anal about things to point where we’re being borderline “nitpicky” about form.

Great question.

My answer was pretty standard. I want things to be perfect – especially when working with the younger, un-trained athletes. If you start letting things slide now, you’re setting a potentially dangerous precedent in the future when he or she starts throwing around heavier weight.

The more advanced a trainee is, the more you can let things go. There’s a pretty big difference between someone pulling 95 lbs off the floor and 500.

With the former, we’re still trying to engrain proper motor patterns and hammering technique. What’s more, beginners can still get a training effect with as little as 40% of their 1RM, so I’m not overly concerned with loading them too quickly. Again, technique is the name of the game here, and I want things to be flawless.

With the latter, however, we have a little more wiggle room to work with. That’s not to say that we aren’t still enforcing good technique (we are). Rather, it just brings to light the fact that when someone is advanced enough to be working with loads that are upwards of 90% + of their 1RM, they’ve more than likely built up enough kinesthetic awareness to keep their spine out of those last 2-3 degrees of end range motion.

I mean, are you going to tell Andy Bolton that those last few reps didn’t count because his upper back was little rounded? Good luck with that.

So, at the end of the day, with beginners – the idea is to help them master technique and set them up for success in the long-term. Be an a-hole if you have to. I’ve had kids get pissed at me more than once because I’ll tell them to take weight off the bar and do it right. It’s better for them to get mad at me than their parents.

With more advanced trainees, you can let things slide a bit more. If someone’s left knee caves in a little bit when squatting 450 lbs, it’s not going to be the end of the world. You still need to coach, but you definitely don’t have to be quite as militant.

You know, everyone thinks that Eric Cressey is like sooooo smart and serious all the time, and that he’s this world renowned strength coach that people look up to and all that jazz. That is, of course, until I’m filming a video for an online client (and this blog) and he comes flying out of no where like a bat out of hell and does something like this:

Jesus, Eric. I can’t take you anywhere!

For those curious, though, the above exercise is one that I got directly from Jim Smith and his Accelerated Muscular Development Manual. It’s a great progression for the supine bridge that includes a “reach” component which adds a little t-spine mobility into the mix.

Gonna have to keep this short today – I’m under a deadline. I was contacted by t-nation a few weeks ago asking me if I’d be interested in writing a monthly piece for them, and like an idiot, I wait until the last minute to do it. In any case, it should be a pretty sweet article when it’s done. In addition, the new interns start up at the facility today, and I have to head in early to help take them through their orientation. Guess who’s going to be cleaning my office??????