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Happy Five Year Anniversary, Cressey Performance

I know it’s cliche to say it: but time flies when you’re having fun.

Today marks the five year anniversary of Cressey Performance.  Five freakin years.  Unreal.

Five years ago today, after Eric, Pete, and myself decided to start this litte venture that’s now universally known as CP, Eric showed up to train a group of athletes with little more than a barbell, a makeshift sled, a few bumper plates, a paper clip, and a roll of masking tape in a “as yet to be built first facility.”

We literally started from scratch, renting 2000 square ft of corner space in a indoor batting cage facility that was owned by an athlete’s father. After discussing a few of the formalities and a firm handshake, he was gracious enough to allow us to set up shop

And when I say we started from scratch, I literally mean, from scratch.

There were no walls, no offices, no power racks, no glute ham raises, no flooring, no hot front desk girl to answer the phone, no nothing. In fact, this is a picture of what our “space” looked like before we started the building process:

If you look closely, that pile of “stuff” in the middle is the only equipment we had for our first few days of operation.  Yet, athletes showed up to train.

And train they did.

In the weeks that followed, we had walls put up, we had our equipment delivered, and we were well on our way.  Just the three of us.  Not really knowing what the future had in store.

Well, to make a long, adventurous story short, we’ve taken our original 2000 square ft facility in 2007 (Note to ANYONE looking to start their own fitness business:  start SMALL) and have seen incremental growth in the years since to a 6600 square ft facility, to our current 7600 square foot facility (the additional space was office space), to a 15,000+ square ft facility we’ll be moving into in about six weeks time.

It’s kind of surreal to think that our original facility could squeeze into the lobby of our new place.

Some other tidbits:

– In that same time span, we’ve gone from working with three professional baseball players in our first “off-season,” to expecting 100+ this coming off-season.

– And while baseball is by far our niche market, we’ve also worked with a multitude of athletes in soccer, football, hockey, softball, basketball, boxing, MMA, tennis, and even fencing, to name a few.

– Likewise, we’ve also had our fair share of “regular folk” who come in to train,  ranging from those hoping to enter the FBI and Fire Academy to those just wanting to look better naked.

– I’m still waiting for Alicia Keys, Kate Beckinsale, or He-Man to walk through our doors, though.

– What started out as three employees/founders (Myself, Eric, and Pete) has grown to where we now have six full time staff and have seen 65+ (and counting) interns pass through our doors, many of which have gone on to successful careers themselves.

– Hell, we’ve even added a Tank into the mix; our mascot, Tank Cressey (who you can see hard at work in the picture above).

– More importantly, we’ve created a place that, I feel, has unparalleled camaraderie amongst its staff and clientele.

It’s not uncommon for some athletes and clients to hang out for hours on end.  I mean, where else are you going to find a bonafide Major League baseball player having an intellectual conversation with high schoolers on how to find the secret codes in Call of Duty?

Moreover, the staff will constantly hang out after work to do nothing but eat dead animal flesh or bust each other’s chops – like the fact that coach/massage therapist, Chris Howard, is making plans to go see the new Katy Perry movie this weekend.

True story.

In all, I just feel really blessed and lucky that I’m able to call CP “home,” and that we have so many people who believe in us and support us. To that I say:

THANK YOU

Words can’t express our gratitude, and here’s hoping that we can continue to piss excellence for the next five years, too.

We’re all growns up!

PS:  For those interested, Eric actually wrote a way more eloquent 5-year recap HERE, and I’d HIGHLY suggest you check it out.

PPS:  Coincidentally, CPs yearly anniversary runs in concert with mine and Lisa’s anniversary.  Three amazing years and counting.  Love you babe.  One word (Xbox).

PPPS:  No, seriously, Chris Howard is going to see the Katy Perry movie.

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There’s a Time and Place For Everything. Kettlebells Included.

I like to consider myself as an even keeled person who tries to see the comedy in life and not to take things too seriously.

I’m originally from Middle of Nowhere, NY where I grew up in a small town with no traffic lights and no fast food restaurants.  Just to be clear though, yes, we had running water. And the internet for that matter. But barely.  My parents had been using a dial-up connection up until last year, which is considered child abuse in some states.

Love you mom!!!!!

Anyways, life moves a bit differently where I’m from.  Where I’m from people don’t slam on their car horn and go bat shit crazy if you don’t move within one-hundredths of a nanosecond of a red light turning green. Here in the city?  Different story.  Everyone is the most important person in the world, and is apparently in some dire emergency to get somewhere.

Likewise, there aren’t many things that really bother me.  Okay sure, some people can go out of their way to be “kinda douchy” and do something really irritating like talking, going to Maroon 5 concerts, or taking up two parking spots and blocking me in.

Hey dude: this isn’t Dukes of Hazzard, and I don’t drive the General Lee, so I shouldn’t have to do a window stunt just to get into my own car. Capiche?

But those are usually few and far between.

The internet, though:  now THAT’S a whole new ball game, and a place where my pet peeves seem to increase exponentially.

Given the safe domain – not to mention the anonymity – that the internet provides, it’s not surprising how it often brings out the “inner expert” in people.

And why not?  One of the advantages of the internet is the profound profoundness of it all.  Never has information been so easily accessible. And never has there been a time where people can learn everything on anything with just a simple click of a button.

Which is also it’s drawback.

Just yesterday I read an article over on Livestrong.com by a buddy of mine who described a brief, albeit effective, metabolic type workout that could easily be followed by the masses and maybe provide a nice change of pace to someone looking to shed a little fat.

As is the case with any “universal” article geared towards the general public, it had to be watered down to the lowest common denominator so that the information could be easily followed. It was a slideshow piece which provided still-frame pictures (and descriptions) of each exercise.

For those interested, go HERE.

Apparently PJ (the author) made the mistake of using dumbbells in his pictures – which makes sense given that the majority of people out there don’t have access to kettlebells.

I thought it was great and provided a solid routine for a lot of people reading.

But wouldn’t you know it, the first comment – as well as a few others that followed – were from the kettlebell nazis, trying to convey to the world that kettlebells are the only form of exercise everyone should be doing.  EVER.

The very first comment:

The swing is a great exercise………when performed CORRECTLY…….WITH A KETTLEBELL! Do not use a dumbell as it is a different and less effective move and more likely to recruit the low back for power production.

The same person, then finished with these great words of wisdom:

nice technique………..NOT!

For starters:  it’s a freakin STILL FRAME picture.  Lets get off our high horse for a second.  How can you judge one’s overall technique by one still frame shot?

Here’s a picture of Jim Wendler squatting:

Using the same logic, we could argue that his squat technique sucks because he’s not hitting at least parallel.  We all know this is bullshit, because this is a STILL FRAME shot of him either descending or coming out of the hole during a max effort attempt.

Going back to the article, I have full confidence that a dude who trains HUNDREDS of people a month, has been published in several reputable magazines, and not to mention has a pretty smart editor at Livetrong who’s job it is to make sure that high quality content makes it to the site – knows how to perform a proper swing.

Relax.  Deep Breaths.  The World Won’t End.

Secondly, while I won’t argue that using a kettlebell over a dumbbell “feels” better when performing a swing, as I noted above, not everyone has access to kettlebells in their gym.  Using a dumbbell is fine.

No, really.  It is.

And since when does a dumbbell recruit more of the lower back?  I have a hard time figuring this one out.  If one is performing a proper swing pattern, snapping their hips, “attacking their groin,” and keeping the weight close to the body, I don’t see how if someone uses a dumbbell that it’s somehow is more detrimental to the back.

Further down the comments section, there are several other readers who state that the same workout is, like, waaaaaaay more effective if done with kettlebells.

Kettlebell squats are better than dumbbell squats.  Kettlebell rows are better than barbell rows. Kettlebell swings cure cancer. Kettlebells make the best salt and pepper shakers!!

Okay, I get it already:  you like kettlebells.

And that’s cool.  I do, too.  I consider coaches like Pavel, Dan John, Mike Mahler, and Gray Cook (all of whom are “kettlebell guys) mentors. Moreover, I have a high respect for people like Neghar Fonooni, Jen Sinkler, Steve Cotter, and Batman (I think) – all of whom utilize kettlebells to a high degree as well.

I use them myself – heck, I’m even contemplating going for my HKC.  I use them with all of my athletes and clients.  But as with anything else, and I think all the peeps I mentioned above would agree – whether we’re talking about  kettlebells, TRX, yoga, deadlifts, or anything else you want to throw into the mix – they’re a tool in the toolbox, and need to be used at the right time, with the right person, for the right job.

People are entitled to their opinion, of course. Everyone shouldn’t have to sing Kumbaya and hold hands on everything, and I think it’s great when people from different view points can have a civil discussion – even if all they do is agree to disagree.

But I just get flabbergasted (yep, that’s right: flabbergasted) when people go on and on and on and on and on*about how kettlebells are the shiznit (and they can be) and have to be used for E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. That’s not necessarily the case.

End rant, exit stage left.

Anyone agree?  Disagree?  Am I off base?

 

* = and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on.  You get the idea.

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Kneeling Overhead Press to Standing

Quick Update:  1. I want to first thank everyone who chimed in on yesterday’s post (as well as sent me personal emails) offering their advice this whole car buying process I’m going through. I’m not one for confrontation, so the whole idea of walking into a car dealership to negotiate a price makes me a bit skittish.

It’s funny:  ask me to deadlift 500+ lbs, I won’t bat an eye. I’ll crush, and then some.  Ask me to sit down with a salesmen and negotiate paint trim, I’ll start hyperventilating into a brown paper bag.

Anyways, to make this short – because I know people don’t visit this site to listen to me talk about buying a car – after several people suggested I do so, I logged onto FightingChance.com and decided to ask for their help during this process.  Outside of actually handing me a Lightsaber, these guys are going to arm me with all tools I’ll need to get the right price for the car I’m looking for.  Thanks again everyone!

2. As many of you know, I’ve been banged up as of late dealing with some lower back issues, and it’s only been within the past few weeks that I’ve been able to train with any ounce of intensity.  My Canadien half-brother, Dean Somerset, has been helping me out with some programming the past few weeks, and I couldn’t be happier with my progress.

A few weeks ago sucking my thumb would make me wince.  Yesterday I was able able to work up to a 315 lb deadlift with an additional 150 lbs of chain weight for sets of five.

Holla!

While I still have a ways to go, I just want to send a huge debt of gratitude towards Dean and to note to everyone reading that, more often than not, it’s about what you NEED to do and not necessarily what you WANT to do that’s going to get you better.

Which is as good of a time as any to discuss today’s exercise you should be doing:

Kneeling Overhead Press to Standing

Who Did I Steal It From:  Dean.

What Does It Do:  the question should really be:  what DOESN’T it work?

For me this exercise is challenging because I don’t have great active t-spine extension, which wreaks havoc down the kinetic chain – especially as it relates to hip extension and not compensating with HYPERextension.

In this case I’m able to work on my t-spine extension (going overhead) while trying my best to control my lumbo-pelvic-hip area so as to not compensate with any shimmying, shaking, or lateral shifting from side to side.

Digging a little deeper, we can see a other benefits as well:

1. There’s a definite anti-extension/anti-lateral flexion component for the core.

2. Obviously we’re working some overhead pressing into the mix (while I keep me arms extended throughout, you could just as easily “tweak” the exercise to press in the kneeling position on every repetition).

3. Assuming one is “packing” their shoulders appropriately (not shrugging), this is a fantastic exercise to work scapular stability.

4. In addition, there’s a significant hip stability (and mobility for that matter) component compounded with a fairly challenging single leg strengthening component as well.

Key Coaching Cues:  I’m telling you right now this exercise is humbling, so don’t go playing a hero and think you’re going to be crushing this exercise with 50 lb DBs over your head.  If you do, you suck, and really hate you.

Start conservative – say, 10-20 lb DBs – and be sure to “set” your scapulae so that you’re not actively pressing the weight throughout the entire movement.  Too, it’s IMPERATIVE that you DO NOT compensate with any lateral shifting or hyperextending of the hips/pelvis in any way.  Tighten your core – or brace (whatever term works for you) – and try to stay as stiff as possible throughout the duration of the set.

In particular, on the descent, try not to allow your butt to stick out as you go back into the kneeling position.  This is going to be a real challenge for many reading – so again, start conservative with the weight!

I’ve been implementing this exercise into a lot of my own client’s programs, and I prefer to  perform these for sets of 3-5 reps/per side, with a 30s-60s rest in between left and right sides, possibly even pairing this with another exercise in such a way:

– 5 reps on the RIGHT leg.

– 8-10 push-ups (grip is going to be a factor here, so if you’re going to pair this exercise with something, you’re best to use an exercise that won’t require a lot of grip).

– 5 reps on the LEFT leg.

And there you go.  Try it out today, and let me know what you think!

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Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Car Shopping, Common DL Mistake, Secret Project, Etc.

1. Okay, the time has come. I need a new car. I’ve held off for as long as I could, but my car is on its last legs (er, wheels???). I’ve had it – Hyundai Elantra GT – for ten years and coming up on 186,000 miles, so I don’t have too much room to complain.  That said, I’ve had to put a fair amount of money into it to fix a broken radiator here, a timing belt there, and most recently to fix a faulty firing pattern with one of the gas lines.  As much as I LOVE not having a car payment, I really can’t say that when I’m taking it into the mechanic’s shop every few months to get something addressed.

It’s gotten to the point where the running joke at the facility is that the mechanic has me on his speed dial.

Anyways, I’ve officially started my quest for a new car which I’ve appropriately titled “Car Shopping Sucks Donkey Balls.”

I just don’t like dealing with shady people. And car salesmen – even though I may be unjustly lumping them under the same roof – are the epitome of shadiness. I just don’t like their incessant word play, hustling theatrics, and Shooter McGavin-like hand gestures.

“Hey there big guy, looking to buy a new car??  Pew Pew Pew”

If anyone is going to Shooter McGavin anyone else, it’s me.  Except in my case, the second he tries to sell me a car at MSRP, I’ll just Shooter McGavin my first into his face.

LOL!!  See what I just did there?  I reversed the Shooter McGavin!!!

So yesterday Lisa and I went out and test drove a few cars:

– Hyundai Elantra GT (hatchback)

– Mazda 3 (hatchback)

– Batmobile (ejection seat and missles come standard!!!!)

It was a close race, but so far, the Elantra is winning.

I’m still going to experiment with a few more models, but I’d really love to hear any sage advice anyone has to offer in terms of how to go about negotiating price, discussing trade ins, not wanting to throw myself through a pane glass window, or really ANYTHING as it relates to buying a new car.  Please.  I’m all ears!

2.  I’ve been getting a lot of emails recently from people asking me to look at their deadlift technique, and one thing I’ve been noticing is that people spend waaaaaaaaaaaay too much time setting up.

What I mean is that some will bend over to the grab the bar and then proceed to spend upwards of 10-15 seconds kinda hovering, fidgeting, adjusting, and otherwise thinking too much.

We’re not baking cookies here, people!!!!!  Spending THAT much time setting up is really going to dissipate the stretch shortening cycle (elastic energy of the muscles) and as a result have detrimental affects on performance.

Using a great example, check out Eric here on a MAX EFFORT attempt:

  • First off, I don’t want to hear from anyone about Eric’s back position. It’s a MAX EFFORT attempt, and things aren’t always going to be butterfly kisses and rainbows when you’re hoisting 660 lbs off the ground.  Even still, if we were to take a closer look we’d note that he’s still easily staying out of end range of motion (in terms of flexion) in the lumbar spine, and it’s still a helluva lot better looking than what most people do with 225 lbs.
  • But lets not get too far off track here. After the Trademarked EC arm swing, note how long he takes from when he initially grabs the bar to his initial pull: It’s like two seconds.  Max.

He’s not checking his foot placement, fiddling around with bar placement, running a mental checklist on his back position, or doing long division.  All that is done BEFORE he bends down to lift the bar.

It’s literally grab the bar and go.

Granted, those just learning the lift need to be a little more diligent on mastering the basics – I’d NEVER advocate that they “speed things up, ” but for everyone else, this is just some food for thought.

Seriously. Grip it and rip it!

3.  A few months ago I wrote an article over on Greatist.com titled The Reasons You’re Not Getting Stronger.

It turned out to be a fairly popular piece, and since then I’ve had a running relationship with them as well as several of their staff.

I’m not going to go into too many of details just yet – we’re still in 007 territory and can’t reveal too much – but Dan Trink and I are are going to be teaming up with Greatist.com on a pretty cool project that should 1) win us the Nobel Prize for Being Awesome, and 2) help A LOT of people take their health and fitness to a whole new level.

Stay tuned……….

4.  I live in a really cool city – Boston. Outside of the obvious – unparalleled history, great food, lots of entertainment, and the RedSox – Boston is also home to a plethora of outstanding fitness professionals.

In the years since I’ve been here and have seen my own career kinda take off, I’ve also had the opportunity to meet a lot of passionate and awesome people who are making a name for themselves in their own right.

One such person is Sirena Bernal.

Sirena and I are actually “neighbors” in a sense – we both live in the same neighborhood, and often joke about giving one another a high five at the local Trader Joe’s – and I  actually met her in person for the first time when she came to hear me speak to a group of personal trainers at a local Boston Sports Club this past spring.

Since then, she and I have kept in touch here and there, and she’s basically blowing up right before our eyes and becoming a superstar.

I read my fair share of blog post, and this one by Sirena:  My Healing Journey Part I and Part II, is easily one of the best I’ve read in a while.

Do yourself a favor and read them both. They’re hands down two of those most real and “ballsy” posts I’ve ever read.

Awesome stuff Sirena!

On that note, I’m going to go get my deadlift on. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning because I’m going to work up to a “sorta heavy” single vs. chains today, which will be my first attempt at anything baller in like two months. Fingers crossed my back doesn’t explode!

 

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Deadlifts and Foot Placement

The deadlift is arguably one of the more technical strength movements to master, and it’s no wonder that it oftentimes takes trainees months, years (maybe even more) to really hone in on the technique side of things.

So many variables and factors come into play, and if we were to make an impromptu checklist it may look something like this:

  • Can you demonstrate proper spinal position, or what we like to call “neutral spine”. This also includes packing the neck and not destroying the back of your pants.
  • Do your hips come up too quickly on the initial pull?
  • What about on the descent:  do you tend to sit back and engage more of the hips and glutes, or do you use more of a squat pattern?
  • How about bracing and intra abdominal pressure: can you get and maintain ample (360 degree) expansion?
  • Do you have sufficient ankle, hip, and t-spine mobility to maintain proper position throughout?
  • Are you “finishing” with your hips/glutes at the top?
  • Do your socks match your shirt?  Oh, god….they don’t!  Shit, now everyone’s going to think you’re an idiot and are going to laugh at you!  Hahahahahahahaha.

No one is the same, obviously. What works for one person, may be a recipe for disaster for the next. But one common mistake I see many trainees making when setting up to deadlift – especially with regards to conventional or trap bar style – is placing their foot stance too wide.

Hopefully this video demonstration – done on ONE TAKE, thank you very much – helps shed some light on the topic.

Enjoy.  Have an awesome weekend!

Note: My apologies for the picture quality.

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Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 7/5/12

Hope everyone (here in the States) enjoyed the 4th! Mine was pretty uneventful all told, and was actually the first time in the six years I’ve lived here, that I actually spent it in Boston – in years past, I’ve always gone up to Maine to enjoy the fresh air and EC’s grandma’s carrot cake.

This year, though, Lisa and I elected to stay in the city and went and bought a new air conditioner instead – cause we’re romantic like that  – and then went to go see the movie Ted, which was freakin hilarious!!!!!

Go see it.  Now.

30 Years, 30 Health & Fitness Tips – Jon-Erik Kawamoto

Part I, Part II, and Part III

Jon-Erik and I have been stalking one another on the internet for the past year or so (the guy is literally EVERYWHERE now: Men’s Fitness, T-Nation, Oxygen, lurking outside your kitchen window) and I finally had the pleasure of meeting him in person a few weeks ago at the PTDC seminar up in Toronto.

I’ve had my fair share of instantaneous man-crushes in my day – Matt Damon, The Rock, to name a few – and Jon-Erik ranks right up there.  He’s one of the most humble guys you’ll ever meet, and he’s just someone who’s passionate about this industry and just “gets it.”  He’s already blowing up, but I expect even bigger things for him in the near future.

Do yourself a favor and book mark his website. You won’t be sorry.

And, for those interested, I did a similar piece back when I turned 34 titled 34 Years, 34 Favorite Things.  It’s the exact same things as Jon-Erik’s post, except with four more years of asskickery (and hair loss) added in.

The Surprising Science of Motivation – Daniel Pink

This is an older TED talk that I came across recently, but the title says it all: despite what we’ve always been told, it’s surprisingly surprising what actually motivates us to succeed.

While many are quick to point to incentive based programs as the impetus that really motivates us to meet certain deadlines or attain high quotas, Dan Pink – author of the phenomenal book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – flips it around and states that such things do nothing but IMPEDE progress and dulls our minds and creativity.

Pretty fascinating stuff if you ask me:

Have I Convinced You to Strength Train Yet? – Monika Volkmar

One of – if not THE reason – why I like to do this weekly “stuff you should read” series is that it allows me the opportunity to relay quality content from other health and fitness professionals that otherwise wouldn’t get too much exposure.

Granted, I link to a lot of articles from other really smart people that are way more of a bigger deal than myself, but I also like to “pay it forward” and help bring some lesser known personalities to the forefront as well.

Monika’s a dancer and she trains a lot of dancers.  Unlike many dance coaches, however, she actually understands that strength training can be an important fail safe to not only improve their performance, but prevent their bodies from breaking down at a break neck pace.

While the post is geared towards dancers and may turn people off from reading it, I’d encourage you to read anyways for the message alone.

 

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Have an Awesome 4th!

Do me a favor:

1.  Eat copious amounts of dead, furry animals.

2. Dominate some potato or macaroni salad.

3.  And more importantly, please, for the love god, don’t blow your hand off with an M-80.

Note:  there’s a lot of poo-poo language in the video below, so you might want to grab your ear-muffs if you have them close by. NSFW!!!!

CategoriesMotivational Nutrition

A Discussion: Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss

Today I’m throwing everyone a bit of a curve ball, and doing something a little differently compared to what I normally do. To be as succinct as possible, I had an interesting email exchange with one of my female clients last weekend about the difference between weight loss and fat loss, and I thought I’d share the dialogue both she and I exchanged here as I felt it would make for some decent blog fodder.

I think this is a topic that leaves a lot of trainees flummoxed, and it’s something that unfortunately, despite our best efforts, is a message that gets lost in translation – especially within the mainstream media.

If nothing else, I thought my insight would serve two purposes:

1.  I think it’s a topic that a lot trainees (especially women) need to hear more often, and is something I feel pretty strongly about.

2.  Hopefully help turn the tides and help people realize that it’s not necessarily an “education thing” (we all know that pounding beer isn’t the answer), but rather a BEHAVIORAL issue that we need to address.

With that said, below is the email exchange between her and I, which has been edited slightly so that it would “flow” more easily in blog format.

On that note: Bagels suck!

Female Client:  Hey Tony, it’s been several weeks since I’ve seen you and I’m excited to get back to CP to train!  Having said that, while I still have some things I’d like to work on in terms of some aches and pains, and I definitely want to get my strength back,  I would like to work on weight loss, do you have any good suggestions for me in that area?

Me: Hey Kate Beckinsale (name has been changed to protect the identity of the actual client)!  Great to hear from you. With the weight loss issue, I think it’s important to understand that there’s a huge difference between weight loss and fat loss.

Far too often – at least in my experience, and this may or may not pertain to you – women get overly caught up on what the scale tells them. Weight loss can be completely subjective, and the truth of matter is the scale really doesn’t tell you anything.

If I told you to not eat for eight hours, you would weigh less.

If I told you to not drink water for a day, you would weigh less.

If I told you to cut off you right arm, you would weigh less.

In all three scenarios you weigh less, but does that really mean you made any significant progress?

Answer:  Um, no.

Sure, you weigh less……….but all you’ve really accomplished is to make yourself a smaller, weaker, armless, version of your original self.  There’s no shape, form, or contour to the body. What’s more:  now you have to do everything with your left arm.  And that just sucks!

How most women (and I’ll throw a lot of men under the bus here, too) approach weight loss is wrong.  Many would bode well by changing their mindset altogether and start thinking in terms of FAT loss.

More to the point:  to MAINTAIN as much muscle as possible (even better, build some muscle) and focus on fat loss.

One lb of muscle weighs the EXACT same as one lb of fat – well, DUH!! –  the difference, however, is that muscle is more dense than fat and takes up less space.

Stealing a little thunder from my good friend, Nia Shanks, here’s a great example of why it’s often a VERY good idea for women to not only toss their scale into the trash, but to not be skeered of adding a little muscle to their frame as well:

Muscle is more dense than fat, and that’s why a woman who’s been training hard and, despite losing body fat, hasn’t seen the number on the scale change much, if any, because she’s built muscle, too.

This is one reason why building muscle is a very good thing for women.

Here’s a picture to show that you can look better even if you gain weight. This is one of Jason Ferruggia’s clients.

As you can see, she gained 9 pounds but looks leaner, more “toned”, and more athletic because she lost body fat and built muscle. Good thing she didn’t let the number on the scale upset her!

I could write an entire book on what type of training one should follow in order to elicit similar results (Note to Self:  write a book), but I don’t really want to get into that here with you.

This might come across as beating a dead horse, but when it DOES come to fat loss, almost always, nutrition is going to be the biggest determining factor.

So, with that said, we need to come up with some “system” that starts to change your behaviors. I’m sure we can sit here and figure out a multitude of things that you need to change from a nutrition standpoint (eating more veggies, stressing protein with every meal, increasing healthy fats, food prep, etc), but that’s not going to help you.

Instead, and this is a concept I “stole” from another buddy of mine, Mark Young, who has a lot of experience in these sort of things,  we need to figure out a way to fix/change your behaviors one at a time. As an example, on a scale of 1-10 (one being “I’d rather swallow a live grenade and ten being “I could do that in my sleep”) how confident do you feel about omitting fast food or weekend brunches out of the mix?

If it’s not at least an eight or above, then we need to take a step back and figure out a better approach.  It’s only when we can figure out a way for you to be successful and to carry that over into a CONSISTENT behavior that things are going to really make a difference.

If you don’t feel overly confident about eating protein with every meal (using another example), then what about two meals?  Once you start making two meals a day a habit, then we can push the envelop to four meals per day, so on and so forth until it becomes standard procedure.

You go girl!

But remember:  YOU CANNOT OUT TRAIN A POOR DIET

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ In case you were wondering, I used capital letters so that you’d understand that this is kind of an important point

You. Can. Not. Out-Train. A. Poor. Diet.

It’s just not going to happen.  I can write you the most kick-ass fat loss plan in the history of the human race – training 4-5 times per week, throwing in any combination of circuits, finishers, or anything else we can think of that will make you hate life – but it’s not going to matter if we don’t tackle the nutritional side of things.

Using an analogy I’ve used in the past, if we KNOW that fat loss is (more or less) determined by calories in vs. calories out, which seems to be a more efficient use of our time:

A) Spending upwards of 45-60 minutes (maybe) burning off 350-500 calories (depending on the mode, intensity, duration) exercising ?

Note to Everyone Reading: trust me when I say this, despite the machine telling you otherwise, you DID NOT just burn 700 kcals walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes at a 5% grade.  Those machines are WOEFULLY off and not remotely accurate.

Seriously, think about it. Unless you’re walking with Volkswagon on your back, you’re not burning that many calories.

OR

B) Electing not to eat that bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios before bed?

Ding, ding, ding, ding.

If we were to take the simple equation that a lb of fat equals 350o of excess kcals (which I know can be argued, but bare with me, I’m trying to make a point), we can surmise that subtracting 500 kcals per day (whether through diet or exercise, or both!) leads to a lb of fat loss per week. Give or take.

Again, from a time efficiency standpoint, and with FAT LOSS as the goal, nutrition is going to trump exercise in terms of better use of our time no matter what.

Here’s the rub though:  as I noted above, it’s not an education thing.  You know that it’s not the best idea to crush Doritos (or whatever) or to forego preparing a home cooked meal in lieu of hitting up McDonald’s on your way home from work.

You know that eating a boatload of highly processed carbohydrates on a day where you’re less active probably isn’t the best idea.  You know ALL of this. So what’s holding you back?

It’s all about behavior change.

We need to have some sort of default “path” to help you succeed.  So,  instead of McDonald’s, maybe you hit up Chipolte Grill and order a meat salad with a heaping pile of guacamole on top?

While still not the best option, it’s a heckuva lot more conducive to your goals, and a step in the right direction.

The same can be said for trying to include more veggies, healthy fats etc.  We need to find a “spot” where you feel confident you can be successful. Going back to the scale suggested earlier: how confident are you that you can include five servings of vegetables per day?  Is it an 8 or above?

If not, then what about three servings? Two?

Hopefully this all makes some sense, and more importantly sheds some light on why I feel weight loss is not where your head should be at at the moment.

Still think cutting off that arm is a good idea?…..;o)

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 7/2/12

1.  I woke up this morning and turned on SportsCenter to see that Cubs first basemen, Bryan LaHair, had been voted onto the 2012 MLB All-Star team.  After picking up the chunks of omelete that launched out of my mouth after seeing the graphic, I immediately got onto Twitter and Facebook to spread the word.

Said Dale Sveum, Bryan’s manager on the Cubs:

 

‘‘It’s one of those things as a manager that you get that’s a special time,’’ Sveum said. ‘‘You tell a kid who’s [29] he’s an All-Star after so many years in the minors. That’s what we live for in this game, those special moments.”

I couldn’t agree more.  Bryan’s been training with us at Cressey Performance for the better part of the past three off-seasons, and this couldn’t have happened to a more deserving human being.

Congrats Bryan!

2.  For those looking for some good books to read in the realm of fitness, I have two new suggestions.

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Heart Disease – Mark C. Houston, MD, MS

This was a book that was handed to me by one of the attendees a few weeks ago in Edmonton at the Spinal Health and Core Training seminar, and admittedly I haven’t started to read it yet. But after perusing it for a few minutes, and noticing how there’s an entire chapter dedicated to debunking all the myths that a lot of a-hole physicians STILL have towards cholesterol, I know it’s going to be a game changer.

Treadside Manner – Greg Justice

This was another book that was sent my way a few weeks ago – actually, the entire staff at CP received a copy – and I was able to sit down and start reading it yesterday while Lisa and I were heading back home from Nantucket (more on that in a bit).

It’s a quick read, but I can’t advocate this book highly enough to any personal trainers out there looking to take their business to the next level.

If nothing else, all the information on “interviewing” your potential clients – as well as just learning to listen to them –  is worth the price alone.

3.  I am the man from Nantucket.  Well, at least I was for a 27 hour window this past weekend.Lisa and I were invited to Nantucket Island to help celebrate the grand opening of The Nantucket Hotel and Resort.

I think I heard Lisa say, “I loooooooooove Nantucket” at least 37 times while we were there, and to piggy back off her sentiment……words can’t even describe how beautiful the ENTIRE island was, let alone the resort itself (pictured to the left).

The coolest part, though?  The guy who owns the resort and is responsible for building it, is also a client of mine, and the crazy bastard put dumbbells up to 120 lbs in the fitness center.

Hahahahahahahaahahaha. He did it because he wanted it to be a talking point amongst the guests.  Mission accomplished.  I think Lisa and I overhead at least four different people mention the dumbbells.  Uh, hello??!?!?!  We’re in paradise!  Screw the dumbbells!

Nevertheless, the entire trip was amazing, and if anyone reading ever goes to Nantucket, you now know where the most diesel gym is on the island!

4.  My back is starting to feel better as of late, and I owe a lot of gratitude towards both Milford, MA based physical therapist Eric Schoenberg and the one and only Dean Somerset.

NOTE: for those who are new or maybe haven’t been in the loop for a few weeks, you can catch up HERE and HERE.

Anyways, both have been holding my hand through this entire process, and while I still have a little ways to go, I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Dean even told me I can test the waters this week and work up to a heavy(ish) pull of around 80% of my 1RM to see if my back barks at me or not.  The way I see it, one of two things are going to happen:

  • I dominate it, shake hands, kiss babies, and invariably a ticker tape parade is held in my honor.
  • I literally shit my spine.

Fingers crossed!  I’ll try to post a video of it later on….so stay tuned!