CategoriesUncategorized

Seven Favorite Meals

Food.

For some, food is just a means to an end, just a bunch of calories that serves no other purpose than to provide “fuel” and allow us to “do stuff.”

These are generally the individuals who eat the same things everyday – egg whites, coffee and maybe a piece of toast (NO BUTTER!!11!!) for breakfast, plain chicken breast and some spinach for lunch, a handful of almonds with an apple and protein powder that tastes like powdered fart as a mid-afternoon snack, and for dinner, maybe they’ll spice it up with some beef and veggies.

If that’s your schtick and it works for you, more power to you.  Speaking truthfully, I used to be one of those people.

Sure, I’d enjoy the occasional slice of pizza here and there, and if I was really feeling dangerous I’d have a cookie (or two), but for the most part food was fuel.  That’s it.

I’d bust out my grill on the weekends and stock up on grilled chicken breast for the week, and I’d also prepare a bunch of beef too.  As a bachelor, my spice rack was pretty much relegated to salt, pepper, and the occasional vat of Adobo.

You could say that my palette wasn’t used to a lot of variety.

If you were to take a gander into my fridge back in the day, you’d pretty much find nothing but an endless supply of eggs, thawed bags of frozen vegetables (which would get kinda messy), and maybe a container or two of salsa.

It was pretty pathetic to say the least.

On the other end of the spectrum, for most people, food is (as it should be) much much more.  Food is culture.  It’s the centerpiece behind birthdays, 4th of July, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Yom Kippur (after the fact, anyways), anniversaries, weddings, graduation parties, movie marathons, you name it – food is usually the cornerstone or main attraction of any event or get together.

I’ve come a long ways since my bachelor days.  Granted the kitchen is still no-man’s land for me and really the only thing I’m good at is turning the toaster on.

But give me a recipe to follow and a watchful eye, I’m fairly confident I won’t blow up the apartment building.

To that end, I recently read an article by the great Dan John where he noted:

Recently, I added a list of “Ten favorite meals” from the insights of Sean Greeley. These lists give me an idea of how I am doing socially, spiritually, emotionally, physically and fiscally.

A light bulb immediately turned on in my head, and I thought this had potential for a pretty neat and fun blog post.

Everyone’s relationship with food is different. As I noted above, before, food was just a means to an end – simply fuel to get me from one deadlift session to another.  But in the years that I’ve matured (poop!) and the more I have experienced life and all its trials and tribulations, food – and all that it means and represents – has blossomed, and has grown to mean much much more to me.

While I still tend to eat the same things on a day-to-day basis, below are some of my favorite meals.  Some are the healthy, “I’m still a meathead” variety, while others are there solely because they’re deliciously badass.

Lets get to it!

1. Date Night

Where I’m from “eating out” doesn’t have quite the same connotation as it does here in a big city – mostly because there isn’t nearly as many options.

Where I’m from a romantic evening out is generally reduced to Applebees or Olive Garden.  

Nothing says “I love you” more than a bottomless bowl of garlic breadsticks.  BOM CHICKA BOM BOM!

When I first moved to Boston, “fine dining” was not in my vocabulary.  Place three forks in front me, and I was more likely to start pretending they were spaceships than anything else.

Luckily, with practice, my culinary and dining aptitude have improved, and one of my most favorite things to do now is explore new and interesting restaurants.

Just about every weekend Lisa and I head out on the town and head to the Back Bay to hit up a steakhouse and dominate a succulent filet mignon, or maybe we head to the North End and drown ourselves in vintage marinara sauce and pasta.

Whether we’re in the mood for seafood (rarely on my end, I hate seafood) or eating “dirty” (NACHOS!!!!!!!), Boston has it all, and I love being able to explore new foods and flavors.

2. My Morning Omelet

In a word: EPIC.

Every morning I look forward to two things:

1. Peeing

2. Eating my omelet.

Here’s the stats:

5 Whole Eggs (with the yolks). I try my best to purchase “free range” eggs from farms that I know allow their chickens to roam.

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2-1 cup chopped broccoli
A few sun-dried tomatoes
Garlic, turmeric, oregano, pepper, parsley
Goat cheese, and salsa

I’m good to go.

As an aside, one game I like to play when we go out to brunch is to see the reactions of the waiter or waitress when I ask for a double order omelet.  I’ve gotten everything from, “are you sure about that?  That’s like, six eggs!”  (mind you, the stack of pancakes and syrup that the person at the table next to me ordered has like twice the calories) to looks of disbelief that I can’t possibly eat that much to the chef coming out in person to congratulate me and offer me a free shirt.

It’s weird, but always makes for interesting conversation.

3. Pizza and JP Licks

I know it’s blasphemous to say that anywhere other than New York City or Chicago has good pizza, but Boston has it’s fair share of stellar pizza joints.  No, really, I’m not kidding!

One of my go to places is Upper Crust Pizza – which is literally right down the street from my apartment.  On occasion I’ll head down after a grueling training session and order a few “slices of the day” (buffalo chicken with blue cheese is a staple) and then top that off by walking diagonally across the street and hitting up the JP Licks for some peanut butter Oreo ice-cream.

4. My “Earth” Protein Shake

I know it’s kind of lame to list a shake as one of my favorite meals, but there’s rarely a day that goes by where I don’t have at least one (sometimes two) of these due to my busy schedule and the fact that I spend upwards of 6-8 hours of my day coaching.

Assuming you have a Magic Bullet or something to its equivalent, give this bad boy a shot:

I start with placing half a bag of (preferably organic) baby leaf spinach into a container, along with a scoop of creatine, SuperFood, and 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds (all of which are optional).

Pour 1/2-1 cup of almond or coconut milk into container and mix.

From there I’ll add a scoop of protein powder (Grow), maybe 1/4 cup of rolled oats, some unsweetened shaved coconut, a scoop or two of cacao nibs, and some frozen blueberries or mixed berries.

Mix again, and you’ll end up with a greenish/brownish “earthy” looking concoction that will taste GREAT and almost certainly get some weird looks if you drink in public.

5. Healthy Fajitas

I love fajitas, but not the gluten-fest that they’re often affiliated with.  Don’t get me wrong: sometimes I’ll go for broke and crush the flour tortillas like the next guy, but more often than not we’ll make our version of fajitas that are little more guilt-free and far healthier.

We’ll ground up some grass fed beef and cook that in a fajita mix along with some cutlets of chicken.

From there we’ll lay ou the prerequisite sides of guacamole, cheese, salsa, and while sour cream is great, to be honest, greek yogurt works just as well.

Instead of the flour tortillas, we’ll use huge leafs of bibb salad and use those as our wraps.

And for the record: We got rid of that white couch looooooooooog ago.  One guess as to who wasn’t allowed to eat on it during fajita night?????

6. Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday because there’s no commercialized Hallmark way about it.  It’s all about family and friends and FOOD!!!!!

I mean come on: what else is better than eating some of Mom’s homemade apple pie???????

7. Meatza

I “stole” this meal from my pal and fellow lover of all things lifting heavy, Nia Shanks.

Essentially it’s a flattened meatloaf cooked in a way that mimics a pizza.  Genius!

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’ll just defer to Nia’s post about it HERE.

And there you have it!  Those are just a handful (well seven, so a little more than a handful) of my favorite meals.  Got any you’d like to share?  Sound off below!

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany Uncategorized

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: The Day After Hurricane Sandy Edition

WHEW – well, that wasn’t fun. Hurricane Sandy hit with a vengeance yesterday and hammered the east coast.  From what I can tell, we didn’t get it too bad here in Boston (I had to dodge a lot of fallen trees on my way home last night, and understandably there were areas that had blackouts), but we survived relatively unscathed.

Sure it was an inconvenience, but I’m simultaneously grateful that that was all we here in Beantown had to deal with.

Unfortunately, I know that’s NOT the case further south towards the Cape and especially down in the New Jersey/CT/NYC area.

I’ve been glued to the news this morning and have seen all the reports of massive flooding, fires, and blackouts, so my thoughts and prayers goes out to all of those who are most affected.

1. Coincidentally enough we hosted out very first annual Cressey Performance Fall Seminar this past Sunday, and while some attendees from the NYC and Connecticut area had to (understandably) jet out early due to the pre-hurricane festivities, it was a massive success!

I first want to thank EVERYONE who attended and made it such an awesome event to begin with.  The feedback we’ve been receiving has been nothing short of “the best thing since sliced bread” (only a slight exaggeration), and we’re really looking forward to making next year’s addition even better!

I’ll be handicapping the entire day later this week and offering up some highlights/knowledge bombs that were offered by all the presenters (myself, Eric Cressey, Brian St. Pierre, Nate Tiplady, Eric Schoenberg, Greg Robins, and Chris Howard), so stay tuned for that.

All I’ll divulge now – as it relates to MY presentation – is:

1.  About fifteen minutes before I was scheduled to speak, Michelle, our office manager, walked up to me and handed me this note:

For those who can’t read the print, it says:

Those are the worst pants I have ever seen.

How’s that for a vote of confidence??? Hahahahahaha.

2.  As part of my introduction I was thanking everyone for coming and for taking a day out of their busy schedules to come to the seminar.  I think my exact words were, “I know many of you could be working, spending time with family, or sitting at home watching football today – by the way, the Pats won!”

Then all I hear is a massive “nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.”

Like an a-hole I spoiled the game for those who were recording it on DVR and waiting to watch it when they got home.

Fail.

In my defense (sorta), the Pats won 45-7, so it’s not like it was a close game.  But still, I felt a bit sheepish about it and definitely made a mental note to myself to try not to spoil results of games in the future.

Next thing you know I’ll just tell people who haven’t seen The Sixth Sense yet that Bruce Willis is dead the entire time!

3. Brian St. Pierre and I were catching up over the weekend and we both got on the topic of vitamin D.  I’ve long been an advocate of vitamin D supplementation and feel  it’s one of those things that people should look into just for the health benefits alone.  Well that, and because most people are woefully deficient.

Anyways, we were discussing dosages and what’s an acceptable range for most people (of course, there are many factors that come into play here: overall exposure to sunlight, light skinned people need less than darker skinned people, for example), and I had mentioned that because I rarely ever get exposure to sunlight and that I’m whiter than a Coldplay concert, I usually take around 5,000 I.Us per day, which is definitely not out of the ordinary or “aggressive” by any means.

We had a lengthy discussion, but the take home message from Brian was, “you should at least get your levels checked so that you KNOW where you’re at, because if you’re too high, you could be doing more harm than good.”

As it happens, he just sent me this message yesterday via email:

Here is an interesting study that just got published a few days ago – http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0047458

They looked at mortality statistics and people’s vitamin D levels.  They determined the best levels were 20-40ng/mL, with 30-40ng/mL showing the best numbers.  5,000IU per day will take you FAR beyond those numbers.

Overall adverse events (overall mortality, some cancers, CVD, and fractures and falls) have been noted when levels get into the 40’s and higher.  Specifically there was a study in Denmark where when people’s levels were 56ng/mL or higher they had a 42% increased risk of dying than people with a level of just 20ng/mL – http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/early/2012/05/09/jc.2012-1176.abstract.

Just some food for thought.

It’s not to say that people shouldn’t supplement with vitamin D, and that in certain circumstances people shouldn’t have higher levels as directed by their doc (which happens), but in general I think many take a good thing too far.

4. For those interested, I recently wrote a little sumthin sumthin on kettlebell training over at TribeSports.com.

I like kettlebells.  It think they’re a valuable “tool in the toolbox.” But what puts a bad taste in my mouth is when people who are passionate about what they like – whether it’s powerlifting, yoga, TRX, and yes, kettlebells – feel that their way is the ONLY way.

In this article appropriately titled Tony Gentilcore on Kettlebells, I shed some light on what I feel are the best uses and applications for most trainees, and I even provide a video of a staff in-service I filmed a few months ago breaking down the KB swing and get-up.

5.  Speaking of staff in-services:  we “host” a weekly in-service for our staff and interns where we cover a bevy of topics ranging from upper and lower body assessment, program design, anatomy, or anything you can think of.

While myself, Chris and Greg like to think we’re the bees knees when it comes to presenting to the staff, the highlight, of course, is whenever it’s Eric’s turn and he goes all Jedi on us and blows our minds.

He recently filmed an in-service on movement training that, while it sounds about as exciting as watching NASCAR – was really informative.

And that’s just ONE example. He’s also filmed in-services on breathing patterns, shoulder anatomy, and how to deal with sports hernias, just to name a few.

And they’re ALL available to you – along with other content from Mike Robertson, Tyler English, and Dave Schmitz – by joining the Elite Training Mentorship, which is a monthly membership site geared towards personal trainers and coaches who are seeking to take their knowledge base to the next level.

I’ve noted this service in the past, but thought I’d mention it again now because after listening to Eric speak the other day it reminded me just how valuable this resource is and how it will make anyone who invests in themselves exponentially better and separate themselves from the masses.

6. I normally don’t go out of my way to post shirtless pictures of myself, but I recanted on this one for a few reasons:

  • I didn’t take this picture myself.
  • I’m not standing in front of a bathroom mirror.
  • It’s Halloween, and like most bald dudes this year, going as Bane is way more badass than Mr. Clean or Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

CategoriesNutrition

Reneging on Egg Yolks

I heart egg debates. For those new to this blog, I think it’s nonsensical that there are people out there (most of which are well-educated and should know better) who believe that whole eggs are worse for you than cigarettes.

Unfortunately, due to any number of reasons – big food, stupid people on the internet, Dr. Oz – people are very confused on what to eat and what’s actually “good” for you.

Eggs are right up there on the “Defcon 1, DO NOT EAT AT ANY COST OR A BABY UNICORN WILL DIE” list.  

One week they’re a nutritional powerhouse, and the next, Time Magazine does an expose that says that not only will eggs clog up your arteries faster than you can say “five-egg omelet,” but they’ll kick you the balls when you’re not looking, too. 

Jerks!

Suffice it to say, I fall in the camp that believes eggs (and more specifically, egg yolks) are a nutritional powerhouse, and that they’ve been demonized long enough!

Today’s guest post comes to you from current CP intern, and fellow egg-lover, Pat Koch.

Enjoy!

Eggs will kill you…One egg too many and you are heading down a slippery slope towards heart disease.  At least that’s what current nutrition advice would have you believe.

Yet as more and more research comes out, the nutrition community may be starting to change its tune towards the once feared egg yolk.  Eggs are actually healthy, and also the perfect fat loss food.

“What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.”

Practically speaking eggs are a cost effective way to get a ton of nutrition.  The fatty yoke is home to the majority of nutrients in eggs.  In one study, daily nutrient intake of people who ate eggs was significantly greater than people who abstained.  Egg eaters had higher levels of vitamins A,E,C, folate, saturated and polyunsaturated fats, and B12.

Also the same study counterintuitively pointed out that people who ate four or more eggs a week had LOWER serum concentrations of cholesterol than those who ate one or less egg.1

Along with the other nutrients, eggs are potent in lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that have been theorized to protect against cholesterol becoming oxidized.2   The products of cholesterol oxidation have been well established as a key component in Cardiovascular disease, neurologic disease, and certain cancers.3,4

Hmm…so once again we find a natural food that is conveniently packaged in a certain way that minimizes any harmful aspects of said food, I’m beginning to notice a trend here.

A little known gem about cholesterol is that there are two forms: Dietary cholesterol which is in our food, and serum cholesterol which is in our blood.

When we go to the doctors they are particularly worried about the cholesterol in our blood.  Yet as it turns out dietary cholesterol does not play as large a role in elevating our serum cholesterol as previously believed.

As many as 75 % of people experience a small increase or no increase in blood cholesterol levels when exposed to high amounts of dietary cholesterol, this type of person is known as a normal responder or hypo-responder and is the majority of the population!

The other 25% of people would be known as hyper-responders.  It is important to note that after hyper responders consume cholesterol there is a rise in BOTH LDL and HDL cholesterol.2

Even with a transient rise in Cholesterol…Total Cholesterol (HDL +LDL) is not the end all be all when it comes to predicting heart disease its actually quite a poor predictor, only right about 50% of the time.9

So if total cholesterol doesn’t mean much what is a good predictor of heart disease?

This is where it gets tricky.  The cholesterol classifications of “good” and “bad” are incomplete.  In fact within the “Bad” LDL cholesterol, there are several subtypes of particles that vary with regards to their degree of damage to the arteries.

Small, dense LDL-C and VLDL are two subtypes that have been established as highly arthrogenic as they are easily susceptible to oxidation.5

Funny enough the quickest way to jack up your levels of SD-LDL and VLDL is to eat a diet high in refined carbohydrates and make yourself insulin resistant. 5  Counter intuitively the once feared saturated fat in eggs will increase HDL and LDL cholesterol, but the raise in LDL is mostly a large fluffy sub-type that is mostly benign and not considered arthrogenic. 2, 5

Yes you read that correctly…saturated fat and dietary cholesterol aren’t necessarily bad for you,  depending on the context of your whole diet and that there are no pre-existing medical conditions, of course.

Further research is revealing that saturated may not be associated with heart disease.6,7,8

Note from TG: Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

After going full circle, lets come back to eggs and how even the yolk isn’t only a health food, but theoretically can be a great weight loss food.

Try eating a three egg omelet with some cheese, and a side of fruit vs. a half a bagel with light cream cheese, and a fat free yogurt.  Who will be resisting that lunch time binge better?  Who will have more energy?  The answer is clear.  Eat some real food, stay fuller longer, and therefor lose more fat.

It is time to break away from nutritionism: eat a yolk or two.  The way it’s naturally packaged has got you covered.  Minimally processed foods are superior to processed garbage.  And as always, over time, if you consistently strive to eat and drink from a majority of less processed foods, in reasonable  portions, everything will take care of itself.

Author’s Bio

“Pat Koch is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Sports Nutritionist (CISSN) through the International Society of Sports Nutrition. After studying at Ithaca College, Pat obtained his undergraduate degree in Health Sciences with a concentration in Nutrition. Since then he has been working as a trainer specializing in Sports Performance.  Currently Pat interns at Cressey Performance, and has recently started competing in powerlifting.”

Note from TG:  I know some reading may want to view the citations Pat gave in this post, so I’ll see if he can provide them for me sometime later today, and I’ll try my best to get those up as soon as possible.

UPDATE:  If you click on each number (of the citation) the hyperlink will take you to the study.  In other news – I’m an idiot.

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Goblet Bulgarian Split Squat

Note:  Goddammit!!!!!!!!  My bad everyone. I know filming “vertical” videos is a big no-no on the interwebz and is about as convenient as watching a whale give birth, but you’ll have to forgive me as it’s a video that I filmed last night and it’s the only one I took.

At some point I’ll eventually learn how to use my iTouch correctly. Until then you’re just going to have to suck it up a deal I’m afraid…..;o)

Anyhoo……….

Ask any coach who’s been in the game for a while whether or not he or she feels single leg training is kind of important, they’ll inevitably give you “the look” as if to say, is the Pope catholic?  Does a bear shit in the woods?  Does David Hasselhoff like alcohol?

You get the idea.

At the expense of preaching to the choir – as I know a vast majority of people who continually read this site are uber intelligent, not to mention painfully good looking – single leg training serves a plethora of benefits.  Including but not limited to:

– Helps ascertain whether or not there’s an imbalance between one leg or the other.

– Helps improve athletic (and life) performance – there aren’t many sports we play or things we do in everyday life that don’t require us to stand, run, leap, walk, jump, etc on one leg.

– Helps improve hip stability and overall lumbo-pelvic-hip function.  Single leg training targets what’s known as the lateral sub-system (glute medius & adductor complex on one leg, and the quadratus lumborum on the opposite leg).

– Makes people of the opposite sex want to hang out with you.

– Helps improve single-leg strength, which in turn, almost always translates to increased strength in the bigger, more popular lifts like squats and deadlifts.

– Helps reduce axial loading and gives the spine a bit of a break from the grind of constantly lifting heavy stuff.

– Furthermore, single leg training helps to fix or alleviate many of the issues that cause chronic knee, lower back, and hip pain (which reverts back to the whole lateral sub-system thing noted above).

Honestly, the list could go on and on, and like I said, I don’t want to seem like I’m preaching to the choir.

Today with Halloween right around the corner, I want to do my best Ben Bruno** impersonation and showcase a cool single leg exercise that I’ve grown to really love and appreciate.

Goblet Bulgarian Split Squats

Who Did I Steal It From – I guess technically, the one and only Dan John.  Since he’s the one who invented the Goblet Squat, I can’t have the word “goblet” in the name of an exercise without giving credit to him.

Likewise, I don’t even know why the Bulgarians get credit for the the “bulgarian split squat.”  I mean come on:  are we REALLY supposed to believe that no else in the history of the world ever thought of this concept?  It took some random Bulgarian to put two and two together?

I digress.

What Does It Do: Along with all the benefits mentioned above, I love this variation for two reasons.

1.  By holding the dumbbell in a Goblet fashion, there’s a (more) significant anti-flexion component to the exercise, and as such, it will encourage people into more thoracic extension, which is generally never a bad thing considering most people are a walking ball of flexion in the first place.

2.  In a sense, because the load is more anterior (and you’re not placing a barbell directly on your spine) you could make a case that there’s less compressive spinal loading. If that’s something that concerns you, this may be a more viable option.

Key Coaching Cues: I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.  A few things, however:

1. Try to keep the knee of the standing leg in line with your second toe as you perform the exercise.  Many trainees tend to allow their knee to cave in during split squat variations (or any squat variation for that matter), and it’s important that you don’t allow this to happen.

2.  From a comfort standpoint – some may find it more prudent to place a half foam roller or maybe even a rolled up towel on top of the bench so that their foot stays in place or so they don’t crush their toes.

3.  From a mental cue standpoint, try to think to yourself, “chest up,” “chin tucked,” and to sit back and drive THROUGH THE HEEL!!!!!

In other words:  don’t lean forward, stay as upright as possible, and try to prevent your weight from shifting into your forefoot while performing your reps. The brunt of your weight should be in your heel.

4.  Also, try to squeeze the glute of the trailing leg throughout.

5.  I generally prefer people perform 6-10 repetitions on one leg, rest for 20-30s, and then finish off their set by completing the same number on the opposite.

Try it out today and let me know what you think!

** = Just in case someone blows their gasket and thinks I’m throwing Ben under the bus, I understand that he trains bilateral movements too.  In fact, he and I train together every now and then, and I’ve seen him do it.  Sooo, deep breaths.  Relax. Everything will be okay.

CategoriesFemale Training Motivational

Is There a Fitness Double Standard?

When my girlfriend and I first started dating 3.5 years ago, one of the major attractions between the two of us was that we both had an insatiable appetite for fitness.  Well that, and we both had an insatiable appetite in the literal sense, too.

On our first date we crushed fajitas.

But fitness and living a healthy lifestyle – whether it be heading to the gym to get our swole on, making a cameo at Harvard to do stadium sprints on a Sunday morning, hitting up various local farmer’s markets, or trying our best to avoid gluten like the plague – has always been a “theme” in our relationship.

Funnily enough, when we first met, Lisa wasn’t that much of a hardcore gym rat.  Sure, she would go to the gym and do her thing following various routines she’d read about or come across in books or magazines, but more often than not the one’s she’d follow had the foo-foo body-part split, “Tone Your Abs in 17 Minutes,” or “Tighten Your Tush by Tuesday” vibe.

To her credit (and so that I don’t get the look of death from her after she reads this), she grew up in a very active family and was always highly encouraged by her father to lift weights. In addition, she was a volleyball player all through high-school and college – even being inducted into her alma mater’s Athletic Hall of Fame, thank you very much – and as such, understood the importance that strength training had on her success as an athlete.

Even as a non-athlete after college, she carried with her the drive to be active and fit, and still made weight training a priority in her life moving on into adulthood.

When our paths crossed back in 2009, Lisa had already established herself as a very popular spin instructor in Boston (she still is) and she supplemented that with her training routine – which, admittedly, and at the risk of being sent to the doghouse tonight, resembled one of those foo-foo routines I mentioned above.

Well maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but suffice it to say, she wasn’t routinely lifting heavy stuff…..;o)

Anyways, during my courting of her (you know, dates at Chipotle, Star Wars marathons, and me bringing her containers of protein powder instead of flowers – true story) I’d occasionally go to the gym with her and show her a few new exercises here and there.  I also had her read The New Rules of Lifting for Women, and just tried my best to support and educate her along the way.

Trust me:  this wasn’t a damsel in distress scenario by any stretch. Lisa knew her way around the gym floor – I just had to nudge her a little bit towards the squat rack and the deadlift platform.

Needless to say, I created a monster.

Not to brag or anything, but Lisa routinely deadlifts 1.5x her bodyweight for reps, can bench press 135 lbs for multiple reps, can perform multiple sets of unassisted chin-ups, and I’m pretty sure if she arm wrestled a tank, she’d win.

And she looks goooooooooooood.

I write her programs on a monthly basis, and while she and I will sometimes butt heads (you’re going to do box squats and like it!!!!!!!!!!), it’s been fun to see her make so much progress and enjoy her training.

Because she follows a bit more of an unconventional program compared to most, she’s constantly getting questions from random people and remarks from trainers.

Most are just curious about a certain exercise she’s doing and wondering what muscles it targets, while others just stop to give her some praise – which is always cool, and Lisa is more than happy to stop and talk some shop.

But I can’t help but notice the massive double standard that exists.

For like the 18th time some random dude approached Lisa at the gym the other day in between sets of deadlifts and asked her what she’s training for.

“Are you training for some kind of sport or something? ” the man asked. To which she replied, “nope, just training for fun. What are YOU training for?”

“Uh, well, football I guess, ” he replied. “But, you know, I don’t play now, I used to back in high school. I’m 30 now, so I just train to train, ya know?”

I find it interesting that guys never ask other guys the same question. Well, it happens it’s just A LOT rarer.

Guy #1:  Hey dude, you’re pretty ripped.  What are you training for?

Guy #2: I’m heading to the club in like an hour, I gotta get me swole on.

Guy #1:  Right on.  Okay, nice talk!

While the above example is a bit facetious, just think about it: when many of us see a ripped or jacked or yolked (or whatever brospeak verbiage you want to use here) dude getting after it in the gym we generally don’t think anything of it. He’s just training.

Yet, when many (men AND women) see a strong female lifting weights they automatically assume she’s training for a sport or some kind of figure show or something.

I’d love to hear other’s thoughts on this.  Am I just over-analyzing, or do others notice the same thing?

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work Uncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Drug Companies are Shady, Obesity Prejudice, and Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Training

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of the current medical model for health.  As a society – at least here in the States – we have a very reactive mindset as opposed to preventative.

Using the most obvious example – heart disease – it’s more common for a physician to prescribe a litany of pills to help “mask” the issue rather than take the more practical (and generally less expensive) route of educating people that eating a whole egg won’t kill them, and that Taco Bell probably isn’t the best choice for dinner.

Of course, it’s much more complicated than that as we have to consider psycho-social and behavioral issues, as well as the more glaring obstacle that our society enables poor health choices left and right.  I mean, can you blame a kid for crushing chocolate milk and an apple fritter for breakfast when that’s all that’s available to him or her in school? Right from the start, we’re programming them to accept that highly processed, sugary foods are part of a “healthy” start to the day.

We’re now currently in a state where, for the first time EVER, our children are expected to have a shorter life span than their parents.

Anyways, my blood pressure is rising just thinking about it.  Ironic, huh?

Back to the whole doctor thing, though. I’m not placing all of them under one umbrella of suck.  Obviously there are a infinite number out there who “get it” and actually take a more proactive approach to medicine.

Interestingly, when it comes to the research available to physicians (which dictate what medications they prescribe to their patients) positive findings are TWICE as likely to be published than negative findings.

In every sense, doctors are literally blinded in evidence based medicine.

This is why primary care is shady business. Or, more to the point, why drug companies are a bunch of a-holes at times.

In their defense, doctors seemingly NEVER get the full picture.  How effective can they be in prescribing medication if they don’t have access to ALL the trials?

Ben Goldacre discusses this very topic in TED talk below.  Fascinating stuff, and well worth the 13 or so minutes it will take you to watch it:

What Doctors Don’t Know About the Drugs They Prescribe – Ben Goldacre

The Last Acceptable Prejudice – Dr. Jonny Bowden

This article kind of falls in line with the TED talk above (especially as it relates to drug companies), but most importantly it was a fantastic article discussing prejudice against the obese. More specifically, it delves into the story of Jennifer Livingston, the news reporter up in Wisconsin who was openly chastized by a viewer concerning her weight.

Another less obvious point to consider is how the internet allows people to say things that they would never say to someone’s face.

Is Aerobic of Anaerobic Training Best For Getting Rid of Belly Fat – Charles Poliquin

Before the gates of Hell Fire open, let me state that I’m not opposed to aerobic training.  I’d much prefer someone do something over nothing – and if that entails going for walks or jogging or Zumba class (with some *cough, cough* extracurricular activities) than so be it.

That said, as a strength coach, I obviously lean a little more towards the “people should lift heavy things” side of the equation.

Ever wonder why commercial gyms are chock full of “cardio” machines and why they’re the most popular, yet the vast majority of people using them are still overweight?

This isn’t the case all the time, but Coach Poliquin does bring up some interesting data in his argument.

CategoriesProgram Design Rehab/Prehab

What’s the Deal With Spondy? An Attempt to Solve the Riddle in Less Than 1500 Words.

Q: Hey Tony – I suffered a pretty severe L5 spondylolisthesis a couple years ago, and it took me nearly a year to recover.  I’m now back training again and feeling pretty good.  From what I’ve read, I realize I need to make sure I’m not in an anterior pelvic tilt position, so should I try to focus hard on developing glute, hamstring, and hip strength? 

I also realize that maintaining core strength is important.  Besides planks, side planks, anti-rotation exercises, and roll-outs, is there anything in particular you would do to make sure the lumbar spine is strong and healthy so I can prevent any possible re-injury?  Thanks for you input!  Really enjoy your educational videos and blog posts.

A: First off, I’m really sorry to hear about your injury. Speaking bluntly, back pain is about as fun as a bag of dicks – there’s really no way to sugar coat it. As someone who recently went through a spell of back issues (albeit not the same injury) I can commiserate.

Spondylolisthesis (along with it’s fraternal twin, spondylolysis) is definitely an injury that we’ve seen sporadically here at Cressey Performance, so we know how much work it takes to get back into groove of things – especially with regards to training.

For those reading, scratching their heads and thinking to themselves, “spondy- say what?,” lets take a moment to clear the air.

Spondylolysis refers to a fracture of the pars interarticularis portion of a vertebra (95% of the time, it’s L5). The pars essentially connects the vertebral body in front with the vertebral joints behind.

Presence of spondylolysis runs the gauntlet in terms of who it effects, but its highest prevalence is among weightlifters. That said we’ve seen a huge influx amongst young athletes as well, especially those who participate (and specialize too early) in sports that require excessive extension and rotation (ie:  baseball).

More pertinent to this conversation, spondylolisthesis is a lower back injury involving a forward slipping of one vertebra over another (far right picture above). It’s a very common diagnosis in athletes that participate in sports that have extreme axial strain on the low back (think powerlifters and strength athletes), but it’s also common in the general population as well.

With the geeky, spinal shenanigans out of the way, lets get to the fun stuff.

Off hand it sounds like you’ve got a fairly firm grasp on what to do moving forward, but I do have a few candid thoughts to add:

1.  Yes, correcting any EXCESSIVE anterior pelvic tilt would be wise.  You have to remember, though, that there is an “acceptable” range of APT (natural lordotic curve of the spine), but it definitely bodes in your favor to address any excessive tilt that may be playing into your symptoms.

2.  Expounding on the above point a bit more, most will say that you need to stretch the hip flexors, which, if you delve into the normal parameters of Janda’s lower cross syndrome (“tight” hip flexors, weak core/glutes) isn’t a bad place to start.  But as with anything, it’s not always quite THAT simple.

For instance, you can stretch your hip flexors until the cows come home (or George Clooney gets married, whichever comes first)…….but if your anterior core is weak – which is generally the case 100% of the time  – it’s a waste of time and effort.

Almost always, I place a premium on improving anterior core strength.  Things like Pallof press, various chops and lifts (done with spot on precision: abs braced, trailing leg glute firing, minimal compensation in the torso), as well as planks are a great place to start.

NOTE:  Most people will just haphazardly throw in planks because that’s what they’ve always been told to do.  Cool.  But most people absolutely BUTCHER technique.  To that end, you have to make absolutely certain that you’re doing these correctly!  Which is to say, they shouldn’t look like these epic balls of fail:

Or this:

In both scenarios each person is literally hanging on their spine and not doing their passive, ligamentous restraints any favors.

If you’re going to perform planks, at least do them correctly!

Another exercise to consider (for those who are a little further along in recovery such as yourself) is the reverse crunch.  As my colleague and business partner, Eric Cressey, has noted on several occasions: flexion from an already extended position to neutral is different than flexion from “neutral” to end-range lumbar flexion.

The external obliques help to posteriorly tilt the pelvis, but because they have no attachment points on the sternum (unlike the rectus abdominus) we don’t get all the nasty compressive forces on the spine.

Maybe serving as the rule of thumb above ALL of this is the notion that improving spinal stability is kind of a big deal.  Unless this addressed, all of the above won’t matter since all you’ll be doing is placing dysfunction on top of fitness.  Which, as we all know, would make Gray Cook punch a baby seal in the mouth!

On that point, my boy Dean Somerset wrote a fantastic post HERE which discusses in waaaaay more detail than I could ever cover.

3. Taking things a step further, anything that “encourages” more of a posterior pelvic tilt is most likely step in the right direction.

In addition to anterior core work, a healthy dose of glute work would be in order as well.  I’d start simple and perform supine bridges several times throughout the day.

While not shown above, I actually prefer glute holds, holding each rep for a 5-10 second count at the top.

You can then progress these to 1-legged variations and then proceed to perform 1-legged hip thrust, starting with your back on a bench and feet on the floor.  From there, if you’re feeling confident, you can add in a bit ROM and place your feet on a bench.

For my own edification – it’s important to note that there should be absolutely no lumbar compensation when performing these movements. Everything should be glute, glute, and more glute.  If you do tend to “feel” it more in your back, I’d regress the movement and make sure you’re firing the glute.

In case you missed it, you should feel these in your glutes.

Key Word: Glute.

4.  Above all, and this probably should have been point #1, you just need to make absolutely certain that you’re maintaining as much of a “neutral” spinal position as possible.

At. All. Times

We’ve had people with “spondy” deadlift with the trap bar with a lot of success, but we’re on top of them in terms of performing them correctly.  These may be a little too aggressive for you, so I’d be inclined to recommend exercises that won’t place a lof of direct loading on the spine to start:

Pull-Throughs.

1-Legged Hip Thrusts (see above).

Various single leg work.

And even Goblet squats may be acceptable here.

Nevertheless, getting lifting weights and attaining a training effect will undoubtedly help in that you’ll be making your active restraints (muscle) stronger and take the burden off your passive restraints (ligamentous tissue).

Anyways, that is in no way a thorough overview of the issue at hand, but my hope is that it sheds some light on the topic and points you in the right direction.

 

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Band Assisted Push-Up

Today’s guest post comes from former CP intern, and current Boston University assistant Strength Coach, Dave Rak.

Dave likes deadlifts, Jason Bourne, and Chipolte.  He’s also single.  Ladies?

Push-ups are a main staple in any strength and conditioning program.   They are a great body weight exercise that can get you really strong, and in case you didn’t already know…strong people are harder to kill and just flat out more useful in general. When that Zombie Apocalypse happens you can thank me.

For those of you who struggle with push-ups don’t worry Tony and I got your back!

Note from TG:  I’ve actually written on push-up progressions in the past.  THIS one was targeted towards women, but can easily be applied to men who struggle with push-ups as well.

THIS one just talks about the general badassery that is the push-up.

Okay, I’ll stop interrupting Dave.

Some people lack the core strength and upper body strength to bang out a perfect push-up.  A typical regression is to elevate the hands to make the push-up easier and then progressively lower the angle of the hands until you reach the floor.  Often times the second you go to hands elevated push-ups it’s like you hit the self-destruct button and your athlete just falls apart.  Elbows flair out, the hips drop, and your eyes start to bleed from witnessing this debauchery.   For the visual learners, just check out the picture above.

An alternative to elevating the hands (typically on aerobic steppers or the pins of a power rack) would be to use a band as assistance on the way up from your push-up.  The band takes some of the athlete’s body weight away and allows them to complete the push up in its natural position. When you elevate the hands the shoulder is in a more flexed position compared to a standard push-up, it’s not the same pattern and it changes the exercise.

Now I’m not trying to split hairs between the two, but to me the simple fact that the athlete can go through the exact motion of a push up is important.  I look at it the same way as if you were to unload a squat with a TRX, you are just grooving that pattern.

Go through the movement pattern, get comfortable, get strong, and then dominate the world!

Another benefit of using the band for assistance is it is easier for the athlete to create tension in their back and glutes compared to a hands elevated push-up on a box.  The athlete will be able to “pull the ground apart” and then if the band is placed at the hips it can even have an RNT (Reactive Neuromuscular Training) effect for the hips.  Peep the video and you’ll see what I mean.

Band Assisted Push-Up

Also, what’s one reason that people suck at push-ups?  A weak upper body (and core, yes that too).  The band will allow you to load the upper body while doing your push up without compromising form.  On the flip side, elevating the hands will take more of the load away, yes you can work on core stability but it is more difficult to load the upper body.

Who Did I Steal It From:  I saw a coach at Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning doing this with a private client waaaaayyyyy back in the day when I was an intern.  So, whoever that guy was, high five!

What Does It Do:  Allows you to the go through the correct movement pattern of a push-up and strengthen that pattern.

You can teach the push-up easier.  It reduces the “oh-shit” factor during the exercise so it shifts the focus from not falling on your face to actually engaging the proper musculature.

The band allows for a RNT effect to teach keeping the hips extended and how to engage the glutes/maintain pelvic positioning.

Progress the movement and add more resistance.

Change the location of the band to add more load to the upper body.

Give your athlete confidence because they are actually doing a push up with the rest of their team.  Having them do a hands elevated variation may make them self-conscious.  You put the 45lbs plates on the bar and not the 25 and two 10lbs plates on right? Same idea, look like everyone else and build confidence.

Coaching Ques: The thicker the band the easier the push up will be. Start in a prone position with the band in the crease of your hips. Hands under your shoulders, pull your shoulder blades into your back pocket (thanks for the cue Tony!)

Open the pickle jar with your hands (stole cue that from Jill Zeller) meaning pull the ground apart with your hands to engage your lats and create torque/tension in your back.

Squeeze your butt and don’t let the band push your hips back, body in a straight line.

Pull yourself down to the floor and drive away.

Notes– Move the band to the quads to load the upper body more, you can also play with the height of the pins/J-Hooks for more or less band tension.

Give these a try, and remember Chuck Norris does not do push-ups he pushes the Earth down.

Author Bio

David Rak is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA (CSCS).  He is currently a Graduate Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Boston University pursuing his Master’s Degree in Coaching.  Dave oversees Wrestling and Women’s Golf, also assists with Men’s Basketball and Men’s Soccer.  He received his Bachelor’s in Exercise Science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and completed internships at Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning and Cressey Performance.  Upon his completion of his internship at MBSC, he continued to work part time at Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning for 2 and a half years while he finished his undergraduate degree.

Dave can be reached at davidrak25@gmail.com

 

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Argo, Books to Check Out, Squatting 4x Per Week

1.  I’m your prototypical bookworm.  At any given point, I’m reading 3-4 books at once.  Okay, technically I’m listening to one book in my car as I drive to the facility everyday (I have a 40-45 minute commute both ways),but I’m counting that as part of the grand total.

I get a lot of various emails from people thanking me for the book suggestions I make on this blog, so I figured I’d take a few moments to let people “in” on what I’m currently reading.

I know I’ve mentioned this before at various times, but I have a set system of what I read and when.  For instance on the weekends, when I have a bit more free time, I like to dive into books related to my field or more non-fiction type books.

Currently I’ve got a few books on my plate:

– Deadlift Dynamite (not to be mistaken by Napoleon Dynamite) – Pavel and Andy Bolton

John Du Cane – CEO of DragonDoor Publications – reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in reading an advance copy. What the what….like he had to ask!?!?! He had me at deadlift.

Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back?  Of course I’d want to read it!

For those who don’t know:  Pavel (Tsatsouline) is the Godfather of the kettlebell movement and Andy Bolton has deadlifted over 1,000 lbs. I’m pretty sure  the man could deadlift an aircraft carrier if you asked him to.

Anyways, the book doesn’t come out for another few weeks, but I started reading it over the weekend and if it’s any consolation my face literally (well, not literally) melted from all the knowledge bombs thrown my way.

Trust me people, this book is going to be a game changer.

– I’m also still making my way through Corrective Exercise Solutions to Common Hip and Shoulder Dysfunction by Evan Osar.

This too is a phenomenal book that really tackles the corrective and movement dysfunction side of things.  In addition, Dr. Osar spends a lot of time discussing breathing patterns which is all the rage lately (and something we utilize with many of our own clients at Cressey Performance).

– One book that I just finished – yesterday in fact – was The Art of Choosing, and it was fascinating.

Why do people choose not to enroll in their company’s 401(k) plan?

Why do people choose to smoke despite knowing the risks involved?

Why do we choose one brand of bottled water over the other?

Why doesn’t Olivia Munn answer my phone calls?

Life is full of choices, and this book – fascinatingly – tells you WHY we choose the things we choose.

2. THIS is probably one of the coolest blog posts I have read in a while, and really sheds some light on why I work in arguably the most rewarding profession out there.

I know Dean Somerset and consider him a good friend.  He’s a brilliant guy, an awesome coach, and just a cool human being in general.

Put simply: This. Was. Awesome.  I can’t even imagine how it must have felt to have this sort of email waiting in your inbox to read.

Kudos to Dean for being the man!

3.  Anyone who reads this blog knows I love movies.  For the most part, 2012 has been a pretty dull season comparatively speaking.  The Dark Knight Rises was awesome, of course, but if I had to choose my favorite movie thus far I’d probably go with Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom.

That is until yesterday, when Lisa and I went to go see Argo.

There was a time when I used to hate Ben Affleck – partly for marrying my one-time crush Jennifer Garner, but mostly for movies like Gigli and Jersey Girl  – but the man can do no wrong as of late having directed past gems like Gone Baby Gone and The Town.

Argo, which Affleck both directs and stars in, is a very well researched, well acted, well written, intelligent, intense movie.

At one point I think both Lisa and I were biting our finger nails sitting at the edge of our seats.  If you’re interested in a smart movie with snappy dialogue and a great (true!) story, do yourself a favor and go see this, like tomorrow!  Thank me later.

4.  I’m placing the finishing touches on my next T-Nation article – The Squat 4x Per Week Experiment.

For the past 5-6 weeks, I’ve been squatting (SPOILER ALERT) 4x per week – and I feel AWESOME!!!!

What’s it entail?  Here’s an excerpt from the article itself:

No, I’m not going to promise anything sexy or lavish in this article like quadriceps the size of Colorado or that by following this program every woman within a two mile radius from where you’re standing will spontaneously conceive.

It’s more like one-mile.

Instead what I am going to offer is an article about how I implemented a high-frequency squatting routine into my own training arsenal, why I wanted to do such a thing, how I tweaked the experiment to fit my own needs and goals, and maybe even most important of all, the surprising result(s).

I’ll be submitting it this week, and barring any catastrophe (Nickelback releasing a new album, or the powers that be don’t like it), should be ready to go live shortly thereafter.  Keep your eyes peeled.  I think it’s going to be pretty cool.

5.  A few weeks ago I was invited to participate in a podcast with the peeps from Greatist.com, and it just went live.  In it I discuss some of the reasons why people never get stronger, a few of my favorite strength exercises, and some other stuff.  It’s a short interview – less than 20 minutes – and I didn’t even swear!  Score!

If you have a few minutes, definitely check it out.

6.  And lastly, I leave you with this picture:  Just when you think you’ve seen it all……..

CategoriesUncategorized

Glutes Are the New Biceps

Living in a pretty historical, cultural, and overall kick-ass city (Boston), Lisa and I like to spend our weekends walking around to the various neighborhoods to take in all the sights and sounds that they have to offer. Whether it’s heading to the North End to eat a quaint italian restaurant, walking through Boston Common and then down Newbury St. to look at all the shiny things we can’t afford, or just chilling in our own neighborhood – Coolidge Corner – we can always find something fun or interesting to do.

Another one of our favorite areas to frequent is the South End.

The South End is considered the “trendy” part of the city teaming with hip restaurants, cafes, shops, and boutiques. It’s ubiquitously fabulous in every shape, way, and form.

Even more fabulous than this commercial:  JAZZ HANDS!!!!!

Additionally, and not surprisingly, the South End is also known for its fashion sense. Now, fashion is not my forte. You’re reading a guy’s blog who’s idea of dressing up is a pair of jeans with a GI-Joe t-shirt.  Worse, I wear white after Labor Day.  Oh, the horror!!!!!

Whenever I’m in the South End with Lisa and we walk into some clothing store, she’ll inevitably go into fashionista mode and start conversing with the sales lady person.  Hem line this, v-neck that. Blibbidy blah, blibbidy bloo.

They might as well be speaking Klingon.

I usually just zone out and stand there like a zombie or go light my face on fire to help pass the time.

But recently something caught my attention.  Well, two things actually.

1.  At one store we were in, the sales lady person said something along the lines of “brown is the new black,” alluding that brown (and all it’s various shades) are now “in,” and that this season brown is all the rage.

I thought this was interesting, and something that will make a little more sense in a few seconds once I tie this into the actual purpose/title of this post.

2.  Even more intriguing to me was how much money people would spend for a pair of jeans and yet have no ass to show for it. It was amazing.

Men and women alike.  No asses.  Anywhere.

Maybe I’m missing something, but it doesn’t make much sense to me to buy a pair jeans that’s equivalent to a car payment and have no ass to show of it.

Sure I saw some flat stomachs on the ladies, and many of the guys walking around had biceps.  But no where to be seen was a nice, plump, round tush/bum/butt/ass/derriere/badonkadonk/whatever your term of choice.

Honestly, though, it isn’t even limited to that one instance or point in time.  Rarely (if ever) do I see a well-rounded backside.

I was in a 7 Eleven not too long ago getting my caffeine fix when I saw two bodybuilder type guys walk up from behind me to pay for their things at the cashier counter.  Both were really tan and had on skin tight shirts and for all intents and purposes were two really built dudes.

But neither of them had an ass.

Judge me as you will – yes, I looked at two guys’ backsides and noticed they didn’t have one.  Don’t kid yourself, you do it too!  We ALL judge others and give everyone the once over.  Guys and girls alike.

Guys look at other guys and judge whether or not they can take them in a fight.

Girls look at other girls and judge whether or not they can take them in a fight  (or if they’re an uppity skank).  This is especially true if two women are wearing the same outfit.

It’s a two-way street.

Either way, when I saw a 2×4 in place of where their ass should be, I knew the two guys in question were suffering from what I call Noassitis.  Get it?  No-ass-itis!!!

Note:  giving credit – I think Mike Boyle originally coined the term, but he may have called it something else.

Nevertheless, it’s a growing problem and it’s what spurned this post.

Much like brown is the new black in the fashion world, in the strength and conditioning world glutes are the new biceps.

Glutes are the new biceps!!!!!!!!!

Yeah baby!!!

I’d be remiss not to give credit to the Glute Master himself – Bret Contreras – as he’s been championing this sentiment for years now.

Thanks to him the glutes are getting MUCH more attention, but no where near the amount of attention they should be getting.

There are still plenty of people (men AND women) who spend a vast majority of their time and energy training a muscle the size of a tennis ball (bicep), yet ignoring the largest and most powerful muscle in the body (the glutes).

Of course, I’m not insinuating that one should ignore their biceps.  Trust me, I get it.  That’s just looney talk.  Most are going to train them no matter what I say, so there’s no point in wasting my breath.

All I’m suggesting is that a slight shift in training economy and priority is in order.

I’d argue that if you’re the type of person who places an emphasis on his or her glutes and includes more exercises into your repertoire that targets them, you’ll probably have decent sized arms anyways.

You’ll have biceps despite what you do.

As an example, look at Kellie Davis, model and co-author – along with Bret Contreras – of the upcoming book Strong Curves.

She glute bridges her ass off (or, more appropriately, on) and she still has shapely, “toned” arms that most women would kill for.

You think she’s performing tricep kickbacks and various bicep curl exercises to look like that?

Hell no!

Switching gears to those of us who pee standing up, and using myself as an example, I too have decent sized arms that most guys would like to have . I’m not saying this to brag, it’s just what I’ve been told.** Yet, despite the contrary, I don’t go out of my way to perform a lot of isolated bicep work.

Instead, the bulk of my upper body work consists of a healthy dose of row variations, chin-ups, and push-ups.  But I also place a premium on things like deadlifts, squats, glute bridges, Prowler pushes, kettlebell swings and various single leg exercises – all of which hammer my posterior chain (and more specifically, my glutes).

I can probably count on one hand the total number of times I’ve gone out of my way to perform a bicep curl in the past year.

Likewise, I generally don’t go out of my way to program any “isolated” bicep work for the bulk of my athletes and clients.  Sure, I’ll throw them a bone every now and then, but for the most part their training entails compound movements with an emphasis on their backside.

And, predictably, their biceps grow (or, in the case my female clients, they attain that “toned” look that’s so coveted).  Go figure!

Again, this isn’t to suggest that I feel blasting the biceps isn’t warranted or that I never do it.  I do.  All I’m saying is that for most people, most of the time, they’d be much better off nixing the curls in favor of curing their Noassitis.

It’s not hard to walk into a gym and notice someone with sculpted arms or pecs that could stop a mack truck. What’s rare is seeing an impressive set of glutes.  THAT’S what will separate you from the masses – and not coincidentally, make those designer jeans fit like a glove.

On that note, below are some instructional videos that will hopefully get the ball rolling and point people in the right direction.  Train your glutes people!!!

Hip Thrust Instructional Video – Bret Contreras

NOTE:  Also, I’d highly suggest reading THIS post by Kellie Davis on proper range of motion while performing hip thrusts/bridges.

How To Set Up To Deadlift Properly

Box Squat vs. Squat TO Box

Get-Up and Swing Tutorial

* = Okay, I lied.  I’m completely bragging.