It’s that time of year where we’re enjoying a bit of “down time” at the facility, so it’s been nice to have the opportunity to stay on top of pumping out some articles for T-Nation lately.
Here’s my latest one which talks about an often overlooked component of leg training: paused squats.
WARNING: you’re going to hate life.
I have a pretty sweet job. I get to hang out and coach athletes of varying ages and ability levels every single day. I tell them to lift heavy things and I get to wear sweatpants while doing it. Suffice it to say, life doesn’t suck.
Likewise, I have the luxury of working alongside one of the best coaching staffs in the country. On a daily basis we’re exchanging ideas, challenging one another to get better, and wondering why the hell Eric Cressey has such an obsession with Linkin Park.
Musical preferences aside (Tony’s Techno Thursday is a favorite of mine), anything that happens within the confines of Cressey Performance as it pertains to making our athletes bigger, faster, and/or stronger, with rare exceptions, is pretty much par for the course.
I don’t know about you, but if I looked down at my program and saw that one of the exercises listed was called a 1-arm perpendicular landmine row I’d probably take said program, ball it up, dip it in cement, let it dry, and then find whoever wrote the program, wind-up and unleash a fastball square into the middle of their grill
While it’s the name of the exercise in the literal sense – it’s just not a cool name for an exercise. It’s lame in fact. So it’s only appropriate that I give today’s exercise its due diligence and call it by its real name. In meathead circles it’s also known as the Meadows Row – named appropriately after professional bodybuilder, fellow T-Nation contributor, and absolute BEAST, John Meadows.
^^^^^^^That Guy.
By the way: you know you’re kind of a big deal when an exercise is named after you. I remember reading about this row variation a while ago HERE. but for some reason never really gave it a go because, well, I forgot about it. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago when I was training with my buddy, strength coach Dave Rak, at Boston University that I gave it my first test-drive. Needless to day: me likey.
1-Arm Perpendicular Landmine Row Meadows Row
Who Did I Steal It From: Technically John Meadows, but I’ll also give credit to Dave Rak and Ben Bruno (who, coincidentally, wrote about it here, along with some other cool landmine variations).
What Does It Do: This is an awesome alternative for those who train at lame gyms that don’t carry heavy dumbbells, or for those who have “out-grown” their gyms and need to up the ante a bit. You can load these fairly heavy, and you’d be hard pressed to find another rowing exercise that will add significant meat to your backside like this one. What’s more, because the end of the barbell is much thicker than a standard dumbbell, you’ll also get a grip-training effect.
Key Coaching Cues: Even if you don’t have a standard “landmine,” you can just as easily set-up a barbell in the corner and do just fine. I’d advise that you load up the barbell with 25 lb plates (or lower) – as anything larger tends to get in the way and make the exercise a bit cumbersome. I like to use a staggered stance on these, but you could use a squared stance as well.
A word of caution however: these will also fry your lower back, so if you have a history of lower back shenanigans going on, I’d probably lean more towards using a bench to prop yourself on (which Ben demonstrates in the link above).
While I’m fine with using a bit more “body english” on these, try your best to maintain as much of an arch in your back as you can and to prevent too much forward head posture.
In addition, since these are designed to go heavy on, I like to use a 6-10 rep scheme, but if you’re feeling a bit more like He-Man or She-Ra (don’t want to dis any ladies who may be reading), feel free to go higher. While I can’t promise your back will end up looking like John’s, I can say that these will give your upper back an unparalleled pump. Try them today and let me know what you think!
I think I’ve got a pretty epic blog brewing for all of you that, if all goes to plan, should be posted by either tomorrow or early next week. I still have a bit of tinkering to do with it, but I think it will be well worth the wait. And while I’ve never been one to toot my own horn (except for like once a week) it could very well win me a Pulitzer Prize for best piece of literature ever written. Give or take.
Assuming, of course, I’m able perform a miracle and do so without spelling something wrong or use the word they’re when I meant their. Or is it there?
Crap! I always get them confused.
Anyways, slight exaggerations notwithstanding, I plan on posting my latest installment on The (New) New Rules of Lifting for Women, and this time I’m going to delve into the topic of the scale and whether or not I feel it’s a good tool to use to judge progress.
So, stay tuned for that one. In the meantime, here’s some other stuff to read.
Thankfully I’ve never had any issues falling asleep, or staying asleep for that matter. I know there are a lot of people out there who aren’t quite as lucky and are walking around like zombies day in and day completely sleep deprived.
Don’t believe me? If any of these have happened to you within the past year, it’s a safe bet you’re not getting enough sleep:
1. You showed up to work without any pants on.
2. You kissed the toaster good-bye this morning and not your significant other.
3. You brushed your teeth with foot cream and didn’t even bat an eye.
Unfortunately many people are just too wired before heading to bed, which makes falling asleep all the more challenging. I for one have a set ritual:
– I try to turn off all screens an hour before bed. Which means no tv and no checking emails.
– I cap off the night with a cup of mint hernal tea and some ZMA.
– Once it’s time for bed, I crawl into my Transformer PJs, turn on my fan (white noise), close all the shades and curtains, and read for a good 30 minutes.
It’s like my body knows the ritual, and by the time I turn my light off I’m asleep within a few minutes and dreaming about becoming BFFs with The Rock as we fight crime on the streets with our fire-breathing dragons. Gotta love ZMA dreams!
But like I said, there are many people out there who don’t have this luxury. There’s a real struggle for many out there to not only get to sleep, but stay asleep, which is going to have long-stemming ramifications on things like T-levels and just overall quality of life.
I felt this article by TC was a fascinating (hence the word in the title) look into the history of sleep. Apparently, we’re doing it wrong….;o)
With 17,000+ citations it’s a safe bet that both Sol Orwell and Kurtis Frank have looked underneath every rock and barked up every tree to provide what’s arguably the most complete database of supplement reviews on the web.
What works? What doesn’t? What makes you piss out your ass for three days? Is Creatine worth taking? What benefits does fish oil really provide? And what the heck is Yohimbe?
Isn’t it funny (or more appropriately unfortunate) that anyone can be a nutrition guru? Seemingly anyone who has an opinion – or happened to lose 20 lbs last month – is somehow an expert when it comes to nutrition.
It’s crazy.
To quote the good doc himself, “For now, anyone who shares opinions about nutrition or weight loudly and often enough — or cleverly enough — is embraced as an authority, with no one generally even asking what if any training they’ve had.”
In this awesome opinion piece, Dr. Katz speaks some well needed truth.
The Dynamic Duo – Chris and Eric Martinez – are back! This time with a vengeance, as they set their sights on the glutes (or lack thereof).
In this lighthearted, “investigative” report, Chris and Eric discuss some of the top reasons why your glutes aren’t growing.
Enjoy!
Have you heard the breaking news about people’s glutes plateauing and not growing? Well, word on the street and from the media is they are known as the “Top 5 Glute Killers”. Reports say that they are going around destroying people’s glutes and restricting further muscle growth and strength in today’s modern era.
We have heard certain reports saying the investigation is top secret and the authorities have no clue whether it’s one person or multiple people committing these glute crimes. All we know is that these criminals have been leaving messages saying “Glute killers are on the rise, glute hypertrophy will not be allowed and we will not be stopped, MUHAHAHA!”
Not many people seem to be doing anything about these glute killers, so we will have to take matters in our own hands. We will solve these crimes ourselves and be known as the “Glute Slayers!” Along this investigation we will have the help of the one and only Bret Contrerasaka “The Glute Guy.”
In this investigation we will be using some of The Glute Guy’s awesome articles, research, and of course good ole anecdotal evidence to catch these monsters. We promise we will find these “Top 5 Glute Killers” and put them to rest at once. Each glute killer will be exposed for their crime and will be sentenced with a solution, so they can never harm one’s glutes again…Get ready!
Glute Killer #1: Too Much Sitting!
Crime: Recently we just caught our first suspect. This criminal has confessed to us that he has been advising people to sit around all day long. We asked the suspect why they would do such a thing to one’s glutes? The suspect replied, “I want more and more people to live a sedentary lifestyle with no exercise, that way by them sitting all day they will accumulate chronic back pain, tight hip flexors, and tight hamstring muscles. I want to create more inhibitory consequences to excessive sitting, as compression slows down vascular function and interferes with nerve function.”
Sentence/Solution: Try your best to get up as much as possible and move around. We understand people have to work desk jobs for 8 hours. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get up from time to time to stretch, walk, and keep your blood flowing in your body. Try getting up every 1-2 hours to walk for 5-10 minutes, do some dynamic stretches, do some body weight glute bridges, practice your hip hinge, use the stairs when going places. Main point is to keep your glutes firing throughout the day.
Glute Killer #2: Glute Imbalances
Crime: When we caught the next glute killer, the suspect had a little more sympathy than glute killer #1. But the suspect still confessed to causing glute imbalances in harmless people’s glutes, so we still had to nail him. Glute killer #2 said “there are 3 main causes of Gluteal Imbalances,” he heard this from a man by the name of Bret Contreras, we didn’t believe the suspects allegations but we still let him state his 3 main causes:
1.) Asymmetrical Human-Nature: By nature, we are asymmetrical beings; our anatomy itself can be asymmetrical. Therefore, it comes as no surprise then that one glute or region of the glute might be stronger and more coordinated than the other (1).
2.) Inactivity: When considering the human body, we know that some muscles are more prone to inhibition than others, and the glutes are one of these “easily-inhibited” muscles. Neural and mechanical inhibition involving opposing muscles can interfere with gluteal activation, and therefore could shut them down. Gluteal inhibition can negatively impact posture, and poor posture can further inhibit glutes, thereby creating a downward spiral in gluteal function. Probably the biggest reason why the glutes shut down is due to inactivity (1).
3.) Pain, Prior Injury, and Structural Issues: Pain is a huge inhibitor of the gluteus maximus, which is a pretty big deal at the end of the day. Research shows that glutes can become inhibited with just about any lower body or spinal injury. The glutes are major propulsion muscles. They produce powerful locomotion. Inhibiting the glutes will cause an individual to slow down so they can heal. The problem is that the glutes don’t necessarily turn back on automatically. They must be reactivated, restrengthened, and recoordinated back into every day movement and activity. Following injury, most people continue to keep working out, and their movement patterns suffer and other muscles will then compensate for others (1).
Sentence/Solution: This suspect was being very hard headed when we asked him for a solution to Gluteal Imbalances. He pretty much said you have to read this blog on how to correct Gluteal Imbalances or else they cannot be fixed.
Glute Killer #3: Improper Glute Activtion
Crime: Luckily Glute Killer #2 made our investigation a bit easier and turned in the next glute killer on our list. When we found out who this was, we were not surprised. This is a very common mistake many people make and it doesn’t help when you have criminals like our glute suspect showing you the wrong way to activate your glutes. For those that are not familiar with the term “glute activation,” it’s just a fancy way of saying warming up your glute muscles properly.
So we asked this suspect why he had been showing people the wrong way to warm up their glutes. The suspects reply was “glute activation is not important in my book, when people don’t activate their glutes properly they have a higher probability of getting injured and not gaining strength and muscle MUAHAHA!”
This was quite a disturbing answer by the suspect but we found a solution.
Sentence/Solution: Incorporate various glute exercises in your dynamic warm-ups for 15-20 minutes prior to a lower body session. Mainly glute exercises that target the glute medius, minimus, maximus, and even your TFL. These are all extremely critical muscles to activate and are often over looked.
Some examples are Monster and Sumo Walks with resistance bands:
X-band walks:
Glute Bridges:
And a ton more. For more glute activation solutions read here. Always remember your glutes are the steering wheel to your lower body, they deserve a proper warm-up.
Glute Killer #4: Not Working Your Glute Muscles Directly
Crime: After Glute Killer #3 testified, in order to reduce his sentence he was willing to give up our next suspect on our list. We caught him red handed in a big box commercial gym, we definitely thought he was smarter than this. We wanted to know his reasoning for not having people work their glute muscles directly.
The suspect said “there is no need for direct glute work; all you need to do is squats, deadlifts, a little Zumba, and the Brazilian butt lift videos.” While we wanted to chuckle at his answer, we knew this was a serious matter and this is a very common mistake many make when it comes to resistance training. While squats and deadlifts are awesome and do help build the booties, but at the end of the day it’s not enough direct work to the glute muscles to increase hypertrophy.
These are all considered horizontal loading exercises (2).
Also, one must not overlook the importance of mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage to promote hypertrophy in a muscle. Brad Shoenfeld says “hypertrophic benefits associated with eccentric exercise may be due to a greater imposed mechanical stress compared with concentric or isometric actions. Indeed, muscles are capable of generating greater absolute force when contracting eccentrically vs. concentrically. Despite this fact, however, muscle activation during maximal eccentric actions is generally less compared with those performed concentrically (4). So try and use different methods of resistance training: eccentric, concentric, or isometric when training the glutes. You never know which method your glutes are going to respond to best.
Glute Killer #5: Disuse of glutes in general (Flatassitis)
Crime: To wrap up this grueling investigation we caught our last suspect. Needless to say, this suspect was very easy to find. The suspect was relatively easy to find do to the disuse and inactivity of the glute muscles in general. There really was no reason to ask this suspect any questions, it was plain and simple that the suspect was trying to get people not to use their glutes overall.
Sentence/Solution: As the old saying goes “If you don’t use it you will lose it.” Well our new version is “If you don’t use your glutes, you will lose your glutes.” So get out there and put those glutes to use or else you will never fill out those expensive jeans you buy and you will always envy another big booty Judy when they walk by.
Investigation Conclusion:
Wrapping up this very intense investigation, we are pleased to say we caught all of the “Top 5 Glute Killers” that were going around harming people’s glutes. We would like to give a huge thanks to “The Glute Guy” for helping us out with this one, not quite sure we could’ve done this on our own.
The mayor of our city has presented us with the key to the city for our duties. We are now known as the “Glute Slayers” around town. All we ask is that we hope you put all of the solutions to use from now on. These solutions are great tools and will only benefit your training and help you achieve the goals you are after. Until more glute killers break loose, we leave you with this, “If you don’t use your glutes you will lose them.”
References:
1.) Bret Contreras (2013). How To Fix Glute Imbalances
2.) Bret Contreras (2013). The Science of Glute Training. NCSA Conference 2013
3.) Brad Schoenfeld. Potential Mechanisms for a Role of Metabolic Stress in Hypertrophic Adaptations to Resistance Training. Sports Medicine (2013) 43: 179-194.
4.) Brad Schoenfeld. Does Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage Play A Role In Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy? Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2012) Volume 26: number 5.
About the Authors
Chris and Eric Martinez, CISSN, CPT, BA, also known as the “Dynamic Duo” operate a world class personal training and online training business “Dynamic Duo Training.” They’re also fitness and nutrition writers, fitness models, and coaches that love helping people reach their goals. Their philosophy is “No excuses, only solutions.”
As it happens I don’t get a ton of hate mail or “troll” activity that’s directed my way. Part of that is because I generally – not always – steer clear of controversial topics (CrossFit, intermittent fasting, Jacob vs. Edward) that somehow always gets people’s panties all up in a bunch.
On the other side of the coin, I like to think I go out of my way to provide top-notch content with a little lightheartedness that doesn’t come across as me being an uppity know-it-all snob. And even if I do take a strong stance on something, I’m always willing to keep an open mind and respect other’s opinions on the matter.
That said, on the off-chance that I do get someone going out of their way to be a big meanie head and write me a scathing email or comment, I’ve learned to politely say “thank you,” or ignore them altogether and move on with my life. It’s just not worth getting into a war of words with some people.
It was a hard pill to swallow when I first started writing. I took any negative feedback I received as a direct blow against my character, and I’d be lying if I sat here and said that it didn’t sometimes affect my mood. I wouldn’t cower in the corner in the fetal position sucking my thumb or anything, but there were times back in the day where I’d be thiiiiiiiiiiiiiis close to turning on a Julia Roberts’ movie and crushing a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.
When you think about it though, anytime you open yourself up to the masses and decide to write in an open forum, whether it be blogging, articles, or any form of media, you’re going to expose yourself to criticism. It’s the nature of the beast, for better or worse.
Throughout the years I’ve learned to pick my battles. Sometimes I deserved to be called out and I was always appreciative (although maybe not right at that moment) in the long-run, because part of why I’m in this industry and why I write is to learn and help people. I’m not that much of a conceited person where I can’t say “my bad, I’m wrong” and move on.
And then you just have those people who have nothing better to do with their lives than to be a big, fat meanie-head. Like I said, normally I ignore stuff like this and use it as a good laugh, but for some reason I felt this particular person, based off his holier than thou tone alone, deserved a little taste of his own medicine.
I think most of you reading will agree.
Here’s the email that was sent my way in its entirety – with a few words/lines highlighted on my end.
Why are you stating that an upper rounded back in a deadlift is incorrect. Please explain the shear you speak of.
So I guess Konstantin Konstantinov must be a shitty deadlifter eh? The fact is it depends on body composition and the weight being pulled.
It would be nice if you trainer, no back and no trap, types get your shit correct before you put this crap on the web.
RD
+500lb deadlifter
So, essentially, what this guy was saying was that:
1. He read ONE blog post of mine (I don’t know which one) and decided that that encompassed my entire thought process on everything deadlifting. And….
2. Because he watched a Russian deadlift once, on the internet, that that somehow makes him an authority. And….
3. He’s a +500 lb deadlifter (allegedly), so he obviously knows what he’s talking about.
For starters, one blog post doesn’t define me and my thoughts.
Secondly, here’s a picture of some random dude juggling some chainsaws. Man that is nifty! I could probably do that! In fact, I know I could do that because I saw it on the internet.
Thirdly, isn’t it funny how everyone somehow deadlifts over 500 lbs???? Uncanny.
Anyways, here was my initial response to him (with more to follow afterwards):
Riiiiigggggghhhhhhttttt.
Well, if you actually read more of my stuff, you’ll understand that I’ve also said that when someone is lifting heavier loads it isn’t always going to be pretty.
And as a coach and trainer I’m certainly not going to teach someone to deadlift with a rounded back. It’s just not worth the risk. If or when they get to the level of Konstantinov then they’ll get a little more leeway..
Thanks for setting me straight, though, I really appreciate it.
+570 lb deadlifter (ie: more than you).
I’m sorry. I just couldn’t resist closing off my response with that last line. Childish, I know – but sooooooooo worth it.
So lets break this down in a more conducive, less confrontational way.
His main beef with me was stressing how I’m not a fan of people deadlifting with a rounded upper back. Specifically he asked if I could explain this whole “shear” phenomena, as if I was pulling a random word out of my ass.
Let me clarify a bit before I proceed.
For starters, as the co-owner of a gym (and as such: having the luxury of paying liability insurance), part of, if not the most crucial component of my job is to keep people from getting hurt.
Think about how much responsibility we accept when a parent drops off their 14 year old kid to train with us. How do you think it bodes for business if we have kids injuring themselves left and right because we don’t take the time to teach them how to lift correctly (but more on that in a bit)?
As someone on my Facebook page so succinctly noted, “it must be nice to Monday morning quarterback from a far. If they did have their butt on the line everytime an athlete picked up a bar, this junk would be the last thing you would be arguing about.”
More to the point, if we were to look at the biomechanics of the lumbar spine (or read anything Dr. Stuart McGill has written in the past 15+ years: HERE and HEREwould be a nice start), we’d understand that the spine can handle compressive loading fairly well (assuming it’s not loaded and someone is living flexion), but it’s shear loading that many fail to pay attention to.
What is shear loading?
When the (lumbar) spinal muscles – namely the erector spinae, longissimus, iliocostalis, etc – are doing their job when lifting heavy things off the floor, they’re mainly counteracting perpendicular forces to the axis of the spine which attempt to slide the components away from their normal axis.
As my boy Dean Somerset noted, “McGill showed elite powerlifters could get their spines to within a few degrees of full flexion and maintain that position through the pull, whereas amateurs or intermediates would go beyond full flexion without control and wind up exposing their discs to stupid forces and injury, so teaching a rounded back to a beginner is completely different than allowing an experienced puller to creep into flexion during their max lifts.
It also doesn’t talk about how when the experienced lifters are training with less than max weight they get closer to neutral and work on maintaining and grooving that pattern while staying away from flexion.”
For the visual learners out there, it goes a little something like this:
Now, to be fair: guys like Konstantin Konstantinov have a TON more leeway because he’s trained his body to stay out of danger when the shit hits the fan. He’s the elite of the elite. Using him as an argument as to why lifting with a rounded back is advantageous is borderline the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Excuse me while I go throw myself in front of a mack truck.
Moreover, it’s important to note that as a coach I’m ALWAYS going refrain from teaching the deadlift with a rounded back because it’s just common sense. It’s important to engrain the proper motor pattern, and CEMENT that pattern with smart, properly progressed strength training so that if or when they do start lifting heavier loads, they’ll be better prepared to not crumble like a deck of cards.
That and so their max pulls don’t end up looking like this walking ball of fail:
So that’s my more “polite” response. Agree? Disagree? Want to give me an internet high-five? Please share below.
Cressey Performance has a brand spankin new website that went live a few days ago HERE. If you have a few minutes to spare, I’d love to hear any feedback you have.
Please shoot me an email if you have anything specific you’d like to share, comment on, or point out that we can improve.
Thanks!
2. Holy moley: My head is still reeling from the Elite Training Workshop we hosted this past weekend at Cressey Performance. The lineup was pretty baller and could probably rival the 1927 Yankees.
You had Eric Cressey leading things off discussing the importance of anterior core training and how it’s crucial to assess and address many pathologies ranging from sports hernias to femoral acetabular impingement proximally (core) to distally. We’re all quick to set out fires were we see the actual symptoms, but more often than not the source is elsewhere.
Looking at the core, and more specifically pelvic alignment, can have far reaching dividends as far as keeping people healthy.
Mike Robertson followed with a fantastic presentation on how to go about working with the general fitness population and helping them to not only train more athletically, but feel more athletic to boot.
One valuable piece of advice he gave was how we use basic terminology with our clients. If you have someone who’s only goal is to shed some fat and to maybe not embarrass themselves in their recreational basketball league, do you think they really care or take any credence in “soft tissue modality” or “self myofascial release” or whatever other Feng Shui term you want to use here?
Most likely they’ll look at their program, look at you as if you had a Shakeweight in your back pocket, and probably have everything go in one ear and out there other.
Instead, Mike and his team over at I-FAST came up with their R7 System which breaks down one’s training session in a more easily chewable fashion.
Up next was the band-man himself, Dave Schmitz, who basically gave everyone a direct shot of adrenaline into their left ventricle and introduced the crowd of 170+ to the benefits of band training. In particular he discussed the benefits of including more horizontal vector training.
I’m not exaggerating when I say Dave is a ball of energy. He’s an awesome coach and one of the more passionate people I’ve ever come across.
I had the task of speaking right after lunch which meant it was my job to keep everyone awake after crushing food for an hour.
The title of my presentation was Training Effect: Trust Me – Your Clients Aren’t Delicate Flowers, and the premise was simple: demonstrate to everyone that as coaches and personal trainers, you can ALWAYS find a way to train around an injury.
Specifically I spoke to shoulder impingement, how that’s a really poo-poo term and doesn’t really tell you anything, and also delved into the subtle (yet very important) differences that arise when you work with the general fitness population (computer guy) who sit in flexion all day as opposed to the overhead athlete population who live in more extension.
I also included a Han Solo, Jason Bourne, and Professor Dumbledore references, so there’s that too.
Mike Reinold followed me, and he spoke to the intricate relationship between core function and hip kinematics (as well as other nerdtastic stuff like unstable surface training and how there is some (key word: some) efficacy of its use in the healthy population). In addition he also discussed the importance of regressions, and how, sometimes, those can be the most beneficial thing you can do for an athlete/client.
Closing things off were Steve Long and Jared Woolever the co-creators of Smart Group Training, and they demonstrated how to integrate the FMS into a group training format which I thought was pretty impressive and then they took those who participated through the gauntlet. Which was even cooler.
All in all I think it’s safe to assume that it was an awesome event for all, and people learned a lot. I know I did! Also, I wanted to thank all those who personally introduced themselves to me and had such nice things to say. It’s always humbling on my end when that happens, and it’s always cool to put a face to the name.
Thanks again to all those who attended!
And for those who didn’t – be sure to keep your eyes peeled for future Elite Training Workshops in your area!
3. Taken from Mike Reinold’s site (<====Important)
We are all still saddened here in Boston. It seems everyone has a connection to someone who was either impacted or part of the relief team. For those of you around the country and world that would like to help, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino have announced the formation of The One Fund Boston to help the people most affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15, 2013.
Bob Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots has offered to match donations to The One Fund Boston, up to $100,000, if donated through the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation. This is a fantastic opportunity to double any donation you may want to consider giving.
Huge Discount on My Products with Eric Cressey with All Proceeds Going to the One Boston Fund
I’ll personally be donating through the New Patriots Charitable Foundation, but in addition, I want to persuade you to donate as well.
Eric Cressey and I have decided to offer both Optimal Shoulder Performance and Functional Stability Training for the Core for 33% off today only, with all proceeds going to the One Boston Fund. This is the lowest price we have ever offered either program.
For more information go to either FunctionalStability.com or ShoulderPerformance.com. Be sure to enter coupon BOSTONSTRONG during the checkout process to get 33% off. We will donate all proceeds from today’s purchases.
Had my latest article posted up on T-Nation recently:
Chances are if you’re reading T Nation you’re interested in muscle, and you’re interested in packing on as much of it as possible.
Whether it’s to improve performance on the field, look better naked, or to stop the, “Hey, you look like that skinny kid from the movie Road Trip” taunts, it stands to reason that a fair share of the people reading this have gone through a bulking cycle or two.
And failed miserably.
Bulking isn’t easy – it takes a lot of hard work, time, and dedication. But if you’re someone who’s consistently making the same two mistakes below, then it’s time to make some changes.
Also (See Below for a Stellar Gwyneth Paltrow/Tracy Anderson Burn)
Everyone and their Little League coach is seemingly making the trip to NYC this weekend to support my boys John Romaniello and Adam Bornstein for the book launch of their new book Man 2.0: Engineering the Alpha Male.
Unfortunately, while I was invited, I won’t be able to make the trip because I’ll be presenting at the Elite Training Workshop (alongside Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, and Mike Reinold) at Cressey Performance this weekend.
As I noted earlier in the week, John is offering some pretty sweet additional bonuses for those who purchase the book on the official Engineering the Alpha website HERE. Offers that end tomorrow (Saturday, April 20th at noon). These offers ALSO apply to those who buy the Kindle version (so long as they forward their receipts of purchase).
If that’s not incentive enough I have one more ulterior motive to entice you to purchase the book that I want to throw your way. The current #1 Hardcover Health/Advice book on the New York Times best sellar list is It’sAll Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great by none other than Gwyneth Paltrow. The same Gwyneth Paltrow who, while being BFFs with “celebrity” trainer Tracy Anderson (of the “no woman should lift a weight heavier than three lbs” and “baby food diet” fame), was also diagnosed with osteopenia (a precursor to osteoporosis) two years ago; in no small part to the extreme diets and food restriction she has long advocated.
What a bunch of BS.
So, if you don’t buy Man 2.o (a book that’s actually written by two well-respected people IN the industry) and help it climb to #1, you’re essentially supporting Paltrow Skeletor and Anderson Mephistopheles.
Okay, that’s a bit harsh, but hopefully you see my point.
Ladies, This Means You, Too.
Understandably, a book not starting with the words 50 Shades of.… and revolves around how to go about increasing T-levels isn’t high on a woman’s “to read” list. To that end, John has placed his best-selling program Final Phase Fat Losson sale as a “peace offering” for any women out there feeling left out and still interested in getting some top-notch information in their hands.
You have to act quickly, though, because the offer ends tomorrow (Saturday, April 20th).
There’s no debating the fact that planks (and all their infinite variations) have a place at the “big boy” table in terms of exercises which 1. offer a horde of benefits, and 2. are wildly popular in the fitness community.
Personally I have a love/hate relationship with them.
I love them because, well, it’s hard not to appreciate/respect the long-standing work of guys like Dr. Stuart McGill, Dr. Craig, Liebenson, and a slew of others who are way smarter than me who have routinely shown that building and improving upon spinal endurance is a key factor in addressing low-back pain.
Having the ability to buttress shear loads and maintain a “neutral” spine both from an anterior/posterior perspective (prone planks) as well as laterally (side planks) goes a long ways in demonstrating one’s ability to control the lumbo-pelvic-hip area.
While I don’t have the exact numbers in front of me, Dr. McGill has noted that one should be able to hold a perfect prone plank position for roughly 90-120s, and a side plank for roughly 60s (on both sides).
If one is unable to do so, compensates in any way, or there is a major asymmetry between left and right sides on the side plank, it’s cause for a red flag and more than likely will result in a dolphin gets punched in the face.
In short, planks (or to be more precise: the ability to perform them correctly) can be a valuable assessment tool.
Which brings me to why I also hate them.
Walk into any gym, anywhere, at any time, and you’ll undoubtedly see people planking away. And, more often than not they look god awful.
There’s this….
And this….
And this, which is actually kinda cool….
Worse is that some people will brag – like it’s a badge of honor – that they can “plank” for five minutes. Well la-de-freakin-do. Unless you’re training for some World Planking Championship, who cares????
And that’s not even the worse offense. I’ll give a free pass to the general fitness population because they don’t know any better. But what really grinds my gears is when I see personal trainers having their clients perform planks for minutes on end, and it looks like the first two pictures from above.
What purpose does that serve? And more to the point: how is it you’re letting your client get away with such atrocious technique???????
AHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Okay, deep breaths Tony. Everything will be okay.
Just so we’re on the same page: I am NOT saying that planks are a waste of time. Like I said there’s definitely a ton of efficacy for their inclusion in a well-designed training program. But I’m also in the camp that believes there’s a rate of diminishing returns after a certain point.
If you’re working with a banged up client with a history of low back pain that’s one thing; but if you’re working with a “healthy” client with no contraindications or symptoms then I’d rather make planks more challenging rather than go for longer periods of time.
Which brings us to today’s exercise you should be doing.
Prone Plank Push-Pull
Who Did I Steal It From: fellow strength coach and Cortland State alum, Justin Kompf.
What Does It Do: it definitely brings a new flavor into the mix on two fronts.
1. By taking one arm off the floor, you’re taking away a base of support which inherently makes the exercise more challenging.
2. It also adds a dynamic component where the trainee has to RESIST me with the push component, and then pull AGAINST my resistance with the pulling part.
All this while still maintaining a “neutral” spine and not allowing the torso to compensate in any way.
Key Coaching Cues: All the same rules apply, and this means making sure your technique is spot on. Meaning, there should be absolutely no compensating in the lumbar region (dipping or hiking), no forward head posture, and the glutes should be firing along with a significant abdominal brace throughout the duration of the set.
Additionally, I like to yell out the cues during the set: Push!, Pull!, Push!, Pull!, your sister’s hot!, Push!, Pull!, Push!, Pull!, so on and so forth.
Shoot for 6-8 reps on one side, switch, and repeat the same process on the other.
And that’s about it. Give it a try today and let me know what you think!
Sorry for the blatant profanity – but how else to describe what happened yesterday?
Like so many of you reading, I remember where I was when 9/11 went down. I was actually in my microbiology lab class either fumbling with a bunsen burner or observing some paramecium colony under the microscope (I can’t remember which) when my professor walked in from the back room and said, “a plane has hit the World Trade Center.”
My lab partner, Connie, who was originally from Long Island and whose brother worked in the World Trade Center immediately jumped out of her seat in a panicked state and sprinted out of the room. Not long afterwards the rest of the class – most of which were also from the NYC area – excused themselves from class in an effort to get hold of family members or friends to make sure that they were alright.
As it turned out: Connie’s brother made it out of the building safely. Unfortunately, we all know that that wasn’t the case for so many others.
It was a sad day for all of us. It was a day that will forever be singed in our minds. It fucking sucked.
Much like yesterday did. But unlike the events of 9/11 (which I’m not downplaying in the least), what happened yesterday hit me in the stomach a tad harder because it took place in my back yard. Well, two-miles from apartment, but still.
Thankfully, I wasn’t anywhere near the chaos. I was at Cressey Performance – roughly 20 miles west of Boston – when I happened to walk into the main office area and Pete just said, “dude, shit is going down in the city. A few bombs went off near the finish line of the marathon.”
Knowing Lisa took the day off from work because her brother (of all days) was in town visiting from Texas, and knowing that the two of them had made plans to walk around the city to take in the sights and sounds of the marathon, I immediately grabbed my phone to make sure that she was alright.
She was. In fact, she was at home the entire time.
I had a few friends who were in the vicinity of the blast(s), but again, no one I know on a first-hand basis was injured.
But that doesn’t mean I’m still not very disheartened and saddened by what happened.
Like everyone else part of me feels the fear and sadness, which makes sense. But a larger part of me is also pissed as hell. I guess the best way I can describe it is when someone makes fun of one of your siblings and you want nothing more than to rip that person’s head off.
I’m not originally from Boston, but in the almost seven years that I’ve called it “home,” where I’ve watched countless games at Fenway, spent endless hours reading in Boston Common, ate my fair share of cannolis in the North End, and walked the very sidewalks on Boylston St. where all the madness happened…..I’ve fallen in love with it.
And the fact that this happened so close infuriates me to no end.
I know I’m not alone. I know the entire country is just as mad.
More importantly, though, I can’t even begin to articulate how proud and in awe I am of the random strangers and first repsonders who took it upon themselves to risk their own lives to help others in need.
By now we’ve all heard of the harrowing stories of people running TOWARDS the blasts to help. Maybe even more telling are the stories that circulated of runners themselves streamlining it from the finish line straight to the hospitals so that they could donate blood on the spot.
Unbelievable!
I think actor and comedian Patton Oswalt might have stated it best in his Facebook status that has since gone viral:
I don’t know what’s going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths. But here’s what I DO know. If it’s one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet.
So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, “The good outnumber you, and we always will.”
Sometimes, maybe even more than we’d like, people go out of their way to suck. But we can’t forget that the good far outweigh the bad.
Thanks for all the well-wishes and comments that people have sent my way the past 24 hours. We’re all in this together, and it’s my hope we’ll all come through this a little bit stronger.
UPDATE:The post below was written roughly four hours prior to the horrible events that happened in Boston today.
Just wanted to say thank you to all who reached out via email and social media to check in on me. I am okay (I was actually at CP when everything happened). Had a few friends in the vicinity of the blast(s) and they’re okay, thankfully. I just made it home (in Boston), and suffice it to say it’s utter chaos here. My prayers go out to all affected, and I hope whoever is behind this senseless act is brought to justice soon.
For the record
1. Today’s a pretty cool day for a variety of reasons. For starters, and this really only applies to those who live in the Boston area, today is Patriots Day where the entire city enters a state of batshitcraziness and plays hosts to the Boston Marathon.
In roughly five hours when whichever Kenyan is favored to win finally hits the homestretch down Boylston St. towards the finish line, the rest of the 20,000+ pack of runners will be cruising/jogging/shuffling/limping past my apartment in the same direction. In every sense, it’s a sea of people and it’s impressive to watch.
Which, of course, is why I’m getting the hell out of dodge. I’m in no way interested in dealing with the logistical nightmare of weaving my way through the maze of one-way streets, detours, and porta-potty roadblocks and will be leaving to head to the facility before the madness starts.
Good luck, though, to all the runners.
Secondly, today is a pretty cool day because Man 2.0: Engineering the Alpha Male, the long awaited fitness and lifestyle book written by both of my good buddies John Romaniello and Adam Bornstein is finally hitting the bookshelves today. Everywhere!
I couldn’t be happier for these two guys. Sure, they’re both friends and it only makes sense that I’d support them in any way I can. Speaking freely, however: these two consistently put out fantastic content, and more importantly I know how much time and work went into writing this book, and after previewing an advance copy, I can honestly tell you this is going to be a game changer.
I mean, for starters, the Governator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, wrote the foreword. Like, whoa!
But more to the point, I just feel this is a baller book that every guy should own. Not only is it chock full of information on how to transform your body into a specimen that women will crave and guys will envy, but it’s also a book that’s going to help transform yourself into the best version of YOU possible – from all facets of life.
Everything from having six-pack abs to improving your sex life to understanding why wearing white past labor day is a major feux pas.
Okay, maybe not so much the last point, but consider that a freebie on my end…..;o)
Like I said it’s not only a fitness book, but a lifestyle book, too.
Anyways, I have a quick favor to ask. Rather than hightailing it to the nearest Barnes and Noble or opening up a different window to log onto Amazon to order the book, I want you to order it through the book’s official website.
Why?
Simple: Roman his offering a TON of high value bonuses for ordering the book—bonuses that you can ONLY get by ordering through the site.
So, if you’re down with getting about $100-300 in extra value in addition to a soon-to-be New York Times bestseller, pick it up at the site HERE.
Roman’s a good dude, and he didn’t have to go out of his way to provide all the additional bonuses. So lets show my friend some love and help get this book on the best seller list!
2. There’s a new “study” (and I use that word lightly in this instance) making its rounds around the interwebz and mainstream media that was sent my way a couple of days ago which stated – again, even though it’s been debunked more times than I can count – red meat is a main factor in the incidence of heart disease.
For those curious, the study I’m referring to is THIS one (which was featured in the New York Times no less) where the researchers, at this point clutching at straws, pointed the finger at Carnitine (a compound found in red meat, and not coincidentally is found in every cell in your body, and plays a critical role in energy production. And when I say critical, I really do mean critical. It transports fatty acids into the “engines” of your cells – the mitochondria – so they can be oxidized to produce energy.) as the main a-hole in promoting heart disease.
I don’t claim to be a “nutrition guy,” so I’d be lying if I said I was able to interpret the actual data presented. That said, I do have an uncanny ability to smell bullshit, and as soon as I read this story I was gagging in it.
I reached out to several colleagues of mine to ask their opinion and to see if my assumptions were correct. And they were. Pretty much all of them pointed me in the direction of Anthony Colpo.
I HIGHLY encourage everyone to read THIS review by Anthony himself where he breaks down the actual “research,” and essentially makes the people and organizations behind this study come across like a bunch of doucheholes. Which they are.
Big time!
I’d really like to have a better understanding on how “studies” like this actually get released. Seemingly these are well-educated people running these things, and anyone with common sense (and an internet connection) would recognize that the whole red meat/cholesterol and heart disease connection has been refuted time and time and time again.
What’s more, while I recognize that we live in a world where 24/7 news is the norm and all these outlets have time (and pages) to fill, how much culpability should be directed towards the journalists who continue to regurgitate this crap?
From the sounds of it, it seems like I can take a piece of paper and type all these fancy words on it, make all these grandios assertions like putting butter on your toast will give you Ebola, then slap some glitter paint on that bad boy and BAM: I’m published.
