One quick housekeeping item to get out of the way first.
1. Just a reminder from Monday’s post: This is an open invitation for anybody located in or around the Boston area to attend Lisa’s spin class tomorrow (Saturday).
Everyone who attends, if they choose, can introduce themselves to Lisa after the class – I promise she won’t bite – and then give her their email address. From there I’ll send you a coupon code for one FREE month of my Premium Workout Group over on WeightTraining.com.
Even if you’d prefer not to take part in my group, and you just want to head in and get your ass kicked for 45 minutes, Lisa is pretty much the best spin instructor in the city as detailed by this glowing review below:
“Lisa is pretty much the best spin instructor in the city”
Well, shit – that is a fair point. I don’t really have a come back for that one. Oh well, I guess I’ll just move on with my life.
Nevertheless, to make up it I figured I’d 1) type this entire post shirtless (<—- not kidding) while watching GoodFellas (<—- Again, not kidding) in a Blackhawk helicopter (<—- okay, kidding) and post a quick video tutorial on how to clean up one’s carry technique.
I’m a huge advocate of carries as I feel that offer a gulf of benefits. Everything from grip strength to improved hip stability to increased core strength to helping to build a yoked up upper back.
Thing is: most trainees butcher them and often fail to reap all their benefits. Here are some thoughts on common mistakes and how to address them:
Two quick stories – both of which serve as the impetus behind this post.
1. I can’t tell you how long I resisted the whole Lululemon phenomenon. Mind you: I’ve always been a big fan of their work. All apologies to my gay guy friends, but I have a Y chromosome – so sue me for appreciating the finer points of yoga pants on a female’s body.
In fact, if I had to make a list of three people who’s hand I’d like to shake it would look something like this (in no particular order).
– Optimus Prime
– Han Solo
– Chip Wilson – the founder of Lululemon.
Half of my girlfriend’s wardrobe is from Lululemon (have a I mentioned I’m a fan?), and while I love it when she wears her yoga pants to go grocery shopping, I’d be lying if I said the Darth Vader theme music didn’t reverberate inside my head every time her and I would be walking around in the city and happen to cross paths with a Lululemon store.
Because inevitably she’d want to walk in and then try to convince me to put on a pair of something. Dudes DO NOT wear Lululemon. In my head, as far as masculine things to do, it ranged somewhere between peeing while sitting down and watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Fast forward to about a year ago when I noticed many of our pro-baseball guys walking into the facility with their Lulu pants on. When I brought it up to one of our guys – Oliver – and asked what’s up, he just responded with “they’re the most comfortable things, ever!”
When I dug a little deeper and started asking a few more questions, he just put his hands on my shoulders, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, “DO IT. You won’t be disappointed.”
It took a while, but eventually I relented and tried on a pair of their Kung-Fu pants. And OMG – ammmmmmaaaaazzzziiiiiinnggg.
In fact, Lisa bought a pair for me this past Christmas and I Tweeted the following picture to Oliver with the caption: I did it!
So now walking into a Lululemon store isn’t quite the chore it used to be.
But a funny thing happened a few weekends ago.
Lisa and I were doing our Sunday “routine,” you know, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Home Depot, squeezed in a little West Elm, when we happened to see a Lulu store. Lisa beelined it in and I followed suite. I wasn’t quite as “beeline(ish),” but I wasn’t tossing my face into a cement wall as I would have in the past.
As she was perusing the sales rack, I was standing near the front of the store adjacent to the men’s section. I wasn’t necessarily looking at anything, but rather just waiting in the area where all the other boyfriend’s waited. We’re like a little club.
A salesperson approached me and we started chatting me up. She told me all the sales going on – I don’t remember, I kind of blacked out – and then asked what I like to wear to the gym. I told her that I own one pair of the Kung-Fu pants, but that I’m a strength coach and that I don’t wear them to work because they’d get torn and beat up.
She then pointed to the right at all their men’s shorts, and said “a lot of our CrossFitters like to wear those.”
Wait………huh? My inner dialogue was like….“Did she just refer to me as a CrossFitter?“
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Y73sPHKxw
Don’t get me wrong: I didn’t take offense to it or anything. I mean, she was making a compliment that I actually look like I workout. But did she not just hear me say that I was a strength coach?
Which leads to story #2.
2. My internet buddy and intermittent guest blog contributor on this site, Emily Giza Socolinsky, sent me a message the other day.
Long story short: Emily used to be a Barre instructor and after switching to the dark side – Ie: strength training – and after seeing the results she not only received herself but with her own clients as well, she opened up her own gym. And she fucking dominates!
She’s long been an advocate of helping to promote people goals – whatever they may be – she doesn’t believe in only ONE way to train, but she’ll be the first to admit that everyone – in particular women – should strength train in some form or another.
And yes, in her own words that does mean “picking up some damn weight.”
Every so often she’ll get a comment on her blog from someone who, *coughs*, is not happy with what she has to say. Case in point, Emily wrote a fantastic blog HEREa while ago on why she feels Barre classes aren’t the answer for most women. Mind you: this was written by a someone who was formerly a veryaccomplished Barre instructor herself.
Anyways, she ruffled a few feathers when she originally posted that blog post. And to this day, she still continues to get snarky comments from women. Like this one:
“Wow, you certainly seem to have a chip on your shoulder toward women who do care about not bulking up!
I’m 42 years old and have been a lifetime runner. For years, I went to the gym and did traditional heavy weight programs (I even leg pressed nearly 3 times my body weight).
I tried the cross fit thing. For me, these programs resulted in injury and chronic pain in my knees and shoulders.
I’m a tiny person and I didn’t really bulk up, but I didn’t look feminine either.
Barre 3 and Bar Method have provided wonderful results for me.
I run faster and I have more endurance because my knees don’t hurt at all anymore! I am still very strong and in fact I can now do 50 push ups with good form. And I’m not embarrassed to admit, I love how how I look. Any women who doesn’t admit they don’t mind having a lean body with feminine muscular toning is lying to themselves and everyone else.”
Emily wrote back a very professional and considerate response – something I would have had a hard time doing – and ended with this:
“Congratulations on how you feel. It is very important for women to love how they look. But my reasoning for the article was to let women know that there are better ways to achieve one’s goal that will actually make them stronger and feel better about themselves. I would be lying to them and to myself if I told them them that barre classes are the way to a stronger body. Thank you for your comment.”
Lets ignore the whole leg press 3x bodyweight comment, or the “50 push-ups with good form” comment. I feel like my eyes have never rolled so hard in my life when I read those.
What I was most interested in was the “I did the CrossFit thing” comment.
Hello??!?!?!? Since When Is E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G CrossFit??????
Correct me if I’m wrong, but people were lifting weights and doing “strength training” long before CrossFit came into the picture. No where in Emily’s original post did she mention CrossFit. In fact, what she was referring to was everything CrossFit isn’t (more or less).
What she was advocating was a well-structured, coherent, planned, approach to strength training based off of one’s needs, goals, and health/injury history.
I don’t want to make this into some CrossFit bashing diatribe – that’s not the point. And for those reading who feel that’s what I’m doing, take a deep breath, relax, do some handstand push-ups or something, and read THIS.
There’s actually a lot about CrossFit I like and advocate.
But I just find it comical that, in the eyes of the general public, everything involving lifting a weight is now somehow lumped into CrossFit.
Much of that has to do with the marketing genius of CrossFit – there’s no doubting that. For what it’s worth I applaud it. A LOT more people are getting their asses off the couch and exercising now.
But what did people from the dawn of man to about ten years ago call weight training? I’ll tell you what it wasn’t called: fucking CrossFit.
Just a little rant for the day. I feel better now. Carry on.
After perusing a few videos from the likes of Dean Somerset, Max Shank, and Louie Guarino– and there are a litany of others – lately I’ve been toying around with more “flow” based warm-ups prior to my training sessions.
So, rather than performing the standard A (glute bridge) t0 B (ankle mobility drill) to C (T-spine mobiity) to D (forearm wall slide) to E (lunge pattern) to F (smashing my face into a cinder block from boredom) warm-up, I’ve been “flowing.”
Like This
And yes people, that is ERIC freakin CRESSEY (and Tank) doing what they do best…..videobombing me walking around in the background. Kudos to Eric for the commentary in the background too…..haha.
We like to keep things professional at the facility….;o)
This is a drill that really opens up the hips and is A LOT harder to do than it looks. Starting off, I’ll do 2-4 passes of rocking side to side working on hip internal-external rotation.
From there I’ll come up onto my knees working into terminal hip extension. I’ll also perform 2-4 passes on each side here as well.
Of Note: be careful not to hyperextend through the lower back here. Those with limited hip extension will tend to compensate with lumbar extension.
Then I’ll transition up onto my feet and work in a squat pattern, performing 2-4 passes on each side again.
I really like the seamless transition and positioning of the body and feel there’s a lot more carryover to everyday movement.
Don’t get me wrong: for most people performing a more traditional warm-up that targets problematic areas is ideal. But for those looking to step up their game, following more “flow” based warm-ups might be a nice change of pace.
NOTE: I have a favor to ask of all Boston-based readers. If you live in or around Boston, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post (#4). It’s life or death. Well, not really…..but you should scroll down anyways.
1. One of the best pieces of advice I received when I was a young Padwan trainer wasn’t the sage piece of advice depicted to the left, but rather you’re ALWAYS being observed. Whether it’s management, other trainers, members, or that creepy looking dude doing BOSU ball squats with shorts that are waaaaaay too short over there in the corner, people are watching.
If you’re the type of trainer or coach who just stands there, watches the clock, and just counts reps, then people watching are going to perceive you as someone who doesn’t give a shit – and they’re likely not going to go out of their way to give you their money.
Conversely – and this is something I’ve always prided myself on – if you’re a trainer or coach who actually does his of her job and actually COACHES – gives feedback, pays attention, and fixes form and technique – it’s amazing what happens.
I remember a number of cases back in the day when I worked in various commercial gyms where I was approached by patrons who were on the fence to hire a personal trainer. The only reason why they approached me was because they observed how I worked with other clients. They could see that I was a bit more “in-tune” and that I took pride in coaching my clients well.
Like I said, people are always watching.
Case in point: fast forward to last where I received this random email from a young coach who came to Cressey Performance to observe for the day.
“Tony, Thank you for taking the time out of your day yesterday to introduce yourself to me. I know you don’t have all the time in the world and it meant a lot to me. Your efforts to improve this field are incredible and truly inspiring to a young coach like me.
Also, you are by far the best hands on coach I have ever observed. Just watching you I was able to know what you were saying and how you wanted them to perform each exercise. I recall one particular athlete performing the Turkish Get-Up on the turf and you brought her through the movement step by step, breaking it down until she fully understood how to move her body properly.
After about 5 minutes she was able to perform the Get-Up effortlessly and that was incredible to observe. Keep up the great work Tony, what you’re doing for strength and conditioning is truly inspiring.”
I’m not posting this to brag or to give myself an internet high-five or to point out that my tricep is on point in that picture above. All I’m trying to convey to all coaches or trainers who may be reading: PLEASE, just give a shit.
That is all.
2. One of the perks of having a successful and popular blog is that sometimes I get contacted by people asking if I’d like to try out their product.
I liken it to those old Life cereal commercials featuring Mikey.
Now, I am no where near as hard to please as Mikey. Typically when something free arrives at the facility and I have a package waiting for me in the office I’m doing cartwheels on the gym floor 15 seconds later.
But I’d be lying if I said that some of the stuff I’m sent is garbage. Thankfully that’s few and far between.
One of the more practical and convenient products I was sent to tryout recently was the ISObag by Isolator Fitness.
I know this is going to come across the wrong way, but I’m often entertained (and sometimes taken aback by people’s questions).
As you can imagine I get asked a lot of questions during the day – it comes with the job. But not all of them are fitness related.
Not too long ago I was on the gym floor eating a meal out of a standard Pyrex dish when a client came up to me and asked, “is that a meal you’re eating?”
No. This big thing with food in it, and which holds my utensils. That’s actually a magical doorway that leads to Narnia.
Come on – of course it’s a meal!!!!
On that note, everyday I bring 2-3 meals with me to work that I place into separate dishes and that clang around in my gym bag, and on certain days, when I’m really lucky, spill….in my gym bag.
It sucks.
The ISObag has been a god-send. It comes with several easy-to-clean dishes that fit nice a snug into the bag. And because the bag is insulated, the meals will stay either warm or cold (there’s a compartment to place an ice-pack) depending on which you prefer.
It’s made my life much easier, and for any fellow meathead reading who experiences the same woes, I guarantee this is a game changer.
For more information you can checkout the website HERE.
3. I had the pleasure of consulting on an article for the Muscle & Fitness website titled Bulletproof Your Body: The Ultimate Warm-Up.
Yeah, yeah I know – reading about how to warm-up correctly is about as exciting as listening to another Taylor Swift break-up song.
But I promise, this one is different. Check it out HERE.
4. And finally. Many of you who read this blog on a regular basis know that my girlfriend, Lisa, is pretty much RoboCop. Except, you know, she’s not a robot. Or a cop. Or a dude for that matter.
Either way, she gets shit done. She can crush chin-ups at a moments notice:
She’s a fashionista:
And, she’s down with humoring my Star Wars obsession.
What’s not to like!!?!
In addition to all that, on top of working as a Psychologist she also teaches several spin classes in and around Boston throughout the week.
She’s been a Spin instructor for about seven years and while I’m admittedly a little biased – she’s really good at what she does. She plays awesome music, she actually coaches and cues people, and, given her psychology background offers a unique perspective on motivation that many instructors, quite frankly, lack.
I think spinning offers a TON of benefits and is the most “user-friendly” form of interval training out there. You never hear of anyone injuring themselves on a spin bike, which is why it’s often my first choice for people who are interested in group exercise classes.
Well, as it happens Lisa just started working at a new spin studio called Velo-City right in downtown Boston in Back Bay, and I’d like to help out in spreading the word about her class.
BOSTON PEOPLE LISTEN UP!!!
Go HERE and sign up for Lisa’s class on Saturday morning at 9AM.
The first class is FREE.
Everyone who signs up, and then introduces him or herself to Lisa after the class and hands her their email, I’ll send you a coupon code for ONE free month of training as part of my Premium Workout Group on WeightTraining.com.
You’ll meet Lisa, get an awesome workout, and then I’ll take over your training for a month! And even if you don’t want to participate in the Premium Group, you’ll still meet Lisa and get a kick-ass workout in.
And you’ll probably want to continue going. Lisa is that good.
This post is mostly targeted towards women, but there are plenty of guys who should heed this advice as well.
Whenever I start working with a female athlete or client almost without fail one of their long-standing goals is to be able to perform “x” number of push-ups or pull-ups/chin-ups.
NOTE: thankfully, one of the advantages of working at the type of facility that I work at is that most people know what they’re getting themselves into when they walk through our doors.
As an example we have one treadmill that’s more or less used as a coatrack.
People know that when they come to Cressey Performance they’re there to train. As such, we rarely (if ever) have women come in who just want to “tone up,” and the name Tracy Anderson is synonymous with the likes of Gargamel and Voldemort.
And even if we do get someone who walks through our doors who’s been programmed to think that women shouldn’t lift weights – whether it’s because they’ve worked with an uninformed trainer in the past or have read too many issues of Us Weekly – we always try our best to encourage and empower them that strength training is a good thing.
Even though having tank top ready triceps, svelt shoulders, and “toned” legs is the goal for many women…….I always try to instill in them that the effort, total work, and dedication it takes to eventually be able to perform one push-up or one chin-up (by actually doing regressed variations of each, as well as things like squats, deadlifts, rows, presses, or everything that guys do) will get them to their goals a helluva lot faster than anything they could do with a pair of pink dumbbells and Thigh Master.
Much of the time it’s about changing the mindset. Instead of thinking “tank top triceps” or “I need to lose ten lbs by Spring,” I try to get them to buy into more performance based goals like “I want to deadlift my bodyweight….for multiple reps” or “I want to be able to perform an actual push-up or chin-up.”
That changes E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G
It’s an awesome sight when someone flips the switch and buys into this mindset. It’s amazing what happens not only to their attitude, but their body as well.
Just the other day I was joking around with one of our young female athletes who’s fourteen and has been training with us since she was twelve. I forgot what it was exactly we were talking about – probably having a heated argument as to why she’s never watched any of the Star Wars movies, or maybe we were discussing the overall douchery of Justin Bieber – either way at one point I said, “Maddie, I bet you can walk over to that bar right now and bang out a chin-up.”
She looked at me as if I were crazy.
After a bit of cajoling she headed over to the bar and banged out not one, but THREE (and she had more in the tank).
Baller.
How many fourteen year old girls do you think could do that!?!
Which serves as a nice segue to today’s topic:
What’s the Best Way to Increase the Total Number You Can Do?
For many just getting to ONE push-up or chin-up seems insurmountable……but lets just assume that you’re “stuck” in the 1-5 rep range and you’re flummoxed as to how you can increase that number.
It’s not some secret system that involves you following a strict regimen of periodized programming that alternates between accumulation or intensification phases. You don’t need fancy equipment. And you can still eat gluten!
It’s called doing more push-ups and chin-ups!
Or what’s called “greasing the groove.”
Weird, right?
Here’s the deal – lets use push-ups as an example. Lets say you can perform four solid push-ups and no matter what you do, you can’t get past that number.
Cut that number in half, which is two.
Every 1-2 hours, perform two push-ups. Or at least try. If your at home it shouldn’t be an issue. And if you’re lucky enough to have your own office or cubicle or backyard at work it shouldn’t be an issue either.
You’ll have to make an executive decision if you want to bang them out while waiting in line at the grocery store or in the elevator somewhere….;o)
The idea behind cutting the reps in half is that you want to emphasize QUALITY, and you don’t want to fry yourself every time you drop down to perform.
By the end of the day, you would have performed anywhere from 12-24 additional push-ups. By the end of the week that number jumps to 84-168. By the end of the month. Well, you do the math.
That’s a shit-load of push-ups. Not only that, that’s a shit-load of QUALITY push-ups.
Using another quick example, lets say you can perform ONE solid chin-up, which is no small feat. At this stage one chin-up is basically a maximum effort lift. The same process could be applied here, except a bit more judiciously.
You want to be fresh for every rep, so shooting for every 1-3 hours would be ideal. But exceptions will have to be made – not everyone has access to a pull-up bar at work – so even if you had to hold yourself to one every hour while at home that would be fine.
Do the math. That’s anywhere from 6-10 EXTRA, QUALITY chin-ups that you otherwise would have never have done. Per day.
So, to summarize: if you want to increase the total number of push-ups and chin-ups you can perform:
1. Take the total number you can perform NOW and divide that in half.
2. Every 1-2 hours, perform “x” number. If the above number happens to be one, perform one (but you may have to extend it to every 2-3 hours).
3. You just earned like, a bazillion-kajillion points for Gryfindor today.
4. Join my Premium Workout Group on WeightTraining.com, because this is the type of programming and insight I’ll be providing on a monthly basis for all members.
Note: if you want more info you can go HERE as well.
I love when people think they can defy the Law of Thermodynamics. Just because those organic Pop-Tarts “fit your macros” doesn’t mean those calories won’t count. Sorry.
But it’s more than that.
In this FANTASTIC , well-researched article, Armi essentially pwns the internet and breaks it down like this:
Since it’s launch earlier this week I’ve had several people contact me to ask one simple question: “How is the Tony Gentilcore Premium Workout Groupdifferent from any other product on the internet?”
It’s a very fair question, and I wanted to take several moments to answer it as thoroughly as possible.
Since it’s one of the first things that came up, I want to first address the elephant standing in the room.
Distance coaching has its flaws.
The obvious strike against it being I can’t be there to directly assess each participant for specific imbalances that may exist, nor take into account any specific injuries – past or present – that may throw a monkey wrench into things or impede progress.
To that end, writing an individualized program – something we do for every person who comes to Cressey Performance and something I do for whomever hires me through my distance coaching program on my website – for a massive number of people just isn’t realistic. I wish there was some way to clone myself so that it could be possible, but unfortunately compromises have to be made.
Still, I think what most people are looking for in a program is structure and for someone to just tell them what to do. Better still: to be part of a group of people who are “in it” together to support and encourage one another. Part of what I feel makes CrossFit so successful is the sense of camaraderie they instill amongst their members.
Now, I am in NO way saying this program is close to CrossFit – there’s actually logic to how I write a program . But I’d be lying if I said there weren’t any limitations. It’s just the way it is. I’m just being honest.
That said, there are still plenty of reasons to join and why I feel it’s a good fit for many people.
1. Access
99.999% (give or take a few thousandths of a percentage point) of the population will never have the opportunity to train with me or know what it’s like to follow a program that I have written.
I’m not here to brag, but I’m good at what I do. I’ve been training people for over ten years and I co-founded one of the best training facilities in North America (if not the world).
Quite literally, for most, this Workout Group is the closest they’ll ever get to training with me or at Cressey Performance without actually having me by their side or actually traveling to Hudson, MA.
The way I see it: this is a great opportunity to leverage my experiences as a coach and to allow people access to me. Here I’ll be able to show people – albeit not in an ideal setting – what it’s like to follow a balanced, well-structured, properly progressed program that will help then get stronger, move better, look better, and (probably) be able to win a street fight.
But don’t take me word on that.
2. Price
The fact of the matter is: a lot of people can’t afford personal training. It’s not uncommon for commercial gyms to charge upwards of $70, $80, $90, and even higher for personal training services. And that’s PER session. Even then you’re not guaranteed you’ll be paired with someone who knows what they’re doing.
Don’t get me wrong: there are plenty of awesome trainers out there who are well worth the investment, but those are few and far between.
Bootcamps, boutique gyms which offer group classes, and semi-private training are generally more affordable, but still not cheap.
For what mounts to $1 per day, or $2-$2.50 per workout, you can have me in your corner guiding you along the way.
And you KNOW – especially if you frequent this site often – you’re going to get top-notch, quality content.
3. Tech Features
I can’t discuss technology without tossing a shout-out to Kip from Napoleon Dynamite
Compared to the typical PDF format of most fitness products, the TG Premium Group has its perks.
– For starters the WeightTraining.com App makes following and logging your workouts a breeze. Using your iPhone, iPod, iPad, or iTouch, you can log your workout as you perform them in the gym.
NOTE: the app will be available for Android users in April.
– What’s more the app allows you to format your workouts accordingly based off your schedule.
And on top of that you’ll automatically receive email reminders to remind you to get your butt to the gym!
– And you don’t need the app to enjoy many of the other comforts that come with the site. There’s an extensive video database that’s available to you as well. Each program will come with videos which demonstrate proper technique for each exercise. And, as I noted earlier this week, I’ll be posting unique video content on assessment, exercise technique, favorite recipes (<— not kidding), and I may discuss possible Star Wars plots (<— again, not kidding) every month.
One of the keys to succeeding in anything is to have a support system in place.
Want to do well in school – have a support system.
Want to do well at work – support system.
Want to kick-ass in World of War Craft – you got, support system!
WeightTraining.com is a community in of itself that’s designed to be INTERACTIVE and offer support…….and my group is no different.
What better way to keep you on task than to invite your friends to participate so you can suffer train together, encourage each other, and possibly talk a little smack?
Special Incentive
The first THREE people who sign up TODAY (1/22/14) will be invited to “hang out” with me during a Google Hangout in the near future where we can discuss the ins and outs of the program, any concerns or questions you may have about the program, any fitness related questions in general, and/or who our favorite characters are from The Hobbit. It’s all fair game.
For more information and to register click the link below:
First things first: I’d like to thank everyone who chimed in to offer their support and words of encouragement with regards to the Premium Workout Group yesterday.
To say I’m really excited for this opportunity would be an understatement, and I can’t wait to see the results people will get following my programming.
Secondly, I want to extend a huge THANK YOU to those who jumped right in and actually signed up yesterday. It’s my hope that this will be a positive experience for you and that the group will serve as a source of motivation and accountability to keep you on task with your training.
And, you know, to bring back a little sexy too.
While we had a fair number of people sign up I still have some suspicion that an equal number opted not to because they’re on the fence and not quite sure of the type of value that’s included.
Don’t worry my feelings weren’t hurt. I mean, I only cried for like ten minutes. I’m over it now.
No, really, I just have a little something in my eye. Is someone peeling an onion?
I keed, I keed.
I touched on it in yesterday’s post, but I wanted to reiterate that not only will I be providing top-notch, quality programming on a month-to-month basis, but I’ll also be providing unique content solely to the group in the form of tutorial videos covering everything from assessment to exercise technique.
Today I wanted to give everyone a little taste or sneak peek at what types of videos to expect:
Front Squat Benefits and Technique
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
For more information on the group you can check out yesterday’s post HERE.Or, you can go directly to the WeightTraining.com site HERE and register.
What is the Tony Gentilcore Premium Training Group?
So glad you asked!
The Cliff Notes version: Far too many people go to the gym and think that just because they show up, they’ll magically get results. They feel that if they put in the time, they deserve the results, without considering the quality and goal of their training.
It just isn’t that easy.
While their intentions and heart are in the right place, where I see many people failing is that there’s no PURPOSE or INTENT in their training.
Worse still – many are just haphazardly roaming around the gym floor aimlessly performing a few bicep curls here and a few leg extensions there until their 60 minutes are up.
Sound a little familiar?
Well, I’m here to help. I want to be your coach!
I’ve recently teamed up with WeightTraining.com to offer the Tony Gentilcore Premium Group where I become your virtual strength coach and trainer.
I take over your training, take all the thinking out of your hands, and show you what it’s like to actually follow a well-structured, coherent, efficient, evolving, fun, and LONG-TERM program. You will get stronger, move better, look better, and feel like a million bucks.
Here’s a brief video – with what’s arguably the worst screen shot in the history of man-kind (can I look any creepier?) – explaining the whole concept as well as goals behind the program. Don’t worry: for those who would rather not listen for seven minutes, I’ll explain everything below.
Giving full disclosure: I understand that distance or online coaching means different things to different people. I’ll be the first to champion the sentiment that IN-PERSON training with a “good” trainer is ideal.
Being under the microscope or watchful eye of a good coach who can not only assess, but tweak technique with their athletes and clients is the gold standard.
BUT, and I say this a bit tongue-in-cheek, many trainers are flat our garbage. I can say this because not only do I observe garbage whenever I happen to train at a commercial gym, but I also spent the first five years of my career working with and observing said garbage.
I sometimes feel sorry for those people who don’t know any better and are paying good money – upwards of $70, $80, $90, sometimes more – per session t0 be shown how to put the pins in the proper place through a Cybex circuit or how to perform bicep curls on a BOSU ball. It’s borderline stealing, and more often than not the client would be better off flushing their money down the toilet.
I want to change that.
I am a good coach. Unlike many “internet gurus” out there, I actually train people for a living. Like, in person. I don’t just “claim” or write about training people. I’ve been training athletes and people from all walks of life for over ten years. My body of work – Co-founding Cressey Performance, speaking at various seminars and workshops, and my writing – speaks for itself.
It is going to be a kick-ass program for sure, and it’s going to help a lot of people……..but like any program , it has its limitations. Specifically, I have not evaluated you, and I will not be by your side while you train.
Here’s What It Is
My goal for this group is to create a community where you/we train our asses off, encourage one another, and have fun doing it. It is to provide goal-directed, structured, quality training for those who don’t have access to a “good” training or for those who can’t afford to have a trainer work with them individually.
This is more than just casually following The Six Pack Abs Workout or the WhoEvertheFuckCurrentActorJustGotJacked program.
This is about improving one’s life, taking the bull by the proverbial horns, and bringing out your inner beast mode.
Whatever that means is up to you, of course. For some it may entail training for health reasons. For others maybe it’s working up to a 2x bodyweight deadlift. And even for others, it may be all about vanity.
But for everyone it’s also about the journey, the process, the moments when you’ll hate life (and me), and getting outside your comfort zone.
The truth is: we’re all human, and we like to do what we’re good at. This program is the opposite of that. It’s designed to make you do things that you “need” to be doing, and not necessarily what you “want” to be doing.
This group is going to be an ever-evolving “process”. Those who sign up will be at my mercy. What I say goes.
But don’t worry, I’ll keep things manageable. Ish.
Think of it this way: For what amounts to $1 per dayor $2.50 per workout, you have me in your corner. There’s no time commitment and you can stay in the group for as long as you’d like.
What You Need To Do (<— This Is Important)
1. Go HEREand sign-up for the Tony Gentilcore Premium Workout Group on WeightTraining.com, and click on the “Join This Group” button.
Note: If you’re not already a member of the site, you’ll first sign-up for a FREE account. Don’t worry, it’s easy. Even a Jersey Shore cast member could do it!
2. From there you’ll enter the appropriate information (ie: credit card info, favorite color, etc)
Also………(and This Offer is Limited)
The first FIVE people who sign up and use the code TGWT2M will receive TWO MONTHS FREE. After that, the next TEN people who sign up and use the code TGWT1M will receive ONE MONTH FREE.
I have no idea how quickly those codes will last, so if you want to take advantage of them, act quickly.
I’ll be sure highlight when there are no more available.
UPDATE: All codes have been entered – but that doesn’t mean this still isn’t a good isn’t a good investment….;o)
3. From there you’re all set. God you’re smart. And good looking.
Some Miscellaneous Info and Tidbits
– Once you sign-up, not only are you an official member of the Tony Gentilcore Premium Group where you’ll have the opportunity to follow monthly programming written by yours truly, but you’ll also be given automatic access as a PRO-MEMBER to the entire site of WeightTraining.com, which offers a plethora of other programs and tools to use.
– In addition to being part of the TG community, you’ll also receive monthly tutorial videos solely for the group. As an example, in month one, I provide a video on proper front squat technique as well as discuss the rationale behind some of the “corrective” breathing drills that will be incorporated into the program.
There’s also talk of incorporating “hangout sessions” down the road where participants will have the opportunity to participate in a video chat and ask me questions pertaining to the program, any number of other fitness and training questions, or trying to figure out if I’m wearing pants.
– One cool feature is that you’ll be able to organize your workouts as you see fit according to your own weekly schedule, and WT.com will send you reminder emails of the days you’re supposed to workout. You know, to keep you accountable and stuff.
If you want to train on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday you can set the workout scheduler to that setting. If that doesn’t work, and you’d prefer other days, you’ll be able to tinker with the settings.
Take Note: this won’t ALWAYS be a 3x per week program.
My intention is to progress to a 4-5x per week program over time, and to “up the ante” as the months pass.
I’m a strength guy, and I want to get people strong.
– Moreover, for those with an iPhone, iPad, iPod, or iTouch, you can use the WeightTraining.com App to follow and log your workouts.
Don’t worry Android users: you won’t be left in the dark. The App will be available for you starting in April.
But even if you don’t have an Apple device or you’re anti-Apple, you can still print out the worksheets and keep track of your workouts the old-fashioned way.
– Like I said, it’s a COMMUNITY. The objective of the group is to train together, kick-ass, encourage one-another, leave comments, be competitive (if that’s your bag), and have fun!
Are you ready? Click the link below to get started!
It’s no secret that any form of back pain sucks. Looking at the statistics – it’s been said that 80% of Americans have experienced some form of lower back pain in their lifetime – it’s a safe bet that you know exactly what I’m talking about.
As such if you’re a coach, personal trainer, physical therapist, athletic trainer, a general fitness enthusiast, or, I don’t know, someone who trains bomb sniffing dolphins for a living, you’ve probably heard of the name Dr. Stuart McGill.
If not – and you better have a good reason for why not – for those unaware, Dr. McGill is essentially the world’s Don Corleaone of spine biomechanics and research. His two books, Low Back Disorders and Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance (now in it’s 4th or 5th edition), not to mention the endless array of studies he’s been involved in as well as his numerous other products have done more to expand the knowledge base with regards to assessment and program design not only for me, but for countless other health professionals than anyone else I can think of.
Note: this isn’t a slight against other “low back specialist” such as Dr. Craig Liebenson or that crazy witch-doctor-prisoner dude from The Dark Knight Rises who, after Bane pile-drived his knee into Batman’s back and more or less paralyzes him, healed Bruce Wayne’s spine with nothing more than some rope and some weird chanting………..in a matter of weeks.
Both of them are the bees knees, and I have without questionlearned a lot from them. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that Dr. McGill’s research has influenced me the most.
Anyhoo…..
I’m not going to belabor the point here, but suffice is to say flexion based back pain tends to get most of the press – and rightfully so. As I noted, Dr. McGill’s research with regards to repeated flexion, and in particular loaded flexion, have very few detractors.
Ask anyone who spends the bulk of their day sitting in front of a computer screen in one massive ball of flexion or anyone who deadlifts like this……
…..and you’re bound to see they have a history of low back pain.
Which is why, when working with someone with (flexion based) low back pain, my main focus is to re-engrain “spine neutral,” help get people out of a constant state of flexion, and hammer core/spinal stability.
And to not deadlift like the asshat in the video above.
But even though this “anti-flexion” mentality has helped a vast amount of people, we’ve somehow managed to force feed people into thinking that ALL flexion is bad.
Lets be honest: people are scared of everything.
ObamaCare, increasing gas prices, zombies, Keanu Reeves movies, you name it….we’re scared of it. And now flexion is no different.
Which serves as a nice segue into my topic today. Extension-based back pain.
We see this a lot in the athletic population – especially in extension-rotation dominate sports like baseball – but also in the meathead and trainer population too.
I wrote about this “phenomenon” (if you want to call it that) a while ago in a T-Nation article titled “Glue” Exercises Gone Wrong.
In it I talked about this concept of REVERSE POSTURING – or an extension dominate posture – that we were noticing in a lot of our clients at Cressey Performance.
Here’s a snidbit from the article:
A few months ago, we picked up on a repeating trend with some of our clients at Cressey Performance.
We started noticing a lot of extension-based back issues, particularly through the thoraco-lumbar (TL) junction. More specifically, we started to observe more of a gross extension dominant posture in many of our athletes and clients.
The chest up position, which we have been taught and have been preaching for the better part of the past decade, might have been an overreaction to the poor posture that many non-exercisers typically exhibit.
Much like what happened with the low fat craze in the 1990’s, the anti-stretching phase from a few years ago, low intensity steady state cardio vs. HIIT, and the never-ending debate over Jessica Alba vs. Jessica Biel, things often get blown out of proportion and taken to the extreme.
In discussing this matter with my colleague Mark Bubeck, a trainer in Ridgefield, CT, these extension-based types of pain from being locked in that position can be seen in all types of people, especially those with an over-exaggerated lower crossed posture (i.e., excessive anterior pelvic tilt).
The issue is that we’re starting to see this pattern in a lot of trained individuals too, and not just those who “pretend” to work out.
Those who’ve been training “correctly” for many years with what we thought were correct positions have seemingly developed the reverse posture of what we set out to correct in the first place!
Stating it succinctly, we know that the hunched over Neanderthal posture isn’t good, but the reverse (promoting chest way up with a huge rib flare and the movement coming solely from the TL junction) isn’t doing anyone any favors, either.
This, of course, isn’t to say that we shouldn’t still use the same cues as above – especially with those who do exhibit poor posture – but there’s something to be said for not taking things to the extreme.
To that end, here are a few updated cues with regards to the seated row:
You still don’t need to be rounding your back. That’s just dumb.
You still want to think about keeping the chest up, but also think “ribs down,” locking them onto the pelvis.
Confused? Check out this video to see what I mean:
In a nutshell: while not done intentionally, many fitness professionals, in an effort to correct faulty posture or flexion based back pain – cueing people to depress and retract their shoulders, over and over, and over again, for example – have helped contribute to the another issue altogether.
What About Those People Who Are in Extension-Based Back Pain!?!?!?
While not the most glamorous or elaborate assessment tool, one of the best ways to differentiate between flexion-based back pain and extension-based is to simply ask the person “do you have more pain while sitting or standing?”
If the former, you can probably ascertain that they lean more towards the flexion intolerant side of the spectrum.
If the latter, ding,ding, ding, you most likely have an extension intolerant candidate! Using myself as an example, I can tell that after having been coaching on my feet for 6-7 hours standing around on black matting, my lower back is oftentimes killing me.
Another simple “test” would be to have him or her perform a standing toe touch. People who are extension intolerant will typically have more pain on the way UP.
All of this to say that those with extension intolerant backs typically (not always) have something going down in the facet joints or may have end plate issues (fractures, spondy, etc).
So what are some strategies we can implement to help address the issue?
Glad you asked!
1. It sounds borderline silly, but being more cognizant of rib position is a huge deal.
Walking around in a “flared” rib position in concert with an excessive anterior pelvic tilt is a one-way ticket to Mybackfuckinghatesmeville, USA.
Case in point, here’s an example of what I mean:
In the first picture my ribcage is flared out and the (imaginary) line between my nipples and belly button is long. Conversely, in the bottom picture my abs are braced and the line between my nipples and belly button is shorter. This is the position I’d ideally like to stay in for most of the day, and especially while exercising.
Now, I’m am NOT insinuating you need to walk around all day “checking” yourself, making sure your abs and glutes are engaged, but I am saying it’s something that should enter the equation.
We all know the saying that we have one hour to “fix” things in the weightroom and 23 more hours in the day to f-things up. Well, this is part of those 23 hours.
The point above coincides very well with the section above on seated rows. Incidentally it also bodes well for just above everything with regards to lifting heavy things.
Learning to “own your rib position” when squatting and deadlifting can pay huge dividends with how your back feels in the long run.
I wrote an entire article on the topic HERE. (<—- Read It! Gosh!)
Even something as trivial as how we perform a standard lunge can have an effect.
We’ve always cued people to perform their lunges with their shoulder up and retracted and they chest up:
It’s not inherently wrong, but for those with extension-based back pain doing lunges this way can be murder.
Instead, I like to cue a slightly more forward lean and to think about the shoulders going over the knees rather than the hips.
This way not only is the lower back able to flatten slightly, but more of the load is placed on the hips rather than the lower back itself.
2. Stop Doing Things Which Cause More Extension
Well, duh!
We all know that benching with an arched lower back is one of the keys to hoisting up big numbers. Powerlifters live by this creed and it’s for good reason. A good arch means less distance the bar has to travel.
I’m not one of those people who feels that benching with an arched lower back is bad. The lumbar spine has a natural lordotic curve and benching with an arch isn’t the end of the world.
Benching with an excessive arch (in addition to the butt coming off the bench……RED LIGHT!!!), well, that’s another story.
For those who do exhibit extension-based back pain, however, it may be in their best interests to nix the (excessive) arching – at least for now – and bench with a flatter spine.
Don’t worry, I promise you won’t turn into a Jersey bodybuilder. I think.
Likewise if you’re someone who performs their chest supported rows like this:
Is it any wonder why your back is flipping you the middle finger????
Jesus – just stop it!!!!
It may make more sense to do more row variations which won’t allow you to crank through your lower back. Stricte(r) seated row, half kneeling 1-arm cable rows, and the like would be money here.
3. Wear Shoes With More Cushioning
Eric Cressey touched on this topic HERE, but I wanted to chime in on it as well.
I get it: You wear Vibrams everywhere you go – even at the mall – so that everyone within a two-mile radius knows just how hardcore you are.
First off all, you’re a douche.
Secondly, wearing shoes which offer a bit more cushioning may be more advantageous for those with extension-based back pain as it helps serve as a bit more of a shock absorber.
I walk around on hard black, rubber matting all day when I’m coaching and it can be unforgiving on my back. Upon the recommendation of Mike Reinold, I switched to a shoe that offered a bit more cushioning and I could instantly feel a difference in how my back felt at the end of each day.
If you’re someone who has to stand for long periods of time throughout the day, this subtle tip could be a game changer.
4. Learn to Breath
The people over at the Postural Restoration Institute (PRI for those in the know) have been around for well over two decades, but it’s only been within the last 2-3 years that their “stuff” has gotten a bit more exposure.
While even Gandalf would have a hard time understanding their entire philosophy, I can tell you that one of the major “umbrella themes” is to understand that, based off our anatomy, the human body will never by symmetrical.
Taking things a step further, it’s recognizing that we’re inherently designed in such a way where asymmetry is inevitable, and that how we breath plays a major role in that.
PRI tries to teach people how to breath more efficiently, which in turn, in conjunction with their corrective modalities, will help attempt to bring them back to neutral.
People who exhibit more extension-based back pain tend to have an over-active or dominate Posterior Extensor Chain (PEC Posture), and as weird as it sounds, (unloaded) flexion is one of the best ways to help them.
Tossing in some dedicated breathing drills which help teach people to “breath into their back” can make a world of difference.
These are drills we’ll tack onto an extended warm-up with our athletes and clients before they actually pick up a barbell.
They take all of maybe 2-4 minutes to complete (depending on how many we include), and then it’s off to go crush some weights.
All Fours Belly Breathing
Deep Squat Belly Breathing w/ Lat Stretch
Here I’m going into a “deep squat,” and using the front of my thighs as a guide to keep my rib cage down. I then take a deep breath through my nose trying to drive me “sternum to the back wall,” which helps turn my upper back into a dome.
I then forcefully exhale all my air which will help to engage my diaphragm to a higher degree.
With both drills I’ll shoot for anywhere from 5-10 breaths, or until someone blacks out. Hahahahaha. Just kidding.**
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This post in no way encompasses an all-inclusive list of stuff that can be worked on, but hopefully it gave some food for thought with regards to how to approach back pain from a different viewpoint.
maybe it’s working up to a 2x bodyweight deadlift. And even for others, it may be all about vanity.
Take Note: this won’t ALWAYS be a 3x per week program.
