1. Can you freakin believe we’re two days away from June already? This year is flying by!
2. Lisa and I saw X-Men: Days of Future Past last weekend, and I have to say I liked it didn’t love it. I still feel my favorite film in the series is X-Men: First Class with X2 right on its heels.
Don’t get me wrong, I was every bit as excited to go see this latest version (I was thiiiiiis close to buying a pair of toy Wolverine claws to wear to the theater, but Lisa put a stop to that thought immediately), we both enjoyed it and I’d have no issues with recommending it to everyone, but it just didn’t live up to First Class which I feel is what set the bar in the entire series.
I will give it props for one of the best overall scenes this year in any movie. The scene where Quicksilver helps break Magneto out of jail is every nerds wet dream.
3. Spots are going fast for mine and Dean Somerset’s Excellent Workshop in London this September. Also, we finally locked down a location for the same workshop in Washington, DC this October….at Underground Athlete in Sterling, VA.
For more information on either of the two – price, itinerary, accommodations, whether or not shirts are optional – you can go HERE.
I love bacon as much as the next person. It’s technically “Paleo,” and it’s gluten free – so it’s got those two things going for it. What’s not to love?
But to say that it’s a “healthy” food, like many nutritional gurus are spewing out lately, is a bit extreme.
I respect Todd a ton as a coach, and it shouldn’t come as surprising that he and I think along the same lines on many topics. I mean we’re both bald strength coaches, so we’re practically brothers!
I know the word “CrossFit” is generally seen as a click grabber, but I felt this was one of the best and more fair posts on the heated topic I’ve come across yet.
I wrote a post earlier in week detailing how I’ve gone about tweaking my own programming now that I’m no longer 25. I still act like I’m 25 mind you (boobies!!!!), but for the record I’m 37.
For those that missed it the first time around you can check it out HERE.
I had several guys reach out to me asking me if there were any programs out there on the internets that I’d recommend for those in the same boat. Yes, Bulletproof Athlete.
As it happens I’m a FIRM believer that most people can (and should) still train like an athlete regardless of how old they are. What it boils down to is where someone’s starting point is and making the appropriate progressions moving forward.
The cool thing about Bulletproof Athlete is that you can choose between different programs depending on your goals and needs:
– The Fat Burner
– The Weekend Warrior
– The Monster
And each program comes with an extensive video library on top of weekly nutritional and recovery challenges. Put another way: there’s some checks and balances involved, and it prevents guys (and girls!) from getting in their own way.
The even cooler thing is that Mike placed BPA on sale for $50 OFF the regular price for this week only. Holla!
The sale actually ends THIS Sunday (6/1), so if there’s ever a time to give it a go, it’s now.
Bootcamps are all the rage nowadays. It seems you can’t walk more than a block in your own neighborhood without running the risk of a kettlebell flying out of nowhere and hitting you on the side of the face, or watching as a group of people are being run through the gauntlet with an endless array of push-ups, burpees, jumping jacks, cone drills, and whateverthef***thatexerciseis by the big meanie-head bootcamp instructor.
And it’s with good reason. Bootcamps – which is just a glorified way of saying “group exercise class” without actually saying it – are a great option for those with busy work (and life) schedules, and who also thrive in a group training environment.
And without beating around the bush, bootcamps are generally much, MUCH cheaper compared to one-on-one personal training. While I don’t have the exact stats starring me right in the face, it’s been noted that, with regards to disposable income, roughly 5-7% of the population can afford to hire their own trainer on a consistent basis.
Jump to the semi-private side of the fence – as is the case with bootcamps – and that number increases to 40-45%. That’s a pretty significant jump, and a huge reason why they’re so popular.
You can imagine with all the various bootcamps out there to choose from, that the “market” is somewhat watered down and gives rise to some pretty atrocious iterations of what a bootcamp should entail.
In short: there’s a lot of shit and shenanigans out there. But that can be said with any industry whether we’re referencing lawyers, contractors, dentists, babysitters, or Lady Gaga impersonators.
It may come as a surprise to some that Cressey Performance actually has a bootcamp program. Contrary to popular belief we don’t just train professional athletes or Victoria Secret models.
Even more surprising to some is that all the coaches are involved in some way or another. I cover every Friday morning bootcamp.
And as a staff we’re all really proud of how much our program has grown since its first inception close to two years ago.
That being said, what follows are some bullet point quips and insights as to how we’ve structured our bootcamps and why I feel it’s a step above the rest.
1. We Actually Coach!
I’ve watched and observed other bootcamps in action, and I’m sometimes left speechless as to how much of a circus they can be.
There’s no inherent rhyme or reason as to what’s being done, and it’s almost as if the instructor just tossed a bunch of random exercises towards a wall and decided to see what stuck.
In other words: there’s very little structure or planning involved.
Even worse, the execution of the exercises by the bootcampers themselves is spotty at best.
Listen, I understand that things aren’t going to be perfect 100% of the time and it’s impossible to have your eye on every single person when the action starts. But at the same time, I find it inexcusable – and downright lazy – when there’s NO coaching being performed.
First of all, we make it a point to never let the coaching to client ratio get too skewed.
We’ll never sacrifice the quality of the training at the expense of getting more people in the doors.
If you find you’re unable to take the time to coach people up because there’s too manyto keep tabs on, then maybe it’s time to either 1) hire another coach to help out or 2) change up your schedule.
We like to place a premium on the coaching side of things with our bootcamps and prefer to take the time to coach people up on their hip hinge technique (deadlift), squat technique, push-up technique, or anything else you can think of.
If anything it adds added value to the classes, and the participants themselves really appreciate it.
2. Have Regressions and Progressions Handy
Along those same lines, unless your name is Gandalf, you’re not going to be 100% perfect 100% of the time with your programming.
Our first bootcamp starts at 5:30 in the morning. I usually arrive around 4:45-5AM so that I can take the time to organize and set-up the classes for that day.
In actuality we’ll sit down as a staff and “program” the classes a head of time in 4-week blocks, but there are still times where I know new people will be showing up and I need to plan accordingly.
The likelihood I’ll have someone on their first day perform conventional deadlifts – even if they’re programmed – is slim. Instead, I’ll need to make sure I have appropriate regressions in my back-pocket so that that individual 1) feels like they’re getting some attention 2) they’ll still getting a training effect and 3) my corneas won’t bleed.
As a coach, it’s your job to make things seem seamless. If someone comes into class and they’re unable to perform a certain exercise and then you start stumbling around trying to figure out what they should do, you’re going to come across like an asshat.
3. Techno
I have no evidence to back this up, but I’m pretty sure everyone’s favorite day to do bootcamps is Friday. Why? Because they know I’m going to be blaring techno for five straight hours.
GRAB YOUR GLOWSTICKS!!!!!!!!
4. Don’t Just Beat People to Pulp
Photo cameo by former CP coach, Brian St. Pierre.
I get it. Bootcamps are meant to make people hate life and to it’s your job to ensure that they’re leaving each and every class in a pool of their own sweat and/or they can’t feel the left side of their body.
I don’t agree with this mentality. Most people move like ass and make the Tin Man look like Kelly Starrett. It’s important to take into context movement quality and that you’re making a concerted effort to make people BETTER each and every session.
Here’s a quick peek into how a typical session looks like when I coach class.
Note: We run bootcamps every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and each day has a specific goal or “quality” we focus on.
Monday tends to be more conditioning based (since most bootcampers spent the weekend crushing Tiramisu and god knows what else).
Wednesday tends to be more circuit based.
And Friday (my day) has an emphasis on strength. Big surprise, I know.
I wake up at 3:30 AM brush my teeth with rainbows after I piss excellence and wash my face with glory. Then I head to the facility to set-up.
I generally start each session with me walking in and going all General Zod on everyone just so they know what’s up:
I’ll have the class foam roll for a good five minutes and then we’ll perform a thorough warm-up consisting of positional breathing drills, glute activation, t-spine stuff, lunges, squats, skipping and some light movement prep.
From there I’ll have two stations set-up which may look something like this:
B1. DB Goblet Bulgarian Split Squat x5/leg
B2. Carry Variation x20 yd/arm
B3. TRX Row x10
B4. KB Swing x10
Depending on the number of participants per class I’ll either set these up as straight sets (x number of sets per exercise) or I’ll set a timer for 10-12 minutes and have everyone go through in circuit fashion, but making sure focus on QUALITY reps and progressive overload. The objective here is NOT to whiz through the exercises and try to perform 17 rounds.
Then, to finish up, I’ll devise some sort of “sucky” finisher that they’ll all groan about but do anyways because I told them to.
The entire time, however, myself and the other coach are roaming around the floor coaching people and correctly form if needed.
This approach may not have the glitz, glam, and bells and whistles (and puke buckets) of some other bootcamps, but I can promise you everyone gets a solid workout in and they’re learning along the way.
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Slow Things Down
We’ll often implement “coaching moments” into our bootcamp classes where we’ll allot a 5-10 minute window to introduce a new exercise or concept to the group.
For example, you can’t just put Turkish Get-Ups or KB swings into the mix and expect things to go smoothly.
It’s often beneficial to slow things down and take the time to address the group as a whole and break down certain exercises. Trust me, it makes things infinitely easier down the road. Likewise, it adds a degree of “service” or “velvet rope treatment” to the class which people always appreciate.
And those are just a few thoughts and insights as to how I approach bootcamps and how I feel we as coaches and trainers can make them better.
Also, for those interested, I’d HIGHLY recommend Bootcamp in a Box by Mike Robertson, Molly Galbraith, and Jim Laird.
Many of the systems and concepts we use at Cressey Performance are a direct influence from this product and I can’t recommend it enough.
“You just wait until you’re my age….and we’ll see if you’re still training like that.”
That was a quote I received – on more than one occasion – from a handful of older guys who, after watching me complete a set of heavy deadlifts or some crazy metabolic circuit, would give me the standard pat on the shoulder, subsequent “just wait” speech, and sometimes top it off with handing me a Werther’s Original.
Get it? Old people loooooove Werther’s Originals……LOLs!!
This was when I was 25 and just started my first job as a trainer in corporate fitness. Unlike the commercial gym setting, in corporate fitness my job was to be “present” for all the employees of the establishment where I worked.
The company I worked for would be brought in to run another company’s fitness center with the objective of getting people to move and to lead healthier lifestyles.
It was our job to be in the gym to facilitate workout programs for the employees whether they came in prior to their work day, during their lunch break, or even after hours.
In addition, we also did stuff like organize fun runs and build fancy, colorful bulletin boards on a monthly basis. But I don’t like to talk about that.
Too much glitter paint for my liking.
As the resident “meat head” however, I was generally the one who would hang out in the gym and introduce people to weight training and/or workout alongside some of the employees (guys and girls included).
And it was there where I’d receive some of the push-back or dialogue as follows…..
Why do you lift so heavy? I just want to get toned.
I don’t want to get too bulky!
You just wait till you’re my age.
Blah blah blah.
I’d actually get sort of pissed whenever one of the guys would tell me I’d change my ways once I got older. I felt it was a cop out to garner such a mindset.
Some would even go so far as to say, “metabolism slows down and you lose muscle as you age anyways, so what’s the point of working so hard?”
Actually, dick, it’s not that our metabolism slows down or you lose muscle due to old-age, it’s because as we get older we tend to be less active. It’s not so much an age issue (although, to be fair, there is a metabolic drop off, just not as profound as we think), as it is a laziness issue.
Of course I was a bit more tactful in my response, but it only served as a way to advocate that weight training was an important component of a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle.
What MAKES muscle KEEPS muscle, as I like to say.
So, what’s the point of all this?
Now that I’m the age of some of those guys who busted my balls back in the day (37), I have to say…………they were right!
Well, kinda.
My buddy Bryan Krahn said it best in a recent Tweet:
Most lifters past age 40 will gradually switch to higher volume/lower intensity “bodybuilding” training — so don’t bash it when you’re 25.
I’m not 40 (three more years baby!!!!), I by no means think I’m old, and still like to think that I get after it in the gym. However, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t changed the way I train to a degree.
1. I still place a premium on STRENGTH and still perform a fair amount of low(er) rep training with the big lifts (squats, deadlift, bench press), but I’ve definitely toned down my frequency.
Rather than EVERY session – like I did in my 20s and early 30s – I’ll now perform 1-2 “strength-based” days per week and then revert to more high(er) rep, hypertrophy based training the other 2-3 days.
It looks something like this:
My training week starts on the weekends, cause I’m cool like that.
Saturday: Lower Body Strength – Deadlift emphasis.
We have a great crew that trains at CP on Saturday afternoons, and I like taking advantage of the camaraderie and fumes of Axe Body Spray.
Sunday: Hill or Stadium sprints.
Nothing crazy, but it’s amazing how much better hill or stadium sprints feels on the knees compared to flat ground.
For those with cranky knees this is an excellent option as you don’t have to decelerate your bodyweight as much.
Monday: Upper Body Strength – Bench Press emphasis.
Tuesday: Legs – high-rep squat/deadlift technique emphasis.
This approach still allows me to hit my big lifts hard, albeit not at the expense of having my joints flip me the bird 24/7. Plus, as an aside, adding in a bit more of the “silly” bodybuilding work has been fun and has made my training much more enjoyable in the grand scheme of things.
I mean, dude, I have an arm day!!!!
2. Something else I’ve tweaked as of late is implementing some LIGHT lunges BEFORE I squat. You can call this “Pre-Priming,” “fucking stupid,” or whatever you like, but the goal here is to allow some additional blood flow into the hips and knees to help warm them up prior to squatting.
It flies in the face of traditional programming practice, but like I said…..I’m doing LIGHT lunges here, nothing crazy.
I’ve found that my joints – my knees in particular – have welcomed the change.
3. I love training back, and it’s not uncommon that I train it EVERY training session to some capacity. I like this approach for most people as well given most are sitting in front of a computer for 8-12 hours per day playing Candy Crush or taking their 17th “selfie.”
Again, this isn’t a scenario where you have to go gang-busters every session, but even on your lower body days it wouldn’t be a bad idea to toss in some light cable rows or high-rep face pulls to help offset the incessant flexion most of us are in on a daily basis.
Video credit to Mike Robertson.
4. Along those same lines, I’m also not opposed to adding in some form of squat pattern into the mix daily. I’ve actually “extended” my warm-ups to the point where after I perform my foam rolling and dynamic drills, I’ll toss in 2-3 sets of LIGHT Goblet Squats and Swings to “groove” the pattern(s) and to help get my heart rate up.
Some other, random, things to consider:
– taking a yoga class once a week.
– perform more Turkish Get-ups throughout the week.
– get your beauty sleep. 8-9 hours per night. Not kidding.
– eat more gluten. Just cause.
– And, just to reiterate…….never stop trying to get stronger!!!
And those are just a few subtle tweaks I’ve made to my programming now that I’m not 25 anymore. They’re no where near concrete, and will probably change within a few months, if not weeks, and they may not fit into YOUR goals and needs, but I do feel all the above hits on a number of components that will help most dudes in the long run.
While I don’t feel I’ll ever blurt out the phrase “wait till you’re my age,” I can now appreciate where all those guys back in the day were coming from.
That, and Werther’s Originals are delicious…..;o)
Have your own insight to share? I’d love to hear them.
There was a time when I hated kettlebells. Okay maybe hate’s a strong word. Hate is something that’s reserved for things like Hitler, terrorists, sub-prime mortgage loans, and poodles.
Disliked may be a more appropriate term in this context.
Regardless there was a time when I felt kettlebells were nothing more than a fad – look Ma, a cannonball with handles!! – that the fitness industry latched on to because it was something new (to us Westerners, anyways), and that it would run its course before you could say “stone washed jeans” or “Gangnam Style.” For real.
LOL – shows how much I know. I also remember back in the late 90s when this white rapper from Detroit with a funny name burst onto the scene. I thought he was some joke or gimmick, a one-hit wonder at best. There was no way he was going to last!
Eminem seems to have done alright for himself.
Fast forward to today and my feelings towards kettlebells have changed. Now, I’m not someone who’s a “kettlebell guy” per se. I don’t solely use kettlebells or claim that they’re somehow superior to anything else.
I always find it comical whenever a coach or trainer claims kettlebells trump anything else out there, as if barbells and dumbbells are now obsolete.
Last time I checked weight is weight, and the body can’t differentiate between a DB Goblet Squat or a KB Goblet Squat, or a DB row compared to a KB row.
Of course there are variables and advantages that a KB offers that other pieces of equipment can’t touch with a ten-foot pole, which is why I feel they’re a valuable TOOL in the toolbox. They, along with everything else in our arsenal – barbells, dumbbells, TRX, bands, chains, Prowlers, selectorized machines, lightsabers, and yes, even BOSU balls – have their place.
However, it all comes at a price.
You see, kettlebells are a blessing and a curse.
A blessing in that they’re one of the most versatile pieces of equipment you can ask for.
They’re a wonderful teaching tool to groove a proper squat and hip hinge pattern, not to mention you can push, pull, carry, and swing the son-of-a-bitch to your hearts content.
All while taking up minimal gym space, as is the case with my stash of KBs in my office:
Conversely, KBs are a curse in that they’re one of the more innocuous looking pieces of equipment out there – seriously Ma, look. A cannonball! With a handle! Weeeeeeeee – and many, many, MANY people (trainers and coaches included) have no clue how to properly use them, let alone coach others to use them correctly.
To help save face, below are some blogs and articles you may find helpful.
HERE is a post (including a killer video by Artemis Scantalides and Eric Gahan of Iron Body Studios) on how to coach a proper swing pattern.
HERE is a post on a few (overlooked) tips on how to clean up KB swing technique.
And HERE’s a post on “stuff” you can do with a kettlebell to kick your own ass.
All of those would be fantastic starting points, but I’d also encourage those looking to take their KB skills to Jedi level to seek out further assistance from the likes of StrongFirst or DragonDoor.
Today, though, I wanted to tackle a few common mistakes people make with how they handle the kettlebell (<— no pun intended).
More specifically with how they pick it up and put it down. I know it sounds silly, but it’s a mistake that a lot of people make (trainers and coaches included) which could lead to injury of you’re not careful.
Point blank: there IS a right and wrong way to pick up a kettlebell to start a swing, or get-up, or any exercise for that matter, and one simple litmus test you can use to gauge one’s KB knowledge is to see whether or not he or she follows this protocol:
2. Lisa was away all last weekend up until last night visiting her mom in Florida, which meant I was a bachelor for five days. Five glorious days of not making the bed, not putting the toilet seat down, or not making any food for myself. Don’t worry, I didn’t starve or anything.
I understand that correlation doesn’t necessarily translate to causation, but I also know that the frequency of me hitting up Whole Foods for meals while Lisa is away goes up around 783%.
So, basically, it’s science.
I also took that time to CRUSH some movies. I went to the theater a total of four times in five days…no big deal.
I watched Godzilla (holy s***balls, GODZILLA!!!), Neighbors (hilarious), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (might be my favorite Avengers film yet), and a smaller, independent film called Chef, written by, directed by, and starring Jon Favreau (the guy who wrote and starred in Swingers, and directed the first two Iron Man films).
For any foodies out there reading: you’ll LOVE this movie. And even if you’re not a foodie, I’d still recommend it.
So, um, yeah….I didn’t do much reading since the last edition of this series. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t do any!
FINALLY!!! I mainstream media source touting the BENEFITS of lifting weights and why it can be BENEFICIAL for pregnant women.
I’ve long championed the notion that pregnant women can still train – and train fairly intensely – during their pregnancy, given they already have experience and understand that it’s important to listen to their body. There’s little evidence to suggest that women who are already active and continue to stay active during pregnancy pose any more harm to the fetus.
This was great to see a more high-traffic, mainstream site touting the same message.
Note from TG: Today’s blog comes to you from Seattle based personal trainer and strength coach, Brent Holm.
Brent and I have been corresponding back and forth via email on the topic of ThunderCats the TRUE role of a fitness professional.
Contrary to traditional thought, in the fitness industry, success isn’t dependent on how much weight your clients lose collectively, or how many testimonials you have, or how much gluten you avoid.
We both agree that one of the best compliments you can receive as a fitness professional is when an athlete or client no longer needs you, because you’ve educated them, provided the tools, and empowered them to succeed on their own.
That’s success!
Anyways, in conversing with Brent I really enjoyed what he had to say and LOVED the parallels he made between the fitness industry and public education. Both industries are equally frustrating when it comes to how they measure success and progress.
With permission from him I’m re-posting this excellent commentary from his site.
Enjoy!
You’ve seen it before. Weight loss ‘success’ stories plastered all over your local Globo Gym wall (i.e. Bob lost 40lbs in 3 months!), and sprinkled throughout bestselling weight loss books, advertisements and internet blogs. Numbers used to imply that success can be summed up by a simple number attached to a generic, overused and watered-down statement.
As a personal trainer, I see this all the time, and as an instructional assistant in an elementary school I get the joy (read: it sucks) of helping teach children early on in their lives that their success will inevitably have a number attached to it in some shape or form.
This past month I have been assisting students with their standardized tests in the school I work at. I get to watch students moan, groan and squirm through a 2-3 hour test. The other day I got to witness a teacher tell a third-grader that he couldn’t go to recess with his classmates because he had to finish his test first.
You can probably imagine how that turned out.
At first glance it doesn’t appear these two industries have a whole lot in common. When you look harder at it though, you realize that both industries do a fantastic job of quantifying success.
Should it really be that that surprising then that both industries are failing at doing their job?
ABC, 123, Numbers Don’t Mean @#$% to Me
Numbers fill the incessant desire to be able to immediately quantify and ultimately judge whether or not we are successful in whatever endeavor we are performing. Standardized tests quickly tell us how ‘smart’ a student is, and weight loss (among other things) tells us if our fancy little diet or trainer was the real deal.
It’s an easy, albeit completely bogus, way of judging whether something actually worked and was successful though, because a number and some cookie-cutter testimonial it is attached to doesn’t easily measure success.
With that in mind, it’s easy to see why standardized testing in school is so popular. P.E. and recess don’t get the attention and resources it deserves because it’s hard to quantify success in these activities. For many, it’s hard to make the connection that recess, P.E. and physical health have on a student’s class work.
Never mind that there is tons of studies demonstrating that physical activity dramatically improves cognitive function in and out of the classroom.
Toss aside the research that shows free-play has a strong correlation to high self-esteem not only as a child but also as an adult.
Forget for a moment that the student I was working with was unruly while sitting down and taking the test for two straight hours, but when allowed to finally go to recess, came back and crushed his test. I’m sure the physical activity had nothing to do with his increased concentration while finishing the test.
While schools are unique in their own right, there are striking parallels you can draw to the fitness industry.
Trainers, gyms, Biggest Loser P90X style programs etc. have countless testimonials and ‘success’ stories about how many pounds and inches their clients have lost. In a way, the fitness industry has their own set of standardized tests that act more as unspoken rules, giving off the false impression that numbers on a scale, or pounds on a bar are what ultimately matter and are what clients ultimately want.
Imagine though for a moment if the fitness industry wasn’t built and sustained on generic, cookie-cutter testimonials that could fit in a Twitter feed; but rather, candid, well thought out testimonials. Maybe something like this?
“I just wanted to say how much of a positive impact you have made on my life. You may not remember me but it’s been 20 years since I last worked with you, but to this day I still remember and use many of the skills you have taught me. You empowered me, made me feel like I was worth something more than a number on a scale, and made me believe that I could actually do this by myself one day with proper guidance. You told me I wasn’t lacking willpower or was simply lazy, it was my lack of skillpower. I needed the skills, and you taught them to me. I finally feel like I’m in control and can do this thing myself. There were bumps in the road, but the skills you taught me helped lessen the impact these bumps had on my life.”
Instead of this:
“You have changed my life! I just finished your diet and program, and I am down 40lbs, feel awesome, and finally kicked that sugar addiction I have been battling.”
And because your worth is measured by how well you pass a test in life, obviously I have to include a test question.
Who in the fitness and health industry is more likely to receive the first testimonial above:
a.) Jillian Michaels
b.) Tracy Anderson
c.) a and b
d.) Paleo
e.) Me, because I actually care about my client’s long-term success.
f.) 17
g.) all of the above
As you can see, setting someone up for long-term success isn’t immediately quantifiable and is quite a bit harder because it requires skill.
It’s why any trainer or ‘expert’ can have many ‘success’ stories. The goal though is empowerment, and giving clients the skill power to manage their lives after they leave you.
Any idiot can run a client into the ground at the gym, get them to lose x amount of pounds and show off their ‘success’ by a number on a scale or cookie-cutter statement plastered on a gym wall or personal website.
Usually it’s pretty easy in the fitness industry because clients come to the trainer somewhat motivated and willing to do what the ‘expert’ tells them to. You find these success stories scattered throughout the industry and most prominently displayed on such shows as The Biggest Loser.
I’m not saying that numbers have no purpose in fitness or in how we evaluate students in the classroom. They absolutely are essential, but only if they are put into its proper context and attached to something far greater than the number itself.
The only way the fitness industry is going to progress as a whole, is by realizing that numbers don’t tell the whole story.
They may be part of the story, but many times they give the false impression that we can easily measure success with numbers and the testimonials they are attached to that are more often than not, simply a snapshot in time, written right after the client has been with the trainer.
If we continue down this road, it only means more celebrity fitness entertainers (Sorry, I can’t put them in the same category as an actual trainer) are going to be running the show and writing the rules for what success looks like.
I’ve always said I’m a teacher before I’m a trainer. If you are a trainer and identify with this statement, then put yourself in a teacher’s shoes. Realize that teachers don’t have fancy numbers and testimonials prominently displayed on their classroom walls (‘Bobby got an A last semester!’ or ‘my class’ avg. GPA is 3.7!’) but instead find a great deal of gratification when they have a student come back years later, and tell them the impact they made on their life.
The student intuitively understands and appreciates that their teacher impacted the rest of their life and it probably had little to do with the grade the student got in the class. Put another way, it was a truly, authentically… ORGANICALLY!!!! a life-changing experience. It is these ‘testimonials’ that the fitness and health industry need more of.
PS – the answer to the test question above is Paleo obviously. It’s always Paleo J
Today’s topic has been something that’s been festering in my brain for a while now, and it’s only been within the last few weeks where I felt the need to put something down on paper.
Or in this case, down on keypad.
To save face, you can relax….it has nothing to do with Tracy Anderson (I’m kind of over bitching about her). Or Paleo Nazis. Or the fact that I was never able to beat Mike Tyson in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out back in the day. There’s always been a void in my childhood for that fail.
Nope, it has nothing to do with any of those things.
I guess you could say the impetus or tipping point came a few weeks ago at The Fitness Summit when Harold Gibbons and Kyle Langworthy – both brilliant coaches at Mark Fisher Fitness in NYC – asked me the following question:
“Hey Tony, do you think the long-head of the tricep can act as a spinal rotator?”
[Cue crickets chirping]
Uhhhhhhhhhhhh. Yes? No? I mean yes. No wait, no! What was the question again?
What made the interaction more hilarious was the fact they asked it in such a nonchalant, casual manner, as if asking me “Hey Tony, do you like food?”
To their credit, both Harold and Kyle have been immersed in the rabbit hole that is PRI (Postural Restoration Institute), and not surprisingly have been having their minds blown.
It’s very much akin to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, where Alice ends up following the White Rabbit down his rabbit hole.
Except in this case, instead of a mescaline induced world of hookah smoking caterpillars, Cheshire cats, and Mad Hatters, we have things like predicted (normal) asymmetries in the human body, terms like Left AIC (anterior interior chain) and PEC (posterior extension chain), and aberrant breathing patterns (we’re really good at inhaling, but poor at exhaling).
Both Harold and Kyle admitted that they’ve been exploring the rabbit hole and that they’ve been traveling deeper and deeper.
To which I say: how deep do we as coaches and trainers need to go?
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s fantastic that more and more trainers are educating themselves, experimenting, and digging deeper. I wish more would follow suit and do more of it!
This phenomena is something both Harold and I discussed in our little chat last week (so for those assuming I’m tossing Harold and Kyle under the bus, think again. I’m not).
Besides, I’d be remiss not to express my own accolades and biases towards the PRI mentality.
We’ve been using aspects of PRI at Cressey Performance for coming up on two years now. We recognize that it’s POWERFUL stuff, that it works, and it helps people feel better.
I like PRI. I use PRI. But man, I really wish some trainers and coaches would tone it down a notch and just get people strong.
Before we continue, I should first apologize to those reading who have no idea what the hell I’m talking about.
I’m sure some of you are sitting their scratching your head and thinking to yourself “Postural Restor……WTF are you talking about?”
Let me explain.
While trying to squeeze PRI’s philosophy into one sentence or paragraph would be doing it a huge disservice, if I had to give a quick ten second “elevator pitch” on what their schtick is and what they’re all about, I’d say: it’s about breathing! Or, to be more precise, it’s about how most of us suck at it.
I’m more of an analogy guy, so using one that most people can (hopefully) appreciate: if our breathing patterns are like the worst karaoke singer we’ve ever heard, we’d sound like a whale passing a kidney stone.
Yeah, not pretty.
More to the point it’s about understanding that symmetry – as much as we try to attain it, and think that it exists – probably ain’t gonna happen.
It’s recognizing that we’re inherently designed in such a way where asymmetry is inevitable – we have a heart on one side, a liver on the other, more prominent diaphragmatic attachments on one side compared to the other – 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.
In short, the diaphragm is kind of a big deal, and because many of us are locked into a scissor pattern in conjunction with a left rib flare – what PRI refers to as a Zone of Apposition – we have a hard time breathing correctly.
Ideally the diaphragm will act as a superior and inferior “canister,” compressing when we inhale and elongating when we exhale….which in turn provides optimal stability up and down the kinetic chain.
Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned scissor posture (to the far right in the pic above), we tend to see more anterior translation of the diaphragm locking us into more extension, which in turn doesn’t allow it to perform optimally.
For the more visual learners out there, here’s how the diaphragm should work:
So that was a little more than 10 seconds, but you get the idea. I think.
This stuff IS important, and it definitely has its place in the grand scheme of things – ESPECIALLY if someone is in pain.
But I can’t help but feel that sometimes this knowledge is crippling some trainers and that they’re missing the forest for the trees.
It’s kind of like they’re constantly operating with their emergency brakes on. They can apply the gas, and yes, the car will move, albeit it will be at a snail’s pace.
What’s starting to become more common is that trainers and coaches are forgetting that they’re trainers and coaches and they’re not training their athletes and clients.
Where I find this becomes more dangerous/annoying is that new, more inexperienced trainers are falling into this trap. It’s one thing for someone with years of experience to start playing around with this stuff – as is the case with myself, Harold, and Kyle (and many, many, many others).
But it’s a whole nother ball of wax when you have inexperienced trainers trying to implement this new information when they haven’t yet learned to integrate it appropriately.
Stealing a line from Michael Mullin (who’s a PRI instructor himself)…..”just like any new skill, there’s a learning curve involved.”
How can one justify using more advanced techniques like positional breathing tactics when they can’t even coach someone how to squat correctly?
More importantly: how much are we (as coaches and trainers) allowed to teeter with our scope of practice?
There’s no doubt an overlap between the physical therapy world and the strength and conditioning world. Where do we draw the line though?
I’m always asked my opinion on “corrective exercise,” and to be brutally honest I feel that CORRECT MOVEMENT is corrective.
Coach people to squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull, and carry correctly, and it’s amazing what can happen.
The kicker is that PRI has been around for a few decades. It’s only been in the past 2-3 years that it’s blown up to the point where everyone – physical therapists, chiros, strength coaches, personal trainers, and your local weather man – are using it.
As my boy, Mark Fisher himself, notes:
It frankly reminds me of the FMS mania a few years back where every trainer thought they were “diagnosing dysfunction” and “correcting” shit for hours on end (which is hilariously something that drives Gray fucking NUTS)
I’m sure it will all blow over soon (these things always do) and we’ll be left with the good big rocks of knowledge that can be implemented in a fitness setting, but good loooord people.
I’m 100% on the same page as Mark, with the exception of one thing.
I don’t feel PRI is just some random thing that will blow over – I mean, come on, One Direction is a thing.
I find a lot of value in PRI, and I know it works because I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
I think it’s great that more trainers and coaches are exploring the rabbit hole. But it’s important not to get too carried away. PRI is a tool in the toolbox. Nothing more.
I don’t expect that my latest article on Stack.com is going to get a bunch of views or create any buzz** outside of those interested in improving their ability to throw a baseball, but at the very least it will give some insight into how we go about structuring our in-season training for baseball players.
Note to Reader: I do make a brief comment (in the article) about why distance running is something I generally poo-poo for baseball players (or most athletes for that matter), and for those looking for more insight as to why I’d suggest reading THIS and THIS by Eric Cressey.
** Note to Self: Unless I either 1) incorporate “Kate Upton” into the title or 2) put up a video of a cat straight up PWNING a dog.
Both scenarios are GOLD when it comes to generating traffic.
Unless you’ve been living underneath a rock for the past 48 hours…..did you see this shit??????
Unbelievable, and YAY for cats getting some respect!
I had the pleasure of recording an interview with Harold Gibbons, a fitness writer and trainer at Mark Fisher Fitness in NYC yesterday.
The word “interview” is used loosely here, because it wasn’t so much an interview as it was two intelligent and uncannily witty dudes sitting down to talk shop on things ranging from coaching and program design to more rabbit hole topics such as the Postural Restoration Institute and “corrective” exercise.
And, of course, there was Star Wars.
Not to mention Harold’s epic beard!
Nevertheless, if you’re sitting at work and need something to keep you occupied until lunch time or want something to listen to while you drive your car or ride the train, just press play.
Fair warning: If you’re listening to this in a public place or work, you may want some earphones because I cuss like a sailor at several points throughout. If, however, you have the coolest boss ever, and he or she doesn’t care, then by all means turn up the volume. It’s been said I have the voice of an angel.
Eric Cressey and Mike Reinold (otherwise known as Erik Cressnold) released their latest module in their Functional Stability Training series, Functional Stability Training for the Upper Body, yesterday and I’m excited for a few reasons.
1. I’m not going to sit here, blow rainbows up your ass, wax poetic, and say that this product is going to make the industry better…..except that that is exactly what I’m going to do.
This product is going to make the industry better.
I think it goes without saying – especially considering the two who are involved – that FST for the Upper Body is a baller product that delivers on its promise to offer people a deeper look into the upper extremity and how to effectively assess dysfunction and address it through corrective exercise progressions and strength training.
It’s also gluten-free. So there’s that.
2. I have a unique perspective in that I see this stuff every….single…day. What you’ll watch in these videos are the exact assessment protocols and strategies we use at Cressey Performance on a daily basis with our overhead athletes and general population clientele. It’s an inside-look, if you will.
3. And, not to be understated, as I’m sure both Eric and Mike strategized this move to help increase their sales, you get to see me with no shirt on for 15 minutes.
I think I just broke the internet……;o)
Functional Stability Training for the Upper Body is on sale now at a low introductory price from today until this Sunday (5/18). Click the link below for more details and to order.
