CategoriesOff Topic

The Start of “Us”

I’m not a fan of talking about myself. I realize this comes across as a tad ironic given you’re reading TonyGentilcore.com (that’s me!!), and to some degree or another I discuss or divulge a medley of personal life happenings or events that transpire on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis.

So, in a way, I talk about myself all the damn time!

That said, I don’t like to get too too personal on this blog. Talking about my training, movies, books, or my cat is one thing. But some things are better left unsaid.

I generally steer clear – like, with a 50 foot pole (and then some) – of topics like politics and religion. Likewise, no one really cares about mundane things like my favorite color, how many hours of sleep I get every night or how “regular” I am.

Like I said, some things are better left unsaid.

However, part of the reason I feel many people enjoy reading my stuff (particularly this blog) is that I don’t come across as some Terminator freak show that eats, sleeps, and breaths strength and conditioning.

I love helping and educating people and I take pride that people all over the world read my articles and consider me a reputable, straight-shooting fitness authority. I’m always appreciative and humbled when people go out of their way to say “thank you” for all the content and material I put out.

Too, I also take pride in the brand of INFOtainment which I’m known for. I’ve alluded to the story in the past, but one of the best pieces of advice I ever received when I first started writing was from T-Nation Editor-in-Chief, TC Luoma, who told me right out of the gate, “people want to learn, but they also want to be entertained.”

I took his advice to heart and ran with it.  Hence all the boobie and fart jokes throughout the years. Admittedly, with age, those have waned.  Somewhat.

I still have to toss out a curve-ball every so often.

Nevertheless, I’ve long championed the idea that, as much as I want to be recognized as a source of quality fitness information, I also don’t want to bore people to death.  I mean, you can only go so far discussing the attributes (and pitfalls) of the FMS or programming considerations for femoral acetabular impingement before someone would rather watch paint dry. Or worse, listen to Coldplay.

Ergo (<—–yep, I just used that word) the sprinkling of pop culture references and personal antidotes throughout the blog.

As it happens, today is all about me, and one of those days where I’m going to break my “not getting too too personal” rule.

Ready for it?

Lisa and I Are Engaged!!!

I proposed to the love of my life (and yes, my best friend) this past weekend.

 Picture from the night of our engagement right after dinner at our favorite restaurant, The Beehive. Photo Credit: to Lisa (for being a stone cold fox), and to me (for wearing a pick shirt and blazer, like a boss).

Lisa and I met back in 2009, on Match.com. We “met” for the first time on a Thursday. We exchanged numerous, long-winded emails which then progressed to numerous, long-winded phone calls. After ascertaining that neither of us was an ax-murderer, we then “met for real” that same weekend at a popular local hangout in Boston.

Fun Fact:  I remember a few times we talked so long that her phone battery died, twice!

I also remember walking into the restaurant and seeing her in person for the first time and thinking to myself “whoa, Tony, don’t eff this up! Do I have something on my teeth? Shit, does my breath stink? Her she comes. OMG OMG OMG.”

I didn’t mess anything up…..;o)

Our first date lasted four hours. We sat at the table eating and talking until we got the polite “ahem, you need to go so that we can turn around this table” look from the wait staff. Afterwards we ended up walking around what would eventually – two years later – become our future neighborhood together. Coolidge Corner.

How cool is that!?! Talk about foreshadowing!

Our first date led to a second date (I took her to go see Food, Inc., cause I’m romantic like that) which led to a third date (and a first kiss), which led to five years together.

Here’s a picture from when we first started dating and we went to Star Wars in Concert. I showed up to pick her up and she had her hair done up like Princess Leia. Pretty much a keeper by that point.

Here we are during our first visit to Martha’s Vineyard.

Random Halloween. Wonder Woman and Mr. Clean.

At my brother’s wedding back in 2010.

The entire “CP Crew” at Eric and Anna’s taste testing for their wedding.

Random “date night” picture prior to eating steak at Mortons.  Or maybe the picture was taken after. Either way we crushed some protein.

Lisa in her “happy place” drinking a martini during our trip to Vancouver.

Lisa shooting guns with my brother and step-dad during a Thanksgiving trip home. She’s a good shot! Which is why I never forget to put the toilet seat down.

Lisa and I at Comic-Con Boston in 2013. She was a trooper for going.  To make up for it I told her that if someone ever invented a Sex and the City festival I’d be down.

Fingers crossed no one EVER invents a Sex and the City Festival.

A random picture of me with my shirt off as we vacationed in the DR this past spring. Cause, why not?

And nothing more than one of my favorite pictures of us together.

1,825+ days together. The Earth has managed to make the journey around the sun a total of five times. In that same span we’ve seen Prince William marry Kate, the Red Sox win the World Series (again), social media take over all our lives, the rise (and fall) of Honey Boo-Boo, Michael Bay make seemingly 19 different Transformers movies, and the advent of those stupid looking Google Glasses.

Oh, and we adopted a cat.  A cat!!!!!

A lot has happened in five years together.

More than anything, though, independent of the outside world, we’ve both grown to be one heckuva a team, each another’s biggest fan, and support system.

As you can imagine, after five years together people often wondered when we would take the plunge. Which begs the question: Why do people refer to it as a “plunge?”  Kind of a morbid connotation, right?

Anyways, I think after year one together friends and family were tapping their toes wondering why I was taking my sweet ass time?

To be honest: we were never in a rush.

Lisa and I dated for two years before we decided to take it to the next level and move in together. Once we figured out co-habitation would not serve as the impetus to WWIII, we then started talking, loosely, about building a future together.

But other things took precedence. Things like Lisa finishing up and earning her PhD, and starting her career. Things like me getting out of my own way, finally putting on my big boy shoes, gaining some confidence, and pursuing other endeavors with coaching, writing, and speaking. Things like, you know, working shit out as a couple, finding our feet, she respecting my introverted tendencies (and I her extroverted tendencies), talking about feelings and stuff, and doing things when we both felt we were ready.

And here we are. The time is here. And I couldn’t be more excited.

For Those Interested….

You can read about the engagement itself and how I did it HERE.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 9/26/14

I’m gearing up for a busy next few weeks.  This weekend is the Cressey Sports Performance Fall Seminar where I, along with all the other CSP coaches, will be keeping 150+ attendees entertained for the day. This may or may not include a shadow puppet reenactment of the final final fight scene in Rocky IV.

Next weekend I’ll be speaking at the NSCA Personal Trainers Conference in Washington, DC.

This is my first invite by the NSCA and my first time attending any NSCA event, so I’m really looking forward it. I always like catching up with old friends and colleagues (and meeting new ones), and there’s no denying it will be a jam packed two days of learning.

I’m slated for two 50 minute “hands-on” lectures (one in the AM, the other in the PM) where I’ll be discussing the Athletic Shoulder. Which reminds me, I need to send the NSCA my walk-out music:

And, at the expense of sounding like a broken record, I’ll be back in DC the third weekend in October for mine and Dean Somerset’s Excellent High-Five Workshop.

What’s more – I wasn’t going to say anything until it actually happened, but I decided a little bit of a “heads up” was in order – I’m currently working with the peeps over at Copter Labs (again) on a kick-ass website redesign.

The new site is not only going to look amazing (I’ve seen the exterior and interior pages and I have to say, they’re super sexy), but it’s going to allow me to better “systemize” things/take over the world and make my lift infinitely easier.

Much of the general vibe will remain. It’s a fitness site and I’ll be discussing fitness things. But I’ll be adding some components to make the site more aesthetically pleasing, in addition to allowing me more opportunities in spreading the TG brand.

Like I said, I wanted to give you all a brief heads-up so that you’re not taken for loop when you log on to my site in the near future and spontaneously start making out with your computer screen.

On that note, here’s this week’s stuff to check out:

The Ten Worst Types of Personal Trainers – Bret Contreras

This one had me laughing quite a bit.  Some of it ties into what I wrote yesterday pertaining to much of the eyewash you come across in commercial (and private/boutique) gyms. The bulk of it, however, is just hilarious commentary on the observations Bret has made on all the various “types” of personal trainers out there.

The Curves You Earned – Dr. Kathy Dooley

This post wins my internet high-five for the week.  It’s short. It’s sweet.  Sends an amazing message. And it’s awesome.

Ask Dr. Mike: How to Deadlift Properly – Dr. Mike Roussell and Todd Bumgardner

Whenever I come across the word deadlift I sometimes feel like that character, Dug the Dog, from the movie Up whenever he sees squirrel.

This was an excellent vlog on some of the common mistakes beginners make with regards to their deadlift technique.

CategoriesUncategorized

The Grind and Investing in Yourself

I love what I do for a living. I know a lot of people can’t say that.

I always make a joke about my career path. When I was finishing up my undergraduate work out of college I came to a metaphorical fork in the road.

In one direction I could take my degree in Health Education and become a high-school health teacher. At the time I had just completed my student teaching requirement and by and large had a positive experience.

Helping to mold and shape young minds had a nice vibe to it. Plus, I had visions of coaching baseball, starting a weightlifting club, and who knows, maybe a book club or a Star Wars aficionado fanboy nerd group where we could dress up in homemade Jedi cloaks and argue over whether or not Han shot first.

In the other direction was a career in fitness. In addition to my major I also had a concentration in Health/Wellness Promotion, and as part of that I was required to participate in an internship the summer after my senior year.

I was lucky enough to find a placement in a corporate fitness center, and spent three months that summer hanging out in a gym. Sure enough, as the intern, I had to do “interny” stuff like get up at the crack-ass to open the gym early, make bulletin boards (not a fav), clean, and wash and fold towels. Lots and lots and lots of towels.

I still have nightmares.

But I also got to lift heavy things and coach people to lift heavy things. And that made up for everything.

When the time came to decide what I wanted to do – health teacher or gym rat? – the choice was pretty easy.

Who wants to wear a tie to work everyday anyways? I certainly didn’t.  Hell, I didn’t even own a tie back then.

I opted to become a certified personal trainer which, above all else, allowed me the luxury of wearing sweatpants to work.  Holla!!!

Sweatpants are about as unglamorous as it gets (nothing some glitter paint can’t fix though), and to be honest, it’s fitting, because a career in fitness can be equally as unglamorous.

Early mornings, cranky clients, unmotivated clients, long days, clients that don’t show up, living out of tupperware containers, trying to find the time to workout yourself, managers more concerned with hitting a quota over quality of services, 7-day work weeks, no paid vacation, “what do you mean I have to wear a collared shirt to work!?!  A COLLARD SHIRT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

As much as I could bitch and whine about how hard things were when I first started, I wouldn’t change a thing.  I truly believe that the trials and tribulations I endured working my way towards a CAREER is what helped me succeed in the long run.

I know a lot of upcoming trainers scoff at the idea of working in a commercial gym setting. “I didn’t go through four years of college to train lonely housewives everyday,” some say. “Point me in the direction of the pro athletes!!!”

I hate to burst your bubble champ, but it doesn’t work like that. It never works like that.

I worked in a commercial gym setting for FIVE years, and didn’t train my first professional athlete until we opened up Cressey Sports Performance in 2007.

And I always say that it was those five years of working in a commercial gym that helped hone my skills as a trainer and coach. It allowed me the opportunity to work with an entire spectrum of different people ranging from the unmotivated to the highly motivated to the bat-shit crazy.

Becoming a successful coach is just as much about knowing your anatomy, program design, and ability to actually coach, as it is not being an asshole and being able to relate to people.

Going through (and accepting) the grind is something that should be pursued.

Sadly, today, it’s rarely not.

More germane to the point I’m trying to make are those trainers (both rookies and veterans) who have an insatiable sense of entitlement.  One of the best rants I have ever listened to on this topic comes from Derek Woodske.

OMG it’s the best 7:39 rant ever…….

Warning:  NSFW due to colorful (albiet warranted) language.

To mirror Derek’s message: as with any industry, there are many good seeds, but infinitely more that give the rest of us a bad name.

Maybe I’m biased, but to me this is never more apparent than in the fitness industry. There’s a lot of eyewash out there. I live in a bit of a bubble (now) where I’m surrounded by a lot of very smart, passionate coaches who give a shit. We take pride in not only consistently trying to make ourselves better, but holding one another accountable too.

When I travel outside of the bubble I’m often amazed – more like dumbfounded – at what I observe and witness.  Again, to reiterate, they are many, many outstanding trainers out there. But seemingly, they get drowned out by the aforementioned eye wash.

Sometimes I have fight off the urge of throwing my face into a cement wall whenever I watch some personal trainers work with their clients.

More often than not I feel as if the client would get just as good of a training session if he or she flushed their money down the toilet.

Part of that is due to many entering the industry and approaching this as more of a hobby than a career.  That’s fine.  These are the trainers and coaches who putter out within a year or two anyway.

The other part is due to many (not all) trainers unwilling to invest in themselves.  Many take the mentality that once they’re certified, that’s it!!, mission accomplished.  And then unsuspecting people are paying upwards of $80, $90, $100+ per session to be told to stand on a BOSU ball.

Face meet cement wall. Cement wall meet face.

I posted this on my Facebook Wall the other day:

I’m always amazed when trainers complain about how they can’t afford “x” seminar/workshop or that “y” product/service is too expensive (despite the fact either of the two will most likely pay themselves off in the long run). Yet, won’t think twice when the new iPhone comes out.

Priorities!

I’ve always placed a premium on continuing education. Even when I didn’t necessarily have the funds to do so I always made an attempt to attend 3-4 seminars/workshops per year (and I still do!). Moreover, I go out of my way to  buy books and DVDs to further my knowledge base.

1.  These items almost always end up paying for themselves in the long run. I can’t recall how many times I’ve taken one piece of information I learned from a seminar and used it to earn the trust of a prospective client, who would then end up purchasing a package that surpassed what I paid for the seminar in the first place.

2.  What’s more, and many trainers fail to realize this, you can write off a certain percentage of your continuing education on your taxes.  So you’re not really paying “full” price. Stick it to the man!

I guess all I’m trying to say is this: give a shit!  Please.

Well that, and you should totally come to mine and Dean Somerset’s workshop in DC (HERE) or in Los Angeles (HERE).

Also, my good friend, Artemis Scantalides, is holding her I Am Not Afraid to Lift workshop at Iron Body Studios located just outside Boston on November 8th.

There aren’t many female coaches in the industry offering strength workshops and Artemis is one of THE best in the business.  I know.  I’ve been coached by her!

This workshop is open to both women AND men and will be a stellar day of learning, no question.

So there you go trainers.  Get better and build a more successful career or the latest iPhone?

What say you?

Note to Reader: How many of you read the title of the post, saw “The Grind,” and immediately thought I was referring to the 90s dance themed show on MTV starring Eric Nies?

No?  That wasn’t what you were thinking?  Yeah, um, I wasn’t either.  I mean, that’s just lame. Soooooo, whatcha doin today?

CategoriesExercise Technique Program Design Strength Training

Q&A: Does Age and Heavy Training Take a Toll on the Spine?

As you can imagine I get a lot of emails on a daily basis.  I get emails from friends, colleagues, clients, Nigerian Princes wanting to give me all their money, and I also get a fair number of emails from people I don’t know asking me any number of health and fitness questions.

Below is a question I received the other day which I had never received before and something I felt I could elucidate on here in more detail (while at the same time helping others who may have the same question).

Q: Can people squat and deadlift because they have strong backs, or do they have strong backs because they squat and deadlift?

After squatting and deadlifting for the first time in 8 years, I found that my back (lower and thoracic) is by far the weakest it has ever been – it holds my numbers back substantially and if I push just a little too hard, my back feels like its about to go.

Not only that but my back stays incredibly tight the following days.

Prior to this hiatus, I was almost bullet-proof and could do nearly everything without pain. I’ve since had chronic tightness in literally every muscle, but switching to unilateral lower body movements resulted in a dramatic training difference with no after pain or tightness.

I may have my biases, but is this why I see so little older individuals continuing to squat and deadlift the numbers they used to? Or to reiterate, do those rare older individuals who squat and deadlift heavy already have strong lower backs to begin with, or did they build up this strength by squatting and deadlifting heavy?

Lastly, is unilateral lower body movements substitutes for squats when long-term joint health is concerned? Thanks!

Spencer

A: Thanks for the question, Spencer. There are a few angles I’d like to take to answer this.

1.  I kinda-sorta hit on the topic earlier this year when I wrote THIS blog post on Programming Strategies for the Old(ish) Meathead.

I’m 37 now, and while I don’t consider myself old by any stretch of the imagination – although Lisa and I love early bird dinners before 5:30 PM on the weekends, and I’m usually in bed before 9 PM – I understand that what I used to do in the gym when I was 25, and what my body was able to handle back then, no longer holds weight (<—- HA! Pun totally intended).

This isn’t to say I don’t still get after it, but I’d be lying if I said that I haven’t accumulated a few aches and pains throughout the years and that I haven’t had to “tone down” my training to a small degree.

The article linked to above taps into some of my thought process(es) with regards to programming strategies for guys who don’t feel like Batman or Superman anymore.

2. A believe a little dose of expectation management needs to be addressed here.  You mentioned that it’s been eight years since you last squatted or deadlifted with any frequency. Don’t you feel that that plays a bit of a role in the grand scheme of things?

Are the squats and deadlifts themselves to blame for your soreness and tightness? Maybe. Or should we point the finger at the eight year absence from any significant loading?

I remember back in the summer of 2008 I decided to play in an over-30 adult baseball league. I had obviously thrown a baseball here and there up to that point, but I hadn’t played competitive baseball or thrown any significant innings since the summer of 1999 and 2000. An eight year hiatus itself.

Me, circa 1999, my senior year at Mercyhurst University. I had hair back then. The good ol’ days.

On the batshit scale on which WTF “why is my arm killing me?” was measured, what was to blame more: the actual act of throwing a baseball, or the fact I took an eight year break from throwing a baseball?

I went from zero innings pitched over the span of eight years to over 70 innings pitched in one summer.

To be fair (to myself), I did hold my own that summer. I went 8-1 with an ERA under 1.00 and had over 100 Ks in those 70 innings.

Funny story:  my best game that summer was the first game after my then girlfriend broke up with me out of nowhere. I showed up to the game and struck out 20 batters in nine innings. Granted, I was probably crying on the mound during the entire game…..but my fastball was un-hittable that day!

I even tossed a no-hitter that summer. I didn’t suck or embarrass myself during the season. But by the end, my arm was hanging on a thread.

The only person to blame was myself because I didn’t do much to properly prepare myself.

It’s analogous to what you’re going through, Spencer, and what I’m sure a lot of people in the same situation are going through.

3. Barring any current injury, the body will adapt to whatever stress you place upon it.

Consider Wolff’s Law and Davis’s Law.  You can’t discount physics. The former states that bone in a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads it is placed under. The latter states the same thing, except with regards to soft tissue.

Deadlifting/squatting = strong bones + soft tissue. You need a minimal essential strain (MES) in order for tissue to adapt. Likewise, in order to strengthen tissue, you need to load it.

Neither of the two just happen. So no, I don’t believe people “just automatically have strong backs,” therefore they can squat and deadlift to their hearts content with little ramification(s).

I do believe heavy training (which I understand is all relative) does take a toll on the spine. However, I also believe that if someone takes the time to learn and hone technique, implement appropriate progressions based off their needs and ability level, and refrain from taking eight year breaks, that they’d best set themselves up for long-term success….;o)

Lastly, as far as unilateral lower body training is concerned and whether or not that’s a more “joint friendly” substitute for squats……..it depends.

There’s no denying that performing unilateral movements will lead to less axial loading on the spine. But we could also make the case that how people squat – even when it’s not with heavy loads – can place more stress on the joints, particularly the spine and knees.

– Are you squatting with an overly rounded back? How about the exact opposite end of the spectrum: are you overarching?  Both can be detrimental.

– Are you ensuring upper back stiffness when you set up to squat?

– Are you performing more of a “quad dominant” squat or a “hip dominant” squat? With the latter, you’ll need to sit back with the hips more, push the knees out, and use more of your hips and posterior chain to perform the movement.  This can make a profound difference on not only how the squat feels, but performance as well.

It is possible to make squats more knee friendly.

All of this is not to say everyone has to squat and deadlift.

Especially the older we get.

Sometimes it just doesn’t feel good no matter how on-point someone is with their technique and programming. If either of the two movements aren’t a good fit, they’re not a good fit. It’s not the end of the world.

But I do know plenty of people older than myself who are still deadlifting and squatting with abandon and do quite well.

That being said: I feel the above suggestions are an excellent way to audit yourself and to troubleshoot a few things.  Hope that helps!

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 9/22/14

It’s been eons since I’ve done one of these types of posts, so lets get right to it!

1.  I spent a bulk of yesterday prepping my presentation for this coming weekend’s annual Cressey Sports Performance Fall Seminar. It’s our third go at it and we’re expecting a decent sized crowd based off the original sign-up tally

My topic is titled Making Movement Better, where I plan on breaking down some of the big lifts (squats, deadliffts, twerking overhead press, to name a few) and dissecting some of the common mistakes trainees make with their execution, as well as break down a number of the screens and cues I like to use when coaching them up.

It’s basically going to win me a Nobel Prize for Awesome.  Either that or people are going to fall asleep (I’m slated to speak right after lunch…LOLz).

With the entire staff slated to speak (Eric Cressey, myself, Chris Howard, Greg Robins, Andrew Zomberg, along with a special cameo appearance by Brian St. Pierre), it’s going to be off the hook.  Hudson, Massachusetts will be rocking!

If this is the first you’re hearing about the seminar you can still sign-up HERE.

2. Speaking of off the hook, I’d like to take this opportunity to formally welcome our newest addition to the CSP team, Miguel Aragoncillo.

Miguel interned with us back in 2012. Or maybe it was 2013? Whatever, the point is he interned with us. He did an amazing job and was easily one of our most popular coaches to date with the staff as well as with the clients.

Since then he’s been working as a part-time coach with another CSP alum, Kevin Neeld, at his facility, Endeavor Sports Performance, located in Pitman, New Jersey.

In addition Miguel has built a bit of a cult following of his own with his blog (HERE) as well as writing for various fitness websites like Stack.com and several others.

When a full-time position became available he was on our short list of coaches to contact. Long story short, he accepted, and we’re STOKED to have him on board.

Miguel brings a ton of enthusiasm to the facility as well as a unique dynamic with regards to assessment and movement analysis.

As it happens Miguel is also a very talented dancer, and unbeknownst to me was taping himself when I decided to DO THIS.

There’s more where that came from.

3. I don’t have the best grip in the world, but I get by. I can say that I’ve never missed a deadlift because of my (lack of) grip strength, but I also know I’m not performing any cool bar tricks like ripping a telephone book in half any time soon.

Not too long ago I was contacted by the guys over at TNT Personal Training (located in Victoria, BC <—– that’s Canada for the geographically impaired) asking me if I’d be interested in sampling their products which, admittedly, are targeted more towards rock climbers.

Basically they make these funky shaped grip-handle thingamabobbers that tend to be very popular with not only their rock-climbing clientele, but their regular personal training clients as well.

I’m game for anything different, so long as I sense some value in how I can apply whatever-it-is to my own athletes and clients.

I see grip training as important, so I was intrigued.

Thom – one of the main honchos – sent me a set of the “Missiles,”pictured first above and I’ve been including them here and there with my own training, as well as that of my clients.

I can’t say it’s a game changer, but I do feel they add a bit of spice to training and are worth having as an option.

They offer several different variations – Pipe Bombs, Medium Bombs, Large Bombs, Missiles – and you can check them all out HERE.

Note:  I don’t receive any commission or kick-back for providing the link.  I just feel it’s a cool product and something that a lot of people would enjoy using.

4. I dragged Lisa to go see the new movie The Skeleton Twins yesterday, starring Saturday Night Live alums Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig.

I say “dragged” because in hindsight, the last thing a therapist (Lisa) – who spends a large portion of her day dealing with people battling depression and in the worse case scenarios, thoughts of suicide – wants to do on her day off is watch a movie about people battling depression and attempting suicide.

It would be akin to me being forced to watch a 90 minute movie of Jillian Michaels trying to teach someone how to squat correctly or perform a kettlebell swing without making a small piece of my soul dying.

This is my public apology to Lisa.

My bad, babe.

I owe you an hour long foot-rub.

That being said, I liked the movie.

But then again, for some reason, I like dark, sad, depressing movies. There were funny moments – particularly a scene where both Hader and Wiig’s characters (who play estranged siblings) improvise and lip sync to Starship’s Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now –  but this was far, far from your typical comedy.

However, I have to say, I was impressed with the acting chops that both stars showcased. In much the same way how past SNL alums like Bill Murray in Lost in Translation, Robert Downey Jr in Chaplin, Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls, or Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction, showed off their dramatic talents, Hader and Wiig are equally as commendable.

If dark and sad isn’t your cup of tea, though, I’d steer clear.

6.  Lastly, coming off the momentum of London, Dean Somerset and I are looking forward to bringing our updated workshop back to the States.

Spots are still available for our stop in Washington DC in mid-October (HERE), and we’ve recently added Los Angeles to the mix!

It’ll be my first trip to California, so I’ll be sure not to pack my Notorious B.I.G t-shirt….;o)

We’re hoping to make the LA trip a big event – 714 CrossFit (located just outside Anaheim) has been nice enough to host – with some possible cameo appearances from other fitness big wigs.

For more information on the itinerary, location, cost, and the over/under on whether or not I destroy the back of my pants if there’s an earthquake tremor you can go HERE.

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Barbell Overhead Shrug

One of the main bullet points I hit on last weekend while in London was that many of the same movement distortions and predictable postural imbalances we see in overhead athletes manifest themselves in the general fitness population as well.

Specially, when we take someone with a extensive history of lifting heavy things – a meathead if you will – it’s not altogether uncommon to see a gross extension pattern or excessive anterior pelvic tilt with their posture (you can fit a fist inside the T-L junction) along with a depressed shoulder girdle.

Note:  I place an emphasis on noting I italicized the word “excessive” because there is an acceptable amount of anterior pelvic tilt (natural lordotic curve) in the lumbar spine.

Let all of the above marinate for a while and it’s a recipe for poor ability to upwardly rotate the scapulae.

For an overhead athlete this is crucial.  It’s important to have ample upward rotation so as to prevent wear and tear on the shoulder joint itself (namely: SLAP tears).

And even if your job doesn’t involve throwing a baseball 95 MPH and all you’re concerned with is how “abby” you look, it’s still important to have sufficient scapular upward rotation for general shoulder health.

And let me tell you something, chicks loooooooooooooove them some upward rotation. They go nuts for it.

Okay, not really.

I wrote in much more detail what scapular downward rotation syndrome is, as well as how to go about “correcting” a depressed shoulder HERE.

Hint: it doesn’t include Prozac. We’re not referring to that kind of depression mmm kay.

Give that article a read because I feel it will help elucidate in more detail all of the above, including some of the more introductory drills we utilize at Cressey Sports Performance to address the issue(s).

Today, however, I wanted to cover a more advance drill.

Barbell Overhead Shrug

It’s always funny whenever I mention during an assessment that someone lacks upward rotation and that we need to work on some upper trap recruitment and/or development.

They assume I’m going to program a healthy dose of barbell shrugs into the mix and that they’ll finally, finally be able to put their Bane mask to good use.

Not so fast you Tom Hardy wannabe.

Performing traditional barbell shrugs – where you hold the barbell at waist height and then “shrug” the barbell up with your upper traps – only feeds into the dysfunction (and may very well make things worse!).

What the what!?!??!!

How is that possible?

Well, think about it.  When you shrug the barbell with your upper traps – and you do so with a heavy load – what does the barbell do on the way back down?  It pulls you back into more shoulder depression.

Not to mention the scapulae aren’t moving to any high degree and there’s no upward rotation entering the picture.

The barbell overhead shrug IS NOT my first choice to address upward rotation. I much prefer to start with drills like forearm wall slides, bottoms-up KB carries, TRX Ys, or a whole litany of other drills which target the upper traps (< — all of which can be viewed in the article linked to above).

However, assuming one has been incorporating those drills for a tick, has decent anterior core stiffness, and is able to get their arms above their head without any major compensations (forward head posture, hyperextension of the lumbar spine), I really like the barbell overhead shrug.

Here we’re able to place the scapulae in a more upwardly rotated position and then we can perform the same “shrug” pattern in a way that will target the upper traps in a more functional manner.

In this case: helping to address lack of upward rotation. Regular barbell shrugs are fine, and will undoubtedly help build some traps. But if someone is in significant downward rotation/shoulder depression, overhead shrugs will more often than not be a better fit.

Key Coaching Cues:  You’ll want to take a wider-than-you-think grip on these, and at the same time, while you do want to sort of “set” the shoulder blades you want to be careful not to yank down too aggressively and allow the lats to turn (and pull you into extension & depression).

Squeeze your glutes, brace your abs, and don’t allow the rib cage to flare out.  From there simply “shrug” the barbell and hold for a 1-2s count at the top. Then CONTROL it back down to the starting position.

If you find that you’re slipping into lumbar extension and you feel it too much in your back, try reverting to a staggered stance and see if that helps.

Shoot for 8-12 reps.

I like to include this drill as part of an extended warm-up or as part of a “prehab” finisher towards the end of a training session.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

 

CategoriesMotivational

How My Favorite Movie of the Year (So Far) Holds the Key to Fitness Success

I’ve always joked that if I weren’t a strength coach I’d try to figure out some way to get paid to watch movies.

Scratch that. First, I’d figure out a way to get paid to be a Victoria Secret photo shoot poolside cabana boy; second, professional baseball player; third, grizzly bear tamer (cause why not?); and then someone who gets paid to watch movies.  Not necessarily a movie critic per se – most critics are uppity, bourgeois, a-holes who wouldn’t know a good movie if it slapped them in the face, and place films like the The English Patient in their Top Ten list because it takes place in the desert, includes some subtitles, stars a few Brits, and is over three hours long – but rather just someone who watches movies. And can deadlift over 500 lbs.  For reps.

No big deal.

I’ve always loved movies. I can’t say for sure what my first “going to the movies” experience entailed, but I want to say it was either Bambi or E.T.

And of course, as most guys my age can attest, once the original Star Wars entered the picture it was all over. Once the opening dialogue scroll sequence ended and the camera panned to a Rebel spaceship being chased by a GINORMOUS Star Destroyer that seemingly never ended, I was hooked.

I can remember growing up and watching films like Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club (<— don’t judge, I had an older sister), Return of the Jedi, Rambo, An American Tail, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Field of Dreams and just melting into the various stories and appreciating the journey each film glided me through.

Light saber battles were always a highlight, though.  And I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I watched the final Arnold vs. an entire army cartel battle scene in Commando.

At least 47 times.

And, not for nothing (and serving as a bit of movie trivia), who knew the actress who played Arnold’s daughter in that movie in only her second role – Alyssa Milano – would eventually become one of the sexiest women of our era and make it up onto the walls of many, many teenage boys?

As I moved through high-school and into my college years that’s when I really started to appreciate movies on a more cerebral level. Before, a good movie was anything that showed boobies and/or included curse words (I.e, Bachelor Party, Police Academy), whereas after awhile, sliding into the 90’s, I started to appreciate things like the performances of the actors/actresses themselves, plot development, character development, story telling, and cinematography.

The 90’s kicked movie making ass if you ask me. GoodFellas, Saving Private Ryan, The Shawshank Redemption, Rushmore, Amelie, Terminator 2, American Beauty, American Pie (boobies!!!!!!), Titanic, Good Will Hunting, Heat, Swingers, Seven, to name a few.  And we saw the advent of a film industry icon, the man, Quentin Tarantino.

I defy anyone to make a list of the best movies of the 90’s and not include Reservoir Dogs and/or especially Pulp Fiction. And eff it, I’ll also toss Jackie Brown into the mix because for some reason that’s like the red-headed stepchild of his filmography and people always seem to dismiss it, despite it being brilliant.

So yeah, I love watching movies.

I love watching movies so much that I even went to a screening of Brokeback Mountain by myself back in the day.

Awwwwwwkward.

I love the popcorn movies like Independence Day or The Avengers for the eye candy and sheer fun and enjoyment they offer. And, like most people, I like watching things blow up.

However, and forgive the snobby context, I often find myself gravitating towards more visceral, independent, artsy-fartsy movies because they allow me to draw many parallels between what’s happening on screen and what’s happening in my own life.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not battling many space aliens in my day-to-day life.

Which brings me to the point of today’s post (I promise, I’m getting there).

I’ve seen just about all the “must see” movies this summer.  Guardians of the Galaxy was amazing. The Grand Budapest Hotel was beautiful to watch (and hilarious). Lucy was okay. Neighbors was really, really funny. Godzilla was, well, Godzilla. What’s not to love? It’s a giant monster wrecking s*** up!

Chef was probably the best movie I saw that no one else ever heard of (if you’re a foodie I HIGHLY recommend it). Obvious Child was a bit overrated (but I appreciated its uniqueness and that it tackled a serious topic in a non-serious way). The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and X-Men: Days of Futures Past were nerdtastic. Snowpiercer was out there, but in a good way. Hated the ending.

My favorite movie of the summer, though, was one that was praised by the critics and moviegoers alike, and for good reason.  It’s AMAZING.

Boyhood

The movie follows a boy – Mason, played by Ellar Coltrane – through his life from the age of 5 to the age of 18.

It follows his “boyhood” as he deals with his parent’s divorce – played by Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette – and managing the juggling act and chaos that ensues.

Moreover, as the movie progresses we follow Mason as he has to deal with an absent father and a step-father who’s a dick, and we work our way through high-school, first loves, first kisses, first experimental drug use, and before we know it Mason is entering college.

In all we follow Mason (and the people in his life) through a span of twelve years. The kicker? It’s the same people playing the same roles throughout the entire movie. We literally see Mason grow up – from a boy to a young man – in a span of three hours.

The director, Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, etc), used the same actors and actresses (including his own real-life daughter, who plays Mason’s older sister) throughout the entire movie, filming bits and pieces over a twelve year span.

Each year, for twelve years, everyone would get together for a few weeks to film more of the movie. A scripted movie, not a documentary!

How amazing is that? It’s a phenomenal act of film making.

Think about the dedication, persistence, attention to detail, planning, patience, and CONSISTENCY it took from Linklater to complete this project?  I can’t even imagine.

Key Word(s): Patience and Consistency

Now think about your health and fitness goals.

We live in a time where people want results yesterday.  They want quick, fast, & dirty. They want the easy fix.

People are more apt to buy into “smoke and mirrors marketing,” follow some stupid cleansing diet that has them eating a grapefruit every other day and drinking unicorn tears, along with choking down “x” number of pills per day that results in a quick (albeit non-sustainable) 10 pound loss.

All of this…..over the less sexy way.

The less sexy way calls for making better food choices, getting more sleep, staying hydrated, and exercising.  More importantly, it calls for detailed planning, PATIENCE AND CONSISTENCY. Two attributes that, sadly, many people are lacking in an age where we have entire conversations in 140 characters.

The same mindset can be applied to strength or performance goals.  Far too many people program hop and switch programs or goals far too often before they’re ever able to see any results.

One week they want to work towards a 2x bodyweight deadlift. The next they want to follow a Smolov squat cycle. Two weeks later, when they hate life, they decide to ditch Smolov (he’s such a jerk!) and follow more of a bodybuilder approach.

No wait!……lets do a bulking cycle!

Only to freak out three weeks later when they can’t see an ab, and they decide to give intermittent fasting a try.

And then they join their neighborhood CrossFit affiliate.

 Photo Credit: Remy Zed

Almost always, without fail, the #1 culprit as to why many people never see results is because they lack patience and consistency! They don’t stick to the program. They don’t plan. Or worse, they never have a program to begin with.

They don’t allow enough time to see the fruits of their labor manifest or to kick in.

Slow down. Relax. Stay patient. Good things come to those who remain consistent.

And On That Note:

Sometimes you just need someone to do the thinking for you, and to help keep you consistent.  Try out my Premium Workout Group or Deadlift/Strength Program: Pick Things Up and Put Them Down.

Also: a slight kudos to John Romaniello for the inspiration for today’s post. He wrote an excellent movie themed post today too that hit a chord and inspired me to write this one.

CategoriesUncategorized

Where I Am

I spent a lot of time alone as a kid.

Part of it was due to my personality. I’m an introvert through and through.

Part of it was because I was the middle child. My sister is six years older than me and when we were younger she was more into Rick Springfield, denim, and The Outsiders than hanging out with me playing with GI Joe and He-Man action figures. Once she went off to college it was pretty much me and my younger brother to keep each other occupied.

My brother is five years younger than me, and once I was older into my tweens and then teenage years I was more into sports, baseball cards, and Mariah Carey than hanging out with him. “LEAVE ME ALONE RT, I”M LISTENING TO DREAMLOVER. GOD!!!!! MOOOOOOOM.”

But I have to say, the biggest reason for spending so much time alone was because I grew up in a very rural area.  Like, no traffic light in my hometown rural. Like, you have to drive ten minutes to get to the nearest grocery store rural. Like, there’s a good 1/2-1 mile gap between houses rural.

It wasn’t like I could just walk across the street and knock on the Smith’s front door and ask them if little Timmy could come out to play some wiffle ball. There was nothing across the street except a massive corn field.

Warning:  you can imagine how much of a mindf*** this was when I watched Children of the Corn back in the day. Not smart. Not smart at all.

So yeah, I spent a lot of time alone as a kid playing any and all kinds of sports in my back and side yard. And like most young boys I had dreams of playing professional baseball.

That didn’t happen.

I did, however, make it further than 99.99% of the athletes from my hometown did, and had the honor of earning a scholarship and the luxury of playing baseball for four years in college (with a sprinkling of a few professional tryouts).

I know it’s coming across a certain way, but I don’t say any of this to give off a melancholy vibe or to play the role of Debbie Downer.

I say all of this because as I sit here typing these words, I can’t believe how far I’ve come.

As I type these words, these very words, right now, I’m sitting in a Starbucks in the heart of London.

London!!!

Don’t believe me?  Here’s a picture of me pretending to make a call in one of their famous red, street pay phones (that still work!):

Sadly, it wasn’t a secret entry way to the Ministry of Magic.*

And here’s a picture I took of the first double decker bus I saw once I stepped out of Paddington Station:

I know, I’m such a tourist.

Right this instant I’m across the street from Tower Hill (and the Tower of London) waiting for it to open. I was a little early so decided to make a pit-stop in Starbucks to get my caffeine fix, snake some Wi-Fi and to do a little writing.

I didn’t have a game plan to what I wanted to write, so this is what’s coming out.

1. This city is amazing! I wish I had more than 36 hours to be a tourist, but starting tomorrow and for the rest of the weekend Dean and I will be talking to 30 or so coaches and trainers from around Europe on anything and everything to become a better trainer and coach.

2. It’s quite nice to accidentally bump into someone on the Tube and they say, “sorry mate!” instead of being given a look of death or challenged to a knife fight if the same thing happened in Boston.

3. If you would have told me twelve years ago, when I first started in this industry, that I’d be in London for a speaking engagement where people from the UK, Italy, Poland, and Spain would be paying to come listen to me, Tony Gentilcore, the kid who grew up in Central Middle-of-Nowhere New York, collected Mark McGwire baseball cards, wore white high-top shoes, and brought a yo-yo to school with him cause he thought it was cool (yes, true story) , if you would have told me all that, and kept a straight face…….I would have laughed.  And probably punched you in the face for being an a-hole.

“Yeah, right dude.” I would have said.  “What’s next, telling me Arnold Schwarzenegger is gonna star in a movie where he becomes pregnant or that he becomes Governor of California? Pffffft, whatever.”

But here I am. That’s exactly what’s happening. I’m in London. And I feel so lucky.

I guess all I want to say is thanks, everyone.  THANK YOU for reading this blog, thank you for reading my articles, thanks to those who I get to work with and train on a daily basis, and thank you for the endless support.

Or maybe I should say cheers!?!

* = hopefully some Harry Potter fans got that reference.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 9/11/14

Well, if you’re reading this post you know I landed safely in the UK!!

I purposely didn’t program this post to go up automatically because 1) I’m superstitious and 2) due to my proclivity for superstition, I somehow convinced myself that if I pre-programmed this post to go up – due to travel – something bad would happen, because, you know, I’m logical like that.

In any case I made it (!!!), and I’m so stoked to be here and this is pretty much what I looked like when I stepped off the plane and went through customs at Heathrow:

By now, after this post goes live, I’m either aimlessly walking the streets of London doing my best impersonation of Austin Powers or asking around for directions to where they’re filming Star Wars.

Or on a quest for some Cadbury chocolate (per the request of Lisa).

Before Dean and I melt people’s brains with strength and conditioning knowledge this weekend, I have a day and a half to be a tourist here in London, so if anyone has any recommendations (that aren’t too “touristy”) I’d love to hear them and take any suggestions in the comments section below!

And now this week’s list of stuff to read…..

How Prolonged Sitting Impacts Your Body – Michael Mullin (via EricCressey.com)

In other news, water is wet; you need to breath oxygen in order to live; and Justin Bieber is a douche to the douchiest degree.

9 Ways to Use Mechanical Advantage Drop Sets For Strength – John Romaniello

Looking to add a little variety to your training repertoire? Or, maybe you’re looking to bring up a lagging or weak body part?  Try adding in some mechanical advantage drop sets!

Back Pain? Here Are the Best Positions for Sex – Dr. Stuart McGill

I don’t care if we’re talking about getting out of a chair, lifting weights, sex, or back friendly twerking moves, if Dr. McGill chimes in I’m going to listen.

You know you’re going to click.  Do it! Do it. Do it!  Pun totally intended.

CategoriesExercise Technique

Master the Kettlebell Swing

Before we get to the meat of today’s post I have a few housekeeping items to relay:

1.  Today is the last day to take advantage of the 30% discount for my Deadlift Specialization Program.

The program itself will never go away (ever!!!) and will always be available to start whenever you’d like, but this will be the only time you’ll be able to purchase month #1 at a discount.

All you have to do is type in IncreaseDeadlift30 within the Coupon Code area at checkout and you’re all set.  God, you’re good looking!

2. iOS users have had the luxury of using the WeightTraining.com workout logger app on their phones or iPads for several months now.  The app is FREE and allows users access to WT.com’s extensive library of over 2500 exercises and 400+ workout plans.

TODAY marks the release of the Android version.  Holla!!!!!!!

You can get more details and download it HERE.

Which is to say, you can purchase my Deadlift Specialization Program (which is really a program designed to get you strong. Wolverine strong) and follow it on your iOS or Droid phone. Which is cool.

And if some trainer or uppity douche at your gym gives you flak for having your phone out on the weight room floor under the impression you’re doing something lame like checking Instagram or sexting with your significant other or co-worker or lab partner (hey, I’m not judging), you can just say “back off!! I’m getting my deadlift on with TG!!!!”

Master the Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing is a fantastic exercise, an exercise I feel offers a gulf of benefits, and one I feel everyone should do.

The thing is:  it looks simple to perform, but it’s not quite that simple to execute.

The biggest mistake I see people make is not being able to distinguish between a squat swing (wrong) and a hip-snap swing (correct). This is a non-negotiable fact.

Squat swings are dumb (and a small piece of my soul dies every time someone performs one). A hip-snap swing, on the other hand, opens up Pandora’s box to a whole world of awesome.

The key, though, is ensuring someone has patterned the hip hinge motion.

There’s that, and then there’s a bunch of other stuff that us trainers and coaches like to get nit-picky about. In my latest article on T-Nation.com I discuss some ways to pattern the hip hinge in addition to two common mistakes many people make with their KB swing technique.

Continue Reading…….