“Isn’t he that dude who owns a gym in NYC, who’s obsessed with, like, rainbows and unicorns and stuff?”
That was the question EC asked me a few summers ago when I had mentioned in passing that this guy named Mark Fisher was coming to CSP (along with his head trainer, Kyle Langworthy) for mine and Dean Somerset’s Excellent Workshop up in Boston.
At the time I had no idea who Mark Fisher or Mark Fisher Fitness was other than Eric’s comment.
Rainbows?
Unicorns?
What the what!?!?!? “Who is this guy?” I thought to myself. And, “what’s he all about?”
To be honest, at the time I didn’t care. He paid the registration fee, and giving credit where it’s due, no one is going to pay that much money and make the trek from NYC to Boston for a 2-day workshop who doesn’t give a shit and doesn’t want to learn. At the end of the day, that’s cool in my book.
Long story short: it was an awesome weekend. Mark (and Kyle) attended, and Mark was gracious enough to participate in a “Expert Panel” at the end of the weekend (which also featured Ben Bruno and Jim “Smitty” Smith of Diesel Strength fame) discussing business stuff and how important it is to build a sense of “community” amongst your gym members (or as he refers to them, ninjas) for long-term success.
Since then Mark (and many of his staff members) have grown to be good friends of mine. We’ve crossed paths numerous times attending various seminars and social gatherings, and have kept in touch via email. I remember not long ago Mark reached out asking if CSP had any current or past interns who’d be interested in employment at MFF and to ask if any would be a good fit (because lets be honest: it takes a certain individual to be comfortable enough to teach a group of people how to perform a kettlebell swing or proper hip hinge while simultaneously lip syncing to ABBA and trying not to make eye contact with occasional dildo hanging on the wall).
It’s an eclectic, unique, and fun atmosphere to say the least. But that shouldn’t deter people from thinking MFF is all glitter paint and party boas. It’s not.
In fact, when Mark and I were going back and forth on interns and employment he shot back this classic quote which I’ll never forget:
“Don’t get me wrong, if they’re a drag queen, that’s HUGELY helpful, but they need to be a drag queen who knows who Ed Coan is.”
Suffice it say I’m a huge fan. Mark and his staff are superb and it’s no surprise they’ve established themselves as one of the destination gyms to train at in a city that’s saturated with an infinite selection to choose from.
Stepping aside from the fitness side of things for a second, another reason why I admire Mark and the culture he’s constructed is that, as much as he’s a geek at improving someone’s scapular upward rotation or squat technique, he’s equally a champion at understanding that there’s a lot to life OUTSIDE of the gym.
Which was why I was more than excited to be invited onto the MFF Best Life Radio Podcast hosted by Mark Fisher Fitness co-founder, Brian Patrick Murphy.
Much like Mark, Brian exudes positive attitude. It’s very hard not to be talking with Brian and not feel his exuberance and zest for what life has to offer marinate into your own consciousness. It’s infectious and I dig it so much.
We chatted the other morning for a little more than an hour on everything from my career to being newly engaged to our affinity on walking around with our pants off. It was a really fun interview to do. So if you have some time to kill commuting to work, or if you’re at work and want to drown out your annoying cubicle mate give it a listen. I think you’ll enjoy it.
There are a lot of rules we have to follow. I’m all for following them, but sometimes it gets exhausting.
In elementary school (grades 1-5 here in the States), on top of learning our multiplication tables and how to write in cursive (maybe they don’t teach that anymore? I don’t know), we’re taught to raise our hands before speaking, refrain from eating paste, and to not run with scissors in our hands.
As we enter adolescence and into young adulthood, we’re taught to follow societal norms like respecting your elders, obeying speed limits, and to make sure that when our parents say 10PM is curfew that our rear ends are home at 9:59 PM.
And then as adults we’re expected to do things like pay our taxes, not kill people, and to wear pants out when we’re in public (<— which is bullshit).
To add more, all of this doesn’t take into account the stream of unspoken “rules” we’re supposed to follow. Much like it’s an unspoken rule to not bunt in the 8th inning when a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter, we’re equally encouraged in everyday life to avoid things like wearing white after Labor Day, that we have to invite our estranged Aunt Alice to our wedding even though we haven’t laid eyes on her since the Sega Genesis came out, and, well, I don’t care what anyone says: if a Junior Mint is dropped on the floor I’m still eating it.
5 second rule!!!
Taking this conversation to the health and fitness side of the fence, again, there are seemingly any number of “rules” people are supposed to follow.
Some have merit and can’t be disputed (you need progressive overload in order to get stronger); others are nothing more than hearsay and smoke and mirrors. I.e., gluten. Do we really need to be avoiding it? The minute few in the population who have Celiac Disease…absolutely! Or are you avoiding it because People Magazine told you to?
I’ve written in the past about my disdain for the words everybody, never, and always. I believe anyone – whether they’re a fitness professional or not – who uses those terms exclusively to defend their opinion on anything is an asshat. That’s about as eloquent as I’m going to get with defending that statement.
Just think about it:
– Does everybody need to avoid gluten? Riiiigggghhhhhtttt.
– Does it matter if someone always avoids spinal flexion? Seems a bit drastic, no?
I like to consider myself a middle-of-the-road kind of guy and more or less go out of my way not to be douchy with regards to being too controversial with my writing.
Mind you: I’m steadfast with much of the advice I give (I wouldn’t say if I didn’t believe in it):
– I believe most people should focus on compound movements. If more people squatted first in their workout, every workout1 they’d probably be pretty darn happy with how they look.
– I believe most people should stop overemphasizing steady state cardio as their main source of exercise; especially if their goal is fat loss.
– I believe the whole post-workout anabolic window conversation is overblown. Do yourself a favor and look up anything and everything written by Brad Schoenfeld on the topic. Total calories matters more than making sure you gulp down your protein shake within 17-seconds of finishing your last set.
– I believe cuing people to (0ver) arch and think “chest up” on their squats leads to more issues than it solves. Excessive extension (particularly in the t-spine) can result in increased spinal instability and lead to more compressive forces on the end plates and pars leading to an ouchie.
– I believe people need to chill the eff out about eating Paleo.
– And, I still believe Tracy Anderson is about as intelligent as a ham sandwich.
Thinking more globally, however, when it comes to someone’s fitness and what “rules” they should follow I always operate under the mindset that there are no rules.
Maybe I should clarify: there are no rules when it comes to goal setting.
What works for one person, may not work for the next. Even though I like to lift heavy things and think it’s sexy as hell to deadlift a metric shit ton of weight, that doesn’t mean someone I’m working with wants to do that (nor will it help them reach their goal).
There is no rule that everyone has to train for 1RM strength.
There is no rule that everyone has to do yoga to improve their flexibility.
You get the idea.
But when you set a goal and you start to make a plan to attack that goal…..there are definitely rules to follow.
Side Rant: Not coincidentally it pisses me off to no end whenever I hear or see a trainer or coach insist that all their clients train the exact same way they do.
Some (not all) bodybuilders tend to train their clients like bodybuilders. Because, you know, it only makes sense that your female client who’s 30 lbs overweight work on her bicep peak!
Some (not all) powerlifters tend to train their clients like powerlifters. Okay, cool. Fred from Accounting can’t perform a walking lunge without collapsing like a game of Jenga, but having him squat with chains looks super cool. YOLO.
My lovely fiance, Lisa, wrote a blog post on this site last week extolling the virtues of motivation and what, intrinsically and/or extrinsically, motivates people to train.
The message: just get your ass to the gym. Anything is better than nothing, and it doesn’t matter what “motivates” you.
I agree. But to tie this long-winded post together into one, cohesive, “rules to follow” knot, for those just starting their fitness journey in 2015 do me a favor:
1. If you’re a dude and can’t perform at least 5-10 clean, chest to bar chin-ups…you have no business performing an “arms day” at the gym.
Girls = 1.
Guys: if you can’t perform at least 5-10 clean, chest to bar chin-ups….you have no business doing an “arm day” at the gym. Girls = 1.
Your time could be better spent working on those compound movements mentioned above. Or juggling a bunch of chainsaws. You pick.
The reason why you don’t have “big arms” isn’t because you don’t perform enough arm work; it’s because you’re weak!
2. It’s been said that most people quit their resolutions within the first 2-3 weeks of resoluting them. This number may be even smaller for those who join a gym.
I think much of the reason(s) why most people fail to stick with their fitness resolutions in the long-term is because they’re too vague.
I’m sorry but saying nothing more than “I’m going to get fit” is like me staring my fiance straight in the eye and saying “I’m going to cook dinner tonight babe!”
[cue heel click]
We can offer ourselves all the inner congratulatory words we want, maybe even kiss a baby or two, but just because you bought a gym membership (and I made toast for dinner when Lisa was expecting something a little more non-bacheloresque) doesn’t mean much.
Listen, I’m not going to sit here and pamper you and say something like, “that’s so cute, you went to the gym twice last week! I’m so proud!!!”
Sure, it’s a step in the right direction and it should be commended, but I’m sorry snowflake, unless you’re more specific with your goals you’ll likely become one of those resolution dropper statistics. So do this….
SET PERFORMANCE BASED GOALS!!!!!
Ladies, knock it off with being so obsessed with the scale. It’s a number. That’s it. I’d be more inclined to think that if you tackled that 1-rep chin-up goal (or emphasized strength in general: squatting “x” weight for “x” reps, performing “x” number of push-ups), and put your heart and soul into hitting that number (and then some), you’d be surprised as to how much your body will change.
Scale be damned.
The amount of effort, work, and dedication it will take to get to that landmark will trump ANY pink-dumbbell workout you could follow. Want “tank-top shoulders?” Do actual work!
I could keep going, but I’ll stop here. Read: I’ve been sitting here in Panera for a while now typing away and now I’m hungry.
The point of this post wasn’t to downplay or belittle people’s goals. Who am I to say what your goal(s) should be? Rather, it was just to shed some light on expectation management. You can’t expect to make much progress in the gym if 1) you major in the minors and 2) don’t hold yourself to a higher standard and set the bar higher with regards to your actual goals.
Note from Tony:Every weekend Lisa and I make the trek into the city (Boston) to eat some fabulous food. We’re original and appropriately call this event “Date Night.”
[FYI: Lisa vetoed my idea to call it something with more bravado: I.e., “A Night of Libations, Eating Dead Animal Flesh, and Crushing Gluten.”
Yes, I understand gluten – and avoiding it at all costs – is the cool thing to do nowadays. And I equally understand that for some people (a minute few, mind you; namely those with Celiac Disease) need to be very careful with their dietary choices, especially with regards to gluten.
Outside of that, however, “gluten free” is nothing more than a fad, most have no idea what it even is (much less what it affects), and the only reason why they avoid it is because People Magazine told them to.
Anyways, we crush gluten….but that’s besides the point. We’re trying to keep it classy people!.
So, for now, Date Night Review is what we’re calling this series].
While the bulk of reviews will cover restaurants in Boston and the Metro-West area, because we both travel for work we’ll also be offering reviews on eateries all over the country and, fingers crossed, the world.
It’s NOT our objective to speak ill of any restaurant we visit. We’re not assholes. And besides, anywhere we eat is better than the grilled chicken and streamed broccoli we’d eat otherwise at home.
Instead, the goal is to just highlight our experiences at said establishments, maybe point fellow food lovers to kick-ass places to eat, and to eventually become food celebrities and eat for free.
Enjoy!
Steel & Rye, Milton, MA
After watching an episode of our beloved Top Chef (the current season, Season 12, was filmed here in Boston), I made a reservation for Tony and I at Steel & Rye in Milton, MA, which was featured on the show.
Little do we get into our car and drive to a restaurant outside of Boston for date night, but it was well worth it!
As city-dwellers, we are easily seduced by all things convenient and complimentary – Steel & Rye had us at “Complimentary Valet”!
With already-happy grins spread across our faces, we walked into the restaurant to find a large and open, yet warm and cozy vibe.
Beautifully designed, the space was once a garage for an ambulance company. The open kitchen is gorgeous and buzzing with activity, the bar is sprawling and busied with couples and small groups, and there are plenty of tables to accommodate a lively Saturday evening.
We loved our original place setting, with menu wrapped up in the napkin. We loved our mason jar with twinkling votive inside, and we (mostly I) loved our choice of flat or sparkling water, again complimentary.
I had my carafe of sparkling, Tony had his flat; we loved our waiter (I am so sorry I can’t remember his name! Eric? Derrick?).
Obviously, one must have some Rye when dining at Steel & Rye – or so I imagined.
Apparently the “Rye” in Steel and Rye has nothing to do with the libation and more to do with bread, but I went with it anyway and ordered the old fashioned (easy on the sugar). A delight! Here is a photo alongside my complimentary sparkling and bread.
The pickled veggies were fresh, crispy, and the perfect start. We then enjoyed lamb meatballs with harissa (my favorite of the evening) and an arugula salad with plenty of goat cheese.
For dinner, Tony ordered “The Burger”, bun-less, of course. I’m always skeptical of this order since we all know a growing boy will be hungry after eating a 4oz beef patty sitting atop mixed greens, but to each his own.
Tony ordered his meal sans the accompanying chips that usually come with, but out they came with the patty and salad anyway. For such a lovely restaurant with such lovely food, it seemed a little lacking to put potato chips on the plate, as opposed to a more substantial potato or veggie.
Note from TG:admittedly, it’s not like they piled my plate with Lays Potato Chips (or some other trans fat atrocity), and I could be making a false claim here by stating that they’re “home made (?),” but nevertheless chips aren’t my bag (<— LOL, pun intended) and it was a bit of a bummer I wasn’t given the “extra veggies” I asked for.
I had the salmon, which was perfectly cooked, but included slices of apples that didn’t seem to go with the rest of the dish. I just pushed them to the side.
The dish overall was very sweet – some kind of maple glaze which distracted from the salmon and made me want to stop eating before I was full. I will admit that I don’t like my food (or cocktails) sweet, so I imagine the glaze is a hit for the sweet-toothed masses that might shy away from the salmony taste of salmon.
Overall you ask? A-.
Ambiance: Awesome. Service: Stellar. Food: Fairly fantastic, with a little room for improvement.
If you are a city dweller and enjoy an occasional trek to suburbia but fear you may sacrifice the originality, quality, and ambiance of a south-end spot or a Back-Bay bistro, to Steel & Rye you must go!
We enjoyed it all very much and will definitely be back!
Note from TG:Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Cressey Sports Performance’s most recent hire, strength coach Tony Bonvechio. Otherwise known as “the other Tony.”
A former collegiate baseball player, current competitive powerlifter, amazing coach, and prolific writer himself (he holds a degree in Journalism and has had his work featured on sites like T-Nation and Stack), we’re very lucky to have had Tony join our staff.
Today he offers some insight on what it takes to become a better fitness writer (or writer in general). I know many people who read this site aspire to write to some capacity, and this post would be an excellent starting point in helping you develop your “voice.”
Enjoy!
Coaching is communication. If you’re not a good verbal communicator, you won’t be a good strength coach or personal trainer. As it turns out, written communication has become a vital skill in the fitness profession too. Writing articles, blogs and e-books enables coaches to reach thousands of people with their ideas and products.
Unfortunately, if you can’t write worth a lick, you’re missing out on a chance to spread your message.
Today, I’ll share some insight from the journalism industry that can help aspiring fitness writers craft better articles and build a bigger readership.
About the “Other” Tony
Long before I was a coach, I was a writer. I started writing for my local daily newspaper when I was 16 years old, covering high school sporting events. As I planned for college, I decided I wanted to major in journalism. I got mixed responses when I told people of my potential career path. I felt like David Spade on Saturday Night Live, getting lectured by Matt Foley for my utterly unheroic aspirations.
Long story short, I got my degree in journalism but fell in love with strength and conditioning in the process.
Between getting my Master’s degree in exercise science and eventually completing an internship at Cressey Sports Performance, I worked for three newspapers and three college media departments, including an Ivy League University. My professional writing experience helped me stay engaged with the fitness community while building my coaching skills.
Along the way, I’ve read lots of great writing by great coaches, and lots of not-so-great writing from great coaches whose ideas perhaps got overlooked because of a lack of writing chops. If you’re a repeat visitor to this site, it’s because Tony G consistently provides quality content and intriguing writing.
Note from TG:and because of my uncannily witty awesomeness, deadlifting tips, movie and book recommendations, and because favorite color is blue. But mostly for my uncannily witty awesomeness….;o)
In this post, I’ll share a few tactics that good writers use to keep readers coming back for more.
Write How You Talk
No one’s invented smell-o-vision for the internet yet, but you don’t need it to smell a bullshitter – especially when the topic is fitness.
The sheer virality of the “Do You Even Lift?” meme tells us that exercise enthusiasts want substance, not smoke and mirrors. The fastest way to sift yourself through the fog of posers is to write how you talk.
Writing how you talk brings out your most authentic voice. Nobody does this better than Tony G. He can talk shop with intellectual coaches all day, but he doesn’t do that while coaching.
Between concise and effective coaching cues, he’s joking about LOLcats, rapping along to Wu Tang or geeking out about Lord of the Rings. That’s literally how he writes too – plenty of laughs and pop culture references, but full of no-frills, actionable content.
If you’re not much of a comedian, don’t write a dozen jokes per article. If you don’t have a PhD in nutrition, don’t give a dissertation on protein metabolism. Write how you talk and people will gravitate toward your authentic voice.
Stay Within Your Scope of Knowledge
This piggybacks off the last point, but it’s impossible to overemphasize – avoid topics on which you are not qualified to give advice. If you must, acknowledge that you’re still exploring the topic and point readers toward more information.
The internet is a scary place to try to establish yourself as a knowledgable authority. Droves of keyboard warriors are constantly at the ready to cut you down and point out your inaccuracies, especially when it comes to exercise. If you can’t back up your statements with a combination of scientific research and experience, you’ll quickly be tarred and feathered by the masses.
If you cover topics beyond your expertise, give credit where credit is due. Pick up a newspaper and you’ll notice that everything is attributed – meaning the writer notes who said what or where the information came from. No crime is reported without quoting a police officer. No medical breakthrough is announced without citing a lead researcher. Adopt the same practice and quote (or at least mention) your sources.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t voice an opinion or think out loud about an interesting topic. Just stay in your lane.
Don’t try to create an illusion of false authority. I’m not going to try to out-write Eric Cressey about shoulder anatomy or Tony G about Star Wars trivia. Powerlifting, yes. Facial hair management, maybe. But I’ll leave these other topics to the experts.
Learn to Cite Research
Perhaps the most valuable skill I developed in grad school was reading and interpreting research studies. No singular study is going to change strength and conditioning, but collectively they should drive our methods, so you need to know how to read, report and cite your findings.
Learning to read research deserves a separate article, so I’ll just touch on citations.
Note from TG:I’ve never shied away from stating that I hate reading research studies. If it came down to picking between swallowing a live grenade or reading a research study, I’d seriously contemplate the former.
This DOES NOT insinuate that I don’t do it, nor ignore the importance of the practice. It just insinuates I have a sick sense of humor…;o) That said, I have a lot of smart friends in the industry who like to geek out and read PubMed on a Friday night.
And I’d also direct people to THIS article written by Jonathan Fass on how to really read (and interpret) fitness research.
Proper citation separates you from the abstract-skimming phonies. First, always cite within your article, not just at the end. There’s nothing worse than a sentence that reads, “Studies show…” with no indication of which study your referencing. And just listing a bunch of references at the end doesn’t count. Instead, try this:
“A 2014 study [link to full study so readers can view] by Reardon [author’s name] published in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine suggests that the cross sectional area of the quad muscles effects an athlete’s ability to realize the power benefits of post-activation potentiation.”
In fact, ditch your post-article reference section all together. No one’s gonna read that stuff, and more references doesn’t mean a better article. I’ve literally read a 500-word article with over 30 references before, and the article sucked. Word count doesn’t equal worth.
Be Firm, Not Ambiguous
After talking about research, it might sound contradictory to speak in absolutes, but there’s no faster way to destroy your authoritative stance than to always be on the fence. If you never take a stand on important topics, your readers won’t trust you. And then they won’t pay you for your services.
I’m not telling you to make outrageous claims like, “deadlifts will solve world hunger.” I’m telling you to avoid overusing wishy-washy terms like “maybe,” “sometimes,” “it depends,” and phrases like…
“Research suggests that deadlifting may induce hypertrophy of the glutes and hamstrings, which has been linked to improved sprint speeds.”
This is all well and good for a research journal, but your readers want a leader, not a politician. Instead, tell it like it is:
“Deadlifts can make you sprint faster.”
If you’re a coach, which phrase is going to get your clients motivated to deadlift?
Be firm in your beliefs, but realize that you might not believe everything you write forever, so be willing to evolve.
Putting Pen to Paper
As I’ve heard Tony G tell many aspiring bloggers, the first step is simply to start writing. But keeps these tips in mind along the way. You’ll find your own authentic voice while maintaining integrity and providing some entertainment along the way.
Author’s Bio
Tony Bonvechio is a strength and conditioning coach at Cressey Sports Performance in Hudson, MA. A former college baseball player turned powerlifter, he earned his Master’s degree in Exercise Science from Adelphi University. You can read his blog HERE or email him at [email protected].
Sorry kiddos, I have to keep this short and sweet today.
But a quick heads up in case you missed the news:
– I’ll be in Cortland, NY this March for the 2nd Annual SUNY Cortland Strength and Conditioning Symposium. Other than myself, speakers include Nick Tumminello, Joy Victoria, Mark Fisher, and John Gaglione. Special appearances by Taylor Swift and Professor X.
– I’ll also be heading to Australia this March for two workshops – one to be held in Ballina (2-days), and one to be held in Sydney (1-day). Details to come very soon.
John and I are bros. I actually attended his wedding. He had Star Wars themed table seating charts. Did you read what I just said?
STAR WARS THEMED TABLE SEATING CHARTS!!!
Nevertheless, it goes without saying that along with being a good friend, he’s someone I respect a lot in this industry; not only for his training and nutrition knowledge, but also as a writer. He’s one of my favs.
This article was a nice commentary on the industry and helped shed some light on a topic that I feel far too many fitness professionals (and non-fitness peeps) place too much precedent on.
Like John, I agree that’s it’s flattering to be included on said lists. But I try not to make more of it than what it actually is.
It’s like a fat kid and cake, or a moth being drawn to a flame…I can’t resist a good deadlifting article.
And relax, even if you’re no where close to pulling 700 lbs4, there’s a gulf of great information in this article which can (and will) undoubtedly help improve your deadlift technique and performance.
“Just when I thought I was out…..they pull me back in!!”
So said Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in The Godfather III.
For those unfamiliar with the film (I’ll give you pass for not watching III, it sucks. But you should throw your face into a wall, HARD, for ignoring The Godfather I and II. That’s like movie blasphemy!), Michael tries to change his ways and attempts to turn new leaf and legitimatize his businesses and restore his good name. As the story goes, the people around him don’t seem to agree with his thought process and pull him back into the crime family.
Poor Michael.
And it’s with that I want to highlight I’m coming back to my roots….State University of New York (SUNY) Cortland for the 2nd Annual Strength & Conditioning Symposium this March.
They’re pulling me back in!
I don’t mean to imply an FML mentality that I’m heading back to Cortland. I’m always ecstatic (and more importantly, honored) to be invited back to my Alma mater to speak to the student body and general public.
I mean, what’s cooler than that….save for a double rainbow, 2 for 1 burrito giveaways at Chipotle, or having your own hovercraft?
The whole “pull me back in” comment was more so for the abysmal weather I’ll inevitably be battling when I return. Winters in Boston aren’t a cake walk by any stretch; winters in central NY suck donkey balls.
Adding to that, the symposium is a week after I come back from Australia.
NOTE TO ANY AUSSIES READING: Stay tuned for information (s00n) on two workshops I’ll be conducting in March – in Ballina and Sydney, respectively.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t be more excited to come back. Last year’s event was amazing (speakers included myself, Dr. Mike Roussell, John Gaglione, Lou Schuler, and Dr. Cassandra Forsythe), and this year’s event is no less amazinglier (<—- I just made up a word).
Time and Location: Saturday, March 28th, 2015 in Park Center on the campus of SUNY Cortland.
10 – 11:00 am: Mark Fisher, You Can’t Have a Culture Withoyt a Cult (Just Kidding…Sort Of…)
In this talk, Mark will discuss the strategies used to catapult MFF’s growth in under three years. Attendees will learn the importance of having a clear mission and vision in the creation of a business. The art of cultivating and leading a growing team of engaged employees will be addressed. And lastly, there will be a thorough discussion of actionable takeaways on how to create thriving culture in any sized fitness business. From a personal trainer without a space to a multi-million dollar organization with a dedicated facility in the competitive NYC market, MFF’s unconventional approach to fitness and business will be enlightening to trainers of all backgrounds and career aspirations.
11-12:00 pm: Nick Tumminello, Secrets of Single Leg Training.
Go beyond basic single leg squats and single leg deadlifts to discover the best single leg exercises for building a stronger, well-balanced, better-looking, high-performance lower-body!! From this workshop, you’ll learn how to improve the exercises you’re currently using along with plenty of new, innovative single leg exercises. Plus, this workshop will also reveal the truth about Pistol squats and discuss knee friendly training option for building a stronger legs with bad knees!
12 – 2 pm: Lunch (<—- copious amounts of dead animal flesh will be consumed).
2 – 3 pm: John Gaglione, Hands On Weight Training Session.
John’s a strong mofo, we should all listen to him.
3 – 4 pm: Joy Victoria, I’m not sure what Joy’s going to discuss, but I have to assume 1) it will deal with something pertaining to female fitness and how the mainstream media sucks and 2) every person in attendance will have a crush on her.
4 – 5 pm, Tony Gentilcore, Assessing and Programming for the Athletic Population.
In his presentation Tony Gentilcore will discuss program design and some of the umbrella themes to consider when working with athletes. Specifically he’ll discuss the crucial role of assessment and then show some universal “rules” to follow with regards to designing a well balanced, efficient, and more importantly safe program that produces results.
5 – 6 pm, Roundtable discussion with speakers.
Cost: Are you sitting down? Are you ready for this? This whole shebang only costs $40 for students and $60 for fitness professionals and the general public. That’s it.
You can click HERE for sign up information (scroll all the way to the bottom of the document), or email Justin Kompf at [email protected] for additional details.
Students (or anyone for that matter)
I don’t want to hear any whining or complaining that $40-$60 is too much to pay for a day long seminar.
First off: shut up. You spend more in one night at The Dark Horse (<— local Cortland bar) or whatever watering hole you hang out at, so don’t play that card. It’s dumb.
Secondly: Any other seminar with this many high-quality speakers would normally cost 4x the amount (if not more). This is an incredible opportunity to come listen to world renowned strength coaches and fitness professionals share their knowledge, expertise, and insights…in freakin CORTLAND, NY!!!!!! This doesn’t happen all too often. So whether you’re in Cortland, Ithaca, NYC, Toronto, Buffalo, Syracuse, or anywhere within 50-300 miles make it happen!
Like many boys during that time in their life, I was a Boy Scout when I was 10-13 years old.
Dedicated to train youths to become responsible, altruistic citizens, building character, and self-reliance through participation in a wide variety of outdoor activities, educational programs, and community events…the Boy Scouts is definitely something I cherished when I was a kid and something I’d recommend any child today to pursue.
But here’s the kicker: I was a horrendous Boy Scout.
I wasn’t what you would call the “outdoorsy type.” Being a Boy Scout was all about starting a fire, rustling up some grub, lashing spars, setting up shelter, and being able to find your way out of the woods through unfamiliar territory with nothing but a cloths pin, duct tape, and a rubber ducky.
That wasn’t my bag if you catch my drift.
Funnily enough I grew up with a sawmill in my backyard. My step-dad was (and still is) a lumberjack (I know, pretty badass). In the winters, because we had a wood burning furnace to heat the house, me and my brother would have to cut wood every weekend. It sucked. But what are you gonna do, freeze to death?
I did it every….single….weekend.
I remember one of the badges you had to earn for Boy Scouts was to split wood for some random people as a nice gesture (and to coincide with the whole altruism thing). I also remember thinking to myself when I saw that, “eff that. I’m out.”
However, one of the highlights of the year when I was a Cub was the annual Pinewood Derby. In short it was an event where you were given a “kit” that contained a block of wood, wheels, glue, paint, and all the works to construct a car that you would race during the Pinewood Derby.
Some people went all out….constructing these spiffy works of art that defied aerodynamics and looked beautiful. Others, like myself, took the piece of wood and put the wheels on it, painted it some random color and WAH-LAH…..we had a winner.
Well, not so much. I got my ass handed to me. But the point is, my brain just didn’t (and still doesn’t) work in a creative fashion. Sure I can tell a story, relay information and write pretty sentences where I use hoity-toity words like facetious, acetabulum, and poop; and I can differentiate between your/you’re, too/to, and their/they’re/there (sometimes). But when it comes to being creative with my hands or being creative for the sake of being creative (like coming up with new exercises ALA Ben Bruno)…my brain just doesn’t work that way.
It just doesn’t.
Take the barbell glute bridge for example.
Bret Contreras has written anything and everything as it pertains to this exercise and there’s nothing I could add to the conversation that would shed some more light on how awesome of an exercise it is.
You’d be hard pressed to find any other exercise which serves so many functions with regards to building sexy-ass asses, training the hips in an anterior/posterior fashion, addressing lower back pain, posture, and helping to improve overall athleticism, to name a few.
As a coach who writes a lot of programs for athletes and general fitness clients I’ve used the barbell glute bridge as a strength exercises, as a “corrective” exercises, and as a way to build more glute hypertrophy. I’ve incorporated them into maximal strength programs, fat loss programs, and have utilized them when people are injured and I need to find a way to get a training effect.
In addition, because it’s such a versatile exercise (and because the learning curve is relatively low), the barbell glute bridge can easily be regressed or progressed to fit the needs and current abilities of the lifter. A newbie may be limited to performing 1-legged glute bridges with their bodyweight only, while a meathead or gym veteran may be performing traditional barbell glute bridges with significant weight on the bar.
And all of this doesn’t even take into account all the other things we can manipulate like sets/reps, tempo, rest periods, bands, chains, rest/pause method, AMAP, and all the other permutations and adjustments we can make.
We’ve pretty much exhausted and thought of every possible “thing” of how we can use the barbell glute bridge for. Right?
Right??
Well, not so much.
Here’s something to consider (and all the credit goes to CSP coach, Greg Robins for this).
What about using the glute bridge as a way to “potentiate” the glutes to fire to help improve bench pressing performance?
I hired Greg to take over my programming to help me address some nagging injuries, reach some goals of mine, and more importantly to allow me the luxury of not having to do any thinking for myself.
I’ve never made it a secret that I’m not the best bench presser in the world. It’s my weakest lift and something I’ve always struggled with. I can coach it like a bastard, but I’m most likely never going to be breaking any world records.
While the squat and deadlift get most of the love from a coaching technique standpoint, we could make the case that the bench press is FAR more coaching intensive than the two combined. It’s MUCH more of a full-body lift than most people give it credit for.
In particular, leg drive is an important component of pressing big weight. And even more particular to that, being able to activate the glutes to not only aid with transference of force from the lower body to the upper body, but to also “protect” the lower back, is an often massively overlooked component of bench pressing.
So, why not perform a few sets of barbell glute bridges prior to benching in order to activate or “potentiate” the glutes???? It’s brilliant, right? And something that I haven’t seen many people discuss as to how the glute bridge can be useful.
As an example, here’s what I’ve been doing (through Greg’s programs) for the past few weeks on my heavy bench days.
Four sets of barbell glute bridges (2×10,2×5) done with SPEED in mind. These aren’t ball busting sets.
2×10 can range from 135-185 lbs (for women, 85-135lbs).
2×5 can range from 205-225 lbs (for women 115-185 lbs).
** These numbers will obviously depend on one’s ability in terms of a starting point, and will also be PROGRESSED as time goes on.
All I’m worried about here is QUALITY reps, and fast reps! With a TWO SECOND pause at the top of each rep.
So there you have it: Yet, another way to incorporate barbell glute bridges into your training repertoire. Give it a try and let me know if you notice an improvement in how your bench press feels.
Today’s guest post comes from my fiance, Lisa Lewis. Dr. Lisa Lewis (EdD, CADC-II, Licensed Psychologist).
We’re currently down here in Florida (her home state) visiting some family and friends along with chipping away at some good ol’ fashioned wedding planning. I.e., “discussing” whether or not I can finish our vows by saying “one ring to rule them all” when I place the ring on her finger.
I.e., and by “discussion,” what I really mean is “not a chance in hell in happening.”
Anyways, knowing we were going to be away for a few days, and the likelihood I’d have a lot of time to do any writing pretty slim, Lisa was a champ and wrote this post on exercise and motivation. She’s kinda smart. And the internet loves it when she writes for my site. I suspect this will be no different.
Enjoy!
[Seriously babe, Tiesto, blacklights, smoke machine, first dance, what’s not to like?????]
Take an Intention Inventory:
Let’s go: grab a scrap piece of paper, a napkin, or open a “post-it” on your computer, and write down 10 reasons why you work out (or “lift”, “train”, “exercise”, ect) … Don’t think too hard or too long… just jot them down as fast as you can.
Give yourself about 2 minutes…
Alrighty. Now put that aside for a moment, and consider the construct of motivation.
As complicated, ever-changing, growth-directed creatures, we humans are separated from the rest of the animal kingdom by our psychology – and specifically, our innate desire to grow, improve, and gain mastery over our environment(s).
In a word, we are motivated. We pursue careers, follow dreams, take up hobbies, and aspire to be better than we are. Since you are reading Tony’s blog, you are motivated to be one of the following: fitter, faster, stronger, smarter, beastly-er, better. Motivated to enhance your fitness, you have most likely adopted behaviors and developed habits that others would consider “extreme”, “impressive” and “disciplined”.
How on earth do you do it?
Anyone can exercise, and while many begin, or begin again, most do not persist over time. We make resolutions that influence behavior for a day, a week, or a month, but what makes it stick? How do we persist in activities that require discomfort, delayed gratification, and sweaty smelliness? Those of you who have struggled with finding – and more commonly keeping – motivation for health and fitness have most assuredly wondered the same.
Motivation drives us – but not just in one direction or toward one outcome. A variety of intentions move us.
One way to conceptualize motivation is along a continuum: at one end we are motivated by 100% intrinsic enjoyment derived from engaging in the activity itself, and nothing else; at the opposite end, we are motivated in order to obtain a reward or to avoid a punishment. My personal favorite theory of motivation, the Self-Determination Theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000) posits a range of motivations from wholly external to entirely internal, and all together, these motives combine, compliment, and conspire to move us to act, work, and grow.
Now, let’s look at your list of results along this “continuum” of motivation to see what helps you to “get after it” at the gym, day after day. Label each one of your answers with the number corresponding to the best description of that motive:
1. Reasons including “getting something” good, or “avoiding something” bad are externally regulated. For example, some people are incentivized by employers to walk (measured with pedometers), go to the gym (proved with attendance records), or join a sports league. Oppositely, you may be externally regulated to avoid something punitive, like chronic pain due to inactivity.
2. If you wrote down anything about “feeling guilty if I don’t go” or “being proud after a great workout!” than you are also motivated by introjected regulation. Partially internalized, this motivation works by either moving you away from shame and guilt, or by pushing you toward pride. (Unfortunately, this is a motivation often used by the media and commercial gyms, which impose guilt and shame for not “getting in your run” or doing regular physical activity… this is unfortunate because this type of motivation often leads to behaviors which become “extinct” over time).
3. Any statements about your identity and your values. For example: “Training hard is who I am!” “I really value being strong and fit, and I make sacrifices to keep myself healthy”, “I’m athletic and I want to look at feel athletic” and “I want a long, healthy, happy life”. If you get to they gym due to “Identified” or “Integrated Regulation”, then you identify with exercise and fitness, and/or exercise behaviors are integrated into who you are as a person. You value the outcome of your hard work, and find the results personally meaningful. It may not be fun, but dammit, you feel that it’s all worth it.
4. Intrinsic motivation. Examples include, “I’m in my zone/happy place/flow when I’m training”. “I love getting in there and working hard”, or “it makes me happy!” Intrinsic motivation is pure, and someone operating under this motive is training solely for the internal state that is created (as opposed to the outcome).
So, what did you find?
Lots of 3’s and 4’s? Hope so! If that’s the case, you most likely have no trouble staying on track with your fitness. If there were mostly 1’s and 2’s, then you might have a harder time… you may stop-start often with workouts or resolutions… you may beat yourself up, have a “good week” or month, but then find yourself back out of the swing of things again.
If you notice a mix of scores 1 – 4 on your list, then you’re regulated by a range of motives that combine and complement one another. For example, someday you may feel excited to get to the gym and happy just to “get after it”. The following day you may be sore and have other things you’d rather do, but you go again because your fitness goals matter to you, and it means a great deal to you that you “stay on track” and hold yourself accountable.
Other days you might feel tired and start to fantasize about skipping the gym to binge watch some Downton Abbey (or maybe that’s just me), but you realize you’ll feel guilty if you don’t go, and “better” once you do, so you drag yourself anyway.
Then other days you might just to because you promised a friend you’d spot or train with her, or because it’s Saturday and you’ll be going out to a big delicious dinner later on that you want to “earn”.
As for the “best” kind of motivation? Research has demonstrated that intrinsic motivation leads to persistence in a behavior over time – but as we all know, you can’t “love” to workout every day… or even once a week.
But if love gets you deadlifting once a week, and guilt gets you pressing another day, and your lifting partner pushes you to glute ham raise a third, and the fourth day you go because it’s what bad-asses do – then what you have is a pattern.
A consistent, regular, rain or shine, good days and bad pattern.
The blend of motivations – the drive to work on yourself across a continuum of motives – is the magic elixir to a long, fulfilling life of health and goal-directed fitness.
So: Embrace the guilt that gets you off the couch! Love the “masochist” inside that wants to push the sled and “punish” you. The fun from your run and shame from your shake work together in pursuit a well-meaning, worthy goal.
Run with your reasons to get to the gym, no matter what they are. In the end, you’ll be fitter for it.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! And greetings from sunny Florida. Lisa and I left Boston yesterday to come down to Florida for a little R&R and to kick-start the wedding planning process.
(In case you’re new to the site, Lisa and I are getting married near her hometown this May!)
Photographer? Check.
Caterer? Check
DJ? Check
Flowers? Check
Now if only I can somehow convince Lisa into allowing me to place movie quality Chewbacca masks on every guest table as center pieces! She wants orchids. Pffffffffft, whatever. Nothing says I love you more than Chewbacca.
Said no one, ever.
And since I’m down here in Florida (and only 20 or so miles from Jupiter) I think I owe it to myself and the world to make a cameo appearance at Cressey Sports Performance Jupiter and introduce the athletes down here to TONY’s TIESTO TUESDAYS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Oy-3V5whds
I suspect that this will be over Eric’s dead body.
And on that note, lets jump right into 2015’s first stuff to read…….
I still need to write MY year in review post (I promise I’ll get on that soon!), but in the meantime I invite you to read Lee’s. It’s fantastic. Not only is he a fantastic coach with a lot of perspective, but the man has impeccable movie taste to boot.
It sounds like an oxymoron…..squats and deadlifts are anything but simple. However in this post, Mike discusses how we sometimes inundate ourselves with too many cues which can often stagnate progress.
I don’t often recommend mainstream diet books, because most mainstream diet books are about as useful as a poop flavored lollypop.
This book is fantastic, not in small part to the fact that both Lou and Alan are two guys who don’t BS and who are both very highly respected in the industry.
It’s that time of year where there’s a massive influx of mainstream diet and training books and it’s understandably going to be hard to separate the ones that are worthwhile compared to those that are abysmal.
Hopefully this subtle “thumbs up” from me helps out.
The internet is a scary place to try to establish yourself as a knowledgable authority. Droves of keyboard warriors are constantly at the ready to cut you down and point out your inaccuracies, especially when it comes to exercise. If you can’t back up your statements with a combination of scientific research and experience, you’ll quickly be tarred and feathered by the masses.
