CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: HBT Overhead Press

What the WHAT!?! I know what some of you may be thinking:

“Did Tony just recommend an overhead exercise?”

For all intents and purposes, I’m 100% against overhead pressing right? What the hell has happened? Has the world flipped on itself?

This is analogous to Donald Trump showcasing an ounce of humility, or Kanye West not being an asstard, or, I don’t know, the Jedi and Sith hugging it out.

There’s part truth to the statement above. I’ve said it before, and it bears repeating here:

“People need to earn the right to overhead press.”

Most (not all) people have the movement quality of a rusty crowbar. I’m not even sure that’s makes a ton of sense, but I’m rolling with it nonetheless.

Okay wait, people move like shit. That’s better.

Due to a litany of reasons – poor t-spine mobility, poor lumbo-pelvic-hip control (weak core), overly kyphotic posture (computer guy) or excessive extension (most athletes and meatheads), both of which affect our ability to upwardly rotate our scapulae, global warming – many of us have lost the capacity to move our arms over our heads (pressing or otherwise) without serious compensation patterns and increased risk of injury.

I’ve written on the topic in the past – HERE – and I’d be remiss not to mention that, because I’ve worked with overhead athletes almost extensively for the past eight years, I play the conservative card a bit more that other coaches with regards to total frequency I allow my athletes/clients overhead press.

It comes down to risk-reward.

I’m not against overhead pressing. I understand and respect it’s a fantastic way to build total body strength – particularly upper body strength. And, if we’re going to hop onto the “functional training” caravan I’d much rather see people get brutally strong with overhead pressing compared to bench pressing.1

That said it’s rare when someone walks in on day #1 and passes THIS screen which helps me ascertain whether or not overhead pressing is a good fit.

Even if it’s not, I can still include a variety overhead pressing variations that are more “shoulder friendly.”

Like:

1-Arm Landmine Press

Bottoms-Up KB Side Plank

And Even the Turkish Get-Up (<– links to article on MensHealth.com)

But lets say all systems are a go for overhead pressing. There isn’t a lengthy history of shoulder issues and the person standing in front of me demonstrates ample movement quality with limited restriction(s).

Lets overhead press our faces off.

HBT Overhead Press

 

Who Did I Steal It From: Dr. Joel Seedman from THIS article printed on T-Nation not too long ago.

What Does It Do: HBT = Hanging Band Training.

It’s exactly what is sounds like. You take some bands, hang some stuff off them, and do stuff. Because, science.

While at first glance it comes across as a bit gimmicky, HBT training does have a fair amount of efficacy. As Dr. Seedman explains in the article linked to above, the oscillatory characteristics of this brand of training provides a unique training stimulus that challenges stabilization, increases core demand, helps “excite” the CNS, and also has a bit of carryover to muscle gain due to the increase in time under tension.

Key Coaching Cues: Don’t be a hero. You won’t need a lot of weight with this exercise to make it challenging. In the video above I looped two 1″ resistance bands and hung a 12 kg kettlebell from each side. That was plenty.

The idea here is to keep the bar quiet.

You want to go slow. If you go too fast, the KBs start flying all over the place and you’ll inevitably collapse to the floor like a game of Jenga.

Take a deep breath in before you un-rack the bar and then exhale all your air until you feel your ribcage depress. Owning that position take another deep breath in and focus on getting 360 degrees of expansion.

Un-rack bar.

Maintain abdominal brace, squeeze glutes, and press – under control – keeping the bar quiet. Don’t be surprised if you end up using a tempo akin to 2-3s up and 2-3s down.

I actually like the idea of being forced to use less weight on the bar as it forces the trainee to focus on technique. But the increased time under tension will more than make up for it.

You don’t have to limit yourself to one band per side, but I also feel it’s a bit over-kill to use more. You also don’t have to use KBs. Plates work fine too.2

I consider this more of an accessory movement, so high(er) reps is the way to go. Think: 8-10.

Give it a try today and let me know what you think.

Categoriespodcast

I’m, Like, So Popular. Making the Podcast Rounds.

It’s Columbus Day here in the States. It’s a national holiday. Which means Lisa has the day off. Which means I’m going to get sucked into a day of husbandly domestication hell.

[cue Jaws theme music here]

Yep, all the guys reading know what I’m alluding to: Target.

On the bright side I’m supposedly receiving a huge shipment of equipment today…namely, my power rack from Rogue Fitness.

Holla!

So it all evens out in the end.

Lisa and I are actually up early this AM and about to hit up the gym, and then we’re off to the races. I PROMISE I’ll be writing some more content later this week. Scouts honor.

In the meantime, as of late, I’ve been invited onto a bunch of podcasts and I wanted to share another one with you today.

—> Appearance on the Fit Info Club Podcast with Guy Bortz <—

I had a blast recording this one. Guy and I discussed everything from strength training to movies, programming to my affinity for eating cereal.

If you’re stuck at work today, put on a pair of headphones and enjoy. And if you’re not at work, maybe you can still find some time to listen.

I’ll be back tomorrow with some new content.

Off to Target3

CategoriesOff Topic

Movie Review: Sicario

Three words: Sicario is sick.

 

And I don’t mean sick as in bad. I mean sick as in “holy shit balls this movie is fucking amazing.”

For those who need a minor brush up on their Spanish, the word ‘sicario’ can be translated to mean “hit man,” which I knew because 1) I remember all of like four words from taking Spanish in high school (biblioteca, dos, pollo, sicario. Oh, and Feliz Navidad), and 2) my wife and I just finished binge watching the first season of Narcos on Netflix.

Highly recommend it by the way.

Sicario begins by introducing us to Emily Blunt’s character, Kate, an FBI agent who’s tough as nails and as by the book as they come (as we learn later, and proves to be to her detriment).

I have slight issue with Emily Blunt being characterized as “tough as nails” because she’s all of 110 lbs (and has a cute British access in real life). But she pretty much is in this movie, plus she kicked some ass in Edge of Tomorrow so whatever, I’ll roll with it. It’s Hollywood.

She’s involved in a pretty intense raid/drug bust in the opening sequence which results in a rather disturbing and grotesque revelation that I won’t divulge here. Needless to say: it speaks to a higher, more nefarious plot point.

A plot point that results in her be “recruited” by what can only be described as an equally nefarious secret government task force – hello Josh Brolin and the almost always excellent Benicio del Toro – hell bent on not really telling what she’s being recruited for.

“Just shut up and learn,” she’s repeatedly told.

And so the plot unfolds.

In one of the most intense, dark, and beautifully shot (huge props to cinematographer, Roger Deakins) films I’ve seen in recent memory

I love dark movies.

While I understand that many people use the movies as a way to escape the doom and gloom that surrounds us – Ebola, war, terrorism, Justin Bieber – and look forward to the same story line where the guy gets the girl in the end, Lassie makes it home, or to be immersed in a cornucopia of CGI eye candy where The Rock arm wrestles a T-Rex4, I for one appreciate when a movie is less butterfly kisses and rainbows (and CGI) and more of a punch in the throat that reminds us “yeah, this is real life, some shit out there is fucked up sometimes.”

I have to give a tip of the hat to director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Enemy) who’s quickly climbing the ladder as one of “new” great directors, and someone who doesn’t flinch when it comes to telling a dark story…much in the same vein as David Fincher.

Everything from the storyline itself to the ominous score to the really, really cool scenes involving a gun battle at the U.S./Mexican border and night vision goggles in a tunnel (WARNING: if you’re claustrophobic you may want to skip this part) is brilliantly handled.

And least we forget the acting performances themselves. Blunt and Brolin are fine in their roles, but it’s del Toro who shines.

Every scene he’s in makes you crave for more. There’s one scene involving him and a family eating together at dinner that more or less serves as the crescendo of the film. Sooooooo good.

Look for a Best Supporting Actor nod, and don’t be surprised if he wins for the second time (his first being Traffic).

Sicario, so far, is my favorite movie this year. Go see it.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 10/9/15

Before we dive into this week’s stuff to read I’d like to first send a HUGE internet fist bump to the people at Rogue Fitness.

I ordered a bunch of equipment from them this past Tuesday – including a power rack and a handful of accessory items – and I received noticed yesterday that everything will be arriving in Boston TODAY (Friday).

That is an amazing turn around.

What’s more, I had a representative reach out to me immediately because he noticed a discrepancy in my original order after reviewing it. One of the accessory items wasn’t going to be the right “fit” for the power rack and he quickly informed me of the correct version and refunded me the difference.

Now that’s efficient customer service.

I’m half expecting them to come over and make me breakfast in bed too.

I also had a special delivery from the UPS guy yesterday; a new trap bar for the studio. As you can see from the video below, everyone in the Gentilcore household loves it. Even Dagny:

 

I know, I know. It’s pretty shameless (and borderline creepy cat lady status) that I posted a video of my cat on the internet. I get it.

BUT SHE’S A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS.

Oh, and one last thing.

  • There are still a handful of spots available for mine and Dean Somerset’s Complete Shoulder & Hip Workshop at Rebell Strength & Conditioning in Chicago next weekend (Oct. 17-18th). Click HERE for more information.
  • We’ll also be in Los Angeles, at CrossFit 714 (in Anaheim), the weekend of November 14-15th. Click HERE for more information.

CEU’s are available for both events. And hugs.

3 Crucial Lessons From Lifting Without a Belt – Tony Bonvechio

I wrote a post a few years ago on the efficacy of weight belts and why (and when) it’s a good idea to use one. Tony B sheds some light on why using one can often be a crutch and speaks to how not using one can improve performance.

How to Deadlift: Layne Norton’s Complete Guide – Layne Norton (via BodyBuilding.com)

 

Did someone say deadlifts?

SQUIRREL!!!!!!!!5

Elite Athletic Development 2.0 – Mike Robertson & Joe Kenn

Listen: these are two of the best strength coaches out there giving you the inside scoop on how they approach assessment, periodization, conditioning, coaching progressions/regressions, and everything in between.

If you’re looking to get better as a coach or personal trainer (or just looking for quality information cause you’re a fitness nerd) this shouldn’t be a hard sell.

Invest in yourself. And you might as well do it while you can still save yourself 100 bones. SALE ends tonight (Friday) at midnight.

DO IT!

CategoriesInterview podcast

Appearance On the Coach Glass Podcast

First I’d like to thank EVERYONE for all the emails, texts, and messages sent my way offering kudos, congratulatory words of encouragement, and good vibes in lieu of yesterday’s official announcement of me leaving Cressey Sports Performance.

Remember that scene towards the end of the movie in Jerry Maguire when Tom Cruise walks into the middle of a support group in a room full of divorced women, looks at his wife (Renee Zelleweger), and says “you, complete, me.”

And then they hug it out, everyone in the room starts making out (<– that was actually the alternative ending), and they live happily ever after.

Remember that?

Well, that’s how I felt yesterday from the tsunami of messages I received. It was touching to know that so many people are happy for me and willing to be supportive.

What I found interesting, comical, and borderline annoying was how a handful of people couldn’t fathom that this decision was devoid of any animosity or hard feelings between myself and CSP.

“WHY are you leaving Tony? Is it because of some idealogical difference between you and the staff?  A change of methodologies you don’t agree with? Wait, never mind, Eric stole a tablespoon of your peanut butter again didn’t he? That motherfucker! I don’t blame you for leaving. Good riddance I say.”

As if to imply that every departure and separating of ways between two parties must result in some sort of blood bath, confrontation, or choreographed Jets vs. Sharks knife fight dance.

Sorry to disappoint, but it’s not like that.

We’re adults. And we came to a mutual decision and agreement to part ways, respectively.

The plan now is to set up shop at the new studio space I’m sub-leasing in Boston (Brookline) and continue to make people into beasts.

I’ll soon have a direct link here on the site for those curious about more information. But for now you can just shoot me an email and I can place you on the “Yes Tony, I’m interested in training with you and being made into a beast” list once I’m organized and up and running. Which shouldn’t be too long.

I was on the Coach Glass Podcast

I was introduced to Jason Glass via a mutual friend of ours, Dana Santas (whom I collaborated with on THIS article featured on CNN.com regarding body image and encouraging women to strength train), and was immediately impressed with not only his knowledge (he’s a highly qualified strength coach who works with many elite golfers in addition to being a lead presenter for the Titleist Performance Institute) but his sense of humor as well.

As someone who tries not to take himself too seriously, it was refreshing to sit down with Jason for an hour to talk some training shop and have a few laughs as well.

You can listen to the episode HERE (which links to iTunes).

Or you can click HERE for the direct link.

Either way, your is day is about to get infinitely better. Enjoy.

CategoriesMotivational

The Next Chapter: Reflecting On 8 Years at Cressey Sports Performance

FYI: this post is approximately 91% about me. Okay, 92%. Good news for those of you who’s favorite topic is Tony Gentilcore!

And good news for me, because I love writing about me.

In case you haven’t heard the news or have been out of the loop for the past week, I am no longer coaching at Cressey Sports Performance.

Contrary to typical fitness industry shenanigans when a co-founder and figure-head decides to part ways with a facility and institution he helped establish and build, the news comes with zero percent hard feelings, animosity, or any semblance of ill will.

In fact it comes with a degree of excitement.

Truth be told: it’s a decision – while not easy to make – has been slowly marinating for a few months (if not several months) on my end.

I reached a proverbial “tipping point” not too long ago when an opportunity arose that I couldn’t really pass up. No, I didn’t come to realization I was a boy wizard. No, I wasn’t asked to be the strength coach for team Victoria Secret. And no, I wasn’t hand selected by director Zack Snyder to play the next Superman.

Legitimate guesses on your end though.

No, an opportunity came up in Boston that will allow me (and my wife) to plan a head for our future while at the same time allotting me a degree of autonomy I couldn’t pass up.

I’ll tell you the details, but you have to keep reading. A little written prose foreplay first.

When It All Started

Some of you reading know the back story of Cressey Sports Performance. For those that don’t it literally started with a phone call.

Things fell through where Eric was working as a coach (as an independent contractor) and he called Pete Dupuis and left a voice mail saying:

“Dude, it’s time. Want to open up a gym?”

It was a well timed and fortuitous call because Pete was, in fact, out playing a round of golf waiting to hear back on another job offer.

If Eric had waited 30 minutes, CSP would have been out of a co-founder and one of the best fitness business minds in the industry.

Yep, that guy. 

But just so you know that Pete doesn’t make a habit of living a “sun’s out guns out” lifestyle at the office all time, here he is all cleaned up and professional looking:

Pete once wore sweatpants to a roundtable event at his alma mater, Babson College, geared towards business students who were given the opportunity to pepper local, successful, entrepreneurs with questions.  Straight up boss. And he can kick Chuck Norris’s ass.

Eric and I were roommates at the time, and he didn’t even finish the sentence “hey dude, I’m starting a gym do you want to……” before I was tearing off my commercial gym shirt Hulk Hogan style and giving my two weeks notice.

And off we went. The three of us. To start a gym.

Two 25 year olds and a balding 30 year old, all of whom had zero business experience what-s0-ever. The odds of everything panning out where on par with the odds of Godzilla losing a fight to a building made out of wet spaghetti.

7 out of 10 new small businesses last at least 2 years, half at least 5 years.

We ended up finding space to rent inside an indoor batting cage facility in Hudson, MA. We set up shop in the corner with nothing more than a barbell, a few plates, a sled, and one of those forearm gripper thingamajigs that had a weight plate attached to a rope.

And this was what the first iteration of CSP looked like:

You can see the limited gym equipment piled in the middle, but we still managed to train people.

We eventually put up our own walls and office space and stuff – 2200 square ft in all – but our roots were minimal to say the least.

[Best piece of advice to ANYONE interested in starting their own facility: START SMALL!]

We already had a decent sized client roster of local high-school baseball players that Eric had been working with at his previous location, and I had a handful of clients follow me from my previous location as well.

And things ballooned from there.

We started getting some local college players and general fitness enthusiasts (thanks in part to mine and Eric’s growing web presence), and that parlayed into a few local New England based professional baseball players starting to make their way in.

Including Tim Collins.

Little did we know at the time that the quiet, scrawny, 135 lb left-hander from Worcester, MA who wasn’t recruited by any Division I,II, or III college, but was eventually spotted by JP Ricciardi (then the General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays) at a summer baseball game and signed to a professional contract, would grow into a bonafide Big League pitcher with the Kansas City Royals (not to mention an unofficial – but really official – CSP staff member).

I’m not going to wax poetic on every prospect or nook and cranny of growth we’ve ever accomplished in our history. But lets just say: we’re the shit holy cow I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish.

Never in a million years would I have guessed as a teenager growing up in Central NY that I’d have the opportunity to work with hundreds of professional baseball players as a strength coach. Or that I’d get paid to do what I do on a daily basis, and wear sweat pants doing it.

What started as a 2200 square ft. facility which required a tetanus shot to even use the bathrooms (<– only a slight exaggeration) grew enough to warrant three expansions and a renowned reputation as one of the premier strength and conditioning facilities in the world.

Words can’t even begin to describe how grateful and proud I am to have been associated with not only the initial beginnings of CSP, but to have witnessed it’s growth and help foster it’s unique culture as well.

 

NOTE: sick bicep pose at 0:33. Just sayin….

  • We’ve worked with thousands of clients and athletes from all over the U.S and world. Name a sport we’ve (probably) worked with an athlete who plays it. Name an injury we’ve (probably) worked with an individual who’s succumbed to it.
  • We’ve had the opportunity to see 100s of interns and coaches walk through our doors – many of which have gone on to successful careers in their own right.
  • I’ve made Eric’s ears bleed innumerable times with all the amount of EDM (Electrical Dance Music) I’ve played.

It’s been an amazing ride with an abyss of PRs and laughs.

Did you know wearing CSP gear increases general level of badassery and sexiness by 717%?

Or that we don’t just test deadlift 1RMs?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cXoNPTbe8s

And that during off-hours these sort of shenanigans take place?

Or that, contrary to popular belief, we don’t just train baseball players?

And, finally, that I can crush a finisher while listening to John Mayer?

 

All Kidding Aside

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to call Cressey Sports Performance my fitness “home” for the past eight years. I’d be remiss not to give credit where it’s due and concede that much of the success in my career has been because of CSP (and by extension, Eric).

Little do people know that Eric and I met on the internet. No lie.

And we didn’t meet at a time when that was just what people did either.

This was pre-Facebook. Pre-Tinder. Pre-text messaging. It was basically Creepy McCreepypants territory to say you met someone online; much less someone you’d inform your family that you’re going to quit your job in NY and move to CT to work and live with.

“Hey family, I’m moving to Connecticut to work with some dude named Eric. Oh, and we met on the internet. He’s totally not an ax-murderer, Mom. Promise!”

I think it’s safe to say that things turned out more than okay.

Eric’s been a major influence on me the past decade – both professionally and personally6– and I’m forever indebted to him for helping to “catapult” my career.

As it happened, it was through him why I pursued writing in the first place. Eric served as my first editor in fact.

It was via Eric that I was able to leave my comfort zone. I never would have left NY if it weren’t for him.

I mean, who knows where I’d be today?

Still a personal trainer at Bally Total Fitness in Syracuse, NY? Maybe a strength coach for a local high school near my home town? Most likely a professional grizzly bear arm wrestler.

Point is: it’s hard to fathom not being where I am today without having crossed paths with Eric.

I could make the case I never would have met my wife, Lisa.

All Of This To Say

I’m nervous to be leaving Cressey Sports Performance. Without sounding overly dramatic, a part of me feels naked and vulnerable to say I won’t be there on a day-t0-day basis anymore.

I know I’ve worked hard and performed the bulk of grunt work to build my own brand and make a name for myself in the industry, but it’s hard to picture myself not coaching with the #CSPFamily insignia hovering over my shoulder.

I’m nervous. Nervous as balls. Whatever that means.

It may sound silly, but a portion of me feels I’m losing a sense of prestige in stepping away.

But it’s that sense or nervousness and uncharted waters that will help propel me to continue to work hard and succeed in turning the page in my life.

I’ll miss a lot of things.

What I’ll miss most, though, is being around the other coaches. I am not kidding when I say I’ve been incredibly lucky to coach alongside some of the best coaches out there: Chris Howard, Greg Robins, Andrew Zomberg, George Kalantzis, Tony Bonvechio, Matt Blake, and Miguel Aragoncillo[/efn_note]Chingeda. Sorry, inside joke[/efn_note] (in addition to the un-sung hero of CSP, office manager, Stacie Leary).

All of them have kept me sharp as a coach and I was/am always amazed at how passionate, in-tune, and willing they were/are to always strive to get better.

TO ALL OF YOU (as well as past coaches/staff: Brian St. Pierre, George Abele, Michelle Elwell, Brittany Morgan): Here’s hoping I can continue to live up to the high standard of professionalism, integrity, and expectations you all have helped me mold and strive to attain.

I know I will. But thank you nonetheless.

Too, THANK YOU to the endless array of athletes and clients (some of which have become close friends) whom I’ve had the privilege to work with over the last several years.

It’s been a more than rewarding ride for me and I wish you all well.

So, What Now?

  • Cry? Did that.
  • Binge watch a new television show? Yep, Narcos.
  • Hang out with my cat, Dagny? Come on…of course.

What about starting my own “gig” in Boston?

Hell to the yes!

I’ve spent the better part of the past few days purchasing and collecting equipment – plates, barbells, matting, power rack, life size replica of He-Man, you know the important stuff – to outfit a small studio space in Brookline about a mile and half from my apartment7

For now I’ll be sub-leasing space at an already existing studio and blocking off times to train people in a semi-private format (groups of 2-4). I’m still in the throes of figuring out my schedule, but for now here’s what I envision happening:

Techno, techno, techno, AND MORE TECHNO.8

No shirt Saturdays. Kidding.9[

And lots of deadlifts.

My goal is to start this shindig towards the middle-end of October, and of course I have an open client roster.

Soooooooo, [cue bashful pose kicking dirt with feet] call or email me if interested? Please. I’ll be your BFF.

In all seriousness, if you’re interested in hearing more about what I’ll be offering shoot me an email and I’ll be happy to fill you in on the deets.

And on that note

Thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you. I have more great memories than I could have ever possibly asked for.

The only way to appropriately summarize what I have to say is to defer to Boyz II Men.

Thanks again Cressey Sports Performance. I will miss you.

 

Categoriescoaching Interview

A Candid Conversation With Mike Robertson

Whenever I get the chance to listen to other coaches speak or to watch them in action, I’m always locked in. I sit with bated breath and intense concentration as I listen to him or her’s train of thought on everything…

…in addition to listening to how they cue certain exercises and coach up their clients and athletes.

Mike Robertson is one of those coaches. He’s high on my “bring a notebook, bring a pen, shut the eff up, and listen” list.

I remember reading his articles on T-Nation back in the day and thinking to myself “I’m totally picking up what he’s putting down. Samsies!”

And when I finally met him in person, when he came to Connecticut for a weekend to stay with Eric and I as he and Eric were planning Magnificent Mobility (watching it now they both look like they’re 16), I just knew he was someone I’d stay in contact with for years to come.

And I have.

Mike and I have been good friends for over a decade now, and he’s still someone I learn from and respect a ton. Plus, he has impeccable taste in old school hip-hop music.

Mike teamed up with one of the most ginormous human beings in the world, strength coach Joe Kenn, to film the Elite Athletic Development 2.o seminar.

It’s amazing.

But more to the point: it’s a 12 DVD set where Mike and Joe talk about program design, periodization, exercise technique, and how to develop your own training philosophy (and what they actually means).

It’s a sound investment for any personal trainer or coach to add to their continuing education arsenal. And, it’s on SALE this week at $100 off the regular price.

Mike was kind enough to take some time to talk some shop and answer some questions. Enjoy!

TG: Joe Kenn is a massive human being. Is his gravitational pull more powerful than the moon?

MR: You know back in the days when he was powerlifting, they called him “Big House” for a reason.

But ever since I’ve known him, he’s been pretty damn lean and pushes himself in the gym. And with his injury history it’s impressive to see him do what he does on a day-to-day basis. Respect.

TG: Elite Athletic Development 2.0 is going to entice a lot of athletes due to the title. But after watching the videos I know full well that the bulk of the information applies to your every day gym rat/meathead/goddess too. 

 Can you elaborate on why “training like an athlete” will help the average gym goer?

MR: Great question, and this is really at the core of my overall philosophy. In fact, I tell everyone who trains at IFAST that when they step in our gym, they are going to be the best athlete they possibly can.

I think most people get too focused on the singular quality of “strength” – and trust me, I get it.

I competed in powerlifting for many years, and in a lot of ways, still think of myself as a powerlifter.

But I also think you can make training infinitely more fun, and your body much healthier, when you focus on all the qualities of athletic development.

An athlete has to be fast, powerful, strong, conditioned and mobile. If he/she lacks any of these qualities, then their performance will suffer.

If you train all of this in the gym, you’re going to be pretty darn awesome in real life, so it just makes sense to me.

TG: I couldn’t agree more. It amazes me how many adults have lost the ability to do something as simple as skipping.

Your R7 System is pretty fucking brilliant. One thing I feel is hindering many fitness professionals is PRI (breathing drills). I know you and the rest of the coaching staff at IFAST are in the same boat as us at CSP. We both find a lot of efficacy in it, we both use it, but we also know that people need to freakin train!

Breathing drills, in simplest terms, helps “reset” the body. Can you briefly explain this?

MR: Yeah I’m not shy about the fact that I love PRI, but like anything, if you want to learn more about it go the source.

Too often, people learn about a system via the zealot who bastardizes the system, and then assume that everyone who uses the system “does it that way.”

Not true. But I digress…

To make this incredibly simple, too many of us struggle to exhale, and thus live in a position of “system extension.” To see what I mean, try this:

Take the deepest breath in you possibly can. If you’re like 99.9% of the awesome people out there who strength train, then chances are you extended your back to a degree to get the air in.

So this system extension isn’t an awful thing when you’re trying to fun fast, jump high, or lift heavy things, but it’s also associated with the sympathetic response (fight-or-flight).

When you’re training, this isn’t bad – but so many of us struggle to get out of this and we’re locked in sympathetic mode all the time!

I could go really deep into this, but the inability to breathe (and more specifically, exhale) never allows us to shift the parasympathetic dominate (i.e. rest and digest – RECOVER).

Breathing, and the ability to not only exhale, but to inhale from an exhaled position, can help reset our body. For training purposes, it can open up mobility in the hips and shoulders by improving core stability and position.

But the even bigger benefit is the fact that by doing this at the end of a session (or before bed), you can really shut your system off and kickstart the recovery process.

I think that’s the biggest benefit of all this – we love to talk training, but proper breathing starts the discussion with regards to proper recovery.

TG: YES! Thank you. If I could hug you right now I totally would.

Deadlifts. You know I have to pick your brain on this. With any movement I tend to take more of a “less is more” approach when coaching it. I know you feel the same way. Can you give us your top 3 coaching cues/tips for the deadlift?

How about the squat?

MR: Absolutely man. I’m actually trying to streamline all this so people are getting a similar message across movements.

So these three would work for both the squat and deadlift.

1 – “Exhale, inhale, brace.”

The exhale sets proper position, the inhale allows you to breathe 3D (into front, side and back of your core, and then the brace seals the deal.

2 – “Feel the whole foot,” or simply, “whole foot”

I think this is a big one, and it cures damn near everything.

If someone gets too far forward, it gets them back towards their heels.

If they get on their heels, it gets them back on their forefoot.

And if they have a tendency to supinate or pronate, it cleans up frontal/transverse plane issues.

Note from TG: give THIS post a read on Active vs. Passive Foot (or “whole foot” as MR alludes to).

3 – Push

This one is simple – if I cue someone to “push” then we get balanced (and well-timed) movements at the hip and knee.

What you see all too often is that the hips shoot up, and puts the back in an awful position to finish the lift.

By cuing someone to push, it improves timing and fixes a lot of stuff.

TG: Conditioning. It’s a double edged sword. Where do you feel most athletes (and average gym goes) go wrong with it?

MR: I think there are two main camps out there:

1 – The people that do none, ever, and

2 – The people that only go balls out, all the time.

The people that do none are doing themselves a disservice – it’s negatively impacting their recovery, health, and ultimately, their quality of life.

But people that go balls out all the time aren’t much better. They’re essentially driving themselves into sympathetic overload, and then wondering why they can’t recover, why they aren’t making progress, or why they’re always injured.

I think there’s definitely something to be said about the middle of the road here. Not everyone needs to be as conditioned as a soccer player, and I’m not saying you need to go out and train like an endurance athlete, either.

But a little bit of true aerobic development can go a long way.

TG: Speaking of aerobic development, like yourself I’ve become more and more aware that I was a tool bag for dissing steady state aerobic work for so long in my early years as a coach.

Can you explain to my readers why implementing more of it will help them in the weight room?

MR: Great question, and yes, I absolutely made this mistake early-on in my career.

We talked about sympathetic overdrive above – and high intensity (anaerobic development) is tied to sympathetic dominance.

On the other hand, if we want/need the able to access our parasympathetic nervous system, then we can use low-level aerobic development to help stimulate that process.

Now here’s the cool thing – that aerobic development will help us in several ways:

  1. We’ll be able to do more (and recover from) more training volume,
  2. We’ll recover faster in between sets,
  3. We’ll recover faster in between training days,
  4. The improved parasympathetic drive will allow us to truly shut our system off, which will improve systemic recovery.

It may sound counterintuitive, but I feel as though improved aerobic development can do a lot for us both in and out of the gym. That’s why I’m such a huge proponent of it these days.

TG: Legit answer, thank you. 

Do your low intensity aerobic work everyone!

Finally, movies: Favorite ones you’ve seen lately? 

MR: Moment of truth here – I’m jealous of your ability to see new movies every week. I was a huge movie buff as a kid, but family, work, and life just seem to get in the way!

These are a bit random, but here are some of my recent faves:

Ex Machina – Defiinitely a cool plot, and I love sci-fi so I thought it was cool.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi – Joe Kenn told me about this one. It’s a documentary but it shows what it takes to be truly excellent at your work.

And just to show how totally out of the loop I am, I have DVR’d V is for Vendetta – just looking for time to watch it!

Elite Athletic Development 2.0

Two of the best strength coaches in the biz sharing with you what’s helped make them successful and how they go about making people into BEASTS in the weight room (and on the field).

It’s quite impressive to listen to Mike and Joe talk. And all for the price of what it would cost to go to a nice steak dinner for two.

Seems like a no brainer to me.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 10/2/15

I’ve been a little lackadaisical with updating the blog this week, which I apologize for. I’ve only put up three posts instead of my usual 4-5.

Such a slacker.

Not to be all cryptic or anything, but I do have some big news to report that I’ll be sharing in more detail sometime next week.

Hint: Tony’s Techno Tuesday10 will be in full effect.

GRAB YOUR GLOWSTICKS AND BODYPAINT AND LETS GO SQUAT!!!!!!

Before I get into this week’s list of stuff to read – and on a completely unrelated note – how excited is everyone to go see The Marian this weekend?

 

Ever since I read the book a year ago and then heard the news that both Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down) and Matt motherfuckin Damon were attached to direct and star, I’ve had to do all I can to not allow my brain to spontaneously combust via a seismic nerdgasm.

It’s been getting rave reviews – 92% “fresh” on RottenTomatoes.com – and well, Matt Damon can do no wrong.

Another movie I’m really excited to see that opens in wide-release this weekend is Sicario. Starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio del Toro – and directed by Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners) – it looks pretty spectacular and eerily similar (at least stylistically) to the movie Traffic. This too has been getting a ton of positive buzz and reviews.

Also

As a quick reminder, Dean Somerset and I will be putting on our Complete Shoulder & Hip Workshop two more times in 2015.

 

CHICAGO (October 17-18th) at Rebell Strength & Conditioning.

LOS ANGELES (November 14-15th) at CrossFit 714 in Anaheim.

CEU’s will be available for both workshops.

The 5 People Every Lifter Needs To Avoid (Plus 5 People You Need in Your Life) – Dani Shugart

The popular saying goes that everyone is the average of the five people they hang out with this most. This is true.

It’s also true that if the five people you hang out with the most are the type of people other people would want to shove into a live volcano, you probably shouldn’t be hanging out with them.

Review of Complete Shoulder & Hip Workshop (What I Learned From Dean and Tony) – Stevan Freeborn

This was an excellent review from an attendee from last weekend’s event in St. Louis. I’m not linking to it as a way to gloat.

Okay, maybe a little.

Stevan covers A LOT of material in this post, and does a stellar job articulating many “take aways” that everyone can use at the gym today.

Are GMOs Bad For Your Health? – Helen Kollias (via Precision Nutrition)

GMOs are evil.

They’re nothing but inedible Frankenfood.

Or are they? Enlightening and FAIR conversation in this article.