I have a few editors who are, to their credit, patiently waiting for me to submit some articles. It’s 7:30 AM as I type this and I already cracked open a Spike. Time to get to work.
But first this week’s list to stuff to read….
Copyright: maglara / 123RF Stock Photo
As a quick reminder: Dean Somerset and I will be in Minneapolis, MN the weekend of October 15th to host our Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint. This will be our last one of these for the foreseeable future. Well, or until Backstreet Boys do another reunion tour.
As (another) quick reminder: Wil Fleming’s Certified Weightlifting Performance Coach is now available, but only through next week. If you’re like me and find that the OLY lifts are a coaching gap, this is a perfect resource to help narrow it. It’s really, really well done and it does a superb job at making something so complex, simple. It’s a testament to Wil’s phenomenal coaching style.
I’ve only just “discovered” Dr. Dieter’s work, but I believe I am borderline stalking him now. I’ve been creeping on his website, I now follow him on Twitter, and, surprise Doc, that’s me peering through your window…..;o)
This was an awesome “rant” he wrote I had to share. Like this gem:
“Most people would be far better off spending more time being well fed, and using that food to maximize training that improves their strength, power, balance, endurance, and conditioning and then using short, smart, dieting cycles to focus on fat loss. In fact, the more often you spend in a “normally fed” state the more effective short, intense, periods of dieting or cutting are. “Dieting” should be used in more of a controlled, pointed, manner to elicit a specific effect over a shorter time window.”
95-99% of personal training clients = Overweight. Under-muscled. Injury-prone. Metabolic disease risk. Low energy, low self-esteem.
What most of them need = more muscle.
“Muscle is what sets a cascade of positive adaptations into motion — faster metabolism, ability to eat more without consequence, more strength, improved endurance, better balance, increased bone density, less predisposition towards obesity and heart disease. Better energy, better sleep, higher sense of self-worth.”
Tons of practical info from Kelli and Abby on this one, and one of the best articles on the swing I’ve read in a while breaking down many common mistakes.
Social Media Highlights
I see many of my colleagues doing this and figured I’d jump in on the action. You know, cause I’m important.
Twitter
Client: Tony my back still hurts.
Me: You still doing the mobility drills I want you to do?
I happily picked a time to reschedule and no more than an hour later received an email from one of the gentlemen I was supposed to meet up with more or less giving me kudos for coming up with the best “line” for canceling a meeting he had ever heard.1
I didn’t like cancelling, and I felt like a dick, but I was being honest.
Being an entrepreneur, is, in many cases, organized chaos. Emphasis on the chaos part.
Since leaving Cressey Sports Performance coming up on a year now, and embarking on some opportunities here in Boston, I wanted to share some quick tidbits, lessons learned, advice, and holy-shit-don’t-do-that-again moments I’ve learned as a newly minted “entrepreneur.”
I’m An Entrepreneur, I Guess.
To be clear, I don’t necessarily walk around referring to myself as an entrepreneur. As in: “Oh, hello, my name is Tony Gentilcore, entrepreneur.2 Maybe if my name was Elon Musk I could pull that off. But until I start sending rockets to Mars I’ll keep my mouth shut.
However, I’d be remiss not to point out that, since 2006 (when I first started writing) I’ve been busy building a “brand” that has become fairly recognizable within fitness/health circles. Despite having not officially become a “gym owner” since this year, in many ways I’ve worn the entrepreneurial hat for about a decade. And, honestly, if you’re in this industry as a personal trainer or coach, and even if you work in a commercial gym setting, all that follows still applies.
On to the pontification.
1) Books Are Cool. But They’re Books, Not Real Life.
I’m a firm believer that if you’re a fitness professional your reading or continuing education should be divided 50/48/2.
50% = Training, program design, assessment, exercise science, nutrition, or anything related to the fitness industry specifically.
48% = Business or personal development
2% = LOLCats
Admittedly, I didn’t hop on the business/personal development train until I met Eric Cressey, but ever since, I’ve been a staunch behavioral economics nerd. I devour books by the likes of Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Ariely, Chip & Dan Heath, Charles Duhigg, and the Freakonomics badasses.
It also helps I’m married to a psychologist. So getting into “lets communicate and talk about our feelings mode” isn’t uncharted territory for me.3
I feel it behooves any fitness professional to take the initiative and divide their reading material.
There’s only so much about squat mechanics you can digest that will have a carry over to your business success. If you have no idea what the term “overhead” means, how the Self-Determination Theory steers a lot of what we do as coaches, whether or not you should apply for an LLC, or have any idea how to create lead generation, you need to expand your horizons outside of Supertraining.
But take all of those business books with a grain of salt.
I’ll note, and this is something Mark Fisher brought up last weekend, most of the books you find on the New York Times Best Seller list are aimed at Fortune 500 companies. The authors write them in the hopes of getting hired by said companies as an consultant. As a result many of the “systems” and protocols they discuss in their books have little weight with a fitness facility of 1-10 employees.
Still read them. Just understand that what’s written on paper won’t always apply to real life if your company isn’t named Apple or GE.
2) Get an Accountant
Waaay back in the day, circa 2007, when we first opened CSP, I learned a hard lesson in money management.
Up until that point I had always been “employed” in the sense that I had taxes taken out of my pay check and then received a W2 at the end of each tax season.
Neither scenario happened back in 2007.
And while I wasn’t an idiot and understood the concept behind paying quarterly self-employment taxes, for lack of a better term, I effed up.
Like, royally.
Needless to say it didn’t take long for me to learn my lesson, and to hire an accountant. I’ve had the same one since 2008 and my man-crush on him grows each year.
He tells me what I can and cannot write off4, and also tells me where to siphon my money in order to better prepare for unexpected events and to better prepare for retirement.
He’s the man.
So, get an accountant, preferably one who’s familiar with the fitness industry (which mine is). The money you spend on him/her will more than pay for itself.
3) Find YOUR Work-Life Balance
I’m at a cool stage in my career. CORE – my training studio in Boston – is exactly what I need it to be.
Many reading know the story, but as a quick refresher: I left CSP in the fall of 2015. After eight years it was just time to leave. No weirdness or animosity or knife fights ensued. Initially – from Nov 2015 through June 2016 – I was sub-leasing space/time at an already existing studio underneath a woman who owned it.
It was a perfect scenario as I had ZERO interest in owning or running my own gym. I think there’s this weird “thing” in the industry where we’re programmed to think the holy grail is to own a gym, and that you’ve MADE IT once that happens.
I ended up paying an hourly rent and could train however many clients I wished any way I wished (semi-private). Plus, it was only a mile from my apartment. And I could blast techno. #winning
June 2016: Circumstances arose where the person I was sub-leasing under was not going to renew her lease. She asked if I’d want to take it over? My initial reaction:
In running the numbers – overhead (rent, liability insurance, utilities), additional equipment cost, miscellaneous stuff like hiring painters, flooring, making of new logo and sign, black lights and disco balls (kidding) – it was going to be cheaper for me to take it over.
That is, assuming I could maintain my current clients (I did), have systems in place to “recruit” new clients (always a work in progress), and have 1-2 trainers sub-leasing under me to help with rent.
Also, I knew I didn’t want to be coaching 25, 30, 40 hours per week. I could change my mind, but I don’t have much interest in growing CORE to CSP levels. As of today all I need is a (badass) space to train my clients 15-20 hours per week, and an open schedule to still pursue my writing endeavors, distance coaching and travel schedule, working on some fitness products, and time to practice my light saber skills.
It was the right fit for me.
It’s different for everyone…but finding YOUR work-life balance is crucial. Not only for long-term success (whatever that means to you), but for sanity, overall level of happiness, and fulfillment too.
[NOTE: I’d head over to Eric Cressey’s site and do a search for “developing revenue streams” if I were you. It’s what will allow you to reduce your coaching volume and build on your total income if that’s something you’re interested in.]
4) Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help
This is the part which served as the impetus of this post. I cancelled that initial meeting because, in many ways, I’m a one man show.
I write the programs and coach all my clients, I’m the one who writes all the blog posts (sans the guest posts, but even those take time to format), I’m the one who answers all the emails, interacts on social media, collects payments, schedules, and cleans the facility. And none of this takes into account the clusterfuck of fuckedness that goes into launching your first product (Ahem, Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint coming very, very soon), and other things such as podcast appearances, writing responsibilities for other sites, and you know, spending quality time with my wife.
Oh, and I’m expected to be jacked. So, there’s that too.
It’s only been recently I’ve asked for help. You can’t expect to do everything. Well, you can…it’s just the likelihood of you doing everything well – and without driving yourself crazy – is slim.
I hired a “virtual assistant,” Keeley, and she’s been a life-saver.
NOTE: Keeley is a real-live person. I just mostly interact with her via email.
She came recommended to me via another colleague, and the cool thing – and this is something for you, dear reader, to consider – is that I “pay” her with programs and coaching (and fist bumps).
It’s a trade-barter situation. She runs various administrative tasks for me and helps me stay more organized and less likely to light my face on fire, and I write her programs and help guide her towards deadlifting dominance.
Win-win.
5) Consider Your Toilet Paper
This tip from Sol Orwell, entrepreneurial master:
“As an entrepreneur, it is VERY important that you get the small details right. That’s what separates the haves from the have-nots.
As such, here’s a pro-tip on leadership: the toilet paper should roll down from the top, NOT the bottom.
You’re welcome.”
The seemingly trivial stuff matters. Not having a clean facility matters. Not dressing professionally matters. Not taking out the garbage matters. Replacing broken equipment matters. Playing Beyonce radio when your female clients demand it matters. Smiling (even when you’re having a bad day) matters.
Today’s guest post comes courtesy of business/life/fitness writer and world-traveler extraordinaire, Anthony Yeung. The title says it all folks.
Jason Bourne is the badass to end all badasses. He’s not a British playboy like James Bond and he’s not a billionaire-wunderkind like Bruce Wayne.
Instead, he’s just a gruff and simple man who beats the crap out of people by using desk stationery — a pen, a rolled up magazine, and a book.
In this article, I’ll crack the code of actually BECOMING Jason Bourne with a five-step plan. I can’t guarantee you’ll be able to leap across buildings or get multiple passports… but I can guarantee you’ll increase your rating on the “Jason Bourne Scale of Awesomeness” and have A LOT of fun while doing so.
Enjoy!
1) Build REAL Strength and Power
Jason Bourne’s one-punch KO is a testament to his brute strength.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ugKCJsNyBQ
And his overall badassery.
Fortunately, if you read Tony’s blog regularly, you already have all the information you need to get strong as hell. (The man is WAY smarter and stronger than me.)
But I’ll simply review the basics and share a few add-ons that could help take your fitness to Bourne-levels.
1) Focus On the Big Lifts and Get Strong as Hell.
Your workouts should center on things like heavy squats, deadlifts, bench presses, rows, pullups, overhead presses, and lunges — basically, any exercise that targets a lot of muscles and creates a massive stimulus for growth. Also, go heavy with fewer reps to build that foundation of absolute strength.
From there, build “old-school strength” by doing lots of weighted carries for core, grip, and stability work.
It might help you KO someone… or open a pack of shaving razors without scissors.
2) Once You Have a Solid Foundation of Basic Strength (alactic), Develop Your Lactic Capacity with Complexes.
Jason Bourne’s fight scenes take a lot longer than a set of three fronts squats.
That’s where complexes come in: You’ll race through sets of different exercises without any rest or even setting down the weight. It’ll hammer every muscle in your body and crank up your work capacity, all in 1 – 2 minutes.
Here’s a dumbbell complex:
Romanian Deadlift x 6
Bent-Over Row x 6
Reverse Lunge x 6 each side
Dumbbell High Pull x 6
Overhead Press x 6
Front Squat x 6
Plyo Pushups x 6
For the final set of pushups, toss the dumbbells aside and do them on the floor. Rest for a few minutes and repeat the complex.
3) Free Your Body
Jason Bourne is like an MMA and parkour athlete wrapped together in a dark overcoat. Thus, to fight every kind of villain imaginable, scale walls, and leap across buildings, you have to be mobile, agile, and spry.
If you can’t touch your toes, however, start there. Use mobility drills, PRI exercises, and self-myofascial therapy to improve your range of motion, release chronically tight and toned muscles, and get more limber.
Next, work in all planes of movement. While traditional strength exercises are usually in the sagittal plane or frontal plane, incorporate modalities that builds free-flowing strength, endurance, and power.
My favorite method is Animal Flow, which is just a series of crawling patterns on steroids. It’s great for conditioning, stability, and developing complex movement patterns. It’s also very humbling: one full minute of crawling patterns could kick your ass.
4) Develop Power and Speed
Jason Bourne has blazing speed and lightning quick reflexes. Thus, not only can he demonstrate absolute strength, but he can also demonstrate that strength faster than anyone else.
While Olympic lift variations are great for this, I prefer kettlebell swings, snatches, and cleans because (1) their learning curve is quicker, (2) they improve stability/mobility, and (3) they can be used in conditioning drills.
TG Layering the KB Swing #1
TG Layering the KB Swing #2
From there, feel free to add high-speed work like sprints. Just follow Charlie Francis’s suggestion to stay above 95% max-effort — anything less will be too slow to create the right adaptations.
2) Condition Like a Badass
So Jason Bourne is strong… got it.
But he’s also conditioned like a badass too.
If you struggle to run a few miles, then sprinting through buildings, jumping through windows, and fighting Desh will be damn near impossible.
Step One: Develop a Massive Aerobic Base.
Developing an aerobic foundation actually improves your performance in high-intensity efforts and helps you recover (1) between bouts of high-intensity exercise and (2) after hard workouts.
There are many different ways to build an aerobic base, but two easy places to start are with cardiac output training and high-intensity continuous training.
Cardiac Output is basically any modality that keeps you in the 120 – 150bpm zone for 30+ minutes. You could go for a jog, a bike ride, or even do a circuit of various bodyweight exercises.
[Note from TG: if there’s ONE thing I’ve done a complete 180 on in recent years, it’s my thoughts on aerobic training or “cardio.” We need it. Don’t be one of those stupid “it will steal your gainz” bro-science boneheads.
For more information on WHY it’s important and HOW to implement it read THIS,THIS and THIS.]
High-Intensity Continuous Training (HICT) is where you do one explosive rep of an exercise every 3 – 5 seconds for 5 – 7 minutes while staying in the aerobic zone. This way, you’ll target your fast-twitch muscle fibers without exhausting them and help them become more fatigue-resistant as the cells create more mitochondria.
Once you have a strong aerobic base, layer on the anaerobic stuff, which you can get from typical HIIT workouts.
3) Get Lean (If You Ain’t Already)
Unlike James Bond, Bourne doesn’t need a tuxedo to look like a badass; most of the time, he’s wearing a T-shirt you could get at Goodwill.
But you can’t do that if you’re rocking a “Dad Bod.” Fortunately, you don’t need to get shredded — even in the most recent film, he looks like he’s around 10 – 15% body fat.
To drop any stubborn body fat, figure out your caloric defei
Dial in your diet.
“IS JASON BOURNE GLUTEN-FREE… OR IS HE PALEO?!”
My guess is that, if you asked that question, he would give you a cold stare.
Eat whole foods. As a rule of thumb, don’t eat things that come out of a box or can.
Protein: Lean meats, fish, nuts, eggs, good protein powders, bacon (because, duh), etc.
Carbs: Veggies (pile on the veggies), rice, potatoes, quinoa, whole grains, fruits, etc.
Fats: Olive oil, coconut oil, real butter, nuts, avocados, fish oil, flax oil, etc.
4) Improve Your Stress Response
“I can tell you the license plate numbers of all six cars outside. I can tell you that our waitress is left-handed and the guy sitting up at the counter weighs two hundred fifteen pounds and knows how to handle himself. I know the best place to look for a gun is the cab or the gray truck outside, and at this altitude, I can run flat out for a half mile before my hands start shaking.”
(Meanwhile, I barely remember MY license plate number.)
Bourne has RIDICULOUS awareness.
A lot of that comes from being a freak… but a lot of that also comes from eliminating your mind clutter and being completely in the present moment. It’s when we’re constantly worrying about the past, the future, or how our Fantasy Football team is doing, however, that we miss life’s little details.
Bourne can also handle A TON of stress without tapping into his “fight-or-flight” systems. (P.S. Building your aerobic system helps with this too. Woohoo!) I mean, sure, he had that car chase with Kirill, but SEE HOW FREAKIN’ CALM HE LOOKS:
Here’s how you’re going to increase your ability to tolerate stress without frying your sympathetic nervous system:
1. Meditate
Everyday, take a few minutes to relax, take a few deep breaths, and increase your awareness. I use the Headspace app, but feel free to explore the many different options and find something that works for you.
The key is that (1) you like it and (2) it helps you de-stress your mind.
“Do as many reps of a big lift as you can without tipping into a stress response.”
For example, set up a deadlift with a weight that’s hard, but still something you can do smooth, fast, and calmly. (“No grunting, no death metal, and no belts?! What is this — Planet Fitness?!”)
Then do 40 sets of 1 rep and keep your heart rate under 150 bpm. The next time you workout, try to do more sets or do a slightly heavier weight each workout while still staying stress-free. Over time, you’ll increase the amount of volume you can handle without stress.
5) Simplify
“I’m gonna ask you some simple questions. You’re gonna tell me the truth, or I swear to God, I’m gonna kill ya.”
Jason Bourne is all about simplicity. Think about it:
His wardrobe is as diverse as Ned Flanders. He doesn’t shop at Ed Hardy and his dark, muted colors would make any New Yorker proud. His haircut is something you can get at a barber college for $5. (Unlike Bourne, however, I recommend you smile occasionally.)
“I’m so happy!”
This is an optional step, but I encourage you to take a look at your life and take note of the superfluous things you can do without.
Do you have shirts you only wear once a year? A shelf full of books you never read? A cable television package you never use? Boxes full of random crap that take up space in your garage?
Perhaps you can donate or get rid of them.
It seems small — and even unrelated — but it all goes a long way in freeing your mind and simplifying your lifestyle. Now your possessions won’t possess you.
The result?
Being able to focus on what’s truly important and being able to control your life.
Oh, and please cut off your man bun.
About the Author
Anthony J. Yeung, CSCS, has been featured in Men’s Health, Muscle&Fitness, and Golf Digest and is the founder of GroomBuilder, the 8-week fitness program to transform the way guys look for your wedding.
I hung out with two of them this past weekend. Except, these weren’t unicorns in the fantastical sense, you know, with horns sticking out of their foreheads and the proclivity to shoot rainbows out of their ass.
In fact, these unicorns didn’t even have four legs. Or a tail.5
No, these “unicorns” were none other than my good friends Mark Fisher and Michael Keeler of Mark Fisher Fitness, co-founders of one of the most successful gyms in NYC (or the world for that matter). A place where members are referred to as ninjas, the gym itself is referred to as The Ninja Clubhouse of of Glory and Dreams, and well, lets just say it’s not uncommon territory for spontaneous ABBA dance-offs to take place in between sets of KB swings.
Actually, it’s par for the course on a Wednesday night.
Their moniker is Serious Fitness For Ridiculous Humans. Oftentimes people see the glitterly website and think: “Huh, that’s odd/interesting/WTF, did I just see a pic of a trainer wearing buttless pants? I guess it’s a cool place/I think I need to go wash my eyes.”
And it is. It’s an amazing place. I’d make the case there’s no gym in the world that does what MFF does. It’s impossible to walk within their walls and not feel good about yourself. The incessant positive reinforcement and insatiable desire to make people happy (and to accept their unique weirdness) is impressive.
What gets lost in translation (and amongst the buttless pants) is that their staff are some of the best at what they do. Sure, they have fun (like, a lot of fun)…but they’ll also casually discuss PRI, Pavel, Strong First, RKC, Smolov squat cycles, neck alignment, McGill vs. Contreras/Schoenfeld, and the pros and cons of OLY lifting.
Further, this was the end of an email I received from Mark a few years ago when he and I were going back and forth on a job opening MFF had and what they look for in a possible hire:
“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.”
To say Mark and Michael have built a successful (fitness) business – a very unique and unconventional one at that – would be an understatement. They are the MASTERS at building community and hiring the right people who are the right fit. And, they’re also the masters at being anal as balls at implementing systems and having a spreadsheet and purpose for everything pertaining to MFF and their business.
They were in Boston this past weekend and I had the opportunity to attend Day #2 of their Inside the Unicorn business workshop. Below are some takeaways (written in list/bullet format because I know I’m going to be all over the place).
1) We’re programmed by the industry to not offer free shit, and I’ll admit I’m hot and cold on this topic. To get people into your “funnel,” however, why not host a free outdoor class and then offer some sort of one-time offer or flash sale to lure people in? $50 off one-time assessment, or some sort of reduced price-point on a initial package.
2) To that point, you can then add people to your mailing list and then, in Keeler’s words, “hunt them like an animal for 30-days to purchase or to sign-up for a service you offer.” After 30 days, pump the brakes. Keep them on your list, but stop hunting.
Some people may take a few months (if not years) before they’re ready to commit to anything. Staying on their radar – in a non-pushy, non-urgent way – is important.
Interestingly, Keeler noted how NO-ONE picks up their phones, but that leaving occasional voice messages is still relevant. They can still listen to your voice, which “humanizes” the interaction.
3) At MFF they’re huge advocates of yearly (staff) reviews. Coincidentally, they’ve found that staff members are often harder and score themselves much harsher than management. To that end, their go to source on this front is the Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Survey.
Keeler readily admits that the questions are open-ended, abstract, and “wishy washy,” but the research on their effectiveness backs up the results.
4) Speaking of evaluations, on a more personal facility to facility level, both Mark and Michael implored the attendees to come up with their own evaluation questions based off THEIR core values.
For example, for me, some of the questions I came up with were:
“How do you demonstrate integrity?”
“Do you feel you’re in an environment where your needs are met and that you’re able to grow as an individual and professional?”
“A Tribe Called Quest is the greatest rap group of all time, right? RIGHT?”
5) In addition, during the evaluation process it’s important to hit on different categories (and to make them relevant to YOUR facility). Here are some things to consider and my questions:
Skill-Based Competence – “I feel comfortable coaching the big 3 – squat, bench press, deadlift?” Maybe you’re a KB-based facility, so a more appropriate question here is your employee’s ability to coach a swing or get-up.
Communication Expectations – “I am able to regress/progress exercises based off client’s ability level, injury history, and goals?“
Unique to Culture – “I can articulate complex concepts – PRI, joint position, etc – simply?” If you work at a place like MFF, maybe a good question here would be “I’m okay with being silly.” or “I feel comfortable coaching a squat with a dildo glued to the squat rack.” Make these questions unique to YOUR gym culture.
Open-Ended Questions – “What can CORE do better to help you succeed?“
NOTE: note the use of “I.” This makes the evaluation more personal and more apt for people to honest.
6) Piggy backing off of #5, Michael and Mark encouraged everyone to omit the abstractness of using a numbered only ranking system (1-5), and to add words. Have fun with it. Here’s what I did:
“I feel comfortable coaching the big 3 – squat, bench press, deadlift?“
1 = I suck balls.
2 = Eh, I guess I’m okay.
3 = I’m Yoda with that shit.
SIDE NOTE: I think more numbers would be best. Say, 5, to give people a more diverse system to rank themselves. I used 3 for simplicity. Too, I almost feel as if it would be beneficial to add a “0” the ranking system. As in:
0 = I’d rather throw my face into a brick wall. I hate it.
This way you can better match services and skill-sets to the strengths of your employees. I don’t know, something to think about.
7) MFF take their team meetings VERY seriously. For starters it’s paid time for everyone to attend, and their meetings run 2-3 hours every week.
Have an agenda. In MFF’s case they’re expensive, make them count.
Time each activity. As in, 5 Minutes for general intro, 10 Minutes of announcements (upcoming workshops, new class offering, etc), 20 Minutes on coaching cues, 10 Minutes on interpretive dance, so on and so forth.
Plan long-term. MFF plans their meetings months in advance. That way they’re not spending an inordinate amount of time per meeting on any one topic. If program design needs to be covered, they may allot 30-60 minutes for four straight meetings down the road so they know they have digestible chunks.
They’ve set the expectation that everyone needs to attend, and they’ve more or less made them important and informative enough that staff would attend them even if they weren’t getting paid for them.
Hold staff meetings in the middle of the week – Wednesday/Thur – so you have less likelihood of people missing due to extended weekends or Holidays.
8) And finally, one of Mark’s greatest pet-peeves is lack of communication amongst staff, to the point where people talk shit and air their grievances with other staff members or management except for the person they really should be speaking to. Just, stop it.
It’s a HUGE fitness industry weekend this weekend in Boston. For starters the Cressey Sports Performance Fall seminar is going down, which is always an industry gold standard. In addition, lead unicorns Mark Fisher and Michael Keeler, of Mark Fisher Fitness, will be at AMP Fitness to put on their Inside the Unicorn 2-day workshop.
I basically ended up flipping a coin as to which one I was going to attend this weekend. The unicorns won.6
Needless to say many a fitness pro are making their way to Boston this weekend, and I suspect the likelihood of a dead-animal flesh shortage to be pretty high.
Also, and forgive me for the lame transition here, before I jumped into this week’s list of stuff to read I wanted to remind everyone that Dean Somerset and I will be in Minneapolis, MN the weekend of October 15th putting on our Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint workshop.
We’ll be at Movement Minneapolis and you can find out more details HERE. Hope to see you there.
Brian Patrick Murphy (or BPM) is a rare human being. Never have I met someone who is so genuine and full of zest than he. He’d hug everyone’s heart if he could.
It’s really hard – like, really hard – in our current political and social chaos (for lack of a better term) to remember that we’re all “in this” together, and that there is much more good and decency in this world than vitriol and hate.
I love how this woman thinks (and writes). Thanks for writing this Kelly.
Align Therapy Podcast – Aaron Alexander
I had the pleasure of being invited onto the Align Therapy Podcast with Aaron Alexander recently. If you’re bored at work today or maybe need something to drown out a certain orange skinned Presidential candidate, give THIS a listen….;o)
We’re not quite at the same level (or stratosphere) as the Cosgrove’s (Alwyn and Rachel), but in the past year it’s been pretty cool to see my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, gaining some attention from my neck of the woods.
(Not So) Humble Brag Alert
As most who read this website know, Lisa is a psychologist with a doctorate in Sports Psychology. She has a special interest in mindset, mindfulness, and exercise/behavioral psychology, and as it happens this is an area or niche that’s been receiving a ton more attention in the fitness industry of late.
We all tend to be our own worst enemy and Lisa can speak to many of the mental roadblocks and clusterfuckery (<– my words, not hers) that can often hamper progress or even prevent people from starting to exercise in the first place.
It’s been a treat to see people reach out to her for her expertise.
In the past year:
She’s performed several I Am Not Afraid to Lift workshops with Artemis Scantalides (the next one with Lisa is this November here in Boston. You can go HERE for more information and to register).
She and I have been invited to Austin, TX and London to put on our Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop.
She’s also seen her name in print in the likes of Women’s Health Magazine and EliteFTS.com.
And while she’s a doctor, she’s also a doctor who lifts. #fitnessstreetcred
To say I’m proud would be an understatement. And to say I’m excited to see what the future holds for her (and us) would be even more of an understatement.7
One of the bigger “events” of late was Lisa being invited onto The FitCast a few weeks ago to record an episode.
She CRUSHED It. I’m totally not biased.
You can listen to her episode HERE (and look for another episode in a few more weeks. She and Kevin recorded Part II a few days ago).
Yesterday I made a cameo at a sports training facility located just outside of Boston where I was asked to come in and speak to the staff about writing. More specifically, they asked if I could come in and offer tips and insights on how they could go about writing more engaging content for their members and general public.
At first I was mystified. Me? Come in and speak about writing and the writing process? I’m not even a writer. I mean, I write, sometimes coherently. But I’m just a strength coach who happens to dabble in “writing.” What could I possibly have to offer that couldn’t be covered in, say, Stephen King’s On Writing or THIS excellent piece written by my boy Bryan Krahn a few years ago?
Then I thought about it for a second and looked at the facts:
1. On this website alone, counting this masterpiece (<— only a slight exaggeration), I’ve published 1,843 posts. Holy shit.
2. According to Alexa.com, today (September 21, 2016), my site ranks as the 275,122nd most visited in the world (77,401st in the U.S). I’m coming for you Yahoo. And it’s just me, a one-man show, tapping away on my keyboard.8
For the record: You’re doing pretty good for yourself if you’re under the 1-million marker.
3. I’ve also had the honor of having my work printed in many of the most reputable fitness sites & publications in the industry: T-Nation.com, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, BodyBuilding.com, STACK, and Women’s Health respectively.
4. And while it has nothing to do with anything, it’s a fact my cat is the cutest thing ever. #beautifulbeautifulprincess.
A photo posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on
I say none of this to brag.9 However it demonstrates I must be doing something right and that the content I put out on a weekly basis is resonating with a fair number of people out there. Thanks by the way.
So, in no particular order, here are some of the tidbits I shared yesterday.
It’s Never Been Easier to Be Heard, But It’s Never Been Harder to Get Heard
* Apologies to whomever this quote is attributed to. It’s awesome – thanks.
Think about it: it’s not very hard to get your stuff out there; the barrier to entry is nothing more than clicking “publish” or “send” on your computer screen.
The internet has allowed an amazing opportunity for people to have their voice heard when it otherwise would be muffled. Blogging and the advent of social media has opened the floodgates to everyone’s prose; and, unfortunately, word-vomit.
And therein lies the dilemma.
As wonderful as the digital age has been at giving everyone a “voice,” it’s also the ultimate catch-22. I.e., EVERYONE has a voice.
It’s never been harder to get heard amongst the cacophony of Tweets, Facebook updates, Instagram posts, articles, blogs, and endless e-books from trainers who have been in the industry for all of two months.
All the more reason to up your game and get a leg-up on the competition so you can better separate yourself from the masses.
1) Write, A Lot
I realize this is akin to me telling someone who’s thirsty to go drink some water, but I can’t stress this point enough.
Almost weekly I’m asked by fitness professionals how they can go about getting better at writing. The snarky Tony wants to say:
“Stop emailing me about writing, and go write.”
But I don’t do that. I’ll offer these quick-hitting tips:
Ideally, write for 60-90 minutes every day. As Ann Handley noted in her wonderful book, Everybody Writes, writing doesn’t always mean you’re writing the next To Kill a Mockingbird. Writing an email counts as writing. Writing a Facebook update counts as writing. Writing a detailed biography of your favorite characters from He-Man: Masters of the Universe counts as writing. It all counts. If you don’t have 60-90 minutes, start with 30. If you don’t have 30 minutes, who are you, Barack Obama?
Figure out when you’re most creative. The last thing I want to do after a full-day of coaching is to sit down at my desk at 8 PM and attempt to write. I’d rather throw my face into a wall. However, in the morning, when my wife leaves for work, that’s my magic time. And yes, I understand that that sounds very creepy. Everyone is different, so figure out when your inner Vonnegut appears and roll with it.
Once you have momentum, it’s VITAL you stay CONSISTENT.
“Someone once asked Somerset Maughham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. “I write only when inspiration strikes,” he replied. “Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”
― Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles
2) You’re Right; Nothing You Say Is New
One of the common themes I run across with new writers is their proclivity to bum themselves out before they even start.
“What could I possibly write that hasn’t already been said?”
You’re right: nothing you say will be new or revolutionary. However, whether you’re writing on deadlifts, undulated periodization, or, I don’t know, sharing a recipe on Paleo M&Ms (I’m not surprised if this exists)…it hasn’t been written in your voice and with your perspective.
Your experiences and your opinions matter to your readers. Don’t forget that.
3) Finding Your Style
Writing style is one of those things that can help differentiate you from everyone else. I’m a firm advocate in writing how you talk, which is why, sometimes to my detriment, turns some people off to my writing.10
I have a potty mouth.
I swear when I talk, and I swear when I write. I can’t help it. And, there are many, many, really fucking good writers who are right there with me.
Writing how you talk takes practice (see #1), but it breeds authenticity. And even though it’s in written form and not face-to-face, people can sense it. And they will relate to it.
Of course, I am not implying you have to swear when you write. If that’s not you, don’t force it.
If you’re funny, be funny. If you’re not, you don’t have to be.11
If you’re someone who nerds out on PubMed on a Friday night (go you!), then nerd out when you write. There are plenty of dorks out there – myself included – who will read that.
“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.”
Nothing is more authentic than writing on topics you’re passionate about and/or have first-hand experience with. I’m pretty good at deadlifting, assessment, and program design. That’s my wheel house and where the bulk of my writing gravitates towards. Breaking down the nuances of Intermittent Fasting or the Kreb’s Cycle? Not so much.
Also, be careful here. Just because you’re “passionate” about something doesn’t mean you should write about it. I’m passionate about deadlifting 8000 lbs and winning a rap-battle vs. Nas. Doesn’t mean I’m going to write about it.
5) Content Is King. What Your Content Looks Like Matters Too
I’m a firm believer if you’re someone putting out quality content consistently, it will get noticed. It won’t happen overnight, or maybe this year, but it will happen. Stay patient.
How many of you reading ever think about what your content LOOKS like, as in how it appears on the screen?
It matters.
Introduction: 1st paragraph (and sometimes the 1st sentence) with either engage people or make them click away. Try to ensure it compels people to keep reading.
What’s the point of the article or post? How is this going to help them?
Main Content: meat and potatoes of the post. You better fulfill that promise from your intro. I’m spitballing, but most blog posts should be in the range of 500-1500 words. It’s blog post, a quick hitting topic or idea, a train of thought…not a dissertation.
Avoid long paragraphs. Nothing shuts off people’s attention more than no spacing.
Use Sub-Headlines: most people scan and rarely read a post word for word.
People love numbers and bullet points.
Use Videos and pictures to break up text.
And speaking of pictures, Copyright is no joke. Sign up for an image service like 123RF or Stock Unlimited. Google Images is like playing with copyright infringement fire.
I’ll End With These Gems
Grammar counts. Tick for tack, someone is going to place more credence on an article that can differentiate between there/their/they’re than one that doesn’t. Grammar Nazis are annoying, and nothing is worse than someone who takes time out of their day to point out you spelled a word incorrectly, but to their credit they know when to call a spade a spade.
Tip from Bryan Krahn: whatever you end up writing, in the end, chop 20% of it. Note: I didn’t do that to this post because fuck that guy…;o)
Voracious reading begets vehement writing. Read those writers you admire. All of them, not just fitness writers. You’ll hate them because they’re so good, but you’ll learn.
For many people the first choice when their shoulder begins to hurt or if they lack mobility is to start cranking and yanking on it. This is rarely the right approach, and as Andrew Millett (my good friend and Boston based physical therapist) points out in today’s post…there a far better and far more effective approaches.
The shoulders, specifically, the glenohumeral joints, are typically very mobile joints. They need to flex, extend, abduct, adduct, horizontally abduct and adduct and internally and externally rotate in multiple planes and positions in relation to the body. Even though the shoulders are a common area of mobility, many people will present with limitations in at least one aspect of glenohumeral motion.
There are various reasons why someone may have limited shoulder mobility.
Bony Limitations
photo credit: pediatric-orthopedics.com
People who engaged in various overhead sports such as baseball, softball, etc. have been shown on multiple studies to have changes to the glenoid and humeral head. In baseball players specifically, they can appear to have a loss of internal rotation range of motion as compared to their non-throwing shoulder and an increase in external rotation range of motion as compared to their non-throwing shoulder.
This change in range of motion is commonly due to humeral retroversion. Humeral retroversion is the alternation of the humerus and humeral head in relation to the glenoid fossa from years of repetitive overhead activity, specifically throwing.
This is typically only seen in overhead athletes. This differentiation in range of motion side to side in external and internal rotation is considered “normal” for this population. As long as External + Internal Rotation aka Total Motion is within 5 degrees of the non-involved shoulder, then that is considered normal.
Note from TG:In other words, loss of IR in a throwing shoulder is an adaptive response and is normal! It doesn’t necessarily have to be fixed.
With that said, we do not want to crank on someone who has “normal” total motion, but may lack internal rotation on one side versus the other. Asking your patient or client if they engaged in overhead sports as a child is a good clue to this. Then measuring their motion will give more information.
We will get into more detail later on how to improve their motion if their is more than a 5 degree difference in total motion.
Another bony limitation at the shoulder can be acromion type. The acromion is a bony structure that is present in all people that is part of the scapula.
Photo credit: ipushweight.com
All acromions are not created equal though. There can be 3 varying types of acromions.
As you can see in the picture above, a type I acromion is relatively normal in appearance. In type II and III, there is more of a curved/hooked appearance to it. This alteration in can cause pain and limited motion when reaching overhead.
The only way to definitively know if someone has a type II or III acromion is through radiographic imaging. Programming may need to be altered to more horizontal pulling/pushing variations instead of overhead work if someone doesn’t have full overhead mobility due to a type III acromion.
For most people with a type II acromion, physical therapy can help to improve range of motion and decrease the effect of the acromion on shoulder motion and pain. For most people with a type III acromion, more often than not, surgical intervention is what will help.
Capsular Limitations
In the majority of the joints in the body, there is something called a “capsule” surrounding the joint. A capsule is synonymous to a ziploc bag encompassing the joint.
In this capsule, there are “folds” in certain aspects depending on where the arm is positioned. Due to an old injury, surgery, etc., this capsule can become “tight or stiff.” Now, without getting into too much detail about why it is tight/stiff or why there are capsular limitations, the only way to determine if there is capsular limitations, is by a licensed healthcare practitioner, ie. PT, chiropractor, etc.
Typically, older populations may have more capsular limitations OR if someone has had a long standing injury or prior surgery to the shoulder, they may present with decreased ranges of motion because of the capsule.
The only other area that can be attributed to decreased ranges of motion due to the joint capsule itself that affects the shoulder, would be the thoracic spine. Lack of thoracic spine extension and/or rotation can limit shoulder flexion, external rotation, etc.
To test for limited thoracic spine mobility, try Quadruped Passive Thoracic Rotation:
Normally, passive rotation should be 50 degrees in the general population. If it is less than that, that can significantly limit shoulder range of motion.
Soft Tissue Restrictions
Now, this is the more common of all three of the factors that can limit shoulder mobility. Excluding clients who are hyper-mobile, the majority of clients and patients have some form of increased soft tissue tone in one if not more areas of their body.
At the glenohumeral joint, there are a few “big” than can contribute to limited shoulder mobility.
Muscles that can limit shoulder external rotation are:
Pec Minor
Teres Major
Latissimus Dorsi
Subscapularis
Muscles that can limit shoulder internal rotation are:
Infraspinatus
Teres Minor
Now, you’re probably thinking that I just “copied and pasted” most of those muscles from one section to the other. The latissimus dorsi is a huge contributor to limited overhead shoulder mobility due to its attachment on the trunk into abduction and flexion. It can also limit external rotation as it is a shoulder internal rotator.
Pectoralis minor can limit overhead motion because of its attachment on the coracoid process of the scapula and the rib. Decreased pectoralis minor tissue extensibility can cause an anterior tilt of the scapula limiting humeral motion on the glenoid.
Subscapularis can limit overhead motion due to its attachment on anterior side of the scapula and on the humerus. Teres major attaches on the scapula as well as on the humerus and can limit overhead mobility as well.
Infraspinatus and Teres Minor limit internal rotation of the shoulder due to its attachment points on the humerus and scapula.
Typically, one if not more than one of the aforementioned muscles can limit overhead mobility. Instead of performing intense stretches and forcing the glenohumeral joint into motions it just does not have, we need to ASSESS and then ADDRESS any limitations that are present.
Assessment
Active Motion
To assess someone’s active ranges of motion, ask them to move.
Have them perform:
Shoulder Flexion
Shoulder Abduction
Shoulder Medial Rotation
Shoulder Lateral Rotation
“Normal” ranges of motion for general population clients would be:
Shoulder Flexion: 180 degrees OR humerus in line with the client’s ear.
Shoulder Abduction: 180 degrees OR humerus in line with side of body
MRE: 3rd digit finger tip to contralateral inferior angle of scapula
LRF: 3rd digit finger tip to superomedial border of contralateral scapula.
Now that you have assessed someone’s active motion, we need to assess it passively to fully determine if someone has a true mobility limitation.
Passive Motion
Perform the same motions passively into flexion, abduction, MRE, and LRF. Do not force these motions or push through tightness or pain. If you cannot passively bring the client’s arm to the aforementioned areas mentioned in the Active Motion section, then we know the client has a true mobility limitation.
Addressing the Issue
If someone presents with limitations in passive shoulder flexion, abduction, MRE, or LRF, performing some form of Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) can be beneficial.
Then, re-test passive motion to see if there has been an improvement in mobility. If there has, then you know you have worked on the appropriate areas.
If there has NOT been an improvement in mobility, refer out to a manual therapist (PT, sports chiropractor, massage therapist, etc.)
If the mobility has improved, then we want to use appropriate mobility drills to help groove the patterns that were just improved.
Make sure to keep scapulae retracted by using wall or door jam.
Once scapulae is fixed, gently bring arm across body.
Hold 5-8 seconds pre-training or 30 seconds post-training.
By fixating scapulae, it will provide a more focused stretch to the posterior aspect of the shoulder.
Latissimus Dorsi Stretch
Key Points:
Use opposite side hand to fix scapulae to rib cage.
Once scapulae is fixed, hold onto a stationary object and sit back.
Gentle stretch should be felt in the lat.
By fixating the scapulae to the rib cage using the opposite hand, it provides a truer stretch to the lat vs tractioning the glenohumeral joint.
Motor Control
Once there has been an improvement in mobility, we want to make sure that the brain and the body knows how to access that “new” mobility. We need to make sure to re-pattern the proper movement patterns to avoid falling back into an poor compensations.
For shoulder re-patterning, various movements that help to promote proper movement patterns such as:
Forearm Wall Slides
Back to Wall Shoulder Flexion
Quadruped Assisted Reach, Roll, and Lift
Now that we have improved the mobility by addressing increased soft tissue tone, re-patterned those movement patterns, now we want to incorporate them all together.
Movements such as:
Turkish Get-Up
Kettlebell Bottoms Up Baby Get-Up
There you have it! Instead of mindlessly stretching your shoulder, address any potential limitations and get back to training effectively!
About the Author
Andrew Millett is a Metro-West (Boston) based physical therapist
Director Clint Eastwood’s (American Sniper, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby) latest movie Sully is, ironically, not centered around a random guy with the last name Sullivan or some obscure neighborhood bar located in the outskirts of Boston.
It centers around the real-life event surrounding USA Airways Flight 1549 piloted by Chelsey Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) and Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart), which left New York’s LaGuardia Airport en route to Charlotte, NC on the morning of January 15, 2009 and 208 seconds later performed an emergency and unprecedented landing (more like an aviation”bellyflop”) into the Hudson River.
(Not really) a Spoiler Alert: all 155 passengers on board miraculously survived.
Very well known for his thrifty movie-making approaches I was half-expecting Eastwood to show a dramatization of the entire crash sequence – which he did, twice, in very much a sphincter clenching way – and after all was said and done, pan the camera towards Hanks (Sully), have him say something like “yeah, that’s right, I landed that shit,” and then fad to black, roll credits.
Basically the ultimate mic drop.
And this is why I have never won an Academy Award or have never been paid money to make a movie.12
There are no real surprises to the events themselves, and I can understand why some may think to themselves “why did this movie need to be made in the first place? We all know what happens.” I can respect that.
Could the argument be made that it’s a predictable plot? Sure. This is standard procedure with any movie made about an historical event. I think it’s a stupid argument to make. We all know the Titanic sinks and yet that didn’t stop James Cameron from 1) making a metric shit-ton of money and 2) making me ball my eyes out.
So, yeah, the plot is predictable, but it doesn’t make what happened any less fascinating. However, the meat and potatoes of the plot isn’t so much about the event itself…but rather how it affects “Sully” and the rest of the people involved.
Not surprisingly, after an event like that, there’s going to be a degree of “WTF just happened?” and wonderment about whether or not the right call was made?
Could he have made it back to LaGuardia?
Did he have to land the plane in the river?
Could the higher-ups involved with reviewing the whole scenario be any more dickish than they were?
The movie, while depicting a miraculous event, had more to do with the aftermath and how Sully dealt with the inquisition on his actions, and also, too, his transition from a guy “doing his job” to instant celebrity and hero and guy I want to pilot every flight I’m on from here on out.
In a time where we’re surrounded by a social and political environment fueled by hate, bigotry, ignorance, and a lot of dark and sinister adjectives…it was refreshing to head to the theater for 90 minutes and be reminded that human beings can be pretty darn calm, cool, and collected. It was nice to see and be reminded that something good can happen.
My wife is away this weekend with my mother-in-law as the latter is being inducted into her alma mater’s Athletic Hall of Fame.13 This 100% means I’ll be catching up on some movie watching and chilling with my cat on the couch for the next two days. You know, because I live life dangerously.
What are your plans this weekend? More exciting than mine I hope.
There is no other coach I have been obsessed with of late more so than Joel Seedman. Quite frankly, he’s someone who is consistently putting out phenomenal information and has a take on many topics I’ve never heard before.
I respect that.
In this article he breaks down eccentric/isometric training, which is named many other things – pause reps, iso holds, yielding isometrics, eccentric quasi isometrics, extreme isometrics, yo mama is fat, it’s all the same. He LOVES eccentric training and after reading this article I can see why. LOTS of good stuff to pick up and apply.
