CategoriesUncategorized

40 Years, 40 Random Facts, Insights, and Tidbits of Tomfoolery

I turn 40 today.

Copyright: crashtackle / 123RF Stock Photo

 

On this day back in 1976 Megatron and Optimus Prime collided and the energy from that impact formed into a solid state mass who liked deadlifts, EDM, original 90210 episodes, and would grow into someone with an uncanny ability to never be able to tie a tie correctly. I don’t even know if that description is scientifically correct, but I don’t care. It sounds awesome, so lets roll with it.

Admittedly I’ve never been a big Birthday person. Throughout my life I’ve seen it as “just another day” and no big deal. I’m definitely not someone who takes the mentality that their b-day serves as an open invitation to be a Johnny Raincloud. “Aww, poor me, I’m one year older, feed me a quesadilla with extra guacamole and depression.”

On the flip side, nor am I someone who feels the need to profess this day to the world. I mean, granted, my day of birth ranks right up there with the most important days in human history:

  • The day Aristotle suggested the Earth was round and not flat after seeing the circular shadow it made on the moon. #mindfuck.
  • D-Day.
  • Man walking on the moon.
  • Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” speech.
  • The episode of Party of Five where Bailey was given an intervention for drinking too much.

 

However in the grand scheme of things, millions of other people celebrate their Birthday today too. I’m talking to you Bo Jackson.

All that said, today I wanted to have a little fun with my blog and jot down a few random facts (about me of course), insights, words of advice (life, fitness, business), and tidbits of tomfoolery. 40 of them in fact.

Enjoy.

1. My Fitness Inspiration Wasn’t Arnold.

Most guys my age will point towards Arnold Schwarzenegger (and roughly 212 viewings, each, of Predator, Commando, and Conan the Barbarian) as their initial foray into fitness.

Not me.

Mine was watching Mark McGwire of the Oakland Athletics on television. Whenever he and Jose Canseco would bash forearms after hitting a home-run, I’d be in awe at the sheer size of both of them.

Pharmaceutical discussions notwithstanding, I remember reading that the two of them owed much of their success to lifting weights.

2. Speaking of Baseball

Growing up my dream was to be a professional baseball player. Actually, first, I
wanted to be Han Solo, but baseball player was a close second.

I think I lived half my childhood in my side yard hitting baseballs back and forth with my dog, Daisy, following me every step of the way.

One of the scariest days of my life was when I accidentally hit a baseball right through the back window of the car my parents were trying to sell. My house is located on a fairly busy road, so it made sense to park the car out on the yard to get people’s attention.

OMG, I just about packed up all my He-Man and GI Joe figures and left home for good.

3. I Turned Down a Division I Scholarship

Kids (and parents) today are too caught up in numbers, especially the lure of a Division I scholarship. Unfortunately, much of their self-worth is set on the prestige of playing at the Division I level.

Eric Cressey posted a viral Tweet a while back saying something to the effect of “don’t get too caught up the D1 love affair. There are plenty of D2/D3 players who get drafted and who make it to the Big Leagues. Go where you’ll play and develop.

I turned down a Division I scholarship. You can read about the entire story HERE.

4. I Still Hate Bench Pressing

There, I said it.

5. 90s Hip-Hop is Still King

A small piece of my soul dies every time I play A Tribe Called Quest and a young athlete is like “who’s this?”

6. Did Someone Say the 90s?

Who’s planning an epic 90s themed party this weekend?

Why yes, I am planning an epic 90s themed party for my birthday next week.

A photo posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

7. #1 Mistake I See Trainers/Coaches Make?

Placing too much credence on posture.

“Posture is irrelevant unless you take into consideration movement.”

8. #2-Infinity Mistake(s) I See Trainers/Coaches Make?

Falling prey to the mindset that textbook technique exists. It doesn’t. No one has to squat with a certain foot position or with a certain bar position. No has to deadlift from the floor or with a straight bar.

We don’t live in textbooks, so stop training people as such.

9. I Didn’t Perform My First Deadlift Till I Was 25 Years Old.

For real. If I could go back and punch myself in the face for how I trained when I was in college I’d gladly do it.

10. My Best Pull

 

570 lbs at a bodyweight of 190.

Someday 600 will fall. Someday……..

11. Raise your hand if you balled like a baby when Red and Andy met up in Mexico at the end of The Shawshank Redemption.

*Raises both hands*

And for anyone who’s pissed because I just gave away the ending, that movie came out in freakin 1994!

12. I Majored in History at one point in college.

You laugh – but don’t underestimate the power of Post-Revolutionary Imperialism or the gritty intricacies of Roosevelt’s New Deal.

Chicks LOVE that shit.1

13. You’re not above anything.

Stop taking yourself so seriously. You’re not above calling your mom, telling your wife or kid(s) you love them, picking up a piece of trash on the sidewalk and putting it where it belongs, or staying after hours to mop floors or clean the bathroom of your facility.

It’s the small stuff that matters most and helps to nudge the attributes I feel are grossly deficient in today’s society: empathy, accountability, and integrity.

Oh, and eating a massive bowl of HoneyNut Cheerios. You’re never above that…;o)

14. Shut up and be a student.

Nothing is worse than that guy (or girl) who asks redundant questions at a conference or workshop to showcase how smart they are and that they know big words. Likewise, a close second are those people who question everything or “shut down” because what’s being presented goes against their way of doing things.

Shut up and be a student for a day. You don’t have to agree with everything, of course, and it behooves the industry to ask questions. But, come on…just shut up. You may learn something.

15. I think all new trainers should spend a minimum of 1-3 years working in a commercial gym.

16. Why?

It helps build character, resiliency, and business savvy. The only way you’re going to succeed is by scaring the shit out of yourself. Working in a commercial setting forces you to be your own best advocate, and no where else will you have as much access to such a diverse clientele. You’re primed to grow as a professional and do well if you put in the effort.

17. Um, have you checked out Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint yet?

 

Well, you should. HERE.

18. <– The number I wore all through high-school and college.

19. I failed my drivers test not once, but twice.

Once because I forgot to put the car back into drive (from reverse) when performing a three-point turn; and once because, apparently, it’s not in good taste to drive over the speed limit.

20. Whatever, don’t judge me.

21. I was never an avid reader.

That is until my ex, ex, ex girlfriend broke up with me (don’t worry, I’m over it). In an effort to get my mind off of things (and to stop watching endless Julia Roberts movies), when I randomly came across the Modern Library’s list of Top 100 Novels I decided to take that summer (2002) and tackle as many on the list as possible.

I started with Catcher in the Rye, and haven’t looked back since.

22. Tip for aspiring writers

Becoming an avid reader – of all genres – begets good writing.

It’s only here, marinating in other’s prose, where you’ll learn a better appreciation of developing style, writing cadence/flow, story telling, and when not to use adverbs.

23. Social media tip

Don’t always make it about you.

Share, share, share.

At least once a day share an article, blog, or I don’t know, a recipe for Vegan carrot cake sprinkled with sawdust.

Provide more value to people and your numbers will grow.

24. Deadlift tip

People seem to think scraping their shins is a bad thing. It’s good! That means you’re keeping the bar close to the body (and your axis of rotation; hips)

Stealing a nice analogy from CSP coach, Nancy Newell, try to “shave your legs with the barbell” as you perform each rep.

25. Squat tip

As noted above, I try to follow the mantra that everyone is different and then try to cater each lift to their unique ability level, anatomy, and goal(s). To that end, I am not married to the back squat, nor do I feel a coach loses demerit points for not back squatting their athletes/clients. I still use it often.

However, one variation I feel has carryover to pretty much everyone is the Double Anterior Loaded or 2 KB Front Squat

 

The anterior core engagement often helps people get into better position to squat deeper (and to keep a more upright torso).

NOTE: I am NOT saying one has to squat with an upright torso. A forward lean is always going to be part of the equation. However, I find many trainees lean too much to the point where their weight shifts into their toes and they often “fall” forward. This variation helps to build more context with executing a more upright posture.

26. Trainable Menus

This is a term I recently stole from Atlanta Hawks strength coach, Chris Chase, after listening to him on Mike Robertson’s Physical Preparation Podcast.

It’s imperative as coaches to differentiate between a trainable exercise and an athlete’s ability to demonstrate the ability to perform a task. We’re often in awe of people’s feats of strength and athleticism (think: 50″ box jumps). But just because someone can demonstrate a task, doesn’t mean it’s trainable (or should be trained).

27. Favorite movie of all-time?

28. Another writing tip.

Read what you write out loud. If it sounds wonky or “off” out loud, it likely comes across as way worse on the screen or page.

29. Signs that you’re (probably) an a-hole

    • You honk your horn 0.03 seconds after a light turns green.
    • You text while you drive.
    • You order a steak well-done.
    • You assume that because a woman is squatting or deadlifting or working remotely hard that she’s automatically training for something.
    • You don’t like Jason Bourne.
    • You spot someone at the elbows during DB presses.
    • You charge people money to come observe you shadow you.2
    • Not thinking my cat is the cutest cat ever.

30. Don’t succumb to societal norms

Example.

My wife and I were together for five years before I asked her to marry me. We were both in our mid to late 30s before we tied the knot. Ancient by some standards.

wedding

We waited on purpose. We didn’t rush into things. We had to make sure our shit was on the same page, and that took a lot of work and talking about feelings and stuff. And it was for the best. We’re a little over a year and a half in and crushing married life.

And now….

31. We’re expecting in January 2017

Help, please. Any advice?

32. Think: Simpler

Writing training programs isn’t rocket science, although we often treat it that way. When in doubt, make it simpler. People need consistency with the basics more than squats vs. chains with a 313 tempo, on one leg, blindfolded. For AMRAP.

33. “Dangerous” Exercises

There’s always going to be an inherent risk to lifting weights. I’d argue that the only way to make progress is to play with fire and to teeter on the “holy shit something bad may happen if I perform this rep” threshold.

Of course we need to stress good and “safe” technique. However, we can’t always baby people. Allowing people to get into precarious situations and positions is often the only way they’re going to learn to avoid them in the long-run.

So, yes, it is okay on occasion to allow the back to round a little on a deadlift or for the knees to cave in a little on a set of heavy squats. Deep breaths. The world will continue to spin.

And lets be honest: those who tend to label “x” exercise “dangerous” are generally the ones who have little experience or don’t know how to coach them correctly in the first place.

34. 3×52

That’s the best “set/rep scheme” for results. Get your clients to show up 3x per week for 52 weeks and lovely things will happen.

35. Best resources

People are always asking me what are my favorite health/fitness products? Luckily I keep a running “tab” of my favs on my resources page HERE.

36. Never underestimate the power…

…of a “thank you” note. A hand-written thank you note. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a gym/small business owner it’s that the small details matter.

Send notes to clients on their b-day, on their one-year anniversary of training with you, when they hit a PR, or when they finally watch House of Cards because you’ve been nagging them to do so F.O.R.E.V.E.R.

It’s amazing what such a small gesture will do towards maintaining customer loyalty.3

37. I swear when I write

I know it turns some people off. I’m sorry for that. I had a gentleman write me a rather condescending email not to long ago telling me how my judicious use of certain four-letter words makes it so my stuff is “unsharable.” At least within his social circles.

I can respect that, and I was apologetic to him. An egregious (or even strategically placed) f-bomb isn’t for everyone. However part of me wants to say:

“If my use of choice words somehow cancels out the bigger picture or message of what I’m saying, that’s on you not me. Grow up.”

Maybe I’m naive, I don’t know. I try not to go overboard with language, and do understand that it doesn’t always improve one’s writing. Maybe I do need to re-assess.

Anyone else have thought on this?

38. Hey, I have something planned for 2017

Another colleague of mine (Bryan Krahn) and I are planning on writing a training program/manual for the 35-40+ lifter. I feel it’s a demographic that’s underserved in the industry and does require a bit of TLC with regards to program design.

You want to get after it and train hard, but you’re also not 25 anymore.

I’d be curious how much interest there would be in doing a BETA or “guinea pig” group? Basically we’d be looking for people to give the program a try and to offer insights on what worked well, what didn’t, and how we can improve.

There would be a small fee involved and we’d ask for guys (and girls) who are relatively healthy to participate. I.e., no major injuries to work around. Interested? Good idea? Yes, no, maybe so?

39. Still one of the best quotes ever.

Courtesy of Eric Schoenberg:

“When you only throw with your arm then we’ll worry about “arm care” exercises.”

40. You’re the best

If you actually made it this far, you’ve earned yourself a gold sticker for today. I should get a gold sticker for coming up with this many things to write about – that was a lot harder than expected.

Categoriescoaching Conditioning Program Design

The Bloop, Bloop, Bloop Workout

Anyone who grew up in the 80s and 90s is likely very familiar with the video game Super Mario Bros. I had my introduction to the game the morning of December 25, 1987 after spending half an hour going mental once I realized Santa had dropped off a Nintendo Entertainment System underneath our Christmas tree.

Copyright: nicescene / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Back in those days each system came with a few “complimentary” games: Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt. The latter of which was included if you also had the system that came with the Zapper Gun.

Mine did.1

Anyways, Super Mario Bros has since had, I don’t know, 47 different iterations and has become a recognizable icon in our cultural fabric. As it happens my wife and I have a funny thing we do that’s a subtle reference to the game whenever we’re around each other and need a little “pick-me-up.” As an example she may hit up her Nespresso machine for a quick caffeine fix and I may inject an energy drink directly into my left ventricle.

What follows is often a sarcastic “bloop, bloop, BLOOP” sound that one of the two of us will make. You know, the same sound little Mario makes when he comes in contact with a Super Mushroom and becomes Super Mario.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4_nBSQ68A8

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.2

Really, though, anything that provides a bit of a boost or “power up” can be substituted here. A large glass of water, a power nap, a zombie Apocalypse, anything.

Even your workout.

Your workouts don’t always have to be a grind or always make you collapse in a pool of your own sweat. There’s a time and place for that of course. Like I always say, lifting weights or training isn’t supposed to tickle. However I find far too many people fall into the trap where they’re more concerned with constantly killing themselves in the gym – be it because they feel that’s the only way to make progress, or worse, to win some sort of popularity contest on social media – rather than make a concerted effort to get better, see results, and/or work towards a legitimate goal.

Training with purpose or with a goal in mind is never a bad approach. That being said, every training session doesn’t have to be life or death. I think it was Paul Carter who came up with the idea of 80% workouts.

  • 10% of the time you will feel like garbage. These workouts are the worst. It happens. It’s likely you’ll need a change of plan.
  • 10% of the time you will feel amazing. You walk into the gym and feel like you could beat Jason Bourne in a fist fight.
  • 80% of the time you’re just, you know, there. Nothing spectacular.

It’s those 80% “meh” workouts that matter most. You get in, do the work, don’t miss any reps, and move on with your life. Instagram doesn’t even have to know about it. It’s unsexy and boring, but it’s that consistent attack on being consistent that we should all strive for.

I don’t want to leave you hanging. What do you do when you walk into the gym, have an epic session planned, but one of those 10% days happen where you feel like a bag of dicks? On one hand you could just reverse trek, hop back into your Camaro, go home and crush a steak. On the other, you could still workout…but in a way that will enhance recovery and help you feel like a million bucks.

The Bloop, Bloop, Bloop Workout

The following are some Super Mushroom options to help turn you turn Little Mario into Big Mario.

Option 1: Glutes/Core/Bodyweight

I see Bret Contreras use the option often and it makes a lot of sense. Your glutes and core musculature tend to be harder to fatigue and can generally handle a little more volume without it affecting your subsequent training sessions.

Plus most people could use some additional work in those areas anyways.

Here’s a favorite circuit I like to use myself (and with my clients):

A1. Band Resisted Hip Thrust x 15 or Frog Pumps x Infinity (<— 25-50+ reps)

A2. TRX Row x 10-15

A3. Bodyweight Squats x 15-20

A4. Yoga Push-Up Complex x 5/side

 

A5. Birrdogs w/ Band RNT – x10/side

 

A6. Half Kneeling Hip Hinge Matrix – x3-5/each/side

 

The idea is to perform in circuit fashion with 60s rest at the end. I like to shoot for a total of five rounds. Total work time = roughly 10-15 minutes.

Option 2: I’m an Athlete Tony, Treat Me Like One Dammit!

Alternatively we can implement what’s referred to as a Neural Charge Workout.

What’s a neural charge you ask?  It’s simply a way to train the CNS in an efficient and non-ball busting way (<=== how’s that for science?).

Implementing more of this type of training is a great way to not only help with recovery, but also to improve inter and intramuscular coordination, increase recruitment of high-threshold motor units, increase rate coding, and lets be honest: it’s just plain fun.

As well, I’d even argue it’s a great way to decrease joint stress (as your utilizing (mostly) concentric based movements), not to mention there’s an obvious metabolic component as well. And it gets people more athletic.

Nevertheless the basic premise is this: Pick 5-6 exercises or drills and perform them as explosively as possible in circuit fashion. I should also note that it’s important to allow full recovery between each exercise. So when I say circuit fashion it’s not like you’re going to rush through it. And you’re not going to perform many total reps. I’d say 3-5 max.

A1. Band Resisted Broad Jumps – x3-5

 

A2. Med Ball Floor Stomps – x3-5

 

A3. Sprinter Step-Up – x3-5/leg

 

A4. Explosive Push-Up to Box – x3-5

 

Height of the boxes (or steppers) will vary here depending on ability.

A5. HAS (Heavy As Shit) KB Swing – x3-5 (you know, heavy)

 

This is where I may swing the beast around like a boss.

What’s listed above are just options. You can substitute anything you’d like in their place: box jumps, Heidens, 10 yd starts, pressing variations vs. chains, or whatever.

The important thing to consider is alternating between upper and lower body exercises, and if you’re going to include things like med ball work, core specific work, OLY lift variations, sled work, and the like, you need to put some thought into the order.

From there, as noted above, you’re gong to cycle through the exercises (making sure to recover between each) for a specific number of rounds or for a specific amount of time. Six rounds takes me around 12-15 minutes which is just about right in my book.

Remember: the idea here isn’t to hate life and train until you shit a liver. If anything after this type of session you should feel refreshed and ready to take on the world. This is what I mean by Bloop, Bloop, Bloop. You should feel energized and good after this session.

There’s a bit of autonomy and personal preference with regards to exercise selection, but I’d caution against going overboard. Stick to “easy” stuff for no more than 3-5 repetitions. Try to shoot for no more than 15 minutes of work and GO HOME.

Seriously, go home.

CategoriesUncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 11/25/16

Soooooooooo full. So…much…food.

Copyright: catalin205 / 123RF Stock Photo

 

No big surprise as I am sure many of you reading are in the same boat, but I am in rough shape today. Lisa and I are heading to the gym at some point so we can work off some of the excess calories from yesterday. I’m pretty sure I’ll be sweating pumpkin roll.

I’m going to get right to the point today. Here’s this week’s list to stuff to read…

Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint – Matt Damon’s BFF and Dean Somerset

It’s Black Friday and this is the first time in my life I actually have something to offer for it. It’s cliche, I know. But you better be sure as shit I’m going to take advantage. I have a baby on the way after all…;o)

Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint is on sale for $30 off the regular price today through this weekend. It would be awesome if you’d check it out.

Get Off Social Media, Get In the Gym – Lee Boyce

This whole article is very quotable, but one of my favs:

“On a completely unrelated note, I’ve noticed that the people who often spend the most time bickering on social media aren’t simultaneously the ones with the most impressive physiques, lifting numbers, or industry accomplishments.”

How to Prep Your Hips for Squatting – Ryan DeBell

I started using this warm-up with my squatting this past week and really liked it. Ryan’s stuff is always on point.

CategoriesCorrective Exercise

Happy Thanksgiving: Oh, and Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint On Sale

As this post goes live my wife and I are en route (5.5 hours in the car) back to central NY to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Or, depending on what time it is and when you read this, I may be three slices into my mom’s homemade apple pie. Who knows?

Copyright: alexraths / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Okay, four slices.

It’s my sincerest hope that everyone reading is enjoying the day with family and eating the most un-Paleo friendly meal possible. And if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving: sorry. Happy Thursday then? Or, better yet: Happy “six days until my birthday?”

HINT: my Birthday is six days away. The big 4-0. Like, whaaaaaaaaaaaat.

So without beating around the bush, Dean Somerset and I released our Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint a few weeks ago to rave reviews.

hipshoulder-landscape

Basically it’s been described as the Hamilton of fitness products. Except, you know, without any dancing or rapping Presidents.

If you were someone who missed out on the sale price during the original release, what the heck? What’s next? Telling me you’ve never watched House of Cards or GoodFellas?

On the off-chance that the former happened, you’re in luck. Dean and I are putting it back on sale at $30 off the original price starting today through this weekend.

 

Fitness Professionals: If you’re looking for a product that covers anything and everything as it relates to shoulder and hip assessment, addressing common movement dysfunctions, and a resource that helps connect the dots towards improved results and performance with your athletes/clients this will do the trick.

Non-Fitness Professionals: If you’re someone who likes stay in at home on a Friday night and nerd out over this stuff and/or are looking for tips on improving exercise technique with common lifts such as squats, deadlifts, and chin-ups (among others) this will be very helpful to you as well. What’s more there’s TONS of exercise regressions, progressions, and lateralizations to consider based off varying goals, anatomical factors and injury history.

You get 11+ hours of both lecture and hands-on material in addition to some epic LOLcat and Star Wars references (if that’s your thing).1And to top things off CEUs are available.

There you go. Do you need more incentive? Maybe if I included a steak dinner in there? You only have a few days to act.

—> CLICK ME <—

CategoriesAssessment coaching Exercise Technique Program Design Strength Training

Deadlift Deep Dive: The Deficit Deadlift

First things first: Lets address the obvious. If there were a contest for best blog title of 11/22/16 featuring a kick-ass alliteration starring the letter “D,” I’d totally win it today.

I got the idea the other day after listening to a popular segment on EW Radio called Diva Deep Dive.1

It’s a killer idea and I am woefully unoriginal, so I took it upon myself to steal it and replace the word “Diva” with “Deadlift.” Because deadlift.

Copyright: spotpoint74 / 123RF Stock Photo

 

The Deficit Deadlift

The deficit deadlift is a variation where the trainee stands on an elevated surface – a plate or some form of platform such as an aerobic stepper or stacked rubber mats – and tries not to shit their spleen lifts a barbell off the ground.

Photo Courtesy of BodyBuilding.com

It’s viewed as more of an accessory movement to the deadlift and is often utilized to address issues with the initial pull off the ground. The idea being the increased ROM (Range of Motion) will make the lift harder and help those who are “slow” off the ground.

Some coaches love it and feel it’s a valuable asset to anyone’s training repertoire, while others hate it and view any of the following…

  • Jumping into a live volcano.
  • Swallowing a cyanide pill.
  • Juggling chainsaws.
  • Watching an episode of Downton Abbey.

…as a more valuable use of one’s time.

As with most debates in the health/fitness world the answer always lies somewhere in the middle. So lets break things down shall we?

Origins

I’m pretty sure this particular variation was invented by Ernest Hemingway, but I could be making that up.2 Unlike, say, the Jefferson Deadlift (named after old-time strongman Charles Jefferson) or the Romanian Deadlift (invented by someone from Romania?), no one really knows where the deficit deadlift came from. Besides, who cares, right? The name itself implies what it is.

Unless, and this will blow my effing mind if this is the case, the deficit deadlift IS actually named after someone with the last name Deficit. Man, how ironic would that be?

Addressing the Elephant in the Room

Most of the naysayers of the deficit deadlift will usually chime in with something like “it’s dangerous.” To which I counter…..

via GIPHY

There’s no better way for me to chime in on this matter than with this quote from strength coach Andrew Sacks taken from an article he wrote titled Defending the Deficit Deadlift:

“The main argument for dropping the deficit deadlift is that it’s dangerous, and by setting the bar at a height slightly below a traditional deadlift we’re turning a strength-training staple into a lower-back horror movie.

Consider that when we deadlift, the height of the bar is totally arbitrary. Nobody hired scientists to figure out the “ideal” diameter for 45-pound plates. Everybody just agreed that they all should be roughly 17.5 to 18 inches.

So if the diameter of the plates – and therefore the height of the bar – is arbitrary, does it matter where we pull from as long as we maintain form? The short answer is no.”

To that end, I don’t agree that the deficit deadlift is dangerous or that it should be contraindicated altogether. I do agree, however, there are contraindicated lifters, and that a lot of people – due to poor movement quality, anatomical factors, skill level, past or current injury history, and yes, their own stubborn stupidity – are unable to perform this variation with appropriate technique and therefore should avoid it.

^^^ That Stuff I Just Mentioned, Lets Talk About Em

Movement Quality: It’s a rare event when someone walks in on Day #1 and can perform a deficit deadlift flawlessly. I’d argue it’s rare someone can walk in on Day #1 and perform a conventional deadlift flawlessly. It’s human nature to think we’re all better than the average cat. Everyone thinks they’re a better driver than everyone else. It’s likely you’re just as horrendous at parallel parking as the next person.

This sentiment spills over into fitness too. Many people think they’re more advanced than they really are and like to skip over the seemingly “easy” stuff (Kettlebell Deadlift) and catapult themselves into expert level territory (Deficit Deadlift)…despite having the movement quality of a pregnant turtle.

By today’s standards, many people don’t move well and lack the mobility requirements to perform a standard deadlift, let alone one performed from a deficit. Getting down to the barbell requires a fair amount of hip flexion. And if someone lacks it (which is often), the end result is a compromised spinal position into lumbar flexion.

This is where good coaching comes into play. I’d caution people to jump to conclusions too quickly. It is possible to take someone in the picture above and cue them into a better position. However, taking that out of the equation, if it’s already a challenge for someone to bend over towards the bar and not look like their spine is going to break in half, why add more ROM?

Anatomical Factors: pigging back off the above, we can’t dismiss the idea that everyone is different. There are variations in torso lengths, femur lengths, arm lengths, not to mention bony structure considerations in the hip itself (hip width, acetabulum retroversion/anteversion, how the femoral head sits within the acetabulum (retroversion/anteversion), variations in femoral neck lengths, etc) that make the deficit deadlift a good fit for some people, and not so much for many, many others.

Respecting individual differences is key to long-term success and it’s something you can read more about HERE.

Some people simply won’t have access to the requisite hip flexion necessary to, you know, get into aggressive hip flexion. Unfortunately, none of us are Superman and have X-ray vision…but we can perform a simple Rock-back Screen to ascertain one’s available ROM.

Kneeling Rockback – WIN

 

Notice I am able to maintain a good spinal position throughout the full-ROM (there’s no “falling” into spinal flexion).

Kneeling Rockback – FAIL

 

Now we’re in trouble. For someone like this – where losing spinal position happens quickly – it’s likely that going into anything that requires deep(er) hip flexion will be a bad idea.

Again, this doesn’t mean we always have be a Johnny Raincloud. It may be a matter of cueing someone to adopt a better bracing strategy in order to maintain position. If they can do so passively (on the floor) and can then emulate the same ownership actively (standing)…then we know they can access the ROM, we just have to be really diligent with technique and progressing appropriately.

  • If they can access passively but not actively, it’s likely a motor control issue or the exercise itself is too much of a novelty.
  • If they can’t access it passively, nor can they perform it well actively…we’re likely looking at a structural issue and we need to be more judicious with exercise recommendations.

To the last point, again, adding in more ROM (deficit deadlift) won’t be a good idea.

Skill Level: Call me crazy, but the Deficit Deadlift is an advanced variation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2kL-7IpYz0

 

I’d have to be very comfortable with someone’s skill-set and ability before I dumped it into their program. And while it can be viewed as a bit generalist, my “flow” of deadlift progressions are as follows.

Meaning, when starting with a new trainee, here’s how I progress them:

1) Understand that the deadlift = hip hinge. Deadlift doesn’t mean “heavy” or that it has to be loaded at all times or that it has to be done with a barbell.

To that end, we’re going to master the hip hinge.

2) Kettlebell Deadlift (and all it’s variations: Hover Deadlift, 2 KB Deadlift, 1-Arm KB Deadlift, Suitcase Deadlift).

 

3) Trap Bar Deadlift – first with high-setting, then with low setting. Center of Mass is INSIDE the barbell which makes this a much more lower back and user friendly variations

4) Rack Pulls or Block Pulls

5) Sumo or Modified Sumo Deadlift. 

 

6) Conventional Deadlift

7) Deadlift Whateverthefuck – Deficit Deadlift, Snatch-Grip Deadlift, etc.

Benefits of the Deficit Deadlift

Assuming this variation is “safe,” or a viable options what are the benefits?

1) I’ll concede that the increased ROM has merit, but it’s overplayed. More time under tension is rarely a bad thing, and considering many are weak in their posterior chain, the deficit deadlift is a good fit here.

BUILD THAT BOOTY!

2) I guess it can be argued that the deficit deadlift helps with the initial pull (with regards to the increased ROM). The idea being: make the lift harder and when one reverts back to “normal” ROM things will feel easier.

I’m not opposed to this train of thought. I get it. But to me, if I’m writing a program I want all accessory lifts to address a technique flaw or weakness in one of the big 3 (squat, deadlift, bench press). Making something harder for the sake of making harder won’t necessarily address anything.

Which leads to #3.

3) Being slow or weak off the floor with the deadlift is a thing. However, I find when this is indeed the culprit, utilizing the deficit deadlift here isn’t necessarily all about increasing the ROM as it is about better quadricep recruitment.

We’ve become so posterior chain-centric in the past decade or so that I find a lot of trainees have neglected their quads. And the quads DO play a role in the deadlift; especially with the initial pull (putting force into the ground). This, to me, is the main benefit.

Yes, smarty pants, squatting will help build the quadriceps. But the rule of specificity still reigns supreme. If I want someone to get better at deadlifitng, I’d rather they deadlift (and tweak it accordingly).

Some Closing Thoughts

  • As far as how much of a deficit to use: this can be individual, but I find 1-3 inches is more than enough for most trainees. So long as spinal position is maintained.
  • I’ll use sub-maximal weight on these (60-75%) for 4-8 reps.
  • Deficit deadlifts are aggressive – even for advanced lifters – so I’d caution anyone to use them for more than a few weeks or one training cycle (a month?)
  • If know someone with the last name Deficit, please tell me.
CategoriesCorrective Exercise Exercise Technique

You Don’t Need Core Stability or Core Strength

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of a TG.com regular contributor, Boston-based physical therapist Andrew Millett.

What’s the difference between core stability and core strength? Which one is more important? Find out below.

Copyright: undrey / 123RF Stock Photo

 

You don’t need to be be doing core stability exercises or core strengthening exercises. You NEED to be doing BOTH!

What is Core Stability?

Core stability is the ability of the musculature of the trunk aka the “core” to be able to maintain a certain position. It involves musculature contractions typically 20-25% of MVIC (Maximal Voluntary Isometric Contraction). Another way to think of it is that these exercises require precision and control of movement rather than brute strength.

An example of a “core stability” exercise would be the Bird Dog.

 

The Bird Dog movement requires the participant to maintain a neutral spine position while moving an arm and leg. This does not require a maximal contraction of the abdominal musculature. It requires a low-level, precise contraction of certain musculature to maintain a neutral spine. There are NOT large amount of forces being exuded to cause the person to have to exhibit brute strength to have to perform.

Other examples of “Core Stability” exercises are:

½ Kneeling Chops

 

½ Kneeling Lifts

 

Dead Bug

 

Segmental Rolling

 

 

Prone Superman’s

 

The exercises mentioned above are all movements that can be made more difficult by adding weight or resistance. The purpose of these “easy” movements are to improve the timing and sequencing of the core musculature. Performance of these exercises are to be performed with precision and control.

What is Core Strength?

Core Strength is the ability of the core musculature to maintain or control a certain position against increased forces of gravity, resistance, or weight. Exercises or movements that would be considered core strength are:

Swiss Ball Rollouts

 

RKC Plank

 

Stir the Pot

 

Sledgehammer Hits

 

Anti-Rotation (Pallof) Press

 

All the movement mentioned above are using some form of external force. Whether it be gravity, weight, etc., the core musculature has to exhibit a much greater force to resist moving through the spine.

Why Do WE Need BOTH?

Well, you can have great core stability and be weaker than a baby kitten in a wet paper bag or you can have the strongest core in the world and can have poor core stability.

How is that so?

For example, maybe you can hold a plank with proper form for an inordinate amount of time, ie. 5 minutes. I would say that you have great core strength. But we can’t say that you have great core stability.

Here are a few quick tests to determine how someone’s core stability is functioning:

Segmental Rolling

 

 

Key Points:

  • Attempt to roll from your back to your stomach using one arm and no legs.
  • You may lift your head and reach with one arm.

Bird Dog

 

Key Points:

  • Can you maintain a neutral spine while alternating arms/legs?
  • Does the pelvis remain level while performing?

If so, then you passed.  If not, then barring any type of decreased hip extension, thoracic spine extension, or upper extremity flexion mobility, your core stability may be impaired.

½ Kneeling

 

Key Points:

  • Bring front foot so that it is in line with down leg.
  • You should be able to maintain your balance without shaking or using your arms for balance.
  • Typically, one side is more difficult than the other.  There may be a core stability issue if you cannot maintain an upright posture in tandem ½ Kneeling.

If you can perform the ½ Kneeling Test and both sides feel relatively equal, then you passed. If not, then barring any type of decreased hip extension, ankle, or thoracic spine mobility limitations, this could be indicative of a core stability issue.

I don’t think I need to go into as much detail for core strength, but the importance of maintaining a certain position when deadlifting, squatting, lunging, etc. is hugely important to decrease risk of injury and to improve performance.

We need core stability because throughout the spine there are tiny stabilizing muscles that go from spine segment to spinal segment.

 

If you present with an imbalance during the Bird Dog, try performing with a towel roll on your low back and widen your base of support so that the movement is challenging but you can perform it with good form.

 

If the ½ Kneeling Test has imbalances present, try performing ½ Kneeling Chops with a band around the lower legs to improve core musculature recruitment.

The responsibility of these muscles is to stabilize from one spinal segment to another or stabilize a few spinal segments that they may cross over. If these tiny muscles don’t do their job and stabilize like during a bird dog, ½ Kneeling position, or during segmental rolling, compensation will occur.

Instead of those aforementioned muscles working, the work will be placed upon the larger muscles such as the paraspinals, etc.

Who Cares?

Well, if the small, stabilizer muscles aren’t stabilizing effectively and the larger muscles are working harder than they need to, then this can cause movement compensations over time and in turn place you at risk for injury or decrease performance.

If you present with an imbalance during segmental rolling and either can’t do a certain direction or one direction is harder than the other, perform it with some assistance.

 

If all else fails, see a licensed medical provider with a background in the Selective Functional Movement Assessment here (http://www.functionalmovement.com/site/aboutsfma)

With that said, we need BOTH. Performing core stability exercises as mentioned above during a dynamic warm-up or super-setted in a workout AND doing core strengthening super-setted during a workout.

Run yourself or your client through some of these tests and see what you can do to help improve their movement quality through core stability and core strengthening.

About the Author

Andrew Millett is a Metro-West (Boston) based physical therapist.

Facebook: From The Ground Up

Twitter: @andrewmillettpt

Instagram: andrewmillettpt
CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work Uncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 11/18/16

Lets jump right into it.

Copyright: maglara / 123RF Stock Photo

Stuff to Check Out Before You Read Stuff

1. Hey, hey, hey…it’s my wife’s Birthday tomorrow. Anyone who knows Lisa well knows how much she loves b-days.

lisa-on-london-bridge

Year 36 was a huge year for her. It was her first FULL year of life being married, which was excellent of course. She traveled with me to Europe, twice. Also excellent. And she’s currently busy building a human being inside her. Like, whoa.

In addition, she started to make some waves within the fitness industry this past year. She’s made numerous appearances on several health/fitness podcasts, our Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop we do together became a thing (NOTE: we’re taking requests for 2017), and she and Artemis Scantalides are building something special with their I Am Not Afraid to Lift workshops.

In fact, the two of them (along with Julia Ladewski) are putting on a stellar retreat in Arizona next year.

It’s designed by women for women.

If you’re a woman and interested in being surrounded by other like-minded women in learning anything and everything with regards to kettlebell training, the barbell lifts, nutrition, and mindset strategies…this event is going to be right up your alley.

You can go HERE to check out more details.

And finally……LISA JOINED FACEBOOK in 2016! You can go HERE and “friend” her if you want. I’m sure she’d love a b-day shout out.

2. I also wanted to take the opportunity to remind people about the Pedestal Footwear Kickstarter that’s currently underway. I’m a big fan and fully support their product and mission.

They’re only three-days in and 80% towards their goal. Amazing stuff.

Take a look….

3. One more day down until the premier of Rogue One. Not that I’m excited or anything.

And now, the stuff you should read….

6 Reasons You Should Care About Your Poop Health – Krista Scott-Dixon

As if I could resist sharing something like this.

Despite my cheeky, juvenile tone…this is actually a very serious topic and wonderful article explaining what it means when your poop looks a certain way. It actually tells you a lot.

There Is No Such Thing As a “Girl” Version of an Exercise – Meghan Callaway

I think the title says it all.

Fit Pros: the words you use matter.

The easiest culprit to toss under the bus here is the “girl” push-up. I hate, nay, I fucking hate the connotation it breeds.

“Oh, you’re a girl, you’re weak and frail, so we’re going to do this (shitty) exercise instead.”

No, stop it.

How to Be a Good Fitness Writer – Erica Sutter

I’m a sucker for energy drinks, Star Wars references (obviously), deadlift videos, and articles about writing.1

I found this article to be brilliant in its simplicity.

No other way to summarize than to quote Erica directly from an exchange we had the other day when I said how much I enjoyed this article:

“No easy answer but just to write, screw up, and get better!”

BTW: About the only other way the picture above could be more staged (perfect posture, smiling, cup of coffee within arms reach) is if Erica had a copy of Stephen King’s “On Writing” underneath the cup of coffee. Pffft, amateur….;o)

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Categoriesbusiness

The Perfect Business Growth Plan: 6 Keys to Creating a Successful Personal Training Business

A common fallacy in the fitness industry is that if you don’t own a gym you don’t have to worry about “business stuff.”

Another common fallacy are those who open a gym and automatically consider themselves businessmen (or women). The idea being because they open an impressive looking gym filled with all the bells and whistles, that all they have to do is turn on the lights and people will show up.

Copyright: yuryimaging / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Ryan Ketchum chimes in today with an excellent article on the “fitness business” and how to build a successful one at that. I chime in too with some “TG Tidbits.”

His insanely reasonably priced resource The Academy is on sale now with tons of free bonuses. 

Enjoy! 

The Perfect Business Growth Plan

You didn’t go to business school and most the trainers I talk to don’t really have a passion for the business side of things. You’re in it to help people and create an impact.

Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of career options for trainers. You can work at a big box gym, maybe you get lucky and get a job working at a facility that provides you opportunities or you head out on your own.

So it’s no wonder that many great trainers end up frustrated with their business, struggling to get by or worse…

…end up leaving the industry.

Copyright: michaeljung / 123RF Stock Photo

You can’t SOLELY rely on your skills as a trainer to build your business. If you choose to start your own business you’re going to have to learn how to market, sell, and manage your business.

Fortunately there are 5 keys to ending your frustration and finding the success you want.

Step 1: Start With The End In Mind

If you don’t know why you’re doing something, the purpose behind it, it’s nearly impossible to get there.

Having a long term vision for your business helps you create a short term action plan that gives you purpose. When you have purpose you’re more motivated to take action.

Start by describing what you want your business to look like three years from now. Imagine writing an article about your business that’s going to be featured in your local paper or even something like Inc.

Tell the story of your business. How many clients do you have? How many team members? Locations? What are your values? What impact do you have the community?   How are you innovating?

You don’t have to figure out how you’ll get there just yet. But, you need a clear picture of what it looks like when you arrive.

TG Tidbit: I remember when Eric, Pete, and I were drawing up the “plans” for Cressey Sports Performance back in 2007. The three of us huddled up at a table in a local Applebees and tried not to destroy the back of our pants drew up a business plan and mission statement.

I want to say the business plan was “don’t suck” and the mission statement was “make people into deadlifting X-Men,” but of course we were a bit more thorough than that. The point being: this had to be done. How else to draw a line from Point A (gym owner rookies) to Point B (WHOA – people are paying us)?

We had to write down our WHY and then how we were going to achieve it.

HINT: read Start With Why.

Step 2: Zoom In!

Once you’ve got a clear picture of where you want to be and what your business looks like in a few years it’s time to zoom in and focus.

This is what separates the dreamers from the achievers. It’s critical that you establish a 90 day plan.

At a minimum your plan should include:

  • Revenue and profit goals
  • Marketing goals
  • Key projects/initiatives you’re going to complete
  • A simple plan for hitting your marketing and sales goals

You can focus on hitting your goals and completing these projects over the next 90 days. It helps you set priorities and allows you to focus.

Copyright: dogfella / 123RF Stock Photo

If you accomplished 2-3 key projects or initiatives each quarter you’d have made progress in 8-12 areas of your business through the year! That’s huge progress, but you have to take it one quarter at a time.

TG Tidbit: When I opened CORE in 2015 this was something I admittedly struggled with. I still do. I’ve never been one to write down lists and then attack them. However, now that I’m starting a family it’s become more imperative I plan a head and recognize what needs to be done to best set myself and my family up long-term “success.”

Accountant? Check.

Financial Advisor? Check

Signing up for Jason Bourne hand-to-hand combat classes, which has nothing to do with nothing? Check

Finally understanding the power of list making and crossing things off? CHECK.

Step 3: Develop Your Marketing Strategy

If you’re going to grow to six figures and beyond you’ll need a strategy to acquire new clients.

Here’s where a lot of business owners go wrong! They deploy tactics with no consideration of an overall strategy.

Tactics are things like referrals, bring a friend days, FB marketing and joint ventures.They all work, but you need to know what you’re trying to accomplish and have a clear plan of attack before implementing these tactics.

A good business owner will understand their strategy and be great at implementing the right tactical methods to get them to their goals.

To start with your strategy let’s look at what you need to define:

  1. Your Core Offer – what are you building your business around?
  2. Your Ideal Client – who are you building around?
  3. Your Local Market Positioning™ – why they should choose you?

Once you have this the next step is to figure out what you’re trying to accomplish with your marketing. Defining the objectives of a marketing plan will help you create the right tactical plan to get the results you want.

Did you know that only about 3% of customers are ready to buy right now?

That means that for every 100 people who see your ads, fliers, social media posts and hear about you from your clients only 3 are ready to buy from you today.

But, what if you could educate and persuade those others?

Here are some sample objectives you can accomplish:

  • Get people to trust you and your business
  • Build credibility within the community
  • Educate the market why they need to work with us
  • Refer new business
  • Gain respect
  • Overcome price objections
  • Gain influence
  • Build urgency

Once you’ve created at least 3-5 objectives for your marketing plan it’s time to develop it.

Most fit pros get a majority of their leads from word of mouth marketing or referrals. And while you need that in your arsenal of marketing tactics it’s way too passive to grow an easy to run and fun business.

Because you’ll constantly be worried about getting referrals 🙂

If you choose to use an education based marketing approach you’ll be creating content that you can use to educate your target market that simultaneously sells your services.

TG Tidbit: Here’s where I lucked out. I started blogging in 2005-2006, when there weren’t that many people writing fitness blogs. As of today I have 1,875 posts on this site. That’s a metric shit ton1 of content.

Moral of the story: what are you waiting for? Stop procrastinating. WRITE! Building a brand isn’t going to build itself.

On an aside, I also think one of the often overlooked “keys” to marketing is to not look like you’re trying to market. There’s a lot to be said about authenticity and being genuine. 

Determine what the biggest pain points are for your target market (this is why you need an Ideal Client profile) and create articles, videos and workshops covering these topics.
For most many trainers the primary goal for your clients is weight loss. Knowing that, what are the biggest concerns for someone that’s trying to lose weight but hasn’t had success?

Here’s a few ideas for content:

  • How to eat if you want to lose 20lbs without following a strict diet
  • How to get results with 30 minute workouts
  • Eating Habits For a Lean Body

Quick Tip: You can get some really cool ideas from this Headline Generator.

Creating education based marketing on these topics will not only attract the other 97% (remember only 3% are ready to buy now) but it will also position you as the expert.

Once you’ve completed your education based marketing you can offer a solution for the biggest problem that your audience is facing. This is where you try to move a lead into your intro program.

Taking an education based marketing approach allows you to accomplish your primary marketing objectives.

If you’re stuck on tactical methods to get this strategy out to your audience here’s a quick list:

  • Free e-books
  • Workshops
  • Seminars
  • Lunch and Learns
  • Videos
  • Blog Posts
  • Email Marketing
  • Public Speaking
  • Joint Ventures
  • FB Marketing (ads to your videos/workshops/etc)
  • Networking

Plus, when you educate your clients in your marketing they are more likely to refer their friends. And because you’ve educated them they know exactly what to say.

TG Tidbit: I had this conversation with a friend of mine the other day who started working in a commercial gym recently and has been having difficulty finding clients. I told her “why not set aside 30-60 minutes during your floor hours and provide a free “clinic” to members on topics you’re passionate about and will resonate? Topics like “Better Exercises Than Crunches to Build Your Core,” or “Fat Loss Myths,” or maybe provide a squat or Turkish get-up tutorial.

Get yourself in front of more people’s eyes, provide education (value), show them you’re an “expert,” and it’s likely someone interests will be piqued.

Step 4: Create Simple Systems

An easy and fun business doesn’t require you to do every single task. That actually sounds like a hard, lame business to run.

If you’re just starting out there’s going to be a short period where you’ll have to do it all. As long as the goal is to get non-revenue producing tasks off your plate as quickly as you can afford to that’s okay.

You need to create systems for the following:

  • Lead Generation (marketing) Systems
  • Conversion (sales) Systems
  • Training Systems
  • Customer Service Systems
  • Billing Systems
  • Accounting Systems
  • Human Resources Systems
  • Facility Management Systems

When creating your systems make sure you keep the 80/20 rule in mind. Knowing that 20% of your activities will produce 80% of your results will keep you focused on documenting the most important activities in your systems.

The rest can be up to the person completing the system. If you get all your systems to 80% and you hire the right people they can take it the rest of the way.

TG Tidbit: I’ll tell you right now, Pete Dupuis not only handled all the “business stuff” for CSP in the early days, but he also handled the calls, billing, scheduling, payments, and also helped handle cleaning duties (with everyone else).  His life changed dramatically, though, the day we hired an office manager (see Step 5). However that wasn’t until three or four years into our business. The systems he developed prior were what helped him not go insane.

Step 5: Hire the Right People

Now that you’ve got your systems in place it’s time to look at hiring or outsourcing some of your tasks.

The first hires in your business should be a great accountant, a solid bookkeeper and a superstar admin.

Stacie Leary, the “face” of Cressey Sports Performance and who really runs the show…;o)

Unless you love staying up to date with tax code and spending countless hours getting your P&L ready a great accountant will save you tons of time and lots of money.

You want your accountant to do more than end of year tax prep. You want them doing your monthly P&L, cash flow statements and balance sheets. It’s also critical as your grow to have them help with tax planning so you don’t get behind or surprised with a huge tax bill on April 15th.

A bookkeeper will help you manage your expenses and work with your accountant to make sure everything is tracked correctly. My bookkeeper provided me with an accounts receivable and accounts payable report each week and I’d tell them what to pay and what to hold off on for our bills based on due dates and the cash we had available.

Hiring a bookkeeper saved me at least two hours a week doing stuff I hated!

Next you can look at hiring an admin to take on some of the work you’re doing that’s not revenue producing. Training, marketing and sales can stay on your plate for now but everything else if fair game to delegate to an admin.

Hiring trainers is a great idea once you have these other areas covered. That’s a tougher position to fill and requires more training on your part, which is why you do it after the other three.

Having an accountant, bookkeeper and admin frees up your time to train your trainer on your systems.

TG Tidbit: Having an accountant is HUGE. Especially one who’s familiar with the fitness industry and tax code (knowing what you can and cannot write off).

Also, in terms of hiring in general for your business….Hire PEOPLE not resumes.

Step 6: Know Your Numbers

Successful businesses don’t guess. They use data and information to make educated decisions.

That’s why you need to know your numbers. Tracking and reviewing a few numbers in your business will help you identify issues before they become a problem and help you make key decisions.

You need to be tracking the following weekly:

  • Leads
  • New Front End Offer Clients (people on your low barrier to entry offer)
  • New Core Offer Clients (those signed up for your membership)
  • Retention Rate

The following need to be tracked monthly:

  • Operating Margin
  • Autopay to Expense Ratio
  • Closing Rate
  • Growth Rate

If you can get this info you’ll be able to manage the health of your business and make better decisions on a weekly basis.

It’s not always fun setting things up so that you can get these numbers but it’s well worth it once you have it.

Wrap Up

You’ll be able to create a six figure strategy for your business by getting this in place. Don’t worry if you don’t have it all right now, or even if you don’t have any of it.

Start by making one of these a priority to get in place this month and then add a new one each month until they are all in place.

Not only will you be able to grow your business to six or multiple six figures quickly, but your business will be more fun and a lot easier to run.

You can get access to all the resources and training you need to build your own six figure personal training business in The Academy.

Give it a test drive and watch your business grow.

academy-blog-banner-v1

CategoriesProduct Review

Build Your Base: Pedestal Footwear 2.0

This, my friends, is super cool. Please read on.

Most people who have been following me know that when I left Cressey Sports Performance back in 2015 and started my own gym I was quick to affiliate myself with a small Boston-based company called Pedestal Footwear.

Granted one of the co-owners – Brendan McKee – was a long-time CSP friend, but when he reached out to me to introduce me to his business partner, Mike Lyon, to set up a meeting for Mike and I to meet, it didn’t take more than ten seconds for me to appreciate that what they were trying to accomplish and the message they were trying to convey was something I could get on board with.

Mike and I met, we discussed what Pedestal Footwear was all about, we deadlifted, and it was a match made in heaven.

In the year since that first meeting I have been using Pedestal Footwear exclusively in my training.

I’ve also been recommending them to all of my athletes and clients. In fact, each person that starts training at CORE receives a complimentary pair.1

In fact, it’s not uncommon for everyone on the gym floor to be rocking their Pedestals during training, which, now that I think of it, definitely calls for a new hashtag.

#PedestalParty

Why Pedestal?

1) We don’t wear gloves when we type on a laptop, so why do we feel it’s necessary to wear shoes at all times, especially when we train?

When standing your feet are the one part of your body that’s in constant contact with the floor providing sensory input with regards to spacial awareness and balance. There’s a time and place for shoes, but when you’re inside, in a controlled environment, the capacity to actually use the small intrinsic muscles at the bottom of your feet can enhance training.

2) On that last point, many nagging injuries such as Plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy, and many other injuries up and down the kinetic chain (knee pain, low back pain) have their roots at the feet. Due to wearing cement blocks for shoes at all times many (not all) people have lost the ability to use their feet because the feet are weak, and in turn, compromises the ankles and all the other joints up the chain.

3) More specifically, Pedestal Footwear aren’t just socks. They’re engineered and designed to enhance your training.

  • Their Base Grip makes it so that your feet stayed glued to the floor and don’t slip. Perfect for performing things like squats and deadlifts. What’s more, you can wear them in shoes – and many do – to help keep the feet more stable inside.
  • The Ped-Tex Blend makes them almost indestructible. Batman gives them a thumbs-up.
  • The Woven Saddle, which utilizes the Silver Weave, makes it so the socks themselves won’t become a HAZMAT hazard. They stay odor and bacteria free.

4) They’re manufactured in the USA, if that’s something that’s important to you.

5) And it’s not just me that’s been singing their praises. Other well-known coaches and health/fitness industry professionals have hopped on board: Bret Contreras, Nick Tumminello, Dr. Emily Splichal, Jen Sinkler, BJ Gaddour, and Bill Parisi are just few.

6) In addition reputable fitness publications such a Men’s Health Magazine, The FitCast, BodyBuilding.com, and STACK have all endorsed Pedestal Footwear.

Support and Find Out More

I don’t receive one nickel for any of this. I’m helping out because, yes, Brendan and Mike are two friends of mine, but also because they’re two guys who are the epitome of integrity and are doing the fitness industry a favor by attempting to bring Pedestal Footwear to the masses.

They’ve just started a KickStarter Campaign TODAY (<— CLICK) highlighting the new 2.0 versions. It would be a huge favor to me if you’d take the time to watch the video below and possibly consider helping out their cause.

Thank you!

CategoriesAssessment personal training

What You Weren’t Taught About Assessments

As this post goes live I’m (hopefully) en route back to Boston after attending Mark Fisher’s wedding in NYC this past weekend. I decided it best to pre-schedule something on the off-chance some crazy shenanigans went down, like, I don’t know, an impromptu dance-off with a unicorn or a shot of Tequila somehow made it into my hands.

Nevertheless, better safe than sorry…I needed to plan a head.

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Boston-based strength coach and massage therapist, Mike Sirani.

Enjoy!

Copyright: dolgachov / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Oh, the assessment.

The assessment is one of the most pivotal moments when working as a personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach. It’s often your first in-person interaction with a potential client.

Even though brand awareness, marketing, and your reputation can all help your chances of success before the assessment even starts, you still have 30 to 90 minutes to sell a client on why you or your gym is the best person/place to help them reach their goals.

This can be difficult, especially if:

  • You’re young and/or new to training people.
  • You feel like you’re not as busy as you should be.
  • You have thoughts like, “I’m so much smarter than this other trainer, but they’re making way more money than me.”
  • You often scratch your head thinking things like, “I’ve taken PRI, DNS, FMS, FRC, SFG, and eat KFC, and despite all of my continuing education, the number of clients I see still isn’t growing.

If any of the above rings a bell to you, I believe this article can help you.

All the knowledge in the world is as useless as the Cleveland Browns on a Sunday unless you understand a few key things.

1) Most People Are Seeking Your Services to Get Fit

Somewhere along the way, physical therapy blurred with strength and conditioning, and strength and conditioning blended with physical therapy. It’s great for the field, and both do work optimally together, along the same continuum, but it’s important to know your role.

Most clients looking to improve their fitness don’t give a shit about their pelvic inlet position or posterior mediastinum’s or the 10-degree difference in hip internal rotation from side to side. When you start throwing out those terms, you’re just a big weirdo. Here’s what I recommend instead:

Listen

  • Be an active listener.
  • Have good body language.
  • Ask the right questions. All of your questions should help you build rapport and lead towards making good clinical decisions in order to help the person in front of you.

Meet Them Where They’re At

  • Don’t put down or talk bad about someone’s previous exercise programs, especially if it’s something they enjoy doing.
  • Making them stop doing something they enjoy should be your last option and done only if you’re 100% sure it’s holding them back from reaching their goals.
  • People will have pre-conceived notions and it’s your job to educated them—but also respect their views and understand that not everyone will be a good fit to work with you.
  • I currently train clients who are yogis, cyclists, triathletes, Cross Fitters, Pilate’s enthusiasts, and runners. What do they all have in common? They see value in my service, enough to limit how much they’re doing of their other activities to make room for strength training because it will help them reach their goals and allow them to continue doing the activities they love

Actually Come Up with a Fitness Plan

  • Here’s an idea: Instead of throwing someone through the gamut of corrective exercises on Day 1, why don’t you bring them through a brief workout?
  • Show them what they’re good at, show them what they’re bad at, and actually coach them through different movements.
  • Then work with them to come up with the outline of a plan that you’ll use to guide them towards reaching their goals.

2) Context Matters!

It’s clear that above I poked fun at a few philosophies and anatomical terms. Please don’t get me wrong. I don’t condone being one of those trainers who is all about doing an exercise only because it looks cool and fun. The better you know your anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, and pain science, the more potential you’ll have to be a great coach.

But, as a coach, you must also take all of that knowledge and put it in CONTEXT for the client to UNDERSTAND, APPRECIATE, and VALUE what you are saying.

You see, we take these continuing education courses that are catered towards physical therapists, massage therapists, and chiropractors and think we can explain things the same way when bringing someone through a fitness evaluation. Often times in a course, you’re explaining that increasing this range of motion or decreasing tissue tension in this area will help alleviate pain.

What if your client isn’t in any pain and they just want to get fit? What do you do then?

Consider learning how to re-phrase things and put them into context that not only work for fitness and performance, but put value in what you can do to help them reach their goals. Here are a few examples:

  • A right-handed baseball player who lacks passive hip internal rotation – “When we increase your hip internal rotation, you’ll be able to load and explode much better with your lower body and generate a lot more power during your swing.”
  • A powerlifter who lacks ankle dorsiflexion – “When we increase your dorsiflexion, it’ll become much easier to hit depth on your squat and you won’t get red-lighted on weights you should be able to lift.”

 

  • A client who asks why you’re watching them perform certain movements during a FMS – “This will give us a better idea of what exercises will be best for you body at this time and tell us what you need to work on in order to progress the exercises you’ll be doing during your first program.”

With that being said, you also need to realize that you’ll run into situations where a client may have a Type A personality and want to know the details and the science. Now is the time when you can step up to the plate and impress the client with your knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics.

3) Analogies

Science can get complicated. It can be overwhelming explaining tissue healing or specific training and rehab concepts to a client. This is where analogies can be huge for educating a client and getting them to buy in and be on the same page as you.

A good analogy is great for explaining an unfamiliar concept with a familiar one and can take complex explanations and make them simple.

Be creative with these and make sure you drive your point home with something your client really resonates with.

In Summary

If you’re good at your job and are able to get a client to train with you a couple times a week, you’ll likely have good adherence and get good results. But you have to first know how to put yourself in a situation where someone is willing to spend money on you or your gym each week. It’s easy to fail getting to this point when you get caught up in how much you think you know and are waiting for every opportunity to share what you learned over the weekend.

Instead of feeding into your own ego by showcasing your knowledge with a new client:

  • Be a good listener
  • Meet them where they’re at
  • Always come up with a plan
  • Know that context matters!
  • Use analogies.

I once heard Alwyn Cosgrove say, “If you can see John Smith through John Smith’s eyes, you can sell John Smith what John Smith buys.”

If you can remember to see John Smith through John Smith’s eyes and know that clients don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, you’ll be a much better coach, and your busier schedule and increase in clients/members will surely reflect your improvements.

About the Author

mike-siraniMike Sirani is a strength and conditioning coach and massage therapist in Boston, MA. He works at Pure Performance Training where he helps client’s look, feel, move, and perform better.

Prior to building a successful personal training business in Boston, Mike graduated from one of the nation’s best exercise science programs at Springfield College and graduated from the Cortiva Institute in Boston for massage therapy shortly after.

He interned at Conca Sport and Fitness, one of Western Massachusetts’ top training facilities, and the nation’s best baseball strength and conditioning facility, Cressey Sports Performance. He is a certified strength and conditioning coach through the NSCA and has completed extensive continuing education in manual therapy, cardiovascular training, Functional Range Conditioning (FRC), Postural Restoration Institute (PRI), and Functional Movement Screen (FMS).

Mike played collegiate baseball at Springfield College and is an avid golfer. When not doing any of the above, Mike enjoys binging on good television shows and spending time with his fiancé. You can check out what Mike is up to on Facebook or check out some of his other articles at Rebel Performance.