There’s an Early Bird rate for both of these events, so keep that in mind before you decide to hold off. Dean and I are really excited for this and hope to see you there!
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
Find their TRAINABLE MENU.
Here’s one of my high school soccer players training a few days after a left knee injury (not ACL).
She couldn’t straighten her knee nor put all her weight on it.
Automatic enrollment into Dean and Tony’s “we should totally hang out soon” list.
What’s more, you have the option to purchase BOTH Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint and Even More Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint at $100 off and pay just $177. All told you’ll receive 22+ hours worth of video and Tony’s pecs…;o)
If you’re still on the fence or skeptical on how much this new series will melt your face, here’s a few sneak peeks on some of the content covered.
1. Squat Set-Up
A ten minute clip outlining how we determine a client’s ideal stance for their squats based on their individual anatomical considerations.
2. Shoulder Stability Training
Almost 13 minutes of drills to help improve shoulder stability while getting a training effect along the way.
3. Breathing for Mobility
A nine minute video outlining how we use positional breathing drills to access more range of motion, plus make exercises instantly more challenging.
4. Plyometrics for the Elderly Client
Say what? Yep, you can use a stretch-shortening cycle with older clients to improve power output and keep their functional capacity as high as possible for much longer than slower movements. This 8 minute video shows the how and why.
Whether you’re a fitness professional or just someone who likes to lift heavy things and geek out over scapular upward rotation and the miracles of posterior pelvic tilt, Even More Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint will undoubtedly provide you a TON of actionable, real-world, evidence-based content.
It’s only on sale THIS WEEK (9/24-9/28), so take advantage of the savings while you can.
There’s an Early Bird rate for both of these events, so keep that in mind before you decide to hold off. Dean and I are really excited for this and hope to see you there!
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
You don’t have to squat, deadlift, bench press, carry, do any chin-ups, or otherwise lift heavy(ish) objects.
It’ll make you healthier, get you stronger, likely curtail depression (as with any exercise), & improve confidence.
If you’re a fitness professional you WILL see this and it’s important to recognize it and to have a handful of strategies in your back pocket to address it.
I made it back home to Boston and it was lovely to hug my wife and see Julian for the first time in two weeks. I mean, is there anything better than walking into your kid’s Pre-K classroom, him recognizing you, and seeing him sprint towards you, arms wide open, with a massive smile on his face? [footnote]Okay, maybe making out with Jennifer Lopez. Maybe.[/footnote]
I’m still playing a bit of email catch-up today in addition to being smacked around a little bit with some entrepreneurial shenanigans. In light of that I wanted to share my most recent podcast appearance, which took place with my friend, David Tao, of BarBend.com
You can give it a listen HERE (there’s also a full transcription of the conversation in case you’d rather NOT listen to my silky, sexy voice).
For the Apple snobs in the crowd you can listen on iTunes HERE (September 16th episode).
I’m traveling back to Boston from London today. I’ve been away for two weeks presenting at three different workshops. I’ve had a lovely stay, but am looking forward to heading home and my wife handing Julian over to me as soon as I walk through the door.
Thanks to Boston based personal trainer, George Kalantzis, for contributing today’s guest post.
Labor day has come and gone, the days are shorter, and the nights are colder.
That means it’s bulking season.
But you don’t come to Tony’s website for some cookie-cutter bullshit program. Over the next six weeks, you will craft a new physique using intense workouts, discipline, and commitment to add mass.
Nothing gets me more fired up than people who are not willing to put in the work to get desired results.
When I competed in natural bodybuilding last year, I heard questions like “how do you gain muscle and shred down,” how can I look bigger without gaining fat?” What supplements did you take?
The list goes on.
I hate to burst your bubble, but the universe does not bend at the whims of your desire. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot have your cake and eat it too.
So how do you bulk without gaining excessive weight?
To achieve a clean bulk, you must learn how to gain 2-5 pounds per month with half of that weight being muscle, and half of that weight being fat. This will keep your composition in an ideal state for optimal performance.
So just eat more food, right?
Not quite, too much junk food during a bulk is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Nutrition does matter, and most people will either eat a surplus of shitty food or not eat enough. That is one of the toughest things about adding solid mass.
You can expect to gain some body fat during a bulk, but not an excessive amount.
We are aiming to build a stronger engine so that you can increase size, which means you’ll need to gain healthy amounts of body fat.
Don’t get discouraged if you see others gain size quickly or achieve different results, gaining mass is about putting in the work, and for some, adding quality size can take time.
Your Blueprint For Success
Life is motion.
The world continues to rotate on the axis, and every day is an opportunity to grow. Your body is the secret to many things. Yet more often, many of us cheat our way through training, going through motions and we never achieve the results we look for.
Today is the day we put an end to all of that.
Very specifically, this template is designed to form the basis of your training to put on size using bodybuilding methods. Because this is a hypertrophy program, it will help with putting on size, but if you are a powerlifter or strong man, this might not be the best program for you.
An additional benefit of this program is that it will help raise your work capacity and thus prepare you even better for the strength phase training you’ll do after.
What’s more, this program will help spare muscle loss when you decide to cut back down.
This will be your blueprint for a six-week mass building phase.
You’ll notice it is broken down into two three-week phases, each phase using a combination of compound exercises and machines to maximize your results. It is these movements where we will construct a blueprint for adding some serious size.
Phase I
Our first phase consists of flooding the muscles by using compound exercises performed in the optimal range to transform your energy into muscle mass.
During the first three weeks, you’ll be training five days a week in a split that is three days of training, with two days off.
You’ll repeat 3/2 for three weeks in the following format: legs, push, pull.
The great thing about a 3/2 cycle is you can alternate it according to your life.
As long as you train three out of every five days, you’ll provide enough stimulus for growth.
At first, you’ll notice that the program does not look lie much, but to prevent overtraining and generate the highest anabolic response, you’ll stick to three working sets, not including your warmup sets.
Phase II
Now that your muscles are primed for growth, this phase makes insane changes to your physique.
You’ll go from training five days to six days, and you’ll do different exercises and reps ranges. As with the first phase, adjust the days according to your lifestyle, but keep the days in order and make sure to train all six days.
Conclusion
It is human nature to fear the unknown, but it would be inhuman to not yearn for something greater. If you want to experience changes in your physique, you must pushup yourself past your comfort zone. This six-week bulk will give you the tools you need to pack on some serious size.
About the Author
George Kalantzis began his career as decorated Marine with over ten years of faithful service and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s worked with everyone from professional athletes, celebrities, busy executives, and alongside some of the top strength coaches in the world.
Today he spends most of his time coaching at Equinox in Boston, and outside of work with his gorgeous little daughter. Please feel free to say hi over on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, as he loves meeting and connecting with new people.
There’s an Early Bird rate for both of these events, so keep that in mind before you decide to hold off. Dean and I are really excited for this and hope to see you there!
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
Dear high school athlete:
Please, please, please, please, PLEASE:
1. Stop using the excuse “you don’t have time in the morning to eat breakfast.” Get up 10 minutes earlier and get it done.
2. Start your off-season training IMMEDIATELY, not two weeks before the season starts.
This is a Tony Gentilcore & Matthew Ibrahim collaborative post.
Or, as I like to call it: A Gentilhim (or Ibracore?) production.
The Safety Squat Yoke Bar (also referred to as “SSB”) is a popular speciality bar that’s most often affiliated with collegiate strength & conditioning facilities, powerlifting gyms, or gyms that are a bit more “serious.”[footnote]You know, gyms that kinda make you destroy the back of your pants when you walk in because Viking Metal is blaring and people are warming up with your 1-rep max.[/footnote]
However, the Safety Squat bar has grown in popularity in recent years and it’s popping up in more commercial and boutique style gyms as well.
This is great because Matt and I both feel the Yoke Bar is a valuable piece of equipment, one that should be in every gym, with a variety of training applications.
Before I proceed it would make sense to show you a picture of the bar so you know what we’re talking about.
Advantages
1. The SSB is a more “shoulder friendly” way of squatting. Because you grab the bar by the handles which, when the bar is on your back, are located below your shoulders and a smidge in front of the body, it doesn’t require as aggressive of a set-up as a traditional back squat.
Traditional Back Squat (Straight Bar) = Shoulders maximally abducted and external rotated. Many lifters don’t have access to this range of motion and as a result their shoulders are like…
SSB/Yoke Squat = Not the above.
2. The SSB is more of a “hybrid” squat. As Matt notes:
“Since the SSB has a longer bar camber from side to side (as opposed to a traditional barbell) plus a unique loading position for weight plates, it offers the lifter a fine balance between what they would expect from a barbell back squat and from a barbell front squat.“
3. The SSB “fixes” your squat. Mirroring what Matt mentioned above, because of how the bar is designed, you have to fight like hell to stay upright (which, not coincidentally, makes it a great option to strengthen the upper back AND help work on thoracic extension; two things most people need more of).
As you get stronger with the SSB/Yoke Bar it’ll make things infinitely easier to stay upright if or when you revert back to a straight bar.
4. The SSB = 110 Power Boost in World of Warcraft (but only with a +1 Shield and Infinity Cloak).
Nerd.
5. The SSB helps with depth. Because the bar is situated higher up on the back it promotes more of a “squat down” pattern rather that “squat back.”
This, in turn, will often help a lot of people squat deeper (if that’s something they’re interested in).
Here’s an SSB Squat in action.
The SSB Squat exercise is quite common and frequently used.
We wanted to delve a bit deeper to provide several other lower body training exercises you could perform with the SSB that you may not be using already in your overall strength and conditioning program.
1. SSB Hatfield RFE Split Squat (Matt)
Description: This exercise targets lower body strength and power, primarily in the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes.
The trunk stability challenge here is the real deal as well, since you’re holding on to each side of the squat rack with your hands while the SSB rests on your shoulders. Be sure to press the entire surface of the working foot down through the ground as you power up from the bottom position to the top during each rep.
I’m a monster fan of this exercise due to the strength and power development components.
2. SSB Reverse Lunge (Tony)
Description: This was a staple exercise we utilized when I was coaching at Cressey Sports Performance due to it’s shoulder friendliness in addition to the fact we could be more aggressive with loading compared to dumbbells (grip becomes less of a limiting factor).
As with any single leg exercise there’s also a hefty balance and coordination component as well. I prefer a bit of a forward lean when executing this exercise as it places less stress on the lower back and also allows for more emphasis to be placed on the hips.
3. SSB 1-Leg RDL (Matt)
Description: This exercise targets lower body strength, primarily in the posterior chain muscle group (hamstrings and glutes). As the SSB rests on your shoulders, be sure to hold the handle grips tight with each hand to ensure trunk stability.
It’s important to also mention the relevance of keeping a neutral-ish spine as you descend down into the bottom position due to the orientation of the load on your shoulders. I like this exercise due to the single leg strength and stability demand it poses to the athlete.
4. SSB Front Squat (Tony)
Description: This is a variation I first witnessed my man Jim Smith – of Diesel Strength – recommend a few years. ago. I won’t go into the weeds on the benefits of a front squat
– you can read more HERE – but what I will say is that this variation is a wonderful way to counterpoint any client/athlete who insists that barbell front squats are too uncomfortable for him or her to perform,
I get it.
They suck.
They’re uncomfortable.
I don’t care, do this instead.
5. SSB Good Morning (Matt)
Description: Talking about posterior chain development without mentioning the Good Morning exercise is like eating eggs without the bacon; you just don’t do it.
The Barbell Good Morning has been a staple training tool for years when attempting to develop the glutes and hamstrings of the posterior chain muscle group. The SSB offers a slightly anterior loaded position when compared to the traditional barbell loaded version, which forces you to hinge your hips back even more than usual. I enjoy using this exercise as a way to really “feel” the hamstrings under load.
6. SSB Pin Squat (Tony)
Description: I loooooooooove[footnote]Like, loooooooooooooooooooooooooove.[/footnote] this variation as an accessory movement to the deadlift.
The key is to try to approximate the pin height to one’s hips height so that it “matches” their deadlift setup. In other words: the starting position of the Pin Squat should mirror their deadlift setup.
Factor in the increased demand to maintain an upright torso (t-spine extension) and your entire posterior chain is going to be challenged with this exercise.
The third and final installment of my “30 Days of Shoulders” series went live today over at T-Nation.com. All three parts cover everything from shoulder assessment and tips on shoulder friendly pressing t0 how to improve shoulder health and performance.
Collectively it’ll make all your hopes and dreams come true.
Does the science on traditional stretching actually benefit measures of athlete performance? I’m not sure that the notion has ever been questioned and we have all, including myself, just accepted the fact that by stretching our muscles we were actually taking positive steps towards running faster, jumping higher, and becoming an overall better athlete.
Before we dive into a lot of the research lets first look at some theories for and against stretching. We will start with the pros of stretching.
Pros of Stretching
First, it’s a common belief that stretching can effectively alter the tissue length resulting in more potential energy to be stored and an effective reset to the muscle allowing it to stay healthy and perform better. The effects of stretching on injury prevention is another article topic in itself, so we will just focus on the benefits of performance for now.
Unfortunately, it’s by no means fair to sit here and say that stretching will help you perform better although it sounds great on paper.
However, stretching does affect the viscous properties of muscle fibers and creates less resistance temporarily allowing for more potential ROM; although it doesn’t seem to be a permanent adaptation. Stretching can also improve fascicle length which may have implications on muscle recruitment rates, so there is another plus for stretching.
Moving on, stretching also deals with the aftermath of training.
Stretching has been shown to improve Parasympathetic Nervous System Activation.
This is the rest and digest part of our nervous system that you probably already know about and stretching can impact this branch of the nervous system, hasten recovery, and increase the potential to train harder in subsequent sessions if the stretching is timed right.
Lastly, stretching can make sure that there are no limitations in movement.
There is a bevy of research showing that its biggest influence is through creating more range of motion and degrees of movement freedom.
There are several scenarios you could think of which would require more ROM as an athlete (i.e. deep squat prior to vertical jump takeoff, loading phase of throwing or swinging, etc.) and you wouldn’t want a limitation in flexibility to prevent any success in your skill execution.
But what if stretching doesn’t really work as well as we thought and had hoped for…………?
Maybe Stretching Isn’t the Magic Pill (Important, but Not a Panacea)
1. Angle of Peak Torque
I read about this theory awhile back when Chris Beardsley brought the idea to light in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Basically, there are specific angles and ranges of motions where we will be most successful with different styles of training.
For example, with low velocity movements like bench press, squatting, and deadlifting the larger the range of motion and joint angle…the greater amount of force can be generated.
Conversely, with high velocity movements the ranges of motion and angles need to be much smaller in order to be successful.
All else being equal, stretching isn’t really going to offer a whole lot if you’re an athlete who relies upon high velocity performance on a regular basis.
Another thing to consider is that if you analyze the nature of most power and speed based activities, often times, athletes and clients already possess the capacity to load sufficiently and unload and propel their bodies in the intended direction.
So why then would they need to stretch more if muscles are naturally elastic and they’re already capable of the desired response?
Kelly Baggett referred to this idea of movement specificity as limits of flexibility.
Most movement in sport doesn’t even come close to what a person is already capable (stretching wise) and the tasks don’t require a tremendous amount of stretching in order to perform well.
Lastly, is the old Length-Tension Relationship.
A muscle has a sweet spot in terms of optimal contraction that we should all aim for.
If there is too little or too much stretch then there will be resultant decreases in force production and performance.
Stretching then becomes questionable with this in mind since it aims to drive more motion into the tissue and surrounding joints which could cause our efforts to dissipate when the time comes.
Note From TG:I wanted to take a quick time-out to expound a bit on this topic. Please don’t take this post as an all-out attack on static stretching. My thoughts (and I think Travis’s are as well) mirror that of Mike Boyle, where, years ago there was a study that showed stretching before a vertical jump affected performance.
The knee-jerk reaction by the fitness industry was to avoid stretching with a ten-foot pole. However, if I recall, the study had it’s participants do a metric shit-ton of stretching (like 10-15 minutes worth, give or take? maybe more?), which of course isn’t ideal for performance. There’s a stark different between that and having an athlete engage in a few quick stretches.
Basically, it’s likely best not to take a yoga class right before a timed 60. Outside of that, a smidge of static stretching prior to competition isn’t going to alter the space-time continuum.
Okay, I’ll shut-up now.
This All Sounds Nice on Paper But What Does the Research Actually Say Stretching Does for Performance?
“To determine whether SS produced similar performance changes in different performance activities, the findings of the studies were separated into power–speed- or strength-based tasks. Fifty-two studies reported 82 power–speed-based measures (i.e., jumping, sprint running, throwing), with 56 nonsignificant changes, 21 significant reductions, and 5 significant improvements; collectively, there was a small 1.3% reduction in performance. Seventy-six studies reported 188 strength-based measures (i.e., 1-RM, MVC), with 79 nonsignificant changes, 108 significant reductions, and only 1 significant improvement. There was a moderate reduction in performance (–4.8%), which indicates a more substantial effect of SS on strength based activities. The stretch durations imposed between activity types were considerably longer for strength-based activities (5.1 ± 4.6 min) than for power–speed-based activities (1.5 ± 1.6 min), which may explain the greater mean performance reductions after SS.” (1)
And here is some more…
“Twenty-six studies incorporating 38 power–speed-based measures used <60 s of SS, with 29 nonsignificant changes, 4 significant reductions, and 5 significant improvements in performance; collectively, there was a trivial change in performance (–0.15%) (Supplementary Table S41). It is interesting to note that although most of the findings were not statistically significant after short-duration stretching, a greater number of significant improvements than reductions were found in jumping (Murphy et al. 2010b), sprint running (Little and Williams 2006), and cycling (O’Connor et al. 2006) performances. Thus, there is no clear effect of short-duration SS on power–speed-based activities, although changes may be observed on a study-by-study (and hence, subject-by-subject) basis. Nonetheless, when 28 power–speed-based studies (44 measures) using ≥60 s of stretching were examined, 27 nonsignificant changes and 17 significant reductions were found, with no study reporting a significant performance improvement. Compared with shorter-duration stretching, the mean reductions were marginally greater (–2.6%) (Supplementary Table S41).” (1)
Zero Non-Sense Stretching
If you’d like to hear a little more on what Travis has to say on the topic check out his resource Zero Nonsense StretchingHERE. (<– affiliate free link).
Luke Worthington and I have presented this workshop twice. Once in London last year and again this past June in Boston.
We’re bringing it back to London this Fall, my most favorite place in the world.
This two-day workshop is designed to arm fitness professionals with all the tools they’ll need to hone their assessment skills and to make their clients/athletes a bunch of bonafide, resilient, strength training Terminators.
Combined Luke and I have ~40 years of coaching experience (or one Dan John) and bring different perspectives and skill-sets to the table; Luke peels back the onion on PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) concepts and assessment, while I go into detail breaking down movement and how to better “match” the exercises we prescribe to our clients.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – you can go HERE.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
Tuesday nights at CORE is “ladies’ night.” I have a group of 4-5 women who come in and get after it.
One of my male clients just so happened to pop in, and about 30 minutes into the session he noticed most of the plates were in use.
Fitness can be fickle. We’re programmed to believe that if we can’t do something – a push-up, deadlift 2x bodyweight, put a grizzly bear in a headlock – that we’ve failed.
F = Failure.
I really enjoyed this re-frame from the crew at Spurling Fitness in Kennebunk, ME.
