CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 5/13/14

Before I get into this week’s list of stuff to read, I wanted to reach out to all of my esteemed, intelligent, and radically good looking readers to ask them for a little feedback.

I plan on giving this website a “face-lift” in the near future with the help of my friends from Copter Labs, who built this site from scratch way back in 2010.

I have a few things that jump out at me:

1.  Make the site more compatible for those who log on through their iPad or iPhone.

2.  Upgrade some of the aesthetics like the font (I want to make the font larger), getting rid of some of the superfluous stuff on the home page like the link to Flickr and my YouTube page, as well changing the standard “bald-strength-coach-tough-guy-who-crosses-his-arms” picture that’s plastered on the front.

For all I know that scares more people away than welcomes them.

3.  And then there are some backend things like updating the NewsLetter software and including more links to LOLCats….;o)

I’m wondering, though:  is there anything YOU’D like to see change?  Anything I’m missing or need to improve on (Note:  calling me out on grammar mistakes doesn’t count!).

I’d really appreciate some feedback in the comments section below.

10 Health Myths That Just Won’t Die, Debunked by Science – Various People Smarter Than Myself.

Does fat make you fat?

What about carbohydrates?

Just because something is “gluten-free” means it’s healthier, right?  Ahem, soda is gluten free.

I enjoyed this article, because for starters it includes one of my man-crushes, Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, but also because it debunks MANY of the most common myths out there (like the ones mentioned above).

 Ladies, What’s YOUR Goal? – Emily Socolinsky

For those who read this site regularly, Emily shouldn’t be a stranger.  I link to a lot of her work because I respect the hell out of her, and think she’s a powerful advocate for women and strength training.

This was a wonderful commentary on the batshit-craziness of some women and how they can be snarky, judgmental, a-holes, and otherwise act like they’re in Junior High School all over again.

My Butt is Doing What?  Squats and Butt Wink – Ann Wendel

Very succinct and to-the-point article by Ann on something which is common in the weight-training community:  the butt wink!

Many people glide towards the idea that the hamstrings are the biggest culprit….which they are not!

Ann breaks down a handful of the most common reasons and how to address them

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 5/12/14

I hope everyone had a lovely Mother’s Day yesterday. I did what every son on Mother’s Day does and went out and bought a new Spring blazer and pair of jeans for myself….;o)

I blame my new fashion sense on reading Unleash Your Alpha: Eat Like a Man, Train Like a Beast, Operate Like a Gentleman, and Become a Legend recently.

I received a signed copy by the author himself, Mike Campbell, a few weeks ago (no big deal), and after reading it came to the conclusion that “not wearing sweatpants” didn’t count as dressing up.

Thanks Mike!

And yes, I called my mom to say “I love you,” and to let her know that she’s was the best thing since Thunder Punch He-Man.

Diving right into things, it’s been a while since I’ve done a Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday post, so lets get started!

1.  I’m an avid reader. I read a lot of books on anatomy, strength and conditioning, performance, and how to otherwise make people make other people destroy the back of their pants on the playing field or court.

Too, I also read a fair number of non-fiction and fiction books. I’m constantly asked by others what are some good books I’m reading, and one I’m reading now which I’ve found fascinating is The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap.

I’m not an overly political person, and I believe that if people work hard and are honest and aren’t “douchy,” that they’ll be compensated accordingly.

This book explores the 2008 financial disaster and how, despite causing panic and dire ramifications that affected millions of people across the world, not one (NOT EVEN ONE) Wall Street banker saw jail time.  However, for those on the other end of the socio-economic spectrum, it’s not uncommon for many to see jail-time for petty crimes such as “blocking pedestrian traffic.”

It’s quite the tale, and one that will make you want to throw an ax into your face from sheer rage.

On the lighter side of things, I also just finished Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir on the Craft, which is something I’d recommend to anyone  looking to 1) learn writing tips from one of the best (Hint:  limit those adverbs!) and 2) understand that writing is a process, albeit a painful, often relentless (and thankless) process that only the insane would ever actively pursue.

2.  Since we’re on the topic of stuff-I-like-and-it’s-obvious-I-have-impeccable-taste-basically-I’m-George-Clooney, I might as well showcase some of the recent movies I’ve watched that I enjoyed.

Rush – easily one of the more OVERlooked movies of 2013. This one stars Thor Chris Hemsworth as Formula One racer James Hunt and highlights his rivalry with Niki Lauda during the 1970s.

There’s car crashes, profanity, and boobies.  A+!!!

In all seriousness, I had no idea that this was directed by Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) till after the fact, and have no idea why it never received much fanfare.

It was a well directed movie, with amazing characters, and an awesome story. I’d even go so far as to say it would make my list of Top-10 Movies of 2013.

I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a “wild card” movie to try out.

12 Years a Slave – I purposely chose not to go see this in the theaters when it first came out because I knew it was going to be a “hard” movie to watch.

I recognize that’s a cop out and a weak excuse, but I knew that if I was going to sit through a 2+ hour movie on the topic of slavery, I had to be mentally prepared for it.

All I have to say is that it’s one of the most powerful, unflinching, and effed-up movies I’ve ever watched.

Note:  effed-up in the sense that it DOES NOT back down in showing what things were REALLY like back in those days.  I give Steve McQueen, the director, all the credit in the world for not “sugar-coating” anything.

It deserved EVERY award and accolade it received.  And, just to toss it out there:  both Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender, both of whom didn’t win the Academy Award, should have been the ones holding up the trophy a few months ago.  They were robbed.

Philomena – starring Judi Dench, this film follows the true story of a woman who had her son taken away from her decades ago and was forced to live on a convent, and the journalist who helped her seek out the truth years later.

Equal parts funny and heart-wrenching, this film shows how much of a boss Judi Dench is as an actress.  You gotta love that Brit humor!

3.  I have a few BIG announcements to pass along.

First

I’ll be holding a one-day workshop/seminar at Warrior Fitness in Cancun, Mexico on Tuesday, July 1.

I don’t speak a lick of Spanish, so worse case scenario I end up nixing my talk on how to coach the big 3 lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press), as well as my discussion on upper extremity assessment and how to “manage” CrossFit progressions, and hold my own Lucha Libre wresting match complete with drop-kicks and kick-ass masks!

You can watch the promo video HERE (complete with sub-titles!!) to get a better idea of what to expect and topics to be covered.

In addition, for more information and to reserve your spot, you can contact Roberto Aguilar at the Warrior Fitness website HERE.

Second

As we’ve alluded to in the past, Dean Somerset and I are taking our Workshop global!

Our first stop is London, England.

We’ll be holding a TWO-DAY workshop at The Third Space Soho on September 13th and 14th, 2014.

For full details (itinerary, cost, accommodations, and Dean’s favorite 007 villain)  you can go HERE.

Our second stop will be in Washington D.C in mid-October (18-19, 2014) but we’re still ironing out the exact location.  I do know that the location itself will be in Sterling, VA….not too far outside DC itself.

We’ll be posting a link shortly regarding information on hotels, etc….but you can still sign up for the early bird price HERE (scroll down to the bottom).

We’ve had inquires from other places – Chicago, Australia, Tatooine……and would be open to others as well.  If you’re someone who’d like to help us organize an event please contact feel free to contact me HERE or Dean through his site.

And that’s it for today

Categoriespersonal training

Do You Need to Train People In-Person In Order to Write About Training People?

I’m not at the facility today.

As I tap these words on my keyboard I’m sitting in my apartment at the dining room table with the cat right beside me serving as a reliable writing companion. I’m sipping on some tea. I also have some ambient “chill” music playing in the background. And I may or may not be wearing pants.

I’ll leave that up to your imagination, you saucy minx!

Put another way, I’m not at “work” today. Truth be told: as of early September I’ve been staying home every Monday. And prior to that, for the past few years I’ve taken both Tuesday and Sunday off as well.

Yeah, I know….sweet schedule.

Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

My schedule hasn’t always been so open and friendly. When Eric (Cressey), Pete (Dupuis), and I first opened up Cressey Sports Performance back in the summer of 2007, all three of us worked six days a week, many times seven.

It was a grind; a necessary grind; a grind we happily accepted in lieu of the BIG PICTURE: To grow CSP into one of the best training facilities in North America.

I’d like to think we succeeded. gggggk9;;;;;’hhhhlllll[[[ (<— my cat just got up, walked across the keyboard and says hello).

As the years passed, we grew. In more ways than one.

The facility grew, of course. What started as a rundown 2600 sq. foot facility in the corner of an indoor batting facility grew to what is now a 15,000+ sq. foot facility.

Our personal and professional lives also grew. All three of us are now married (or about to be), in addition to starting our respective families. Pete has an 8-month old. Eric and Anna are expecting twins (TWINS!!) next month. And Lisa and I are, well, not quite there yet…..;o)

Professionally, Eric is juggling upteen million things at once. I’ve known him for over a decade, lived with him for two years, and even today I still wonder if he’s half-cyborg. The man is a machine.

Pete, Vice President and business manger, to his credit, is the unsung “rock” of CSP. There aren’t many small businesses – let alone in fitness – that can back up saying they’ve seen consistent and continued growth financially despite a less than consistent economy.

Tossing myself into the mix, I too have seen a growth professionally. When I first started out in this industry I would have slapped you in the face if you told me at some point down the road I’d be paid to write for some of the most well known fitness publications out there.

And I would have slapped you twice if you told me I’d get to the point where I’d be doing public speaking without hyperventilating into a brown paper bag (let alone people would pay to come see it).

As Larry David would say: things are pretty good.  Preeeeeeeety, preeeeeeeety good.

Bringing my thought process back to the point above, though (the part where I said I’m not at “work” today or tomorrow), I wanted to clarify and elaborate a bit.

I’m going to go back on Wednesday and inevitably someone’s going to say, “hey Tony your pecs are looking extra pecky today how were your days off?”

I’m not a douche. I’ll play along and say something like, “they were great! Thanks for asking.”

However, here’s what I actually did this morning. On my “day off.”

– Woke up at 5:3o.

– Made an epic omelet for breakfast and ate it while watching The Daily Show.

– Wrote the latest program for my Premium Workout Group on WeightTraining.com.

– Wrote five programs that were due today for athletes at CSP.

– Performed two separate phone interviews with other writers from WomensHealth.com on articles they’re  writing on box jumps and common core training mistakes.

– Answered emails from distance coaching clients. A lot of emails. It never ends.

– Washed some dishes.

– Wrote this blog post.

– And once I press send I’m heading over to Boston University Strength & Conditioning to get my lift on.

And then, this afternoon, I plan on hitting up my favorite coffee shop to catch up on some writing deadlines for T-Nation and MensHealth.com.

So, is it really a day off?

Granted I’m not physically at the facility coaching people (today), but I’m not sitting at home on the couch crushing Netflix either.

Which parlays into another discussion altogether, and something I brought up on Twitter yesterday:

This phenomenon happens more often than you’d think; people who write about fitness and write about how to train people, yet don’t train anyone in real life. Ever.

As one commenter noted yesterday:

“I wouldn’t want a surgeon that only played Operation.”

I may come across a bit jaded in saying this, but this is something that really irritates me at times. Grinds my gears if you will.

Don’t get me wrong: I think there’s a difference between someone who reports fitness and knows their limitations as opposed to someone who pawns him or herself off as a fitness authority and pretends they know what the hell they’re talking about.

As my good friend, Bryan Krahn, noted:

It’s my #1 pet peeve and you can spot it in their work/programming. AKA: The Fitness Expert.”

And my other good friend, Peak Performance NYC owner, Joe Dowdell, agrees:

“You can spot frauds a mile away from their unrealistic and/or poorly designed training programs.”

People who write about fitness and don’t actually train people (or worse, never perform their own programs) write garbage like this (which I saw recently on a popular site):

A1. Deadlifts 5×10
A2. Chin-Up 5×10

*** 60s rest in between sets.

This was an “advanced strength” program and there was more to it, but this was as far as I made it before my eyes started rolling to the back of my head.

A Few Thoughts

1. If “advanced strength” is the goal, why is it asking for sets of ten? I’d be inclined to keep total reps for each set under five. Three most likely.

2. Deadlifts are a very grip demanding exercise and pairing it with another grip demanding exercise like chin-ups makes no sense.

3. Know what else doesn’t make sense? Allotting 60 seconds of recovery between sets. Again, if strength is the goal, no one outside of Superman is going to recover remotely close enough between sets. And for 9 out of 10 people their last set is going to be significantly lower compared to the first.

Performance and technique are going to be compromised.

I’m half surprised the author didn’t give people a choice between “resting” or juggling a few chainsaws between sets. You know, to make it more hardcore.

The Point Is This

Speaking personally, I feel there’s a degree of integrity involved with fitness writing. Yes, there’s a minute case of the pot calling the tea kettle black here, as I am spending less time physically coaching people and more time at home writing. But I’ve also spent twelve years working 5-7 days per week, amassing thousands of client contact hours (<— don’t worry, in a non-creepy way) coaching people face to face.

I still spend 25+ hours a week coaching.

I’ve been fortunate enough to get to the point where I can spend less time at the facility if I choose to do so (which also means less commuting in my car, 40 minutes both ways), and I’m thankful for that. If I wanted to I could make my living doing nothing but writing, making fitness products, and uploading pics to LOLcats.

However it’s important to me – as someone who does write about fitness and how to train people – that I actually train people. It’s sounds silly, but I feel it gives me a bit more “street cred” compared to some (not all) fitness writers who don’t train anyone. And it certainly provides me more credibility than www.JackedGunzFatLossJedi.com. For the record. That’s not a real site. I think.

Taking this train of thought further, this also explains why I’ll promote internet programs like Eric Cressey’s High Performance Handbook, Bret Contreras’ 2×4 Program, John Romaniello’s Superhero Fat Loss, Molly Galbraith’s Modern Women’s Guide to Strength Training, or Neghar Fonooni’s Lean & Lovely program without blinking an eye.

BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY TRAIN PEOPLE!!!!!

To be clear…….

This DOES NOT imply that one MUST train people in order to be a fitness writer. I know many, many people whom I have a lot of respect for who consistently put out great content who don’t train anyone in person. More importantly, their clients get results (which at the end of the day counts for a lot).

UPDATE: another point to consider (as someone noted after I posted this on Facebook) is that just because someone does train people in person, doesn’t mean anything either.  There are plenty of trainers who train people in person and can create sweat, exhaustion, and a bucket of DOMS…and that’s about it. There’s very little progress or adaptation being made.

Plus, we live in an era where more and more people can work from home. It’s hard to fault anyone to jump on that train and to ride it for as long as possible.

But the ones I know don’t pretend to be someone they’re not. They don’t write about topics they have little experience with. They know their limitations and they seek out (and give credit) to others for help and insight. And THAT’s where the distinction lies.

Also

1. They don’t refer to themselves as a “fitness expert.”

2. And they sure as shit don’t write programs that make no sense.

3. I’m totally not wearing pants right now. I win!!!

CategoriesFemale Training

Some Thoughts On Training Women (Post # I Don’t Know, I Lost Count)

“Can we please just shut-up about Tracy Anderson!?!”

Those were some powerful words uttered by David Dellanave of Movement Minneapolis last weekend during the Expert Panel at The Fitness Summit.

Up until that point a fair amount of Tracy Anderson bashing had accumulated, partly in jest (as the brunt of some jokes), but too, partly because her name came up in several presentations (mine included) as a talking point about the the state of the industry, and I think Dave just kinda got sick of it.

The tipping point, I believe, was when powerlifter, T-Nation writer, and overall nice guy, Greg Nuckols, asked the panel a simple, albeit powerful question: “How do we promote good training information without turning people off from training?”

On an aside, I watched Greg PAUSE squat – ass-to-grass no less – 585 lbs for an easy, clean single last weekend.  I secretly hate him….;o)

As my friend, Harold Gibbons, noted in his summation of the entire event, “This question was posed in contrast to a conversation at the time that discussed how we as an industry can do battle with some of the horrible training suggestions out there.  I say “battle” and “horrible” because we can all be vocal about the disregard for science and safety from certain training methodologies.  While I don’t agree with some of them, I don’t know if these people deserve to be cast as pariahs, as much as we can accept them as well intentioned and flawed with opportunity for growth.”

I’ll be the first to call myself out here.  I’ve done my fair share of championing the charge against the likes of Tracy Anderson, Jillian Michaels, or any other example you can come up with.

On one hand it seems a bit misguided or hypocritical (and I’ve even been called jealous) given the thousands of testimonials they have from women all over the world who have followed their advice with great success and lost “x” amount of weight performing their programs.

That should be commended.  Kind of.

You see, extenuating circumstances aside (medical issues), it isn’t hard to get people to lose weight. Take them from doing nothing to doing something, and “stuff” will happen. How’s that for science!?!

What I hate, what really ruffles my feathers, gets my goat, and makes me go bat-shit crazy….is the incessant fear mongering that the likes of Tracy Anderson gravitates towards and advocates.

Here’s a sampling of some of her better known gems:

“No woman should ever lift a weight above 3 lbs.”

“While running, strength training, and cycling may burn calories, they do not design feminine muscle or get rid of an imbalance that may masquerade as a “problem area.”

“I would never recommend (kettlebells) to women, even women who are fans of bulkier muscle lines.  While bulkier muscles looks OK on women in the 20s and 30s, it doesn’t age well.”

And while I don’t like to use ad hominem attacks as part of an argument, I do find it somewhat “odd” that for as much as Ms. Anderson is an advocate of her own method (as she should be), and for as much as she advocates for a certain look and bastardizes strength training for women…..she’s had fair amount of plastic surgery done.

Doesn’t THAT seem a bit hypocritical?  In an offhanded way, we could make the argument that not even Tracy Anderson got to look like Tracy Anderson by doing the Tracy Anderson Method. #Wordplay

But anyways, getting back on track, she’s a master at toying with women’s emotions and irrational fears towards lifting weights.

Does her method get results?  I guess.  I mean, I can Google “Tracy Anderson before and after pictures” and get a few hundred pages of evidence.  And that should be commended.  To a point.

Stealing some commentary from “Brent” who left this comment on an old(er) blog post the other day:

Any dipshit can teach to the test, or run a client into the ground, get them to lose x amount of pounds and show off their ‘success’ (usually its even easier in the fitness industry because clients come to you, usually somewhat motivated and willing to do what the ‘expert’ tells them to).

Setting up someone for long term success isn’t immediately quantifiable and is quite a bit harder. Kinda requires skill. It’s why any trainer can have a buttload of ‘success’ stories. The goal though is empowerment (at least in my mind) and setting one up for long-term success. This is more difficult to market though and frankly not as sexy.

Anytime I critique a trainer and someone says ‘yeah but they get good results..”) I just tell them Jillian Michaels and Tracy Anderson have thousands of positive testimonials, weight loss success stories, tweeter followers etc. Smart peeps in the fitness industry bash them though because they do nothing to empower their clients and set them up for long term success. I wonder how many of their clients or Biggest Loser winners come back years later and are like ‘wow, you really changed my life! 

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

In a roundabout way, this goes back to my presentation last weekend where I talked about some of my strategies when it comes to training women.

I brought up Tracy Anderson to showcase a point:  that fear mongering, feeding into, and placating into the irrational fears of (some) women is not doing anyone any favors.

At Cressey Performance we don’t feel women need to train any differently than men. 90% of what we do is the same across the board whether you have a the Y chromosome or not.

I was going to toss in a Sex and the City joke here, and showcase women’s unparalleled infatuation with it, but then I realized I’ve actually watched every episode.  And [cue high-pitched voice here] looooooooooooved it.

Our gals are deadlifting, squatting, bench pressing, performing chin-ups and push-ups, and otherwise TRAINING like the guys.

What stands out, oftentimes, is the psychology that comes with training women.

Men tend to be more Temporal Comparative, where they compete or compare against themselves.

What did I deadlift last week?

What did I squat last week?

How much do I weigh now compared to last month?

Guys tend be more interested in what they, themselves, are doing.

Conversely, women tend to be more Societal Comparative, and compare themselves to other women.

She’s doing “x” amount of weight on the bench press, how come I’m not doing that much?

She has an amazing back.  Why doesn’t mine look that way?

I can’t believe she’s wearing that to the gym. What a ho!

I once had a 50+ year old female client who would beat herself up and downgrade HER results, because she didn’t look like the 22 year-old former Division I female athlete who trained at the the same time as her.

Part of my job as their coach is to help them turn off the negative and unrealistic messages they’re inundated with as they watch television or walk through the magazine aisle, and teach them to compete against themselves.

While it may take some women longer than others to buy into, one of the best things I can do is to get them to focus more on performance based goals rather than less quantifiable goals such as scale weight.

Of course, some women may need to lose some weight….and that’s fine.  But the sooner I get them to focus more on performance based goals like working towards performing a strict push-up on the ground or squatting their bodyweight for reps – the less they are s slave to the scale.  And that’s HUGE!!!

Scale weight doesn’t tell you anything!

The work and effort it will take to eventually be able to do a push-up from the ground, or squat one’s bodyweight for reps, or to be able to perform a strict body-weight chin-up trumps ANYTHING you can do with a pink dumbbell or an elliptical machine or a Tracy Anderson DVD.

Sorry if that rubs some people the wrong way…..but that’s just the way things are.

Of course, if strength training isn’t your bag, and you prefer to use pink dumbbells, perform yoga, and run a treadmill, go for it!!!  As noted earlier: anything is better than nothing. If you like the way you feel doing those things, and your proud of your body….awesome.  You get a gold star.

But please don’t be the person who, despite going to the gym 5x per week, bitches and whines that you never seem to get the results you’re after – or if you do, that they never stick for longer than a few weeks or months – and then continue to repeat the same process over and over and over again.

What was it Einstein said about insanity again?  If you continue doing the same thing(s) expecting a different result…….

Likewise, if you’re a fitness professional reading this post, I implore and encourage you to learn to EMPOWER your clients (both female and male).  Teach them the skills they’ll need to make LONG-TERM progress, be their coach! COACH THEM!!!!!  

So while I understand I set myself up for snarky comments by starting a post off with “can we please just shut up about Tracy Anderson,” and then proceeded to write another blog post on Tracy Anderson…….I hope people can appreciate the overall message/tone.

Which, in a roundabout way can be summarized like this:

One of the best compliments you can receive from a client is when they no longer need your services.

When they finally reach their goal(s), are able to make them stick, and can then look you pointblank in the eyes and say “I got this,” your job is done.

There’s no need to exploit people and cater to their fears.

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Goblet Elevator Squats

As far as “fool proof” exercises are concerned, you’d be hard pressed to do much better than Goblet squats.

I’d toss in an obligatory “it’s so easy a cave man can do it” joke here, but, well, shit, I just did.

Time and time again I’ve seen someone with some of the worst squatting technique you can imagine (Think: knee valgus, rounded back, my corneas perpetually bleeding), only to see them squatting flawlessly in a matter of minutes when coaching them up on the Goblet squat.

Likewise, almost always, whenever someone complains about how much “squatting hurts my knees,” I can get them performing them pain-free with a little cueing and attention to detail.

I like call it “pulling a Dumbledore,” because it’s borderline magical in their eyes.

It makes complete sense when you think about though.

– Give them an anterior load to force them engage their core musculature more efficiently and to provide more stability.

– Cue them to SIT BACK (keeping their feet flat,however placing the brunt of their weight into their heels), while simultaneously pushing their knees out (t0 open up the hips).

– And then teach them to “finish” with their glutes at the top, and not only do they see drastic improvements in their technique (and depth), but it feels effortless and less painful.

That said, even though the natural progression is to (eventually) move towards barbell variations, sometimes it’s advantageous to stick with Goblet squats in the interim and make them more “challenging.”

Goblet Elevator Squat

Who Did I Steal It From:  In a roundabout way, Ben Bruno.  I saw a video he posted doing the same thing with a front squat, and figured this would be a nice regression for those of us who prefer not to hate life.

What Does It Do:  Well, first, it’s important to recognize that you should master regular ol’ Goblet squats before moving on to this variation.

HERE’s a great starting point from the guy who pretty much popularized the movement, Dan John.

Having said that, Goblet elevator squats are an easy way to increase time under tension, or TUT for the exercise physiology geeks in the crowd.

Key Coaching Cues:  All the same cues for a normal Goblet squat come into play, except here you’re going to break up each repetition into segments where you come up 1/2 way, go back down, come up 3/4 of the way, then come back up to the starting position.

Your quads should be flipping you the bird by the end.

Because of the increased TUT, I like to keep the repetitions on the low(er) side – 5 to 6 – but for the more sadistic minded people reading, feel free to work your up to ten total repetitions (which is really 30 when you factor in the “breaks” in each rep).

Have fun!

Also

For those looking for even more ways to up the ante with their Goblet squats (or their exercise repertoire in general) check out Jen Sinkler’s Lift Weights Faster.

The programming and exercise database will undoubtedly keep you on your toes and satiate anyone who gets easily bored with their workouts.

CategoriesMotivational

Why The Fitness Summit is THE Fitness Summit

As I type these words I’m cruising at about 39,000 feet above the ground on my flight back to Boston from Kansas City after having attended The Fitness Summit over the weekend.

I feel somewhat sick to my stomach because 1) I’m not what you would call a “fan of flying” and 2) the two pounds of burnt ends I ate last night from local KC BBQ staple, Arthur Bryant’s, isn’t doing my digestive track any favors.  Nor are the three servings of ice cream I devoured.

Embarrassingly enough, after my second serving of ice cream I was approach for an impromptu photo-op during the social last night by one of the female attendees and I had to make sure that my face wasn’t covered in Cookies-n-Cream.

It wasn’t.  I think.

And that, in part, is what makes The Fitness Summit THE Fitness Summit.  It’s just like-minded people coming to together to do nothing more than hang out, geek out about fitness, perform a Predator hand-shake or two, and simply, unapologetically be themselves.

For the record:  I won.

When I was first contacted by the Brombergs (brothers Nick and David, who organize and run the event) to come and speak at this year’s Summit I kind of felt like I was one of those characters from the movie The Social Network getting their first invite to Final Club shoved underneath their dorm room door.

When I got the email I felt equal parts trying to resist the urge to pee myself a little and running outside my apartment down Beacon Ave and high-fiving every stranger who crossed my path.

While neither of those two happened, I was pretty excited (and honored) to say the least.

You see, I’ve always been somewhat enamored with The Fitness Summit.  I was vaguely familiar with its “grass roots” beginnings in Arkansas when it was known as the JP Fitness Summit and was nothing more than an annual gathering of forum members and the Grand Master, Lou Schuler.

As the years passed it slowly grew, with more and more people making the trek to Arkansas, and, along with Lou, other well-known fitness trainers, coaches, and/or writers.

Fast forward to the last few years – it’s now known as The Fitness Summit, it takes place in Kansas City, and has grown into one of the “go to” fitness events of the year.

This year’s panel of presenters.  Front Row (L-R): Galina Ivanova Denzel, Alan Aragon. Back Row (L-R): Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, Lou Schuler, Roland Denzel, Han Solo, Jen Sinkler, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, David Dellanave, Nick Bromberg, Bret Contreras, Dr. Brad Schoenfeld, Bryan Krahn, Dr. Cassandra Forsythe

I broke my Fitness Summit cherry this year and was was invited to come speak – unbeknownst to myself, given I was slated to speak last, as the “main speaker” (no pressure) – and, well, it was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to go back.

Unlike a lot of fitness seminars, symposiums, conferences, and soirees, The Fitness Summit isn’t about making a profit.

The organizers are happy to break even, and while the presenters are compensated (and treated like gold), it isn’t about the money, or selling product, or egos,  or anything like that.

It’s about the people.

The Summit itself has a very friends-hanging-out-with friends vibe to it.  And, to be honest, the highlight of the entire weekend isn’t so much the abyss of knowledge bombs being dropped by the presenters – and there were many – but more so the networking, shenanigans, and “informalness” of it all.

Some highlights:

1.  Again, I can’t stress how amazing the people are.  On top of the presenters, the attendees themselves resembled a fitness industry All-Star team.  What’s more it was so cool to finally put a face to some of the names I’ve grown familiar with over the years. So many people approached me to introduce themselves and to tell me how much they enjoyed my work.

My head grew maybe thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much over the weekend.

2.  Getting an impromptu deadlift session in with Bret Contreras. HERE’s my 465×3, and HERE’s Bret’s.

Afterwards Bret turns to me and says, “Tony, I’m not kidding, you have the best deadlift technique I’ve ever seen.”

And then we both went into the garage to practice karate together.

3.  Dr. Spencer Nadolsky describing his first “non-sexual vaginal approach” was CLASSIC!  In short:  while in med-school he described his first Pap Smear, and how the woman whom he was testing looked him, in mid-approach, and said “you have beautiful eyes.”

HAHAHAHAHA.

4. Me getting trolled by Alan Aragon during the Expert Panel.  I look at it as a right of passage.  Thanks for taking it easy on me Alan……;o)

5.  Louie Guarino’s and Dean Somerset’s calf off.  Yes, that happened.

6.  And, one of the coolest things – for me anyways – is seeing so many women showing up!  The audience was roughly split 50/50 as far as male/female ratio and I think that kicks ass.

 To sum it all up:  I can’t wait to go back.

And, GFY Mark Shields (sorry, a little Fitness Summit inside joke).

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 5/2/14

Hey, hey, hey!  So, like about 73% of the entire fitness industry population I’m in Kansas City for the weekend for The Fitness Summit.

You know it’s a legit event when said event begins with the word “THE.”

I’ll speaking alongside the likes of Bret Contreras, Alan Aragon, Brad Schoenfeld, David Dellanave, Jen Sinkler, Cassandra Forsythe, Mike T. Nelson, Roland and Gayla Denzel, Bryan Krahn, Spenser Nadolsky, and I think Professor Dumbledore may be making a cameo appearance too.

And this is in conjunction with the people in attendance:  Nick Tumminello, Dean Somerset, Chad Landers, Jon-Erik Kawamoto, Mark Fisher, James Fell, Lou Schuler, and a handful of other well known coaches, trainers, and writers.  It’s like we’re celebrating Fitness Christmas!

AND least we forget the attendees themselves…people from all over the world have made the trek to KC to hang-out, learn, eat dead animal flesh, and challenge Bret to random glute-offs.  True story!

So what I’m trying to say is…go see The Amazing Spiderman 2 this weekend.

Why We’re Losing Athleticism – Eric Cressey

Eric NAILED this one, and it’s something I’ve written on in the past as well.  It saddens me that we as a society have placed more credence on our kid’s ability to answer meaningless standardized test questions than allowing them to be kids, and grow, and mature, and otherwise develop as human beings.

Physical education is more or less extinct in most curriculums now.  And, even worse, is the fact that recess is no longer a part of their school day.

When I was in school we got 45 minutes every day to go outside and run, play kickball, play catch, and chase girls with bugs.  Hell, I still do that…..;o)

In any case it’s no surprise that rates of childhood obesity have risen by astronomical standard, and that “test” scores are down…….WE NEED TO ALLOW OUR KIDS TO FREAKIN MOVE!!!!

When to Use Speed…and When to Slow Down Your Reps – Steve Bergeron

This is a conundrum and concept I deal with on an almost daily basis when coaching, and Steve helps shed some light on when it’s appropriate to lift slow and fast.

Are Personal Trainers Missing the Point? – Will Davis

It’s one of my biggest pet peeves in life – other than anything that comes out of Tracy Anderson’s mouth – personal trainers who fail to COACH THEIR CLIENTS!!!

This was an excellent post by Will and I highly encourage all personal trainers to read it.

 Also, TWO Things (Actually, Three)

1.  I love you.

2.  This weekend (Sunday, 5/4 at midnight) will be your last chance to purchase The Modern Women’t Guide to Strength Training at the introductory price.

For those who missed it, I posted an excellent article by Molly Galbraith HERE which discusses common mistakes (many) women make with their own training as well as goes into more detail on the product itself.

Suffice it to say it’s a product FOR women written BY women…..and I 100% endorse it.

3.  Also, my good buddy John Romaniello (Roman for short) “released” his flagship fat-loss product, The SuperHero Workout 2.0 earlier this week.

I say “released” because it’s actually a re-release of  his original product, albeit here he’s added a boatload of additional content, workouts, penis jokes, and overall badassery.

The entire Cressey Performance staff did this program a few years ago when it was originally released and we all loved it!

If you ever wondered how the likes of Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Henry Cavill (Superman), or Chris Hemsworth (Thor) got in such great shape for their roles….well, this manual is pretty much the holy grail on how they did it.

CategoriesAssessment Corrective Exercise Exercise Technique Motivational personal training Rehab/Prehab Strength Training

A Response to Anyone Who Feels Deadlifts Are Destroying Everyone’s Spine

A HUGE thank-you to Bret Contreras for his contribution to this post. You’re my boy blue!

A little backstory.  A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away A few years ago – back in 2010 – I wrote a blog post in response to someone claiming that deadlifts were “one of the worst things you could do for your spine.”

The comment was made by a TA (Teacher’s Assistant, not to be mistaken for Total Asshat) in a University setting, and the student who overheard the comment reached out to me and asked for some commentary.

I happily obliged.

You can read the original post HERE.

Even though I wrote that blog coming up on four years now, it’s still one that gets a lot of “love” and frequent comments.

Today I want to share the latest comment (another deadlift detractor) that was posted up two days ago by a physical therapist (and I assume a pilates enthusiast based off some of her wordplay), as well as mine, and subsequently, Bret Contreras’s, response.

I understand that some people will think to themselves, “What’s the point? If someone who’s clearly educated and is a practicing therapist feels deadlifts are the worst thing since Hilter (my words, not the therapist’s), do you really feel writing a response will change their mind?”

It’s a valid question, but my response is simple.

These types of posts are important for other fitness professionals since they’ll undoubtedly hear these types of arguments over time and they need to know how to respond.

So to begin lets take a gander at the therapist’s comments. Again, it may help to read the original post HERE.

I’ll preface this by saying that, giving credit where credit’s due, she kept things “civil” and refrained from using ad hominem attacks, which was refreshing to say the least.

In addition, she used her REAL name in the comments section (Meggen Lowry.  I wasn’t going to include the name here, but since people can see it in the comments section anyways, why not?), which was a nice change of pace and sure beats hearing from the likes of PowderPuffPrincess or JackedGunz84.

In doing a quick Google search, Meggen’s a well educated professional who works with a very specific population (pre-natal/post-natal clients, as well as those in a rehabilitative setting), which is relevant and gives context into her point of view.

Anyways, lets get to the meat and potatoes!

Posted on TonyGentilcore.com 4/27/14:

1) Your attitude and arrogance makes for an unpleasant reading experience.

2) Pilates uses limb loading, and can create significant loads through your spine but tends to be done in better postures and positions that support the spine and reduce downwards strain on the pelvic floor. Try it. You might find it isn’t for wussies.

3) Osteogenesis (bone adaptation by means of increased bone laydown) in response to loading is not a phenomenon unknown to researchers and physical therapists.

4) The problem with ‘educators’ like yourself is that you use the collective terms “spine” and “back” when talking about individual components of those structures. Deadlifts do not strengthen your whole spine. They are not good for your back.

The erector spinae will be strengthened (and possibly injured) with a dead lift, nobody is denying that.

The vertebral bodies themselves will experience adaptation and increase in density also. The intervertebral discs, however, will suffer. Under such huge compressive forces the nucleus pulposis will be ‘squished’ backwards and the annular fibres of the posterior portion of the disc will tear under strain. Those discs are not replaceable….

5) Intra-abdominal pressure is far far greater with a deadlift than any other exercise you mentioned, and increases even more if the person holds their breath. Intra-abdominal pressures of that magnitude cause significant detrimental strain to the abdominal wall, predisposing it to herniation. Even worse, it causes even greater strain to the pelvic floor, stretching and weakening the pelvic floor muscles and predisposing them to urinary incontinence and prolapse.

Until you show me some research (preferably not 20-30 year old research) demonstrating intervertebral disc and pelvic floor adaptations to dead lifts, proving that the annular fibres of the discs are not broken under strain and the pelvic floor is not weakened and lowered, I’m still going to advise my clients against them.

WHEW! And there you have it.

I’ll admit it:  when I first read all of that the other day my first reaction was as follows:

LOL – Just kidding.  I’m not going to kill anyone.

I was a bit “miffed,” but I think that would be anyone’s reaction whenever someone questions your training philosophy and beliefs.  Strength coaches defend deadlifts; yoga instructors defend downward dog; pilates instructors defend reformers; bodybuilders defend fanny-packs and benching with their feet up. It’s just how the world revolves.

Even so, I was bit taken aback by some of Meggen’s comments.  Sure, she brought up some valid points (addressed below), but she also seemed, in my opinion, to have a very narrow-minded mentality – especially for someone who’s a physical therapist.

I mean, in checking the Mission Statement of the establishment where she’s employed you find the following text:

In addition to home visiting, we offer exercise classes carefully designed and delivered by physiotherapists for people whose bodies are vulnerable to pain and injury because we believe movement can be the best medicine if you perform exercise tailored to the shape you are in.

How can someone who’s company’s Mission Statement says “we believe movement is the best medicine if you perform exercise tailored to the shape your are in” completely disregard a basic, human movement pattern – the deadlift – and deem it and all its iterations “dangerous” or “risky” or gloss over them because of the potential for spinal stress?

That seems a bit harsh and shortsighted if you ask me.

Isn’t that the point of exercise – to stress the body, including the spine?

Any competent coach will assess his or her client/athlete, progress them accordingly – based off their training experience, injury history, etc – and provide the minimal essential strain to stress the body so that it will come back stronger.  It’s called adaptation!

In my experience, those who disregard certain exercises or movements and/or poo-poo them altogether typically (not always) are those who’ve never performed them themselves in the first place.

Calling a spade a spade, these are also the same people who have no idea how to coach said movement(s) well.  So, as a result, the exercise becomes too “risky” and everyone else who uses it is wrong.

Meanwhile if we were to take Meggen’s company’s Mission Statement and apply it to real life, we’d realize that the deadlift, like every exercise ever invented by human beings, can be regressed and tweaked to fit the abilities and needs of each individual.

Using a quick example: Look at me hinge from the hips, load my glutes, maintain tension in the upper back and lats, keep a “neutral” spine, and reduce “stress” on my spine below.

This is a deadlift, too.  Not all deadlifts have to be max effort, full-exertion, grind it out movements. And while it (should) go without saying:  a properly executed deadlift – done with a neutral spine – is a far cry from the eye sores you see a lot of trainees performing.

The two can’t and SHOULD NOT be lumped into the same category (which is what I feel many people, not just Meggen, are doing).

Okay, so lets break down Meggen’s comments. I’ll re-post her point-by-point breakdown below followed by my response (if I have one) and Bret’s.

1) Your attitude and arrogance makes for an unpleasant reading experience.

Tony:  You know what.  You’re right.  I re-read the post again and I can see how someone would come to that conclusion having never read any of my stuff before. I did come across as a bit of an a-hole, and I apologize for that.

Not that it’s a hard defense, but it was FOUR years ago that I wrote that post, and I’d like to think that I’ve grown as a person (and writer) since then.

Having said that, I “get” that my writing style isn’t for everyone. Touche.

Bret: As somebody who is very well-versed with industry leaders in strength & conditioning, I can say with confidence that Tony might be the most humble of the bunch. 

Tony’s Response to Bret’s Response:  Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

2) Pilates uses limb loading, and can create significant loads through your spine but tends to be done in better postures and positions that support the spine and reduce downwards strain on the pelvic floor. Try it. You might find it isn’t for wussies. 

Tony: And, Pilates should be held under the same microscope. Just like deadlifts, Pilates, too, can add undo strain or stress on the spine when done incorrectly.

Can you honestly sit there and tell me that performing hundreds of repetitions of any Pilates exercise – even if supported and done in alignment – won’t “stress” the spine?

I actually know quite a few Pilates instructors, most of which understand the importance to strength training, who recognize that it can hurt people when done incorrectly.

The key term you use is “better postures and positions,” which I assume means alignment.

YES!!!  Alignment is key.

This is something I discuss quite often. It makes no sense to debate over which comes first or should be prioritized – mobility or stability – if someone isn’t in (optimal) alignment.

Note:  it should be highlighted that there’s no such thing as true alignment or neutral or symmetry.  It doesn’t exist, because the human body – based off our anatomy – is designed to be asymmetrical.

I 100% agree with you on this point.  So, tell me again, if a deadlift is performed correctly, with a neutral spine, it places too much stress on the spine?

And, as far as your comment “Try it (Pilates). You may find it’s not for wussies.”  I did!  

You can read about it HERE.

Funny thing:  I like to try things that I write about.  In fairness, the Pilates post was written well after the post we’re all discussing here.  But still, I feel like I should get a gold star or something.

Which begs the question, Meggen:  what’s the parallel you’re trying to make between a modality which was originally designed to treat injured dancers and……deadlifts?

More specifically: deadlifts, when performed correctly and by healthy individuals with no contraindications?  Even more specifically:  deadlifts, which have been utilized by thousands of physical therapists (past and present) to help people get stronger and move more efficiently.

Also, when was the last time you performed or even coached a deadlift?  When was the last time you ever prepared an athlete for a long, competitive season?  When was the last time you coached ANYONE interested in performance?

I hate to break the news to you, but deadlifts are kind of important in this regard.

Context is important here.  I understand – and respect – the population you work with (pre and post natal women, and those in a rehabilitative setting), and deadlifts may not be a good fit for some of YOUR clients.  I doubt that’s the case entirely, but still…….you know your clients better than me.

There are ways to regress the deadlift and to teach someone how to groove a proper hip hinge pattern.  It takes coaching, it takes times, and it also takes not deeming an exercise too “risky” because you’re not familiar with it.

Like I said above, not all deadlifts have to be loaded with 400 lbs on the bar. You can’t equate all deadlifts as being equal. What I’d do for someone who’s in pain, de-conditioned, has little to no training experience has chronic back issues, and moves like the Tin Man is COMPLETELY different compared to someone who’s healthy and otherwise “good to go.”

Take THIS post I wrote not too long ago on how to groove the hip hinge.

Lets try not to toss the baby out with the bathwater.

Bret: Most strength coaches borrow from Yoga and Pilates and incorporate various drills into their warm-ups and corrective exercise regimes. We’ll use anything that’s effective, as S&C is all-encompassing.

The same cannot be said of trendy modalities that pick and choose what’s included and what’s excluded and fail to tailor programming to the goals and needs of the individual.

Pilates can definitely be progressive in nature and isn’t always “wussy,” but if maximum power, strength, or conditioning is the goal, then you’re going to have to jump, sprint, lift heavy, and move around more. 

3) Osteogenesis (bone adaptation by means of increased bone laydown) in response to loading is not a phenomenon unknown to researchers and physical therapists. 

Tony:  Cool, we’re on same page. 

Bret: Agree! Perhaps you’d be interested to know that the highest bone densities ever recorded are in powerlifters (see HERE and HERE), and that high load exercise is more effective than low load exercise in increasing bone density (see HERE). 

4) The problem with ‘educators’ like yourself is that you use the collective terms “spine” and “back” when talking about individual components of those structures. Deadlifts do not strengthen your whole spine. They are not good for your back.

The erector spinae will be strengthened (and possibly injured) with a dead lift, nobody is denying that. 

The vertebral bodies themselves will experience adaptation and increase in density also. The intervertebral discs, however, will suffer. Under such huge compressive forces the nucleus pulposis will be ‘squished’ backwards and the annular fibres of the posterior portion of the disc will tear under strain. Those discs are not replaceable….

Tony:  Again, I think you’re equating deadlifts done incorrectly (which if that is the case, I’ll agree with you 100%) with deadlifts that are progressed appropriately and with progressive overload in mind.  They are not the same.

And, not for nothing, a 1994 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that in a study of MRIs of 98 asymptomatic individuals, 82% of those MRIs came back as positive for a disc bulge, protrusion, or extrusion at one level.  And, 38% actually had these issues at more than one level.  You can read the free full text HERE.

I bring this up because, as this study shows, there’s a fair number of people walking around out there with disc bulges who are asymptomatic and show no signs of stress or pain.

What prevents (most) of them from reaching threshold is appropriate strength training, attention to tissue quality and movement impairments, and, yes, things like positional breathing and pelvic alignment (but that’s obvious, right?).

It’s not a death sentence, and we shouldn’t go out of our way to demonize certain exercises and to toss them aside because of personal ignorance.  

As fitness and health professionals we can’t place people in these “no stress” bubbles, cower in the corner every time we ask them to do anything challenging, and expect them to get better.

As noted earlier, any competent coach will assess their client, progress them accordingly, and provide a minimal essential strain to STRESS the body so that it comes back stronger. 

Using a population you (Meggen) may be more familiar with, HERE is an article I wrote about training women through their pregnancy.  These were HEALTHY women, with no major injuries and dysfunctions, and both of which had been training with me for a few years.

I’m not sure if you’ll read the post (don’t worry, I won’t be offended), but hopefully you won’t cringe at the thought that both women deadlifted throughout their entire pregnancies.

Here’s Whitney at 32 weeks:

Here’s Cara at 33 weeks:

NONE of these lifts were even close to what either woman could do when not pregnant. The objective was to maintain a movement pattern and training effect, do what felt comfortable, and prepare them for something a helluva lot more strenuous…..giving birth!!

In addition, because I had been training both women for two years, progressing them accordingly, I had full confidence that they would be able to deadlift up until “game time.”

And, as it happens, both had seamless births (coming from a guy, that seems a bit wonky as I recognize that giving birth is anything but “seamless”) with no complications or ramifications afterwards.  

It’s BECAUSE they strength trained (and yes, we did diaphragmatic breathing and tons of core work, too) that they were able to bounce back so quickly.  I believe both were back in the gym within a week after giving birth. 

Bret: Do you have any research to support your claim that deadlifting with a neutral posture leads to disc herniation?

I’m very well-versed in spine research, and I’m unaware of any such research.

I believe that with proper deadlifting, the erector spinae will be strengthened, the vertebrae will be strengthened, and the discs will be strengthened too, in concordance with Wolff’s law of bone and Davis’s law of soft tissue. 

Nevertheless, the spine is very good at handling compressive loads when in neutral postures, and shear loading is limited in neutral spine deadlifting as well. If you round your spine close to full flexion when deadlifting with heavy loading, then lumbar intervertebral discs can indeed herniate and ligaments can be damaged.

However, now we’re talking about a different exercise (roundback deadlifting, not neutral deadlifting). An exercise is judged based on how it’s supposed to be performed, not how jackasses screw it up.

We could also speculate about the effects of performing Pilates maneuvers with improper form, but this wouldn’t imply that the exercises should not be performed with proper form.

5) Intra-abdominal pressure is far far greater with a deadlift than any other exercise you mentioned, and increases even more if the person holds their breath. Intra-abdominal pressures of that magnitude cause significant detrimental strain to the abdominal wall, predisposing it to herniation.

Even worse, it causes even greater strain to the pelvic floor, stretching and weakening the pelvic floor muscles and predisposing them to urinary incontinence and prolapse.

Until you show me some research (preferably not 20-30 year old research) demonstrating intervertebral disc and pelvic floor adaptations to dead lifts, proving that the annular fibres of the discs are not broken under strain and the pelvic floor is not weakened and lowered, I’m still going to advise my clients against them.

Tony:  So 20-3o year old research, even if it’s applicable and still very much referenced by many other fitness professionals, isn’t relevant to the topic at hand?  Why not?  

Besides, good luck finding ANY research which states exercise doesn’t stress the spine. Walking stresses the spine.

Unless you tell someone to lie down their entire life, it’s impossible not to put the spine under some strain.

Research is more Bret’s wheelhouse, and I’m sure he’ll satiate your appetite for something more “up-to-date,” but it’s my hope that this conversation will help shed some light from our (mine and Bret’s) point of view.  Neither of us are therapists, nor claim to be. We don’t diagnose anything and we don’t “treat” our clients and athletes. That sort of stuff is reserved for the likes of you.

We do, however, both recognize the importance of bridging the gap between the strength and conditioning world and the physical therapy world.

Going out of your way to state deadlifts aren’t beneficial because of the “perceived stress” they cause not only widens that gap, but flies in the face of pretty much every physical therapist I’ve ever dealt with.

I don’t expect this to alter your mindset, and I am in no way stating that I’m completely correct and without my own biases, but I hope it challenges you to think a little more outside the box.

Bret: If you’re going to deadlift, you better hold your breath until you pass the sticking region.

Failing to do so would reduce IAP and therefore reduce spinal stability, which could compromise spinal posture and lead to injury.

I agree that IAP will be extremely high during deadlifting. However, strength coaches first introduce deadlifting to clients with light loads, ensuring proper mechanics.

Each week, loads are increased so that the body has the ability to build up in strength. This is the essence of progressive resistance training. We also program multiple exercises that will further strengthen the abdominals, the erectors, and the glutes, which will further help prevent injury. 

I’m aware of no research showing that deadlifts lead to increased incidents of hernias.

You can speculate that deadlifters might be at greater risk for experiencing hernias, but the role of exercise and occupational lifting on hernia risk has been debated, with both sides providing great arguments (see HERE for references).  In my experience as a personal trainer for well over 15 years, I would say that proper deadlifting does not significantly increase hernia injury risk. 

When you deadlift, the muscles of the TVA, multifidus, diaphragm, and pelvic floor (sometimes referred to as “inner core unit” muscles) contract to produce IAP. Essentially, a pressurized cylinder is formulated via contraction of each of these muscles (a few more assist, but this is beyond the scope of this article).

The pelvic floor muscles draw upward and inward, which increases the IAP and stabilization. As you can see, the pelvic floor muscles will be strengthened and not stretched out.

Women tend to notice improvements in incontinence after learning proper resistance training, including deadlifts.

If their pelvic floor muscles draw outwards, then they are exhibiting a dysfunctional pattern and need to be taught proper pelvic floor biomechanics.

Research shows that 78% of women who exhibit flawed pelvic floor mechanics can properly contract the pelvic floor muscles after basic instruction (click HERE for an article on this topic).

Women who properly contract their pelvic floor musculature will properly stabilize during deadlifts, Pilates, and other exercise. Women who don’t will improperly stabilize during deadlifts, Pilates, and other exercise. The IAP doesn’t blow the pelvic floor outwards during the deadlift like you propose, nor does it force the diaphragm upwards. Rather, it’s the proper mechanics of the core muscles that creates the high IAP. 

 

In summary, you have failed to issue an evidence-based response, and I believe that your unfamiliarity with the deadlift exercise is biasing your beliefs.

Just as you recommended that Tony give Pilates a try (Note from Tony:  I did! See above), I recommend that you start learning about deadlifts and experimenting with them in the gym.

From the various hip hinging drills, to single leg RDLs, to partial deadlifts such as rack pulls and block pulls, to full range deadlifts such as conventional, sumo, and trap bar deadlifts, to various variations such as Romanian deadlifts, stiff leg deadlifts, and snatch grip deadlifts. 

Since you’re making the claims that proper deadlifts damage discs, abdominal walls, and pelvic floors, the burden of proof is on you.

You can speculate all you want, but bear in mind that if this were true, all powerlifters would have wrecked spines, hernias, and incontinence. This isn’t the case at all; quite the opposite. But they’re loading the spine to the maximal limit.

Research shows that there’s a u-shaped curve with regards to low back pain and exercise. Sedentary folks and individuals who perform strenuous exercise have increased pathology and low back pain, whereas those in the middle are more healthy and comfortable (see HERE and HERE).

Therefore, a few days of strength training per week utilizing basic strength training exercises such as squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts, planks, push-ups, and rows will generally improve back health and structural integrity. 

CategoriesFemale Training Program Design Strength Training

3 Reasons Your Female Clients Aren’t Seeing Results

Note from TG:  Today’s post comes courtesy of Molly Galbraith. She and the rest of the Girls Gone Strong pack released their new resource, The Modern Women’s Guide to Strength Training, today.

Molly was kind enough to write a little sumthin, sumthin to serve as an adjunct to its release.

Enjoy – it’s a doozy!

If you read Tony’s site much (which obviously you do because you’re reading this) you know that he’s a man that’s passionate about a few things:

  1. Deadlifting
  2. Eating dead animal flesh
  3. Anything that has to do with un-doing the “work” of Tracy Anderson

So obviously, I’m going to talk about all 3 of these things today because Tony promised that if I did, he’d film a video of himself doing an Irish jig while wearing a kilt, fanny pack, fairy wings, and the clogs that he hasn’t got much use out of lately (he’s been busy).

So yes, I’ll be covering these topics today, namely #3.

Today I’ll be telling you the 3 reasons why your female clients aren’t getting the results they’re looking for… (Assuming that those results are that they want to look and feel amazing and strong).

Let’s get started!

1. Your Programming is Poor or Incomplete.

I know what you’re thinking:

“My programming’s awesome!  My female clients squat and deadlift and do push-ups and all kinds of awesome stuff.”

That’s great.  I’m super excited that your clients do those movements.  That’s a great starting point, but there are a few things to ask yourself:

–        Do you asses all of your clients as soon as they come in the door?  Do you observe their posture, their body awareness, and their capability to perform basic movement patterns?

–        Do you start your clients off with the basics of each of those movement?  Do they perform squats and hinge movements with just their body weight at first?  Do they start with incline push-ups so they could really master the movement pattern?  Do you set them up for success at the beginning by building an awesome foundation?  Or did you have them doing Barbell Back Squats on their first day?

–        Is their programming tailored specifically towards what you found in their assessment?  For example, if a female client has an exaggerated anterior pelvic tilt are you including more hip, hamstring, and glute dominant exercises that quad/knee dominant exercises?  Are you doing a lot of anterior core stability and strength work with them?

Hopefully the answer to all of these question is yes.  If it is, you’re *thisclose* to being a Rock Star.  But I have a few more for you.

–        Have you ever talked with your clients about the importance of breathing?  Are there any breathing drills in their workout, even just to cool down at the end?

–        Does your client Foam Roll or do other soft tissue work for at least a couple of minutes before their training session?

–        Does your client perform a solid Dynamic Warm-up before every workout?

–        Does your client do intelligent Energy Systems Training (i.e. cardio)?  Also known as “not dumb shit?”  This is generally a mix of short High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions and Moderate Intensity Cardio (MIC) with their heart rate in the 120-150 beats per minute range 1-2x each throughout the week.

All of these things should be included in your female client’s training programs in order to get them the best results with the least amount of time and effort.  If not, you’re leaving something on the table.

2. You’re pushing your clients in the wrong ways.

Let me start by saying that I have zero problems with training hard and pushing my clients hard.  But it’s important that your client is properly prepared to be pushed, and there are ways to do it, and ways that just don’t make any sense.

Some examples:

A female you’ve been training for a year who has awesome deadlift form and you want to see what she can deadlift for a heavy triple?  Awesome.

Seeing how many Burpees your client can do before they puke, pee, cry, or fire you?  Not awesome.

Helping your client eek out a couple really tough reps on Dumbbell Bench Press and teaching her to “strain” a bit?  Awesome.

Bragging to your friends that your client could hardly walk for four days after being trained by you? Not awesome.

Having your client really push herself on her last couple of prowler trips and try to beat her previous best?  Awesome.

Making your client do 100 Box Jumps or Jump Squats because you think its “cool” to make her legs feel like jelly?  Not awesome.

Prepare your clients to be challenged appropriately, and I won’t come kick you in the shin.

Note from TG (regarding Molly’s “kick you in the shin” comment):  you DO NOT want to make Molly angry.  Trust me.  Look at her in the picture above.  That’s the face she made after being told her boyfriend adopted a kitten for her.

LOL – I’m just kidding.  Molly is a delightful human being.

But seriously, don’t piss her off.

3. Your clients are not recovering properly.

As their trainer, it’s your job to help your clients get the best results possible in the gym.

As an above-average-intelligence-trainer (I mean hey! You’re reading Tony’s blog aren’t you?) I expect you to know that your client’s success is directly correlated to how well they can recover from their overall stress load – meaning not just what they do in the gym with you, but what’s going on in their life, in general.

The more life stress they have, they less they need to be doing in the gym unless they have tons of time to sleep, eat nutrient dense food (like dead animal flesh), and recover.

If you’re not talking to your clients about recovery, you’re doing them a major disservice.  Before they start training with you, it’s important to help them understand that they get better/stronger/fitter when they recover from, and adapt to stressors, not while the stressor is being applied.

Talk with them the importance of these things:

–        Eat nutrient-dense, whole foods 80-90% of the time.

–        Manage their stress effectively.

–        Get moderate amounts of sunshine regularly.

–        Get 7-9 hours of sleep in a cold, dark room every night.

–        Use recovery modalities such as massage or other soft tissue work, Epsom salt baths, low to moderate intensity cardio, contrast showers, etc.

And your female clients will be on their way to looking and feeling better than ever.

Hi, it’s me Tony. So how’d you stack up?  Are you making these mistakes with your clients, or are you absolutely killing it?

I hope you’re killing it, of course.  But on the off chance that you might have been missing a thing or two, you should definitely check out an incredible new resource from Molly and the rest of the Girls Gone Strong crew (you know, The Women’s Fitness Authority) that discusses ALL of these issues, and then some.

The Modern Women’s Guide to Strength Training

I can’t tell you how excited I am to endorse this fantastic resource, as I feel it’s a product that will help a lot of women finally understand the merits of strength training and how strength is a good thing.

More importantly:  it’s a manual designed for women written by women.

I know many of you are wondering what’s included.  Here’s a brief synopsis.

–        The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Getting Started Guide – this program comes with a LOT of information, but the getting started guide will walk you through it step-by-step.

–        The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Manual – what is strength training, why is it important, a glossary of terms, and information about recovery, sleep, and stress management.

–        The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Programs – three 16 weeks training programs for beginners, intermediates, high-level intermediates (with multiple options for every single exercise in case you want to make a substitution).

–        The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Video Library – 90 minutes of high-definition video with me coaching GGS co-founder Alli McKee through 70 exercises.  I will discuss proper – form, as well as common mistakes and how to correct them.

–        The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Exercise Glossary – a print version of the video library for quick reference if you forget how a particular exercise is performed.

–        The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Progress Tracker – a progress tracking guide where you can track measurements, weight (if desired), mood, sleep, stress level, strength level, energy level, etc. so you can get a comprehensive picture of what’s going on with your body.

In addition, for those looking for guidance on the nutrition side of things, The Modern Woman’s Guide To Good Nutrition Package written by Dr. Cassandra Forsythe, PhD, RD, CSCS, gym owner, and co-author of The New Rules Of Lifting For Women, and The Women’s Health Perfect Body Diet will also be available.

Included in this package is:

–        The Modern Woman’s Guide To Good Nutrition Manual – 18 chapter manual with everything you need to know from determining calorie level and macronutrient ratio to recommended food sources and beverages, to what medications may be preventing fat loss.

–        The Modern Woman’s Guide To Good Nutrition Meal Plan – Cassandra recognizes that every woman is different and needs a different nutrition structure to be successful.   She put together done-for-you meal plans for fat loss and maintenance at multiple calorie levels, as well as a FODMAP plan for women with digestive issues, a Paleo meal plan at multiple calorie levels, and outlined multiple If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) plans for those who prefer that type of plan.

In a nutshell:  this resource is the bomb-diggidy, and covers every base imaginable.  So what are you waiting for? Click the link below to get started (you only have a few days to take advantage of the introductory offer).

—> The Modern Women’s Guide to Strength Training<—

 About the Author

Molly Galbraith is co-founder of Girls Gone Strong, a movement dedicated to helping women improve their physical strength, mental strength, and strength of character through strength training.

She is also co-founder J&M Strength and Conditioning, a private studio gym in Lexington, Kentucky.

Her mission is to, ”Help women discover and accept what their best body looks and feels like, with minimal time and effort, and once they discover that, help them have grace and compassion about it.”

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 4/25/14

I became the regular “Friday Bootcamp Guy” at CP a few weeks ago.  I had been filling in sporadically the past year to 1) give Greg a bit of a break from having to get up at the butt-crack of dawn and 2) for a slight change of pace on my end.

Coaching bootcamps allows me the opportunity to work with people I normally don’t have the chance to see, and well, it’s just plain fun!

Not that people who make a consistent habit of getting up at 5AM to exercise need any more motivation to do so, but this morning while each bootcamp was warming up I alternated between playing the Al Pacino “One-Inch!” speech from Any Given Sunday and the Kurt Russell “screw the Soviets” speech from the movie Miracle.

It….was…..awesome.

By the end I’m pretty sure each bootcamper wanted to either fight a polar bear or challenge one another to a cage match as a finisher.

It sure beats Prowler medleys or kettlebell swings!

Nevertheless, it’s been a long day and since I’m sitting here at the car dealership as my car gets serviced (oil change), I figured I’d toss up a few things for you guys to check out.

How to Bullet Proof Your Body – Girls Gone Strong

I shared a video with you the other day from Molly (Galbraith), which discussed some of the differences or tweaks that many women must make with their fitness training if they truly want to make progress.

In anticipation of their new manual, The Modern Women’s Guide to Strength Training, which is being released next week, Molly is back with another FREE video discussing how women can “bullet proof” their bodies.

In short:  less is more.

Why Haters Make It So Much Easier For You to Succeed – Jason Ferruggia

Holy f***balls this was an awesome article.

I’ll be honest:  It used to bother me whenever someone on the internet went out of their way to say hurtful or spiteful things towards me.  I wouldn’t stay at home, plop on my couch with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, and watch a Julia Roberts movie or anything….but I’d be lying if I said certain things didn’t affect me or make me want to react.

It wasn’t long before I learned to ignore the haters and to just chalk it up to “ it’s what people do when they have nothing else to do and they suck at life.”

Jason hits the nail on the head with this post.

Workout Nutrition: What to Eat Before, During, and After Exercise – Brian St. Pierre

Okay, I’ll admit it:  I’m a bit biased in that Brian’s a good friend and a former employee of Cressey Performance.  But man if this isn’t one of the most detailed and thorough articles I’ve read on this topic!

I’m so proud to see how much of a big deal Brian’s become in the industry and it’s so cool to see him putting out such amazing content.