CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Weight Manipulation, Intermittent Fasting, and Coaching

Happy belated Columbus Day everyone!!!  Or, if you’re Canadian – happy belated Thanksgiving.  Or, if you’re located somewhere else in the world and you don’t celebrate those two – happy belated Whatever It Is You Celebrate on October 8th!!!!

I hope whatever it was, it was awesome.

As you probably realized, I took the day off from blogging yesterday because both Lisa and I were away for a brief Columbus Day Weekend getaway. Well, to be more specific, Lisa surprised me with a weekend getaway.  Earlier in the week she emailed me from her work and all it said was “you have plans this weekend.”  And she reminded me to pick up some toilet paper on the way home, but that’s besides the point.

So, all last week she was stoked about going away and teasing me with hints about where our mystery journey was going to take us.

To my knowledge there was no Star Wars convention within a 200 mile radius of Boston, and I’m pretty sure Alicia Keys hadn’t started some super secret concert tour or anything.  Soooooooo, I honestly had no clue.

As it turned out – Lisa planned a completely Autumnal extravaganza complete with apple picking, raspberry picking, goat farm touring (including cheese sampling – YUM!), and of course, pumpkin deadlifting (see photo above).

To top things off, she also booked a room at this wonderful bed-and-breakfast in Wakefield, NH – The Wakefield Inn – that was about as quiet, charming, and colonial as they come.

Too, we ate at this restaurant (appropriately called The Restaurant) that had a burger called The Elvis.

What’s The Elvis you ask?  Well, it’s a 1/2 lb of beef with bacon and peanut butter – arguably three of my most favorite things combined.

Honestly, though, it wasn’t as epic as I thought it was going to be, but I was glad I ordered off principle alone.

All in all it was an amazing weekend filled with lots of laughs, LOTS of food, and some cool new memories.  But now it’s back to the grind.

However, before I get to the Stuff You Should Read I first want to note that, unbeknownst to myself until after the fact, last Friday’s post was my 1,000 post of all time.

Holy shit nuts!!!!

I just wanted to take a few seconds to thank EVERYONE for reading all my articles and for all the support throughout the years.

It’s surreal to think that a blog that I originally started back in 2006 on a whim (which I aptly titled “The G-Spot.” No, I’m not kidding. Sorry mom) which then led to the Step-Up blog on the Boston Herald, which then grew into the current TonyGentilcore.com, would turn out to be as successful as it’s been.

I’m humbled – and immensely grateful – that so many people visit on a daily basis and don’t think I suck. Well, I’m sure there are more than a few who do think I suck, but such is life.  All I have to say to these people is: thanks for the traffic!

Thanks again everyone – here’s hoping for another 1,000 posts!

Bigger Smaller Bigger – Nate Green

Nate Green is one crazy bastard.  Just for the fun of it he did this experiment where he gained 20 lbs in four weeks, lost it all in five days, and then gained it back in 24 hours.

And he documented EVERYTHING along the way.  Don’t worry, he had some pretty smart dudes monitoring every crumb eaten and weight lifted – Martin Rooney and Dr. John Berardi. N0 big deal.

It’s a FREE e-book chock full of insights and details behind the experiment.

Anyone interested in weight manipulation should check this out.  It’s a real quick read (less than an hour), and written in Nate’s signature witty style.

9 Things You Should Know Before Intermittent Fasting – Anthony Mychal

It seems everyone is intermittent fasting nowadays – *raises hand* – yet many don’t really know what to expect before embarking on their little adventure. Will you feel hungry all the time?  What foods should you focus on?  How do you go about structuring your feeding schedule?  And, maybe even more important, if done long-term, does one run the risk of growing a third nipple?

Here, Anthony sheds some light on a few topics that many people don’t necessarily touch on, including a really funny anecdote on how people can be a little bit too anal about whether or not it’s okay to break the fasting window by a few minutes

It’s funny because it’s true.

By the Coach for the Coach:  Be a Better Coach – Todd Hamer

This was an EXCELLENT article by Coach Hamer that I feel every coach should take the time to read.  The point that resonated with me the most?

#9.  Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.”

What a profound statement to make, and something I feel many, many coaches are afraid to do. I know there’s a huge sense of machismo and bravado in the strength and conditioning community, and it’s often seen as a “weakness” to admit when you don’t the answer to something.

Listen, we can’t all be Gandalf or Gray Cook.  You can’t expect to know everything and anything….it’s impossible.

There’s a lot to be gained from admitting you don’t know something. And a lot to be lost when – and granted this is a worse case scenario – you give someone the wrong information and they end up hurting themselves.

 

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Low Cable Lift

People love their core exercises (and for some reason Honey Boo Boo, but I’ll save that train wreck for another time). No matter who you are or how long you’ve been an avid gym junkie, most will inevitably reach a point where they’ll seek out the latest and greatest exercise that targets the mid-section.

There’s certainly no shortage of people trying to fill the gap. If you don’t believe me, just stay up past midnight and watch all those cheesy infomercials on television. People are crunching, twisting, turning, and contorting their bodies into all sorts of positions in an effort to reach Adonis status and to be able to walk down the beach proudly. Or maybe it’s just to be able squeeze into their “skinny” jeans.

Either way, it can be done all for only three monthly payments of $19.99!

Obviously my tone is a bit tongue-in-cheek as I feel most (actually, all) of those silly gadgets are a waste of money.  Then again, this is coming from a guy who’s bought every special edition of Star Wars from VHS to Blu-Ray and has easily contributed a small fortune to George Lucas’s mortgage payment.

So take that for what it’s worth.

That notwithstanding, even I wasn’t impervious to getting suckered and buying into the hype at one point in my life.  Back in the day, I did buy a Jason Sehorn (Remember that guy? Of New York Giants fame?) Dynamic Workout System…..SWISS ball and all.

Don’t judge me!  I was an impressionable 20 something year old kid, and well, just look at him…….

Sehorn was (and probably still is) one “abby” son-of-a-bitch! And he managed to marry Angie Harmon, soooooo, he’s pretty much a baller.

Okay, so what’s all of this have to do with today’s exercise you should be doing?

Well for starters, 99.99% of those thingamabobbers you see on tv don’t necessarily train the “core” in a way its actually designed to be trained.

If you’re a geek and you read the likes of Dr. Stuart McGill, Dr. Craig Liebenson, or several other people who are way smarter than all of us combined (even Skynet!), you’ll know that repetitive flexion (and rotation) can be problematic for a lot people out there who don’t move well and aren’t physically prepared for it.

I don’t want to get into a “is flexion bad/all of our spines are going to spontaneously explode” debate here. I like to think I’m a middle of the road kind of guy and don’t like to pigeon hole myself into one corner with any modality or train of thought.

But, when it comes to core training, I lean much more towards the camp that prefers to train people in a anti-flexion/extension/rotation as well as rotary stability fashion.

I think it was Mike Robertson who I first heard this from and it’s always sticked with me:  if our abs were just meant for flexion (which is how most people tend to train them performing countless repetitions of sit-ups and crunches), we’d call them hamstrings.

If you look at the actual anatomy of our midsection, you’ll invariably notice that it looks much more like an inter-connected “webbing,” with varying muscle fiber orientation, designed to prevent (unwanted) motion.

While I understand that this is an overly simplistic explanation, and that flexion (especially un-loaded) IS okay and won’t cause the world to end, my own personal opinion is that most people don’t need to go out of their way to add MORE flexion into their daily movement diet.

To that end, here’s today’s exercise you should be doing.

Low Cable Lift

Who Did I Steal It From: Eric Cressey discussed a similar movement using a TRX Rip Trainer not too long ago, so in a way I snaked it from him.

What Does It Do:   I LOVE the Rip Trainer version, but since many people may not have access to that particular piece of equipment, I figured out a way to easily incorporate this exercise in a commercial gym setting.

As alluded to above, this is an exercise that focuses more on PREVENTING unwanted motion, and really forcing people to lock their ribcage in and stay as stable as possible.

Again, just to be clear:  this doesn’t mean that I am adamantly opposed to using exercises that promote extension, flexion, or rotation. Want to know what I AM adamantly opposed to?  Justin Bieber!

I just feel that many trainees aren’t able to get into those positions in a safe manner and are better served sticking with exercises like the one described here which forces them to learn how to stabilize.

Specifically, what we’re trying to accomplish with this exercise is anti-extension, as well as anti-rotation.

Key Coaching Cues:  Setting up with a low cable systme, grab a rope (like the one people use to perform tricep pressdowns) and make sure that you maintain tension in it the entire time (don’t let it go slack).  Step to the side a step or two so that the cable isn’t rubbing up against your arm.

Assuming an “athletic” position and while bracing your abs, slowly lift the cable up above your head in a controlled fashion making sure not to allow your rib cage to flair out and your lower back to hyperextend.  As you lift above your head, the goal is to stay as upright and still as possible – preventing the weight from extending you back and rotating you to one side.

Trust me, it’s harder than it looks.

Perform 6-8 reps with the cable on one side, and then switch and perform the same number on the other.

In addition, for those who need more upper trap work, you have the option of including a shrug at the top of the movement (which I demonstrate in the latter portion of the video).

And that’s it! Try it out today and let me know what you think!

NOTE: Yes, for those wondering, that is country music playing in the background.  And yes, I appropriately set my face on fire once I was done filming the video.

 

CategoriesUncategorized

Every Choice Counts

Today’s post comes to you from personal trainer, Michael Anderson*. I first met Mike a little over a year ago when, after exchanging a number of emails back and forth, he reached out and invited me to train at the gym where he works which happened to be in the same neighborhood where I had just moved.  

So, in a way, he was stalking me…..;o) 

Okay, not really. But in the year or so since, he and I have developed a friendship and he’s definitely someone whom I feel “gets it.”  He loves to help people, is constantly learning and trying to make himself better, and he loves to lift heavy stuff.  

He’s good people in my book.  In this post he delves into what choices we make and how they dictate our results.

Enjoy!

As a personal trainer almost every client I see is trying to make a change in his or her life. Whether that change is more exercise, nutritional changes or how to incorporate more Jay-Z lyrics into their daily life, everybody has changes to make.

Dealing with these changes is a tricky issue. After all, in a commercial gym setting I’m dealing with adults with careers and families. It’s not always as easy as saying “get over it and do it”, unfortunately.

One approach that I like to take with my clients is an idea I got from Jim Wendler. I want my clients to “win every play”.  You make a ton of decisions over the course of the day, just like there are a ton of plays within a football game. If you focus on winning every play instead of the game, the end result will be a victory. If you focus on making every choice a good choice over the course of the day, you’ll end up with a pretty good day.

With that being said, if you focus on having more good days than bad days, you’ll have a good week. More good weeks than bad weeks, and you’ll have a good month. Can you smell what I’m cooking here?

Your choices start first thing in the morning. The first choice you’re faced with is if you should wake up on time or hit snooze for another 25 minutes. That right there sets up the tone for the rest of your day.

If you sleep later than you’re supposed to, you won’t have time to make your breakfast. That means you’re either going to skip it or get some crappy breakfast sandwich at Dunk’s or Starbucks.  This sets you up to continue making poor choices throughout the day.

You’d be more likely to eat pizza for lunch, skip the gym and go to happy hour after work where you will probably get drunk and cheat on your significant other your co-worker. Don’t be that person!

If you woke up on time, though, you would have time to make your bacon and eggs breakfast. You’d get to work early and your boss would notice.

They would take you out for lunch and offer you a promotion. Then you’d go to the gym, deadlift 500 pounds and go home where your significant other would be waiting with a grass-fed sirloin, The Shawshank Redemption on TV, and some naked-time. Boom goes the dynamite!

Don’t get caught up in how “good” your day was (in terms of nutrition and exercise), just consider how good each play is.

Those of us who aren’t elite athletes or celebrities have real lives and real problems. No matter how good your intentions are things are going to come up. You will have to go to a business lunch sometimes; if your breakfast and dinner are on point then you can get away with one “not great” meal.

Your significant other may want a date night when you had a workout planned; if you made sure all your other workouts were on point then you can miss one without any real consequences (just don’t make it a habit).

To sum it up, I want you all to remember that each decision you make throughout the day counts. Whatever your best option is, choose it. It may not always be the best choice in the world, but it’s the best choice you can make at the time. If you get stuck going to the business lunch, make sure that whatever you order off of that menu is the best choice possible. Don’t say “screw it, I’m going to have the pasta with alfredo sauce” just because you can’t eat your normal lunchtime meal.  On the contrary, if you do make a bad decision, remember that it doesn’t ruin your whole day or week. Make sure your next choice is the right one.

Have a great day and go lift something heavy!

Author Bio:  Mike is a Boston area personal trainer and currently interning with Boston University Strength and Conditioning. Mike is also finishing his degree in Exercise and Health Science at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He loves bacon, beer and his 7 year old pit bull Lexi. You can reach him with any questions, comments or notes of affection at [email protected]. You can also visit his website:  http://commercialgymtrainer.blogspot.com/

* Anderson =  For full effect you need to say Anderson in a slow, drawn out tone, like “Mr. Annnnderson.”  You know, like Agent Smith in The Matrix when he walks up to Neo.

 

CategoriesMotivational

Walking Advertisements?

NOTE:  I have to keep this one brief today because I’m about 20 minutes away from heading into a CPR/AED course that I’m as excited about as passing a kidney stone.

Today’s more of an “opinion” piece, but something I feel is relavent to many who read this site on a daily basis.

Many of our clients here at Cressey Performance train at other gyms throughout the week.  For most, they’ll train at their local commercial gym 2-3x per week, and then travel out to Hudson, MA to train with us, and to presumably increase the general level of badassery.

I also like to think that some make the trip out solely to hang out with me, talk about Star Wars, and to partake in Techno/Trance/Tiesto Tuesdays – but that’s probably not the case.

Whatevs.

Anyways, I was talking with one of our clients not too long ago – who’s a trainer herself – and she mentioned to me how, while working out at her other gym, she overheard a discussion another trainer had with his client to the effect where the trainer admitted that he doesn’t workout himself anymore.  Or, at least he rarely does because he never has the time.

She (my client) also added that this particular trainer doesn’t remotely look fit, which I guess isn’t surprising given he never has “time” to be physically active.

And that’s not the point.  I don’t necessarily feel that trainers or coaches HAVE to look a certain way.  I know plenty of very smart, competent, and very successful coaches who don’t fall into some societal “norm” of what a fitness professional should look like.

If clients are getting results and if athletes dominate on the field does it really matter whether or not their coach can cut diamonds with his pecs?

Sure, looking the part is never a bad thing, but just because someone has six pack abzzzzz, or has biceps the size of Arkansas, or looks as if they belong on the cover of a fitness magazine doesn’t mean they know their ass from their acetabulum.

As as aside, this is a topic that my friend, Jon Goodman, wrote about last year, and I highly encourage you to check out this post he wrote:  Should All Personal Trainers Have 6-Pack Abs?

My main beef was the notion that this particular trainer didn’t workout.  Like, at all.  Even worse, he mentioned this to his client of all people.

This is analogous to your lawyer admitting that he never took the bar exam, or that your financial planner just filed for bankruptcy, or that Mark Zuckerberg uses MySpace.

In either scenario you’d think it was blasphemous, no?

I don’t even care that the dude doesn’t workout. Maybe he has a legitimate excuse.  But I find it pretty hypocritical that he’d admit to a PAYING client, who’s looking to him for expertise and advice, that he doesn’t workout himself.

What’s that say to the client? F*** all if you ask me.

Maybe it’s just me, but no matter how busy I am writing programs, articles, assessing clients, running a gym, running an online business, rescuing kittens from trees, you name it….I find time to train.

Always.

As much as we may or may not realize it, as fitness professionals, we ARE walking advertisements.  Everything from how we appear (and this doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with abs), and to a larger degree, what we do and say, matters.

Have a clue, will ya!?!?!

What is everyone else’s thoughts on this?  I’d definitely be curious if my thought process is on par with what everyone else thinks.

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: CP Bootcamps, Arnold, Dumb Personal Trainers, and Pumpkin Pancakes!

1. This is very last minute on my end, and really only pertains to those reading who live in the Metrowest area of Boston, but starting this Wednesday (October 3rd), Cressey Performance will be hosting our own Excellence Bootcamps.

As is the case with most bootcamps, these classes are geared towards those individuals who, you know, work and stuff, have a busy schedule, and who need a quick ass-kicking pick-me-up to start their day.

Now, this isn’t going to be your run-of-the-mill bootcamp where the trainers do something lame like dress up like Sgt. Slaughter, yell at the top of their lungs, and then take everyone through some haphazard session where the exercises and movements performed have no rhyme or reason and serve no purpose other than to make you “tired” and hate life.

Anyone with a clipboard, whistle, and weekend certification can do that.

No, this bootcamp will be a little different in that the coaches running it are routinely featured in magazines like Men’s Health, Women’s Health, and many other reputable fitness publications and actually know how to cater programming towards the needs, goals, and limitations of each individual.

In short, you’ll actually get coached.

What’s more, you’ll be doing this in a state of the art facility with some of the best equipment at your finger tips.

Classes will be held at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30, and 9:30 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning and we’re offering a special rate of $99 to try it out for the first month ($179 for each month thereafter).

For anyone interested or looking for more information, please contact Pete Dupuis at 978-212-2688, or email him at [email protected].

2. For those who missed it last week, ESPN Films released a new 30 for 30 short documentary on Arnold Schwarzenegger titled Arnold’s Blueprint (<—link takes you to ESPN), which details his life as a teenager and how his service in the military played a critical role in his fame.

Unfortunately it’s only like 13 minutes long, and I’m REALLY hoping they decide to do a full-length cut down the road because it would be awwwwwwwwesome.

Along the same lines, Arnold also released his new memoir, Total Recall, today and I’ve already got it cued up in my Audible.com account to listen to in my car.

Say what you will, but the man has had an unbelievably remarkable life; not only changing the world of bodybuilding and making it mainstream, but also going on to become the world’s most recognizable movie star (Commando, Predator, and Terminator 2 changed my life), and the freakin governor of California to boot.

Amazing.

If only I had one ounce of his self confidence back in high school. I totally would have kissed a girl or maybe stayed up past midnight or something.

3. Funny personal trainer story – and I’m actually contemplating making this into a series that I’m going to tentatively title, “Um, no, you’re an idiot!”

My girlfriend was working out last week doing some bench pressing, and on her last set (135 lbs for a triple, thank you very much) a random trainer at the gym approached her and asked whether or not she wanted a spot.

“Absolutely,” she said.

She cranked out her three reps, and after she racked the weight the trainer ask, “so, why do you have such a big arch in your back when you bench?”

“It’s how I was taught,” she responded. “And besides, why does it matter, don’t we have a natural arch in our lower back anyways?”

“Well yeah,” he replied, “but if you really want to target your chest more, you should try to flatten your back out.”

When she told me this story I couldn’t help but roll my eyes (and frankly, was surprised he didn’t suggest she put her feet in the air.  You know to really pulverize those pecs!).

For starters – and maybe someone else out there can elucidate a little more than myself – how in the hell does flattening your back out inherently target the pecs more when bench pressing?

I’ve heard the argument that when someone has a cranky lower back it’s advantageous to tone down the arch in order to make the movement more comfortable, but I’ve never heard of how flattening the back will target the chest muscles more. Especially since, you know, the pecs don’t even attach to the spine itself.

FOR THE RECORD:  It’s false to think that having an excessive arch in your lower back when benching is bad.  Assuming someone is healthy and doesn’t have a history of low back issues, having an arch in your back is perfectly fine.  Where people often make the mistake is thinking that having an arch is synonymous with the butt coming of the bench.  The former is fine.  The latter, however, causes more instability (and basically makes the movement a DECLINE bench), and is wrong.

Secondly, if she flattened her back out, she more than likely wouldn’t be able to use as much weight because she’d increase the distance the bar has to travel. If you’re in the business of going out of your way to make people weaker, then you’d be onto something!

Lastly, if anything, I’d argue that the bench press in general IS NOT a great exercise for pec/chest development.  Sure it allows you to utilize the most weight and is a superb upper body exercise – I’m not debating that point.  But if you really wanted to “isolate” the pecs you’d stick to dumbbell exercises like DB presses or DB flies which allow you to adduct the humerus more.

So whoever that trainer was who said flattening your back helps you isolate your chest more, “Um, no, you’re an idiot.”

4.  A reader recently sent me this cool video on “What’s the Single Best Thing We Can Do For Our Health?”which coincidentally inspired THIS post I wrote last week.

So, what IS the best thing you can do for your health?  Watch the short video below and find out:

5.  The guys over at WeightTraining.com reached out to me and asked if I’d be willing to promote a really cool “battle” they’re running along with the peeps over at Greatist.com  and the American Heart Association on who can do the most total # of push-ups in a week.

It’s for a great charity, and it will undoubtedly give those looking for a nice challenge or jolt in their training something to strive for.  Or, if you’re like me, make it a game and bust out some push-ups at the most random times just to mess with people.

Waiting in line at the grocery store?  Drop down and give me ten!

Hell, make it like a drinking game. Every time someone sneezes or whenever Tom Cruise says something bat shit crazy, perform ten push-ups.  You’ll win, easy.

Go HERE to sign up.

6.  Just like most people reading, I LOVE Sunday brunch.  Each Sunday I make a ginormous omelet with a stack of bacon that could feed a small army (and provide enough grease that could fuel a rocket ship) and go to town.

Yesterday, though, was a bit of a change of pace because Lisa and I were expecting company – two of her friends from Florida – both of which were vegetarians.

Ahhhhhhhhh, what do do?  I certainly couldn’t expect them to indulge in my carnivorous ways.

Luckily I remembered I train a client – Cara Lyons – who runs a very successful blog dedicated to those of us who are a little more health conscious with the foods we eat.

After doing a quick search on her blog “people who don’t eat dead animals make me sad” “protein pancakes,” I found this doozy.

Thankfully, our guests were fine with dairy (so the whey protein powder was perfect!).

High Fiber & Protein Pumpkin Pancakes

1/4 cup (15gm) Fiber One Bran Cereal
1/2 cup (120gm) liquid egg substitute or egg whites
1/4 cup (60gm) pumpkin puree
1 scoop (25gm) vanilla protein powder
1/4 cup (20gm) oats
1 packet of Truvia Natural Sweetener, or other sweetener to taste
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
dash of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat.

Place the Fiber One cereal in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Let sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a blender. Drain the cereal and add to the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Pour the batter in 1/4-1/3 cup portions onto the skillet and cook until small bubbles have risen to the top and the bottoms are set and lightly browned. Flip and continue cooking on other side for about about 3 more minutes, until cooked through.

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 1
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 285.3
Total Fat: 2.8 g
Cholesterol: 25.0 mg
Sodium: 537.4 mg
Total Carbs: 35.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 10.9 g
Protein: 36.8 g

NOTE:  I replaced the Fiber One cereal with ground flax seeds and omitted the Truvia, and they tasted fantastic!  So much in fact, that I made ANOTHER round later on in the day for dinner. BOOM!

7.  And finally, fitness extraordinaire Rob King made a cameo appearance at Cressey Performance last Friday, and he was kind enough to write THIS blog post detailing his experience. Rob is one of the more passionate fitness professionals I have ever met, and he puts out a TON of great information on his website.  If you’ve never checked out his stuff you’re missing out, and now’s your chance to catch up!

And that’s it for today.  I’m off to BU to go get my squatting on.  Speaking of which, I’m going to be working on my next article for T-Nation on my 4x per week squatting experiment I’m currently doing.  It should be pretty baller/win me a Pulitzer.  Stay tuned……

 

CategoriesMotivational Strength Training

What’s The Single Best Thing You Can Do To Improve Your Program?

More specifically:  what’s the single best thing you can do to get better results in the gym?

At the expense of making the most redundant statement ever, there’s a lot of information out there.  We’re inundated with it. At no point in human history has information been more readily available and “in our face” than the here and now.

This is a blessing and a curse.

A blessing in that I can log onto Google right now and if I need to know the birthdate of Luke Skywalker, whether or not Alicia Keys is divorced yet, or say, the mating rituals of  South African rhinoceroses, I can do it.  And it’s awesome.

A curse in that, with so much information at our finger tips, people are often paralyzed into stagnancy.

This is never more apparent than in the health and fitness realm.

Take for example, food.  One week we’re told that eggs are the most nutritious food known to man, and ten minutes later, a new story comes out detailing how eating an egg will spurn the Mayan Apocalypse.

People literally have no freakin idea what to eat that it’s gotten to the point where I have clients asking me if eating an apple is okay.

YES, it is, for the love of god!!!!!

And, for the record, Luke Skywalker was born in 19 BBY.

Switching gears to the fitness side of the equation, the waters are just as uncharted.  Information is abundant, and if you were to type in bodybuilding, powerlifting, strength, or fat loss workouts into Google, you’d undoubtedly receive thousands of results for each.

There’s an endless cornucopia of websites, articles, and blog posts telling you the optimal set/rep scheme for this, the best weekly split for that, and  any number of other factors you can think of.

As a result, for many people, the cycle is as follows:

One week the goal is to get jacked.  The following you decide to start a fat loss phase.  Oh snap, you just read an article that promises to increase you bench press 50 lbs in 13 minutes!!!!!!

Actually never mind, MMA sounds kind of cool.

No wait, GODDAMIT, those dudes in 300 were pretty ripped up, I think I changed my mind and want to get shredded again.

Before you know it, it’s been six months and you’ve made little (if any) progress in the gym

Sound familiar?

If it does, you’re what I call a flip-flopper, and it needs to stop.

Pick a goal, ANY goal, and stick with it for more than two minutes.  Stealing a popular quote from Dan John, “your goal is to keep the goal, the goal.”

Expounding on things, and taking it even a step further, we could also make the case for exercise selection.

One popular (and valid) component of designing strength based programs – or any program for that matter – is the notion of “cycling” movements every 1-2 weeks.

So, for example, an elite powerlifter might choose to perform box squats one week for his main lower body exercise, and then switch to SUMO rack pulls the next.

The idea being that his CNS is so advanced and he’s developed such profound foundation of strength that in order to maintain a training effect (and make progress to boot) it’s advantageous to cycle though movements.

This issn’t always the case, of course, but it hopefully gets my point across.

Which is: most people aren’t elite nor are they advanced.  And the notion of cycling through exercises is more harmful than good.

Not that I feel people are going to physically hurt themselves (although that’s certainly not out of the question), but rather, I think when people have an insatiable case of training ADD – where they’re switching training goals every week and not allowing themselves enough time to actually learn how to perform an exercise correctly – they hurt their progress.

I’m sorry but if you’re just learning how to deadlift – arguably one of the more technical exercises to learn – you don’t need to be worrying about whether or not you should add chains or perform them from a deficit in order to get all swole.

Funnily enough, if you were to look at the majority of programs I write, many may be surprised to find that I don’t go out of my way to add in a lot variety.  It’s just not what most people need.

What they need is CONSISTENCY.

What they need is repetition and to learn how to squat properly by sitting back and pushing the knees out; to learn how to hip hinge properly when performing a deadlift; to not worry about making certain exercises more “McGyver(ish)” by adding bands, boards, weight releasers, a paper clip, and a rubber ducky.

Just stop.

Instead worry less about doing stuff that’s new and unique, and worry more about OWNING your training. Worry about perfecting technique and not switching your training emphasis every half hour, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be surprised as to how much progress you can make.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Sacrifice, Concurrent Training, and a Video You Should Watch

Just a quick talking point before I get to the stuff you should read.

1.  I definitely plan on writing more on this in the near future (an article perhaps?), but I’d love to get other’s opinion on this.  In the past 1-2 months, I’ve taken roughly 80% of single leg training out of my OWN training program and my knees feel infinitely better.

In it’s place I’ve been squatting upwards of 3-4 times per week – with varying set/rep schemes and intensities each day** – and the only single leg training I perform are exercises using the Prowler (with the occasional reverse lunge or bulgarian split squat thrown in for good measure).

I’m not trying to make this into a functional vs. non-functional/organic vs. non-organic/ninjas vs. zombie debate here. This is solely an N=1 example, and I am NOT against single leg training.  I still use it with my clients and athletes and understand their efficacy, so anyone about to enter Defcon 1 status because they feel I said something absurd like eggs cause cancer, or I don’t know, Wolverine is the greatest X-Men ever, RELAX!!!!!!!!!

No need to send the hate mail.

I’m just trying to see if there are others out in the world who have similar experiences.  I’m in the mentality that everyone is different, and what works for one person, doesn’t necessarily work for the other: single leg training included.

Discuss.

Sacrifice and Hard Work in the Fitness Industry – Mike Robertson

Mike reached out to several other coaches and trainers in the industry and asked if we’d be interested in sharing a story or experience for a post he was writing on motivation.  In his own words…..

“I think some people assume that those who are “successful” (however you want to define that) have something inherently special about them.

Maybe they’re smarter, better looking, more well-connected, or they just flat-out got lucky.

Many of us enter the industry for one simple reason:

To change people’s lives via our passion for fitness.

And if you work/live in this industry, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Every single one of us has had one of those times where we feel a little beaten down and question why we do this for a living.”

I was humbled that Mike would include me on such a list, and I thought the end product was pretty cool!

Concurrent Training: Strength and Aerobic Training At The Same Time? – Patrick Ward

You can’t be an elite powerlifter and elite marathoner at the same time.  This isn’t to say, however, that you can’t implement a “system” that allows you train certain fitness qualities simultaneously.  You just have to understand that there’s going to be a “give and take” with regards to expected results.

Here, Patrick sheds some light on a VERY interesting topic and offers some sage advice on how to go about programming for different qualities.  At the end of the day research is cool, but you still need to be able apply it to your athletes.

It Was The Best Of Times, It Was The Worst Of Times – Anthony Griffith

I saw that Roger Lawson posted this on his Facebook page, and watched it myself.  All I have to say is…..Wow.

If you have nine minutes to spare, this is nine minutes well spent.  If nothing else, it just makes you feel that maybe your day wasn’t quite as bad as you thought.

 

** Just to give people an idea of how I’m approaching this squatting experiment, my week has been looking like this:

Monday:  Squat, working up to heavy(ish) triples.

Tuesday:  Squat, 3×5.  Nice and easy reps here.  Nothing remotely strenuous or grinding.

Wednesday: Day off. Cuddle with my cat.

Thursday: Squat, 2-3×8. Higher reps here using 10-12RM

Friday: No squatting.

Saturday: Is just a “get-up-early-and-head-to-the-facility-to-move-around-a-little-bit-before-clients-show-up” day.  I’ll toss in some VERY light Goblet squats in here.

Sunday:  Laundry, grocery shopping, whatever else I’m told to do.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Lift Like a Girl?

I know I seemingly talk about my girlfriend a lot on this blog (what can I say:  she’s the shit), but today I have a story that I think a lot of the ladies reading will appreciate.

Lisa (said girlfriend) is a fitness enthusiast who likes to train, eat dead animals, and who also teaches a few spin classes throughout the week for the heck of it (and for the free gym membership).  It’s serious business for her.  The night prior to every class she’ll make a new playlist, figuring out which songs should be used for sprints, seated climbs, as well as which ones she’ll use for their general awesome factor.

Not surprisingly, as someone who talks the talk and walks it, Lisa’s classes are routinely jam packed and she has her own “cult following” of spinners who follow her religiously. Rain or shine.

She also has a fair share of newcomers who sporadically attend her class, and she’s always welcoming and more than willing to offer feedback and advice.

As it happened – and this actually happens quite a bit – last week Lisa was approached by a woman who attended her class for the first time and asked whether or not she (Lisa) also teaches an “arms class.”

For a visual reference, see picture below.  Lisa is the one who’s not wearing blue.  And has hair.

Looking somewhat perplexed, Lisa was like “excuse me?”  The woman then said, “you know, an arms class…..kickbacks, bicep curls, etc.  What did you do to get your arms!?”

Always playing the modest card, Lisa said “thank you,” and matter-of-factly stated that she lifts weights 3x per week and got her arms by doing a lot of chin-ups and push-ups.

Probably not the answer the woman wanted to hear, but such is life.  If you want to actually look like you lift weights, or even if you don’t and all you want is to give your body some semblance of shape, contour, or definition (I can’t bring myself to say “toned”), you NEED TO LIFT APPRECIATE WEIGHT!!!!!!

There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Which is why I’m STOKED about Nia Shanks’ new product:

Lift Like a Girl Guide

 

Nia and I have been friends for a few years now, I respect the hell out of her, love everything that she represents, and I consider her the ambassador for female training.

Like myself Nia has long been telling women that they should focus more on training for PERFORMANCE, even if their goal is fat loss.

Even if you want to lose fat, setting achievable, measureable goals like being able to perform ten push-ups, deadlifting 1.5x your bodyweight, or working up to your first-ever unassisted chin-up, is the key.

If you want that toned (there I said it), athletic look, you need to drop the pink dumbbells and Zumba class, and lift real weights.

***And not view food as your enemy (which Nia also addresses)

The Lift Like a Girl Guide is Nia’s opus, and something I feel is going to open the floodgates for a lot of women with regards to learning HOW to train and eat the right way.  Not to mention set them up for a world of confidence moving forward.

Funnily enough, Nia sent me an advance copy and as I was listening/watching her first presentation last Sunday afternoon out on the patio, Lisa was within earshot doing some food prep in the kitchen.

Repeatedly I kept hearing her belt out “AMEN!!!!!” in response to everything Nia was saying. After about 20 minutes Lisa walked out to where I was sitting and said, “this is such a wonderful message to give women.”

I think of Nia were in the room at the time, the two of them would have shared a Thelma and Louise moment for sure.

So if it’s any consolation to anyone reading, Lisa gives it a HUGE thumbs up.

The objective here is simple: to get stronger, leaner, and healthier in the shortest amount of time possible.  That way there’s more time to do stuff that girls like to do.  You know, stuff like watching clips of Ryan Gosling being Ryan Gosling, and talking about “feelings” and what not.

Okay, just kidding (but not really).

What’s more, not only are you going to learn how to lift like a girl, but Nia also discusses how to EAT and THINK like a girl, too.

And, to throw a cherry on top: Nia says that if anyone who follows this program gets “big and bulky,” you can go to her house and personally Sparta kick her in the kidney.

It’s really a win-win. What have you got to lose?

—> Lift Like a Girl Guide <—

 

CategoriesMotivational

Red Kites and Blueberry Pop-Tarts

This is probably my most random blog title ever (even more than THIS), and I’m sure those who clicked on the link and are now reading may be scratching their heads wondering where I could possibly be going with this.  Bear with me.

I’m a member of a pretty awesome movie theater here in Boston called The Coolidge. It’s an independent movie theater that’s like four blocks from my apartment, and it’s not uncommon for me to make a cameo appearance every weekend to check out one of the new releases or to participate in one of their events like a midnight showing of Point Break (I. AM. AN FBI AGENT!!!!), a Lord of the Rings marathon (where freaking Aragorn himself actually showed up to serenade the audience), or a book signing by Kevin Smith.

It’s a pretty baller place and it’s essentially a second home for me.

Now, as you can imagine, it’s not a huge:  there are four theaters (one of which is a ten seat screening room), and a small lobby that serves the normal movie theater fair, along with fine wine and booze. Holla!

Because of its size, the Coolidge has an un-spoken rule (kind of like not bunting in the 9th inning to break up a no-hitter) that they don’t start seating people until roughly 10-15 minutes prior to the show starting.  Anything earlier and the lobby just becomes one massive clusterf***.

Last week I showed up a little early and was told by the guy accepting tickets to wait outside for a few minutes while the theater was clearing out and so that they could clean.  Cool.  No problem.  It was a gorgeous night out anyways, and I had a book with me to read, so I could easily pass the time.

Another (older, presumably uppity a-hole) gentleman was right behind me, and the tenant mentioned the same thing to him (that he’d have to wait a few minutes……outside), and the guy went off.  Like REALLY off.

“The thing is sir, we have a small lobby and it gets crowded as one showing is exiting and others are waiting to get in.  Plus, we have concessions that need to be addressed, and it just becomes……”

“Yes I WOULD mind waiting ten minutes,” the guy said, in a “I’m more important than everyone else here” tone.

I was out the door before I could hear the rest of what he said.  But in my mind, I couldn’t help but think to myself how freaking uptight and high-strung people are.

Adding fuel to the fire, when one of the staff finally came outside to announce that they were ready to seat everyone, another jerk went off because there was no inherent “order” to how they were letting people it.  Essentially everyone was bum rushing the side door and there was no “line” of people waiting to get inside.

Mind you, there were like 40 or so of us waiting to get in, and it was a 400 seat theater.  This guy was muttering out loud to anyone who would listen, “this is stupid.  Why do they do it like this?  I can’t believe this.”

All I wanted to say was,”dude, there are 400 seats.  You’re going to get one.  Relax.”

But I didn’t.  I just chuckled to myself, handed my ticket to the guy, and walked in and got a seat.

For those curious, I saw Arbitrage starring Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon.  About a rich dude who’s an a-hole.  Ironic given the company I was in.

Good movie, though.  I gave it a solid B.

Which parlays very well into the title of this post.

The other night Lisa and I watched the movie We Bought a Zoo – starring my man-crush, and BFF (he just doesn’t know it), Matt Damon.

Based on a true story, in it, Matt’s character’s wife dies (don’t worry, it’s not a spoiler), and as a result he buys a zoo.  Literally.  Throughout the movie he references his wife and how she was able to enjoy the simple things in life – two examples of which were red kites and blueberry pop-tarts.

It got me thinking:  in a world where we’re so caught up in playing 17 different games of Words With Friends or making sure the barista gets our Frappuccino order just right (I said NO FOAM AT THE TOP!!!!!!!!), it’s no wonder we rarely (if ever) see the beauty in life.

Is it really that hard to press the pause button and enjoy some of life’s simple pleasures?

As I’m writing this blog post, CP is empty.  I’m sitting here in the lobby on the couch with my feet up on the coffee table listening to some soft ambient music, and I’m perfectly content.  To me, this is it.  Just doing my own thing, relaxing, and writing to my hearts content – even though it’s something that’s completely not fitness related.

I realize some people prefer ostentatious things like a Ferrari, 55 inch plasma tv screens, or gold plated toilet seats.  And that’s cool.  But I still argue that it’s the simple things that count.

Things like:

– A perfectly succulent filet mignon cooked medium.

– Watching a red light turn green right as you’re approaching it.

– Hitting a PR in the gym and then giving everyone a high five within a two mile radius.

– Turning back to the channel the instant the commercial break ends.

– Telling someone close to you that you love them, and hearing them say it back.

– Snuggling up with your pet.

– Wearing a snuggie. Don’t worry, I won’t judge.

– Saying “eff it,” and tossing in a set (or ten) of arm curls at the end of your training session.

– Carbs.

– Reading a good book.

– Going to the airport and NOT having your flight delayed.

– Making eye contact with a complete stranger, smiling, and saying “how are you?”  Dude, don’t be weird. You can look away now.

– The smell of freshly cut grass.

– Fenway Park. Granted the Red Sox are a walking pile of suck right now, but it’s still a beautiful place to watch a game.

– Sunday afternoon matinees.

– Beef jerky.  Or any form of dead animal flesh.

– Coming home after a rough day and taking a loooooooooooooooooooooooong shower.

– Walking into a subway station and having your train be the next one to arrive. Score!

– Caffeine.  Is. Glorious.

– A solid 8-9 hours of sleep. Seriously, is there anything better?

– Boobies.  Boobies are way better.

– Deadlifts.

– Realizing that with your next purchase that slice of pizza is free because it’s the tenth hole being punched in your “buy ten, get next one free” card.

– Being able to look down and see your wang without a big, ol, gut impeding everything.  This one courteous of Eric Cressey.

– Training at a gym that not only allows chalk, but encourages its use.

– And people.  People are just cool.  Except for Kanye West.  He’s kind of a douche.

Those are just a few examples of “simple” things that I enjoy and allow me to realize that life doesn’t necessarily have to be so complicated and full of angst.

Believe me:  I know that everything isn’t always puppy dog kisses and rainbows, and sometimes things suck. Like, a lot.

I just feel that if more people took a step back and didn’t take things – or themselves – so seriously, they’d probably see that life is kinda cool and that it shouldn’t resort to complaining about waiting ten minutes for a movie to start.

So with that, if you wouldn’t mind, do me a favor and do two things for me:

1.  Share a few things in YOUR life that you enjoy below.

2.  Pass this along – share it, like it, whatever it takes.  I think this a message that more people need to hear/boobies are really, really awesome.

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing Rehab/Prehab

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Slideboard Push-Up vs. Band

It’s no secret that I love push-ups and that I feel they’re an important component of any well-rounded fitness program. They offer a bevy of benefits ranging from improved upper body strength (pecs for days!), improved scapular kinematics, and core activation.

As such, in relation to the last point, push-ups serve as an excellent assessment tool to gauge a person’s ability – from an anterior/posterior perspective – to control the entire lumbo-pelvic-hip area.

If someone can’t maintain a neutral spinal position doing something as standard as an (un-loaded) push-up, do you think it’s going to be a good idea to place a heavy barbell on their back?

They’re also really smart, love to go for walks on the beach, can cook like no one’s business. And OMG, I can’t tell you how funny they are. Just the other day we were watching an old episode of Friends – you know, that one where Joey’s lounge chair breaks and Chandler tries to replace it? – and push-ups was like “and that’s why you never bring two rams in heat to a tap dancing recital.”

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Eh, I guess you had to be there. Trust me, it was HIL-arious.

Anyways, basically all I’m trying to say is that everyone needs more push-ups in their lives. I know they’re often deemed “wimpy” or a waste of time, but I truly feel they’re one of the rare exercises that provide a lot bang for our training buck, and can easily be “tweaked” to the lifter depending on his or hers needs or goals.

Which brings us to today’s Exercise You Should Be Doing

Slideboard Push-Up vs. Band

Who Did I Steal it From:  I originally heard about this variation from my buddy, Nick Tumminello, in an article he wrote for T-Nation a few years ago – HERE.

What Does It Do:  Well, we get all the prerequisite advantages – upper body strength, core activation, shoulder health, and we get a ton of leeway in that we can make them as easy (0r challenging) as we want depending on the person we’re working with.

The main advantage of THIS variation, however, and as Nick noted in the article linked above:

Slide board band push-ups increase muscle tension around the shoulder joint by forcing the posterior shoulder muscles to contract by resisting the band pulling the hands together. Many people who can’t perform a normal push-up due to shoulder pain can successfully perform this variation pain free.

Key Coaching Cues:  In terms of basic technique, all the same “ingredients” still apply.

  • Keep chin tucked – don’t poke it towards the ground.
  • Abs should stay tight or braced (sometimes I’ll gently tap the stomach to help the trainee engage their core).
  • Squeeze the glutes (provides more posterior pelvic tilt and keeps people out of lumbar hyperextension).
  • Hands/elbows should be directly underneath the shoulders.
  • Likewise, hands should be around shoulder width apart.
  • Knees should be locked and legs in a straight line.
  • The entire backside should make a straight line.
  • Elbows should not flare out during the set (it places far more stress on the shoulders), nor should they be glued to your sides (which causes too much “crowding” and will cause people to go into excessive scapular anterior tilt). Instead, the upper arms should make a 45-degree angle to the body.
  • Chest touches floor (or in this case, the slideboard) on every rep.

Another key point I want to note is how to “finish” each rep.  Try to push yourself away from the floor as much as possible at the top of each repetition (scapular protraction).  By doing so, you’re allowing the scapulae to function through a full ROM (adduction AND abduction), and you’re inviting the serratus anterior into the mix as well. Never a bad idea.

You’ll note in the video I do a fairly decent job of doing it correctly.  You’ll also note the lame music in

the background.

Specific to this variation, though, is you’ll need to grab a mini-band (or something equivalent) and wrap that around your wrists.  Place your hands on top of the “footsies” that come with the slideboard and as you perform your push-up, you’ll need to place tension in the band by pulling it apart and then preventing it from forcing your hands together.

This will help activate the posterior shoulder.

NOTE:  for those who don’t have access to a slideboard you could easily use a pair of ValSlides or even those cheapo furniture gliders you can purchase at your local Home Depot.  Either way, the objective is to perform these on a slippery surface.

Try them out today and let me know what you think!