Author: Tony

A few weeks ago, when I asked my readership what they wanted me to change/keep the same in 2012, I had a resounding number of people mention how they really enjoyed the Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work series.

This was fabulous news to me for a couple of reasons:

1.  It saves my fingers from having to type.

2.  And more importantly, it allows me the opportunity to expose you – my loyal reader – to articles and blog posts from other really intelligent and passionate coaches/trainers/general badasses that you otherwise wouldn’t have come across.  Or maybe you have.  In that case, you clearly have impeccable taste.

Nevertheless, this is the first installment for the new year………enjoy!

How I Stopped Sucking at Pull-Ups – Neghar Fonooni

Not too long ago, before Christmas in fact, one of our younger female clients, Becca (who’s been training with us since she was 14), performed her first unassisted, dead hang, chin-up.

Becca’s a HIGHLY motivated athlete, and she’s pretty strong as it stands now.  She’s (trap bar) deadlifted 280 for three reps, can bang out push-ups like it’s her job, and she’s also loaded her supine glute bridges to 365 lbs…….for reps.

Here she is banging out 345 lbs, without even breaking a sweat.

One thing that has been a little more of a challenge, however, is the chin-up. It’s taken a lot more time and a lot more effort to pull it off…………….

But she did it.

And, not to brag or anything, I can safely say that EVERY female client above the age of 16 who trains at Cressey Performance can perform at least one chin-up.  If not more.

I think that’s pretty cool.

That being said, I have a sneaky suspicion that for many females reading, you’re equally as frustrated as Becca once was.  While she’s now up to two reps, for multiple sets, it was just a matter of getting past that initial obstacle of doing ONE that was the key.

In this article, Neghar expounds on some simple (but not easy) ways to help YOU get over that proverbial hump.

The Battle to Take Back Awesome – Kevin Kuzia

Considering my proclivity for deeming everything awesome – deadlifts, sun dried tomatoes, The Daily Show, Brooklyn Decker (see above), my farts – I found this article to be highly entertaining, and somewhat of a reality check – especially considering the title of yesterday’s post.

F**k Calories – Krista Scott Dixon

I’ve been a fan of Krista’s work for a long time, and I’ve consistently recommended her articles and website – www.stumptuous.com –  to many of my female (and male) clients because I like her no-frills, no BS style of telling it like it is.

I came across this FREE e-book last night, and already read the entire thing.  And while I’m doing the book an injustice by only offering a smidgeon of what it has to offer, here are a few examples of things that struck a chord with me:

How you eat is more important than what you eat.

And

“Fortifed” means “We took good stuff out so we have to put it back in.”

Buy the best quality food you can afford. Food is an investment, not a cost.

And

Dozens of factors affect the energy you can get from food – the soil it’s grown in, the processing, the way your body handles it, the health of your intestinal bacteria…

The calorie count on the food package itself may be off by as much as several hundred calories.

Dozens of other factors affect the energy you put out: your hormones, your daily activity, your age, your health, your bone density…

So you can never know for sure what’s coming in or going out. Focusing solely on calories also encourages you to tell yourself lies such as “I didn’t have breakfast so it’s OK to eat this cake” or “This piece of sugared wax is only 100 calories so it’s good to eat.”

Use a bit a of caution, though. Unless you work in the coolest place ever, your boss may frown on the colorful language.  As if the title didn’t give it away, it’s probably NSFW.  It’s a FANTASTIC read, nonetheless.

Note from TG:  Today’s blog is the epitome of not having an agenda.  I just opened my laptop and wrote.  I hope it doesn’t suck.

1.  Whenever I write a program and I really (REALLY) want to make someone hate life, I usually throw in some clusters.  What are clusters you ask?

Essentially, clusters are an easy way to get more ‘work’ done with heavier loads.  Taking it step further, clusters can also be thought of as more of a rest-pause variation where you perform a heavy single – or heavy double – with shortened rest periods in between each rep.  In a way, it’s a form of interval training, except done with weights. And it’s infinitely more badass.

There are a million and one ways to perform clusters, but using a simple example lets say your best 5RM back squat is 225 lbs.  With clusters, you would use the same weight or maybe even up it a smidge (5-10 lbs) and then perform FIVE singles with 10-20s rest in between.

Perform 1 rep
Rest 10-20s
Perform 1 rep
Rest 10-20s
Perform 1 rep
Rest 10-20s
Perform 1 rep
Rest 10-20s
Perform 1 rep

That’s ONE cluster.  Rest 3-5 minutes, and do that 3-4 more times.  By the end you’ll either want to puke or stab someone in the face. Either way, like I said, you’ll hate life.

2.  Stretch.  Seriously.  Just stretch.  I know it’s about as exciting as watching an episode of Golden Girls, but suck it up and do it.

For the record: those cute little arm circles and hamstring stretches you do don’t count.  In fact, I’m willing to bet your hamstrings are fine, and the only reason you’re stretching them in the first place is because it’s the only part of your body that doesn’t need a crowbar to do so.

For most (actually everyone), stretching the hip flexors is the name of the game. As a society, we essentially live in flexion, with some people spending a good 15 hours of their day sitting at home, sitting during their commute to and from work, sitting at work, and for some, sitting even more while they “workout.”

And while it can be argued that all stretching really does is increase our tolerance to stretching (and doesn’t really do anything in terms of increasing the number of sarcomeres in the muscle), I don’t care, stretch those hip flexors anyway.

The video above is more of a mobilization, but it stands to reason you can use it to “stretch” your hip flexors throughout the day.

Oh, and since we’re on the topic, you see that foam roller over there in the corner that you bought last year? Use it.  Times infinity.

3. Cut yourself some slack and perform an unconventional workout. In other words, do something different.  Chances are, if you’re like me, you generally train the same way day in and day out, month by month, and year by year.  More or less.

At the end of the day if you’re a powerlifter, you powerlift, and your training revolves around the squat, bench press, and deadlift.  Similarly, if you’re an Olympic lifter, you Olympic lift; if you’re a bodybuilder, you body build; and if you’re a CrossFitter, well, you do whatever……….deadlifts, cleans, kipping pull-ups, push a car, juggle a few chainsaw.  It’s all good.  You’re doing something, it’s getting you to move, and who am I to judge?

That said, people get set in their ways and oftentimes pigeonhole themselves into training a certain way 100% of the time. They perform the same exercises (in the same order), for the same sets and reps, using the same rest periods or tempo over and over and over again.

I get it. Something works, you get results, you then get comfortable.  That’s commendable, but sometimes that can be dangerous.

We get complacent with our training, and before we know it, we’ve spent the last six months not making ANY progress because we’re always doing the same………thing………all………the……….time.

Speaking personally, for the past few months, I can say this describes me to a “T.”  Training has been more of a chore – like being told to take out the garbage – rather than something I look forward to doing on a daily basis.

With that in mind, in writing this past month’s staff program, I decided to change it up a bit and make training fun again.  Sure, the staples are still there.  We’re still squatting, deadlifting, and otherwise focusing on the compound movements, but I also threw in some exercises that I haven’t done in years.  Yesterday, for instance, this was our B1-B2 superset:

B1.  Dips 5×10
B2.  TRX Inverted Rows 5×10

And take a look at the C1-C2 supeset:

C1. Barbell Shrugs 3×6/12/24 (strip sets)
C2. DB Scaption 3×10

I haven’t done dips or shrugs in probably three or four years. I also haven’t had a pump like that, or had as much fun training in a loooooooong time.  And you know what?  It was worth it.

Was it the type of workout I’d normally chastise and roll my eyes at?  Yep. But at the end of the day, sometimes you just need to say F-it and have some fun.

With that in mind, do yourself a favor and change it up a bit. If you’re the type of person who benches three times week, throw yourself a curve ball and squat today.  You know, for shits and gigs.  Conversely, if you’re like me, and seem to be stuck in your own ways, don’t be scared to

4.  Stop slouching.  Now, drop down and give me ten.

Seriously, why not? Stand up in your office/cubicle/living room/dorm room/or where ever you happen to be reading this, drop down to the floor, and bang out ten push-ups right now.

Go a head , I’ll wait……………….

See.  That wasn’t so hard was it?

Do that again in an hour or two.  Set an alarm or email notice, and do that several times per day.  It’s an excellent way to increase your caloric expenditure throughout the day and increase your NEBIRIEPA (Non-Exercise But It Really Is Exercise Physical Activity).

You can use any body weight exercise you want for all I care.  Perform some squats, or even lunges.  Throw a TRX in your office and perform some inverted rows. Better yet, purchase an Iron Gym and bust out some chin-ups in your dining room hallway.  Shirt optional.

And for the ladies reading, if you can’t perform ten body weight push-ups.  First off:  stop saying you can’t do it.  All the negative self talk isn’t going to help.  Secondly:  Try to do 1-2 eccentric only push-ups (lowering yourself as slow as you can to the floor), several times per day.  By the end of the month, I can almost guarantee you’ll be crushing push-ups.

Likewise with chin-ups, if you can’t perform one dead-hang chin-up, try to “groove” technique with one eccentric rep every 1-2 hours. By the end of the day you’ll have performed close to 6-10 chin-ups you otherwise wouldn’t have.  By the end of the week:  42-70.  By the end of the month:  I don’t know, use your calculator and figure it out.

I could probably think of four more equally awesome things (make an omelet, drive a tank, go for a walk, cuddle with a kitten), but these should suffice for now. Now, go perform some clusters!

 

Welcome to 2012!  I hope everyone reading had a safe and eventful New Years, filled with friends, family, and if you’re like me….an epic piece of Oreo cheesecake.

Unlike past New Years together, Lisa and I opted to eat dinner early (in Boston’s historic North End), and head home to watch the ball drop on television.  Neither of us made it that far, though, and we were both passed out in insulin coma by 10:30.

And they say romance is dead?

Nevertheless, it’s a new year, and as a result, it’s resolution making time.

It’s a bit cliche, I know.  And maybe even a touch rudimentary. But at the end of the day, people tend to stay more accountable when they write things down, myself included.

So, with that, assuming the Mayans aren’t right and we’re all going to perish in a firestorm of Apocalyptic epicness, here are my resolutions for the upcoming year.

1.  Stop Using the Word ‘Epic’ So Much.

I used it twice in the introduction alone for crying out loud, and that’s just unacceptable.  I think the best way to approach this is to set some rules for myself and lay out some general guidelines for it’s usage.

Eating cheesecake = no so epic.

Salma Hayek’s cleavage on the other hand = epic epicness to epic degree.

From now on, unless something rivals Salma’s cleavage, it’s not epic.  Point. Blank. Period. I……can’t……stop…..staring

2.  Operation Hydration!

I don’t drink nearly enough water throughout the day, and there’s no doubt in my mind that it effects my performance in the gym, as well as my energy levels throughout any given day. Water comprises 75% of our body and 85% of our brain, and it’s borderline criminal how little of it I drink.  While there are a million and one benefits to staying hydrated, the one’s that pop into my mind right off the bat are:

• Drinking water enhances fat loss
• Water helps to lubricate joints and ease joint pain
• Look Younger – Drinking water hydrates your skin
• Reduce Blood Pressure
• Improve Bowl Movements
• Improve performance.  Even low levels of dehydration have physiological consequences. A loss of 2% bodyweight (just 1kg for a 50kg person) causes an increase in perceived effort and is claimed to reduce performance by 10-20% A fluid loss exceeding 3-5% bodyweight reduces aerobic exercise performance noticeably and impairs reaction time, judgement, concentration and decision making – vital elements in all sports.

In addition to the above, water also:  acts as a solvent for nutrients; aids in digestions and absorption; transports materials throughout the body; eliminates toxins and waste products; and regulates body temperature.

In short, it’s kind of a big deal to not only get hydrated, but to STAY hydrated.

Worse still, I’m constantly telling our athletes and clients how important it is to get enough water, and here I am barely drinking enough to keep a hummingbird alive.

The tipping point came a few weeks ago when I went to deadlift and couldn’t perform three reps with a weight I normally crush for 6-8.  Not only that, I went to the bathroom in the middle of the day and my pee looked like battery acid.  Not good.

To that end, in 2012 it’s my goal to be one hydrated bastard, and bring a whole new meaning to the term “pissing excellence.” HA! See what I just did there?  CP’s (unofficial) slogan is pissing excellence. And if I drink more water, I’m going to have to pee a lot. Sooooooo, yeah……..that’s what I like to call word play.

For starters, every morning, the first thing I’m doing is pwning a 32 ounce glass of water with a scoop of Athletic Greens.

Secondly, Lisa got me a ginormous kanteen that I can fill with water and bring to work with me everyday.

Here’s a picture I took of it this morning.  As a frame of reference, I set my little ninja powerstick thingamajig next to it so that you could see how big the kanteen actually is.

1-2 of those per day, on top of my morning water consumption, and I should be all set.  Bring it on!

3.  Improve My Writing Skills

To quote Napoleon Dynamite:  girls only want boyfriends who have great skills.  You know, like nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills…….

Likewise, girls want boyfriends who can write coherent sentences and can differentiate between stuff like you’re/your, to/too/two, there/their/they’re, effect/affect, and throw in a few fart jokes here and there for comedic effect (<—– see!  Effect.  I got it right!).

As it stands now, I’ve been writing this blog for about four years (closing in on 900 posts) and have written like 50 or so articles for various websites and magazines.  And while I can safely say my writing style has improved in that time frame, I still feel there’s room for improvement.

Writing is something that’s very therapeutic for me, and is something I thoroughly enjoy doing.  Too, it’s also something that drives me batshit crazy, and can also be incredibly frustrating at times.

As an example, it’s not uncommon for me to nitpick over every sentence (sometimes every word) I write. I’m one of those writers who has to finish one paragraph before moving onto the next, and it’s not uncommon for me to want to throw my face into the keyboard when I can’t make things “jive” or come together the way I want them to.

As a result, I’m constantly trying to find ways to make my writing process more “organic,” and it’s definitely been a labor of love in doing so.

Moreover, even if I proof read and try to weed through the “clutter” with a fine toothed comb, I always end up with any number of grammatical errors or boo-boos that make me look like an idiot.

Note:  case in point, I’m writing this very sentence about eight hours after posting this blog, and already found like five major mistakes.

As such, I’ve taken it upon myself to start reading more books on writing.  Some gems that I recently finished:

It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences – by June Casagrande

The Elements of F*cking Style – by Chris Baker and Jacob Hansen

On Writing Well – William Zinssner

The latter of which I’m currently reading, and it’s rocking my world!  Absolutely amazing.

Additionally, and even more exciting, is the fact that I also signed up for a Creative Non-Fiction writing class that starts in two weeks.

There’s a really popular community education center here in Boston, and on a whim one day, I checked out one of their pamphlets and saw they offered numerous writing classes for a reasonable price.  I figured “what the hell,” and signed up for an eight-week class.

I’m nervous, but also really excited to see what I’ll learn.  I’m pretty sure I’ll have the Pulitzer in the bag this year, easy.

4.  Train My Glutes to the Point Where They Have Their Own Area Code

This one is pretty self explanatory.

5.  Spread My Wings

Whenever I’m asked whether or not I’m going to write an e-book or do more speaking engagements, I usually just say something along the lines of, “hahahahahahaha.  Me?  Write a book?  hahahahahaha.”

I’ve been perfectly content writing articles, and taking part in a business that’s constantly growing.  Sure, I’ve done a few speaking engagements here and there.  But speaking in general terms, public speaking – at least for me – is about as much fun as washing my face with broken glass.

Most of the problem, however, is just me being lame and being afraid to step outside my comfort zone.

I took a HUGE leap forward this past year is co-contributing to Muscles Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body.

This year, I plan to REALLY take it to the next level and throw myself into the ring. I’ve already committed to heading up to Canada later this year to speak alongside my MIRU cohorts – Dean Somerset, Rick Kaselj, and Dr. Jeff Cubos.

Likewise, while it’s still in the initial stages of planning, I’ll also be presenting at a “yet to be named” Fitcast event alongside Kevin Larrabee, Jonathan Fass, Leigh Peele, and Cassandra Forsythe.

Whether or not I’ll actually pony up and attempt a solo project remains to be seen.  Regardless, 2012 is shaping to be an EPIC year (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

Alright, now it’s YOUR turn.  What are your resolutions for the New Year?

 

It’s the day after Christmas, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little bit bummed.  All that preparation and suspense leading up to the big day, and seemingly, it’s over in just a blink of an eye.  I don’t know about you, but mine was wonderful, and I soaked up every minute of it yesterday.

It started off Christmas Eve night where Lisa and I had dinner reservations at a local restaurant right down the street from our apartment.  To say that I ate really well all last week would be an understatement.  All told, I had filet mignon TWICE, as well as a decadent rump roast yesterday.  And don’t even get me started on all the desserts that have been sneaking their way onto my plate.  Whatever….it’s the Holidays, right?

Anyways, yesterday morning, Lisa and I woke up early to get the party started.  For both of us, growing up (me in New York, her in Florida), exchanging Christmas stockings was a significant part of the celebration, and we both decided to continue with that tradition ourselves.

Afterwards, we heading out into the living room to exchange gifts. I won’t bore you with the details of what we got for one another, but lets just say that while she didn’t get a Nintendo 64, this is pretty close to Lisa’s reaction when she opened up her (main) present.

Okay, what the hell. I shouldn’t leave everyone hanging like that. I got her a Macbook Pro (ie:  not a ring, but a close second). The look on her face when she opened it, and the reaction that followed, was easily the best Christmas present that I got this year. It was priceless.

What’s more, Dagny, our cat, even got a little sumthin sumthin from Santa.  Catnip!

Come to find out – she LOVES the stuff.  We mistakenly left the (sealed) bag up on the living room table last night, only to get up this morning to find the bag ripped to shreds and catnip all over the living and dining room floor.  I can only imagine the state of frolicsome bliss she was in.

In any case, for those those reading who it pertains to, here’s my sincerest hopes that the Holiday season was a safe and happy one.

Now, lets get to today’s content!

In light of a post that my good friend Bret Contreras put up last week – The Three Most Idiotic Things I’ve Done as a Personal Trainer – after reading it, I felt compelled to “steal” his thunder and throw my hat into the ring as well.

Much like I Bret, I’ve been training people for upwards of a decade now, and while I’ve had many successes and rewarding experiences in that time frame, I’ve also had my fair share of epic fails.

In no particular order, here are a few that come to mind.

1.  Glute Ham Raise Debacle

You know the saying “you shouldn’t assume anything, because it makes an ASS out of U and ME?”  Well, I learned this one the hard way.

It was three summers ago (summer of 2008), and we had only been in our new facility for a couple of months. As is the case, we had seen an influx of new clientele make their way in, and one such client was a graduate student from Boston who was preparing for his very first powerlifting meet.

Giving full disclosure, I had been writing his programs for the past 2-3 months, and knew that he had a few quality training years under his belt. At any rate, this particular month, I had programmed GHRs and didn’t think anything of it. I mean, all along he had been performing more advanced exercises:  SSB squats, conventional deadlifts, front squats vs. chains, you name it.

….can you sense the foreshadowing yet?

Typically with any new (monthly) program, we generally like to walk people through it to make sure they know what everything is and that there’s no confusion.

Him:  Cool, glute ham raises today!

Me:  Oh, you’ve done them before?

***I was surprised because most college students rarely – if ever – have access to a glute ham raise machine.

Him:  Well, yeah, kinda…..just not with a GHR like yours.

Me:  Okay, fine.  Lets see it.

He proceeds to hop on, places his knees against the pads, and his feel above the foot rollers, not in between.  Before I could say anything, he starts.  Almost as if it were in slow motion, he proceeds to flip over and lands face first onto the ground.

I was freaking speechless. I couldn’t believe what just happened, and all I could do was stare.

He quickly got up, and walked to the bathroom. I followed. He had a bloody lip, and we noticed, too, that he had chipped his front tooth – which he mentioned he had work on a few days prior at the dentist’s office.

Shit.

I felt bad, but even worse, he felt embarassed.

He left a few minutes after to make an emergency trip to the dentist’s office, and luckily there were no long-standing ramifications.  He came in the following week and we all had a good laugh about it, but it just goes to show that you CAN NOT assume anything as a coach.  No matter how confident you feel about someone’s abilities, it’s important to remember that it’s your job to make sure people know what they’re doing and understand how to properly perform any given exercise.

2.  Plate Mate Follows Newton’s 2nd Law (Gravity is a Bitch)

Back when I was a personal trainer in Connecticut, I was working with several younger athletes – one of which was the son of one of my older female clients.

One day we were performing some dumbbell flat bench presses, when I decided we needed to up the weight a bit. Without really showing one iota of common sense – in mid set – I slapped on a pair of plate mates.

After like two reps – and with the gym owner coincidentally right behind me, watching – one of the plate mates slipped off and fell right onto the kid’s forehead.

Oopsie Daises.

Both DBs crash to the floor, and he pops up bleeding from the head.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

The owner, Jim, busts into action and immediately grabs a towel and applies pressure.  It wasn’t like blood was gushing out, but enough to the point where we had to put a couple of band-aids on and send him home.

I felt like a complete moron.

This isn’t a slight against plate mates – they’re an awesome tool – it’s just that I had a brain fart and was careless.  As a coach – it’s my job to be “present” and to use better judgement.  That was an instance where I failed miserably.

3. Realizing That I’m Not the Bees Knees

** the following is actually an excerpt from a post I participated in over on Jon Goodman’s site, HERE.

Not so much now, but most definitely back in the day, I thought I was the bees knees.  I mean, I read books on training, and even watched a dvd here and there – so it only made sense (at least in my eyes) that I knew everything there was to know about anything – ESPECIALLY when it came to training people.

When I first entered the industry and started training people one-on-one, I’d try my best to wow them with fancy words (synergistic dominance anyone?) and go out of my way to show how much they needed my help, nit-picking every minute detail of their assessment (Look at that!  Your left big toe only dorsiflexes 12 degrees.  OMG – we need to fix that).

The fact of the matter is, they don’t care.  Sure, it may sound cool (to you), but all your clients want to hear is whether or not you can get them from point A to point B.  Whether it’s helping them lose 20 lbs of fat, improving their deadlift, or helping them understand that performing endless repetitions of sit-ups probably isn’t doing their chronic back pain any favors – no cares how much you know, until the know how much you care.

Conclusion

While I could certainly sit here and come up with ten more examples, I think I’ll stop there.  Besides, the title of this post did say THREE and not TEN Coaching Fails.

Suffice it to say, I feel it’s good to demonstrate some humility from time to time, and it’s valuable to look back and learn from our mistakes. No one is perfect, right?

Do you have any similar stories?  Share them below.

 

Oh man, what a night last night! The CP family – employees and significant others – met up for our annual Holiday dinner at a renowned steak restaurant just outside of Boston and it was glorious.

Quick Quiz:  What muscle is filet mignon?

Answer:  Who cares, it’s delicious.

Real Answer:  Psoas!

Use that bit of info the next time you’re out and need a conversation stimulator.  You’re welcome.

Anyways, it was truly a wonderful evening, highlighted by the fact that I managed to wear matching colored shoes and  belt we were celebrating our FIFTH holiday get-together as Cressey Performance. When Pete mentioned that in passing during his toast, it was kind of surreal to think that it’s been five years (well, four and half, really) because it still feels like we just opened up the place.

Nevertheless, 2011 was a year of growth for CP, and 2012 looks to be even growthier (yep, I just invented a word). Thanks to all reading who not only support this site, but Cressey Performance as well.

To that end, for those who celebrate it:  Have a safe and festive Christmas this weekend.  I for one am really excited and plan on spending the entire day on Sunday relaxing and enjoying the day with Lisa.

See you next week!

and the J.A.R.G Goes to……Tony Gentilcore – Jonathan Goodman

Hopefully this doesn’t come across as narcissistic on my part, but and I couldn’t help but be surprised and feel really humbled and grateful that Jonathan would go out of his way to write up such an amazing post about……well……. me.

Ode to Deadlifts – Nia Shanks

This was a doozy of a post by Nia.  Her and I both share a mutual respect/slightly creepy infatuation for the deadlift so I couldn’t NOT share this one with all of you.

A Simpleton’s Guide to Bulking:  $*#**@^ Eat!!! – Tony Gentilcore

This is one I pulled from the archives and felt it would resonate with a few people reading – especially those who are curious as to how I generally go about eating when I want to add weight.