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TonyGentilcore.com in 2012

Like many of my colleagues, I use my blog as a way relay information, express my opinions on certain things, and otherwise offer some insight as to what’s jogging around in my brain on a day to day basis. Moreover, I also use it as way to interact with a wide array of people from across the world, and it’s been an absolute blast in the 4+ years that I’ve been doing it.

Coming up with content on a daily basis, however, isn’t always as easy as it may seem. While I feel I do a decent job of providing a blog that offers quality content (as well as a little entertainment),  I’d be blowing sunshine up my own ass if I didn’t own up to the fact that there are times where I sit in front of my computer screen in the morning and literally draw a blank.

Nada.  Nothing.

Crickets chirping

Tumbleweeds blowing

Or any other analogy you can come up with, there are times where I have no clue what I want to write about. Cue picture of Paula Patton being hot.

That said, I get ideas for blog posts from a wide variety of avenues:  clients I work with, books I read, other websites I frequent, DVDs I watch, commercial gyms I visit (always a good one), but I’m always looking for other unique ways to spice things up a bit.

2011 saw TonyGentilcore.com grow in ways I never could have predicted, and I have no doubts that 2012 is going to be just as equally successful, if not more so.

So, I have to ask:  what would you like to see more of in the upcoming year?  More video blogs? Shorter posts?  Longer posts? More guest blogs? More pictures of me without my shirt on?  Kidding. Kinda. Okay, I’m totally kidding.

No, but seriously, I can do that.

Any suggestions/opinions/words of wisdom/criticism is fair game here.  Please provide any feedback you’d like to share below.  It really does help!

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Productivity (Get Some!) – Part II

In yesterday’s post – Part I –  I touched on the concept of productivity and started to go into a little detail on how I go about getting things done on a day-to-day, and even weekly basis.  To summarize, I briefly talked about making an effort to surround yourself with other productive people, as well as the power of making lists.

Let me preface this by saying that I am by no means suggesting that I’m the most productive person in the world – let alone my household – but I do feel I have some valuable insight for many upcoming trainers and coaches out there looking to take the next step in their career.

As I alluded to briefly, the fitness industry can be a bit of a (WARNING: earmuffs) cluster**** in the sense that as a fitness professional, you make what you want of it.  A few years ago, wanting a bit more, I decided I to take strides to further my career and moved out of central New York. It was scary and a “ballsy” move on my part, but deep down I knew it was something I needed to do and that it was for the best.

Not long after, I began to entertain the idea of doing some writing. I started a blog while simultaneously submitting article ideas to various publications, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Well, there’s a lot more to it than that, but I don’t want to bore you to tears.  Suffice it to say, it seems I’m busier now more than ever, and it’s rare where I don’t look at the clock and wish there were more hours in the day.

With that, lets get back to it!

Get Up Early

It’s 6:30 AM as I begin writing this blog post.  Most of the people who’ll eventually read this are either still asleep (I hate you) or maybe just making their way to the kitchen to turn the coffee maker on.  Either way, if you want to increase your productivity, it only makes sense to get your ass out of bed earlier.

I’d say on average, I get up between 6-6:30 on most mornings – although there are times where I get up with Lisa at 5:30 when she has to go and teach her spin class.  It’s rare, but it happens.  Okay, it’s happened like three times.  Okay, once.  Whatever.  Get off my back!

The point is, I’m up early.

I walk to the bathroom, and you know……..

…and then I go and make my breakfast, and I generally spend the bulk of my mornings catching up on emails, reading some blogs, writing a few programs if I need to, and also doing what I’m doing now.

I have a 45 minute commute from my apartment to work, and given that the staff typically trains together at 10:30 before we open our door at noon, I really only have a good three hour window from the time I wake up to when I have to leave to get some solid work done.

Go to Bed Early

By that same token, if I’m getting up at the crack ass of dawn, you can bet that I’m going to bed early as well.  Jesus, I sound like an 80 year-old man!

Next thing you know I’m going to tell stories of how I used to walk 1-mile to and from school everyday, and yell at every person who walks on my lawn.

But I digress.

My body knows what’s up, and when it’s time for sleepy time – usually around 10 PM – it tells me.  I’m not one of those people who stays up at all hours of the night playing video games or watching Skin-a-Max.  I like my sleep, and it’s important to me to get a solid 7-9 hours per night (if I can).

Turn Off the Television

In his book, The Art of Non-Conformity (awesome book by the way), author Chris Guillebeau notes:

Seth Godin writes the number one business blog in the world, with a readership base of hundreds of thousands. He is frequently asked how he has time to do everything, especially write back to everyone who emails him. His answer is that he doesn’t watch tv, so that gives him four to five more hours a day than most people have.

Before Lisa and I moved in together, I went about a year and a half without paying a cable bill because I actively chose not to have it. Not only did I save myself $70 per month, but I also saw an exponential growth in my bank account. Why?

Instead of watching re-runs of 30 Rock (arguably my favorite show) and spending upwards of five hours of my day rotting my brain, I read, wrote, and was just more productive overall. In other words, I got shit done.

Likewise, and pigging back on the whole “going to bed early thing,” turning off the television will undoubtedly help. Most people are so wired from watching so much tv, that they can’t fall asleep! I can understand if you don’t want to do any work, and I can totally relate to wanting to veg out from time to time and watching some mindless show – but in all honesty if you’re having trouble falling asleep at night, read some fiction (or other reading material that doesn’t require a lot of thinking) and thank me later.

Refuse to Get a Smart Phone

I’m an Apple snob like everyone else (I converted to a Mac last year), but there’s one thing I refuse to get…….

and that’s a iPhone, or any other Smart phone on the market

Call me selfish, but I don’t want to be THAT easily accessible to the point where I’m constantly plugged into the internet.  What’s more, one of my biggest pet peeves is when you’re at a social event sitting at a table with several other people, and there’s always one asshat tapping away on his or her phone.  Uh, helllllo?  Over here???

Talk about lack of a social filter!

And don’t even get me started about people who use their phones during a movie.

Anyways, I just find that smart phones – as cool and shiek as they are – just get in the way, and otherwise prevent people from being as productive as they can.  Instead of writing an article, they’re playing Angry Birds.

Have an Understanding Girlfriend

This could easily go at the top of the list. Having a significant other who understands and supports the fact that you’re in an industry that demands a lot of time is crucial in many ways.

I mean, it’s not easy to come home after a long day of coaching, only to walk in the door, say hi to Lisa, talk for like ten minutes, and then go off into the office to write programs or work an article which has a deadline the following day.

It definitely takes a lot of compromise and communication, but when both parties are on the same page, it’s a beautiful thing.

The only caveat, of course….is Wednesday. Which we all know is reserved for “business time…….”

Know When to Say When

And then there are those days where you just need to say F-it, close your laptop, and do whatever it is you want to do. I’ve mentioned in the past how I’m an introvert and heart, and that one of the best ways for me to re-energize and collect my thoughts is to head down to the local coffee shop or bookstore and read for a few hours…….by myself…..at my own discretion.

I love it, and it’s amazing what a few hours of doing NOTHING can do.

Too, I’m also a HUGE movie buff, and it’s not uncommon for me to walk down to the local theater to catch a matinee on the weekends – either alone, or with Lisa.

The point is, you can’t always be working, and you need to allow yourself time to enjoy the things you like to do.  Take a nap, play World of Warcraft, walk your dog, clean that disgusting toilet of yours (seriously dude, that’s gross).

Do something other than work

Have some thoughts or words of wisdom to share…..I’d love to hear them.  Chime in below!

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Productivity (Get Some!) – Part I

Over the weekend, during one of the busiest days in Cressey Performance history, one of our new interns, Jordan, looked over at me like a deer in headlights and said something along the lines of, “Tony, how the heck do you do it? How is it that you’re able to coach 7-8 hours per day and STILL find the time to do all of the other things like write articles, keep up with your blog, etc?”

Similarly, last night, after all the clients had left, I was sitting in my office when Jordan asked, “so, what are you doing tonight?”

“Writing programs,” I said.

“Really?” he blurted, in a somewhat dumbfounded tone.

I know he knows better and understands the demands of being in this industry (you’re on when everyone else is off), but I can’t help but feel that the vast majority of athletes and clients that walk into the facility (not to mention all the people who read our stuff) on a daily basis just think we just show up and hang out all day, as if all Eric, myself, Pete, Chris, and George do is turn the lights on, play some loud music, throw some weights around, offer a few spots here and there, and then just go home to watch the Hoffinator on America’s Got Talent.

While there’s some truth to that, as to be expected, there’s a bit more that happens behind the scenes.  Actually, a lot more, but I don’t want to get too off track here.

Sure, I can think of worse ways to spend my days.  Not to rub it in or anything, but I wore sweatpants to work yesterday. What’s more, I also had the opportunity to train roughly 40 professional athletes and work with a wide variety of clientele that put a smile on my face everyday.

I’m not going to lie, though – I was freakin tired!  And when I reflected on what Jordan asked a few days ago (how do you do it?), at the time, I gave him the elevator pitch and mentioned how it just comes down to learning how to prioritize things and setting a schedule for yourself. It was nothing revolutionary by any means, but it got a few head nods, made sense, and he appreciated the skull-session.

In the days since, however, I couldn’t help but dig a little deeper. This industry, unlike many, offers a wide array of opportunity in that you can make what you want of it.  On one end of the spectrum you can just do your own thing, work at a commercial gym, and do well for yourself (or not…….most PTs burn out within two years).

On the flip side, you can enter entrepreneurship,open your own facililty, and do well for yourself (or not……it’s been said that seven out of ten small businesses fail within three years).

Throwing more into the ring, you also have this thing called the Internet, which, you know, a lot of people use. Outside of CP, I also run my own personal business through my writing (articles, blog) and online services, and within the past year or two have come to realize that a fair percentage of my income stems from my name being, for lack of a better term, a brand. Kind of like Apple, except not even close.

Anyways, when you think about it, I have two fronts I’m dealing with: Cressey Performance and doing my part to help run a successful (and growing) small business; and Tony Gentilcore (trying my best not to suck).

While I’d be lying if I said I felt I was the most productive person in the world, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give myself at least some credit.

To that end, here are some candid thoughts on how to become more productive.

1. Surround Yourself with Productive People

Seems like a Captain Obvious statement if there ever was one, right?

If you want to get better at playing video games, hang out with gamers.  If you want to get better at knitting, hang with people who knit.  If you want to be good at being a geek, hang out with people who attend Star Wars Conventions.  Oh snap.  Oh snap.  No he didn’t?!?!??!

Hey……..What tha!?!?!??!!  Goddammit, who stole the password to my Facebook account?????

Likewise, if you want to become more productive, it helps to surround yourself with people who have the same work ethic, or at least in the same ballpark…..as yourself.  As luck would have it, I work with the Robocop of productivity, Eric Cressey.

For those who don’t know Eric as well as I do, he’s an absolute machine, and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone as “on” as himself.

Not many people know this, but Eric and I met over the internet.  Totally not kidding.

Now, it wasn’t like we were both paying subscribers to strengthcoachbff.com or something equally as creepy.  No, instead, back in the day Eric and I knew each other from various strength and conditioning websites (t-nation.com for example) and over the course of a year or two built a mutual respect for one another.

In the summer of 2004, I met Eric for the first time in person in NYC, where a bunch of other people from another fitness website we both frequented decided to organize a small get together.  That same weekend – coincidentally enough – I also met Pete Dupuis at Fenway Park in Boston, MA.  Little did I know at the time that he’d eventually become my business partner.  Weird, how things work out.

Anyways, in the summer of 2005, Eric graduated from UCONN and had accepted a job at a commercial gym in Ridgefield, CT.  Knowing full well that I was dying a slow death in Syracuse working in corporate fitness, and yearning for a way to turn the page in my life, Eric called me up and mentioned that the place that just hired him was looking for another trainer.

Taking a huge leap of faith, I went out and interviewed, nailed it, and moved out to CT soon thereafter.

Long story short, I lived with Eric for two years (in both CT, and later on when we both moved to Boston) and saw firsthand what kind of work ethic he had.  While I was out in the living room watching Lord of the Rings (again), he was in his room writing freaking books (The Ultimate Off-Season Manual and Maximum Strength).

Of course, I was doing my own thing, working as a personal trainer and starting to dabble in some writing myself (t-nation, and some of you may remember my Boston Herald Step-Up! blog), but needless to say, Eric was (and still is) unparalleled as far as productivity is concerned.

Then, you know, we both got girlfriends, and got our own places, and eventually started Cressey Performance.

They say it’s the people you surround yourself with that dictate your success. Even today, I have no flippin idea how he’s able to keep up with everything. But to his credit, he’s been an integral influence on my career and work ethic, and I’d be an a-hole if I didn’t in someway credit him with helping me learn a thing or two along the way.

2. The $25,000 Piece of Advice

I actually wrote a blog post on this concept earlier this year after listening to Todd Durkin speak at the Perform Better Summit in Providence, RI.  Want to know the key to productivity:

Step 1:  Pick FIVE things you need to do today, and write them down.

Step 2:  Do them.

It’s that simple. If you want to be more productive with your time, and hence, more successful, you need to put your big boy (or girl) shoes on and hold yourself more accountable.

Write it down. Make a list. You need to start somewhere, right?

Speaking personally, my lists vary.  They can entail things as detailed as start the introduction to my next article, or something as mundane as clean the cat’s litter box.

Either way, there’s just something about crossing things off a list that’s invigorating and keeps me on point.

Furthering my point, and using last night as an example, I came home from work and the last thing I wanted to do was write programs. Practicing what I preach, I made my list of five names – actually seven, I had to update two existing programs to add in more conditioning work – and crossed them off as I went.

In the end, it freed up my morning to write this blog post.  See how things work out?  It’s like I’m a productivity ninja!

And that’s it for today.  Tomorrow I’ll delve into some more tips.  SPOILER ALERT:  turn off the television!!!!

Until then, feel free to offer your own tips below.

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Holiday Shopping for the Fitness Enthusiast/Professional

Christmas is right around the corner, and as you can tell by the picture to the left, Lisa and I ventured out and got our very first “real” tree this year. Last year we got a tree, but it was literally like a foot long (and we got at Whole Foods…..in the checkout line), and it didn’t quite elicit the same yuletide excitement compared to a more full sized tree.

So, two weekends ago, we trudged out into the wilderness (in this case, Home Depot), and picked out the perfect tree. Within a day, after decorating it, Lisa had already wrapped most of my presents and placed them under neath the tree knowing full well that I was going to lift, shake, roll, and otherwise inspect every inch of every present in an effort to guess what they were.

I’m not going to lie: I am to gift guessing as Godzilla is to knocking down buildings. If my hunch is correct, that white box in the right hand corner is either a Thunderpunch He-Man action figure, a bowling ball, or maybe some kind of power tool.

Either way, it’s gonna be sweeeeeet!

All kidding aside (even though I’m not kidding), after spending a good portion of my day this past Tuesday doing my shopping, I can safely say that I am in full-fledged Holiday mode. I’m humming Christmas music to myself, watching Christmas movies – National Lampoon’s anyone? – enjoying various treats that clients are bringing into the facility, and flipping off anyone who cuts me off on the highway.  You know, doing my part in spreading holiday cheer.

And, of course, like every warm-blooded male out there, I’ll make the mistake of waiting until the last minute to purchase that one perfect gift for whomever I forgot to get a gift for.  DOH!

So today, in an effort to help alleviate that issue for many of you, I’m going to provide some ideas of what you can get for that special someone who’s more of a fitness fanatic.

Gifts for the Fitness Enthusiast

Val Slide: these can easily be placed inside a gym bag and will undoubtedly help expand one’s exercise toolbox immensely.  Valslides are especially useful for those who train at a commercial gym and don’t have access to things like slideboards where they can perform exercises like slideboard leg curls, bodysaws, or even reverse or lateral lunge variations.

 

TRX Trainer:  much like the Valslides, the TRX is easily transportable and is essentially a gym on the go.  This is especially useful for those people who travel on a consist basis and have a hard time getting to the gym because of their busy schedule.

Jungle Gym XT: while the TRX Trainer can be a bit pricey for some people, I’ve found the Jungle Gym to be a nice alternative. In fact, I bought one for Lisa and I to use at our apartment, and it works like a charm.  I don’t think it’s quite as versatile as the TRX, but it definitely gets the job done.

Advances in Functional Training:  I was approached by one of our athletes the other day about books I would recommend to people that go into depth about program design, assessment, injury prevention but you didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand it.  Without batting an eye, I immediately mentioned Mike Boyle and this phenomenal book.

Never Let Go:  likewise, I also mentioned this book by Dan John, which I’ve read at least three times cover to cover.

I mean, how can you not just soak up the knowledge from someone who has over 30 years of coaching experience?

The Chop Wizard:  people are always making excuses as to why they never get enough vegetables in their diet, why they never have any time to eat healthier meals, or why they’ve never watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Granted, the latter has nothing to do with the other two, but it’s inexcusable nonetheless!

As for the former, I bought a Chop Wizard for myself three years ago, and I use it on a weekly basis.  It makes prepping veggies a breeze.

The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: I bought this book for Lisa three years ago (during our first Christmas together……who says romance is dead?) and I can’t even begin to tell you how much she loved it.  What’s cool is that each page offers insight, facts, benefits of various food items and really helps to open your eyes to why having more variety in your diet is a good thing.

What’s more, I think we’ve gone on to buy this book as a gift or thank you for at least 3-4 other people in the time since.

Foam Roller:  Nothing says I love you more so than the gift of superb soft tissue quality.  Well, an all expenses paid trip to Europe would rank right up there, too, but whatever.

Gifts for the Fitness Professional

Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body:  I’m not going to say that one of the co-contributors is one of the smartest, most intelligent, witty, and handsome people on earth.  But……..

…….he totally is.

Hint:  it’s me!

I won’t go into too much of its’ awesomeness here (but you can go HERE), but needless to say this was my very first product that I’ve ever been a part of, and I’m damn proud of it.

The Rocket: Personal trainers and coaches LIVE off of protein shakes.  I can’t think of one day in the past five years (at least) where I haven’t used this badboy.  At half the price of The Magic Bullet, I think it’s a steal.

 

Jillian Michael’s Unlimited:  hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.  Wait a second, I need to catch my breath.  Hahahahahahahahahahahahaahaha.

Oh man, that was a good one.  I almost got you there, didn’t I?

Movement:   Gray Cook is kind of smart, and this is without question one of the best books dealing with assessment to come out in the past two years.  Full disclosure:  I don’t necessarily use the Functional Movement Screen exclusively with my clients, but that’s not to say there aren’t bits and pieces of it that I’ll incorporate when I see fit.  If anything, this is a fantastic book on how the body works and how to spot dysfunction.  What’s done with the information is up to the person reading.

And that about does it.  I could easily keep going – getting them an account to audible.com comes to mind.  As does, that Lord of the Rings Blu-ray set (seriously, what’s wrong with them?????) –  but I think that should be a great starting point for many of you.

Good luck out there.  May the force be with you (< === that’s a Star Wars reference.)

 

 

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Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 12/15/11

The BOLD Study: Defining the Role of Lean Beef in a Heart Healthy Diet – Dr. Mike

Where’s the beef? That’s what this study – hot off the presses in The American Journal of of Clinical Nutrition – headed by my friend, Dr. Mike Roussell, set out to do.

Red meat as long been demonized has the red-headed step child of the nutrition world, often solely being blamed for the high levels of saturated fat in the Western diet.

FACT:  cheese is actually the #1 source of saturated fat in the American diet.  Red meat, doesn’t even make the top 5.  What’s up now?  And, as Dr. Mike notes, there are roughly 29 cuts of beef that are certified lean by the USDA, and contain a fat content somewhere between chicken breast and chicken thighs.

That notwithstanding, the good Doc sheds some light on a very controversial topic and shows that beef, indeed, can be part of a heart healthy diet. The media is going to have a field day with this one.

Nice work Mike!!!

Women:  Running into Trouble – John Kiefer

This was a really well researched article that, while a bit “cherry picky” with the research applied (but what researched based article isn’t?) – definitely helps clear the air in terms of why over prescribed steady state cardio is a losing cause in terms of fat loss.  Counterintuitively, as this article shows, relying solely on long, drawn-out, and otherwise I’m-bored-t0-tears-and-want-to-throw-my-face-into-the-pavement cardio can actually have the opposite effect and elicit fat gain.

If anything, it just goes to show that no ONE modality is the key to a firm, lean, well-shaped (non skinny-fat) body that most (not all) women aspire to attain.

And not to be omitted, guys, this article applies to you as well.  You’re not off the hook either.

Should All Personal Trainers have 6-Pack Abs? – Jonathan Goodman

Well, should they?  Jonathan asks and answers this simple – albeit, complicated – question.

 

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How Not Training Can Help You Make Progress

Q:  I’ve noticed in my own training that rest seems to smash PB’s (Personal Bests) for me more than being in the weights room every other day, or that is how it seems.

Let me give you an example.

Three weeks ago I hit a PB on deadlift of 160kg (352lbs, ish) for 1 rep, then I went away on holiday to my dad’s place on a small island off the coast of Wales, then took part in a combine in London nine days after departing. I was away for 13 days total, and the only real training I did was the combine tests and a set of hill sprints. Nothing resistance based aside from the bench press.

Upon returning home, I decided to hit deadlifts as my first session and I was feeling quite energised so I thought I’d try and beat my PB. I managed to get up to 172.5kg (380lbs)! A 50lbs gain to me is phenomenal in a time which  I thought I would have potentially dematerialized.

Do you know why this comes about, and how? I’ve noticed it with Bench Press and Squats as well, but on the flip side, I’ve noticed if i do too much of either of those, the numbers go substantially down.

If you could shed any light on this it would be awesome!

A:  First off, congrats on the new personal best, and I hope for many more in the future for you.  Secondly, if your Dad is ever looking to invite some random person he doesn’t know – say, a certain strength coach who’s blog you’re reading – to come and use his place for a week, I may have someone in mind.  Just throwing it out there.

Thirdly, to answer your question: much of what you described can be explained by discussing the Fitness Fatigue Model.

Vladimir Zatsiorsky summarized the fitness-fatigue theory (or two factor theory) by stating, “The immediate effect after a workout is considered a combination of (a) fitness gain prompted by the workout and (b) fatigue. The summation of positive and negative changes determines the final outcome.”

Fatigue will always mask your “true” fitness level. Many trainees (myself included) make the mistake of constantly pounding away each and every week, adding more and more volume.  Or, in some cases, just never taking a break. Inevitably, you feel like you’ve gotten run over by a mack truck, performance drops, and whole lot of frustration follows.

The best analogy I’ve heard describing this phenomenon is something Eric Cressey has used on several occasions.  Lets say we figure out your 1RM deadlift.  After a few high fives, I then tell you to go out and run ten miles.  Have fun with that.

Upon returning, I have to retest your deadlift. what are the odds you’ll even sniff that original number?  Chances are, if you tried, you’d only break something, and we’d have to spend valuable time fixing it.  Your ego or back.  Pick one.

In general, just learning how to fluctuate your training volume on a weekly basis will go a long way to help prevent fatigue from deterring your progress in the future.  While there are definitely exceptions to rule, we tend to use the following format when writing monthly programs for our clients at Cressey Performance:

Week 1:  High Volume
Week 2: Medium Volume
Week 3: Very High Volume (you basically hate life)
Week 4:  Low Volume (deload)

There are a multitude of factors that can be tweaked that will dictate training volume – total sets/reps, time under tension, rest periods, or even what exercise is performed – but the important thing to note is that fluctuating training stress is kind of a big deal, and an often overlooked component of program design.

You can’t expect to set personal records each and every week, and if you’re one of the many who feel that in order to make progress you need to 1) regurgitate your pancreas every training session, 2) constantly add more and more volume each and every week, or 3) never take a day off……you’re really shooting yourself in the foot.

Again, fatigue will always mask fitness. The fact that you took a good 1-2 weeks and just allowed your body to recover, chill, and at the expense of using big words and sounding like a complete nerd – supercompensate – undoubtedly helps explain why you were able to crush your deadlift PB upon returning, even without doing much (if any) “real” training.

Hope that helps!

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Exercises You Should Be Doing: Inchworm Complex

Last Friday I wrote a little sumthin sumthin about my visit to the Diesel Strength facility, and how I essentially felt like a kid in a candy store training alongside my boy Jim “Smitty” Smith.

Traveling to other facilities to see what various coaches are doing with their clients and athletes, as well as using that time to simply sit back, observe, and really absorb the knowledge that others have to offer is an invaluable use of time that far too many fitness professionals don’t exploit nearly enough.

As is the case from last week, I spoke about the warm-up – albeit briefly – that Smitty took Lisa and I through that really opened up my eyes as to how “archaic” my approach to warming up has been for the past few years.

Now, not to throw myself under the bus entirely, the warm-ups that we use at Cressey Performance do serve a purpose, and are without question a step above what most trainees encounter at their local globo-gym where doing a few hamstring stretches coupled with some arm circles is considered a “warm-up.”

That’s just lame, and woefully inefficient.

I mean, the whole purpose of a warm-up is to:

1.  Help increase core temperature.

2. Help stimulate the central nervous system (CNS), and in turn better prepare you for the more dynamic nature of the training demands placed upon the body during your training session.

3.  Improve tissue quality and target those areas of the body that tend to be “problematic.”  For most reading this would entail:  weak glutes, poor ankle dorsiflexion, hips that are stiffer than a steel beam, poor thoracic mobility, atrocious pec length, overactive upper traps, and a very weak anterior core, to name a few.

4.  Improve tissue length/extensibility.

5.  Provide ample opportunity to scope out the hot chicks. Obviously.

Too, and this is something that’s been on my mind lately:  the warm-up should be fun.  I mean, when you think about it, the warm-up sets the tone for the rest of the session.  Training, for 90% of the people reading, 90% of the time, should be fun (and practical). It should be specific to your goals, of course, but it should also get you excited to the point where come 2 o’clock, all you can think about is how you’re going to make people destroy the back of their pants when you crush your deadlifts later on in the day at the gym.

There’s a time a place to put your game face on, and get after it (1RM attempts come to mind), but for all intents and purposes, if training is fun and is something you look forward to, you’re more prone to stick with it.

Raise your hand if actually look forward to warming up.

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

In much the same way, the warm-up should follow the same parameters as your training.  It needs to serve a purpose, and there should be some semblance of individualization involved, but concurrently, it should also be fun.

As I noted above, this is where I feel I could step up my game a bit, as I feel many of the warm-ups I program are very “robotic” in nature.

Quadruped Extensions-Rotations

High Knee Walks

Reverse Lunge with Posterolateral Reach

Scapular Wall Slides

Put your left foot in, take your left foot out, do the Hokie Pokie, and turn yourself around………blahblidy blah blah. Boooooooooooooooring.

Sure it gets the job done, but the example above can be very uninspiring and feel more like a chore – kind of like doing the laundry – than anything else.

Which is why I LOVED the warm-up that Smitty had us do a few weeks ago, which had more of a “fluid” flow to it.  Rather than do one drill for “x” number of reps, and then moving to the other, Smitty prefers to COMBINE exercises and provide a little more value for your warm-up buck.

Not only does his approach still address many of the weaknesses and imbalances that most people possess, but it also takes a bit of the monotony out of the equation.

For example, lets take a look at the Inchworm Complex:

What Is It:  I just told you what it was – the Inchworm Complex.  GOSH!

What Does It Do:  holey moley where do I begin?  This badboy works a lot of stuff:

  • Serratus activation
  • Anterior core activation
  • Hamstring length
  • Ankle dorsiflexion
  • T-Spine mobility (specifically, extension)
  • Scapular mobility
  • Chin tuckification (meaning, one should tuck their chin, and therefore maintain more of a neutral spinal position throughout).
  • And I’m sure I neglecting to name a few more benefits

As you can see, this one drill combines several exercises which helps to target a lot of stuff at once, but is also shortens the warm-up time (perfect for those in a rush).

Key Coaching Cues:  try to have as little movement as possible in the torso.  If you have to, use a wide(er) stance to maintain more of a neutral spinal position (although, a teeny tiny bit of spinal flexion isn’t the end of the world……relax!).  Also of note, I’d be reticent to use this exercise first thing in the morning when the spinal column is fully “hydrated.” Doing so many compromise the spine and cause an ouchie.

Taking it a step further, we can add another element into the mix and perform the Inchworm Complex Plus.

Here we take all the benefits from above and add in some hip flexor/adductor length, in addition to some more thoracic spine mobility.

The possibilities are endless, really.

Try them out today, and let me know what you think.

I do want to stress that it’s still important to master the basics first, and that drills like the ones above aren’t what I would advocate for people who have the movement quality of a snail.   Having said that, I really feel taking more of a “progressive” approach to warming-up is exactly the kick in the ass most people need to make it a little more palatable to do.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

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Bench Press Article Teaser

Either later this week, or most likely next week, my latest article on Livestrong.com will come out titled Tips for a Badass Bench.

In it, I discuss some of the variables that get overlooked when it comes to benching.  Namely, how to properly set-up.

It’s not the sexiest topic in the world, and I can only imagine how many people will roll their eyes and scoff, but it’s a topic that often gets drastically overlooked. In fact, I’d garner a guess that if more people paid attention to how they set-up, and not just flop themselves on the bench like a dead fish, they’d see a drastic improvement in their benching performance.

But all of that is for another time.  Today, rather, I’m going to share with you a section that I had to omit due to word count restrictions.  In no uncertain terms, I submitted the original version and received a comment back from my editor along the lines of “WTF Tony??????”

Which was was her way of saying, “lets cut this bad boy down a few hundred words. Whadya say?”

Nevertheless, I did exactly that but figured the information was still valid and could be useful for a lot people out there reading.  Soooo, here you go.  Enjoy.

Tips for a Badass Bench (the part I had to ax)

As with any exercise, the bench press follows a strength curve. Meaning, depending on length-tension relationships of the muscles involved with the movement, certain portions of the lift may be more problematic than others. For instance, some trainees tend to have more trouble off the chest, and tend to miss the lift during that portion. On the flip side, some may lower the bar to the chest, crush it, and then stall mid-way through or even closer to lockout.

Or, you know, you’re delusional and the weight could simply be too heavy.

Just throwing it out there……..

Everyone’s different.

Speaking in general terms, however, for those who tend to miss off the chest, some dedicated speed work may be in order.

In other words, getting faster will undoubtedly help you get stronger.

I go into a little more detail on this in the actual article (which I’ll link to once it’s available), but suffice it to say placing a little more emphasis on bar speed, and subsequently, possessing the ability to plow through any sticking point will go a long way in terms of increasing one’s bench pressing prowess.

Relative to most trainees reading, though – especially beginners and intermediates –  it wouldn’t hurt to incorporate some high(er) rep dumbbell presses into the mix. Dumbbells allow for a bit more range of motion compared to the bench press, which, for those who tend to be weaker off the chest, can come in handy.

For those who seem to stall halfway up, or even at lockout, board presses would be very useful.  Below is a video of Jen Comas Keck board pressing her ass off.  She’s a lot better looking than me, so I figured the guys reading would appreciate the hook up.  And, for the ladies, they’d have the opportunity of seeing another female lifting appreciable weight.

Basically, while board presses do decrease the range of motion, they allow you to overload the ROM where you’re weakest.

Simply put, you take a pair of 2-by-4s and either tape or nail them together. From there, either have someone hold them in place on your chest or just stick them underneath your shirt.

You set up as you normally would, un-rack the bar – with a hand-off, of course – lower the bar to the boards and come to a pause; let the bar sink into them, and then press as explosively as you can.

The above is an important point because many trainees tend to use more of a tap-n-go approach which is flat out wrong.

Using a variety of boards – 1 board, 2 boards, even 3 and 4 boards – is a fantastic way to help increase your bench. But only use them sporadically and not as a substitute for full-range bench press variations.

And finally, as counterintuitive as it may seem, spending more time building the backside of your body can come in handy when trying to increase your bench press. Firstly, from a postural standpoint, training the backside can help to offset many of the imbalances that can arise when benching too much. Yeah, I’m talking to you.

It’s not un-common for many coaches and trainers to program more horizontal rowing variations like seated rows, 1-arm dumbbell rows and chest supported rows to help retain more structural balance. In fact, it’s not un-common to see some coaches program two to three rowing variations for every ONE pressing variation.

Also, having a strong – and thick – upper back will provide more of a base of support to bench from. Look at the backs of any lifter who has an impressive bench – powerlifters are a great example. They’re backs are ginormous.

You can’t expect to build an impressive bench press JUST by bench pressing. While specificity is important, you also need to address your weaknesses. And for many, it’s a small and weak upper back.

Nothing revolutionary, by any means, but hopefully these tips shed some light on a few of my thoughts; and trust me, the full article will be way m0re boss.

Have any of your own tips?  Chime in below……

And remember, I’ll keep you posted on the actual – full length – article as soon as it’s up.

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Tony Visits Diesel Strength

One of the coolest parts about my job – other than all the free t-shirts – is the fact that I have the opportunity to meet a lot of smart and really amazing people in the industry.

As an example, I remember way back in 2006 when I had just started getting my name out there (I had like two or three articles on t-nation.com), I met Dr. John Berardi for the first time in person. He had come to Boston to do a presentation on his G-Flux System, and Eric and I were “hosting” him during his stay.

Having read most of his books and articles up until that point, and looking up to him as someone whom I greatly respected, you could say that I had a little bit of a man-crush on the good doc.

When he arrived at the gym where he was presenting, I felt like a school girl at an N’Sync concert. Weak kneed and with brown paper bag in hand, I feebly approached him and introduced myself.

Me:  Hey John, it’s really great to meet you, I’m Tony Gentilcore.

JB:  Oh, hey Tony!  Nice to finally meet you. I’ve read some of your stuff.

Me (hyperventalating): Uh, I like turtles.

What the what!!?!?!?!  He knew who I was!?!  And, he read some of my stuff! This is amazing!  OMG, do I have something in my teeth??  I’m going to be so embarrassed if I have something on my teeth.  Deep breaths, Tony.  Deep breaths.

Okay, it didn’t really go like that, but suffice it to say, at the time, it was kind of a big deal for me.

That same weekend, coincidentally, I met another dude for the first time, Jim “Smitty” Smith.

Many of you who read this blog on a regular basis will know Smitty very well.  He’s the author of Accelerated Muscular Development, AMPED Warm-Up, has been featured in numerous publications like Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Livestrong.com (to name a few), and he runs a very successful blog himself, www.dieselsc.com.

Throughout the years, Smitty and I have exchanged emails and even bumped into one another at various seminars and symposiums, always talking shop and exchanging ideas along the way.  He’s a really bright guy, and unlike me, developed an un-canny ability to look at things from outside of the box.  I swear if there was a strength coach version of MacGyver, Smitty would be it.

This past summer, Smitty and I both attended the Peak Diet and Training Summit, and I came to find out that the gym where he trains is literally like a 45 minute drive from my hometown in central New York. For some reason, in all the years that we’ve known each other, I didn’t realize that.  Then again, I don’t remember what I had last night for dinner, so he could have very well told me several times, but it went through one ear and out the other.

I told him that the next time I’m home visiting family, I’d try to make a cameo appearance to get a lift in.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, while visiting my old stomping grounds during Thanksgiving, Lisa and I took a trip to Horseheads, NY to visit Smitty.  Yes, you read that correctly – Horseheads, NY. Where I’m from, towns have weird names.  For those wondering, it’s about five miles east of Goatsvagina, NY.

The facility (Elmira Fitness Center) is HUGE!!!!  The building itself is a renovated grocery store of some sort, and they took half of it and made it into a gymnastics club – which is where Lisa and I walked in and met Smitty with his crew warming up.

Cue the Wu-Tang, and we were ready to go.  Smitty led the group, taking us through more of a hybrid, fluid-based warm-up – where movements weren’t quit as “robotic,” but instead melded into one another. It was a definitely a nice change of pace and something that I’m going to start incorporating more into my programming (see AMPED Warm-up, above).

Adding onto that, all the jumping, rolling around that was included (on the spring board loaded floor, mind you), and I have to say it was one of the best warm-ups I’ve ever been through.

From here, I’m just going to have the videos do the talking.  All I’ll add is that it was an awesome experience, and Smitty did a superb job of getting me outside of my comfort zone. He coached the shit out of myself and Lisa, and at the end, Lisa looked at me and said, “babe, that was the most fun I’ve had training in a loooooooong time.”

Can’t say that I disagreed with her.  Thanks Smitty for letting us stop by, and for an amazing experience!

Diesel Row

Here, Smitty combined three movements (inverted rows/pull-up/glute activation) into one.

Softball Pull-Ups (AKA: Smitty Ball Pull-Ups)

Here’s a more challenging variation of pull-ups using softballs as handles.  Brutal!

Bamboo Stick Press

To make the stick, Smitty used two PVC pipes.  From there, all you do is attach a kettlebell on each end (or a light weight plate) and press away.  This is a fantastic drill to help build shoulder stabilization and to get the rotator cuff to fire in a more functional manner.  Smitty likes to use this as a pre-cursor to regular benching – oftentimes telling his guys to get “x” number of reps in prior to their bench session.

As you can tell from the video, I kinda sucked at it the first time through – but around the 3rd set I started getting my groove.

Macebell

Indian clubs have grown in popularity in recent months as a way to build shoulder mobility and core strength.  So of course, Smitty being Smitty, he took it a step (or seventeen) further and decided to attach a f***ing bowling ball at the end of a stick.

Yeah, that sucked!

To end the session, Smitty took me through the Diesel Man Maker – the name says it all. I thought it was going to involve chopping down a tree or something……….but I was wrong.

The video is still uploading on Youtube, so I’ll have to wait to post it later on today.  Check back again when you’re bored.  Until then……….

UPDATE:  see video below

ALSO:  Today is your last chance to purchase Dean Somerset’s Post Rehab Essentials at the discounted $60 off the regular price. Dean went out of his way to provide a really solid product that will undoubtedly help a lot of trainers out there become better at their craft and learn to program around almost any injury they’ll come across in a commercial gym setting.

After midnight, though, the price goes up – so take advantage now while you can!  Tick, tick, tick…….

The Diesel Man-Maker

After watching that again, I still hate my life.

CategoriesUncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 12/8/2011

First off, my apologies for not putting up a post yesterday. I was having some technical difficulties with the site, and was trying not to jump out the window, but thankfully the guys over at Copter Labs took care of it in two shakes of a lambs tail (name that movie reference), and now we’re back on track and ready to roll.

To make up for it, check out the picture to the left (<===== No, you’re other left), which should provide a few LOLs.

In light of the conversation from two weeks ago, where Congress deemed tomato paste, and as such pizza, a vegetable, I thought this picture (sent to me from Mike A.) was hilarious.  Giving credit where it’s deserved, regardless of how messed up the whole situation is, whoever the manager is of that particular Pizza Hut obviously has a sense of humor.

Also as a quick aside, this is the last day to take advantage of the $1 trial offer by Pat Rigsby, Eric Cressey, and Mike Robertson on The Fitness Business Blueprint.

For what it costs to buy a pack of gum, you can take it for a test drive and see what it actually takes to build a successful fitness business. What’s more, at the end of the trial, if you like it, you’ll save an additional $100 off the regular price. BOO-YAH!  It’s a no brainer. Act quickly, though,  because the offer only lasts until the end of the day today.

*** Sorry for the late notice on this one.

Ladies and CrossFit:  Will the Weightlifting Make Me Bulky? – I have no idea

Tuck your chin, for the love of god!!!!

As much as I grumble about CrossFit – and I do, I admit it – there are a few redeeming qualities and many affiliates out there who go about doing it the right way and don’t make me want to throw a chainsaw into my face.  This article was forwarded to me by one of our ex-clients because he knows how much I love reading material that advocates for women to lift heavy things.

This is one of the better articles I’ve read at articulating to women why lifting weights won’t make them bulky or turn them into Chyna.

Intra – Set Cocaine is a Hell of a Drug – Lee Boyce

As I’ve noted time and time again, there’s nothing to be gained from consistently making yourself want to shit your small intenstine every time you train.  Sure, there’s a time a place for it.  And, I’d argue that it’s actually necessary in order to make significant progress in strength, performance, as well as aesthetics.

Having said that, hard(er) doesn’t necessarily mean better. Taking it a step further, quality of movement oftentimes trumps quantity of movement.  Here, Lee offers some insight as to why not beating yourself into oblivion is the key to long-term

Functional Assessment and Exercises to Enhance Hip Flexion – Mike Reinold

For those in more of a nerdy mood, this is an excellent post by Mike on how to assess and enhance hip flexion – which is an often overlooked (and woefully deficient) movement pattern in today’s society.