Author: Tony

Back in the day – circa 1993-1995 (which, coincidentally, is when hip hop actually didn’t suck.  RIP Biggie) – every morning, before school, my alarm would go off around 5 AM, I’d kick the covers off and trudge downstairs to the basement to do more morning routine:

500 sit-ups (I know.  Relax.  I was 15, and didn’t know any better)
100 push-ups
150-200 dry cuts with the baseball bat
50-75 dry-runs going through my wind-up to work on my pitching mechanics

As it closer to the baseball season, I’d even take the early bus to school so that I could use the gymnasium to play catch with whomever I could bribe into doing so.  Usually, though, it ended up just being me. throwing against the wall by myself.  I was pretty cool back then.

Did I like doing it?  Not really.  I didn’t necessarily “like” getting up at the butt-crack of dawn…in the dead of winter….in Icantfeeltheleftsideofmyfacebecauseitssocold, NY…but I did it anyways.  Why?  Because I knew, in the long-run, it would make me better.  And, deep down inside, I kinda liked the notion that there probably weren’t that many other dudes my age doing the same thing.  Hey, I didn’t watch the Rocky IV training montage 377 times for nothing!

And, while I’m sure many people reading didn’t go to quite the extremes as I did growing up, it’s no secret that life, for the most part, is rife with things we don’t like doing, but do anyways, because we know, in our heart of hearts, it will bode in favor in long-run.

We pay taxes so that we can bail Wall Street for being a bunch of a-holes our roads get paved.

We donate blood, even though needles give us the heebie jeebies.

We tip the waitress 20%, even though our food was cold.  Bitch.

We watch The Notebook (again), because it makes our girlfriend’s happy.

We don’t double dip, because well, that’s just gross

Likewise, much of the same can be said when it comes to training and nutrition.  I’ve gone on record numerous times as saying that, generally speaking, people like to do what they’re good at and what’s easy.  Bicep curls are a helluva lot easier than front squats.  Heading to Papa John’s for “Half-Price Tuesdays” is a lot more convenient than grilling up some grass fed beef with sauteed vegetables.

Additionally, people tend to skip what they deem is least important.  Take the dynamic warm-up for example.  How many of you can honestly look me in the eyes and say, unequivocally, that you go through an ENTIRE warm-up from start to finish before EVERY training session?

Yeah, I thought so.

It’s okay, I forgive you. I skip them, too.  Sometimes.  But keeping that thought in mind, today I want to showcase a drill that I feel provides a lot of bang for our warm-up buck.

What Is It:  Multi-Planar Hip Activation Drill(s)

Who Did I Steal It From:  None other than Quinnipiac University strength coach, Brijesh Patel.

What Does It Do:  A lot of dysfunction and imbalances can be attributed to the hips.  And, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise given there are upwards of 30+ muscles that attach to the pelvis alone.  I’d list them all here, but I’m too lazy, and well, that’s what Google is for.

Speaking specifically, though, the glute max, and to a lesser (albeit important) degree, the glute medius tend to get most of the attention when it comes to hip activation drills, and rightfully so!  They’re both kind of a big deal in terms of playing major roles in overall hip function.

Succinctly (because the hips are a fairly complex cornucopia of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia), one of the more popular corrective/activation movements are side lying clams.  I talked about this drill briefly HERE, but my man Mike Robertson wrote an excellent blog not too long ago that discusses them in more detail HERE.

As much as I LOVE this drill, I think it’s rather self-limiting in the sense that it doesn’t take into account the more dynamic nature of life.  Now, don’t get me wrong, pretty much everyone needs to start with side lying clams –and perform them correctly –  before moving on to something more advanced.  But once there, I feel that the multi-planar drill(s) demonstrated below are a nice progression moving forward.

Hip Activation Phase I

What I love about this variation is that it challenges both the glute max and glute medius to do one of their main jobs, which is to CONTROL the femur in multiple planes of motion (saggital, frontal, and transverse).

Moreover, another benefit to this drill is that it really challenges the small, intrinsic muscles at the bottom of the feet which tend to be woefully weak and inactive given the footwear we wear on a daily basis.

1.  To start, take your shoes off for the love of god.  Stand on one leg – in this instance the left – and move place the non-standing leg slightly behind you.

2.  Be sure to keep the brunt of your weight in your back heel.  Basically, you don’t want to shift too far forward into your toes.

3.  Hold this position for 5-10 seconds.

4.  From there, we want to work in the frontal plane, so we’ll move the non-standing leg to the side.  Again, hold this position for 5-10 seconds.

5.  Lastly, rotate THROUGH THE HIPS as far as you can without tipping over (and without compensating with your lumbar spine), and you guessed it, hold for 5-10 seconds.  This one should be fairly challenging.

6.  Repeat the same sequence, albeit on the opposite leg.

Multi-Planar Hip Activation (Phase II)

In phase II, we’re going to do the exact same sequence as above, except now, instead of holding for time, we’re going to add movement.

Again, to reiterate, try to keep your weight back in your toes and not in your forefoot.  Too, if you can, try to keep your non-standing foot off the floor throughout the duration of the drill – but it’s not the end of the world if you can’t.  “Gathering” yourself by placing the foot down on the floor in between reps is perfectly acceptable.

Here, with each sequence (Saggital = foot going foward, Frontal = foot going to the side, Transverse = foot rotating), 5-6 reps/each/per leg should suffice.

Multi-Planar Hip Activation (Phase III)

Increasing the badassery even more, in Phase III, we can start to add a reach into the mix.

Here, much like in Phase II, 5-6 reps/each/per leg will be plenty.

As you assuredly noticed by watching me perform them, it ain’t easy.  Ideally, I’d suggest mastering one phase before moving on to the next.  Obviously, some people will progress faster than others, but I implore you to not be an asshat and just go straight to phase III.  Seriously, don’t do it.

Try adding these in as part of your general dynamic warm-up and let me know what you think!

 

Note:  We recently converted my blog back to Word Press, so the layout may seem a little funky for the time-being.  Hopefully soon we’ll fix the glitches.  Sorry!

In addition, I have a dentist appointment (ugh) in like 45 minutes, and I’m kinda strapped for time.  Luckily, though, my boy EC came through with some top-notch content today.  Enjoy!

It’s no secret that we train a lot of professional athletes at Cressey Performance.  But what a lot people fail to realize is that we also train a plethora (my big word for the day) of “regular” people who, much like our athletes, are just as interested in tapping into their inner Spartan, kicking down a few doors, getting after it, and lifting some heavy things – all in an effort to attain a productive training environment without getting hurt.

Some stats to consider, however:

82% of people walking around out there have disc bulges or herniation at one level.  38% at two levels

27% have vertebral fractures

34% have rotator cuff tears

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Suffice it to say, whether or job is to throw 95 MPH heaters or sit there and trade TPS Reports, people are walking around pretty jacked up.  And, it’s no secret that as we get older we tend to see more more degenerative changes in the body, which can oftentimes throw a monkey wrench into things from a training stand point.  I mean, I’m only 34, and there are times where I look back at what I used to do back in my college days, and a small piece of my soul dies.

Vertical leg press?  Really, Tony?

As such, it only makes sense that we’d want programming that allows us to train, not to mention make progress –  regardless of what our goals may be:  lose a few lbs of fat, run a half-marathon, bench press a tank, whatever – without running the risk of injuring ourselves further.  Or, put another way:  having the ability to train long-term without helping to pay-off some physical therapist’s mortgage.

That said, my good friend and business partner, Eric Cressey, just released a few videos (webinars, actually) that should set the record straight, and prove fairly valuable to those reading who are consistently frustrated as to why they’re not:

• Getting Stronger
• Getting Leaner
• Adding Muscle
• Becoming More Athletic
• Staying HEALTHY!

At the end of the day, it comes to programming.  There are a plethora (HA, again) of factors than come into play, but it stands to reason that if you’re not utilizing a program that addresses things like foam rolling, dynamic warm-up, structural balance, corrective exercise, actually getting stronger, etc, then you’re probably better off beating your head against the wall.

If any of this rings a bell or sounds vaguely familiar (yeah, I’m talking to you), I’d HIGHLY encourage you to click the link below and get your learn on.

CLICK ME <==== You Know You Want To!

 

 

Two things before I get started:

1.  I want to wish my lovely sister, Cheri, a Happy 40th today!!!!  I love you, and I’m sorry I used to leave thumb tacks outside your bedroom door when we were younger.  Yeah, that was me.  My bad.  What can I say:  how else was I going to retaliate for making me watch Dirty Dancing for the upteenth time?

Well…..I’ve……had…..the time of my life………and I’ve never felt this way before………

Noooooooooooooooooo

In all seriousness, though, happy b-day!

2.  After catching our sixth mouse since we moved in our new apartment in June, Lisa and I decided to nip things in the bud and adopt a cat.  Yes, you read that correctly, I now have a cat.  Yes, I realize this is about as manly as peeing sitting down, and I’ll most likely have to hand in my man-card at some point.  So be it.

I’d rather have a cat, than mice.

That said, I narrowed the cat’s name down to a few choices:  Rambo, Mr. T, or Chuck Norris.

It’s a tough call, but I’ll let everyone know my decision soon.  Wait, what was that babe?  The cat’s what?  Female?

Noooooooooooooooooo

Pics to follow shortly.  Once she comes out from underneath the couch, that is.  Poor thing.

And now, I need to get to work.  I have a t-nation article that’s due by the end of the week, so I need to get my butt in gear.  Here’s some stuff to read:

A Better, Stronger Body in 4 Weeks – Jim “Smitty” Smith

Before you start contemplating on whether or not you should start adding chains to your bench press, how about just learning to do a push-up correctly?  Or, I don’t know, follow the simple principle of progressive overload. Smitty brings it back to the basics, which for most, is EXACTLY what they need.

Interview With Tony Gentilcore – Michael Gray

For the record, that’s not me. I just wanted to post a random pic of my man-crush, Matt Damon

Part I

Part II

This is an interview I did for personal trainer Michael Gray (who you might remember from THIS) over on his website not too long ago.  To his credit, he’s been asking me to do an interview for him for months now, and I FINALLY was able to sit down and answer a few questions pertaining to topics like fat loss and program design.  I thought it came out pretty well.

Kipping Pull-Up Fail

And because it’s hilarious, here’s some random dude getting pwned while performing kipping pull-ups.  The take home message?  Friends don’t let friends perform kipping pull-ups.

UPDATE:  We named her (our cat) Dagny.  Anyone get the reference?

I actually slept in this morning – OMG!  Normally I’m up between 6-6:30, but today I slept in until eight, and I *cue jazz hands* feel faaaaaaaaaaaaaaabulous.

Of course, I had good reason to sleep in.  I spent two and half hours yesterday at the dentist getting a deep cleaning as well as having my very first cavity filled.  I left not being able to feel the left side of my face (weird), and then I high-tailed it out to CP for an Open House we were hosting for local parents and athletes.  We had an amazing turn-out, with close to 90-100 people showing up to listen to a bunch of our pro-baseball guys talk about their experiences playing college ball and their transition to professional baseball.   As an added bonus, the guys at New Balance were there filming and Kansas City reliever, Tim Collins, threw a live bullpen which was the best thing since sliced bread for many of the younger kids who were in attendance.

All in all, it was an awesome night topped off with an all-you-can-eat-fajita-fest hosted by the Cresey’s afterwards.  By this time the novacaine had wore off and I had my appetite back, so I basically drove back home in insulin coma.

So with the late start, I’m kind of in a rush this morning answering emails and gettting my day planned, so here’s some stuff to read to keep you occupied:

5 Surprising Health Myths – Adam Bornstein

While Adam did a bang-up job debunking some fairly common misconceptions that are still prevalent in today’s media, the best part was reading the comments section.  Which is to say, I had to stave off the sudden urge to want to jump off a cliff.  It still blows me away that so many people are programmed to think that saturated fat is bad for them.  Ignorance is bliss, right?

Lets set the record straight here:  sticking your finger in an electrical socket = bad.  Eggs = good.  Got it?  Good!

Exercise Doesn’t Work For Fat Loss? – Alwyn Cosgrove

If there’s one thing that Alwyn is a master off – outside of scissor kicks to the face – it’s taking research and dissecting it to the point that it makes the actual researchers look about as intelligent as a ham sandwich.

What I Love About Training – Mike Anderson

Mike is a local trainer here in Boston that I’ve gotten to know recently, and he sent me this post that I felt was spot on.  In short, you get out what you put in.  It’s as simple as that.

Not that it has to said, but Mike Robertson is kind of a big deal.  Even though he and I are relatively the same age, and I consider him one of my good friends, I’ve looked up to him as someone whom I greatly respect and admire in this industry for quite some time, and he’s undoubtedly been a huge influence my career as a trainer and coach.

So, as you can imagine, when he asked me whether or not I’d be interested in reviewing his latest product, Complete Core Fitness, I was like, “dude, does Dolly Parton sleep on her back?” of course I’ll review it!

Now, lets be honest:  there are a million and one different fitness products out there involving “core training” that are typically marketed to help people get hawt abz.  I don’t think one person reading right now can say they haven’t read some article on the homepage of Yahoo promising a lean, svelt mid-section in a matter of minutes per day, or witnessed for themselves all the cheesy infomercials on late night television.

As an example, just the other day, I saw that they’ve re-introduced a new, and completely redesigned Ab Roller.  Great!  Just what people who sit in flexion all day need……….an exercise that promotes more flexion!

It’s the closest I’ve ever come to throwing up since I saw Madonna’a arms.

So, by now you’re probably wondering what separates Complete Core Fitness from all the other similar products out there.

Well, here’s the thing:  THERE ARE NO SIMILAR PRODUCTS OUT THERE.

Mike is a coach’s coach. I’m sure his mid-Western drawl comes into play, but whatever it is, he has an uncanny ability to take complex material and water it down into an easy to follow format, which is something not many people can pull off.  And this is certainly no exception.

Mike not only covers his philosophy on core training – which just so happens to coincide with many of my thoughts as well – but he also covers the functional anatomy, which is something that many fitness professionals (and regular Joe’s) often dismiss.  In addition, Mike also includes sections on assessment, as well as his four “stages” of core training.  All told, we’re looking at SEVEN webinar modules, for three hours of total content covering everything you’d ever need to know about the core.

While I certainly can’t go over everything that’s covered, here are a few bullet points that I took away that really hit home for me:

• When talking about “functional anatomy,” we need to get out of the textbook mindset – especially when discussing the core.  Take the gluteal muscles for instance.  When asked what their main function is, most would say:  hip extension, hip abduction, and hip external rotation.  While not wrong, Mike noted that we need to stop thinking in a concentric only mindset.   Taking a more REAL WORLD mindset, the gluteals also resist or control the OPPOSITE motion (hip flexion, adduction, and internal rotation).

• The “core” can really be thought of as a box.  At the top you have the diaphragm.  As the bottom you have the pelvic floor.  And to the front and back, you have the abs and erectors, respectively.  This can be thought of as your muscle weight belt.
• When discussing the core, you can’t omit the diaphragm.  This is something we’re paying a lot more attention to at Cressey Performance, but Mike does an awesome job at discussing the importance of what proper diaphragm alignment has on creating IAP (Intra Abdominal Pressure).  Moreover, he also discusses the concept of Zone of Apposition and how having a left rib flare can be a HUGE detriment to core function.
• Since the “to crunch or not to crunch” debate has recently been reignited, Mike takes some time to explain that he’s still not conviced that crunches are the way to go.  He discusses what’s called a top down vs. a bottoms up approach.  Crunches = top down.  Meaning, when you perform a crunch, you shorten the core in order to gain stability.  In Mike’s eyes (and mine), this isn’t a good idea.  Contrarily, by taking more of a bottoms up approach – where you learn to control pelvic positioning – this is what most trainees need to focus on.

• In terms of assessment, Mike uses both a static and dynamic approach – taking into consideration both quantitative (back extension, front plank, side plank holds) and qualitative (push-ups) data.

And finally, Mike breaks down his core training into four distinct stages:

• Foundational Stability – working on breathing patterns, as well as promoting a neutral spine and pelvis.
• Isolative Core – bringing up specific weak links
• Integrated Core – bringing this back together and rebuilding movement patterns
• Sports/Performance Specific – making people ninjas

What’s cool is that Mike doesn’t necessarily separate these into four distinct parts.  Meaning, these aren’t train stops, where you have to complete phase one before you move on to phase two, and so on and so forth.  Rather, he takes a more “organic” approach where someone may intergrate certain components of foundational stability along with movements that are specific to his or her sport (performance based).

And that, really, is just the tip of the iceberg.  I’m not exaggerating when I say that Complete Core Fitness is arguably the most comprehensive product on the topic out there today.  Whether you’re an athlete looking to improve his or her performance, someone who’s sick and tired of suffering from chronic back pain, or a fitness professional looking to take their knowledge base to the next level, you’d be shooting yourself in the foot not to at least check it out.

I’d act quickly, though.  The introductory price of $97 (which includes FOUR sweet bonuses) only lasts from today (Tuesday) until THIS FRIDAY (10/7) until midnight.

====> Complete Core Fitness <====

In case you missed the previous installments, in Part One I basically told skinny guys around the world what time it was and said that they needed to eat something.  In Part Two, it was all about covering the basics.  This is a barbell.  Place it on your back.  Now, squat it.  Repeat.

It was a little more detailed that that, but you get the idea.

Today, though, I want to discuss something a little less, how should I say…..direct.  Unlike the past two installments which covered, in some detail, the nutrition and training side of things (you know, stuff that plays a quantifiable role in your progress) –  today’s rant discusses something a little less concrete.

Training At a Non-Poopy Gym

Honestly, this is something I feel is VERY important and is an often overlooked component of training success.  I can’t tell you how many times I hear guys commiserate about what it’s like to be all fired up to train, only to head to the gym and have their t-levels zapped to oblivion the second they walk in and hears Michael freakin Bolton on the radio.  Yeah, that sucks!

As someone who’s been there, done that – I get that it’s kind of hard to get amped up for a deadlifting session when you have Susie B. Elliptical Trainer in the background gabbing away with her best friend about who got eliminated last night on Dancing With the Stars throwing you the look of death everytime you add another plate to the bar.

Even worse still, how many of you train at commercial gyms where none of the trainers walking around even look like they lift weights?

In fact, no one there trains, they all workout.  What’s the difference?

In no uncertain terms – training actually entails doing something with purpose and intent.  Training means you hate life by the time you’re done, and you brag about the size of your calluses.  Working out, on the other hand, is cute and fun.  It’s reading the newspaper WHILE exercising.  It’s thinking your 185 lb quarter squat is somehow impressive (Hint:  it’s not).  It’s step-aerobics class.  In short:  working out is what everyone else does.

It’s kind of hard to get better – let alone bigger and stronger – when you’re surrounded by people who only workout.

Which is why, time and time again, you hear me talk about training environment and how it’s often the missing link for many trainees.

To me, walking into a facility that has loud music playing, encourages the use of chalk, actually has more squat racks than pieces of cardio equipment, and instills the attitude of “I’m going to make this barbell my bitch” into all of its clients is where it’s at.  Not coincidentally, this is, in part, what makes Cressey Performance so successful I think.

Of course, there are other things that separate us from the masses – we take the time to actually put people through a thorough assessment and write individualized programming based on what we find, for starters.  But, in some way, I think it’s the attitude that’s the “x-factor.”

As an example, a few months ago we had a guy start up who’s first day entailed pushing the Prowler.  OUCH.  Anyways, as a guy in his mid-20s, he admitted to always having a hard time putting on any weight.  He decided to nip things in the bud and make the trip out to CP – which was like a 45 minute drive for him (both ways).

After his third set, one of our high school FEMALE clients – Becca – asked if she could jump in on the fun.  “Sure,” he said, “do you want me to take some weight off?”  Becca responded, “naw, I’m good,” and proceed to ADD MORE WEIGHT.

Pwned!

How awesome is that?

Taking it a step further, look at the picture above at the start of this post.  What started as more of a joke, has resultingly turned into an annual event where we take a bunch of our skinny guys – or otherwise kids who need to put on some weight- and have a “Race to 200 lbs” contest.

Admittedly, while not all of them get to 200 lbs (actually, most don’t even sniff it), you’d be surprised as to how many end up slapping on anywhere from 15-25 lbs during the off-season.

Do you think this would happen if they chose to train at their local commercial gym where the heaviest set of DBs goes up to 70 lbs?  I think not!

Basically it comes down to this.  If you want to get good at chess, you hang out with chess players.  If you want to improve your dancing skills, you hang out with people who dance.  If you want to get good at not getting laid, you stay home and play World of Warcraft.

Likewise, if you want to get better at putting on weight, getting stronger, or just increasing your general sense of badassery – you need to train at a place where people are bigger, stronger, and more badass than you.  It’s as simple as that.

Even if it’s only one time per week – it’s worth the time spent, gas money, and wear and tear on your car.  Get it done guys (and girls).  Trust me, you’ll thank me later.