Categoriesbusiness Media

Should You Invest In Your Own Website?

My website – the one you’re reading right now – is, in many ways, a family member to me. I know it seems a little weird, borderline crazy, to refer to a website as a family member…but hear me out.

It gives me an immense sense of pride and accomplishment. It provides sustenance. And, much like what happens to you when you’re crazy Aunt Jane comes to visit, it can drive me batshit crazy sometimes.

This site has gone through several iterations and “face-lifts” through the years, and I’d like to use today to describe the journey as it’s a topic I am often asked from other fitness professionals:

– Why did you start it?

– How’d you do it?

– When and why did you decide to hire someone to make a customized site?

– What were the advantages (and disadvantages) of doing so?

– How long did you clench your sphincter when you realized how much it would cost?

I hope this helps.

Copyright: bowie15 / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Should You Invest In Your Own Website?

I believe the short answer here is a profound “yes!” Paying for (investing) in having a website professionally made is, in a roundabout way, a way of investing in yourself.

However, I could just as easily say “it depends,” and/or “only when the time is right.”

Out of the gate I don’t believe most need to worry about hiring someone to make them a customized site; at least not right away. The ROI just isn’t there when you only have a handful of clients to begin with and the only people reading your stuff is, well, lets be honest, your mom is the only one….;o)

I do feel it’s important for people to have access to you, though. Meaning, I think it behooves any fitness pro to have a generic website that explains who you are, your experience, maybe take the time to describe your ideal client, as well as your contact information.1

If you really want to throw people for a loop maybe include a video of you doing an interpretive dance to an Adele song. I don’t know, I’m just spit-balling here.

My First Website

Your first website doesn’t have to be all fancy pants. My first site was something I jimmy-rigged from Blogspot.com. I think it’s called Blogger.com now.

NOTE: there are plenty of free website to help you get started nowadays: WordPress, Medium, etc.

The main selling point was that it was free, idiot proof, and I could pick from several templates to get things up and running quickly.

It was 2006 and I had just started getting several articles published on T-Nation.com, so of course I needed my own website goddammit. You know, cause I was someone important and had important things to say.

I signed up for a free account and within minutes I had my very first website.

Regrettably, wading in a pool of my own bravado and naivete, I named my freshly minted website, of all things, “The G-Spot.”

My last name started with “G,” I thought it was witty, and there’s a reason why I never went into marketing. I’m sure if someone dug deep, they’d be able to find it.2

This all happened within a few months of me having moved to Boston right when I had started working at a posh club downtown. During my free time between clients I’d head to the cafe and write maybe two posts a week, mostly concentrating on common myths and misconceptions I’d come across via conversations with them:

  • Why Sit-Ups Are a Bad Idea
  • Did You Know Deadlifts Mold Badonkadonks?
  • Why Squats Are the Awesome
  • No, You Existential, Metrosexsual Douche, HAN SHOT FIRST

Alas, the “G-Spot” served it’s purpose. It allowed me a place to hang out with myself, an opportunity to practice my writing, and served as a “home base” for people to get a hold of me.

The Step-Up Blog

My big “blogging break” came a few months after starting The G-Spot. I had started working with a client who worked at the Boston Herald and she mentioned to me they were looking for someone to provide online content for their health/fitness blog.

She asked if I’d be interested, I said okay, and internet history was made.

Well, not really.

I did grow the “Step-Up” blog to one of the more frequented blogs on their site, and ended up staying there for close to two years, writing 3-5 posts per week. It was an awesome experience and definitely gave me some added prestige to be affiliated with a known brand.

During that time I continued to write for T-Nation, started getting courted by places like Men’s and Women’s Health3, and also helped start and co-found a little ol’ gym called Cressey Sports Performance.

Things were going well and it soon dawned on me it would work in my favor to start writing for myself again, on my own site

TonyGentilcore.com – #1

I still wasn’t at a point where I felt I needed to hire someone to customize a site for me. But I also recognized I didn’t want some vanilla looking site that looked like everyone else’s.

What to do, what to do?

I ended up trade-bartering services with a friend. I was good and making people diesel and he was good with 0’s and 1’s. I offered to write him several months of programming in exchange for a website.

BOOM.

Again, nothing too fancy…but a step above what most people had at the time. I even took the picture of that weight plate on the home page. No big deal.

My “homepage” was the blog itself, but I also added tabs like “Services,” and “Recommended Resources.” The latter two, in addition to the blog, allowed me a little more opportunity to monetize the site, which was a goal of mine all along.

TonyGentilcore.com – #2: When Shit Got Real

In 2009-2010 I decided it was time to put on my big boy pants on and hire someone to make a customize website for me.

At that point I had accumulated close to 5+ years of content and my blog was starting to become a legitimate added source of revenue via affiliate income and distance coaching inquiries.

I figured if I wanted to take my site to the next level I’d need to make it stand out. I reached out to Copter Labs, and they produced this gem:

It consisted of many of the same functions/features as the previous website, but looked way sexier and appealing, and had all the bells and whistles to boot.

It wasn’t cheap – to the tune of a few thousand dollars.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

via GIPHY

Putting things in perspective, though, I had reached a point in my career where investing in myself seemed a wise move.

You know the saying “you have to spend money to make money“?

It applied here.

The design and features alone weren’t the selling point for me, nor is it where I felt I received the most value.

It was the BENEFITS they provided.

First off, I have no effing clue how to make a website. I can barely run a microwave without blowing up my apartment.

Many companies make beautiful websites, but why I chose Copter Labs was because I knew they knew the fitness market.

Moreover, I knew they’d take care of every detail from the photography to the general functionality of the site.

It’s something I heard Mike Samuels write about recently:

“No one gives two shits about features.

What people care about is the BENEFITS.

What’s the specific outcome they’re going to get?

I see this a lot when I talk to clients for the first time.

You ask them why people should buy their product and they say things like –

– The design is incredible.
– They get a different task every day
– I only use the finest ingredients

Okay. Cool.

None of these are bad, but none of them compel people to buy either.

They’re very ‘nice’ … and nice is the most abhorrent, repugnant, obnoxious thing to be.

If you TRULY believe that these features matter, then run the ‘so that’ test on them.

For example –

‘The design is incredible SO THAT this course is much easier for people to follow than any other on the market.’

“I only use the finest ingredients SO THAT the meals stay fresher for longer, and taste so much better than generic, crappy microwave meals.”

However, this isn’t to short-change the importance of a baller design. I DO feel it matters, especially now, in an age where everyone is vying for everyone else’s attention.

I think one of the biggest things people don’t pay attention to is the value of design. A well designed website, visually appealing / aesthetically pleasing, one that stands out from the crowd, one that doesn’t look like it was built on top of a template, can, and almost always will separate you from the masses

[IMPORTANT NOTE: Assuming, of course, your content doesn’t suck]

People can tell the difference and know when they’re visiting a poorly designed website. What’s more, they can tell how it “feels” while using the site. It may seem low quality, hard to use, disorganized.

What’s the point of this site?

While it may seem obvious to the business owner, it’s never that obvious to the site’s visitor.

How does a potential client find what they’re looking for? Do they have to work at it, click a bunch of links and read through a bunch of unorganized copy? The site’s design and structure should lead them right to their answers.

A template can’t design a website for you. A site builder platform can’t either. Just like an app can’t be a personal trainer, an app can’t be a web designer either.

TonyGentilcore.com – #3

Maybe a year or so later I hired Copter Labs again to give the site a bit of a face-lift.

A crisper look to say the least.

And, what can’t be appreciated by a screenshot alone was the “flow” of the site. That was improved as well. If you had the ability to scroll down on the picture above you’d see an area to sign-up for my newsletter as well as links to all my social media accounts.

Flow is crucial.

It didn’t (and doesn’t) take a rocket scientist to navigate the site. If you wanted more info on me and what I was about you’d click the “About Tony” tab, if you wanted to read more articles I had written, you’d click “Articles” tab, or if you wanted to hear a cacophony of hip-hop horns all you had to do was click on my left forearm.

The ultimate Easter Egg.4

TonyGentilcore.com – #4

Is what your eyes are transfixed by today.

The last update was back in 2014 and at that time I had ZERO idea my site wasn’t compatible with mobile devices and tablets. I had noticed a slight drop in traffic which resulted in me eating more Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and watching Julia Roberts’ movies. It was a dark time in my life. I don’t want to talk about it.

Here I was thinking I lost my blogging mojo and that I should just give up and become a crazy cat lady, when the real issue was there were a fair number of people unable to read my site because they weren’t able to access it via their mobile devices.

Giving credit where it’s due, Copter Labs were a head of the curve, recognized the snafu, and went in and fixed it…amongst other things, like, connecting an email marketing platform to build targeted audience segments, and helping me to plan out a more diverse e-commerce section in the near future.

And, possibly, a photo gallery of my cat.

In reality, the site is always a work in progress. I am constantly tweaking this and changing that. And that’s the beauty of it: while the shell is 100% customized to me and my goals for the site, the deeper levels – adding services, speaking engagements, new resources, etc – are what I have control over at all times.

That’s That

This isn’t a love-letter to Copter Labs. And just to throw it out there I receive zero kickback from mentioning them.5

I wanted to write this today because it’s something I am constantly asked by many fitness pros, young and old, and I wanted to share my experience(s). I DO feel there’s value in hiring someone to customize a site for you, but would caution people to do so too quickly before they’re ready.

But if you are going to do it, there’s a lot of shady people out there. I’ve heard several stories of people spending several thousand dollars on website developers only to be disappointed, or worse, left empty handed.

I wouldn’t steer you in the wrong direction. I got your back. If this is something you’ve been on the fence on, consider my peeps at Copter Labs and give them a shout. They’ll take good care of you.

I’m out.

CategoriesMedia podcast Product Review

I’m Taking Over the Internet. But Not Really

I’ll be heading out to sunny LA this weekend to meet up with Dean Somerset for our last go at the Complete Shoulder & Hip Workshop of 2015.

We’ve been on a tear lately with stops in Edmonton, St. Louis, and Chicago earlier this fall, and I hope people aren’t starting to get Dean and Tony fatigue…

…because we also have BIG plans for 2016 as well.

A trip to Europe (Prague and Oslo in the Spring), as well as various cities around North America (Toronto, Austin, TX, etc).

NOTE: speaking of Texas, I’ll be in Frisco, TX on Dec. 27th for a 1-day workshop at Full Throttle Athletics. For more info you can go HERE.

And, who knows, we may very well go intergalactic and hit up Naboo. We like to live life dangerously.

Anyways I need to pack and get things organized before I leave tomorrow morning, so today I wanted to take a few moments to point you in the direction of various appearances I’ve made around the internet.

Recent Podcast Appearances

After linking to his awesome article, Is Diet Coke Bad For You?,6Scott Baptie reached out and asked if I’d come onto his Food For Fitness Podcast.

You can listen HERE.

I was also invited by Nada Nasserdeen to make a cameo on her Rise Up For You podcast. It’s a quickie (less than 10 seconds 25 minutes), but we discussed some of my grievances with the mainstream media’s approach to women’s fitness, in addition to delving into my general approach to working with and training women.

You can listen HERE.

Men’s Health & BuzzFeed Article

My latest article on MensHealth.com dives into how to instantly clean up technique on several basic exercises using EXTERNAL cuing rather than INTERNAL cuing.

You can check that out HERE.

Also, I made a cameo on BuzzFeed recently contributing to an article written by Sally Tamarkin on tips to Actually Start Lifting Weights.

Cool New Apparel

Two things to note in the video below.

1. My DL technique is on point, son! After working through some back issues at the start of this year, I’m starting to amp my deadlift numbers back up and feel like I’m making some good progress. Here’s my first set (of 3) of 435 for an easy 4 reps.[/efn_note]The video was cut off at 3 reps. Trust me, I got the 4th.[/efn_note]

2. The sleek apparel I’m wearing.

Was sent some free swag and apparel from @wpnwear and figured I’d break things in with some deadlifts, naturally. #teamwpn

A video posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

I was contacted by a new Australian company, WPN Active Wear, and they were kind enough to send me some free swag – shorts, compression shorts/shirt – to try out and use during some recent training sessions.

I’m normally not someone who wears compression gear when training, but I may change my ways. I found I was able to get warm quicker (and stay warm) and I did sense the compression shorts (underneath the shorts in the video) gave me a bit more of a stable feeling with my back. Huge bonus.

Plus, you know, I look jacked.

I know I have a fair number of Australian readers, so if you’re looking for a some cool, comfortable, reasonably priced fitness apparel give WPN a look.

SIDE NOTE: I like the idea of this being a small company of passionate guys who want to introduce a high-quality product, and aren’t some faceless conglomerate. I receive ZERO kick-back in pointing you towards their KickStarter campaign – HERE – if that’s something you’re interested in supporting/backing.

You should do it. For the kangaroos.

CategoriesInterview Media

Cameo on Evil Sugar Radio

A few weeks ago I was invited onto the Evil Sugar Radio podcast with hosts Antonio Valladeres and Scott Kustes.

At first I was a little apprehensive to go onto the show because I freakin LOVE sugar. I was afraid I was going to get grilled because I’m not Paleo enough or that I’m the spawn of Satan because I eat carbs. Like, a lot.

But after a little research I knew I was being irrational.

From their “About Us” Page: Evil Sugar Radio is a weekly health and nutrition podcast free from the diets, dogmas, and delusions that are pervasive in the nutrition world. We debunk popular diet myths, giving you the hard facts you need to take your health, performance, and weight loss to the next level.

Evil Sugar Radio covers modern trends in diets, weight loss, health & fitness, food, farming, and politics. Plus, we talk about ice cream quite a lot.

This show is rated R, for Really Rockin’ and because we cuss now and then.

We Didn’t Talk Nutrition!

Thankfully. Because that’s not my wheelhouse. I could probably feign nutritional expertise by dropping a gluconeogenesis bomb in a sentence somewhere, or go into the particulars on reversible phosphorylation of proteins as a regulatory mechanism7, but I didn’t.

However we did talk about the personal training industry, shoulder injuries, and program design. But in reality it was just three dudes hanging out talking about whatever came up.

You can check it out HERE (and yes, it’s NSFW).

CategoriesInterview Media

Squeezing Oranges With Tony Gentilcore

I had the pleasure of being invited onto the Side Quest Fitness Podcast (the unofficial podcast of Fitocracy) recently with Rob Farlow, and I wanted to toss the link everyone’s way in case 1) you’re super bored at work today and needed a dose of “Tony Time” to help pass time or 2) you’re not at work, you’re not bored, and you’re just straight up obsessed with me and can’t get enough.

Either way it’s a win-win.

I had blast recording this episode. Rob and I cover everything from my start in the fitness industry and why I feel every young fitness professional should spend time working in a commercial gym setting to other career advice (such as, what’s the deal with squeezing oranges?) and even movies. Read: we geek out about Star Wars for a few minutes.

HERE is the link on the website, or if you prefer you can listen on iTunes HERE.

Enjoy!

CategoriesMedia

Affiliate Marketing: Worse Than Ebola, Hitler and Gluten Combined

Let first state for the record that:

1. I generally avoid confrontation. In fact I hate it.

2. I’ve long ago accepted that no one can make everyone happy, and that by choosing to make myself more of a public figure with my writing and speaking, that it opens up the flood gates to (more) people being candid with their opinions and criticism (both negative and constructive) with my work.

When I first started writing – especially when my prose (if you want to call it that?) started to appear in more mainstream outlets – it was hard for me to pull a Jay-Z and wipe the dirt negative comments off my shoulder.

In time I learned to do just that. I either ignored said comments and moved on with my life, or I played along with them.

Like the one time I caught flak for writing an article on bench pressing and a reader commented that he stopped reading after the first paragraph because I had noted my best lift was 315 lbs.

I replied, “yeah but my internet max is 405 lbs, so we’re all good.”

I’ve just learned not to let certain comments bother me, that many people just things (and themselves) way too seriously, and that some people will suck at life no matter you say or don’t say.

As the saying goes, hates gonna hate.

But then every so often someone chimes in with a comment that, like an unexpected case of explosive diarrhea, makes your day pretty shitty.

Pun intended I suppose.

A few days ago I wrote a blog post titled The Forgotten Quality of the Fitness Industry. In it I discussed the virtue of integrity and how, like any profession, there seems to be a lack of it in the fitness industry.

It’s grown to be an industry that predicates itself on quick fixes and individuals who prey on other individuals in order to charge their credit card $49.99 for some detox elixir that contains goji berries, flax seeds, and grass fed dark chocolate mixed in Unicorn tears.

Moreover, it seems anyone with an Instagram account and has an ass, and is willing to showcase it 24/7, can become an authority on fitness. Credentials, education, and actual experience be damned.

At the end of the post I made a soft pitch/endorsement towards Examine.com, a nutrition and supplementation website that’s dedicated to providing factual, peer-reviewed, UNBIASED information to the masses. A site I feel epitomizes integrity.

Apparently I lack integrity for doing so.

The following is a comment I received yesterday:

Wouldn’t lack of integrity also be the affiliate market which you are such a huge part of?

I mean promoting a product in 99% of your posts that I can bet the majority you haven’t tried personally or used with clients falls into lack of integrity as well.

Just because another coach is in your affiliate circle doesn’t mean you should pimp out their products as the next greatest thing.

There is a difference between recommending something you have actually used, but pimping out a product just because of someone’s name or reputation without testing it on yourself and/or your clients is just as bad and misleading as your claims on this post.

For the record: I don’t feel the commenter was being a “troll,” and giving credit where it’s due: he didn’t resort to ad hominem attacks and he even used his real name. But I do feel his “attack” was unwarranted.

Against better judgement (and the advice of friends and colleagues who told me it was a waste of time to do so anyways), I decided to comment on his comment.

Yes I realize it’s (probably) going to fall on deaf ears. And yes, I realize that by responding to someone who’s not in my “Tribe” in the first place, is more than likely never going to sign up for my newslettter, purchase anything from me, much less vote for me for Class President, can be seen as a waste of time.

However, his commentary and tone is something that needs to be addressed, because it’s a theme that constantly pops up.

That, and My Integrity is Something I Take Very Seriously.

For starters lets address the comment: “I mean promoting a product in 99% of your posts that I can bet the majority you haven’t tried personally or used with clients falls into lack of integrity as well.”

This. Is. False.

This comment is crazy.

Since it was directed towards Examine.com in the first place, let me say this. It’s a good product, and one I think will help people. Does my soft pitch at the end of the post in question help move some units? I sure hope so.

But consider this:

In the back end of my blog, my metrics indicate that, including this one, I have now published 1514 posts. Of those, if I had to take an educated guess, less than 100 have mentioned or “promoted” some type of program or product.

Less than 100.

That comes out to about 7%. And I think 100 is an aggressive number. In addition that isn’t counting any of my articles published elsewhere, which, like my blog, are a FREE resource.

So, really: it’s mathematically unarguable that I only “promote” stuff I believe in. Programs and products that I really and truly think will add value to my readers or the fitness community and industry over all.  It’s my intention, always, to direct people towards products I feel will educate the.

But for shits and giggles, lets take a look at the last five products I’ve helped pimp (and as a result, sold my soul) endorse8.

Examine.com – As noted above, a nutrition and supplement website that prides itself on using peer-reviewed, factual information to educate the public. It doesn’t sell supplements.

Yes, I use it. I’d be a fool not to!

Lift Weights Faster 2.0 – Developed by Jen Sinkler who, admittedly, is a friend of mine, but a stellar coach nonetheless and someone I have a ton of respect for. She’s an accomplished editor, writer, and someone who has never pigeon holed herself into any one specific training modality or approach. She’s literally done everything.

Oh, and she was a former member of the National USA Women’s Rugby team. So, yeah, I’d trust her training advice.

And yes, I routinely used LWF (1.0) when programming conditioning workouts for myself and my clients.

Complete Speed Training  – Developed by renowned speed coach, Lee Taft. Someone who has worked with a litany of professional athletes and teams, and has coached countless athletes all over the USA and world at every level.

Yes (again). Many of the things Lee discusses in this product are principles we use at Cressey Sports Performance.

Ultimate Athleticism – Developed by Max Shank, a guy who’s about as diverse and open minded as they come. Here’s a guy who can not only deadlift 500+ lbs, but can also perform amazing feats with his own bodyweight. Handstands, flips, you name it…he can do it.

You may have me here. While it’s unlikely that I’ll ever do a walking handstand (or have any interest in doing so), I did read the manual and felt it was a nice fit for my audience. Especially those looking to challenge their bodies in different ways.

Plus Max is an accomplished coach who knows what he’s doing. I loved the progressions he used.

Core Training Facts & Fallacies and Top Techniques – Developed by Nick Tumminello who’s one of the most respected fitness educators on the planet, and someone who’s about as evidence based as they come.

Yes (again) – many of the things he discusses are things I’ve used with my own clients.

All of this to say…..

Geez, I’m such an asshole.

I feel it shows more integrity to point people in the direction of coaches who actually know what they’re talking about and do good for the industry than to link to any number of things that make my corneas perpetually bleed on the internet.

Now lets discuss this whole concept of an “Affiliate Circle.”

Or circle jerk as it’s more affectionately known as.

Apparently whenever someone is set to release a product, all any of us “affiliate circle” coaches do is fellate one another while sitting in our evil volcanic lairs as we refresh our Clickbank pages every five minutes.

Note: this is NOT my Clickbank page. If it were I wouldn’t be driving an Elantra and I’d most definitely have my own evil volcanic lair built.

It has nothing to do with supporting one another and relaying SOLID information ti people. Nope, never.

People fail to realize how small this industry is.

On top of that there’s only so many trainers and coaches who consistently put out fantastic content and are the ones that many of us (Us = the fitness industry) recognize as the cream of the crop. I’ve been fortunate enough within my career to work with, interact, and become friends with many of them.

They say you’re the equivalent of the five people you surround yourself with the most.

I feel this has merit in the professional setting as well.

Coaches like Dan John, Mike Boyle, Eric Cressey, John Romaniello, Nia Shanks, Molly Galbraith, Mike Robertson, Mike Reinold, Neghar Fonooni, Dean Somerset, Bret Contreras, and many, many others, are all friends of mine. They’re also colleagues that I’d defy ANYONE to say don’t go out of their way to educate people and put out damn good products.

Am I an individual who lacks integrity because I help to promote their products? Products I know work and that don’t pretend to be something they’re not?

And honestly, how is it I lack integrity because I make money from affiliate income?

1. None of this conversation takes into consideration the metric shit-ton of shit that gets sent my way on a weekly basis.

People whom I have NO idea who they are, have never met in person, much less interacted with in any fashion, are always asking me to “pimp” their products.

Why? Because of point #2.

2. I matter.

I’ve worked my tail off to make this site into something that, not only serves as a labor of love and something I thoroughly enjoy, but has also granted me the opportunity to use it as a source to supplement my income.

You know, make a living.

Plus, I’ve taken pride that people trust me enough to trust my opinion. I think my track record speaks to and shows that I don’t go out of my way to be shady with what I endorse.

I don’t say this lightly, because I’ve never been someone who pounds my chest and uses bravado to get my point across. If you ask most people who know me well, they’ll back me up when I say that I’m a very humble person.

I don’t walk around bragging about how many Twitter followers I have or how many “Likes” any particular article accumulates. In fact, I took that function OFF my site when I updated it.

However, I’d be remiss not to recognize I’ve been able to build this site into one of the most visited fitness sites on the internet. I’m proud of that. I’ve worked my ass off for that. Why wouldn’t I try to monetize it (or my time)?

And at the expense of blowing sunshine up my own ass, I feel I’ve done so in a very non-pushy, non-invasive, non-douchey way. I don’t have any paid advertisements on my site. I don’t have any (direct) affiliate banners on my site. And much to the chagrin of several of my colleagues, I’m not even super aggressive with collecting emails for my newsletter.

(This isn’t to suggest that people who DO take that approach are wrong. They’re not! It’s just an avenue I choose not to walk down).

Since We’re On the Topic of This Site

It’s a FREE site (for you).

But guess what?

It’s NOT free to maintain.

Here’s a little transparency for everyone. When I decided I had reached the point where getting a professionally built/custom site made sense (back in 2010) – I had used free templates up until that point – it cost me $5000 to hire someone to develop and another $1000 to add updates and aesthetic changes.

(Shout out to Copter Labs for the phenomenal job they do).

And this doesn’t take into account hosting fees, etc.

The site re-design (this past September) costs me another $6000. And with the site growing (thank you, everyone!), even higher hosting fees.

But in the end that’s a good problem to have. I’m not complaining.

Does it show lack of integrity to try to offset those costs? Does it show lack of integrity to take advantage of free enterprise?

In the End

Do I help promote products I like? Yep. Do I know a lot of smart and well intentioned coaches who have REAL WORLD experience, actually coach people, and use research and science to back their claims up? Yep.

Do I have ANY reservations in helping to spread their message? Nope.

I can live with that.

UPDATE: my good friend, Adam Bornstein, wrote a rebuttal post (of sorts) about this post that I think would serve as a nice follow-up.

The gist: why what I did was a waste of time. Check it out HERE.

Bornstein: 1

Gentilcore: 0

CategoriesMedia

MFF Best Life Radio: The Interview I Did While Wearing No Pants

“Isn’t he that dude who owns a gym in NYC, who’s obsessed with, like, rainbows and unicorns and stuff?”

That was the question EC asked me a few summers ago when I had mentioned in passing that this guy named Mark Fisher was coming to CSP (along with his head trainer, Kyle Langworthy) for mine and Dean Somerset’s Excellent Workshop up in Boston.

At the time I had no idea who Mark Fisher or Mark Fisher Fitness was other than Eric’s comment.

Rainbows?

Unicorns?

What the what!?!?!? “Who is this guy?” I thought to myself. And, “what’s he all about?”

To be honest, at the time I didn’t care. He paid the registration fee, and giving credit where it’s due, no one is going to pay that much money and make the trek from NYC to Boston for a 2-day workshop who doesn’t give a shit and doesn’t want to learn. At the end of the day, that’s cool in my book.

Long story short: it was an awesome weekend. Mark (and Kyle) attended, and Mark was gracious enough to participate in a “Expert Panel” at the end of the weekend (which also featured Ben Bruno and Jim “Smitty” Smith of Diesel Strength fame) discussing business stuff and how important it is to build a sense of “community” amongst your gym members (or as he refers to them, ninjas) for long-term success.

Since then Mark (and many of his staff members) have grown to be good friends of mine. We’ve crossed paths numerous times attending various seminars and social gatherings, and have kept in touch via email. I remember not long ago Mark reached out asking if CSP had any current or past interns who’d be interested in employment at MFF and to ask if any would be a good fit (because lets be honest: it takes a certain individual to be comfortable enough to teach a group of people how to perform a kettlebell swing or proper hip hinge while simultaneously lip syncing to ABBA and trying not to make eye contact with occasional dildo hanging on the wall).

It’s an eclectic, unique, and fun atmosphere to say the least. But that shouldn’t deter people from thinking MFF is all glitter paint and party boas. It’s not.

In fact, when Mark and I were going back and forth on interns and employment he shot back this classic quote which I’ll never forget:

“Don’t get me wrong, if they’re a drag queen, that’s HUGELY helpful, but they need to be a drag queen who knows who Ed Coan is.”

Suffice it say I’m a huge fan. Mark and his staff are superb and it’s no surprise they’ve established themselves as one of the destination gyms to train at in a city that’s saturated with an infinite selection to choose from.

Stepping aside from the fitness side of things for a second, another reason why I admire Mark and the culture he’s constructed is that, as much as he’s a geek at improving someone’s scapular upward rotation or squat technique, he’s equally a champion at understanding that there’s a lot to life OUTSIDE of the gym.

Which was why I was more than excited to be invited onto the MFF Best Life Radio Podcast hosted by Mark Fisher Fitness co-founder, Brian Patrick Murphy.

Much like Mark, Brian exudes positive attitude. It’s very hard not to be talking with Brian and not feel his exuberance and zest for what life has to offer marinate into your own consciousness. It’s infectious and I dig it so much.

We chatted the other morning for a little more than an hour on everything from my career to being newly engaged to our affinity on walking around with our pants off. It was a really fun interview to do. So if you have some time to kill commuting to work, or if you’re at work and want to drown out your annoying cubicle mate give it a listen. I think you’ll enjoy it.

—> Click Me <—

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Catching Up on The Fitcast

I had the opportunity to make a recent cameo appearance on The Fitcast with Kevin Larrabee.

Some long-time readers may recall I used to be a co-host of the show a few years ago; and some may even recall my now infamous first ever appearance on the show.

This is Tony Gentilcoooooooooooooore.

I was such a tool.

Nevertheless it seems like eons or Klekkets9 since I was last on the show.

It’s always a pleasure to catch up with Kevin and it’s always an honor to continue to be invited back on to talk some shop. So if you’re sitting there at work with nothing to do, or you’re trudging through a brutal cardio session and need something to listen to to pass the time, check it out. We discuss new stuff we’ve implemented at CSP, my own evolution as far as training philosophy is concerned, and more.

Episode 314: At the Weight Room with Tony Gentilcore

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PT Prophet Podcast and Pallof Presses

I’m back home in Boston after spending the weekend in Sterling, VA (just outside of DC) where Dean Somerset and I had the honor of presenting our two-day Excellent High-Five Workshop at Underground Athlete to a group of 30 coaches and trainers – a few of which traveled all the way from Alabama and Massachusetts.

Giving credit where it’s due, I wanted to thank Underground Athlete owner Justin Case, his soon-to-be wife Cristal (they’re getting married in April, which led to a bit of wedding talk since Lisa and I set our date for late May), and the rest of UA coaching staff for being such gracious and welcoming hosts.

Photo Credit: UndergroundAthlete.com

I know I can speak for Dean in saying that we had an incredibly engaged group this past weekend, and a large reason for that was due to Justin and his staff helping to set the tone and for having such insatiable appetites to learn.

It was two-days chock full of assessments, taking people through the ropes (and learning that things like crawls, deadbugs, and birddogs are, in fact, challenging when done right), squats, deadlifts, talking about fascial lines, and me mistakingly using the word “intercourse” for “discourse” at one point, which made for some good laughs.

Plus, it didn’t hurt that they facility itself was/is beautiful (pretty much an athlete’s or serious weightlifter’s wet dream)  and that there was enough beef jerky on hand to feed a small army.

One of the highlights for me – albeit a seemingly random one – was watching Justin and his staff spend a legit half hour yesterday after the workshop trying to one-up one another other with various athletic feats. Vertical jumps, broad jumps, 1-legged broad jumps, back flips, and a host of other shenanigans. Hell I’m surprised they didn’t attempt to run through a pane of glass to see 1) who could do it and 2) who could do it while being set on fire. And juggling swords.

It was just really cool to see the camaraderie and enthusiasm amongst the coaching staff.

Also, it was great to catch up with a few friends.

Steve and Kelsey Reed, two excellent VA/DC based coaches at SAPT Strength, and who some of you may recall got engaged on this very blog, attended this past weekend’s workshop. 

I also had the chance to finally meet DC-based physical therapist and Girls Gone Strong contributor, Ann Wendel (and her fabulous shoes!).

She, her husband, Dean and I met up for some good eats.

We….ate….all….the…..food.

Shout out to Mokomandy located in Sterling for their delicious food (particularly their pot roast sliders.  UNBELIEVABLE!!!!). I highly recommend checking it out if you live in that area.

Annnnnnyways

As is the case every time I travel, the day after I pretty much want to curl up on the couch with a vat of tea and watch Walking Dead episodes.  There’s that and the umpteen million programs I need to write (give or take), in addition to some writing projects I need to get a head start on.

Note to my editors: please be patient…..;o)

Instead of writing a full blog post today, I wanted to share with you a few things that popped up on the internet that I was involved with.

1. PT Prophet Podcast

I had the opportunity to hop on a call with Hayden Wilson, the host of the PT Prophet Podcast, a few weeks ago and had a blast!

The podcast is geared towards personal trainers and fitness professionals who want to learn more about online training, internet marketing, and how to build your own brand/business.

We covered a lot of material, but the gist of it was to cover Cressey Sports Performance (and what I feel separates it from the masses as far as private training facilities are concerned), training athletes, my mentors, how I developed my writing style, and a plethora of other stuff.

Like I mentioned above, I had blast doing it and if you’re sitting there at work bored out of your mind, pop on some headphones and give it a listen HERE.

2. The Ultimate Pallof Press Guide 

Anyone who’s read my site for any length of time knows how much I like Pallof Presses. I’d go so far to say that myself and Eric Cressey are the two guys who helped popularize the movement and introduce it to the masses back in the day.

In this article which I wrote for BodyBuilding.com I discuss not only where the name “Pallof Press” comes from, but why I feel it’s one of the best core exercise out there in addition to offering several ways to vary things up.

I’d also like to take this moment to put forth a motion that Jen Jewell – the lovely female model for the article – from this day forward, must demonstrate every exercise I discuss on this website. No excuses.

Can we make it a law or something? Seriously, gun control can wait. Priorities people!