CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 5/12/14

I hope everyone had a lovely Mother’s Day yesterday. I did what every son on Mother’s Day does and went out and bought a new Spring blazer and pair of jeans for myself….;o)

I blame my new fashion sense on reading Unleash Your Alpha: Eat Like a Man, Train Like a Beast, Operate Like a Gentleman, and Become a Legend recently.

I received a signed copy by the author himself, Mike Campbell, a few weeks ago (no big deal), and after reading it came to the conclusion that “not wearing sweatpants” didn’t count as dressing up.

Thanks Mike!

And yes, I called my mom to say “I love you,” and to let her know that she’s was the best thing since Thunder Punch He-Man.

Diving right into things, it’s been a while since I’ve done a Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday post, so lets get started!

1.  I’m an avid reader. I read a lot of books on anatomy, strength and conditioning, performance, and how to otherwise make people make other people destroy the back of their pants on the playing field or court.

Too, I also read a fair number of non-fiction and fiction books. I’m constantly asked by others what are some good books I’m reading, and one I’m reading now which I’ve found fascinating is The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap.

I’m not an overly political person, and I believe that if people work hard and are honest and aren’t “douchy,” that they’ll be compensated accordingly.

This book explores the 2008 financial disaster and how, despite causing panic and dire ramifications that affected millions of people across the world, not one (NOT EVEN ONE) Wall Street banker saw jail time.  However, for those on the other end of the socio-economic spectrum, it’s not uncommon for many to see jail-time for petty crimes such as “blocking pedestrian traffic.”

It’s quite the tale, and one that will make you want to throw an ax into your face from sheer rage.

On the lighter side of things, I also just finished Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir on the Craft, which is something I’d recommend to anyone  looking to 1) learn writing tips from one of the best (Hint:  limit those adverbs!) and 2) understand that writing is a process, albeit a painful, often relentless (and thankless) process that only the insane would ever actively pursue.

2.  Since we’re on the topic of stuff-I-like-and-it’s-obvious-I-have-impeccable-taste-basically-I’m-George-Clooney, I might as well showcase some of the recent movies I’ve watched that I enjoyed.

Rush – easily one of the more OVERlooked movies of 2013. This one stars Thor Chris Hemsworth as Formula One racer James Hunt and highlights his rivalry with Niki Lauda during the 1970s.

There’s car crashes, profanity, and boobies.  A+!!!

In all seriousness, I had no idea that this was directed by Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) till after the fact, and have no idea why it never received much fanfare.

It was a well directed movie, with amazing characters, and an awesome story. I’d even go so far as to say it would make my list of Top-10 Movies of 2013.

I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a “wild card” movie to try out.

12 Years a Slave – I purposely chose not to go see this in the theaters when it first came out because I knew it was going to be a “hard” movie to watch.

I recognize that’s a cop out and a weak excuse, but I knew that if I was going to sit through a 2+ hour movie on the topic of slavery, I had to be mentally prepared for it.

All I have to say is that it’s one of the most powerful, unflinching, and effed-up movies I’ve ever watched.

Note:  effed-up in the sense that it DOES NOT back down in showing what things were REALLY like back in those days.  I give Steve McQueen, the director, all the credit in the world for not “sugar-coating” anything.

It deserved EVERY award and accolade it received.  And, just to toss it out there:  both Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender, both of whom didn’t win the Academy Award, should have been the ones holding up the trophy a few months ago.  They were robbed.

Philomena – starring Judi Dench, this film follows the true story of a woman who had her son taken away from her decades ago and was forced to live on a convent, and the journalist who helped her seek out the truth years later.

Equal parts funny and heart-wrenching, this film shows how much of a boss Judi Dench is as an actress.  You gotta love that Brit humor!

3.  I have a few BIG announcements to pass along.

First

I’ll be holding a one-day workshop/seminar at Warrior Fitness in Cancun, Mexico on Tuesday, July 1.

I don’t speak a lick of Spanish, so worse case scenario I end up nixing my talk on how to coach the big 3 lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press), as well as my discussion on upper extremity assessment and how to “manage” CrossFit progressions, and hold my own Lucha Libre wresting match complete with drop-kicks and kick-ass masks!

You can watch the promo video HERE (complete with sub-titles!!) to get a better idea of what to expect and topics to be covered.

In addition, for more information and to reserve your spot, you can contact Roberto Aguilar at the Warrior Fitness website HERE.

Second

As we’ve alluded to in the past, Dean Somerset and I are taking our Workshop global!

Our first stop is London, England.

We’ll be holding a TWO-DAY workshop at The Third Space Soho on September 13th and 14th, 2014.

For full details (itinerary, cost, accommodations, and Dean’s favorite 007 villain)  you can go HERE.

Our second stop will be in Washington D.C in mid-October (18-19, 2014) but we’re still ironing out the exact location.  I do know that the location itself will be in Sterling, VA….not too far outside DC itself.

We’ll be posting a link shortly regarding information on hotels, etc….but you can still sign up for the early bird price HERE (scroll down to the bottom).

We’ve had inquires from other places – Chicago, Australia, Tatooine……and would be open to others as well.  If you’re someone who’d like to help us organize an event please contact feel free to contact me HERE or Dean through his site.

And that’s it for today

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany Uncategorized

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 4/7/14

1.  I don’t know about you, but I had an awesome weekend. No, I didn’t become an inaugural member of the Masters of the Universe.  No, I didn’t win a million dollars in a cereal eating contest.  And no, I didn’t practice karate with Matt Damon in my garage.

As many of you know, I was back in my old stomping grounds – Central New York – this past weekend to take part in the SUNY Cortland Strength Symposium alongside other my esteemed colleagues John Gaglione, Dr. Mike Roussell, Lou Schuler, and Dr. Cassandra Forsythe.

It was an amazing event, I felt honored to be a part of it, and if I learned one thing over the weekend it’s that Lou Schuler knows what it takes to keep college students awake and engaged during an hour long presentation:  f-bombs!

Oh man, it was awesome to listen to him speak.  Not only because it was an interesting topic (obesity), but also because Lou has a knack for making ANYTHING entertaining.

There were roughly 70-80 people who braved the cold, windy, conditions to come listen to us speak on various topics such as business advice, why high-protein diets won’t make your kidneys explode, obesity, why the Paleo fanatics out there are just that:  fanatics!, squat assessment, and the rationale as to why women SHOULD train differently then men.

It was a diverse day for sure, but there was a TON of easily digestible and applicable information handed out.

Here’s me looking all gunny and stuff.

And of course, there was some heavy lifting to be had.

One of the things that left a profound impression on me was the culture that has “infected” (in a good way) the atmosphere there.

When I was an undergrad student at Cortland (1999-2002) it was rare to walk into Tomik Fitness Center and see a girl lifting weights.  Honestly, you were more apt to see a Smurf riding a unicorn while eating a bowl of Lucky Charms than you were seeing a girl lifting any appreciable weight.

It’s just what the culture was back then.  Girls didn’t lift.

Flash forward to this past weekend, and it’s apparently done a complete 180.

We walked into the fitness center early Saturday morning and there were quite a few girls benching, doing chin-ups, squatting AND deadlifting.  There were even some digging into their gyms bags for chalk!

Like, holy shitballs!

Even cooler was Sunday morning. A bunch of us decided to meet up early for a deadlift session  (see pic waaaaay up at the top) before everyone headed back home.  It was 8 AM and there were a group of girls – right alongside the guys – who showed up, Chuck Taylors and all, ready to get after it.

So refreshing to see.  In fact, here’s one of those girls, Nancy, getting coached up by John Gaglione performing speed pulls with 185 lbs.

That’s right…..SPEED PULLS!

So badass.  And she wasn’t the only one. There were other girls there too, bench pressing, performing kettlebell swings, and getting coached up on their technique by myself and John.

All told, I counted more girls training in the free weight area than in the cardio area. It almost brought a tear to my eye.

Slowly but surely, the paradigm is shifting. And it’s glorious.

2.  Speaking of female specific training and content, my good friend, Emily Giza Socolinsky, shared a fantastic blog post with me titled It’s Only a Number, which details her (past) battle and insight with regards to using the (weight) scale to measure success.

It’s a trap that many women fall prey to, akin to two for one shoe sales…..;o)

In all seriousness, though, I felt it was a great piece of writing with a solid message.  Check it out.

3.  Some VERY cool news.

I’m coming to London!!!!

I figured if Jack Bauer was making a cameo appearance there, why not yours truly?  Except in my case I won’t be blowing things up and stuff.

Dean Somerset and I are taking our show global and will be putting on a 2-Day workshop in London in early September at The Third Space located in Soho.

Pre-Registration is now open, and you can get more information regarding topics covered, price, location, and Dean’s all-time favorite Spice Girl HERE.

4.  One of the perks of running a fairly successful website and being “kind of a big deal,” is that people are always willing to send me free stuff to try out.

Note:  T-shirt size = large.  Shoe size = 10.5.  Sorry, Kate Beckinsale, I can’t accept women’s underwear.

Oftentimes things aren’t a good “fit,” and I graciously decline the offer, as was the case when someone reached out to send me samples of their soy protein powder line.

I LOL’ed a lot when that happened.

Clearly they didn’t read the blog much. What’s next? Tofurkey burgers?  No, wait, running shorts?

Many times, though, I’m more than happy to oblige.

Last week I was sent a sampler pack from Sweet Spreads, which is a company that sells delicious (with a capital D!) coconutters.

All the spreads are coconut based with minimal ingredients.  Ie:  you can actually comprehend what it is in fact you’re eating.  I’ve been using them on toast and putting them in my protein shakes the past few days and am loving it.

I’m not making a dime off of saying anything, so take that as you will. Regardless, if you’re looking for something to spice up your shakes or to use a spread, and would like to support a small business…….give this a try.

Sooooooo good.

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Oscars!, Deadlifts, and Myths of Stretching

1.  Raise your hand if you stayed up last night to watch the entire broadcast of the Oscars.

*Sheepishly raises hand*

Yes, I stayed up till just past midnight to see 12 Years a Slave win Best Picture and to watch director Steve McQueen and company be handed the statue by Will Smith.

I know it’s borderline silly to spend 4-5 hours of my night watching a bunch of attractive, rich people who make their living pretending to be action heros, real-life heros, icons, and pirates celebrate other attractive, rich people and hand one another a golden statue.  Especially when there are so many other pressing issues going on around us.

Even so, I’m a firm believer that movies and film offer all of us a sense of release and escape. Whether it’s calling a “time-out” from worrying about a mid-life crisis or a recent break-up, or even if it’s just two hours inside, away from this insane Polar Vortex, movies give us everything from joy and happiness to awe and inspiration.  Not to mention there are a select few that do a bang-up job at scaring the bejesus out of us and making us destroy the back of our pants.

What’s more, as someone who loves (LOVES film), I can appreciate the hard work and talent it takes to do what those people do.  Whether it’s sitting there and reveling in the cinematography of Gravity, the costume/set design of The Great Gatsby, the unabashed “holy-shit-I’m-really-uncomfortable-watching-this-but-this-is-what-happened-so-suck-it-up-Tony” realism of 12 Years a Slave,  the side boob and overall “cleavaginess” of American Hustle, or the breakneck speed and cadence of Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks’ last scene in that movie is one of the best acted scenes I have ever watched), I’m always appreciative and thankful for the movies.

So what can I say:  the Oscars are my SuperBowl – albeit without the large pizza and pretzels on the side.

Lisa and I sat down at 7PM to watch the pre-show festivities, although to be honest I’m not really as much of a fan watching and listening to the fashion mumbo-jumbo. It’s all Elvish to me.  I was actually sitting on the couch reading during that portion of the telecast, but I was listening to Lisa’s commentary which was hilarious.

In fact, I was thiiiiiiiiis close to starting a #shitlisasayswhilewatchingtheoscars on Twitter, but I elected not to

All in all I was very pleased with the show.  Ellen was Ellen, and there were a handful of times Lisa and I broke out and laughed our butts off.  How bout those pizzas!

I fully expect that random pizza-delivery guy to have an agent by now, and to have his own reality show greenlit by summer.

I can’t say I was surprised by any of the winners.  I was secretly hoping that DiCaprio would somehow snake out a win for Best Actor for his role in Wolf of Wall Street, but I knew that either McConaughey or Chiwetel Ejiofor (you know, the guy who’s name no one can pronounce) were the favorites.

Spoiler Alert: McConaughey won.

I was happy to see Jared Leto win, and was really happy to see Alfonso Cuaron win for Best Director (Gravity).

And, OMG, can you freakin believe Helium won for Best Live Action Short??????  (<— Yes, that’s sarcasm).

All in all, as always, I loved every second and can’t wait till next year.

2.  This is really out of character for me, and I know this is going to raise a few eyebrows, but I watched a Tracy Anderson DVD over the weekend wrote an article on deadlifting for Men’s Health last week.

You can check it out HERE.

3.  And since we’re on the topic of “stuff I’ve written,” I also contributed to a piece last week on Stack.com titled 13 Fitness Challenges That Will Destroy You.

They won’t literally destroy you – that’s a bit much – but it stands to reason they’ll offer a change of pace to your routine if you’re looking to add a little variety.  Check them out!

4.  I received a question recently that I felt would be better served answering here since I’m able to reach more people on this blog and I’m sure many reading have toyed with the same topic.

Q: Tony, where would static stretching fit into a week of working out? Do you recommend it on recovery days, or a specialized flexibility training day? Post-workout? Before bed?

A: As with anything: it depends. Not a sexy answer, but it’s the truth.

Stretching for the sake of stretching isn’t necessarily a good thing. While their intentions are in the right place, I see many people flopping on the stretch mat at local commercial gyms doing what they deem as “stretching,” but all I really see is a complete waste of time.

Stretching IS important – as a society it’s crystal clear that we sit a lot, and as such things tend to get adaptively short or stiff.  This is something that definitely needs to be addressed, because if it isn’t one runs the risk of developing muscular imbalances that not affects posture but can lead to pain or injury down the road.

The thing is:  the vast majority of people tend to stretch what they’re good at or what feels good.  What’s more, people tend to get into positions thinking they’re stretching one muscle, when in fact they’re not even close. Does this one ring a bell?

Many would recognize this as a hamstring stretch.  Wanna know what I see?  A lower back stretch.

Moreover, you could argue whether or not traditional stretching actually does anything?  Doing a few 30-second stretches here and there won’t really mount to much.  If a tissue is truly short it has lost sarcomeres  In order to really make a difference, you need to increase the series of sarcomeres and that takes A LOT more than a few 30-second stretches.

In fact if you asked Bill Hartman how much stretching it actually takes to make a difference, he’d say you need to cumulatively hold a stretch anywhere from 20-60 minutes!

Of course, that’s not practical for most people.

This isn’t to say that some stretching isn’t better than no stretching……but rather just to give some people a semblance of expectation management.

And then there are other factors to consider.  Someone who scores high on the Beighton Laxity Test certainly doesn’t need to go out of his or her way to perform a lot of static stretching.

Another thing to consider is HOW people stretch.

One key factor that many people tend to conveniently gloss over is alignment.  Stretching the hip flexors is an often targeted area for most people, and rightfully so.  Because we tend to sit in flexion all day, it stands to reason many people need a crowbar to “un-glue” their hips.  To counteract this many will opt to stretch, like this:

Notice the massive extension pattern and anterior pelvic tilt she’s in?  This isn’t really accomplishing anything other than to run the risk of developing femoral anterior glide syndrome (where the femoral head is literally jammed forward.)

Unless this person cleans up he starting position – brace the anterior core, squeeze the glute of the trailing leg, getting, encouraging more posterior pelvic tilt and getting out of extension – she can do this stretch for hours on end and really not accomplish anything.

Now all of this isn’t say that I’m poo-pooing on stretch altogether.  It DOES have its place, and it DOES serve a purpose.  But I just feel more people need to be cognizant of what they’re stretching and more importantly, HOW they’re stretching.

I feel stretching before a training session is best.   What good is it to stretch before bed when you’re just going to lie down anyways?

I’d rather see people address tissue quality, mobilize, stretch, and then “cement” that new length with appropriate strength training.

Again, the idea is to encourage more “neutral,” get into more optimal alignment, and then train.

The order I prefer is this:

Foam Roll—Dynamic Warm-Up—Dedicated Static Stretching—Lift Heavy Shit

After rolling out, you’d hit up your standard dynamic warm-up (THIS or THIS may help), perform some static stretching to help lengthen the tissue (for most people hitting up areas like the glutes, hip flexors, lats, and pecs would be ideal), and then go…..you’re a free bird.  Fly fly away.

Go lift something heavy.

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Premium Group Update, House of Cards, and Arm Care

1.  Month TWO of my Premium Workout Group over on WeightTraining.com was just went live this morning.

I’ve been placing an emphasis on strength training or what I like to call “getting into Beast Mode” with this first block of workouts, and all the feedback I’ve been receiving from all the participants has been awesome. It seems like everyone is enjoying the journey.

But we’ll see what they have to say after this month….;o)

Just as an FYI:  for those reading who may have never heard of this group before, you can read more about it – what it is, how it works, and how to join – HERE.

And, for those reading who may have balked at joining from the start, you should know that even if you joined TODAY or later down the road, you’ll still have access to ALL the routines (past and present).

So you’ll have the opportunity to start at your own pace and discretion.

And as I noted from the start, this Group is something that’s always going to be evolving.  As it happens, as of the tail end of last week, we introduced a DISCUSSION tab to the group page where members can leave comments, post updates, videos, and pictures of their pets (if they want) for others to chime in on.

It’s just another way to build the camaraderie of the group and for people to have more access to other people taking themselves through the same torture program.

2.  Raise your hand if you binged watched season two of House of Cards this weekend like no one’s business??

*Sheepishly raises hand*

Once Lisa and I sat down on Friday night to watch episode one (well, 14 to be exact if you count season 1) it was over.

And once that “thing” happened  – you know, that HOLY SHIT moment (spoiler at the bottom*) – at the tail end of the first episode, Lisa and I looked at one another and knew we were going to crush the entire season over the weekend.

We came close.

We got all the way up to the second to last episode last night before I puttered out.  We’ll watch the season finale tonight, though.

I can’t wait to see what happens.  Let me guess:  Frank turns into RoboCop and takes out Tusk?  No, no….that’s a bit too farfetched.

Okay, how about this: Legolas from Lord of the Rings makes a cameo appearance, seduces Claire, and he becomes President!

Yep, nailed it!

3.  I had one of my blog posts “syndicated” over on the MensHealth.com website over the weekend which was a cool surprise.

Check out 3 Surprising Reasons You Aren’t Seeing Results in the Gym.

4.  One of the “go to” exercises we use at Cressey Performance with regards to arm care is the supine rhythmic stabilization.

In short, when we’re referring to how to go about training the rotator cuff in a more “functional” manner, we have to respect that the rotator cuff’s job isn’t to necessarily externally rotate and abduct the humerus like all the anatomy books will tell us.

In fact, it’s TRUE role is to keep the humeral head centered in the glenoid fossa.  The last thing we want for an overhead athlete – or anyone for that matter – is to have their humeral head clanging around like a jellybean in a jar.

As innocuous as the exercise may look – there is a fair amount of “progression” that needs to be considered.

First and foremost a general rule of thumb to follow is to start more PROXIMALLY to the body.  Meaning, when starting this exercise with someone it’s better to perform GENTLE pertubations closer to midline of the body – in this case the elbow – where they’ll have a bit more control.

From there, the way you’ll progress the drill is to move more distally – away from the midline – towards the wrist (as Eric demonstrates in the video above).

It seems borderline trivial, but it’s an important factor to consider when implementing this drill into someone’s arm care repertoire.

 

* = ZOE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy fuckballs, he killed Zoe!!  I think both Lisa and I literally jumped off the couch when Frank pushed Zoe in front of that train.  This show is freakin amazing.  It’s like they’re not scared to go all Game of Thrones on us and kill off important characters in the blink of an eye and without warning.  I love it. 

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 9/9/13

1.  To start I want to remind everyone that TODAY (Monday, Sept. 9th) at midnight is the last chance to take advantage of the early-bird special for the 2nd Annual Cressey Performance Fall Seminar.

As I noted a few weeks ago, we want to make this an affordable event for everyone and create a great forum for industry professionals and fitness enthusiasts alike to interact, exchange ideas, and learn.

The entire CP staff will be presenting alongside a few special guests, and it’s sure to be an eventful day.  Which reminds me, Note to Self:  don’t forget to drop off your Jedi cloak at the dry-cleaners and to call and touch base on that smoke machine.

Click HERE to see a full itinerary on presenters and topics.

Or, if your mind is already made up and you’re coming:

Click here to Sign-Up (Regular)

Click here to Sign-Up (Student)

2. A since I’m reminding people about stuff, lets not forget that there are spots still available for the workshop that Dean Somerset and I are running up in Edmonton the weekend of October 19th.

Much like what we did in Boston, this workshop is going to cover the gamut from assessment to corrective exercise to exercise technique to, I don’t know, maybe we’ll throw twerking under the microscope.

It’s designed to be more of an “intimate” affair because we want people to have as much access to the two of us as possible. Without being creepy, of course.  It’s definitely geared towards the personal training and strength coach crowd, but even if you’re an exercise enthusiast they’ll be a TON of applicable information.

For more information, please go HERE.

3. I also wanted to remind people that  last week my friend Jen Ator and the editors of Women’s Health Magazine released a new book last week titled Shape-Up Shortcuts: Score a Hotter, Healthier Body in Half the Time.

I know some may be taken aback by the title and think that I’m endorsing an “easy way out”  book, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

As Jen notes, “it’s about be being perfect 100% of the time.  Exercise, eating healthy, and losing weight don’t have to be such a burden.  You don’t – and I’d argue shouldn’t – have to feel like you’re following a set of strict or severe rules.  In fact, quite the opposite:  When you focus on doing things that are fast, easy, effective, and yes, even enjoyable, you’re more likely to repeat them.”

That’s what Shape-Up Shortcuts is all about. It’s not a book showcasing how to not exercise (the programs in this book will make you work!) or how following some pseudo-science “cleansing diet” will have you lose 17 lb in two hours and make you shit rainbows.

It’s about giving you ample ammunition to stop making excuses.  That exercise doesn’t have to be a chore, and that it can be fun.

As an example, you can check out pg. 168 where I break down the Ultimate Kettlebell Workout.  It involves deadlifts, swings, lunges, and even heavy farmer carries.

Sha-ZAM!

If you’re looking for something that will give you a bunch of useful tips and insights on how you can become healthier AND sexier, well, look no further.

4.  I gotta say:  Last week’s guest post series by Luke Serwinski on our food quality really struck a chord with not only me, but tons of other people as well.  There was a ton of great feedback from Luke’s commentary, and it was really nice to see the message spread throughout various social media networks.

If you missed them I’d highly encourage you to check them out:

How Did Your Food Live?  Know the Health Behind Your Food (Part One)

How Did Your Food Live? Know the Health Behind Your Food (Part Two)

One of the cooler things to happen after the fact was a comment that was left in the comments section by someone who’s involved with a start-up company that goes out of their way to sell humanly treated, 100% organic meats.

The name of the company is Bos Creek and after watching their video I have to say I was A) hungry, and B) definitely interested in reaching out to them to touch base on ordering some delicious meat.

For more information you can also visit their site HERE.

Of course this flies in the face of my non-eat meating readers (sorry!), but for everyone else – which will be the vast majority anyways – I truly feel there’s a lot to be said about where our meat comes from.  And to a lesser thought about – albeit equally as important extent (for me at least) – how our food is treated is becoming more of a talking point and something that’s gaining steam.

Either way, it’s something to think about and if it strikes your fancy, I’d suggest checking out the video above.

5.  Last week I put a message up on my Facebook wall asking people for any advice they could give on kettelbells and what I should look for – especially in terms of how many I should get and at what weight.

I got a TON of feedback (a BIG thanks goes out to everyone who chimed in), and as it happened I ended up touching base with a woman who was selling her Perform Better Competition bells.  What’s more, she was actually going to be in the city – less than two miles from my apartment – for Dr. Perry Nickelston’s Rock Tape Workshop at Reebok CrossFit Back Bay.

Some of you may recall a podcast I did for the good doc’s Stop Chasing Pain Podcast – HERE –  last year, and to say I’m a huge fan of his work would be an understatement.

So I ended up killing two birds with one stone yesterday and picked up my new set of kettlebells (a pair of 12s, 16s, 24s, and 28s) AND I got to visit with Doc.

Outside of the baller t-shirt I was wearing, you may be wondering what the heck is up with my right hand?  Why is it all taped up?

Well, as I noted above, Perry was running a workshop on Rock Tape geared toward fitness professionals – mostly PTs, ATCs, chiropractors, and the like – and how to use it to help get people out of pain.  For those familiar with the concept of kinesio tape….it’s the exact same thing.

Except Rock Tape is catered to the more rugged, athletic crowd.

Anyways, knowing I was there to pick up the KBs, Perry took the opportunity to use me as an impromptu guinea pig to demonstrate to the crowd how to tape up your hands so that they don’t end up looking like they passed through a meat grinder for long-duration KB use.

And yes:  sorry for the vertical video.  I know that that’s internet faux pas.  Deal with it……;o)

6.  And lastly, everyone knows I have impeccable fashion sense.  Exhibit A:  helllllllo?  Transformers t-shirt above!

Not to mention this bad boy which features a deep sea diver punching a great white shark in the face.

I was fishing at the time.  I seemed appropriate.

Lisa has been DYING for me to get fitted for a suit for about as long as I can remember.  As many of you can relate, buying clothes that actually fit can be a cumbersome endeavor when you actually have an ass and hamstrings (and a chest that’s much wider than your waist).

Like most guys, though, getting fitted for a suit ranks right in between going to the dentist and getting kicked in the balls as far as I’m concerned.

After we picked up the KBs yesterday, Lisa and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and decided to walk around the city for the day.

And goddammit we happened to pass by a Men’s Warehouse. As much as I tried to divert her attention – babe look, a shoe sale!!!! – as soon as Lisa saw the sign she went from casual walk to Mach 5 jet fighter status.

Two and a half hours later, I was a reinvented man. I ended up getting two form fitting, tailored suits and I looked gooooooooooooood.  And Lisa was thiiiiiis close to doing a cartwheel outside of the store.

A much appreciated kudos goes out to Men’s Warehouse located in the Galleria Mall in Cambridge.

Now if you excuse me, I need to go test drive a few Aston Martins……;o)

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany Uncategorized

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Soy Fail, Do You Really Need Supplements, Shape-Up Shortcuts, and More

1. Might as well start the week off with a funny story from this past weekend.  Saturday after work I had the honor of being invited to Norwood, Mass to speak at Velocity Sports to take their staff through an in-service on assessment and shoulder/arm care, with some shadow puppets mixed in for good measure.

On my way to Norwood I decided to stop by a Whole Foods to pick up a quick bit to eat, and as per usual I perused the prepared food section and got a chicken breast and then picked up a few protein bars.  Now, Whole Foods’ version of “protein bars” is a bit different than mine, but what I like about their selection are that the ingredients are limited and they don’t look like they came from a science fiction movie.

As such, lately, whenever I happen to stop by Whole Foods, I’ve been crushing Greens Plus Protein Bars, which, along with the benefits of not including any processed sugar, salt, corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, synthetic sweeteners, or any GMOs, also includes 16g of whey protein isolate.  Not too shabby if you ask me.

As I was going through the checkout line the cashier asked me if I had ever tried their (Greens Plus) Chia bars?  I replied no but that I love chia seeds, and that I include them on a daily basis in my shakes.

She was like, “yeah, it’s a great bar…..you know, because they ONLY use soy protein, which is so healthy for you.”

Little did she know that I was thiiiiiiiiiis close to going all Dead Poet’s Society on her, jump up on the counter, and scream how afoul her assertion was that soy protein was a healthy option.

Oh Captain, my Captain……

I’m not one of those guys who claims that soy protein is going to make you grow a third nipple – a little here and there certainly isn’t going to be the end of the world – and besides, it’s in almost everything, so it’s not like you can avoid it altogether anyways.

But to claim that it’s “so healthy for you” is a bit much. The soy that we eat here in the Western part of the word – full of anti-nutrients and phytoestrogens – is a far cry from the soy sources that are ingested in the East (which are not nearly as processed).

I wanted so badly to tell her to go read The Whole Soy Story and then tell me that soy is good for me.

But I’ve learned to pick my battles, and I just politely said, “yeah, that’s great,” smiled back, and went on my merry way.  And then a vomited a little in my mouth in the parking lot, but that’s neither here nor there.

2. I’ve recently been asked by Stack Magazine to provide more monthly content for their website, and they basically gave me free reign to write about whatever it is I want to write about, so long as it has to do with high-school and college athletes.

I figured I might as well nip things in the bud from the get go and decided to write about supplements and why I generally take more of a minimalist approach when suggesting to young(er) athletes on what to take.  In fact, I think the word “supplement” should be the last thing in their vocabulary.

Workout Supplements:  Do You Really Need Them?

3.  On a somewhat related note my friend, Jen Ator, is releasing her very first book for Women’s Health titled Shape-Up Shortcuts on September 3rd.

I was lucky enough of being asked by Jen if I’d be willing to include my own workout into the mix, and I gladly obliged. I provided a pretty kick-ass kettlebell circuit that  will get many women outside their comfort zone, but ultimately enjoy and have fun with.

In a nutshell the main theme of the book is that it’s not about being perfect 100 percent of the time or maintaining a strict diet or exercise routine; but rather doing the little things each day (like finding 20 minutes to exercise efficiently, making healthier choices even at just one meal per day, taking the stairs instead of the elevator) that can help keep you fit and healthy for life.

It’s available through pre-order NOW, and I’d be thrilled if you checked it out because I know Jen busted her butt to put this thing together, but also too, I think it’s a fantastic book.

4. If you have 12-15 minutes to spare I’d HIGHLY encourage you to check out this short feature on Innercity Weightlifting (located here in Boston) that was featured on ESPN a few weeks ago.  Pretty powerful stuff.

5. And just another reminder that registration for the 2nd Annual Cressey Performance Fall Seminar is still in full swing. For a full re-cap on the presentations or can go HERE.

But here are the nitty gritty details:

Location:

Cressey Performance,
577 Main St.
Suite 310
Hudson, MA 01749

Cost:

Regular – $129.99 regular early bird (by September 8), $149.99 thereafter
Student (must present current student ID at door) – $99.99 early bird (by September 8), $129.99 thereafter

Date/Time:

Sunday, September 22, 2013
Registration 8:30AM
Seminar 9AM-5:30PM

Continuing Education:

NSCA CEU pending (seven contact hours)

Click Here to Sign-up (Regular)

or

Click Here to Sign-up (Students)

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Women’s Health Debut and Why You Have No Excuse Not to Train

1. Lisa and I were sitting out in our back patio yesterday afternoon – she was studying, I was doing everything I could to not be productive (Hint: LOL Cats and Buzzfeed) – when she looked up at me and said, “I want chicken soup.”

Being the good boyfriend that I am, I hopped in my car and drove the short distance to Whole Foods to pick up said chicken soup and some other miscellaneous stuff.  As I was waiting in the checkout line I noticed that the new issue of Women’s Health was out.

More specifically it was the September issue.

The same issue that I was told a few months ago my chin-up article would appear in.

Keeping my cool – about as cool as a dude can get holding a women’s magazine (and chicken soup) – I casually thumbed through the contents and low and behold, on page 55, my name appeared in Dirk Diggler’esq fashion….with bright blue neon lights, purple outline, and a bunch of fireworks:

Okay, it was nothing like that.  Not by a long-shot.

But it never gets old to see your name in print – especially in a mainstream magazine.  Here’s what it actually looks like:

As the title suggests, I lay out a plan on how women can go about implementing chin-up progressions into their training repertoire with the end game being able to bang out chin-ups like finding shoe sales.

LOL – get it?  Women like to buy shoes!  And well, um, uh…….okay, I’ll shut up.

In any case I’m pretty proud of the article. And while I’m a little biased, I think it’s one that a lot women should read and implement.  Especially if they’re interested in finally cracking the chin-up conundrum.

2.  And lastly, for those who need a little motivation or some ammo to give a friend, colleague, or significant other the kick in the pants they deserve, check this out.

The next time you or someone you know complains about having a headache or something equally as lame like having a hang nail, and you or that other person opts to skip out on the gym (again), watch this video.

Andrew is one of our college athletes up here from Virginia training for the upcoming baseball season. The guy is a beast and a workhorse.  He’s one of the first guys to show up every day, and generally one of the last guys to leave. Although to that last point, our ping-pong table in the athlete lounge has more to do with that than the design of the programming…..;o)

The video below is of him RDL’ing 315 lbs for reps. For some that’s not that big of a deal, although I’d argue it’s still pretty impressive – especially for a 19 year old kid.

There’s something else that makes this video impressive, and it’s something that’s easily missed.

If you look really closely at Andrew’s left hand, you’ll notice that he actually doesn’t have one.

The first day I met Andrew and did his assessment he greeted me with the firmest handshake I’ve ever experienced.  If you combined the grip strength of He-Man, Thor, and a lumberjack, they’d have nothing on Andrew.

Speaking truthfully I didn’t even notice he didn’t have a left hand until about halfway through his assessment!  It’s not like the first thing that came out of his mouth was, “dude, I don’t have a left hand.”

Rather it was all about how stoked he was to be at Cressey Performance for the summer, that he’s read everything that I and Eric have written, and that he was ready to work hard and get after it.

That’s just the type of guy he is.  He’s not one to draw attention to himself, nor is he one to make excuses.

So, what’s yours?

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: The Way Way Back, Deadlift Update, and Core Training

1. Like many of you I’ve seen all the prerequisite blockbuster movies this summer – Iron Man 3 (awesome), Man of Steel (good, not great), Before Midnight* , and World War Z (eh).  

And while it’s pretty much breaking man-code for not wanting to see Fast and Furious 6 – somewhere out there Kevin Larrabee just punched a wall – I do want to take a few moments to point all of you in the direction of a lesser known movie that Lisa and I saw yesterday which may very well trump all of the above:

The Way Way Back

I tend to gravitate towards the more artsy-fartsy, independent, Focus/Miramax/Sony Pictures Classics films.  You know: The type of movies that actors and actresses do for the “street cred” and Oscar talk buzz more so than the paycheck.

I first heard about The Way Way Back when I was reading up on the reviews from the Sundance Film Festival (yes, I’m that much of a nerd), and as soon as I realized it was made by the same people who were responsible for Little Miss Sunshine and Juno, I knew I was going to be intrigued.

In a nutshell it’s about a kid – Duncan – who’s forced to go on a summer vacation to a beach town in the Hamptons with his mom and new doucher of a boyfriend (played, surprisingly, by Steve Carrell).

The rest of the storyline is fairly predictable:  Duncan is an introvert, doesn’t make friends well, he hates the new boyfriend, there’s a crazy alcoholic neighbor thrown into the mix. a cute girl, so on and so forth.

No zombies.  No explosions. And no gratuitous nude scenes.  Basically, it’s the anti-man movie.

This isn’t to suggest that the movie was a bust – it wasn’t at all. Instead, it’s just to say that if you watched Little Miss Sunshine and/or Juno, you know there are going to be some oddball characters involved.

A perfect example would be the always underrated Sam Rockwell who plays a guy who runs a local water park, has his fair share of witty one-liners, befriends Duncan, and helps him come out of his shell.

I really, really enjoyed this film.  It’s in limited release now, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be gaining momentum as the weeks pass.  If you get the chance, definitely check it out!

2.  Nick Tumminello sent me a copy of his new product Core Training: Facts, Fallacies & Top Techniques and I finally had the opportunity to give it a look, of all places, as I was sitting in the laundry mat yesterday morning.

Hey, if I’m going to sit there for an hour hating life I might as well get smarter right?

Nick never disappoints, and while I’m going to give full disclosure and say I haven’t yet watched the entire thing, I will tell you that from what I have seen……….it’s awesome!

I’m always amazed by Nick’s no BS attitude and I respect that he’s so willing to go against the grain on many things.

In any case, I was a little late in the game to say anything and as it happens, the sale he was running was supposed to end last night (Sunday, June 7th) at midnight.  HOWEVER, Nick informed me that he’s willing to extend the pre-sale another day for all of my readers.  Woot woot!

Go HERE, and thank me later.

3.  I also want to give a shout out to my good friends Dr. Jonathan Fass and Bret Contreras.  As of two weeks ago I’ve been getting up earlier and going for some early morning strolls around my neighborhood. And with that I’ve also been crushing the Strength of Evidence Podcast which is hosted by both Jon and Bret.

I’ll be the first in line to say that I absolutely abhor reading research.  You might as well hand me War and Peace translated into Elvish, because I’d rather read that than anything remotely attached to “clinical findings” or “p-ratios” or “statistical errors.”

It’s all Greek to me.

Which is why I really appreciate the depth and thoroughness that these guys include in each episode. They dig DEEP into a lot of hotly debated topics – CrossFit, should everyone squat deep?, the efficacy of neck packing, sprinting mechanics, to name a few – and they do so with just the right mix of geek and meathead.

So if you’re looking for a new fitness podcast to check out, look no further.  You’re welcome.

4.  I was asked recently how my quest for a 600 lb deadlift is coming along.  More to the point: I was asked what my training has been consisting of lately – other than deadlifting mack trucks and arm wrestling tanks (<—just a slight exaggeration).

Well, truth be told, I’ve been including a lot more jump training into my weekly repertoire.

I’ve made no qualms at the fact that I’m slower than molasses off the floor when I pull, and much of that I attribute to my loss of athleticism throughout the years.

Now don’t get me wrong:  I can still sprint without looking like the Tin Man.  But at 36, as awesome as it may be, it’s not like I’m going out of my way to play pick-up games of  Laser Tag or beach volleyball in my jeans Top Gun style.

Sorry ladies.

Needless to say I finally hit a tipping point and decided to nip things in the bud and work on getting more explosive.  To that end, I’ve been including more things like deadstart box jumps prior to my squat and DL days.

Video courtesy of strength coach John Gaglione.

In addition Lisa and I have been reacquainting ourselves with stadium sprints at Harvard on Sunday mornings.  Nothing too crazy or CrossFitish, but enough to make us realize how much they kick our ass.

And it seems to be working. I randomly walked up to a barbell loaded up with 500 lbs the other day in the middle of the afternoon and, without warming up, pulled it for an easy triple (with more in the tank).

I’ve also been toying around with more of a pseudo Sumo stance deadlift and love it.

I’m not sure when I’ll actually give 600 a go, but suffice is to say things are finally moving along at a nice pace.  Stay tuned…….

* = LOL, just kidding. I didn’t go see this one.  Nope.  Not me. That would mean I would have had to have seen Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, too.  That would just be ridiculous.

I mean what’s next? Runaway Bride? Chocolat?

OMG – Chocolat!!!!!!!

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Samurai, Youth Training, and I Need an Assistant!

1. So you know how I mentioned on Friday that we’re hosting a young female from Colombia for the next three weeks?

FYI:  Lisa and I are hosting a teenager for three weeks.

She made it here safely on Friday night and Lisa and I spent the entire weekend showing her the sights and sounds of Boston.

While I was at work Saturday morning and early afternoon, the two of them got some serious shopping down on Newbury and Boylston St, which worked out perfectly because I’d rather jump into a shark’s mouth than go shopping.

Saturday night the three of is hit up the North End for some Italian cuisine.

Yesterday, after completing our normal morning errands (laundry, grocery shopping, and food prep), we decided to get all cultural and visit the Museum of Fine Arts.

Now as I guy the idea of spending an afternoon gazing at works by Monet, van Gogh, Renoir, Singer Sargeant, and the like sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry. But as luck would have it, the stars aligned in my favor and the MFA had what could arguably be the most manly exhibition on display outside of tanks or maybe even beards.

Freaking Samurai!!!!!

To put it mildly – it was pretty sick.  I could have easily spent hours in there reading every display, and pretending I was Tom Cruise from The Last Samurai, but alas, there were plenty of other things to see, and the ladies wanted to take a peek at all the European art.

Pffffft, whatever…..;o)

2. We announced it about six days ago and the workshop that both Dean Somerset and I are hosting at Cressey Performance the weekend of JULY 27th is already 1/3 of the way filled up!  Woo-hoo.

We’re both really excited about this opportunity and while we have a set theme which serves as the “umbrella” of the weekend, we’re still in the process of organizing the flow of each day.

What I can tell you is that we’re going to place a heavy emphasis on ASSESSMENT as well as programming, coaching cues, and increasing people’s general level of badassery.

The early bird rate is still on until the end of June, and as I noted space is filling up quickly, so get on it while you can.

===> Come hang out with Dean and Tony <===

3.  Back in April I had the honor of being invited back to my alma mater – State University of New York at Cortland – to speak to the around 60-70 undergrad and graduate exercise physiology, kinesiology, fitness training majors on my experiences in the industry. If anything it was an opportunity to give some sage advice and to give them a bit of a dose of tough love and let them know that they’re not going to walk into a six-figure job coaching professional athletes on day one.

It was an amazing weekend to say the least, and I was just forwarded THIS story which was published on the school’s website.

4.  I was asked a really simple question over the weekend as it relates to youth athletics and athletes:

What would be 1-2 tips you’d give youth athletes? This can be anything from training, fitness, playing, nutrition, parenting, directed toward youth organizations, etc. Anything you feel would be important for a youth athlete and their parent to hear.

1.  I’m sorry but your kid is most likely not going to be the next Roger Clemens, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, and the list can go on and on and on.

At eight, nine, ten, eleven, even twelve years old they don’t need a strength coach. They need to be a kid. In this scenario I can’t help but think back to a quote I heard Mike Boyle say once:

Your kid doesn’t need a strength coach, he needs a bike.

I’m often amazed at how “aggressive” some (not all) parents can be when it comes to their child’s athletic development. I’m generally reticent to have any kid under the age of thirteen start a dedicated strength and conditioning program.  Not because I think it would be detrimental or stunt growth or any other number of fallacies like that.  But rather I think it’s important for them to be a kid!

To ride their bike, play tag, duck-duck-goose, kickball, wiffleball, hide-n-seek, tennis, basketball, climb trees, swing on the monkey bars, call girls “icky,” you name it.

2.  Along those same lines:  when working with young athletes, and especially right out of the gate, it’s ALWAYS about teaching the basics.

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve had a parent come in and tell me that we need to make their kid “faster,” and they have visions of all these cute agility ladder drills, speed cones, parachutes, 40 times, etc.

That IS NOT what their kid need 99.99% of the time.  Speed, agility, power, and any other “quality” you can come up with has its base in strength.  You can’t have any of those things without first have a foundation of strength.

To that end, teaching things like a proper squat pattern, hip hinge pattern, push-up, row, lunge pattern, and core stability (to name a few) – and MASTERING those patterns – are paramount.

That’s my two cents.

5.  At some point or another, everyone needs a coach. I’ve reached out to other coaches in the past to help me get out of training ruts, and as it happens CP coach, Chris Howard, recently joined the masses in the Scrawny to Brawny program.

Even coaches need coaches sometimes.

Likewise, Precision Nutrition’s Lean Eating program is equally as popular and they’ve just released a FREE 5-day fat loss video course for MEN and WOMEN that is bound to be the bomb.

We’re all busy, and we’re all always looking for more efficient ways to reach our goals.  Why not let someone else do the thinking for you and help you weed through the madness?

6.  And finally a little house cleaning on my end.  I’m looking for an assistant!  Basically, I need someone who’s a little more savvy in the organization department and who can help me on the back-end side of things like helping me set-up a newsletter, blogging research, distance coaching scheduling, and maybe making me a meatloaf from to time.

Kidding.

But not really.

Anyways, it’s nothing major and nothing that would be too time consuming, but I suck at organizing.  I’m pretty good at writing programs, and I’d be willing to trade barter with anyone who’s interested.

If that seems to peak your interest, please send me an email at [email protected] and we can discuss some more of the details.

Thanks!

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: “GentilSet” or “SomerCore” Workshop?

1. I’ve got some exciting news to report.  No, Matt Damon isn’t reprising his role as Jason Bourne. No, a group of Victoria Secret models haven’t moved into the vacant apartment upstairs.  And no, unfortunately, Justin Bieber hasn’t fallen into a live volcano.

While all of those things would be pretty awesome, what I have to share today could very well tear a hole into the space-time continuum and alter all of human existence.

Slight exaggerations aside, Dean Somerset and I are tentatively planning an East coast/kinda Northwesternish (like way up north, like where it’s only warm like twelve days out of the year north) coast two-day workshop later this summer and fall.

We’re shooting for a two-day workshop here in Boston later this summer (and again, up in Edmonton, Alberta in the fall) where we’ll target personal trainers, coaches, and fitness enthusiasts and open up Pandora’s Box to discussing everything from assessment to corrective exercise to program design. But more importantly our goal is to make this a very hands-on (non-creepy) workshop where we have minimal lecture and place more of a premium on coaching!

In Dean’s words:  “We want people who attend to leave knowing about what we discussed, not just intellectually, but how to put it into action immediately when they return, and with enough competence to not have to refer back to notes while doing so.”

Like I said, we’re still in the initial planning stages but we’re excited as shit.  Read:  pretty excited.  I mean, Dean can’t contain himself!

That said, I’d still love for people to sound 0ff on this and let us know if there’s enough interest?

Due to space we’re going to keep this pretty exclusive and limit it to like 30-35 people.  Some candles, a little Sade playing in the background, some Femoral Acetabular Impingement talk.  Who knows where it will go…..;o)

Seriously though, who’s in?

More details to follow soon.

2.  Some other cool news.  For only the second time since its release, Eric Cressey is placing his flagship program, Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better on sale all this week until THIS Saturday (May 20th) at midnight.

Not that I need to sing its praises or anything, but the program is the bees knees.

I’ve seen with my own eyes countless people transform their bodies and make progress in the gym they never thought possible.  So if you’re still one of the few who have balked at trying it out for yourself, at 48% off the normal price you really have no excuse not give it a whirl.

3. As someone who routinely trumpets the message that women should can the Zumba classes and lift heav(ier) things, I’m always trying to relay top-notch, informative, POSITIVE material to the masses to help convey that same tone.

HERE is a fantastic blog post by Dave Hedges on why there’s really no such thing as a “women specific program.”

Fantastic job Dave!

4. And since I recognize that a fair share of women visit this site on a regular basis, here’s a litte Ryan Gosling for you.

I don’t know about you, but that video cracked me up!

5. And finally, keep your eyes peeled for a future TG original piece on BodyBuilding.com. The higher ups reached out to me last week asking if I’d be interested in contributing some content on a monthly basis, and I jumped at the opportunity.

Of course, my one prerequisite was that I’d be able to discuss the importance of getting stronger and that I wasn’t going to write about pec blasting, bicep pulverizing, or any other broscience shenanigans.

To that end, I just submitted my first article to them last night titled Top 3 Squat Mistakes.

Mistake #1:  What You Think is Proper Depth, Ain’t Even Close…….;o)