CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany Uncategorized

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: The Day After Hurricane Sandy Edition

WHEW – well, that wasn’t fun. Hurricane Sandy hit with a vengeance yesterday and hammered the east coast.  From what I can tell, we didn’t get it too bad here in Boston (I had to dodge a lot of fallen trees on my way home last night, and understandably there were areas that had blackouts), but we survived relatively unscathed.

Sure it was an inconvenience, but I’m simultaneously grateful that that was all we here in Beantown had to deal with.

Unfortunately, I know that’s NOT the case further south towards the Cape and especially down in the New Jersey/CT/NYC area.

I’ve been glued to the news this morning and have seen all the reports of massive flooding, fires, and blackouts, so my thoughts and prayers goes out to all of those who are most affected.

1. Coincidentally enough we hosted out very first annual Cressey Performance Fall Seminar this past Sunday, and while some attendees from the NYC and Connecticut area had to (understandably) jet out early due to the pre-hurricane festivities, it was a massive success!

I first want to thank EVERYONE who attended and made it such an awesome event to begin with.  The feedback we’ve been receiving has been nothing short of “the best thing since sliced bread” (only a slight exaggeration), and we’re really looking forward to making next year’s addition even better!

I’ll be handicapping the entire day later this week and offering up some highlights/knowledge bombs that were offered by all the presenters (myself, Eric Cressey, Brian St. Pierre, Nate Tiplady, Eric Schoenberg, Greg Robins, and Chris Howard), so stay tuned for that.

All I’ll divulge now – as it relates to MY presentation – is:

1.  About fifteen minutes before I was scheduled to speak, Michelle, our office manager, walked up to me and handed me this note:

For those who can’t read the print, it says:

Those are the worst pants I have ever seen.

How’s that for a vote of confidence??? Hahahahahaha.

2.  As part of my introduction I was thanking everyone for coming and for taking a day out of their busy schedules to come to the seminar.  I think my exact words were, “I know many of you could be working, spending time with family, or sitting at home watching football today – by the way, the Pats won!”

Then all I hear is a massive “nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.”

Like an a-hole I spoiled the game for those who were recording it on DVR and waiting to watch it when they got home.

Fail.

In my defense (sorta), the Pats won 45-7, so it’s not like it was a close game.  But still, I felt a bit sheepish about it and definitely made a mental note to myself to try not to spoil results of games in the future.

Next thing you know I’ll just tell people who haven’t seen The Sixth Sense yet that Bruce Willis is dead the entire time!

3. Brian St. Pierre and I were catching up over the weekend and we both got on the topic of vitamin D.  I’ve long been an advocate of vitamin D supplementation and feel  it’s one of those things that people should look into just for the health benefits alone.  Well that, and because most people are woefully deficient.

Anyways, we were discussing dosages and what’s an acceptable range for most people (of course, there are many factors that come into play here: overall exposure to sunlight, light skinned people need less than darker skinned people, for example), and I had mentioned that because I rarely ever get exposure to sunlight and that I’m whiter than a Coldplay concert, I usually take around 5,000 I.Us per day, which is definitely not out of the ordinary or “aggressive” by any means.

We had a lengthy discussion, but the take home message from Brian was, “you should at least get your levels checked so that you KNOW where you’re at, because if you’re too high, you could be doing more harm than good.”

As it happens, he just sent me this message yesterday via email:

Here is an interesting study that just got published a few days ago – http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0047458

They looked at mortality statistics and people’s vitamin D levels.  They determined the best levels were 20-40ng/mL, with 30-40ng/mL showing the best numbers.  5,000IU per day will take you FAR beyond those numbers.

Overall adverse events (overall mortality, some cancers, CVD, and fractures and falls) have been noted when levels get into the 40’s and higher.  Specifically there was a study in Denmark where when people’s levels were 56ng/mL or higher they had a 42% increased risk of dying than people with a level of just 20ng/mL – http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/early/2012/05/09/jc.2012-1176.abstract.

Just some food for thought.

It’s not to say that people shouldn’t supplement with vitamin D, and that in certain circumstances people shouldn’t have higher levels as directed by their doc (which happens), but in general I think many take a good thing too far.

4. For those interested, I recently wrote a little sumthin sumthin on kettlebell training over at TribeSports.com.

I like kettlebells.  It think they’re a valuable “tool in the toolbox.” But what puts a bad taste in my mouth is when people who are passionate about what they like – whether it’s powerlifting, yoga, TRX, and yes, kettlebells – feel that their way is the ONLY way.

In this article appropriately titled Tony Gentilcore on Kettlebells, I shed some light on what I feel are the best uses and applications for most trainees, and I even provide a video of a staff in-service I filmed a few months ago breaking down the KB swing and get-up.

5.  Speaking of staff in-services:  we “host” a weekly in-service for our staff and interns where we cover a bevy of topics ranging from upper and lower body assessment, program design, anatomy, or anything you can think of.

While myself, Chris and Greg like to think we’re the bees knees when it comes to presenting to the staff, the highlight, of course, is whenever it’s Eric’s turn and he goes all Jedi on us and blows our minds.

He recently filmed an in-service on movement training that, while it sounds about as exciting as watching NASCAR – was really informative.

And that’s just ONE example. He’s also filmed in-services on breathing patterns, shoulder anatomy, and how to deal with sports hernias, just to name a few.

And they’re ALL available to you – along with other content from Mike Robertson, Tyler English, and Dave Schmitz – by joining the Elite Training Mentorship, which is a monthly membership site geared towards personal trainers and coaches who are seeking to take their knowledge base to the next level.

I’ve noted this service in the past, but thought I’d mention it again now because after listening to Eric speak the other day it reminded me just how valuable this resource is and how it will make anyone who invests in themselves exponentially better and separate themselves from the masses.

6. I normally don’t go out of my way to post shirtless pictures of myself, but I recanted on this one for a few reasons:

  • I didn’t take this picture myself.
  • I’m not standing in front of a bathroom mirror.
  • It’s Halloween, and like most bald dudes this year, going as Bane is way more badass than Mr. Clean or Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Argo, Books to Check Out, Squatting 4x Per Week

1.  I’m your prototypical bookworm.  At any given point, I’m reading 3-4 books at once.  Okay, technically I’m listening to one book in my car as I drive to the facility everyday (I have a 40-45 minute commute both ways),but I’m counting that as part of the grand total.

I get a lot of various emails from people thanking me for the book suggestions I make on this blog, so I figured I’d take a few moments to let people “in” on what I’m currently reading.

I know I’ve mentioned this before at various times, but I have a set system of what I read and when.  For instance on the weekends, when I have a bit more free time, I like to dive into books related to my field or more non-fiction type books.

Currently I’ve got a few books on my plate:

– Deadlift Dynamite (not to be mistaken by Napoleon Dynamite) – Pavel and Andy Bolton

John Du Cane – CEO of DragonDoor Publications – reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in reading an advance copy. What the what….like he had to ask!?!?! He had me at deadlift.

Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back?  Of course I’d want to read it!

For those who don’t know:  Pavel (Tsatsouline) is the Godfather of the kettlebell movement and Andy Bolton has deadlifted over 1,000 lbs. I’m pretty sure  the man could deadlift an aircraft carrier if you asked him to.

Anyways, the book doesn’t come out for another few weeks, but I started reading it over the weekend and if it’s any consolation my face literally (well, not literally) melted from all the knowledge bombs thrown my way.

Trust me people, this book is going to be a game changer.

– I’m also still making my way through Corrective Exercise Solutions to Common Hip and Shoulder Dysfunction by Evan Osar.

This too is a phenomenal book that really tackles the corrective and movement dysfunction side of things.  In addition, Dr. Osar spends a lot of time discussing breathing patterns which is all the rage lately (and something we utilize with many of our own clients at Cressey Performance).

– One book that I just finished – yesterday in fact – was The Art of Choosing, and it was fascinating.

Why do people choose not to enroll in their company’s 401(k) plan?

Why do people choose to smoke despite knowing the risks involved?

Why do we choose one brand of bottled water over the other?

Why doesn’t Olivia Munn answer my phone calls?

Life is full of choices, and this book – fascinatingly – tells you WHY we choose the things we choose.

2. THIS is probably one of the coolest blog posts I have read in a while, and really sheds some light on why I work in arguably the most rewarding profession out there.

I know Dean Somerset and consider him a good friend.  He’s a brilliant guy, an awesome coach, and just a cool human being in general.

Put simply: This. Was. Awesome.  I can’t even imagine how it must have felt to have this sort of email waiting in your inbox to read.

Kudos to Dean for being the man!

3.  Anyone who reads this blog knows I love movies.  For the most part, 2012 has been a pretty dull season comparatively speaking.  The Dark Knight Rises was awesome, of course, but if I had to choose my favorite movie thus far I’d probably go with Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom.

That is until yesterday, when Lisa and I went to go see Argo.

There was a time when I used to hate Ben Affleck – partly for marrying my one-time crush Jennifer Garner, but mostly for movies like Gigli and Jersey Girl  – but the man can do no wrong as of late having directed past gems like Gone Baby Gone and The Town.

Argo, which Affleck both directs and stars in, is a very well researched, well acted, well written, intelligent, intense movie.

At one point I think both Lisa and I were biting our finger nails sitting at the edge of our seats.  If you’re interested in a smart movie with snappy dialogue and a great (true!) story, do yourself a favor and go see this, like tomorrow!  Thank me later.

4.  I’m placing the finishing touches on my next T-Nation article – The Squat 4x Per Week Experiment.

For the past 5-6 weeks, I’ve been squatting (SPOILER ALERT) 4x per week – and I feel AWESOME!!!!

What’s it entail?  Here’s an excerpt from the article itself:

No, I’m not going to promise anything sexy or lavish in this article like quadriceps the size of Colorado or that by following this program every woman within a two mile radius from where you’re standing will spontaneously conceive.

It’s more like one-mile.

Instead what I am going to offer is an article about how I implemented a high-frequency squatting routine into my own training arsenal, why I wanted to do such a thing, how I tweaked the experiment to fit my own needs and goals, and maybe even most important of all, the surprising result(s).

I’ll be submitting it this week, and barring any catastrophe (Nickelback releasing a new album, or the powers that be don’t like it), should be ready to go live shortly thereafter.  Keep your eyes peeled.  I think it’s going to be pretty cool.

5.  A few weeks ago I was invited to participate in a podcast with the peeps from Greatist.com, and it just went live.  In it I discuss some of the reasons why people never get stronger, a few of my favorite strength exercises, and some other stuff.  It’s a short interview – less than 20 minutes – and I didn’t even swear!  Score!

If you have a few minutes, definitely check it out.

6.  And lastly, I leave you with this picture:  Just when you think you’ve seen it all……..

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: CP Bootcamps, Arnold, Dumb Personal Trainers, and Pumpkin Pancakes!

1. This is very last minute on my end, and really only pertains to those reading who live in the Metrowest area of Boston, but starting this Wednesday (October 3rd), Cressey Performance will be hosting our own Excellence Bootcamps.

As is the case with most bootcamps, these classes are geared towards those individuals who, you know, work and stuff, have a busy schedule, and who need a quick ass-kicking pick-me-up to start their day.

Now, this isn’t going to be your run-of-the-mill bootcamp where the trainers do something lame like dress up like Sgt. Slaughter, yell at the top of their lungs, and then take everyone through some haphazard session where the exercises and movements performed have no rhyme or reason and serve no purpose other than to make you “tired” and hate life.

Anyone with a clipboard, whistle, and weekend certification can do that.

No, this bootcamp will be a little different in that the coaches running it are routinely featured in magazines like Men’s Health, Women’s Health, and many other reputable fitness publications and actually know how to cater programming towards the needs, goals, and limitations of each individual.

In short, you’ll actually get coached.

What’s more, you’ll be doing this in a state of the art facility with some of the best equipment at your finger tips.

Classes will be held at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30, and 9:30 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning and we’re offering a special rate of $99 to try it out for the first month ($179 for each month thereafter).

For anyone interested or looking for more information, please contact Pete Dupuis at 978-212-2688, or email him at [email protected].

2. For those who missed it last week, ESPN Films released a new 30 for 30 short documentary on Arnold Schwarzenegger titled Arnold’s Blueprint (<—link takes you to ESPN), which details his life as a teenager and how his service in the military played a critical role in his fame.

Unfortunately it’s only like 13 minutes long, and I’m REALLY hoping they decide to do a full-length cut down the road because it would be awwwwwwwwesome.

Along the same lines, Arnold also released his new memoir, Total Recall, today and I’ve already got it cued up in my Audible.com account to listen to in my car.

Say what you will, but the man has had an unbelievably remarkable life; not only changing the world of bodybuilding and making it mainstream, but also going on to become the world’s most recognizable movie star (Commando, Predator, and Terminator 2 changed my life), and the freakin governor of California to boot.

Amazing.

If only I had one ounce of his self confidence back in high school. I totally would have kissed a girl or maybe stayed up past midnight or something.

3. Funny personal trainer story – and I’m actually contemplating making this into a series that I’m going to tentatively title, “Um, no, you’re an idiot!”

My girlfriend was working out last week doing some bench pressing, and on her last set (135 lbs for a triple, thank you very much) a random trainer at the gym approached her and asked whether or not she wanted a spot.

“Absolutely,” she said.

She cranked out her three reps, and after she racked the weight the trainer ask, “so, why do you have such a big arch in your back when you bench?”

“It’s how I was taught,” she responded. “And besides, why does it matter, don’t we have a natural arch in our lower back anyways?”

“Well yeah,” he replied, “but if you really want to target your chest more, you should try to flatten your back out.”

When she told me this story I couldn’t help but roll my eyes (and frankly, was surprised he didn’t suggest she put her feet in the air.  You know to really pulverize those pecs!).

For starters – and maybe someone else out there can elucidate a little more than myself – how in the hell does flattening your back out inherently target the pecs more when bench pressing?

I’ve heard the argument that when someone has a cranky lower back it’s advantageous to tone down the arch in order to make the movement more comfortable, but I’ve never heard of how flattening the back will target the chest muscles more. Especially since, you know, the pecs don’t even attach to the spine itself.

FOR THE RECORD:  It’s false to think that having an excessive arch in your lower back when benching is bad.  Assuming someone is healthy and doesn’t have a history of low back issues, having an arch in your back is perfectly fine.  Where people often make the mistake is thinking that having an arch is synonymous with the butt coming of the bench.  The former is fine.  The latter, however, causes more instability (and basically makes the movement a DECLINE bench), and is wrong.

Secondly, if she flattened her back out, she more than likely wouldn’t be able to use as much weight because she’d increase the distance the bar has to travel. If you’re in the business of going out of your way to make people weaker, then you’d be onto something!

Lastly, if anything, I’d argue that the bench press in general IS NOT a great exercise for pec/chest development.  Sure it allows you to utilize the most weight and is a superb upper body exercise – I’m not debating that point.  But if you really wanted to “isolate” the pecs you’d stick to dumbbell exercises like DB presses or DB flies which allow you to adduct the humerus more.

So whoever that trainer was who said flattening your back helps you isolate your chest more, “Um, no, you’re an idiot.”

4.  A reader recently sent me this cool video on “What’s the Single Best Thing We Can Do For Our Health?”which coincidentally inspired THIS post I wrote last week.

So, what IS the best thing you can do for your health?  Watch the short video below and find out:

5.  The guys over at WeightTraining.com reached out to me and asked if I’d be willing to promote a really cool “battle” they’re running along with the peeps over at Greatist.com  and the American Heart Association on who can do the most total # of push-ups in a week.

It’s for a great charity, and it will undoubtedly give those looking for a nice challenge or jolt in their training something to strive for.  Or, if you’re like me, make it a game and bust out some push-ups at the most random times just to mess with people.

Waiting in line at the grocery store?  Drop down and give me ten!

Hell, make it like a drinking game. Every time someone sneezes or whenever Tom Cruise says something bat shit crazy, perform ten push-ups.  You’ll win, easy.

Go HERE to sign up.

6.  Just like most people reading, I LOVE Sunday brunch.  Each Sunday I make a ginormous omelet with a stack of bacon that could feed a small army (and provide enough grease that could fuel a rocket ship) and go to town.

Yesterday, though, was a bit of a change of pace because Lisa and I were expecting company – two of her friends from Florida – both of which were vegetarians.

Ahhhhhhhhh, what do do?  I certainly couldn’t expect them to indulge in my carnivorous ways.

Luckily I remembered I train a client – Cara Lyons – who runs a very successful blog dedicated to those of us who are a little more health conscious with the foods we eat.

After doing a quick search on her blog “people who don’t eat dead animals make me sad” “protein pancakes,” I found this doozy.

Thankfully, our guests were fine with dairy (so the whey protein powder was perfect!).

High Fiber & Protein Pumpkin Pancakes

1/4 cup (15gm) Fiber One Bran Cereal
1/2 cup (120gm) liquid egg substitute or egg whites
1/4 cup (60gm) pumpkin puree
1 scoop (25gm) vanilla protein powder
1/4 cup (20gm) oats
1 packet of Truvia Natural Sweetener, or other sweetener to taste
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
dash of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat.

Place the Fiber One cereal in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Let sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a blender. Drain the cereal and add to the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Pour the batter in 1/4-1/3 cup portions onto the skillet and cook until small bubbles have risen to the top and the bottoms are set and lightly browned. Flip and continue cooking on other side for about about 3 more minutes, until cooked through.

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 1
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 285.3
Total Fat: 2.8 g
Cholesterol: 25.0 mg
Sodium: 537.4 mg
Total Carbs: 35.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 10.9 g
Protein: 36.8 g

NOTE:  I replaced the Fiber One cereal with ground flax seeds and omitted the Truvia, and they tasted fantastic!  So much in fact, that I made ANOTHER round later on in the day for dinner. BOOM!

7.  And finally, fitness extraordinaire Rob King made a cameo appearance at Cressey Performance last Friday, and he was kind enough to write THIS blog post detailing his experience. Rob is one of the more passionate fitness professionals I have ever met, and he puts out a TON of great information on his website.  If you’ve never checked out his stuff you’re missing out, and now’s your chance to catch up!

And that’s it for today.  I’m off to BU to go get my squatting on.  Speaking of which, I’m going to be working on my next article for T-Nation on my 4x per week squatting experiment I’m currently doing.  It should be pretty baller/win me a Pulitzer.  Stay tuned……

 

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: No Easy Day, Organic Debate, and Other “Stuff”

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done one of these, and I figured it was appropriate given that, you know, it’s Monday.

Lets get to it:

1.  Just a reminder that the Greatist Workout of the Day (GWODs for those who are uninitiated),  are kicking into high gear.  Both Dan Trink and I are the two coaches behind the (current) programming, and word on the street is that people are LOVING the results they’re getting.

As I discussed in the past, the premise behind GWOD is to provide high-quality programming for those individuals looking for a more “structured,” scientifically (and REAL WORLD) based, progressive, and safe routine that any fitness enthusiast – whether a newbie or seasoned veteran – can follow.

And, of course, GWODs are designed to increase one’s level of awesome by roughly 549%.  Give or take a couple percentage points.

The best part:  it’s completely FREE.

2.  Also as a reminder:  registration is still open for the 1st Annual Cressey Performance Fall Seminar.

According to the latest numbers, well over 100+ people have signed up, and we’re still six weeks away from the actual event!

Needless to say, we’re expecting a huge turn-out, and it’s looking as if this is going to be an event where not only are people going to get knowledge bombs thrown at them left and right, but the networking opportunities are going to be off the hook.

Spots are filling up fast, and we will have to cap the space at some point, sooooooooo…………

What are you waiting for?

3.  I absolutely LOVE articles or posts where people go off on rants. A recent one I read titled, Comparing To Apples To Apples: A Rant  was an absolute PWN-fest on the debate between organic vs. conventional food.

Just to give you an idea of the pwnage that’s involved, here’s a little taste:

Now, unless you’re the kind of person who goes to Whole Foods and buys a bag of “Organic Gummy Bears”  because he/she honestly thinks that she’s getting a “health benefit” from consuming these “organic” sugar bombs, you already know that organic food isn’t “healthier” than conventional. You don’t eat organic because you think that the health fairies have blessed your apples with magical nutrients; you eat organic because you don’t want the anti-health fairies (i.e. conventional farmers) to poison you with pesticides, hormones, or genetically modified bullsh*t (literally or figuratively).

AWESOME!

4.  Okay I need a small favor from all of you.  Lisa and I are already in “Lets-Get-The-Hell-Out-Of-Dodge-Why-Do-We-Live-In-The-Northeast-I-Hate-Winter-Please-Kill-Me” mode, and planning our end of March vacation.

And we haven’t even seen the first snow flake yet!

I’ve never been on an all inclusive vacation, and that’s the route we’re leaning towards the more we think about it.  I really like the idea of showing up at the resort and just tossing my wallet in the safe and not thinking about it the rest of the time there.

Well that, and Lisa feeding me grapes……;o)

Having said that, we’re still up in air as far as WHERE to go.  Should we shoot for Mexico?  The Dominican Republic?  Pandora (you know, from Avatar?).

I’d be stoked to hear any and all suggestions.  All I know is that we want clear blue water, lots of beach, and an all-you-can-eat omelet station.

That’s not too much to ask, right?

5. A client of mine sent this spoof video to me the other day, and I thought it was hysterical.

For those who train at commercial gyms, you’ll definitely appreciate this one.  Classic.

6.  I just finished the book No Easy Day last week, and all I have to say is I’m a raging pussy.

Here I was complaining about a headache last week and how it affected my workout, and this guy is out on deployment for ten straight years kicking ass and taking names.

Note:  for those living under a rock, I’m referring to the book written by one of the Navy SEALs involved in the raid that killed a certain terrorist who’s name starts with O and ends with “is now dead.”

I know there’s a lot of debate over whether or not the book should have been written in the first place, and the author – Mark Owen (not his real name) – is under a lot of heat as to what his intentions were for even doing so.

I don’t want to get into that.

All I’ll add is that it’s a phenomenal read, makes you appreciate the sacrifices that so many people make to fight for our freedoms, and that a large portion of the proceeds of the book goes towards charities that help wounded soldiers.

For what it’s worth, I give this one two solid thumbs up and can’t recommend it enough.

7.  Ever get pissed at those people who curl in the squat rack?  Well, here’s the perfect response:

OMGTHISISTHEBESTTHINGEVER

8.  And finally, my boy Dean Somerset is turning 31 today (which is 43 in Canadian years), and in celebration of this epic event he’s placing his best selling product, Post Rehab Essentials, on sale for $31 off the regular price.

I think it goes without saying that Dean knows his stuff, and he’s someone whom I trust immensely.  What’s more, PRE is a resource that I constantly refer back to with regards to assessment and program design (especially when working with injured athletes/clients), and I think it’s an invaluable tool for any trainer or coach to have at their disposal.

Plus, Dean is a handsome man, so there’s that too.

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany Uncategorized

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 8/20/12

1.  Wow – what a weekend!  As I noted on Friday this past weekend a bunch of us guys headed up to Maine (waaaaaaaaaaaaaay up in Maine. Like, middle of absolutely no where Maine. Like, 75 miles off the highway Maine.  Like, there’s no cell phone reception and OMGICANTCHECKMYEMAILSANDITSGLORIOUS Maine) to go white water rafting for Mr. Pete Dupuis’ bachelor party.

For those wondering who the hell Pete Dupuis is, he’s the business director at Cressey Performance.

I’m not going to go into too many of the details, because well, it WAS a bachelor party (and our significant others will be reading this post), but what I can divulge is this:

– The picture to the left is what the one and only George Abele showed up in as he walked into the office on Friday before we headed out.  Ladies, he’s single.

– I’m not one for the great outdoors. I used to go camping with my family every summer up in the Adirondack mountains when I was younger, but even then we had electricity (and there was a movie theater within ten miles).  Giving myself a little credit though, I was a Cub Scout back in the day  but failed miserably when it came to tying knots.  I mastered the Sailor’s knot, but the Slippery Hitch was a tough son-of-a-bitch to crack. And, just to throw it out there, starting a fire wasn’t (and still isn’t) my strong suit.

That said, being outside with nature isn’t necessarily my favorite thing to do in the world.  But holy balls, was this past weekend epic!  Being on the raft with all my boys conquering the Kennebec River was one of the funnest times I’ve ever had and

something I’d do again in a heartbeat.  The weather was perfect, the water was absolutely amazing, and maybe even most important of of all, NONE of us fell off the raft – which we were all pretty proud of.

– I think we gave our tour guide a run for her money once we all started “spearing” one another off the raft.  Think:  Terry Tate, but instead of tackling people in an office, you tackle someone off the side of a raft into Stage Two rapids. HA!

– Making Smores with Butterfinger candy is the bomb.

– There are some other things that I could say, but I plead the 5th.

2.  Needless to say, I ate like a champ this past weekend, and basically spent the entire day yesterday detoxing myself.  Now, I’m not one of those who goes out of his way to guilt himself into thinking that he has to not eat anything for an entire day.  I guess that’s one way to approach things, and if you read a lot into Intermittent Fasting, it makes some sense.

I just like to spend the day drinking some of my patented “Earth” shakes (s0 called because it’s not exactly the most enticing looking beverage you’ll ever see, but it has a lot of “good” stuff in it and tastes amazing):

Each one contains:

– 1/2 bag of baby spinach

– 1 scoop Superfood

– 1 scoop chia seeds (2-3 tbsp worth)

– 1/2-cup almond or coconut milk (or a mix of both, cause I’m cool like that)

– 1/2 cup frozen fruit (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, etc)

– 1 scoop Grow (protein powder)

– a pinch or two of raw, unsweetened coconut flakes

– Optional:  1/4 cup rolled oats, cacao nibs, Unicorn tears (high in riboflavin).

I drink two or three of those in one day and I feel like my body is able detox itself from the insulin coma I put it through.

3.  I don’t consider myself a music junky or anything – I like my old school hip hop (Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Wu-Tang, Biggie, Nas, etc) and I’ll throw in some techno, Norah Jones, and Ryan Montbleau for good measure – often opting for books on cd or news talk radio when I’m in my car. Truth be told, I can’t even remember the last time I put some new music on my iPod.

Anyways, I got home last night and Lisa had to show me this video her friend showed her while she was away in Europe last month.  I have to say, it’s pretty bad ass and makes me appreciate what a real musician sounds like. Too, I’m pretty sure Lisa is trying to send me some sort of subliminal message at the 1:35 mark.

Settle Down – Kimbra

4.  HERE’s a short and succinct “pictorial” I collaborated on in this month’s Men’s Health Magazine (pg. 50) discussing some of my favorite deadlift variations

Note: the link above links to the online version.

5. I had a few people send me a link to a recent study (and I use the word “study” loosely) which demonstrated that, in what could possibly be the worst analogy ever created in all of human history, eggs are as bad for your arteries as cigarettes.

You can click HERE for an abbreviated version of the story.

I’ll wait here for a few minutes while you read it/resist the urge to want to throw a brick into your face.

Seriously!  SERIOUSLY????  Eggs are now worse than cigarettes?  These guys are really trying to compare one of the most nutritious, NATURAL foods on earth to one of the most deadliest MAN-MADE substances?

Yep, that makes a lot of sense.

What’s next: comparing eggs to the Ebola virus?

I don’t quite understand why eggs are considered so evil and why so many people have a vendetta against them.

I asked my good friend Mark Young (who’s a ninja at dissecting research) for his opinion and here’s what he had to say:

I didn’t read the original article, but my understanding is that it is a purely correlational study showing a relationship between the amount of eggs that people remembered eating and artery wall thickness.  So there is no cause and effect relationship here…and there is the issue of dietary recall being pretty poor.
The authors are also apparently on the payroll from a company that makes a lipid lowering medication.
I don’t usually stress too much about funding source, but in this case I think it combines with the rest of the info to suggest this study is SHITE!

My sentiments exactly.

For those interested in a “response” article which basically pwns the original “study,” go HERE.

And that’s it.  I might be hit and miss the rest of the way with blogs since this is the week we’re making the BIG MOVE to the new facility.  I’ll try my best, but I can’t make any promises.

Word on the street is that I made some bet – which I have no recollection of doing – that I could farmer carry every DB we have in our facility to the new one (which is roughly 150 yds away).  Soooo, I may be spending my entire afternoon on Thursday hauling 4500+ lbs of DBs to the other end of the building.

I’m pretty sure there will be video evidence to follow. FML!

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany Strength Training

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 8/6/12

1.  I firmly believe that one of the best ways to bring up any lift is repeated exposures to that lift.  One major mistake I see a lot of trainees make – particularly intermediate and advanced lifters (beginners can do ANYTHING and get stronger, and we all hate you for it) – is assuming that training a lift or movement once a week, even if they’re going at it hard, is enough.

For example, I train a fair number of females and one major goal that many of them aspire for is that Brad Pitt stars in the movie adaptation of 50 Shades of Grey to be able to perform a strict, un-assisted chin-up.

For those who missed it the first time around, you can check out my three -part article Chin-Up Progressions For Women- The One Rep Hump: Part I, Part II, and Part III.

One general theme I hit on throughout is repeated exposures.  Namely, if you want to get better at chin-ups, you need to do chin-ups. And a lot of them.  Why anyone would think that performing “x” number of reps on ONE day is going to get them anywhere is beyond me.

That said, if I were to do little role reversal and point the spotlight on all the guys reading, I think it’s fair to assume that many want a big bench press.  Thing is, many go to the gym on Monday (National Bench Press Day), perform their three sets of ten, and that’s it.  Yeah yeah, they’ll throw in some incline presses, decline presses, and some pec flies for good measure, but the point I’m trying to make is that it’s that ONE day, and that’s generally it.

Having read Easy Strength recently – and loving EVERY page – both Dan John and Pavel hit on this notion of LADDERS, and how they can be used to help bring up one’s bench.

To give the Cliff Notes version:

  • You’re going to bench three, maybe even four times per week.  Heresy, I know.
  • Each “session” you’ll perform three bench press ladders of 1,2, and 3 repetitions, using a weight that you know you can handle for 6-8 reps.

– Perform 1 rep, rest 15-30s, perform 2 reps, rest 15-30s, perform 3 reps.  THAT’S one ladder.

  • From there you rest 3-5 minutes and repeat the awesome two more times.

To give you an idea of what ONE week looks like:

Session 1:  THREE ladders: 1,2,3 reps
Session 2: TWO ladders: 1st ladder (1,2,3), 2nd ladder (1,2)
Session 3: TWO ladders: 1,2,3 reps

  • You want to stick with the SAME weight throughout until you hit every rep of EVERY ladder.

Meaning if you start with 200 lbs, you’ll stick with that weight until you hit every rep during any given session.  If you do, you can increase the weight 5-10 lbs on the next session and repeat the same process, only increasing the weight when you hit every rep.  Did I mention you need to hit every rep?  You need to hit EVERY rep!

  • I just had one of my distance coaching clients do this for a month and he had amazing results.  At the beginning he was using 240 lbs for his ladder sets. Four weeks later, he was hitting ladders using 280 lbs!

We just tested his 1RM, and he hit a solid 315 lbs – a 15 lb PR.

Now, you tell me that repeated exposures don’t work!

Granted, this isn’t something you’ll want to utilize indefinitely, as it’s pretty CNS intensive.  But for a dedicated 4-5 week block, it’s a sure fire way to take your bench press to new levels!

2. Since I’m the one who opened up the can of worms and exposed the world to my recent back issues, I’ve been getting a lot of emails from readers asking how things have been coming along.

Swell, actually!

For the last few weeks I had been ramping up the intensity of my deadlifts performing a lot of pulls with chains as accommodating resistance (lighter at the bottom, heavier at the top).  About a month ago I hit a 555 lb pull (405 lbs of bar weight with 150 lbs of chains at the top). It felt good, not great…..and Dean Somerset (who was writing my programming) just about blew a gasket when he saw that I did that.

In hindsight it was dumb, and I really lucked out that I didn’t reverse all the progress I had made up until that point.

Fast forward a few weeks – and roughly 12,686 deadbugs – Dean gave me the green light to start pulling heavy again.

I was on that like a CrossFitter on a gluten free PopTart!

Not wanting to be too aggressive, last week, I decided I’d do me speed work and then, depending on how I felt, I’d work up to a sorta-kinda heavy single.

I felt goooooooooood.  And when I was done with my speed work, I told Greg (Robins) that under no circumstances was he to allow me to go any heavier than 500 lbs. If I attempted to go any higher, he’d have my permission to Sparta kick me in the groin.

Here’s what 500 looked like (wearing a Dragon tee courtesy of one Jon-Erik Kawamoto)

Not too shabby. Today, I’m going to shoot for 520 ish.

600 lbs by the end of the year.  Fingers crossed.

3.  I came across this quote the other day and I really have no recollection of where I saw it or who said it, but I thought it was awesome and whoever said it deserves a meatloaf sandwich:

The reality is if you are lifting a weight ten times, numbers nine and ten should be difficult. If you can lift a weight 20 times but choose to do only ten, you are wasting your time. Period.

4. This past weekend I went to the theater to see the remake of Total Recall:

Here’s my one-sentence review:  it should have been called Total Regurgitate In My Mouth.  HA, see what I just did there?  I took the title of the movie and then re-worded it so that you’d get the impression that it sucked, and, well, you get the idea.

5.  Lastly, I wanted to give you all a heads up on a really cool site I’ve been using for the past week called RebelMouse.com.

In short, it’s a site that takes all of your social media – Facebook and Twitter – and conjoins everything under one umbrella into your very own social front page.  It’s pretty freakin sweet.  Check out my page HERE.

It’s currently in Beta, and there’s a waiting list to join, but it might be something worth checking out.

 

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 7/23/12

My bad in getting this one up later than usual. Better late than never, right?

1. First off let me just say that my most sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to the people most effected by the tragic events this past weekend in Colorado.  In a way we’re ALL affected, and it just saddens me that so many people had their lives forever changed by such an egregious and pathetic individual.

I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like to go through something so surreal, and there’s really nothing I can say that will help heal those who lost loved ones and are currently suffering.

Suffice it to say, I’m sorry.  Deeply, deeply sorry.

2. To that end. I did go see The Dark Knight Rises yesterday (along with the rest of the world), and all I have to say is:

wow

WOw

WOW

It was everything I expected it to be, and more.  I don’t want to say too much in case there are people reading who haven’t seen it yet, but lets just say it was epic to the epic degree.

Admittedly, I don’t think there were as many “memorable” scenes compared to The Dark Knight, but Christopher Nolan did an amazing job and this was a solid (SOLID) film.

What’s more, did anyone else destroy the back of their pants when they saw the teaser trailer for next summer’s Man of Steel?

Here’s hoping that both Zach Snyder and Christopher Nolan can undo the walking pile of cow dung that was Superman Returns.

By the looks of the one minute and 34 seconds above:  they TOTALLY will.

3.  Soooooooo my girlfriend is in Europe for the next month. Serving two purposes: A). as a present to herself for attaining her PhD, and  B). as one last hurrah before she enters the “real world,” she left for Germany this past Tuesday to visit an old high-school friend of hers, who’s husband is stationed there as part of the military.

Lisa has been planning this trip for months, and as I type this post she and her friend are exploring the hills of Tuscany (Italy) and then heading back to Germany to spend the next few weeks doing whatever it is that two grown women do.  Presumably having pillow fights, braiding one another’s hair, and drinking copious amounts of German beer.

Before she left Lisa made sure to stock the fridge with at least one week’s worth of prepared meals and also gave me a laundry list of things to do while she’s away.  You know, the staples like water the plants, feed the cat, and take a shower.

And of course, no laundry list is complete without a note saying “DO NOT FORGET TO DO THE LAUNDRY!!!!!!!!”

Like a champ I’ve been on top of everything this week:  cat is still alive, plants are still green, and I’m down to one pair of clean underwear, but I have things under control.

The fridge, however, is empty! While I did hit up the grocery store to buy the basics, there’s no longer any prepared food in sight.

NOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

How messed up would it be if in a few weeks when Lisa comes back, I look like Christian Bale’s character from The Machinist?

Okay, that’s not going to happen.  I hope.

No but seriously, I’m scared.

4.  Back update.  I ended up working up to a pretty pimp set of conventional deadlifts at 515 lbs (at the top when you factor in chain weight) for 1×5, and 2×3.

The last set was arguably my best set of the day.  Bar speed was pretty fast and my back didn’t bother me at all.

Dean and I are still playing it a little conservative on the programming front, but needless to say, I’m ecstatic with my progress in only a matter of four weeks.

Four weeks ago I couldn’t even sneeze without dropping an f-bomb.  And now I’m hitting 500+ lb deadlifts like the Tony of old.

5.  The following rant is a direct result of reading THIS article from John Romaniello, who has a much more eloquent way with words than myself.

As a health and fitness professional, I like to think that I have pretty good grasp of what the latest research has to say on a variety of topics related to my field.

As an example:

Heart disease:  cholesterol has little – if any – effect on one’s predisposition to having a heart attack. Inflammation – more specifically, endothelial dysfunction, and how to control it, along with suppressing inflammatory markers like c-Reactive Protein – is the main thing to keep your eye on.

Taking it step further  – with regards to the world I live in (strength and conditioning) – you have numerous studies coming out weekly on what the best approach is for making people bigger, faster, and stronger.  Likewise, there’s a plethora of research stating which muscles do what, how fascia effects EVERYTHING, and what we can do as coaches to help make our athletes (and clients) better.

I like research.  I hate reading it, but I understand that research is an important component of what I do and how I go about writing safe and effective programs.

I just really, really, REALLY get irritated when people attempt to use research to explain EVERYTHING.

Sometimes what works, works. Who cares how.

Not everything can be explained in a controlled lab setting by dudes in white coats who haven’t lifted anything heavier than a Bunsen burner in the past decade.

Note: I actually know some jacked up lab nerds, so I’m not throwing all of them under the bus……;o)

I don’t need research to tell me that throwing my face into a brick wall will probably hurt a little bit.

I don’t know, I just find it comical when people debate things like whether or not to keep the chin tucked when deadlifting or squatting or whether it’s better to hold an isometric contraction for three seconds or 4.345424965399 seconds.

“Well, where’s the research?” they’ll say.  “Back it up!”

Don’t get me wrong, I think research is integral – I use it every now and then to prove a point*** – and it helps “govern” our industry, but not everything HAS to be explained in a lab, does it?

Thoughts?

6.  And finally, for those who are addicted to behavioral economics (like me) and are looking for an awesome book to read, I HIGHLY suggest Dan Ariely’s new book, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty:  How We Lie to Everyone – Especially Ourselves.

I’m a huge fan Ariely’s work having read his previous two books (The Upside of Irrationality, and Predictably Irrational), and this one doesn’t disappoint.

If it’s any consolation, I read it in two days and much of what it covers is applicable to the fitness industry.

Yes, I’m talking to you internet guy who claims he’s 5% body fat and deadlifting 700 lbs.

 

 

***The best example I have is a brief story from when I first started training people back in 2003.  I had just started working at a commercial gym in Syracuse, NY and was helping a young female client with her deadlift technique.  We literally completed her first set – like, EVER – of deadlifts. It didn’t look pretty, and I was about to make some comments when one of the AEROBICS INSTRUCTORS high tailed it over to ask what I was doing.

“You shouldn’t be performing those like that,” she chimed in.  You’re placing way too much strain on her spine and you’re going to hurt her!”

While I wanted to drop kick this woman in the liver for going out of her way to not only interrupt my session, but doing a fairly good job of compromising my expertise in front of my client, I handled it as professionally as I could.

I said, “thanks, I have it under control,” and went on to complete my session.

Afterwards, however, it was game motherfuckin on.

I went home that night and looked up at least ten different studies demonstrating how ground reaction forces during AEROBICS classes placed waaaaaaaay more “stress” on the spine than lifting a barbell off the ground.  I also chimed in with some spinal biomechanics, and invited her to come and talk to me anytime she wanted to chat about how to train clients.

Needless to say, we didn’t exchange X-mas cards that year.

I WIN!!!!!

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 7/2/12

1.  I woke up this morning and turned on SportsCenter to see that Cubs first basemen, Bryan LaHair, had been voted onto the 2012 MLB All-Star team.  After picking up the chunks of omelete that launched out of my mouth after seeing the graphic, I immediately got onto Twitter and Facebook to spread the word.

Said Dale Sveum, Bryan’s manager on the Cubs:

 

‘‘It’s one of those things as a manager that you get that’s a special time,’’ Sveum said. ‘‘You tell a kid who’s [29] he’s an All-Star after so many years in the minors. That’s what we live for in this game, those special moments.”

I couldn’t agree more.  Bryan’s been training with us at Cressey Performance for the better part of the past three off-seasons, and this couldn’t have happened to a more deserving human being.

Congrats Bryan!

2.  For those looking for some good books to read in the realm of fitness, I have two new suggestions.

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Heart Disease – Mark C. Houston, MD, MS

This was a book that was handed to me by one of the attendees a few weeks ago in Edmonton at the Spinal Health and Core Training seminar, and admittedly I haven’t started to read it yet. But after perusing it for a few minutes, and noticing how there’s an entire chapter dedicated to debunking all the myths that a lot of a-hole physicians STILL have towards cholesterol, I know it’s going to be a game changer.

Treadside Manner – Greg Justice

This was another book that was sent my way a few weeks ago – actually, the entire staff at CP received a copy – and I was able to sit down and start reading it yesterday while Lisa and I were heading back home from Nantucket (more on that in a bit).

It’s a quick read, but I can’t advocate this book highly enough to any personal trainers out there looking to take their business to the next level.

If nothing else, all the information on “interviewing” your potential clients – as well as just learning to listen to them –  is worth the price alone.

3.  I am the man from Nantucket.  Well, at least I was for a 27 hour window this past weekend.Lisa and I were invited to Nantucket Island to help celebrate the grand opening of The Nantucket Hotel and Resort.

I think I heard Lisa say, “I loooooooooove Nantucket” at least 37 times while we were there, and to piggy back off her sentiment……words can’t even describe how beautiful the ENTIRE island was, let alone the resort itself (pictured to the left).

The coolest part, though?  The guy who owns the resort and is responsible for building it, is also a client of mine, and the crazy bastard put dumbbells up to 120 lbs in the fitness center.

Hahahahahahahaahahaha. He did it because he wanted it to be a talking point amongst the guests.  Mission accomplished.  I think Lisa and I overhead at least four different people mention the dumbbells.  Uh, hello??!?!?!  We’re in paradise!  Screw the dumbbells!

Nevertheless, the entire trip was amazing, and if anyone reading ever goes to Nantucket, you now know where the most diesel gym is on the island!

4.  My back is starting to feel better as of late, and I owe a lot of gratitude towards both Milford, MA based physical therapist Eric Schoenberg and the one and only Dean Somerset.

NOTE: for those who are new or maybe haven’t been in the loop for a few weeks, you can catch up HERE and HERE.

Anyways, both have been holding my hand through this entire process, and while I still have a little ways to go, I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Dean even told me I can test the waters this week and work up to a heavy(ish) pull of around 80% of my 1RM to see if my back barks at me or not.  The way I see it, one of two things are going to happen:

  • I dominate it, shake hands, kiss babies, and invariably a ticker tape parade is held in my honor.
  • I literally shit my spine.

Fingers crossed!  I’ll try to post a video of it later on….so stay tuned!