When my wife and I first started dating there’s one thing I used to do that used to drive her crazy.
It didn’t involve placement of the toilet seat. I put that shit down like a champion. And it didn’t involve my use of colorful language; she’s equally as potty mouthy as me.
In hindsight this “thing” was borderline unforgivable, and, to be honest, I’m kind of embarrassed to admit this. Here goes:
My name is Tony Gentilcore and I used to order my steaks well-done.
At the time I just didn’t know any better. Prior to meeting Lisa a romantic dinner out for me was hitting up Applebee’s on 2 for 1 entree night.1 So you can imagine the look of disdain on her face when we went to a fancy schmancy restaurant in the North End here in Boston on date #3 and I did what I did.
I might as well have belched the theme song to Fresh Price of Bel Air while being seated or, I don’t know, farted in her Caesar salad. Both would have been less egregious dinner etiquette snafus than ordering a steak well-done.
I mean, WTF?
She married me nonetheless. But not until we had a “talk” and she made me watch every season of Top Chef.
Speaking of “talks,” I posted this Tweet the other day and it sparked some good comments:
What’s the one thing you have the hardest time getting clients to adopt? Mine is rest periods. More specific: actually taking rest.
I’ve been coaching people for a little over 15 years now and the idea of rest periods – or, to be more specific – actually taking rest between sets – is the one thing I still have the hardest time getting many of my clients to adopt.
Whether it’s because they’ve taken one too many CrossFit classes or because of their supercharged Type A personality on steroids, the idea of taking rest between sets – let alone a rest day – doesn’t compute.
Half my battle with new(ish) clients is to get them to understand there’s a rationale and purpose for rest periods, that they’re good for them, will help them, and more importantly…that they won’t lose any points for Gryffindor for standing in place for more than 30 seconds without performing a burpee.
Don’t get me wrong: there’s a time and place for metabolic or circuit-based training that require diminished rest periods; especially if the goal is to increase conditioning and/or work capacity. However, I can’t tell you how many times someone has started with me, expressed an interest in getting stronger, and I have to do everything in my power to get them to chill out.
Day one/program one is always interesting. They’ll do a set and before I can offer any feedback they’re half-way through set #2.
Eight minutes later they’re done with their program and asking for more.
I can appreciate their willingness to get after it, but the “go go go” approach is almost always why 1) they haven’t seen any significant improvements in their lifts in eons and 2) they have an inane proclivity at being hurt all the time.
As strength coach, Mike Sheridan, wrote in THIS post on my site last year:
“Despite the ‘rest makes you weak’ mantra from aerobic instructors, or the ‘no pain no gain’ philosophy of many CrossFitters, we start training a different energy system when rest is too short.
We’re not trying to exhaust the muscle, we’re trying to strengthen and improve it.
When we perform an endless number of muscle contractions (repetitions), we end up building muscular endurance as opposed to hypertrophy or strength.
And start training aerobically, instead of anaerobically.
Compromising our ability to build strength and muscle, and facilitating an overall loss in power and explosiveness.Whether it’s resistance training or not.
Even though shorter rest periods produce a larger hormonal response and more metabolic stress, while longer rest periods allow for more weight to be lifted on subsequent sets, there is still a minimum threshold for proper recovery.
If rest periods are too short, the number of reps declines, the weight lifted declines, and so does the total workout volume.”
Shorter rest periods do have a positive effect on metabolic stress, one of the factors that plays into improved hypertrophy (growth) of the muscle. However when strength is the goal it’s important to note that too short of rest, while great for increasing things like levels of testosterone, IGF-1, and gH, can be offset due to the decrease in mechanical tension and strength output, all of which stems from accumulated fatigue (due to lack of rest).
To keep things to a nice, short, and succinct stopping point I can’t state things any better than what Mike says here:
“We don’t want our rest period at a point where it’s difficult to perform as much ‘work’ as would be possible with slightly longer rest.Which means keeping it high enough to maximize the number of successful reps over multiple sets, while still experiencing adequate metabolic stress to stimulate hypertrophy.”
The “sweet spot,” then, is 90-180 seconds of rest between sets.
This can seem like torture to some people, analogous to scratching nails on a chalkboard or worse, being forced to watch What the Health in a room full of vegetarians.2
To that end I find rest periods to be opportune time to take advantage of “filler” exercises. You know, exercises that activate or mobilize stuff that people are supposed to do in their warm-ups that they inevitable always skip.
If someone has poor T-spine rotation or extension I’ll have him or her perform some Side Lying Open Books in between sets of deadlifts:
Side Lying Open Book
Or maybe they need to work on a little adductor length and opening up their hips more. If that’s the case this drill works wonders in between sets of squats:
Happy Baby Stretch
NOTE: I mis-spoke and called this the “goalie stretch” in the video, but I also have a 5-month old at home and haven’t slept since January, so fuck off…;o)
Filler exercises can be anything: glute activation drills, scapular upward rotation drills, T-spine mobility drills, hip flexor mobilizations, a particular stretch, naming all the members of Wu-Tang Clan, anything. The idea is they’re low-grade, low-demand, easy, and address something that won’t sacrifice performance on subsequent sets of iron work.
Heck, if all else fails, if someone is still flying through things, this would be one of the rare instances where I’d encourage them to go peruse their Instagram feed or post a picture of their protein shake on Twitter.
There’s little room to be ambiguous. More times than not, if someone wants to make and see progress in the gym…getting them to respect rest periods is going to be an important conversation to have. It’s the easiest way to ensure one recovers and is able to sustain performance and high(er) outputs during their training sessions.
Having a discussion about “off-days” is a blog post for another day.
Ever wonder what some of the best coaches/trainers say their favorite mobility drills are? Squat regressions? Favorite exercise in general? No? Well, too bad.
Shane McLean asked some well-known coaches (John Rusin, Meghan Callaway, Meg Julian, Eric Bach, and myself) what some of their favorites are. Go learn something.
My favorite food is potatoes. I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like yet.
My favorite movie line is “I feel the need, the need for speed.” I’m pumped that Hollywood is making a sequel to Top Gun. I’m already counting down the days to its release next July.
I wonder if they’re going bring back Goose from the dead?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O1ZhHts8MI
Bring the subject back to exercise, my favorite move is deadlifts. If left to my own devices, I’d deadlift, do some curls, slam down some coffee and then go home. However, my coach makes me do a bunch of stuff I hate but really need.
That’s what great coaches do.
Great coaches also have their go to exercises that end up in most of the programs they write. Usually, you need to attend a seminar or deep dive the internet to find out what the smartest minds in the fitness industry are doing.
However, let me save you the trouble. I’ve asked some of the industry biggest names about their go to moves and exercises they never go without. Who knows, you might learn something.
Tony Gentilcore. <– That’s Me
1) Number One Foam Roll Drill. And Why?
My #1 foam rolling drill comes in the form of a brief rant. Now, mind you, understand I am a fan of foam rolling and do encourage my clients to partake prior to each training session. Or after, I don’t care.
This is my ” go to” series.
That being said I do feel many people place too much credence/emphasis on foam rolling. I can’t tell you how many people have come to me seeking advice on why this hurts and that hurts and why they can never stay healthy. Whenever this happens I’ll inevitably ask them to show me their warm-up.
Fast forward 30 minutes.
Yeah, that’s right….it’s not uncommon for some people to spend upwards of 30 minutes (sometimes more) foam rolling. Foam rolling. After that long even Sting, a proponent of something like 7-hour tantric sex sessions, would be like, “come on already, let’s get it over with.”
When this happens, I’ll come straight out and say it: “THAT’s why you’re always hurt.”
People need to get out of this delicate flower, corrective exercise bubble mentality. Sure, foam rolling helps…but not for the reasons most people think. Do it if it makes you feel better. But get the eff off and go TRAIN.
2) Number One Mobility/Flexibility Move. And Why?
My favorite move is the Yoga Push-Up Complex.
I like it because it’s ONE move that hits a lot of trouble areas for most people:
T-Spine Extension & Rotation
Hip Flexor Length
Glute Activation
Hamstring & Adductor Length
Scapular Protraction & Upward Rotation
About the only thing it doesn’t address is small biceps….;o)
3) Your Number One Squat Regression. And Why?
Slowing people down.
Lets discuss this under the guise of butt wink and squatting. It’s a thing.
Basically, it’s a less nerdy way of informing someone “dude(tte), you’re running out of hip flexion so you’re compensating with excessive lumbar motion.”3
Many think the culprit is tight hamstrings. Nope.
The hamstrings are bi-articular muscle crossing both the knee and hip joints. When we squat (go into deep(er) hip flexion) the hamstrings shorten at the knee and lengthen at the hip; there’s very little net increase in length.
When butt wink occurs it’s almost always a lack of tension issue. Meaning, often, there’s lack of pelvic control either due to one of two scenarios:
Lack of strength/stability.
Lack of motor control.
If your trainer tells you it’s because of tight hamstring he’s a dickwad.
In either case one of the best ways to address it is to slow down. You need to control slow before you can control fast. Coaching people up to adopt a better bracing strategy (core on, spread the floor with feet, PULL down into the squat in a controlled manner) will make a significant improvement for most.
On an aside: what may present as a mobility issue (unable to squat deep) may just be a stability issue. Adding a slight anterior load (plate or Goblet Squat) can fix things quickly.
4) One Exercise You Cannot Do Without. And Why?
I know most people who read my stuff think I’m going to say deadlifts here. But I’m not. I think the one exercise I do the most – and incorporate into my client’s programs the most – are carry variations.
What’s not to like about them? They work on core stability, hip stability, posture, grip, and take little to no coaching to perform them. And, they can be done with dumbbells, kettlebells, various barbells, people, you name it.
Just don’t make these common mistakes:
Trainer Meg J (I Guess It’s Like a Self-Titled Album)
Touch Down, or a wall slide, on a foam roller. Not an actual rolling drill, but a great chest opener and client favorite. Much of the general population (and even athletes), battle “Upper Crossed Syndrome“.
Due to how much time we spend behind computers, looking down at phones, or sitting behind a wheel or TV, our necks and shoulders begin to round down and in. This can be a factor in neck, back, and shoulder pain, as well as impact breathing. This drill allows gravity to help naturally open the tight chest area.
2) Number One Mobility/Flexibility Move. And Why?
Wall slides. Like the Touch Down on the foam roller drill, wall slides help opens the chest, engage the back muscles, and bring more blood flow to those areas.
3) Your Number One Squat Regression. And Why?
Goblet squat with raised heels. Goblet squats are excellent for building anterior core (abs) strength and maintaining balance while learning the movement pattern. If someone has tight calves, or several other potential lower body issues, adding plates under their heels allows them to move more smoothly.
4) One Exercise You Cannot Do Without. And Why?
While I’m tempted to pick the phenomenal, almost as good as bacon, exercise of the Deadlift, my final answer will the ASLR (Assisted Straight Leg Raise) with band. This exercise is incredible for building core strength, teaching tension, and getting the hips and abs to work in unison.
Meghan Callaway, Strength Coach
1) Number One Foam Roll Drill. And Why?
Truthfully, I don’t do much with the foam roller. In most cases, I find that when you prioritize stability, the need for foam rolling is much less. While rolling out your quads might feel good, I don’t think it will make or break your performance or overall health.
Many people expend too much of their time energy aimlessly using the foam roller, when their time would be better served focusing on improving other areas of their overall health and fitness.
Note From Tony:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAryFIuRxmQ
2) Number One Mobility/Flexibility Move. And Why?
I will occasionally use the foam roller to perform thoracic mobility drills, particularly flexion and extension. Of course, whether I use this drill will depend on the individual, and their unique needs.
I like to use the roller to perform band resisted hamstring curls, a single arm push-up/roll-out combo, or ab roll-outs, but obviously these are not flexibility/mobility drills.
3) Your Number One Squat Regression. And Why?
The goblet squat is one of my go-to squat regressions. This exercise helps people master the squatting movement and acquire the requisite levels of technique, strength, and controlled mobility so they can progress to performing more advanced squatting variations.
I also like the landmine squat for the same reasons. (Are Meghan and John Rusin related?)
Negative Goblet Squat
Negative 1.5 Rep Goblet Squat
4) One Exercise You Cannot Do Without. And Why?
I can’t pick one exercise, so I’ll choose two. I cannot go without trap bar deadlifts, and pull-ups, particularly some of my crazier ”play” variations.
It’s important to understand that just because you are utilizing the foam roller as a tool doesn’t necessarily mean that you are addressing soft-tissues. The foam roller can be a powerful manipulator of position in the spine, pelvis and extremities due to the acute force angle it has the ability to create.
So, do I view the thoracic spine foam rolling technique as a self-myofascial release technique? No. I view it as a corrective exercise that addresses the mobilization of the thoracic spine. Like this for example.
2) Number One Mobility/Flexibility Move. And Why?
Single Leg Adductor Rock Back with T-Spine Rotation
Most people have lost the ability to stabilize their pelvis and lumbar spine. This is a problem since the lower portion of the spine is anatomically designed to be stable; it functions best under low amounts of relative movement.
Creating super-stiffness at the pillar is nonnegotiable if you’re a lifter. It starts with positioning the pelvis and lumbar spine together synergistically. But achieving a position is vastly different than maintaining a position, especially when there’s a heavy barbell on your back.
That’s where this movement comes in. It’ll help you brace your core by creating tension in a controlled environment. You’ll relearn what stability should actually feel like.
3) Your Number One Squat Regression. And Why?
Landmine Goblet Squat
This variation provides the full body stability benefits of placing a load into the anteriorly loaded goblet position, but also aids in the balance and coordination requirements of the squat pattern by increasing the ground contact between the barbell and your hands.
Instead of just having your feet in contact with the ground, the barbell is in contact as well.
The unilateral position of the barbell also alters the strength curve, pushing you back into your hips further and further as you ascend deeper into the squat pattern. This characteristic is what makes this variation of the goblet squat the logical starting point for rebuilding the movement pattern from the ground up.
4) One Exercise You Cannot Do Without. And Why?
Trap Bar Farmers Carry.
For long-term orthopedic and functional success, you should be able to pick up a heavy object, stabilize, then walk with it. The inability to do so is a sign your grip is fragile and that you’re susceptible to chronic issues in places like the lower back, shoulders, and elbows.
Not many gyms have dumbbells that go up into the 200’s, so don’t think carries are limited to dumbbells. If you want to train grip with continuous progressive overload, the trap bar or farmers-carry handles, which can be loaded with weight plates, are your best bet.
Why: Chances are you’re spending hours each day in a crouched, internally rotated position which leaves you with poor posture and terrible thoracic mobility. And chances are you like to hoist heavy bench presses every Monday despite your shoulders screaming at you.
While I’m not going to tell you not to bench press, I will tell you to combat poor posture and battle back against achy shoulders with the side lying windmill on a daily basis. Posture takes time to improve. This simple drill attacks one of your biggest weak points to long-term, pain-free training.
2) Number One Mobility/Flexibility Move. And Why?
Groiner with T-Spine Rotation
Why: The groiner with the t-spine rotation attacks two common weak points: hip and thoracic mobility.
By killing two birds with one stone you’ll open up pain-free ranges of motion to improve both upper body and lower body training during a warm-up.
3) Your Number One Squat Regression. And Why?
To improve the squat patterns, I’ll move clients from a typical back squat all the way back to a bodyweight squat to a box.
Why such a regression?
It’s much easier to rebuild a movement from the beginning than taking a stab in the dark with other regression models. By doing a body weight squat to a box you’ll reinforce basic mechanics from holding an active foot position to properly shifting the hips back, pushing the knees out, and bracing the abdominals without weight.
Often, this simple regression will progress quickly through the following process: bodyweight squat to box>bodyweight squat>goblet squat to box>goblet squat> goblet squat with 5 second eccentric> barbell squat of your choice.
4) One Exercise You Cannot Do Without. And Why?
Front Squats.
For starters, front squats require hard work, which most gym goers avoided like the bubonic plague, opting to post every gym P.R. and dozens half-naked selfies on Instagram. Further, few exercises match the high-performance benefits of the front squat.
Anterior bar placement keeps the torso vertical, preventing the hips from going into an excessive anterior pelvic tilt, and requiring incredible core strength to prevent flexing forward.
Anterior bar placement forces lifters to attain an upright posture, decreasing shear stress on the spine, a bonus for minimizing back pain.
Front squats require scapula and clavicle elevation and upward rotation to keep the elbows up and the bar in proper position. This requires the traps, serratus anterior, levator scapulae, rhomboids, and lats to work in conjunction to hold position and prevent you from dumping the bar forward.
This gets you yoked and prevents you from developing smeagol like posture.
Wrapping Up
I hope you take this new-found knowledge and apply it to your own or client programs. These exercises will have you and your clients moving and feeling better and crushing life.
And it didn’t cost you a dime.
About the Author
Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Texas. Shane believes in balancing exercise with life while putting the fun back into both.
What often separates the okay trainers from the kinda-sorta good trainers to the great trainers is often their ability to write effective, thorough, albeit simple programs that help get people results.
However, there aren’t many people better at that than Robert Dos Remedios. His Certified Program Design Specialist resource is currently on sale at $100 off the regular price and I think it’s a “must have” for any fitness professional looking to hone their program writing skills.4
Dos was kind enough to talk some shop with me on the topic of program design below. You should read it 1) because I said so and 2) because Dos knows his shit.
Dos Knows His Shit
TG:What your take on individualization? I mean, in the beginning, when someone has such little experience, how much individualization does someone need from a program design standpoint? How does it change from intermediate to advanced level lifters?
Dos: Individualization can often be over emphasized in training – it can also be unrealistic in many situations (think large teams without multiple coaches etc.). I personally don’t think we need to overthink this at times. The templates in CPDS allows for lots of individualization in terms of choosing exercises, types of program layouts, circuits etc. but the best part is that it keeps us honest and doesn’t let us overemphasize movements or leave out important exercises.
TG:Outside of a current injury, unique health history, or if someone happens to be training for something specific, most beginners don’t need that much individualization. It’s not uncommon for me to use a program I’ve already written for a new client and I just tweak it here when warranted.
Then, a month or two (or three) down the road, when he or she has a little more experience under the bar, that’s when I start to make it more individualized based off where technique breaks down, glaring weak points, etc. Just my two cents.
Okay, this will be a very vanilla question, but it HAS to be asked (and please feel free to drop as many f-bombs as you see fit). What are the most common mistakes you see trainers/coaches making when it comes to program design?
Dos: I think this is probably threefold: Overthinking things, trying to be different for the sake of being different, and simply making up internet style workouts that have never actually been tested on actual human beings.
Let me explain a bit….
With the first one, sometimes we think more complicated programs equate to better results. I think this is the complete opposite – I want to make things simple so we can focus on the important aspects of training, sound layouts, loading, and becoming great at performing movements.
For the second one I am referring to workouts like ones that sort of go against the majority of trainers or focus on one piece of equipment or movement. You know what I’m talking about….the guy who says “All you need to do is carries!” or the one that says “This (insert tool or piece of equipment of choice here) is all you need for a complete training session” – this is simply untrue, we know what movements NEED to be trained and we know the best exercises to train them.
For the third one I see lots of ‘outside the box’ thinking but like I always say it’s great to think outside the box…as long as you know what’s inside the box. There are some time-tested rules we need to follow before we get crazy with unrealistic protocols – just browse the internet for 5 minutes after googling “HIIT Circuits” and you will see what I mean, folks breaking rules without ever really knowing the rules.
TG:YES. I wish your answer in that last paragraph would be the litmus test for every trainer thinking about writing an ebook on program design who only has four months of experience in a commercial gym.
Are they are tenets of program design you feel are non-negotiable? And, if so, what are they?
Dos: OVERLOAD. I can’t stress this enough. I see too many trainers with programs that simply don’t work hard enough.
We cannot expect change without sacrifice….you should face some form of adversity (at least that little voice in our head that says ‘HEY! What the heck are you thinking?!” numerous times during your training regardless of your training goals.
The #1 premise of my training philosophy is WORK CAPACITY – building our conditioning, strength, and even our mental toughness so that we can continue to improve and thrive as we continue to train.
TG:I know you train a lot of athletes (and I “think” general pop too). Regardless, what similarities and differences are there when writing programs between the two?
Dos: In Men’s Health Power Training nearly 10 years ago I wrote about just this – that there are VERY FEW differences in how I write programs for my athletes and my general population clients.
Of course choice of exercises, intensities, even format of the workout may look different but we always go back to programming the essential movement patterns for each person.
For example, I would program an explosive exercise for both my college volleyball player and my 86 year old mother…..but they would look very different. I may use more of a Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT) circuit for a general population client vs. a full body “traditional” lifting session for my sport athlete…. But all the same essential movements will be programmed.
TG:What are some things about program design that some people give way more credence towards? You know, things that you look at and are like, “really?” What are some things you feel most people tend to gloss over?
Dos: I think the whole ‘whiteboard workout’ craze that we see really hosts a ton of problems – lots of programs that look to gas trainees for that crushed effect. Workout Dice, poster workouts with crazy, unrealistic HIIT protocols etc.
There’s a lot of ‘throw a bunch of stuff at people…get them tired…get them sore…and this will help people reach their goals.
An overall lack of actual PROGRAMMING is what I tend to see these days.
I think the thing people tens to gloss over is LOADING. Even the general pop client who is trying to get wedding dress ready needs to lift heavy stuff – I’m not saying we need to be max lifting but we need to be doing much more than burpees and tricep bicep curls…. This goes back to the overload comment I made earlier. Nothing great comes easy ;o)
Dos: I really don’t think there is anything like this available to folks – I like to feel like this is programming that has developed over years and years of training, literally thousands and thousands of ‘subjects’.
The program and philosophy you will find in CPDS is a proven, not only in my personal training experiences but in many other teams, gyms etc. I like to think that my plug and play system is almost foolproof and the choices allow for anyone to find the perfect match for their athletes and clients.
Those who complete the program and pass the exam will have a solid based of knowledge in designing programs for Performance, Fitness, and function.
You would think, based off all the alarmist articles I come across on the internet extolling the sentiment, that everyone walking around – you, me, leprechauns5, everyone – has tight hamstrings.
And as a result, if you do a search on Google, you’ll come across roughly 8, 089, 741 (+/- 41, 903) articles telling you why, how, and when to stretch them.
Tight hamstrings have been to blame for a lot of things, including but not limited to:
Back pain.
Knee pain.
Shoulder pain.
Any sort of pain.
Male pattern baldness.
Global warming.
The “death” of Jon Snow.
And while tight hamstring can be the root cause of some of those things, to always put the blame on them is a bit reductionist and narrow-minded to say the least.
In short: It’s the default culprit for lazy coaches and personal trainers to gravitate towards.
To steal a quote from Dr. John Rusin from THIS recent T-Nation article:
“If you’re stretching your hamstrings every day for months (or years) on end without improved flexibility, mobility, movement patterning, or pain relief, it’s not working. And it’s time to get out of this rehab purgatory.
If you aren’t seeing results from stretching, then it’s not only a waste of time, but it may be working against you. The thing is, muscles don’t get longer; they maintain a certain tone or tightness based on neurological impulse. So yes, strategic stretching DOES work in terms of reducing tone and tightness (in the short and long term), but if it hasn’t worked for you by now, it’s probably not going to.”
To steal a quote from myself:
“In order to increase the length of a muscle you need to either 1) lengthen bone (um, ouch!) or 2) in the case of someone who truly presents as short or stiff, increase the total number of sarcomeres in series (which takes a metric shit-ton of stretching).
Ask physical therapist Bill Hartman how long someone really needs to stretch in order to have a significant affect and/or to add sarcomeres, and he’ll tell you the starting point is 2-3, 10 minute holds per day. Working up to 20 minute holds.
Simply put: most people aren’t so much tight as they are “stuck” in a poor position.
It goes back to something physical therapist and strength coach, Mike Reinold, brought up in casual conversation not long ago:
Which is more important to hammer first: stability or mobility?
Those trainers and coaches who swing on the stability side of the pendulum tend to be the overly cautious type who have their clients stand on BOSU balls for 45 minutes.
Those who swing on the the mobility side of things sleep with their copy of Supple Leopardevery night.
Neither approach is inherently wrong so much as they’re flawed (if haphazardly assumed as “correct” for every person, in every situation).
If you strengthen (stabilize) in misalignment you develop an imbalance. If you stretch (mobilize) in misalignment you develop instability.
Take someone who presents with excessive anterior pelvic tilt. It’s not uncommon for said person to complain about constantly “tight” hamstrings, and no matter how often they stretch them, they stay tight.
You would think that after weeks, months, or sometimes even years of non-stop “stretching” they’d see some improvement, right?
Wrong.
The reason why they feel tight all the time has little to do with their hamstrings, but rather pelvic positioning.
Unless you address the position of the pelvis – in this case, excessive anterior pelvic tilt – you can stretch the hamstrings until they stop making those shitty Transformers movies (when will it end?) and you’ll never see an improvement.6
Think about it this way: in this scenario the reason why the hamstrings feel tight is because they’re lengthened and firing on all cylinders. By stretching them you’re just feeding into the problem in the first place!
We could easily chalk this up to the classic Lower Cross Syndrome as popularized by Dr. Vladomir Janda and stretch what’s tight (hip flexors, erectors), and that would be a step in the right direction.
Cool.
But I feel for most people, most of the time, that’s not going to solve the problem.
Instead, for the bulk of people, addressing things like anterior core strength (deadbugs, anyone?) in addition to active hip flexion and extension drills, like the Core Engaged Active Straight Leg Raise, is going to be money.
Real Life Example Of Not (Really) Tight Hamstrings
Take one of my clients, Dima. For all intents and purposes he’s someone who presents as “tight” AF in the hamstring department.
To throw him under the bus a teeny-tiny bit, if we tested his Active Straight Leg Raise this very minute anyone who’s taken the FMS would grade him the following way:
The thing is, as poor as his ASLR appears, I can get more range of motion passively. Meaning, if I were to manually “stretch” his hamstrings I can nudge a bit more ROM.
Since this is the case, wouldn’t it make sense to have him stretch his hamstrings?
Meh, not really.
Now, in Dima’s case, I’m not saying we avoid stretching his hamstrings. He is someone who’s a candidate for doing so (and we do), albeit I don’t prioritize it nearly as much as some coaches/trainers may do.
Instead I have perform stuff like this:
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat
That’s some Gandalf type shit right there.
NOTE: Yes, I recognize he’s still unable to get full knee extension, but you can clearly see his ROM improved and the ease at which he got the additional ROM is night and day compared to the start.
All without stretching.
My boy Dean Somerset does a better job than myself explaining the mechanism at play here:
“Part of it is matching the active ability to achieve the position with the passive range of motion that’s available. If they can passively get there, they’re not “tight” or “restricted,” they just may not have the strength or motor control in that specific position, so doing some hip flexion movements can help build context of how to get there so that on their follow up test, they have a better knowledge base of active hip flexion capability to get into.”
In the end, don’t always assume everyone needs to stretch. A little active range of motion in conjunction with TENSION can go a long ways at building context and improving ROM.
Forgive the aloof and standoffish tone. I recognize the term “scapular winging” is a thing and that it can be an actual, real-live, medical diagnosis with dastardly consequences.7
But more on that in a minute.
It’s just that, in some ways, I find a lot of fitness pros – personal trainers, strength coaches, and even physical therapists – can often be a little too liberal with use of the term. They toss it around with little understanding of what it actually means and with little “feel” on how it’s interpreted by their clients and athletes.
I’ve long championed the sentiment that most (not all) fitness pros use the initial assessment as an opportunity to showcase how much people suck at doing things and how broken they are, and that, for the mere cost of a 215 pack of training sessions (the equivalent of a really, really nice Audi), they’ll fix you.
Pffffft, who wants an Audi anyways?
Here’s how a typical conversation goes:
Client: “Hey, I’m thinking about hiring someone to train me.”
Douchy Trainer: “Great, I’d be glad to help. We need to start with an assessment so I have ample opportunity to showcase how much of walking ball of fail you are and how I alone can fix you.”
Client: “Uh, okay. When do we start?
Douchy Trainer: “Right now, take off your shirt.”
Client: “Not going to buy me dinner first, huh? Kidding, okay, BAM.”
[takes off shirt]
Douchy Trainer: “Oh……….MY………..GOD.”
Client: “What? What’s wrong?”
Douchy Trainer: “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but, you may want to sit down for this.”
Client: “Okay. What is it?
Douchy Trainer: “I’m sorry to have to tell you, but, but…..you have scapular winging.”
Client: “Is….that bad?”
Douchy Trainer: “I honestly have no idea how you’re able to walk, let alone speak complete sentences. We need to fix this ASAP.”
And this is where the trainer turns into that a-hole nun from Game of Thrones walking the client, Cersei style, down to the training floor to take them through a bevy of corrective exercise drills.
Now, admittedly, the key words used to find this picture were “most fucked up, dumpster fire of a case of scapular winging on the internet,” so don’t get too alarmed.
This is a legit, medically diagnosedcase, and not at all normal.
In a general sense, when we say “scapular winging” all we’re saying is that the shoulder blade comes or “wings” off the ribcage.
It’s sorta tricky because this pretty much describes everyone. You, me, George Clooney, your second cousin’s brother-in-law’s nephew’s Little League coach, literally, everyone, has some form of scapular winging.
So, what is it then? How much is too much? And, more importantly, what, if anything, should we do to fix it? Do we even need to fix it?
Dr. Quinn Henoch of Juggernaut Training Systems described this beautifully not too long ago. In short: a true case of scapular winging, like what’s pictured above, is a neurological condition where the Long Thoracic Nerve isn’t doing it’s job of innervating the Serratus Anterior (who’s job it is to adhere the shoulder blade to the ribcage).
The approach or fix in this case hasn’t anything to do with turning on “x” muscle or performing x, y, and z corrective exercises.
It’s not quite that simple.
Scapular Winging: What It Isn’t
I’ll tell you this much: we don’t have a pandemic of people walking around with true scapular winging. The vast majority of people you’ll encounter are owner’s of a completely healthy Long Thoracic Nerve.
They’re not broken. There’s nothing super duper nefarious happening.
What’s likely the culprit is a lack of tension and motor control.
The fix, then, is……..Drum roll…..
LOAD
If we can figure out ways to introduce load and subsequently, tension, this will not only help to turn shit on (without having to go down the 19-part corrective exercise rabbit hole) but also help people get into better positions via a little introduction to protraction.
Want to “cure” someone’s scapular winging in a matter of seconds?
Watch this. Closed-chain movements, protraction in general, is kind of magical.
Wall Press & Push-Ups That Don’t Suck
Pretty cool, right? That’s some Gandalf shit right there.
Quadruped Rockback w/ Floor Press
Typically the Quadruped Rockback is a a screen used to gauge active hip flexion ROM and to ascertain someone’s appropriate squat depth based of his or her’s anatomy. However, after listening to Mike Reinold speak on the topic it’s also a great drill to cue people into more protraction and upward rotation
Floor Press w/ Upward Rotation
Taking the floor press a step further, we can take away a base of support (and force the stabilizing arm to work that much harder in order to maintain position) and then incorporate some upward rotation.
Wrap Up
The umbrella theme here is not to dismiss scapular winging as an actual diagnosis. It is a diagnosis. It’s just not as common as people think, and I wish more fitness pros would stop jumping to conclusions so fast.
Oftentimes the fix is just to coach people up, introduce some load, and get them into better positions.
Last Chance to Save $100 off Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint
Groin strains can be a stubborn son-of-a-bitch. Once you have one, it’s one of those pesky injuries that never really seems to go away. In today’s guest post by strength coach and physical therapist, Sam Spinelli, he breaks down some common ways to resolve the issue.
Groin strains are often a hard problem for people to manage. We see them present in many different populations and occur with a wide range of activities. Strains are common in sports such as baseball, hockey and soccer where this is a huge demand on the groin.
With the groin musculature being a collection of numerous muscles, it is involved in so many different movements – flexing the hip, extending the hip, bring the knee towards midline, internally rotate the hip, and externally rotate the hip.
Due to the involvement in these movements, the “groin” can get stressed while performing them, but also get strained when the opposing movements are done as well.
For example, the adductor brevis (one of the higher up groin muscles) acts to adduct, internally rotate, and flex the hip.
If strained, during those three movements the muscle will be challenged to contract.
In contrast, during hip abduction, external rotation, and extension the adductor brevis will get lengthened. When the adductor brevis is strained, excessive lengthening can increase the damage to the vulnerable tissue.
The first step to managing these strains is to get things to calm down. Check out THIS article for more on that in regards to strains.
Get Long
When we say get long, we are talking about having someone comfortable with allowing the involved musculature to elongate.
This isn’t trying to lengthen the actual tissue – which is a topic we will discuss in a separate article/video series – but have the tissue be able to express the range it actually has with ease.
Below is a series of options – foam rolling, less dynamic movements, and more dynamic movements.
We start off with foam rolling as a means of helping in the short term, which we can use to help reduce the perception of tone in the tissue. Ideally this is used only briefly and removed as soon as possible so we are not relying upon it.
The less dynamic movements are one which have less involved movement, fewer joints involved, and more support. These are a great starting point for moving and reducing fear in individuals coming off a groin strain.
The more dynamic movements are things that will have more transfer to daily life and sporting activities.
Once we are in the phase of building things up, we will shift our focus to exercises to help make the tissue more resilient. In particular, we are going to start off with an approach to get long and get strong.
Soft Tissue – Adductors
Split Stance Adductor Mobilization
Frog
Frog 2.0
Lateral Lunge
Cossack Lunge
Cossack Squat
Get Strong
A muscle that is stronger can handle more stress placed upon it. This is why developing the musculature related to this injury can help in the future. In particular, we will look to increase the strength of the groin muscles, but also that of the abdominals.
When we look at where most of the groin muscles originate, we can see they share a common insertion with some of the abdominal muscles. This can be like a tug of war between the muscles. If we have one side not holding up its part, then we can be left with imbalanced force production and a not optimal tension-length relationship. This is often overlooked and can lead to reoccurring issues – which is why we address it here.
We use a similar approach here of utilizing less dynamic movements initially to help target the groin muscles, then build in more dynamic movement and load over time.
For the abdominals we use an approach of challenging the abdominals in both a isometric and isotonic format. This helps to integrate static strength to hold position, but also strength in being able to manipulate the pelvic positioning.
Adductor Strengthening
Side Lying Adduction
Feet Elevated Side Plank – Top Leg Only
Feet Elevated Side Lying Adduction
Lateral Lunge – DBs
Lateral Lunge – 1 Rack
Band Resisted Lateral Lunge
Abdominal Strengthening
Reverse Crunch
Hanging Knee Raise
Hard Style Plank
An Example Introductory Session
Upper Body Lift +
A1. Split stance adductor mob x10 x3sets
A2. Side lying adduction x10 x3 sets
B1. Frog x10 x3 sets
B2. Reverse Crunch x10 x3sets
As you start to build strength and comfort, we can progress to:
Modified Lower Body Lift (RFESS, deadlifts, etc.) +
A1. Lateral Lunge – DBs x6 x3sets
A2. Hard style plank – 3(10s) x3sets
B1. Feet elevated side plank – top leg only x3(10s) x3 sets
B2. Hanging knee raise
Wrap Up
Over time you would want to keep progressing the variations while also building to more advanced movements involving power, agility, and requiring greater motor control of positioning.
Move well, lift heavy, stay healthy,
Author’s Bio
Sam Spinelli is cofounder of The Strength Therapist, a company devoted to educating people about strength training for rehab and performance.
Coming from the great white north of Canada, Sam spent 5 years working with high level hockey as a strength and conditioning coach. Currently he has taken up a nomad status in the United States to pursue his doctorate of physical therapy and hang out with really smart people (Like Tony G).
Outside of spending his time reading research papers and drinking coffee, he is a competitive strength athlete in sports such as powerlifting, weightlifting, and strongman.
I’m still across the pond in London with Dean Somerset presenting our Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint workshop.8 I have zero plans to do work today, but a good friend (and colleague) of mine, George Kalantzis, was kind enough to pinch hit write for me.
He’s written several articles for this site and he’s a master at writing effective fat-loss programs.
In fact, the cards are stacked against you and mainstream media keeps flooding you everyday promising you with six pack abs shortcuts and seven day cleanses to only leave you frustrated and tired of results.
But Not Today
Over the past 15 years of my life, I have had the chance to train with some of America’s finest men as a Marine, and coach alongside some of the best in the fitness realm. I’ve learned some pretty cool training methods and have helped people lose anywhere from 5-40 pounds in a matter of a few months.
Because you are here to pick heavy things up and see results, you want a training method that will optimize time and accelerate fat loss.
And to be lean and athletic, you need to utilize combination exercises in your training to build more muscle and boost the metabolism so that your body continues to burn off calories well after exercise.
Combination Exercises and How The Accelerate Fat Loss
The common mindset or misconception seems to be that you can shred fat faster by doing two things- lower exercise at a longer steady duration or crush yourself into oblivion with high-intensity training.
While both play a vital role in fat loss and a well-rounded program, no one has time to train multiple hours throughout the week, ( if you do, I applaud you) and if you want to accelerate fat loss and keep burning calories well after your workout, you have to work hard and smart.
That means you have to find a training method that will burn a ton of calories, promote muscle mass, and elevate the metabolism.
One of the best ways to accelerate fat loss is to utilize combination movements in your training program. Combination movements play a huge role in fat loss because they allow for the greatest muscle fiber recruitment and an increase in the resting metabolic rate.
By stimulating a greater amount of muscle fibers during a workout your body will see huge increases in metabolic demand, which in turn will increase EPOC (Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption). EPOC is the amount of oxygen consumed during recovery in excess than what would have been consumed at rest.
Essentially your body becomes a fat burning machine well after the workout.
Ok, so now that we’ve covered the why combination exercises work, let’s cover how to shred some serious fat!
How To Use Combination Exercises For Fat Loss
Just training hard and fast isn’t usually the answer to a good fat loss program. Or is running for hours on end on the treadmill and Stairmaster going to do the trick.
You need to stimulate the most muscle in the shortest amount of time while finding a sweet spot between failure and easy in order to boost your caloric deficit, a key component to getting shredded.
Combination exercises are great for fat loss because they use compound movement patterns with short rest periods and higher intensity. A must have for shredding that stubborn fat.
But before we get into the circuits, I want to walk about the method behind the madness of combination circuits.
I’m a huge fan of taking what has been known to work and finding out ways to make it better. Density training has been known as one of the best things you can to shred fat fast. The greater the density, the more fat you will burn. You can increase density by cutting rest times and set up circuits like the ones below.
Day # 1
1a) Upper/Lower Compound x12-15 Reps
1b) Push-up Progression 8-10 Reps
1C) Split Stance Progression/Core x6 reps
2) Quad Dominant x 5
2b) Vertical Pull x 5
2c) Core
Day # 2
1a) Upper/Lower Compound x12-15 Reps
1B) Inverted Row x 5
1C) Single Leg RDL Combo x 6/leg
2a) Hip Dominant x 15
2B) Horizontal Press x 5
2C) Core
These circuits are a bit more advanced, so use them as a starting point and make modifications where you can
Pre-Exhaust Method Combination – Then Heavy Equals Accelerated Fat Loss
Not all circuits are created equal. To stimulate the most muscle during a workout and keep burning fat well after the workout, you need to shock the system.
Traditional fat loss programs include lighter weight and higher reps to produce results. And while there is nothing wrong with those programs, I like my clients to maintain muscle while shredding fat.
This is where I like to combine pre-exhaust training with heavier training to accelerate fat loss. Pre-exhaustion is a way to fatigue the muscles before hitting them with compound multi-joint exercises. This method is old school but is a great way to wake up the muscles prior to the larger lifts and stimulate muscle growth. Which means you get to build some more muscle and keep shredding pounds.
Fair warning, just because the reps are higher and the load is lighter, does not mean it will be easy. You will soon begin to feel what pre-exhaustion meals into your second and third set.
Pre- Exhaustion Set For Fat Loss Looks Like This
A1) DB RDL/Bentover Row Combo x 12
A2) Tempo Pushup x 3-0-3 x 8
A3) Walking Lunge Into Renegade Row 6/side
Then You Would Rest No More Than 90 seconds and Get Right Into Heaver Weights
B1) Double Kettlebell Front Squat x 5
B2) Pull-up x 5
B3) Side Plank With Knee Drive 5/side
A second day would look like this
A1) Kettlebell Squat To Press x 12
A2) TRX Inverted Row x 10-12
A3) Single Leg RDL To Reverse Lunge Combo x 6/leg
B1) Kettlebell Swing x 5
B2) BB Bench Press x 5
B3) Push-up To Mountain Climber 5/side
Accelerated Fat Loss Summary
For most people, when it comes to shredding fat, being consistent with eating healthy and working hard produces results. Sometimes, you will need to think outside of the fat loss box and mix it up with different styles of training.
Harder, shorter training sessions work better than high reps and lower weights because they force you to recruit more muscles than a typical training session. Attack fat loss training with a specific goal and stick to it for at least 4-6 weeks. Use the training methods above at least two days a week and you will begin to see a transformation in your body composition.
Author’s Bio
George is a Marine Corps Veteran of 9 years and was awarded an honorable discharge after deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He is currently a Master Instructor and Personal Trainer at Equinox in Boston and a licensed massage therapist.
Outside of Equinox, George maintains a fitness related blog that can be found at www.sgtkfitness.com.
He and his wife Shawna reside in Manchester, NH with their daughter Melina and fur baby Lola the dog.
Seems how I won’t be giving Langston Hughes a run for his money anytime soon, lets get into the meat and potatoes of the Meadow’s Row and why I like it so much.
First off, John Meadows, the guy who popularized the movement, is a brick shit house:
It’s long been a staple exercise in his routines, and, if you want a back the size of Nebraska, like John, you’d be remiss not to start peppering it into your exercise routines as well.
I’ve been a big fan of the Meadow’s Row for awhile, ever since I first saw John mention it in THIS article over on T-Nation a few years ago. It wasn’t until earlier this week, however, when I posted the picture below on Instagram that I felt compelled to write about it.
A post shared by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on
Basically, someone saw the picture and asked if I’d discuss coaching cues and provide a few videos?
Given I’ve been in a little “coming up with new content funk” I was more than happy to oblige. So, here you go.
The Meadow’s Row
What Does It Do? – I’d like to preface everything by saying I do feel it’s important for most trainees – especially beginners and intermediates – to pump the brakes a little and learn to perform a strict 1-Arm DB Row first.
The 1-Arm DB Row should not be performed in a straight up and down motion. This often leads to faulty mechanics and people “rolling” their shoulder(s) too far forward due to excessive humeral extension.
The resultant abducted and anteriorly tilted scapular position makes it cumbersome to target the upper back muscles, which is kinda the point of the exercise in the first place. So, there’s that.
Rather, the more kosher way to perform them is to have the DB move in an “arc” fashion; forward and back. This does two things:
When conjoined with the cue “bring your elbow to your hip or back pocket” it prevents the elbow from going past the midline of the body, avoiding that “rolling” of the shoulder mentioned above.
It matches the fiber orientation of the lats, which is what we’re really trying to target.
Side Note: I also agree with Lee that you can only be so strict with the DB Row for so long before it loses its moxy.
Meaning: I think it is important to be strict – at first – so that you can target the scapular retractors (namely, rhomboids). However, it won’t take long before the limiting factor of how much weight you can use is, you know…being strict.
As Nick Tumminello notes in THIS excellent article, two things to consider are the Resistance Curve and Strength Curve of any exercise.
The Resistance Curve: This refers to how the load changes throughout the range of motion based on changes in lever-arm (or moment-arm) length.
The Strength Curve: This refers to how your strength changes throughout the range of motion of a given exercise, which is due to a principle of physiology known as the length-tension relationship or the length-tension curve.
Photo Credit: T-Nation.com
Muscles have the lowest potential to produce force when they’re either fully elongated or fully contracted – somewhere in the middle is when they produce the highest amount of tension.
Moreover, when performing a horizontal row (like a 1-Arm DB R0w) the lever arm gets LONGER at the end range of the concentric motion (when your humerus is perpendicular to the ground).
As Nick notes:
“This is why you often see lifters pull the weight halfway with good form, then jolt it the rest of the way when doing exercises like barbell bent-over rows and one-arm dumbbell rows. It’s also why you see so many people turning their torso towards their rowing arm as they pull the dumbbell in on dumbbell rows, along with seeing people staying too upright on bent-over barbell rows and one-arm dumbbell rows, or leaning back to far when performing seated rows or machine rows.”
Anyways, I’m a firm advocate for coaching strict technique in the beginning. But we also need to recognize said strictness can be a limiting factor if muscle growth is a goal.
And, it is…..always……….;o)
By all means, be strict!
Just know you (likely) won’t be turning any heads or building an impressive upper back with your “strict” 45 lb rows.
So What is it About the Meadow’s Row That I Like So Much?
It builds ginormous backs.
Specifically, it hammers the lats (which is your largest back muscle).
It makes you feel like a badass diesel motherfucker.
It’s fun to do, and nice change of pace from plain ol’ vanilla DB Rows.
A great option to go heavy if your gym is lame and doesn’t have heavy DBs.
Key Coaching Cues:
1. Use straps.
Don’t listen to internet trolls who will tell you you’re “cheating” if you use straps. They brag about 225 lb deadlifts and their parents still pay their phone bills.
Use straps. You don’t want your grip to be the limiting factor on these.
2. John himself advocates you open up your hip closest to the bar. As in: the hip closest to the bar should be higher than the outside hip. I believe he prefers this method as it puts the lats on stretch a bit more.
Either way, play around with hip position and see what feels best for you.
3. I like to support my torso with my “free” hand by resting it on my opposite knee. I feel this takes the burden off my lower back.
4. I still use the same cue: “elbow to back hip or back pocket.”
5. Try to feel a slight “stretch” in the bottom position, when arm is straight.
6. Holy shit, lats for days.
Another option would be to perform the Meadow’s Row with a Meadows Attachment.
The thinner handle helps with grip issues, and won’t result in demerit points if you’re adamant on not using straps.
In addition, you can also play around with different handle positions to see which one you prefer or feel most. There’s no right or wrong here.
NOTE: You can purchase the attachment HERE on Elitefts.com.
And That’s That
If you haven’t already, give the Meadow’s Row a try today. It’s one of my favorites and I’m sure you’ll learn to appreciate them as well.
I don’t want to be cliche and say that today’s article is “exactly what I needed,” but it’s exactly what I needed.
If you’re a newly minted parent (or just someone who’s crazy busy and needs to be as efficient as possible in the gym) you’ll want to hug me for posting this guest post from Shane McLean.
My wife and I had just tucked our little one into bed and made our nightly dash to the bedroom…so we could get as much sleep as possible.
What were you thinking?
Tomorrow was gym day and I was looking forward to crushing some weights and getting a break from daddy duties for an hour or so.
Like most first-time parents, we had a baby monitor turned up full blast beside our bed to hear when it was feeding time.
Because my wife had a full-time job and I was the stay at home parent, it was me (for the most part) who would get up to feed our son and try to put him back to sleep.
On this particular night, he thought 2 a.m. would be an excellent time to play on the sheepskin rug after he had finished his feeding. He was making goo goo eyes at me while having a big time thrashing his legs about like a Tour de France cyclist.
This was all very cute, but by 3 a.m. I’d had enough of this show and I put him to bed so hopefully the both of us could get some sleep before the sun came up.
Needless to say, I was a zombie the next morning and too tired to crush my planned training. Not even excessive amounts of caffeine could wake me up. The baby was full of energy, however.
Funny how that works.
This is what happens in real life. Stuff comes up and our best laid plans become stuck. We have other priorities that push exercise down the list.
Whether you’re becoming a parent, are already a parent or you just have way too much going on, use the following strategies to keep your health on track. Your sanity will thank you.
Imagine You’re in Prison
Dan John, strength Yoda, imagines a scenario where you’re in prison and you only have 15 minutes a day to train. What would you do? What is important to you? Please don’t say bicep curls.
Narrowing your focus when your time and energy is limited will at the very least keep you, your waistline and the scale happy. No matter how busy you are, you should always dedicate some time to exercise.
Here are a couple of examples of time-saving trainings (gym and home) that I’ve used in the past when time is limited but I still want to eat ice cream guilt free.
1a. Pushups 10 reps (Can be done on knees or on an incline surface)
Rest one minute after each circuit and do five circuits.
Cardiovascular Training
Do a two-minute walk/warm up, then a 15 second sprint followed by 15 seconds of rest. Repeat this cycle for five work/rest intervals. Then cool down for two-three minutes.
This can be done on treadmill, track, bike, rowing machine or you can find some open space and sprint.
Stand Up and Take Movement Breaks
A study by Levine (2005) recruited 20 healthy volunteers, 10 lean people (5 men 5 women) and 10 people classified as grade I obese (5 men and 5 women). Levine was looking for physical activity differences between these two groups.
Levine found that grade I obese sat for 164 minutes a day longer than their lean counterparts and lean people were standing and active for 153 minues more than their obese counterparts. This lead to the lean people burning 352 calories a day which is the equivalent to 36.5 grams of fat per year.
This partly is due to N.E.A.T or non-exercise activity thermogenesis, a process that burns the majority of our calories.
Finding time in your day to be active even when you’re busy or overwhelmed will have huge implications on your health, fitness and waist line.
Here are some suggestions when you don’t have time for the gym.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Walk during your lunch hour.
Walk to your coworker’s desk instead of emailing.
Pace the sidelines at your kid’s athletic game.
Do housework and walk around your house.
Walk your dog.
Bring the groceries from your car into your house one bag at a time.
Perform gardening and easy to do home repair projects.
Refer to point one.
This list could go on and on but I’ll stop. You can get creative.
One Lift Per Day
If going to the gym is non-negotiable, try narrowing your focus even further by doing just one lift per day. Trust me, this is not for sissies. Back in the 50’s and 60’s some Olympic lifters trained like this and they turned out just fine.
It was greasing the groove concept before Pavel Tsatsouline popularized this in his book Power to the People. Bottom line, if you’re going to master a lift it pays to do it more not less. Mind blown, right?
I could wax poetic on sets, reps and guidelines but you’re better off just reading THIS. He kind of knows what he is talking about.
Wrapping Up
There are periods in our lives where we barely keep our heads above water and our time and energy are in short supply. This is not time to crush PR’s or embark on some ambitious fat loss program.
It’s a time for maintenance because a little exercise can go a long way. Besides, sometimes you need your energy for more important stuff, like 3 a.m. sheepskin rug time. With the baby, I mean.
About the Author
Shane “The Balance Guy”McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Texas. Shane believes in balancing exercise with life while putting the fun back into both.
Full Disclosure: I am not a fantastic presser. I’m not going to sit here and attempt to regal you with stories from high-school where I used to drive a Camaro, hookup with the Prom Queen, and bench 405 for reps (you know, before that nasty football injury in the State Championship ruined everything).9
Nope, this is not that kind of story. I recognize the bench press often serves as a litmus test for general level of badassery, but I’ve always considered myself an average presser (personal best of 315 lbs at a bodyweight of sexy). Or, in Dave Tate’s words “I suck.”10
I know how to coach it, however, and have worked with many people in my years at Cressey Sports Performance and now presently, at my studio CORE, to hone their bench press prowess. More commonly, though, is helping people work around a nagging shoulder injury.
NEWSFLASH: Many people complain that the bench press bothers their shoulder.
And while the first inclination is to nix the bench press altogether and jump into corrective exercise mode and start having people blow into balloons or perform any number of thoracic mobility or scapular stability drills to get at the (possible) root of the problem, I feel we sometimes need to pump the brakes.
Telling a guy to stop bench pressing is tantamount to this:
I mean, I agree that for many people their upper back mobility is atrocious and that it’s likely a very good use of their time to address it. And yes, some people may have gunky tissue quality or less than exemplary scapular stability or kinematics which likely is playing a significant role in their ouchie shoulder.
A thorough assessment or appointment with a manual therapist can hopefully help.
But too, maybe the reason why someone’s shoulder(s) hurt during bench pressing is because their technique makes my eyes bleed?
*shrugs*
Maybe all they need is a little more coaching. As I always say:
“Correct movement can be corrective.”
This is why, when someone’s shoulder hurts during the bench press, my first “tier” to attack is technique. The fitness industry has become too corrective at the expense of coaching our athletes/clients. Taking the 5-10 minutes to address someone’s set-up can make a huge difference in how the movement feels.
Are they driving their upper traps into the bench?
Are they getting their scapulae retracted and depressed?
Do they press the bar up and out of the j-hooks, or do they “guide” the bar out?
Do they “let the bar settle” before they lower it?
Do they “meet the bar with their chest? Or do they allow their shoulders to roll forward?
All of these can be easy-to-fix snafus that may eliminate any shoulder discomfort during the bench press.
Bench Press Set-Up
What happens if you address technique, it’s sound, and the bench press still hurts? You can still implement other pressing variations that can work in the interim while you address the root cause(s).
Decline Bench Press
Think about what’s not happening during a decline bench press as opposed to a flat or incline bench variation?
In a decline there’s less shoulder flexion involved which helps keep many trainees out of the “danger zone” of shoulder pain. So if flat bench pressing hurts you may be able to get away with a decline.
Spoto Press (Invisible Board Press)
A common flaw I see is some people have a hard time “meeting the bar with their chest” and end up having their shoulders roll forward as they lower the barbell.
Popularized by Bench Press Captain America, Eric Spoto (722 lbs, unequipped), the Spoto Press is a variation to combat this where you stop the bar a few inches above the chest, pause, and then press back up.
When In Doubt, Use Dumbbells
When you grab a barbell with a pronated (overhand) grip, you “lock” the humerus in an internally rotated position which can be problematic since it narrows the acromion space.
Using dumbbells alleviates this issue because you can nudge a little more external rotation by adopting a neutral grip. This is a major reason why I prefer DB pressing variations for overhead athletes as opposed to straight bar.
Corrective Pressing Variations That Don’t Feel Corrective
While not always the case, a common thread I see when it comes to shoulder pain is the INability of the shoulder scapulae to be able to move. In order to move big weight you need to respect tension and stability. In some cases, however, the shoulder blades are kinda “stuck” (usually downward rotation) and lack the ability to move through a full ROM.
It’s still vital to be able to access scapular movement for overall shoulder health.
When this happens I prefer to use pressing variations that allow for a little more wiggle room. As in: we allow the shoulder blades a little breathing room. Push-ups will always be my first choice here. But relax, I recognize most would rather swallow a live grenade than read more about push-ups.
For those interested you can READ this brief article.
Off-Bench DB Press
Scooting a smidge to the side of a bench will allow more scapular movement. What’s nice about this exercise is that it’s also a great core exercise (you have to fire like crazy in order to not fall off the bench) in addition to an awesome way to further engage the glutes. You can’t quite see it with the angle of this video, but I’m also situated further down on the bench so my lower half isn’t resting on it.
Bottoms-Up Press – Off Foam Roller
I snaked this one off Dr. Joel Seedman. Using a KB and holding it in the bottoms-up position is a fantastic way to ramp up rotator cuff activation…you really have to fight to stabilize and keep the joint centrated.
Moreover, by lying on the foam roller the shoulder blades are now able to move to a higher degree. And, much like the off-bench variation above, there’s also a high degree of glute engagement as well as foot and ankle engagement.
And That’s That
Don’t be so quick to bust out the band external rotations and t-spine drills. Addressing technique on the bench press can be every bit as corrective in terms of addressing shoulder pain. Likewise, don’t be so quick to omit all pressing variations. All aren’t equal and it oftentimes is a matter of choosing the right variation for the individual and nice vice versa.
