CategoriesMotivational Program Design

Top 4 Mistakes Beginners Make When Starting a Fitness Program. And How to Fix Them

I’m stuck in the midst of an avalanche of entrepreneurial shenanigans this week, so apologies for the lack of content on my end.

I do, however, have a first-class guest post from TG.com regular contributor, Shane McLean today discussing some common mistakes many beginners make in pursuing their health/fitness goals. But unlike a lot of articles with the same theme that go on and on and (and on) about what people do wrong, he actually provides some simple strategies to address things.

Enjoy!

NOTE: Be sure to check below for a special (and FREE) 4-week program offer from Shane.

Copyright: ramain / 123RF Stock Photo

4 Mistakes Beginners Make When Starting a Fitness Program (and How to Fix Them)

Starting something is easy.

This is evidenced by the crowds that pour into every gym after January 1st.And how many of these people are still in the gym after February 1st?

Probably not a lot.

They realize that a year’s worth of debauchery is not undone in four weeks, no matter what Dr. Oz says.

No cleanse, no magic exercise, no magic pill or diet will undo all that unhealthy living.

Like anything worth doing, it takes time and patience.

If this sounds anything like you (or a friend) here are some other mistakes (besides impatience and listening to Dr Oz.) you need to watch out for when starting out your fitness quest.

And if you recognize them and made them before, here’s what to do about it so you don’t do it again. Because learning from your mistakes is a good thing.

And learning about a potential mistake (before you make it) is even better.

1. Changing Too Many Habits at Once

When you’re first starting, your gun-ho to get this show on the road.

You want to hit the gym four, no, five days a week.

You throw away your junk food and buy all the fruits and vegetables.

And you vow to drink more water and less soda. However, the more you try to change, the less those changes stick according to Leo Babauta, the author of ‘The Power of Less.’

He states:

“In order to create a sustainable habit, you need to address one habit at a time.”

His research tells us that you will have an 85% success rate adopting one new habit at a time. Trying to change two habits at once the success rate to 33%.

That’s a huge drop off.

Trying to change more than one habit at a time is more likely to lead to failure than success.

What to do instead

  1. Start small– Most people want to create big change as quickly as possible. For example, if you’re trying to lose weight start with drinking a glass of water before each meal

 

  1. Get hooked on your habit- That’s the point. It takes a little while to make it a habit to stick. Don’t worry if you miss a day. Just don’t miss twice. The only way to fail is to quit.

2. You Think Rome Was Built in a Day

Following from above, because you’re making all these changes at once you (may) expect instant success. You feel the weight should fly off and the scale and mirror become your best friends.

Hold your horses.

Usually, it takes 4-6 weeks to see any visible changes in your body. During this time your nervous system, ligaments and tendons are getting used to the exercise you’re throwing at them.

They’re all busy making new connections and getting stronger.  Once this period is over, you’ll start seeing some changes when you flex in the mirror. The trick here is to stick it out and be patient.

Because it doesn’t happen overnight, but it will happen.

 

What to do instead

Realize it took you awhile to get here and it’s going to take some time to turn this ship around.

You need to celebrate the small wins along the way. Even if you walked for an extra 10 minutes or did an extra rep of an exercise, give yourself a pat on the back. This helps keep you going.

3. Making Vanity Your Only Reason

Self-improvement for whatever reason is a worthy pursuit.

The trick here is to keep it going and to find your why outside of vanity.

For example, training for a 5 k or bending over to pick up your kids without pain.

Because when vanity is your only reason and if your results dry to a trickle, it’s easier to give up and listen to your thoughts that are saying this exercise thing isn’t for you.

That’s why it’s important to find your WHY.

Because when you have a deeper reason for your health outside of vanity, you’re more likely to keep going.

What to do instead

Spend some time in self-reflection and ask yourself the 5 whys.

Here’s an example.

Why do you want to exercise? To lose weight.

Why do you want to lose weight?  Because I don’t like the way I look.

Why don’t you like the way you look? Because I’m 35 pounds overweight.

Why is losing 35 pounds important to you? Because I’m pre diabetic, have low energy and I can’t keep up with my kids anymore.

Why is keeping up with your kids important? Because they’re young and I want to be a better parent to them for as long as possible.

Boom. Now you do the same.

4. NOT Asking for Help

When everything is shiny and motivation is at an all-time high, exercise is easier. You’re going to the gym consistently; you’re eating better and you’re looking sexier.

Everything is going to plan until you hit a roadblock.

It could take the form of:

  • A fat loss plateau
  • Your hours increase at work
  • Your caregiver duties increase because of sickness
  • You get hurt or injured
  • Life and all it entails 😊
  • Bears. What out for those jerks.

Then you either think power through it or you begin to drop off your good habits, little by little. Either way, reaching your goals is more difficult.

But you still got this, right?

What to do instead

I’m all about making it easier, (on myself and clients) not harder. This is why I enlist the help of a friend and coach to write my programs. Because a trainer who has himself as a trainer has a fool for a client.

Please make it easier for yourself by asking for help.

This may take the form of asking the trainer at your gym for tips to work around an injury or exercising when you have limited time. Enlisting help from your spouse or loved ones, so you carve out a little time for yourself for health purposes.

Because when you don’t ask, the answer is always no.

Wrapping Up

Starting something is easy. The follow through and the ability to keep going is more difficult. Especially when things are not going your way.

But, the only way to fail is to quit. And you’re no quitter, right?

Do you need help with your exercise, getting started or overcoming roadblocks to be your best self?

Download my 4-week program here to get you on the road to better health.

About the Author

Shane “Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Louisiana with the gators.

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

How to Tell If You’re Getting Stronger in the Gym

Granted I’m biased, but I truly feel making a concerted effort to get strong(er) in the gym is the way to go for most people.

Strength is the base for pretty much everything; it’s the “thing” that most all other attributes we strive to improve upon is tethered to

Speed, power, endurance, Laser Tag world dominance, literally, pretty much everything performance based has its “roots” in improved strength. What’s more, there’s also a significant interplay between strength and improved body composition (strong people typically have more muscle), not to mention a high correlation of less risk of getting injured.1

I’m not saying strength is the end-all-be-all-answer-to-everything-and-you’re-totally-going-to-be-the-hero-of-your-recreational-slowpitch-softball-team-and-have-the-stamina-of-37-Spartan-Warriors-in-bed…

…but it’s close, and pretty damn important.

Copyright: langstrup / 123RF Stock Photo

But How Can You Tell If You’re Getting Strong(er)?

There’s a lot of nuance as to HOW to get stronger (HINT: lift heavy things consistently) in addition to HOW to measure it.

However, for the sake of brevity I made this handy Cliff Notes graphic to hammer home the key components at play:

The left-side of the graphic is fairly self-explanatory, but in case some people reading are looking at this as if it were written in Elvish let me elaborate.

If you make a consciouses effort to perform either more reps, sets (or both) at a given load…you’re winning.

Example

Front Squat (225 lb)

Week 1: 3 sets of 5 reps = 15 total reps at a total tonnage (volume) of 3,375 lb lifted.

You know you’re getting stronger if you stay at the same weight and you perform either an additional set or more repetition(s).

This is also called PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD.

So, Week #2 could go as follows:

3 sets of 6 reps  = 18 reps completed at a total tonnage (volume) of 4,050 lb lifted.

4 sets of 5 reps =  20 reps completed at a total tonnage (volume) of  4,500 lb lifted.

Likewise, if you add more weight to the bar and lift that once, twice, eleven times, well, the secret’s out…you’re stronger.

Hell, I may as well just hand you the Sword of Grayskull and give you a killer bowl cut at this point.

To simplify things further: You’re going to get stronger if you DO MORE WORK over the course of several weeks, months, years.

To Note: Beginners will have a much easier time with this than advanced lifters. Most beginners can just gaze at a dumbbell and they’re going to get stronger.2 The first year or two of training can easily be boiled down to what’s described above; linear periodization at its core.

The more time under the bar someone has, however, and the stronger they are, the more “fluctuations” in training parameters have to be taken into consideration.

There’s going to be more peaks and valleys in training stress/load throughout the year in order to improve strength, as well as more meticulous attention to things like bar speed, ability to recover, and what accessory work needs to be done to address weak points in technique.

Lets just say more things need to be taken into consideration to take someone from a 400 lbs. deadlift to 500 compared to someone going from 200 to 300 lbs.

The cool thing, though…once you ARE strong (whatever that means to you), while the work to get there is no walk in the park, it doesn’t require nearly as much effort to maintain it. Maximal strength, for example, has a “residual” duration of 30 (+/- 5) days.

Meaning, so long as you remind the body (to be more specific, the central nervous system) that it can do something, you don’t have to do a lot of that something to maintain it.

To summarize the left side of my handy graphic above:

“What gets measured gets managed.”

That being said, where many people seem to miss the mark is that, where strength is the main goal, it isn’t just about always doing more reps, sets, and/or adding more weight to the barbell.

1. Do More Work in Less Time

This is density training 101.

Not only is this indicative of improved strength, but work capacity as well.

2. Get Submax Rep PRs

Dan John is known for a bevy of remarkable quotes.

“The goal, is to keep the goal the goal,” is a popular one.

One of my favorite of his, though, is this:

“Easy training is good training.”

There’s a time a place for training to suck and to make you come close to shitting your spleen.

Here’s a hint: That time is not every…single…workout.

It’s music to my ears when I client says “your pecs are looking awfully pecy today, Tony.” But it’s a goddamn symphonic masterpiece when a clients says “I could have done more” at the end of a session.

This doesn’t imply that they didn’t work hard or that the training session wasn’t challenging (trust me, it was). Rather, what it implies is that they got their work in and will likely show up for their next session feeling refreshed and ready to go.

It’s hard to make strides in strength when you constantly feel like you got run over by a Mack truck.

In short: Make your 3-rep Max your 5-rep Max. Chances are your 1-rep max will improve too. You don’t always have to pursue ABSOLUTE strength in order to get stronger.

3. “Feel” of a Set

I find a lot of people are too quick to add weight to the bar at the expense of their technique.

Sure, you may complete all desired repetitions of a given exercise, but if my eyes start bleeding watching it or I could  watch an entire episode of The Mandalorian before you complete five repetitions…

…STAY PUT.

Do not add more weight.

Don’t you do it.3

Making the same load FEEL easier is a sign of progress and an often under-utilized metric.

But seriously, how cute is Baby Yoda?

CategoriesConditioning Program Design

Conditioning That Won’t Make You Hate Life *That Much*

Lets get right to the point.

Conditioning – how much to do?, how “hard” should it be?, what modalities are best? – can be a conundrum for many.

As with any question the appropriate answer is “it depends.”4

That said, the questions above are no different but are predicated on a number of things: one’s goal(s), injury history, current ability/fitness level, and whether or not they’re Bo Jackson.

Okay, that’s the epitome of “it depends.”

Even still, there’s no way a simple blog post can appropriately articulate the expansiveness of this topic and all the components at play.

However, I will say this:

  1. Conditioning as a means to AID RECOVERY is crucial.
  2. Conditioning is not more effective the harder you make it. I.e., it shouldn’t make you shit your spleen. If it does, you may want to head to the nearest hospital.

Conditioning That Won’t Make You Hate Life (That Much)

At the expense of making things a bit too over-simplistic, in my opinion, conditioning is more about helping to increase one’s work capacity (or ability to do more work in a given time).

Watering it down further and directing my train of thought to most of you reading: low(ish) intensity conditioning can help in the weight room and improve recovery and performance.

But if you prefer a more smarty-pants explanation, I like Alex Viada‘s say on the matter:

“If the goal is to improve work capacity (ability to do more work in a given time) it’s crucial to employ modalities that aid and promote general recovery which also create positive adaptations in durability, energy stores, cardiac output and cardiac perfusion, and other general components of overall endurance that essentially provide the foundation for an athlete to train and compete for longer while recovering better.”

The key, though, is not to be an asshat and turn something that’s supposed to, you know, help you recover…and turn it into loaded Prowler sprints paired with 400m handstand walks over broken glass for AMRAP.

Again, I can’t say this enough…

…AIDING RECOVERY IS THE GOAL.

Here are a handful of my favorite go to protocols.

1. You Haven’t Been An Athlete For 20+ Years So Lets Stop Pretending You Are One Movement Circuit

Sprinting, more often than not, will not be my first choice for most trainees.

It’s too aggressive and most people just aren’t prepared for it. Repeatedly stabbing themselves in the neck with a cactus would likely be more beneficial.

I keed, I keed.

At some point I may venture into opening things up and introducing some sprint work into the mix.  But in the meantime, for most people, a more down to Earth approach to movement training/conditioning would be to implement more basic calisthenics like skipping, side shuffling, and the like into the mix.

  • 20 yd Forward Skip
  • Walk/jog 20 yd
  • 20 yd Reverse Skip
  • Walk/jog 20 yd
  • 20 yd Lateral Skipping/direction
  • Walk/jog 20 yd
  • 20 yd Side Shuffle/direction
  • Walk/jog 20 yd
  • 20 yd Carioca/direction
  • Walk/jog 20 yd
  • Rest 1-2 Minutes
  • Repeat for 3-5 Total Rounds

2. Tempo “Sprints”

My expectation isn’t that everyone has to look like Tom Cruise sprinting from an alien in order to perform sprints:

 

However, there should be a “base” level of competence involved which is where coaching comes into fruition. That said, sprinting doesn’t always have to be an-all-out-holy-fucking-shit-that-skyscraper-is-going-to-collapse-on-my- head-if-I-don’t-high-tail-it-out-of-here endeavor.

Strength coach Mike Boyle has always championed “tempo runs/sprints” as a conditioning method for his athletes AND regular Joe’s and I agree wholeheartedly.

I think they’re fantastic.

Basically all you do is perform sprints at 60-75% effort with walking recovery.

A basic template would look like this:

  • Tempo Sprint 50 yd
  • 50 yd walk back
  • Repeat for “x” number of rounds

A good rule to follow is no more than a 10% increase in volume (distance or time) each week.

3. Add a Prowler

There are a thousand and one different ways to implement conditioning with Prowler Sled.

One that I like is this:

  • 20 yd (loaded) Prowler Sprint (or whatever is best suited for the person: loaded, un-loaded, sprint, walk, pants on, pants off, you’re the coach, figure it out)
  • 40 yd Jog
  • 80 yd Walk (recover)
  • Repeat 8-10 Rounds

4. Something I Stole From Chad Wesley Smith

Strength coach Chad Wesley Smith defines tempo as the following:

“Tempo activity is done at 60-75% of max intensity and while the duration will vary based upon the nature of the activity you’re performing and your requisite fitness levels, 15-45 seconds of work is a good guideline. These work intervals are interspersed with low intensity calisthenics like push-ups, ring rows, abs, or can just be rest periods.”

One of Chad’s favorite protocols (and one I stole from him) is as follows using a stationary bike:

  • 1st Rep: 30 seconds of riding (~110 rpm) followed by 10 push-ups, rest until heart rate returns to bottom aerobic development zone OR you can speak normally.
  • 2nd Rep: 3o seconds of riding (~110 rpm) followed by abs, rest until heart rate returns to bottom aerobic development zone OR you can speak normally.
  • 3rd Rep: 30 seconds of riding (~110 rpm) followed by 10 push-ups, rest until heart rate returns to bottom aerobic development zone OR you can speak normally.
  • 4th Rep: 3o seconds of riding (~110 rpm) followed by abs, rest until heart rate returns to bottom aerobic development zone OR you can speak normally.
  • 5th Rep: 30 seconds of riding (~110 rpm) followed by 10 push-ups, rest until heart rate returns to bottom aerobic development zone OR you can speak normally.
  • 6th Rep: 3o seconds of riding (~110 rpm) followed by abs, rest until heart rate returns to bottom aerobic development zone OR you can speak normally.

Rest 3-5 Minutes and begin Set 2.

Two sets of SIX is a good starting point and over a number of weeks build up to TWO sets of TEN and maintain there.

5. Juarez Push-Up Inverted Circuit

This is a doozy I stole from another strength coach, Josh Bryant, of Jailhouse Strong (which should give away where the name of this circuit came from).

  • Perform 10 Push-Ups
  • Get up, walk/jog 20 yds
  • Perform 1 Push-Up
  • Get up, walk/jog back 20 yds
  • Perform 9 Push-Ups
  • Get up, walk/jog 20 yds
  • Perform 2 Push-Ups
  • Get up, walk/jog back 20 yds
  • So on and so forth

Perform any of these conditioning workouts on “off” days between your regularly scheduled workouts and I am willing to bet you’re going to see some drastic improvements in your ability to recover and work harder in the gym.

microgen@123rf.comCategoriesExercise Technique Program Design

4 Non Pull-Up Exercises to Help Build Your Pull-Up

I wanted to highlight some of my thoughts and programming suggestions on the topic. Don’t get me wrong: To get better at any activity – pull-ups, chess, baking, fighting grizzly bears – you need to actually do the activity. Specificity reigns supreme. I’ve highlighted several ways to progress one’s pull-up prowess on this site before.

I mean, you’re not here for Macadamia Nut Cookie recipes, or, I don’t know, best uses of tape.5

As such, I figured I’d take today to highlight a few of my “go to” non-pull-up exercises that help build the pull-up.

Lets get to it.

NOTE: Before anyone chimes in with the inevitable snide comment that the picture above is a silhouette of chin-up and not a pull-up, I get it.

You’re a hero.

A Quick Aside

I work with many clients – both male and female – who are very interested in performing their first strict, bodyweight pull-up.

And, to no big surprise, they’ve likely been told, via various articles and coaches, to hammer the same two exercises time and time and time again:

  • Eccentric Only Pull-Ups
  • Band Assisted Pull-Ups

Kind of like their own version of Groundhog Day hell.

Except without all the LOLs.

Suggesting those two exercise is not altogether bad advice.

I mean, in the name of specificity I implement them all the time too.

However, it’s a bit shortsighted and derails one key component of pull-up training I feel many trainees (and coaches) tend to overlook:

NO PANTS FREQUENCY

If you want to conquer your first pull-up…

  • You need to train it more often.6

AND

  • To that end, you need to provide a more diverse training menu (so you can train it more often).

Whenever I work with someone who’s main goal is to perform their first pull-up I try to implement an exercise or drill  EVERY session that nudges him or her towards that goal.

Like the Hollow Position “Pull-Up” I discussed the other day HERE.

So, yeah, this means I do include exercises like Band Assisted or Eccentric Only Pull-Ups. It also means I utilize various hanging leg raise exercises (knees bent 90 degrees, straight-leg,  etc), bent-arm hang holds (chin above bar and hold for time), tons and tons of rows, and/or various pulldown exercises.

But here’s a few more for you to consider.

1. Bear Stance Fallout

I got this one from Virginia based strength coach Vernon Griffith. I don’t think he posted it as a drill to help build the pull-up, but I’ve been using it as such because it HAMMERS the core (which is often a weak link for many trainees) in addition to teaching more of a “pulling” action back to the starting position (which carries over to the pull-up).

To be fair, I would always start out with plain ol’ push-ups and making sure people get proficient at them first. I have yet to see someone improve on their push-up technique (and ability to do more) and not see an improvement in pretty much everything else – squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, arm wresting a great white shark, you name it.

That said, if you’re looking to up the ante a bit give this drill a go.

2. Bottoms-Up Carry w/ Band

This may make zero sense to some, but hear me out.

“Connectivity” of the pelvis to the ribcage is huge. The pull-up is more of a FULL-BODY exercise than people give it credit for, and if someone is flailing all over the place while attempting it it makes sense why they may be having a hard time progressing.

This drill helps to build some context of the CONNECTION I am after while also building a set of sturdy shoulders.

3. Rack Pull-Up

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The Rack Pull-Up. . This is a variation I picked up from @liftrunbang and it’s grown to be one of my favorites. . It’s sorta a “hybrid” between an Inverted Row and a Pull-Up, which, not coincidentally, makes it one of my go to exercises when working with someone who’s goal it is to perform their first pull-up. . It’s not quite a pull-up, but it’s close. Sorta like Spam. It’s not quite meat but it’s close. . Anyway…this is also a fantastic accessory pulling/upper back exercise. What makes it really worthwhile is how we can accentuate the lat stretch in the bottom due to the increased ROM. . I like to aim for 6-15 reps per set with these. Pants optional. . Oh, also, props to @ampathletic who’s been allowing me to drop in everyday while in London (and for playing siiiiick EDM).

A post shared by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

4. Leg Assisted Pull-Up

I don’t have anything profound or sciency to add to this drill other than I like it for nothing else than it just gives people a nice confidence boost. I also like it because there’s a degree of specificity tethered to it (I.e., it’s a vertical pull, but still not quite actual pull-up territory).

Or, maybe it is.

Whatever.

And That’s That

For me, the main goal of getting someone to perform their first pull-up is to attack it more frequently and provide them more exposure to an array of exercises that will help them get there.

I hope these make sense and you can use them yourself!

Categoriesmuscle growth Program Design

6 Week MASS Building Routine: Your Quest for a Bigger, Stronger Physique Begins Here

I’m traveling back to Boston from London today. I’ve been away for two weeks presenting at three different workshops. I’ve had a lovely stay, but am looking forward to heading home and my wife handing Julian over to me as soon as I walk through the door.

Thanks to Boston based personal trainer, George Kalantzis, for contributing today’s guest post.

Copyright: shevtsovy / 123RF Stock Photo

6 Week MASS Building Routine: Start Here

Labor day has come and gone, the days are shorter, and the nights are colder.

That means it’s bulking season.

But you don’t come to Tony’s website for some cookie-cutter bullshit program. Over the next six weeks, you will craft a new physique using intense workouts, discipline, and commitment to add mass.

via GIPHY

Setting the Expectations For A Clean Bulk

Nothing gets me more fired up than people who are not willing to put in the work to get desired results.

When I competed in natural bodybuilding last year, I heard questions like “how do you gain muscle and shred down,” how can I look bigger without gaining fat?” What supplements did you take?

The list goes on.

I hate to burst your bubble, but the universe does not bend at the whims of your desire. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot have your cake and eat it too.

So how do you bulk without gaining excessive weight?

To achieve a clean bulk, you must learn how to gain 2-5 pounds per month with half of that weight being muscle, and half of that weight being fat. This will keep your composition in an ideal state for optimal performance.

So just eat more food, right?

Not quite, too much junk food during a bulk is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Nutrition does matter, and most people will either eat a surplus of shitty food or not eat enough. That is one of the toughest things about adding solid mass.


You can expect to gain some body fat during a bulk, but not an excessive amount.

We are aiming to build a stronger engine so that you can increase size, which means you’ll need to gain healthy amounts of body fat.

Don’t get discouraged if you see others gain size quickly or achieve different results, gaining mass is about putting in the work, and for some, adding quality size can take time.

Your Blueprint For Success

Life is motion.

The world continues to rotate on the axis, and every day is an opportunity to grow. Your body is the secret to many things. Yet more often, many of us cheat our way through training, going through motions and we never achieve the results we look for.

Today is the day we put an end to all of that.

Very specifically, this template is designed to form the basis of your training to put on size using bodybuilding methods. Because this is a hypertrophy program, it will help with putting on size, but if you are a powerlifter or strong man, this might not be the best program for you.

An additional benefit of this program is that it will help raise your work capacity and thus prepare you even better for the strength phase training you’ll do after.

What’s more, this program will help spare muscle loss when you decide to cut back down.

This will be your blueprint for a six-week mass building phase.

You’ll notice it is broken down into two three-week phases, each phase using a combination of compound exercises and machines to maximize your results. It is these movements where we will construct a blueprint for adding some serious size.

Phase I

Our first phase consists of flooding the muscles by using compound exercises performed in the optimal range to transform your energy into muscle mass.

During the first three weeks, you’ll be training five days a week in a split that is three days of training, with two days off.

You’ll repeat 3/2 for three weeks in the following format: legs, push, pull.

The great thing about a 3/2 cycle is you can alternate it according to your life.

As long as you train three out of every five days, you’ll provide enough stimulus for growth.

At first, you’ll notice that the program does not look lie much, but to prevent overtraining and generate the highest anabolic response, you’ll stick to three working sets, not including your warmup sets.

Phase II

Now that your muscles are primed for growth, this phase makes insane changes to your physique.

You’ll go from training five days to six days, and you’ll do different exercises and reps ranges. As with the first phase, adjust the days according to your lifestyle, but keep the days in order and make sure to train all six days.

Conclusion

It is human nature to fear the unknown, but it would be inhuman to not yearn for something greater. If you want to experience changes in your physique, you must pushup yourself past your comfort zone. This six-week bulk will give you the tools you need to pack on some serious size.

About the Author

George Kalantzis began his career as decorated Marine with over ten years of faithful service and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s worked with everyone from professional athletes, celebrities, busy executives, and alongside some of the top strength coaches in the world.

Today he spends most of his time coaching at Equinox in Boston, and outside of work with his gorgeous little daughter. Please feel free to say hi over on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, as he loves meeting and connecting with new people.

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

Safety Squat Yoke Bar: Training Application

This is a Tony Gentilcore & Matthew Ibrahim collaborative post.

Or, as I like to call it: A Gentilhim (or Ibracore?) production.

The Safety Squat Yoke Bar (also referred to as “SSB”) is a popular speciality bar that’s most often affiliated with collegiate strength & conditioning facilities, powerlifting gyms, or gyms that are a bit more “serious.”7

However, the Safety Squat bar has grown in popularity in recent years and it’s popping up in more commercial and boutique style gyms as well.

This is great because Matt and I both feel the Yoke Bar is a valuable piece of equipment, one that should be in every gym, with a variety of training applications.

Read on to see what they are.

Copyright: 60dudek / 123RF Stock Photo

Safety Squat Yoke Bar in Your Face, Son

Before I proceed it would make sense to show you a picture of the bar so you know what we’re talking about.

Advantages

1. The SSB is a more “shoulder friendly” way of squatting. Because you grab the bar by the handles which, when the bar is on your back, are located below your shoulders and a smidge in front of the body, it doesn’t require as aggressive of a set-up as a traditional back squat.

Traditional Back Squat (Straight Bar) = Shoulders maximally abducted and external rotated. Many lifters don’t have access to this range of motion and as a result their shoulders are like…

 

SSB/Yoke Squat = Not the above.

2. The SSB is more of a “hybrid” squat. As Matt notes:

“Since the SSB has a longer bar camber from side to side (as opposed to a traditional barbell) plus a unique loading position for weight plates, it offers the lifter a fine balance between what they would expect from a barbell back squat and from a barbell front squat.“

3. The SSB “fixes” your squat. Mirroring what Matt mentioned above, because of how the bar is designed, you have to fight like hell to stay upright (which, not coincidentally, makes it a great option to strengthen the upper back AND help work on thoracic extension; two things most people need more of).

As you get stronger with the SSB/Yoke Bar it’ll make things infinitely easier to stay upright if or when you revert back  to a straight bar.

4. The SSB = 110 Power Boost in World of Warcraft (but only with a +1 Shield and Infinity Cloak).

Nerd.

5. The SSB helps with depth. Because the bar is situated higher up on the back it promotes more of a “squat down” pattern rather that “squat back.”

This, in turn, will often help a lot of people squat deeper (if that’s something they’re interested in).

Here’s an SSB Squat in action.

 

The SSB Squat exercise is quite common and frequently used.

We wanted to delve a bit deeper to provide several other lower body training exercises you could perform with the SSB that you may not be using already in your overall strength and conditioning program.

1. SSB Hatfield RFE Split Squat (Matt)

Description: This exercise targets lower body strength and power, primarily in the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes.

The trunk stability challenge here is the real deal as well, since you’re holding on to each side of the squat rack with your hands while the SSB rests on your shoulders. Be sure to press the entire surface of the working foot down through the ground as you power up from the bottom position to the top during each rep.

I’m a monster fan of this exercise due to the strength and power development components.

 

2. SSB Reverse Lunge (Tony)

Description: This was a staple exercise we utilized when I was coaching at Cressey Sports Performance due to it’s shoulder friendliness in addition to the fact we could be more aggressive with loading compared to dumbbells (grip becomes  less of a limiting factor).

As with any single leg exercise there’s also a hefty balance and coordination component as well. I prefer a bit of a forward lean when executing this exercise as it places less stress on the lower back and also allows for more emphasis to be placed on the hips.

 

3. SSB 1-Leg RDL (Matt)

Description: This exercise targets lower body strength, primarily in the posterior chain muscle group (hamstrings and glutes). As the SSB rests on your shoulders, be sure to hold the handle grips tight with each hand to ensure trunk stability.

It’s important to also mention the relevance of keeping a neutral-ish spine as you descend down into the bottom position due to the orientation of the load on your shoulders. I like this exercise due to the single leg strength and stability demand it poses to the athlete.

 

4. SSB Front Squat (Tony)

Description: This is a variation I first witnessed my man Jim Smith – of Diesel Strength – recommend a few years. ago.  I won’t go into the weeds on the benefits of a front squat

– you can read more HERE – but what I will say is that this variation is a wonderful way to counterpoint any client/athlete who insists that barbell front squats are too uncomfortable for him or her to perform,

I get it.

They suck.

They’re uncomfortable.

I don’t care, do this instead.

 

5. SSB Good Morning (Matt)

Description: Talking about posterior chain development without mentioning the Good Morning exercise is like eating eggs without the bacon; you just don’t do it.

The Barbell Good Morning has been a staple training tool for years when attempting to develop the glutes and hamstrings of the posterior chain muscle group. The SSB offers a slightly anterior loaded position when compared to the traditional barbell loaded version, which forces you to hinge your hips back even more than usual. I enjoy using this exercise as a way to really “feel” the hamstrings under load.

 

6. SSB Pin Squat (Tony)

Description: I loooooooooove8 this variation as an accessory movement to the deadlift.

The key is to try to approximate the pin height to one’s hips height so that it “matches” their deadlift setup. In other words: the starting position of the Pin Squat should mirror their deadlift setup.

Factor in the increased demand to maintain an upright torso (t-spine extension) and your entire posterior chain is going to be challenged with this exercise.

⠀

CategoriesAssessment personal training Program Design

30 Days of Shoulders: Days 21-30

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30 Days of Shoulders: Days 21-30

The third and final installment of my “30 Days of Shoulders” series went live today over at T-Nation.com. All three parts cover everything from shoulder assessment and tips on shoulder friendly pressing t0 how to improve shoulder health and performance.

Collectively it’ll make all your hopes and dreams come true.

Check it out —-> HERE

Categoriespersonal training Program Design

Does Stretching Improve Performance?

I’m still overseas in the U.K.9

I’ve got some of my own content lined up for later this week, but today TG.com regular, Travis Hansen, was kind enough to pinch write for me today.

It’s on static stretching and whether or not there’s any efficacy towards it helping to improve athletic performance.

Enjoy.

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Does Stretching Improve Performance?

Does the science on traditional stretching actually benefit measures of athlete performance? I’m not sure that the notion has ever been questioned and we have all, including myself, just accepted the fact that by stretching our muscles we were actually taking positive steps towards running faster, jumping higher, and becoming an overall better athlete.

Before we dive into a lot of the research lets first look at some theories for and against stretching. We will start with the pros of stretching.

Pros of Stretching

First, it’s a common belief that stretching can effectively alter the tissue length resulting in more potential energy to be stored and an effective reset to the muscle allowing it to stay healthy and perform better. The effects of stretching on injury prevention is another article topic in itself, so we will just focus on the benefits of performance for now.

Unfortunately, it’s by no means fair to sit here and say that stretching will help you perform better although it sounds great on paper.

However, stretching does affect the viscous properties of muscle fibers and creates less resistance temporarily allowing for more potential ROM; although it doesn’t seem to be a permanent adaptation. Stretching can also improve fascicle length which may have implications on muscle recruitment rates, so there is another plus for stretching.

Moving on, stretching also deals with the aftermath of training.

Stretching has been shown to improve Parasympathetic Nervous System Activation.

This is the rest and digest part of our nervous system that you probably already know about and stretching can impact this branch of the nervous system, hasten recovery, and increase the potential to train harder in subsequent sessions if the stretching is timed right.

Lastly, stretching can make sure that there are no limitations in movement.

There is a bevy of research showing that its biggest influence is through creating more range of motion and degrees of movement freedom.

There are several scenarios you could think of which would require more ROM as an athlete (i.e. deep squat prior to vertical jump takeoff, loading phase of throwing or swinging, etc.) and you wouldn’t want a limitation in flexibility to prevent any success in your skill execution.

But what if stretching doesn’t really work as well as we thought and had hoped for…………?

Maybe Stretching Isn’t the Magic Pill (Important, but Not a Panacea)

1.  Angle of Peak Torque

I read about this theory awhile back when Chris Beardsley brought the idea to light in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Basically, there are specific angles and ranges of motions where we will be most successful with different styles of training.

For example, with low velocity movements like bench press, squatting, and deadlifting the larger the range of motion and joint angle…the greater amount of force can be generated.

Conversely, with high velocity movements the ranges of motion and angles need to be much smaller in order to be successful.

All else being equal, stretching isn’t really going to offer a whole lot if you’re an athlete who relies upon high velocity performance on a regular basis.

Another thing to consider is that if you analyze the nature of most power and speed based activities, often times, athletes and clients already possess the capacity to load sufficiently and unload and propel their bodies in the intended direction.

So why then would they need to stretch more if muscles are naturally elastic and they’re already capable of the desired response?

via GIPHY

Kelly Baggett referred to this idea of movement specificity as limits of flexibility.

Most movement in sport doesn’t even come close to what a person is already capable (stretching wise) and the tasks don’t require a tremendous amount of stretching in order to perform well.

Lastly, is the old Length-Tension Relationship.

A muscle has a sweet spot in terms of optimal contraction that we should all aim for.

If there is too little or too much stretch then there will be resultant decreases in force production and performance.

Stretching then becomes questionable with this in mind since it aims to drive more motion into the tissue and surrounding joints which could cause our efforts to dissipate when the time comes.

Note From TG: I wanted to take a quick time-out to expound a bit on this topic. Please don’t take this post as an all-out attack on static stretching. My thoughts (and I think Travis’s are as well) mirror that of Mike Boyle, where, years ago there was a study that showed stretching before a vertical jump affected performance.

The knee-jerk reaction by the fitness industry was to avoid stretching with a ten-foot pole. However, if I recall, the study had it’s participants do a metric shit-ton of stretching (like 10-15 minutes worth, give or take? maybe more?), which of course isn’t ideal for performance. There’s a stark different between that and having an athlete engage in a few quick stretches.

Basically, it’s likely best not to take a yoga class right before a timed 60. Outside of that, a smidge of static stretching prior to competition isn’t going to alter the space-time continuum.

Okay, I’ll shut-up now.

This All Sounds Nice on Paper But What Does the Research Actually Say Stretching Does for Performance?

“To determine whether SS produced similar performance changes in different performance activities, the findings of the studies were separated into power–speed- or strength-based tasks. Fifty-two studies reported 82 power–speed-based measures (i.e., jumping, sprint running, throwing), with 56 nonsignificant changes, 21 significant reductions, and 5 significant improvements; collectively, there was a small 1.3% reduction in performance. Seventy-six studies reported 188 strength-based measures (i.e., 1-RM, MVC), with 79 nonsignificant changes, 108 significant reductions, and only 1 significant improvement. There was a moderate reduction in performance (–4.8%), which indicates a more substantial effect of SS on strength based activities. The stretch durations imposed between activity types were considerably longer for strength-based activities (5.1 ± 4.6 min) than for power–speed-based activities (1.5 ± 1.6 min), which may explain the greater mean performance reductions after SS.” (1)

And here is some more…

“Twenty-six studies incorporating 38 power–speed-based measures used <60 s of SS, with 29 nonsignificant changes, 4 significant reductions, and 5 significant improvements in performance; collectively, there was a trivial change in performance (–0.15%) (Supplementary Table S41). It is interesting to note that although most of the findings were not statistically significant after short-duration stretching, a greater number of significant improvements than reductions were found in jumping (Murphy et al. 2010b), sprint running (Little and Williams 2006), and cycling (O’Connor et al. 2006) performances. Thus, there is no clear effect of short-duration SS on power–speed-based activities, although changes may be observed on a study-by-study (and hence, subject-by-subject) basis. Nonetheless, when 28 power–speed-based studies (44 measures) using ≥60 s of stretching were examined, 27 nonsignificant changes and 17 significant reductions were found, with no study reporting a significant performance improvement. Compared with shorter-duration stretching, the mean reductions were marginally greater (–2.6%) (Supplementary Table S41).” (1)

Zero Non-Sense Stretching

If you’d like to hear a little more on what Travis has to say on the topic check out his resource Zero Nonsense Stretching HERE. (<– affiliate free link).

You can also check out his website HERE.

Categoriescoaching Program Design

4 Coaching and Program Design Digressions

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Coaching & Program Design Digressions

1. Fillers Instead of Warming Up?

You know it, I know it, your mom’s second cousin’s Little League baseball coach’s sister knows it, everyone knows it…

…people always skip their warm-up prior to training.

Hell, [industry secret revealed] I skip my warm-up more than 50% of the time.10

Now, to back track a bit, I am not anti-warming up and I do advocate my clients and athletes do follow one.

I do write them in.

However, what I am not a fan of is the laundry list approach to warming-up.

You know what I mean: the warm-up that consists of a never-ending list – 10, 15, sometimes 20 exercises deep – of positional breathing, t-spine mobility, glute activation, and stretching drills.

I take a gander at something like that and am like…

via GIPHY

I can only imagine what some of my clients in the past were like…

via GIPHY

This is not an attempt to discount or demerit the importance of doing any of those drills mentioned above. I just know humans, and I know the vast majority of them would rather jump in front of a mack truck than do their warm-up.

Which is where the idea of “fillers” comes in.

These are nothing more than low-grade, low-intensity mobility or activation drills that are performed DURING the workout, typically during rest periods.

In short: It’s a sneaky way to put the shit that people need to work on in the program in a way that they’ll actually do it.

I’ve written about fillers in the past and how to best incorporate them depending on the main lift of the day:

2. Underwhelm Them Early

This is a phrase I stole from my good friend Mike Robertson, but it mirrors much of what I do with all of my new clients. In the beginning all I am really concerned with is letting my clients marinate in the basics.

I want them to hinge, squat, push, pull, carry, and perform some single leg work.

Now what variation of all those things will depend on a multitude of factors: health & injury history, goals, ability level, not to mention their anatomy (anthropometry and leverages).

When all is said and done, though, from a programming standpoint, my clients should be underwhelmed. I want their programs to be mind-numbingly boring.

People need reps out of the gate, a lot of reps…of the same thing(s). That is the only way they’re going to learn and begin to “own” their movement.

What they don’t need is a bunch of novelty and a coach who’s only goal is to entertain them.

I can appreciate (and understand) that training should be fun and stimulating and fill everyone’s love tank to the ‘enth degree.

However, in my eyes, that needs to be earned via lots and lots and lots of repetition of the same shit.

No one ever got strong or mastered any exercise by constantly changing things up.

Wow your clients with customer service; underwhelm them with exercise selection.

3. Easy Training is Good Training

Keeping in tune with the whole “underwhelming them early” vibe, I’m a firm believer in the anecdote – astutely stolen from Dan John – that “easy training is good training.”

Put into other words: I’m less of a “holy shit I can’t feel the left side of my face, that workout was awesome” kinda guy and more of a “huh, I could totally do more, but [insert anything from going to see a movie and hanging out with your spouse to reading a book and drowning in kitty cuddles]” kinda guy.

See, I’d rather my clients/athletes leave a session feeling as if they could do more, maybe even wanting to do more, but don’t.

This is not to say “easy” training doesn’t involve some amount of effort or uncomfortableness; far from it. It is to say that pounding your clients into the ground every…single…session isn’t necessarily making them better or more resilient or whatever other cute adjective you want to toss in here.

There’s a common saying I’ve seen many other coaches use and it bears repeating:

“Your progress in the weight-room is directly correlated with how well you’re able to RECOVER from said workouts.”

This entails training with sub-maximal loads (65-80% of 1RM) more often in addition to other things such as encouraging more GGP/Zone 2 work (think: heart rate hovers in the 120 BPM range), sleep, calories to support one’s goals, and hydration to name a few.

4. Is It Necessary to De-Load Often?

It’s common practice for many gyms and trainers to use every fourth week as a rudimentary “deload week” (or a structured tempering of training volume, load, or both) for their clients and athletes.

It makes sense…especially when you consider billing cycles.

For example, to a large degree I still use this approach because every month my clients “re-up” their packages and I get to ding their credit cards in exchange for a freshly curated program.

But even then I have to take into consideration a few things.

  • Training Frequency: someone who only trains 2x per week won’t necessarily do enough work to warrant a de-load as compared to someone who trains 4x per week.
    .
  • Training Experience/Goals: someone who is working out for basic health or is a complete newbie will have a stark difference in approach to de-loading compared to someone training for a powerlifting meet or has more experience and is just stronger as a general observation. The former may go weeks without the need for any type of deload while the latter may be best suited for one every 3-4 weeks.
    .
  • Life: Work, vacations, the beach, your slow-pitch softball schedule, your kid’s explosive diarrhea…all have a tendency of tossing us organic de-loads as it is. Oftentimes there’s no need to go out of my way to plan de-loads for some clients because “life” takes care of that anyway.

All of this doesn’t even get into the weeds on all the different types or ways to implement a de-load. I already touched on the idea of lowering one’s overall training volume or even intensity (personally I’m a fan of lowering volume but keeping intensity on the high(er) side of the spectrum, if not the same), but there are a bevy of other options too:

  • Omitting compound movements in lieu of more isolation type movements (I.e., less axial loading).
  • Going into full-on body-part-split-per day bodybuilder mode for a week or longer (<— this is fun).
  • Reducing training frequency (instead of 5x per week, go with two).
  • Get out of the gym entirely and partake in more outdoor activities.

For the Record: I’m very much a fan of people taking a full-week off from training – particularly if they’re consistent – 1x per year just to give themselves a break.

That said, I will sometimes push the boundaries with some of my clients and won’t implement an actual de-load until 1) I see a drastic decrease in their progress or performance on the gym floor 2) they’re eyes start bleeding or, you know, 3) they simply ask.

Often, especially if a client shows up to a session and they look like death, I’ll implement a de-load session, affectionately referred to as a Bloop, Bloop, Bloop workout.

HERE the idea is to listen to them, understand that, yes, life gets in the way sometimes, but to also not let them off the hook so easily.

They’re still going to workout and move – it just won’t involve working up to a heavy triple on their front squat.

CategoriesAssessment Program Design

30 Days of Shoulders: Days 11-20

I’m writing this from my most favorite place in the world…

…a room full of cute and cuddly kittens.

Just kidding, I’m in London.

I’m here because I have a few speaking engagements lined up –  a half-day Shoulder workshop for a crew of Equinox trainers in Kensington on Saturday, my Coaching Competency Workshop in Dublin on Sunday, and then mine and Luke Worthington’s Strategic Strength Workshop back here in London next week.

Spots are still available for both the Dublin and London events (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).12

I just checked into my hotel after an overnight flight from Boston and I feel like a zombie.

Needless to say I am not in the writing mood, but I do\ have a little sumthin, sumthin to share today.

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30 Days of Shoulders: Days 11-20

This is Part II of my latest series over at T-Nation.com dealing with anything and everything shoulders: How to make them bigger, how to make them feel less like a bag of dicks, you know, the usual.

You can check it out —> HERE (also includes link to Part I in case you missed it).

Enjoy and keep your eyes peeled for Part III coming next week!