CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 4/7/17

Lisa and I (and Julian) are traveling back to Upstate NY this weekend to visit family and to both present at the SUNY Cortland Health & Wellness Conference. As you’re reading this we’re en route (and likely on our 11th pit-stop, give or take, to change a diaper or feed our little Gremlin).

Lets jump right to this week’s round-up.

Copyright: urfingus / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Stuff to Check Out Before You Read Stuff

1) Strong Body-Strong Mind – Toronto

Lisa and I are happy to announce we’re bringing back our Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop.

Last year we had the privilege of presenting together in Austin, TX and London, UK, and we’re elated to be heading to Toronto, Ontario to pick up where we left off.

In a nutshell I speak to a little assessment talk, program design, and breaking down technique on a few common lifts such as the squat, deadlift, get-up, and blindfolded chainsaw juggling, and Lisa speaks to more of the mindset side of the equation and how we can help build better rapport and “buy in” with our clients/athletes.

For more information and to sign up, please go HERE.

2) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Orlando

Our Vancouver shindig in April sold out, but Dean and I have recently announced a stop in Orlando, FL later this year, October 21-22nd at Spark Fitness.

I’ve never been to Orlando. There’s no way in hell I’m visiting Disney World.

You can go HERE for more details and to sign up.

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work

Complete Sports Conditioning – Mike Boyle

Sha-ZAM this is a doozy. I was sent an advance copy of Mike Boyle’s latest resource and while I’ve only just begun watching it, what I have seen is really, really, really good.

I mean, come on…it’s Mike Boyle.

The man has been coaching for 35+ years and knows a thing or two about how to prepare athletes well. I appreciate Mike’s candidness and no BS, commonsense approach.

You can currently purchase the entire set at $100 off the regular price, but it the sale ends TONIGHT (4/7).

Check it out HERE and hurry!

How to Improve Ankle Mobility and Stability – Brad Cox

The Biggest Problem for Personal Trainers – Michael Keeler

The “problem” doesn’t = lack of program design skills or the ability to name all the muscular attachments to the scapulae in alphabetical order (and in Latin). Nope, it has everything to do with a skill that’s becoming rarer and rarer in the fitness industry.

Lack of people skills.

Social Media Shenanigans

Twitter

Instagram

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 3/31/17

I’m in Vancouver!

Copyright: jakobradlgruber / 123RF Stock Photo

 

I’ve been before, back in 2014 for a friend’s wedding, and ever since I’ve been wanting to come back to visit.

It’s a lovely place…prime with excellent food, culture, and scenery. I’m here because Dean Somerset and I are teaching our Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint this weekend. I came a day early so I had a day to walk around, explore, and marinate in introvert heaven.

As most of you know I have an 8-week old back in Boston, and as anyone who has a child knows, there’s little “me time” in that mix. You’re always on, ready to bust into action – whether it’s to feed or perform an emergency diaper change – at any moment.

Even when things are seemingly quiet you’re on high-alert. Every noise coming through the baby-monitor comes with a degree of jumpiness, unease, and foreboding.

It’s like adult Spidey-sense

Except in this case, instead of an extraordinary ability to sense imminent danger, as a parent to an infant, this version of Spidey-sense gives you a sixth sense for blowout diarrhea and 2 AM whateverthefucks.

So, selfishly, I was very much looking forward to a day of being in my own thoughts, walking around the city, and having a restful night of sleep in my hotel room watching Netflix and eating German chocolate cake.1

It was glorious.

I’m actually sitting in a coffee shop as I write this and then doing a staff in-service at TWIST Conditioning Vancouver this afternoon. Later on I’ll meet up with Dean and we’ll head to Langley, BC for our workshop at All Around Fitness this weekend.

Stuff to Check Out Before You Read Stuff

I got nothing, sorry. I want to bounce and go walk around.

Stuff to Read

Capacity vs. Conditioning – Dan Frantz

 

As a follow up to THIS post I wrote last week, and Mike Connelly’s guest post that followed suit, The Art of Getting Your Shit Together, this post by Dan Frantz speaks to our constant struggles to incessantly compare ourselves to others and do what they do.

How to Hit a Triple Bodyweight Deadlift – Mike Sirani

You know I’m a sucker for a good deadlift article.

A Deep Investigation Into the Safety & Performance of the Deep Squat Part 1 – Dan Pope

This is an older article (2015, not that old) but just came across it other day and had to share. Excellent stuff by Dan.

Also, if it peaks your interest (and it should, I have excellent in taste in articles) HERE’s part two.

Social Media Shenanigans

Twitter

Instagram

**Maybe check out some of the comments in this one?….particularly by @Realfitnessformums. She had some issues with this video which I felt were kind of shortsighted and woefully out of context.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 3/24/17

Lisa and I are right smack dab in the middle of moving this week. All with a 7-week old in tow. It’s not been fun. In fact, I’d garner a guess that a colonoscopy would be more fun that what we’re going through right now.

Alas, the show must go on….

Copyright: urfingus / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Stuff to Check Out Before You Read Stuff

1. Just Announced

Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Orlando

Our Vancouver shindig in April sold out, but Dean and I have recently announced a stop in Orlando, FL later this year, October 21-22nd at Spark Fitness.

I’ve never been to Orlando. There’s no way in hell I’m visiting Disney World.

You can go HERE for more details and to sign up.

2. SUNY Cortland Health & Wellness Conference – Cortland, NY, April 8th.

I’ll be at my alma mater the weekend of April 8th speaking at what I believe is the 4th or 5th annual SUNY Cortland Conference. Other guest speakers include my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, Mark Fisher, Brian St. Pierre, and Dr. David Just.

For more information you can go HERE.

3. Complete Preparation for the High School Athlete – April 1-2nd, New Jersey

Two coaches I respect a ton and had the luxury of working with for a few years when I was at Cressey Sports Performance, Greg Robins & Tony Bonvechio, will be hosting this all-inclusive event at the Annex Sports Performance Center in Chatham, NJ next weekend.

They’ll give a detailed look into how they train and prepare high-school athletes (ages 13-18) covering everything from assessment and building a winning culture to program design and myths and fallacies regarding how to really train for speed and acceleration.

For more information go HERE.

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work

The Speed Encyclopedia – Travis Hansen

Guess what this manual doesn’t cover? The incessant use of speed ladders and foot drills. If you want to get your athletes fast, they have work on getting stronger. And, yes, some attention to detail on sprinting mechanics and joint angles need to enter the mix too.

Travis has put together and really detailed manual and something I feel is one of the best resources out there on the topic.

6 Tips for Writing Conditioning Programs – Mike Robertson

How in the hell did I miss this one when Mike first published it back in November? Shame on me. Well, better late than never.

Awesome stuff from Mike per the usual.

Progress is Progress and Fat Loss is Not Linear – Stacey Schaedler

This is a message I have to remind my clients about all the time: Progress IS progress. Some excellent real world examples given by Stacey in this article.

Social Media Shenanigans

Twitter

Instagram

Here’s one of my female clients, Emily, hitting some Landmine Deadlifts. She’s very close to hitting a 200 lb straight bar deadlift, but I find hitting a “traditional” deadlift variation (conventional, Sumo, trap bar) more than once a week can (not always) be a bit much for trainees from a neural fatigue standpoint. That said, training the hip hinge more than 1x per week IS important and very doable. We just need to understand that we don’t always have to load it heavy. This variation is one of my favorite spine sparing ways to deadlift and help keep people fresh long-term. Pretty darn good technique here too. Nice hip snap at top and she keeps lats on (arms long) throughout so her shoulders don’t roll forward. Addendum: maybe neural fatigue wasn’t the right choice of words to use here. However there is something to be said about implementing less “aggressive” variations into the mix to help nudge more frequency without killing people. That’s the real lesson here.

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CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work Uncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 3/17/17

Julian just went down for his morning nap, I don’t know how much time I have. Lets do this!

Copyright: urfingus / 123RF Stock Photo

STUFF TO CHECK OUT BEFORE THE OTHER STUFF

1. Just Announced

Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Orlando

Our Vancouver shindig in April sold out, but Dean and I have recently announced a stop in Orlando, FL later this year, October 21-22nd at Spark Fitness.

I’ve never been to Orlando. There’s no way in hell I’m visiting Disney World.

You can go HERE for more details and to sign up.

[SPOILER: Dean and I also in talks to bring the Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint to London this summer. Stay tuned……..]

2. SUNY Cortland Health & Wellness Conference – Cortland, NY, April 8th.

I’ll be at my alma mater the weekend of April 8th speaking at what I believe is the 4th or 5th annual SUNY Cortland Conference. Other guest speakers include my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, Mark Fisher, Brian St. Pierre, and Dr. David Just.

For more information you can go HERE.

3. The Principles of Nutrition Coaching

If you’re a fitness professional you know full-well one of the best things you can do for your athletes and clients is to help them hone in on their nutrition. THAT’s often the key to helping them look and feel better.

Exercise alone won’t get the job done.

But what kind of nutrition advice can you actually give?

(Is it even LEGAL to give nutrition advice?)

And if you CAN give nutrition advice, how should you give it?

Find out in this FREE Nutrition Coaching Course put together by renowned coach, researcher, and pioneer in the field of exercise nutrition — Dr. John Berardi.

Just click the link below and you’re all set:

http://mbsy.co/precisionnutrit ion/28316815?url=http://www.pr ecisionnutrition.com/nutrition -coaching-free-course

4. Examine.com Turned 6-Years Old

And to celebrate they’re giving everyone a free sponge bath! Kidding.

However, they have reduced the price on everything on their site by 40% until midnight (3/17). I don’t feel there’s a huge need to be pitchy here. They’re the largest database (50,000+ references), they’re 100% independent, they’re trusted (2 million+ visitors/day), and they’re simply the best.

No ads, no consulting, no coaching – just an education company 🙂

  • General Products Page: HERE
  • Supplements Goals References: HERE
  • Stack Guides: HERE
  • Examine.com Research Digest: HERE

4. Recent Podcast Appearances

RippedBody.com Podcast w/ Andy Morgan

SoundCloud, Stitcher, iTunes

The Fit Clique w/ Chris Doherty

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work

The 12 Best Ways to Build Shoulders – T-Nation

T-Nation asked a bunch of coaches how to put boulders on someone’s shoulders and I happened to be one of the coaches they asked.

Some great content and ideas in this one.

Conscious Coaching – Brett Bartholomew

We’re always quick to gravitate to the latest and greatest trends in the weight room without taking into consideration something more relevant: how to motivate our clients & athletes and meet them where they are…both psychologically and emotionally.

It’s not always about sets, reps, and PR’s.

Cool Factoid: Tom Hanks (yes, Forrest Gump) is going to be narrating the audio version of this book. Awesome.

A Comprehensive Guide to Preseason Baseball Training – Andy Haley (STACK.com)

You can’t squeeze an entire offseason of training into two weeks before the season starts. Don’t be that guy.

Social Media Shenanigans

Twitter

Not my strongest week. Gotta pick up my game.

Instagram

405 lbs felt like speed weight today. No diggidy, no doubt.

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CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 3/10/17

No diggidy, no doubt. Lets do this.

Copyright: urfingus / 123RF Stock Photo

STUFF TO CHECK OUT BEFORE THE OTHER STUFF

1. Just Announced

Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Orlando

Our Vancouver shindig in April sold out, but Dean and I have recently announced a stop in Orlando, FL later this year, October 21-22nd at Spark Fitness.

I’ve never been to Orlando. There’s no way in hell I’m visiting Disney World.

You can go HERE for more details and to sign up.

[SPOILER: Dean and I also in talks to bring the Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint to London this summer. Stay tuned……..]

2. SUNY Cortland Health & Wellness Conference – Cortland, NY, April 8th.

I’ll be at my alma mater the weekend of April 8th speaking at what I believe is the 4th or 5th annual SUNY Cortland Conference. Other guest speakers include my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, Mark Fisher, Brian St. Pierre, and Dr. David Just.

For more information you can go HERE.

3. The Principles of Nutrition Coaching

If you’re a fitness professional you know full-well one of the best things you can do for your athletes and clients is to help them hone in on their nutrition. THAT’s often the key to helping them look and feel better.

Exercise alone won’t get the job done.

But what kind of nutrition advice can you actually give?

(Is it even LEGAL to give nutrition advice?)

And if you CAN give nutrition advice, how should you give it?

Find out in this FREE Nutrition Coaching Course put together by renowned coach, researcher, and pioneer in the field of exercise nutrition — Dr. John Berardi.

Just click the link below and you’re all set:

http://mbsy.co/precisionnutrit ion/28316815?url=http://www.pr ecisionnutrition.com/nutrition -coaching-free-course

4. CORE Online Coming Soon

In a few weeks I’ll be offering a new service…CORE Online.

It’s basically the closest you’re going to get to training with me at CORE without actually stepping foot inside the facility. Each month I write programs that’ll help give you structure and purpose with your own training. You log on with your own CORE Online app, watch me demonstrate exercise, and you get diesel.

If you want to get stronger….this will be for you.

If you want to get leaner or bigger….this will be for you.

If you want to move better…..this will be for you.

If you want to get really good at long division….eh, not so much.

5. Lisa on Cut the S#!t Get Fit Podcast

My wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, made an appearance on the Cut the S#!t Get Fit Podcast recently and she rocked it. If you’re remotely interested in mindset strategies, how to deal with negative self-talk, her impeccable taste in choosing a life partner, or brain stuff in general you’ll want to check this out.

You can also click HERE for the direct link.

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work

A Biomechanical Analysis of the Deadlift: Conventional vs. Sumo – Kevin Cann

Nice breakdown by TPS strength coach, Kevin Cann, on the differences, advantages & disadvantages of the conventional and sumo deadlift.

Nerds will like this.

Fix Your Tilt For Untapped Glute Gains – Jonathan Acosta

APT tends to get all the love. But what happens when you have someone who seems to be in excessive posterior pelvic tilt?

Old Man Training – Part I – Alex Viada

If you’re 35-40+ you’ll soon realize you’re not 25 anymore. Awesome stuff from Alex in this one.

Social Media Shenanigans

Twitter

Instagram

I’ve had a change of heart with dips of late. I still feel strongly they’re not a good fit for those with a long history of shoulder issues, but they’re still a heckuva an exercise to help build the triceps (and as a bench accessory to help with lockout). The video on the left is my client, Kristina, performing a set without me saying anything. She’s pretty upright which leads to excessive extension of the humerus and even more excessive anterior tilt of scapulae (shoulders rolling forward). This places the glenohumeral joint in a very compromising position, pushing the humeral head more anteriorly and forcing the bicep tendon to flip you the middle finger. Instead, I prefer to cue people to add more of a forward lean. See the video on the right. Notice the less aggressive rolling of the shoulders? That slight forward lean will make a HUGE difference in making dips a little more shoulder friendly.

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CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 3/3/17

Lets do this!

Copyright: urfingus / 123RF Stock Photo

STUFF TO CHECK OUT BEFORE THE OTHER STUFF

1. 2 Workshops Coming Up

Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Vancouver, April 1-2nd.

Dean Somerset and I will be in Vancouver that weekend to talk shoulders and hips and to start a tickle fight.

We’re capping this workshop at 50 attendees and last time I spoke to Dean we only have three spots left.

For more information and to sign up you can go HERE.

SUNY Cortland Health & Wellness Conference – Cortland, NY, April 8th

I’ll be at my alma mater the weekend of April 8th speaking at what I believe is the 4th or 5th annual SUNY Cortland Conference. Other guest speakers include my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, Mark Fisher, Brian St. Pierre, and Dr. David Just.

For more information you can go HERE.

2. CORE Online Coming Soon

In a few weeks I’ll be offering a new service…CORE Online.

It’s basically the closest you’re going to get to training with me at CORE without actually stepping foot inside the facility. Each month I write programs that’ll help give you structure and purpose with your own training. You log on with your own CORE Online app, watch me demonstrate exercise, and you get diesel.

If you want to get stronger….this will be for you.

If you want to get leaner or bigger….this will be for you.

If you want to move better…..this will be for you.

If you want to get really good at long division….eh, not so much.

3. Appearance on The Fitness Candor Podcast

Host Eric Feigl was nice enough to invite me onto his show earlier this week. I had a blast. I always enjoy talking shop with other passionate coaches.

Not to be braggadocious or anything but here’s what Eric said post show:

If you prefer a direct link you can go HERE.

4. Wildfire Yoga

Make no mistake: there are many benefits to doing yoga, and more power to those who enjoy doing it to reap those benefits. However, for some people, particularly for those who like to lift heavy things, yoga is the last thing on our minds. It usually goes like this:

1. Lift heavy things and/or sex
2. I’m hungry, I want a burger
3. LOLCats
4. When does the next season of Game of Thrones start?
5. Is it deadlift day?
.
.
.344. Long division
.
.
1,098,583 – Yoga

My friend, Neghar Fonooni, kinda feels the same way. For meatheads traditional yoga can take way too long and it can also be pretty boring. Her answer is Wildfire Yoga. In her words:

“This isn’t your standard yoga, but more along the lines of “flow series” that can be done in 5-20 minutes. The idea is to take the minimal effective dose and DO this shit.”

You can read more in THIS lovely post she wrote for my site earlier this week or just go HERE and get straight to it.

And now this week’s list of wonderful reads.

62 Tips on Crushing Public Speaking – Sol Orwell

One of the best articles I have ever read on the topic. I’ve done my fair share of public speaking and I took A LOT from this one.

Thanks Sol

The Biggest Lie in Fitness – T-Nation

Another fantastic compilation piece put together by T-Nation asking a bunch of bonafide coaches and fitness pros their thoughts on “lies” perpetuated by the industry.

The 8 Most Effective Coaching Cues You Aren’t Using – John Rusin, et al

8 coaches, 8 cues. Sounds like the title of a romantic comedy doesn’t it?

Social Media Shenanigans

Twitter

Instagram

Here’s an excellent option for your clients with low back issues: HBT Stationary Marches. I got this idea from both @dr.joelseedman_ahp and @ryanwoodtraining. Hang some light KBs from bands on each side of a barbell. This is the HBT part. HBT = Hanging Band Training. It’s a wonderful way to up the ante on challenging the core musculature, not to mention a “like whoa” moment on the central nervous system. Wakes it up for sure. I perform these stationary because I only have 800 square feet to work with at my studio, but if you have the space you can totally make your clients go for a walk. Trust me: this is a lot harder than it looks. And another benefit of this exercise is the self-intuitiveness of it. If you rush or try to speed things up it’ll get harder real fast. I like to cue people to keep the KBs “quiet.” 20-30 steps per set should do it. At first don’t worry too much about how high the feet go. Make sure the own the movement. As they get better your clients can go higher, or perform with eyes closed (which is unbelievably effed up; as in super duper hard).

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CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work Uncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 2/24/17

Lets get right to business….

Copyright: urfingus / 123RF Stock Photo

STUFF TO CHECK OUT BEFORE THE OTHER STUFF

1. 2 Workshops Coming Up

Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Vancouver, April 1-2nd.

Dean Somerset and I will be in Vancouver that weekend to talk shoulders and hips and to start a tickle fight.

For more information and to sign up you can go HERE.

SUNY Cortland Health & Wellness Conference – Cortland, NY, April 8th

I’ll be at my alma mater the weekend of April 8th speaking at what I believe is the 4th or 5th annual SUNY Cortland Conference. Other guest speakers include my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, Mark Fisher, Brian St. Pierre, and Dr. David Just.

For more information you can go HERE.

2. CORE Online Coming Soon

In a few weeks I’ll be offering a new service…CORE Online.

It’s basically the closest you’re going to get to training with me at CORE without actually stepping foot inside the facility. Each month I write programs that’ll help give you structure and purpose with your own training. You log on with your own CORE Online app, watch me demonstrate exercise, and you get diesel.

If you want to get stronger….this will be for you.

If you want to get leaner or bigger….this will be for you.

If you want to move better…..this will be for you.

If you want to beat Channing Tatum in a dance-off….hahahahaha. Good luck.

4. Registration Now OPEN for Online Trainer Academy

 

Enrollment only happens twice per year and you only have a few days to act before it closes. If you’re having a hard time developing your own online training business and frustrated by your lack of systems, oh man do you need to check this out.

With a curriculum that includes some of the most notable names in the industry – Dr. John Berardi, Molly Galbraith (of Girls Gone Strong), Pete Dupuis (of Cressey Sports Performance, John Romaniello, and Alex Viada – you cannot go wrong.

Go HERE and start building a valid and legit revenue stream with your integrity still intact.

Stuff To Read…

It’s All Been a Big, Fat Lie – Dan Trink

This is the best article I’ve read this year so far. Dan NAILS it.

You know all those bootcamps, spin, and group exercise classes that advocate long, lean, and toned muscles for women?

1. Inside scoop: many of the most popular classes/brands that are popular with women only allow women of a certain body-type to take those classes. Also, some people pick the right parents. They look how they look because that’s how they look, not because of some class.

2. Many of those same classes follow the same ideas and principles of successful bodybuilders. GASP! The exact opposite of what they stand for.

Do Foam Rollers Actually Work? A Review of the Evidence – Sonja Ristevski (HealthybutSmart.com)

Foam rolling probably isn’t doing what you think it’s doing. Good, balanced, fair, article.

Lets Be Honest – The Body You’re Going For, Doesn’t Exist – Lee Boyce

The entertainment industry has warped our sense of reality and what’s actually attainable in real life. A-holes.

SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS

Twitter

Instagram

Was supposed to hit some heavy front squats today but felt like a bag of d**ks today and opted to do some arm a glute shenanigans instead. One exercise I played around with was this gem I picked up from @kelliedavisfit – Band Reverse Hip Extension w/ Abduction. Since most people don’t have access to a reverse hyper doing them off a bench works well. Hold onto bench with hips hanging off edge with band around the knees. Perform a “frogger” (abduct the hips, keep feet together) and then straighten out legs using the glutes to lock out. Hold for a 2-3s count and repeat. Aim for 10-15 reps. Or 87. I don’t care. Your glutes will feel the buuuuuurrrrrnnnn. I suspect my ladies at CORE will want these in their next program…? Props to my mother-in-law for the camera work…ha.

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CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 2/17/17

Another week down. Lets get right to it.

Copyright: urfingus / 123RF Stock Photo

Stuff to Check Out Before the Other Stuff

1. 2 Workshops Coming Up

Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Vancouver, April 1-2nd.

Dean Somerset and I will be in Vancouver that weekend to talk shoulders and hips and to start a tickle fight.

For more information and to sign up you can go HERE.

SUNY Cortland Health & Wellness Conference – Cortland, NY, April 8th

I’ll be at my alma mater the weekend of April 8th speaking at what I believe is the 4th or 5th annual SUNY Cortland Conference. Other guest speakers include my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, Mark Fisher, Brian St. Pierre, and Dr. David Just.

For more information you can go HERE.

2. The DB Row and Shoulder Health

The 1-arm DB Row. You do it, your best friend does it, the girl whom you have a crush on at the gym yet have never said hi to does it, everybody does it.

However, it’s still one of the most commonly butchered exercises out there. Check out my most recent “tip” on T-Nation on how to perform it right. [Video]

HERE

3. Gotta Go See John Wick 2

 

The first John Wick was the best action movie I’ve seen since The Raid (and the Raid 2). A little know fact about John Wick is that the guy who wrote and directed it was also Keanu Reeves’s stunt double throughout all of The Matrix movies.

Pretty bad ass.

4. Registration Closing Soon for Online Trainer Academy

 

You only have a few days left to take advantage of $200 off joining The Online Trainer Academy. Need a little convincing? Check out this FREE ebook by Jonathan Goodman titled the 16 Lasting Laws of Online Training…HERE.

Don’t worry, Jon won’t spam you. Because he’s not a dick.

Stuff To Read…

Rise of the (Weight) Machines: Why Exercise Equipment is Not as Bad as You’ve Been Told – Aleisha Fetters

I used to be the snobby, douche of a trainer who felt using machines was a waste of anyone’s time and that all anyone ever needed was to use barbells and dumbbells.

It’s a very stupid notion to think that training should be a “one or the other” endeavor. Thanks to Aleisha for including me on this awesome piece written for Adam Bornstein’s site.

Returning to Exercise After Pregnancy – Sarah Ellis Duval

This was a very pertinent article to read on my end given Lisa is tw0-weeks postpartum herself. She trained all throughout her pregnancy hitting the gym 3-4x per week on top of teaching 2-3 spin classes per week.

Psycho.

She’s been taking it relatively easy the past few weeks. I mean, she did take her body through the wringer giving birth to our son, Julian. Thankfully the fruits of her labor (<— pun totally intended) in the gym paid off in that she hasn’t had to deal with any significant health issues that many women face after giving birth.

Nonetheless, this was an excellent piece on things to consider.

Learning From Terrible Networking – Sol Orwell

Networking is an integral part of building a successful career and business. There’s right way to do it, and a wrong way.

Here’s Sol with some commentary on the latter. PLEASE read.

Social Media Shenanigans

Twitter

Instagram

I love this pulling variation for my female clients working towards crushing their chin-up/pull-up. This is Sara, she can currently perform sets of 3 chins for a handful of sets. However in an effort to get a little more volume I like using Rack Pull-ups, which is a variation I learned from Paul Carter. This is an excellent exercise for a few reasons: it forces the feet out front which helps maintain “canister position throughout (preventing excessive ribs flaring out and cranking through lumbar spine) in addition to allowing more t-spine extension and scapular retraction. It’s also an excellent exercise that hammers the lats and I love how you can accentuate the “stretch” at the bottom. Also to note, to steal a line of thinking from Paul, at the top the legs should be parallel to the floor. Any higher and you gain a leverage advantage and they’re not a difficult. Sara makes these look easy. Good luck….?

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CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 2/9/17

Julian has officially been home for a week, and Lisa and I have officially turned into zombies. I’m not complaining, though. I recognize lack of sleep is what every (new) parent must endure and understand it’s a right of passage.

Doesn’t make it any less sucky mind you. I feel like I got hit over the head with a bag of dicks.

Enough about dicks, lets get to this week’s list shall we?

Copyright: tzido / 123RF Stock Photo

Stuff to Check Out Before You Read Stuff

1. Latest article up on MensHealth.com

Half the reason most peoples skip their warm-up prior to training is because most take way too long Here’s the “perfect” warm-up done in just five moves….HERE.

2. Early bird registration for the Online Trainer Academy is now open.

 

I started doing online training back in 2005 before it was a thing. I had no idea what the hell I was doing back then. All I had was an Excel spreadsheet template to write programs on and a flip phone. One of my most vivid memories is when my then ex-girlfriend thought it was weird that I had all these pictures of half-naked people on my computer.

Pffffft, whatever.

Nevertheless, today, online training is a big deal. If you’re someone who’s thinking about it, but having a hard time developing the systems to make it a viable way to make money this is definitely something you should considering investing in.

You can take advantage of the early-bird registration and receive $200 off the regular price. Check it out HERE.

3. 2 Workshops Coming Up

Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Vancouver, April 1-2nd.

Dean Somerset and I will be in Vancouver that weekend to talk shoulders and hips and to start a tickle fight.

For more information and to sign up you can go HERE.

SUNY Cortland Health & Wellness Conference – Cortland, NY, April 8th

I’ll be at my alma mater the weekend of April 8th speaking at what I believe is the 4th or 5th annual SUNY Cortland Conference. Other guest speakers include my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, Mark Fisher, Brian St. Pierre, and Dr. David Just.

For more information you can go HERE.

The “Stuff” to Read

The Smarter Alternative to Ineffective Unstable Surface Training – Meghan Callaway

 

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Unstable surface training, more often that not, comes across as gimmicky. Sure, there’s a time and place for it, especially for those coming off injury, but most people use it as a way to garner Instagram views.

However, this was an awesome article. And, Meghan is a beast.

Massive Chest Growth With Anti-Fly Chest Press – Joel Seedman

Joel has forever changed International Chest Day with this innovative article.

Physical Preparation 101 – Mike Robertson

Mike’s 11 DVD set on anything and everything covering his approach to assessment, program design, and helping people increase their general levels of badassery is currently on sale at $100 off the regular price.

This is easily one of the best resources out there, bar none.

Social Media Shenanigans

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Easy peasy.

A photo posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 2/3/17

It’s been an eventful week. You’ll know why when you read below. Lets get to the meat and potatoes shall we?

Copyright: urfingus / 123RF Stock Photo

Stuff to Check Out Before You Read Stuff

1. Oh, Hello

Meet Han Gandalf Gentilcore Julian Lewis Gentilcore. Born 1/31/17 at 12:22 PM.

Lisa and I are so happy, excited, and tired….;o) Lisa, by the way, was a CHAMPION. Thanks to everyone who sent well-wishes via email, social media, and texts.

And so it begins…..

2. Appearance on Ben Coomber Radio

I had the pleasure of being invited onto the Ben Coomber Radio Show recently.

In typical fashion I was witty, intelligent, and cunning. But that’s just my own assessment. Ben’s a pro and has one of the most successful health/fitness podcasts over in the UK. We dive right into things and start talking about “effective” gym training. At about 30 minutes, it’s the perfect thing to listen to on your commute. Or to pass time as your significant other watches The Bachelor/Walking Dead (depending on gender).

Direct download HERE.

iTunes download HERE.

3. Latest article on MensHealth.com: 4 Push-Up Mistakes You’re Making

Despite it’s popularity and recognition as an exercise staple, nothing gets more eye-rolls when I plan them into a program (especially from guys) than push-ups.

Stop being a nimrod and do them right…..HERE.

4. 2 Workshops Coming Up

Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Vancouver, April 1-2nd.

Dean Somerset and I will be in Vancouver that weekend to talk shoulders and hips and to start a tickle fight.

For more information and to sign up you can go HERE.

SUNY Cortland Health & Wellness Conference – Cortland, NY, April 8th

I’ll be at my alma mater the weekend of April 8th speaking at what I believe is the 4th or 5th annual SUNY Cortland Conference. Other guest speakers include my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, Mark Fisher, Brian St. Pierre, and Dr. David Just.

For more information you can go HERE.

The “Stuff” to Read

The 10 Most Overrated Workouts and Diets – T-Nation

The combined years of experience of the coaches who contributed to this article is 5,798. Give or take. With that much experience giving their insights, you should listen.

What Are the Best Anti-Rotation Exercises? – Todd Marsh

Woo-hoo for the Pallof Press!!!

Improve Your Bench Press & Posture With This Technique – Joel Seedman

Not many people think quite as much outside the box as Joel Seedman. Here’s a perfect example. I’m going to try this with some of my clients soon.

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