Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work – Page 24

Stuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 8/26/16

Hate to rush through this but I have a date. A deadlift date that is.

I’m meeting up with two buddies of mine today – Dave Rak and Matthew Ibrahim – at BU to toss around some iron and possibly follow-suit with eating of the dead animal flesh.

Just a bunch of bros being bros.

We’re meeting up pretty early and I wanted to make sure to compile my list this week before heading out. See? My readers come first…..;o)

3 Reasons Why Runners Need To Lift Weights – Chris Cooper

Next time a friend, colleague, or family member who’s a runner says something like this:

“I don’t need to strength train because I run, my legs are plenty strong.”

Try not to be too obvious with your eye roll.

AND

Have him or her read this article.

The Diminishing Returns of Strength Training – Graham Ballachey

This is an older post I came across (written in 2014) which I felt was really interesting and brought up some valid points.

NO one – at least within my circles – would ever state that getting strong is a bad thing (or dangerous). To quote Bret Contreras:

“If you think lifting weights is dangerous, try being weak. Being weak is dangerous.”

However, there comes a point in every lifter’s journey where he or she must ascertain “how strong is strong enough?” At what point are the aches, pains, twinges, and incessant DOMS worth it?

Likewise, this is a tough nugget to crack with athletes. Many are drilled into thinking that stronger is always better. To a large degree, it is. However, part of the role as a strength coach is to sometimes pump the brakes and surmise that there’s little (if any) additional athletic benefit in taking someone’s deadlift from 450 to 500 lbs. Is the risk worth the reward?

Anyways, interesting read and nice parameters given for strength numbers for many to strive for – at least to start.

Why Am I So Fat? – Sara Benincasa

My inner feminist took over after reading this post, and I had to share. The double standard in our society with women and body image is a travesty, and this was a very entertaining read. As a quote-on-quote “writer” myself, I admired this very much. I mean, what’s not to admire with the well placed penis joke?

Reminder

Dean Somerset and I will be at Movement Minneapolis (you know, in Minneapolis, MN) the weekend of October 15-16th presenting our Complete Shoulder & Hip Workshop. It’ll be our LAST live event for this course in 2016 (and the foreseeable future).¹

You can go HERE to sign-up and for more info.

ALSO

This is right around the corner:

August 26, 2016 Tony

Stuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 8/19/16

Dean Somerset and I will be in Minneapolis, MN the weekend of October 15-16th putting on our Complete Shoulder & Hip Workshop. Not only will this be our last event together in 2016, but it’s likely to be our last LIVE CSHW event for the foreseeable future.

It’s kind of on par when N’SYNC performed for the last time. Except it isn’t.

So don’t miss out, go HERE and hopefully we’ll see you there.

3 Ways to Clean Up Your S.L.R.D.L – Sean St. Onge

Pay no mind to the asshat demonstrating the really shitty S.L.R.D.L above. It’s just for show…;o) Sean St. Onge of 212 Health & Performance breaks down some tried and true ways to clean up your single-leg RDL. Awesome stuff!

Happy Before(s), Happy After(s) – Jen Sinkler

“I don’t live a slouchy, sad-faced life, regardless of what my body-fat percentage or state of muscularity is. Right now or ever.”

I’ve never read anything like this before. Leave it to Jen to always surprise me with her candor, no BS zest for life, and amazing prose.

Improving Overhead Position and Shoulder Mechanics – Chris Duffin & Brad Cox

I’m a huge fan of two things in this article:

1. Acumobility products. I was fortunate enough to bump into Brad (Cox) and Julian (Cardoos) at the Perform Better Summit in Providence a few weekends ago where they handed me a few of their products to try out. All I have to say is RAVE reviews from myself and my clients.

2. Chris Duffin himself. The man is a beast (and super smart). Nuff said.

3. Also, shoulder shenanigans. That’s three things, but what can I say: I’m a shoulder nerd.

August 19, 2016 Tony

Stuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 8/12/16

Lets jump straight into this week’s list…

Push-Ups: You’re Doing Them Wrong – Joel Seedman

1. I know, I know…push-ups are about as exciting as watching a NASCAR race.

2. I learned quite a bit from reading this article, actually.

3. Also, Joel is someone you should add to your “must read” list. I’ve been really, really impressed with his work of late – very smart guy.

Body Shaming is Not OK. Words Are Extremely Powerful Weapons, So Keep Your Fucking Opinion To Yourself – Meghan Callaway

My inner feminist came out in full force as I was reading this article. I can’t believe what comes out of people’s mouths sometimes.

Will CrossFit Make You a Better Athlete? – Travis Pollen

In response to a guest post by Travis Hansen that was posted on my site earlier this week titled Why CrossFit Doesn’t Make an Elite Athlete, the Fitness Pollinator himself, Travis Pollen, wrote this excellent retort.

At the end of the day CrossFit is what you want it to be. Does it make someone more athletic? Of course! It’s hard to argue that point.

Does it produce “elite” athletes…maybe, maybe not. This, unfortunately, is one of those instances where the internet will argue semantics. Either way, both are a great read……..and as always, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

Side Note: it was refreshing to see how two individuals with two varying opinions could be “civil” in arguing their point of view. No BS, ad hominem attacks, or yo Mama jokes. It brings a tear to my eye.

Bonus Stuff

In case you missed the teaser trailer earlier in the week, this is happening…..

Dean and I hope to launch this sucker within the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

Also, the new Rogue One trailer was released earlier today, which means I’m going to have a raging nerd boner for the next 16 hours.²

Interesting Fact: Last week, while in London, Lisa and I stayed in Canary Wharf which has a tube station deep underground. One of the trainers who attended our workshop informed me that some of the scenes in the movie were filmed there. In fact, if you watch the first Rogue One trailer there’s a part where you see the characters running down a long corridor being chased by Stormtroopers, presumably inside the Death Star (at the 1:06 mark).

So, in effect, I was IN THE MOTHERFUCKING DEATH STAR!

August 12, 2016 Tony

Stuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 8/1/16

Okay, lets cut right to the chase: how badass was Jason Bourne?

Pete Dupuis and I took our wives to go see it on Friday night (you know, cause what says romance more than bare knuckle fist fights and explosions?), and I felt it was a worthy addition to the franchise.

It. Was. Awesome.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, yet³, but Jason Bourne didn’t have the same feel or pizzaz as both Supremacy and Ultimatum (the other two editions which conjoined Matt Damon with director Paul Greengrass). Maybe it was the lack of character development (I felt Alicia Vikander’s character, Heather Lane, was underutilized) or the close-ups of Tommy Lee Jones’ face (ahhhhhh), but this was probably the weakest of the Damon/Greengrass Bourne movies.

Which is to say: even though it was the weakest, it was still better than all of the recent Bond movies (save for Casino Royale). Besides, who am I kidding: no one goes to see a Bourne movie for esoteric things like character development and cinematography. Stop being so hoity-toity Gentilcore!

Go see Jason Bourne, people. Grade: B+

Oh, and in case you missed it last week:

Announcing a Super Special, Yet-to-be-Named 6-Week Beginner Course at CORE

I’ll be unveiling a new 6-week “beginner” course at my gym, CORE, in the very near future.

Do you live in the Boston area?

Are you looking for a little direction, accountability, and sense of community in your training?

The Initial Deets

1. The course will be six weeks, meeting 2-3x per week in a group setting (~2-4 per class), where the objective is to learn and hammer the basics, enhance movement quality, instill a sense of accountability and intent with training, and set the framework to make you more autonomous.

2. There will also be a nutrition and mindset component. Throughout the six weeks participants will have the option to sit in on presentations and have questions answered from a Registered Dietician as well as an Exercise/Behavior Change Psychologist (Spoiler Alert: the psychologist is my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis).

3. It will serve as a wonderful opportunity to surround yourself with like-minded people and become a part of a community who’s sole purpose is to help increase your general level of badassery.

4. Only 8-12 spots will be made available to start. And I’m not saying this to suggest a false sense of urgency or as a way to lure people in. I’m not kidding, only 8-12 spots will be made available.

5. Attendance subject to spontaneous rap battles.

I’d love to find out if there’s any interest in this sort of program from people in the area. If so, please contact me via the “Contact” tab at the top of the website and I’d be happy to provide more details.

Now on to this week’s list of stuff to read….

What Really Causes Buttwink? – Daniel Mee

This was a very thorough “review” of the butt wink phenomenon via the staff over at StrengthandConditioningResearch.com.

Short Answer: it’s not tight hamstrings.

No, really, it’s not.

What Can a Book About Sprinting Teach Us About Rehabilitation – Doug Kechijian

There’s a trend in rehab (and strength & conditioning) where professionals are reading more and more books that are abstract in nature and have very little (immediate) applicability to their day-to-day responsibilities in dealing with clients, patients, and athletes.

As Doug points out in this article, we tend to gloss over the practical stuff and fail to understand that nothing is new.

The Definitive Guide to Increasing Testosterone Naturally – Stef Muller

Admittedly I’ve only perused the chapter titles and skimmed a few pages here and there, but this looks to be a very thorough and very user-friendly resource on the topic of Testosterone…what it is and how to increase it via diet, training, and lifestyle factors naturally.

If you’re at all interested in body composition, health, and sex…..give this bad boy a whirl.

August 1, 2016 Tony

Stuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 7-22-16

I man of few words today, so lets jump right into this weeks list of stuff to read.

Elite Athletic Development 3.0 – Mike Robertson & Joe Kenn

Today’s the last day to save $100 off this 10 DVD set.

Mike and Joe are two of the most respected coaches in strength and conditioning, and there’s a reason why there is a 3rd edition of this seminar.

Lets put it like this: The Godfather III? Horrible. The Matrix Revolutions? Uhg. EAD 3.0? Baller.

If you’re a S&C coach, personal trainer, physical therapist, athletic trainer, or just someone who likes to toss heavy things around this is a must have resource.

You Got Guru’d: Max Relative Trap Bar Deadlift Strength – Bret Contreras

I have high doubts the coach in question who’s commentary sparked this article written by Bret did so with ill intent or had some sort of nefarious “game plan” to bamboozle people.

I 100% believe he gets results for his athletes, and does so in a safe manner.

HOWEVER – when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Thanks for writing this Bret.

Why I Keep Coming Back to Kettlebells – Max Shank

Max is a freak of nature. He’s the guy who can deadlift 500 for reps, follow that with a few back flips and splits, and then follow that with tapping out a gorilla.

He possesses quite the eclectic training background, and isn’t afraid to use a variety of tools and methods. In this post he explains why he continues to gravitate towards the KB.

July 22, 2016 Tony

Stuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work – 7/15/16

I’m off to Providence, RI today to attend the Perform Better Summit.

So no foreplay this week. Lets jump straight to the good stuff…

Dealing With Hamstring Injury – Mike Boyle

This may be an older article written by Mike; I can’t tell, he’s written so many!

Either way the take home message is clear: it’s NOT about the hamstrings.

And while you’re at it, do yourself a favor and pick up Mike’s latest book New Functional Training For Sport.

I Lifted Weights with the Man Who Helps Victoria Secret Models Get Toned – Amy Rushlow

Excellent article featuring my good friend, Ben Bruno. Ben’s like, THE “go to” guy now for celebrities and models out in Hollywood.

On one hand I’m super happy for him and how well he’s doing out there. On the other hand I fucking hate his guts….;o)

But for real: I can speak for the masses and say it’s finally nice to see “one of us” getting the right information out in the mainstream media. The message is clear: ladies, getting strong (in the right areas) is a good thing.

Next Level Jump Training – Bobby Smith & Adam Feit

In anticipation of the release of their Elite Athletic Development 3.0 resource coming out NEXT week, Mike Robertson and Joe Kenn have been providing FREE access to this video series all this week.

Here’s what it includes:

An Incredibly Simple (Yet Effective) Way to Prescribe Sets and Reps for Jump Training,,
What “Jump Zones” Are (And Why YOU Should Use Them), and
How Jump Training Should Fit into a Complete Training Program!

It’s a very refreshing break from most jump training systems that have athletes using speed ladders, weighted shoes, and setting unrealistic expectations.

July 15, 2016 Tony

Stuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 7/8/16

In case you weren’t keeping track, there’s only three more weekends until Jason Bourne comes out.

I can’t begin to explain how excited I am for this movie. It’s gotten to the point where every time I walk into a room I can’t help but yell out, “My god, it’s Jason Bourne.”

It’s like a tick.

My wife’s eyes are tired from rolling them so much.

Like many fans I’ve also primed myself by re-watching the entire trilogy again, for the 17th time.⁴

In addition, I’ve been telling people they should read the books, you know, if they’re real fans.

Outside of the first few chapters of Identity, the books are completely different from the movies so you don’t have to worry about any spoilers. Other than Bourne dies.

LOL – just kidding.⁵

I’m so freakin pumped for this movie!!!!

[Rolls up a magazine. Heads outside to fight a complete a stranger].

Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop Coming to London

My wife and I will be in London the weekend of August 6-7th for a 2-day Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop.

This will be a great experience for any fitness professional looking to learn more on behavior change, mindset, building autonomy & competence with their clients, as well as program design, assessment, and learning how to coach common exercises such as the deadlift and squat.

Only 12 spots have been made available for attendees outside of The Third Space on a first-come-first-serve basis, so act quickly!

NOTE: I will make exception(s) for any Game of Thrones actors who want to attend.

Contact Luke Worthington (info in flier above) for more details.

Onto this week’s list of stuff to read…..

Usain Bolt, The Movement Police, and Keyboard Sprinting Experts – Doug Kechijian

I applaud Doug for how articulate he was in writing this.

Context is everything.

I wish people would just mind their own business, STFU, and keep their “never trained an elite athlete in their life” commentary to themselves.

The Mind-Boggling Bullshit of Health and Fitness – Nia Shanks

You know we’ve failed as an industry when the people we “serve” ask insane questions like “is it okay if I eat an apple?”

Why Just “Eating Healthy” Won’t Help You Lose Fat – Jorden Pagel

This is a slightly older post from Jorden (April 2016) that I just had the opportunity to read. But man was it worth the wait.

July 8, 2016 Tony

Stuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 7/1/16

Lets get right into this week’s list

Introducing the Henriques Deadlift Chart – Tim Henriques

OMG – this was aaaaammmmmaaaazzzzzziiinnnggggg.

Tim’s the author of one of the best powerlifting books written in recent memory, All About Powerlifting, as well as as the director of The National Personal Training Institute. Plus, you know, he’s a strong sonofabitch.

If you’re a fitness pro who writes a ton training programs you’re probably very familiar with Prilepin’s Chart, which breaks down “optimal” set/rep schemes given a certain training percentage

It’s a fantastic chart. The thing is though, it’s based off of research OLY weightlifters and not powerlifters.

Tim took it upon himself to remedy that issue.

You can also check out his squat chart HERE, and bench press chart HERE.

After reading all of them, you should send Tim and email to thank him.

The Top 7 Bodybuilding Methods of All-Time – Christian Thibaudeau

Enjoyed this one from Coach Thibs. It never ceases to amaze me just how many different ways there are to lift weights.

Ruthless Mobility – Dean Somerset

If you’re a trainer, coach, physical therapist, or just someone who likes to nerd out over movement, this is an excellent resource on assessment, corrective strategies, and programming to improve people’s “suppleness.”

Dean placed Ruthless Mobility on SALE through the holiday weekend at about half-off the regular price.

Take advantage of it while you can HERE.

July 1, 2016 Tony

Stuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 6/24/16

I’m mad at myself.

Not for something stupid like forgetting to turn the stove off or forgetting to send in my quarterly taxes.

No, I’m mad at myself for slacking in the movie-watching department.

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love watching movies, and how much I pride myself on being a movie snob.

Ever since I was a kid I’ve been a movie nut. I have vivid memories of seeing E.T, Return of the Jedi, and Back to the Future in the theater when I was younger, and immediately becoming hooked by the escapism those movies provided.

Sure, like everyone else I enjoy the big budget, popcorn movies like Captain America: Civil War. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy explosions, fists being thrown into other people’s faces, and Chris Evans’ pecs?

But I also love watching independent, artsy-fartsy movies too.

Foreign movies, movies that star Chloe Savigny, or movies that have some bohemian, artistic title like, I don’t know, I Stare at a Rock, Love is Blind.⁶

They’re all good in my book, and I’ll give everything a chance.

Regardless, I’ve been slacking this summer. I mean, I haven’t even seen X-Men: Apocalypse yet!

Putting things into perspective, however, it’s with good reason. Between all the traveling I’ve been doing for work in addition to taking over the lease for my own training studio here in Boston…I’ve been a little pre-occupied.

That said, what movies have YOU seen lately? Anything you recommend or made you want to drop kick the director in the neck for wasting two hours of your life?

I’m heading to my snobby theater tonight to go see The Lobster. I’ve heard good things.

Lets get to this week’s list of stuff to read…..

What’s Wrong With Your Deadlift? – Todd Bumgardner

Everyone has different body-types and leverages, which makes the deadlift different for everyone. However, Todd hits on some BIG ROCK cues and suggestions that pretty much have a universal connotation.

3 Steps to Better Basketball Conditioning – Ty Terrell

Remember those weighted shoes you used to wear to help with your vertical jump? Or, the crotchety basketball coach who used to run his athletes into the ground during every…single…practice?

Most still do.

In this article, Ty hits on where most coaches miss the mark with regards to conditioning for basketball. Awesome stuff.

Double Your Back Growth – Nick Tumminello

In this article, Coach Nick hits on my favorite part of the body, ~~the boobs~~ the upper back. There’s plenty of info in this article to keep any meathead happy, but there’s also a fair bit of science for the nerds out there too.

June 24, 2016 Tony

Stuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 6/17/16

As this post goes live I’m in route to Austin, TX with my wife Lisa to take part in our inaugural Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop.

We’re excited because we both feel this is an underserved “niche” within the fitness community. The stuff I’ll be speaking about is nothing new – program design, breaking down squat and deadlift technique, why Darth Maul is the best Sith Lord ever, you know the important stuff.

While I feel I offer a unique perspective on all of those things and feel I have expertise, they’re all topics that are covered by many other coaches.

However, it’s the stuff the two of us will be speaking about in tandem – The Art of Coaching & Behavior Change, how to increase motivation and autonomy with your clients, how to assess your client’s willingness to change – that’ll be the real treat to the attendees attending.

Well there’s that, and the 0.01% chance they all witness a marriage crumbling before their eyes. This is mine and Lisa’s first attempt at working with one another.

Either the weekend ends as a glorious success, complete with high-fives and a ticker-tape parade, or we’ll be hiring divorce lawyers and fighting over custody of the cat.

And who gets the VitaMix.⁷

The 6 Biggest Lies About Eating Meat – Mike Sheridan

I always appreciate articles like this.

Coincidentally, best read while eating a steak….;o)

How to Reduce Your Risk of Injury – Ann Wendel

Girls Gone Strong resident physical therapist, Ann Wendel, chimes in with some sage advice on what “functional training” really means.

Optimizing Movement – Eric Cressey & Mike Reinold

With their 4th installment in the Functional Stability Training series, Eric and Mike break down “movement,” from the assessment process to the gym floor.

The sale price ($30 off) only lasts until the end of this weekend, so act quickly while you can to take advantage.

How to Test Overhead Mobility – Me

In my latest article for Men’s Health I break down one of the easiest ways to “screen” for overhead mobility, and what you can do to improve it.

Epic beard not included.

June 17, 2016 Tony