CategoriesUncategorized

36 Things You May Not Have Known About Me

Using the sage words of 50 Cent:

Go, go, go, go, go, go

Go shawty, it’s your birthday. We gonna party like it’s your birthday. We gon’ sip Bacardi crush grassfed beef, like it’s your birthday. And you know we don’t give a *bleep*, it’s not your birthday.

In case you weren’t picking up what I was putting down, it’s my birthday today.  And since it’s my birthday and I just spent the past two hours writing programs, with today’s blog I figured I’d have a little fun and not take myself too seriously (but when do I ever do that??) and talk about myself.  I mean, if there’s any day where you’re allowed to talk about yourself it’s your b-day, right?

I turn 36 today.  Freakin 36!!! I’m now officially well on my way to 40 and I’m not really quite sure yet how I feel about it.

On one hand, I look (and feel) pretty darm good. Compared to most dudes my age, I’m Brad Pitt.  Okay, maybe that’s a stretch.  But there’s something to be said about not being scared to take my shirt off regardless of what time of year it is.

Summer?  Done!

Middle of winter?  Lets do it!

Columbus Day?  Fo sho.

Check out aisle in the grocery store? Bring it!

On the other, pretty soon I’m going to be telling stories of when I was 18 and how the internet didn’t exist and how there were these things called walkmans and mix tapes back in the day.

Okay, lets get to it.

36 Things You May Not Have Known About Me

In no particular order.

1. Growing up my dream was to be a professional baseball player. Actually, first, I wanted to be Han Solo, but baseball player was a close second.

I think I lived half my childhood in my side yard hitting baseballs back and forth with my dog, Daisy, following me every step of the way.

One of the scariest days of my life was when I accidentally hit a baseball right through the back window of the car my parents were trying to sell.   OMG, I just about packed up all my He-Man and GI Joe figures and left home for good.

They parked it smack dab at the end of the yard, so I guess they were asking for it.

2. I was kind of a good baseball player, actually.  I was a right-handed pitcher and made all League both my junior and senior years of high school.  I spent my first two years of college playing at Onondaga Community College (OCC) in Syracuse, NY where I was MVP Pitcher both my freshman and sophomore years, also making it to the All Conference and All-Region team my sophomore year as well.

I earned a scholarship to play baseball at Mercyhurst College, in Erie PA where I was named a Division II Player to Watch in 1998.

Al Bundy scored four touchdowns in a high school football gane once, and I was a 1998 Player to Watch, bitches!

I had a few professional tryouts, but unfortunately being a 6 foot 1 right-hander throwing in the mid-80s, I was a dime a dozen,

3.  Did you know I actually released my very first product earlier this year?

Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body

You should check it out……hint, hint.

4.  I also have another one coming out in the near future – The Spinal Health and Core Seminar – in collaboration with the same guys from MIRU (Rick Kaselj, Dr. Jeff Cubos, and Dean Somerset.)

5.  Speaking of Dean Somerset, he gave me what’s arguably the best b-day message on Facebook, ever.

Holy shit, you were actually birthed?!?!!? I thought you occurred when Megatron and Optimus Prime came together in a collision and the energy of that impact formed into a solid state mass who liked deadlifts and dead animal flesh.

What ever. Have a great birthday man.

6. Along with my girlfriend, I own a cat, Dagny.  Now I’m not quite as obsessed with her as the guy in this commercial:

But I kinda am.

7.  I ran Cross Country my sophomore year in high school and it was about as fun as getting dropped kicked in the nuts.

8.  I also never had a girlfriend in high school.  Probably because I freakin ran Cross Country (and, you know, I was completely terrified of them).

9.  Hey – did you know I have a Fan Page on WeightTraining.com?  I didn’t either up until yesterday.  You can check it out  HERE.

10. I may be the only guy this side of the Mississippi River to say this, but I HATE bench pressing.  There, I said it.

11.  My favorite rap group of all time is A Tribe Called Quest.  I feel the early and mid-90s was (is) the golden days of rap – hands down.

12.  I didn’t perform my first deadlift until 2003, when I was 25 years old.

13. My best deadlift is 570 lbs (at a then 3x bodyweight of 190 lbs).

Operation 600 lb deadlift will commence on Monday (for real this time) – Greg Robins has agreed to write my programming for the next three months.  Yeah buddy!!!

14.  Raise your hand if you balled like a baby when Red and Andy met up in Mexico at the end of The Shawshank Redemption.

*Raises both hands*

And for anyone who’s pissed because I just gave away the ending, that movie came out in freakin 1994!

15.  I majored in History at one point in college.  You laugh – but don’t underestimate the power of Post-Revolutionary Imperialism or Roosevelt’s New Deal.  Chicks LOVE that stuff.

16.  Since this is the age when most kids get their driver’s license.  I failed my drivers test not once, but twice.

Once because I forgot to put the car back into drive (from reverse) when performing a three-point turn; and once because apparently it’s not in good taste to drive over the speed limit.

17. Whatever, don’t judge me.

18.  The number I wore all through high school and college.

19.  That’s me in the upper right-hand corner during our spring trip to Florida my freshman year (OCC).

20.  Favorite shows growing up:  Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Party of Five, The Fresh Price of Bel Air, Perfect Strangers.

21.  Favorite shows now:  The Daily Show, Fringe, House Hunters.

22.  All-Time favorite shows:  Six Feet Under, Lost.

23.  Some people don’t know that I started off in this industry working in corporate fitness in a small town called Skaneateles, NY. I interned at this place called Welch Allyn (who hired a separate company to run their gyms) in the summer 0f 2002, and when I finished, they hired me.  I worked there for three years and eventually moved to New England in the fall of 2005.

24.  Eric Cressey served as the impetus for my move.  He was hired by a club in Connecticut after finishing grad school and mentioned to me that the same place was looking for another trainer.  He called me up, I went and interviewed, I was hired, and the rest, as they say, is history.

25.  I can’t stand the taste of alcohol. Or coffee.

26. But I love me some Spike!

27.  And Olivia Munn (<—–HER).

28. I was never an avid reader until my ex, ex, ex girlfriend broke up with me (don’t worry, I’m over it).  In an effort to get my mind off of things, I randomly came across the Modern Library’s list of Top 100 Novels and decided that summer that I was going to tackle that sumbitch.

I started with Catcher in the Rye, and haven’t looked back since.

29. By that same token, I also feel it’s important to “diversify” your reading (which, coincidentally, also helps if you’re trying to improve your writing skills).  At any given point I’m reading a fiction book, a non-fiction book (and usually listening to one in my car as well), and I’m always plowing through something related to my field.  Currently Deadlift Dynamite and Dan John’s Intervention.

30.  Numerous studies have shown that listening to classical music while writing or trying to do anything that requires a lot of concentration (tying shoes for example) helps with the flow of things.

I actually prefer ambient music and my favorite station/website to listen to is Allegro Lounge.  Click on it and thank me later.

31. I can’t win a staring contest to save my life – especially if it involves Michelle Elwell (CP’s very own office manager and my longest tenured client), or Chuck Norris.

32. There was a time in my training career where I thought it was pretty bad ass that I did leg presses in a Smith Machine.  What an a-hole I was.

33.  Favorite snack in the world:  Larabars.  In fact, whoever Lara is, I want to marry her. This is her, right? (Rhona Mitra as Lara Croft).

34. My hometown, Groton, NY, doesn’t even have one traffic light.  And my graduating class in high school was 55 people.  The weird thing: even though I graduated with so few people  I wasn’t even voted “Most Likely to Become Bald and Sexy As Hell.”   That’s messed up.

35. You should follow me on Twitter and Facebook and RebelMouse.

36.  If you actually made it this far, you’ve earned yourself a golden sticker for today!  I should get a golden sticker for coming up with 36 things to say about myself – that was a lot harder than expected!  I got to like #13 and thought to myself, “I’m not remotely this cool where I can think of 36 things about myself.”

Here’s hoping that my 37th year will be filled with just as much happiness and appreciation* as the 36th!

I’m totally have two Spikes today.

* Not to mention a 600 lb deadlift.

CategoriesUncategorized

Giving Thanks (

Tomorrow marks my favorite day of the year – Thanksgiving – and as such, I’m heading back home to upstate New York today to spend a few days with family.

I love Thanksgiving for a number of reasons.  My mom’s homemade apple pie and zucchini bread is as good of a reason as any, of course. And there’s also the stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, copious amounts of dead animal flesh, and football.

Most notably, however, I think what appeals to me most is that there’s no “commercialization” surrounding it.  In every sense Thanksgiving truly is about spending time with friends and family and being appreciative for all that you have in your life.

To that end, while I realize it’s borderline cliche to spend an entire post recognizing things I’m thankful for, I think it’s important to do considering the time of year (and because many people disregard it altogether).

Besides, it’s my blog……..I can do what I want!

Family

I can’t write a post of this nature and not give props to my family.  Even though I’ll be seeing them in a few hours (Mom, seriously, have the pie ready!) I just want to take a few moments to say how much I love you.

I can’t thank you enough for all the support you’ve given throughout the years.  Everything from watching all of my Little League games to giving me my first Nintendo during Christmas of 1987 (arguably the best freakin day of my life!!!!!!) to travelling miles on end to watch my play all through high school and college to trusting my judgement and supporting my decision to leave home and move to New England to pursue my career in fitness, you’ve been amazing, and I’m so appreciative for everything.

Lisa

I realize her name pops up a lot on this blog, but there’s a logical reason for that.  She’s such a profound part of my life – it’s as simple as that.

I’ve never met a more compassionate, caring, and decidedly perfect companion for me than her.

I can say without hesitation that she, more than anyone else, has made me a better version of me and has helped elevate me to levels I couldn’t have ever fathomed.

The confidence I’ve gained having her in my life has been unparalleled, and too, what an awesome feeling it is knowing that she is ALWAYS by side supporting me every step of the way.

I couldn’t be more grateful.  I love you babe!

Friends and Colleagues

Firstly I’d like to give a shout out to my boys – Eric (Cressey) and Pete (Dupuis).  Yeah, yeah, yeah we’re business partners, but above all, you two are my best friends and I couldn’t be luckier.

Additionally, I want to thank the rest of the CP staff – Chris Howard, Greg Robins, and Michelle Elwell.  You all do a remarkable job and we’re lucky to have you.

And I don’t care what you say, Michelle, techno is the awesome….;o)

And to all of my colleagues out there who have made me a better coach and better human being in general – THANK YOU!

The list is endless but I’d like to give a special thanks to those who have played an integral part in my life:  Bret Contreras, Ben Bruno, Nia Shanks, Dean Somerset, Rick Kaselj, Adam Bornstein, Bryan Krahn, Mike Robertson, Mike Roussell, Brian St. Pierre, Joe Dowdell, Dan Trink, Optimus Prime, Jen Sinkler, Sirena Bernal, John Romaniello, Jon Goodman, Nick Tumminello, and  many many others who I hope won’t get mad at me for not including their name.

Yes, I’m talking to you Matt Damon.

Bacon

Nuff said.

You!

Not that I haven’t gotten sentimental enough already – 2012 has undoubtedly been the most successful year thus far for me professionally, and I owe much of that to all of you who continue to support me and help spread my message.

Everything from the release of my very first product – Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body to SPOILER ALERT:  The Spinal Health and Core Training Seminar, which is right around the corner – to Greatist Workout of the Day to helping this blog grow and grow, I can’t tell you how appreciative I am to everyone.

Sincerely – THANK YOU!!!!

And that’s about it.  I need to hop in the shower and get my things packed for my road trip bak home.  Most likely you won’t hear from me again until Monday, but I may sneak in a quick blog post before then.

Until then, again, thank you, and HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!

CategoriesUncategorized

Tony Gentilcore Q and A (November 20th)

This one is going to be short and sweet. All day today – November 20th – I’ll be hosting an AMA on Reddit.com in the AdvanceFitness forum.

I’ve appropriately titled it: Tony Gentilcore’s AMA (Star Wars Nerds and People Who Like to Lift Heavy Stuff Welcome).

I’m not what you would call “technology savvy,” given that it took me a good hour just to maneuver myself around to post the opening statement.  But it’s there now, and that’s all that matters.

I’m not sure if you have to actually sign-up to post and ask questions, but even if you do, the sign-up takes like 30 seconds and all you have to do is use a made up screen name like JackedGunz23 or AliciaKeysWillBeMineOhYesSheWillBe Mine and issue a password (no email required).

This should be pretty fun as it allows me to interact with my current readership and (hopefully) build upon it, which in turn will allow me to grow my empire and eventually take over the world.  Skynet style.

With that, if you’re interested, please feel free to hop on over to participate and ask me anything your heart desires.  What I had for breakfast? My thoughts on using weight belts?  What are the best deadlifting coaching cues? Who’s the best rapper ever:  Biggie or Nas?  You know, the important stuff.

UPDATE:  WHEW.  I never expected so many awesome questions.  All told, there ended up being somewhere around 40-50 questions I answered.  And now my fingers hate me!

For those interested, you can check out all the questions (and my answers) HERE.  Thanks for everyone who participated, and I hope to do it again soon!

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work Uncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Deadlift Dynamite, The Swole Quotient, and a Really Funny Post

It’s pretty much set and stone (and if I’m not mistaken, the 14th Law of Physics) that anything with the word dynamite in it’s title is the epitome of baller and automatically increases its “badass” factor exponentially.

Two examples that immediately pop into my head are Napoleon Dynamite and Black Dynamite – both of which, respectively, are hilarious movies that I feel should be required viewing for everyone.

Now, just imagine what happens when you place the word DEADLIFT in front of DYNAMITE.

Like whoa.  That much awesome certainly can’t be  contained, and I believe a whole lotta Gangnam Style just hit you smack dab in the face.

Deadlift Dynamite – Andy Bolton and Pavel Tsatsouline

I’ve been hinting at this one for a while now, and I don’t feel as if I need to sit here and really “sell” people on this manual. I mean, everyone who knows me and reads this site consistently knows that I love me some deadlifts.

And Matt Damon, but that’s for another time.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy a few weeks ago, and to be perfectly honest it actually exceeded my expectations.

In fact, the title of the manual is a little misleading because it’s not just about the deadlift at all.  Everything from honing technique on the “big 3” (deadlift, bench press, squat) to programming ideas to corrective strategies on improving posture are covered.  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

In a nutshell it’s about improving performance; it’s about preventing injury; and more to the point, it’s about getting strong as a s***!

If that’s something you’re interested in then I’d highly suggest checking it out.  It’s a game changer for sure!

The Swole Quotient Formula – Ben Bruno

This was a fun and entertaining post that Ben wrote a few days ago, that I think a lot of you will enjoy reading.

I wonder what my swole quotient would be for deadlifting 505 lbs eight times?

Even more thought provoking:  how would my swole quotient change if I did the same exact set of deadlifts albeit with a mustache?

See, I’m not scared to ask the hard questions.

A Quick Guide to the World of Strength Training – “Danny” from Tucson Kettlebell

HAhahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahaha.

This. Is. Awesome.

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany Uncategorized

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Flight, Deadlift Battle Reminder, and Yoga Isn’t For Everyone

1. Hope everyone had an awesome weekend (and remembered to turn their clocks back one hour before going to bed Saturday night).

Not surprisingly, like an idiot, I forgot to turn mine back and as a result got up earlier than I needed to do the weekly grocery shopping.  It wasn’t until I logged onto my computer to check emails really quick that I realized I was an hour early.  DOH!!!!

Nevertheless, once we were properly aligned with time, Lisa and I had the epitome of a “chill” day.  As is the case most Sundays, we use it to catch up on life, but also to do a little window shopping, too.  And by “window shopping” what I really mean is, “I follow Lisa around like an obedient puppy.”

At the start everything is rainbows and roses.  You want to walk into Marshall’s?  Sure, lets do it?!  Target?  Rock on.  I love me some Target!

By the time stores like Bebe or Sephora start entering the picture, I’m pretty much a walking zombie and have to fight off the urge to hurl my body in front of a moving bus.

Thankfully we were in a part of the city that not only had a Chipotle, but also had a movie theater nearby – so we decided to go see the new Denzel Washington flick, Flight.

A few candid thoughts:

  • If you’re someone who’s even remotely scared of flying, don’t go see this!  I for one am not a huge fan of flying, and basically had to manually unclench my butt cheeks after watching the entire 10+ minute sequence of the plane crashing. Not cool.
  • I love movies that revolve around actual dialogue, superb acting, crisp story telling (and show boobies) – and this film had it all!

Denzel will undoubtedly get a nomination for his role as a man who struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. Granted it’s a topic that Hollywood has seemingly squeezed dry time and time again, but if it’s any consolation, Lisa, a mental health therapist who has extensive experience working with people who suffer from substance abuse, was hit like a ton of bricks from Denzel’s extraordinary performance.

The last 10-15 minutes of the film were pretty powerful and left both of us speechless for a decent amount of time.  Later on last night, even as we were crushing filet mignon at a Morton’s, Lisa randomly said, “I’m still thinking of that movie.”

It was a good one people.

I know many will go into it thinking that the movie is about how Whip (Denzel’s character) lands the plane and h0w much of a miracle it was – and that’s not far from the truth.  But in reality, it’s a movie about a man’s inner demons and how he just can’t seem to get out of his own way.

Highly recommended.

B+

2.  Just a friendly reminder:  I’m challenging everyone to a DEADLIFT BATTLE starting TODAY (Monday, Nov. 5th), and I’m hoping more will join in on the madness.

There will be daily giveaways as well as a randomly selected grand prize winner at the end of the week.  What’s more, and maybe even more pertinent, it gives you a perfectly good reason to deadlift your face off this week and earn some bragging rights.

Of course, it’s all in good fun, but I’m going to kick all your asses.

LOL – just kidding.

No, but seriously, my competitive juices are overflowing right now, and I can’t take responsibility for any hurtful words that come out of my mouth this week. Which is to say I’m pretty certain all of you were adopted.

Good luck!

3. A lot people on this site are familiar with my friend, Sirena Bernal, who’s a fantastic personal trainer/pilates instructor/nutrition coach/overall kickass human being here in Boston.

Sirena and I have been chummy for the past year or so exchanging numerous emails, bumping into one another at the local Panera (where we both do a lot of writing and people watching), and she also came to one of my lectures earlier this year that I gave to a group of Boston based trainers.

In addition I’ve highlighted a handful of her articles in my Stuff You Should Read While Pretending to Work series – which I like to think is sort of a big deal for those who make it on.

Anyways, Sirena is a well of information and she’s really good at what she does.  So good in fact that she’s built a very successful online business that allows her the freedom to work where she wants, when she wants (hence what we always seem to bump into one another at Panera).

Currently, she’s in the process of putting together a FREE webinar titled Top 10 Weight Loss Foods to Get at Trader Joe’s, which for anyone who registers, will receive $50 off her next Lean Body Challenge in January along with a free TJ’s downloadable cookbook she’s putting together.

Even if you’re not located near a Trader Joe’s Sirena will be providing a bunch of useful information that could be applied to any grocery chain – plus, as I noted, you’ll get a hefty discount off her next challenge just for attending.  What’s not to like?

4.  My thoughts towards yoga have definitely skewed a little more towards the “it’s a tool in the toolbox” way of thinking in recent years.  In the past, if many recall, I’d adamantly be opposed to it because I often felt it was marketed in a way that made people think it was some sort of health and well-being panacea where everyone who did it would be magically have six pack abs, be able to jump over mack trucks, have clear skin, and shit diamonds.

I still think it’s marketed in a way that can be shady, but I also understand that there is a time a place for it – Heck, I even took a class and blogged about my experience HERE and HERE.

Anyways, one of my readers sent me THIS blog post which sorta feeds into the whole “yoga isn’t necessarily all it’s cracked up to be” mindset.

I think many of you will enjoy it.

PS:  I still need to write my review of the CP seminar from last weekend, and will hopefully get that up at some point this week.  Sorry!!!!!!!!

CategoriesUncategorized

Seven Favorite Meals

Food.

For some, food is just a means to an end, just a bunch of calories that serves no other purpose than to provide “fuel” and allow us to “do stuff.”

These are generally the individuals who eat the same things everyday – egg whites, coffee and maybe a piece of toast (NO BUTTER!!11!!) for breakfast, plain chicken breast and some spinach for lunch, a handful of almonds with an apple and protein powder that tastes like powdered fart as a mid-afternoon snack, and for dinner, maybe they’ll spice it up with some beef and veggies.

If that’s your schtick and it works for you, more power to you.  Speaking truthfully, I used to be one of those people.

Sure, I’d enjoy the occasional slice of pizza here and there, and if I was really feeling dangerous I’d have a cookie (or two), but for the most part food was fuel.  That’s it.

I’d bust out my grill on the weekends and stock up on grilled chicken breast for the week, and I’d also prepare a bunch of beef too.  As a bachelor, my spice rack was pretty much relegated to salt, pepper, and the occasional vat of Adobo.

You could say that my palette wasn’t used to a lot of variety.

If you were to take a gander into my fridge back in the day, you’d pretty much find nothing but an endless supply of eggs, thawed bags of frozen vegetables (which would get kinda messy), and maybe a container or two of salsa.

It was pretty pathetic to say the least.

On the other end of the spectrum, for most people, food is (as it should be) much much more.  Food is culture.  It’s the centerpiece behind birthdays, 4th of July, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Yom Kippur (after the fact, anyways), anniversaries, weddings, graduation parties, movie marathons, you name it – food is usually the cornerstone or main attraction of any event or get together.

I’ve come a long ways since my bachelor days.  Granted the kitchen is still no-man’s land for me and really the only thing I’m good at is turning the toaster on.

But give me a recipe to follow and a watchful eye, I’m fairly confident I won’t blow up the apartment building.

To that end, I recently read an article by the great Dan John where he noted:

Recently, I added a list of “Ten favorite meals” from the insights of Sean Greeley. These lists give me an idea of how I am doing socially, spiritually, emotionally, physically and fiscally.

A light bulb immediately turned on in my head, and I thought this had potential for a pretty neat and fun blog post.

Everyone’s relationship with food is different. As I noted above, before, food was just a means to an end – simply fuel to get me from one deadlift session to another.  But in the years that I’ve matured (poop!) and the more I have experienced life and all its trials and tribulations, food – and all that it means and represents – has blossomed, and has grown to mean much much more to me.

While I still tend to eat the same things on a day-to-day basis, below are some of my favorite meals.  Some are the healthy, “I’m still a meathead” variety, while others are there solely because they’re deliciously badass.

Lets get to it!

1. Date Night

Where I’m from “eating out” doesn’t have quite the same connotation as it does here in a big city – mostly because there isn’t nearly as many options.

Where I’m from a romantic evening out is generally reduced to Applebees or Olive Garden.  

Nothing says “I love you” more than a bottomless bowl of garlic breadsticks.  BOM CHICKA BOM BOM!

When I first moved to Boston, “fine dining” was not in my vocabulary.  Place three forks in front me, and I was more likely to start pretending they were spaceships than anything else.

Luckily, with practice, my culinary and dining aptitude have improved, and one of my most favorite things to do now is explore new and interesting restaurants.

Just about every weekend Lisa and I head out on the town and head to the Back Bay to hit up a steakhouse and dominate a succulent filet mignon, or maybe we head to the North End and drown ourselves in vintage marinara sauce and pasta.

Whether we’re in the mood for seafood (rarely on my end, I hate seafood) or eating “dirty” (NACHOS!!!!!!!), Boston has it all, and I love being able to explore new foods and flavors.

2. My Morning Omelet

In a word: EPIC.

Every morning I look forward to two things:

1. Peeing

2. Eating my omelet.

Here’s the stats:

5 Whole Eggs (with the yolks). I try my best to purchase “free range” eggs from farms that I know allow their chickens to roam.

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2-1 cup chopped broccoli
A few sun-dried tomatoes
Garlic, turmeric, oregano, pepper, parsley
Goat cheese, and salsa

I’m good to go.

As an aside, one game I like to play when we go out to brunch is to see the reactions of the waiter or waitress when I ask for a double order omelet.  I’ve gotten everything from, “are you sure about that?  That’s like, six eggs!”  (mind you, the stack of pancakes and syrup that the person at the table next to me ordered has like twice the calories) to looks of disbelief that I can’t possibly eat that much to the chef coming out in person to congratulate me and offer me a free shirt.

It’s weird, but always makes for interesting conversation.

3. Pizza and JP Licks

I know it’s blasphemous to say that anywhere other than New York City or Chicago has good pizza, but Boston has it’s fair share of stellar pizza joints.  No, really, I’m not kidding!

One of my go to places is Upper Crust Pizza – which is literally right down the street from my apartment.  On occasion I’ll head down after a grueling training session and order a few “slices of the day” (buffalo chicken with blue cheese is a staple) and then top that off by walking diagonally across the street and hitting up the JP Licks for some peanut butter Oreo ice-cream.

4. My “Earth” Protein Shake

I know it’s kind of lame to list a shake as one of my favorite meals, but there’s rarely a day that goes by where I don’t have at least one (sometimes two) of these due to my busy schedule and the fact that I spend upwards of 6-8 hours of my day coaching.

Assuming you have a Magic Bullet or something to its equivalent, give this bad boy a shot:

I start with placing half a bag of (preferably organic) baby leaf spinach into a container, along with a scoop of creatine, SuperFood, and 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds (all of which are optional).

Pour 1/2-1 cup of almond or coconut milk into container and mix.

From there I’ll add a scoop of protein powder (Grow), maybe 1/4 cup of rolled oats, some unsweetened shaved coconut, a scoop or two of cacao nibs, and some frozen blueberries or mixed berries.

Mix again, and you’ll end up with a greenish/brownish “earthy” looking concoction that will taste GREAT and almost certainly get some weird looks if you drink in public.

5. Healthy Fajitas

I love fajitas, but not the gluten-fest that they’re often affiliated with.  Don’t get me wrong: sometimes I’ll go for broke and crush the flour tortillas like the next guy, but more often than not we’ll make our version of fajitas that are little more guilt-free and far healthier.

We’ll ground up some grass fed beef and cook that in a fajita mix along with some cutlets of chicken.

From there we’ll lay ou the prerequisite sides of guacamole, cheese, salsa, and while sour cream is great, to be honest, greek yogurt works just as well.

Instead of the flour tortillas, we’ll use huge leafs of bibb salad and use those as our wraps.

And for the record: We got rid of that white couch looooooooooog ago.  One guess as to who wasn’t allowed to eat on it during fajita night?????

6. Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday because there’s no commercialized Hallmark way about it.  It’s all about family and friends and FOOD!!!!!

I mean come on: what else is better than eating some of Mom’s homemade apple pie???????

7. Meatza

I “stole” this meal from my pal and fellow lover of all things lifting heavy, Nia Shanks.

Essentially it’s a flattened meatloaf cooked in a way that mimics a pizza.  Genius!

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’ll just defer to Nia’s post about it HERE.

And there you have it!  Those are just a handful (well seven, so a little more than a handful) of my favorite meals.  Got any you’d like to share?  Sound off below!

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany Uncategorized

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: The Day After Hurricane Sandy Edition

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Those are the worst pants I have ever seen.

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

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

Then all I hear is a massive “nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.”

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

Fail.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just some food for thought.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Goblet Bulgarian Split Squat

Note:  Goddammit!!!!!!!!  My bad everyone. I know filming “vertical” videos is a big no-no on the interwebz and is about as convenient as watching a whale give birth, but you’ll have to forgive me as it’s a video that I filmed last night and it’s the only one I took.

At some point I’ll eventually learn how to use my iTouch correctly. Until then you’re just going to have to suck it up a deal I’m afraid…..;o)

Anyhoo……….

Ask any coach who’s been in the game for a while whether or not he or she feels single leg training is kind of important, they’ll inevitably give you “the look” as if to say, is the Pope catholic?  Does a bear shit in the woods?  Does David Hasselhoff like alcohol?

You get the idea.

At the expense of preaching to the choir – as I know a vast majority of people who continually read this site are uber intelligent, not to mention painfully good looking – single leg training serves a plethora of benefits.  Including but not limited to:

– Helps ascertain whether or not there’s an imbalance between one leg or the other.

– Helps improve athletic (and life) performance – there aren’t many sports we play or things we do in everyday life that don’t require us to stand, run, leap, walk, jump, etc on one leg.

– Helps improve hip stability and overall lumbo-pelvic-hip function.  Single leg training targets what’s known as the lateral sub-system (glute medius & adductor complex on one leg, and the quadratus lumborum on the opposite leg).

– Makes people of the opposite sex want to hang out with you.

– Helps improve single-leg strength, which in turn, almost always translates to increased strength in the bigger, more popular lifts like squats and deadlifts.

– Helps reduce axial loading and gives the spine a bit of a break from the grind of constantly lifting heavy stuff.

– Furthermore, single leg training helps to fix or alleviate many of the issues that cause chronic knee, lower back, and hip pain (which reverts back to the whole lateral sub-system thing noted above).

Honestly, the list could go on and on, and like I said, I don’t want to seem like I’m preaching to the choir.

Today with Halloween right around the corner, I want to do my best Ben Bruno** impersonation and showcase a cool single leg exercise that I’ve grown to really love and appreciate.

Goblet Bulgarian Split Squats

Who Did I Steal It From – I guess technically, the one and only Dan John.  Since he’s the one who invented the Goblet Squat, I can’t have the word “goblet” in the name of an exercise without giving credit to him.

Likewise, I don’t even know why the Bulgarians get credit for the the “bulgarian split squat.”  I mean come on:  are we REALLY supposed to believe that no else in the history of the world ever thought of this concept?  It took some random Bulgarian to put two and two together?

I digress.

What Does It Do: Along with all the benefits mentioned above, I love this variation for two reasons.

1.  By holding the dumbbell in a Goblet fashion, there’s a (more) significant anti-flexion component to the exercise, and as such, it will encourage people into more thoracic extension, which is generally never a bad thing considering most people are a walking ball of flexion in the first place.

2.  In a sense, because the load is more anterior (and you’re not placing a barbell directly on your spine) you could make a case that there’s less compressive spinal loading. If that’s something that concerns you, this may be a more viable option.

Key Coaching Cues: I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.  A few things, however:

1. Try to keep the knee of the standing leg in line with your second toe as you perform the exercise.  Many trainees tend to allow their knee to cave in during split squat variations (or any squat variation for that matter), and it’s important that you don’t allow this to happen.

2.  From a comfort standpoint – some may find it more prudent to place a half foam roller or maybe even a rolled up towel on top of the bench so that their foot stays in place or so they don’t crush their toes.

3.  From a mental cue standpoint, try to think to yourself, “chest up,” “chin tucked,” and to sit back and drive THROUGH THE HEEL!!!!!

In other words:  don’t lean forward, stay as upright as possible, and try to prevent your weight from shifting into your forefoot while performing your reps. The brunt of your weight should be in your heel.

4.  Also, try to squeeze the glute of the trailing leg throughout.

5.  I generally prefer people perform 6-10 repetitions on one leg, rest for 20-30s, and then finish off their set by completing the same number on the opposite.

Try it out today and let me know what you think!

** = Just in case someone blows their gasket and thinks I’m throwing Ben under the bus, I understand that he trains bilateral movements too.  In fact, he and I train together every now and then, and I’ve seen him do it.  Sooo, deep breaths.  Relax. Everything will be okay.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work Uncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Drug Companies are Shady, Obesity Prejudice, and Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Training

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of the current medical model for health.  As a society – at least here in the States – we have a very reactive mindset as opposed to preventative.

Using the most obvious example – heart disease – it’s more common for a physician to prescribe a litany of pills to help “mask” the issue rather than take the more practical (and generally less expensive) route of educating people that eating a whole egg won’t kill them, and that Taco Bell probably isn’t the best choice for dinner.

Of course, it’s much more complicated than that as we have to consider psycho-social and behavioral issues, as well as the more glaring obstacle that our society enables poor health choices left and right.  I mean, can you blame a kid for crushing chocolate milk and an apple fritter for breakfast when that’s all that’s available to him or her in school? Right from the start, we’re programming them to accept that highly processed, sugary foods are part of a “healthy” start to the day.

We’re now currently in a state where, for the first time EVER, our children are expected to have a shorter life span than their parents.

Anyways, my blood pressure is rising just thinking about it.  Ironic, huh?

Back to the whole doctor thing, though. I’m not placing all of them under one umbrella of suck.  Obviously there are a infinite number out there who “get it” and actually take a more proactive approach to medicine.

Interestingly, when it comes to the research available to physicians (which dictate what medications they prescribe to their patients) positive findings are TWICE as likely to be published than negative findings.

In every sense, doctors are literally blinded in evidence based medicine.

This is why primary care is shady business. Or, more to the point, why drug companies are a bunch of a-holes at times.

In their defense, doctors seemingly NEVER get the full picture.  How effective can they be in prescribing medication if they don’t have access to ALL the trials?

Ben Goldacre discusses this very topic in TED talk below.  Fascinating stuff, and well worth the 13 or so minutes it will take you to watch it:

What Doctors Don’t Know About the Drugs They Prescribe – Ben Goldacre

The Last Acceptable Prejudice – Dr. Jonny Bowden

This article kind of falls in line with the TED talk above (especially as it relates to drug companies), but most importantly it was a fantastic article discussing prejudice against the obese. More specifically, it delves into the story of Jennifer Livingston, the news reporter up in Wisconsin who was openly chastized by a viewer concerning her weight.

Another less obvious point to consider is how the internet allows people to say things that they would never say to someone’s face.

Is Aerobic of Anaerobic Training Best For Getting Rid of Belly Fat – Charles Poliquin

Before the gates of Hell Fire open, let me state that I’m not opposed to aerobic training.  I’d much prefer someone do something over nothing – and if that entails going for walks or jogging or Zumba class (with some *cough, cough* extracurricular activities) than so be it.

That said, as a strength coach, I obviously lean a little more towards the “people should lift heavy things” side of the equation.

Ever wonder why commercial gyms are chock full of “cardio” machines and why they’re the most popular, yet the vast majority of people using them are still overweight?

This isn’t the case all the time, but Coach Poliquin does bring up some interesting data in his argument.

CategoriesUncategorized

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Band Assisted Push-Up

Today’s guest post comes from former CP intern, and current Boston University assistant Strength Coach, Dave Rak.

Dave likes deadlifts, Jason Bourne, and Chipolte.  He’s also single.  Ladies?

Push-ups are a main staple in any strength and conditioning program.   They are a great body weight exercise that can get you really strong, and in case you didn’t already know…strong people are harder to kill and just flat out more useful in general. When that Zombie Apocalypse happens you can thank me.

For those of you who struggle with push-ups don’t worry Tony and I got your back!

Note from TG:  I’ve actually written on push-up progressions in the past.  THIS one was targeted towards women, but can easily be applied to men who struggle with push-ups as well.

THIS one just talks about the general badassery that is the push-up.

Okay, I’ll stop interrupting Dave.

Some people lack the core strength and upper body strength to bang out a perfect push-up.  A typical regression is to elevate the hands to make the push-up easier and then progressively lower the angle of the hands until you reach the floor.  Often times the second you go to hands elevated push-ups it’s like you hit the self-destruct button and your athlete just falls apart.  Elbows flair out, the hips drop, and your eyes start to bleed from witnessing this debauchery.   For the visual learners, just check out the picture above.

An alternative to elevating the hands (typically on aerobic steppers or the pins of a power rack) would be to use a band as assistance on the way up from your push-up.  The band takes some of the athlete’s body weight away and allows them to complete the push up in its natural position. When you elevate the hands the shoulder is in a more flexed position compared to a standard push-up, it’s not the same pattern and it changes the exercise.

Now I’m not trying to split hairs between the two, but to me the simple fact that the athlete can go through the exact motion of a push up is important.  I look at it the same way as if you were to unload a squat with a TRX, you are just grooving that pattern.

Go through the movement pattern, get comfortable, get strong, and then dominate the world!

Another benefit of using the band for assistance is it is easier for the athlete to create tension in their back and glutes compared to a hands elevated push-up on a box.  The athlete will be able to “pull the ground apart” and then if the band is placed at the hips it can even have an RNT (Reactive Neuromuscular Training) effect for the hips.  Peep the video and you’ll see what I mean.

Band Assisted Push-Up

Also, what’s one reason that people suck at push-ups?  A weak upper body (and core, yes that too).  The band will allow you to load the upper body while doing your push up without compromising form.  On the flip side, elevating the hands will take more of the load away, yes you can work on core stability but it is more difficult to load the upper body.

Who Did I Steal It From:  I saw a coach at Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning doing this with a private client waaaaayyyyy back in the day when I was an intern.  So, whoever that guy was, high five!

What Does It Do:  Allows you to the go through the correct movement pattern of a push-up and strengthen that pattern.

You can teach the push-up easier.  It reduces the “oh-shit” factor during the exercise so it shifts the focus from not falling on your face to actually engaging the proper musculature.

The band allows for a RNT effect to teach keeping the hips extended and how to engage the glutes/maintain pelvic positioning.

Progress the movement and add more resistance.

Change the location of the band to add more load to the upper body.

Give your athlete confidence because they are actually doing a push up with the rest of their team.  Having them do a hands elevated variation may make them self-conscious.  You put the 45lbs plates on the bar and not the 25 and two 10lbs plates on right? Same idea, look like everyone else and build confidence.

Coaching Ques: The thicker the band the easier the push up will be. Start in a prone position with the band in the crease of your hips. Hands under your shoulders, pull your shoulder blades into your back pocket (thanks for the cue Tony!)

Open the pickle jar with your hands (stole cue that from Jill Zeller) meaning pull the ground apart with your hands to engage your lats and create torque/tension in your back.

Squeeze your butt and don’t let the band push your hips back, body in a straight line.

Pull yourself down to the floor and drive away.

Notes– Move the band to the quads to load the upper body more, you can also play with the height of the pins/J-Hooks for more or less band tension.

Give these a try, and remember Chuck Norris does not do push-ups he pushes the Earth down.

Author Bio

David Rak is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA (CSCS).  He is currently a Graduate Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Boston University pursuing his Master’s Degree in Coaching.  Dave oversees Wrestling and Women’s Golf, also assists with Men’s Basketball and Men’s Soccer.  He received his Bachelor’s in Exercise Science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and completed internships at Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning and Cressey Performance.  Upon his completion of his internship at MBSC, he continued to work part time at Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning for 2 and a half years while he finished his undergraduate degree.

Dave can be reached at [email protected]