CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany Uncategorized

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 8/20/12

1.  Wow – what a weekend!  As I noted on Friday this past weekend a bunch of us guys headed up to Maine (waaaaaaaaaaaaaay up in Maine. Like, middle of absolutely no where Maine. Like, 75 miles off the highway Maine.  Like, there’s no cell phone reception and OMGICANTCHECKMYEMAILSANDITSGLORIOUS Maine) to go white water rafting for Mr. Pete Dupuis’ bachelor party.

For those wondering who the hell Pete Dupuis is, he’s the business director at Cressey Performance.

I’m not going to go into too many of the details, because well, it WAS a bachelor party (and our significant others will be reading this post), but what I can divulge is this:

– The picture to the left is what the one and only George Abele showed up in as he walked into the office on Friday before we headed out.  Ladies, he’s single.

– I’m not one for the great outdoors. I used to go camping with my family every summer up in the Adirondack mountains when I was younger, but even then we had electricity (and there was a movie theater within ten miles).  Giving myself a little credit though, I was a Cub Scout back in the day  but failed miserably when it came to tying knots.  I mastered the Sailor’s knot, but the Slippery Hitch was a tough son-of-a-bitch to crack. And, just to throw it out there, starting a fire wasn’t (and still isn’t) my strong suit.

That said, being outside with nature isn’t necessarily my favorite thing to do in the world.  But holy balls, was this past weekend epic!  Being on the raft with all my boys conquering the Kennebec River was one of the funnest times I’ve ever had and

something I’d do again in a heartbeat.  The weather was perfect, the water was absolutely amazing, and maybe even most important of of all, NONE of us fell off the raft – which we were all pretty proud of.

– I think we gave our tour guide a run for her money once we all started “spearing” one another off the raft.  Think:  Terry Tate, but instead of tackling people in an office, you tackle someone off the side of a raft into Stage Two rapids. HA!

– Making Smores with Butterfinger candy is the bomb.

– There are some other things that I could say, but I plead the 5th.

2.  Needless to say, I ate like a champ this past weekend, and basically spent the entire day yesterday detoxing myself.  Now, I’m not one of those who goes out of his way to guilt himself into thinking that he has to not eat anything for an entire day.  I guess that’s one way to approach things, and if you read a lot into Intermittent Fasting, it makes some sense.

I just like to spend the day drinking some of my patented “Earth” shakes (s0 called because it’s not exactly the most enticing looking beverage you’ll ever see, but it has a lot of “good” stuff in it and tastes amazing):

Each one contains:

– 1/2 bag of baby spinach

– 1 scoop Superfood

– 1 scoop chia seeds (2-3 tbsp worth)

– 1/2-cup almond or coconut milk (or a mix of both, cause I’m cool like that)

– 1/2 cup frozen fruit (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, etc)

– 1 scoop Grow (protein powder)

– a pinch or two of raw, unsweetened coconut flakes

– Optional:  1/4 cup rolled oats, cacao nibs, Unicorn tears (high in riboflavin).

I drink two or three of those in one day and I feel like my body is able detox itself from the insulin coma I put it through.

3.  I don’t consider myself a music junky or anything – I like my old school hip hop (Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Wu-Tang, Biggie, Nas, etc) and I’ll throw in some techno, Norah Jones, and Ryan Montbleau for good measure – often opting for books on cd or news talk radio when I’m in my car. Truth be told, I can’t even remember the last time I put some new music on my iPod.

Anyways, I got home last night and Lisa had to show me this video her friend showed her while she was away in Europe last month.  I have to say, it’s pretty bad ass and makes me appreciate what a real musician sounds like. Too, I’m pretty sure Lisa is trying to send me some sort of subliminal message at the 1:35 mark.

Settle Down – Kimbra

4.  HERE’s a short and succinct “pictorial” I collaborated on in this month’s Men’s Health Magazine (pg. 50) discussing some of my favorite deadlift variations

Note: the link above links to the online version.

5. I had a few people send me a link to a recent study (and I use the word “study” loosely) which demonstrated that, in what could possibly be the worst analogy ever created in all of human history, eggs are as bad for your arteries as cigarettes.

You can click HERE for an abbreviated version of the story.

I’ll wait here for a few minutes while you read it/resist the urge to want to throw a brick into your face.

Seriously!  SERIOUSLY????  Eggs are now worse than cigarettes?  These guys are really trying to compare one of the most nutritious, NATURAL foods on earth to one of the most deadliest MAN-MADE substances?

Yep, that makes a lot of sense.

What’s next: comparing eggs to the Ebola virus?

I don’t quite understand why eggs are considered so evil and why so many people have a vendetta against them.

I asked my good friend Mark Young (who’s a ninja at dissecting research) for his opinion and here’s what he had to say:

I didn’t read the original article, but my understanding is that it is a purely correlational study showing a relationship between the amount of eggs that people remembered eating and artery wall thickness.  So there is no cause and effect relationship here…and there is the issue of dietary recall being pretty poor.
The authors are also apparently on the payroll from a company that makes a lipid lowering medication.
I don’t usually stress too much about funding source, but in this case I think it combines with the rest of the info to suggest this study is SHITE!

My sentiments exactly.

For those interested in a “response” article which basically pwns the original “study,” go HERE.

And that’s it.  I might be hit and miss the rest of the way with blogs since this is the week we’re making the BIG MOVE to the new facility.  I’ll try my best, but I can’t make any promises.

Word on the street is that I made some bet – which I have no recollection of doing – that I could farmer carry every DB we have in our facility to the new one (which is roughly 150 yds away).  Soooo, I may be spending my entire afternoon on Thursday hauling 4500+ lbs of DBs to the other end of the building.

I’m pretty sure there will be video evidence to follow. FML!

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“Glue” Exercises Gone Wrong

My girlfriend has been away for a month travelling Europe, and after putting my HAZMAT suit on and cleaning the hell out of our apartment I picked her up last night at the airport.

I’m taking today off from work (and blogging) so that she and I can, “reunite.”

BOM CHICKA CHICKA BOM WOW.

[Lucky for you I was fairly productive while she was away, and today I have another article I wrote, this time for T-Nation, about a couple of my favorite “glue” exercises.  What are “glue” exercises.  Click HERE to find out.]

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Greatist Workout of the Day

Affectionately referred to as GWODs, these are workouts designed by both myself and strength coach Dan Trink that will give people a firsthand look as to what a well structured, properly progressed fitness routine should look like.

Taken from the Greatist.com website:

“….these are high-quality, comprehensive strength and conditioning programs anyone can use. GWODs were created after Greatist.com readers expressed their frustration at a lack of quality fitness programming accessible to the average gym goer — not just the most “elite” or “hardcore” individuals among us. So we partnered with some of the best minds in the health and fitness industry to create killer workouts we could give our readers — for free (we think you’ll agree that’s a good price).”

You read that correctly:  FREE.  As in F to the R.E.E.

A few things to note:

1. It’s purely coincidental that both Dan and I could pass for a Mr. Clean impersonator.

2. We recognize that there are limitations to this program.  I think I speak for both of us when I say nothing will trump working with a reputable trainer on a face-to-face basis. But that’s the thing: there are a lot of crap trainers out there writing crap programming which are woefully craptastic at best, and flat out dangerous at their worst.

That said, everyone is unique with their own set of weaknesses, strengths, imbalances, injuries, and experience level and I’d be remiss not to recognize that following a program written for the masses will address every issue for every person in every circumstance.

It ain’t gonna happen.

You’re your own unique flower, and we understand (and appreciate) that.

However, we feel confident that the programming we’ve outlined will be a welcome breath of fresh air for the Greatist community (and the rest of the interwebz for that matter).

3. We’ve covered all the bases from the warm-up (it’s a lot more than just doing some cute arm circles and hopping on the elliptical for five minutes) to laying out, set by set, rep by rep, a well organized, structured, and progressive workout plan (2x, 3x, and 4x per week) that will help people move better, get stronger, and feel like a million bucks.

4. We’re not saying it’s perfect, and we’ll be the first to say that it’s still a work in progress.  We’re still very much  at the “grassroots” level with this shindig, and we’ll undoubtedly have a few kinks to iron out as the upcoming weeks/months progress.

But we’re really excited that we have the opportunity to help a lot of people and hopefully assist them (and more importantly, YOU) take their fitness and well-being to the next level.

So what are you waiting for?  Check it out HERE.

Enjoy the ride!  It’s going to be awesome.

 

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Tony Takes a Pilates Class

Nope, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you, and you’re (probably) not hallucinating.

Copyright: racorn / 123RF Stock Photo

 

As I’m writing this I’m about two hours removed from taking my very first Pilates class, like, EVER. As YOU’RE reading this, it’s more like 24 hours after the fact. But I decided rather than wait until the following morning (today) to write my summary, it was best to hash out my thoughts and observations now while everything was still fresh in my mind.

Well, there’s that, and the fact that my legs are still shaking and I can’t walk anywhere and I’m pretty much glued to my couch at the moment writing this.

So you may be wondering to yourself, “Um, yeah, Tony, how in the heck did this ever transpire?”  Good question, because if you were to rate on a scale the likelihood I’d ever take a Pilates class (1 being “lets go, baby!”, and 10 being “Dude, what’s next:  eating a tofurkey burger and peeing sitting down?), I’d say it would be around a + 56,000.

Me? Pilates? Hahahahahahahahaha.  That’s like trying to mix oil with water; or Ted Nugent with Democrats. It just doesn’t jive.

But 2012 has seen the fruition of a new Tony Gentilcore.  As some of you may recall this past winter I stepped outside my comfort zone (waaaaaaaaaaay outside my comfort zone) and took a few yoga classes with my girlfriend.  For those interested and who missed it the first time around, I highlighted my experience in Tony Takes a Yoga Class Part I and Part II.

To give the Cliff Notes version:

– In the past I’ve had my misgivings about yoga, and I still feel that it’s woefully misrepresented to the masses as some magical panacea of health and fitness.

– That being said, I took the class, kinda/sorta liked it (the instructor was less than to be desired), and I certainly do see the many benefits that yoga has to offer in terms of flexibility/mobility and the whole mind-body connection.

– As with anything, when done right, yoga is a tool and if it gets someone motivated to get off their keester, get out of their house and move around a little bit, who am I to poo-poo on it?

In light of this, I had still never really considered taking a Pilates class for whatever reason.  Maybe I felt I met my “trying new things quota” with the yoga experiment, or maybe I was just a teeny, tiny bit intimidated.  Whatever the reason, I never really had the inclination to try it.

That is up until a few weeks ago when a buddy of mine, Mike  – who works as a trainer at a local commercial gym here in Boston – sent me an email saying that his fitness manager approached him asking whether or not he felt I’d be interested in trying a Pilates class?

My initial reaction after reading went something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Y73sPHKxw

 

But after thinking about it, I thought to myself “sure, why the hell not?  What do I have to lose?” I’m not that much of an a-hole where I can’t accept a free offer when its given.

Besides, I’m turning a new leaf, right?  I’m trying new things, venturing outside my meat-headed ways in an effort to become a more well-rounded, cultured human being.

Next thing you know, I’ll be wearing Lululemon pants!

Okay, not really.  That’s taking it a liiiiiiiitle too far.

So anyways, fast forwarding to this morning, I sent an email to Mike (who agreed to join me on this little adventure):

“We still on for today?  What time should I show up?  What should I wear?

He responds:

1:15. Wear shorts.  And underwear.

Dually noted.

At one O’clock, with a clean pair of underwear on hand, I made the seven minute walk down to BodyScapes Fitness in Coolidge Corner.  There, I met up with Mike and our instructor Shelley Hardin.

Right from the get go I felt really comfortable with Shelley.  She introduced herself  and we immediately started chatting about Pilates: what it is, who’s it for, and all the different variations.

For those not familiar – Pilates was designed and developed in the early 20th century (so it’s not that old) by Joseph Pilates, a German born physical-culturist who, I believe, came up with the idea as a way for bedridden soldiers during WWI to still be able to exercise.

In every sense, it was his belief that even if you had a shredded up arm, a broken leg, or some other form of illness or disability, you could still get a training effect.

And I am totally down with that, as I’m constantly telling people that you can ALWAYS train around an injury.

Expounding a bit further (cut/pasted from Wikipedia):

Pilates is a body conditioning routine that helps build flexibility and long, lean muscles, strength and endurance in the legs,abdominals, arms, hips, and back. It puts emphasis on spinal and pelvic alignment, breathing to relieve stress and allow adequate oxygen flow to muscles, developing a strong core or center (tones abdominals while strengthening the back), and improving coordination and balance. 

My only qualm with the above definition is the whole notion that you can build long, lean muscles.  To be frank, this is utter nonsense, and it takes every ounce of willpower I have not to plant my face into the nearest wall every time I hear or see those words in succession.

Lets be clear:  a muscle has a set origin and insertion point, and the only way to make it “longer” is to increase the length of a bone. So, unless you’re into medieval torture or happen to be a character from Harry Potter, you’re not lengthening anything.

But that’s just semantics, and the last thing I want to do is make this into some long-winded rant that takes away from the actual discussion at hand.

Shelley explained to us that, much like yoga, there are several variations of Pilates and that the two most common are classical (mat based) Pilates and those variations that utilize the Reformer apparatus (STOTT being the most common, and one which Shelley said was very popular in Boston).

For her part, Shelley noted that we’d be doing classical Pilates since that’s what she studied and, well, we needed to keep things as basic and simple as possible since both Mike and I were newbies.

She took us into the group exercise room, placed a few mats on the floor, and we were off!

What I Liked

1.  As I noted, I felt really at ease with Shelley. For starters, she mentioned that the form of Pilates that she generally teaches has more of a base in Physical Therapy and corrective exercise, which I thought was pretty cool.  Secondly, she took the time to ask whether or not either of us had any injuries we were currently working around, which is something that the instructor from the yoga class I took just kinda haphazardly tip toed around.

Above all, she admitted to lifting heavy things on occasion, so she automatically earned a gold star in my book.

2. Unlike yoga which is generally done in a group setting with upwards of a couple dozen people under the tutelage of one instructor, Pilates has a little more of a one-on-one feel, and I really appreciated that Shelley was a little more “hands on” with the two of us.

As a coach myself, and as someone who takes more of a kinesthetic approach when doing so, it was interesting to listen and observe her give her cues and adjust us accordingly.

Oh, so THAT’s what that’s supposed to feel like.  Gotcha.

3. Interestingly, in a handful of ways, Pilates is the exact opposite of what I’ve programmed my body to do for the past decade.  I tend to want to brace and hold my breath for E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

Whether it’s hoisting a barbell overhead my head, picking something heavy up off the ground, or, I don’t know, licking a stamp and slapping it on an envelop….

….I’m seemingly engrained to hold my breath, and brace like mofo.

Just learning how to inhale and exhale appropriately and without passing out was challenge in of itself, and probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life.  This includes sitting through an entire season of Sex and the City when Lisa and I first started dating, looking at this picture of model Larissa Riquelme and trying really hard not to see how intelligent she looks, and taking (and failing) my driver’s test – TWICE – when I was a teenager.

Yes, I failed twice. Don’t ask.

In any case, learning the proper breathing mechanics while performing all the exercises was really eye-opening and something I feel has a lot of applicability to what I do as a strength coach.

4.  Having actually done it now, I can say without wavering that Pilates is no cake walk and that it’s freakin godawful. But in a good way.

I like how every movement was easily progressed (or regressed) using any number of simple tools such as light dumbbells, a strap, or a block.

While I’m not going to disillusion anyone and say that you’re going to break personal records in the gym, there is something to be said for learning how to control your own bodyweight and being more cognizant of what you activate and when (and in what sequence).

Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera with me to take pictures, but I’m pretty sure this picture best represents what Mike and I looked like after our session:

I’ll admit it:  it was humbling.  But, by that same token, I felt AMAZING afterwards.

What I Disliked

1. The only drawback was that I was a little leery of all of the cues to “draw in the abs” and breath into the chest.  It seems Pilates buys into the drawing in or “hollowing method,” and I can’t say I’m a fan of that approach given the amount of time I spend coaching people to increase intra-abdominal pressure (PUSH OUT) – in an effort to increase spinal stability – when they’re lifting heavy weights.

But that’s just my personal opinion, and isn’t necessarily a knock against Pilates. I understand that it doesn’t use heavy weights, and that UN-LOADED spinal flexion is okay

Too, given the prominence of faulty breathing patterns we see in our society (most people are chest breathers and have no idea how to use their diaphragm), it’s a hard pill to swallow to actually cue people to breath into their chest.

But I get it.  Shelley fully explained why breathing into our chest was important – to learn to allow the ribs to move – and it wasn’t the end of the world.

2. Outside of that, however, other than my ego being crushed like a bug, I can’t say I had all that much to be negative about. Again, this is a testament to Shelley and the fact that she wasn’t trying to push Pilates as the end-all/be-all of everything.

That said, I can definitely see how given the wrong instructor (ie: someone who doesn’t take into account one’s movement quality, skill level, injury history (past and present), postural deficits, etc) this medium could be construed into one massive ball of fail, especially when you consider taking the spine into end ranges of motion.

But that’s just me being nit-picky.

I really did enjoy myself and I had a blast doing it.  I’ve been offered the invitation to go back, and contingent on surviving the barrage of ball busting I’m inevitably going to receive once my colleagues and athletes from CP read this, I think I’m going follow up on it.

If anything, I see this as a way to give myself a day to lay low on the heavy stuff, work on some postural imbalances, RELAX, and more importantly to have some fun.

That’s never a bad thing.

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Talking Shop on The FitCast

So I had just finished doing all of my Sunday morning errands yesterday (laundry, grocery shopping, crushing bacon, what have you) and finally sat down to try to figure out what I wanted to accomplish for the rest of the day. I had a few things on tap.  For starters, I had to catch up on some writing. I also had a handful of  programs that needed to be completed, fine tuned, and sent out to clients so that they could start them today.

And, as is the case with every Sunday, I had to figure out which matinee I was going to go see. Frankly, once I had my “work” done for the day, I really had no set agenda other than to watch a movie (I ended up seeing Take This Waltz), maybe catch a little of the Olympics, touch base with Lisa on Skype (she’s off exploring in Europe for a month), and then spend the rest of the day vegging out.

I flipped open my laptop to check my emails really quick and noticed I had a message from Kevin Larrabee.

“Want to join Fass, Leigh and I for some podcasting at 6pm for like 25 minutes?

Like, whoa. I can’t even remember the last time I was on The Fitcast. I think Lost was still on the air, Paula was still a judge on American Idol, and Tebowing didn’t even exist.

Yeah, it had been a while.

So anyways, what was supposed to be a quick “25 minute” recording turned into an over two hour reunion of catching up, debauchery, and shenanigans.  Don’t worry the episode isn’t two hours long, and we also happened to squeeze in some health and fitness content too.

Among a few things we touched on:

– Breathing Patterns

– Internet Gurus

– Cressey Performance expansion

– My cat

– The Dark Knight Rises (relax, no spoilers).

The episode is so chock full of awesome info and nuggets, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this happened:

Episode 240: Return of the Jedi

***This marks the first time I have ever been referred to as a Jedi.  This should happen more often.

It was great to be back!  Hope all of you enjoy it as well.

 

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Does Everyone Need to Squat?

In a word: No. Actually, much like everything…..it depends.

But before I get a fusillade of hate mail for making such a heretical comment, hear me out for a second.

There’s a huge dichotomy between the word need and want.

Need and want are too different things.

  • Do you need to crush beers on the weekends?  No, but you want to.
  • Do you need to bench press three times per week?  No, but you want to.
  • Do you need to remind your boyfriend that he’s not Channing Tatum, every…..single….day?  No, but you want to.  We get it ladies.  Channing Tatum can dance. And he has abs that could deflect bullets. And yes, his index finger probably has more sex appeal than the entire East coast.  But do you have to throw it in our face every minute of every day?  We have feelings too, you know!

This whole subject was spurned a few weeks ago when, after my most recent T-Nation article about shoulder pain went up, some internet warrior decided to chime in to bust my balls and made a comment that he stopped reading once he saw that I stated my best bench press was 315 lbs.

Trust me: I’ll be the first to admit that my bench numbers are pathetic, and that I should have a few points revoked from my man-card.  

I replied back with: “Yeah but my internet max is like 405. That has to count for something, right?”

Of course, this has absolutely nothing to do with squatting, but it speaks to the incessant chest bumping and bravado the pervades the internet, and the fitness industry as a whole.

Peruse any fitness forum and you’ll invariably notice one common denominator, especially when it comes to squatting:

EVERYONE squats ass to grass.

And everyone, seemingly, squats 600 lbs.

For reps.

With Mila Kunis on their back.

This, my friends, is utter bull to the shit.

What’s even more comical (or scary) is that the same people that claim to lift these world renowned numbers are also the same ones who call out people for not squatting ass to grass, or chastise those who refrain from squatting all together.

As a strength coach (and some parts meathead), I’d be remiss to poo-poo on the squat.  I want people to squat as I feel they’re an invaluable exercise that helps build strength, power, and helps to improve athletic performance.  Moreover, you’d be hard pressed to find another exercise which helps burn more calories.  So, for those more concerned with fat loss or aesthetics, squats are unparalleled.

Taking it a step further, though, I also feel squats do a fantastic job of offsetting many of the postural imbalances we see from those who spend a vast majority of their lives sitting.

Someone who can perform a proper squat demonstrates that they have the ample ankle dorsiflexion, hip flexion, t-spine extension, core stiffness, and glenohumeral ROM (to name a few) to do so. Which is saying a lot given many people can’t sit down onto a chair without blowing out their back.

So I guess the question isn’t so much “does everyone NEED to squat,” but rather……

……..“which squat variation is the safest and most effective for that one individual?”

While I’m all for people squatting with a full ROM, sometimes it’s just not feasible, and borderline counterproductive.  Make someone with chronic anterior knee pain or Femoral Acetabular Impingement (FAI) squat ass to grass, and you’re setting them up for something bad to happen.

And, you’re an a-hole.

Likewise, take someone with a degenerative disc issue or who has any number of postural imbalances, place a bar on their back and make them squat, don’t be surprised if your eyes start bleeding.

Conversely, even if someone does have crazy mobility and demonstrates that (s)he can squat to depth, that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.

I’ve worked with a handful of dancers, gymnasts, cheerleaders, and Yogi’s who could contort themselves into a human pretzel and could easily squat all the way to the ground, but because they weren’t able to stabilize within that ROM, I felt it was not in their best interests to squat.  That low.

We still squatted.  Just within a ROM that was safe for THEM.

More to the point, I place a priority on technique (regardless of depth):

– Groove a proper hip hinge pattern (learn to sit back).

– Push the knees out.

– Learn to engage core stiffness (get tight).

– Learn to engage the lats to provide more stability to the spine.

– Maintain a “neutral” spinal position.

– Try not to pass out.

And the list could go on and on.

Look at something like a Goblet Box Squat:

[Video credit to John Gaglione]

To me – and many other fitness professionals – the Goblet squat is about as idiot proof as a squat can get.  The anterior loading forces the trainee to engage their core, and the box helps to keep them “honest” and learn where proper depth actually is.

Additionally, if I have to bring the box up due to any number of issues – FAI, knee pain, whatever – I can do it and still reap many of the benefits.  Really, all I care about is grooving proper technique anyways.

From there, we can progress the exercise to a lower box, or to a free-standing squat (no box).  Or maybe even a goblet squat with pulse:

And then we can gravitate towards more “aggressive” squat variations like front squats or box squats or whatever we deem appropriate.

In the end, I just wish more people would consider that not everyone can show up on day one and squat, let alone ass to grass – especially without taking into consideration someone’s health history, injury history, postural imbalances, compensation patterns, and experience.

So to bring this all back around again: I DO feel that everyone should learn to squat…..the right way. But more importantly, to choose the appropriate variation that suits they’re needs.

Whether or not someone wants to squat is one thing. That’s a can of worms I don’t want to open here  Do we need to squat?  Well, that depends.  I want to say yes given the plethora of benefits that squats have to offer.

But given how a lot of people move nowadays, it might be one of those things that’s not worth the effort – at least to start, and it’s better to approach things on a case-by case basis.

I’m obviously not going to go through every squat variation and say who should be doing what. That would take forever.

If anything, I hope this post at least starts a conversation amongst those reading and it gets people to take more of an objective look at how they go about making recommendations and programming for their clients.

 

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Superhero Fat Loss

If there’s anyone who knows fat loss, it’s my boy John Romaniello (or Roman, for those who don’t like last names with a lot syllables). The man is a specimen, not to mention one of the smartest guys I know, and he’s one of only a handful of fitness professionals whom I would classify as a true fat loss expert.

He not only talks the talk, but he walks it as well, and unlike a lot of other so-called “fat loss experts” out there, there’s one, teeny tiny thing that separates him from the masses:

He actually trains people.  You know, in real life.

Moreover, if there’s anyone who knows comic books, it’s Roman. He didn’t spend his entire childhood in Captain America Underoos for nothing!

So it should come as no surprise that he’s been able to combine two of his favorite things – comic books and nakedness – into one extensive geekified project.

He’s worked with countless athletes, models, celebrities, and regular folk to help get them in the best shape of their lives, and Superhero Fat Loss – the sequel to last year’s uber popular Super Hero Workout – is a culmination of many of the principles and strategies that Roman uses on a day-to-day basis with his own real life clients.

Last year the entire Cressey Performance staff did the original program, and loved it.  It was challenging, unique, and more importantly…….we had a blast doing it!  And we’re already chomping at the bit to give this version a go around, too.

What’s more, unlike the vast majority of fat loss programs out there which have a tendency of being haphazardly pieced together with no rhyme or reason, Roman places a premium on LOGICAL programming that not only increases one’s sexiness quota, but will also help those who do it (in it’s entirety) get stronger and more athletic.

More to the point, it’s not going to HURT PEOPLE.

John’s gone out of his way to include balanced programming that incorporates a fair share of single leg work, a balance between pushing and pulling movements, and loads of mobility based exercises that will help people move better.

I mean, think about it: you can’t really call yourself a Super Hero if you have the movement quality of a rock.

But don’t worry: he’s also included a lot of things that will make you hate life as well.

To that end, I feel it’s a solid product and one that will help a lot of people get into awesome (shall I say, Superhero’esq) shape.

Later this week I’ll be sharing an interview I did with John which goes into a little more detail about the product, but in the meantime, give it a look yourself and see if it would be a good fit for YOUR goals.

 —–> Superhero Fat Loss <—–

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Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Paleo Smackdown, Yoga, and Training Logs

Research will tell you that people tend to gravitate towards articles or blogs that are enumerated.  People love numbers, which is why some of the more popular articles you’ll come across – at least those that get circulated the most – are ones with a number attached.

I’ve written a few with this in mind, and I can attest that the number theory works:

19 Tips for the Deadlifts

4 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know (Revisited)

47 Reasons Why Matt Damon and I Would Be BFFs If We Were to Ever Hang Out (article still in progress).

So you can only imagine the epicness of not only writing an article with one number attached to it, but TWO!

My Top 10 Reasons Why Your “Top 10 Reasons I’m Not Paleo” Are Flawed – Todd Dosenberry (Primal Toad)

In the article linked above, Todd does an amazing job of dissecting another article written by one Ann Marie on why she’s not a fan of going Paleo.  Just to give you a small taste of her train of thought:

Paleo is a fad diet.

This despite the fact that humans have essentially been eating “Paleo” since the beginning of time.  Sorry, but we didn’t eat Pop Tarts back in the day.

While I agree that the term “I’m eating Paleo” gets a bit overplayed by some people and many take it to the extreme to the point of coming across as elitest doucheholes (okay dude, I get it, you like butter), to say that it’s some “fad” akin to something like the Baby Food Diet, is a bit misnomer.

Paleo is here to stay, and I view it as more of a lifestyle than a fad.

Bread isn’t all that bad and humans thrive on it!

Um, no, we don’t.

But whatever.  I’m not here to sway anyone one way or the other. I like the Paleo approach, but I certainly don’t adhere to it 100% of the time.  If you want to eat bread, eat bread.  But please don’t play it off like it’s some kind of panacea of health, when we certainly know otherwise.

Either way, I felt Todd wrote a very well written article and basically pwned this Ann Marie person.  Well played, sir.  Well played.

7 Strength Exercises > 5 Yoga Poses – Harold Gibbons

I agree with Harold.  Yoga is great for mental health and can undoubtedly help improve one’s flexibility (when applied correctly).  But to say that yoga is also great for building strength as well as providing a metabolic stimulus is a bit of a stretch.

HA! Pun totally intended!

Here, Harold breaks down a few common yoga poses and transforms them into something a little more palatable for those interested in getting stronger (while still reaping the benefits of increased flexibility and mobility).

WeightTraining.com 

I received an email not too long ago from someone asking me whether or not there was another way to go about tracking one’s workouts without having to keep one of those mundane hand-written training logs.

Coincidentally enough, as of the past two months or so, I’ve been tracking my own training sessions on WeightTraining.com, and I LOVE it.

In an ever evolving digitized world (who needs pencils anyways?) WT.com is perfect for keeping track of your workouts, and what’s more, provides a fun and supportive “network” that will definitely help keep you more accountable.

Moreover, they provide one of the more extensive (and growing) exercise databases on the web along with various programs to follow written by their very own personal trainers, many of which are absolutely free.

Check it out today.

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Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 7/16/12

Yet another amazing weekend in the books.  I don’t know about everyone else out there, but this summer has been unbelievable here in Boston.  You really couldn’t ask for better weather.  Just about every day as of late has been 85+ degrees with a lot of sun, and I’ve taken every opportunity possible to walk around with my shirt off soak up as much of those rays as possible.

1. First off, I have to ask:  do people actually enjoy (or better question:  actually read) my Miscellaneous Monday posts? I like writing them because it allows me to discuss things that aren’t necessarily fitness related (boobs), and demonstrates to people – to a varying degree – that I’m more than some functional anatomy and performance nerd that does nothing but talk about insertion points and how to put 50 lbs on your deadlift.

I mean, I write this blog as much for YOU, my loyal readers, as for myself.  So, I’m just curious if people actually enjoy these sort of posts where I go off the cuff and write about random stuff.

Hey!  Did you know that if you have 3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.

Be honest.  If you think these types of posts are garbage, tell me.  I won’t cry.

Too much.

2.  On Friday I mentioned in passing that CP was celebrating it’s fifth anniversary of being in business. In that post I also mentioned that one of the greatest things about working there – outside of Tony’s Techno Tuesdays –  is the sense of camaraderie that we’ve gone out of our way to develop amongst the staff and clientele.

This was never more apparent than this past weekend, when a bunch of CP regulars (staff and clients) attended another (ex) client’s wedding in the city.

The food was great, I busted out my “robot” on the dance floor, and tomfoolery was had.

Exhibit A:  this picture.

That’s the one and only Eric Cressey photobombing the shit out of what would have been a perfectly romantic picture between Lisa and I….haha.

3.  Last week’s training was solid and I’m pretty sure I could have kicked Superman’s ass if given the opportunity.  Okay, maybe not Superman.  Aquaman, perhaps.

Suffice it to say, I felt goooooooood, and Dean (Somerset’s) programming has been G6 throughout this whole “getting my spine back to bullet proof status” training cycle.

Last Monday I was allowed to work up to a heavish set of five of conventional deadlifts with chains.

I ended up pulling 315 lbs of bar weight with an additional 150 lbs of chains, for a total of 465 lbs at the top.

After high fiving everyone within a two block radius, I emailed Dean to tell him the good news, and he was happy.

“Okay, we’re making awesome progress,” he said. “Now, just don’t be stupid.”

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but “stupid” can be interpreted in so many ways.

  • Sticking your hand into an electrical socket?  Stupid
  • Watching an episode of Jersey Shore?  Stupid.
  • Deciding to “test my back” and attempt a single merely three days after pulling heavy for the first time in two and half months?  Borderline mentally challenged!

That’s 405 lbs of bar weight with an additional 150 lbs of chains, for a total of 555 lbs at the top.

It felt great, and I totally went home that night and made out with my girlfriend.

I posted that video on Facebook to let the world know that I was “almost” back. I mean shoot, pulling 555 lbs two months after a back injury ain’t too shabby.

I woke up the following morning to check my emails and saw one from Dean titled:

Goddammit Tony!!!!!

In no uncertain terms, Dean ripped me a new one, and rightfully so.  In retrospect it was really dumb of me to do that, and it really could have jeopardized my progress because I allowed the inner meathead in me to take over.

Thankfully, nothing drastic happened and I walked away unscathed.

Sorry Dean.  Hugs? It won’t happen again.

4.  A few weeks ago, I was perusing the internet (ie: creeping on Facebook) and noticed that Dr. Evan Osar recently came out with a new book, Corrective Exercise Solutions to Common Hip and Shoulder Dysfunction.

Having read a lot of his previous work throughout the years, I was stoked to see that he had come out with something new and I immediately went to the site (On Target Publications) to purchase the book.

About 30 minutes later I received an email from Laree Draper telling me that she had already mailed an advance copy to me and that I should be getting it in the mail shortly.  In addition, she stated that I should never hesitate to ask if I needed anything and that she hoped I liked it.

SWEET!

I wrote back to say thank you, and to note that the reason why I ordered it was because the last thing I want to be known as is some fitness prima donna who expects to get things for free or who makes odd requests.

I SAID GREEN M&Ms ONLY!!!!!!!  Ahhhhhhhh

*punches hole in wall*

Anyways, I finally got the book a few days ago, dove into it immediately, and LOVE it.  I’m only a few chapters in, but so far it’s melting my face off with the amount of information it contains, and I can’t recommend it enough.

5.  Along those same lines, another solid product to check out is Kyle Arsenault’s ebook, The Other 23 Hours.

Kyle’s a former CP intern who’s gone on to start up a successful business of his own, teaming up with physical therapist Eric Schoenberg in Milford, MA.

The title says it all.  While everyone tends to focus on that ONE hour during the day that they’re at the gym, it’s really the other 23 hours that can have a profound effect on one’s results – whether we’re referring to fat loss, muscle gain, addressing postural dysfunctions, or trying to get girls to want to hang out with you.

Kyle’s currently running a HALF-OFF sale right now, and you can purchase the book for $11.  So, for the price of what it will cost you to go see The Dark Knight Rises this weekend, you could make yourself a little better (and smarter). That’s a fair trade off if you ask me.

NOTE:  Just an FYI: I DO NOT receive any affiliate income (or kick back) for recommending either of the two books above.  I just think they’re both kick-ass and deserve a little recognition.

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Happy Five Year Anniversary, Cressey Performance

I know it’s cliche to say it: but time flies when you’re having fun.

Today marks the five year anniversary of Cressey Performance.  Five freakin years.  Unreal.

Five years ago today, after Eric, Pete, and myself decided to start this litte venture that’s now universally known as CP, Eric showed up to train a group of athletes with little more than a barbell, a makeshift sled, a few bumper plates, a paper clip, and a roll of masking tape in a “as yet to be built first facility.”

We literally started from scratch, renting 2000 square ft of corner space in a indoor batting cage facility that was owned by an athlete’s father. After discussing a few of the formalities and a firm handshake, he was gracious enough to allow us to set up shop

And when I say we started from scratch, I literally mean, from scratch.

There were no walls, no offices, no power racks, no glute ham raises, no flooring, no hot front desk girl to answer the phone, no nothing. In fact, this is a picture of what our “space” looked like before we started the building process:

If you look closely, that pile of “stuff” in the middle is the only equipment we had for our first few days of operation.  Yet, athletes showed up to train.

And train they did.

In the weeks that followed, we had walls put up, we had our equipment delivered, and we were well on our way.  Just the three of us.  Not really knowing what the future had in store.

Well, to make a long, adventurous story short, we’ve taken our original 2000 square ft facility in 2007 (Note to ANYONE looking to start their own fitness business:  start SMALL) and have seen incremental growth in the years since to a 6600 square ft facility, to our current 7600 square foot facility (the additional space was office space), to a 15,000+ square ft facility we’ll be moving into in about six weeks time.

It’s kind of surreal to think that our original facility could squeeze into the lobby of our new place.

Some other tidbits:

– In that same time span, we’ve gone from working with three professional baseball players in our first “off-season,” to expecting 100+ this coming off-season.

– And while baseball is by far our niche market, we’ve also worked with a multitude of athletes in soccer, football, hockey, softball, basketball, boxing, MMA, tennis, and even fencing, to name a few.

– Likewise, we’ve also had our fair share of “regular folk” who come in to train,  ranging from those hoping to enter the FBI and Fire Academy to those just wanting to look better naked.

– I’m still waiting for Alicia Keys, Kate Beckinsale, or He-Man to walk through our doors, though.

– What started out as three employees/founders (Myself, Eric, and Pete) has grown to where we now have six full time staff and have seen 65+ (and counting) interns pass through our doors, many of which have gone on to successful careers themselves.

– Hell, we’ve even added a Tank into the mix; our mascot, Tank Cressey (who you can see hard at work in the picture above).

– More importantly, we’ve created a place that, I feel, has unparalleled camaraderie amongst its staff and clientele.

It’s not uncommon for some athletes and clients to hang out for hours on end.  I mean, where else are you going to find a bonafide Major League baseball player having an intellectual conversation with high schoolers on how to find the secret codes in Call of Duty?

Moreover, the staff will constantly hang out after work to do nothing but eat dead animal flesh or bust each other’s chops – like the fact that coach/massage therapist, Chris Howard, is making plans to go see the new Katy Perry movie this weekend.

True story.

In all, I just feel really blessed and lucky that I’m able to call CP “home,” and that we have so many people who believe in us and support us. To that I say:

THANK YOU

Words can’t express our gratitude, and here’s hoping that we can continue to piss excellence for the next five years, too.

We’re all growns up!

PS:  For those interested, Eric actually wrote a way more eloquent 5-year recap HERE, and I’d HIGHLY suggest you check it out.

PPS:  Coincidentally, CPs yearly anniversary runs in concert with mine and Lisa’s anniversary.  Three amazing years and counting.  Love you babe.  One word (Xbox).

PPPS:  No, seriously, Chris Howard is going to see the Katy Perry movie.