Anyone who’s read my articles, or this blog for an extended period of time, knows my stance when it comes to the traditional leg curl. In short, they suck. For those who need a quick refresher:
1. It trains the hamstrings in a more “non-functional” manner. Which is to say, when in life do you lie on your stomach and curl a weight towards your butt? Hint: never.
More to the point, while most anatomy books will describe the hamstrings as knee flexors (which they undoubtedly are), it should also be noted they serve a crucial role as a powerful hip extensors (second only to the glute max) as well; not to mention- as Mike Boyle has stressed on several occasions- eccentrically resist knee extension during sprinting.
What’s my point? Well, the leg curl- as it’s recognized by most gym goers- only emphasizes knee flexion, while totally neglecting hip extension. If you’re main goal is just aethetics, then leg curl away. Let it be known, however, you’ll probably still be weaker than a baby’s fart, and about as athletic as a bowling ball. Fist pump!
Nevertheless, as a strength coach, my job is to, first and foremost, keep people healthy. As well, I’m also interested in improving performance, movement quality, and, of course, strength and power (to name a few). Which is why you’ll never (read: EVER) find me placing traditional leg curls into any of my programs.
2. Did I mention that they suck?
Suffice it to say, as much as I hate leg curls, I’m not one of those guys that throws the baby out with the bathwater- particularly when working with beginners or de-conditioned clients in general. Which is why I love the slideboard leg curl.
What Does It Do: As I stated above, the slideboard leg curl (unlike the *barf* traditional leg curl), trains both knee flexion and hip extension simultaneously. What’s more, with this version, the glutes play a significant role since they have to isometrically contract to maintain hip extension while the hamstrings work both eccentrically (to resist knee extension) and concentrically (to produce knee flexion).
Of note, you might be asking yourself, “Tony, why do you drop your hips to the slideboard when your legs are fully extended?” Fair question. For more advanced trainees, I typically tell them to maintain hip extension throughout the movement (i.e, not to drop their hips). For those with poor glute function, however (which will be most, if not everyone reading this), I advocate the version shown in the video to start since they’ll have trouble transitioning between the eccentric and concentric portion of the exercise without their hamstring cramping up.
Key Coaching Cues: Start supine, with your toes pointing up and hips extended (as if you were going to perform a supine bridge). From there, slowly extend your legs until they are straight. I typically suggest a five second count down, but I know in the video it was more like three. Sue me. Drop your hips to the slideboard, bring your feet back to the starting position, bridge back up, and repeat. Shoot for 2-3 sets of 6-8 repetitions to start. As you grow more proficient, you can progress to the more advanced version where you don’t drop your hips.
Oh, and for those who don’t have access to a slideboard, you could also use a towel (if you have a surface that will allow it) or a Valslide (if you don’t). Or, you could just buy some of those cheap furniture slidy thingamabobs. Those work like a charm, too.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned since we’ve opened Cressey Performance, it’s that while we’re absolutely about getting people leaner, faster, and/or stronger- whether they’re an athlete or not- you can’t deny the overwhelming sense of “community” and camaraderie that exists on a day-to-day basis. Take yesterday for example. Below is the sign that greeted every client that walked into the facility.
One of our longest tenured clients and resident CP-mom, Steph H-B, mentioned that her daughter was selling Girl Scout cookies this month. Of note, Steph is currently smack dab in the middle of Warp Speed Fat Loss, so the mere mention of a carb, let alone a cookie, makes her, well, I don’t want to talk about it.
As such, apparently there’s this other mom in the troop that is a raving beeeotch (my words, not hers), and Steph mentioned how it would make her day if she ended up selling more boxes than her. Needless to say, she had us at Thin Mints.
Within minutes, Toronto Blue-Jays’ Organizational Pitcher of the Year, Tim Collins, set up shop just inside the entrance taking orders from people as they walked in. Isn’t he cute? Ladies?
When all was said and done, by the end of the afternoon, he had sold roughly 100 boxes of Girl Scout cookies……….and counting. Nice work Tim (and CP for the support). And for the record, those of you who are coming in on Saturday, bring some extra cash (wink wink, nudge nudge). You don’t want to make Tim angry.
I remember my high school English teacher, Mrs. Davie, always saying that back in the day. At the start of each semester, she’d give a brief rundown of what topics we were going to cover (Shakespeare), and then in an effort to stimulate more class participation (which constituted 15% of our grade), she’d utter the phrase, “now remember, there’s no such thing as a stupid question.”
Of course, being the wise guy that I am, followed suit with something along the lines of:
“I do say fair madame of Longshanks. Would thou be opposed if thee wished to refrain from reading the likes of Shakespeare, yet again? For thee would rather take thy sword and thrust it into thyself’s abdomen…………..repeatedly. In the name of true love, what say you?”
Fade to black, and……………..applause.
Okay, in all seriousness that never happened. I took my Macbeth like a man. But it goes without saying that we’ve all heard the above expression at some point in our lives.
You wanna know something? It’s bullsh*t.
There’s absolutely such a thing as a stupid question; particularly with regards to the fitness industry. Let me preface this, however, by saying that I’m not writing this to be a cynical bastard. On the contrary, I’m always telling people that they should be more proactive with their fitness, and that they should ask questions whenever possible.
That being said, it’s the people who ask the same question(s) over and over and over and over again – albeit in different ways – that drive me absolutely bonkers and make me want to toss my face into a brick wall. As if to say, “yeah, um, I didn’t like the first answer you gave me, so I’ll ask again hoping that you’ll say what I want you to say.”
For instance, here’s an example from someone who e-mailed me not too long ago.
Q: How can I get rid of this inner thigh fat?
A: I’m just throwing this out there, but how about not going out drinking with your friends 3-4 times per week. That might help.
Understandably, this isn’t what this person wants to hear.
They want to hear me say do “x” exercise, and you’ll get rid of that pesky inner thigh fat in no time flat.
There are exceptions to the rule, but more often than not people don’t want to hear what needs to be said. It’d be analogous to me asking my doctor how I can reduce my risk of heart disease, and him saying, “stop smoking.” Only for me to come back and ask, “yeah but, how can I reduce my risk of heart disease?”
For the record, I don’t smoke. I’m just trying to make a point.
Honestly though, I think there’s a lot to be said about giving people a little dose of tough love occasionally. Everything can’t be butterfly kisses and rainbows all the time.
I’m always amused when someone questions my advice. More specifically, I’m always amused when someone asks me the same question expecting a different answer. This isn’t to say that I’m always right, I’m definitely not1. But it’s not like it’s in my best interests to give him/her bad advice. That doesn’t sound like a great business model to me.
Nonetheless, I just had to rant a little bit this morning.
I know this may come as a shock to many of you reading this given my past transgressions towards yoga- namely, HERE and HERE– but in all actuality, many of the exercises we use during a dynamic warm-up or for general corrective exercise purposes, for instance, have their background in yoga.
While I may disagree with how yoga (and pilates for that matter) is marketed as some panacea of fitness for women, I do understand that there are some valuable components** and that its’ merits shouldn’t be neglected all together. See, I’m all about compromise!
No matter which way you look at it, however, it’s stuff like the picture above, and the fact that people will haphazardly think this is great for the lumbar spine, that gets me fired up. But I digress. I promised myself I wouldn’t go off on a tangent. Deep breaths, deep breaths.
To that end, here’s an exercise that we’ve been using extensively at CP as of late with many of our clients.
What Is It: Yoga Plex
Who Did I Steal it From:Nick Tumminello. Specifically in his Warm-Up Progressions dvd.
What Does It Do: You get a lot of bang for your buck here. For starters, this hammers the hip flexors, and helps get people into a little more extension, which is never a bad thing. Particularly for those who are forced to sit in front of computer in flexion all day. Secondly, this is also a great exercise for t-spine mobility. Again, we’re a very flexion dominate society, so anything that allows us to “open up” a bit, is fantastic. Third, and most importantly, I said it’s a good exercise, so that’s what really counts.
Key Coaching Cues: Above all, we need to be cognizant of maintaining a neutral spine throughout the duration of the movement. As well, the front heel of the non-moving leg should stay DOWN. Last, but not least, make sure that you follow the arc of your hand with your head. I like to tell people to “follow your hand during this exercise.
There you have it, the Yoga Plex. As I mentioned above, ideally, I’d place this in between sets as more of a filler exercise, but you can also include this as part of a general warm-up as well.
Much the same, just like many of you reading, I too made a few New Years resolutions this year. Namely:
Drink more water– think about it, your body is 83% water. We need water for every single metabolic process in the body. What’s more, water is vital for the digestion and absorption of all the nutrients (and vitamins) we eat on a daily basis. It also carries away metabolic waste, and helps to flush fat and toxins through the liver and kidneys. In short, water is kind of a big deal. Unfortunately, most (if not all) of us are chronically under-hydrated. Trust me, you are.
And when I say “drink more water,” I’m not referring to Vitamin Water (which is crap by the way), or soda, or any other substitute you can think of. Nope. Just plain ol’ water. My goal? At least one gallon per day.
Stretch More– I’m not going to sugar coat this. I’d rather take an Ewok spear to the face than stretch. Nonetheless, the more and more I think about it, the more I realize that this is just something that has to be done. Point. Blank. Period.
I mean, I spend a large part of my day on my feet coaching athletes, and even I feel I’m tighter than a camels ass in a sandstorm. Now, if I feel I should stretch more (and I do), then what does that say for the bulk of you reading this blog right now who spend upwards of 8-10 hours per day sitting in front of a computer? Hmmmm?
Write More Articles– Admittedly, I’ve been slacking on this front, for what, two years now? 2010 is going to be my comeback. Ready or not, here I come. To that end, any thoughts or ideas of articles you’d like to see written, feel free to leave a comment below.
Diversify my Diet– Not surprisingly, I tend to be a little “set in my ways” when it comes to the foods I eat. Just to give you an idea of what I’m talking about, my girlfriend has coined the term “Tony friendly restaurant,” because she knows I tend to be a little finicky. In my defense, however, I’m certainly not scared to down a pizza from time to time, and I ALWAYS order dessert whenever I eat out at a fancy place. Applebee’s counts, right?
In an effort to broaden my food repertoire, I’ve decided that I’m going to try as many different foods that I can this year. My only caveat are Brussle sprouts and calamari, or anything that used to have tenticles for that matter. Too, anything that is considered part of French cuisine is off-limits as well (duck, lamb, frog legs, French fries, etc). Other than that, everything else is fair game.
She’s just as much into nutrition as I am, and luckily for me, she loves to cook. Neither one of us can put the book down, and we’ve spent the past two weekends at Whole Foods and the local Chinease supermarket picking up foods that we’ve read about. It’s kind of like our very own version of Julie and Julia.
So far, here’s what I’ve tried:
Turmeric– Bowden RAVES about this spice, and to be honest, I can see why. It has a very unique taste, and it’s known benefits include alleviating athritis and joint inflammation, decreasing cholesterol, and liver health, to name a few.
Also on the list, Bok choy, chard, kale, beets, Dandelion greens, and spaghetti squash (my new favorite).
This is a fantastic post that Mike wrote last week, and truthfully, I couldn’t have said it better myself. The only things I would add are:
1. Content reigns supreme. Admittedly, I tend to go a little more off-topic compared to many of my other colleagues, but then again, I feel that that is what separates my blog from many others. While I undoubtedly feel I’m able to put out some quality content, I’ve long felt that there’s a lot to be said about the “infotainment” aspect of blogging.
People want to learn, but they also want to be entertained. And nothing says entertainment more than cleavage being extra cleavagy. That’s the world I want to live in.
2. As Mike alluded to in his article, if you want to get better at writing, you need to write. It’s funny, if you would have told me ten years ago that I would be getting paid to write articles, I would have laughed in your face. I despised reading Shakespeare in high school. I graduated with a degree in Health Education for peets sake! Sure I took some literature courses, but only because they were required. It wasn’t until my senior year that I was able to differentiate between you’re/your, to/too/two, and they’re/there/their.
In the end, however, it just became a foregone conclusion that I’d end up writing “stuff” in some capacity. Not that I consider myself a great writer or anything, but I never read anything I how to become a better writer. I just wrote.
Much the same way you become a better cook. You cook. Be proactive. Just write.
3. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Seriously. Have fun, it’s your blog for crying out loud.
Beef Label Decoder– one of my distance coaching clients sent me this link, and I thought it was fascinating. Just goes to show that our food industry is shady, at best.
I know I mentioned this a while back, but now that I’m about half way through it, I can say that the section on Understanding Sports Hernia alone is worth every penny.
As if the fact that this article was published in the first place isn’t shocking enough, I was told that it was even featured on Good Morning America as well. It amazes me what’s viewed as news nowadays. What’s next, a story on how having unprotected sex with a toaster increases your risk of heart disease?*
* What if it was only one time? I, uh, know this guy, who knows this guy.
To say that I’ve been busy the past few weeks is an understatement. Suffice it to say, my blogging prowess has been suspect at best, and it looks like I’ll probably have to be cutting it down to 2-3 times per week. We’re kicking it into high gear for the next few months at CP, and I’ll need all the free time I can get to write programs, answer e-mails, write an article (or two), and spend some quality time with a certain someone called my girlfriend.
As such, I’ll still be trying my best to hit you off with some good content when I can. Today, I want to share an interview I did with Leigh Peele.
Leigh’s been a good friend of mine for a few years now, and is one of my go to people when it comes to anything dealing with fat loss/witty banter. Enjoy.
Tony Gentilcore (TG): Lets start off with a simple question, will you marry me?
Side Note to my girlfriend: Hey babe, did I mention how fabulous you look today? You really do. Just wanted to let you know that the above question was completely rhetorical, and that it’s purpose was completely for entertainment value only. In any case, I’m pretty sure I’m sleeping in the doghouse tonight, huh? Dammit!
Leigh Peele (LP): Yes, but only if you promise not to do anything kinky with a light saber.
TG: As someone who’s known for her fat loss expertise, why do so many people have a hard time nailing it down? I mean, fat loss IS a fairly simple concept- albeit it’s not easy. Exercise more, eat less “crap,” and repeat. Am I missing something? Enlighten us Leigh Peele.
LP: I think at the heart of this is a basic instinct for the mind and body to avoid things we don’t like doing. Fat loss isn’t fun, it goes against our very nature of survival. If you aren’t by nature a certain personality type it becomes very hard to make yourself not eat and train for improvement in body and performance. These are not things most people want to do. Most people want to eat and have sex all day long and perhaps cuddle up after wards with a good Tivo recording. Big difference.
TG: I hear you there girlfriend! Although, for the record, every time I have sex, I end up doing this after wards:
…….and then I’ll watch an episode of 24.
Moving on, what are your three biggest pet peeves when it comes to fat loss? For example, it drives me bonkers whenever someone tries to argue with me when I tell them that (intense) training on an empty stomach makes about as much sense as a poop flavored lollypop. That being said, what “myths” about fat loss do you wish would just go away?
LP:
1. Fat Loss Workouts – There is not such thing as a fat loss workout. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. I see people talking about this amazing “fat burning busting furnace exercise or workout.” It is even funnier when they are pumping their pre-workout nutrition product with it because the only way your workout will be a fat loss workout is if you happen to be in a negative energy state when doing the workout. Otherwise it is just a workout like everything else. If you are in a deficit then power walking can be a fat loss workout.
I like my training to be training and leave it at that. Leave the fat loss to the diet.
2. Insulin = No Fat Loss – It is amazing how this one is not only dying, but seemingly gaining power.
3. Calories don’t count – I realize this makes me barbaric, old fashioned, and completely uneducated on the horrible things that (enter your dogma/fears here) is doing to you, but what can I say, I am a purest.
TG: Along the same lines, I’m a big fan of the Pareto Principle. When it comes to fat loss, what are the “big rocks” that people should concentrate on? Personally, I feel that too many people get so bogged down with minutia; i.e, worrying about whether they should eat 1.25 grams of carbs per lb as opposed 1.18 grams post training, that they often lose sight of the big picture. Like you know, maybe they shouldn’t be drinking three cans of soda every day. Thoughts?
LP: The big rock is eating less. I welcome anyone for the conversation who still likes to claim a deficit isn’t needed, but the simple truth is a deficit is needed in order to achieve fat loss. That doesn’t mean there
isn’t room for discussion within that, but that is the bolder holding up the mountain.
If that bolder has a sister it is understanding activity level and its relation to how much you need to eat for you to achieve an actual deficit. Humans are filled with egos and entitlement. We believe we deserve more food, and we’ll come up with many arguments and illogical fallacies to get it. Trust me, I love to eat, and if there were a way you could eat more and not gain weight, I would have found it. Sadly you can get fat, even on veggies and meat.
TG: You had me at meat. Anyways, in your recent book, Body By Eats, you go into great detail about our relationship with food. Am I crazy, or are people more confused than ever on what the hell they should be eating?
LP: Why shouldn’t they be?
One day we can’t eat an egg, the next day we have a kid stacking cups on a table telling us how incredible it is. The problem is we have too many agendas and too many cooks in the kitchen. People don’t know how to read studies, and conclusions are too easy to jump to these days. Back in the day you simply ate what you found, end of story.
Today we have hours of time to kill and paranoias to feed in between meals. This will only get worse and the niches are going to divide even more. All I am trying to do is provide a voice of those who don’t want to be scared by a potato anymore because of an index rating, which coincidentally, when you factor in food mixing, isn’t even a concern for the general population.
TG: Great point, and couldn’t agree more. After reading the likes of Michael Pollan and watching Food, Inc, I’ve really started to question whether or not I should go out of my way to eat organic food. I know you’ve expressed that this whole notion of organic vs. “conventional” food is a bit overblown. Care to elaborate a bit?
LP: While I appreciate their intentions they are simply making things worse by fueling the fire with the same problems the “other” guys are doing. They are cherry picking studies the same way. Take this quote from Food Inc.’s website…
“In Food, Inc. we meet Barbara Kowalcyk, whose 2 year old son, Kevin, died from E.coli poisoning after eating a hamburger. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 76 million Americans are sickened, 325,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die each year from foodborne illnesses. Although Kevin’s law is not pending in Congress right now, there are other important national food safety legislation pending now for you to support.”
If you actually look at the CDC stats they paint a very different picture.
The majority of food illness cases are due to improper handling of food by people in their home or restaurant owners and do not originate for the source of export. Another news flash is no one is watching what the local market guy is doing. Those health food items and supplements have even less of a guard dog.
My point is food safety goes far beyond crowded, unhealthy cows in a bin. This could happen to organic or free range meats. Spoiled is spoiled. Bad handling is bad handling. Bad ethics or lack of knowledge can exist in any field. Obviously stores or restaurants who deal in health are going to have higher standard of quality control. That more than anything, would lead me to a health food store versus a normal market.
If there is a savior in organics I have yet to see it. For me, it makes the problem worse and is just enabling us to not make the real changes needed, environmentally and ethically, to make progress in the field.
Currently I do not side with organics. I don’t see it as safer or more beneficial. I do, however, support ethically treated animals and fresh foods so this sometimes results in me buying from organic and health food companies due to their policies.
TG: I like to end reach interview with some random questions:
Favorite movie of the past year:
LP: The Blind Side. I am a sucker for these types of movies and it delivered and then some.
Top 5 Training Songs:
LP: Only five? Of all time? I will have to give a current top five as the thought of committing to an all time is too much.
1.Phoenix – Listzomania
2.Depeche Mode – People are People
3.My Morning Jacket – One Big Holiday
4.No Motiv – Give Me Strength
5.Nina Simone – Feelin’ Good
You have 20 minutes to kick your own ass and get a good training session in, what do you do?
LP: Since I am so intense in my training (See: accident prone) I have to fit in a warm up no matter what, which is usually something like leg cradles, t-spine rotations, bird dogs, etc. After that I would likely do some medicine ball circuits, Sled pulls, pull ups, jump roping, and a deadlift variation. If I had any means of equipment I would throw in tire flips/hammer work.
What will come first: Kevin Larrabee with a six pack or I make out with Alicia Keys?
LP: While I believe in your skills I have to put faith in my boy Kevin. He is massively dedicated to achieving his goals and I have no doubt at in his abilities at all.
TG: Thanks for your time Leigh. Where can anyone interested find out more about you and your products/services?
LP: If looking to troubleshoot your fat loss you can click HERE. If you are looking for recipes and more you can click HERE. And if looking for simple free info you can check out my blog at http://www.leighpeele.com.
One of my clients sent me this link yesterday, and I thought I’d pass it along to all of you. I’ve watched it twice already, and I’m fighting off the urge to go wash my eyes out with bleach. Not to mention my spine is over in the corner in the fetal position, sucking its’ thumb. Poor guy is terrified!
All I have to say is that kid at the 3:28 mark is my new idol. I mean most kids his age are high fiving each other because they went pee-pee all by themselves, or I don’t know, counted to ten. But not this kid. Nope, he’s deadlifting like a bat out of hell, and taking names. Awesome.
NOTE: I hope the judge gave him a light on that lift, because he didn’t lock it out. Just sayin…….
Will have an update up later on today. Promise. Actually, I interviewed Leigh Peele, and will post that as soon as I have some free time to edit it. In the meantime, here’s a picture of Olivia Munn dressed up as Princess Leia:
