Yesterday I mentioned how CP client Dede Griesbauer won Ironman Brazil over weekend. Well, here’s the last 18 seconds.
Wanna know what’s funny? This is eerily similar to what kind of crowd reaction I get every time I “courtesy flush” in a public restroom. HI-HO!
Again, congratulations Dede. We’re very proud of you!
As the title states, I moved into my new apartment at the tail end of last week, so I apologize for taking so long to write another post. Suffice it to say, I’m digging the new pad. My cupboards are stocked with beef jerky, Star Wars posters are up, and I bought a plunger. Oh, and I’ve got Sade pre-set in my stereo. Ladies?
1. Because I promised I would, I’d like to give a quick shout out to my boys (Clark, Dan, and Omri) for taking time out of their day on Friday to come into Boston to help me move. All three drove into the city from CP that day AFTER completing a brutal squat session. Thanks fellas, I really did appreciate the help.
2. Also, a ginormous congratulations goes out to CP client Dede Griesbauer for winning Ironman Brazil over the weekend with a time of 09:10:15-setting a 10 minute coarse record. For those that don’t know, Ironman Brazil consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, followed by a 26.2 mile run. Way to go Dede!!!! And here I thought I accomplished something impressive by walking to the local CVS this morning to buy some gum.
3. I recently discovered a new grocery store that sells cottage cheese for $1.50 less than where I usually buy it from. It was pretty much the happiest day of my life. Okay, I lied. The happiest day of my life was when I completed my first undefeated season in Super Tecmo Bowl with the Washington Redskins. Mark Rypien to Art Monk……..dolla dolla bill ya’ll. Well, it’s either that or the first time my ex- girlfriend let me have sex with her-with the lights on. It’s a toss up.
4. Oftentimes at CP the staff likes to challenge one other and come up with random “feats” of strength to perform. It’s machismo at it’s finest. The other day, Pete called Eric out and said that he couldn’t do 20+ chin-ups on the spot. Understandably so (and because he’s really a stubborn 12 year old kid) Eric took this to heart, threw off his shoes and this is what followed:
5. Cassandra Forsythe wrote a really good blog post the other day titled Reasons Why You Don’t Need Bottled Water. It definitely makes you think and puts things into perspective. Which is to say, dammit Cass, why do you always have to make sense?
6. I also want to take this time to welcome our new summer interns- Phil, Roger, and Alex. For the next few months, all three will be helping out around the facility working with a wide variety of athletes, as well as getting a lot of valuable “real world” exposure in regards to learning how to coach, how we design programs, and OKAY MAGGOTS WELCOME TO MY WORLD. DROP DOWN AND GIVE ME TWENTY!!! PHIL, GRAB A MOP. ROGER GO STAND IN THE CORNER AND LOOK BUSY. ALEX, WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING?? THAT’S IT, YOU JUST PULLED BATHROOM CLEANING DUTY FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER. Hahahahahaha. Just kidding fellas. No, but seriously, that peanut butter sandwich isn’t going to just make itself. Chop, chop.
When all is said and done, a man’s life can be defined as an on-going journey of milestones. Examples include hitting your very first Little League home run, watching Star Wars for the first time, getting into your first fight (and not losing), beating Super Mario Brothers on the NES, or more importantly- the first time you realized that Skinemax existed. OMGBOOBIES!!!!!!!!!!!!
Needless to say, there are a plethora of milestones that will undoudtedly shape a man’s life- for better, or for worse. But lets be honest, the bench press holds a special place in our hearts, and will forever be recognized as the holy grail of manhood. Although picking your date up in a Stealth bomber is a close second.
All that said, here is reason # 2,845 why I love my job. This is a video of Lincoln-Sudbury senior Jason Shuman hitting a bench press PR of 200 lbs:
200 lbs may not seem like such a big deal to many of you reading this, but when you consider the fact that Jason weighed like 54 lbs three weeks ago, and 185 stapled him not too long ago…………………………..and I told him he’d have to clean my fridge if he missed this lift- well, all I can say is great job buddy!
UPDATE: Jason just informed me that he wants to bench 225 by August. To be continued………
UPDATE II: Oh, and if he plays his cards right, he’d also like to make out with a real live girl by September. Whoa whoa whoa. Lets not get too carried away here dude. One thing at a time.
First off, sorry for the delay in getting this blog post out. I’m actually in the process of starting to move into my new apartment this week, and to say it’s been a bit of a nuisance would be an understatement. Of course, I have yet to start packing- then again, I don’t have much to pack since my ex-girlfriend got rid of all my vintage t-shirts and movie quality Chewbacca mask when we originally moved in together. Dammit!
Moreover, I was dreading the call I had to make to the electric and cable companies this morning to get all of those things squared away. Thankfully it was relatively hassle free, and I didn’t feel the sudden urge to want to watch a Dane Cook special and/or commit sepuku on myself. Tough call on which is worse.
Secondly, I hope everyone had an awesome Memorial Day weekend. I’d really like to give a heartfelt “thank you” to all of the servicemen/women who (past or present) have put their lives in danger to protect and serve us, and this great country. Additionally, least we forget the other reason we celebrate this monumental holiday: sun’s out, guns out baby!!!!
Lastly, each week at Cressey Performance we write down a general dynamic warm-up on one of our dry erase boards for our athletes/clients to follow. While there are definitely times where we prefer to write a more personalized warm-up for certain individuals dealing with specific injuries/musculoskeletal disorders/postural issues, etc- oftentimes it’s not practical. As such, by changing up the general warm-up on a weekly basis, everyone gets exposure to a multitude of different exercises- as well as break some of the monotony of doing the same things over and over again.
That being said, one of my favorite dynamic exercises to include is the side lying windmill:
Who Did I Steal it From: I “think” I originally saw this one on Andrew Heffernan’s blog a while back
What Does it Do: We actually get a lot of “bang for our training buck” with this particular exercise in that we’re working on glenohumeral external rotation/mobility, thoracic extension, as well as eliciting a great pec stretch. All in all, this is a superb exercise for those who spend a great part of their day hunched in front of a computer.
Key Coaching Cues: Ideally, you would want to place a med ball or even a foam roller underneath the knee to “save” the lumbar spine; but other than that, I think the video is pretty self explanatory. With your hip flexed to 90 degrees, you essentially want to “glide” your hand across your chest and then follow it with your eyes as you extend to the opposite side. Try to shoot for 1-2 sets of 6-8 reps before each training session.
I heart my readers. Someone sent me this link to Kim Kardashian’s new workout dvd, Fit In Your Jeans by Friday, and I just had to pass it along and share it with all of you:
Lets be honest, we all know that Kim Kardashian is famous for one thing, and one thing only. Her intelligence. I mean, she uses the word volu(M)tuous to describe herself in the video. Clearly she’s a wordsmith. Admittedly, given my past diatribes on the likes of Tracy Anderson and such, I think you know that the chances of me actually advocating this dvd as a viable option for women is slim to none.
Kim can claim all she wants that women “can expect a hard workout- we’re not playing around here,” but she wouldn’t know what a real workout was if it smacked her in the face with a pink dumbbell.
That being said, I’m pretty sure this dvd deserves the Nobel Prize for most awesome video ever made. It has everything you could possibly want from an award winning film :
1. Kim Kardashian
2. Kim Kardashian in tight clothes
3. Kim Kardashian in tight clothes talking about her booty
4. Amazing cinematography
5. Kim Kardashian in tight clothes talking about her booty while being Kim Kardashian
I’m already looking forward to the sequel, How to Squeeze an Aircraft Carrier* in Your Jeans by Next Friday. You smell that people? That’s an Academy Award.
It’s no secret that the majority of people who begin a fitness program, do so to look better neked. Sure there are plenty of people who do it for ulterior reasons, such as performance enhancement, increased strength, or for general health purposes. But lets not beat around the bush-for most trainees, there’s only one reason, and one reason only they step foot in the gym- to make people of the opposite sex want to hang out with them.
If I had to guess, about eight out of ten clients I work with, list “fat loss” as their main goal when they fill out their initial evaluation. As well, they’ll go on and on about how they’ve tried everything, from spending endless hours on the treadmill to well, spending endless hours on the treadmill. Here’s something to ponder- if something doesn’t yield optimal results, why do we insist on doing more of it? And if I hear one more person say, “well Jillian MIchaels says that’s the best way to burn fat,” I swear to god I’ll hunt you down and one nut punch you. Don’t think I won’t do it!
I don’t blame people for drinking the Kool-Aid. Thanks to the mass media (magazines, the interwebz, television), we’re essentially programmed to think that doing copious amounts of “cardio,” and following diets that have us eating nothing but seaweed, and I don’t know, camel dung, are the best way get lean.
Furthermore, it’s no coincidence that the most popular pieces of equipment in every commercial gym are the elliptical trainers, recumbent bikes, and the selectorized machine circuits. Weird how they also happen to be the easiest.
I’m willing to bet that if you were to actually watch those people in your local gym who happen to have a physique you admire train- they’re doing the exact opposite of what you’re doing. I call it the 180 Rule. Which is to say, their program probably consists of things like squats, deadlifts, chin-ups, rows, bench variations, and a healthy dose of single leg training. Not to mention they’re probably lifting heav(ier) weights, incorporating things like complexes and circuits, as well as steering clear of the elliptical trainer and flat screen televisions. You know, cause they’re there to train, not to watch E! True Hollywood Story: Perfect Strangers. Don’t laugh, you know you watched it!
To make a long story short, every week we get a fair share of dvds sent our way at Cressey Performance to check out. As you can imagine, sometimes I end up wanting to swallow my own tongue while watching some of the stuff (i.e they’re not very good). However, every now and then I come across a product that I really like and have no issues recommending to people.
One such product is fellow t-nation contributor Nick Tumminello’s new dvd Strength Training for Fat Loss and Conditioning.
Nick is a very bright guy and someone who I respect because he “gets it.” He doesn’t fluff anything, and isn’t scared to go against the grain and tell people what they really need to do in order to get into phenomenal shape. In his new dvd, he covers well over 100 new combinations, complexes, and circuits that will undoubtedly get you into the best shape of your life.
As a strength coach/personal trainer, I’m always looking for new and innovative ways to get my clients to hate me, and I would highly recommend this product to any fitness professional looking to take their fat-loss programming to the next level. Check it out here.
I’m a taaaaaaad bit delinquent in updating my blog this past week. It wasn’t until over the weekend that I realized I hadn’t written anything since last Monday. Oopsie daises. What can I say? Between watching the season finale of Lost– (SPOILER ALERT: Kate is hot) and making plans to go to see the new Star Wars movie that just came out, I’ve had my hands filled. The new trailer looks sweet! Wait a second. That isn’t the Millenium Falcon! Starship Enterprise???? What the hell is this? Who’s that dude with the pointed ears? Spock? Hahahahahahaha. That’s just stupid. It doesn’t even make sense- humans flying in space? Only a complete moron would believe this crap. *Ma! Where’s my Princess Leia lunch box???*
In all seriousness, I have been diligently working on a few “projects,” that I hope I’ll put the finishing touches on by mid-week.
One is a new article I’m writing for t-nation, that will be a continuation of my Alphabet of Manliness series. I’m more of an “off topic” kind of guy, and would rather write a few thoughts on a variety of things rather than write ten pages on one topic. Unless, of course, said topic was on Eliza Dushku’s, um, personality. Yeah that’s right, her personality. I could write an entire novel on that.
Nevertheless, I should have it submitted by the end of the week, so keep your eyes peeled.
Also in the works is a new personal website that will serve as a “homebase” for all of my content. I’ve been meaning to revamp my website for a while now, and I’m really looking forward to the new changes that will follow. That said, I’m having a hard time coming up with a new slogan and I figured I’d ask for some help. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
TonyGentilcore.com: Strength and Performance Enhancement with a Twist of ____________
TonyGentilcore.com: Because I’m Pretty Sure Your Sister’s a Dirty Pirate Hooker
TonyGentilcore.com: A Restraining Order Never Stopped Me Before.
TonyGentilcore.com: I Swear This Never Happens To Me!?
Anyways, I am trying to come up with a catchy slogan, so feel free to chime in and offer some suggestions. It would be very much appreciated.
On an aside, Mike Robertson was gracious enough to invite me on as a guest on his In the Trenches Fitness Podcast last week. Mike does an awesome job, and I was humbled that he asked me to come on and talk some shop for a bit. Check it out.
When most people think of gaming systems, they think of kids spending countless hours playing games such as Guitar Hero, Resident Evil, Call of Duty, and I’ll Never Touch a Boob Halo for countless hours at a time. As for me, I just like to watch this video:
Coincidentally, this was the exact same reaction I had last Christmas when I received my remote control car starter. YES! YES! YES!
Not surprising, within the past two years or so, gaming systems such as the Nintendo Wii Fit have grown in popularity amongst adults as well- particularly mommies.
I’ll admit that I’m at a bit of a conundrum with this one. On one hand, I think it’s great that people can find things that get them excited about exercise and get them active to some degree. Likewise, it’s hard to bash something after reading stories (from the link above) of women who have lost upwards of 60 lbs in one year just by using the Nintendo Wii. At least they’re doing something– and if anything else, it’s bringing out their competitive nature and keeping them motivated. I can respect that.
On the other hand, I want to set my face on fire. It seems like every “success” story is counterbalanced by the typical article or post by some woman complaining about how she’s tried every diet and workout program known to man, and that she’s frustrated she’s not seeing quicker results after only losing 1/2 lb in one week.
Call me crazy, but maybe it’s the fact that YOU’RE PLAYING VIDEO GAMES!!11!1! What do you expect to happen? I mean, it’s not like you’re running the Boston Marathon- you’re fake hula-hooping. Furthemore, it would also help if you actually stuck with a diet/training program for more than two weeks at a time before you decided it didn’t work. Ahhhhh, this is the stuff that drives me bonkers.
When all is said and done, I don’t really care. Whatever floats their boat. I’m just surprised that Nintendo hasn’t caught on to the other games they could direct towards the moms- like Wii: Mom, Make Me Some Meat Loaf, Wii: Can I Have 20 Bucks?, and Wii: What Do You Mean I Can’t Borrow the Car Tonight? I Hate You!
KA-CHING!
What Is It: Hand Switches w/ Push-Up
Who Did I Steal It From: I can’t remember, so I’m claiming this mofo.
What Does It Do: This is actually a pretty versatile movement since it could be used as either part of a general warm-up or as part of an actual training program. I like this particular exercise because I get a lot of “bang for my training buck,” with regards to:
1. Core Activation (from an anterior/posterior perspective). As I have said on numerous occasions, push-up variations are a fantastic way to learn to engage the “core” musculature. Here we’re trying to have as little movement in the lumbo-pelvic-hip area as possible. Likewise, once a trainee learns to engage these muscles, it’s almost inevitable that their numbers will go up on other lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench, DB isolation bicep curls; you know the important one’s that make chicks want to hang out with you).
2. Serratus Anterior Activation: In conjunction with the upper trapezius and lower trapezius, the serratus anterior plays a crucial role in scapular “upward” rotation. Of the typical 180 degrees of overhead reach in a healthy shoulder, the scapulae’s upward rotation is responsible for about 60 degrees of it. As you can surmise, many trainees lack this upward rotation (also called scapular downward rotation syndrome), due to weak/inhibited upward rotators- as well as tight/overactive downward rotators: levator scapulae, rhomboids, pec minor. As a result, impingement syndromes develop and you have an ouchie.
3. General Conditioning: do this for 30-45 seconds and tell me your heartrate doesn’t skyrocket.
Key Coaching Cues: As stated above, you want to try to stay as “stable” as possible, and limit excessive movement in the general hip area. Furthermore, as is the case anytime you perform a push-up, chin should stay tucked and the back should say in a nice “neutral” position. I’m not too concerned with speed on these, but certainly as one gets more proficient, he/she can pick up the pace a bit.
Preferentially, I like to do these for timed sets of 30-45 seconds. However, you could also shoot for a specific number per side- say 5 repetitions per.
Of note, Rehbands around the ankles are totally optional. Just sayin.
Just wanted to share with everyone an interview I did for Leigh Peele’s site FLzine.com that was just put up today. I can only imagine the conundrum you’re in at this moment. I mean, you’re sitting there at work trying to keep yourself occupied from doing whatever it is you’re paid to do, and you have any number of things you can be reading.
On one hand, you could continue perusing your celebrity gossip sites and read all about how Hands of Death Madonna wants to save the world and adopt every orphan known to man.
OR
You could click on this link and read all about my favorite hip mobility drills, rate of force production as it relates to improving one’s vertical jump, and what the last cd I bought was. You know, the important stuff. Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure if Fox News ranked interviews by how much they influence people’s lives it would look something like this:
1. 5 Questions: Tony Gentilcore
2. 5 Questions: Optimus Prime
3. 5 Questions: He-Man
4. 5 Questions: Jessica Simpson
5. 5 Questions: Rowdy Roddy Piper
10,745. 5 Questions: Ghandi
