This is the last post of 2016. Unbelievable. To cap off the “Year in Review” I wanted to highlight the most popular posts from my Exercises You Should Be Doing series.
Beginning in mid-January 2017 I’ll be offering a new 6-week “beginner course” at CORE, called COREessentials. Get it?
The idea is to champion FOUR things:
1. Building Autonomy
2. Building Accountability
3. Building Competency
4. Building Community
5. BONUS: to build you into one sexy motherfucker.
Okay, that’s five things…but hopefully you get the idea. The program is going to target beginner levellifters who may either be lost in their training – just kind of haphazardly piecing together workouts with no rhyme or reason – or who may be intimidated altogether with the idea of strength training. The umbrella goal is to build focus and purpose with training.
The Deets
START DATE: Mid-January, 2017. Likely Monday, January 16th.
1. Groups will meet 2x per week at CORE (250 Cypress St, Brookline, MA) in predetermined AM and PM time slots.
2. Sessions will be 60-75 minutes in length and each one will be supervised by strength coach Jarrod Dyke, CSCS (I’ll be making cameo appearances as well and will be involved with the programming). The course will stress the basics – teaching participants various bodyweight, kettlebell, and (sometimes) barbell based movements designed to set the stage for continued success and growth (you know, that autonomy thing mentioned above).
3. There will also be a nutrition/mindset component as well. Shannon Wheel, a Boston-based Registered Dietitian, will be holding a few sessions throughout the course of 6-weeks covering nutrition as well as helping participants develop behavioral-based habits to compliment the training.
Too, my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, a behavioral and exercise psychologist, will be offering a mindset component designed to augment the process. She’ll tackle what goes on in our heads, and how to best curtail the roadblocks and negative self-talk that often hampers progress.
4. Weekly “homework/reading” assignments will be part of the process, along with email correspondence from the coaches to help keep participants on task.
5. There will also be a lot of EDM and 90’s hip-hop played (if I’m coaching anyways), and the likelihood of spontaneous dance or rap battles breaking out will be very high.
If you’d like more information or you know someone in Boston who may be a good candidate for this program please use the “Contact” function HERE.
2. Appearance on The Movement Fix Podcast
I’ve been a big fan of Dr. Ryan DeBell for a while now and have had a crush on his work for about a year or so. I was pumped that he reached out recently to invite me onto his podcast. We recorded it earlier this week and it’s already live.
In it we discuss why I don’t offer discounted training, mistakes new trainers make, and my “weird” introduction to blogging. You can check it out HERE.
First of all I believe the Bear Crawl is one of those exercises that many people 1) perform wrong and 2) have no clue what the actual benefits are. They’re just told by their coach or CrossFit instructor to do them and off they go.1
In this article I describe what the benefits are and how you can perform them when you don’t have access to a lot of turf or space.
I’m very fortunate that I have a fair number of coaches and other fitness professionals who see this site as a resource of quality information as well as a resource to help get their information and content in front of more eyes.
I had a bounty of excellent professionals pinch-hitting for me in 2016, and the three articles below were the top ones according to the traffic they received.
NOTE: Once January 27, 2017 arrives I’ll be in dire need for guests posts. That’s the day my little guy is supposed to arrive and my world is going to be turned upside down. In a good way of course…;O) I suspect my writing schedule will be drastically reduced, however I’d still love to continue offering top-notch content on a consistent basis.
If you’re interested please use the Contact function HERE and pitch me some ideas. A few criteria to consider:
1) You should be able to, you know, write well. On a base level you should be able to differentiate between to/too/two, their/there/they’re, your/you’re, then/than, and have read every book Kurt Vonnegut has ever written. Kidding.2
2) Preferably you actually have experience training people in real life. And, I’d prefer minimum two years experience in the field.
3) Have some “feel” for the type of content on this site. If you pitch me an article on fat-loss supplements or “Top Exercises to Tone Your Arms” I will Sparta kick you you in the throat.
This article actually made the PTDC’s list of Top Articles of 2016 on their site (you can check out their list HERE). People have been programmed to think that exercise intensity is all about performing endless repetitions of whateverthefuck and then dropping in a pool of your own sweat or going until you can’t feel your legs.
Sure, it’s hard, and it has it’s time and place. But it’s not, technically, “intense.”
Ohhhhhhhhh snap. Not surprisingly this article received a fair bit of back and forth in the comments section. I get it: I think much of what was argued about was over semantics over the word “elite.” Nevertheless, I felt this was a good article by Travis who brought up some valid points.
Yesterday I shared the Best Articles of 2016 according to my readers. You all have great taste, but today it’s my turn. Below are my picks of the best articles I wrote this past year.
The idea here was to speak against blanket statements. I hate when people say deadlifts are always dangerous and that everyone should avoid them. That’s just not true.
It’s never been easier to be heard, but it’s never been harder to get heard.
Social media and blogs make it easy to get your stuff out there. However, it makes it easier for everyone else to do the same thing. Here are some thoughts on how you can get your shit read by more people.
2016 was another banner year for TonyGentilcore.com. It was the 3rd year in a row the site reached more than 1-million “sessions” and almost 2-million page views.3
Granted, Google and Facebook do those kind of numbers every minute (if not every second), but it’s still surreal to me that my site was visited more than a million times this past year. I mean, I don’t think my mom pressed the refresh button that many times.
I am not an analytics guy. I don’t pay much attention to it to be honest. The only time I look at the numbers is during this time of year when I do the “Year in Review/Best Of” posts. It’s interesting: my traffic is pretty steady on a day-to-day basis, with obvious dips on the days I don’t post something (typically the weekends and Holidays). However, in looking at the data this morning the two highest traffic days this past year included posts that included a swear word in the title.
The “Real” vs. “BS” Hip Flexor Stretch
Becoming a Brick Shit House 201
This is good information for me. Basically, you can expect more swear words in titles in 2017. I don’t know, maybe something to the effect of:
Assessment: You Don’t Know Your Ass From Your Acetabulum
Shit People Do in the Gym That Make Me Want to Jump Into a Shark’s Mouth
Deadlifts? Dangerous? Motherfuckers Be Cra-Cra
** All are running titles of course and are subject to change.
Below are the top articles of 2016 according to which ones received the most traffic (you all obviously have impeccable taste).
This was a 2-part interview I did with strength coach Pat Davidson. Pat’s a character, but I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. He’s one of the smartest guys I know and one of the more vocal coaches out there. I love it.
If you like rants and you like listening to people tell it how it is, then you’ll love this interview. You can also check out Part I HERE.
My humble contribution at helping to fight off the mainstream media’s incessant mission to program women into thinking strength training isn’t for them.
As a fitness professional it’s inevitable you’re going to come across a client or athlete who’s dealing with low-back pain and shenanigans. This article provides some food for thought with regards to assessment and programming strategies for your consideration.
Check back tomorrow for MY picks for Best Articles of the Year.
You see there’s a bit of a conundrum if you’re someone who’s an inexperienced lifter.
You have one of two choices:
1. Join your local big box Globo Gym and get lost in the vast abyss of exercise machines and classes that you have no idea does what. Oh, look, that thingamajig that works the whatchamacallit.
2. Join your local CrossFit box and and play Russian roulette as to whether or not you’ll be able lift your arms over head or feel the right side of your face after two weeks.
Going the commercial gym route runs the risk of feeling like nothing but a number and you’re kinda on your own to figure things out.
CrossFit is unparalleled for the camaraderie and community component, but for beginners is often (not always) a bit intimidating, not to mention advanced for someone who’s not familiar with the barbells lifts or eating coconut oil out of the can.
NOTE: Both scenarios are slight over-generalizations, but not too far off from the truth.4
There’s very little out there dedicated to the beginner lifter who IS interested in strength training, but finds many of the options available to him or her either too little or too much. I’d like to fix that.
COREssentials
Your 6-week introduction to everything bodacious and badass.
The Deets
1. The course will be six weeks, meeting 2x per week in a group setting at CORE (~2-4 people per class), where the objective is to learn and hammer the basics, enhance movement quality, instill a sense of accountability and intent with training, and set the framework to make you more autonomous.
Address: 250 Cypress St. Brookline, MA.
The main coach will be Jarrod Dyke, however I will be involved with programming and cameo coaching appearances.5
2. There will also be a nutrition and mindset component, where every other weekend the idea is to sit in on presentations and have questions answered from a Registered Dietician as well as an Exercise/Behavior Change Psychologist.
Shannon Wheel, RD, CPT will take the reigns on the nutrition side of things.
My wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, will take the reigns on the mindset front.
3. It will serve as a wonderful opportunity to surround yourself with like-minded people and become a part of a community who’s sole purpose is to help increase your general level of badassery (and to not hip-hinge like a jack-ass).
4. Only 12 spots will be made available to start. And I’m not saying this to suggest a false sense of urgency or as a way to lure people in. I’m not kidding, only 12 spots will be made available.
5. Attendance subject to spontaneous rap battles.
The idea is to start around January 15, 2017. If you’re interested, please send me an email via the “Contact” tab (HERE) and I’ll put you on a list to get further information.
I gain a lot of satisfaction training females and I have long championed the approach that, contrary to much of the mainstream, they can (and should) “train like the boys.” You know, in the gym, using barbells and stuff.
In my eights years as a coach at Cressey Sports Performance (and now, at CORE in Boston) I work with female athletes and non-athletes alike on a weekly basis and try my best to encourage them to push the barrier, focus on performance-based goals, and aim higher. I don’t treat them like delicate flowers and I don’t make it a “thing” that they don’t have an Y-chromosome.
Training is training regardless of sex.
With regards to training female athletes, though, it’s surprising how barren the resource-scape is. There aren’t many options out there. Which is why I am elated that Adam Feit was willing to discuss his new resource Complete Guide to Training the Female Athlete.
I’m starting to make my way through it now, and it’s excellent so far. I’ve already filled several pages of notes in my notebook, and my female clients are totally going to hate me (more) soon.
Enjoy the interview.
Tony Gentilcore (TG): I find one of the more common mistakes coaches make with training female athletes is assuming that because they’re a female that they HAVE to train differently then men. I find this to be unfortunate. I feel it sets a bad connotation from the get go and sets the standard that “girls don’t train like boys.”
Do you agree?
Adam Feit (AF): 100%. In fact, that’s why we created the Complete Guide to Training the Female Athlete. Coaches will realize “Hey! That doesn’t look so far off with what I do with ALL my athletes.”
Every athlete needs to squat, bend, push, pull, plant, pivot, rotate and turn. Squats are squats and deadlifts are deadlifts. (And you love deadlifts, don’t you Tony?)
Everyone needs to apply force quickly, stay healthy and sustain their performance over a period of time.
When we first started RYPT almost five years ago, we thought we were going to be “lights out” with football players. Just like how every aspiring fitness professional is going to ONLY work with professional athletes, amirite?
Bobby and I were both All-Americans in football (<—Note From TG: yeah, well, I once held my high-school record for most innings pitched and shut-outs in a season) and I had spent my entire career with football strength and conditioning.
But guess what? The football players trained at school with their position coaches. They weren’t ALLOWED to actually train with someone who knew what they were doing.
But you know who was? Females.
I have coached in NINE different states in my 10 years of coaching. I have never lived in an area (Monmouth County, NJ) where female athletes dominate their sport and get as many college scholarships as they do here.
And with that, comes the increased risk of injury and our role as performance coaches to prevent those injuries from happening or transition them back on the field again.
But what we’re most proud of at RYPT is how we’ve created a community for female athletes to come in, train hard and FEEL the results. 80% of our clients these past five years have been female. Is it the training? Maybe. But I think it’s more.
It’s about improving their self esteem, mental strength and developing them into physical monsters.
TG: I couldn’t agree more on that last point. The empowerment and “freedom” that develops in female athletes when they’re coached well (and not treated like delicate snowflakes) is amazing.
All that said, we’d be remiss not to recognize that women don’t need to train differently then men (but sometimes they should). What ARE some of the particular things to take into consideration when training female athletes?
AF: With 3500 youth female athletes trained at RYPT thus far, the biggest things we have noticed have been loading progressions, emphasis on the posterior chain, and prioritizing the single leg.
What I quickly noticed was that our female athletes simply didn’t handle the traditional model of progressive overload as well as my male athletes. Forget percentages, readiness questionnaires and velocity tracking. They couldn’t increase their training load week to week and maintain form, speed and most of all, confidence.
Was another 5-10 lbs worth it on our last set, gambling on them failing and shattering their confidence as they began weight training?
Many times I have seen an athlete crush a set at a particular weight only to not hit a single rep with five additional pounds added on the following set. Instead of pushing more weight each and every set, we have adapted our training cycles to work on increasing volume throughout the set cycle. This form of volume accumulation allows us to still overload the athlete but in a safer manner.
Note From TG:that last point by Adam is what I mean when I talk about building a wider base (of volume) to reach a higher peak. I explain HERE.
So rather than simply going up every set, we’ve learned to keep the working weight stable for a few weeks at a time and crank up the volume through increased reps and or sets to build that confidence and get some serious work done.
Second major point is the cold hard truth of a few things that female athletes have to deal with that their male counterparts don’t have to worry so much about.
You know–just your typical quadriceps dominance, anterior pelvic tilt, more lax ligaments, and wider Q angles…
Oh, and up to 9x more likely of tearing an ACL.
Because of this, we’ve hammered the posterior chain into our warm-ups, activations and strength training work each and everyday to balance out the compensations and establish proper movement patterns needed for deceleration, re-acceleration, strength development and injury prevention.
Everyday at RYPT, we’re working a variation of a leg curl, hip lift or RDL exercise to ensure our females can recruit the right musculature to stop, slow down and speed up.
Lastly, we can’t forget the importance of the single leg.
Think of almost every jump, step, run, and swing. It almost always happens on one leg.
At RYPT, we use a variety of linear, lateral and rotational split squats and lunges in the warm-up to prepare for loaded movements later in the program. Like our double leg training, we attend to each variety of movement pattern, hip and knee dominant, as well as pushing and pulling exercises. The variety of exercise selection exposes athletes to moving in a variety of planes and through a number of different motions that also improve their awareness of their body in space. That understanding of how the body moves is helpful when the athlete is faced with a decision or a situation in a game or contest.
On Day 1: we focus on progressing our athletes into single-legged RDL variations, focusing on their proprioception and force production. This comes towards the end of the workout after we have already performed our major double leg push for the day, which is usually some sort of squat variation.
On Day 2: we focus on an auxiliary single leg push movements with variations of split squats, rear foot elevated split squats, lunges and step-ups.
On Day 3: depending on the level of the athlete and season of the year, we will perform either another double or single leg push exercise as a primary strength movement. For most beginner athletes, we start off with the hex bar deadlift and transition into a loaded barbell split squat or lunge as they get close to their competitive season.
TG: I love it. Not many things jazz me up more than seeing young female athletes breaking barriers and not relenting to lame societal norms.
I love all my athletes, but I do find training female athletes to be easier at times. They often seem more “coachable.” Can you shed some light on this phenomenon if you agree? And if you don’t I’ll just shut up…..;o)
AF: Female athletes flat out care. I worked four years in college football and one year in the NFL. I can count on one hand how many thank you cards I got from all the schools I worked with and the players I helped develop.
I’ve lost track of the amount of gifts, thank you’s and emails I’ve gotten from working with our females here at RYPT. Going from nothing to all of this really made me believe that I was making a difference in their lives.
But besides caring, female athletes are in fact more coachable. Because of their limited experience in the weight room, they have no bad habits to break. You’re not fighting the hip thrusting bench press bro or the wicked high squat sorriness like you do with most youth male athletes. I almost NEVER have to tell a female athlete that the weight is too heavy and she needs to go down. Female athletes WANT to get better and they WANT to do it right. They actively seek out our coaching and want to make the most out of their opportunity with us while they can.
TG: Okay, cliche time…but it’s needs to be asked: What are the most common mistakes or “myths” you come across when the topic of training female athletes arises?
I’m going to repurpose a great article my wife Mary Kate wrote for us last year here talking about these very issues:
I’ve got the best spouse in the world. Not only was she a Division I soccer player and former college strength coach, the woman is STRONG and gets pissed when she doesn’t set a PR or gain muscle. She is the epitome of “female” strength and someone that our staff, as well as all our kids at RYPT, look up to (especially our own two little ones at home).
Remember, as coaches, we have not just the ability, but the responsibility to educate and empower our clients to become better people. Dispelling myths, trends and fads are only a few of the battles we face when working with today’s female athlete.
More than ever, female athletes are playing sports and striving to win a scholarship.
They’re sacrificing quality training time with sports performance coaches like us to play another season of AAU basketball, club soccer and showcase softball.
So we’ve got to do OUR part and educate and empower coaches and parents alike to not only help athletes reach their potential, but also prevent them from LIMITING their potential due to injury. While we cannot prevent all injuries, experience and education have shown us we can certainly have a major hand in preventing many of them due to inadequate strength and body control.
If you’re looking for a complete system for training today’s female athlete, we hope you’ll consider the work we’ve done, the programs we’ve developed and the female athletes we have helped–3500 and counting.
Complete Guide To Training the Female Athlete is on sale NOW for $100 off the regular price. Go HERE and get better as a coach and to better serve your athletes.
On this day back in 1976 Megatron and Optimus Prime collided and the energy from that impact formed into a solid state mass who liked deadlifts, EDM, original 90210 episodes, and would grow into someone with an uncanny ability to never be able to tie a tie correctly. I don’t even know if that description is scientifically correct, but I don’t care. It sounds awesome, so lets roll with it.
Admittedly I’ve never been a big Birthday person. Throughout my life I’ve seen it as “just another day” and no big deal. I’m definitely not someone who takes the mentality that their b-day serves as an open invitation to be a Johnny Raincloud. “Aww, poor me, I’m one year older, feed me a quesadilla with extra guacamole and depression.”
On the flip side, nor am I someone who feels the need to profess this day to the world. I mean, granted, my day of birth ranks right up there with the most important days in human history:
The day Aristotle suggested the Earth was round and not flat after seeing the circular shadow it made on the moon. #mindfuck.
D-Day.
Man walking on the moon.
Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” speech.
The episode of Party of Five where Bailey was given an intervention for drinking too much.
However in the grand scheme of things, millions of other people celebrate their Birthday today too. I’m talking to you Bo Jackson.
All that said, today I wanted to have a little fun with my blog and jot down a few random facts (about me of course), insights, words of advice (life, fitness, business), and tidbits of tomfoolery. 40 of them in fact.
Enjoy.
1. My Fitness Inspiration Wasn’t Arnold.
Most guys my age will point towards Arnold Schwarzenegger (and roughly 212 viewings, each, of Predator, Commando, and Conan the Barbarian) as their initial foray into fitness.
Not me.
Mine was watching Mark McGwire of the Oakland Athletics on television. Whenever he and Jose Canseco would bash forearms after hitting a home-run, I’d be in awe at the sheer size of both of them.
Pharmaceutical discussions notwithstanding, I remember reading that the two of them owed much of their success to lifting weights.
2. Speaking of Baseball
Growing up my dream was to be a professional baseball player. Actually, first, I
wanted to be Han Solo, but baseball player was a close second.
I think I lived half my childhood in my side yard hitting baseballs back and forth with my dog, Daisy, following me every step of the way.
One of the scariest days of my life was when I accidentally hit a baseball right through the back window of the car my parents were trying to sell. My house is located on a fairly busy road, so it made sense to park the car out on the yard to get people’s attention.
OMG, I just about packed up all my He-Man and GI Joe figures and left home for good.
3. I Turned Down a Division I Scholarship
Kids (and parents) today are too caught up in numbers, especially the lure of a Division I scholarship. Unfortunately, much of their self-worth is set on the prestige of playing at the Division I level.
Eric Cressey posted a viral Tweet a while back saying something to the effect of “don’t get too caught up the D1 love affair. There are plenty of D2/D3 players who get drafted and who make it to the Big Leagues. Go where you’ll play and develop.
I turned down a Division I scholarship. You can read about the entire story HERE.
4. I Still Hate Bench Pressing
There, I said it.
5. 90s Hip-Hop is Still King
A small piece of my soul dies every time I play A Tribe Called Quest and a young athlete is like “who’s this?”
6. Did Someone Say the 90s?
Who’s planning an epic 90s themed party this weekend?
A photo posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on
7. #1 Mistake I See Trainers/Coaches Make?
Placing too much credence on posture.
“Posture is irrelevant unless you take into consideration movement.”
8. #2-Infinity Mistake(s) I See Trainers/Coaches Make?
Falling prey to the mindset that textbook technique exists. It doesn’t. No one has to squat with a certain foot position or with a certain bar position. No has to deadlift from the floor or with a straight bar.
Stop taking yourself so seriously. You’re not above calling your mom, telling your wife or kid(s) you love them, picking up a piece of trash on the sidewalk and putting it where it belongs, or staying after hours to mop floors or clean the bathroom of your facility.
It’s the small stuff that matters most and helps to nudge the attributes I feel are grossly deficient in today’s society: empathy, accountability, and integrity.
Oh, and eating a massive bowl of HoneyNut Cheerios. You’re never above that…;o)
14. Shut up and be a student.
Nothing is worse than that guy (or girl) who asks redundant questions at a conference or workshop to showcase how smart they are and that they know big words. Likewise, a close second are those people who question everything or “shut down” because what’s being presented goes against their way of doing things.
Shut up and be a student for a day. You don’t have to agree with everything, of course, and it behooves the industry to ask questions. But, come on…just shut up. You may learn something.
15. I think all new trainers should spend a minimum of 1-3 years working in a commercial gym.
16. Why?
It helps build character, resiliency, and business savvy. The only way you’re going to succeed is by scaring the shit out of yourself. Working in a commercial setting forces you to be your own best advocate, and no where else will you have as much access to such a diverse clientele. You’re primed to grow as a professional and do well if you put in the effort.
17. Um, have you checked out Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint yet?
18. <– The number I wore all through high-school and college.
19. I failed my drivers test not once, but twice.
Once because I forgot to put the car back into drive (from reverse) when performing a three-point turn; and once because, apparently, it’s not in good taste to drive over the speed limit.
20. Whatever, don’t judge me.
21. I was never an avid reader.
That is until my ex, ex, ex girlfriend broke up with me (don’t worry, I’m over it). In an effort to get my mind off of things (and to stop watching endless Julia Roberts movies), when I randomly came across the Modern Library’s list of Top 100 Novels I decided to take that summer (2002) and tackle as many on the list as possible.
I started with Catcher in the Rye, and haven’t looked back since.
22. Tip for aspiring writers
Becoming an avid reader – of all genres – begets good writing.
It’s only here, marinating in other’s prose, where you’ll learn a better appreciation of developing style, writing cadence/flow, story telling, and when not to use adverbs.
23. Social media tip
Don’t always make it about you.
Share, share, share.
At least once a day share an article, blog, or I don’t know, a recipe for Vegan carrot cake sprinkled with sawdust.
Provide more value to people and your numbers will grow.
24. Deadlift tip
People seem to think scraping their shins is a bad thing. It’s good! That means you’re keeping the bar close to the body (and your axis of rotation; hips)
Stealing a nice analogy from CSP coach, Nancy Newell, try to “shave your legs with the barbell” as you perform each rep.
25. Squat tip
As noted above, I try to follow the mantra that everyone is different and then try to cater each lift to their unique ability level, anatomy, and goal(s). To that end, I am not married to the back squat, nor do I feel a coach loses demerit points for not back squatting their athletes/clients. I still use it often.
However, one variation I feel has carryover to pretty much everyone is the Double Anterior Loaded or 2 KB Front Squat
The anterior core engagement often helps people get into better position to squat deeper (and to keep a more upright torso).
NOTE: I am NOT saying one has to squat with an upright torso. A forward lean is always going to be part of the equation. However, I find many trainees lean too much to the point where their weight shifts into their toes and they often “fall” forward. This variation helps to build more context with executing a more upright posture.
26. Trainable Menus
This is a term I recently stole from Atlanta Hawks strength coach, Chris Chase, after listening to him on Mike Robertson’s Physical Preparation Podcast.
It’s imperative as coaches to differentiate between a trainable exercise and an athlete’s ability to demonstrate the ability to perform a task. We’re often in awe of people’s feats of strength and athleticism (think: 50″ box jumps). But just because someone can demonstrate a task, doesn’t mean it’s trainable (or should be trained).
27. Favorite movie of all-time?
28. Another writing tip.
Read what you write out loud. If it sounds wonky or “off” out loud, it likely comes across as way worse on the screen or page.
29. Signs that you’re (probably) an a-hole
You honk your horn 0.03 seconds after a light turns green.
You text while you drive.
You order a steak well-done.
You assume that because a woman is squatting or deadlifting or working remotely hard that she’s automatically training for something.
You don’t like Jason Bourne.
You spot someone at the elbows during DB presses.
You charge people money to come observe you shadow you.7
A photo posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on
30. Don’t succumb to societal norms
Example.
My wife and I were together for five years before I asked her to marry me. We were both in our mid to late 30s before we tied the knot. Ancient by some standards.
We waited on purpose. We didn’t rush into things. We had to make sure our shit was on the same page, and that took a lot of work and talking about feelings and stuff. And it was for the best. We’re a little over a year and a half in and crushing married life.
And now….
31. We’re expecting in January 2017
Help, please. Any advice?
32. Think: Simpler
Writing training programs isn’t rocket science, although we often treat it that way. When in doubt, make it simpler. People need consistency with the basics more than squats vs. chains with a 313 tempo, on one leg, blindfolded. For AMRAP.
33. “Dangerous” Exercises
There’s always going to be an inherent risk to lifting weights. I’d argue that the only way to make progress is to play with fire and to teeter on the “holy shit something bad may happen if I perform this rep” threshold.
Of course we need to stress good and “safe” technique. However, we can’t always baby people. Allowing people to get into precarious situations and positions is often the only way they’re going to learn to avoid them in the long-run.
So, yes, it is okay on occasion to allow the back to round a little on a deadlift or for the knees to cave in a little on a set of heavy squats. Deep breaths. The world will continue to spin.
And lets be honest: those who tend to label “x” exercise “dangerous” are generally the ones who have little experience or don’t know how to coach them correctly in the first place.
34. 3×52
That’s the best “set/rep scheme” for results. Get your clients to show up 3x per week for 52 weeks and lovely things will happen.
35. Best resources
People are always asking me what are my favorite health/fitness products? Luckily I keep a running “tab” of my favs on my resources page HERE.
36. Never underestimate the power…
…of a “thank you” note. A hand-written thank you note. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a gym/small business owner it’s that the small details matter.
Send notes to clients on their b-day, on their one-year anniversary of training with you, when they hit a PR, or when they finally watch House of Cards because you’ve been nagging them to do so F.O.R.E.V.E.R.
It’s amazing what such a small gesture will do towards maintaining customer loyalty.8
37. I swear when I write
I know it turns some people off. I’m sorry for that. I had a gentleman write me a rather condescending email not to long ago telling me how my judicious use of certain four-letter words makes it so my stuff is “unsharable.” At least within his social circles.
I can respect that, and I was apologetic to him. An egregious (or even strategically placed) f-bomb isn’t for everyone. However part of me wants to say:
“If my use of choice words somehow cancels out the bigger picture or message of what I’m saying, that’s on you not me. Grow up.”
Maybe I’m naive, I don’t know. I try not to go overboard with language, and do understand that it doesn’t always improve one’s writing. Maybe I do need to re-assess.
Anyone else have thought on this?
38. Hey, I have something planned for 2017
Another colleague of mine (Bryan Krahn) and I are planning on writing a training program/manual for the 35-40+ lifter. I feel it’s a demographic that’s underserved in the industry and does require a bit of TLC with regards to program design.
You want to get after it and train hard, but you’re also not 25 anymore.
I’d be curious how much interest there would be in doing a BETA or “guinea pig” group? Basically we’d be looking for people to give the program a try and to offer insights on what worked well, what didn’t, and how we can improve.
There would be a small fee involved and we’d ask for guys (and girls) who are relatively healthy to participate. I.e., no major injuries to work around. Interested? Good idea? Yes, no, maybe so?
39. Still one of the best quotes ever.
Courtesy of Eric Schoenberg:
“When you only throw with your arm then we’ll worry about “arm care” exercises.”
40. You’re the best
If you actually made it this far, you’ve earned yourself a gold sticker for today. I should get a gold sticker for coming up with this many things to write about – that was a lot harder than expected.
No big surprise as I am sure many of you reading are in the same boat, but I am in rough shape today. Lisa and I are heading to the gym at some point so we can work off some of the excess calories from yesterday. I’m pretty sure I’ll be sweating pumpkin roll.
I’m going to get right to the point today. Here’s this week’s list to stuff to read…
It’s Black Friday and this is the first time in my life I actually have something to offer for it. It’s cliche, I know. But you better be sure as shit I’m going to take advantage. I have a baby on the way after all…;o)
Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint is on sale for $30 off the regular price today through this weekend. It would be awesome if you’d check it out.
This whole article is very quotable, but one of my favs:
“On a completely unrelated note, I’ve noticed that the people who often spend the most time bickering on social media aren’t simultaneously the ones with the most impressive physiques, lifting numbers, or industry accomplishments.”
1. Hey, hey, hey…it’s my wife’s Birthday tomorrow. Anyone who knows Lisa well knows how much she loves b-days.
Year 36 was a huge year for her. It was her first FULL year of life being married, which was excellent of course. She traveled with me to Europe, twice. Also excellent. And she’s currently busy building a human being inside her. Like, whoa.
In addition, she started to make some waves within the fitness industry this past year. She’s made numerous appearances on several health/fitness podcasts, our Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop we do together became a thing (NOTE: we’re taking requests for 2017), and she and Artemis Scantalides are building something special with their I Am Not Afraid to Lift workshops.
In fact, the two of them (along with Julia Ladewski) are putting on a stellar retreat in Arizona next year.
It’s designed by women for women.
If you’re a woman and interested in being surrounded by other like-minded women in learning anything and everything with regards to kettlebell training, the barbell lifts, nutrition, and mindset strategies…this event is going to be right up your alley.
And finally……LISA JOINED FACEBOOK in 2016! You can go HERE and “friend” her if you want. I’m sure she’d love a b-day shout out.
2. I also wanted to take the opportunity to remind people about the Pedestal Footwear Kickstarter that’s currently underway. I’m a big fan and fully support their product and mission.
They’re only three-days in and 80% towards their goal. Amazing stuff.
Take a look….
3. One more day down until the premier of Rogue One. Not that I’m excited or anything.
Despite my cheeky, juvenile tone…this is actually a very serious topic and wonderful article explaining what it means when your poop looks a certain way. It actually tells you a lot.
I’m a sucker for energy drinks, Star Wars references (obviously), deadlift videos, and articles about writing.9
I found this article to be brilliant in its simplicity.
No other way to summarize than to quote Erica directly from an exchange we had the other day when I said how much I enjoyed this article:
“No easy answer but just to write, screw up, and get better!”
BTW: About the only other way the picture above could be more staged (perfect posture, smiling, cup of coffee within arms reach) is if Erica had a copy of Stephen King’s “On Writing” underneath the cup of coffee. Pffft, amateur….;o)
Social Media Highlights
Twitter
General rule to deadlift setup that applies to most: shoulders above hips and hips above knees. You do that, you’re doing a pretty good job.
I’m not going to mince words today: I stayed up late, you know why, and I’m exhausted. I don’t have any energy for witty banter or mental gymnastics today…so here’s a cool push-up variation you should try.
I’ve long been a champion of push-ups. However, I feel they’re the Clive Owen of the fitness and strength & conditioning world.
You know, Clive Owen.
This guy:
He’s an actor in such movies as Closer, Sin City, Inside Man, and one my favs of all-time Children of Men.10 He’s recognized as an excellent actor too. He’s been nominated for, and won, a few awards including the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor (Closer). If you’re a movie snob like me you know Clive and his work.
He’s not quite “A-list” though, or as well-known or revered as George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, or Leonardo DiCaprio.
Which begs the question: “what in the name of two flying f’s does Clive Owen have to do with push-ups?”
Fair enough.
Clooney, et. al, are analogous to the sexier things we gravitate towards in the weight room, the movements that get more play or more of the spotlight: I.e., bench press.
People rarely get excited for push-ups, which is unfortunate because I feel they’re one of the most underrated exercises that provide a ton-for-our-training-buck.
This isn’t to the discount efficacy of the bench press. It’s a tool and a valuable one at that. It’s just that the push-up offers more than (many) people think:
1) I’m sure I can speak for many other coaches out there in saying that it’s rare when someone – average Joe to professional athlete – can walk in on Day #1 and perform a push-up, let alone several in succession, well.
It’s an easily butchered movement pattern and when used as an initial screen will highlight some significant dysfunctions – namely lack of lumbo-pelvic-hip control.
Photo credit: Greatist.com
2) The push-up helps keep shoulders healthy. How? Well, it’s a closed-chain movement (hands don’t move, but the scapulae can). When you only bench press – an open chain movement – you never allow the opportunity for the shoulder blades to move which can (not always) lead to shoulder discomfort or pain.
Part of what makes the push-up such a shoulder friendly exercise is that it allows the scapulae room to breath and move around the rib cage.
3) Push-ups can be hard. For starters: doing them right will help. Beyond that there are a bounty of ways to make them harder or more challenging to fit the needs/goals of the individual, which is another reason why I’m such a fan: they’re versatility.
Like this variation.
Chaos Push-Up
Who Did I Steal it From: Honestly, I forgot. I did not invent this exercise, but have seen them performed from other coaches such as Jim “Smitty” Smith and Todd Bumgardner. So, there.
UPDATE: yes, it was Smitty. He wrote about the chaos pushup in his Chaos Manual back in 2005.
What Does it Do: The instability or chaos of the band works wonders for additional rotator cuff recruitment, which in turn makes it an equally more challenging exercise with regards to core stability and control. I love to use this exercise with my overhead athletes in addition to my “regular” clients who just want not fall on their face…;o)
Key Coaching Cues: I’d suggest first and foremost to experiment with different bands and what height you start from. In the video above I have two Monster Bands attached. To make the exercise more challenging I’d either take away a band or lower the starting point. Or do this:
To make it easier you’d add bands or decrease ROM.
All the same cues I’d use for a “regular” push-up apply here. Abs on, glutes on, and keep head behind the chest as you lower (don’t poke head forward). The idea is to limit the “dip” of the bands and to keep them quiet. To do so it helps to think about pulling them apart. This will help with increasing body tension (and control).
As far as where to implement these in a program you have two choices:
1. At the start before a bench press session. These could serve as nice “primer” or warm-up to benching as the distraction of the movement will help activate the rotator cuff muscles. If this is the case I’d keep them to low(er) reps. The idea here wouldn’t be to fatigue the RC muscles as that would lead to superior migration of the humeral head into the glenoid fossa and increase the likelihood of impingement.
2. As an accessory movement after benching, or whenever.
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