CategoriesMotivational

Focus on the Process, NOT the Outcome

Boston is in the midst of yet another snow storm today. We’re expecting a foot on top of the two feet we got in last week’s storm.

It’s probably good timing given most people called into work this morning anyways due to the Pats winning the big game last night.

Such an awesome game last night, as most people expected. And don’t even get me started on that finish. Nail biter to say the least!

Tough call by Pete Carroll to throw the ball instead of handing it off to Beast Mode (Lynch) with 1-yd to go to win the SuperBowl, but deflategate talk notwithstanding, the Pats won the game fair and square.

Cue the duck boats

So today I have a guest post from Lisa, my fiance. She’s a psychologist and knows a thing or two when it comes to behaviors and behavior change. Today she sheds some light on goal setting and how many of us view it from the wrong context or window.

Enjoy!

Focus on the Process

Purposes for physical activity abound. Feeling good, living longer, getting stronger. Better blood pressure, in-check cholesterol, enhanced mood, improved sleep, increased sex drive, looking hot, and on and on and on.

Any way you slice it exercise = good stuff.

If you are searching for a goal to focus on and help you get active, stay active, or increase your activity, your options are endless!

Despite this plethora of purposes, many struggle to stay consistent with their physical activity pursuits…

Several weeks ago, we thought a bit about your “continuum” of motivation, and considered ALL of your motives to be important contributors to your ongoing success. Our motivations are often connected to an outcome – a goal.

Consider your motivations, and then identify at least one goal (or more) that you have recently identified as important to you…

What do you notice?

Hopefully, and similarly to motivation, you’ve identified a few goals, if not many, that cover a range of outcomes, like health, fitness, energy level, mood improvement, and last, but probably not least, appearance.

Lookin’ good. We all want to look good, or better. It’s part of human nature to want to improve ourselves and to be attractive to others. But if we are exclusively (or mostly) focused on weighing less, being a smaller/larger pant size, or looking more attractive to others, we might be set up for failure.

“How could this be?” you ask? “Since everything and everyone promotes the importance of exercising for improved appearance” you exclaim!?

Let me count the ways:

#1. It’s not really your goal anyway.

Where on earth did you get the idea that your thighs should be “longer and leaner”? I bet you some long, lean lady on TV. Who told you a 6-pack is the way to “finding a mate”? I bet some “Health” magazine columnist.

What is the true significance of dropping a dress size or a waist size? I bet you’ll tell me, “that’s what I want”, but is it really? Or have you been led to believe that some arbitrary appearance-based outcome is a means to a happy end?

We are inundated with images and messages about what bodies should look like all the live-long day. Not only do these messages include impressive, often impossible-to-replicate images, but also judgment, guilt, and the especially toxic shame.

Just last month, a large commercial gym (which shall go unnamed here) posted a sign in the lobby, “Santa, have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?” To the sadistic and probably-sedentary marketing bastards who incite guilt and shame to boost membership sales, I ask, are we seriously shaming Santa?

Guilt and shame. Motivational?

In the short term, maybe. But over time, heck no.

In the long run, we internalize guilt and shame (a shift from, “I ate something bad” to “I am something bad”… from, I had a “dirty meal” to “I am a dirty fat slob”). Belief in the latter renditions of guilt and shame do nothing for getting us to the gym, and often enable giving up, sitting down, and digging in to a bigger, nastier bag of chips (Or as they say in 12-step programs, a case of the “F-it’s”).

Focusing only on an outcome (in the absence of other goals and motives) can be a thankless, fun-less, motivational vacuum that drains your moxie and damages your confidence and self-image.

#2. Appearance-related goals often focus on a superficial, societally valued outcomes.

How long can you stay in hot pursuit of bigger biceps, skinnier thighs, or a smaller belt size? A week? A month? Right up until the evening of the wedding/reunion/gala?

The motivation based on the reward of a few less pounds or a smaller dress size has an expiration date. There are a few different reasons for this, but first and foremost, external rewards lose their motivational power over time. Anyone who’s ever hit a goal weight and then has trouble staying consistent with his or her nutrition and training regimen knows this.

A “goal” to attain something society values isn’t a goal, so much as a “should”.

The surreptitious, insidious belief that you “should” be ‘skinny’, ‘lean’, or have a ‘6-pack’ of abs has gotten a hold of you. As Dr. Ellis, father of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) liked to sometimes say to his patients, “You’re just ‘should-ing’ on yourself”.

In other words, it is a B.S. goal – someone else’s goal that you have adopted (mistakenly) as your own.

Symptoms that you are “should-ing” on yourself with an outcome goal include A). Resentment toward the goal, or to those who have achieved the goal. B). Constantly “breaking rules” that make obtaining the goal impossible, and/or C). Feeling excessive guilt or shame about your “inability” to achieve the goal.

#3. You are focused on the outcome – instead of the process.

I know. “Eyes on the prize”. “Go for the Gold”, right?

It seems only natural to focus on the desired outcome in order to keep you pushing toward it. However, focusing on the outcome ONLY can drain motivation, impair performance, and actually have a negative impact on goal achievement. On the other hand, a focus on the process of your goals can be more enjoyable AND more effective in helping you achieve the outcome.

In other words, a process oriented goal focuses on the journey – not the destination.

Now, you don’t want to throw your outcome goal out with the motivational bathwater! Having a goal of any kind is good – you just want to mix it up, particularly if your goal is long term.

For example:

Let’s say you’re getting married in three months and 28 days (just for example1), and you want bring down your body fat percentage by 5%.

Focusing ONLY on your body fat percentage during the next four months will be no fun at all!

But as you monitor your macros and get after it at the gym, here are some in-the-moment goals that focus on the process and facilitate continued striving toward the ultimate outcome:

  • “When I squat today, my goal is to focus on form… brace abs, ass to grass, slow down, fast up…”
  • “My chin ups will rock the house this morning! Dead hang, solid core, exhale up quick, inhale down, slow…”
  • “I’m eating more slowly… noting how I feel before and after… I’m learning how to feed myself differently… how to fuel my workouts… I’m cooking new recipes that look delicious… I’m paying attention to how I feel after my meals…”

Do you see the difference? Your outcome goal focuses on the end. Your process goal focuses on the means. Your outcome goal involves the infinite form of a verb (“I want to be 10 pounds lighter” or “I want to have biceps that are two inches bigger).

Your process goal involves the gerund (I am squatting to depth” “I am pushing the barbell away from my chest, and pulling the barbell toward my chest”).

Remember, process goals can always act in the service of an outcome. Setting an outcome goal, but then focusing on the process can be worthwhile for a number of reasons:

  1. Performance enhancement: If you are thinking about the process of your workout, and not just the outcome, you can bet you’ll have better form, stronger focus, and increased resolve to add weight, reps, or both.
  1. Avoiding negativity: Sometimes, outcome orientation causes us to focus on what NOT to do (“I will not eat any Doritos this week!”). Guess what happens when you try to NOT think about Doritos? Or skipping a day at the gym? Or how bad you will feel if you don’t hit your goal? Focusing on the process is foolproof, because you’re ALWAYS thinking about what to do. Process orientation keeps you in the present moment, away from shoulds, guilt, and doubt.
  1. Enjoyment: It’s true! Being fully engaged in a goal-directed activity is an evidence-based way to be a happy camper. If you’re interested in learning more about this, check out Flow (2008), written by another favorite psychologist of mine, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

So, want to give it a try?

If you do, you can think back to your current goal, which is probably an outcome. Now, take a moment to consider the processes that are involved in this outcome (lifting, learning, cooking, sleeping, and so on). Each week you work toward your outcome, choose a specific process to focus on.

For example, clean up your deadlift technique, finally learn how to “braise” all of that protein you need to be eating, or dedicate a workout to focusing on your breath, throughout all your reps and sets.

Experiment a little and see what you notice. Does the time fly by at the gym, because you were so wrapped up in exhaling and inhaling? Or could you add a few more chin-ups because your breath was so big and strong? Or do you just feel like a bad ass at the end of a focused, fully committed training session?

No matter your current goal, an overarching life long goal for you might be feeling good, living longer, or getting stronger. All of these are a process, and ideally a pursuit that never ends. So, enjoy your journey by focusing on your process.

Good Luck, and let me know how it goes!

CategoriesOff Topic

Favorite Movies of 2014 (The Fan Boy, I Promise I Don’t Still Live in My Parent’s Basement Version)

In case you missed it, I shared my uppity snob list of favorite movies of 2014 not too long ago. You can check it out HERE.

To enjoy it and to really bask in it’s uppityness, I’d encourage you to peruse it while bathing in a gold plated tub filled with Riesling while a Victoria Secret model feeds you caviar with a diamond plated spoon shaped like Mitt Romney’s wang.

Or do it while listening to some Mozart.

I don’t know. Either way I’d give you a high-five.

Facetiousness and penis jokes aside, it IS a list I stand behind and one I feel represents my own personal taste as a movie buff/fan and as a movie connoisseur with a palette for awesome.

Before I dive into the fanboy list, though, there are a few other films I wish I could have added to the original list.

Some Others to Consider

Foxcatcher – the trio of Steve Carrell, Channing Tatum, and Mark Ruffalo makes this well worth the watch. Tatum and Ruffalo (especially Ruffalo) have shown off their drama chops before; Carrell was a nice surprise.

Begin Again – I’m not scared to admit it, I have a crush a Keira Knightley. And, Mark Ruffalo stands out (again!) in this superb film by the same director as Once.

Locke – Annnnnd, I’m also not scared to admit I have a man-crush on Bane, Upper Traps Mcgee, Tom Hardy. You want to talk about an impressive acting performance? How about this one by Hardy where it’s – literally – just him sitting in a car for close to two hours talking on a phone. It sounds about as exciting as watching NASCAR, I know….but the movie works. It really does.

Obvious Child – hahahahahahahahahaha. Abortion is hilarious. Note sarcasm.

Yet, in this case…it actually is.

The Skeleton Twins – Lisa gave me the look of death for taking her to go see this movie. Then again I can’t say I blame her. She’s a psychologist who, on a weekly basis, has to deal with real people wanting to kill themselves in real life.

The last thing she’d want spend a Sunday afternoon doing is watching a movie about a pair of suicidal siblings. My bad.

It’s analogous to me being forced to watch Tracy Anderson try to coach someone how to squat correctly. I’d last two minutes before wanting to wash my eyes out with battery acid.

Giving credit where it’s due, though, and despite being depressing as hell, both Kristin Wiig and Bill Hader are really good in this.

Alright Already, Unleash the Nerd Gentilcore

It’s more or less guaranteed that any self-respecting movie nerd who’s nerdy enough to refer to him or herself as a movie nerd is amped up for 2015.

I don’t have to remind you that Nerd Jesus, JJ Abrams, is unleashing the next Star Wars on December 18th, which is 321 Days, 4 Hours, and 18 Minutes away.

Not that anyone’s counting.

In addition we have other nerdtastic releases like Marvel’s Avengers: The Age of Ultron, Jurassic World, Mad Max: Fury Road (Tom Hardy!), Spectre (the next James Bond film), Terminator Genisys, Fantastic Four, The Hateful Eight (<– Tarantino, mofos), and of course Magic Mike XXL.

Yes, I watched the first one when it first came out in theaters. Yes, I liked it. Yes, I own the Blu-ray. And yes, I’m not wearing any pants as I type this post.

Alas my friends. 2014 was pretty high on the nerdtasticdom spectrum in its own right.

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This is probably my favorite Marvel movie to date. And that’s saying a lot….especially given the tendency that most sequels suck.

I don’t know if it was the sweet fight scenes, Scarlet Johannson being Scarlet Johannson, or Chris’ Evans pecs….but this movie hit the mark at every level. Maybe what made this such huge hit for me was the fact there’s actually a plot.

I have a Y chromosome. I enjoy explosions, ninjas, zombies, girl on girl fights, and explosions as much as the next guy. In fact I’ll pay good money to see it. But this movie really set the bar in terms of providing a TON of action, but providing some substance to boot.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy

Quiz:

1. Prior to this movie – which made him more of a household name – what else did star Chris Pratt appear in?

2. Prior to this movie – what do you feel the over under would have been that something revolving around a talking tree, a gun-toting raccoon, a green skinned Zoe Saldana, an ex-professional wrestler (Dave Bautista), and that Chris Pratt fella would have been one of the top grossing (and well reviewed) movies of 2014?

Answers:

1. Crickets chirping for most of you?2

2. About as high as me deciding to train for the Boston Marathon3

One of the funnest movies I’ve ever watched.

3. The Raid 2

The first ‘Raid’ movie was one of the best action movies I’ve ever watched. Bar none.

This one may be better.

The first one took place in a building, 15 or so floors, with one ruthless crime boss and his army of gun wielding/machete yielding/kung-fu goons vs. an elite police squad armed to take them down.

There’s no sugar-coating it fellas – the fight scenes will give you a raging boner.

The second one picks up immediately where the first one ends, and I can’t even begin to describe the even more epic fight scenes and cinematography.

The best line I’ve seen to describe this movie is one by EW movie critic, Chris Nashawaty:

“Fight sequences so bananas they make Jackie Chan/Bruce Lee predecessors look flat-footed.”

Full disclosure: the entire movie is subtitled.

4. Edge of Tomorrow

I love Tom Cruise, but given his recent track record of sci-fi fails (namely, Oblivion) I wasn’t expecting much from this one. Compound that with Emily Blunt playing the role of a hard-ass, ass-kicking Army Captain – which, come on…..it’s Emily Blunt, who’s all of 110 lbs – I wasn’t buying it.

But it’s sci-fi. Anything can happen. If an X-Wing Fighter can blow up a Death Star, Emily Blunt can kick the shit out of aliens.

And I’ll be damned it worked.

This was one of the better surprises of 2014. Awesome story-line (Tom Cruise plays a non-soldier who, after “inheriting” the ability to re-live the same day over and over and over again (ALA Groundhog Day), must team up with Blunt to figure out a way to defeat the aliens who have attacked Earth), with some awesome action. Not the most articulate explanation of a movie, but whatever. Poop.

5. The Equalizer

Think: Taken, but with Denzel Washington.

Literally, this is Denzel Washington vs. the Russian mafia set in Boston. What’s not to like?

6. Snowpiercer

This one was, well, different. But in a good way.

It’s the future. Earth has fallen into some dystopian clusterfuck of sucktitude, and all that remains of mankind is a train that continually travels around the world with the fancy schmancy people near the front living the good life, and the less fortunate slumming it near the tail end.

Ain’t nobody got time for that!

What follows is Captain America Chris Evans and his band of renegade misfits making their way towards the front, with each stop along the way unveiling a world that just grows weirder and weirder.

7. Interstellar

Let me get this straight. This is written and directed by Christopher Nolan (Dark Knight trilogy, Memento, Inception), stars Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, and Michael Caine, and takes place in space?

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!!!!!!

So there you have it. Got any to add yourself? Chime in below.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 1/30/15

Before we dive into this week’s list of stuff to read I wanted to remind everyone about TWO workshops I’ll be doing down in Australia in March.

The first one will be a 2-Day event held in Ballina, NSW on Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8th. Details can be found HERE.

The second one will be a 1-Day event held in Sydney, NSW on Saturday March 14th. And details for that one can be found HERE.

To say that I’m excited (and honored) to be invited down to Australia to speak is an understatement. I mean, I’ve been practicing my Crocodile Dundee accent for like a month straight. It’s going to be epic.

Also, for something a little closer to home, I’ve been invited to speak at the New England Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association Annual Spring Conference on Wednesday, May 13th (<— two weeks before my wedding!) in Providence, RI. I’m not sure if it’s open to the public (it kinda has that Harvard Final Club vibe to it)4, I think it is, but for more information you can contact NEHRSA.org.

Core Training Facts, Fallacies & Top Techniques – Nick Tumminello

Nick is one of the top fitness educators I know and someone I have a lot of respect for. His latest resource is something that, when I first watched it, made me re-think some of my own approaches to core training.

Nick’s a very forward thinking, innovative coach and I’d HIGHLY encourage any fitness professional (or anyone who takes their fitness a little more seriously) to check this out. It definitely tops my list as one of the best “core training” resources out there.

The sale price ENDS TONIGHT (Friday, January 30th) at midnight. You better hustle.

Yoga for Athletes: Why Activation and Inhibition Matter More Than Stretching – Dana Santas

From a meathead perspective, yoga is about as exciting as watching NASCAR. I get it. Or worse, Les Miserables. But I PROMISE you this isn’t your typical yoga article.

Dana gets it.

She’s doesn’t talk about “lengthening muscles,” toning, chakras, or anything on par with those things that make a small part of my soul die.

She does talk about alignment, squats, and helping people get out of their own way and to start addressing their “real” issues. This was an excellent article.

Risky Fitness – Jen Sinkler

World renowned fitness model, Greg Plitt, died tragically a few weeks ago being struck by a train while filming an exercise video.

At a time where everyone is trying to be seen and one of the only ways to separate yourself from the masses is to perform risky stunts, Jen offers some sage advice on why this is not a good idea.

CategoriesCorrective Exercise Exercise Technique

Making Difficult Lifts Easier

The word “easier” is subjective in this context.

I mean, can we really make a squat or deadlift easy?

Maybe a better way to state things is to say “easier to perform so that someone doesn’t shit their spine.”

As a strength coach it’s obviously important for me to help get people stronger – especially with the big lifts. Too, and maybe more importantly, a large portion of my job is to “fine tune” technique so that a particular lift or exercise is more user friendly for my athletes and clients to perform.

Almost always everyone I work with is going to be squatting, deadlifting, and performing any number of compound movements to some degree on a daily basis. This DOES NOT mean, however, everyone is barbell back squatting, squatting deep (or ass-to-grass for the brosefs reading), conventional deadlifting, and/or performing max effort anything on day #1.

Much of that will depend on one’s current (and past) injury history, training experience – not to mention goal(s) – as far as what variation of squats or deadifts (or whatever) I’ll start them on. In short: I need to figure out their “Point A” (starting point) before I can get them to “Point B” (squatting 2x bodyweight, hitting a 500 lb DL, arm wrestling a grizzly bear, etc).

Often I’ll need to break down subsequent movements into specific parts in order to groove technique and/or introduce a new exercise into someone’s training repertoire.

Which is the topic of my latest article on BodyBuilding.com. In it I discuss some simple drills I like to use to break down the deadlift and KB Turkish Get-up.

Continue Reading…..

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

The Most Neglected Function of the Core In Training for Sports

Note From TG: Today I have a treat for everyone: a guest post from world renowned strength and conditioning coach, writer, and educator, Nick Tumminello.

Nick’s someone whom I have a lot of respect for, and someone who I feel is at the upper echelon of coaches who “get it.” He recently released an excellent resource, Core Training Facts & Fallacies and Top Techniques that I feel would be an excellent addition to any fitness professional’s library (or for anyone who likes to geek out to anatomy talk and debunking a lot of misconceptions in the industry). 

Enjoy!

Gajda and Dominquez first used the term the “core” in their 1985 book Total Body Training to describe all of the muscles which compromises the center of the body. So, contrary to popular misconception, the core is not just your abs and lower back; the core is all of your torso muscles (shoulders, chest, glutes, abs, mid-back, lats, etc.) minus your extremities (arms and legs). (1)

Now that we’ve got that established, we can’t talk about using core training exercise applications that will likely transfer into improved core performance until we first establish what the trunk (i.e., core) muscles do in athletics (and in general function).

In addition to its respiratory function, the core musculature does two things:

1. The core functions to transfer force by limiting movement.

This is the one we hear about a lot: The function of the trunk musculature is to remain stiff in order to transfer force between the hips and the shoulders.

As an example, during a barbell push-press, both the legs are able to work with both the arms simultaneously to drive the weight up by transferring force through the trunk via the torso musculature remaining stiff and creating a stable platform, which allows the extremities to more effectively express force.

As another example, during sprinting, the torso musculature stiffens and limits the amount of torso rotation in order to effectively allow the hips to transfer force up and across the trunk (i.e., diagonally) to the opposing shoulder, and to allow the shoulder to transfer force down and across to the opposing hip.

In short, along with running and sprinting, many of our free weight and cable-based strength training exercise applications – from squats and deadlifts to pressing and pulling movements – involve torso stiffness where your core muscles are primarily functioning to transfer force between the extremities.

This reason is why we use a variety of anti-rotation, anti-extension and anti-lateral flexion exercise applications: to potentially improve the ability of the core muscles to remain stiff and more effectively transfer force during a variety of movements.

2. The core functions to produce force by creating movement <–This is the most neglected aspect of core function in sports performance training.

What we just covered above can easily give us the false impression that our core musculature only has one kind of a passive role in performance: where the torso only functions as a stable platform that channels force between the hips to the shoulders vertically, horizontally and/or diagonally.

Hence the current emphasis the training and conditioning field has with “anti-movement” core training exercise applications.

However, the torso musculature doesn’t just transfer force, it also helps to produce force.

This reality is perfectly summarized by the researchers in a 2012 study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, which stated:

“Core strength does have a significant effect on an athlete’s ability to create and transfer forces to the extremities” (2).

And, it’s this aspect of core muscle function that’s often ignored and neglected by strength coaches, fitness professional and athletes, which is why I’m highlighting here in this post.

Put simply, just by looking at athletes in action one cannot deny the obvious active, movement role in power production (i.e., force summation) the trunk has in sporting actions like throwing, golfing, batting, punching, etc.

As you can see in the images above, in the loading phase (before the exploding phase) of a baseball pitch, a soccer throw, swinging a golf club, and throwing a punch, there’s movement of the trunk, which creates eccentrically lengthening (in various planes of motion), so the torso musculature can actively contribute, along with the legs and arms, to produce power.

Power is the Summation of Your Levers

It’s often said that power comes from the summation of force. But it’s your levers (i.e., your joints, which are controlled by muscles and connective tissues) that produce the force. So, producing power is really about summating your levers in a coordinated and synchronized fashion to produce maximal force.

Keep in mind that your spine is one big series of levers – each segment is a small lever. With these realities in mind, you can appreciate the trunk’s contribution to power production in sporting actions like throwing a ball and swinging a golf club or tennis racquet.

You can also appreciate the active contribution the torso has in power production by trying this simple experiment:

First, perform an overhead soccer medicine ball throw (use a medicine ball that’s approx. 4-6lbs) in the normal fashion (as it’s performed in athletics) where you extend at your spine and hips a bit (I didn’t say go to end range) in order to allow your (anterior) torso musculature to eccentrically load. ]

Then, compare that to an anti-extension soccer style throw where you don’t allow your spine to move at all. You already know which of the two throws will be more powerful. Not to mention, which throw will feel more natural and athletic.

Check out this video to see this topic being discussed in real time:

It’s important to note that what we’re really talking about here is heavily related to the “Serape Effect,” which Logan and McKinney discussed in their 1970 book Anatomic Kinesiology (3).

So, although identifying the fact the torso doesn’t just transfer force and reduce force by limiting movement, but also helps to produce force by contributing to many foundational movements to athletics, is nothing new it’s one of the most ignored, and therefore neglected aspects of core training.

Improving Core Performance

Now that you understand both aspects of core function in athletics: to transfer force and to produce force, you know that you need to train both in order to maximize your strength and performance.

You can learn the exact exercises we use in our core training system to maximizing performance and improve core function in the Core Training: Facts, Fallacies & Top Techniques 3-part video series.

These videos give you a virtual front row seat to a closed-door workshop uncovering the myths and misconceptions around core training and teach you the Full Spectrum Core Training System.

Learn More Here

References:

  1. Dominguez, R, and Gadja, R. Total Body Training. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons; 7-12, 1982.
  1. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Feb;26(2):373-80. Effect of core strength on the measure of power in the extremities. Shinkle J, Nesser TW, Demchak TJ, McMannus DM.
  1. Logan, G., and W. McKinney. The serape effect. In: Anatomic Kinesiology (3rd ed.). A. Lock- hart, ed. Dubuque, IA: Brown, 1970. pp. 287–302.
CategoriesUncategorized

Because Heavy Things Won’t Lift Themselves Workshop(s). I.e., Tony and Lisa Are Going to Austrailia

Wait, wait, wait! Don’t click away!!!

Most of the people reading this don’t live in Australia and (probably) won’t be interested in the details that follow. Fair enough.

So, in an effort to make up for it – and so that you don’t leave this post empty handed – I wanted to share my latest article on MensHealth.com titled How Low Should You Squat?

Okay, we good? No hard feelings, right? Cool.

With that out of the way…..

I’M GOING TO FREAKIN AUSTRALIA!!!!!!! (<— Nah, Nah, Nah, Naaaaaah)

First: I think it goes without saying I’m really5 excited for this opportunity.

Second: I’ve been hinting at it for a while now and have given some subtle “blurbs” here and there that something was in the works….but now I can FINALLY give everyone the details.

I’ll be giving TWO separate workshops in early March. The first one – a 2-day workshop – in Ballina, NSW on March 7th and 8th; and a second one – a 1-day workshop – in Sydney, NSW on Saturday, March 14th.

Ballina Workshop

When: Saturday and Sunday March 7-8th.

Where: RAW Fitness and Sports Training, Ballina, NSW.

Cost: $299 (AUD) Early Bird, $399 after February 20th.

Contact/Sign-Up: Shannan Maciejewski ([email protected]), or go HERE to sign-up.

This will be a jam packed tw0 days where my objective will be to give the attendees as much of a Cressey Sports Performance experience as possible without actually stepping foot inside the facility.

I’ll be covering assessment, warm-ups, “corrective” exercise, program design, as well as placing a heavy emphasis on coaching the “big 3” (squats, bench press, deadlifts), as well as things like get-ups, swings, and probably bicep curls, because bicep curls are awesome.

In addition, my fiance, Dr. Lisa Lewis, will be in attendance and speaking on more of the “psychology” and behavioral change aspects of personal training and coaching, which is something many fitness professionals gloss over.

Sydney Workshop

When: Saturday, March 14th

Where: iPT, Woolloomooloo, NSW (<— say that 5x fast).

Cost: $199 (AUD) Early Bird, $249 after February 20th.

Contact/Sign-Up: James Garland (James.Garland.rapidpt.com.au), or go HERE to sign-up.

With this workshop I’ll be placing a heavy emphasis on assessment (particularly upper extremity) and also speaking to “corrective” exercise strategies and program design around many common shoulder pathologies. And, I’m sure they’ll be some deadlift talk too.

Also, my fiance, Dr. Lisa Lewis, will give a brief presentation on the “psychology” behind training athletes and clients and how we can better create behavioral change.

As we say in Boston “she’s wicked smaht.”

Hope to you see you in a few weeks.

CategoriesOff Topic

Favorite Movies of 2014 (The Uppity Movie Snob Version)

I’ve made it known that if I weren’t a strength coach I’d somehow try to find a way to watch movies for a living.

Okay, that’s a lie.

First I’d want to be a professional baseball player. Second choice would be an Avenger. And third would have to be starting my own taxi service using nothing but tanks. Because that would be awesome.

And then, if none of those stuck or paid the bills, I’d want to be a dude who watches movies. And get paid for it. Basically I’d be the most diesel movie critic in the history of ever.

For as long as I can remember I’ve loved watching movies. Like most guys my age (38) I grew up watching 80s classics like Star Wars, The Goonies, The Princess Bride, Top Gun, and couldn’t even begin to tell you how many times I watched Bachelor Party.

What can I say? I was 12. Boobs+swear words (x more boobs to the boobiest power) = boobs.

And then came the 90s. Which, in my opinion (and I realize everyone defends different decades as THE decade of movie basassery), was the shit.

Pulp Fiction, Saving Private Ryan, The Shawshank Redemption, Schindler’s List, Seven, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Rushmore, Heat, Can’t Hardly Wait, Being John Malkovich, Swingers, Reservoir Dogs, Jerry Maguire, Casino, Good Will Hunting, GoodFellas, Tommy Boy, The Chase6 ……

See what I mean? Movies in the 90s were so money, it didn’t even know it.

Anyways, it was starting in the 90s when I began the process of seasoning my movie going palette. It was during that time when I developed a finer appreciation for film. I mean come on: if you would have asked me to sit down and watch something like Amelie (a foreign movie + subtitles? Pretty much a guy’s worst nightmare outside of talking about feelings) prior to the 90s I would have told you to go fuck yourself.

Actually it probably would have been more along the lines of…

“What the heck! Are you kidding? He-Man is on. I’m not gonna watch that malarky!”

He-Man dominated my adolescence (take that statement as you will). That, and my mom would have had a field day washing my mouth out with soap if she caught wind of me swearing like that.

Post 90s, however? I was (and am) all about Amelie.

It’s a delightful film. You know I mean it too cause I used the word delightful. Only the snobbiest of movie snobs use that adjective to describe a movie. It’s analogous to a sports announcer saying “that will come back to haunt them,” or a girl you really, really like in high-school saying “NO I WON’T MAKE OUT WITH YOU TONY SO STOP ASKING!!!!!”

But seriously, Amelie is a movie everyone should watch.

Long story short: I like movies. I like them a lot (<— said like Jim Carry in Dumb and Dumber. Not coincidentally, another fantastic movie made in the 90s).

Drama, action, documentary, comedy, mystery, foreign, it doesn’t matter…I’m down with every genre. Even ones that don’t exist. Like Zombies vs. Godzilla.7

So it’s with that I’d like to share my picks for Favorite Movies of 2014. This list will list those movies which are more universally recognized (Read: the one’s most people reading have probably seen themselves or have convinced themselves to go see because the Golden Globes and Oscars told them to).

Note: I’ll be adding another list – the non-snobby/fan boy/OH MY GOD I DIDN’T REALIZE MATT DAMON WAS IN INTERSTELLAR!!!!!8 list – soon.

Note #2: I’m only going to highlight EIGHT movies on this list, because everyone does ten and ten is lame.

Note #3: Unfortunately, this list doesn’t include movies like Nightcrawler or A Most Violent Year because I haven’t seen them yet (but I’ve heard good things). It also doesn’t include The Fault in Our Stars because, among other things, I have a penis.

1. Whiplash

As it happens the week I saw this at the theater (quick shout out to my 2nd home, The Coolidge, in Coolidge Corner, Brookline, MA), I felt inclined to write my very first movie review. You can read it HERE.

Go a head read it.

I said read it!

I won’t say too much here because, you know, you can read my review (Hint: you should read it), but all I’ll say here is that both JK Simmons and Miles Teller are amazing and that if you’re not like “WTF!!!!” during the last ten minutes, then, well, I don’t know what to say other than you should read my review….;o)

2. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Without question the most visually stunning movie I saw all year. Every frame, literally every frame, comes across like it’s own painting.

That in of itself makes this one of my favs on the year. That and it’s directed by Wes Anderson, who could make a movie about two toasters banging each other (which doesn’t even make any sense!), and I’d watch it.

There are only a handful of directors where, when you watch a scene or two, you can immediately ascertain their thumb print on a movie. Tarantino, Scorcese, Lynch, etc.

Anderson is known for being a more quirky and idiosyncratic director which, admittedly, isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But it’s definitely mine one of the many reasons why I’d recommend it.

3. Boyhood

It’s pretty hard not to give credit where it’s due on this one. It took Richard Linklater twelve years to make this movie. I know some people who can’t go twelve minutes without eating a carbohydrate.

The amount of patience, diligence, and persistence it must have taken to make this movie is astounding to me.

It’s something that’s never been done before – for a feature film at least – and I give Linklater all the credit in the world.  While it’s easy to chalk this one up on a “best of” list for the novelty alone, it truly is a great piece of film making.

Also, special kudos to Patricia Arquette for her amazing job in this movie. And why not, Ethan Hawke too. I’m not necessarily an “Ethan Hawke guy,” but he was pretty damn good too.

4. Chef

This movie probably wasn’t on many people’s radar, but it should have been. This was such a fun and “feel good” movie to watch. And don’t even get me started on the food porn.

OMG…..the food!!!!

All I’ll say is that a grilled cheese sandwich has never looked so sexy.

Anyways, Jon Favreau wrote and directed this film and the only issue I had with the plot was the fact his character – a fat, ornery chef – was hooking up with smoke shows like Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Vergara.

Riiiiiiigggggghhhhhhhttttttt.

Then again: You know what they say:

If a man can cut vegetables like that……………

Actually, I have no idea where I was going with that.

This is an excellent movie. You should watch it.

5. Gone Girl

I’ll admit it: much like Wes Anderson, I’ll watching anything David Fincher directs. I mean, look at the man’s catalog of movies he’s directed: Seven, Fight Club, Panic Room, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Game, The Social Network, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Zodiac, Alien 3 (<—-okay, meh).

Plus he’s one of the peeps responsible for bringing House of Cards into our living rooms.

In my book he can do no wrong.

I tend to gravitate towards dark, non-butterfly kissey, non-rainbowey, non-warm-and-fuzzy-feelingey movies.

This was about as dark as they get and it rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Screw them I say!

6. Birdman

Michael Keaton plays an aging actor who used to play an iconic superhero, who then gave it up, who then became a nobody, who then tries to rekindle his career by adapting a play on Broadway.

Seems fitting given he played Batman back in the early 90s. Not to understate anything, but it goes without saying he’s superb (and will most likely win the Best Actor Oscar).  The rest of the star-studded cast is excellent too (Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone)

The real star, though, is the director, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. The camera work in this movie is unparalleled, and gave me a boner, the likes I haven’t experienced since Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men.

Shot in a way where it seems like the entire movie is done in one massive take…..you’ll be like “whaaaaaaaaaaaaat!”

7. The Imitation Game

This would be the opposite of a feel good movie. Amazing (true) story about an amazing man (Alan Turing, and his quest to conquer the Nazi Enigma Code, and basically go on to invent modern computing) with a not-s0-amazing “thank you” by the British government for helping to save the lives of over 20 million people.

Khan Benedict Cumberbatch deserves recognition for his work.  He’s like, really, really good. How’s that for selling it?

8. Star Wars: Episode VII –  The Force Awakens (Teaser Trailer)

 

Whatever.

It’s my list. It’s Star Wars. Deal with it.

So what about you? Have any favorites of the year to share? Come on: you know you’re inner movie snob wants to chime in! I’d love to hear what movies topped your list!

And remember: Stay tuned for my fan-boy “Best of 2014” list coming soon.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 1/23/15

I made a cameo appearance coaching up the Cressey Sports Performance Strength Camp (formerly known as Excellence Bootcamps) this morning in lieu of head CSP Group Fitness Instructor/Strength Camp coach George Kalantzis‘ absence.

Why was George away? He had to go off and get married and have a kick-ass honeymoon this past week. As if that’s a good excuse!

Obviously I’m kidding with the whole ornery vibe9. Of course I’m very happy for George, and it was actually a nice welcome back, because I was once the “Friday guy” for a few months last year. It was fun to come back and coach some old (and new) faces and see people’s reactions to this AM’s workout:

The other benefit of coaching so early in the morning is that I get to leave early. I’m now home sitting at the table in a comfy pair of sweatpants catching up on some stuff. You know, writing this blog post, responding to emails, catching up on Season 3 of American Horror Story: Coven. The important stuff.

So, with all of my procrastination aside here’s this week’s list to stuff to read……

Why “Chest Up” In the Squat Is Wrong – Chris Duffin

“Arch, arch, arch, ARCH.”

For years that’s how we’ve always been told to squat. Unrack the bar, arch your back like a mofo, and then drop it like it’s hot. Whether or not you come back up is hit or miss.

The cue to arch isn’t wrong, it’s just not ideal.

Not ideal for a number of reasons, and Chris does a solid job at explaining why.

Which Routine Is For Me? – Andy Morgan

Andy is known for more of his nutritional expertise (he’s one of my “go to” nutrition guys), but I felt this was an excellent piece on discussing some of the criteria that needs to be considered/addressed when figuring out which programs is the right fit for any one individual.

The Pros and Cons of Powerlifting Training – Ben Bruno

Nailed it.

CategoriesExercise Technique

Barbell Bent Over Row Tutorial

Before I get to the real reason you clicked on today’s post, I have two tidbits of exciting news.

1. It’s been announced that (director) Paul Greengrass and (star) Matt Damon are going to be making another Jason Bourne movie, slated for release sometime in 2016. So, ladies, you can have the limelight and enjoy your 50 Shades of of Grey movies….for now. But soon Bourne is coming to kick some sadomasochistic movie going ass!

2. It’s official: the flights are booked, Lisa and I are going to Australia!!!!

I’ve alluded to this trip sporadically the past few months, and final details are still a few days away, but here’s what I can tell you:

Tw0-Day Because Heavy Things Won’t Lift Themselves Workshop in Ballina, NSW located at Raw Fitness and Sports Training, March 7-8.

One-Day Because Heavy Things Won’t Lift Themselves Workshop in Sydney on Friday, March 13…location still to be determined.

I’ll be sure to let everyone know – soon! – all the nitty gritty details (costs, itinerary, final locations, whether or not I’ll try some kangaroo?) within the next week.

Barbell Bent Over Row Tutorial

I’m a huge fan of the barbell bent over row. Not only for the obvious reason(s) – it helps build a yoked up upper back! – but also because as an accessory movement I feel it’s a superb movement which compliments the deadlift.

You see, I think a lot of trainees have it wrong when it comes to their accessory movements.

Many (not all) kind of haphazardly toss some random exercises into their program because they’re hard or because they make them hate life. Which is fine! I like to see people working hard in the gym.

For me, however, the accessory movements you place into a program should serve a deeper purpose. For instance I’m a strength guy. And as such I place a premium on movements like the squat, bench press, and deadlift. You know, movements that get people strong.

Accessory movements, then, shouldn’t be placed into a program just cause. If that’s the case why not place a bunch of names of exercises onto a dart board and leave your programming to chance?

Instead accessory movements should address some form of technique flaw or weakness you have with one of the major lifts. That’s training with purpose!

Today I’d like to share some insights on the bent over barbell row. In the video below I’ll discuss some of the major reasons why I like this exercise as well as delve into more of the nuances of how to perform it correctly.

Look for the video-bomb by Effie the dog towards the tail-end. I was scared things were going to turn into a some sort of viral video”dog gets killed because strength coach drops weights on it” scenario.

WHEW – that was close.

CategoriesUncategorized

Add This to the List of Topics You’d Never Thought You’d See On This Site: Mastering the Back Bend For Greater Strength

What’s next? Soy protein recipes?

Note from TG: Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Cincinnati based personal trainer, Collin Messer. It’s on the back bend…which, admittedly, is a topic I never would have considered putting up on this site 3-5 years ago.

I mean, if the topic didn’t revolve around deadlifts, deadlift variations, deadlift technique, or how to marry deadlifts it probably wasn’t going up on my site.

And now what? Have I gone soft posting things with a, GASP, yoga connotation!?!?!?!

To speak candidly, we as a society move like utter crap. With regards to the spine I know some trainers and coaches who avoid any spinal motion like the plague, and to be honest: their clients and athletes aren’t any better for it.

As with anything, what works and what’s a good fit for any one individual depends. For instance, the back bend probably isn’t something I’d use for the bulk of athletes I work with on a day-to-day basis who already live in extension; but I can see how it would be advantageous for the computer guy or office worker who sits in flexion all day.

[Of course, it’s hard to use a blanket statement like that. It’s ALWAYS going to be imperative to take someone through an assessment to figure out what would be an appropriate fit for them and their need and goals.]

Besides, it’s kind of hard to argue with guys like Max Shank, author of Ultimate Athleticism, who’s a proponent of lifting heavy things and yoga and gymnastics and other funky stuff. The man is a beast! And you should check out his book….;o)

Anyways I felt this was an interesting topic and something that would serve as a nice change of pace. Enjoy!

I’m not a big yoga practitioner, but if there is one exercise that I would steal from a yoga class, it’s the back bend. The back bend, or back bridge, is an impressive feat of both strength and mobility. It’s definitely not an exercise you’d see at your everyday gym, but that doesn’t mean it won’t give you an excellent training effect.

There are many benefits to being able to perform a back bend but I’ll highlight three here:

Increased Shoulder Stability/Strength

Similar to a handstand, when you’re in a back bend the majority of your body weight is placed on your shoulders. It takes a lot of effort to fully or even partially support yourself on your hands. The back bend also forces your shoulders into a full range of motion (ROM) overhead.

The combination of full ROM and loading in an unfamiliar pattern creates a big catalyst for building strength and stability. Also, if you are able to do a full back bend then you can incorporate bridge push ups and rotations for even greater strength.

Increased Mobility in the Wrists, Shoulders, Back, and Hips

Nearly everyone can do a standing toe touch to some degree. Clients never have a problem demonstrating spinal flexion. It’s when I ask them to move things the other way and go into spinal extension that things start to look ugly.

Note from TG: this, of course, is contingent on the population of clients you deal with. As I stated above the bulk of athletes I work with – baseball players – LIVE in extension, and often have extension-based back issues (Spondy, end-plate/pars fractures, etc). So for me, I have to be very careful and selective with what drills I place into their programs so that I don’t “feed the dysfunction.” Back bend drills probably wouldn’t be a good fit for them, but fine for others (like the computer guy who sits all day at work). As with anything in this industry, it depends.

The back bend is one exercise that puts the entire spine into extension. It effectively opens up the anterior chain, which can get glued down from too much sitting or bad posture. Your hips will love their newfound range of motion once you loosen up those hip flexors and anterior core muscles.

In addition to increased back and hip mobility, you’ll find an increase in wrist and shoulder mobility too.

As I previously mentioned, the advanced version of the back bend puts your shoulders into a full range of motion overhead. Better shoulder flexion and increased thoracic extension is really going have a lot of carry over into some of your main barbell lifts such as the front squat or overhead press.

Your wrists will also gain some new mobility, but fear not if it is a little too much pressure at first. One work around is to rotate your hands outward so your fingers are pointing away from your head.

It Looks Cool and Might Give You Both Gym Cred and Yoga Cred

Let’s just throw it out there, not everyone can do a back bend. So when you walk into a gym deadlift 4 plates and then drop into a full bridge, you’ll be commanding the respect of both powerlifters and yogis alike.

Warming Up

A word of caution here. The back bend isn’t for everyone. If you don’t have a healthy low back and shoulders then this would be an exercise to skip. No use aggravating or re-injuring yourself just to try a new move.

With that said, if your back and shoulders are healthy, then by all means give it a shot!

Start with some general movement just to get things loosened and warmed up. From there we’ll do some more specific warm ups for the hips and and shoulders. For the hips, I love this flow based warm up that Tony posted not too long ago.

 

For the shoulders you just want to make sure that you get them warmed up, moved through a full range of motion, and ready to receive load. It doesn’t need to be too complicated, this circuit should work well:

  • Shoulder Circles x6 each direction
  • Scapular Wall Slides x6
  • Yoga Push Ups x6
  • Band Pull Aparts x6
  • Repeat 3 times through

You should be good to go now.

If you’re able to perform the advanced version of the back bend then this is the place I would work in some of the easier variations to warm the specific movement up. If you’re still on a beginner or intermediate version then just start there.

The Back Bend Progressions

Beginner Variations

The two beginner back bend variations are the glute bridge and the table top bridge. The glute bridge will be the easiest since you don’t need to use your arms to support yourself. Once you’re comfortable with the hip extension demonstrated in the glute bridge then move on to the table top bridge. That’s where you’ll start supporting yourself with your arms.

 

Intermediate Variations

The two intermediate variations are the supported neck bridge and the low bridge.

With the supported neck bridge, the goal is to keep as much weight as possible on your hands so they get used to the load. You’re just keeping your head in contact with the ground to make it a little easier.

The low bridge will place more weight on your arms but you’ll need less hip and back mobility to pull it off. To summarize, if your shoulders are weak then choose the supported neck bridge, and if you’re missing hips/back mobility then start with the low bridge.

 

Advanced Variations

Congratulations grasshopper, you’re now ready for the full back bend. If you’re comfortable in the low bridge then it’s as simple as pushing up a little higher. Try to keep your weight evenly distributed between your feet and your hands.

Once you have the full variation down you can incorporate it into your training in a few different ways.

First, I would do isometrics, holding the back bend at the top position for 20-60 seconds. You can also do back bend pushups. This is simply pressing up to the top then lowering back down to the ground. Try to be controlled here and don’t collapse.

 

After a while, you’ll have the strength and mobility of a “Supple Leopard” and you can do my favorite, rotations into a high bridge.

For these, start in a squat and place your hand as far back as you can reach without falling. As you rotate back your hand will spin on the ground. Once you’re halfway through put your other hand down to balance and rotate out through the other side. It will take some practice to get the necessary “feel” for the exercise but hang in there.

 

There you have it, start practicing and enjoy the benefit of your hips, low back, and shoulders all getting stronger and more mobile. Oh, and don’t be surprised if you do a high rep set of back bend pushups or rotations and start breathing like you just sprinted a hill.

About the Author

Collin Messer is a Personal Trainer at MesserFit Strength and Conditioning in Lebanon, OH. He primarily works with younger athletes and weekend warriors. When he’s not crushing deadlifts or back bends he’s writing at CollinMesser.com about all things life and fitness.