In his book Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance, Dr. Stuart McGill notes that when referring to low back stability, one needs to place an emphasis on endurance rather than strength training. As counterintuitive as it may sound, most people with chronic lower back pain, do in fact, have strong lower backs. The reason why they’re so jacked up all the time is because they use their lumbar spine too much, and lack the proper spinal stability to control end range of motion.

Rather than bore you will all the intricate details (cause I know how many of you have been waiting with abated breath my thoughts on gross motor patterns of the lumbar spine), I came across this Cliff Notes version of McGill’s thoughts written by Len Kravitz titled Low Back Stability Training. It’s a great synopsis on McGill’s thoughts. Here’s a quick snidbit:

From McGill’s research on low back stability, the data suggest that the healthiest training intervention for the spinal flexors involves muscular endurance versus strength training. McGill states that “the safest and mechanically most justifiable approach to enhancing lumbar stability through exercise entails a philosophical approach consistent with endurance, not strength; that ensures a neutral spine posture when under load (or more specifically avoids end range positions) and that encourages abdominal muscle cocontraction and bracing in a functional way.” Bracing is a neurophysiological phenomenon involving cocontraction of the abdominal wall and deep intrinsic muscles of the spine in an effort to better stabilize the low back.

Enter the wonderful world of planks. Oftentimes you hear of strength coaches/personal trainers having their healthy clients perform planks for upwards of two minutes (per set!). I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to hire someone to just stand there and watch me perform planks for 10% of my session, I might as well hire a freakin ham sandwich.

If I’m dealing with healthy individuals, I’d much prefer to make planks and their variations harder, rather than longer. And just to clarify, those who actually suffer from chronic back pain are a completely different story. In that case, I’m all for using planks for endurance. However, with typical clients, my cut-off point is 30 seconds. From there, I just think of ways to make planks more challenging. A great example would be the side plank w/row.

Here you just use a cable machine and set up as if you were going to perform a typical side plank.

1. Elbow directly underneath your shoulder, both shoulders back, hips forward (don’t stick your butt out).

2. Set the pulley at a low setting and grab it with your free hand.

3. Brace your abdominals and perform a standard row, making sure to stay completely stable. You shouldn’t have to compensate by hiking your hips or rotating your torso.

4. Don’t look now, but that hot girl on the elliptical just checked you out. DUDE!!! I said not to look. Dammit. Okay, stay cool. Go make a protein shake or something. I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that chicks dig dudes who drink protein shakes. You’re so money and don’t even know it!

Q: I asked this guy for a spot on my last set of bench presses and said I was going for three reps. He’s like alright lets do six then, I assumed he was joking, so after I did my third rep he helped me with the last three.

So my question is, is that a stupid thing to do, have someone else help you complete additional reps? I mean maybe the 4th rep was 80-90% me but anything beyond that I can’t imagine was more than 60-70. Anyways here’s the more direct question:

What do you think about having a spotter helping complete additional reps you couldn’t have otherwise done?

A: Not a fan at all. I know many of the popular muscle magazines and “hard core” gym rats will say that it’s bad-ass and that it will get you strong. I think it’s borderline retarded, and the research backs me up. CLICK ME to see forced reps get pwned by science. Nerds: 1 The Loud Mouth Gym Rat at Your Local Gym: 0

***For those that don’t want to click on the link, it basically demonstrates that forced repetitions do nothing in regards to increasing strength and/or power.

Furthermore, Chad Waterbury wrote a really good article that touched upon this topic not too long ago titled The Secret to Motor Unit Recruitment. In it, he mentions how focusing more on bar speed and terminating a set before you reach full fatigue is the key to increased strength and size.

A key point to remember: strength/power development is mostly dependent on motor unit recruitment. I say “mostly,” because one’s cross-sectional area also plays a role (a bigger muscle has the potential to develop more force than a smaller muscle), but in the grand scheme of things, it comes down to one’s ability to recruit motor units (and this is dependent on the load being used and the speed at which that load is being lifted). According to Chad, you can’t sustain maximum motor unit recruitment for more than 15 seconds (you can read the article to find out why), so from a neuroscience standpoint, it doesn’t make much sense to train to failure and perform forced repetitions if your goal is strength. And even if your goal isn’t strength, but more aesthetics, I still feel you’re shooting yourself in the foot in the long run.

Training to failure or performing forced repetitions on a consistent basis is going to do nothing except make you tired and affect the rest of your training. Regardless, I think the moral of the story is that your time would be better spent focusing more on the quality of your reps rather than the quantity. And lets be honest, if anyone is going to force anything, it should be something cool like more pictures of Kelly Brook in a bikini. Because dammit, this is America, and I love you guys. POW!!!

1. There are two vehicles that drive fat loss; exercise and diet (thank you Captain Obvious). Everyone always seems to focus solely on the exercise part, particularly women who feel that 45 minutes on the treadmill is what’s needed to shed the weight. In all actuality, exercise isn’t that efficient when it comes to fat loss and/or general weight loss. It’s kind of like using a screwdriver to hammer nails. Sure, it will get the job done, but a hammer would work a helluva lot better (ie: diet).

Here’s a great analogy I like to use to get my point across to people. In order to lose fat you need a caloric deficit. Wow, I’m throwing down some knowledge bombs today folks. CNN has nothing on me. How long would you have to walk/run on a treadmill in order to burn off 300 calories? For many it would take anywhere from 30-45 minutes, and that’s not even taking into consideration the fact most machines grossly OVER-estimate one’s caloric expenditure. So you could spend 45 minutes on a treadmill (I’d rather watch paint dry, or I don’t know, kill myself) or just not eat that bowl of ice-cream right before bed. Controlling calories via your diet is infinitely more efficient than relying on exercise alone.

For a great read on this topic, check out an article written by John Berardi titled When Exercise Doesn’t Work.

2. Just a cool video of me, you know, being cool (I think).

That’s 315 lbs of bar weight with four chains (15 lbs each) on each side, which adds an additional 120 lbs at the top. And if that doesn’t float your boat ladies, I also like to sing hymns to blind orphans and I LOVE puppy dog kisses. Just throwing it out there.

3. Just wanted to give a shout out to one of my clients, Michelle. Michelle originally started training with me at an upscale club in downtown Boston. When I left to help start Cressey Performance, Michelle decided that she would still drive out to Hudson (45 minute commute both ways) to still train with me once per week. I’d like to think it’s because she feels I’m an awesome coach, but deep down, I think it’s because she feels her week isn’t complete until she tells me to f*** off whenever I tell her to push the sled or when I try to correct her deadlift form. I’ve transformed her from this spinning class whore to someone who laughs at other people who use a Smith Machine. She’s even gotten to the point where she’s volunteered to interview all of our prospective interns. Note to future interns: run away, fast! In all seriousness though, I just want to thank her for being a great client and I’m proud of her that she’s made such great strides in the past year.

4. This is completely off-topic, but I found this interesting so deal with it. Ever wonder whether or not it’s possible our names can affect important, life-altering decisions, such as the type of career we decide to pursue? In the book, Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive, researcher Brett Pelham suggests that the answer is absolutely.

To test this idea, Pelham came up with a list of names that sounded like the word ‘dentist,’ such as Dennis. According to census data, the name Dennis was the 40th most frequent male first name in the U.S population at the time, with the names Jerry and Walter ranking 39th and 41st. Pelham searched the national directory of the ADA, examining the number of dentists with one of those three first names. If people’s names have no effect whatsoever on what career path they follow, you’d expect there to be roughly equal numbers of people with these three names going into the field of dentistry.

The search revealed that 257 dentists were named Walter, 270 were named Jerry, and 482 were named Dennis. That means that dentists are about 43% more likely to be named Dennis than you’d expect if name similarity had no effect on career choice. So, mom, why couldn’t you name me something cool like “professional breast massager who happens to drive a tank?” I hate you! *pounds foot on floor and runs away crying*

5. Vitamin D is going to challenge fish oil in regards to being the next miracle supplement. Start taking it, now. Thank me later.

6. Just wanted to say good luck to Cressey Performance client Dan Toledano, who is competing this weekend in a push/pull meet. As of yesterday he had ten lbs to drop in order to make weight. Here’s hoping the extra fiber this week helped!

7. I also want to say congratulations to Cressey Performance client, Sahil Bloom, who verbally committed to play baseball at Stanford University. He’s worked his ass off and deserves all the success that will inevitably come his way. Way to go Sahil! Check out the article here.

8. This Sunday I will be co-hosting The Fitcast along with my good friend Leigh Peele, author of The Fat Loss Troubleshoot. Leigh’s made a great name for herself in the past few years and she knows her stuff. It should be a fantastic show and I can’t wait. Stay tuned Monday.

9. I’m off to try to find a place to live. Apartment searching is about as exciting as getting punched in the nuts, seriously.

Earlier in the week I wrote about stuff that I feel is overrated. I alluded to something that I feel gets mentioned quite a bit in the fitness community, and that I feel needs some sort of clarification. Namely, I’m referring to the notion that it doesn’t matter if someone walks a mile or runs a mile, you’ll still burn 100 calories; or 80, or 90, or how bout I don’t give a crap, I’m just trying to make a point. I’m sure someone is going to write me saying “Tony it’s actually 82.56 kcals/mile, you’re so stupid. Everyone knows that, gosh!” Haha, and I’m the nerd because I bring my home made light saber replica to the local mall to pick up chicks? Pffffft, whatever.

Anyways, while it’s absolutely true that given a distance, one will burn the same amount of calories whether they walk or run, it’s really a half truth. As Mike Boyle has stated many times, it’s true, except when you take a 20 minute workout (for example).

Walk 20 minutes (at 2.5 MPH)= 1 mile= 100 kcals/mile. OMGFATBURNINGZONEYOUWILLGETRIPPED!!!!

Now take someone and have them run/jog for 20 minutes (8 minute mile pace). They cover two and a half miles and end up burning 250 kcals in the same amount time.

Whenever someone says it doesn’t matter if you walk or run, they’re simply wrong (and should be punched in the throat). They don’t take into context the amount of time it takes to accomplish the task at hand (someone can jog a mile faster than they can walk a mile). What really matters is how many kcal/minute they’re burning. I’d rather have someone go hard for ten minutes and increase the amount of kcals/minute they’re expending (which will increase their EPOC), then have them go slooooooooow for 45 minutes.

Unfortunately, most people would rather go longer than go harder. People still insist that there is such a thing as a “fat burning zone,” which is another half truth, but a can of worms I don’t want to open at the moment. And to be honest, I’m not a huge fan of advocating people go for jogs either, but I just wanted to clarify that it’s asinine to say that walking a mile and running a mile burns the same amount of calories without putting things into context. You know, like making sense.

EDIT: Ceaze left a comment that it’s NOT “absolutely true that given the same distance one will burn the same amount of calories.” He even gave a link to a nice research review to back it up: Energy expenditure of walking and running: comparison with prediction equations. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004 Dec;36(12):2128-34.

1. Thanks for the link Ceaze.

2. Oh, by the way, you’re officially banned from this blog for two weeks for making me look like an ass. GET OUT!!!!!…….;o)

I’m going to keep this short and sweet today, mainly because I don’t feel like writing a novel (my last few posts have been waaaay too long), but also because I’m typing this while at work. Hahahahahaha, company time.

I’ve been tabulating a list of things that I feel are overrated. You know, just things that are either borderline retarded or make me want to kill myself with a bowl of anthrax and milk. A few examples:

1. Training to failure every set. Yes, I’m talking to you guy who wears his wife-beater to the gym and barely weighs 150 lbs. It’s dumb. Trust me.

2. People who think they’re smart and witty when they say “it doesn’t matter if you walk or run a mile, you’ll still burn the same amount of calories.” Bull to the shit. I’m definitely going into more detail later this week on this one.

3. The Cheesecake Factory.

Honestly, I just don’t get it. I’d rather eat a bag of Skittles with a bunch of illegal immigrants on the side of the road than eat at this overrated excuse of a restaurant. First of all, you have to wait two hours just to get in. Unacceptable. Secondly, the menu is way too big, and they skimp on their chicken when you ask for “extra.” Oh no you didn’t Cheesecake Factory! And while you didn’t hear it from me, I’m pretty sure they encourage their employees to kick puppies and push little old ladies down the stairs . But that’s just hearsay.* Do you really want to eat at a place like that? Think of the children.

*UPDATE: no it’s not.

As I noted earlier in the week, I was in Vermont last weekend for Cassandra Forsythe’s wedding. Myself, Eric Cressey and his girlfriend ended up staying at a local “lodge,” that while very peaceful and quiet, was literally in the middle of no-where. I’m talkin Deliverance middle of no-where. I was half expecting to walk out the door one morning only to hear dueling banjos and squeeling pigs.

In any case, the gentleman who owned the lodge was kind enough to make us breakfast both days we were there and each morning 1-2 of his close friends would come in and join us and talk about the local fishing scene and just shoot the breeze with us. The topic eventually got on low-carb diets and protein (I think because Eric and myself were eating a ton of eggs and steering clear of the pancakes and muffins). An older gentleman, Frank, started to mention how low-carb diets are bad and that they’re unhealthy. This coming from a guy who was about 30-40 lbs overweight and on his third helping of home fries.

Eric and I just kind of looked at one another and rolled our eyes. I have learned to pick my battles, but Eric, having never backed down from totally dominating someone mentioned how one of the world’s premiere low-carbohydrate researchers, Dr. Jeff Volek, was in town as well, and he had published roughly 20 studies in the past year or so alone stating the contrary (go to pubmed.com and type in Volek and see what I mean). In fact, Dr. Volek and his colleagues have proven time and time again that diets low(er) in carbohydrates (as such, higher in protein and fat) have improved blood-lipid profiles, insulin sensitivity, and decreased one’s risk of developing type II diabetes and heart disease (to name a few).

Additionally, in his book, The TNT Diet, Dr. Volek goes into great detail on how diets low(er) in carbohydrates (particularly refined sugars, processed foods) and high(er) in protein/fat is actually a great way to drastically improve one’s body composition, as well as improve their overall well-being.

Obviously Frank didn’t like what he was hearing because this went against the grain of what all of his doctors have told him. You know, the same doctors that receive roughly one semester of dedicated course work on nutrition, and whom in a recent study found that upwards of 75% felt uncomfortable giving any nutritional recommendations/advice to their patients.

Clutching at straws, Frank then went on to say that “back in the day,” protein powders killed people and that the kidneys just can’t handle that much protein in the diet. At this point, I spit out my V8 juice and couldn’t believe what I just heard. If high(er) protein diets are so bad for us, how come there hasn’t been an pandemic of bodybuilders dying from chronic hyperproteinism? Yes, I just made that term up. You would think that if protein was so dangerous that we would have case after case of bodybuilders and fitness enthusiast dropping like flies. Furthermore, there hasn’t been one study which proves that high protein diets cause any more undue strain on the kidneys than diets lower in protein. It’s a myth.

But what do I know? I’m just a simple man with biceps that have been licensed as lethal weapons in 18 states and charm that can lure the pants off a transvestite. You know, if I wanted to. I’m not saying I do, just that I could. *quickly thinks of something to change the topic* Ahhhhhhhh, protein kills you!

1. I was catching up on some reading last week and came across an article written by Alwyn Cosgrove where he discussed some of his bullet point thoughts on fat loss. One “tip” that really stuck out for me was water intake and how most people fall woefully short in this category. While he can’t prove it with definitive research, Alwyn is convinced that lack of water intake effects fat loss. I have to agree. I mean think about it. Dehydration= can lead to death. There won’t be a lot of fat loss going on when your body is struggling to meet all other metabolic and life sustaining demands. Six pack abs will be last on the “to do” list. With that being said, Alwyn mentioned that at his facility, all clients are given a half-gallon jug to be filled with water every day. They have till the end of the day to finish it, and this is in addition to any other water they may drink throughout the day; Minka Kelly’s bathwater included.

2. Just wanted to say congratulations to my good friend Cassandra Forsythe who got hitched over the weekend in Vermont. The fact that the reception included a pig roast pretty much made it the coolest wedding ever.

3. In addition to the wedding, I had the opportunity to meet Jen Heath and we were able to train together over the weekend. Check out pictures from the training session here. Fellas, I totally hooked you up, you can thank me later. Also, check out Jen’s new and improved website here. Jen is really good at what she does and her passion for her clients is infectious. She’s a great coach and her knowledge concerning contest prep and body recomposition is quite impressive. Matter of fact, don’t forget to check out her Fat Loss Pros audio set. Being the nerd that I am, I listened to some of the interviews on our way to Vermont (there are 18 total) and was shocked to realize how stupid I am. Go figure!

4. Last week, I included a video of the Jedi Gym and claimed that it was the best video ever. Well, my friend Jonathan Fass sent me this video a few days ago and I think the Jedi Gym just got pwned. Video is slightly NSFW (no nudity or anything explicit), provided your boss is down with booty booty booty booty rockin everywhere.*

5. Ever wake up in the morning and wonder if your metabolism is suppressed? Yeah, I didn’t think so. But if that thought ever did cross your mind, one cool tip from Kelly Baggett is to take your temperature using an oral thermometer first thing in the morning. Normal body temperature will be around 97-98 degrees. A one degree drop will indicate a 15% drop in resting metabolic rate. Thus, if you start off on a diet and your body temp is 97.5, and six weeks later it’s down to 96.5, your metabolism will probably have dropped about 15%. A good way to increase the temp is to take some time off the diet.

* No worries dude. I just sent him a text, and he says it’s cool. He’s totally down with booty rockin everywhere. Beep beep beep. Oh, hold on, I just got another text from him: U down with OPP?

Damn, you have like the coolest boss ever. Clickity click click. Pushes send button. Yeah, you know me!

So, I’m kinda late in writing today, but I figured better late than never. First off, I want to let everyone know that I started a new training log over at t-nation.com. It’s going to serve a few purposes:

1. Give people the opportunity to see how I train and see how I set up my own programming; whether it’s performance related, working around an injury, or continuing to train to be a bad ass.* Rest assured that the new training log will include my normal witty commentary, as well as pictures and videos. Essentially what I’m really trying to say is that Jesus himself told me to start this training log, so it’s gonna be kind of a big deal.

2. As such, I think it would be cool to give people an opportunity to see some of the shenanigans that go down at Cressey Performance.

3. Share my affinity for Kate Beckinsale, Megan Fox, and various other badonkadonks that deserve to be admired in all their glory.

4. Oh yeah, and answer your questions about training, nutrition, corrective exercise, and how to make girls want to hang out with you.

All in all, it should be fun and I’m looking forward to many of you participating. Think of it this way, it will be like me writing TWO blogs; all for your entertainment pleasure! You can get your dose of awesomeness everyday whether it’s here or there. Everyone wins. I’m totally giving you a high five right now.

And in case you couldn’t figure out that the highlighted text above was a link to said training log, you can (cue best Napoleon Dynamite voice) CLICK HERE BECAUSE I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING FOR YOU, GOSH!

Additionally, since I’m in the writing mood and it’s been awhile since I blogged about something that makes me want to pay random strangers to feed me rat poison, what the hell is up with The Hollywood Cookie Diet?

First off, I’ve never heard of this (or maybe I have, but thought it was a nightmare and chose to forget about it). Secondly, it doesn’t surprise me in the least that it exists. Thirdly, I just went to their website and the home page has a clip from the show Lipstick Jungle, where the three main characters are sitting at a table, and two of them are pestering the other as to how she looks so good/luminous/slutty (whatever), and of course she attributes it to The Hollywood Cookie Diet. COOKIES!!!! Fourthly, Lipstick Jungle ain’t no Sex and the City. Better believe dat, sista!

Anyways, I came across an ad for this monstrosity in a magazine that my friend took off a plane last weekend. On it, there was a quote from a woman who stated, “I lost five pounds in three days using the Hollywood Cookie Diet!”

This kind of nonsense just drives me crazy. People are going to attribute this version of caloric control (that’s all ANY fad diet is, learning to control calories in a way that leads to a deficit), to what else… freakin cookies. Just great. Four cookies per day, plus a “sensible” dinner, and the pounds will just fly off. That is of course, until they’re unable to spend upwards of $19.95 per box (three day supply) and revert back to their normal eating habits and put the weight back on, and then some. Or you know, suppress their t3-t4 levels so much that they totally screw over their metabolism and fat loss comes to a screaming halt. Which ever comes first.

The sooner people realize that the key to long-term weight loss is changing their eating habits, and not perpetuating their ability to make atrocious food choices (seriously? cookies?), the sooner I’ll stop wanting to bash my head against a wall

*=Including but not limited to working on my ninja star throwing skills, dominating people in Lord of the Rings trivia, collecting vintage GI Joe memorabilia, and maybe, if I play my cards right, having a real live girl actually let me touch her boobies.

In co-hosting The Fitcast the past two weeks, there was one conversation in particular that really struck a chord with me. At one point, the gang happened to get on the topic of “what’s your training philosophy,” or “what does your training look like?” To be honest I don’t really remember the exact question because I was too busy looking at pictures of Megan Fox and wondering why I can’t be her best friend or something. We could totally sit up all night talking about things, ya know? Things like how sad she must be that she did the hibbidy-jibbidy with a tool like Brian Austin Green (yes, David from 90210). Or how she’s a woman with feelings, who needs to be respected and nurtured and HOLY SWEET TAP DANCING MOSES!!! Look at that um, finished hardwood flooring. That’s just gorgeous. Ooooo, is that a copy of Grapes of Wrath in the background?”

Anyways, to get back on topic, my good friend Jimmy Smith (the goofy bodybuilder that he is…wink wink) had mentioned that he (along with a fellow gym goer at the gym where he trains) are really only concerned with looking like they can lift heavy stuff. Neither could really care less about how much weight they put up. Now I know Jimmy is a strong guy and I know what he was alluding to (ie: I get it). I want to preface all this by making it clear that there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to look a certain way regardless of how one trains.

However, why not have both? Why not look like you can lift heavy things while actually being able to lift heavy things?

The above video was taken this past Saturday of me performing cambered bar goodmornings for 375 lbs x3. High five!

So by now, you may be asking yourself, “Tony, what is your training philosophy?” It’s rather simple: lift enough weight that makes people want to destroy the back of their pants while having abs that can totally win a fight against a mack truck. Or a tank. Doesn’t really matter. Both are equally bad-ass.

I honesty and truly feel that if more people trained to get strong(er), that everything else will fall into place (aesthetics included). I remember reading something by Alwyn Cosgrove where he stated that he often finds it perplexing when people say that they want to train for more speed endurance, strength endurance, agility, power (among other things), yet they never train to get stronger. Without that solid base of strength, what will you have to endure?!

That is why I always tend to gravitate towards programs like Maximum Strength, because I know that not only will it get people stronger, it will also take their physique to places it has never been before; assuming of course, they’re not eating like a nimrod.

As stated above, this is my philosophy, and you may or may not agree with it (you totally should by the way). Above all, I just feel that people lack purpose in their training. Aside from all the nonsense of whether or not you want to look a certain way or whether or not you want to lift “x” amount of weight, most trainees have no clue what they want, nor do they have any semblance of goals to stride for. This is a huge mistake.

What are YOUR goals? What is YOUR training philosophy? I’d like to hear what you all have to say. And just because I’m a nice guy, here’s a great read by another good friend of mine, Mike Robertson titled My Training Philosophy. If you’re one of those people that has no idea what your philosophy is, I would highly recommend you read the article. Might be just what you need to point you in the right direction.