CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Premium Group Update, House of Cards, and Arm Care

1.  Month TWO of my Premium Workout Group over on WeightTraining.com was just went live this morning.

I’ve been placing an emphasis on strength training or what I like to call “getting into Beast Mode” with this first block of workouts, and all the feedback I’ve been receiving from all the participants has been awesome. It seems like everyone is enjoying the journey.

But we’ll see what they have to say after this month….;o)

Just as an FYI:  for those reading who may have never heard of this group before, you can read more about it – what it is, how it works, and how to join – HERE.

And, for those reading who may have balked at joining from the start, you should know that even if you joined TODAY or later down the road, you’ll still have access to ALL the routines (past and present).

So you’ll have the opportunity to start at your own pace and discretion.

And as I noted from the start, this Group is something that’s always going to be evolving.  As it happens, as of the tail end of last week, we introduced a DISCUSSION tab to the group page where members can leave comments, post updates, videos, and pictures of their pets (if they want) for others to chime in on.

It’s just another way to build the camaraderie of the group and for people to have more access to other people taking themselves through the same torture program.

2.  Raise your hand if you binged watched season two of House of Cards this weekend like no one’s business??

*Sheepishly raises hand*

Once Lisa and I sat down on Friday night to watch episode one (well, 14 to be exact if you count season 1) it was over.

And once that “thing” happened  – you know, that HOLY SHIT moment (spoiler at the bottom*) – at the tail end of the first episode, Lisa and I looked at one another and knew we were going to crush the entire season over the weekend.

We came close.

We got all the way up to the second to last episode last night before I puttered out.  We’ll watch the season finale tonight, though.

I can’t wait to see what happens.  Let me guess:  Frank turns into RoboCop and takes out Tusk?  No, no….that’s a bit too farfetched.

Okay, how about this: Legolas from Lord of the Rings makes a cameo appearance, seduces Claire, and he becomes President!

Yep, nailed it!

3.  I had one of my blog posts “syndicated” over on the MensHealth.com website over the weekend which was a cool surprise.

Check out 3 Surprising Reasons You Aren’t Seeing Results in the Gym.

4.  One of the “go to” exercises we use at Cressey Performance with regards to arm care is the supine rhythmic stabilization.

In short, when we’re referring to how to go about training the rotator cuff in a more “functional” manner, we have to respect that the rotator cuff’s job isn’t to necessarily externally rotate and abduct the humerus like all the anatomy books will tell us.

In fact, it’s TRUE role is to keep the humeral head centered in the glenoid fossa.  The last thing we want for an overhead athlete – or anyone for that matter – is to have their humeral head clanging around like a jellybean in a jar.

As innocuous as the exercise may look – there is a fair amount of “progression” that needs to be considered.

First and foremost a general rule of thumb to follow is to start more PROXIMALLY to the body.  Meaning, when starting this exercise with someone it’s better to perform GENTLE pertubations closer to midline of the body – in this case the elbow – where they’ll have a bit more control.

From there, the way you’ll progress the drill is to move more distally – away from the midline – towards the wrist (as Eric demonstrates in the video above).

It seems borderline trivial, but it’s an important factor to consider when implementing this drill into someone’s arm care repertoire.

 

* = ZOE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy fuckballs, he killed Zoe!!  I think both Lisa and I literally jumped off the couch when Frank pushed Zoe in front of that train.  This show is freakin amazing.  It’s like they’re not scared to go all Game of Thrones on us and kill off important characters in the blink of an eye and without warning.  I love it. 

CategoriesRehab/Prehab Strength Training

Why Shoulder Injury Prevention Programs Are Failing

I recently had the opportunity to write an article for Stack Magazine, which is an online resource for high-school athletes and coaches.

When I was originally contacted and asked if I’d be interested I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to write about.  Then it hit me:  Um, dude – you work with a crap ton of baseball players, why not start there?

Seemed like a logical course to take, and that’s exactly what I did.

Now understandably, not everyone who reads this site is interested in throwing a baseball 90 MPH and could probably care less about “arm care.”

Besides chicks dig the long ball, right?

But I’d venture a guess that even though this article is geared towards baseball players, there are some universal nuggets dealing with shoulder health that has a lot of applicability towards the general population as well – especially with regards to the “true” function of the rotator cuff (and how to train it) and how the anterior core enters the equation.

That said, I want to demonstrate to Stack Magazine that the TonyGentilcore.com entourage can reach P-Diddy levels.

I’d really love for everyone to check out the article, give any feedback (positive or negative; hopefully mostly positive), and if you feel so inclined, “Like” it and share it on Facebook and Twitter.

Snuggles!

==== > CLICK ME <====

 

CategoriesUncategorized

2011 Bits of Awesomeness: Part II

In keeping with the same theme as yesterday, today I’m going to share the remaining top posts/articles from 2011 on TonyGentilcore.com that, for one reason or another, were the most popular.

For those who missed the first part, click HERE.

Guess What:  You’re Not an Elite Athlete

This was a post that struck a chord with me because, well, people need to understand that they’re not as advanced as they think they are. Don’t get me wrong:  I want people to train with some intensity and purpose.  But at the same time people need to take a step back into reality and understand they’re not on the same level as an Olympic athlete.

What’s the Real Key to Fat Loss?

With the New Year right around the corner, there’s no doubt we’re going to be inundated with infomercials, advertisements, and god knows what telling us how “x”  fad diet or “y” exercise gizmo is the key to unlocking your body’s potential.  The truth of the matter is, though, stepping away from the cookie jar and actually following the advice in this post will probably be more effective in the long run. Not to mention save you three easy payments of $99.

How to Set Up to Deadlift Properly

This was the most recent post of the bunch, but the amount of people who responded and the feedback I received easily made this one of the most popular of 2011.

Taking a risk and going a little out of my comfort zone, this was my first attempt at vlogging (video blogging).  Sure, there were times where it seemed like I was fumbling around like a teenager trying to unclasp his first bra, but all told, I wasn’t too shabby – especially considering I did it in one take!

Look for more of the same in 2012.

Who Ever Said Lifting Things Ain’t Cardio….

I never quite understand why it is people are so obsessed with their “cardio.” Of course, there are a million and one health benefits, and I’d never dissuade anyone from getting in exercise – regardless of their chosen mode.

But, come on peeps:  who says you HAVE to be on a treadmill or elliptical trainer in order to hit your “cardio” quota for the day?

Regression <—-> Progression

I think the opening paragraph to this post says it all:

As trainers and coaches, I think we often get too carried away with our programming to the point where we’re more concerned with impressing our clients with bells and whistles than actually getting them healthier.

I can say – unabashedly – that I’m not perfect and neither are the programs that I write. Sometimes I hit the nail on the head, and I come across like a program writing ninja.  At other times, not so much.

That notwithstanding, having the ability to REGRESS an exercise is an act in progression. Confused? Just click the link for the love of god!!!!!

Top Exercises For the Rotator Cuff

Given we train a lot of valuable arms at Cressey Performance, it only makes sense that I’d write a post here and there on some of the exercises we incorporate to improve or maintain shoulder health.

And this post isn’t just limited to athletes either. We use a lot of these same exercises with our general population clientele as well.

I know, I know:  it’s a boring topic and watching grass grow would probably be more exciting, but I promise it’s short and sweet, and will undoubtedly help a few people out there reading.

And that about wraps it up!  Again, thanks to all of you who supported the site in the past year, and here’s hoping that 2012 will be just as informative (and entertaining) as 2011.