CategoriesFemale Training Miscellaneous Miscellany Nutrition Product Review

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Lots of Catching Up to Do Edition

1. Another busy weekend in the books!  Yesterday I had the pleasure of being invited to speak at the New Hampshire Athletic Trainer’s Association annual symposium.

A few year’s back I remember attending a similar function with Eric at Northeastern University and walking in with jeans on and feeling completely out of place.  Apparently I missed the memo (and it’s an unspoken rule) that athletic trainers have a tendency of wearing nothing but tan khaki pants!  LOLz.

Not that I would ever consider speaking in a pair of jeans (unless I was speaking at Google), but I did make it a point of wearing tan khaki pants yesterday so that I wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Success!

And speaking of success, yesterday was awesome.  First on the docket was Dr. Eric. Berkson (Director, MGH Sports Performance Center, Instructor in Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School and team physician to the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots), who talked at length about common shoulder and elbow injuries seen in pitchers. Many of his thoughts, not surprisingly, mirrored that of ours at Cressey Performance – especially with regards to placing more credence in symmetry of TOTAL range of motion between (IR + ER) between the dominant and non-throwing shoulder.

Expectantly, lack of IR, commonly referred to at GIRD (Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Deficit), is predictive and not quite the “red flag” it was 2-3 years ago.

Additionally he stressed that many of the throwing injuries we see in young(er) baseball players is due to overuse, misuse, and not paying attention to pitch counts.

And then there was me, Tony Gentilcore (who has no affiliation with Harvard what-so-ever other than having a teeny-tiny man crush on one of their alumni, Matt Damon) who spoke more on the performance side of things.  I delved into how we go about managing our overhead athletes, discussed some of the assessment process, spoke to the intricacies of dealing with a population that, unlike everyone else, lives in extension for a good portion of the year, gave the Cliff Notes version to breathing patterns and how we implement them, and maybe had a tip or two on how to improve one’s spin on their curveball….;o)

All in all it was an awesome afternoon and it was truly an honor to be involved in it.

2.  Just a quick reminder that slots are still open for the Elite Training Workshop at Cressey Performance the weekend of April 20th.  The line-up is BALLER, with the likes of Eric Cressey, Mike Roberson, Mike Reinold, Dave Schmitz, myself, Greg Long, and Jared Woolever slated to speak.

For $99 you can’t beat the price.

Go HERE for more details.

3. Last week I wrote a little sumthin sunthin on Strong Curves, the new book by my good friends Bret Contreras and Kellie Davis that I feel is going to be a game changer in the realm of women and fitness.

I won’t continue to sing its praises here (you can read my review HERE), but I do want to give everyone a heads up on another fantastic product by another good friend of mine, Nia Shanks.

Nia has openly discussed her (past) battle with disordered eating routinely on her blog, and I can’t tell you how much I respect her for not only showing how human she is, but that she’s so willing to help others in the process.

I don’t think I have to tell everyone reading that it takes a lot of guts to open yourself up like that to the masses.

Myself, many of my colleagues, as well as Nia have noticed an unfortunate trend in the nutrition world where things have gotten so convoluted and complicated that people have no idea what the hell they should be eating!  This phenomena – thanks in no small part to the likes of the mainstream media and gossip magazines – seems to be hitting its tipping point in the female demographic.

To the point where I overhead a woman talking to her friend not too long ago in Panera explaining that she wasn’t sure if she should have an apple included with her lunch because of the carbs.  Mind you, she was crushing a massive sandwich.

Anyways, Nia felt it was high-time to put an end to the madness so she developed her own answer to the problem.

===> Sane and Simple Nutrition <===

Cue slow cap here.

It’s an ebook, it’s nothing fancy (it doesn’t have to be), but the information is SOLID.  I (along with Nia) don’t ever claim to have all the answers, but sometimes we just need to filter through the stupid and come back to common sense.  And that is exactly what I wholeheartedly encourage anyone interested to check it our for themselves.

This ain’t NASA.  Eat the apple!

4.  Speaking of nutriton, I’m really, really fascinated by the food industry.  More to the point, I’m almost at awe at the food industry’s Jedi-like “mind trick” powers at convincing people that certain foods are “healthy” when they’re clearly anything but.  ORGANIC Toaster Pastries anyone???

Lisa dragged me into a Target yesterday (don’t judge me!), and we happened to walk through the food section and I couldn’t help but drown in the bullshit.  I noticed that General Mills has a new variation of Cheerios out called Multi-Grain Cheerios w/ Peanut Butter!

The kicker is the advertising and how they gloat that the first ingredient is WHOLE GRAIN!!!!!  Like whoa! I should be doing cartwheels down the aisle and kissing every baby I see within a mile radius.

Upon further inspection, the “whole grain” they’re referring to is none other than whole grain corn, followed by sugar. Naturally.

Sigh.

While it’s technically not wrong of them to say the first ingredient is a “whole grain,” I think it’s fairly egregious of them to use that as a selling point of tactic.

Now if you excuse me I need to go throw my face on an ax.

NOTE:  for those interested in food industry shenanigans I’d highly recommend becoming a regular reader of Dr. Yoni Freedhoff’s blog Weighty Matters.

Awesome stuff.

5.  For those looking to kill roughly five minutes, HERE’s a radio interview I did while I was back in my hometown last week prior to speaking at my Alma Mater.

The guy doing the interview LOVED my “abs are made in the kitchen” comment.

6.  If you ever would have told me at some point in my life that I’d see my name in the likes of Forbes, I would have laughed. While I didn’t make the any list such as Most Powerful or Top Five People Most Likely to Be Issued a Restraining Order From Kate Beckinsale World’s Richest People, it was still pretty neat to see my name in print on their site.

Thanks for Greatest.com’s Chief Research Officer and Editor, David Tao, for asking me contribute on THIS article on Interval (or HIIT) training has changed the industry – for better or worse.

7.  In other cameo appearance news, I also helped contribute to another article titled 16 Exercises from the World’s Best Trainers collected by Jon-Erik Kawamoto on Livestrong.com.

And that’s that.

CategoriesUncategorized

Strong Review for Strong Curves

I think it’s safe to assume that I tend to reverberate some of the same messages over and over on this site, and I’m sure for those who routinely visit on a day to day basis, you probably recognize a few long-standing trends.

For example:

1.  I have a strong affinity for deadlifts (and Matt Damon).

2.  I pity those who don’t eat dead animal flesh (but respect their choice(s) not to do so).

3.  For the love of god, is it really that much of a hassle to take 5-10 minutes to warm-up properly?

4.  And at the top of mountain, if there’s one message I’ve routinely championed it’s this:  women should lift heavy things.

Unfortunately it’s been a tough battle to say the least, and it’s mind-numbing having to constantly deal with (and debunk) much of the archaic nonsense and jibberish that’s spewed out by the mainstream media as it relates to women and fitness. I’d even go so far as to say much of the information that’s regurgitated by the likes of US Weekly, Oprah, The Biggest Loser, Tracy Anderson (and a whole harem of other so-called celebrity trainers), and many (not all) of the books you peruse in the health and fitness section at your local Barnes and Nobles serves more as a form of scare tactics than anything else.

Strong Review for Strong Curves

Women shouldn’t lift a weight above three lbs!

Lifting appreciate weight will make you big and bulky and give you an Adam’s apple!

Yoga is all you need to yield toned and lean muscles!

Long-duration, steady-state cardio is the key to losing fat!

Don’t you dare touch that carrot – it contains (GASP) carbs!!!!

To say it’s gotten a bit confusing and sensationalistic would be an understatement. It’s no wonder why so many women (hell, guys too) don’t know who’s right or who’s wrong and are left spinning their wheels.  So and so said I should forego lifting weights and go to Zumba class instead. If I just stand in this 100 degree room and stretch, I’ll be bikini ready in no time, right?  I just read the Don’t Eat Food Diet, and now I’m wondering if it’s okay to drink water!

All of this, seemingly, to imply that women are these delicate flowers that shouldn’t (or can’t??) hold their own in the weight room, and that we should just roll them in bubble wrap and send them on their way.

Words like “tone,” and “lengthen” and “pink dumbbells” get thrown around like candy at a parade and it’s almost as if once we combine the words women and fitness, and toss them into a caldron and stir them together, what’s left is a big, messy concoction of bullshit.

And that’s, well, bullshit!

Thankfully I have some really smart friends who feel the exact same way as I do and they actually did something about it.

Yesterday my good friends, Bret Contreras and Kellie Davis, released their new book, Strong Curves, to the masses and I couldn’t be more pumped!

As if the title didn’t give it away, this book is all about two things:  getting strong and building some feminine curves – particularly the butt.

Sadly, many women are under the impression that grabbing a barbell and lifting it off the ground will turn them into He-Man overnight, when in fact the opposite is true.  Lifting weights will build a strong, lean, curvaceous body, not to mention offer a plethora of other benefits like an increased metabolism, more energy, more sex drive, decreased risk of osteoporosis, and an unlimited sense of self-assurance and confidence.

There’s no one in the world that knows the butt better than Bret.  The man has literally spent years reading research, hooking himself (and others) up to EMGs, and basically training hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

I often joke that I sit in my evil strength coach lair, stroke my evil beard, and conjure up exercises and programs that will make people hate life.  In Bret’s case, I think he actually does it!  I don’t know many people (let alone coaches) who are more dedicated to their craft and contain as much of an insatiable desire to make people better than Bret.

Likewise, Kellie, a fitness enthusiast, writer, and competitor herself (and a client of Bret’s) not only talks the talk, but walks it.  I mean there’s a reason why she served as the cover model, contributor, and exercise demonstrator for the book!

Combined, the two have produced an outstanding book that I feel is a MUST read for any woman looking to take her health and physique to the next level.

Granted it’s called Strong Curves for a Better Butt, but in every sense it’s a routine that focuses on the ENTIRE body.

What I love most about the book is that it’s not full of fluff and fillers.  In every sense, they get right to the point and EDUCATE the reader on why the glutes are such a big deal. Maybe even more importantly, they do a fantastic job of empowering women and giving them the nudge some may need to take the reigns and actually grab a barbell.

Thankfully, it’s not like Bret and Kellie just tell women to go lift weights, but they SHOW them how to do so in a safe, effective, and time efficient manner.  The entire book is filled with lovely (again, thank you Kellie Davis) pictures and exercise demonstrations, as well as detailed instructions on how to do everything from a glute bridge to a deadlift correctly.

What’s more, no stone is left un-turned.  There are sections on how to warm-up properly, nutrition, some anatomy talk for the uber nerds out there who like that sort of thing, and even a section for expectant mothers who are interested in doing the program as well.

Speaking of which, another major perk of the book is the programming itself.  It’s spectacular. Bret and Kellie came through BIG-TIME here.  In all there are four programs included such as the Twelve Week Booty-Ful Beginners Program, the Twelve Week Gluteal Goddess Program for the Advanced Lifters, and even two programs that can be modified to do at home for those who don’t have access to gym equipment.

All told, when you look at the entire package, you’re getting top-notch information (HINT:  stop listening to Tracy Anderson), coaching on exercise technique, and detailed programs all for what it would cost to go see a double viewing of a Twilight movie.  If that’s your thing.  Which I hope it isn’t.

I can’t recommend Strong Curves enough.  Of course I’m excited for Bret and Kellie because they worked their tails off writing this book and they deserve all the praise and accolades they receive, but I think I’m even more excited to see more and more women jump on the “lets lift heavy stuff” train. I can’t wait to see the results that women are going to get on this program.

It’s going to be fantastic.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work Uncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Zombies!, Pull-Ups, and the best Warm-Up Article EVER

Wait a second – my alarm went off this morning.  I don’t think I’m dreaming.

*looks out window*

Volcanoes aren’t erupting, the streets aren’t flooded with molten lava, and from what I can tell, everything seems business as usual.

The Mayanpocalypsearmeggedonacaust didn’t happen.  We’re all still here!!!!!!

High Five!

But be weary my friends – we’re still not out of the woods yet.  The day is still young, and you never know when s*** is going to hit the fan.

If things do get real, and you’re forced to fight for your life, whether it be killing a grizzly bear with your nunchucks for your next meal, protecting your family from evil doers, or I don’t know, something less “doom and gloom” like clicking “next” whenever your Pandora station plays a Coldplay song……are you prepared?

Are you in enough ass-kicking shape to do what you need to do to get s*** done? Can you – WILL YOU – survive if you had to go all Snake Plissken on people’s asses?

Well just in case, earlier this week my boy, John Romaniello, released his latest training program:

Zombie Apocalypse Survival Workout

I know some reading are going to dismiss this product due to the “less than serious” premise. To that I say:

1.  Relax!  Don’t take yourself so seriously.

AND

2.  There’s actually a legitimate rationale behind it.

John, along with every other well-known fitness professional I know, routinely gets questions asking his opinion on CrossFit (myself included).

It’s a touchy topic to say the least, and something that has caused a rift between strength coaches, personal trainers, and fitness enthusiasts alike.

On one end of the spectrum you have those who swear by it, and literally eat, drink, breath, and LIVE by CrossFit.

On the other, you have those who loathe it, think it’s a fad, and that it’s hopefully going away.  Like, soon.

Well, it’s not going away.  And while I’ll be the first to admit that I too have my qualms with CrossFit, I also understand that it’s getting people excited to exercise, and there’s a lot to be said for that. How can I possibly poo-poo on that?

Like John I feel the idea of CrossFit is sound – it’s just that its execution is flawed.

To his credit John has been attending at least one CrossFit class a week for the past few months to try to get a better understanding and feel for what the culture is like.

And, not surprisingly, he’s mentioned several times that there are great coaches and absolutely terrible coaches.

The great coaches – and by extension, the most successful CF boxes – understand that it comes down to sound programming.  They take the time to properly coach their clients and use appropriate exercise progressions (and more importantly, regressions) to “guide” them through.

By contrast, the terrible coaches – and unfortunately this seems to be the rule rather than the exception – focus solely on the workouts. How can we completely obliterate our athletes/clients and make them hate life?  How can we – fingers crossed! – make them cough up their spleen?

The latter is what I 100% disagree with, and what I feel gives CrossFit its bad rap.

So what did Roman do?  He started taking CrossFit classes to see if he could fix it.

To quote the man himself:

“I thought to myself, “what if you took the idea of CrossFit–the idea of non-
specification,the idea of having a high level of general proficiency across the
board, and applied intelligent programming–with a classic Roman twist–to
that idea…what would you get?”

It’s a good question, and one worth exploring. So that’s what I did.

What I wound up with was the Zombie Apocalypse Survival Workout. 

Because really, when you strip away the fun and silliness, that’s what ZAW 
really is: my take on CrossFit. It’s CrossFit, Roman style, with all of the issues 
with programming fixed.”

Fittingly, today is the last day of the sale, so if you’re interested you better hurry.  The walking dead could be right around the corner……;o)

6 Coaches Weigh in on Pull-Ups – 6 Coaches, Duh!

Along with Bret Contreras, Ben Bruno, Dean Somerset, Tim Henriques, and Dan Trink, I was asked to contribute to this awesome pull-up article that was put up on T-Nation yesterday.

If we were a boy band, we’d totally be the most diesel boy band ever.

I’d be the shy one.

Warm-Up – Mike Robertson

The title says it all.

I wrote a blog post a while back titled The Perfect Warm-Up?  It was nothing revolutionary, but it cemented my thoughts on what I felt the purpose of a proper warm-up is, and then I offered a different spin on it.

Well, in THIS article – which should be titled The FOR REAL Perfect Warm-Up – Mike breaks everything down from what the warm-up should accomplish for each segment of the body to providing videos of all of his favorite drills.  This is a MUST read.

 

CategoriesMotivational Strength Training

A Critical Reply to an Uncritical Coach

Today’s post comes from the one and only Bret Contreras.  As he’ll note below, I received an email from a fan of my blog asking me for my opinion on some candid remarks she overheard one of the strength coaches at her university regurgitate to a few other students.

And by using the word regurgitate I’m being really nice.

To say I was shocked at this particular coach’s train of thought would be an understatement, and I had to pinch myself to make sure I didn’t somehow time travel back to 1986.

Which, actually, would be kinda sweet because tv back then was awesome, what with shows like Airwolf, The A-Team, and The Gummi Bears rocking the airwaves.

Nevertheless I was definitely taken for a loop when I read this coach’s comments, and I could think of no one else I’d rather see write an appropriate and thorough response than Bret.

Thankfully he came through with flying colors, and absolutely PWNED the guy.  Enjoy!

A Critical Reply to an Uncritical Coach – Bret Contreras

Last month, an avid reader of this blog wrote to Tony requesting expertise. Tony sent it over to me for a good laugh. But I’m always up for a good grilling, so I asked Tony if he’d let me respond. In the past I’ve been disrespectful to those I grill, so I will try my best to remain professional here. The gist is that there’s some strength coach out there (we won’t mention his name) who is simply making a bunch of stuff up. This guy needs to be corrected so his athletes can receive proper training. Below are his comments. In gray is what the reader wrote to Tony, and my responses are in red:

Today I was eavesdropping on a conversation between the head S&C coach and a couple of his practicum students. They were talking about how he teaches the squat to his athletes. The coach said that because so many athletes are stronger in their posterior chain compared to their quads, he strongly discourages his athletes from “sitting back” or having any type of hip hinge movement while squatting to minimize glute and hamstring involvement and target the quads. He said the box squat or squat to a box was a pointless exercise due to the hip hinge requirement and the nearly vertical tibia – he wants his athletes squatting by dropping straight down, staying relatively upright and getting the knees a fair ways beyond the toes. He emphasizes developing quad strength over posterior chain strength in all of his young athletes. Also, he said that prevention of ACL injuries would be enhanced if there was less emphasis on hip hinging and more emphasis on quad strengthening, especially in female athletes. 

I pretty much disagree with everything this coach said. I see this all the time, and it’s worth addressing.

Many coaches formulate their methods based on what they think happens and what seems rational in their minds. They don’t read research or utilize the scientific method, and prefer to rely on intuition. They may still achieve good results, as many avenues lead to success. For example, coaches who simply have their athletes full squat and sprint will see improvements in performance. But due to false assumptions and failure to take advantage of the thousands of available prior scientific studies conducted by hardworking sports scientists and strength coaches, their athletes will fail to achieve maximum results, which is unfortunate. At any rate, here is my retort

1. Athletes are supposed to be stronger in their posterior chains compared to their quads. Gluteus maximus plus hamstrings plus adductor magnus should slightly outperform the quadriceps in terms of total muscle force and extension-torque production. If this is the case with athletes (hip extensor dominance), you should be happy and should not try to change the ratio toward quad-dominance. Strong quads are indeed important in sports, but it’s ideal for the hips to stay stronger than the quads.

2. No squat variation is “pointless.” The box squat is a welcome variation as the vertical tibia increases the hip extension moment and decreases the knee extension moment. In other words, more torque is required out of the hips, and less torque is required out of the knees. This is highly beneficial for lifters ranging from newbies, to those prone to experiencing knee pain or injury, to powerlifters. The full squat with an upright stance is also a good variation, especially for Olympic lifters, but not everyone can handle the forces on the knee joint associated with this variation.

3. Actually, quad-dominance increases the risk of ACL injuries, in addition to increasing the risk of hamstring and low back injuries. And actually, youngsters, females, and beginners typically exhibit quad-dominance due to high daily-activation in the quadriceps with concomitant low daily-activation in the glutes. For this reason, hip extension strength, particularly gluteal strength, should be emphasized with these athletes, along with just about every other athlete too. 

But wait! There’s more. The reader later sent another email to Tony with more “gems”:

He pretty much had a hate-on for the hip hinge. He said that “vertical displacement” is the key in sprinting and jumping, not the horizontal displacement of the hips moving back and forth. Therefore, the hip hinge should not be emphasized and the quads should. He never tells his athletes to “sit back”. He said that if he had an athlete who was knee-dominant, he would not try to strengthen his/her hips “because then they’ll use their hips for everything.” 

Vertical displacement is indeed the key for jumping, but not for sprinting. You do not want to be bouncing up and down excessively when sprinting. The key to sprinting is to produce just enough vertical force to raise the center of mass just enough to cycle the legs back around so they can reproduce horizontal force. Anything greater in terms of vertical force production is wasted energy and will result in slower speeds.

But now I need to address something very alarming.

Nothing we do in the weightroom completely mimics on the field performance.

If resistance training had to exactly mimic sport actions in order to transfer to performance, we would not be able to add resistance, since adding load in any form (bands, vests, sleds, free weights, etc.) immediately changes mechanics.

Squats, RDLs, split squats, hip thrusts, and back extensions would all screw up sprinting and jumping performance. Hell, squats would screw up RDLs and vice-versa, sprints would screw up jumps and vice-versa, etc.

However, we have tons of research showing improved performance and transfer of training from resistance training to sporting actions, from plyometrics to resistance training, and so on and so forth. There is a synergistic effect with the various types of hip extension exercises, and an athlete should be strong in all leg and hip muscles through a full range of motion. This requires multiple exercises.  

Of course you don’t want athletes sitting back excessively when they jump, but they can differentiate RDL’s and box squats from jumping performance as they are separate motor qualities.

RDLs and box squats don’t automatically cause athletes to sit back too much when they jump, Oly squats and split squats don’t automatically cause athletes to stay too upright when they jump, and hip thrusts don’t automatically cause athletes to want to lie down on their backs in the middle of a game (note the heavy sarcasm).

As long as there exists a balance in programming, athletic form remains intact. In the weightroom, we strengthen muscles and movement patterns, and the athletes are able to blend the newfound neuromuscular improvements into their jumping and sprinting motor programs. 

Last, research shows that the knee extension torque does not increase nearly as much as hip extension torque when transitioning from running to maximal sprinting, submaximal jumping to maximal jumping, and submaximal squats, lunges, and deadlifts to maximal squats, lunges and deadlifts. This is very important as it suggests that continual improvements are reliant upon strengthening the hips!

He thinks “glute activation” is complete BS because there’s no way to “prove” that it works (even using EMG). He said that the simple, low-load, isolated movements that are used to activate the glutes have no transfer to multi-joint movements like the squat or to the performance of the actual sport. I don’t think he believes that the glutes need to be activated in the first place.

There are many ways to show that glute activation works. We can obtain clues by examining the EMG activation, but at the end of the day we need training studies showing significant results. Glute activation is in its infancy in terms of the literature. However, in just the past couple of years, several important studies have emerged: 

  1. One showing actual EMG profiles of strongmen performing various strongman exercises. The better performers clearly used their glutes more so than the poorer performers.
  2. One showing increased glute activation with simultaneous decreased hamstring activation during hip extension exercise
  3. One showing increased hip extension strength, decreased hamstring activation during the support phase in running, and cured hamstring cramping in a triathlete
  4. And one showing significantly improved power production during a vertical jump compared to controls and a whole-body vibration warm-up

Considering that many well-respected coaches and rehabilitation specialists such as Tony Gentilcore, Eric Cressey, Mark Verstegen, Michael Boyle, Pavel Tsatsouline, and Stuart McGill have seen good results with glute activation drills, it’s definitely worthy of incorporation until more research emerges. It’s worth mentioning that I am a huge fan of glute activation and believe that research will eventually show its value. 

He thinks bracing the core (or whatever you want to call it) is stupid. He said “when would you ever do that when you’re playing your sport? You don’t have time to consciously think about activating your core.” He said that the core had much, much greater activation during the performance of big compound lifts.

I agree with the coach in this situation, aside from when an athlete is about to collide or be struck in the midsection. Sports are markedly different from resistance exercises, both in terms of timing and muscle activation requirements. When you put a heavy bar on your back or in your hands, you place considerably more bending torque on the spine, which requires a much greater amount of spinal stiffening compared to ballistic bodyweight movements.

He doesn’t really like single-leg training, but especially hates the single-leg squat because it “produces too much compensation.” He thinks that training the single-leg squat will only make the athlete better at single-leg squats and won’t transfer to the sport. I have seen him use split squats with his athletes, though.

I’m not sure what he means by “compensation,” but I suspect he’s referring to the oft-seen lumbar flexion and posterior pelvic tilt exhibited in the bottom range of motion during a pistol squat.

It’s worth mentioning that single leg box squats provide a solution for this issue. But the notion that they don’t transfer to performance is absurd.

Take a novice lifter who struggles with a bodyweight squat. Over the course of 12 weeks, utilize progressive overload and get him able to perform five full range pistol squats. Guess what? His barbell squat and vertical jump will have improved along with his pistol squat.

Sure you can argue that the pistol squat isn’t the safest or best way to load the lower body, but it definitely transfers to sport. Everything challenging compound lower body movement does, and the transfer is more pronounced with less experienced lifters.

That’s all for today! Hopefully sports science spreads and coaches are forced to step up their game or be replaced by those who have an appreciation for the scientific method and the literature. 

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany Nutrition

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Thanksgiving Review, Wedding Shenanigans, ACL Rehab, and More.

1. I’m back!  Did you miss me?  Even just a little bit?

All I have to say is that the past five days have been a whirlwind.  Going back home to upstate New York for Thanksgiving was amazing, of course.  Although we made the mistake of leaving Boston at around 2:30 on Wednesday afternoon (along with everyone else apparently) and it took us roughly 2.5 hours just to drive 50 miles to the Turnpike I-84 split.  It was awful – and I was thiiiiiiiiis close to sniper rolling out of the driver seat and throwing myself in front of a Mack truck.

A ride that normally takes five and a half hours, took eight. Nevertheless we eventually made it home, and it was great to see family, friends, and to crush my mom’s apple pie.

To top everything off, Lisa shot her first gun, like ever.  Both my brother and step father were gearing up to go hunting the next day and wanted to head out to the back yard to shoot their guns.  Lisa was on that like white on rice!

2. It was a quick turnaround, however, because Lisa and I had to head back to Beantown for my good friend’s (and business partner) Pete Dupuis’ wedding, which was epic in its own right.

Leaving sooner than we wanted had its advantages though, since traffic wasn’t nearly as much of a clusterf*** on the way back.  We made it in record time and both Friday (rehearsal dinner) and Saturday (the big event) were amazing.

Hell, I even wore a suit and tie for the occasion and might have given 007 a run for his money.

The pic below is the original four CP staff (Pete Dupuis, Eric Cressey, myself, and Brian St. Pierre).

3.  I know the last thing people want to read given I haven’t posted anything in a while are details about my personal life (even though it does parallel Batman at times), but here’s the last nugget….promise.

As is customary each year during Thanksgiving, after my seventh serving of turkey and stuffing, and after my insulin induced power nap, I like to cap everything off by heading to the movie theater to catch a flick.  This year’s pick was Life of Pi, director Ang Lee’s latest masterpiece based off the novel of the same name by Yann Martel.

Having read pieces of the book myself, I honestly had no idea how this was going to be made into a movie. From what I’ve read many directors have tried in the past to adapt it onto screen, but failed due to the complicated plot and storyline.

However, given Lee’s history of taking “unconventional” material (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain, to name a few) and knocking it out of the ballpark, I wasn’t too worried.  What’s more, Lee has a knack for making visually stunning movies, and Life of Pi certainly didn’t disappoint in this regard.

I’d rank it right up there as one of the more beautiful movies I have ever watched – right on par with films like Amelie – and the CGI/3D was spectacular.  I consider Avatar the litmus test for any film made in 3D, and there really has been no other film that has impressed me in recent years – other than Hugo – where I felt it was justified to spend the extra dough or where the 3D enhanced the experience.

Life of Pi was STUNNING!!!!!!!!

And yes, I got a little teary eyed.  Take that for what it’s worth.

4. Okay, I lied – I have another Thanksgiving related point to make.  But it’s something that you’ll be able to use.

Brussels Sprouts

If I’m being honest, up until this past year, I had a very poor relationship with brussels sprouts.  Back in the day, when I was a kid, my mom used to serve them to us for dinner on occasion, and it was just horrendous (sorry mom).

She used to buy the frozen variety and then just pop them in the microwave and serve them in a bowl.  If I had to liken it to anything, it was like eating soggy balls of fart.

Yes, it was that bad.

Anyways, my girlfriend is literally obsessed with brussels spouts – and for good reason.  They’re freakin ROCKSTARS in the nutritional world.

Funnily enough, brussels sprouts aren’t really sprouts at all, but members of the cabbage family, which makes since that’s exactly what they look like.

I’m not going to attempt to delve into all the nutritional reasons why you should include them in your diet because other peeps have done an awesome job in explaining it already.

In his phenomenal book, The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth (required reading if you ask me), Dr. Jonny Bowden states:

Brussels sprouts contain a chemical called sinigrin which suppresses the development of precancerous cells.  The breakdown of sinigrin (allyl isothiocyanate) is the active ingredient in brussel sprouts and is responsible for the characteristic smell of sprouts.  It works by persuading the precancerous cells to commit suicide – a natural process called apoptosis – and so powerful is the effect that it’s entirely possible that the occasional meal of brussels sprouts could help reduce the incidence of colon cancer.

Including more sulfur-rich vegetables is actually kind of a big deal, and something that Mark Sisson has written on several times, including THIS gem.

But how to prepare and cook them is the key.  As I noted above, Lisa is obsessed with brussels sprouts, and I was never a fan until I tried them the way that she makes them.

I’ve been converted for a while, but it took a little convincing for my family to try them.  Here’s how she prepared them last week to rave reviews.

First off, do yourself a favor and DO NOT buy the frozen variety.  They taste like frozen balls of cyanide, and you’re not doing yourself any favors by going that route.

Instead, try to buy them fresh, or better yet, still in the stalk!

We’re lucky in that the Trader Joe’s right down the street sells them on the stalk, and it makes all the difference in the world.

Regardless, whether you pluck them of the stalk, or pick them out of a bag – DO NOT buy them frozen.

– Wash them off, and then cut each sprout into halves.

– Throw into a bowl and then add seasoning.  We like to keep it simple:  salt, pepper, and oregano work wonders.  Add olive oil (extra virgin preferably) and if you’d like some apple cider vinegar to give it a little kick.

– OPTIONAL (but it really isn’t): on the side, cook up like 3-4 strips of bacon.  Once the bacon is done, crumble them up and add into the bowl.  Then, spread the bacon fat onto the sheet where you’ll place the brussel sprouts.

– Place each sprout face down onto a shallow cooking sheet.  Keep your paws off the bacon bits!!!!  For now, anyways.

– Cook in oven at like 325-350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Once the 20 minutes are up, stir the sprouts around, and cook for another 20.

– Chow down.  Thank me later.

5.  Driving home the other day, we happened to tune into some random classic rock station and Pearl Jam came on. Since when in the hell is Pearl Jam considered classic rock??????????

6.  I received an interesting email last week from a college student detailing to me a conversation she was eavesdropping on between one of the head strength coaches at her school and a handful of his practicum students. To quote her:

They were talking about how he teaches the squat to his athletes. The coach said that because so many athletes are stronger in their posterior chain compared to their quads, he strongly discourages his athletes from “sitting back” or having any type of hip hinge movement while squatting to minimize glute and hamstring involvement and target the quads.

He said the box squat or squat to a box was a pointless exercise due to the hip hinge requirement and the nearly vertical tibia – he wants his athletes squatting by dropping straight down, staying relatively upright and getting the knees a fair ways beyond the toes. He emphasizes developing quad strength over posterior chain strength in all of his young athletes.

Also, he said that prevention of ACL injuries would be enhanced if there was less emphasis on hip hinging and more emphasis on quad strengthening, especially in female athletes.

I don’t think I have ever heard anything so asinine in my life – and this is including EVERYTHING that Tracy Anderson has ever said.

The last point – prevention of ACL injuries would be enhanced if there was less emphasis on hip hinging and more emphasis on quad strengthening , especially in female athletes – is what really dumbfounded me, and pretty much made me want to throw my face onto an ax.

If you look at the mechanism(s) which cause the bulk of (non-contact) ACL injuries in female athletes – pronation, adduction, and hip internal rotation – one would clearly see (at least if they know anything about functional anatomy) that training the posterior chain would be kind of important.

Sure, most anatomy texts will note that the glutes do nothing but abduct and extend the hip.  Clap clap clap.  You just passed anatomy 101.

Digging a little deeper, and what most anatomy texts don’t account for, is the eccentric component, or what the glutes PREVENT……

……Pronation, adduction, and hip internal rotation.  Otherwise known as “the big 3” when it comes to ACL injuries.

How a coach would say that placing more emphasis on the quads is the best way to go about preventing these injuries from happening in the first place is beyond my comprehension.  I guess every coach who’s ever lived is wrong, and that this guy has it all figured out.

Suffice it to say, I really feel sorry for his athletes.

I sent along the email I received to my good friend, Bret Contreras, to see what his reaction would be and he responded with:

“What the holy hell!?!?!?!  That’s one of the most illogical things I’ve heard a strength coach say. Just wow.”

And then I’m pretty sure this is what happened:

Needless to say, Bret wasn’t too happy.

Apparently Bret is working on a detailed response – complete with charts, graphs, and I hope a massive middle finger – that I’m going to use as a guest post in a week or so.  Stay tuned……..it’s going to be awesome.

And that’s it for today.  I hope everyone else reading had a nice relaxing holiday.  Be sure to check back during the week as I’ll be back to my normal blogging badassness.

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Glutes Are the New Biceps

Living in a pretty historical, cultural, and overall kick-ass city (Boston), Lisa and I like to spend our weekends walking around to the various neighborhoods to take in all the sights and sounds that they have to offer. Whether it’s heading to the North End to eat a quaint italian restaurant, walking through Boston Common and then down Newbury St. to look at all the shiny things we can’t afford, or just chilling in our own neighborhood – Coolidge Corner – we can always find something fun or interesting to do.

Another one of our favorite areas to frequent is the South End.

The South End is considered the “trendy” part of the city teaming with hip restaurants, cafes, shops, and boutiques. It’s ubiquitously fabulous in every shape, way, and form.

Even more fabulous than this commercial:  JAZZ HANDS!!!!!

Additionally, and not surprisingly, the South End is also known for its fashion sense. Now, fashion is not my forte. You’re reading a guy’s blog who’s idea of dressing up is a pair of jeans with a GI-Joe t-shirt.  Worse, I wear white after Labor Day.  Oh, the horror!!!!!

Whenever I’m in the South End with Lisa and we walk into some clothing store, she’ll inevitably go into fashionista mode and start conversing with the sales lady person.  Hem line this, v-neck that. Blibbidy blah, blibbidy bloo.

They might as well be speaking Klingon.

I usually just zone out and stand there like a zombie or go light my face on fire to help pass the time.

But recently something caught my attention.  Well, two things actually.

1.  At one store we were in, the sales lady person said something along the lines of “brown is the new black,” alluding that brown (and all it’s various shades) are now “in,” and that this season brown is all the rage.

I thought this was interesting, and something that will make a little more sense in a few seconds once I tie this into the actual purpose/title of this post.

2.  Even more intriguing to me was how much money people would spend for a pair of jeans and yet have no ass to show for it. It was amazing.

Men and women alike.  No asses.  Anywhere.

Maybe I’m missing something, but it doesn’t make much sense to me to buy a pair jeans that’s equivalent to a car payment and have no ass to show of it.

Sure I saw some flat stomachs on the ladies, and many of the guys walking around had biceps.  But no where to be seen was a nice, plump, round tush/bum/butt/ass/derriere/badonkadonk/whatever your term of choice.

Honestly, though, it isn’t even limited to that one instance or point in time.  Rarely (if ever) do I see a well-rounded backside.

I was in a 7 Eleven not too long ago getting my caffeine fix when I saw two bodybuilder type guys walk up from behind me to pay for their things at the cashier counter.  Both were really tan and had on skin tight shirts and for all intents and purposes were two really built dudes.

But neither of them had an ass.

Judge me as you will – yes, I looked at two guys’ backsides and noticed they didn’t have one.  Don’t kid yourself, you do it too!  We ALL judge others and give everyone the once over.  Guys and girls alike.

Guys look at other guys and judge whether or not they can take them in a fight.

Girls look at other girls and judge whether or not they can take them in a fight  (or if they’re an uppity skank).  This is especially true if two women are wearing the same outfit.

It’s a two-way street.

Either way, when I saw a 2×4 in place of where their ass should be, I knew the two guys in question were suffering from what I call Noassitis.  Get it?  No-ass-itis!!!

Note:  giving credit – I think Mike Boyle originally coined the term, but he may have called it something else.

Nevertheless, it’s a growing problem and it’s what spurned this post.

Much like brown is the new black in the fashion world, in the strength and conditioning world glutes are the new biceps.

Glutes are the new biceps!!!!!!!!!

Yeah baby!!!

I’d be remiss not to give credit to the Glute Master himself – Bret Contreras – as he’s been championing this sentiment for years now.

Thanks to him the glutes are getting MUCH more attention, but no where near the amount of attention they should be getting.

There are still plenty of people (men AND women) who spend a vast majority of their time and energy training a muscle the size of a tennis ball (bicep), yet ignoring the largest and most powerful muscle in the body (the glutes).

Of course, I’m not insinuating that one should ignore their biceps.  Trust me, I get it.  That’s just looney talk.  Most are going to train them no matter what I say, so there’s no point in wasting my breath.

All I’m suggesting is that a slight shift in training economy and priority is in order.

I’d argue that if you’re the type of person who places an emphasis on his or her glutes and includes more exercises into your repertoire that targets them, you’ll probably have decent sized arms anyways.

You’ll have biceps despite what you do.

As an example, look at Kellie Davis, model and co-author – along with Bret Contreras – of the upcoming book Strong Curves.

She glute bridges her ass off (or, more appropriately, on) and she still has shapely, “toned” arms that most women would kill for.

You think she’s performing tricep kickbacks and various bicep curl exercises to look like that?

Hell no!

Switching gears to those of us who pee standing up, and using myself as an example, I too have decent sized arms that most guys would like to have . I’m not saying this to brag, it’s just what I’ve been told.** Yet, despite the contrary, I don’t go out of my way to perform a lot of isolated bicep work.

Instead, the bulk of my upper body work consists of a healthy dose of row variations, chin-ups, and push-ups.  But I also place a premium on things like deadlifts, squats, glute bridges, Prowler pushes, kettlebell swings and various single leg exercises – all of which hammer my posterior chain (and more specifically, my glutes).

I can probably count on one hand the total number of times I’ve gone out of my way to perform a bicep curl in the past year.

Likewise, I generally don’t go out of my way to program any “isolated” bicep work for the bulk of my athletes and clients.  Sure, I’ll throw them a bone every now and then, but for the most part their training entails compound movements with an emphasis on their backside.

And, predictably, their biceps grow (or, in the case my female clients, they attain that “toned” look that’s so coveted).  Go figure!

Again, this isn’t to suggest that I feel blasting the biceps isn’t warranted or that I never do it.  I do.  All I’m saying is that for most people, most of the time, they’d be much better off nixing the curls in favor of curing their Noassitis.

It’s not hard to walk into a gym and notice someone with sculpted arms or pecs that could stop a mack truck. What’s rare is seeing an impressive set of glutes.  THAT’S what will separate you from the masses – and not coincidentally, make those designer jeans fit like a glove.

On that note, below are some instructional videos that will hopefully get the ball rolling and point people in the right direction.  Train your glutes people!!!

Hip Thrust Instructional Video – Bret Contreras

NOTE:  Also, I’d highly suggest reading THIS post by Kellie Davis on proper range of motion while performing hip thrusts/bridges.

How To Set Up To Deadlift Properly

Box Squat vs. Squat TO Box

Get-Up and Swing Tutorial

* = Okay, I lied.  I’m completely bragging.

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Miscelleneous Miscellany Monday: Bystander Effect, PTDC Hybrid Training Seminar and Other Stuff

1. Behavioral economist, Dan Ariely, has often referred to the phenomenon known as ‘the bystander effect’ at length in many of his articles, his blog, as well as both of his books – The Upside of Irrationality and Predictably Irrational – which I couldn’t recommend highly enough.

For those unfamiliar, it essentially refers to cases where individuals do not offer any means of help in an emergency situation to the victim when other people are present.

The most famous incident which sheds a little more light on the topic would be that of Kitty Genovese who, back in 1964, was walking back to her apartment in Queens, NYC at 3 AM when she was attacked by a perpetrator.  Despite screaming for over a half an hour for help, no one responded and came to her aid.  What’s worse:  her attacker, after the initial stabbing, fled the scene when he caught the attention of a neighbor, only to return ten minutes later to finish the assault.

As a result, the bystander effect is also commonly referred to as Genovese Syndrome.

I’ve never really experienced this sort of thing firsthand.  I mean, I witnessed a pretty severe case of road rage a few months ago where I saw one motorist get out his truck to punch another motorist (who cut him off) in the face, only speed off once I ran over to see if they guy who got hit was alright.  Other than that, I’ve never really seen the bystander effect in action.

Well holy shit, this changed this past weekend.

I was a bachelor all of last week – Lisa was away touring Napa and Sonoma Valley with her best friend – and I figured what better way to spend my Saturday night than to go see Prometheus, which I had been anticipating for months on end. Directed by Ridley Scott and presumed to be a sorta/kinda prequel to Alien, I was ready to get my space nerd on.

As is the case most of the time when I go to the movies alone, I sat in the very back row, you know, cause I’m a rebel like that.

Anyways, the movie rocked. It had spaceships, people getting their heads torn off, explosions, and robots. What’s not to love?

With about twenty minutes to go, I see a couple about two rows in front of me get up from their seats, and I just assume they’re leaving. Maybe it wasn’t their bag, or they had a late dinner reservation to get to?

Then, without warning, the gentleman just straight up face plants onto the floor. HARD.  At first I just thought he tripped, but after hearing the woman’s reaction, I figured something a little more serious must have happened.

No one moved. I could see a few people in the same row as them kind of look over to see what was happening, but for the most part, people were more concerned with the big screen than the fact that there was an unconscious human being lying on the floor.

Uh, hello?

I get up from my seat and approach the couple, and the man comes to. He’s bleeding from his eye and mouth (he landed on his glasses), but he was coherent and able to speak. I asked if he was alright, and his girlfriend, clearly distraught, allows me to stabilize his head (I wasn’t sure how hard he hit, or even if he hurt his neck, but I figured it was better to be safe than sorry). I asked the couple’s other friend to go inform the theater staff and to call the EMTs.

Meanwhile I just talked to the guy, asked him questions – his name, whether he was dizzy or thirsty, whether or not he had a history of passing out, or if he thought Charlize Theron was a smoke show in that space suit?

Okay, I didn’t ask that.

The movie didn’t stop. People just kept watching, not blinking an eye. Unbelievable!!!!!

Now, in all fairness, and giving people the benefit of the doubt, it was dark (and loud) and I suspect that the majority of patrons had no clue what was going on.

But I found it strikingly surreal that the people in the same row were just going about their business and not offering to see if there was anything else that needed to be done.

Finally, after 15 minutes, the EMTs arrive, and the manager pauses the movie and turns off the lights. “We have a medical emergency people.”

Yeah, no shit Sherlock.

Long story short, the paramedics carried him away and took him to the hospital. The guy did have a slight history of low blood pressure, and he had passed out before. The woman thanked me, repeatedly, and I said it was no problem at all. I was glad to help.

I’m like Spiderman, ya know. Everyone gets one.

But seriously. Anyone ever experience something that before? Where literally NO ONE responds? It’s weird.

2.  Not that I needed another reason to take Spike – I’m addicted to the stuff – but I needed a little mental boost yesterday to get myself in “the zone” to bang out my presentations for the PTDC Hybrid Strength Seminar coming up this weekend in Toronto

I was like a presentation writing Jedi I tell you.

I was able to get the meat and potatoes down, and now it’s just a matter of organizing the material – adding in a few videos here, a few Jon Goodman jokes there.  You know, the important stuff.

I’ll just take this opportunity to let everyone know that there’s still a few spots left. If you’ve been on the fence about attending, I assure you, you WILL NOT want to miss this.

Both Nick Tumminello and I will be hosting a pre-seminar (the COREssessment) this Saturday, where we discuss assessment and anything and everything as it relates to core training.

And then on Sunday, it’s the main event with presentations from myself, Nick, Jon Goodman, Mark Young, Dan Trink, and Geoff Girvitz……with an expert panel to follow.

It’s definitely shaping up to be one of the “go to” fitness events in Canada this year, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much of a networking opportunity it’s going to be for those who attend. Sure, you’re going to learn a crap ton, but these types of events are always worth the price of admission when you factor in the networks established with other professionals.

3.  I’m thinking about implementing more video blogs (vlogs) into the mix. Truth be told, they’re more efficient from a time saving standpoint, and my fingers take less of beating.

I was just wondering if there were any topics that people wanted to me cover whether they’re more exercise technique based stuff, programming design, shadow puppet shows, anything???

4.  Check out THIS awesome transformation from one of Bret Contreras’ distance coaching clients.  Wow. Truly inspirational stuff.

What I liked most about Ruth’s story was how she goes into detail about how her transformation not only improved her physical well-being, but her emotional and inner well-being as well – especially with regards to her marriage.

Being kind of banged up right now and not being able to train the way I’d like to, has definitely played mind games with me, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little down as a result.

Suffice it to say, it was a breath of fresh air to hear someone speak so candidly on both the physical AND mental attributes that come with taking your health into your own hands.

 

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Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 4/27/12

The Pitfalls of Progressive Overload – Bret Contreras

I love articles that are straight to the point and offer personal perspective from the author. This was a fantastic article by Bret showcasing that you don’t HAVE to go on the “all you can eat” diet in order to get stronger.

“Pick your ideal weight and try to be as strong as possible at that weight”

Words of wisdom from my boy Bret.

If nothing else, read the article to see a picture of Bret when he was fat. Classic (and an awesome way to make a point).

Q and A: How to Write Resistance Training Programs, Part 2: Coaching – Steve Reed

The key word in that title?  COACHING!!!!!!

The only way to get good at something – anything! – is to actually do it. A lot.

Like, all the time.

I’m reading a fantastic book right now called Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success, which, much like it’s predecessors Outliers and Talent is Overrated, hammers the point that PURPOSEFUL practice (10,000 + hours to be exact) is the key to success.

The Beatles didn’t become THE Beatles overnight.  Likewise, Bill Gates certainly didn’t become a kazillion-bajillionaire in a week.  In both scenarios, it came down to unique circumstances, and PRACTICE!

More to the point, in this post Steve notes that the reason he’s able to write such effective programs is because he’s failed numerous times in the past, but consistently continued to PRACTICE writing more of them and then applying them to real people.  In a sense:  he’s learned to coach his ass off, which is something I wish more trainers and coaches would learn to grasp.

Why Women SHOULD Lift Like a Man: Part I – Al Painter

As the titles implies, ladies:  there’s no reason why you can’t train “like a man.”  Here Al does a fantastic job dispelling some of the common myths that women tend to fall prey to:

– You have to do more cardio to burn fat

– Crunches flatten the abs

– You can spot reduce

– It’s impossible to spend less than 30 minutes in the bathroom when getting ready for A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G

Okay, that last one was an LOL added in by me. But nonetheless, the overall message is something that I feel is important to highlight, and needs to spread like wildfire.

Ladies:  it’s okay to lift (heavy) weights and to step away from the Pilates class/not buy those pair of shoes that you can’t afford even though they’re on sale.

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Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Red Meat Scare x2, Fitness Writing, and Food Principles

The Red Meat Scare: What Do We Make of It? – Dr. Jonny Bowden

I’ll admit to two man-crushes:  Matt Damon and Jonny Bowden.  After this post, however, the good doctor might have just taken the  man-crush thing to a whole new level.

In short, there’s this “study” (HEAVY emphasis on the quotations) that came our recently out of Harvard which stated that those who eat red meat will spend eternity in fiery pits of hell…..forced to watch repeat episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

 

Okay,that was a slight exaggeration. But needless to say, this so-called study did not have many nice things to say about red meat.  And, true to form, much of the mainstream media ran with it citing headlines like:  RED MEAT IS GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!

Inevitably, as a health c0nscious individual yourself – and presumably a meat eater (no offense to any vegetarians or vegans reading) – you’re going to hear some backlash from friends, family, and colleagues chastising you for having the audacity to eat red meat.2

Save your breath, and have them read this article from Dr. Bowden.

And, while you’re at it:  have them read THIS article from Adam Bornstein, too.

The Ten Commandments of Strength and Conditioning Writing Practices – Bret Contreras

I was completely floored (and humbled) to be included in such an insightful, honest, and thought provoking post from Bret. Much like Bret, I continue to grow and learn as a fitness professional, but it’s still nice to know that there are plenty of people out there who appreciate my work and don’t think I’m an asshole…..;o)

Thanks Bret

 

Gremlins, Pareto, & Food Principles – Oh My – Steve Troutman

My “Stuff You Should Read” posts are definitely one of the more popular (running) series that I offer here on this site.  And, as such, I do get my fair share of people contacting me to see whether or not I’d be interested in “showcasing” one of their own posts. I’m not going to lie:  much of what’s sent to me is poop.

It isn’t so much that their work is sub par – generally speaking most of the content is on point.  It’s just HOW people contact me that rubs me the wrong way at times.  It’s usually like this:

“Hey….would you be interested in posting one of my articles on your site?  I’ll be your BFF if you do!”

There’s no, “hey Tony, I really like your stuff, been a fan for a while now…..”

or

“You’re the smartest, most attractive man I have ever laid eyes on.  Here’s an article on fish oil……”

None of that. Oftentimes, it’s just someone writing me out of the blue assuming that I’ll be more than happy to send traffic their way.

Now, I’m not suggesting that they need to kiss my ass (okay, maybe a little), but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to demonstrate that you’ve read some of my stuff and know what I’m all about. Articles on the benefits of crunches – which is something someone sent me – won’t fly.

Anyways, Steve contacted me a while ago and came across like a really cool dude. Not only that, it’s obvious (after perusing a lot of his work) that he knows his stuff and is passionate about what he does.  More to the point, the article he sent me – on some common food principles he advocates to his clients – was EXCELLENT!!!!  I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

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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.