CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 8/1/16

Okay, lets cut right to the chase: how badass was Jason Bourne?

Pete Dupuis and I took our wives to go see it on Friday night (you know, cause what says romance more than bare knuckle fist fights and explosions?), and I felt it was a worthy addition to the franchise.

It. Was. Awesome.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, yet[footnote]I need to go watch it three more times. Minimum.[/footnote], but Jason Bourne didn’t have the same feel or pizzaz as both Supremacy and Ultimatum (the other two editions which conjoined Matt Damon with director Paul Greengrass). Maybe it was the lack of character development (I felt Alicia Vikander’s character, Heather Lane, was underutilized) or the close-ups of Tommy Lee Jones’ face (ahhhhhh), but this was probably the weakest of the Damon/Greengrass Bourne movies.

Which is to say: even though it was the weakest, it was still better than all of the recent Bond movies (save for Casino Royale). Besides, who am I kidding: no one goes to see a Bourne movie for esoteric things like character development and cinematography. Stop being so hoity-toity Gentilcore!

Go see Jason Bourne, people. Grade: B+

Oh, and in case you missed it last week:

Announcing a Super Special, Yet-to-be-Named 6-Week Beginner Course at CORE

I’ll be unveiling a new 6-week “beginner” course at my gym, CORE, in the very near future.

Do you live in the Boston area?

Are you looking for a little direction, accountability, and sense of community in your training?

The Initial Deets

1. The course will be six weeks, meeting 2-3x per week in a group setting (~2-4 per class), where the objective is to learn and hammer the basics, enhance movement quality, instill a sense of accountability and intent with training, and set the framework to make you more autonomous.

2. There will also be a nutrition and mindset component. Throughout the six weeks participants will have the option to sit in on presentations and have questions answered from a Registered Dietician as well as an Exercise/Behavior Change Psychologist (Spoiler Alert: the psychologist is my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis).

3. It will serve as a wonderful opportunity to surround yourself with like-minded people and become a part of a community who’s sole purpose is to help increase your general level of badassery.

4. Only 8-12 spots will be made available to start. And I’m not saying this to suggest a false sense of urgency or as a way to lure people in. I’m not kidding, only 8-12 spots will be made available.

5. Attendance subject to spontaneous rap battles.

I’d love to find out if there’s any interest in this sort of program from people in the area. If so, please contact me via the “Contact” tab at the top of the website and I’d be happy to provide more details.

Now on to this week’s list of stuff to read….

What Really Causes Buttwink? – Daniel Mee

This was a very thorough “review” of the butt wink phenomenon via the staff over at StrengthandConditioningResearch.com.

Short Answer: it’s not tight hamstrings.

No, really, it’s not.

What Can a Book About Sprinting Teach Us About Rehabilitation – Doug Kechijian

There’s a trend in rehab (and strength & conditioning) where professionals are reading more and more books that are abstract in nature and have very little (immediate) applicability to their day-to-day responsibilities in dealing with clients, patients, and athletes.

As Doug points out in this article, we tend to gloss over the practical stuff and fail to understand that nothing is new.

The Definitive Guide to Increasing Testosterone Naturally – Stef Muller

10283099 - testosterone chemical structure formula written on blackboard with chalk.

Copyright: maridav / 123RF Stock Photo

Admittedly I’ve only perused the chapter titles and skimmed a few pages here and there, but this looks to be a very thorough and very user-friendly resource on the topic of Testosterone…what it is and how to increase it via diet, training, and lifestyle factors naturally.

If you’re at all interested in body composition, health, and sex…..give this bad boy a whirl.

CategoriesAssessment Exercise Technique Strength Training

How Deep Should I Squat?

Perusing the internet can be comical.  LOLcats, Buzzfeed, and Star Wars parodies aside, where I find the most comedy (or to be more precise, the most chest thumping, blatant lies, and fibbing) are in various training websites and forums.

It seems everyone on the internet – at least in training circles – is either some kind of unknown world-record holder or anonymous StrongMan competitor that no one’s ever heard of.  Some of the numbers tossed out by the likes of PowerPlateJumboJim or DieselJackedGunz101 are astonishing.

Ever notice how many of them claim to bench press 400+ lbs (raw) or can pull 4x bodyweight (for reps) or boast how  “they could have won State if only their high school coach didn’t have it in for them”?

It’s uncanny and makes for some quality entertainment.

In that same vein, it’s also amazing how many people on the internet squat “ass-to-grass.”  For those unaware, the term “ass-to-grass” refers to one’s ability to squat deep or to the point where their butt touches their ankles. Or very close to it.

It’s often deemed the bro-tastic or “right” way to squat.  While admirable, and in some cases an acceptable approach, I don’t agree with this mentality as it flies in the face of every individual’s own goals, needs, abilities, experience, and freakin anatomy.

In my latest article for T-Nation, I discuss the whole notion of “deep squats” and why they may not be a great fit for a large number of the population.  Furthermore, I discuss the “butt wink,” what it is, what causes it (and what doesn’t), and how to resolve it.

It’s basically the greatest article ever written give or take a few billion.  Let me know what you think!

Continue Reading…….

CategoriesUncategorized

2012: The Mayans Were Wrong and the “Best Of” In Blog Posts

2012 is about thiiiis close to coming to a close, and since we’re all still here (HA!….take that Mayans!) I thought I’d use the last day and highlight the ten most popular posts of the past year based off of the total number of visits/hits each received.

It was the best year yet for TonyGentilcore.com, and I can’t thank everyone enough for their continued readership, and more importantly, support.

If I could give every single one of a hug I would.  But not only would that be weird, it’s pretty much impossible.  Nevertheless, please know that I am repeatedly grateful to all of you and here’s hoping that 2013 bring us all happiness, love, and PRs!

 

Fixing the “Tuck Under” When Squatting Parts ONE and TWO

Almost resoundingly, by a few thousand visits, this was a very popular two-part post I wrote on how to fix the tuck under or “butt wink” at the bottom of the squat. I guess people like reading about squats!

All the Hype Behind Kipping Pull-Ups

I don’t know which is more controversial: CrossFit, the so-called “fiscal cliff” we’re about to nose dive off of, Hitler, or the three weeks worth of facial hair that’s currently on my grill (which is a record for me).

In any case, whenever you mention CrossFit, you can bet that the sirens are blasted, and people are going to come out in droves to express their opinion.

Here I take a firm (albeit fair) take as to why I’m not a fan of kipping pull-ups.

Glutes Are the New Biceps

Badonkadonks are where it’s at.  Nuff said.

Box Squats vs. Squat TO Box (Yes, There’s a Difference)

This was a topic of a staff in-service that I did where I discussed some of the (several) intricacies that exist between the box squat and the squat TO box.

As the title suggests, yes, there is a difference.

A Discussion: Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss

The impetus behind this post was an email exchange I had with one of my female clients and a discussion we had on the differences between weight loss and fat loss. It’s a topic I feel many people can glue themselves to because we’ve all been there.

The information and logic provides are sound, but if anything else, what’s most impressive of all is my use of the word  flummoxed.  Seriously, gold star for that one!

5 Coaching Cues:  Deadlift 

I heart deadlifts. So it should come as no surprise that one of the 317 articles (slight exaggeration) I wrote on it should pop up in the top ten. Here I breakdown some common (and uncommon) coaching cues that I often use with my athletes and clients to help improve their technique.

The Perfect Warm-Up?

It’s a rhetorical question, because in the grand scheme of things any warm-up is better than no warm-up at all. Although, if I’m going to be a little biased I think this one is pretty money.

4 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know (Revisted)

I got in a little hot water after posting this article earlier in the year.  You would think, after reading some of the comments I received, that I made a case for why women shouldn’t be allowed to vote!

99% of the people “got” the message:  how the fitness industry panders to women is a complete joke, and there’s a massive double standard: men should lift weight, women should take yoga class.

1% actually hate my guts.  Whatever.

A Girlfriend’s Response 

And wouldn’t you know it, my own girlfriend, Lisa,  came to my rescue like a knight in shining armor.

19 Tips for the Deadlift

I told you really, really like the deadlift.

See you next year!