CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 10/7/16

The Sox lost last night, so eff it….lets just get into this week’s list of stuff to read.

Copyright: maglara / 123RF Stock Photo
Copyright: maglara / 123RF Stock Photo

Some Stuff to Check Out Before You Read Stuff

1. Last Call: Dean Somerset and I will be in Minneapolis, MN (at Movement Minneapolis) next weekend (Oct 15-16th) for our final Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint workshop in 2016. It’s going to be an awesome, especially since Dean promised to lip sync You Outta Know by Alanis Morissette while discussing hip anteversion. Because, you know, he’s Canadian she’s Canadian, it makes sense.1

Go HERE for more information and to sign-up.

2. CORE (<– that’s my studio in Boston) will be hosting the I Am Not Afraid to Lift (Mindset Edition) workshop featuring Artemis Scantalides and my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis.

Date: Sunday, November 6, 8AM-5PM.

i-am-not-afraid-to-lift

If you’re interested in learning more about kettlebell and bodyweight training, proper technique, programming, as well as how to develop sound mindset strategies to enhance performance, this workshop will be a great use of your time.

This workshop is appropriate for women who lift of all levels, from women who have never lifted weights before, to beginners to advanced lifters. Men have attended too…;O)

Early bird rate ends THIS SUNDAY (10/9) and there are only five spots left. For more information you can click HERE (<– click events tab).

3. For a little change of pace I started Dr. John Rusin’s Functional Hypertrophy Training program this week.

  • OMG I have been so sore all week (but in a good way). Definitely more volume than I’m used to, which is a good thing. It’s been a looooong time since I’ve done something like this. I’m looking forward to the process.
  • I’m learning a lot doing it. I can tell John put a lot of thought into the structure of the program and everything – from exercise selection to exercise order – makes sense and has a purpose.
  • Fuck him for making me so sore.

My plan is to do this program for a minimum of 12 weeks and to detail some of my experiences along the way via social media. If you’d like to jump in on the action go HERE and then use the code TG10 to save a little money off your purchase. Lets get jacked (and commiserate) together…;o)

And now lets get to the stuff to read.

6 Ways to Reduce Shoulder Pain During Squats – Tony Bonvechio

It’s common for many lifters to experience shoulder pain or discomfort when squatting, especially with heavier loads and/or frequency.

In this article CSP coach Tony B breaks down some strategies you can implement or consider to prevent that from happening in the first place.

What Women Should Eat to Build Muscle – Dr. Cassandra Forsythe

Cass hits everything in this article – how much protein to eat, whether or not nutrient timing matters, and attempting to finally putt an end to carbohydrate phobia. And those are just the tip of the iceberg.

Excellent article here.

Certified Weightlifting Performance Coach – Wil Fleming

 

TODAY (Friday, October 7th) is the last day this certification will be open. Wil is one of the best OLY coaches out there and this resource is, hands-down, one of the most thorough (and accessible) of its kind I have come across in a while.

If you’re a coach/personal trainer and looking to take your skill-set to the upper echelons of excellence you can’t go wrong here. And, it’s at a very affordable price.

Don’t miss out, go HERE, and clean up those cleans.

Social Media Highlights

I see many of my colleagues doing this and figured I’d jump in on the action. You know, cause I’m important.

Twitter

Instagram

The 1-Legged RDL is a great exercise, but lends itself to some common errors. Top video showcases a poor looking example. Very little hinging coming from the hips and almost looks as if I’m just lowering the DBs with my arms. Notice, too, how I lose spinal position and bend at my waist. BOTTOM video showcases a proper RDL. Some cues I like: 1) backside stays long. Meaning from head to heel I should stay in a straight line. Here I also like to cue “move your heel away from your head as far as possible.” Another cue that works (mostly for geeks) is “pretend your Han Solo in Episode IV in that scene when him and Luke are in the trash compactor and you need to push the walls away with your head and heel.” 2) The big toe of the moving leg should stay pointed towards the floor the entire time and towards midline of the body. This will help prevent the hips from rotating too much. And 3) the idea is to get the hips to do the work via a hinge pattern. Many people get in the habit of actively using their arms to lower the DBs towards the floor. Instead I like to cue people “soft knee, and the only way the DBs are moving is by you moving BACK into the hip.” The idea is not to lower DBs all the way to the floor. Some people may be able to do so and keep good spine position, but that’s about as rare as a Vegan Centaur. Move via the hip and use your “usable ROM” keeping good form, and over time that may improve. And yes, that’s Madonna playing in the background. So what. #singlelegtraining #rdl #personaltraining #coachingcues #doingshitright

A video posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

CategoriesProduct Review

Gift Ideas For the Fitness Fanatic

Tis the season!

Well, I guess technically the season started a while ago having witnessed the first Christmas themed commercial a few days before Halloween, and thinking to myself, “wow, really?????  This early???”

But alas, like most people, now that we’re well past Thanksgiving and Christmas (or whatever respective holiday you choose to celebrate: Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, He-Man’s b-day) is right around the corner, it’s time to put our game faces on.

As is customary in my family, when everyone’s home for Thanksgiving my mom literally forces us to sit down and make our respective list of gift ideas. In no certain order mine consisted of:

  • World Peace.
  • For Nickleback to never release another album ever again.
  • For my upstairs neighbors to NOT decide that 2AM seems like as good as time as any to reorganize their apartment and move around their furniture.
  • Socks.
  • Red Ryder BB Gun.
  • The Batmobile.

You know, nothing fancy.

In reality, however, my list generally consists of books I want to check out, some DVDs, maybe a few dress shirts, and definitely not socks.

Not everyone is as easy to shop for as me, though.

*cough cough, X-Box, cough cough*

But given this is a fitness site and you’re presumably reading it because you (and those close to you) dig lifting heavy stuff (or making fun of Tracy Anderson), what’s better than to give the gift of fitness, health, and well-being?

Okay, a movie quality Chewbacca mask is right up there too, but that goes without saying.

With that said, the following are some fitness themed gift ideas for the fitness minded individual in your life.  Some are things that I’ve recommended before, but there are a fair number of new ideas as well.

I hope this helps.  And if it doesn’t, you can always go the underwear route.  But that’s kinda lame.

1.  TRX Suspension Trainer 

This is one of those repeat gift ideas, but I find that this is perfect for those who want to get in shape (or do something) yet either don’t have time for the gym or just don’t want to deal with the hassle of dealing with pushy salesmen, shady trainers, crowds, lots of grunting and groaning, and people who wear way too much cologne.

In other words:  everything about a commercial gym.

The TRX is a very versatile piece of equipment that can be used at home or even as a nice alternative to those who do a lot of travelling and can’t always hit the gym.

For those looking to save a little money, however, I also recommend that Jungle Gym.

2. Heart Rate Monitor

Stealing a quote from Joel Jamieson, who’s really brought the whole concept of heart rate variability to the forefront in recent times:

A high quality heart rate monitor will help you get the most out of your conditioning work because it can help keep your heart rate in the right training ranges while also providing invaluable feedback so you can determine if your program is working the way it should be or not. Without this sort of objective feedback and information, a lot of your training becomes nothing more than guesswork.

Where I find the most value in using a heart rate monitor is managing your rest intervals during circuit training.

Using predetermined work:rest ratios is fine – and a great starting point for most individuals – but may be detrimental for some in that it can be either too aggressive or not enough.

With regards to the former point, some people take longer to recover when performing high intensity training.  An effective approach is to let your heart rate return to 130-140bpm before repeating an interval. This helps make sure you’ve recovered enough and are ready to push yourself to the max.

Conversely, some people recover faster than others, and if this is the case, you’re doing yourself a major disservice if you stick to preordained work:rest ratios.

Using a heart monitor takes the guess work out and allows people the luxury of optimizing their training.

I actually got one for Lisa for her Birthday not too long ago and she loves it!

NOTE:  I’m indifferent as far as which one to use:  the one that wraps around your chest, or the one that wraps around your forearm/wrist.  I guess it just comes down ti personal preference.  I don’t know if one is more effective than the other.  Maybe someone else can chime in?

3.  150 Healthiest Foods on Earth

Speaking of Lisa, I bought this book for her three Christmases ago, and it’s arguably still the best present I’ve ever got her.

To this day it’s not uncommon for either of us to reference the book for new food ideas or to serve as a refresher as to why grass fed beef is a better option or what it is about curcumin that makes it so healthy.

In all honestly, the entire book is chock full of nutritional information.

Likewise, I believe she and I have given this book as a gift for family members or friends no less than five times, and it’s always been a huge hit.

4. REPboards

So you’re at the gym and your program calls for board presses.  It’s already a pain in the ass enough to ask some random person to offer a handoff (which is an art in of itself), let alone to ask yet another person to come along and hold the boards in place.

If you train at a powerlifting gym it’s one thing – it’s part of the regular rigmarole and scheme of things to spot one another and to be “board bitch” on occasion.

At a commercial gym, though, things can get dicey.

Sure you can use your own boards and place them underneath your shirt and hope they stay in place, or you can even use a mini-band and wrap that around them, but nothing is guaranteed and it’s often a cumbersome cluster****.

A few weeks ago I was sent a complimentary set of REPboards to try out, and gave them a go.

They’re a handy little tool that takes all the cumbersomeness (is that a word????) out of the picture and allows one to utilize 1,2,3, and 4 board presses without all the fanfare.

Personally I don’t have a lot of need for them given where I train, but for those who don’t have the luxury of a training crew, these are a great alternative.

5. The Dark Knight Rises

Granted this has absolutely nothing to do with fitness, but it’s Batman, and Batman is awesome.

Actually Tom Hardy (who plays Bane) is pretty diesel in this movie, and Anne Hathaway (who plays Catwoman) is pretty flexible and stuff (and kicks several people in the face), so it does have a slightly fitness feel to it.

What’s more important is that your boyfriend already has the first two movies in the trilogy (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) in his DVD collection, so you might as well do him a favor and complete the collection.

DO IT!!!!!!

6. Show and Go

Written by my good friend (and business partner, Eric Cressey), Show and Go is a comprehensive FOUR-MONTH training program that’s about as close as you can get to training at Cressey Performance without actually stepping through the doors.

Rather than wasting $597 (or however much it costs to buy “x” number of sessions with your local schmocal personal trainer), why not spend infinitely less and actually get your loved one a program that will actually yield results?

Note:  Show and Go is definitely geared towards the more intermediate/advanced trainee, so I wouldn’t look into this product for someone who doesn’t have a lot of experience under the bar.  In that case, hiring a personal trainer – if that’s the avenue you were going to take anyways – to show them the ropes would be the right path to take.

7. Post Rehab Essentials

For the more nerdtastic fitness enthusiasts in your life (those who want to geek out on anatomy, assessment, corrective exercise, programming, Dean Somserset’s sultry voice), I can’t recommend this one enough.

I really feel this is a “must-have” product that any coach or trainer should have in their fitness library – especially if they’re someone who works with a lot of banged up clients (which basically means everyone).

In fact I used many of the tests and exercises Dean discusses as part of my own rehab a few months ago when I was dealing with some lower back funkiness.

Dean talked me through a few months of programming and I was back to tip top shape in no time flat.

8. New Rules of Lifting (Series)

I’ve mentioned this in the past, but I can’t thank Lou Schuler, Alwyn Cosgrove, and by extension, Cassandra Forsythe (who helped pen the female version) enough for writing these books, as they have saved my fingers from doing a lot of typing.

In a time where people are inundated with an avalanche of information when it comes to fitness, and seemingly more confused than ever, this series is the one that I ALWAYS divert people towards for information that they NEED to hear as well as to help set them on the right path towards success.

The New Rules of Lifting

The New  Rules of Lifting for Women

The New Rules of Lifting for Abs

The New Rules of Lifting for Life

And that’s about it.  I know I could probably list a few more books, gadgets (and movies), but I know people are probably stressed tot he gills and don’t need more lists to read or check off.  Hope I was able to help somewhat.

Happy shopping/Don’t kill anyone.

 

CategoriesUncategorized

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 5/2/2011

1.  To start, all I can say is holy to the shit.  I opened up my laptop this morning to see the words Osama Bin Laden is dead splattered all over my Yahoo homepage.  Wow.  I don’t even know what to say now other than thank you to all of the men and women who continue to risk their lives overseas on a daily basis.

Yet, can you even imagine what it’s like to be the Navy Seal who’s bullet killed Bin Laden?  I’m calling Pulitzer, Nobel, Grammy, Emmy, Best Actor, or any other prize you can think of – he wins them all!

And, while I know there are some people out there who are going to be a Debbie Downer about this, and try to remind people that Bin Laden was supported by the US Government back in the 80s and 90s (like some guy I saw do on Facebook this morning) – please, don’t be an a-hole.  Seriously.

To that end, I think this song is fitting given the situation (FYI:  turn your speakers down if you’re at work.)

2.  I’ve been making some cameo appearances in and around the interwebz recently – apparently, some people feel I have important things to say!

First up, we have my first article on LIVEstrong.com – The Best Exercises You’re Not Doing.  As I mentoned a few weeks ago, I’m going to be doing more writing for Livestrong, so this one should be the first of plenty more to come.  Nonetheless, check it out, and be sure to leave a comment if you found it useful!

Secondly, Steve Shaw and the crew over at www.muscleandstrength.com asked if they could re-print some of my old(er) posts from my blog, which I think is cool given that it will expose more people outside of my target audience to my stuff – which is never a bad thing.

While this may be a refresher for some of you reading, for those who haven’t, How Chin-Ups/Pull-Ups Can Help Your Bench Press might be right up your alley.

3.  I saw this last week over at elitefts.com and thought it was one of the more badass videos I have watched in a long time.

Prove the Impossible

I don’t know about you, but watching that fires me up.  I think I’m going to go deadlift a car now.

4.  A few weeks ago, Mike Robertson sent us a copy of his Bulletproof Knees and Back Seminar that he did in Vancouver late last year.  The dvd set has been making its rounds amongst the CP staff, and I was finally able to get my hands on it this past weekend.  While I still have a ways to go in terms of actually finishing it, all I have to say is that Mike has yet again hit another home-run.

I’m always impressed at how awesome Mike is as a public speaker, and how effortlessly he’s able to take complex material and “dumb” it down for the lay population to understand.  And, given that 80% of the population at some point or another will suffer from low back pain (not to mention the knees are right up there, too!), this dvd set would be a welcome addition for any fitness professional – or casual fitness enthusiast for that matter.

Really, though, I don’t have to say much.  Mike’s reputation as a standup guy, and as someone who consistently puts out quality products, speaks for itself.  I’d argue that this one is his best yet!

5.  Speaking of other people I know who are extremely smart:  my good friend, Cassandra Forsythe, recently wrote a fantastic article on the artificial sweetner Stevia.  Given the recent hooplah (and rightfully so) over the efficacy of artificial sweetners, and whether or not the health concerns are warranted (they are), I thought this was a nice piece that helped weed through the science and the fiction.

6.  NERD ALERT:  it was brought to my attention that director Peter Jackson will be updating a video blog as he films parts I and II of The Hobbit, which are slated for 2012 and 2013 releases.  The first installment can be seen here.

You’re welcome.