CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 12/9/16

Hey guess what?

Only seven more days until Rogue One opens. I’m not excited at all. Nope, not me. No excitement here.

I do have to admit something, though, and it’s not going to win me any nerd cred. In fact, I may lose some.

I’m not going to go see it opening weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A

 

I know, I know…how can I call myself an avid Star Wars fan and not go see it opening weekend? What kind of nerd am I? What’s next? Saying The Hobbit trilogy is better than LoTR? That Pluto is, in fact, a planet? Or that I never thought about how could Superman possibly have sex with Lois Lane and not, you know, kill her?[footnote]Think about it: she would be fucked. And I’m not talking literally.[/footnote]

Here’s the deal: last year when The Force Awakens came out my wife and I practiced a degree of delayed gratification and held off seeing it until Christmas Eve. We treated it as an early Xmas gift to one another and then followed suit with an all-you-can-eat steak dinner at Fogo de Chao.

When you think about it that’s a pretty stellar evening, right? So when we knew Rogue One was coming out around the same time this year we decided it would be nice to repeat it. Because nothing says “Merry Christmas” more than X-Wing vs. AT-ACT Walker battles.

Stuff to Check Out Before You Read Stuff

1. The Complete Guide to Training the Female Athlete

TODAY (12/9) is the last day to save $100 off this awesome product. There’s very little resources out there dedicated solely to developing the (complete) female athlete. Adam Feit and Bobby Smith (along with Mary Kate Feit and Dr. Sharon Wentworth) really do a superb job at breaking down everything from assessments and ACL prevention to developing linear/lateral speed to jump training to strength to power to E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G

It’s professionally filmed and there are also CEUs available to help add a little more value. But honestly, the resource itself is MORE than enough. You’d be crazy not to take advantage of this if you’re a coach who works with female athletes.

Check it out HERE.

2. Manchester By the Sea

 

Lisa and I saw this last weekend and loved it. It’s heartbreaking, but the sprinkling of comedic relief (mostly via interactions between Casey Affleck’s character and his nephew) provide for a well-rounded experience. This is definitely in my top-5 so far this year, and I don’t really see it being nudged out in any way.

If you get the opportunity to see it, I’d highly recommend it.

And now, lets get to this week’s list of stuff to read.

The Sneaky Adductors – Julie Read

This is a little bit of an older post (from this past June), but I came across it this past week and have been impressed with Julie’s work. I can appreciate her sense of humor and writing style.

Her info is spot on, but what’s even more impressive is her art-work. It’s amazing. The cool thing? If you join her newsletter you can get access to all of her prints. I’m going to print them all out, frame them, and put them up in my gym.

Should Personal Trainers Give/Receive Gifts During the Holidays? – Tim Henriques

This was a very thorough breakdown of what can be an awkward or dicey situation for some trainers and coaches out there.

Note to my clients: the answer is yes. Yes, trainers should receive gifts. Especially in the form of beef jerky and/or all expenses paid trips to where ever….;o)

What to Eat During the Holidays: Be Human, Win the Week, & EAT IT ALL – Chris Hitchko

My Yahoo homepage is flooded with stories left and right about how to go about “managing” the holidays with regards to food consumption.

Chris reminds us that restricting yourself isn’t the path to happiness. Eat what you want.

Social Media Highlights

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The latest edition to CORE. A subtle reminder to patrons on bathroom etiquette…?

A photo posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 3/28/14

Before we jump into this week’s list of stuff to read while you’re pretending to work (don’t worry:  I won’t judge.  It’s Friday, after all!), I wanted to let people know that Cressey Performance recently made available a new t-shirt geared towards all the people out there who don’t have a Y chromosome.

<—– I think it’s pretty baller if I do say so myself.

I’d totally wear it.

The t-shirts themselves are made out of 65% polyester, 34% cotton, and 1% dragon tears.

They’re wicked comfortable and will add at least 20 lbs to your deadlift the first time you wear it to the gym.  It’s science.

The only downside is that they run a little small, so you may want to consider ordering one size up. Each shirt is $19.99 plus shipping/handling.  Go HERE to order (link takes you to Eric’s website).

Ask Ann:  How Should I Treat My Sore and Tight Hip Flexor? – Ann Wendel

Some people feel I have a personal vendetta against stretching given I poo-poo on it every so often, and that’s partially true.

I do find there’s a lot of benefit to stretching – particularly when it comes to resetting or establishing better length/tension relationships amongst force couples.

I just feel that many people approach stretching as the end-all-be-all answer, not to mention most do it wrong.

In the case of “tight hip flexors,” more often than not the true culprit isn’t even a hip flexor issue in the first place!  What’s more, for those who proceed to continually stretch their hip flexors like it’s going out of style, as counterintuitive as it sounds, it could be causing more harm than good.

In this excellent blog post, physical therapist Ann Wendel sets the record straight, and hits on a point that I’ve talked about religiously in the past.

Being An Athlete Means More Than Winning Games – Diana Cutaia

This was a “passion piece,” written by a good friend of mine for a local newspaper here in the Boston area.

I felt there were several great messages, but the one that struck me was the notion that training HAS to be revolved around some result.  While this can help, I don’t feel it’s something that’s mandatory.  As Diana notes, what’s wrong with just having fun?

The Vulgar Truth Diet – Chris L. Hitchko

I was sent this book a few months back when the author reached out to me and asked if I’d be willing to check it out.

Admittedly, it took me a while to get to it (the pile of books I have in my office can be considered an occupational hazard), but I finally had a chance to peruse it while I was away on vacation.

What this book is:  a quote-unquote “diet” book.

What this book isn’t: a quote-unquote “diet” book.

Yes this is a diet book, but this isn’t your feel good, warm-and-fuzzy, lets talk about rainbows, kitty kisses, and how carbohydrates are your worst enemy diet book.

This book, while providing a TON of information and insight, doesn’t hold any punches when it comes to telling people what’s up.

The title says it all: There’s vulgarity, it tells you to stop making excuses, and it’s awesome.

As someone who tends to put his own personality in his writing, I could really appreciate how Chris was able to get his message across, yet not “coddle” people.

I understand that there are a million and one different diet books out there to choose from, but this one was a nice change of pace.