CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: “GentilSet” or “SomerCore” Workshop?

1. I’ve got some exciting news to report.  No, Matt Damon isn’t reprising his role as Jason Bourne. No, a group of Victoria Secret models haven’t moved into the vacant apartment upstairs.  And no, unfortunately, Justin Bieber hasn’t fallen into a live volcano.

While all of those things would be pretty awesome, what I have to share today could very well tear a hole into the space-time continuum and alter all of human existence.

Slight exaggerations aside, Dean Somerset and I are tentatively planning an East coast/kinda Northwesternish (like way up north, like where it’s only warm like twelve days out of the year north) coast two-day workshop later this summer and fall.

We’re shooting for a two-day workshop here in Boston later this summer (and again, up in Edmonton, Alberta in the fall) where we’ll target personal trainers, coaches, and fitness enthusiasts and open up Pandora’s Box to discussing everything from assessment to corrective exercise to program design. But more importantly our goal is to make this a very hands-on (non-creepy) workshop where we have minimal lecture and place more of a premium on coaching!

In Dean’s words:  “We want people who attend to leave knowing about what we discussed, not just intellectually, but how to put it into action immediately when they return, and with enough competence to not have to refer back to notes while doing so.”

Like I said, we’re still in the initial planning stages but we’re excited as shit.  Read:  pretty excited.  I mean, Dean can’t contain himself!

That said, I’d still love for people to sound 0ff on this and let us know if there’s enough interest?

Due to space we’re going to keep this pretty exclusive and limit it to like 30-35 people.  Some candles, a little Sade playing in the background, some Femoral Acetabular Impingement talk.  Who knows where it will go…..;o)

Seriously though, who’s in?

More details to follow soon.

2.  Some other cool news.  For only the second time since its release, Eric Cressey is placing his flagship program, Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better on sale all this week until THIS Saturday (May 20th) at midnight.

Not that I need to sing its praises or anything, but the program is the bees knees.

I’ve seen with my own eyes countless people transform their bodies and make progress in the gym they never thought possible.  So if you’re still one of the few who have balked at trying it out for yourself, at 48% off the normal price you really have no excuse not give it a whirl.

3. As someone who routinely trumpets the message that women should can the Zumba classes and lift heav(ier) things, I’m always trying to relay top-notch, informative, POSITIVE material to the masses to help convey that same tone.

HERE is a fantastic blog post by Dave Hedges on why there’s really no such thing as a “women specific program.”

Fantastic job Dave!

4. And since I recognize that a fair share of women visit this site on a regular basis, here’s a litte Ryan Gosling for you.

I don’t know about you, but that video cracked me up!

5. And finally, keep your eyes peeled for a future TG original piece on BodyBuilding.com. The higher ups reached out to me last week asking if I’d be interested in contributing some content on a monthly basis, and I jumped at the opportunity.

Of course, my one prerequisite was that I’d be able to discuss the importance of getting stronger and that I wasn’t going to write about pec blasting, bicep pulverizing, or any other broscience shenanigans.

To that end, I just submitted my first article to them last night titled Top 3 Squat Mistakes.

Mistake #1:  What You Think is Proper Depth, Ain’t Even Close…….;o)

CategoriesUncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Get-Ups, Conditioning, and Becoming the Expert

WIth Lisa starting the process of studying for her licensure exam on a nightly basis (she’s currently on the home stretch of her post-doctorate Fellowship), it’s given me the opportunity to catch up on some much needed reading.

Of course, like an asstard I made the mistake of starting season three of The Walking Dead the other day which has totally derailed any semblance of productivity during the past 72 hours of my life. While I’ve gotten some reading in (see below), most of my time has been spent doing nothing but watching zombies getting beheaded, blown up, shot, and otherwise pwned in every way possible.

And it’s been glorious.

I’m trying to place a finger on why it is we as a society are so obsessed with zombies. Much like the teenage vampire phase that’s dominated our pop-culture the past five years (Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, Let Me In*), it seems like zombies are enjoying a fair share of the spotlight as well.

Although the “trend” has been around for a lot longer than people think.  Anyone who hasn’t watched Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead or Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (and the equally impressive, albeit lesser known sequel, 28 Weeks Later starring a pre-Hurt Locker Jeremy Renner) are missing out.

Not to mention we could go waaaaaay back to George Romero’s 1968 classic, Night of the Living Dead, which in many respects was the influence behind Michael Jackson’s seminal 1980’s zombie-fest video Thriller.  Talk about a pop-culture phenomena!

And that’s not it, either.  Right around the corner is Brad Pitt’s long awaited movie, World War Z:

Annnnnnnd, I just destroyed the back of my pants.

That’s going to be awesome!!!!

Whatever it is, I hope the current zombie love-fest doesn’t stop because I’m digging it.

Anyways, you didn’t log on today to talk about zombies.  But if you did, you and I need to hang out more often.  Here’s some stuff to read.

5 Reasons to Love the Turkish Get-Up – Dave Hedges

I’ve been featuring a lot od Dave’s stuff in recent editions of Stuff to Read, and with good reason: the man just makes sense! Like him I won’t sit here and say that the Turkish Get-Up is the end-all/be-all of exercises; it’s not going to make you bulletproof, it (probably) won’t add 100 lbs to your deadlift, and it certainly won’t fix your bed-head (would it hurt to grab a comb by the way, sheesh!).  But there are a bevy of good things that arise from incorporating more get-ups into your life.

Here Dave lists a few which I couldn’t agree more with – especially #2

Conditioning:  You’re Doing It Wrong – Molly Galbraith

The fitness industry is funny – it’s always shifting from one extreme to the other.

1.  One day spinal flexion is okay, the next everyone is shitting a pink dumbbell if someone even mutters the word. For the record:  I used to be one of those people who poo-pood on flexion no matter what, but soon realized that it’s a bit sensationalistic to demonize it entirely.  I mean, it’s part of normal human movement to be able to bend your spine. LOADED flexion is another story entirely.  That’s just dumb.  Stop it.  Stop it right now!  I swear to god I’ll turn this car around!

2. More to the point, back in the 1980’s aerobic training was the flavor of choice.  Everyone was quick to grab their leotard, leggings, and head bands and high-tail it to the next step class faster than Olivia Newtown John could say Lets Get Physical.

Then, somewhere in the mid-90’s, you were given the Scarlet Letter if you were caught running for more than 20 seconds because HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) was the new popular kid in town.  For fat-loss and conditioning, doing more short bursts of work was the key.

While not technically wrong – and definitely a step in the right direction – again, it’s a bit overkill.  It IS still important, even for more explosive based sports like football, track and field, baseball, etc – to have an aerobic base.

In Part One of this article, Molly sheds light on why we shouldn’t turn our backs on aerobic training altogether

Becoming the Expert – Jon Goodman, John Romaniello, Dean Somerset (and Company)

There’s only another few days (till the end of this week, 4/14) to take advantage of the reduced sale price and world wide FREE shipping offer on this superb DVD set.

In a time where becoming a “successful” fitness professional is equal parts knowing your shit and more importantly, being really good at what you do, having an internet presence and possessing the ability to articulate yourself through the written word is climbing the ladder of importance as well.

If you’re a personal trainer or coach and struggling to drum up business or just clueless when it comes to this whole interwebz thing, then this DVD set may be right up your alley.

And did I mentioned there’s free shipping throughout the world?

Note:  there’s free shipping.

* = while this one is good, it’s actually a remake from the 2008 film, Let the Right One In, which I felt was much better.  Just sayin…..

CategoriesUncategorized

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: Core Strength, Should Trainers Assess, and Bench Press Voodoo

You know that feeling when you go on vacation and you come back and go to the gym for the first time and it’s readily apparent that you were on vacation?

Yeah, that was me yesterday after being away for over a week.

In my defense, while we were down in Florida Lisa and I did get plenty of activity in – we walked a TON around Miami and South Beach, made a few cameo appearances at a local commercial gym in her hometown (I was even recognized by a random woman training because I was wearing a Cressey Performance shirt!), and while Lisa went roller blading once or twice, I elected to head to the local park and do some bodyweight training and sprints for good measure.

But to say I did any hardcore training would be a big, fat, lie. Kind of like when someone on the internet claims he squats 500+ lbs for reps.  Ass to grass.  On one leg.

Although I did crush some pec deck chest flies at our friend’s condo gym right before heading out to South Beach, so that counts for something, right?

Nevertheless, it’s great to be back in Boston – despite the massive temperature drop, snow, traffic, complete lack of anything green, and general “Jonny Raincloud” attitude most people have around here this time of year.

Someone please explain to me why do I live in the Northeast again?

On a serious note, I am stoked to be back and I feel rested, relaxed, and ready to tackle a grizzly bear.

But I have an insane amount of work to catch up on – emails, programs, writing, as well as my presentations for next week’s appearance at my Alma Mater, SUNY Cortland.

That said, since I wrote a fairly epic post (in both content and length) on the plane back home yesterday, today I’m just going to offer some good stuff to read.

Enjoy.

Ask Dave: Why Is Core Strength So Important? – Dave Hedges

I felt this was an absolutely fantastic post by Dave on not only the significance of placing a premium on developing core strength, but what the actual FUNCTION of the core is in the first place!

Many people are under the assumption that the core only consists of those washboard abs you see on the cover of Men’s Health or Men’s Fitness every month.  While not entirely wrong, it’s not remotely close to the entire picture and is just the tip of the iceberg.

If nothing else, read this post for Dave’s genius water bottle analogy.  Awesome stuff.

Most Personal Trainers Shouldn’t Do Assessments (How to Collaborate) – Jon Goodman & Mike Reinold

This is a message that I, along with my fellow CP colleagues, are routinely hammering to the masses.  We live a unique bubble where we’re surrounded with a vast network of PTs, manual therapists, chiropractors, athletic trainers, the works.

While I like to think we’re smart dudes, we also understand (and RESPECT) the notion of scope of practice.

We do assessments at Cressey Performance, which is something I feel most (not all) trainers should be doing to some capacity. Whether it’s a the FMS, Assess and Correct, or playing musical chairs, some sort of movement screen or assessment should enter the equation when starting to work with a new client.

Doing so serves as the foundation so that you know what you need to do as a coach to address the needs/imbalances/weaknesses of your client.

The coup de gras, however, is understanding that our roles as personal trainers and strength coaches is not to DIAGNOSE anything. I don’t care how many books you read, how many DVDs you watch, or how many Holiday Inn commercials you watch (I’m not a doctor, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night), if you’re playing the role of physical therapist and you’re not a physical therapist, you’re setting a very dangerous precedent for yourself.

This is where going out of your way to establish a network of other fitness professionals that you can refer out to is crucial.

6 Stronger Bench Exercises – Todd Bumgardner

As someone who likes benching about as much as a Nicholas Sparks novel, I thought this article was bang on. I’m not built to be a good bencher, and I’ve (reluctantly) accepted that fact.  BUT, that doesn’t mean I’m forever going to cower in the corner in the fetal position and avoid benching altogether.

In this article, Todd offers some innovative and straightforward advice on how anyone can bust through their bench pressing rut.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: Intervention, Foam Rolling, and a Return to Kipping Pull-Ups

I’m pretty excited today (and not because my birthday is in two days, hint hint hint). In actuality I have to head to the facility early this morning because one of the people from the Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) who lives in or near the Boston area is stopping by to do a short two and half hour staff in-service for us and it’s going to be awesomesauce.

Eric has been to a few of the modalities and Greg (Robins) recently attended one a few weeks ago, and within the past year or two we’ve implemented a fair amount of the PRI philosophy into the programming of our athletes and clients.

For those not in the know:  much of the dialogue revolves around breathing patterns and helping to engage the diaphragm more effectively.  Admittedly it’s much more involved than that, but at the expense of oversimplifying things, I’ll leave it at that.

Lets just say that there’s a huge likelihood that I’ll only be able to understand and compute 37% of what’s said.  God I hope they bring coloring books!

Note:  I’m not kidding.  If you were to go to one of their actual seminars, because there’s a heavy emphasis on anatomy, they have people use coloring books to help with the learning process.

Just to throw it out there, if they really wanted to take it to the next level they’d somehow incorporate glitter paint and a smoke machine.

Anyways, I’m excited and looking forward to making my brain feel like mush.

In the meantime, here’s some stuff to read to keep you occupied.

Intervention – Dan John

I don’t feel I have to go out of my way to state how much of a fan I am of Dan John.    He’s undoubtedly been a huge influence on my career, and I’ve highlighted pretty much everything he’s ever written on this site.

Intervention is his latest ebook, and helps to breakdown movement and provides step-by-step instructions in the Olympic lifts, powerlifting, mobility, flexibility, kettlebell training & tumbling.

In a sense, it’s an invaluable guide to anyone who coaches people or who’s interested in not sucking in the gym.

 

Foam Rolling Research (so far) – Jon-Erik Kawamoto

This was an excellent article which, surprisingly (I really didn’t know this), shows how there’s been very little research done with regards to the efficacy of foam rolling.  Much of what we know (and recommend) is based solely off anecdotal evidence (which isn’t a bad thing).

Basically at the end of the day, while there should be more research done on the topic (no one really knows how long, how often, and when to do it), I also feel that the “real world” evidence is clear.  I’ve seen with my own eyes people reap the benefits of foam rolling and feel it’s an invaluable tool in the tool box.

Still, I really liked this article in that it took an unbiased viewpoint and laid out what (little) research these is thus far.

Do Not Kip Your Pull-Ups Before Reading This – Dave Hedges

A few weeks ago I wrote a popular post (in the context of it making its rounds around Facebook) titled All the Hype Behind Kipping Pull-Ups, where I expressed my opinion on this controversial exercise.

I’m not going to get into it here (you can click on the link above), but needless to say I’m not a fan.

The impetus for the post was to note that I don’t feel that they’re a good fit for the vast majority of people who perform CrossFit.  It’s one thing if you’re already strong, have a solid training foundation, or have a fair amount of training experience.   There’s a reason why the top CF athletes don’t (generally) hurt themselves (as much).

It’s a walking train wreck otherwise.

As it happens, I’m not the only one who feels the same way.  Strength coach Dave Hedges offers his opinion on why kipping pull-ups probably aren’t the best choice for most (not all) people.

Also note the informative link he provides discussing the overwhelming amount of SLAP tears in the CrossFit community which can be directly linked to the kipping pull-up.

And remember, it my b-day on Friday!  I wear large t-shirts, 10.5 shoes, and I’m pretty sure Alicia Keys just came out with a new album.  Sooooo, yeah,  just sayin…….