1. You can now purchase CORE @ Home for whatever it is you want to pay.
During quarantine I started a platform where I’d deliver 20-40 minute workouts that could be performed in everyone’s living room using minimal equipment.
In all I curated 36 workouts using nothing but bodyweight, bands, and kettlebells and/or dumbbells. With many people still reticent to head back to their regular gyms (not to mention the scarcity of gym equipment out there to purchase) I figured this would be a nice opportunity to help.
Whether you want to spend $1 or $100, the workouts are ready and available to start.
I just dig anything and everything Smitty puts out there and he’s always striving to make the industry better. This is one of the most comprehensive programs that will help you make progress in the gym while keeping your joints from hating you.
Ageless Athlete 3.0 is on SALE through this weekend.
For starters, I can tell you without hesitation that in my 15+ years working with athletes, general population, and the occasional wizard, it’s a rare find when someone shows up on Day #1 and can impress me with their push-up prowess.
Most of the time I end up watching something like this:
Which makes me do stuff like this:
SIDE NOTE: This is also how I react when my wife tells me to make the bed in the morning.
Suffice it to say, the push-up – or rather, someone’s ability to do one without making me go batshit crazy – provides me with a lot of information.
Sure, it gives insight on their upper body strength. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg and not really what I’m after. More importantly it provides valuable data with regards to someone’s lumbo-pelvic-hip control/stability and their ability to 1) maintain a good position and 2) to do so once motion comes into play and fatigue sets in.
Secondly, I’m a firm believer that push-ups are one of the keys to healthy shoulders. On one end of the spectrum it’s standard procedure to cue trainees to lock the shoulder blades in place – retract and depress – during basic strength movements like the bench press, squat, and deadlift.[footnote]Although, with the latter, it’s not so much about retracting the shoulder blades as it is “setting” them in place.[/footnote]
In short: In order to “protect” the shoulder and to move appreciable weight you have to be dialed in with scapulae positioning.
And on the other end of the spectrum we take everything I just said and toss it out the window.
Unlike the bench press, push-ups are a closed-chain movement (hands don’t move).
As much time as we spend cuing people to “glue” the shoulder blades in place – especially during bench pressing variations – it’s equally as vital to allow them to experience moving around the ribcage (protraction) and gaining access to their full range of motion.
That’s what the shoulder blades are designed to do….
…to move.
I have a simple approach with most of my lifters:
1. Lock those fuckers down when lifting heavy things.
2. However, do your push-ups. Those shoulder blades need to move.
To that end, one of the other advantages of push-ups is that they can be done anywhere and there’s no shortage of iterations to regress or progress them according to someone’s ability level.
Here’s a variation I think will pique some interest.
What Does It Do? – Here I take away a base of support (an arm) and try to hold a 3-point position without allowing my torso or hips to rotate.
This is a killer core/rotary challenge.
Key Coaching Cues – I’m gonna throw myself under the bus a little and say I should have held my elbow tap a tad longer in the video above. I rush things in an effort to get in a more stable position and not make out with the floor.
The idea here is to keep a controlled tempo.
No rushing.
Slowing things down is paramount to the effectiveness of this exercise.
Any sort of mild elevation will work here: an aerobics stepper, the bar set at the lowest position on a Smith Machine, a medicine ball (if you really want to up the ante), or anything similar.
Feel free to alternate which hand comes off the ground.
The past few days have been full of information on my end. Cressey Performance has been playing host to the Cressey Performance Elite Baseball Mentorship for the past three days, and it’s been unbelievable the amount of knowledge bombs Eric Cressey, Eric Schoenberg, and Matt Blake have been sharing with the over 30 people who have travelled from all over the country – New England, New York, Texas, Seattle, to name a few – to attend.
Sunday was entirely lecture based where the crew discussed much of the lame status quo in the baseball community regarding its often archaic through process with regards to “arm care” and how to train baseball players in general.
In short: the system is broken what with teams “accepting” that injury is just part of the process. One stat that really jumped out at me was the fact that injuries in 2011 cost clubs $487 million – or about $16 million PER TEAM – in lost revenue.
Sadly, teams are more prone to spend exorbitant amounts of benjamins on facilities, equipment, and the like, yet skimp out when it comes to spending any amount of money on proper, up-to-date, and relavent rehab. Or even more proactive, preventative measures for that matter.
Too, the crew spent a lot of time discussing common injuries (and their mechanisms) on Sunday. One line that I absolutely LOVED was when Eric Schoenberg noted:
If you throw with JUST your arm, than do an “arm care” program!
Essentially, Eric noted that if you’re only working on a “shoulder/arm care” program, you’re missing the whole picture. It’s a garbage term.
Take for example that anterior core drills can actually be considered an “arm care” program. I mean, if one lacks appropriate core stiffness to elevate their arms over their head (which is kind of important for a baseball player to do), and their lats are stiffer than a 2×4, what’s the likelihood their shoulder is going to flip them the middle finger at some point?
Some food for thought, no?
In addition, program design and strength training considerations were discussed. Like how one would go about managing a strength training program for a pitcher who’s “lax” as opposed to one who’s “stiff.”
And, Matt Blake spent a fair amount of time breaking down pitching mechanics and what he often looks for when tweaking guys’ deliveries.
In short, after attending on Sunday (and Monday where assessment and corrective exercise was heavily discussed) I’m pretty sure if I was at a carnival and walked past one of those “fast pitch” thingamajigs, I’d sit 90MPH, easy.
Needless to say there was a crap ton (ie: a lot) of information shared, and I definitely have a few posts lined up in my head that I write up which I think many of you will enjoy and find beneficial (even if your goal isn’t to throw a 12-6 curveball and make a batter destroy the back of his pants).
Okay, with that out of the way, lets get to this week’s list of Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work:
Since it’s now officially 2013, and many people are hightailing it to their respective local gyms in droves, I figured it was fitting to point people in the direction of a brand spankin new book that I, along with many of my fitness industry friends – Adam Bornstein, Mike Robertson, John Romaniello, James Smith, Chris Mohr, Nick Tumminello, and many others contributed to.
If you want abs, this is your ticket.
And even if you don’t want abs (or you already have them), this book is chock full of ideas and insights to help you get in the best shape possible.
This was an absolute gem written by Smitty (as if that’s any surprise). I particularly like tip #3: Not Everyone Can Be a Powerlifter. Or, for that matter, should train like one.
And that’s this week’s list.
On that note, please feel free to share or send me any articles or links to articles you like! I’m always looking for new material to read, and could always use some new “ammo” for this series. Either share them below to shoot me an email.
Traveling to other facilities to see what various coaches are doing with their clients and athletes, as well as using that time to simply sit back, observe, and really absorb the knowledge that others have to offer is an invaluable use of time that far too many fitness professionals don’t exploit nearly enough.
As is the case from last week, I spoke about the warm-up – albeit briefly – that Smitty took Lisa and I through that really opened up my eyes as to how “archaic” my approach to warming up has been for the past few years.
Now, not to throw myself under the bus entirely, the warm-ups that we use at Cressey Performance do serve a purpose, and are without question a step above what most trainees encounter at their local globo-gym where doing a few hamstring stretches coupled with some arm circles is considered a “warm-up.”
That’s just lame, and woefully inefficient.
I mean, the whole purpose of a warm-up is to:
1. Help increase core temperature.
2. Help stimulate the central nervous system (CNS), and in turn better prepare you for the more dynamic nature of the training demands placed upon the body during your training session.
3. Improve tissue quality and target those areas of the body that tend to be “problematic.” For most reading this would entail: weak glutes, poor ankle dorsiflexion, hips that are stiffer than a steel beam, poor thoracic mobility, atrocious pec length, overactive upper traps, and a very weak anterior core, to name a few.
4. Improve tissue length/extensibility.
5. Provide ample opportunity to scope out the hot chicks. Obviously.
Too, and this is something that’s been on my mind lately: the warm-up should be fun. I mean, when you think about it, the warm-up sets the tone for the rest of the session. Training, for 90% of the people reading, 90% of the time, should be fun (and practical). It should be specific to your goals, of course, but it should also get you excited to the point where come 2 o’clock, all you can think about is how you’re going to make people destroy the back of their pants when you crush your deadlifts later on in the day at the gym.
There’s a time a place to put your game face on, and get after it (1RM attempts come to mind), but for all intents and purposes, if training is fun and is something you look forward to, you’re more prone to stick with it.
Raise your hand if actually look forward to warming up.
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
In much the same way, the warm-up should follow the same parameters as your training. It needs to serve a purpose, and there should be some semblance of individualization involved, but concurrently, it should also be fun.
As I noted above, this is where I feel I could step up my game a bit, as I feel many of the warm-ups I program are very “robotic” in nature.
Quadruped Extensions-Rotations
High Knee Walks
Reverse Lunge with Posterolateral Reach
Scapular Wall Slides
Put your left foot in, take your left foot out, do the Hokie Pokie, and turn yourself around………blahblidy blah blah.Boooooooooooooooring.
Sure it gets the job done, but the example above can be very uninspiring and feel more like a chore – kind of like doing the laundry – than anything else.
Which is why I LOVED the warm-up that Smitty had us do a few weeks ago, which had more of a “fluid” flow to it. Rather than do one drill for “x” number of reps, and then moving to the other, Smitty prefers to COMBINE exercises and provide a little more value for your warm-up buck.
Not only does his approach still address many of the weaknesses and imbalances that most people possess, but it also takes a bit of the monotony out of the equation.
For example, lets take a look at the Inchworm Complex:
What Is It: I just told you what it was – the Inchworm Complex. GOSH!
What Does It Do: holey moley where do I begin? This badboy works a lot of stuff:
Serratus activation
Anterior core activation
Hamstring length
Ankle dorsiflexion
T-Spine mobility (specifically, extension)
Scapular mobility
Chin tuckification (meaning, one should tuck their chin, and therefore maintain more of a neutral spinal position throughout).
And I’m sure I neglecting to name a few more benefits
As you can see, this one drill combines several exercises which helps to target a lot of stuff at once, but is also shortens the warm-up time (perfect for those in a rush).
Key Coaching Cues: try to have as little movement as possible in the torso. If you have to, use a wide(er) stance to maintain more of a neutral spinal position (although, a teeny tiny bit of spinal flexion isn’t the end of the world……relax!). Also of note, I’d be reticent to use this exercise first thing in the morning when the spinal column is fully “hydrated.” Doing so many compromise the spine and cause an ouchie.
Taking it a step further, we can add another element into the mix and perform the Inchworm Complex Plus.
Here we take all the benefits from above and add in some hip flexor/adductor length, in addition to some more thoracic spine mobility.
The possibilities are endless, really.
Try them out today, and let me know what you think.
I do want to stress that it’s still important to master the basics first, and that drills like the ones above aren’t what I would advocate for people who have the movement quality of a snail. Having said that, I really feel taking more of a “progressive” approach to warming-up is exactly the kick in the ass most people need to make it a little more palatable to do.
One of the coolest parts about my job – other than all the free t-shirts – is the fact that I have the opportunity to meet a lot of smart and really amazing people in the industry.
As an example, I remember way back in 2006 when I had just started getting my name out there (I had like two or three articles on t-nation.com), I met Dr. John Berardi for the first time in person. He had come to Boston to do a presentation on his G-Flux System, and Eric and I were “hosting” him during his stay.
Having read most of his books and articles up until that point, and looking up to him as someone whom I greatly respected, you could say that I had a little bit of a man-crush on the good doc.
When he arrived at the gym where he was presenting, I felt like a school girl at an N’Sync concert. Weak kneed and with brown paper bag in hand, I feebly approached him and introduced myself.
Me: Hey John, it’s really great to meet you, I’m Tony Gentilcore.
JB: Oh, hey Tony! Nice to finally meet you. I’ve read some of your stuff.
Me (hyperventalating): Uh, I like turtles.
What the what!!?!?!?! He knew who I was!?! And, he read some of my stuff! This is amazing! OMG, do I have something in my teeth?? I’m going to be so embarrassed if I have something on my teeth. Deep breaths, Tony. Deep breaths.
Okay, it didn’t really go like that, but suffice it to say, at the time, it was kind of a big deal for me.
That same weekend, coincidentally, I met another dude for the first time, Jim “Smitty” Smith.
Many of you who read this blog on a regular basis will know Smitty very well. He’s the author of Accelerated Muscular Development, AMPED Warm-Up, has been featured in numerous publications like Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Livestrong.com (to name a few), and he runs a very successful blog himself, www.dieselsc.com.
Throughout the years, Smitty and I have exchanged emails and even bumped into one another at various seminars and symposiums, always talking shop and exchanging ideas along the way. He’s a really bright guy, and unlike me, developed an un-canny ability to look at things from outside of the box. I swear if there was a strength coach version of MacGyver, Smitty would be it.
This past summer, Smitty and I both attended the Peak Diet and Training Summit, and I came to find out that the gym where he trains is literally like a 45 minute drive from my hometown in central New York. For some reason, in all the years that we’ve known each other, I didn’t realize that. Then again, I don’t remember what I had last night for dinner, so he could have very well told me several times, but it went through one ear and out the other.
I told him that the next time I’m home visiting family, I’d try to make a cameo appearance to get a lift in.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, while visiting my old stomping grounds during Thanksgiving, Lisa and I took a trip to Horseheads, NY to visit Smitty. Yes, you read that correctly – Horseheads, NY. Where I’m from, towns have weird names. For those wondering, it’s about five miles east of Goatsvagina, NY.
The facility (Elmira Fitness Center) is HUGE!!!! The building itself is a renovated grocery store of some sort, and they took half of it and made it into a gymnastics club – which is where Lisa and I walked in and met Smitty with his crew warming up.
Cue the Wu-Tang, and we were ready to go. Smitty led the group, taking us through more of a hybrid, fluid-based warm-up – where movements weren’t quit as “robotic,” but instead melded into one another. It was a definitely a nice change of pace and something that I’m going to start incorporating more into my programming (see AMPED Warm-up, above).
Adding onto that, all the jumping, rolling around that was included (on the spring board loaded floor, mind you), and I have to say it was one of the best warm-ups I’ve ever been through.
From here, I’m just going to have the videos do the talking. All I’ll add is that it was an awesome experience, and Smitty did a superb job of getting me outside of my comfort zone. He coached the shit out of myself and Lisa, and at the end, Lisa looked at me and said, “babe, that was the most fun I’ve had training in a loooooooong time.”
Can’t say that I disagreed with her. Thanks Smitty for letting us stop by, and for an amazing experience!
Diesel Row
Here, Smitty combined three movements (inverted rows/pull-up/glute activation) into one.
Softball Pull-Ups (AKA: Smitty Ball Pull-Ups)
Here’s a more challenging variation of pull-ups using softballs as handles. Brutal!
Bamboo Stick Press
To make the stick, Smitty used two PVC pipes. From there, all you do is attach a kettlebell on each end (or a light weight plate) and press away. This is a fantastic drill to help build shoulder stabilization and to get the rotator cuff to fire in a more functional manner. Smitty likes to use this as a pre-cursor to regular benching – oftentimes telling his guys to get “x” number of reps in prior to their bench session.
As you can tell from the video, I kinda sucked at it the first time through – but around the 3rd set I started getting my groove.
Macebell
Indian clubs have grown in popularity in recent months as a way to build shoulder mobility and core strength. So of course, Smitty being Smitty, he took it a step (or seventeen) further and decided to attach a f***ing bowling ball at the end of a stick.
Yeah, that sucked!
To end the session, Smitty took me through the Diesel Man Maker – the name says it all. I thought it was going to involve chopping down a tree or something……….but I was wrong.
The video is still uploading on Youtube, so I’ll have to wait to post it later on today. Check back again when you’re bored. Until then……….
UPDATE: see video below
ALSO: Today is your last chance to purchase Dean Somerset’s Post Rehab Essentials at the discounted $60 off the regular price. Dean went out of his way to provide a really solid product that will undoubtedly help a lot of trainers out there become better at their craft and learn to program around almost any injury they’ll come across in a commercial gym setting.
After midnight, though, the price goes up – so take advantage now while you can! Tick, tick, tick…….
