CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 4/23/21

Copyright: conneldesign / 123RF Stock Photo

STUFF TO CHECK OUT FIRST

1. Digital Strategic Strength Mentorship 

Luke Worthington and I developed our 6-week digital mentorship last Fall because 1) we felt between the two of us, we had a lot of expertise and insights regarding assessment, program design, coaching, brand building, and business that we could offer to other fitness professionals to help build & grow THEIR businesses, and 2) because there’s a fucking pandemic going on that’s prevented us from doing these sorts of things in person.

(Hopefully soon, though)

Nevertheless, we had a great experience the first go round with a stellar group of fitness pros and we’re excited to open it up again this Spring.

It all begins on April 26th.

Click HERE for more details.

2. Appearance on the Golf Under Par Podcast

Full Disclosure: I have never played a full-round of golf in my life. So you can guess my surprise when I was invited onto Dr. McCullough’s podcast recently. Thankfully, he was more interested in hearing my thoughts on how to train rotational athletes than he was my thoughts on when to choose a 3-wood over a 4-wood.

ANSWER: 3-woods on Thursdays only.

In this episode I discuss why it’s okay to lean into asymmetries, some of my “entry points” to dealing with low back pain, and why there’s no such thing as a “golf specific” program.

Listen via iTunes HERE, Google HERE, and Spotify HERE.

3. CORE @ Home

You can now purchase CORE @ Home for whatever you want to pay.

In all I filmed 36 workouts during quarantine last year 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 $99 (FYI: the latter enters you to win a 5×7 shirtless pic of me), the workouts are ready and available to start.

For more information go HERE.

SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS

Twitter

Instagram

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore)

STUFF TO READ WHILE YOU’RE PRETENDING TO WORK

5 Reasons Every Personal Trainers Needs a Fitness Coach (You Too!) – Joe Dowdell

One of the best investments I have made in myself over the course of the past several years is hiring my own coach to write my training programs.

As I have said repeatedly:

“Coaches need coaches too.”

1. It helps me get out of my own head. The last person I want to write a program for is myself.

2. It forces me to work on my weaknesses and to have an un-biased approach to my training. I mean, I can’t deadlift and perform bicep curls 5x per week, right?

3. And maybe most important of all: It’s a form of continuing education for myself. I love learning new exercises and different ways & approaches to programming.

Cardio and the Bigger Picture – Bryan Krahn

We’ve been programmed to think that cardio is an essential component of a well-rounded fat loss plan, Cardio has myriad of benefits of course…

…but fat loss?

Meh.

Bryan breaks down a more “efficient” way to add cardio into the mix if getting shredded is your goal.

Coaches: You Are the Weird One (Me Too!) – Chris Kershaw

Us coaches tend to forget that we’re the minority.

We actually like exercising, straining, DOMS, rear foot elevated split squats.

Okay, maybe not split squats.

It’s important to remember that for many, liking exercise isn’t normal, and it behooves us as fitness professionals to meet our clients where THEY are…

…by encouraging more positivity and inclusiveness.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 4/20/18

I have to apologize my dear readers, I feel like an abject failure of late.

Not for anything serious like failing to remember my wedding anniversary or for misusing the Oxford comma.1

No, I’m a failure for failing to keep up with writing content for this site of late. I know I shouldn’t beat myself over it – don’t worry, I’m not quite at Da Vinci Code monk flagellation levels yet or anything – but I do feel bad for my recent lack of prose and pithiness.

I’m sure your life will go on.

Nonetheless, I’ve got some blog ideas marinating in my head, and I hope to get them out ASAP.

Lets get to this week’s stuff.

Copyright: wamsler / 123RF Stock Photo

BUT FIRST…CHECK THIS STUFF OUT

1. Even More Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Dates/Locations Announced

Dean Somerset and I are currently in the throes of drumming up new content for our staple workshop series.

We’ve presented this workshop all over the world – London, Vancouver, Oslo, Prague, Boston, LA, Hoth – and even turned it into a popular digital product HERE so everyone can enjoy it.

We’ve already nailed down dates in Slovenia, Houston, and LA this fall (2018) and are also in talks to bring it to Detroit, Philadelphia, Edmonton, Australia, and Singapore in 2019.

If you’re someone who’d like to host this event/participate in a tickle fight please reach out to either Dean or myself.

Also, go HERE if you want to see if we’re coming to your neck of the woods.

2. Strong Body-Strong Mind – Bonn, Germany

My wife and I will be in Bonn, Germany on Saturday, June 30 to put on our 1-day Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop.

I’ll be speaking to assessment, coaching up common strength exercises (squats, deadlifts), and how to better “match” your programs to your client’s abilities and goals.

Lisa will be discussing how to better manage client expectations, motivation, and how to adopt better mindset strategies for success.

And then we’ll have a beer….;o)

Spots are limited and the Early Bird rate is still in effect (but not for long).

For more details (including itinerary and registration) go HERE.

3. 2-Day London Workshop w/ Luke Worthington

^^^ It’s so good we didn’t even feel the need to come up with a witty title for it.

After my workshop in Germany I head over to London to take part in a 2-day event (the weekend of July 7th) with my friend and colleague (and handsomest man alive) Luke Worthington.

This one is filling up fast…..go HERE for more info.

STUFF TO READ WHILE YOU’RE PRETENDING TO WORK

What Are Plyometrics? And How to Use Them – Joe Dowdell

I thoroughly enjoyed Joe’s article I shared last week on power training, and felt this was a nice compliment.

How to Avoid Injury and Maximize Strength By Correcting Rib Flare – Noah Harrison

I had the opportunity to listen to Noah present last weekend up in Kennebunk, ME during the Spurling Spring Seminar.

He was excellent and it prompted me to go seek out more of his stuff.

What Makes a Good Personal Trainer? – Shara Vigeant

Can’t think of anything to add to this list.

Social Media Shenanigans

Twitter

Instagram

I’m a firm believer that most people can’t get enough upper back work in throughout the week. With most of my clients I have them perform some kind of moderate to heavy row variation 2-4x per week. On top of that I’ll also pepper in some additional isometric or scapular stability work just because. Here’s a superb drill I picked up from @smittydiesel I’ll call a Band Reverse Flye Walkout. As you walk back you need to resist the pull of the band, which torches the rhomboids, muscles of posterior cuff, and scap stabilizers. Be careful you don’t “shrug” throughout, you want to keep shoulder blades depressed and together. 118% more effective if you yell “this….is….Sparta” as you perform your set.

A post shared by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 4/13/18

It’s Friday.

Lets get right to it.

Copyright: wamsler / 123RF Stock Photo

BUT FIRST…CHECK THIS STUFF OUT

1. Coaching Competency: DC

Spots are still available for my Coaching Competency workshop in Sterling, VA next weekend.

For $129 you get to hang out with me for seven hours, talk about assessment, program design, deadlifts, and LOLCat memes. This event has been approved for CEUs via the NSCA.

Go HERE for full details.

2. Strong Body-Strong Mind – Bonn, Germany

My wife and I will be in Bonn, Germany on Saturday, June 30 to put on our 1-day Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop.

I’ll be speaking to assessment, coaching up common strength exercises (squats, deadlifts), and how to better “match” your programs to your client’s abilities and goals.

Lisa will be discussing how to better manage client expectations, motivation, and how to adopt better mindset strategies for success.

And then we’ll have a beer….;o)

Spots are limited and the Early Bird rate is still in effect (but not for long).

For more details (including itinerary and registration) go HERE.

3. 2-Day London Workshop w/ Luke Worthington

After my workshop in Germany I head over to London to take part in a 2-day event (the weekend of July 7th) with my friend and colleague (and handsomest man alive) Luke Worthington.

This one is filling up fast…..go HERE for more info.

STUFF TO READ WHILE YOU’RE PRETENDING TO WORK

Complete Culture Blueprint – Pat Rigsby

If you’re someone who works with teams or maybe are in charge of a staff at a gym, or, I don’t know, are part of SEAL Team 6 and just looking for some solid information on how to develop better leadership skills and systems to breed a winning culture you can’t go wrong with Pat Rigsby’s new resource.

Pick it up now for $30 off the regular price.

What Is Power? And How Do I Increase It? – Joe Dowdell

Really, REALLY good article from good friend Joe Dowdell here.

Like, really good.

Strength Training For Women: Setting the Record Straight – Greg Nuckols

I hate Greg for being such an eloquent writer.

I love Greg for always writing such informative, well researched articles though. This is a must read.

Social Media Shenanigans

Twitter

Instagram

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work Uncategorized

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 9/15/17

Sorry I was absent from writing some content this week. It’s a busy two-week window on my end with travel to Chicago this weekend (for the Elite Training & Performance Summit) and next weekend to Toronto to visit friends.

I’ve got a few blog ideas percolating in my brain at the moment, so I should have some fresh content to melt your faces next week. I hope.

Lets get to this week’s list.

Copyright: wamsler / 123RF Stock Photo

CHECK THIS STUFF OUT FIRST

1) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Boston

The Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint is finally coming to Boston. Not “fake” Boston, either, on the outskirts of the North or South shore, and we end up calling it a Boston workshop.

No, this sumbitch is going to be IN Boston, at AMP Fitness located near Government Center in the heart of the city.

This shindig goes down the weekend of November 11th and the early bird rate is currently in effect. Hope to see you there. And by “there” I mean HERE.

2) The One Thing Young Athletes Are Lacking

I wrote this article for STACK a few years ago and they recently re-purposed it on their site. I still stand by everything I say.

Am I allowed to give myself a slow clap?

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work

“Science” and The Barbell Hip Thrust – Doug Kechijian

All I have to say is that it was a breath of fresh air to read an article on the hip thrust that didn’t devolve into a shit-show of platitudes, N=1 summaries, and ad hominem attacks.

Understanding The Shoulder Pain Epidemic in CrossFit Athletes Parts I & II – Dave Tilley

Now if it were me writing this article series all I’d say is:

“Yeah, stop doing kipping pull-ups. Seriously, stop. No. NO! Stop it. Stop.”

But I didn’t write it. Besides Dave goes into much more detail, and it’s excellent.

Peak Perform University – Curated by Joe Dowdell

This weekend is your last chance to get in on the initial launch of Peak Perform University.

It’s a continuing education resource geared towards fitness professionals curated personally by Joe Dowdell, who owned and operated one of the most successful gyms in NYC history, PEAK Performance.

In it you’ll have access to material produced by some of the biggest names in the industry: Pat Davidson, Bill Hartman, Dean Somerset, Perry Nickelston, Joel Jamieson, and yours truly.

You can think of it as an abyss of content: there’s already a hefty database to choose from, and there will be additional, CEU accredited material added month by month.

If you’re a fitness professional looking for an easy and convenient – no travel! – way to expose yourself to some of the top coaches in the industry this is a splendid way to do so.

The best part: you can choose however many courses you’d like to view, there’s no requirement to the number you have to purchase, and you can take however much time you want to view them.

Social Media Shenanigans

Twitter

Instagram

Categoriescontinuing education

Peak Perform University

I remember one of my first trips into NYC was back in 2006. I tagged along with Eric (Cressey) – we were roommates at the time – and Mike Robertson as they were putting on and filming their Building the Efficient Athlete workshop.

The event took place at PEAK Performance which was right smack dab in the middle of Manhattan.

Copyright: Taiga / 123RF Stock Photo

 

There’s a lot about that trip I remember.

  • The Empire State Building
  • The food.
  • Eclectic people.
  • Trying not to destroy the back of my pants riding a taxi.

NYC truly is an amazing place.

However, the thing I remembered most about that trip was the venue itself…PEAK Performance.

Then, located on an unassuming street in an unassuming building, you’d take the elevator up a few floors, the door would open, and….sha-ZAM:

A training and performance mecca.

It was beautiful.

Anything and everything you’d ever want in a training facility was there. And it was all the creation of the owner, Joe Dowdell.

I got to know Joe that weekend, and he struck me as one of the most handsomest men I have ever met knowledgable people I have ever met and someone who had an insatiable appetite for learning.

From then on out every time I visited NYC I’d always make it a point to visit PEAK. In the years afterwards Joe became a good friend and someone I looked towards for both training and career advice.

I mean, he did build one of the most successful gyms in the country from scratch and was a regular contributor to all of the top fitness publications out there; not to mention he authored or co-authored several books and DVD sets.

He even invited me down to speak to his staff and to attend some workshops he was putting on. In fact, here’s a pic of me at PEAK taking part in a round-table amongst some other heavy hitters in the industry: John Romaniello, Kevin Neeld, Jim Smith, Perry Nickelston, and Joe himself:

Me and Kevin were battling for most upright posture in the world apparently.

Long story short: Joe’s one of the most respected guys in the industry and you can rest assured that if his name is attached to anything, it’s of the highest quality.

His new venture, Peak Perform University, is no different.

It’s a continuing education resource geared towards fitness professionals curated personally by Joe himself. In it you’ll have access to material produced by some of the biggest names in the industry: Pat Davidson, Bill Hartman, Dean Somerset, Perry Nickelston, Joel Jamieson, and yours truly.

You can think of it as an abyss of content: there’s already a hefty database to choose from, and there will be additional, CEU accredited material added month by month.

If you’re a fitness professional looking for an easy and convenient – no travel! – way to expose yourself to some of the top coaches in the industry this is a splendid way to do so.2.

The best part: you can choose however many courses you’d like to view, there’s no requirement to the number you have to purchase, and you can take however much time you want to view them.

The initial launch of Peak Perform University starts today and ends Sunday, September 17th at midnight.

—> Get In On the Action Here <—

CategoriesUncategorized

Peak Training and Diet Design Seminar

Just wanted to give everyone a little heads up on a pretty sweet seminar hosted by Peak Performance down in NYC next month featuring both Joe Dowdell and Dr. Mike Roussell.

Coincidentally, this seminar was originally set to go down NEXT weekend, and I was all set to go until my girlfriend reminded me that that was the exact same weekend we were moving in together.  I tried to finagle my way out of it, suggesting that maybe, just maybe, I could convince some of our interns at the facility to help her move her things out in my absence, and then when I returned, I could finish the job.  Problem solved, right?

The piercing laser beams of “you’re kidding me, right?” shooting from her eyes, suggested otherwise.  In the end, I realized my error in judgement, and was bummed that I wasn’t going to be able to attend.

As luck would have it, though, Joe then realized that next weekend is Father’s Day, and both he and Mike decided to postpone the event untl NEXT month – during the weekend of July 9th.  Awesome.

So, with that being said, the Peak Training and Diet Design Seminar is going to be an EPIC event, and I’m pumped to go.  Both Joe and Dr. Mike are two people I highly respect and they’ve gone out of their way to organize an event that will help any fitness professional sharpen their skills with regards to diet and program design.

The event itself is limited to 30 attendees only, so if you’re contemplating going, I recommend you act quickly.  As incentive, from now until tomorrow (June 9th), you can save $100 off the registration price.  After that, the price goes up to $399.

Enough with the jibber-jabber – for a complete rundown of the topics covered as well as more information on the presenters click HERE.  Hope to see you there!

 

 

 

 

 

CategoriesUncategorized

Miscelleaneous Miscellany Monday: “Oh Boy”

So Happy Take Your Girlfriend Out to Dinner Day!  Seemingly, I had everything planned out to a “t” over the weekend – making reservations at a trendy Italian restaurant in the romantic North End district for Sunday night.  The way I saw it, having to make reservations for a Monday night was just going to be a big pain in the ass, so I decided to beat everyone to the punch and celebrate Valentine’s Day last night instead.

Nope.

Rewind to Saturday night:  As it were, one of our clients at CP wanted to take the entire staff (along with significant others) out for dinner – to a steak house no less.  EPICNESS was sure to ensue. 

Everything was going swimmingly well – appetizers were delicious, girlfriend was drinking wine (BOM CHICKA BOM BOM), I hadn’t spilled anything on my shirt, and everyone was just having a great time enjoying each other’s company.

Entrees come, and I get about, I don’t know, six bits in and I just don’t feel too well.  Nothing out of the ordinary – maybe I just a little overzealous with the appetizers ya know?

I’ll spare you the rest of the details, but it went something like this:

Blah blah blah, high fives, blah blah blah, Tony, where are your pants? blah blah blah, no, we’ll pass on dessert, blah blah blah see you on Monday

Lisa and I get in my car to head home.

Luckily I only live like ten minutes from the restaurant, because once we parked in front of my apartment and we were heading inside, I bend over, say something along the lines of “oh boy,” and proceed to blow junks all over the place.   I’m talking Lean on Me, Barf-o-Rama drama.

 And to take it a step further, I pass out – on the sidewalk.  Deadweight.  Down for the count.

I come to about ten seconds later and have no idea what happened.  Of course, Lisa has a “WTF” look on her face and immediately helps me up and walks me into the apartment.   I could go into the gory details, but I’ll spare you the visuals.  Suffice it to say, when all was said and done, I passed out four times on Saturday night and felt like I got ran over by a mack truck all day yesterday. 

Alas, no North End, no Valentine’s Day.   Who says romance is dead?

I’m okay today, though, and am about to head into the facilty to get my lift on. 

2. Speaking of Valentine’s Day, starting today Mike Boyle is offering a pretty awesome deal on Functional Strength Coach 3.0 all week.  First off, you can purchase the product at 25% off.  In addition, he’s also throwing in TWO bonus dvds to sweeten the deal.  For more information, go HERE.

3.  Before the drama over the weekend, I had been spending the past few nights catching up on a bunch of Alan Aragon Research Reviews.  I subscribed to it a loooooooong time ago, and shame on me for not keeping up with it as much as I should have.  If you’re a fitness professional, you’re really doing yourself a disservice if you’re not taking advantage of this service.  I for one hate reading research, and Alan does a superb job at breaking things down and ruffling a few feathers to boot.  Which is to say, he isn’t scared go go against the grain. What’s more, it’s only $10 per month! 

4.  Pretty much the funniest things I’ve watched in a while:

5.  I had to share this as well, because it’s pretty bad-ass.  Donnell Boucher is the strength coach for the Citadel baseball team, and he’s stopped by CP on several occasions to see what we do.  This video was compiled over the Fall of 2010, and shows just how much dedication and effort Donnell has put into the program.  Great job!  Those boys get after it!

6.  And lastly, my good friend, Joe Dowdell, owner of Peak Performance in New York City, did a fantastic interview over on Brad Schoenfeld’s blog that I felt many of you would enjoy reading.  Check it out HERE.  Joe’s a very bright guy, owns a top notch facility, and is one handsome bastard. I pretty much hate him.

Okay, I’m going to attempt to go lift some heavy things now.   Here’s hoping i don’t kill myself.

UPDATE:  I survived.  Put the staff though the first day of Lean Hybrid Muscle and it was a doozy.  I pretty much hate life right now.