Categoriespersonal training Program Design

The Ultimate 5-Step Guide to Progressing a Client Workout

Last week I received an email from Jon Goodman. At first I thought he was going to extend an invite to me to come up to Toronto for a weekend of watching Jean Claude van Damme movies.

But that wasn’t the case.

Fingers crossed for next time.

Nope, instead Jon was curious if I’d be interested in him writing an article for my site highlighting his new & nifty (and FREE) program writing software for coaches.

Uh, hell yes!

Jon is notorious (in a good way) at giving away stuff that he could easily charge good money for. Not only that, there aren’t many people who have had as much positive influence on the industry as Jon…he continuously brings the tide up for everyone.

Check it out.

Copyright: dolgachov

The Ultimate 5-Step Guide to Progressing a Client Workout

Note From TG: Before I defer to Jon, let’s begin with this: It’s NOT by spotting someone like what’s pictured above. OMG this is one of my biggest gym pet peeves. Well that, and people who refuse to share equipment.1 I don’t know who the person is that gives the okay or thumbs up on all these registered images showcasing a trainer spotting their client this way, but they need to be fired. There’s got to be room in the National Defense Budget to fix this travesty, no?

Workout programs often last a month.

Then, a coach ‘changes it up’ for no reason other than it’s been four weeks.

This is wrong.

My programs don’t start and stop: They evolve.

Every four weeks I’ll review, assess, and adjust the program.

The goal’s to balance fun and progressive overload.

This article shares how I think about progressing workouts.

This is a picture of me in workout attire. I felt like one belonged here but have basically zero pictures of me training. So, here’s one of the few I have. It’s old. K, moving on.

Four-Week Program Assessments Are Based on 5 Questions:

  1. Exercise flow: Did anything not work?
  2. Stalling: Is anything important not progressing?
  3. Limitations: Is anything outside of our control affecting programming?
  4. Boredom: Is the client bored or do they hate anything?
  5. Moving forward: How should I progress the program for next month?

Next, I’ll show ya how I use these questions to evolve my own program.

My goal’s hypertrophy.

The program I’m doing three different workouts repeated twice a week for four weeks (24 total workouts).

The split:

  • Legs / shoulders
  • Chest / back
  • Arms / core

Let’s dig in:

To start, I’ll pull up my list of completed workouts using my free software for personal trainers, QuickCoach.Fit.

1. Exercise flow: Did anything not work?

BB Romanian Deadlifts (RDL’s) are performed on day 1. This thrashes my hamstrings.

Then, on day 2, I perform BB bent-over rows.

While I didn’t get hurt, the idea of loading heavy BB bent-over rows with sore hamstrings isn’t ideal.

The goal’s back training, not core stability.

With that in mind, I’ll switch the BB bent-over rows for a bench-supported DB row moving forward.

My previous plan (with bent over bb rows)    

Notice that the sets, reps, and all other variables (I use RPE) stay the same. When evolving a program, things like exercise selection / grip often change but stuff like sets, reps, order, tempo, etc. don’t.

Beyond that, the flow was good.

Moving on . . .

2. Stalling: Is anything important not progressing?

For each program, there’s 2-3 exercises I monitor progress on.

They’re usually representative large multi-joint movements.

I’m currently basing progression on two exercises:

  1. Incline BB Bench Press
  2. BB Romanian Deadlift

To check up on progress, I’ll pop open the Past Performance tab in QuickCoach:

I’ll then search for the exercise I want (BB Bench Press), and click on it to view performance.

Based on this it looks like progress is stalled.

But I also know that I was coming back from a layoff to begin this program so pushed the weights up quickly to start.

With that in mind, I’m not going to change anything for this phase.

The other key exercise in my routine was the BB Romanian Deadlift.

I’m also happy with the progress and will keep it in the program.

Four weeks isn’t a long time with fitness.

Changing it up too quickly is a mistake.

3. Limitations: Is anything outside of our control affecting programming?

With a 5-month year old baby, my time’s stretched.

To save time, I’m training at the community center around the corner.

A downside is that the DB’s max out at 55lbs––not heavy enough for conventional pressing. (#humblebrag)

Instead of a DB press, I’ll do higher-rep alternating DB presses to increase time under tension.

It’s not ideal but it’s necessary.

The right plan for a client should fit their life at that time, even if it’s not the Capital B-Best exercise.

Sub it in, and let’s move on…

4. Boredom: Is the client bored or do they hate anything?

As a trainer, your client is your boss.

Changing a workout because you’re bored isn’t OK.

Changing it because they’re bored is.

That, and sometimes client’s just hate certain things.

There’s usually a change you can make that’s just as good for the client’s goals that they hate less.

Here’s a few things I didn’t like in my previous training phase:

  • Cable ab crunches feel weird. So I replaced them with ab wheel rollouts.
  • Russian twists drag on for me. So I replaced them with side planks.
  • I switched cables for DB’s for chest flyes as noted in a comment I had sent to myself early on in the previous program.

5. Moving forward: How should I progress the program for next month?

I’m following a four week undulating periodization plan.

Week one is a deload. Then volume increases followed by intensity ramp up.

  • Week 1 I’ll do 3 sets at an RPE of 8 (Using the Borg CR10 scale).
  • Week 2 I’ll bump up to 4 sets.
  • Week 3 I’ll increase RPE to 9.
  • Week 4 I’ll increase RPE to 9.5.

Then I’ll deload again. And repeat the process.

I’ve found this to be a great way to progress without crushing myself.

If my life revolved around training and I didn’t have a family or business to run, I might be more aggressive.

For now, the deload week each month helps keep my body in check.

24 Workouts Cued Up and Ready To Go

Here’s how it looks on my side as a coach.

From this page, I can reorder and edit anything and it’ll change in real time on the client view.

Then when it’s time to train, I pop open the client link on my phone, click the next plan, and I’m ready to go.

Here’s what the client (in this case: me) sees:

Go Deeper: Watch me share my screen as I build this program in real time using QuickCoach (19 mins)

I recorded myself building this entire phase of programming in real time, exercise by exercise, using QuickCoach.

If you’re interested in watching it and hearing me talk through my thinking it as I go

 

Elevate Your Brand With Professional Coaching Software Today

All screenshots from this email showcase QuickCoach in action, which you can use 100% free with your clients.

QC is professional coaching software, built by coaches, for coaches.

It works for fitness, nutrition, habits, physiotherapy, chiropractic, and running––both in-person and online.

Join 14,000+ others and register your free account at www.QuickCoach.Fit to start playing around.

Also, as crazy as it is, I think that this is the first time that I’ve ever shared my own workout and thought process behind it.

Wild.

Does this officially make me an Internet Fitness Bro?

Do I need to start posting pics of me half-nekkid?

I have so many questions . . .

Anyway, thanks for letting me share my thought process with you. Hope it helps.

About the Author

Jonathan Goodman has 17yrs in the fitness industry and is the author of Ignite the Fire (1,000+ 5⭐ ). His current project is free software for fitness and nutrition coaches: QuickCoach.Fit. Follow him (along with 100k other trainers) on his Personal Instagram where he is very active.

 

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 6/14/21

Copyright: conneldesign / 123RF Stock Photo

SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS

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A post shared by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore)

STUFF TO READ WHILE YOU’RE PRETENDING TO WORK

How to Exercise When You Have No Time – Shane McLean

You don’t need to be in a gym for 90 minutes every day in order to see (or get) results. We’re all pressed for time of late, and Shane provides some valuable insights on how to get the most for your training (time) buck in this article.

Do I Need a Large Social Media Following to Be an Online Trainer? – Jonathan Goodman

Who better to answer this question than the Godfather of online training?

How to Become a Great Trainer – Nick Tumminello

Nick is one of my favorite people in the fitness industry. He’s authentic, genuine, and doesn’t sugar coat anything. I’d HIGHLY recommend signing up for this FREE 3-part video course where he highlights some of his “secrets” to becoming a successful personal trainer.

Full Disclosure: You do need to provide your email address in order to receive the course. But don’t worry, Nick won’t spam you. He’s not a dick…;o)

 

 

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 9/7/18

Copyright: urfingus / 123RF Stock Photo

BUT FIRST…CHECK THIS STUFF OUT

1. (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Upcoming Locations Below

This workshop will piggyback on the material Dean Somerset and I covered in the original Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.

But now.

BUT NOW……

….It’s the (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.

A bunch of wordsmiths we are.

With this iteration, though, we’ll be going a bit deeper into the coaching and programming side of things:

  • How to program around common injuries.
  • How to “connect” the appropriate exercises to the client/athlete.
  • How to squat and deadlift like a boss.

Houston, TX – THIS weekend (Sept 8-9th).

Ljublijana, Slovenia – October 20-21st. (<— EARLY BIRD rate still in affect)

Los Angeles, CA – November 17-18th. (<— EARLY BIRD rate still in affect)

All registrants to this course (as well as future dates in Detroit, Philadelphia, Minas Tirith) will receive a free download of CSHB 1.0 so that you’re up-to-speed on the content Dean and I will be covering.

To register and for moe details go HERE.

2. RISE Fitness Business Conference – San Jose, CA

I’ve had to decline speaking at this event in the past due to prior engagements1, but I’m headed to San Jose this year baby.

And I…..am…..pumped.

I’ve never been to the Bay area so I’m excited for that. But I’m even more excited for the THREEdays of melt your face knowledge that’ll be under one roof.

The line-up is spectacular and I’m honored to be included amongst such esteemed company – Pat Rigsby, Mark Fisher, Molly Galbraith, Kellie Hart, Craig Ballantyne, and Scott Rawcliffe, to name a few.

I’ll be speaking about shoulder assessment.

If you’re a fitness professional looking to take his or her’s career to the next level this is an event you won’t want to miss.

Full details and registration are HERE.

SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS

Twitter

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STUFF TO READ WHILE YOU’RE PRETENDING TO WORK

Online Trainer Academy – Enrollment Now Open (But Not For Long)

There’s more and more demand for online trainers today.

If you’re looking for a way to better leverage your expertise AND earning potential, this is the way to do it.

Jon Goodman is essentially the Professor Dumbledore of online training. Except, you know, he doesn’t have a beard, and he’s not an actual wizard and stuff.

But by golly is it impressive what he’s built with the Online Trainer Academy.

Open enrollment only lasts until September 11th. Do yourself a favor and invest in yourself

Do It and Diet – Dan John

Dan John writes something, anything, I’m going to read it.

You should too.

Dr. Stuart McGill on Footwear, Focal Point, and Cues In the Deadlifts – Travis Mash

Not many people can be so succinct and pithy with their words and pack a punch. Dr. McGill is one of those people.

Thanks for sharing this one Travis!

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 10/20/17

Today’s a big day.

1) We’re taking Julian apple picking for the first time in his life. Cue cute baby pictures on Instagram at some point later today.

2) We’re paying off the rest of Lisa’s student loans which means we’re both now 100% debt free. Holla.

This is actually something I may write about in the near future as I think debt and the burden it casts over a lot of fitness professionals is stifling. Maybe people would be interested in how we got ourselves out of debt? Yes, no, maybe so?

Lets get to this week’s stuff to read.

Copyright: gregorylee / 123RF Stock Photo

But First

1) Two T-Nation Cameos

2) Why Your Core Sucks and How to Fix It

A few years ago I wrote and article on T-Nation titled Building a Superhuman Core. It’s one of my most popular articles and three years later it’s still getting some love. The guys over at Strength Students Podcasts did an entire episode discussing the concepts in the article. Quite the honor (and thanks fellas!)

 

3) Appearance on My Sugar Free Journey Podcast

Aarn Farmer invited me onto his popular podcast and you can listen in on the episode HERE.

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work

Understanding and Training Hip Flexion – Mike Boyle

I’m pretty sure this is a classic Mike Boyle article and that I’ve read it before, but a colleague of mine forwarded it to me yesterday with the note “this is awesome, have you read this?”

I “think” so. But I read it again anyways. Because, you know, it’s Mike Boyle.

Mindset Mastery Methods – Jon Goodman

In this FREE pdf, Jon Goodman breaks down some of the strategies he’s used through the years to dissuade people from distraction as well as how to adopt certain skills to keep you focused and to become a productivity machine.

It’s a five minute read and definitely worth your time.

There’s No Such Thing As Perfect Form – David Dellanave

As I’ve noted in the past, “textbook technique doesn’t exist.” SO STOP TRYING TO FORCE PEOPLE INTO POSITIONS THAT PROBABLY AREN’T A GOOD FIT FOR THEM ANYWAYS.

Also…….MA, THE MEATLOAF. WE WANT IT.

Social Media Shenanigans

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Categoriescoaching fitness business Uncategorized

Why an Online Training Business Might be Right For You (and 3 mistakes when building one)

I have a special treat for you today. Jon Goodman, the Godfather of online training, emailed me to ask if he could write a guest post for the site. I was like, “does Dolly Parton sleep on her back? Of course you can.”

Jon knows online training and he’s painstakingly built one of the best online training resources in existence that’ll help anyone build a successful business: the Online Trainer Academy. Enrollment is sparse and only happens twice a year. Tomorrow (3/2) is the LAST day to jump on the train for the foreseeable future. Hell, I’m on the train – come join me in the caboose for a good time.1

Why an Online Training Business Might Be Right For You

ONE DAY I GOT SICK, and I didn’t get paid.

I wanted to see the World, but I knew that if I did, I wouldn’t have a job when I got back.

Soon after turning 26 I decided, much to my surprise, that babies weren’t weird and gross and that maybe one day I’d like to have a few. If I did want a family at some point, I knew that something would have to drastically change.

It became apparent that I had to figure out how to build a business in the fitness industry that works for me even when I’m not around and that I control.

Conventional personal training doesn’t lend itself well to a balanced life. When I was in my early twenties I wanted to train 10-14 clients a day. I made a lot of money — much more than my friends at the time — but the hours were arduous.

By 24 I’d reached my income ceiling.

  • I was charging $97/hr and booked 40hrs/wk. If a client cancelled I’d have another on call with as little as 45 minutes notice.
  • I received a small salary as the senior trainer in charge of the hiring, training, and development of the rest of the team.
  • I received commissions for referring new trainers to the club in addition to referring my overload of clientele to other trainers.

Things were good for a while, but then I got that itch.

I wanted to see the World and I desired to meet a girl (smart, kind, and with legs that scream, “I squat, bro”). With my schedule that just wasn’t going to happen.

Something needed to change. I love the fitness industry and I loved my clients but conventional wouldn’t work. Conventional training in a gym doesn’t work.

Early Mornings, Late Nights, and a Lack of Control

You must avoid spending your life in a reactive state.

Reacting to things like your clients schedules, your gym’s rules, and the economy.

It might seem like you’re busy and I get it, there are only so many hours in the day, right?

Well the CEO of a Fortune 500 company has the same number of hours in a day as you. The difference is that he or she has better systems for making the most out of those hours. With these systems the business works for the CEO, not the opposite.

Most good trainers hit a wall. You can’t possibly work anymore. Look, I get it; I’ve been there.

My wife and I a month ago in Thailand where we lived for two months. We had to come home because she’s now 7 months pregnant. Photo credit: Tida Cha Photography]

If you want to work smarter, not harder, in fewer hours, while still providing your clients with an exceptional service there used to be 2 or 3 potential solutions:

1. You Could Start Your Own Gym.

The dream right? For some, this is a good option. However starting a club is difficult. You’ve no idea the hidden fees. There’s a reason why your gym might appear stingy or has protocols in place that you don’t necessarily agree with. I’m not saying that you can’t do it better. But to be a businessperson is a completely different skillset than being a trainer.

Note from TG: HERE’s a post explaining why this exact “thing.” Why it’s a BIG mistake to think the holy mecca is gym ownership. It’s not.

2. You Could Rise Within the Ranks of Your Club Into Management.

The Peter Principle states that, “in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence”.It goes on to state that, “employees only stop being promoted once they can no longer perform effectively”.

Similar to starting a gym, becoming a manager sounds good at first (the power, the ego-drive, etc.) but approach the position with caution. Managing other people is an incredibly difficult job and an entirely different skill set than training and managing a client load.

3. Multi-Level Marketing or Similar.

I’ll take a passage from one of my books, Ignite the Fire, here:

“The idea is attractive but very few are actually successful. You’re often forced to purchase the product yourself and it can be costly. Most people don’t have the requisite hustle, network, or marketing acumen to make a legitimate go of it. Not only that, the supplements are almost always poor-quality.

Read the ingredients carefully and look for independent third-party studies. Even if the supplement is of good quality, I’ve found that multi-level marketing companies sell supplements that are overpriced. It makes sense, and in fact providing such an attractive commission structure requires it. Finally, you’ll feel pressure to involve your close family and friends and this is not a position that I’d want my worst enemy to be in.”

In order to be successful and live a long, prosperous life as a trainer you must become proactive, and in order to do that, you must innovate. You need a new model.

The New Model i.e. The Best Solution That I’ve Found:

Imagine if there was a solution to every problem that is stopping you from turning your job into a prosperous and fulfilling career with ample freedom.

Imagine being in complete control of your schedule, to be able to charge less, make more, and offer just as good (or an even better) service.

Well it exists. But before I discuss it, I want to say something.

I’m not married to any idea. I’m about to discuss why online training or meshed online / in-person training is the best solution. When done right, it’s the solution that you might be looking for.

I came into this search for a solution with an open mind looking for whatever worked best and online training hit all-important points. What followed was 2.5 years of developing, testing, tweaking, and more testing of the best systems for delivering an exceptional online training service.

Since 2013 I’ve been teaching trainers how to either supplement their in-person training with online training or train clients online full-time. The Online Trainer Academy is the most current evolution of this process. Complete with a textbook, workbook, digital portal, and all scripts, worksheets, templates, and anything else that you’ll need, the Academy is the world’s first certification in online training that doubles as a business development course.

 

The physical Online Trainer Academy materials. Not pictured here are all digital materials.

Imagine creating a reliable and consistent source of income — one that you can depend on month-to-month. Or, if you’re a gym owner, imagine being able to attract and keep trainers by offering something different in addition to adding another reliable monthly income stream to your bottom line.

Online training is still relatively new and, like all new things that have tremendous potential, some have already jumped on the bandwagon without much thought.

Whether or not you enroll in the Academy, I want to help you get started with online training. Here’s the 3 biggest mistakes unprepared, yet well intentioned, trainers make when making the transition.

3 Biggest Mistakes (well-intentioned) Trainers Make When Starting or Growing an Online Training Biz-ness

 3 is actually the perfect number.

They are: 1) bad support systems 2) offering too much and 3) taking on the wrong type of clients.

I’ll go into detail on each below. Before I do that, let me say that building an efficient and effective online training business is akin to what we teach our clients: build a strong base and grow from there. Don’t slap on extras before you’ve got your foundation.

Right, here’s a bit more on each of the 3 mistakes and what to do to avoid them:

1) Bad Support Systems

Email will drive you crazy. It sounds nice to offer “unlimited email support” but that doesn’t help the client and wastes your time. It doesn’t help the client because it creates dependence and it doesn’t help you because it takes away your control and freedom – the two reasons why most add online training.

You need to establish a precedent. My suggestion is to tell your clients that they can send you one email a week. That email has to be point form. Each point is one question. And each point is no longer than 3 sentences. They can send as many points as they want. You pick one day to answer all emails – say Sunday morning.

The reasons for this tightly-controlled system are numerous, but here’s a few:

  • Most people aren’t writers. Forcing point form avoids the wall of words.
  • Forcing clients to create a list and send you it at once means that only the important questions get asked.
  • You can block off your time. Setting aside an hour or two once a week to do all email support adds back a level of freedom and control into your life.

You can always offer additionally support if needed on an off-the-cuff basis.

2) Bad Program Offerings

In a similar vein to my point above, online trainers need to think critically about what they are going to offer as part of their training packages.

Allow me to illustrate this with an example:

The first systems I built for online trainers were given to 24 beta participants. One day I got a message saying that a trainer was worn out. He was working more and making less – not what online training is meant to do. We got on the phone. Here’s what he was offering:

  • 1 hour Skype check-in call/week
  • Program design
  • Nutrition design
  • 24/7 email support
  • $199/month

Steve charged $75/hr for in-person training. When we spoke he told me that it takes 3hrs for him to design the program and nutrition. Ignoring the email support, he was offering 7hrs of his time for $199/month, or $28/hr.

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

 

Because Steve didn’t think critically about his systems he was training at a loss of $329 per client each month. Just because you’re working online doesn’t mean that you’re working smarter. No wonder he was burnt out!

My advice to you is this: when deciding about your program offerings base the pricing off of how much time it will take you per month to deliver the service and go from there.

3) Taking on the Wrong Type of Clients

Maintaining a high quality service online requires more proactive and lateral thinking than training in-person does. The reason is simple: in-person you can be reactive. Online you have to anticipate problems and plan for them so that they never happen.

To do this requires an in-depth knowledge of the client you’re going to train. It means that you need to be a lot more selective of your clientele. It’s also why I don’t recommend trainers who have less than a year’s experience working in-person invest in the Online Trainer Academy.

For example: If I train a 30-35 year old working professional male with no serious injuries I can predict that he probably works at a desk. If I work further down the chain it’s likely that he will have some troubles with the bench press (shoulder impingement). Obviously there are exceptions, but bear with me.

For this client I might substitute an incline neutral grip dumbbell press for the bench press in anticipation of a problem that may arise.

It all comes down to knowing your client. High quality online training is possible but only if you take on the right type of clients for you.

My suggestion is to identify the 2-3 key client avatars that you deal with. Be specific.

Female, aged 30-40 with one client less than 6 months post-partum.

Male 40-55 was a college athlete but let things slide and has some lingering knee issues.

Whatever.

Figure out who you know best and only take them on as online clients. In-person you can take on a wider variety.

Tomorrow is the LAST Day to Enroll

Everything is laid out for you. All the tools you’ll need to help you build a legitimate online training business is here. Nothing shady, nothing nefarious. What have you got to lose?

I don’t point people in the direction of things I don’t believe in or that I don’t believe works, and I get it, some of you may be thinking……”this s*** is expensive!” And you’re right. But:

1) This will easily pay for itself (and then some x a bazillion jillion) if you put in the work.

2) You can write it off.

3) It’s gluten free.

4) Scrumptious.

—-> Online Trainer Academy <—-

CategoriesProgram Design

13 Ways to Transmogrify Any Exercise

I’ve been lucky to have so many people offering to write stellar content for me lately. Today I have a post by none other than Jon Goodman; friend, colleague, best selling author (Ignite the Fire), and pretty much the Don Corleone of personal training information.

He won’t leave severed horse heads in your bed, but you should listen to what he has to say if you want to do well in this industry as a personal trainer.

Today’s post deals with how you can make any exercise harder or more challenging.

So you wanna change up your routine, bro?

Not a problem and there are many options, but you’ve got to keep your goals in check. There’s wobbly boards, rolly thingies, and rubber whathaveyous that take up space in the gym and really don’t add much to anybody’s program.

Variation can put a hamper on your results if you’re not careful. So today I want to talk about variation done right. Below are 13 ways to alter any exercise; when to use each, and what to be careful of.

Some of these variations make the movement harder, some easier. Others change the purpose of the exercise altogether.

Some of these principles you may have seen before, others maybe not. I hope that, after reading this article, you know how to vary movements and loading schemes to better achieve your goal, whatever that may be.

1. Balance.

The more balanced you are, the more force you’ll be able to produce. Altering your center of mass or putting yourself off-balance changes the challenge of the exercise.

Not only that, but the closer your center of gravity is to the ground, the more balanced you’ll be. Ever take a look at the body composition of top wrestlers or judokas? They’re usually as wide as they are tall and the result is that they’re much more difficult to knock down.

If you want some real-World proof, the next time that you see Tony in-person take out his legs. The first thing that he’ll do is crouch and then probably deadlift you off of the ground and Hulk smash you.

So a few things: First, If you ever want to generate more force on a movement you can either widen your base of support (lowering yourself) or crouch down further. If you want to increase the stability challenge you can do a whole bunch of stuff ranging from standing on one leg to putting your feet together to using a variety of wobbly, bouncy, shaky things you’ll find in most gyms.

This comes with a warning — always keep your goal as the #1 priority. A squat on a Bosu ball makes the exercise harder, but it isn’t going to make you stronger. Always respect the rule of specificity.

Out of all the tools in the gym, the stability ball is Tony’s favourite.

 

2. Manipulate reps.

Certain exercises can have their reps manipulated more than others.

You would have a hard time performing the lateral raise, for example, in the heavy-weight/low-rep zone. The movement doesn’t allow lifting heavy loads explosively. How much to manipulate reps is contingent on your goal.

One other fun way to manipulate reps is by doing partials. In a conventional rep, tension is relieved before starting the next (i.e. locking your elbows at the top of a bench press to rest for a second before starting the next rep). In a partial, each rep becomes extended for 1 and ½ or more times putting the muscle under more tension.

Here’s Ben Bruno crushing some 1-1/2 rep ring chin-ups

 

3. Tempo

Tempo is ignored far too often. In order for me to talk about it, you’ve got to understand the nomenclature. Every rep of a lift can be broken up into 4 phases: eccentric, pause, concentric, pause, all measured in seconds.

A bench press with a “41X0” tempo would call for 4 seconds in the down phase; a 1 second-pause at the bottom; an explosive press (denoted by the “X”); and no pause at the top before starting the next rep.

Often when you see a workout printed in a magazine or given to you by a trainer, you’ll see 3 or 4 numbers like what I’ve noted above (sometimes the final rest isn’t listed). A tempo will change dependent on the goal of the exercise.

A blocker on a football team, for example, would do a more explosive version of the bench press – somewhere in the 20X1 range. Somebody looking for max hypertrophy is going to want more time under tension (TUT) and may opt for a 4020 on that same bench press.

4. Weight.

If it’s heavy, it’s hard.

5. Lever length.

The human body is really just a series of levers and, like any lever, the closer the load to the fulcrum the easier it will be. Now that you understand this basic biomechanical principle you know how to make any exercise easier or harder.

Want to increase the difficulty of movement? Move the weight away from the fulcrum. An example of this is performing the plank with straight arms in front of your shoulders.

Want to make an exercise easier, move the weight closer to the fulcrum. This explains, in part, why you can lift more in a bent arm lateral raise than you can with straight arms.

While this principle applies to any exercise, please note that it’s a simplistic approach. There’s some muscle physiology mumbo-jumbo like motor unit size and optimal recruitment patterns that also has an effect. For most it’s a good heuristic to train with.

Watch how Tony makes use of this transmogrification here:

 

6. Shape of Implement.

While not always commercially available, odd-shaped implements are fun to lift and can add in a new dimension to training. One could argue that it’s also a more functional way to train (although the word “functional” has lost all meaning). Sandbags, for example, have uneven and changing weight distribution. Be creative and you can build some fun equipment pretty cheap.

Perhaps the most common example today is the kettlebell. Because the weight distribution isn’t uniform (the weight is concentrated at the end) the bell generates more inertia farther away from the body. This forces a different muscle engagement pattern than a conventional weight – even swinging a DB is different. The extra inertia caused is the primary reason why it’s such an effective piece of equipment to develop the posterior chain.

For years I organized a get together every Sunday morning in the summer. Along with my kettlebells, my arborist friends brought rope (makeshift battle ropes), and we built tools like slosh pipes from PVC piping bought at Home Depot.

You can have some fun with this. Don’t think that you need to lift perfectly symmetrical DB’s and lubed-up machines to get strong.

The video below shows Tony doing a suitcase carry with a rope slung around a kettlebell. The instability and grip challenge here will definitely be different from anything you’ve done before.

 

7. Stance.

Despite popular belief, the only way to stand when performing an exercise is not with soft knees and your feet shoulder-width apart. Stance, when manipulated properly, is a powerful variable that can jumpstart your program. Here are my favorite variations:

Split stance. This is easier on the back and allows you to maintain a strong posture. The wider the split, the more balanced you’ll be. Switch the leading leg evenly to get an oblique benefit on each side.

 

Kneeling. A great way to get the abs firing on a host of upper body exercises is to do them on your knees. Instead of sitting on a bench or ball, do your shoulder presses or biceps curls kneeling maintaining a strong upright posture. This variation is especially good for me because I travel a lot and heavy weights are hard to find. That, and the extra ab work doesn’t hurt, you know, for the beach.

 

Half-kneeling. This is in-between standing and kneeling. There’s a great core benefit here and the glutes on the side of the resting leg will fire as well. Not only that, but you’ll get a nice stretch in the hip of the trailing leg.

 

Wide stance. A wide stance makes it easier to balance. It also gives the adductors a stretch, which almost every lifter needs. It’s probably not advantageous for most exercises but works well for things like cable chops.

 

8. Slow Eccentrics (Negatives).

A “negative” is a very slow, controlled contraction that causes a lot of muscle damage. These should only be used for advanced trainees and definitely only with sets of fewer than 3 to 5 reps. A negative usually lasts around 10 seconds. Use a spotter to assist in the concentric portion of the lift or do an easier variation of the exercise as a “cheat” to get the weight back up.

Negatives will make you very, very sore the next day and are only advised for advanced lifters. They’re especially good for breaking through plateaus.

In the video below, notice how Tony’s client is jumping up, or cheating, and then focusing on the eccentric, or negative, phase of the movement.

 

9. Rest Time.

Rest between sets is another one of those variables that isn’t used properly often enough. Most people have an idea of how long they should rest but few give it the conscientious attention that it deserves. A basic overview:

0-45 seconds of rest builds endurance.

45 seconds to 90 seconds (1.5 minutes) of rest builds muscle.

1.5 minutes and more of rest is for strength training.

Have a stopwatch with you. Set it to your rest interview. The minute that you finish a set, hit the button. When the timer beeps noting the end of your rest, start right away. Don’t screw around in the gym if you’re serious about your results.

You can vary the rest intervals by decreasing or increasing the time (duh). Decreasing the time will make the exercise more aerobic. You won’t be able to lift as much weight but if you’re looking for fat loss it may be warranted. Increasing the rest period to a maximum of 3 minutes is advised for power training. Higher rep ranges are generally used on large multi-joint exercises like a squat or bench press if the lifter wants to keep the reps low and lift heavy.

10. Loading Schemes.

Loading schemes can add or decrease intensity of a workout, or the challenge to a particular muscle group. I use the term “loading schemes” to describe the order that exercise appear in relation to one another.

There are too many to list here but two favourites are pre-fatigue and post-fatigue.

Pre-fatigue. This is when an exercise is performed that exhausts a single muscle group, immediately followed by a multi-joint exercise using that muscle. This can be dangerous if the lifter isn’t experienced. For example I wouldn’t perform hamstring curls before a deadlift unless the lifter has a couple years of lifting experience.

Post-fatigue. This is when a multi-joint exercise is followed immediately by a single joint movement using one of the main muscles of the multi-joint movement. For example, a deadlift followed by a hamstring curl would be considered post-fatigue. I use this loading scheme often when ramping up intensity and volume in my programming.

What it comes down to is this: Despite what your high school gym teacher told you, there are other ways to build a program than starting with a large multi-joint exercise followed by isolating muscle groups and ending with abs before a slow jog.

11. Pauses.

Pausing could be incorporated into the earlier discussion of tempo but I decided to give it its own category. Momentum is a powerful way to generate force but sometimes it’s not warranted. Pausing can be used for 3 purposes:

Increase intensity – Pauses at various stages of a rep can lengthen the total time under tension (TUT) of a rep, adding to the difficulty of each set.

Improve power generation – Lifting with momentum (like bouncing the weight on a deadlift) can be good or bad. If you’re working on your power then you probably want to avoid it. Additionally, pauses can be good to strengthen weak points of a lift.

Learn form – You cannot unlearn habits. Instead you’ve got to learn a new habit powerful enough to replace the existing one. It follows that the stronger an existing habit, the harder it will be to replace it. When learning a new exercise it’s important to only practice it well. This generally means reducing fatigue in the learning stage. Pauses after each rep to recompose yourself and ensure good form will speed up the learning curve.

The video below shows Tony pauses and resetting himself after each rep of a deadlift to improve the speed of the lift.

 

12. Range of Motion (“ROM”).

We’re taught to perform full ROM movements all the time and, for the most part, it’s a good idea. There are times when cheat techniques of semi-reps are warranted as long as they’re performed safely.

I always said:

“If the choice is to get 0 percent because you cannot perform a full rep or get 30 percent and perform a partial rep. I would choose the 30 percent.”

Partial reps are also great for keeping constant tension on the muscle. The next time that you do lunges don’t lock out at the top, keep tension on your hammies and glutes the entire set. It’s nasty. You’ll see what I mean.

If you’re already proficient with your form then partial reps can add more intensity into the movement. Especially on arm day. You know, for the pump.

13. Grip.

I saved grip for last because of how strongly I believe every trainee should master it. Different grips force the body into different positions, engage different recruitment patterns, and force the body to use different muscles.

There are countless ways to alter the grip on most major exercises. I’ll use the chin/pull up as an example. You can perform the exercise with your hands wide, medium, or close together. It can be done on a thick bar; a thin bar; rings; or even playground equipment. You can also grip the bar with your palms facing up, down, or each other. These are just some examples.

Note from TG: here’s a video of a former 50+ y/o client of mine performing chin-ups with softball grips. And yes, she’s shrugging a bit on her reps…..relax.

 

Every major exercise has a host of different grips. These nuances are what makes training fun and interesting. If you’ve been doing a lat pull down or chin up for a while, change your grip to any-or a combination of the options I’ve listed above.

Thank me tomorrow when you have to ask a friend to help you open a door.

I mentioned at the beginning of this article that the human body is relatively simple when you break it down. A muscle only has so many functions. The biceps flexes the elbow and internally rotates; the pec major flexes, internally rotates, and horizontal adducts (think pec fly); the gastrocnemius (calf) points the toe; and so on.

When you consider all the ways to vary an exercise it’s easy to see how diverse your options are. Have fun, but don’t lose sight of your goal.

Also, I made up the word transmogrify and then I found it that it was actually a real word. Guess I did learn something from Calvin and Hobbes, eh?

About the Author

Jonathan Goodman is the author of Ignite the Fire, a book that teaches how to become a personal trainer and build a successful career. To learn more about his personal training books and free collaborative resource for trainers, go to the Personal Trainer Development Center.

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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

5 Mistakes I Made as a Trainer and Coach That You Should Avoid

Here’s a little TG trivia for all of you: it was never my intention to become a personal trainer or strength coach. That wasn’t my game plan at least.  Nope, my game plan, and what I went to school for, was to become a health teacher.

Bachelor’s degree in Health Education, thank you very much.

Well, actually, my real game plan all along was to become a professional baseball player, sign on with the Oakland Athletics, and become an honorary member of The Bash Brothers alongside Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco.

Growing up I had the exact same poster you see to the left hanging on my wall in my bedroom, and I can’t even begin to tell you how many hours I spent outside in my side yard hitting a baseball back and forth pretending to be a Major Leaguer hitting a 3-2 fastball to win game 7 of the World Series.

By my count I think I won roughly 5,974 Game 7s. Not too shabby!

Moreover there wasn’t any point throughout the year where I wasn’t playing a sport or game of some sort.  Wiffleball, basketball, kickball, football, tennis, swimming, cops and robbers, duck-duck-goose, you name it, I played it.

All of this to say I was a very active kid growing up.  “Fitness,” even though I didn’t know any better back then, was always a part of my life.

I got my first weight training set when I was 13 or 14 (Santa dropped it off one Christmas), and I remember setting up shop downstairs in my parent’s basement, slapping the poster on a wooden beam, and religiously following the diagrams with the muscly dude (who wore really short shorts) to a “T” every other day until I entered high school and had access to a real weight room.

All throughout my high school career, I’d stay after school to lift weights for 45-60 minutes and then take the “late” bus home which ended up being another 45-60 minute bus ride.  During that time I’d sit there, usually alone, and day dream about playing college baseball while jamming a softball between my fingers which I ascertained would make it easier to grip a baseball to throw a forkball (which, coincidentally enough, was the go to pitch of Oakland A’s ace, Dave Stewart).

I could easily sit here and go on and on about my high school (and college!) baseball playing days, but I’ll spare you all the details because I don’t want to bore you to tears

Although, there was this one time, at baseball camp……….

KIDDING.

Long story short, I had a few professional tryouts but nothing panned out.  Apparently there wasn’t much of a demand for a 6-1 right-handed pitcher with a mid 80s fastball.  Go figure!

That’s me my senior year at Mercyhurst College (home team) pitching the first game of a double header. And let me just say I looked gooooooood in baseball pants…..;o)

With my playing days caput, I moved back to my homestate of New York and transferred to SUNY Cortland to pursue my degree in Health Education.

I figured that as much as health and fitness was a part of my life, I might as well make it a career.

I did all the course work, even did my student teaching in both a high school and middle school placement.  If you can believe it I actually had to teach Sex Education to a bunch of 7th graders.  I challenge anyone to say the word penis to a group of 13 year olds and not participate in all the giggling.

To this day I’m still amazed that I was able to make it through alive.

Ironically enough, academia wasn’t the road I ended up travelling down. As part of my concentration (Health and Wellness Promotion) I also had to complete an internship that following summer, and luckily for me I found one at a corporate gym just outside Syracuse, NY.

After three months, I had to make a decision:  I could either wear a suit and tie everyday…..or sweatpants.

It was a no-brainer.

That was a little over ten years ago.  Looking back I can tell you I made a crap ton of mistakes when I entered this field. While I thought I was the bees knees and that I knew everything there was to know, I can tell you from experience I was a walking ball of fail.

Don’t get me wrong, I feel I was better than the average trainer, but I’d ve lying if I said I was anything to brag about.  I had my fair share of ups and downs, and if I had to pick which were some of my major mistakes

1.  Trying to Prove to Everyone How Smart I Was

In an effort to showcase to every new (or prospective) client how smart I was, I used every opportunity I could to use big words and talk over them – as if that was going to be the “x-factor” in winning them over.

Reciprocal Inhibition

Synergistic Dominance

Active/Passive Restraints

Accomodating Resistance

Onomatopoeia

Blah blah blah. While I thought I was wowing them with my knowledge base and extensive vocabulary, looking back, all that really happened, much of the time, was coming across douchier than a Jersey Shore reject.

Listen, if you’re working with someone who’s coming to you with chronic low back pain, they could care less about what Dr. McGill says about compressive loading, force vectors, and biomechanical breakdowns.  Well, some may care and actually be interested. And if so, I want to hang out with them.

But 95% of the time, they do not care in the least.  All they care about is whether or not you can help them get out of pain.  Or lose 15 lbs.  Or help them increase their bench press.  Whatever the case may be.

One piece of advice that I’ve always relayed to other trainers (and I only say this through experience) is that if you can’t explain something to a cocktail waitress on a napkin, you’re making it too complicated.

2.  Being Scared S***less to Ask for People’s Money

To be honest: this is still something I struggle with, but through the years I’ve gotten much better at it.

As a new trainer, and especially when I moved to Boston, this was something I really had to work to get better on.  It’s never easy to ask someone for their money, but when you consider that you’re offering a service, and you’re damn good at what you do, you need to recognize that you should be compensated accordingly for your time.

More or less I feel that if you’re a good person, demonstrate that you actually care and are invested in helping someone, and act professional (and don’t try every trick in the book to swindle them), people will more than likely commit.

It’s just the whole conversation of asking for money that I’ve always had a hard time with – especially when I first started out. I’d have 1-2 comped sessions with a new member, and then after their last session the crickets would start chirping, a few tumbleweeds would blow through, and I’d be like, “soooooo, uh, wanna train with me?”

Of course my delivery improved throughout the years as I gained confidence in my abilities, but time and time again, if there’s ONE trait that upcoming trainers say they need to work on, it’s learning to ask for money.

3.  Training People the Way I Wanted to Train Them (Emphasis On “I”)

There’s no secret that I have an affinity for lifting heavy stuff.  I think everyone should place an emphasis on strength and getting stronger, and good things will happen.

Thing is, as a trainer, sometimes, begrudgingly, you have to remember that not everyone’s goal is to deadlift a mack truck.

If someone is paying you good money as their trainer, you have to realize it’s a bit of give and take.  On one end you’re the trainer, the expert, the guy (or girl) who knows WTF they’re talking about.  It’s your job to dictate to your clients what they need to do, not necessarily what they want to do given their goals, health history, and ability level.

Powerlifters like to train people like powerlifters.  Bodybuilders like bodybuilders. Jedis like Jedis.  So on and so forth.  And that’s okay.  In my younger years I used to gravitate towards telling people that they have to get strong, they have to squat, and that they have to avoid body part splits at all costs.

While I still feel that’s the case much of the time, I also know that I turned off a lot of clients back in the day for being so pigheaded.

Just remember:  Yes, you’re the professional.  People are paying YOU for your expertise.  But it’s also important to understand that your goals aren’t necessarily their’s.

4.  Not Networking Sooner

Establishing a close-knitted network of other professionals that you can exchange ideas with, talk shop, and learn from is CRUCIAL.  This is something I completely ignored my first 1-2 years in the industry.

It wasn’t until I started reaching out to other people via email and asked for their advice I certain thing that I felt I was making strides in my career.

Many people don’t know this, but Eric Cressey and I met through the internet.

Now, it’s not like we met on BestFriendStrengthCoachFinder.com or anything, but we always seemed to cross paths on various fitness websites and what not. Before long we corresponded through email, met in person at a group gathering in NYC in 2004, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Going out of your way to reach out to other trainers or coaches or practitioners is a big deal. Asking a local coach if you can stop by to observe one day is pretty much standard practice nowadays.  Most are more than willing to help out, and chances are it’s going to lead to other potential networking opportunities down the road.

Hey, you never know what it could lead to!

5.  Continuing Education Is Kind of a Big Deal

This is something that took me a while to grab onto back in the day.  To me, because I wasn’t making much money out of the gate (and trust me, most trainers don’t), I felt everything was a cost.

Whether it was a book, a DVD, or heading to a seminar or conference, my immediate thought process was “how much is this going to set me back?”

And then I heard Mike Boyle speak on the topic, and he changed my mindset entirely. Instead of viewing things like books and seminars as a cost, you need to view them as an investment!

You’re investing in yourself – and more often than not, what you pick up or learn will end up paying for itself (and then some).  I remember going to see Dr. McGill speak once to the tune of a few hundred dollars, and upon heading back to work, easily picked up 2-3 clients because I was able to articulate some knowledge bombs I learned regarding managing lower back pain.

And since I’m on the topic of continuing education, as it happens, my good friends Jon Goodman, Dean Somerset, and John Romaniello released their killer Becoming the Expert DVD set today.

It stands to reason that a vast majority of people who read this site on a daily basis are trainers or coaches and are either trying to pick up more personal training clients (and struggling to do so) or trying to build their business or brand (and struggling to do so).

Becoming the expert today is more than just book smarts, training knowledge, and good looks (although, that doesn’t hurt….wink).

Having a repertoire of unique skill-sets like the ability to write, creating a reputation online, and finding a niche market are huge selling points and serve as fantastic ways to separate yourself from the masses.

Any edge you can gain is a good thing, and these guys went out of their way to divulge some of the things that helped them succeed in their respective careers.

Jonathan Goodman – Social Media Domination for Fitness Professionals (2hrs)

John Romaniello – Fuck Mediocrity: Kick-Ass, Take Names and Make Money Your Way to World Domination (3hrs)

Dean Somerset – Specialization and the Expert Experience (1hr)

What’s more, there are several 20-30 minute BONUS videos from the likes of Lou Schuler, Neghar Fonooni, and Mark Young, to name a few.

The whole set is on sale for $87 through this week, and that includes FREE SHIPPING anywhere throughout the world.  It doesn’t matter if you live in England or Botswana – there’s no additional cost with shipping.

But that only lasts for THIS WEEK only (ending 4/13).

I don’t think I need to tell you that the information provided is solid, and I really feel this is something that will help a lot of upcoming (and veteran) trainers out there take their business to the next level.

===> Becoming the Expert <=== (Click Me)

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.

CategoriesMotivational Off Topic

Creating Content and Writing Style: An Introspective On Arguably the Most Boring Topic Ever

I received an email the other day from a good friend of mine, Jon Goodman, whom many of you may recognize from The Personal Training Development Center (an awesome, FREE, resource for any trainers out there reading), as well as such book as Ignite the Fire, Race to the Top, and his soon-to-be-released project, Viralnomics, which he’s currently writing in Hawaii.  On a beach. While starring at the ocean. And probably being hand fed grapes and coconut milk.

I hate you Jon.  I hate you so much……;o)

Anyways, he reached out to me the other day with an interesting query, and I felt compelled to use it as blog post today as I know there are a lot of trainers, coaches, and exercise enthusiasts who read my site on a daily basis (thank you) who often contemplate and express interest in writing.  Unfortunately, for whatever reason, many wind up dragging their heels out of intimidation or frustration.

Anyways, here’s Jon’s email he sent in its entirety:

Hey man,

I’ve got a question for you because it’s something that I’ve struggled with a lot and continue to struggle with. Perhaps you can lend some insight.

I’m asking you because you are the most consistent blogger out there. You pump out quality content multiple times a week and have been doing it for years.

So here’s my question:

How do you not get bored? You manage to keep the information fresh and always write in an inviting and entertaining tone but let’s be honest, how many articles have you written about deadlifts, and women lifting weights, and shoulder health etc.

I seem to lose interest really quickly.

Any ideas to ignite my fire?

Note:  what follows isn’t (entirely) what I sent to Jon. Some of it is, but I also added a bit more knowing that 1) I had more to add and 2) I knew a fair number of people reading would hopefully benefit from it.

First off:  how in the heck am I supposed to “ignite the fire” for a guy who wrote a book titled Ignite the Fire?  Talk about pressure!!!

Your question is a good one, and it’s something that I’ve struggled with myself all…..the……time.

I get writer’s block just like everyone else, and often find myself sitting in front of my computer screen thinking to myself, “I have absolutely no idea what to write about today.”

I’ll load up on some caffeine……nada.

I’ll put on some classic music to inspire some creative juices……nope.

Hell, I’ll even talk to my cat who’s usually lying there right next to me….and that generally leads to nowhere. Except for a slight detour to Snugglesville, USA.

 

While it rarely happens, it happens.  And when it does, sometimes I just call a spade and spade, admit that I don’t have anything to say that day, and go make a tuna sandwich.

Typically, though, I somehow I manage to fight through it, and feel the following strategies and insights are what help the most as far as helping me continue to stay consistent with my writing:

1.  I write!  I’m stubborn like that.  Giving full disclosure:  the whole process of writing does not come easy to me. I used to struggle quite a bit just to type 500 words.

500 words gave the impression that I was writing my own version of War and Peace.

While that’s a bit of an exaggeration, it’s what it felt like back in the day.

Sometimes it’s still an arduous task, and I feel like throwing my face through a wall.  But as with anything, it’s about setting a schedule and sticking to it.

For the most part, every morning from 7-9 AM, I sit in front of my laptop and write.  That’s what I’m doing right now, and it seems to works for me.

Some people on the other hand, like John Romaniello, prefer to do the bulk of their writing at night.  That’s when he feels he’s most productive.

Everyone operates differently, and maybe it’s just a matter of finding out when you feel you’re most productive and your creative juices are flowing?

2. I think one of the things that keeps me “fresh” is that I’m not scared to go off-topic when I want to.  I mean, I have Miscellaneous Miscellany Mondays which allow me to write about movies, books I’m reading, hot chicks, and/or discuss cool restaurants that my girlfriend and I go to.

Take for example this past weekend. While I ended up NOT making this part of some random blog post, I easily could have.

Feeling absolutely drained from the previous work week, I had absolutely no intention of doing any work at home. Sometimes I carve out a little time on Sunday to catch up on programs I need to write or any articles I need to work on.  This past Sunday, however, I was a complete sloth.

Instead I decided my time would be better spent watching a Michael Mann marathon.  In succession I watched The Last of Mohicans, Collateral, and The Insider.

All of them were ones I’ve seen before – repeatedly – but I love Michael Mann and always enjoy watching his films and dissecting every nook and cranny that come with them. The man is a perfectionist to the “t,” and it’s not unheard of for him to use 50 takes for any one scene.

I think Collateral is one of the most underrated movies of the past decade, and I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve reacted the scene from The Last of the Mohicans where Daniel Day Lewis’s character screams, “You STAY ALIVE.  I will find you, no matter what occurs.”

I give an Oscar worthy performance every time – except, you know, instead of Madeline Stowe saying her lines back to me, I use a pillow, and I don’t end everything by plunging through 50+ foot waterfall after the fact.

But other than that, it’s uncanny how spot on I am.

 

And while I can’t say for sure, I think some of what makes my blog and writing style so “successful” is the fact that it’s relatable and that it’s not uncommon for me to talk about non-fitness stuff.

I’m not just some strength and conditioning cyborg that does nothing but talk about deadlifts and how to address glenohumeral internal rotation deficit.

I think much of what keeps me engaged and interested in my own writing is that I’m not apprehensive to go off-topic, take myself too seriously, and throw in the occasional poop joke from time to time.

Make sense?

So, with that, maybe you just need to write about other stuff?  Not that you need to go into heavy detail on your personal life or anything, but don’t be scared to open up just a teeny tiny bit and give people more of a taste of your personality.

I find that when I do that, I get into a sorta “flow,” which makes transitioning into what I ACTUALLY want to write about – fitness, training, making people more badass – easier.

3. But I’ll be honest…..I’m lucky in that I live in a perfect bubble where I’m surrounded with a lot of bright people at the facility.  I have Eric (Cressey), Greg Robins, Chris Howard, and all of our interns (who are always eager to talk shop) by my side all day, and we’re always bouncing ideas and thoughts off one another.

If anything, this environment serves as the perfect “incubator” for coming up with new ideas and things to write about.

Along the same lines, we have staff in-services every week. We tend to alternate on a week to week basis where we discuss anything from assessment, program design, case studies, or why Eric is so obsessed with Linkin Park.

Too, we’ll often have people come in to perform in-services.  Case in point, Mike Reinold came in a few weeks ago and discussed which is more important to establish first: stability or mobility?

That’s actually a trick question, because neither matter much if someone is out of ALIGNMENT.

As Mike noted, if you stretch into mis-alignment, you create more instability.

Conversely, if you strengthen into mis-alignment, you create more muscular imbalances.

This is easily something I may turn into a blog post in the near future.

Additionally, I have any number of clients and athletes who ask me questions (or say something completely asinine) that I can use as ammo for blog posts or articles.

I can’t advocate going out of your way to surround yourself with more like-minded individuals enough.  Even if it’s just going to observe someone else coaching for a day or heading to a local commercial gym to watch people train is enough to spark some kind of fire.

With the latter, you may even be lucky enough to find blogging gold like this:

 

You’re welcome.

4.  Another thing to consider – and this will definitely pertain to Jon (it’s not unheard of for him to write 8,000+ words per day) – is possibly thinking about writing LESS.  Just like people in other careers who tend to burn out and go “postal,” the same can apply to those who engage in a fair amount of writing.

I make it a point of posting a blog 3-5 times per week, which can easily stock pile the word count on a weekly basis.  And this doesn’t take into consideration all the time that goes into answering emails and writing articles.

I’m sure there are some out there who may feel otherwise, but I “think” I’m able to provide solid content with each and every post.  But I don’t consider it the end of the world if I truly have nothing to say on any given day.

If that’s the case, I don’t write.  Simple as that.  Or, I just find someone to write a guest post for me instead (Holla!).

To that end, maybe for some it’s a matter of CUTTING BACK and reducing their writing frequency.  Sort of analogous to a deload week from training.

I’ve often found that when I take a day or two off from writing content-heavy posts, I’m able to come back with a bang.

5.  Lastly, this doesn’t necessarily pertain to Jon, as I know he’s well read guy.  But for others out there who are still paying attention and have made it this far (which is saying something), go out of your way to read.  A lot.

I’ve stated on numerous occasions that I’m reading anywhere from 2-4 things simultaneously – most of which are related to my field, but not always.  I’m always reading some non-fiction (Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Ariely, Michael Lewis, etc)  and fiction too (anything but Twilight).

I’m constantly in awe (and envious) of certain writers, and often gain valuable insight and pick up on lesser known things like style, sentence structure, and how to use a semicolon correctly.  Still learning that last one.

And all of this isn’t to say that I know what the hell I’m talking about.  I don’t really even consider myself a “writer,” but in the 6+ years that I’ve been doing it, I like to think that I’ve picked up a thing or two.

Anyways, I hope that helps somewhat.  Certainly nothing earth shattering, but hopefully it helps shed some light.