CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work Uncategorized

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 4/27/18

Gotta go see Infinity War.

Brb.

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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.

Go HERE to register in the announced cities.

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

MASS 1-Year Anniversary Sale – Stronger By Science

A year ago the guys over at Stronger By Science (Greg Nuckols, Eric Helms, and Mike Zourdos released their monthly research review MASS (Monthly Applications in Strength Sport) and it’s made the industry better.

I for one HATE reading research and much prefer to let other people who are much smarter than myself to break things down in more bite sized, manageable nuggets of information.

This is a meticulously curated monthly service. The MASS reviewers sift through 100+ journals per month to help you get smarter and to better sever your athletes/clients. If you’re a coach, physique or strength athlete, or just someone who likes to nerd out and talk about actin/myosin chains at the dinner table this will be right up your alley.

Today (4/27) through next week (5/3) is your chance to take advantage of some BIG markdowns on the service.

  • $21 monthly subscription (normally $29)
  • $209 yearly subscription (normally $299)
  • $699 lifetime subscription (normally $999)

If you’re still on the fence you can check out the goods HERE for a free sample issue.

Otherwise you can just trust that I have smart friends and excellent taste in the resources I recommend to people and go HERE.

How To Age Gracefully – Eric C. Stevens

Many of the programs and tactics used to target the 40+ lifter are garbage. As my friend John Rusin would say:

“Just because you are 40+ years old does NOT mean you need a training program specifically designed for “40+ Year Old Lifters” as sleazy fitness industry marketing 101 is attempting to force feed you. What you really need is a program that is custom fit to YOU and your BIOLOGICAL age and needs, not your chronological age.”

I found this article very relevant with a sound message. Check it out.

When Should I Change My Training? – Charles Staley

Per usual, Charles provides a bevy of sound and practical advice in this article.

SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS

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CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 5/2/17

For the past, well, I don’t know how long I’ve posted my “Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work” post every Friday.

This past Friday I did not post it. As a result the internet shut down.1

Okay, it didn’t…but it did feel weird not to post it. And while I’d like to sit here and say it was because of something cool like, say, I had a man-date with The Rock or I was fighting crime, the truth of the matter is, with my schedule being switched around with an infant in tow, it makes it easier to post at the start of the week rather than the end.

You didn’t really care? Oh, okay then….lets get right to it.

Copyright: wamsler / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Check This Stuff Out First

1) Strong Body-Strong Mind – Toronto

Lisa and I are happy to announce we’re bringing back our Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop.

Last year we had the privilege of presenting together in Austin, TX and London, UK, and we’re elated to be heading to Toronto, Ontario to pick up where we left off.

In a nutshell I speak to a little assessment talk, program design, and breaking down technique on a few common lifts such as the squat, deadlift, get-up, and blindfolded chainsaw juggling, and Lisa speaks to more of the mindset side of the equation and how we can help build better rapport and “buy in” with our clients/athletes.

For more information and to sign up, please go HERE.

2) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Orlando

Our Vancouver shindig in April sold out, but Dean and I have recently announced a stop in Orlando, FL later this year, October 21-22nd at Spark Fitness.

I’ve never been to Orlando. There’s no way in hell I’m visiting Disney World.

You can go HERE for more details and to sign up.

3. The Bigness Project Re-Hatches

A make zero effort to hide my fandom of Jen Sinkler. I think she’s one of the kindest and most authentic human beings I know.

I also think she one helluva a coach and someone who’s a Jedi master at producing and curating quality fitness content. A few months she and Kourtney Thomas (another fantastic coach) released The Bigness Project.

If the title doesn’t give it away it’s alllllll about getting big or diesel or jacked (or whatever your adjective of choice is), and it’s directed towards women. Namely, it’s to prove a point: that women can and should train to add muscle (and not be afraid or timid to do so).

It’s an amazing 14-week program designed for women, by women and also includes a mindset component and thorough exercise glossary.

You need to act quick, though, because it’s being pulled from the virtual shelves by the end of this week. If you want to participate and get the Bigness, you have to go HERE by Friday.

Stuff to Read

MASS – Monthly Applications in Strength Sport – Greg Nuckols, Eric Helms, Mike Zourdos

If you’re a strength athlete, physique competitor, or just someone who likes to look like a brick shit house (or help people look that way) this will be right up your alley.

Every month, they sift through 50+ journals and 1,000+ studies to handpick the cutting-edge research that’s most relevant for building muscle, gaining strength, and getting leaner.  

Pretty much everyone who reads this site – except my mom – should be down with that.

If you want to stay on top of the research but, like me, hate reading research (nor have 40+ hours per month to dedicate to it) then this is a no-brainer.

Subscriptions can be monthly, yearly, or, for the all-out ballers out there, lifetime. This week only MASS is being offered at 20% OFF the regular price.

Go HERE to check it out.

Scaling the Squat – Zach Long & Andrew Millett

Having the ability to regress or progress an exercise based on the needs and ability level of an athlete/client is a skill that any fitness professional should strive to have.

This is never more apparent than when coaching the squat.

The phrase “it’s not so much about contraindicated exercises as it is about contraindicated lifters” never sings to high than in this article.

I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

Formation Strength – Amanda Wheeler & Lori Lindsey

This is a newly minted website by two (more) coaches I respect a ton…Lori Lindsey and Amanda Wheeler.

It’s a site dedicated to former athletes and women and strives to articulate a message that goes against the status quo directed towards much of female fitness.

I encourage you to check it out.

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Gratuitous cute Julian pic of the century. Sorry, I’m biased.

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CategoriesUncategorized

MASS Appeal: Greg Nuckols and Monthly Applications in Strength Sport

Greg Nuckols was nice enough to stop by and talk shop about MASS – Monthly Application in Strength Sport – his new monthly resource that just became available today.

An athlete or coach who knows and truly understands the latest research has a huge advantage over his or her’s competitors. MASS is a shortcut that earmarks all the greatest and most recent research and is curated by some of the most respected coaches out there – Greg, Eric Helms, and Mike Zourdos.

Coaches who actually, you know, lift weights.

Greg offers some great insights below. Enjoy.

Copyright: flybird163 / 123RF Stock Photo

 

TG: Who’s geekier: you, Eric (Helms), Mike (Zourdos), or Gilbert and Lewis from “Revenge of the Nerds?”

GN: I’d say they’re geekier, but we’re nerdier.  It’s an important distinction.  Basically, nerds are geeks who are actually really good at whatever they nerd/geek out about.  We kick more ass than they do.

TG: What was the impetus behind starting MASS? Also, what do you feel separates it from other research reviews out there?

GN: It was the logical solution to a set of problems we saw:

#1 – Most people are still quite uninformed about the science behind hypertrophy, strength development, and body composition. We’d never argue that science is inherently better than in-the-trenches experience, but we think science and experience work together much better than having either in isolation.

#2 – A lot of people who try to communicate science to the masses do so poorly.  This can take several forms.

A lot of people just read the abstract, which is generally incomplete or misleading.

Some people read the full text, but can’t digest studies well enough to spot some of their bigger (and more important) details – stuff like methodology, the tools used to take measurements, or the statistical analysis can dramatically alter what you can take away from a study, but those things are often glossed over.

Finally, there’s the issue of contextualization and communication.  Simply understanding a study doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be able to get the results and practical takeaways across to the reader, and it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll know how the findings can fit into day-to-day practice if you don’t actually have any coaching experience.

#3 – Trying to keep up with the research on your own can be absolutely overwhelming.

There are at least 50-60 journals that publish research that’s relevant to us at least semi-frequently, and they churn out 1000+ articles per month.  Going through all those journals, picking out the relevant studies, and reading all of them takes me (conservatively) 40-50 hours per month.

Note From TG: The only way you’d get me to spend 40-50 hours per month reading research is this:

After that whole process, there are generally fewer than 10 new studies that materially affect day-to-day practice for strength and physique athletes/coaches, but it takes a ton of back-end work to track them all down.

Once those pieces came together, starting MASS (Monthly Applications in Strength Sport) was a no-brainer.  It gets science out to the masses in a clear, understandable format, and it saves people massive amounts of time and money (journal access isn’t cheap, after all).

We’re different from other research reviews in two major ways:  scope and presentation.

Scope is probably the most important distinction.  MASS focuses solely on science that’s relevant to strength and physique athletes. It’s not for people focused on general health. It’s not for S&C coaches or team sport athletes. It’s not for rehab professionals.

If your primary goal is to pick up heavy things, get jacked, or improve your body composition (or you train people with those goals), MASS is for you. 

Since we have such a relatively narrow focus, we do the best job providing information that’s highly useful and relevant for that population.

With regards to presentation, we have a mix of written and video content, depending on what a given research topic best lends itself to, whereas the other reviews I’m aware of are solely written.  We also have mobile-friendly versions of all of our articles, which is helpful for people trying to read MASS on the go with their mobile device.

TG: How much of a balancing act is there between being an “evidence-based coach” and respecting research and anecdotal experience? Is there a balancing act? In other words: Is there a percentage breakdown between how much we should base our training/program design/methodologies off research and how much of it comes from “feel” and anecdotal shenanigans?

GN: There’ll always be a mix.

Scientific research is the best tool we have to tell us what works better or worse on average for a given population, and it’s also the only tool we have for discovering the physiological underpinnings of training practice (not just “what” works, but “why” it works).

With that in mind, science helps give you a fantastic starting point for your own training or coaching, and it helps you avoid a lot of nonsense fads because understanding physiology helps tune your bullshit detector.

After you use the research findings as a starting point, you always need to do some self-experimentation and troubleshooting to optimize your approach for yourself or your clients, because what works best on average may not be what works best for each individual.

Understanding the basic physiology helps guide that troubleshooting as well, though, by helping you understand what tweaks are more or less likely to be helpful.

TG: What are you favorite, most referenced, or “go to”strength & conditioning studies of all time? 

There are too many to list!  Here are a few I find myself referring to a lot, though:

A meta-analysis of periodized versus nonperiodized strength and power training programs

The role of FFM accumulation and skeletal muscle architecture in powerlifting performance

Effect of squat depth and barbell load on relative muscular effort in squatting

A three-dimensional biomechanical analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlift

MASS Spread: I.e., what an issue looks like on the inside.

TG: Any studies you feel people use or gravitate towards that are complete BS or bunk?

GN: There’s a decent amount of supplement research I’m pretty distrustful of.

When a supplement is independently tested in a bunch of different labs and shows pretty “meh” results, and then it’s tested in a study funded by the patent holder and it suddenly looks like a legal replacement to steroids…I get skeptical.

TG: Okay, short and sweet: why should people consider MASS. How will it help them?

GN: If you’re already sold on the value of keeping up with scientific research, MASS will save you a massive amount of time and dig into the research that’s relevant to you in a lot more depth than you’ll find elsewhere.

Since all three of us are athletes and coaches as well, we know what sort of information you’re looking for, and what will directly improve your results or the results of your clients.

How to Get MASS

I gotta be honest: Greg sent me the first copy of MASS a few weeks ago and it’s really, really, really good.

I hate reading research.

I’d rather do any of the following than peruse PubMed on a Friday night:

  • Light my face on fire.
  • Go to a One Direction concert.
  • Talk about my feelings.

Greg, Eric, and Mike have done the industry a solid by putting together this amazing resource that will not only help you stay sharp and on top of the most recent research…..

……but you’ll save a TON of time to boot.

The initial launch of MASS starts today (5/1) and runs through this Friday. Here are the introductory prices:

  • $25/month for monthly
  • $249/year for yearly
  • $799/lifetime (one-time purchase)

These prices will go up 20% after this week. It’s a steal for the amount of information you’re getting.

—> Get MASS <—

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 10/21/16

Sorry for the lack of content this week. I take pride in the fact I’m able to toss up 4-5 blog posts per week, but I was only able to swindle two (three counting today). I suck.

But the sucktitude this week was with good reason (which you’ll read about below). Lets get right to business.

Copyright: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/profile_maglara'>maglara / 123RF Stock Photo</a>
Copyright: maglara / 123RF Stock Photo

 

Some Stuff to Check Out Before You Read Stuff

1) Last weekend Dean Somerset and I were in Minneapolis, MN teaching our Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint at The Movement Minneapolis. We had a group of 50 trainers from all across the upper-middle USA attend. Here’s me performing what Martin (one of MM’s coaches) referred to as the “Here comes the tickle monster” technique.1

movement-minn-workshop

On such trips Dean and I share a hotel room to help save on costs (and because I’m scared of the dark). We took full advantage of being under the same roof so that we could hash out some details and so that we could announce this….

Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint Will Be Available to Purchase Starting November 1st.

[Cue the Duck Boats now].

Dean and I filmed the event when we were in Norway this past spring and we’re really proud of the end result. We’ve been sending out review copies to some of our fitness industry besties and have gotten some amazing feedback. To say we’re looking forward to unleashing this to the rest of the world would be an understatement. This is something I feel will help a lot of fitness pros who deal with shoulders and hips on a daily basis.

So, basically, everyone….;o)

 

November 1st. This shit is happening.

2) CORE (my studio in Boston) will be hosting the I Am Not Afraid to Lift (Mindset Edition) workshop featuring Artemis Scantalides and my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis.

Date: Sunday, November 6, 8AM-5PM.

If you’re interested in learning more about kettlebell and bodyweight training, proper technique, programming, as well as how to develop sound mindset strategies to enhance performance, this workshop will be a great use of your time.

This workshop is appropriate for women who lift of all levels, from women who have never lifted weights before, to beginners to advanced lifters. Men have attended too…;O)

There are only four spots left. For more information you can click HERE (<– click events tab).

MASS – Dr. Pat Davidson

mass-image

There’s a reason why this training program has developed a cult following from both men and women…because it works!

It’s a simple (albeit brutal) program, is not for the faint of heart, and as Pat has stated himself time and time and time again….

“Everybody sees crazy results.”

You read the manual and the likelihood you’ll want to run through a brick wall increases ten-fold.

It’s only on sale for a few more days (ends this weekend), so take advantage while you can HERE.

Crunches Are Bad For You. And This Is Exactly Why – Ashleigh Kast

Drive 495 coach, Ashleigh Kast, makes a nice case for why crunches probably shouldn’t be your first choice when it comes to building a mid-section that looks like the picture above.

She discusses things like the Joint-by-Joint theory, the Four Knots, and keeps it real with quotes like this:

“A real good front squat with a well braced midsection is an honest 6-minute ab miracle.”

My Back Hurts When I Deadlift – Brandon Hall

This is a very common theme and the common response is to blame deadlifts, when more often than not the appropriate “fix” is a little more attention to detail with regards to set up and/or choosing the appropriate variation based off one’s injury history and current ability level.

Great article featuring some insights from myself and CSP coach Tony Bonvechio.

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

I see many of my colleagues doing this and figured I’d jump in on the action. You know, cause I’m important.

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After watching other coaches like @benbrunotraining, @bretcontreras1, and @showmestrength perform this landline press variation, I decided they couldn’t have all the fun. What does adding the band do? 1. I feel it helps engage anterior core more, which will help prevent any excessive overarching from the lumbar spine. 2. It helps “slow down” the bar at the top of the movement, which can make it a little more joint friendly for those with cranky shoulders. 3. You’re forced to control the eccentric (lowering) portion to a higher degree in an effort to resist the pull of the band. And 4. It’s just badass. I was supposed to perform Scrape the Rack Presses following John Rusin’s Functional Hypertrophy Training program, but my rack wasn’t high enough. Did these as a quick substitute at the end of my “Push Day”, and loved them. Check the program out at drjohnrusin.com/FHT-program and use the code TG10 to save a little money.

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CategoriesInterview muscle growth Program Design Strength Training

Becoming a Brick Shit House 101

Pat Davidson is a savage. He’s one of the most passionate and knowledgable coaches I know. What’s more, he’s someone who’s not afraid to express his opinion and tell it like it is. Case in point he was kind enough to take part in an interview as part of the re-launch of his flagship training program – MASS.

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Copyright: rangizzz / 123RF Stock Photo

 

He….does…..not……hold…..back.

It’s amazing.

In the year or so since it’s original (soft) release it has accumulated a cult-following. It’s brutal, it makes people hate life, but no one – male or female – who has completed it has ever not gotten amazing results. I know, I’ve seen it in action.

It makes people into brick shit houses – hence the title of this post.

MASS is on sale starting today though the end of this week. Enjoy the interview.

Tony Gentilcore (TG):Pat, thanks for doing this interview: 1) can you give my audience a bit of your background and 2) can you do so with at least two f-bombs included.

Pat Davidson (PD):  Hi Tony, I’d like to start off by saying thank you for letting me do this interview. You’re somebody I really respect in our industry, and getting the opportunity to do something in conjunction with you is big time.

It’s funny, I’ve done a number of podcasts and other kinds of interviews at this point in my life now, and this question always comes up, and I always think, “God, I fucking hate this question.” I feel animosity towards this question, because it’s so hard to know how to approach telling other people about yourself.

You have to come up with some kind of elevator pitch version of your professional life, and it always sucks. There’s virtually no way to accurately answer the question. So here’s my shitty answer to this question that provides evidence that I am a fucking authority in our field.

Note from TG:I could have just as well introduced Pat myself, told everyone he’s a savage, that he makes people into savages (as evident by his book MASS), and is one of the most passionate and intense people I have ever met in this industry. I’m pretty sure he found out arm wrestling a grizzly would increase protein synthesis by 22% he’d put it as A2 in a program.

My name is Pat Davidson. I have an B.A. in History, an M.S. in Strength and Conditioning, and a Ph.D in Exercise Physiology. I have worked as a professor for two different schools, Brooklyn College and Springfield College. I have also been the Director of Continuing Education and Training at Peak Performance in NYC.

My background in athletics has been that I played baseball and football in high school, tried to play baseball in college, but ultimately was too immature to be able to manage classes, sports, and partying as an 18 year old. After that I got into jiu jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA. I competed in those sports for 7 years.

I got more and more into the science and practice of training by the end of my MMA days and eventually just became a lifter. I did a few weightlifting meets, broke down physically from trying to do that sport, and then eventually made my way into strongman. I competed in strongman for about 3 years. During that time I finished top 10 at two National Championships, competed in two World Championships, and finished top 10 at Worlds once.

I’ve done my fair share of writing and speaking gigs in the field. These days I’m not competing in anything. I’m just trying to consume knowledge at the highest rate I possibly can, write more books, give more presentations, and be the best professional I can be.

TG: I had the chance to listen to you speak at a Cressey Sports Performance staff in-service something like two years ago, and I was so impressed not only by your knowledge base, but your passion as well. Watching and hearing you speak it was hard not to stand up and run straight through a brick wall.

I feel MASS is the end-result of both your knowledge and passion. Can you explain WHY you wrote this program (you know, other than making people hate life)?

PD: The reason I wrote MASS is actually a very straight forward concept. The project began when I was contacted by an editor from Men’s Health who commonly did stories with myself and a couple other guys at Peak.

He said that a new intern just showed up to start working with him. The kid was a former college cross-country runner, and he was essentially way too skinny to be working for Men’s Health. The editor and a couple other people thought it would be fun to see how much mass they could put on him for his 16 week internship, and they were hoping that I could put a program together for him.

Copyright: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/profile_varijanta'>varijanta / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Copyright: varijanta / 123RF Stock Photo

I got to meet the intern for a day, do some measures on him, and, “teach” him how to do everything. He was about 5’8″, and slightly less than 130 pounds. He had no previous strength training experience. I could tell that he was a very driven young man though, and the cross-country background is one that from my experience comes with a psychological paradigm of not being afraid to work.

Wrestlers and racers are people who often times will do whatever it takes no matter how difficult. My challenge was that I had to come up with a plan that would give this person maximum results without hurting him, and this was especially difficult because of his lack of experience.

From my experience everyone does everything wrong, regardless of how well versed in training they think they are. I don’t feel comfortable having people do anything unless I’m there to watch and coach them…so I had to get outside my comfort zone in actually writing MASS. So I designed this thing to intrinsically reward him with the programming, push him to his physical limits, and make absolutely sure he wouldn’t get hurt.

He did phenomenally well on the program. He gained 19 pounds of lean body mass in the 16 weeks according to our InBody equipment at Peak, which is absolutely preposterous when you consider he started off in the 120s.

At this point in time, Men’s Health was going to do a big story on Peak, because Peak was getting ready to move into a 25,000 sqft futuristic palace gym in Manhattan. Included in the story on Peak was going to be the intern story as well, and they were going to do something like name the program, “Best Program of the Year” or something like that.

I saw this as a golden opportunity to possibly earn some money from this, and I put a book together that would go along with this program. So I sat down on a weekend where I had nothing else to do and I wrote the book. It was a grueling weekend, and I probably looked a little bit like a bleary eyed Unibomber by the end of it, but the book was done.

mass-image

Unfortunately the Peak project fell through due to business side logistical complications, so the Men’s Health stories also never materialized, but by that point, MASS was born, and it has managed to create its own following, and it has steadily sold and continued to make people both hate and love me in expanding spheres.

TG: I have witnessed it in action – several coaches I know have done the program1 – and can vouch for its effectiveness.

Straight up: would you agree most people DO NOT train nearly hard enough?

PD: I honestly don’t know if people don’t work hard enough. I think people are just disorganized with training. When I design training sessions, I think about things like somebody would if they had to design a factory assembly line to produce at the highest level of efficiency.

I have zero time to waste, I have a valuable commodity that I have to pump out, and I don’t care about your feelings.

I time everything. I’ve never been a huge fan of technology in the weight-room other than the clock.

I’m familiar with different energy systems, loaded movement types, types of muscular contractions, speed and agility, movement quality…you know, the endless list of qualities that actually need to be developed in a performance oriented gym.

There are so many qualities that are necessary for athletes that you need 15 day weeks and 34 hour days to actually do everything you need to do. You always have to scrap certain concepts and qualities, short time (I can’t have you sitting around for 6 minutes during rest periods to maximize your phosphagen system’s substrate stores), and generally compromise the perfect textbook physiology development of things…but you blend, mix and match, and do the smartest things you possibly can to make it look right, and let people feel like they’re having a worthwhile training experience.

With MASS, there was only one goal, and it was purely body composition optimization. I wasn’t trying to help people with peaking for a race or a strength contest, or get ready for the football season, so in reality organizing it was a breeze…no movement prep, no power production development, no reactive components.

It just comes down to what is the goal, and how do I get to the goal?

With body composition goals involving muscle mass, it’s not that hard…mechanical load, mechanical work, heat, and acidity…works every time.

People are willing to work hard to get there if they want that goal, and you can explain why those variables are the ticket to that goal. Now you just have to organize things for people to to do, and give them something they feel like is a meaningful challenge. That’s where the MASS book actually comes into play.

  • It’s written in a way that explains why taking a certain approach is the correct approach.
  • It explains why a certain mindset is the right way to carry yourself. It gives you the organization of the programming, which is very efficient, and basically guaranteed to change your body composition.
  • It gives you guidance, direction, and order. It will also motivate you, and the program itself will motivate you, because you have to keep trying to beat yourself, and if you actually manage to do so, you will feel rewarded.

I don’t think people are unwilling to work hard. Everybody who has done this program has worked hard and loved it. People just haven’t put themselves into the right situations or environments to be able to appropriately work hard in a very directed manner.

TG: Well stated my man, thank you. I respect your approach to training and program design because it’s simple. Nothing about MASS says “fancy” or “elaborate,” which is why I LOVE the constant references to Rocky IV. Why is it so hard for many people to understand this concept? That training doesn’t have to advanced or nuanced?

PD: This is a great question. I think I could answer this in a million different ways, but I’m going to stick with one thread here.

Our industry is generally full of people who were failed athletes…but specifically failed athletes who were incredibly driven, tried hard, and were willing to do whatever they had to do to make it.

Coaches are probably people who, when they were athletes, were the people that their coaches loved…because they were the scrappy athlete, the kid who studied the game…and they were rewarded for this behavior with the praise, attention, and approval of the coach…all of this creates a cycle.

The people who fit into this failed athlete/future coach pedigree are routinely the people who believe that if they just did this, “one thing” differently, then it would have been all different.

We are a population of people who are always looking for the secret ingredient…it’s this new thing where you press on weird spots and the person moves like a baby, and now they can magically move better forever…wrong…it’s this new thing where you find and feel your left pterygoid, and now you can throw a baseball 5 mph faster…wrong…it’s this new thing where you touch these lights on a board that light up randomly, and you can save any shot from any direction as a goalie…wrong.

The dirty secret is that consistency, habit, intelligence, and managing the big picture is the only thing that has ever and will ever matter.

Photo Credit: www.jtsstrength.com

When I think of improving performance, I’m always trying to improve biomechanics and fitness, because the two compliment each other. Biomechanics is this positional, mechanical, psycho-social, sensory, contextual, and environmental monster of inputs and outputs that the smartest people in our field spend their entire waking hours and lives trying to wrap their mind around to figure out.

And then you hear some ass-clown trainer spit the dumbest shit imaginable about how fucking ankle band lateral walks and spreading the knees are going to be the magic bullet fix for some jumbo shrimp looking 140 pound 20 year old bag of dicks that can’t do a fucking pull-up and runs a mile in 12 minutes.

TG: HAHAHAHAHAHA. How do you really feel Pat?

That’s the kind of shit that makes me want to tombstone piledrive somebody into that pit of needles from the Saw movie franchise.

All day in NYC I see trainers taking fat women and having them do endless stupid movement prep drills with them and overhead squatting them with dowels. Maybe this fat woman can’t move because her gut is in the way.

Maybe she just needs to do something she can’t fuck up, like the most basic hip hinge possible…and oh by the way a bench press is a good fucking exercise.

Copyright: halfpoint / 123RF Stock Photo

From what I can tell, almost everybody in our industry sucks at movement…and we try to do seriously fancy shit that we fuck up left and right.

Maybe your cocky trainer ass should stick to basics. If you suck at it, do you really think your dumbass motor moron client is going to have a fucking chance? Hell no dummy.

That person needs to sweat and do basics, and feel like they actually accomplished something. Give that person some damn pride, and let them work hard in a way where they won’t hurt themselves.

Christ, I could go on all day on this one, and you finally got me swearing…this one did it.2

No, trainer/strength coach, you never were going to make it in the sport you loved. The cream always rises to the top. No, you’re never going to be an elite weightlifter unless you started somewhere around 10…but feel free to destroy your joints in your pursuit of this goal.

No handstands are not going to improve anything other than your ability to do a shitty handstand because you didn’t start gymnastics when you were 8 years old.

Shut your mouth, do basic lifts, sprint, do agility drills, and probably some basic cardio, and guess what you’ll probably stop being as fat, weak, and hurt as you are right now. Fuck.

TG: WHEW – that was an EPIC rant Pat. I hope all the walls are safe wherever you were when you wrote that….;o)

I know it’s a cliche question – sorry – but can you give your “top 3” reasons why many people fail to see much progress in the gym? How is MASS going to address them?

PD: Top 3 reasons why people go nowhere in the gym.

1. People Pick the Wrong Exercises for Their Goals.

If your goal is to change body composition, you need to do as much mechanical work with load as possible. Mechanical work is the result of force times distance. Do not pick low force exercises with small excursions built into the movement. The right exercises are hinges, squats, split squats, presses, and pulls. I’m not against direct arm and calf work, but that’s the spices you sprinkle on at the end of cooking a dish.

2. People Pick the Wrong Sets and Reps Schemes.

Most People are weak and unimpressive. If I do a 5 rep set of bench press with such people, they might be using 145…but then I take 5 or 10 pounds away and they do it for 20. There’s no rhyme or reason to most people…their muscles aren’t working synchronously, they’re more psychology cases than physiology cases.

They’re going to build more strength doing 15 reps with slightly less weight compared to 5 reps with slightly more. People need practice and volume.

Everybody thinks they’re a damn international weightlifter who needs Prilepin’s table applied to all their programming. Do more mechanical work…push that variable and you’ll be amazed at what happens.

3. People Don’t Time Their Rest.

Easily the most powerful adjustment I’ve ever made. It’s so simple and so powerful. Nobody is accountable, and perception of time is something that nobody experiences accurately while exercising.

If you’re not timing things, you are wasting a ton of time, guaranteed. MASS addresses all of these factors. You’re going to deadlift, squat, press, and pull your face off.

Everything is timed.

Everybody sees crazy results.

TG: BOOM. Want to find out for yourself why MASS has garnered such a loyal following? Go HERE and see for yourself. It’s on sale this week only (until 10/23).

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CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 8/28/15

I can’t believe we’re only a handful of days away until it’s September. SEPTEMBER! The good news is that Fall is my favorite time of year here in Boston…the leaves changing color, the crisp air, it officially becoming “I can wear sweat pants anywhere at any time (even at the dinner table) and no one cares” season.

It’s glorious.

The downside is that many of us here in New England (especially Boston) still have last winter fresh in our minds and we’re still cowering in the corner in the fetal position. Over six-feet of snow in a 30 day span (110+ inches overall) will give anyone nightmares.

We still have several more weeks of amazing weather, though. No point in playing Johnny Raincloud too soon.

Lets get to this week’s list:

MASS – Dr. Pat Davidson

Anyone who knows Pat or is familiar with his work knows how much of a “psycho” he is. And I mean that as a compliment.

Pat’s a former assistant professor at Springfield College and is currently the Director of Training Methodology and Continuing Education at Peak Performance in NYC. He’s also one of the smartest guys I’ve ever met, and if there’s anyone who literally eats, drinks, and sleeps strength and conditioning it’s him. He’s read everything, and tried it. Twice.

Pat’s a savage (<– again, a compliment) and someone who’s only interested in bringing out the “savage” in everyone he trains and works with.

MASS speaks for itself. The name alone should give you an indication on what it’s designed to do. But in case you’re not picking up the vibe it’s a 16-week muscle building treatise, and it’s brutal.

Admittedly I haven’t taken myself through it personally (yet), but I know of several coaches who have and no one has finished. They all got bigger and put on significant size, but all tapped out after 8-12 weeks.

Like I said, Pat’s a savage. Are you willing to give it a go?

Butter In Your Coffee and Other Cons: Stories From a Fitness Insider – Dick Talens

This was an excellent article by Dick on some of the more “shady” areas and personas in the fitness industry. Well worth the read.

Cardio Revisited – Tanner Baze (via Roman Fitness Systems)

In some ways the health & fitness industry mirrors that of the fashion industry: trends come and go. Although, lets be honest: who the heck knows where skinny jeans came from and why they’re so popular?

Not long ago, if you were a meathead, doing any form of “cardio” was taboo. Even if you thought about putting on a pair of jogging shoes you’d lose your gainz.

As of late, however, it’s making a bit of a comeback. This article helps explain why it can help (and actually improve) your gainz.