I’ve had the honor of presenting at two previous iterations of the Motivate & Movement LAB (the brainchild of MFF’s Harold Gibbons) and it’s unequivocally one of the most unique events in the fitness industry.
Think: TED Talk, but with deadlifts and lots of f-bombs.
Anyways, the next LAB is this coming February, and will feature myself, Dan John, Pete Dupuis, my wife (Dr. Lisa Lewis), and several of the MFF coaching staff including Brian Patrick Murphy and Amanda Wheeler.
I had to take a break from The Fitness Summit last year for two reasons:
1. Eating way too many cookies.
2. But mostly because I succeeded in making a baby and my wife would have tossed me so much shade if I was all like “Hey Babe, going to KC for three days. Toodles.”
Well this year I’m back and excited to take part in a Fitness Summit first. Dean Somerset and I will be putting on a Pre-Conference day where we’ll spend a few hours test driving some new material as a follow-up to our Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.
Tentatively titled The More Completer Hip & Shoulder Blueprint.
We’ll be taking deep dive into squat and deadlift technique: discussing ankle, foot, hip and upper extremity considerations in conjunction with regressions/progressions and programming. Whether you’re a coach or just someone who likes to lift heavy things you’ll undoubtedly learn something. And if not, cool, you still get to hang out with us for a few hours.
Registration is now open for returning and new attendees. Come experience one of the best fitness events of the year.
I’ll go a head and say it: I feel this is one of the single most important courses I have ever taken.
If you train women it behooves you to understand the intricacies surrounding this topic: pelvic floor dysfunction, prolapse, incontinence, etc.
Dr. Sarah Duvall covers everything from assessment/screening to corrective exercise (tons of attention to proper breathing mechanics) to training considerations immediately postpartum (1-4 weeks) onward to a year plus.
What’s more, what I truly dig about Sarah’s approach is that she advocates women to eventually “lift shit to fix shit” (my words, not hers). Sooooo, there’s that.
FYI: TODAY (1/26) is the last day to register for this go-round. However you can use the coupon code TONYG at checkout for an additional $50 off your purchase. You know, cause I’m awesome.
Is it supposed to happen? Does it get better? What can you do to lessen the amplitude?
Lance chimes in with some simple advice.
Social Media Shenanigans
Twitter
DB presses hurt your shoulders? Maybe try a neutral grip. Squatting hurts your lower back? Maybe brace more or don’t squat so low (to a box). There I just fixed the issue without giving you 147 different “corrective exercises” to try.
1) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Orlando & Boston
** Obviously with Irma kicking on Florida’s door this weekend, this event may be postponed. As of now we’re still good to go, but Dean and I will be sure to keep everyone notified.
There’s only two weeks left to take advantage of the Early Bird rate for Dean Somerset and I’s workshop in Orlando, at Spark Fitness, the weekend of October 21st.
HEADS UP: We’ve also added Boston into the mix later this year. Not Burlington Boston or Beverly Boston, two cities that are lovely, albeit not (that) close to Boston.
No, this is IN Boston. In the heart of the city Boston, at AMP Fitness.
Early bird rate is in effect now and if you’re super eager to sign-up you can go HERE.
A lot goes down when a woman gets pregnant. That’s the understatement of the year I suppose, and it’s not lost on me that I’m a dude saying this.
What the heck do I know?
Well, my wife gave birth to our son earlier this year (trust me: some shit went down) and as a fitness professional I have worked with a litany of women through their pregnancies.
This was an excellent article featured on the Girls Gone Strong website, and if you work with women who are pregnant or postpartum you’ll want to check it out.
We’re smack dab in the middle of the time of year where most of the studios release their “Oscar bait” movies, and there’s still a ton of them I need to see. My current “to see” list includes:
Manchester By the Sea
Moonlight
Denial
Jackie
Allied
Sharknado 17
Elle
Fences
Anyone reading see anything listed? Thoughts? I was reflecting, though, on what have been my favorite movies I’ve seen so far this year?
In no particular order:Hell or High Water, Arrival, Green Room, Jason Bourne, Morris From America, Sully, Don’t Breath, The Invitation, and, while I haven’t seen it yet, do you really think I’m not going to put Rogue One on this list?1
What are some of your favorites you’ve seen in 2016? Looking forward to anything in particular?
Stuff to Check Out Before You Read Stuff
1. I’ve been really enjoying the Complete Guide to Training the Female Athlete. As noted in yesterday’s interview with one of the coaches involved, Adam Feit, there aren’t many resources out there dedicated to the female athlete, so it’s been refreshing (and, admittedly, eye opening: there’s a lot of cool stuff in there) to dive in.
If you’re someone who works with female athletes you’d be crazy not to give this resource your attention. It’s currently on sale for $100 off the regular price. Check it out HERE.
2. I’m attempting to start the process of planning my 2017 travel schedule. I’ve had a few people reach out expressing interest in inviting me to their location to put on a workshop. There’s a slight monkey-wrench coming to fruition this coming January with a baby on the way, but I still have every intention of traveling if or when the opportunity presents itself.
So, whether you’re looking for a Tony G show, a Tony + Dean (Somerset) event, or even a Tony + Lisa shindig (Strong Body-Strong Mind), please shoot me an email.
3. I wrote what I think is a pretty good article for Men’s Health recently on mistakes a lot of people make with fat-loss programs.
In short: they should be called MUSCLE-RETENTION programs. You can check that out HERE.
4. Anthony Renna invited me onto his new Stop and Give Me 20 Podcast. Short and sweet (and awesome).
A sorta “PSA” geared towards parents who are on the fence about their young daughters lifting weights or doing anything in the gym that doesn’t involve an elliptical machine.
It’s a question I’m asked often. And I can’t say I have a definitive answer. I’ve had coaches who were laid back and patient and coaches who were not that, and made a tornado look like a gentle Spring breeze.
In health/fitness circles, much like athletics, there’s a gamut of coaching personalities. On one end you have those coaches who are more observant and calculated with their feedback, seamingly Obi-Wan’esque with their cues and commentary.
And on the other end you have those who, for lack of a better phrase, come across as bat-shit crazy.
To their credit (“their” = celebrity/tv trainers): they do motivate people, and they do get results. Kinda. And they’re on tv, so they clearly know what they’re doing. (<— note sarcasm).
Who am I to say which “version” of a coach is better than the other? There are success stories on each side of the spectrum. However, I find the most successful coaches/personal trainers, and the ones I respect the most, are those who get results, but are also empathetic towards their clients.
There’s a time and place to be the drill sergeant. But it’s a time that’s few and far between. And, just to toss it out there: if these so called “celebrity/tv trainers” many people look up to as the creme of the crop were so good and so effective, why then do a large percentage of their “clients” tend to regain their weight back?
But then the counterpoint can be made that many of these shows – like The Biggest Loser – only exist because the objective is to see who can lose the most amount of weight in “x amount of time.” In that sense, the coaches are doing their job. Very, very well mind you.
It’s a massive catch-22 of Hellerian proportions.
However, if you ask me…it’s less coaching and more a crash course in clusterfuckery. But I’m getting off on too much of a tangent. Shane McLean did me a solid and put together this excellent guest post today on the idea of what entails “good coaching?”
Enjoy.
What Does Good Coaching Look Like?
Recently, I was watching my 10-year-old son play his rec-league soccer game. To say they were getting beaten was an understatement, and everyone on our sideline was getting frustrated.
The coach was screaming at the kids, the refs and pretty much anything else that moved. In the second half, with the result absolutely in no doubt, one of our kids misplayed a ball and the coach snapped.
“SHIT,” he screamed, loud enough that everyone could hear. My oldest son thought this was hilarious, and I had to explain to him why this was not good coaching.
Swearing in front of children to get your point across is an example of poor coaching in my humble opinion.
However, people who haven’t been exposed to a lot of quality coaching in their lifetime may think all coaches behave like
Middle school P.E teacher.
Swearing soccer coach.
Weight loss coaches on reality TV.
Lou Gossett Jr in an Officer and a Gentlemen.
Or
All the above
Warning- Colorful language alert.
Since becoming a coach, I have witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly side of coaching. I’m inspired by great coaching. However, I wanted to beat my head repeatedly on a brick wall when I witnessed this incident back in 2013.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=MmD_KbwX8IE
No coach who draws a paycheck should ever behave like this. Intidation and fear is not the way to get the best out of people, and it’s coaching at its worst.
Good coaching, on the other hand, mostly happens behind the scenes. It is out of the spotlight where a coach motivates, inspires and pushes the athletes or clients to become the best they can be.
With that in mind, I reached out to some experienced coaches and asked them to give their thoughts on what good coaching is and what it should look like. You may be surprised that it’s nothing like drill sergeant Lou.
1) Tony Gentilcore (The man needs no introduction)
Good coaching should like coaching. How’s that for playing the Captain Obvious card?
What I mean is: good coaching is ACTIVE. It’s about being engaged and present. When I coach, I coach at 90 degree angles; I’m moving, I’m like shark. If someone’s squatting I’ll take a peek from the front, from the side, and from the back.
I’m not just standing there passively counting out reps like a drone.
Also, to speak candidly, I think a lot of shitty coaches’ mask how shitty they are by playing the rah-rah, excessively boisterous card. You know the type: always yelling and being way too loud.
There’s a time and place for that kind of behavior or course, but I find the “good” coaches tend to be more mild-mannered, meticulous, and reserved in their style.
They’ll watch a set, let the client/athlete marinate in their thoughts for a few seconds, and then offer feedback. Less is better often than not.
What’s the best pieces of coaching advice you’ve received?
“You have two ears, two eyes, and one mouth, use them in that order.”
Good coaching is making and building a connection with the athletes or clients you train. It’s not just counting reps and throwing some exercises together and calling it a program. It’s training people with an intent to make an impact on their lives.
What’s the best piece of coaching advice you’ve received?
Clients don’t know how much you know until they know how much you care. This is something that I’ve heard from several others and I think it took a while before I realized how true it was.
You can have all the certifications and education in the world but if you don’t know how to treat those you work with, they won’t stick around for long.
3) Pat Rigsby – Father. Husband. Entrepreneur. Coach. Author
Good coaching looks a bit like good parenting. It’s a combination of everything from teaching and motivation to providing boundaries and developing habits…all with a focus on helping the client become a better version of themselves and ultimately achieve their potential. So, coaching is no one thing…it’s a combination of many things.
The best piece of coaching advice you’ve ever received?
That it’s not about what you know, say or do. It’s about what the client or athlete gets from the interaction. Did they improve? Did they move closer to their goals?
As a coach, your role is to facilitate the improvement of those you serve, not simply to collect information.
Good coaching isn’t just about crunching the numbers. Appropriate exercise prescription and nutritional counselling are just a small part of a successful coach-client relationship – “Good Coaching” also considers client education, appreciates the value of effective communication and looks to empower the client in as many ways as possible.
The best piece of coaching advice you’ve ever received?
It’s very hard for me to pinpoint one single piece of advice – I’m fairly sponge-like when it comes to soaking up advice and information. However, I can honestly say that the tutelage I received from Dr. Mike Zourdos as a part of the SBS Academy completely revolutionized the way I write training programs.
I’ve also been incredibly lucky to spend time with the 3DMJ team, the Lift The Bar team and the other coaches who make up Shredded By Science – I’ve learnt countless things from all of them.
5) Nick Tumminello – CPT, author of Strength for Fat Loss and Building Muscle and Performance.
Coaching is about communication of your knowledge of the X’s and O’s of training and programming. So, “good coaching” looks like a good relationship between the trainer and the people they’re currently working with.
A good coach isn’t just someone who has great technical knowledge, but is also someone who recognizes how best to communicate with each individual in a way that they’ll buy into and get the cited about they’re training direction.
What’s the best pieces of coaching advice you’ve received?
The best piece of coaching advice I’ve received is from Bruce Lee. Although he was talking about different styles of martial arts, his advice to not be married to one style applies perfectly to the training and conditioning arena.
All training styles have different benefits and limitations, so taking a mixed approach to training – an approach that looks at different reasoning styles as mutually complimentary instead of as mutually exclusive – is ultimately a smarter approach.
As someone who has had some outstanding trainers guide me toward my goals, and now as a trainer myself, it is my belief that a good trainer is someone who avoids cookie cutter programs where they are doing the same exact workout with each and every one of their clients.
Each client has different goals and different needs based on those goals. Each client also has other personal considerations (including exercise background) and personal exercise preferences that should also be addressed when designing their client’s program.
To me a good trainer/coach will take all these factors into account and develop an exercise program individualized to the client, starting the client where they are and guiding them towards their goals in a safe, efficient and effective manner that will help the client successfully reach their goals.
What’s the best piece of coaching advice you’ve received?
One of the best pieces of coaching advice I have received is from my mentor Nick Tumminello: When working with a client, instead of trying to fit individuals to certain exercises, you should instead fit the exercises to the individual.
What Do YOU Think?
Share your comments, opinions, stories in the comments section.
Not for something stupid like forgetting to turn the stove off or forgetting to send in my quarterly taxes.
No, I’m mad at myself for slacking in the movie-watching department.
Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love watching movies, and how much I pride myself on being a movie snob.
Ever since I was a kid I’ve been a movie nut. I have vivid memories of seeing E.T, Return of the Jedi, and Back to the Future in the theater when I was younger, and immediately becoming hooked by the escapism those movies provided.
Sure, like everyone else I enjoy the big budget, popcorn movies like Captain America: Civil War. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy explosions, fists being thrown into other people’s faces, and Chris Evans’ pecs?
But I also love watching independent, artsy-fartsy movies too.
Foreign movies, movies that star Chloe Savigny, or movies that have some bohemian, artistic title like, I don’t know, I Stare at a Rock, Love is Blind.2
They’re all good in my book, and I’ll give everything a chance.
Regardless, I’ve been slacking this summer. I mean, I haven’t even seen X-Men: Apocalypse yet!
Putting things into perspective, however, it’s with good reason. Between all the traveling I’ve been doing for work in addition to taking over the lease for my own training studio here in Boston…I’ve been a little pre-occupied.
That said, what movies have YOU seen lately? Anything you recommend or made you want to drop kick the director in the neck for wasting two hours of your life?
I’m heading to my snobby theater tonight to go see The Lobster. I’ve heard good things.
Everyone has different body-types and leverages, which makes the deadlift different for everyone. However, Todd hits on some BIG ROCK cues and suggestions that pretty much have a universal connotation.
Remember those weighted shoes you used to wear to help with your vertical jump? Or, the crotchety basketball coach who used to run his athletes into the ground during every…single…practice?
Most still do.
In this article, Ty hits on where most coaches miss the mark with regards to conditioning for basketball. Awesome stuff.
In this article, Coach Nick hits on my favorite part of the body, the boobs the upper back. There’s plenty of info in this article to keep any meathead happy, but there’s also a fair bit of science for the nerds out there too.
1) Be sure to check out my updated speaking schedule HERE. Early bird rate still applies for mine and Dean Somerset’s workshop at Vigor Ground Fitness in Seattle at …..hint, hint, nudge, nudge.
2) Still haven’t tried Athletic Greens? What’s the dealo? Check THIS out for 50% of your first month.
One of the most thorough articles in recent memory on what “mobility” really is and how we can effectively train for it (if it’s deemed necessary). Hint: it rarely involves stretching.
To check out Simple Shoulder Solution by Max Shank. It was just released this week, and is getting awesome feedback.
It takes a more unconventional approach to shoulder health, but that’s what I dig about it. I LIKE when coaches think outside the box and take more of a “lets do some cool shit and train” mentality. I’m 100% stealing some of his material. But, you know, giving credit. Max could kick my ass in 2.3 seconds.
There aren’t many coaches out there who are as “diverse” as Nick Tumminello. He’s equal parts meathead and evidence based, which basically means he can sit at any table he wants to in the proverbial high-school cafeteria.
It doesn’t matter if it’s with the cool-kids, football players, hipsters, Honor Society, or theater nerds…Nick’s “in” with them all, just like in the fitness community.
Bodybuilders, powerlifters, CrossFitters, Olympic lifters, barbell lifter uppers, you name it, he’s always invited to the party.
I respect Nick a ton. He’s someone I’m always learning from and someone who always keeps things in perspective. What’s more, he’s never dogmatic in his approach to training people. If something works – and can be backed up with a rationale explanation (whether anecdotal or backed by evidence/research) – it works.
There’s a reason his Twitter profile says the following:
“I train the trainers.”
His latest resource, S3 Training Method: A Programming Framework for Improving Speed, Size, and Strength, is a doozy (<– it will rock your world it’s so thorough, and is an excellent addition for any trainer or coach looking to add a little “kick” to their programming for the new generation of clients looking to have it all), and is available starting today at a heavily discounted price.
He was kind enough to contribute a stellar guest post today.
Enjoy!
The 3 S’s of Hybrid Training: How to Increase Speed, Size and Strength
Is it possible to get stronger, enhance your performance and get bigger all at the same time?
I’d say yes…
Training through a spectrum of movement speeds and loads will enhance your explosiveness, improve your strength, and increase your muscle will leave. Gone are the days where you must focus on one specific goal and ignore the others.
The Three S’s
Let’s explore the three S’s—speed, strength, and size—to help you understand exactly what each quality is.
Movement-Speed Training
In the context of this article, movement-speed training focuses on improving your rate of force development—that is, how quickly you can use your strength.
Remember: power = strength × speed. Therefore, exercises used to improve your movement speed are total-body power exercises. The heavier the load you’re working against, the slower your movement becomes. For this reason, the principle of specificity dictates that, in order to do all you can to improve your explosive power, you don’t just do exercises that involve moving against high loads (i.e., strength exercises). You also do exercises that require you to move at high speeds.
Adaptations to training are specific to the demands that the training puts on the body. Therefore, regularly performing exercises that require you to move fast in certain directions makes your body more capable of moving fast in those or similar directions.
With this principle in mind, you should include exercises for each of the three pillars of power—vertical (or diagonal), horizontal, and rotational—in order to improve your functional capacity by enhancing your capability to move fast in multiple directions.
Since the goal is to move fast, the exercises improving total-body power (i.e., movement speed) use loads that are not heavy (relative to the loads used to improve strength). In fact, they should incorporate very light loads (sometimes just body weight), but demand that you move at high speed – as fast as you possible can.
In addition to training movement speed, we also need to better adapt to and potentially refine the tri-phasic muscle-activation pattern used only during fast, ballistic athletic movements.
One of the best workout methods to achieve both of these goals is to perform medicine-ball throwing exercises.
When throwing the ball, unlike when lifting weights, you don’t have to slow down at the end of the range of motion; you can just let the ball fly. Therefore, simply throwing the ball in different directions (power is direction specific) trains your body to generate explosive power without putting on any brakes.
Also, whereas Olympic weightlifting can be difficult to learn and trains only in the vertical or diagonal power pillar, explosive medicine-ball throwing exercises are easy to learn and require you to move fast and explosively in all three pillars of power.
To do so use a variety of medicine-ball throwing exercises—throwing either against a wall or into open space (e.g., field or parking lot)—to help you become more explosive and therefore more powerful and athletic.
Movement-Strength Training
Training for improved strength means improving one’s capability to produce force in various movements. Put simply, the more force you can produce in a given movement, the stronger you are in that movement.
Like power, strength is task specific; therefore, the further an exercise gets away from the specific force-generation and neuromuscular coordination patterns of a given movement, the less directly it carries over to that movement. This fact in no way makes the exercise bad, and it certainly doesn’t make it nonfunctional. It simply means that the less specific an exercise is, the more general it is.
You should incorporate a wide variety of cross-body and compound exercises to help you improve your functional capacity by developing strength in various movement patterns, directions, and body positions.
Remember, if you can perform a broader range of specific tasks, you possess a higher functional capacity. This relationship is crucial because you don’t want your body to be merely more adapted to a limited number of gym-based exercise movements (only Olympic lifters and powerlifters need to specialize in specific exercise movements).
Instead, you want your body to be more adaptable so that you can successfully take on a variety of physical demands.
Although training for strength gains and training for size gains (i.e., hypertrophy) are certainly not mutually exclusive, the size–strength continuum is characterized by some important differences between the two.
Although both involve creating mechanical tension on the muscles, strength training is geared toward increasing force production. Size training, on the other hand, is geared toward getting a muscle pump and creating microscopic damage in the muscle, which causes the muscle to repair itself and grow larger.
If you think of your body as a computer, then strength training is geared more to upgrading your software (your central nervous system, or CNS) than to upgrading your hardware (your muscles). In contrast, training for size is geared more to upgrading your body’s hardware—bones, connective tissues, and, of course, muscles.
Muscle-Size Training
The rule of thumb in training for size calls for using more reps and lower loads than when training for strength. In practical terms, this approach means using a weight load that allows you to perform about 9 to 15 reps per set; performing 6 to 8 reps per set serves as a nice middle ground between the general strength.
Although all types of training can provide neurological benefits—especially early on—the goal of training for size is more physiological than neurological.
In fact, contrary to popular belief, increasing muscle size depends not on the specific exercises you do but on the specific physiological stimulus you create. To build muscle, you need to create a training stimulus that elicits the three mechanisms for muscle growth (i.e., hypertrophy): mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage (Schoenfeld 2010).
In short, there are two ways to get stronger and build a great-looking body that can get things done: neurologically and physiologically. Both approaches are addressed by the S3 Method: A Programming Framework for Improving Speed, Strength & Size, which helps you reprogram your body’s software and improve its hardware for more muscle and better performance capability.
References
Adam, A., and C.J. De Luca. 2003. Recruitment order of motor units in human vastus lateralis muscle is maintained during fatiguing contractions. Journal of Neurophysiology 90: 2919–27.
Baechle, T.R., and R.W. Earle. 2008. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. 3rd ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Cheung, K., P. Hume, and L. Maxwell. 2003. Delayed onset muscle soreness: Treatment strategies and performance factors. Sports Medicine 33 (2):145–64.
Grant, A.C., I.F. Gow, V.A. Zammit, and D.B. Shennan. 2000. Regulation of protein synthesis in lactating rat mammary tissue by cell volume. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1475 (1): 39–46
Millar, I. D., M.C. Barber, M.A. Lomax, M.T. Travers, and D.B. Shennan. 1997. Mammary protein synthesis is acutely regulated by the cellular hydration state. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 230 (2): 351–55.
Miranda, F., et al. 2011. Effects of linear vs. daily undulatory periodized resistance training on maximal and submaximal strength gains. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 25 (7): 1824-30.
Mitchell, C.J., et al. 2012. Resistance exercise load does not determine training-mediated hypertrophic gains in young men. Journal of Applied Physiology 113: 71–77.
Prestes, J., et al. 2009. Comparison between linear and daily undulating periodized resistance training to increase strength. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 23 (9): 2437–42.
Rhea, M.R., et al. 2002. A comparison of linear and daily undulating periodized programs with equated volume and intensity for strength. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 16 (2): 250–55.
Santana, J.C., F.J. Vera-Garcia, and S.M. McGill. 2007. A kinetic and electromyographic comparison of the standing cable press and bench press. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 21 (4): 1271–77.
Schoenfeld, B.J. 2010. The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 24 (10): 2857–72.
Simão, R., et al. 2012. Comparison between nonlinear and linear periodized resistance training: Hypertrophic and strength effects. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 26 (5): 1389–95.
Stoll, B. 1992. Liver cell volume and protein synthesis. Biochemical Journal 287 (Pt. 1): 217–22.
Werner, S.L., et al. 2008. Relationships between ball velocity and throwing mechanics in collegiate baseball pitchers. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery 17 (6): 905–8.
I’m always intrigued on why certain exercises are called what they’re called. Take the Turkish get-up for example.
I understand there’s a bit more panache in naming the Turkish get-up the Turkish get-up than say, “hold a cannonball looking thingamajig in your hand and stand up,” but seriously: why is it called the Turkish get-up and not the Cambodian get-up or Floridian get-up or the Elvish get-up?
Okay, elves don’t exist. You got there.
There’s actually an answer to this question (and is something I’ve written on before), courtesy of Dr. Mark Cheng:
It seems back in the day, and I assume present day too, the Turks were kind of badass. I forget what term Mark used, but he described the form of grappling they typically trained their warriors in, and how they used to do so all oiled up.
You know how hard it is to grip or grab something that’s all wet or sweaty, right? Well imagine that, only 100x more challenging and 1000x more filled will sexual innuendo.
Anyways, waaaaaaay back in the day, in order to even be considered “man enough” to train and to learn how to fight the Turks made it a prerequisite you had to perform a get-up with close to a 100 lb kettlebell (give or take a few lb’s). While fighting a grizzly with your free hand!
Okay, I made that last part up….but still. WTF!!!!!
And that’s more or less the back story of the Turkish get-up.
So what’s the deal with Bulgarian split squats?
I’m sure there’s some legit reason with a very rationale and simple explanation, but my suspicion is that the reason why Bulgarian split squats are called what they’re called is because your mom doesn’t love you.
Or, I don’t know, maybe some meanie head Bulgarian was a bully and not only stole the lunch money from the person who actually invented the exercise – most likely from a neighboring country like Macedonia, Greece, or, in the ironies of all ironies, TURKEY – but stole the exercise too!
Whatever the case, while there’s the Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat camp (doesn’t roll off the tongue so easily), most people refer to the exercise as Bulgarian split squats. It is what it is.
Which brings us to today’s Exercise You Should Be Doing.
Bulgarian Split Squat to RDL
Who Did I Steal It From: renowned coach and fitness educator, Nick Tumminello. I “stole” this exercise during his presentation at the SUNY Cortland Strength & Conditioning Symposium this past March.
What Does It Do: This is a “hybrid” exercise which combines two exercises into one and makes you hate life 4x as much.
I like to use this exercise with clients who are in more of a “time crunch” with their training sessions or for those who just want to perform something challenging and smoke their legs.
Key Coaching Cues: As is the case with any single-legged exercise, I operate under the assumption that most trainees go too heavy and sacrifice quality for quantity.
While quality of movement should always be stressed, with single leg work in particular I find many people go too heavy and fail to reap any real benefit from the exercise other than to say “wow, that was really, really, really hard.”
I could wax poetic and bullet point any number of benefits to single leg work: hip stability, pelvic control, core stability/strength, addressing strength deficit between limbs, “sport specificity,” so on and so forth.
But lets just assume I’m preaching to the choir.
Because this is a 2 for 1 type of exercise you’ll need to go lighter than you think. You’ll want to stay cognizant of rib position during the set (limit rib flair, maybe a slight forward lean on the split squat portion), and the torso should stay as rigid as possible (no leaning to one side or the other).
Perform a standard BSS where the anterior surface of the thigh dips below knee level, and when you return back to the top position perform an RDL, where you hip hinge into the standing leg. The RDL portion will feel a little wonky to start, but with some practice you’ll get the hang of it.
I prefer to keep repetitions fairly low, in the range of 4-6 reps PER SIDE (which is really 8-12 reps because you’re performing two exercises).
I’m excited because not only do I expect to learn a ton over the next three days, but I also get to learn from and listen to a coach I highly respect….FMS content advisor, co-creator of the CK-FMS program, RKC Master Instructor, and guy who could snap me in two in two seconds (not that he’d want to do that), Brett Jones.
Chances are I’ll have a ton of new ideas and content brewing in my head when I’m through, so expect some blog post on what differentiates a “2” squat and a “3” squat. Speaking of which, funny story.
A few months ago my good friend (and University of Washington strength coach), Dave Rak, was in town visiting and getting a lift in at CSP. He has been battling some nagging injuries so myself and fellow CSP coach, Miguel Aragoncillo, were taking him through a few screens. We did an overhead squat screen and it didn’t look pretty.
Me: “Dude, that’s technically a 1.”
Note: a score of “1” is considered a poor squat pattern
Dave (with no hesitation): “Well, technically I won my last powerlifting meet.”
An AWESOME listen with LA-based, celebrity trainer, and owner of PUSH Fitness, Chad Landers. Chad’s an awesome dude. I’ve interacted with him many times and have met him in person too, and I know he’s a quality human being (and trainer). I mandate that ALL personal trainers should take the hour and MAKE TIME to listen to this podcast.
Some great advice from all parties involved (shout out to hosts Roger Lawson and JC Deen).
Before we dive into this week’s list of stuff to read I wanted to remind everyone about TWO workshops I’ll be doing down in Australia in March.
The first one will be a 2-Day event held in Ballina, NSW on Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8th. Details can be found HERE.
The second one will be a 1-Day event held in Sydney, NSW on Saturday March 14th. And details for that one can be found HERE.
To say that I’m excited (and honored) to be invited down to Australia to speak is an understatement. I mean, I’ve been practicing my Crocodile Dundee accent for like a month straight. It’s going to be epic.
Also, for something a little closer to home, I’ve been invited to speak at the New England Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association Annual Spring Conference on Wednesday, May 13th (<— two weeks before my wedding!) in Providence, RI. I’m not sure if it’s open to the public (it kinda has that Harvard Final Club vibe to it)3, I think it is, but for more information you can contact NEHRSA.org.
Nick is one of the top fitness educators I know and someone I have a lot of respect for. His latest resource is something that, when I first watched it, made me re-think some of my own approaches to core training.
Nick’s a very forward thinking, innovative coach and I’d HIGHLY encourage any fitness professional (or anyone who takes their fitness a little more seriously) to check this out. It definitely tops my list as one of the best “core training” resources out there.
The sale price ENDS TONIGHT (Friday, January 30th) at midnight. You better hustle.
From a meathead perspective, yoga is about as exciting as watching NASCAR. I get it. Or worse, Les Miserables. But I PROMISE you this isn’t your typical yoga article.
Dana gets it.
She’s doesn’t talk about “lengthening muscles,” toning, chakras, or anything on par with those things that make a small part of my soul die.
She does talk about alignment, squats, and helping people get out of their own way and to start addressing their “real” issues. This was an excellent article.
World renowned fitness model, Greg Plitt, died tragically a few weeks ago being struck by a train while filming an exercise video.
At a time where everyone is trying to be seen and one of the only ways to separate yourself from the masses is to perform risky stunts, Jen offers some sage advice on why this is not a good idea.
just counting reps and throwing some exercises together and calling it a program. It’s training people with an intent to make an impact on their lives.
Good coaching looks a bit like good parenting. It’s a combination of everything from teaching and motivation to providing boundaries and developing habits…all with a focus on helping the client become a better version of themselves and ultimately achieve their potential. So, coaching is no one thing…it’s a combination of many things.
nutritional counselling are just a small part of a successful coach-client relationship – “Good Coaching” also considers client education, appreciates the value of effective communication and looks to empower the client in as many ways as possible.
Coaching is about communication of your knowledge of the X’s and O’s of training and programming. So, “good coaching” looks like a good relationship between the trainer and the people they’re currently working with.
