Before I get into the nitty gritty and link to some fantastic reads from this past week, I wanted to put out a quick “feeler” (not that kind of feeler. Get your mind out of the gutter) on something I’ve been thinking about doing in the very near future.
People have been asking me for eons now whether or not I’ll ever produce my own product. Much of my reticence in doing so has been the result of:
1) Not rushing into things. I figured twelve years in, and thousands of client/athlete contact hours (again, get your mind out of the gutter), I’ve amassed enough experience to toss my hat into the fitness product ring.
2) Only doing so when I felt I WAS READY. I always laugh when someone who’s just graduated college or has only been working as a personal trainer for a year states that they’re “world renowned” or an “expert.” Then, if that wasn’t enough of a red flag, are quick to promote their opus of an ebook that, according to them, will change the fitness industry and make us all wet our pants. Twice.
Okay, now everyone’s mind is in the gutter.
Speaking personally, the only thing I was an expert in out of college or that early on in my career was sucking. And Super Mario Kart.
3) Above all, actually coming up with something worth putting out there.
And it’s with that I want to reach out to my peeps, my “Tribe” if you will, to see if anyone would be interested in participating in a Beta group for a program I’d like to test drive.
I’m still in brainstorming mode and nothing is concrete (yet), but I wanted to toss the idea out there to see if there would actually be any interest?
Basically, I’d write 4-6 months of programming (with a degree of customization involved, based of standard assessments and goals) for a minimum cost, and all I’d ask in return is honest feedback on a month-to-month basis from the participants (along with maybe a bag of beef jerky. I really like beef jerky).
Anyways, just wanted to toss that out to the universe and to place it on everyone’s radar. If you’d like to leave a comment below expressing any interest you may have, that would be awesome. Thanks!
There were a TON of great articles I read this week:
Red meat is blamed for everything. Cancer is the main “go to,” but other things like heart disease, obesity, and global warming are on the conversation.
Next time someone berates you for eating a burger and tries to give you a guilt trip about how you’re causing irreparable harm to your body, send them this article. And then, for shits and giggles, and just because, make fun of them for thinking their non-GMO diet isn’t somehow genetically modified.
Pretty much everything we eat nowadays has been genetically modified to some degree.
Listen, I “get” why many people gravitate towards the Paleo lifestyle. Anything that encourages people to eat real, minimally processed, whole foods is cool in my book.
Some people, though, take the Paleo thing too far. Fantastic writing (and Nickleback burn) by James.
Research will tell you that people tend to gravitate towards articles or blogs that are enumerated. People love numbers, which is why some of the more popular articles you’ll come across – at least those that get circulated the most – are ones with a number attached.
I’ve written a few with this in mind, and I can attest that the number theory works:
In the article linked above, Todd does an amazing job of dissecting another article written by one Ann Marie on why she’s not a fan of going Paleo. Just to give you a small taste of her train of thought:
Paleo is a fad diet.
This despite the fact that humans have essentially been eating “Paleo” since the beginning of time. Sorry, but we didn’t eat Pop Tarts back in the day.
While I agree that the term “I’m eating Paleo” gets a bit overplayed by some people and many take it to the extreme to the point of coming across as elitest doucheholes (okay dude, I get it, you like butter), to say that it’s some “fad” akin to something like the Baby Food Diet, is a bit misnomer.
Paleo is here to stay, and I view it as more of a lifestyle than a fad.
Bread isn’t all that bad and humans thrive on it!
Um, no, we don’t.
But whatever. I’m not here to sway anyone one way or the other. I like the Paleo approach, but I certainly don’t adhere to it 100% of the time. If you want to eat bread, eat bread. But please don’t play it off like it’s some kind of panacea of health, when we certainly know otherwise.
Either way, I felt Todd wrote a very well written article and basically pwned this Ann Marie person. Well played, sir. Well played.
I agree with Harold. Yoga is great for mental health and can undoubtedly help improve one’s flexibility (when applied correctly). But to say that yoga is also great for building strength as well as providing a metabolic stimulus is a bit of a stretch.
HA! Pun totally intended!
Here, Harold breaks down a few common yoga poses and transforms them into something a little more palatable for those interested in getting stronger (while still reaping the benefits of increased flexibility and mobility).
I received an email not too long ago from someone asking me whether or not there was another way to go about tracking one’s workouts without having to keep one of those mundane hand-written training logs.
Coincidentally enough, as of the past two months or so, I’ve been tracking my own training sessions on WeightTraining.com, and I LOVE it.
In an ever evolving digitized world (who needs pencils anyways?) WT.com is perfect for keeping track of your workouts, and what’s more, provides a fun and supportive “network” that will definitely help keep you more accountable.
Moreover, they provide one of the more extensive (and growing) exercise databases on the web along with various programs to follow written by their very own personal trainers, many of which are absolutely free.
I’m sitting here with my fingers crossed as I write this post because there are going to be some minor changes to the site shortly.
I know I’ve been talking about this for months now, but I’ve been working with my web designer, Jason Lengstorf and the crew over at Copter Labs, to give the site a little bit of a Bazinga factor – or face-lift, if you will – and if all goes according to plan you should all see the finished product at some point today.
OMGIJUSTPEEDMYSELFALITTLE.
NOTE: It’s official, the new updates are live.
That said, while I sit here and wait, here are some great reads to check out from this past week.
Todd’s a fellow contributor to t-nation.com, and an awesome strength coach/strong man competitor located near State College, PA. Having met Todd in person last year when he and his girlfriend came to CP for a few days, and exchanging emails with him routinely (we talk shop and argue about who’s more diesel: Megatron or Soundwave?), he’s definitely someone I’ve become a huge fan of.
About two weeks ago, he sent me a preview of his Pull-Up Manifesto, which accordingly, I read in one sitting while hanging out at Panera on a Friday night (I know, party central).
In a word – awesome. You should read it.
All you have to do is sign up for Todd’s newsletter (located on the right of his site) and you get it FREE.
Arguably one of Wendler’s best articles, which is saying a lot. Never to bullshit anyone, here, Jim outlines a basic – albeit very effective – program that will, you know, get you big-n-stuff.
One of my clients sent this article to me after reading how Lisa and I are currently going through our own ‘Paleo’ experiment, and I have to say, it was refreshing considering how much people tend to get their panties up in a bunch arguing over semantics.
Less dogmatic, I like how this article allows a little more freedom compared to its predecessors. Butter is allowed! What what! He also advocates supplements like vitamin D and fish oil. Hey, I like this guy – great minds think alike.
He also mentions that people should go out of their way to “play” and lift heavy things. I’m down with that.
A very informative and entertaining read that breaks everything down in an easy to follow format. It ain’t rocket science people……Weight Watchers isn’t food.
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written one of my miscellaneous posts, so I figured this would be the perfect way to start what I hope will be a full week of blogging.
1. It’s no secret that I heart movies. I’ve always joked that if I were ever independently wealthy, all I would do is train, finance my own gourmet omelet restaurant/bowling center, and hang out with Matt Damon and give each other high-fives while we watch movies – like, all the time.
There are only a few shows on television that I like to watch: The Daily Show, the Red Sox (when it’s baseball season), Top Chef, and House Hunters. Namely, with regards to the latter, Lisa and I just like to have fake arguments with the couple’s that are on the show.
I mean, how asinine is it that someone walks into a room, and can’t look past the color of paint on the walls?
Anyways, I don’t watch a lot of tv, and would much rather walk down to the theater and catch a movie.
In the past few weeks alone, we’ve seen Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (awesome), The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (I read the books AND watched the original foreign films, too, but the American version was like whoa); Sherlock Holmes (first one was better); A Dangerous Method (Keira Knightely shows her boobies); Melancholia (Kirsten Dunst also shows her boobies, but it was the worst movie I’ve ever seen); The Descendants (good, but overrated); and lastly, Haywire, which Lisa and I saw yesterday.
I’ve been anxiously waiting for this movie to come out since I first saw the trailer back in November. Directed by one of my favs, Steven Soderbergh – of Erin Brockovich and Ocean’s 11,12,&13 fame – and starring Gina Carano – of MMA, she can totally kick your ass fame – Haywire, in simplest terms, is basically the female equivalent of the Jason Bourne films.
While Carano won’t be winning any Best Actress awards anytime soon, she more than held her own, and it was clear, from the start, that the film was all about showcasing her fighting skills.
What I liked best was that the movie wasn’t enhanced with silly sound effects or over-the-top music during the fight scenes. Instead, it was raw, unadulterated, awesomeness.
What was interesting, and this was something that Lisa brought up on our walk back home, was that Carano’s physique was covered up. There was no doubt that the film makers showcased Carano’s, um, assets. But you couldn’t help but think that they were purposely holding back and blatantly covering up her pecs, shoulders, and upper back throughout. Possibly to make her seem more feminine?
Either way, like I said, it was great to see a (believable) female character kick some ass. I get so tired of watching female characters who weigh like 87 lbs toss around dudes three times their size like a paperweights. Conversely, Carano looks the part. And she ain’t too shabby on the eyes either.
All in all, when you combine the action, writing, directing, as well as the supporting cast (Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglass, Antonio Banderas, Obi Wan Kenobi Ewan McGregor), it was definitely worth seeing.
I gave the movie a solid B.
2. Speaking of strong female characters, HERE is an awesome interview done with MariAnne Kane from the Girls Gone Strong crew.
I LOVE what these women are doing for the industry. Guys have always had the likes of Arnold, Ronnie Coleman, Dave Tate, and numerous others to look up to. Now, thanks to Girls Gone Strong, women have someone to look up to for inspiration. And it’s a beautiful thing.
3. Here’s a question that I received in the mail the other day:
Q: Tony is it ok to switch from doing regular deadlifts and do deficit deadlifts as a different variation for training deadlifts? What are the benefits of doing deficit deadlifts… do they still work the same muscle groups ?
A: It’s definitely okay to switch from “regular” deadlifts to deficit deadlifts. While there are a few benefits, the main one to consider is that deficit deadlifts help to increase the ROM, which for those who are slow off the ground, can bode in their favor.
In short, when you return back to standard height, the weight should feel lighter.
The key thing to remember, though, is that you DO NOT need a huge deficit to perform these. Anything from 1-4 inches is plenty. Placing a plate underneath each foot should suffice for most.
Additionally, and maybe even more important, is that deficit deadlifts aren’t something you’ll want to include in your programming for a prolonged period of time – ESPECIALLY if your technique isn’t up to par.
As noted previously, you’re going to increase the ROM of the movement which by default, will make it more challenging. And hence, maybe more deleterious to the spine (if done incorrectly).
Having said that, even if you’re technique is flawless, I’d still be reluctant to do this for more than 3-4 weeks at a time. Honestly, four weeks is pushing it in my eyes.
To that end, deficit deadlifts are a worthwhile variation to include in your programming – I just wouldn’t use them exclusively for a long period of time.
4. On January 2nd my girlfriend, Lisa, started a little experiment on herself. She’s always been interested in nutrition and the effects that certain foods can have on the body. After doing a little research and talking to a few people, she picked up The Paleo Diet.
It really resonated with her (she read the entire book in a day), and so, she decided she’d give it a try for 60 days.
Now, I understand that there are a lot of detractors out there who will chime in and say something along the lines of “Tony, Tony, Tony…..you do realize that we have no idea what our Paleolithic ancestors ate, and it’s all based on speculation and not fact, right?”
Indeed, I do. Who cares!?! I also realize they didn’t eat Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. To each his own.
Nonetheless, it’s not like Lisa cowers into the fetal position every time she encounters a carb. She has her allotted “off” meals on the weekends. But all told, she’s been following the diet verbatim, focusing her efforts on lean meats (beef, buffalo, chicken, ground turkey,etc), tons of greens and various fruits, and limiting her salt and sugar intake.
After three weeks, she feels amazing! She’s more energetic and it takes her waaaaaaay longer to get pissed off whenever I leave dirty clothes on the couch. It’s a win-win if you ask me.
Being the supportive boyfriend that I am, I’m doing a Paleo’ish type diet, too. Albeit, I’m still allowing myself more wiggle room like oatmeal, sweet potatoes, yogurt, Ezekiel bread, and grass fed dragon.
So far, I really like it, and it definitely supports my lifestyle. I can’t say for sure whether or not I’ll follow it long-term, but for now, it seems to be working.
I’ll keep everyone posted.
5. And lastly, sitting sucks. Read THIS article if you don’t believe me.
