First things first: I’d like to thank everyone who chimed in to offer their support and words of encouragement with regards to the Premium Workout Group yesterday.
To say I’m really excited for this opportunity would be an understatement, and I can’t wait to see the results people will get following my programming.
Secondly, I want to extend a huge THANK YOU to those who jumped right in and actually signed up yesterday. It’s my hope that this will be a positive experience for you and that the group will serve as a source of motivation and accountability to keep you on task with your training.
And, you know, to bring back a little sexy too.
While we had a fair number of people sign up I still have some suspicion that an equal number opted not to because they’re on the fence and not quite sure of the type of value that’s included.
Don’t worry my feelings weren’t hurt. I mean, I only cried for like ten minutes. I’m over it now.
No, really, I just have a little something in my eye. Is someone peeling an onion?
I keed, I keed.
I touched on it in yesterday’s post, but I wanted to reiterate that not only will I be providing top-notch, quality programming on a month-to-month basis, but I’ll also be providing unique content solely to the group in the form of tutorial videos covering everything from assessment to exercise technique.
Today I wanted to give everyone a little taste or sneak peek at what types of videos to expect:
Front Squat Benefits and Technique
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
For more information on the group you can check out yesterday’s post HERE.Or, you can go directly to the WeightTraining.com site HERE and register.
What is the Tony Gentilcore Premium Training Group?
So glad you asked!
The Cliff Notes version: Far too many people go to the gym and think that just because they show up, they’ll magically get results. They feel that if they put in the time, they deserve the results, without considering the quality and goal of their training.
It just isn’t that easy.
While their intentions and heart are in the right place, where I see many people failing is that there’s no PURPOSE or INTENT in their training.
Worse still – many are just haphazardly roaming around the gym floor aimlessly performing a few bicep curls here and a few leg extensions there until their 60 minutes are up.
Sound a little familiar?
Well, I’m here to help. I want to be your coach!
I’ve recently teamed up with WeightTraining.com to offer the Tony Gentilcore Premium Group where I become your virtual strength coach and trainer.
I take over your training, take all the thinking out of your hands, and show you what it’s like to actually follow a well-structured, coherent, efficient, evolving, fun, and LONG-TERM program. You will get stronger, move better, look better, and feel like a million bucks.
Here’s a brief video – with what’s arguably the worst screen shot in the history of man-kind (can I look any creepier?) – explaining the whole concept as well as goals behind the program. Don’t worry: for those who would rather not listen for seven minutes, I’ll explain everything below.
Giving full disclosure: I understand that distance or online coaching means different things to different people. I’ll be the first to champion the sentiment that IN-PERSON training with a “good” trainer is ideal.
Being under the microscope or watchful eye of a good coach who can not only assess, but tweak technique with their athletes and clients is the gold standard.
BUT, and I say this a bit tongue-in-cheek, many trainers are flat our garbage. I can say this because not only do I observe garbage whenever I happen to train at a commercial gym, but I also spent the first five years of my career working with and observing said garbage.
I sometimes feel sorry for those people who don’t know any better and are paying good money – upwards of $70, $80, $90, sometimes more – per session t0 be shown how to put the pins in the proper place through a Cybex circuit or how to perform bicep curls on a BOSU ball. It’s borderline stealing, and more often than not the client would be better off flushing their money down the toilet.
I want to change that.
I am a good coach. Unlike many “internet gurus” out there, I actually train people for a living. Like, in person. I don’t just “claim” or write about training people. I’ve been training athletes and people from all walks of life for over ten years. My body of work – Co-founding Cressey Performance, speaking at various seminars and workshops, and my writing – speaks for itself.
It is going to be a kick-ass program for sure, and it’s going to help a lot of people……..but like any program , it has its limitations. Specifically, I have not evaluated you, and I will not be by your side while you train.
Here’s What It Is
My goal for this group is to create a community where you/we train our asses off, encourage one another, and have fun doing it. It is to provide goal-directed, structured, quality training for those who don’t have access to a “good” training or for those who can’t afford to have a trainer work with them individually.
This is more than just casually following The Six Pack Abs Workout or the WhoEvertheFuckCurrentActorJustGotJacked program.
This is about improving one’s life, taking the bull by the proverbial horns, and bringing out your inner beast mode.
Whatever that means is up to you, of course. For some it may entail training for health reasons. For others maybe it’s working up to a 2x bodyweight deadlift. And even for others, it may be all about vanity.
But for everyone it’s also about the journey, the process, the moments when you’ll hate life (and me), and getting outside your comfort zone.
The truth is: we’re all human, and we like to do what we’re good at. This program is the opposite of that. It’s designed to make you do things that you “need” to be doing, and not necessarily what you “want” to be doing.
This group is going to be an ever-evolving “process”. Those who sign up will be at my mercy. What I say goes.
But don’t worry, I’ll keep things manageable. Ish.
Think of it this way: For what amounts to $1 per dayor $2.50 per workout, you have me in your corner. There’s no time commitment and you can stay in the group for as long as you’d like.
What You Need To Do (<— This Is Important)
1. Go HEREand sign-up for the Tony Gentilcore Premium Workout Group on WeightTraining.com, and click on the “Join This Group” button.
Note: If you’re not already a member of the site, you’ll first sign-up for a FREE account. Don’t worry, it’s easy. Even a Jersey Shore cast member could do it!
2. From there you’ll enter the appropriate information (ie: credit card info, favorite color, etc)
Also………(and This Offer is Limited)
The first FIVE people who sign up and use the code TGWT2M will receive TWO MONTHS FREE. After that, the next TEN people who sign up and use the code TGWT1M will receive ONE MONTH FREE.
I have no idea how quickly those codes will last, so if you want to take advantage of them, act quickly.
I’ll be sure highlight when there are no more available.
UPDATE: All codes have been entered – but that doesn’t mean this still isn’t a good isn’t a good investment….;o)
3. From there you’re all set. God you’re smart. And good looking.
Some Miscellaneous Info and Tidbits
– Once you sign-up, not only are you an official member of the Tony Gentilcore Premium Group where you’ll have the opportunity to follow monthly programming written by yours truly, but you’ll also be given automatic access as a PRO-MEMBER to the entire site of WeightTraining.com, which offers a plethora of other programs and tools to use.
– In addition to being part of the TG community, you’ll also receive monthly tutorial videos solely for the group. As an example, in month one, I provide a video on proper front squat technique as well as discuss the rationale behind some of the “corrective” breathing drills that will be incorporated into the program.
There’s also talk of incorporating “hangout sessions” down the road where participants will have the opportunity to participate in a video chat and ask me questions pertaining to the program, any number of other fitness and training questions, or trying to figure out if I’m wearing pants.
– One cool feature is that you’ll be able to organize your workouts as you see fit according to your own weekly schedule, and WT.com will send you reminder emails of the days you’re supposed to workout. You know, to keep you accountable and stuff.
If you want to train on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday you can set the workout scheduler to that setting. If that doesn’t work, and you’d prefer other days, you’ll be able to tinker with the settings.
Take Note: this won’t ALWAYS be a 3x per week program.
My intention is to progress to a 4-5x per week program over time, and to “up the ante” as the months pass.
I’m a strength guy, and I want to get people strong.
– Moreover, for those with an iPhone, iPad, iPod, or iTouch, you can use the WeightTraining.com App to follow and log your workouts.
Don’t worry Android users: you won’t be left in the dark. The App will be available for you starting in April.
But even if you don’t have an Apple device or you’re anti-Apple, you can still print out the worksheets and keep track of your workouts the old-fashioned way.
– Like I said, it’s a COMMUNITY. The objective of the group is to train together, kick-ass, encourage one-another, leave comments, be competitive (if that’s your bag), and have fun!
Are you ready? Click the link below to get started!
So remember that post I wrote yesterday detailing the best piece of advice I ever received** which then lead to me discussing WeightTraining.com’s release of their new Workout Tracker app, which then me laying down the ground rules for an opportunity to be entered into a drawing for a free TRX?
Well, I lied.
Kinda.
No, I didn’t lie about crushing raw egg-white protein shakes. All the cool kids were doing it back in the day.
And no, I didn’t lie about the overall ass-kickery of the new App by WT.com. It’s been getting glowing reviews thus far!
I actually lied about the cut-off date for your chance to win the TRX.
It’s been extended through TODAY (January 7th).
As a reminder here’s what you have to do:
In order to be entered into the app release giveaway, you must complete the following:
2. Log a workout on January 7th (<– THAT’s TODAY!!!!)
3. Tweet your logged workout to @TonyGentilcore1 (Twitter) or Facebook share your workout with the hashtag #TonyGentilcore on January 7th (<– Again, THAT’s TODAY)
Winners will be randomly selected on January 8th!!!!.
This is a very common myth and one that makes my insides hurt from laughing so hard. Sometimes I feel like we don’t give the human body enough credit. That if we somehow haven’t had a morsel of food for more than three hours or if we happen to eat, god-for-bid, a 10 oz steak in one sitting, our body is just going shutdown in a rage of shock, and we’ll start bleeding through eyes.
Let me preface this by saying: that is NOTHING wrong with running. Well, there is, but I don’t want to get into it here, so save the pitch-forks for next time.
Where things get a bit murky – and where much of the dichotomy begins – is when people are under the impression that running is an efficient way to lose weight. Don’t me wrong: It can be, but there comes a point in time where the amount of effort put forth doesn’t mirror the reward.
Nate Green wrote a blog post, Nate Green wrote a blog post, Nate Green wrote a blog post.
Nate Green wrote a blog post!!!!!!!!!!!
He doesn’t write as many blog posts as he used to, but when he does they’re gold.
** = outside of “Dude, go see The Matrix, it’s sick!” (1999, as told from a college teammate), and “Tony, if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, your fly’s open…..zip up your pants!” (1980-2004, by my Mom)
Funny story. Well, funny to me at least (so it’s basically pretty funny).
When I first started out as a trainer one of my first “rules” with clients was 1) show up on time, and 2) whatever you do, unless you’re a brain surgeon and you’re on call, don’t bring your phone out on the gym floor.
Simple right? And for the most part, people complied.
Show up on time, leave your phone in your locker, work hard, and leave the rest up to me. Easy peasy.
With the latter rule, it was mostly a joke and served only to prove a point: you’re not that important. You’re here to work. So help me god if I see you texting I will make you push the Prowler for an entire hour!
And wouldn’t you know it: there was an instance where I actually trained a brain surgeon. Go figure! So whenever I trained her, I had to relent and allow her to carry her phone whenever we trained because there was always a chance that there’d be a ten-car pile up on the highway and she’d be called in to save the day.
Thankfully that never happened.
Outside of that one special case, however, one of my biggest pet peeves as a coach is people bringing their phones out on the gym floor with them – as if getting to the next level of Angry Birds or texting with their S.O. about that funny thing that happened at work today is sooooo important that it can’t wait 45 minutes.
Even more of a pet peeve are when douchey TRAINERS bring their phone out onto the gym floor with them.
Anyways, today all of that changes because WeightTraining.com has just released a pretty amazing App that you can download HERE(@ WT.com) or HERE(directly on the iTunes site) which allows you to log, schedule, and follow your workout plans at all times.
And the best part: It’s absolutely FREE to download.
We’re what…..not even a week into 2013? Pretty soon all those people who made resolutions to finally get into shape are going to jump off the wagon and start making excuses.
I don’t have time, I don’t know what to do, I have a hang nail, or any number of lame excuses.
With this new App, you’ll have no reason not to stay on top of your workouts.
And as if that wasn’t baller enough, check this out.
I’ve also collaborated with the peeps at WeightTraining.com and designed an exclusive workout plan to help celebrate the App launch.
All you need to do is join my fan page on WT.com, download the App on launch day (TODAY, January 7th), and then you’ll have access to not only my exclusive workout, but you’ll also receive a free MONTH of WeightTraining.com PRO which gives you access to hundreds of other workout plans (but I’m admittedly biased towards mine, so you should definitely check that one out).
From there you’ll need to log a workout – ANY workout – on launch day (again, TODAY, January 7th) to be entered into a drawing for some free WT.com swag (shirts, etc), as well some extra special stuff hand-picked by me: namely, steaks and a TRX suspension trainer.
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.
maybe it’s working up to a 2x bodyweight deadlift. And even for others, it may be all about vanity.
Take Note: this won’t ALWAYS be a 3x per week program.
