CategoriesFemale Training mindset mobility

Yoga: For People Who Lift

I lift. You lift. We all lift. Raise your hand if you do yoga?

[Cue crickets chirping]

Chances are not many of you raised your hands. I can count on one hand the total number of times I’ve been to a yoga class. In fact, I wrote about taking one HERE.

It was okay, but it’s never been my cup of tea. Because, you know, yoga.

Copyright: alexandralexey / 123RF Stock Photo

 

If only there was a style of yoga that was quick, not boring, and designed with meatheads in mind.

Egads, here comes Neghar Fonooni to the rescue.1She sent me a copy of her Wildfire Yoga resource last week and made sure to include this note (as if she knows me or something):

“I know what you’re thinking, yoga. But even meatheads can’t afford to not do this. This isn’t your standard yoga, but more along the lines of “flow series” that can be done in 5-20 minutes. The idea is to take the minimal effective dose and DO this shit.”

She had me at meathead.

Check it out HERE. But also read Neghar’s guest post below. If I can’t convince you she certainly can.

Yoga: For People Who Lift

The first time I stepped into a yoga class I was 18 years old. I’d been lifting weights for a few years as part of my high school sports requirements, and I had recently started working at the local YMCA—which meant I could try all of the classes free of charge.

And try them I did, which is how I ended up in this yoga class in the first place—the youngest, least flexible person in the room by a landslide. I remember watching these women, most of whom were 10-20 years my senior, get into positions I couldn’t even wrap my head around. It wasn’t so much that I wasn’t flexible, as I’d always stretched and mobilized while playing sports, but I sure wasn’t “yoga flexible” by any means.

Copyright: dimol / 123RF Stock Photo

It was during that extremely uncomfortable hour that I decided I couldn’t allow that physical discrepancy to stand. A competitive athlete all my life, I just couldn’t accept the notion that these “older” women could do something I couldn’t—which is absolutely comical when you consider that I sit here today in that age bracket I once considered old.

In response, I spent the next several years straddling both the lifting and yoga worlds, learning how to down dog and deadlift, and more than anything, learning how to be at home in my own body. At some point in my mid-twenties I officially became a meathead, chasing strength goals and worshipping barbells—and in that process, I lost touch with my yoga practice.

I was training 1-2 hours a day, and I just couldn’t find the time for yoga practices. Not to mention, I’d gotten so into lifting that yoga began to feel…superfluous. Unimportant, even. It wasn’t until a few years later, while seeking emotionally and mental balance, did I realize what a disservice I’d done myself by abandoning my yoga practice.

Sure, deadlifts and squats were great—but something was missing.

I’d gotten so serious about training to the extent that I’d actually lost touch with my body. It became a tool to lift things up and pick them down, and as a result, I often felt like a stranger in my own skin.

It didn’t take long for me to figure out that yoga was the missing link. But, having completely immersed myself into the meathead world, I simply didn’t have the time to dedicate to a yoga practice. Not to mention, I’d gained a lot of muscle in my yoga off-season, making it a little trickier to get into some of those poses.

I found myself uncomfortable and intimidated in most of the yoga classes I attended, not having a typical “yoga body” and finding resistance in certain poses due to my delts of doom and my Quadzilla legs. I also found that during 60-90 minute yoga classes I would get bored, distracted, and even anxious.

I wasn’t really a yogi, at least not like the yogis I saw around me. But I knew I wasn’t only a meathead either, because yoga felt like something I needed in my life. I was, in fact, a meathead yogi—the most flexible person at my gym, yet the least flexible in my yoga class.

I had a unique perspective in this role, one that allowed me to see the beautifully inverse relationship between the two practices. But I couldn’t balance them with my schedule—at least not completely. I was a single mom, a full time personal trainer, and a blogger—all while taking night classes to finish my degree. I didn’t have time for 60-90 minute yoga classes, but I could carve out space for the minimal effective dose.

We talk about this a lot as it pertains to strength training; we know that we don’t necessarily have to dedicate hours in the gym in order to get strong, and that by being consistent with a minimal effective dose, we can make major strides.

Copyright: jtrillol / 123RF Stock Photo

We know that a 20 minute workout is better than no workout at all, and we know that by giving ourselves permission to do these shorter workouts, we’re more likely to build momentum when it comes to our training.

In contemplating this lesson I’d spent years teaching my clients, I realized that, just as I could get a lot out of a 20 minute training session, I could really benefit from just 5-10 minutes of yoga as well. Was a 60 minute yoga class going to be effective? Absolutely. But I didn’t have that kind of time, and I knew that I couldn’t afford not to do yoga.

I was spending so much time in the gym, lifting heavy weights, doing serious, strenuous movements, and I had nothing to balance me out. I was all yin and no yang, all hustle and no flow. But once I gave myself permission to do the bare minimum with regards to yoga, everything changed.

I started spending 5 minutes per day on my mat, and that 5 minutes eventually increased to 10, then 15, then twenty. Today I fluctuate between 5 minute morning flows and 20-30 minute flows on Sunday. I still consider myself a yogi but I rarely make it to a yoga studio. And despite that fact, I enjoy the myriad benefits that come with a yoga practice.

If you’re anything like me, you love to deadlift too. You probably like to squat, maybe even bench. Me? Pull-ups are my absolute favorite. And by doing just a few minutes of yoga per day, I’ve improved all of those lifts. My lifting regimen has benefited immeasurably from the addition of a short yoga practice, and in ways I’d never even imagined.

Here’s how…

More Active Recovery

Yoga is an effective and low impact way to move on your non-lifting days without compromising recovery. Rather than take a full day “off,” you can keep your movement momentum going every single day by doing just a few minutes of yoga.

Plus, if you’re feeling sore from a particularly intense training session, a short yoga flow can help redistribute blood flow and in recovery. If you could help your body recover in just 5-10 minutes per day so that you felt better going into your next training session, wouldn’t you say that’s a no-brainer?

Kinesthetic (Body) Awareness

Flowing through poses while barefoot and without a mirror requires a great deal of control. Yoga requires you to listen to your body, tapping into your trunk, your feet, your legs, and your hands to enter and sustain postures without visual aid.

This process increases kinesthetic (or body) awareness and can help when moving through compound lifts at the gym such as squats and pushups. Because yoga carries such an internal focus, it can encourage you to practice more intuition during your lifts.

Balance

And I don’t mean stability, although you’ll certainly get your fair share of that from yoga. I’m referring to the balance of activity that yoga provides to meatheads like us. Lifting sessions are typically aggressive and weighted, while yoga is intrinsic and uses the body as leverage. This can create a balance between Herculean and Buddha-like activities, which in turn, encourages balance within your daily life.

If you’re anything like me, you find that you’re more hustle than flow—yoga helps you add more flow into your life, which actually benefits your hustle.

Mobility and Flexibility

No matter how many times someone tells us that we need to spend more time stretching our muscles or mobilizing our joints, we would just rather lift, wouldn’t we?

I mean, who has time to do all that flexibility work when we have to make sure we snag that open rack for a squat sesh? But, improving your mobility and flexibility will increase your movement efficiency-benefiting your lifts exponentially.

Yoga is a fun way to get bendy that won’t take up valuable gym time. By doing 5-8 minutes of yoga every day, you’re building a foundation of mobility that doesn’t require you to do lengthy warm-ups at the gym, or add time to your already time-consuming lifting sessions.

Breath Control

I cannot tell you how many times I have helped someone out of shoulder pain by teaching them to breathe from their diaphragm or coached a client into a stronger overhead press just by cueing them to BREATHE. Yoga places significant emphasis on the breath, which will keep you aware of your breathing during your training sessions.

Note from TG: while not quite the same thing (it’s close) here’s me explaining what it means to get 3D expansion of rib cage which is all about keeping diaphragm and pelvis aligned for optimal stability.

 

The Goldilocks Principle

Understanding when to hold back on your lifts and when to push through is a delicate dance.

You can sometimes set down the weight and think, “I could’ve done more.” Inversely, you might be wishing you hadn’t pushed through that last ugly rep. Yoga teaches you how to feel free within your body, accomplishing challenging poses while fostering ease of movement.

You can’t force the poses if you intend to do them correctly, but you are encouraged to work with the body you have in that moment, and access what abilities you can find. It’s a beautiful balance of just right that can aid you in your lifting endeavors.

Bodyweight Strength

When I started bringing yoga back into my life, I realized that my strength training had some critical holes in it. Being able to move heavy iron relative to your bodyweight is awesome, but then discovering that you have little ability to leverage that bodyweight? Well, that was a revelation.Yoga improves bodyweight strength, and puts you in positions that you might not otherwise put yourself in at the gym.

Noncompetitive Environment

Most of us who lift regularly have an inherent competitive nature. We compete with ourselves to set PRs, compete with friends at the gym, or even compete in an organized environment such as powerlifting, CrossFit games, or sporting events.

This is a personality trait I see in most of my gym buddies, and it’s something that can certainly benefit us. However, even when this competition is friendly, it’s still competition and can sometimes blind us.

Yoga is a noncompetitive environment that can bring you back to your center when your hunger for big lifts gets ravenous. You’ll have to learn to accept your progressions and avoid comparing yourself to others.

There is no “PR” in yoga, just a commitment to show up on the mat and move.

Bigger Lifts

You might not typically think of yoga as something that can make you stronger, but it sneaks up on you like that. Yoga poses can translate to lifting strength by waking up muscles you don’t often use, encouraging cooperative multi-joint movements and giving you wicked upper body strength. I can deadlift over twice my bodyweight and perform multiple sets of 10 pull-ups-but there are yoga poses that absolutely humble me.

With all of these amazing benefits, you cannot afford not to do yoga. Give yourself a few minutes on the mat per day, and I guarantee your training—and your quality of life—will improve drastically.

Wildfire Yoga

Can you get all of these benefits in just 5 minutes a day? Of course you can! Chances are you’re not doing any yoga right now. You’ve decided it’s not for you because:

  • It takes too long
  • You’re not good at it
  • Yoga studios are not your jam
  • You don’t want to spend money on classes
  • You’d rather lift

And I get it, trust me. I can totally relate to all of those things. But what if I told you that you could use the minimal effective dose of yoga to get you all of these benefits and more?

Enter Wildfire, the 21-day yoga program designed for people who would rather lift…

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 1/30/15

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)1, I think it is, but for more information you can contact NEHRSA.org.

Core Training Facts, Fallacies & Top Techniques – Nick Tumminello

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.

Yoga for Athletes: Why Activation and Inhibition Matter More Than Stretching – Dana Santas

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.

Risky Fitness – Jen Sinkler

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.

CategoriesUncategorized

Things I Used To Hate, But Now….Not So Much

Hate’s a strong word. When someone says they hate something they must really, and I mean really, have a strong disdain for whatever it is they’re referring to.

For example, I’m typing this very sentence as I’m cruising 36,000 feet above the ground on my way back to Boston (from sunny Florida), and as everyone knows I absolutely hate flying. It’s not my favorite thing to do in the world, and it ranks right up there with other h-word worthy candidates such as Hitler, cancer, Twilight, rising gas prices, paper cuts, and Coldplay.

But in the grand scheme of things pretty much everything is fair game. Everyone has different tastes and prejudices; things that annoy them, and things that drive them up the wall. I mean, I’ve heard some say how much they hate puppies for crying out loud! Cute, little, adorable puppies!

That’s just wrong in my book, but the point is: There’s a whole lotta people guzzling the Haterade out there in the world.

And I’m certainly not impervious to the sweet nectar myself.

Haterade is pretty powerful stuff.  All the things I listed above aside (except Coldplay. No one really likes Coldplay, right?) I prefer to think of myself as a pretty open-minded individual who is willing (and able) to do a complete 180 and change his mind on things. I just feel that comes with the territory when you talk about maturity and growth as a human being.

There are plenty of scenarios in my past where I was adamantly opposed to something, only to have a change of heart down the road.

Take Sex and the City, for example.  Yep, I just went there and am talking about the tv show. Maybe the altitude it making me a little loopy.

When Lisa and I first started dating she was all like, “do you shower?” “OMG, you’ve never watched Sex and the City????  You have to watch this show!  You, me, Netflix, now.”

Of course in trying to play the sweet, sensitive, cultural, and open-to-new-things guy (code speak for:  I want to sleep with you)….I was down.

At first it was like that torture scene in A Clockwork Orange where they tie societal thug Alex down to a chair with his eyes pried open with that medieval looking contraption and feed him subliminal images for hours (days?) on end to “re-program” and rehabilitate him.

Yep, it was just like that. I wanted out, and I wanted out NOW!

Then, after a few episodes I was like “eh this ain’t so bad.  At least there’s some gratuitous nudity here and there.”

And then something happened.  Something unexpected.  I started to actually like the show.  I went from thinking it was worse than someone scratching their nails on a chalkboard to actually reacting to the characters and storyline……..

OMG CARRIE WHAT ARE YOU DOING????  I CANT BELIEVE YOU’RE JUST GOING TO LET AIDEN GO LIKE THAT. CAN’T YOU SEE HOW MUCH HE LOVES YOU????? YOU DIABOLICAL BITCH!  I HATE YOU, CARRIE.  I HATE YOUUUUUUUUUUU!

*slams door*

Yep, I watched every season of Sex and the City, along with the first movie.

Not the second, though; I have my limits.

I went from “hating” something to actually, you know, liking it.

But lets get on the right track and transition to the health and fitness world.

Taking a gander into my personal rear-view mirror, there are plenty of similar instances throughout my fitness career where I had a strong opinion on something – to the point of dismissing it entirely – only to change my mind later on.

Here are a few that jump up to the forefront:

1.  Accommodating Resistance

Narrowing it a bit further (because I actually utilize accommodating resistance quite a bit with my athletes), what I really had beef with back in the day was the whole notion that “newbies” should not be using it.

First, though, we should at least offer a brief description for those who aren’t familiar:

In general, accommodating resistance refers to the concept of increasing muscular strength throughout the complete range of joint motion. Better yet, you can technically refer to it as a way to sustain near maximal force throughout the complete range of joint motion. This is the basic premise behind the use of bands and chains.

There comes a point when you’re doing an exercise (squats for example) where the force generated during the movement is less at certain joint angles compared to others. This is why you can handle more weight with those cute quarter squats you’re doing than you can with full squats (force-velocity curve).

Add chains into the mix — where the squat is “deloaded” in the bottom position and “loaded” in the top position — and you can see how using chains can be highly beneficial in terms of strength gains.

The thing is, almost always, newbies (and I’ll even throw some intermediates lifters into the mix here as well) don’t really need to concern themselves with adding accommodating resistance into the mix.  Sure, it looks badass and offers a nice change of pace, but there’s a rate of diminishing returns when your best squat (for example) is 185 lbs.

Many in this situation would be better off just focusing on getting stronger rather than adding a bunch of “bells and whistles” into their repertoire.

But then I remember reading an article that Mike Robertson wrote on why utilizing chains (and bands) could be beneficial for inexperienced lifters which changed my mind entirely.

Again, using the squat as an example (there are numerous ways to utilize this concept: band assisted pull-ups, push-ups vs. chains, etc), and more specifically speaking on the notion of TIGHTNESS and how to attain it, accommodating resistance pays huge dividends.

Place a regular bar on a trainees back and ask him or her to get “tight” and many will look at you like you’re speaking Klingon. However, throw a chain or two – or bands – on each side of the bar and ask them to get “tight” and the picture changes entirely.

Immediately they’ll start to comprehend what you mean by getting tight, as they really have to brace their entire body to resist the swaying of the chains or the pull of the bands.

In this regard, I feel accommodating resistance definitely has its place in the backpocket of a newbies training program.  But only as a teaching tool, and NOT as a main component of their training.

2.  Onions

The younger version of me did not like onions.  If I even tasted a hint of onion in anything I shoved down my pie hole I’d immediately spit it out and run for the nearest fire hydrant to wash my mouth out.

Thankfully, as an adult, my pallet has gotten a bit more refined.  Now I save the dramatics for things like oysters, shrimp, or anything seafood related for the most part.

Taken from his phenomenal book, 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, Jonny Bowden notes:

Onions belong to the allium family, which also includes leeks, garlic, and shallots. They contain a whole pharmacy of compounds with health benefits, including thiosulfinates, sulfides, sulfoxides, and other smelly compounds.  But those same smelly compounds offer a lot of nutrition bang for the relatively small price of a little eye-watering.

There are no two ways about it:  onions are a cancer fighting food.

I put onions in just about everything.  I add chopped up onion to my omelet every morning, and it’s always a staple in whatever Lisa makes for dinner on a nightly basis.

Two words: caramelized onion.

You’re welcome.

3. Kettlebells

Giving full disclosure:  kettlebells have been around F.O.R.E.V.E.R, so anyone who thinks that they’re some kind of new fad that’s popped onto the fitness scene within the past 5-7 years is grossly mistaken.

But giving credit where credit is due, Pavel Tsatsouline is often credited with introducing us Westerners to kettlebells and all they have to offer.

Admittedly, when I first started seeing them pop up in various gyms and fitness clubs I just looked at them as some sort of cannonball with a handle attached and didn’t really see much use for them.  Barbells and dumbbells worked just fine, thank you very much.

But as I read more and started experimenting a bit more with them, I began to tone down my BS meter and realized that there are a constellation of uses for them.

We were slow to introduce them at Cressey Performance, but now it’s rare to see a program that doesn’t include them in some fashion whether it’s in the form of the staples such as a Turkish get-up or swing ( the former as way to ascertain glaring mobility/stability issues, and the latter a way to groove a hip hinge pattern and develop unparalleled explosiveness) or as a way to “offset” an exercise such as 1-arm overhead presses or 1-legged reverse lunges.

What I still take issue with is the seemingly “elitist” attitude that some people have when it comes to their use and efficacy.  This certainly doesn’t apply to everyone, but we all know of that one person (or two) who goes on and on and on about how kettlebells are teh awesome and that nothing else compares.

According to some, kettlebells will solve global warming.

Funnily enough, the same people (especially some of the commercial gym trainers I see on occasion) who go off on how superior kettlebells are, are the same people who I have yet to see coach a swing properly.

Who’s with me on this one?  I find it comical that some commercial gyms will go out of their way to give kettlebells the “velvet rope” treatment and tell people that the only way they can use them is if they’re under the supervision of someone; yet, I rarely ever see anyone using them correctly or with passable technique.

Of course, this isn’t to say that there isn’t some semblance of a learning curve here and that significant coaching doesn’t come into play.  Not many people can just walk about to a KB and bust out a picture perfect get-up (or swing).  It often takes weeks if not months (if not longer) to get them down pat.

But I think we can all agree that it’s not rocket science either.

And, just so we’re clear this is an acceptable use of a kettlebell:

Not this:

4. Yoga

All I’ll say on this one is that it would be hypocritical of me to bash yoga when just about every dynamic warm-up drill we utilize at Cressey Performance has it’s base in yoga.

Heck, one of the more common drills we use at the facility has the name yoga right in it!

And I can give you a whole laundry list of other examples.

Pigging back on the whole KB pseudo rant from above, yoga is another one of those camps which markets itself as some panacea of health and well-being.

Especially towards to women.

I highlighted my main concessions with yoga and how it’s marketed towards women HERE, so I won’t beat a horse while it’s down.

Suffice it to say – I think yoga is great.  Fantastic even.  But it’s certainly not for everyone, and as with anything, should be regressed (and progressed) accordingly based off one’s needs/imbalances/injury history/capabilities/etc.

Someone with a history of lumbar issues or even those with congenital laxity probably wouldn’t be good candidates for yoga, and should at least tweak a few things to keep themselves out of compromising postions.

All in all, though, I feel my feelings towards yoga in the past 3-5 years has taken a massive turn for the better and feel that it’s a wonderful way to offset many of the postural imbalances we tend to accumulate.

Most of us are walking balls of flexion as it is, and yoga helps to counterbalance and open us up.

But again, it’s just comes down to understanding the human body, functional anatomy, and knowing what applies to one person and not the other.

5. Ben Affleck

Okay, this one isn’t fitness related but I couldn’t resist. When I first started writing for various sites a few years back, I had a MASSIVE crush on Jennifer Garner.  I’m talking, smoke-show, she-can-do-no-wrong, Alias, Jennifer Garner.

As a joke and as a way to place my own “tag” on every article I wrote, I often referred to Jennifer in some way.  Sometimes as a way to demonstrate to women what the female body could look like (feminine, yet still lean and muscular) with with some serious, consistent weight training (I’m loosely acquainted with Valerie Waters who used to train her), but mostly as a way to throw in some line as to how hot I thought she was.

What can I say, I’m a dude.

As well, part of the schtick was to poo-poo on Ben Affleck, who, like an a-hole, went on to marry Jennifer.

To say I was slightly miffed would be an understatement.  I haaaaaated him.  But only because I wasn’t him.

Well that, and for Dare Devil which was god-awful.  Sorry Roman……;o)

Fast forward to 2007 when Ben made his directoral debut with Gone, Baby Gone.  I was a skeptic going in, but once I saw it I could tell that he had a knack for this directing thing.

Two movies (The Town, Argo), and one win for Best Picture later, he’s the man.

He ranks right up there with the best of them:  David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson, Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky, Wes Anderson, Martin Scorcese, Alfonso Cuaron, Peter Jackson, and Quentin Tarantino.

Not many people can claim to have hit rock-bottom in terms of pop-culture semantics and then rebound with a fervor they way Affleck did. What’s more he just seems like a genuine, cool guy, and I really respect that.

And he’s BFFs with my man-crush Matt Damon, so there’s that.

What about you?  What are some things you used to hate, but eventually had a change of heart?  I’d love to hear your comments below.

UPDATE:  My bad, I was told Valerie still trains Jennifer 3x per week.  Hence why Jennifer still looks amazing after three kids….;o)

CategoriesUncategorized

2012: The Mayans Were Wrong and the “Best Of” In Blog Posts

2012 is about thiiiis close to coming to a close, and since we’re all still here (HA!….take that Mayans!) I thought I’d use the last day and highlight the ten most popular posts of the past year based off of the total number of visits/hits each received.

It was the best year yet for TonyGentilcore.com, and I can’t thank everyone enough for their continued readership, and more importantly, support.

If I could give every single one of a hug I would.  But not only would that be weird, it’s pretty much impossible.  Nevertheless, please know that I am repeatedly grateful to all of you and here’s hoping that 2013 bring us all happiness, love, and PRs!

 

Fixing the “Tuck Under” When Squatting Parts ONE and TWO

Almost resoundingly, by a few thousand visits, this was a very popular two-part post I wrote on how to fix the tuck under or “butt wink” at the bottom of the squat. I guess people like reading about squats!

All the Hype Behind Kipping Pull-Ups

I don’t know which is more controversial: CrossFit, the so-called “fiscal cliff” we’re about to nose dive off of, Hitler, or the three weeks worth of facial hair that’s currently on my grill (which is a record for me).

In any case, whenever you mention CrossFit, you can bet that the sirens are blasted, and people are going to come out in droves to express their opinion.

Here I take a firm (albeit fair) take as to why I’m not a fan of kipping pull-ups.

Glutes Are the New Biceps

Badonkadonks are where it’s at.  Nuff said.

Box Squats vs. Squat TO Box (Yes, There’s a Difference)

This was a topic of a staff in-service that I did where I discussed some of the (several) intricacies that exist between the box squat and the squat TO box.

As the title suggests, yes, there is a difference.

A Discussion: Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss

The impetus behind this post was an email exchange I had with one of my female clients and a discussion we had on the differences between weight loss and fat loss. It’s a topic I feel many people can glue themselves to because we’ve all been there.

The information and logic provides are sound, but if anything else, what’s most impressive of all is my use of the word  flummoxed.  Seriously, gold star for that one!

5 Coaching Cues:  Deadlift 

I heart deadlifts. So it should come as no surprise that one of the 317 articles (slight exaggeration) I wrote on it should pop up in the top ten. Here I breakdown some common (and uncommon) coaching cues that I often use with my athletes and clients to help improve their technique.

The Perfect Warm-Up?

It’s a rhetorical question, because in the grand scheme of things any warm-up is better than no warm-up at all. Although, if I’m going to be a little biased I think this one is pretty money.

4 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know (Revisted)

I got in a little hot water after posting this article earlier in the year.  You would think, after reading some of the comments I received, that I made a case for why women shouldn’t be allowed to vote!

99% of the people “got” the message:  how the fitness industry panders to women is a complete joke, and there’s a massive double standard: men should lift weight, women should take yoga class.

1% actually hate my guts.  Whatever.

A Girlfriend’s Response 

And wouldn’t you know it, my own girlfriend, Lisa,  came to my rescue like a knight in shining armor.

19 Tips for the Deadlift

I told you really, really like the deadlift.

See you next year!

 

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany Uncategorized

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Flight, Deadlift Battle Reminder, and Yoga Isn’t For Everyone

1. Hope everyone had an awesome weekend (and remembered to turn their clocks back one hour before going to bed Saturday night).

Not surprisingly, like an idiot, I forgot to turn mine back and as a result got up earlier than I needed to do the weekly grocery shopping.  It wasn’t until I logged onto my computer to check emails really quick that I realized I was an hour early.  DOH!!!!

Nevertheless, once we were properly aligned with time, Lisa and I had the epitome of a “chill” day.  As is the case most Sundays, we use it to catch up on life, but also to do a little window shopping, too.  And by “window shopping” what I really mean is, “I follow Lisa around like an obedient puppy.”

At the start everything is rainbows and roses.  You want to walk into Marshall’s?  Sure, lets do it?!  Target?  Rock on.  I love me some Target!

By the time stores like Bebe or Sephora start entering the picture, I’m pretty much a walking zombie and have to fight off the urge to hurl my body in front of a moving bus.

Thankfully we were in a part of the city that not only had a Chipotle, but also had a movie theater nearby – so we decided to go see the new Denzel Washington flick, Flight.

A few candid thoughts:

  • If you’re someone who’s even remotely scared of flying, don’t go see this!  I for one am not a huge fan of flying, and basically had to manually unclench my butt cheeks after watching the entire 10+ minute sequence of the plane crashing. Not cool.
  • I love movies that revolve around actual dialogue, superb acting, crisp story telling (and show boobies) – and this film had it all!

Denzel will undoubtedly get a nomination for his role as a man who struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. Granted it’s a topic that Hollywood has seemingly squeezed dry time and time again, but if it’s any consolation, Lisa, a mental health therapist who has extensive experience working with people who suffer from substance abuse, was hit like a ton of bricks from Denzel’s extraordinary performance.

The last 10-15 minutes of the film were pretty powerful and left both of us speechless for a decent amount of time.  Later on last night, even as we were crushing filet mignon at a Morton’s, Lisa randomly said, “I’m still thinking of that movie.”

It was a good one people.

I know many will go into it thinking that the movie is about how Whip (Denzel’s character) lands the plane and h0w much of a miracle it was – and that’s not far from the truth.  But in reality, it’s a movie about a man’s inner demons and how he just can’t seem to get out of his own way.

Highly recommended.

B+

2.  Just a friendly reminder:  I’m challenging everyone to a DEADLIFT BATTLE starting TODAY (Monday, Nov. 5th), and I’m hoping more will join in on the madness.

There will be daily giveaways as well as a randomly selected grand prize winner at the end of the week.  What’s more, and maybe even more pertinent, it gives you a perfectly good reason to deadlift your face off this week and earn some bragging rights.

Of course, it’s all in good fun, but I’m going to kick all your asses.

LOL – just kidding.

No, but seriously, my competitive juices are overflowing right now, and I can’t take responsibility for any hurtful words that come out of my mouth this week. Which is to say I’m pretty certain all of you were adopted.

Good luck!

3. A lot people on this site are familiar with my friend, Sirena Bernal, who’s a fantastic personal trainer/pilates instructor/nutrition coach/overall kickass human being here in Boston.

Sirena and I have been chummy for the past year or so exchanging numerous emails, bumping into one another at the local Panera (where we both do a lot of writing and people watching), and she also came to one of my lectures earlier this year that I gave to a group of Boston based trainers.

In addition I’ve highlighted a handful of her articles in my Stuff You Should Read While Pretending to Work series – which I like to think is sort of a big deal for those who make it on.

Anyways, Sirena is a well of information and she’s really good at what she does.  So good in fact that she’s built a very successful online business that allows her the freedom to work where she wants, when she wants (hence what we always seem to bump into one another at Panera).

Currently, she’s in the process of putting together a FREE webinar titled Top 10 Weight Loss Foods to Get at Trader Joe’s, which for anyone who registers, will receive $50 off her next Lean Body Challenge in January along with a free TJ’s downloadable cookbook she’s putting together.

Even if you’re not located near a Trader Joe’s Sirena will be providing a bunch of useful information that could be applied to any grocery chain – plus, as I noted, you’ll get a hefty discount off her next challenge just for attending.  What’s not to like?

4.  My thoughts towards yoga have definitely skewed a little more towards the “it’s a tool in the toolbox” way of thinking in recent years.  In the past, if many recall, I’d adamantly be opposed to it because I often felt it was marketed in a way that made people think it was some sort of health and well-being panacea where everyone who did it would be magically have six pack abs, be able to jump over mack trucks, have clear skin, and shit diamonds.

I still think it’s marketed in a way that can be shady, but I also understand that there is a time a place for it – Heck, I even took a class and blogged about my experience HERE and HERE.

Anyways, one of my readers sent me THIS blog post which sorta feeds into the whole “yoga isn’t necessarily all it’s cracked up to be” mindset.

I think many of you will enjoy it.

PS:  I still need to write my review of the CP seminar from last weekend, and will hopefully get that up at some point this week.  Sorry!!!!!!!!

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4 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know (Revisted)

A few weeks ago I wrote a post titled Tony Takes a Yoga Class (Part I) that, surprisingly enough, became fairly popular and made its rounds around the blogosphere.

In it, I used part of an old article I wrote years ago titled 4 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know, where, in the first part of that article, I kinda of threw yoga under the bus.  Okay, there was no “kinda” about it.  Not only did I throw yoga under the bus, but I also somehow managed to challenge it to a wrestling match (it’s my blog, and shit like this happens all the time), where I jumped off the top rope, grabbed it from behind, and suplexed it out of the ring.

It was a one-sided affair, and I think I won pretty convincingly.

My main beef then, and now, is that yoga is often marketed in a way that promises everything to women.  It’s somehow the magic pill that will result in long, lean, sexy muscles. In addition, unicorns will fly underneath rainbows with Leprechauns on their backs, and Greys Anatomy will never, ever, ever, never, end.

See what I mean?  It promises everything!

Anyways, in the years since I wrote the original article, and as something I went out of my way to touch on in the blog post linked above (as well as elucidate in more depth in Part II)………I’ve changed my mind to an extent.

Yoga ain’t so bad.

I’ve had several people contact me asking me for the rest of that 4 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know article.  It was originally published on t-nation.com back in 2007, and subsequently moved to FigureAthlete.com.  That site no longer exists, and as a result, the article has vanished into some kind of internet blackhole.

Luckily, I saved the original on my laptop and thought I’d re-post it here for everyone’s viewing enjoyment.

A few notes beforehand:

1. Again, the yoga part is omitted. But you can read it in the Tony Takes a Yoga Class link above.

2. I wrote the article five years ago, so forgive me for the dated pop culture references.

3. To reiterate, I wrote the article FIVE YEARS AGO, so please take that into consideration before you go a head and call me out on anything I said back then that doesn’t jive now.

4.  Did I mention I wrote the article five years ago?**

4 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know

*** with the yoga part omitted.  So, really, this is 3 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know.

Being a man in today’s society is darn tough.  We are constantly inundated with constant struggles and frustrations:

  1. Deciding which is the best trilogy ever made:  the ORIGINAL Star Wars or Lord of the Rings?
  2. Which Jessica to choose from:  Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba or Jessica Simpson?
  3. Trying our very best to not throw the television out the window every time we see Jared (from Subway) espousing the benefits of eating a low fat diet.
  4. Trying to convince our girlfriend or wife that lifting weights won’t make her look like a she-man.

Being a guy myself, I feel your pain.  I know how frustrating it can be to try to convince a woman (let alone your significant other) that doing endless hours of aerobics or spending the majority of her gym time using those hip abductor/adductor machines is a fruitless endeavor from a body composition standpoint.  If you’re in the same situation as most guys, the likelihood that your girlfriend will accompany you to the gym on deadlift day is about as slim as Rosie O’Donnell keeping her big yapper shut.

Needless to say, this is for all the guys out there who are losing the battle.  This article is going to serve as your ammo to try to convince that special lady in your life that what she has been doing in the gym week in and week out is flat out wrong.  You can thank me later.

Low Reps vs. High Reps

I’m not going to sugar coat anything.  I’m going to cut right to the chase.  I love low rep training.  I love low rep training almost as much as I love Justin Timberlake’s “D**k in a Box” parody he did on SNL not too long ago.

Unfortunately, most women (including your girlfriend) are obsessed with “dieting” and love the color pink.  As a result, they love to perform endless repetitions with those 8 lb pink dumbbells every chance they get thinking that that will elicit more fat loss.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Memo to your girlfriend: 

Ditch the light weights (especially when you’re dieting).  You’ll just end up with a fragile, weak, and soft looking body; otherwise known as the “skinny-fat” look.  Your muscles will lack what is known as good neurogenic or myogenic tone (basically fancy words used to express muscle hardness).

Simply put, there are two types of muscle tone:  myogenic and neurogenic.  The former refers to your muscle tone at rest, the latter refers to muscle tone that is expressed when muscular contractions occur.

Low(er) rep training increases the sensitivity of various motor units resulting in increased neurogenic tone.  Myogenic tone on the other hand, is correlated with the overall density of your muscles (specifically the contractile proteins myosin and actin) and is vastly improved by lifting heavier weights.

This is going to come as a shock to most women, but utilizing light weights (anything above twelve reps in my book) while dieting will likely result in loss of muscle, which is the exact opposite of what you want to happen.

When dieting, the body will adapt to the caloric deficit by down regulating many of the hormones involved with metabolism (T3, T4, leptin, etc), as well as getting rid of metabolically active tissue – muscle.  Obviously one would want to prevent this from happening in the first place, which is why I always recommend that women shit-can the 20 rep sets and start training with heavier weights.

The Inevitable Retort from Your Girlfriend:  “Whatever.  All the fitness magazines say I should use high reps for fat loss when I’m dieting, and they obviously know what they’re talking about.  When are you taking the garbage out?”

When someone goes on a diet, catabolic hormones, which promote muscle breakdown, rise (bad) and anabolic hormones, which promote muscle growth, decline (also bad). Your body is smarter than you, and as I alluded to above, your body will “slow down” to work at your reduced caloric intake.

As a result, it will reduce whatever is metabolically active- muscle.  With regards to training, a great way I like to explain things is from a conversation I had via e-mail with Erik Ledin, a well known figure coach I know.

If you train light, you’ll keep enough muscle to be able to continue to train “light.”  But given this doesn’t take a lot, from a relative and individual standpoint (ie. it takes more muscle to lift a weight that limits you to 8 reps, than it does to lift a weight that limits you to 20) you’ll keep what you need to accomplish these generally ‘easier’ tasks.  The key to a lean, hard body is a nice balance between nutrition, cardio and low rep, heavy weight training. What builds muscle is what keeps muscle.

Train More Like a Man

Question (from you):  “Babe, how bout I teach you how to squat today?”

Answer (from your girlfriend):  “But I don’t want to get big and bulky.”

Newsflash ladies:  you WILL NOT get “big and bulky” just because you’re doing squats and deadlifts.  That statement is akin to me saying, “eh, I don’t want to do any sprints today because I don’t want to win the 100m gold medal next week.”

Getting big and bulky isn’t easy, just like winning the 100m gold medal isn’t easy.  If anything, it’s quite an insult to all those people who have spent years in the gym to look the way they do.  It didn’t happen overnight, which is what you’re assuming by saying something so absurd.

And lets be honest, most people (men AND women) won’t work hard enough to get “big and bulky” in the first place.  It’s hard enough for a man to put on any significant amount of muscle, let alone a woman.  Women are physiologically at a disadvantage for putting on muscle due to the fact that they have ten times LESS free testosterone in their bodies compared to men.

That being said you still need to get the most out of your training buck, and that includes ditching the glute buster machine and focusing more on the compound movements.

Joe Dowdell, owner of Peak Performance in NYC trains many of the top female models in the city and their programming includes squats, deadlifts, chin-ups, bench variations, sled dragging, and tons of energy system work.  Yes, Victoria Secret models are doing squats and deadlifts.  And yes, that is completely hot.

Guess what they’re not doing…watching Oprah every day while walking on the treadmill for 60 minutes.

Just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you can’t train like a man and lift some serious weight.  I never bought into this whole mindset that women are these delicate creatures that can’t hang with the boys.

Steady State Cardio/Aerobics (Not the Fat Loss King You Thought It Was) 

Not to beat a dead Barbaro (er, I mean horse), but steady state cardio/aerobics is not the most efficient way to burn body fat.   I like lists, so I am going to use a list to prove my point.

1. Steady state cardio doesn’t elevate EPOC all that much, which again is one of the main factors in fat loss.  Sure, one hour of steady state cardio will probably burn more calories than one hour of resistance training, but it’s the calories you burn in the other 23 hours OUTSIDE of the gym that really matter.

Essentially, once you’re done doing steady state cardio, you’re done burning calories.  However, with resistance training and/or with high intensity interval training (HIIT), your body’s metabolism will be elevated for upwards of 24-48 hours.  Thus, you will burn a TON more calories.

2. Speaking of metabolism.  Your metabolism is in direct correlation with how much LBM you have.  The more LBM you have, the higher your metabolism.  Given that long duration, steady state cardio actually eats away muscle; you’re shooting yourself in the foot in that regard.

3. The fat burning zone doesn’t exist.  It’s true that your body will burn a greater percentage of fat at lower intensities, however the TOTAL calories being burned is so small, that it doesn’t even really matter.  Again, it all comes down to EPOC.

4. As Alwyn Cosgrove has pointed out on numerous occasions; your body adapts very well to cardiovascular exercise (in this case, steady state cardio).  This is a bad thing.  As you get more efficient at running a certain distance, the work required to complete that distance will become less and less as you get fitter.

To improve you have to go further in order to burn the same amount of calories. What once took you 30 minutes to burn “x” amount of calories, now takes you 45 minutes.  Doesn’t sound too efficient in my book.

5. The majority of your fat loss should come via diet, not copious amounts of steady state cardio/aerobics.  From a time efficiency standpoint, which makes more sense?  Not eating that bowl of cereal at night (300-500 calories) or spending 60 minutes on a treadmill to burn that same 300-500 calories every single day?

6. Steady state cardio/aerobics does little to change how your body looks.  Sure, you may lose 20-30 lbs, but you will still be the same “shape.”  You won’t look leaner, only smaller (not to mention weaker).

7. Lets be honest…do you really enjoy spending 45-60 minutes on one piece of equipment?

Some Other Random Thoughts

*Women need to eat more protein.  Cassandra Forsythe says it best, “when in doubt, eat meat.”

*You can’t be on a diet forever.  Learn to incorporate dietary breaks.

*Ladies, you’re four times more likely to have an ACL tear compared to men.  Get off the leg extension and leg curl machines and train your posterior chain more!  Various deadlifts, box squats, Anderson squats, pull-thru’s, glute-ham raises, one-legged back extensions, and lots of single leg work.

*Train with your man.  He secretly loves it.

*Get off your cell phone, for the love of god

 I’m Done

Okay fellas, there you go.  All you have to do now is click the “print” button and strategically place this article in a place where you know your girlfriend will see it.  Your best bet would either be in between the pages of this week’s People Magazine or inside the dvd case of any of the following movies; Steel Magnolias, Dirty Dancing, or The Notebook.

** I wrote the article five years ago.
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Tony Takes a Yoga Class – Part II

For those who missed it, yesterday I rehashed some of my (admittedly early in my career, albeit I still agree with 95% of it) thoughts on yoga.  And, what’s more, I left everyone in a bit of cliffhanger, stating that I did, in fact, attend my very first yoga class this past weekend.

To recap:

1.  Much of my “beef” with yoga is how it’s incessantly marketed towards women as the end-all/be-all of health and well-being.  It plays a part, but some of it’s claims are grossly embellished.

  • Long, lean muscles?  Sorry, but unless you’re Professor Dumbledore (which would be awesome) and can somehow change the attachment points of a muscle on a bone, you’re not lengthening anything.
  • Getting less fat?  Probably.  Lengthening a muscle?  Muhahahahahahaha.  That’s a good one.

2.  Given what most (not all) women are looking to accomplish with their bodies – lower body fat levels, increased bone density, increased LBM, to name a few – strength training trumps yoga in every aspect.

3.  I’m a strength coach, and as such, I’m going to advocate that people strength train. Well, duh!?!  Still, I’d be remiss to turn my back on the many benefits of yoga, and I’ll come to a compromise and state that it’s a component of a well-rounded routine……..

…..but not a whole.

4.  While I didn’t state this originally, I’d like to point out that as much as I may poo-poo on some aspects of yoga, much of the same can be said about any realm of fitness – whether we’re talking about massage therapists, manual therapist, strength coaches, or “celebrity” trainers.

There are plenty of personal trainers out there who don’t know their ass from their acetabulum that have their de-conditioned clients jump around on a BOSU ball.

5.  And finally…….WTF! I took a freakin yoga class!  That’s saying something, right? I mean, there are plenty of internet warriors out there not using their real names who talk a big game while sitting in their parent’s basement that never do or take part in whatever it is they’re trashing.

I don’t want to be one of those people.

Today, to change the pace, I’d rather steer clear of any bashing or anything else that may be misconstrued as “anti-yoga.”  Instead, I want to discuss – in an informal and conversational manner – my overall experience taking a yoga class.

A little back tracking is in order, however.

In a lot of ways a large reason why I took a yoga class in the first place was because my girlfriend, Lisa, happens to be a member of the website Groupon.com.  For those unfamiliar, it’s essentially a website that offers discounted “groupons” from local restaurants, taverns, spas, etc.

In a nutshell here’s how it works: a local restaurant offers a $25 “groupon” for $50 worth of food.   Assuming “x” number of people (group) purchase it, the deal is accepted, and everyone walks away happy.

We’ve used Groupon.com (as well as sites like LivingSocial.com and BuyWithMe.com) to eat at numerous restaurants around Boston we otherwise would never check out.  Likewise, last fall, Lisa jumped out of a plane and went sky diving using a similar service.

I skipped that one.

Nevertheless, one day Lisa saw that there was a Groupon for ten Yoga sessions at a local yoga studio.  She looked at me, hesitantly, and asked if I’d be interested?

I remember an article Dan John wrote awhile ago on how he and his wife took a yoga class every Sunday.  He loved it.  In addition, he noted how amazing he felt and how it was something that he and his wife looked forward to doing together after a stressful week.

“Sure,” I said, while thinking to myself, “If Dan John can take yoga classes, I can too.”

Besides, much in the same vein, it would be an excellent way for the two of us to do something different and “active” together other than just going to the movies or making a cameo appearance at Target.

Upon further reflection, though, it’s not like I’ve NEVER done yoga before.  Speaking truthfully, many (if not all) of the movements we include in our dynamic warm-ups have their foundation in yoga.

So in a sense, I have done yoga – albeit indirectly.

That said, like everyone else, the holiday season was chock full of parties, social gatherings, and being dragged – sometimes kicking and screaming – shopping.  So, up until last weekend it had been a challenge to find the time to actually go to a class.

Early last week, though, we checked the schedule online and noticed that there was a vinyasa class at 10 AM Sunday morning.

We marked the calender, committed ourselves (ie: Lisa bribed me with an omelet brunch afterwards), and waited for Sunday to arrive.

Sunday Arrives

With my testicles cupped in my left hand, Lisa and I walked 20 minutes to the studio.  Once there, I took this picture before heading up.

If there was ever a time I felt like I was going to shit a yoga block, this was it.  I was completely out of my element.

At the top of the stairs, Lisa and I turn the corner and are immediately surrounded by a raging fume of estrogen.  Not that it was a bad thing, I was just the ONLY dude, and felt like a bull in a China shop.

Comparing by contrast, I couldn’t help but think to myself that this must be what it feels like for women to walk into a weight room full of dudes who smell like rotten Ax Body Spray grunting, breathing heavy, and making any number of innumerable noises.  To say I was a wee bit intimidated and outside my comfort zone would have been an understatement.

Where do I put my shoes?

Am I supposed to grab a mat?

Do we have to pay for it?

What happens if I sweat all over the place? 

Am I going to be judged?

Jesus christ…..where do I put my hands!?!?!?!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  *jumps out a window*

Lisa slapped me across the face (actually, that didn’t happen), told me to chill, and to just follow her lead.

We walked into the studio and I observed that most of the women were lying on their back, feet together, with their heels up towards their tushes and arms spread out to their sides.  Lisa mentioned to me that this was called the Goddess pose.

Needing to elevate my testosterone levels in some fashion, I jokingly referenced the movie 300 and said “well, what’s the Sparta pose?”  She turned, gave me the look of death, and I sat on my mat and did the Goddess pose.

We laid there for like five minutes before the instructor – a youngish, tall female – made her way towards the front of the room.

As I noted yesterday, she started the class by asking if there was anyone new to yoga.

I sheepishly raised my hand, and that was about the extent of her interaction with me.  But more on that in a bit.  She then proceeded to ask the class if there were any injuries she needed to be aware of, blah blah blah, so on and so forth, and class began.

What followed was, to my knowledge, your typical vinyasa class.  Unlike hatha styled classes – where you hold specific poses for an allotted time – vinyasa incorporates more movement and you learn to “flow” with your breath.

I have to say, I liked it!  I was glad that we weren’t just sitting there in one spot holding our poses while twiddling our thumbs.  If anything, and as I alluded to above, many of the movements we used I was vaguely familiar with.  We performed a TON of warrior poses, which are right on par with a few dynamic drills we like to use at Cressey Performance

Furthermore, one of our “home base” poses was very similar to what would be considered a goblet squat in strength and conditioning circles:

Of course, I avoided those poses I deemed either too advanced (for me) or simply knew my spine would throw me the middle finger if attempted them in the first place.

The wheel pose, for instance:

For me, the wheel is just asking for trouble and would turn any spine into a walking ball of fail.

The strength coach in me couldn’t help but observe how many of the women moved, and at the expense of coming across like a douche, that pose would have been the LAST thing I’d have any of them perform.  But I digress.

At one point, the instructor grabbed one of the other students to have her demonstrate some random pose that, while impressive, was equally as likely to make my eyes bleed. Not wanting to miss the show, I just held my goblet squat pose and observed.

As the class came to a close, the latter ten minutes were spent lying supine on our backs, breathing deeply and letting our thoughts drift while listening to some dude chant over the stereo. I was thinking about the omelet I was going to dominate, but nevertheless, it was a relaxing way to end things.

And that was it. The music was shut off.  The instructor got up, and the students followed.

All told, it was DEFINITELY worth going.  Shocker right?  I bet you didn’t think I was going to say that, huh?  I left feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to seize the day.

Moreover, I don’t think my hips have felt that “open” since I was like 23, as evident by the picture I took upon leaving class.

My only issue was with the instructor. And this is something that bothered Lisa as well.  While the class was well taught, as I mentioned above she didn’t acknowledge me ONCE. Not a “hey how are you doing?” or a “is there anything you need further explanation on?” or a “excuse me, but can you please put your shirt back on?” Nothing.

She walked around, correcting various students.  She corrected Lisa, who was seated to my right. And she corrected the random girl who was seated to my left.  Me? Unless I’m the world’s most baller yoga newbie, I was a little taken aback by her lack of interest given I openly admitted – to the entire class no less – that I had never performed yoga before.

I mean, how would it come across if someone walked into my facility and I didn’t give them one second of my attention whether it was correcting their technique on a deadlift or simply asking how they’re doing?

What would that say about me as a fitness professional? They’d probably not think too highly of me, and the likelihood they’d come back would be fairly slim.

Now, I realize not all yoga instructors are like that, and maybe my experience was just an anomaly and she wasn’t used to working with men. Either way, it was disconcerting to say the least, and I doubt Lisa and I will return to that specific class in the near future.

We WILL be returning, however.

And that’s saying something.

In the grand scheme of things, I lift heavy stuff upwards of five times per week. In addition, I work in an environment that immerses me in a vortex of constant stimulation – coaching, cuing, yelling, listening to Rage Against the Machine all……the……..time – and I’d be lying if I said that spending a solid hour every week just relaxing and being in the moment doesn’t sound blissful.

I’m going to attempt to make a yoga a weekly “diversion” for myself.  I still believe it’s an over-hyped phenomenon that caters to the fears and negative connotations that a vast majority of women have towards strength training; and I do feel it can put people into compromising positions that can be dangerous.

Concurrently, as it relates to ME, it would be ignorant to turn my back on the obvious benefits it has to offer.

So with that, all I can say is……….yoga doesn’t mostly suck anymore.

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Tony Takes a Yoga Class – Part I

“Is there anyone here who’s new or who’s never done yoga before?” the tall, lean, yoga instructor asked.

Taking a glance around the room, with my girlfriend sitting directly to my right, and surrounded by a roomful of women, I reluctantly raised my hand.  Slowly.  I gave a nervous, meager chuckle and that’s how it began.

Yes, I took a yoga class yesterday.  No, pigs aren’t flying in hell.

………at least not yet.

Given my past transgressions towards yoga and most of what it stands for, I know this is blowing people’s minds as they read this. A few years ago, when asked my thoughts on yoga, I was quoted as saying:

Yoga mostly sucks

Admittedly, I was young, immature, and maybe even a little pigheaded in saying that.  Still, at the time, and even now, many of my “grievances” with yoga do have merit (in my eyes, at least).  Namely, I just hate how it’s marketed towards women.  How it’s somehow this panacea of fitness and health. Women are promised long, lean muscles.  Strength.  Power.  Even improved bone density. You name it and yoga is the answer to all your prayers.

A trimmer waistline?  Maybe.

A date with Brad Pitt?  Lets not get carried away.

A Coach hand bag?  Hahahahahahahahaha.

Don’t get me wrong, there ARE many benefits to yoga.  First off, if someone enjoys doing it, and it gets them off their ass……great!  The more women NOT watching The Real Housewives of Whereeverthefuck, the better.

Speaking more succinctly, however, you’d be hard to dismiss benefits like an increased harmony in the mind-body connection, improved blood flow, improved state of well-being, learning one’s breath, flexibility, so on and so forth.

Still, as with ANY form of exercise (yes, even strength training), it has it’s limitations.  And, again, I just HATE how it’s marketed.

Given the claims the majority of Yoga “gurus” tout, it’s no wonder many (not all) women are under the assumption that Yoga will do everything from help them lose weight and increase strength to bringing sexy back.

The fact is – and I realize I’m a bit biased in saying this given I’m a strength and conditioning coach – when it comes to general fitness and body compositional goals, most females want and/or need the following:

  1. Decreased body fat
  2. Increased strength.
  3. Improved daily/athletic function
  4. Increased bone density
  5. Increased flexibility

Each one of these, I’d argue, can be improved – almost tenfold – through resistance training.  Yoga can’t hold a flame to good ol’ fashioned lifting heavy things.

Note from TG:  I didn’t want to re-invent the wheel, so what follows is an excerpt from an article I wrote for Figureathlete.com titled 4 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know.  I’d provide the link, but unfortunately, the site doesn’t exist anymore.  Bummer.

Lets break each one down individually.

Decreased Body Fat

It’s no secret that in order to decrease body fat, you have to provide some sort of caloric deficit either through dieting or through increased caloric expenditure from physical activity (or some form of both).  I’m going to leave the dieting component alone for now (I think women tend to drastically UNDER eat as it is), but I do want to elaborate on the latter component.

Yoga does not cause a high (or acute) or post-exercise calorie expenditure, which is one of the main factors in fat loss.  Many people (not just women) equate sweating to burning a lot of calories.  Sorry ladies, but just because you sweat a lot while taking a class in a 105 degree room, doesn’t mean you’re burning a lot of calories.  You wouldn’t say you’re burning that many calories sun bathing on the beach would you?

How many calories do you think you can burn standing or sitting in one spot for an hour, which is essentially what you do in a typical Yoga class? Numerous studies have shown that resistance training elevates EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption) for upwards of 24-48 hours AFTER you’re done training.

Simply put, not only will you burn more calories during one hour of resistance training compared to one hour of Yoga, but you will also burn MORE calories even when you’re not in the gym.  More calories burned equals more body fat lost.  I have yet to see one study which shows that Yoga does anything to increase EPOC significantly (if at all).

Additionally, Yoga does not provide resistance sufficient enough to increase or preserve lean body mass (LBM), which is directly correlated with metabolism, and thus the rate at which you burn calories.  Yes, “beginners” might see transient increases in LBM in the beginning, but that is mainly because most women who go from doing nothing to participating in Yoga classes a few times per week are so de-conditioned, that their body weight elicits enough of a stimulus to cause the body to change.

Increased Strength

As Vladimir Zatsiorsky states in his book “Science and Practice of Strength Training,” muscular strength is defined as “the ability to overcome or counteract external resistance by muscular effort; also, the ability to generate maximum external force” (1). In order to generate maximum force (get stronger), a trainee needs to incorporate one of three methods:

  1. Maximum Effort Method:  lifting a maximum load (exercising against maximum resistance).
  2. Repeated Effort Method:  lifting non-maximal load to failure (albeit still taking into consideration the rule of progressive overload.  Relying on one’s body weight will only take you so far).
  3. Dynamic Effort Method:  lifting (or throwing) a non-maximal load with the highest attainable speed.

The fact is yoga is not easily “modifiable” to facilitate constant adaptation for strength gains, unless of course, you want to gain weight (highly unlikely).  Yoga will in fact develop strength to a point, but soon thereafter, you’re just training strength endurance.  If bodyweight is constant, then progressive resistance is not possible without adding an external load.

Increased Bone Density

This is especially important for women because they are significantly at higher risk of developing osteoporosis compared to men (especially if they’re Caucasian, Asian, and slight build.).

In terms of stimulating new bone formation, what is needed is something called a minimal essential strain (MES), which refers to a threshold stimulus that initiates new bone formation.

A force that reaches or exceeds this threshold and is repeated often enough will signal osteoblasts to migrate to that region of the bone and lay down matrix proteins (collagen) to increase the strength of the bone in that area.

Furthermore, physical activities that generate forces exceeding the MES are those activities that represent an increase in intensity relative to normal daily activities.

For sedentary or elderly individuals, this could very well be where yoga could be enough of a stimulus to cause an MES and new bone formation (bodyweight exceeds the threshold).  However you still have to take into consideration the rule of progressive overload (bodyweight will only take them so far) and for younger or more active people, higher intensity activities will need to be included to exceed MES – such as sprinting, jumping, and heavy resistance training.

Regardless of one’s training history or lifestyle, it’s clear that the activities chosen to increase bone density need to be WEIGHT BEARI NG in nature, and progressive.  Yoga does not do this.

Improved Daily/Athletic Function

This will be short.  During a Yoga class, you’re sitting and/or standing in one spot for 45-60 minutes.

This will NOT equate to better efficiency or performance in daily life or on the athletic field.  As an athlete your time is better spent elsewhere.

Increased Flexibility

This one I will concede to Yoga.  It DOES help to improve flexibility, which is a good thing (sort of).  Unfortunately, it tends to promote flexibility/mobility in areas of the body where it doesn’t need it.

If we were to take a joint-by-joint look at the body, popularized by Mike Boyle and Gray Cook, one would notice that there is a delicate balance between mobility/stability:

Joints that “need” to be trained with mobility in mind:  ankle, hips, t-spine, scapulae

Joints that “need” to be trained with stability in mind:  knee, lumbar spine, scapulae

I have worked with many clients with extended histories of lower back pain who start participating in Yoga classes through the recommendation of a friend or worse yet, and uninformed physician.  Their rationale:  “all you need to do is stretch out your back.”  Quite possibly the worst piece of advice to give.

As you can see from above, the lumbar spine (lower back) generally needs to be trained with stability in mind.   Many of the poses in Yoga promote HYPER-extension of the lumbar spine, which is the last thing that it needs.  Many back issues are extension-based, which just means that an individual is getting more ROM (Range of Motion) at the lumbar spine due to lack of ROM at the hips.  Essentially with Yoga, one is promoting more ROM (and thus, instability) in a place where it needs LESS ROM (more STABILITY).

Furthermore, what good is it to have all this extra mobility or ROM if you can’t stabilize in that ROM in the first place?  Having excessive ROM (in the wrong places) without the strength to stabilize that ROM actually predisposes people to injury.  So while Yoga does enhance flexibility and mobility, RESISTANCE TRAINING actually facilitates movement through that range of motion, and provides the dynamic control to allow you to utilize the range of motion safely.

Now Before I Get the Hate Mail

Even though I wrote the original article like four years ago, I wholeheartedly feel every point I made still has merit today. Yoga IS NOT the end all – be all of everything that it’s often proclaimed (or marketed) to be.

I’m NOT saying it’s dangerous (although it can be:  click ME), or that it’s a waste of time.  All I’m saying is that it would bode well to try to step away from the yoga Kool-Aid, and take a little more of an objective look.

I understand that many yogi’s are going to want to defend their craft, much like I’d go ape shit if someone said that deadlifting was dangerous or somehow inferior. Again, I get it, I’m a little biased.

To that end, have at it!  You’re entitled to your opinion……..as am I.

That said, tomorrow I’m going to talk about my experience.  Now that I’ve actually taken a yoga class, I think you may be surprised at what I have to say.

Till then……..I’d be interested to hear what everyone else thinks.  Am I off base?  Do I have a point?  Sound off below.