remains@123rf.comCategoriesAssessment coaching Corrective Exercise Exercise Technique

The “My Shoulder Hurts” Checklist

 

I remember when Julian was first born my wife and I had many, many “checklists” to make sure that our schedules were in line so that we knew who was doing what, and when to make sure that 1) Julian would be fed and 2) he’d get his naps in. We weren’t playing games with that shit. 

It’s funny, though. It’s been a trip to see how I make connections and correlations between that and stuff I see and come across in my professional life… training and coaching athletes/clients.

One of the purest examples is something I witness on an almost weekly basis.

Many of the new people who start with me are beginner or intermediate level meatheads (male and female) who, for whatever reason(s), have been dealing with a pissed off shoulder that inhibits their ability to train at the level or intensity they’d like. It’s frustrating on their end and it’s my job as the coach to try to peel back the onion and see what may or may not be the root cause or causes.

That being said, I try not to go too deep down the rabbit hole. There’s a fine line between doing your due diligence as their coach and figuring out what may be causing their shoulder ouchies and making them feel like a patient.

READ: No one, and I mean NO ONE likes go to their personal training session and do rehab exercises for an hour. I’d surmise most would rather jump into a pool of lava. To that end, here’s my quick “go to checklist” whenever I have a client express that their shoulder hates them at the moment.

The “My Shoulder Hurts” Checklist

1) Technique

Most commonly people will note how bench pressing bothers their shoulder(s). Working on their technique is the baby check list equivalent of blow out explosive diarrhea.

I.e., It’s code mother-fucking red.

Following the mantra “if it causes pain, stop doing it” is never a bad call, and I am all for nixing any exercise or drill that does such a thing. However, I don’t like to jump to conclusions too too quickly. Sometimes making a few minor adjustments to someone’s technique or setup can make all the difference in the world.

Almost always I’ll have to spend some time on their set-up. I like to cue people to start in a bridge position to drive their upper traps into the bench and to set their scapulae (together AND down).

We can make arguments as to what this is actually doing. Some will gravitate towards it improving joint centration. Cool (and not wrong). I like to keep a little simpler and note that all it really does is improve stability.

Stability = strength

Another thing to note is many people tend to flare their elbows out too much when they bench which leaves the shoulders out to dry and in a vulnerable position.

 

MINOR NOTE: Since recording that video above (many years ago), I have since changed my views slightly thanks to some cueing from Cressey Sports Performance coach Tony Bonvechio. Elbows tucked on the way down is still something I’m after (albeit some are too aggressive at the expense of placing too much valgus stress on the elbows). However, when initiating the press motion, in concert with leg drive, allowing the elbows to flare out a teeny tiny bit (in an effort to keep the joints stacked and to place the triceps in a more mechanical advantage) will often play huge dividends in performance.

In the end, much of the time it comes down to people not paying any attention to how crucial their set-up is. It’s amazing how often shoulder pain dissipates or disappears altogether with just a few minor adjustments.

2) What People Don’t Want to Hear: Stop Benching, Bro

This is where the Apocalypse begins. Telling a guy (usually not women, they could care less) that he should probably stop benching for the foreseeable future is analogous to telling a CrossFittter they can’t tell you they CrossFit.

The thing about holding a barbell is that it “locks” the glenohumeral joint into internal rotation which can be problematic for a lot of people and often feeds into impingement syndrome.

[The rotator cuff muscles become “impinged” due to a narrowing of the acromion space.]

NOTE: I hate the term “shoulder impingement” because it doesn’t really tell you anything. There are any number of reasons why someone may be impinged. Not to mention there are vast differences between External Impingement and Internal Impingement….which you can read about in more detail HERE.

If bench pressing hurts, and we’ve tried to address technique, I’ll often tell them to OMIT barbell pressing in lieu of using dumbbells instead. With DBs we can utilize a neutral grip, externally rotate the shoulders a bit more, and open up the acromion space.

Or, maybe they can still barbell press, albeit at a decline. When you place the torso at a decline the arms can’t go into as much shoulder flexion and you’re then able to avoid the “danger zone.”

If all else fails, sadly, you may have to be the bearer of bad news and tell someone that (s)he needs to stop benching for a few weeks to allow things to settle down.

3) Let the Scaps Move, Yo

Above I mentioned the importance to bringing the shoulder blades together and down in an effort to improve stability.

If you want to lift heavy shit, you need to learn to appreciate the importance of getting and maintaining tension. That said, if lifting heavy shit hurts your shit, we may need to take the opposite approach. Meaning: maybe we just need to get your shoulder blades moving.

When the scaps are “glued” together and unable to go through their normal ROM it can have ramifications with shoulder health. Push-ups are a wonderful anecdote here.

Unlike the bench press – an open-chain exercise – the push-up is a closed-chain exercise (hands don’t move) which lends itself to several advantages – namely scapular movement.

 

4) More Rows

This one will be short and sweet. Perform more rows. Many trainees tend to be very anterior dominant and spend an inordinate amount of time training their “mirror muscles” at the expense of ignoring their backside. This can lead to muscular imbalances and postural issues.

This makes me sad. And, when it happens, a kitten becomes homeless.

You sick bastard.

The easy fix is to follow this simple rule: For every pressing motion you put into your program, perform 2-3 ROWING movements. Any row, I don’t care.1

 

5) Address Scapular Positioning

I’m going to toss out an arbitrary number and I have no research to back this up, but 99% of the time when someone comes in complaining of rotator cuff or shoulder issues the culprit is usually faulty scapular mechanics. Sometimes people DO need a little more TLC and we may need to go down the “corrective exercise” rabbit hole.

The scapulae perform many tasks:

  • Upwardly and downwardly rotate
  • Externally and internally rotate
  • Anteriorly and posteriorly tilt.
  • AB and ADDuct (retract and protract).
  • Will clean and fold your laundry too!

 

They do a lot. And for a plethora of reasons, if they’re not moving optimally it can cause a shoulder ouchie. Sometimes people are too “shruggy” (upper trap dominant) with overhead movements, or maybe they’re stuck in downward rotation? Maybe they can’t protract enough and need more serratus work? Maybe they lack eccentric control and need a heavy dose of low trap correctives?

It dumbfounds me the number of times I have had people come in to see me explaining how they had been to this person and that person and NO ONE took the time to look at how their shoulder blades move.

I don’t like to get too corrective too soon, but if I’ve exhausted all of the above and stuff still hurts….it’s time to dig deeper.

If only there were a resource that dives into this topic in a more thorough fashion.

Hmmmm…………..Sha-ZAM.

Categoriescoaching Program Design

5 Ways To Get Better At Writing Training Programs

I received a message from a young coach the other day asking if I knew of (or used) any tricks to help make writing training programs easier or less time intensive.

Outside of suggesting he build his own time traveling DeLorean, skip a head 50 or so years to clone himself 17 times (and to see if someone possibly cured male pattern baldness…asking for someone I know), and then travel back to 2025 with his small army of “hims” to help with the workload, I offered the following suggestions and advice.

I figured this was a good topic to expound on and decided to make it into a blog post.

Hope it helps.

1. Practice Makes Perfect (Kinda)

  • If you want to get better at playing the violin…play the violin.
  • If you want to get better at long division…do long division.
  • If you want to get better at free throws….practice more free throws.
  • If you want to get better at not getting laid…go to Star Trek conventions.

I keed, I keed.

There’s no way to sugar coat this:

“If you want to get better at writing programs…write more programs.”

I have a folder on my desktop labeled Lisa, Don’t Open This Folder Client Programs, and if I opened it right now and actually took the time to count the number of programs in it – which is an amalgamation of my eight years at Cressey Sports Performance in addition to the ten years I’ve been training people out of CORE and Core Collective – I’d garner a guess there’s at least, I don’t know, a kazillion, billion programs in it.

Okay, lets just say it’s a lot.

I am by no means insinuating I’m some program writing maverick and that I’ve got things dialed down to a well-tuned science, but it stands to reason in the 20+ years I’ve been writing training programs, I’ve gotten pretty okay at not sucking at it.

That being said, the sooner you acquiesce to the idea it’s going to take time, practice, and lots of experience on your part in order to get “adequate” yourself, the better off you’ll be.

To answer the question, though: Is there a way to expedite the program writing process?

Well, it depends.

Many factors come into play – one’s training age, injury history, goals, availability of equipment, total training frequency, favorite He-Man character (<– very important), to name a few.

I’d say on average it takes me anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes to write a program.

Moreover:

1. I rarely start from scratch.

I’ve written enough programs and have worked with enough people that I can Spidey-sense similarities and correlations between one client and another. If someone has the same background and/or goals as a previous client of mine I don’t need to re-invent the wheel. I can take someone else’s program, do a little bada-binging and bada-booing (tweaking), and cater it to someone else.

I take pride in writing individual programs for all my clients, but I’m also a realist. Most of the time most people need to be doing the same stuff anyways; at least in the beginning:

  • Less bench pressing.
  • More rows.
  • Better scapular rotation and reaching (general shoulder health).
  • More single leg work and carries.
  • More butt stuff (posterior chain in general).
  • Deadlifts DO NOT always mean using a barbell or that one is pulling from the floor.
  • No, deep squats aren’t dangerous.
  • Yes, your knees can go past your toes.
  • Give your clients a little of what THEY want to do. Key words to consider: “a little.”
  • If you ask me one more time whether or not you should go keto I’m going to throw my face into a wall.

2. Understand there’s NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT PROGRAM.

It’s inevitable you’re going to be overzealous with some people or underestimate others, especially with regards to exercise selection.

I don’t think a day goes by where I’m not crossing out things on a program or making minor adjustments, or hell, even overhauling the entire program.

No one is perfect (except Ryan Gosling).

via GIPHY

2. Remember: It’s THEIR Program, Not Yours

No quote is more appropriate here than one of Dan John’s classics:

“The goal is to keep the goal, the goal.”

Ranked #16 in my list of “man crushes”

If someone’s goal is to get strong or maybe compete in powerlifting, then, yeah, they should likely focus on the classic barbell lifts.

Write a program that reflects that.

Kipping pull-ups likely aren’t going to get the job done. In fact, kipping pull-ups are never going to get the job done.

Stop it.

Just, stop.

If someone’s goal is to lose a bunch of fat, again, I could make the case strength is still important and that the barbell lifts (which utilize multiple joints and make burning a bunch of calories in a short amount of time a thing. Plus, the goal of any fat loss plan should be to KEEP the muscle you have. What makes muscle, keeps muscle. Lifting heavy things is paramount.) may be of benefit.

But understand there are many methods to get any job done.

Maybe someone would rather jump into a shark’s mouth than touch a barbell.

Blasphemous, I know. But it happens.

If so, don’t be an insufferable dick about it and force feed YOUR preferences over your client’s.2

A glaring example here is when you see bodybuilders training 55 year old female clients like bodybuilders. Yeah dude, I doubt she’s interested in her bicep peak. I mean, maybe. But I doubt it.

Stick to the goals and consider your client’s preferences.

This can make writing programs much, much, MUCH more “freeing” and palatable. If someone likes using dumbbells, incorporate more dumbbells. If someone seems to be down with landmine exercises, use more landmine exercises.

Often, the #1 factor for a program’s success is ADHERENCE.

A client/athlete is much more apt to stick to a program when it’s one they enjoy and want to do.

3. Write Programs In Bulk

You’re bound to be more efficient and “in the zone” when it comes to writing program when you write them in bulk.

Instead of writing one program here and another one there, sit down, grab a cup of coffee (or tea), put on some of your favorite program writing music (for me it’s Deep House or Norah Jones, don’t judge), and get to work.

I think you’ll find it’ll increase your program writing prowess.

4. Have Someone Audit Your Programs

Asking a colleague to take a peek at some of your programs and to provide some honest feedback is a splendid way to hone and sharpen your skills.

via GIPHY

Of course it helps to be someone who can take constructive criticism well. If your default reaction is to get defensive, stomp your feet, and yell “YOU’RE RUINING MY LIFE” when a friend suggests it might not a good idea to program back squats for someone with limited shoulder external rotation and to maybe consider front squats instead, you may want to hold off on this idea.

Conversely, grow up, it’s only going to make you better and to allow you an opportunity to see things from a different lens.

5. When In Doubt, Simplify

The next time you find yourself sitting in front of your computer screen contemplating putting in Close Grip Bench Press cluster sets for your 16 year old high-school athlete with weight releasers utilizing a 5-0-7 tempo while also repeating the alphabet backwards, in Elvish:

  1. Stop
  2. Punch yourself in the pancreas.
  3. Hard.
  4. And remember to just keep things simple.

Believe me, I know how easy it is to be seduced into adding novelty to your client’s programs for the sake of adding novelty…but I assure you most of them do not care and more importantly most do better without it.

The “boring” stuff is almost always going to be the better fit and is likely all most of your clients will need for quite some time.

Seriously, when in doubt….simplify.

And then just coach the shit out of everything.

6. Miscellaneous Pontification

– It would also bode in your favor to actually lift weights. Practice what you preach.

– Refrain from adding things to your programs that you yourself have not tried first.

– Network. Make nicey nice with local coaches and physical therapists. You’ll learn a ton.

– I cannot WAIT for the 5th season of Ted Lasso to come out.

– Also, not for nothing, but did you not notice I used both words “amalgamation” and
“acquiesce” in this blog post? You didn’t, did you?3

ksuksa@123rf.comCategoriescoaching Program Design

4 Coaching and Program Design Digressions

4 Coaching & Program Design Digressions

1. Fillers Instead of Warming Up?

You know it, I know it, your mom’s second cousin’s Little League baseball coach’s sister knows it, everyone knows it…

…people always skip their warm-up prior to training.

Hell, [industry secret revealed] I skip my warm-up more than 50% of the time.4

Now, to back track a bit, I am not anti-warming up and I do advocate my clients and athletes do follow one.

I do write them in.

However, what I am not a fan of is the laundry list approach to warming-up.

You know what I mean: the warm-up that consists of a never-ending list – 10, 15, sometimes 20 exercises deep – of positional breathing, t-spine mobility, glute activation, and stretching drills.

I take a gander at something like that and am like…

via GIPHY

I can only imagine what some of my clients in the past were like…

via GIPHY

This is not an attempt to discount or demerit the importance of doing any of those drills mentioned above. I just know humans, and I know the vast majority of them would rather jump in front of a mack truck than do their warm-up.

Which is where the idea of “fillers” comes in.

These are nothing more than low-grade, low-intensity mobility or activation drills that are performed DURING the workout, typically during rest periods.

In short: It’s a sneaky way to put the shit that people need to work on in the program in a way that they’ll actually do it.

I’ve written about fillers in the past and how to best incorporate them depending on the main lift of the day:

2. Underwhelm Them Early

This is a phrase I stole from my good friend Mike Robertson, but it mirrors much of what I do with all of my new clients. In the beginning all I am really concerned with is letting my clients marinate in the basics.

I want them to hinge, squat, push, pull, carry, and perform some single leg work. Now what variation of all those things will depend on a multitude of factors: health & injury history, goals, ability level, not to mention their anatomy (anthropometry and leverages). When all is said and done, though, from a programming standpoint, my clients should be underwhelmed. I want their programs to be mind-numbingly boring.

People need reps out of the gate, a lot of reps…of the same thing(s). That is the only way they’re going to learn and begin to “own” their movement.

What they don’t need is a bunch of novelty and a coach who’s only goal is to entertain them. I can appreciate (and understand) that training should be fun and stimulating and fill everyone’s love tank to the ‘enth degree. However, in my eyes, that needs to be earned via lots and lots and lots of repetition of the same shit.

No one ever got strong or mastered any exercise by constantly changing things up.

Wow your clients with customer service; underwhelm them with exercise selection.

3. Easy Training is Good Training

Keeping in tune with the whole “underwhelming them early” vibe, I’m a firm believer in the anecdote – astutely stolen from Dan John – that “easy training is good training.”

Put into other words: I’m less of a “holy shit I can’t feel the left side of my face, that workout was awesome” kinda guy and more of a “huh, I could totally do more, but [insert anything from going to see a movie and hanging out with your spouse to reading a book and drowning in kitty cuddles]” kinda guy.

See, I’d rather my clients/athletes leave a session feeling as if they could do more, maybe even wanting to do more, but don’t.

This is not to say “easy” training doesn’t involve some amount of effort or uncomfortableness; far from it. It is to say that pounding your clients into the ground every…single…session isn’t necessarily making them better or more resilient or whatever other cute adjective you want to toss in here.

There’s a common saying I’ve seen many other coaches use and it bears repeating:

“Your progress in the weight-room is directly correlated with how well you’re able to RECOVER from said workouts.”

This entails training with sub-maximal loads (65-80% of 1RM) more often in addition to other things such as encouraging more GGP/Zone 2 work (think: heart rate hovers in the 120 BPM range), sleep, calories to support one’s goals, and hydration to name a few.

4. Is It Necessary to De-Load Often?

It’s common practice for many gyms and trainers to use every fourth week as a rudimentary “deload week” (or a structured tempering of training volume, load, or both) for their clients and athletes.

It makes sense…especially when you consider billing cycles.

For example, to a large degree I still use this approach because every month my clients “re-up” their packages and I get to ding their credit cards in exchange for a freshly curated program.

But even then I have to take into consideration a few things.

  • Training Frequency: someone who only trains 2x per week won’t necessarily do enough work to warrant a de-load as compared to someone who trains 4x per week.
    .
  • Training Experience/Goals: someone who is working out for basic health or is a complete newbie will have a stark difference in approach to de-loading compared to someone training for a powerlifting meet or has more experience and is just stronger as a general observation. The former may go weeks without the need for any type of deload while the latter may be best suited for one every 3-4 weeks.
    .
  • Life: Work, vacations, the beach, your slow-pitch softball schedule, your kid’s explosive diarrhea…all have a tendency of tossing us organic de-loads as it is. Oftentimes there’s no need to go out of my way to plan de-loads for some clients because “life” takes care of that anyway.

All of this doesn’t even get into the weeds on all the different types or ways to implement a de-load. I already touched on the idea of lowering one’s overall training volume or even intensity (personally I’m a fan of lowering volume but keeping intensity on the high(er) side of the spectrum, if not the same), but there are a bevy of other options too:

  • Omitting compound movements in lieu of more isolation type movements (I.e., less axial loading).
  • Going into full-on body-part-split-per day bodybuilder mode for a week or longer (<— this is fun).
  • Reducing training frequency (instead of 5x per week, go with two).
  • Get out of the gym entirely and partake in more outdoor activities.

For the Record: I’m very much a fan of people taking a full-week off from training – particularly if they’re consistent – 1x per year just to give themselves a break.

That said, I will sometimes push the boundaries with some of my clients and won’t implement an actual de-load until 1) I see a drastic decrease in their progress or performance on the gym floor 2) they’re eyes start bleeding or, you know, 3) they simply ask.

Often, especially if a client shows up to a session and they look like death, I’ll implement a de-load session, affectionately referred to as a Bloop, Bloop, Bloop workout.

HERE the idea is to listen to them, understand that, yes, life gets in the way sometimes, but to also not let them off the hook so easily.

They’re still going to workout and move – it just won’t involve working up to a heavy triple on their front squat.

 

CategoriesUncategorized

NEW Workshop: Coaching Competency 2.0

The fitness industry is broken.

Well, maybe “broken” is too strong of a word. There’s obviously a lot of coaches out there doing great things. And, to be fair: more people than ever are now participating in gym activities compared to when I was first started out in this industry, which was way back in 2002.

You know, when Alias was the #1 show on television and smart phones didn’t exist.

So we’re doing something right as an industry.

I think a better term to use here is “re-frame.” The fitness industry is in dire need of a re-frame. A re-frame where current (and potentially new) fitness professionals learn to understand that long-term success in this industry isn’t tethered to the facade of social media or the 1 in a million chance you’ll go viral. It can happen of course. But the likelihood it’s going to happen to you is about as likely as me growing the hair back on the top of my head.

Without sounding like a grumpy, old man telling you to get off his lawn…

Everyone Wants to Call Themselves an Expert Without Building Any Expertise

I think what gets lost in today’s “hey everyone, look at me!” environment is the fact that YOU NEED TO BE A GOOD (dare I say, COMPETENT) COACH FIRST in order to have any real chance to succeed in this industry. And that’s an amalgamation of knowing the x’s and o’s of program design, physiology, anatomy, and having dipped your toes in both the anecdotal and Pubmed circles when it comes to the latest health and fitness trends.

A competent coach understands there’s value in both sides of the fence. Furthermore, a competent coach isn’t afraid to say “it depends” when asked their opinion on most things.

There’s also the “soft” skills of coaching. I.e., people skills.

A competent coach doesn’t deal in absolutes (no Siths over here!). A competent coach rarely, if ever, uses the terms “everyone,” “never,” or “always” to explain anything.

  • “Everyone needs to deadlift with a conventional stance.” Nope!
  • “Never eat a carb after 6 pm.” Hahaha, yeah right.
  • “You always need to cater the program to the goal(s), injury history, and ability level of the client.” Um, yeah, that’s a good example of when using an absolute makes sense.

My hope is that this 2.0 version of my popular Coaching Competency 1-day workshop will help bring the masses back to the middle and help “reset” everyone’s mindset. That, yes, social media and all the romanticism involved in that world is a piece of the pie – it behooves everyone to “play the game.” However, it’s not a significant piece of the pie as far as long-term success in this industry is concerned.

Starting early next year I’ll be offering a new workshop for fitness professionals who are looking for REAL advice on building a successful career in fitness.

What this workshop will NOT cover:

  • How to build a social media following
  • Kipping pull-ups  

What this workshop WILL cover:

  • What it REALLY takes to build a career in this industry (me free-styling on lessons learned from over 20+ years as a coach: from commercial gym trainer to “B-list fitness celebrity to bonafide gym owner (<— which is something I originally NEVER wanted to touch with a ten-foot pole).
  • How to build rapport (and increase motivation) with clients.
  • How to simplify your assessments and programming to keep clients consistent. How I program for beginners compared to intermediate & advanced lifters.
  • Learn that it’s not necessarily about “how to gain new clients,” but rather “how to keep the ones you already have.”
  • Financial literacy for fitness entrepreneurs (stuff I never learned when I first started out).
  • And probably some deadlifts (because we are talking about me here).

Coaching Competency 2.0 2026 Schedule

London, UK – Saturday, February 28, 2026

Where: Train Yard Wapping
Cost: £188 (Early Bird rate until January 28th) – HERE

West Hartford CT – Sunday, April 12, 2026
Where: The Lift Effect

Cost: $199 (Early Bird) – HERE

* CEUs will be available for this event via the NSCA
** Hugs and Predator handshakes optional

vertolet@123rf.comCategoriescoaching Exercise Technique

1-Minute Deadlift Tip: Start Where You End

The “Reverse” Deadlift

What’s unique about the deadlift – as opposed to the squat or bench press – is that it begins with a concentric, or overcoming, movement.

For a variety of reasons like leverages, mobility restrictions, it’s Tuesday, etc., starting from the floor can be problematic for some people. One simple way to build context, especially as it relates to the starting position from the floor, is to start at the end (or top) with an eccentric, or yielding/negative, movement.

You’ll essentially be performing an eccentric deadlift (RDL) until the barbell reaches the ground. When I have my athletes and clients do this drill I’ll stop them once they hit the floor and say, “Feel that position you’re in right now? That’s what I want to see (and for you to feel) when you begin from the floor.”

It’s a foolproof way to help build familiarity and to not overcomplicate things.

No diggidy, no doubt.

Woman lying with her legs crossed indoorsCategoriescoaching

Confessions of an Introverted Strength Coach Revisted

People are often surprised when I state I’m an introvert.

What most people fail to recognize is that “being an introvert” is part of a spectrum. No one is 100% introverted, nor are they 100% extroverted.

Everyone’s a little of both.

Another common misconception is that introversion is somehow correlated with being depressed or sad or downtrodden. In attempting to find a suitable image to go along with this post I simply typed “introvert” into my image finder thingamajiggy on WordPress and was quite surprised (if not slightly appalled) by what appeared on my screen:

Image after image after image of various people looking dejected, anti-social, and altogether unhappy.

It was quite striking, because all “being introverted” means is that you likely need or require a little more down time (or down tempo activities) in order to reenergize and recharge.

Is time to recharge yourself 65

I remember when my wife and I first started dating there was a night where I had just gotten back from a full day of coaching and was zapped. All I wanted to do was collapse on the couch and watch House Hunters. Unfortunately (for me) it was a Saturday night and Lisa had already committed us to a get together with a bunch of her friends at a local lounge in downtown Boston.

Ten minutes in it took all the will-power I could muster to not walk out of the place and straight into the path of the #66 bus down the street.

I just stood there with a blank stare and repeated one word answers as she and her friends attempted to engage with me.

  • “Tony, Lisa tells me you’re a personal trainer?” Yes.
  • “How long have you been doing that?” Awhile.
  • “So, what do you think about keto?” Grabs beer bottle, breaks it over the counter, slits own throat.

When we eventually left we had one of our first arguments. Clearly I was acting like an a-hole, but after explaining to her that the last thing I wanted to do after coaching for eight hours was to go to a bar and listen to Panic! At the Disco, we had a better understanding of each other’s needs.

I explained I am not against going out and participating in social events, I just needed a bit of a “buffer.”

Being a coach – inundated with constant noise and non-stop interaction – can be draining.

An introvert requires the antithesis of that in order to feel rejuvenated and ready to go the following day.

To repeat: This doesn’t mean we don’t like to do or be involved in social activities.

Rather, in our free time we generally prefer to:

✅ Read a book
✅ Enjoy a barrage of kitty cuddles.

That’s pretty much it.

One common remark I receive from other coaches and personal trainers is what would I recommend they do to counteract their juices running on empty when they’re in the middle of a long work day?

What can they do when they’re five hours deep into a long work day and have a barrage of sessions yet to complete? It’s not like they can meander off into a hidden closet and take a power nap.

(or can they?????)

Likewise, is the expectation that we have to be the rah-rah, high-energy coach who jumps up and down everywhere and perform cart-wheels after every set in order to be considered “good” or successful?

Listen, the bulk of your clients aren’t expecting a Bad Bunny performance during their session.

DJ hands and remote and mixer DJ for music

Sure, there’s a time & place to amp things up and to be the cheerleader, but I’ve found that more often than not…

…most clients don’t care for the (fake) performative nonsense.

You can still be a switched on and attentive coach without the theatrics.

That being said, it still behooves you, introverted coach, to be proactive and give yourself sporadic breaks throughout the day. These could be brief 15-30 minute windows of solitude when you know you have a full-day looming. Or, when you know you have a solid line-up of clients scheduled, it may be worthwhile to break the day up where you get your own training session in half way through.

BUT MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL: Do NOT fall pray to this idea you have to be a performative coach in order to be seen as legit. That BS may get you likes on Instagram, but it’ll lead to nothing but eye-rolls in the real world. Not to mention it certainly won’t be doing you any favors from an energy conservation standpoint.6

BUT EVEN MOST MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL:  Be sure to grace yourself with ample “me time” when you feel you need it. This could be sitting at home binging a show, going to the movies, hanging out at a bookstore of coffee shop, or, I don’t know, perusing your baseball card collection.

Remember: All being an introvert means is that you’re a fucking psychopath you likely require more solo time in order to reenergize.

It’s important to lean into it.

It’ll help make you a more engaged coach and your clients will benefit as well.

So, hi fellow introvert. I see you. What’s up?

CategoriesProgram Design Rehab/Prehab Strength Training

Find Your Entry Point: How to Train Around an Injury

If you make a habit of lifting heavy things it’s inevitable you’ll likely experience a few setbacks along the way.

These can range anywhere from the “no big deals” (bloody shins from deadlifting, shoulder niggle) to the dire (disc herniation, explosive diarrhea).

…or worse case, forgetting your squat shoes on squat day.

Suffice to say: Getting hurt is frustrating. Attempting to work around an injury can be even more so.

It bothers me when people default to tossing their hands in the air and surrendering themselves to a two-to-four week window of “rest” and rolling the dice. There’s a lot of good that can be done, even underneath the umbrella of injury. Instead, I’ve long championed the idea of trainees finding their Trainable Menu and focusing more on what they CAN do rather than what they can’t.

Another way to re-frame things is to find your entry point.

In fact…here’s your entry point making an entrance to your next training cycle while you’re working around an injury.

via GIPHY

Find Your Entry Point

Speaking of entry points: I remember a few years ago when I sat down with Julian to watch the original Jurassic Park. He was four at the time. Now, most coherent parents would start with something a little less scary.

You know, say, Dino Dana or, I don’t know, Care Bears.

Nope, I went with the ginormous, scary T-Rex.

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best “entry point” for someone who, at that point, had no idea dinosaurs weren’t real. Again, maybe Toy Story or, hell, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers would have been a more germane choice?

I gotta say, though…

…Julian handled the T-Rex like a champ.

He didn’t blink once. He giggled when the guy sitting on the porto-potty met his demise.

I didn’t know whether to be proud or scared shitless.

Kid’s the next John Wick in the making.

Okay, Cute Story Tony. But WTF Are We Talking About Here?

Yeah, yeah, yeah…

Lifting heavy things.

Entry Points.

I’ve recently been making my way through Dr. Michael Mash’s excellent resource, Barbell Rehab, and giving credit where it’s due…he spends quite a bit if time throughout the course discussing the idea of entry points and how to use the concept to guide anyone’s return back to a specific lift after injury.

Let’s use the bench press as an example.

If someone has pain when he or she bench presses with a straight bar, finding their entry point is nothing more than altering the lift the minimal amount possible in order to gain the minimum desired training effect.

For the visual learners out there it may look something like this:

 

Adapted from Barbell Rehab

TO BE CLEAR: If pain exists in the shoulder the idea is NOT to automatically regress all the way back to a push-up.

I know some people who’d rather swallow a live grenade than do that. Instead, the goal is to be as specific as possible in order to elicit a (relatively pain-free) training effect.

If someone has pain with a straight bar FLAT bench press, however it alleviates significantly when you switch them to a decline bench press.

Sha-ZAM.

You just found their entry point.

Maybe it’s DB Floor Presses for one person, and yes, maybe it’s a push-up (albeit loaded) for another. The idea is to TRAIN. Moreover, it also could just come down to tweaking their grip slightly or adjusting some component of their technique.

Rehab doesn’t always have to result in sending someone to corrective exercise purgatory.

Likewise, using the squat as an example, sometimes the entry point is using a different bar (Duffalo or Safety-Squat Bar) if the shoulder is the issue, or maybe it’s having someone squat ABOVE parallel if it’s their knee(s) or hip(s) bothering them.

Sometimes, and hear me out, we may have to combine the two: Not a straight bar AND above parallel.

I know what some of you might be saying…”Tha fuck outta here, Tony.”

Yes, it’s true. (please play video below and hopefully get a few LOLs. Or not)

 

And everything’s going to be fine.

In fact, more than fine.

maridav@123rf.comCategoriesAssessment Corrective Exercise Program Design

Which Is More Fictional: Unicorns or Tight Hamstrings?

A few weekends ago I was in London teaching a workshop with my friend Luke Worthington.

We had a group of 35 trainers from across the UK (and Europe) eager to learn more about assessment, program design, coaching up common strength movements, and how I rank the Bourne movies.7

One of the main umbrella themes we kept hammering home was that, contrary to popular belief, “tight” hamstrings isn’t really a thing.

Labelling the hamstrings as “tight” is often the default scapegoat and blamed for everything from butt wink to low back pain to male pattern baldness. So it wasn’t surprising to see the flabbergasted reactions from the majority of attendees when Luke and I kept repeating our message.

You would have thought Gandalf rode in on a Unicorn yelling “You shall not stretch the hamstrings!” based on people’s facial expressions.

via GIPHY

Did Tony Just Say Tight Hamstrings Don’t Exist?

What’s next: Water isn’t wet? Grass isn’t green? Ryan Gosling’s gaze doesn’t penetrate my soul?

Listen, I’m as skeptical as they come whenever anyone in the health/fitness industry uses the words “everyone,” “always,” or “never.”

Those are three words, when used ad nauseam, immediately scream “shady motherfucker with an agenda,” whenever I hear them.

  • It’s never the hamstrings. OR You should never eat past 7 pm.
  • Always avoid gluten. OR If you’re serious about fat loss, always avoid carbs.
  • Everyone must deadlift from the floor. OR Everyone who reads this site is clearly off the charts intelligent and attractive. (<— 100% true).

There are nevertheless exceptions to every rule and circumstance. I’d be remiss not to tip my hat at the notion there are, indeed, people out there who have legitimately tight (or, more to the point, anatomically short) hamstrings.

That being said, I doubt you’re one of them.

I’m not going to sit here and say it’s never the case, but it’s such a rare occurrence that you’re more likely to win an arm wrestling match vs. a grizzly bear than actually having tight/short hamstrings.

Take butt wink for example.

The common culprit is tight hamstrings (photo on the right).

Image via Girls Gone Strong

But if we were to discuss (and respect) basic anatomy we’d note the following:

  • My pecs can cut diamonds.
  • The hamstrings are a bi-articular muscle group that cross both the hip and knee joints.
  • As we descend into deep(er) hip flexion – I.e., squat – the hamstrings lengthen on one end (hips) and shorten on the other (knee), for a net change of nada.

#itsnotthehamstrings.

But How Can We Tell?

It’s uncanny how many people I’ve interacted with in my career who describe having tight hamstrings, and after telling me they’ve been stretching them for 43 years (<— only a slight exaggeration), are still looking for that one magical stretch to cure them.

My first step is to plop him or her on an assessment table and ask them to perform a simple screen to ascertain whether or not they do, in fact, have tight hamstrings.

It’s called the Active Straight Leg Raise.

Image: FMS.com

You lie the individual supine and ask them to slowly, while keeping one leg cemented to the table or floor, elevate the other off the table while keeping it as straight as possible. They keep going until they feel the first smidgeon of resistance (or you start to see compensations like the pelvis rotating, the foot rotating, and/or either knee start to flex).

An acceptable ROM is anywhere from 70-90 degrees of hip flexion.

A funny thing almost always happens.

Most people pass the screen with flying colors.

Me: “You don’t have tight hamstrings.”

Them: “The fuck outta here! You mean, there aren’t any other stretches I should be doing?”

Me: “Zero.”

Them: “Zero?”

Me: “Yep, zero.”

[Cue crickets chirping]

This finding doesn’t, however, dismiss the fact said person’s hamstrings still FEEL tight.

So, W……..T……….F?

Something is awry.

To peel back the onion a bit more I’ll then implement a brilliant trick I was reminded of by Ottawa based personal trainer, Elsbeth Vaino.

The Bridge Test

 

I’ll have the same individual perform a standard glute or hip bridge. They’ll get into position and then I’ll ask “where do you feel that?”

Many will immediately say “hamstrings.”

I’ll then have them perform a 1-Leg Glute Bridge and ask them to hold that position for 10-15 seconds.

Most don’t last five.

“YOWSA…..my hamstrings cramped up.”

Why?

The body’s #1 hip extensor is the glute max, and if it’s not doing it’s job well the body’s #2 hip extensor, the hamstrings, will pick up the slack.

In all likelihood, for most people most of the time, the hamstrings feel tight because 1) they’re overactive and doing double the work and/or 2) pelvic alignment needs to be addressed (more glutes and anterior core = more posterior pelvic tilt = hamstrings are put on slack).

NOTE: the latter point – hamstrings lengthened due to (excessive) anterior pelvic tilt – is why stretching them only feeds the issue. The tightness many feel is neural in nature, not because of true shortness. Stretching an already lengthened muscle only exacerbates things.

Something Else to Consider: Active End-Range Hip Flexion

To add another nail into the “it’s not the hamstrings” coffin I’ll also take a gander at one’s ability to move their hip into (active) end-range flexion.

This “trick” digs into some of Dr. Andreo Spina‘s work on Functional Range Conditioning (FRC) and is another splendid way to gently tell someone to stop stretching their hamstrings.

 

No diggidy, no doubt.

Final Word

The sensation of tight hamstrings is less about an anatomically short muscle which requires endless hours of static stretching, and more about improving:

  1. Position/alignment of the pelvis via nudging people into a little more posterior pelvic tilt by hammering glutes and anterior core.
  2. Active end-range hip flexion. Allow people to experience this position more often and good things will happen.

Stop…..stretching…..the…..hamstrings.

shakzu@123rf.comCategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

The Rule of 90%: 2.0

The rule of 90% can be applied to almost anything.

One of the best examples, with special emphasis to health and wellness, stems from Dr. John Berardi and the crew over at Precision Nutrition.

Simply stated, if you eat “clean” or follow the rules 90% of the time, good things tend to happen.

By focusing the bulk of your diet or nutrition plan on things like lean meats, vegetables, fruits, “healthy” fat, whole, minimally processed foods, going “off the grid” 10% of the time, and eating foods you enjoy – hello mint cookies-n-cream ice cream! – won’t really make that big of a difference in the grand scheme of things.

Life will go on, you’ll stay more consistent with your plan (and you’ll keep your sanity).

The Rule of 90% can also be applied to co-habitation (put the toilet seat down 90% of the time, and your spouse or significant other won’t want to stab you in the throat) strength and conditioning, albeit in a different context.

I wrote an article on T-Nation.com what seems like eons ago (2006!) titled, coincidentally enough, The Rule of 90%.  Catchy, right?

via GIPHY

 

In it I discuss how, if your goal is to improve maximal strength, it’s important to incorporate lifts at or above 90% of your 1-rep max.

Cliff Notes Version:  lifting maximal weight (90%+) has a number of effects:

1. Maximal number of motor units are recruited.

2. Fastest MU’s are activated (high-threshold motor units).

3. The discharge frequency (rate coding) is increased.

4. Activity is synchronous.

5. Potential for future hypertrophy gains (especially when you revert back to a “hypertrophy” specific training phase).

6.  While some argue whether or not the research is efficacious – it goes both ways – lifting heavy things helps to increase serum Testosterone levels.

7.  Lastly, girls (or boys!) will want to hang out with you (<=== it’s science)

How It’s Applied (Watered Down Version, Like A Lot)

Lets say someone’s bench press max is 275 lbs, and the goal for a particular training session is to hit four singles at or above 90%.  It may look something like this:

Bar x whatever

135 x 5

185 x 5

225 x 3

250 x 1

265 x 1 (feel good! Eff it, lets go for a PR).

280 x 1 (it was a grinder, but you got it).

From here, it’s important to note that ANY lift at 90% or above (275 lbs), counts.  Doing the math, that means any lift which was heavier than 247.5 lbs.

So now we have ONE more single left.  I’d opt for a clean rep with good bar speed.

260 x 1 (Nailed it! Lets go pound a protein shake).

via GIPHY

The Rule of 90%: 2.0

Hitting lifts that are 90% or above one’s 1RM isn’t something I’d recommend for beginner or even most intermediate lifters.  It takes a lot of experience and “time under the bar” to get to the point where handling that much weight is safe.

To that end, this approach IS NOT something I advocate for those with little training experience (lets say less than a year of consistent training).

However, that doesn’t mean we can’t still apply the principles to great affect.

Something I implement often (because I don’t go out of my way to test 1RM right off the bat) is the idea of ramping up to a 3 RM (rep max) – for that day – and then using the same approach as above, hitting a certain number of sets at or around 90%.

There’s a fair bit of autoregulation and “feel” involved, and results will vary depending on how someone feels any given day (A) like Randy Macho Man Savage after consuming 9000 mg of caffeine or B) a bag of dicks), but it gets the job done.

I’ll simply have someone work up to a challenging triple (set of 3) for that day, and then once they hit it, aim for “x” number of sets at or slightly above 90% of THAT number.

Lets stick with the bench press. Goal is to hit four sets at or above 90% of 3RM.

Bar x whatever

135 x 5

185 x 3

225 x 3 (bar speed is still good)

245 x 3 (starting to slow up, but still passable)

265 x 3 (last rep was a bit of a grinder. We’ll use this as our marker or “top set” for the day).

Doing the math, 90% of 265 is 238.5.  So, any lift above that counts (245 and 265, respectively).

As always, I’d opt for clean, fast reps from here and would encourage someone to stick in the 245-255 range for their last two sets.

And That’s, That

Hopefully that makes some sense, and, of course, this is a strategy that could be applied to all the “big lifts” (squat, deadlift, bench press, chin-up, rows).  Sorry, Tricep Kickbacks are off the list.

Too, I’d be conservative with how often it’s applied.  1-2 sessions per week would suffice (maybe use it for one lower body movement, and one upper body movement), but once a week would be a nice option for most.

Week 1: ramp up to a 3RM deadlift, hit 3-5 sets at 90%+
Week 2: ramp up to a 3RM bench press, hit 3-5 sets at 90%+
Week 3: ramp up to a 3RM squat, hit 3-5 sets at 90%+
Week 4: ramp up to a 3RM deadlift (try to beat your previous number), hit 3-5 sets at 90%+

So on and so forth.

All in all, I find this is a much more “user friendly” way to implement the Rule of 90% and something that most trainees could easily implement into their training.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

dzmitryskazau@123rf.comCategoriesrant

The Overlooked Stuff That Shouldn’t Be Overlooked That Almost Always Helps People Get Results

People want the quick fix.

They want to be told that 7-Minute Abs (or maybe we’re down to 5-Minute Abs now?) is all it takes to be beach ready, or that drinking an Acai berry detox tea mined from the belly button of a Centaur is the key to fat-loss.

I’ve heard of crazier things on Reels.

And then there’s the high-school athlete who reaches out two weeks prior to tryouts, as if I’m a wizard and all I have to do is wave my wand (and insert a few sets of box jumps) and PRESTO…

…they’re going to be as equally prepared as those athletes who have been training and working out for several months.

It’s quite interesting isn’t it?

Everyone is seeking the silver bullet to success.

However, on the contrary, in my experience, whether someone’s goal is weight-loss/fat-loss, muscle gain, improved athletic performance, general health, or, I don’t know, to beat John Wick in a street fight, the “x-factor” often comes down to the mundane.

via GIPHY

The stuff most people scoff at and altogether dismiss in lieu of the new, bright, shiny object in the room.

Like This Stuff

1. Expectation Management

You know how it’s popular nowadays for personal trainers and strength & conditioning coaches to go out of their way to not refer to themselves as personal trainers and strength & conditioning coaches?

You know, stupid shit like…

  • Body Architect
  • Human Performance Advocate
  • Movement Mechanic
  • Supreme Chancellor of Douchiness to the Douchiest Power

I feel as if I have a superlative title for myself too.

Manager of Expectations

Whenever someone asks me “how long will it take to….[insert goal here]” I’ll respond with “I have no idea.”

Moreover, I’ll say something to the effect of:

“Consider me your Sherpa. I’m here to guide you and point you in the right direction towards your goal(s) to the best of my ability, and to do so in a time efficient, fun, and safe manner.”

And if that doesn’t impress them I’ll say this:

“3×52.”

Meaning, if I can nudge them in the gym 3x per week, 52 weeks out of the year, then it stands to reason some good shit is going to happen.

Rather than place a specific number or time frame on a goal, it’s my job as their coach to titrate their expectations and to reframe things towards the idea of CONSISTENCY.

Then, after a while (and yes, with a bit of butting of heads), they’ll learn that progress is more about appreciating the journey rather than the destination.8

2. Walk, Sleep, Hydrate

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Honestly, whenever I have a conversation with a client/athlete and (s)he is concerned about progress (or lack thereof), before I audit their program/nutrition I’ll look to see whether or not they’re doing the following.

Go for a Walk

What’s more, going for a (brisk) walk is a great way to expend energy in addition to helping to improve mental health.

What’s more (even morer), walking is exercise that’s accessible to anyone with working legs – so it’s pretty hard for someone to conjure up an excuse to not do it.

Do yourself a favor and check out the hashtag #walkeverydamnday and maybe reconsider your position if you’re someone who feels telling someone to go for a daily walk is silly or beneath your superior coaching skills.

2. Go to Bed

I am a huge fan of going to bed.

In fact I am such a fan of going to bed (early) that I’m pretty sure I have entered cantankerous curmudgeon territory at the age of 48.

My answer for pretty much everything is…

“Meh, go to bed.”

via GIPHY

SLEEP = RECOVERY (and bevy of other benefits).

Feel like a bag of dicks all the time?

Maybe stop bragging about getting up at 4 AM every day because #hustleandgrind and the subsequent contrast baths and get some sleep instead?

3. Hydrate

By now some of you reading don’t have enough eye rolls to give. But here’s one more suggestion to bring things to a nice, tidy, conclusion.

Ask your clients whether or not they’re hydrated?

This isn’t so much a “are you drinking 8 glasses of water per day?” kind of question as it is “what color is your pee?” question.

  • Clearer Pee = good to go.
  • Pee the color of battery acid = not so good to go.

It’s been clearly shown in the literature that chronic dehydration can affect performance in the weight room  – upwards of 8-10%. Likewise, chronic lethargy can be attributed to lack of hydration, in addition to it affecting basic  metabolic functions.

I.e., the body’s ability to burn energy is diminished the more dehydrated someone is.9

“Wow, Tony. Telling people to go for a walk, get more sleep, AND to drink more water? This is next level shit. What’s next? Flossing? No, wait…look both ways before crossing the street?”

I get it.

I am not saying anything revolutionary, nor anything we all haven’t heard before.

That being said…

…we do a superb job going our of our way to overlook these factors.

But, you know, ketosis.