CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 4/22/16

First things first: I received a shipment of freshly minted TG “Because Heavy Things Won’t Lift Themselves” t-shirts this week.

My cat looooves them.

Don’t worry, I’ll knock $5 off any shirts with cat hair on them….;o)

The first round resulted in some high-praise, and I’m pretty sure will be featured in NYC Fashion Week later this year. Or, I don’t know, maybe not,

Either way, they’re badass and you should totally get one.

How to Order

**Note: t-shirts are Next Level brand made with tri-blend material.1 Women’s sizes are available (M, L)

1) You can go HERE and order directly from me.

  • The advantage here is you get to see my remarkable penmanship (I hand-write each address). And that’s pretty much it.
  • The disadvantage is that there’s no international orders.

or

2) You can go HERE and order via TheLoyalist.com.

  • Here you get more options of the material you’d prefer (cotton, tri-blend, t-shirts made from the belly-button lint of Ryan Gosling), sizes, as well as varying apparel options (sweatpants, sweatshirts, tank tops, etc).
  • And international orders are TOTALLY acceptable here.

Staying In Your Lane – Luke Worthington

I applaud any fitness professional who goes out of his or her’s way to broaden their expertise repertoire. However, there’s a dangerous precedent that many teeter on where now we have personal trainers providing “shitty physical therapy” (<– to quote Nick Tumminello) and not staying in their lane.

This article by London-based trainer, Luke Worthington, hits the nail on the head.

“Bad” Exercises Made Good – Michael Mullin

I can’t tell you how many times I receive messages from trainers and fitness enthusiasts alike whenever they come across pictures like the one above, and inevitably write me a message along the lines of “WTF I can’t believe a trainer would have a professional athlete do something like this!”

Lets hold off on the pitch-forks and understand that CONTEXT is everything. Nice post by Michael on this one.

Dispelling the Dysfunctional Kneeling Push-Up – Dr. John Rusin

Sure, they have a time and place…but truthfully I’ve always hated the kneeling push-up (or “girl” push-up).

I feel they set a poor precedent out of the gate and their connotation speaks to”oh, you’re a girl, you’re fragile, we’re going to do “girl” push-ups.”

Screw that.

PS:

I’ll be in Philadelphia this weekend (Sunday, April 24th) at War Horse Barbell presenting The Shoulder: From Assessment to Badass workshop.

If you have nothing better to do – or are sick of eating cheesesteaks – spots are still available, and you can go HERE to sign-up.

Also, Dean Somerset just put his stellar resource – Post Rehab Essentials 2.0 – on sale ($50 OFF regular price) from now through this Sunday. Easily one of the best resources on assessment and “corrective” exercise programming out there today. Check it out HERE.

Categoriescoaching psychology rant

How to Press the Reset Button on Your Health and Fitness Goals

If you’re like a lot of people, back on December 31, 2015 you vowed to make some changes in your life. You were going to quit smoking, drink more water, read more, spend more time with family, start a new hobby, stop watching porn2, or any number of equally nobel and novel things.

It’s likely, however, you (probably) made the decision to start exercising more or eating healthier.

“Tomorrow,” you thought to yourself, “January 1, 2016 starts a new day, a new year, a new me. For real this time.”

NO, for real, real.

And then January 2nd came (0r maybe you lasted a week, or hell, a month!) and inevitably, as is the case every year, you got hit with another case of the Eff Its.

As in, “fuck it, I’m out.”

Lets Hit the Reset Button

This is the part where I’m supposed to sit here and type comfy words like “develop a support network” or “find a workout with a buddy/friend” or “it’s okay,” or “don’t worry, you’ll get em next year, tiger!”

I’m not going to to that.

You’re a grown up, it’s time to act like one.

The onus is on YOU to make the change.

I’ll grant you you can find inspiration via an article you read, or an audiobook you listened to, and sometimes that’s what we need to hit that tipping point and push us into action.

But it’s still on you to start. To make things happen. To break the inertia of ineptitude.

You can read, renew your subscription to Audible.com, and re-watch all the same motivational workout videos on YouTube you want (and I’d encourage you to do so)…but it doesn’t mean anything unless you put things into action.

People speculate too much.

Since when do we have to “research” everything. I don’t need an article to tell me that sticking my finger in an electrical socket will hurt or that eating something that’s gluten-free will taste like sawdust dipped in anthrax.

Maybe that’s a dumb analogy, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a conversation with someone about their health and fitness and come to find out…they’re really, really well-read.

They’ve read everything. They’re bookshelf would give the Health and Fitness section of Barnes & Nobles a run for its money.

Yet, they’re stuck, incapable of taking that first step; seemingly paralyzed by too much information.

Do you (we) really need a book or article or any sense of confirmation to tell us to just, you know, “show up?”

Come on. Grow up.

You have to take that first step, keep trudging forward, and then, I’d argue, learn to respect the process and not so much the outcome.

April 21, 2016

^^^ That’s today’s date as I type these words. Chances are, like many others, you fell off the New Year’s bandwagon a looooong time ago.

That “promise” you made yourself to get to the gym 3x per week, or to start training for a 5K, or to start cooking more meals at home instead of eating out?

Long gone.

So lets do something about it. Lets pony up. Lets hit the reset button.

Because, 1) why 2) the 3) fuck 4) not?

I get it: Me being all RAH-RAH telling everyone to “shut up and do the work” isn’t going to solve anything. It won’t help.

And quite frankly, isn’t in my nature anyways.

So, here are some options to ponder:

1) Shut Up, Stop Making Excuses.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.3

2) Choice Is a Powerful Commodity

People don’t like being told what to do.4

You’re no different.

This is why marrying yourself to one ideology, or book, or person can sometimes be an epic failure. Because what works (or worked) for them, may not apply to you.

If you read a book about yoga and how it’s going to solve all the world’s problems from global warming to your waistline, yet you fucking hate yoga, what’s the likelihood it’s going to work?

For the record: you can switch out the word yoga with powerlifting, CrossFit, pilates, bodybuilding, Olympic lifting, kettlebells, or naked hula-hooping, I don’t care.

I find a lot of success with my own clients the more I give them a choice. Rather than me barking orders, I give them a sense of autonomy and it makes the experience more enjoyable.

Give yourself some choices. You don’t have to go to the gym to perform heavy squats or deadlifts. I think it’s pretty baller if you do, but you don’t have to.

Instead, maybe you want to head to the local football field and perform some 60 yd tempo runs. Or maybe summon your inner-Dan John and perform a day where you do nothing but carry variations and sled drags.

 

Heck, maybe it’s just a matter of going for a nice, leisurely walk. Exercise is exercise.  Give youself some choices. Whatever you need to do in order to put momentum in your favor…..DO IT.

3) Stretch Your Goals

I’m currently reading Smarter, Faster, Better by Charles Duhigg and one of the things he hammers home throughout the book is the notion of stretch goals.

Stretch goals, in short, are goals that force people to commit to ambitious, seemingly out-of-reach objectives which can then spark outsized jumps in innovation, productivity, and progress.

Duhigg uses several examples in his book such as GE CEO, Jack Welch, setting the bar for the company to reduce manufacturing defects on airplane engines from 25% reduction to a 70% reduction; and to do it within three years.

This, of course, was seen as “ridiculous” by managers.

But they got it done.

And while he wasn’t used an example in this book, Steve Jobs was also notorious for pushing his employees to the point where things seemed impossible.

Helping turn Apple back around into one of the most respectable companies in the world? What’s next…1000 songs in your pocket?

Oh, wait.

The point is: sometimes we undershoot our goals, and the concept of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timeline), while admirable and tested, isn’t enough.

We need stretch goals. Goals that seem unattainable.

Telling yourself that you want to try to hit the gym 2x per week is fine, but telling yourself “I want to hit the gym 5x per week so that I can rub it in my ex’s face (and possibly bang their best friend)” is even better.

“I want to learn to squat better” is cool. But setting a stretch goal for yourself and signing up for your first powerlifting meet at the end of the year is going to light a fire under your ass. It’ll get you out of your comfort zone and give you a sense of purpose and intent in your training.

You’re going to be more likely to kick-ass and take names. Shooting for the stars, may in fact, be exactly what you need.

I want to fight Jason Bourne. There, I said it…….;o)

Categoriescoaching Female Training Motivational psychology

Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop

I’m pumped to announce the inaugural Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop featuring myself and my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis.

*smoke bomb, smoke bomb*

TA-DA!

This is an event Lisa and I have been marinating on for a few months now, and something we’re really excited to explore and hopefully make into a “thing.”

The 10-second Elevator Pitch:

1) I’ll spend the bulk of my time speaking on the Art of Coaching, program design, as well as sharing pictures of my cat spending a fair portion of time dissecting common barbell lifts; going over technique cues, troubleshooting strategies, and regressions/progressions.

2) Lisa (Doctorate in Sports Psychology) will speak to the Psychological Art of Coaching, as well as peel back the onion with regards to behavior change and how fitness professionals can best set up their clients and athletes for long-term, consistent success. In short, she’s totally going to demonstrate some Jedi mind-tricks.

This workshop will be an asset to any fitness professional or enthusiast looking to not only hone their coaching/programming prowess, but it will also provide more depth into the art of mindset, in addition to helping attendees learn to create/develop better interpersonal skills (with themselves and their clients).

The Deets

When: Saturday, June 18th.

Where: Life Time Fitness – Austin South, Austin, TX.

Why: Because Lisa and I are the bomb to hang out with (and we want some good BBQ).5

Cost: Early Bird (until June 1st) – $149, and $179 thereafter.

CEUs via the NSCA will be available.

Sign-Up: Click link below to register.




Categoriescoaching personal training Program Design

“How Much Weight Should I Be Using?”

As a fitness professional part of the job description is the ability to answer questions. Specifically those questions posed by your athletes and clients.

This makes sense given, outside of their primary care practitioner, you’re the person your clients are trusting with their health and well-being.

Granted, you’re not curing cancer or writing prescriptions for irritable bowel syndrome or anything6. But it stands to reason that as a personal trainer or strength coach you’re numero Uno when it comes to being most people’s resource for health & fitness information.

You’re it.

You’re the go to.

And like or not…You’re “the guy (or girl)” whenever someone says “I gotta a guy (or girl)” whenever they’re asked a fitness or health related question.

Stuff like:

“Does putting a stick of butter in my coffee make it healthier?”

“Will intermittent fasting help me lose 20 lbs of fat while also increasing my squat by 55 lbs AND give me x-ray vision?”

“Is it normal not to be able to feel the left side of my face after performing last night’s WOD? Also, it stings when I pee.”

I don’t know about you, but it’s a “challenge” I don’t take lightly.

I want to be a reliable and valuable source of information for my clients. They have (a lot of) questions, and I want to be able to answer them to the best of my ability.

I don’t know everything.7 I’m not a pompous a-hole who’s afraid to say “I don’t know.”

It’s rare when I get stumped with a question, but when I do I’m fortunate to have a long-list of people I can reach out to to get the answer(s).

I know when to stay in my lane and refer out when needed. You want to train for a figure competition? Not my strong suit. You need some manual therapy? Definitely not my strong suit. That irritable bowel problem mentioned above? Don’t worry, I gotta guy.

Most questions I receive are generally un-original in nature and something I can handle on the spot.

One question I get on an almost weekly basis, while inert and mundane (but altogether apropos), is this:

“How much weight should I be using?”

It’s a very relevant question to ask. And one that, unfortunately, takes a little time to answer.

To be honest whenever I’m asked this question two things inevitably happen:

1) The theme music from Jaws reverberates in my head.8

2) The smart aleck in me wants nothing more than to respond with “all of it.”

That would be the dick move, though.

Like I said: it’s a very relevant question and one that many, many people have a hard time figuring out on their own.

As it happens I was asked this question last week by a client of mine during his training session. It wasn’t asked with regards to that particular session per se. Rather, he was curious about how much weight he should be using on the days he wasn’t working with me in person.

NOTE: the bulk of my clients train with me “x” days per week at the studio and also “x” number of days per week on their own at their regular gym. I write full programming that they follow whether they’re working with me in person or not. Because I’m awesome.

When working with people in person I have this handy protocol I like to call “coaching” where I’m able to give them instant feedback on a set-by-set basis.

I’ll tell them to increase/decrease/or maintain weight on any given exercise as I see fit.

Sometimes I even give them a sense of autonomy and allow them to choose how much weight to use.

The idea is to give them a maximal training effect using the minimum effective dose without causing harm or pain.

Challenge people, encourage progressive overload, but not to the point where they feel like they’re going to shit a kidney.

Pretty self-explanatory stuff.

Where things get tricky is when people are on their own and don’t have someone telling them what to do.

What then?

Here Are Some Options/Suggestions/Insights/WhatHaveYou

1) Write That Shit Down

In the case of my client above, when he asked “how much weight should I be using?” I responded with “how much weight did you use last week?”

[Crickets chirping]

He hadn’t been keeping track of anything.

He’d simply been putting a check-mark when he completed a set, and then moved on.

I, of course, was like “nooooooooooooo.”

I can’t blame him. It was on ME for not being clearer on the importance of writing things down and being more meticulous with tracking everything.

But the fix was/is easy: write down what you did, and try to do “more work” the following week.

I realize we like to overcomplicate things, but that’s part of the problem.

Write shit down. Really, it’s that simple.

2) What Is “Do More Work?”

What does that even mean? Do more work?

It means that in order for the body to adapt, you need to give it a stimulus and then nudge it, over time, to do more work. There are numerous ways to do this in the weight room, but for the sake of simplicity we can think of “more work” as more sets/reps or load.

Do the math. If you’re keeping track of things take your total sets and reps (and the weight you lifted) and figure out your total tonnage.

Try to increase that number week by week.

One strategy I like is something I call the 2-Rep Window.

If I prescribe 10 repetitions for a given exercise, what I really mean is 8-10 repetitions.

If someone picks a weight and they can easily perform more than 10 on every set, they’re going too light. If they can’t perform at least 8, they’re going too heavy.

The idea is to fall within the 2-Rep Window with each set and to STAY WITH THE SAME WEIGHT until the highest number within the range is hit for ALL sets.

**I’d rather someone cut a set short a rep or two rather than perform technically flawed reps or worse, miss reps.

If I have someone performing a bench press for 3 sets of 10 repetitions it may look something like this:

Week 1:

Set 1: 10 reps

Set 2: 8 reps

Set 3: 8 reps

Week 2:

Set 1: 10 reps

Set 2: 10 reps

Set 3: 9 reps

Once they’re able to hit ALL reps on ALL sets, they’re then given the green light to increase the weight and the process starts all over again.

Another simple approach is one I stole from strength coach Paul Carter.

Simply prescribe an exercise and say the objective is to perform 3×10 or 15 (30-45 total reps) with “x” amount of weight. The idea is to overshoot their ability-level and force them to go heavier, but within reason.

They stay with the same weight until they’re able to hit the upper rep scheme within the prescribed number of sets.

It’s boring, but it works.

Another layer to consider is something brought up by Cincinnati-based coach, PJ Striet:

“I’ve went over and above in my program notes to explain this subject. I used to just give 2 rep brackets, and, like you pointed out here, told clients to increase weight when they could achieve the high end of the range on all sets, and then drop back down to the lower end of the bracket and build back up again.

The problem though, as I soon figured out, was that people were doing say, 4 sets of 8 (bracket being 6-8) with a weight they could have probably gotten 15 reps with on their 4th set. This isn’t doing anything/isn’t enough of a stimulus. This isn’t meaningful progression. Feasibly, one could run a 12+ week cycle in the scenario above before the 4 sets of 8 actually became challenging. And this was on me because I should have realized most people will take the path of least resistance (literally).

Now, in my notes, I tell clients to do as many AMRAP on the final set of to gauge how much to progress. If the bracket is 4×6-8, and they get 8-8-8-9, weight selection is pretty good and a 2-5% increase and dropping back down to 6 reps is going to be a good play and productive. If they get 8-8-8-20, there is a problem and I should either stab myself in the eye for being a crap coach or schedule a lobotomy for the client.”

Brilliant.

3) Challenging Is Subjective

I feel much of the confusion, though, is people understanding what’s a challenging weight and what should count as a set.

Many people “waste” sets where they’re counting their warm-up/build-ups sets as actual sets, and thus stagnating their progress.

A few ideas on this matter:

  • I like to say something to the effect of “If your last rep on your last set feels the same as your first rep on your first set, you’re going too light.”
  • Using a Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale is useful here. Give them some criteria using a scale of 1-10. A “1” being “super easy” and “10” being “who do you think I am, Wolverine?” Ask them to be in the 7-8 RPE range for ALL sets.

And That’s It

There’s a ton of trial-and-error involved here, but it’s your job as the fitness professional and coach to educate your clients on the matter.

It’s important to consider context and everyone’s starting point, of course…comfort level, ability, past/current injury history, goals, etc.

However, beginners are typically going to have a much harder time differentiating “how much weight to use” compared to advanced lifters. There’s definitely a degree of responsibility on the trainer and coach to take the reigns on this matter.

But the sooner they realize it’s not rocket science, that there are some simple strategies that can be implemented to make things less cumbersome (and maybe even more importantly, that there’s a degree of personal accountability involved), the sooner things will start to click.

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: 1-Arm Landmine Reverse Lunge

It’s Patriot’s Day today in Boston.

What’s Patriot’s Day you ask?

Multiple choice:

1) A civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775?

2) Tom Brady’s birthday?

HINT: It’s the former.

Patriot’s Day is also the day the Boston Marathon is held, and the city more or less shuts down to cheer on the thousands upon thousands of participants. As a matter of fact, my apartment is located around mile 24 of the course and the elite runners will be passing by shortly.

I need to make this post quick so I can go watch.

1-Arm Landmine Reverse Lunge

**Technically this exercise could be labeled “1-Arm Landmine Reverse Lunge – Perpendicular Grip” since you’re not facing the barbell itself. But that’s too long of a name. So, whatever.

 

Who Did I Steal It From: Megatron.9

But for real, I can’t recall who I stole this one from. Clifton Harski perhaps? I saw him perform a more advanced variation of this exercise with the barbell itself resting in the “crook” of his elbow – Zercher Landmine Reverse Lunge.

What Does It Do: Reverse lunges in general are a more “joint friendly” single-leg option since the tibia can stay more vertical, and because there’s less deceleration involved (as opposed to a forward lunge where one has to “decelerate” their entire bodyweight).

They’re an excellent choice for people struggling with chronic knee discomfort or pain.

Too, the landmine reverse lunge provides an added core challenge due to the “offset loading” involved. There’s a massive rotary stability component, which makes it a nice fit for those looking to get a little more bang for their training buck.

Key Coaching Cues: I always err on the side of being conservative when it comes to single leg training. Far too often I find trainees playing “hero” on their single leg work, going too heavy, and missing out on all the benefits (hip stability/strength, knee stability, foot strength, grip strength, training multiple planes w/o compensating (knee valgus), core strength, hamstring/quad strength, overall level of sexiness, to name a few).

QUALITY of movement is important here.

Load barbell up with plates (those with longer arms may need to use smaller plates; not bumper plates as shown in the video), “cup” the barbell with your hand, and step back making sure to gently tap the knee to the floor.

Be sure to finish each repetition at the top by squeezing the glute of the working leg (the one that’s not moving).

Fist pumps optional.10

ADDENDUM

From Mr. Landmine himself, Ben Bruno:

“I LOVE this exercise a lot with the women I train and get them to go heavy.”

This makes a ton of sense…especially for those who may feel a bit intimidated at first at the notion of deadlifts and squats.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 4/15/16

FINALLY…I weekend of no travel.

Not that I’m complaining. I actually like to travel and enjoy the opportunities I get to visit various cities and towns, meet new people, and catch up with old friends/colleagues.

It’s just, you know, sometimes you feel like you’ve been run over by a Mack truck.

So I’m really looking forward to a weekend home with my wife and enjoying the beautiful weather we’re expecting to have in Boston.

After that, though, it’s game on:

PHILADELPHIA – Sunday, April 24th @ War Horse Barbell

KANSAS CITY – April 29-30th, The Fitness Summit

In addition to Dean Somerset and I taking our Complete Shoulder & Hip Training Workshop to both PRAGUE (Czech Republic) and OSLO (Norway) in May.

It’s going to be a whirlwind to say the least for the next several weeks, but, again, nothing t0 complain about.

I mean, I’m going to freakin Europe!

Without further ado, lets get to this week’s list.

Smarter, Faster, Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business – Charles Duhigg

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Duhigg’s first book, The Power of Habit, so it wasn’t a hard sell for me to swipe this book off the bookshelf when I saw it a few weeks ago.

We all know someone in our lives who can seemingly juggle responsibilities of work and home life, yet still have time to coach three different youth teams, read poetry to orphans, and still workout 5x per week.

It’s nuts. How do they have the time to do it?

Read the book….;o)

10 Random Thoughts on Fitness Industry Success – Eric Cressey

Eric first spoke on the Perform Better Tour when he was 25.

Unreal.

Another fun fact about Eric: when he and I lived together, while I’d be in the living room watching Lord of the Rings for the 47th time, he’d be in his room writing Maximal Strength.

The man had unparalleled work ethic even then.

This was an awesome read by Eric, and something I hope the bulk of fitness pros reading take the time to read themselves.

Deadlifts: Which Type is Best For You? – Mike Robertson

I posted a video on my IG account a few weeks ago of a woman I had just started working with – literally, it was her first session with me – and I was able to get her to deadlift from the floor without any pain for the first time in years.

I had her perform a modified sumo-stance deadlift.

She crushed it. It looked good, it was pain-free, and I was able to show her SUCCESS on day #1. Win-win-win.

Of course, several coaches chimed in questioning my coaching abilities because I didn’t have her perform a conventional deadlift. Apparently they deemed me an inferior coach because of it.

It’s the internet. It’s to be expected.

Anyways, this is why I LOVED this article by Mike. Not everyone HAS to deadlift conventionally, and not everyone HAS to deadlift from the floor.

At the end of the day: any competent coach will understand that the BEST approach is one that’s best suited for the individual, and not to stoke his or her’s ego.

CategoriesInterview

Guest Appearance on the Ask Mike Reinold Show

I had the pleasure of being invited onto the Ask Mike Reinold Show recently.

Mike’s someone I respect a ton and have had the pleasure of interacting and working with for several years.

He and his staff over at Champion Physical Therapy and Performance are top-notch and I was super excited to have the opportunity to stop by and talk some shop.11

And not for nothing: I kinda dig Mike’s intro to this episode. I feel like this should happen every time I walk through a door or something.

Entering a restaurant: “The one and only Tony Gentilcore.”

Walking through the grocery store: “The one and only Tony Gentilcore.”

Coming home from work after a long day at the gym: “The one and only Tony Gentilcore.”12

Anyways, lets show Mike some love. He puts out an amazing show week in and week out, and it’s one I feel deserves everyone’s attention.

 

CategoriesAssessment Corrective Exercise

The Power of Test, Re-Test: How to Supercharge and Add Value to Your Assessment

During the Complete Hip & Shoulder Workshop in Seattle last weekend I spoke on the importance of the test/re-test concept with regards to assessment.

It’s nothing fancy or elaborate.

You test something – whether it be range of motion or maybe a strength discrepancy – implement a “corrective” modality if something’s deemed out of whack, and then re-rest that shit to see if it worked.

If it did….you’re Gandalf.13

If not…#awwwwwkward.

The test/re-test approach helps set the tone for any future “corrective” strategies or programming considerations you’ll do as a coach or trainer.

In addition, and something I’d argue is equally as important, it also provides an added layer of value to the assessment.

If you’re able to demonstrate to someone a significant change or improvement in ROM or reduction in pain/discomfort by implementing a drill or two, and it’s something they’ve been struggling with despite countless interactions with other fitness professionals, what’s the likelihood they’ll bust out their checkbook or Bitcoin wallets (<—depending on their level of geekery)?

I suspect highly likely.

It demonstrates a perceived level of “mastery” and knowledge-base towards the assesser (you) and, in a roundabout, reverse psychology kind-of-way, delves into the “pain center” of the assessee (athlete/client).

In this example it can refer to literal pain such as a banged up shoulder, knee, or lower back. But it can also speak to pain in the figurative sense too. Someone who’s frustrated and “had it up to here!” that they can’t lose weight, or maybe an athlete who was cut from their high-school team would have a degree of “pain” that would incentivize them to take action.

Show someone success or a clear path of action, however little, and they’re putty in your hands.

Of course this assumes you’re not some shady shyster who tries to up-sell the benefits of some super-secret concurrent, 47-week, Easter-Bloc training program you copied from Muscle & Fitness or, I don’t know, organic raspberry ketones laced with mermaid placenta.

People who promote and use smoke-and-mirror tactics are the worst.

But lets get back to the topic at hand.

Test/Re-Test

One of the main screens I use with my athletes and clients is their ability to lift or elevate their arms above their heads.

Shoulder flexion is important for everyone, not just overhead athletes and CrossFitters.

If someone lacks shoulder flexion, and they’re an athlete, it’s going to affect their performance. A baseball pitcher may be “stuck” in gross shoulder depression, which in turn will have ramifications on scapular positioning and kinematics, which in turn will result in faulty mechanics and compensatory issues up and down the kinetic chain.

Conversely, regular ol’ Hank from accounting, who likes to hit the gym hard after work, if he lacks shoulder flexion, he too could have numerous issues arise ranging from shoulder and elbow pain to lower back shenanigans.

Shoulder flexion – and the ability to do it – is a big deal in my opinion. And it’s a screen that should be a high-priority in any fitness professionals assessment protocol.

So lets say I’m working with someone who lacks shoulder flexion. I test it both actively (standing, picture above) and passively (on a training table).

I surmise that it’s limited and that it may be feeding into why a particular person’s shoulder has been bothering him or her.

I can use the test/re-test approach to see if I can nudge an improvement.

Now, as I’ve learned from many people much smarter than myself – Mike Reinold, Sue Falsone, Dr. Evan Osar, Dr. Stuart McGill, Papa Smurf, etc – you shouldn’t rely on any ONE screen/corrective.

Everyone is different, and what works for one person might not even scratch the surface for another.

With regards to addressing (lack of) shoulder flexion14, there are a handful of “go to” strategies I like to use.

And then it’s just a matter of seeing which one sticks.

1) Encouraging a Better Position

In order to elevate the humerus (arm) above your head, the scapulae (shoulder blade) needs to do three things:

  • Upwardly rotate
  • Posteriorly tilt
  • Protract

The ability to do so is vastly correlated with the thorax. Those who are super kyphotic (ultra rounded upper back) will have a hard time elevating their arms overhead. Often, the simple “fix” here is to foam roll the upper back and work on more t-spine extension and you’ll almost always see an improvement.

Bench T-Spine Extension

 

Side Lying Windmill

 

But what about the opposite? Those who are stuck in more “gross” extension and downward rotation?

I.e., the bulk of athletes and meatheads.

Here the shoulder blades can be seemingly “glued” down.

In that case some positional breathing drills to “un-glue” the shoulder blades (and to encourage more 3D or 360 degree expansion of the ribcage/thorax) would be highly advantageous.

All 4s Belly-Breathing

 

It’s amazing what a few minutes of this drill can do with improving shoulder flexion ROM, without having to yank or pull or “smash” anything.

2) Allow the Shoulder Blades to Move

Some people simply don’t know how to allow their shoulder blades to move. A prime example is this past weekend.

An attendee who’s a personal trainer – but also competes in figure – mentioned how her shoulders (especially her left) had been bothering her for eons, and she couldn’t figure out why.

We had her perform this drill.

1-Arm Quadruped Protraction

 

In reality, both protraction and retraction are occurring, but many people have a hard time with the former.

The idea here is to learn to gain movement from the shoulder blade itself and not via the t-spine.

Here’s another angle (because, triceps):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyNFNxqFlSc

 

After a few “passes” with this drill, she saw an immediate improvement in her ROM. What’s more, the following day when she showed up for Day #2, the first thing out of her mouth was “my shoulder feels amazing today.”

That’s a win.

3) Pin and Go

Another route to take is to have the person foam roll their lats. Not many people do this, and there’s a reason why: It’s un-pleasant.

I’ll have the person spend a good 30 seconds or so on each side and then have them stand up and perform a simple SMR drill using a lacrosse ball against a wall.

They’ll “pin” the teres minor down (basically, find the tender spot behind their shoulder and hold it there) and then work into upward rotation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OiGt_O1FvY

 

Another five or so passes here, and I’ll re-test.

Many times I’ll see a marked improvement in their shoulder flexion.

Caveat

NONE of this is to insinuate that anything mentioned above will work for everyone. The idea is to understand that it’s important to “test” a number of modalities and then re-test to see if you find an improvement.

If you do, you’re likely barking up the right tree which will make your corrective approach and subsequent strength training more successful.

If you don’t, well, my bad…..;o)

Categoriesrant

Are We Men?

Note From TG: Today’s guest post comes from good friend, Todd Bumgardner. Todd’s written several articles for this site, and when he reached out recently asking me if he could write something I, of course, obliged.

After all, Todd was the inspiration behind THIS post I wrote several months ago which resonated with many people who read it. He’s a deep thinker, and I really respect his approach to life.

So I said, “Sure! How about something on what it means to be a man?”

This is what he sent back. Enjoy.

Are We Men?

My maternal grandfather’s name was Alfred C. Traxler. He was born in 1926 and died in 1964; he didn’t reach his thirty-eighth birthday.

Unconscious at the wheel, he was a truck driver, his truck swerved from the road and he crashed.

I’ve heard the story a hundred times from my childhood to now, but I can’t remember if he died before he wrecked or if the wreck took his life. He left behind four children, including my mother who was eight years old, and a wife two years his junior. I was born in April of 1986. I never got to meet him, all I know is relayed to me through a vague family mythology.

In 1944, before he finished high school, he enlisted in the army. Within the year he found himself in Europe, fighting in World War II as a member of the field artillery. Don’t ask me to list the battles he fought in, I can’t catalogue them. The only one I’m sure of is the Battle of The Bulge. I’m also sure that he came home with two Purple Hearts, one for being shot in the head.

I’m not certain of his other wound—maybe he was hit in the head twice—or how normal his life was after coming home with a head injury.

My mom tells a story about a time she and her sister were fighting in the basement. As he was walking down the basement steps to stop them, he lightly tapped his head on the ascending staircase that climbed from the first floor to the second, in opposition of the basement staircase’s descent. His 6’3”, thin frame crashed on to the steps, unconscious.

I’m certain that, were we matched; thirty year-old Al Traxler would kick thirty year-old Todd Bumgardner’s ass. It’d be a lopsided thrashing, despite me having around forty pounds on him. Despite having my jaw tested throughout my childhood and college years. Despite me being a physically strong human being.

Alfred Traxler would beat my ass.

Guess what? Your grandfather, were it possible for you to be paired at the same ages, would monkey stomp your goofy ass in a hurry.

Things were different when my grandfather grew up. Men then had something men now don’t have.

Men, and manhood, were different.

I’m not here to reminisce on good ol’ days that I never saw, or to say we need to return to a time when men were men while extolling bravado’s benefits. But there are differences between then and now—some good, some bad, some indifferent. My goal is to create a contrast in behavior so we that we may compare.

We’re struggling to understand what it means to be men.

The problem is, there is no ideological man.

The definition, man, is a derivative of culture and context.

What it means for us in Western culture is different from that of Middle-Eastern cultures. It’s different from how Eastern men define themselves. As we derive our definition, gender roles are evolving.

Male and female don’t carry the same connotations that they once did. We’re evolving, it seems, into androgyny and some folks are struggling with this.

To cope, we’re constructing a lot of empty definitions.

My grandfather grew up during the Great Depression, voluntarily entered himself into the greatest destruction the world’s ever seen and was doing his best to raise a family when he lost his life. I’ve never put my ass on the line for anything that I didn’t want to do.

That’s a stark contrast.

Of course, I’ve stepped up when my family’s needed me. And I’ve taken an ass whooping or two to defend a friend. But I haven’t really done a damn thing that laid my ass on the line. Not like he did.

It’s generational.

My experience isn’t atypical—unless a man or woman of my age has chosen to enter the armed forces, we’ve never had to truly experience a great deal of sacrifice. That’s why we’re struggling to define a lot of who, and what, we think we are—especially males.

Men of my grandfather’s age faced the scarcity of The Great Depression and the horrors of killing, watching your friends die and the reconciliation of all of it. Even if a guy was a pussy, he had an ideal to work from.

While men then were outwardly tougher, had thicker skin and better prepared to deal with adversity, they also orchestrated a world with more misogyny, more racism and less tolerance.

Past generations provided us the stoic ideation of manhood while also demonstrating negative behaviors and beliefs that contrast our current evolution toward tolerant humanism. There is no concrete ideology. While manhood is built on certain principles, at least in my belief, there is no ideal example.

It’s increasingly amorphous and it confuses us.

We talk a lot of shit.

We have the internet in all it’s amazing, constructive glory. Despite its opportunity-bearing beauty, it’s also an open pulpit for empty pontification. An endless array of diatribes on what men should be able to do. We make up silly little trials because we have so few real trials to overcome. Mostly, it’s look what I can do. I’m a man. Do this and you’re a man too.

Beyond that, and even sleazier, men propagate to other men that they can help them engineer a personality, a new life, a new body if they follow the advice in their book. Get laid. Get money. Be a stud. It’s cunttastic marketing at its worst. Deny self-acceptance and progression toward something worthy, something that teaches us about ourselves, and work your dick off to become something that you’re not. Horse-fucking-shit.

Lifting weights doesn’t make you tough/hardcore or any other cockamamie masculine ideation. An outrageous expression of physical strength or capacity, while beautiful and worthy, doesn’t qualify anyone as a man. Hardcore is working a job for twenty years so your kids can eat and getting up every day, and going to that motherfucker and kicking ass with a smile on your face, and perspective in your mind, because that’s what you have to do.

We idolize the image of the alpha, and dudes sure do a lot of talking about being one. Alphas don’t have to talk about being alphas. They are just alphas. And in most instances we do our best to segregate them from society: they become Navy SEALs or go to jail.

Please distrust any individual that tells you, via conversation or via print, that they can help you become an alpha. Nine chances out of ten, you’re not an alpha. And that’s totally cool.

You are who you are.

Kick ass at being that dude, accept him and develop him as much as you so desire. But don’t listen to some dick-head that tells you that you can become something that you’re not if you simply listen to his advice.

These are examples of our continual strivings for a male identity in a world of limited trials, a famine of opportunities to construct a real identity chisled out of struggle and strife. This is the bullshit that we imagine to placate ourselves…and we sell it to each other every day.

It’s an adolescent screaming and yelling, an upheaval originating from male frightened immaturity, despondent because, collectively, we’re afraid to take responsibility for our own lives in a world with so much opportunity and so little direction.

Many males are frightened of blurred gender roles and assertive women. And, of course, by acceptance of homosexuality that’s nearly universal. Which is one of our best cultural achievements. It leaves insecure males with the inability to define manhood along side those that also love other men.

Maybe it’s a step in the progression toward evolving into better humans. We’re trying to understand what is happening around us and we need some kind of self-definition. So we devolve slightly so that we may move forward.

I like to believe we’re collectively ascending as a species. But there’s a lot of vacuous dick measuring that makes me ask some questions.

Especially when it’s realistic to believe that most men under forty have never been punched in the face.

Again, I’m not extolling bravado as manhood’s end-all-be-all, but exuding machismo comes with certain prerequisites.

Let’s also not revert to ‘good ol’ day’ thinking, but something tells me Alfred Traxler would have a hard time relating our modern male squabbling to define ourselves after coming home from Europe as a twenty year-old man with battle scars and two Purple Hearts.

So, after all this opinion bearing, what does it mean to be a man in 2016?

This is, of course, one man’s take, extrapolated to the entire Western world equipped with external human plumbing.

It’s the best ideal I could construct.

Take it for what it is; maybe I’m an asshole.

Being a man starts with giving a shit about yourself. Not the faux self-care that fills space with materialistic yearnings and celebrating the “cult of me”, the tending to every somatic and sensational need.

No, not that, but true self-care.

The kind that gives you the strength to embark on your own hero’s journey to find out what’s actually inside of you, to define physical and mental feats for yourself, disregarding aggrandizement and celebrating self-validation.

It’s finding the inner solace, the inner core that gives a guy the ability to define himself without the need for anyone else to adopt his definition. It’s this core that solidifies manhood.

A man is compassionate.

Compassion is the truest expression of strength. From compassion emanates kindness. Each is the product of a deep serenity that allows us to give others what they need because we’ve done all we need for ourselves. All are the product of taking responsibility for our own lives.

Manhood is having the nuts to act on our individual constructs of the “right thing” all of the time. No matter who is watching. No matter if no one is watching. It’s consistency of purpose and alignment with deep routed personal ideals that firmly extend a middle finger in the face of that which we independently believe is wrong.

And while we contain this ferocity, we encapsulate it with respect, respect and openness toward other cultures and points of view.

Respect for other humans.

Respect for life.

Men have fierceness of purpose, a deep connection with why they’re here and what they’re going to do about it.

Being a man, when distilled clearly to its essences, is a balance between confidence and humility. It’s having the balls to take responsibility for your own life and take action to shape it into an art worth sharing. It’s an ever-present consideration that we’re damn lucky to be alive and a grateful use of the time we’re granted. It’s authenticity.

These are the musings of a lucky thirty year old that’s done his best to develop himself into someone worth being around, a man people would be proud to know. It’s my definition of manhood, no one else’s.

But fuck, man, I don’t know. I’ve never been shot in the head.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 4/8/16

I’m currently 34,000 feet in the air as I type these words.15 I’m on my way to Seattle to meet up with my boy, Dean Somerset, so he and I can teach our 2-day Complete Hip & Shoulder Workshop. (< — be sure to go HERE to check for future CHSW dates and other speaking shenanigans).

It’s my first time visiting Seattle. I’ve always wanted to go, have heard nothing but wonderful things, and can’t wait to hoist my backpack over my shoulders and explore since I have a few hours to kill after I land.

I heard Pikes Market is legit. Maybe I’ll catch a fish or two.

I was hoping to hit up a Mariners game and say hello to long-time CSP athlete, Steve Cishek, but alas, I won’t have time for that.

I guess I’ll just have to find a coffee shop to chill out at. I “think” Seattle has a few of those, right?

Lets get to this week’s list of stuff to read.

The Power Primer 2.0 – Eric Bach

 

Today is your last day to take advantage of the 50% off sale of Eric Bach’s excellent resource, The Power Primer 2.0.

Do you train athletes or just like to pretend you’re one yourself?  Give this manual a look. What I like about Eric’s approach is that is not only about power development. Even if you’re only interested in looking good nekid, this manual will help get you there.

7 Simple Cues to Improve Your Squat Form – Tony Bonvechio

If I could make out with an article about squat technique (at it wasn’t weird), this one would be it.

Why Powerlifting is the Perfect Training Style for Women – Marshal Roy

I think the title says it all.

Lifting heavy s*** works. For a lot of reasons.