CategoriesOff Topic

Movie Review: Whiplash

There’s a scene in Whiplash where the camera pans over Andrew’s shoulder (played by Miles Teller) as he’s lying on his bed tapping his fingers to an imagined tempo reverberating inside his head to a quote on his wall that says, “if you can’t do it right, you’ll end up joining a rock band.”

Or something to that effect. I don’t remember the quote verbatim.

It was a quick shot, and subtle, but the message (and joke) was clear: real drummers don’t join rock bands. And they certainly don’t go out of their way to listen to Bon Jovi. My apologies to New Jersey.

Real drummers do jazz.

And that’s the where the opening scene of Whiplash takes us. The screen is black and all you hear is the gradual beat of a drum as it slowly speeds up. We then see Andrew sitting alone in a room behind a drum set as the camera crawls in closer and closer to the inevitable speedy crescendo.

And all I could think to myself was, “holy shit, he’s actually doing that. Miles’ got skills!”

More on that point in a bit.

Andrew is day one into attending the prestigious and cutthroat music school he’s been accepted into (think: Juilliard in everything but name), when he looks up and sees one of the teachers, Terrance Fletcher, played by J.K. Simmons (otherwise known as “that guy in that movie,” or “Juno’s dad”) standing there listening and watching.

There’s an exchange of words, an awkward interaction, and you can tell Andrew is going to shit a drumstick he’s so terrified of his teacher. You just know that, eventually, bad things are going to happen.

And they do.

I’m not giving any of the plot away when I say Fletcher is a douche to the douchiest degree. He’s an old-school teacher who demands a lot from his students and isn’t scared to lash into them – both verbally and physically – in the blink of an eye. In one of the more memorable scenes, Fletcher lays into Andrew making him cry.

“Are you one of those single tear people? You are a worthless pancy-ass who is now weeping and slobbering all over my drumset like a nine year old girl!”

It was both funny and “fidget in my seat uncomfortable” at the same time.

To his credit, Simmons knocked this role out of the ballpark. I couldn’t help but compare his performance to that of Sgt. Hartman in Full Metal Jacket. I was half expecting a “Private Pyle” reference at some point.

Simmons has always been regarded as a renowned character actor, oftentimes playing idiosyncratic roles, and it was amazing to see him in more of a dramatic setting outside of the scope we’re used to seeing him in, sans HBO’s Oz.

And I have to say, my man looked YOKED up in this movie. Easily one of the most diesel looking music teachers in cinematic history. He could totally kick Mr. Holland’s ass. And take his lunch money for good measure.

If Simmons doesn’t receive a Best Supporting Actor nod at this year’s Oscars it will be a travesty.

A travesty I tell you.

And equally as impressive is Miles Teller. I remember first seeing Teller a few years ago in the Nicole Kidman/Aaron Eckart vehicle, Rabbit Hole, and holding his own against the two Hollywood heavyweights.

Up until now he’s been best known for his role in The Spectacular Now – the campy (albeit well reviewed) teenage love/coming of age story also starring Shailene Woodley. I don’t doubt that it’s a decent movie. I didn’t see it. Mainly because I have a penis.

Giving credit where it’s due, though, Teller does demonstrate impressive ability. Having “studied” drums since he was 15 in real life, it wasn’t a stretch for him to play the part of a percussionist protege.

He pulls it off flawlessly.

Unlike, say, Freddie Prinze Jr. back in the day in the movie Summer Catch. Remember that one? Didn’t think so. To refresh your memory, Prinze plays a college baseball player who throws 95 MPH, despite having the throwing mechanics of a one-armed shark.

Exactly. Sharks don’t even have arms!

It was that bad.

Anyways, apparently Teller went through some sort of drumming bootcamp, practicing four hours per day for 3-4 months to prepare for the role. It pays off.

I listened to an interview that writer/director, Damien Chazelle, did on EW radio and he revealed that there was little “movie magic” involved in masking Teller’s performance. 80-85% of what you see in the movie with regards to drumming is him.  Cool!

And speaking of Chazelle, he was able to make this movie because he first made a short film a while back – also titled Whiplash – which won a bunch of praise and awards. Because of it’s success, he was then able to get enough funding to make the main feature.

I suspect that this will also earn a lot of praise and awards.

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

5 Reasons You’re Not Getting Stronger

Getting strong is easy. Focus on compound, multi-joint movements – preferably the squat, deadlift and bench press – and then try to move more weight in those lifts on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.

Photo Credit: JD Hancock

Basically, lift heavy shit, a lot. Repeat. Forever.

So why do many people fail to make appreciable progress with their strength goals? In my latest article published on T-Nation.com today I delve into five mistakes you can fix:

Continue Reading…..

CategoriesExercise Technique Program Design

New Warm-Up: Keiser Flow

Today’s guest post is brought to you by Boston University Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach, Jill Zeller.

I started training and making cameo appearances at BU two or so years ago when one my good friends, Dave Rak, was a GA there. He left (now a S&C coach at University of Washington), and the staff at BU were nice enough to let me continue to stop by. I’m sort of like that character Milton from the movie Office Space who just continues to show up to work despite technically no longer being an employee.

Without the stapler fetish of course.

Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful facility and the staff is fantastic.

As it happens, Jill and I were discussing “flow” warm-ups recently and she had a nice idea on how to incorporate a Keiser system into the mix. I asked her if she’d be interested in writing about it, and this is what she came up with.

Enjoy!

PS: if you don’t have access to a Keiser system, no worries! You can just as easily use a standard pulley system.

In the last few years many coaches have been discussing developmental patterns that challenge people to breathe and crawl to increase their movement quality. The term Flow has been used by many strength coaches to describe a series of drills that effortlessly seem to blend together while constantly challenging the athlete to stabilize and mobilize.

Note from TG: Fun, random Tony fact (and my apologies to Jill for highjacking her article). When Lisa and I first started dating she had mentioned that one of her favorite books was Flow, written by renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. 

In it he describes the “optimal experience,” and that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is the state of consciousness called…….flow.

During this state, Dr. Csikrerweufushjahkswqoiojfsyi describes people as typically experiencing deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life.

Examples include people who enjoy cooking, gardening, tinkering with their car, or for the more geeky of us, engaging in a full blown Magic the Gathering marathon. Whatever the case may be, we’re in it…with laser like focus.

The day after our first date, I bought the book as a way to prove to Lisa “see? I was listening!! I like you so much that I bought your favorite book from Dr. Whateverhisnameis. We should totally make out!”

Um, yeah, that book is still sitting on my bookshelf unopened. Someday I’ll crack it open and give it a go.

This FLOW warm-up follows the ground up approach incorporating an upper body push, pull, core and lower body squat and hinge pattern.

The Ground-Up Approach

Starts with some form of diaphragmatic breathing because this is the number one pillar you need to master before any other movement. Once you can exhale longer than you inhale, push your rib cage down towards your hips and engage your pelvic floor, you can begin.

Photo Credit: Supremedalekdunn

The first movement is a dead bug, which we all know Tony is obsessed with. It’s actually kind of creepy.

This is a supine core exercise. We start supine because if you cannot master your lumbo pelvic position supine you have no business moving into quadruped, half kneel or any other positions against gravity that offer a lesser base of support. Do 10 reps each side.

Note from TG: this ground-up approach highlights the SFMA’s 4×4 Matrix and serves as an excellent framework for customizing corrective exercise as well as programming considerations in general.

For example a 1-1 would be a supine glute bridge with a band wrapped around the knees (for proprioceptive feedback). A 4-4 would be something like a traditional squat or deadlift.

While rules are always meant to be broken, when you’re dealing with clients or athletes who exhibit stability/motor control dysfunction, the 4×4 Matrix acts as a foundation for addressing things through progressive postures, loads, and reflex activation.

NOTE: full video demonstration ALL the moves below.

From supine we have a smooth transition into the next core drill….Side Plank Row.

This is anti-lateral flexion exercise compounded with a one-arm horizontal pull. This is stability, mobility and strength in one exercise. The whole kinetic chain is working as you stabilize your core and row with your top hand using your rotator cuff muscles and rhomboids. Repeat 10 each side.

We progress into the quadruped position for Bird Dogs.

Bird dogs are a level harder than a dead bug because they challenge the base of support through your anti-rotary muscles and lumbar stabilizers. Repeat 10 on each side with a one second pause at end range without any lumbar movement. (Ladies: Make sure you’re far enough from the keiser that your pony tail doesn’t get caught in it..Just saying).

In the tall kneel position we transition to doing a One-Arm T with a Press. The tall kneeling position challenges our lumbo-pelvic position. The T forces us to have proper scapula stability and abduction. After abduction we add another horizontal press for an extra anti-rotary component.

Do 10 each side.

From a tall kneeling position we narrow the base of support to come into a ½ kneel position or an in-line position. To reiterate, it’s important to be cognizant of where our diaphragm and pelvis are in this position. Are we locked in?

Here we perform an anti-rotational press, the Pallof Press. Do 10/side.

We are finally approaching a standing position.

Hold the keiser handle at belly button height and have the athlete squat. By holding the keiser distal from your body you’re slightly pulling your thoracic position into flexion so you have to use your core stabilizers to maintain proper spinal alignment through a squat pattern.

Do 10 Core Engaged Keiser Squats.

The last exercise is a Single Leg Deadlift to Row. This teaches the hip hinge in a unilateral fashion. It’s a great regression when teaching an SLDL because the tension on the keiser allows you so sit back into the hip on the ground while extend and slightly internally rotate the hip moving through the sagittal plane. At the top we row to exaggerate hip extension upper body pulling.

The objective of this warm up is to go through many movement progressions within one seamless action. I.e., flow.

Athletes can appreciate the difficulty of each movement tier but still see the final outcome. (A standing position).

Lets See the Whole Thing in Action!

Repeat this twice and you have completed numerous core exercises, two upper body pulls, two upper body presses, one unilateral, one bilateral, a squat pattern, and a one leg hip hinge pattern in about 5-10 minutes.

You’ll definitely break a sweat and be more prepared for your subsequent training session. Plus, it serves as a nice change of pace and breaks up the monotony of most warm-ups. Give it a try today and let me know what you think in the comments section!

About the Author

Jill Zeller is an Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach at Boston University as well as one of the Head Strength and Conditioning coaches at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning.

She loves to deadlift. And give high-fives.

You can check out Jill’s Facebook page HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.

CategoriesExercise Technique Exercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Core Activated Deadbug w/ KB

I know for some reading, the idea of reading another post on deadbugs is about as exciting as watching paint dry, or worse, listening to Taylor Swift’s new album. I can commiserate to a degree.

I can hear the cries now:

“I mean really, deadbugs? Come on Tony, I thought you liked to lift heavy things and stuff?! Deadbugs are for pencil necked personal trainers who like to pretend they’re physical therapists and masturbate to their NASM workbook.”

Photo Credit: Studio 950

First off: ^^^^^ Those aren’t the deadbugs I’m talking about. Not to mention, for all I know these bugs are still alive. Cool pic though.

Second: That’s just mean. I’d never say anything like that quote above, or make that sort of correlation or accusation! Maybe 83% of the time. But outside of that, never.

Third (and most importantly): there’s a reason why I continue to sing their praises.

Deadbugs (and in the same ballpark, Birddogs) Work! Like, A lot

Just ask the group of coaches Dean and I took through the gauntlet this past weekend. I think 100% of them had a new found appreciation for how challenging the two can be. When done correctly.

I’m not going to reinvent the wheel. I already wrote an extensive post on deadbugs HERE that you can check out. Namely, I go into a bit more detail on their benefits and demonstrate where most people go awry in their execution.

I’ll give you a hint: back position and BREATHING!!!

And to toss another talking point into the fire: we can break breathing down into two separate categories. How I teach someone to breath as it relates to force development and performance (sympathetic activity) is 180 degrees the polar opposite compared to how I go about coaching someone to breath for stability, alignment, and relaxation (parasympathetic activity).

This is something I plan on delving a bit more into at a later time. There’s a ginormous onion to peel back with that discussion!

Stay tuned.

Photo Credit: postbear

Nevertheless, I wanted to share a new deadbug variation that I came across recently that I think you’ll all enjoy.

Core Activated Deadbug w/ KB

Who Did I Steal It From: Crossfit Coolidge Corner coach, Andrea Rodgers

What Does It Do: Assuming you’ve got your deadbug technique down like a boss (for the love of god, just read THIS), this variation serves as a nice progression to further engage the core, which in turn helps to encourage more posterior pelvic tilt, but also adds a nice scapular stability component into the mix as well.

Key Coaching Cues: It’s important to start from the fetal position as shown in the video to help get the KB into place. Using a lighter load won’t be that much of a deal breaker – I don’t care how you get the KB into place – but the heavier you go, the more likely you’ll put undue stress on the shoulder (especially anteriorly) if you DO NOT start on your side and roll to your back.

I know it seems borderline nit-picky, but it does make a huge difference.

The arm holding the KB should be locked and in a straight line (be cognizant not to hyperextend your elbow).  You don’t need to “pack” your shoulder per se, but rather just think about “setting” it in place (scapular posterior tilt). Knuckles should be flush to the ceiling to ensure a neutral wrist position.

From there you’ll perform your standard deadbug keeping the arm holding the KB in place and lowering the same sided leg and contralateral arm. As always, be sure to keep the lower back against the floor, inhale before you start (both your belly AND ribcage should move), and then exhale your air as you lower your limbs.

Once fully extended – your lower back should still be flush against the floor – the heel of the lowered leg should “hover” an inch or so off the floor, and you’ll hold that position for a 2-5s count.

Return back to the starting position, inhaling as you do so, and repeat for a total of 5-8 repetitions. Perform the same process on the opposite side.

Give it a try today and let me know what you think!

CategoriesMedia

PT Prophet Podcast and Pallof Presses

I’m back home in Boston after spending the weekend in Sterling, VA (just outside of DC) where Dean Somerset and I had the honor of presenting our two-day Excellent High-Five Workshop at Underground Athlete to a group of 30 coaches and trainers – a few of which traveled all the way from Alabama and Massachusetts.

Giving credit where it’s due, I wanted to thank Underground Athlete owner Justin Case, his soon-to-be wife Cristal (they’re getting married in April, which led to a bit of wedding talk since Lisa and I set our date for late May), and the rest of UA coaching staff for being such gracious and welcoming hosts.

Photo Credit: UndergroundAthlete.com

I know I can speak for Dean in saying that we had an incredibly engaged group this past weekend, and a large reason for that was due to Justin and his staff helping to set the tone and for having such insatiable appetites to learn.

It was two-days chock full of assessments, taking people through the ropes (and learning that things like crawls, deadbugs, and birddogs are, in fact, challenging when done right), squats, deadlifts, talking about fascial lines, and me mistakingly using the word “intercourse” for “discourse” at one point, which made for some good laughs.

Plus, it didn’t hurt that they facility itself was/is beautiful (pretty much an athlete’s or serious weightlifter’s wet dream)  and that there was enough beef jerky on hand to feed a small army.

One of the highlights for me – albeit a seemingly random one – was watching Justin and his staff spend a legit half hour yesterday after the workshop trying to one-up one another other with various athletic feats. Vertical jumps, broad jumps, 1-legged broad jumps, back flips, and a host of other shenanigans. Hell I’m surprised they didn’t attempt to run through a pane of glass to see 1) who could do it and 2) who could do it while being set on fire. And juggling swords.

It was just really cool to see the camaraderie and enthusiasm amongst the coaching staff.

Also, it was great to catch up with a few friends.

Steve and Kelsey Reed, two excellent VA/DC based coaches at SAPT Strength, and who some of you may recall got engaged on this very blog, attended this past weekend’s workshop. 

I also had the chance to finally meet DC-based physical therapist and Girls Gone Strong contributor, Ann Wendel (and her fabulous shoes!).

She, her husband, Dean and I met up for some good eats.

We….ate….all….the…..food.

Shout out to Mokomandy located in Sterling for their delicious food (particularly their pot roast sliders.  UNBELIEVABLE!!!!). I highly recommend checking it out if you live in that area.

Annnnnnyways

As is the case every time I travel, the day after I pretty much want to curl up on the couch with a vat of tea and watch Walking Dead episodes.  There’s that and the umpteen million programs I need to write (give or take), in addition to some writing projects I need to get a head start on.

Note to my editors: please be patient…..;o)

Instead of writing a full blog post today, I wanted to share with you a few things that popped up on the internet that I was involved with.

1. PT Prophet Podcast

I had the opportunity to hop on a call with Hayden Wilson, the host of the PT Prophet Podcast, a few weeks ago and had a blast!

The podcast is geared towards personal trainers and fitness professionals who want to learn more about online training, internet marketing, and how to build your own brand/business.

We covered a lot of material, but the gist of it was to cover Cressey Sports Performance (and what I feel separates it from the masses as far as private training facilities are concerned), training athletes, my mentors, how I developed my writing style, and a plethora of other stuff.

Like I mentioned above, I had blast doing it and if you’re sitting there at work bored out of your mind, pop on some headphones and give it a listen HERE.

2. The Ultimate Pallof Press Guide 

Anyone who’s read my site for any length of time knows how much I like Pallof Presses. I’d go so far to say that myself and Eric Cressey are the two guys who helped popularize the movement and introduce it to the masses back in the day.

In this article which I wrote for BodyBuilding.com I discuss not only where the name “Pallof Press” comes from, but why I feel it’s one of the best core exercise out there in addition to offering several ways to vary things up.

I’d also like to take this moment to put forth a motion that Jen Jewell – the lovely female model for the article – from this day forward, must demonstrate every exercise I discuss on this website. No excuses.

Can we make it a law or something? Seriously, gun control can wait. Priorities people!

CategoriesUncategorized

Welcome to the New TonyGentilcore.com!

Why heeeeeeeello there! Sorry I’ve been out of the loop this week as far as writing prowess is concerned, but as you may or may not know, I’ve been up to a few things.

For starters, as I type these very words I’m en route to Washington, DC for mine and Dean Somerset’s Excellent High Five Workshop hosted by Underground Athlete in Sterling, VA.

We’re expecting a group of 25-30 coaches and trainers this weekend who will have a front row seat to whatever it is Dean and I feel like talking about for two days.

Assessment, corrective exercise – what it is (coaching correct movement) and what it is not (99.7% of the stuff involving a BOSU ball) – program design, coaching up some popular exercises (deadlift, squat, swings, get-ups), breaking down the latest season of Top Chef, it’s all fair game.

We always look forward to these events and we’re both just as excited to learn from all the various coaches who are going to be in attendance as they are to learn from us.

Second, and most obvious of all, HOLY SHIT look at the new digs!!!!!!

I gave a few minor hints that some aesthetic changes would be happening to the site sooner or later, and well, here you go.

1. Giving credit where it’s due: hats off to the people over at Copter Labs for doing yet another amazing job with everything. I worked with them four years ago when I wanted to step up my game with this website, and when it came time to up the ante again and take things to G6 status, it was an easy choice to elicit their expertise.

And it’s on that note I wanted to take a few moments today to provide some “house warming” introductions.

Gone is the ginormous picture cemented on the home page of me in the prototypical I’m-a-badass-strength-coach-with-my-arms-folded-in-front-of-me-look-at-my-biceps-LOOK-AT-THEM!!!! stance.

Gone

No one really wants to look at my ugly mug, especially me. Instead, I opted for more subtle and candid pictures of me coaching, as well as a few of me being me.

2. Contrary to the previous site, there’s now a homepage where people can peruse the services I have to offer, products I produce (and like), as well as sign up for my newsletter.

Subtle Hint —> You should sign up for my newsletter!! <— Subtle Hint

You can do so right on the Home Page.

3. When you sign up for the newsletter, you’ll immediately receive my Pick Things Up PDF, a 20-page ebook containing musings and miscellany on deadlifts.

In addition, in the days after you sign up, you’ll also be privy to a 10-minute video I filmed on deadlifting technique, as well as an offer to purchase Month #1 of my Pick Things Up deadlift specialization program on WeightTraining.com.

And in case you’re wondering: I’m not an asshat.  I won’t spam you relentlessly, and I promise that my newsletter will (mostly) be used to update you on me (cause it’s all about me), provide additional unique content, and to appraise you to how many many days on Star Wars Episode VII comes out.

4. Just like the previous site, there’s an extensive Resources page that highlights all the websites, books, DVDs, and other resources I heart.

5. Different from the original site is a separate area where I’m going to write more “Off-Topic” content – appropriately titled “Miscellany.” I know I tend to go off on non-fitness tangents on the regular blog, but in this new area I’ll do that and then some.

Sometimes I get tired of writing about fitness and would rather talk about movies, restaurants Lisa and I visit, travel, old school 90210 episodes, or I don’t know, my cat.

Either way, this area will serve as a sort of experiment on my end and will be something I hope you will enjoy as well. Check it out HERE.

And that’s it. I’d love to hear any feedback you’d have to offer. Like the new look? Hate it? Wish I would just shut down the site, sell all my personal belongings, travel the world aimlessly, fight bad-doers, and meditate like David Carradine in Kung-Fu?

Well maybe I will!!!!  You never listen to me anyways, it’s like I don’t even exist!!! You’re ruining my life!!!

***Slams door***

Update (10 minutes later): Remember a few minutes ago when I yelled at you, and slammed the door in your face back? I was just hangry. I ate some eggs and now I feel better. You know I love you, right? Hugs?

But seriously, I’d love to hear what you think of the new site.

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

Pick Things Up – Month #2

I hope everyone enjoyed their extended Columbus Day weekend (for those who had the additional day off anyways).

Mine was lovely. I took Lisa to go see Gone Girl – you know, a nice romantic comedy. And by “nice romantic comedy,” I mean the exact opposite of that.

It was my second time seeing it. You can read my initial thoughts on it HERE.

Lisa and I also spent a fair portion of Sunday taking engagement photos in and around Boston. I know, I know: for most of you the last thing you want to read about is something on our photo shoot, and I PROMISE I won’t be that guy who routinely “vomits” relationship/engagement cuteness stuff your way.

But come on!  You have to admit: we’re so cute you want to punch us in the face.

Did I mention we’re engaged?

We’re engaged…..;o)

I also spent a good portion of the weekend prepping for the new website launch.  I’m soooooo excited for all of you to see the new site, and I about peed myself a little when Jason and the peeps over at Copter Labs revealed the new digs.

I’m still sorta knee deep in website jargon today, and don’t really have a ton of time to put up a content heavy post.

But I do have something cool for you to check out! 

Pick Things Up – Month #2

While it’s technically a deadlift-centric program, in reality it’s a program that will get you strong. If that’s your bag.

You will deadlift, a lot.  But it’s a well-balanced program under the umbrella them of STRENGTH!

Another cool aspect of this program – and something I feel separates it from the masses – is that it utilized the WeightTraining.com platform.

What this means is that not only do you get 24/7/365 access to a 4-month program that I designed, but you’ll also have the opportunity to set your own schedule (with email reminders), log your training sessions online, have the ability to use your iPhone, iPad, or Droid to do so, in addition to having access to WT.com’s extensive video library (as well as other features).

Remember

Hiring me for one month of individualized distance coaching will cost you more than it will to follow this program for FOUR MONTHS.

And, you have the benefit of all the goodies that come with using the WeightTraining.com platform.

For those who missed out on Month #1 go HERE.

But for those who want to continue the awesome, you can purchase Month #2 HERE.

Thanks, and happy lifting!

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 10/10/14

Anyone go see Gone Girl last weekend? It’s the latest film from one of my favorite directors David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club, The Social Network) starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, based off the best selling novel by Gillian Flynn (who, in a rare feat, also helmed screenwriting responsibilities for the big picture adaptation).

Unless you’ve been living underneath a rock for the past 1-2 years, it’s the book that pretty much everyone has been reading on the beach or on the train.

It’s about a married couple – Nick and Amy Dunne – who, seemingly have a perfect relationship. That is until Nick shows up to their home on their fifth wedding anniversary and finds Amy missing.

Gone. Out of thin air.

But not without signs of shadiness in the midst.

I read the book last year, and was really happy to hear when I learned that Fincher was going to be the one directing the movie. Gone Girl is a dark, daaaaaark book….and given Fincher’s affinity for dark material (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, in addition to his films mentioned above), this pairing was/is a home run.

Without giving too much away – OMG, there’s such an epic twist!!! –  the film lives up to the hype of its predecessor.  Affleck and Pike are both amazing as Nick and Amy. And while this role is serving as sort of a “breakout performance” for Pike, she’s actually been around the block in Hollywood.  She’s no newbie.

But it’s the supporting cast who deserve some major kudos as well.  Carrie Coon, who plays Nick’s sister, Margo, is excellent (and serves as the comedic relief). Kim Dickens who plays Detective Boney is equally as impressive; as is Tyler Perry.  Yes, that Tyler Perry.  Madea Tyler Perry.

Annnnnnnnd, for the guys, if none of the above sounds remotely interesting, Emily Ratajkowski (AKA the hot girl from the video Blurred Lines) gets neked.  So there’s that.

But it’s Fincher who is the real star if you ask me.  The man can do no wrong. The pacing of the story, the cinematography, everything……demonstrates how much of a master he truly is.

For what it’s worth Gone Girl is legit. I give it a solid A, or in nerdspeak, 5/5 Lightsabers.

And now on to this week’s stuff to check out.

The Real Reason Why Tracy, Jillian, Oz, Oprah, Selter, Mercola, Food Babe, etc Are Winning the Information Game – Joy Victoria

I thought this was an excellent post by Joy, and something that I’ve been pondering myself.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve done my fair share of mud throwing with most of the names listed above.

Doing so is exhausting, though.  And, really, what’s the point?  The reason why the likes of Oz, Selter, Food Babe, etc are so successful with their message is because the people who listen to them have nothing to compare it to.

Joy digs MUCH deeper into this mentality, and I encourage all of you to read it.

The Science of Steroids – Greg Nuckols

I had the pleasure of meeting Greg in person at the Fitness Summit in KC this past Spring. Very cool dude.  And strong. I saw him pause squat 600 lbs beltless for a few easy reps.  Actually, I take that back. I hate his guts!!

Anyways, I am by no means a steroid expert, but I do feel there is a lot of incorrect information floating out there in the interwebz.  I felt this piece by Greg did a nice job of setting a few records straight.  It’s science heavy, so you’ve been warned.

Post Rehab Essentials 2.0 – Dean Somerset

 

Dean’s Post Rehab Essentials 2.0 is on sale through this weekend. This is without question one of the best resources for fitness professionals to learn more about assessment and programming strategies for many common injuries.

What’s more you can earn some CEUs while you watch!

And Dean will make you a cake!

Okay, I lied on that last one.

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

How to Program Farmer Carries

I know Dan John has relentlessly sung their praises. And, after listening to him speak last weekend, I know Gray Cook is a big fan of them too.

What am I referring to? CrossFit? ShakeWeights? One Direction? Bacon wrapped figs?

None of the above.

Besides, everyone knows that Dan is an N’Sync‘er for life. And urban legend suggests the inspiration behind Gray Cook developing the FMS is from him watching Backstreet Boys videos and being in awe of their movement quality.

Clearly none of that is close to being true.

And now that I’ve opened myself up to a libel civil case, lets push all that under the rug and get to what I’m actually referring to (not that the title didn’t give it away or anything).

Farmer Carries

Dan John loves carries. Just last weekend Gray Cook named them his #1 most functional exercise. And while I’m not close to being at the same level as those two – I’m still eating at the proverbial “little kids table” with regards to my place on the fitness authority totem pole – I too am a huge fan, and feel they’re one of the most underrated and least utilized exercises out there.

I’m a huge advocate of carries as I feel they offer a gulf of benefits.  Everything from grip strength to improved hip stability to increased core strength to helping to build a yoked up upper back.

Breaking things down further:

– When performed unilaterally, they’re a fantastic way to train core stability – specifically anti-lateral flexion.  But even when performed bilaterally, they’re still an awesome “core” exercise.

– As noted above, they obviously help improve grip strength.  Taking it a step further, though, they do an amazing job of “activating” the rotator cuff through a process called irradiation.

In non-geek speak, all this means is that when you squeeze something with a death grip, the rotator cuff turns on, and as a result the shoulder “packs” itself.  In a sense, carry variations are a great exercise for those with chronic shoulder issues.

The only caveat would be for those with a depressed shoulder girdle or who present with downwardly rotated scapulae (or, more specifically, those who are symptomatic and have shoulder pain along with the aforementioned criteria). In this scenario, loaded carries may not be a good fit.

– Farmer carries do an amazing job at challenging hip stability – especially when performed unilaterally (one arm at a time).

– They condition the shit out of you. The next time someone asks you whether or not weight training has any cardiovascular benefit, have him or her do a few rounds of carries for 50-75 yds.  And then laugh at them.

– And lets just state the obvious:  they do a superb job of increasing one’s overall sense of badassessey.

How to Program Carries

I received an email from a reader the other day asking how I go about programming carries into people’s programs and figured it was something that could benefit more people if I answered it here.

1. How should one program loaded carries into training? I.e., should it be in an upper body day or lower body? I tend to do farmers walk on lower body days while I do goblet or racked carries on upper body days.

As always, the answer is…….it depends.

Carries can be used for so many different things.  I’ve used them with people suffering from low-back pain; I’ve used them as a conditioning tool; I’ve used them as part of a strength pairing (one of my favs is pairing heavy bench press with carries); I’ve used them as a stand alone “thing” on off-days.

Much of it depends on someone’s goals.  If they’re a Strongman competitor for example, carries could very well be a “main movement” on a given day and will be prioritized accordingly.

Conversely, for the more mortal of us, I like to use carries towards the tail-end of a training session as either a C1-C2 circuit (think: carries paired with Goblet Reverse Lunges. It’s important to think about grip being a limiting factor when pairing exercises with carries. Goblet variations don’t require as much grip), or maybe as a finisher where I want to, you know, “finish” someone.

Try this:

A1.  1-Arm KB Carry – Right Side (30 yds)
A2. KB Swing x 15
B1.  1-Arm KB Carry – Left Side (30 yds)
B2. KB Goblet Squat x 10

*** Perform in circuit fashion and rest for 60-90s at the end.  Perform 3-5 rounds depending on how much you want to hate life that day.

I think the approach you laid out above is spot on.  If I had to choose, I’d place loaded (heavy) carries on lower body days, and maybe some low-level/low-intensity racked or Goblet carries on upper body days as part of an extended warm-up or towards the end of the training session.

Another option to consider, and something that some of us coaches at CSP do on occasion, is to have a dedicated “carry day.” We’ll pick a day of the week after work and just work up to a set TOTAL DISTANCE we want to hit.

Week 1: 160 lbs (per side) x 20 yds per trip.  Work up to 80 yds

Week 2: 160 lbs (per side) x 20 yds per trip. Work up to 100 yds

Week 3: 200 lbs (per side) x 20 yds per trip. Work up to 80 yds

Week 4: 220 lbs (per side) x 20 yds per trip. Work up to 100 yds

NOTE:  I wouldn’t do something this aggressive the day before a significant lower body session.

The weight selection can obviously be tweaked to fit one’s ability, and in between sets we can add in fillers like wall hip flexor mobilizations, band pull-aparts, reverse crunches, deadbugs, or any other low-grade activation/mobility drill that 1) won’t impede performance on the subsequent sets of carries and more importantly 2) helps address and fix shit.

2. Is there a specific weight/timing/distance on how long to walk for different objectives?  If I want to be strong, what kind of weight should I be looking to use and what distance or timing should I be looking at?

And if I want muscle gainzzz, I suppose that would require more TUT and so, what should I be looking for again?

In terms of weight, I feel most people, most of the time tend to be overzealous with their weight selection.

This isn’t to say that every set has to look pristine – heavy carries are heavy, and it won’t look fantastic 100% of the time.  However, I do feel there’s a cost/benefit of going too heavy, which I address in THIS post.

Technique does matter here.

If someone is performing carries with an excessive forward head posture and/or excessively leaning to one side or the other (or rounding their back), are they really gaining any benefit other than bragging rights and a few high fives?

If strength is the goal is you need to make sure you’re progressing in some fashion, whether it’s actively increasing the weight used each week, the distance travelled, or both. See circuit I described above.

I think a bit of variety comes into play here.  I LOVE offset (1-arm) carries. I also like Crossbody carries (assuming one has ample shoulder flexion to do so safely).

And if you REALLY wan to get crazy and inventive, you can do something like this:

So yeah, staying cognizant of factors such as how much weight you’re using, distance travelled, Time Under Tension (TUT)……aim for a total amount of time under tension (say, 3-5 minutes), and even adding in a little variety all enter the conversation.

There’s no right or wrong approach.

3. I always wanted to ask: why 40 yards? I realise unlike normal exercises with sets/reps panned out, loaded carries are more unconventional and I can’t seem to find more info on how to program them to meet specific objectives. I’m hoping you could help me address this issue.

I think we tend to gravitate towards 40 yds as our marker at the facility because we have 40 yds worth of turf we can utilize. Understandably, not everyone has access to that much space in their gym.  Using smaller increments is fine.

Some distance coaching clients of mine have super limited space – I’m talking 10-15 ft, or the equivalent of their living room – and I’ll have them perform toe-to-toe carries where they literally walk toe-to-toe across the floor.  It’s harder than it sounds.

Nevertheless, I hope I was able to shed some light on how I go about programming loaded carries into the mix.  There are a million and one different ways to go about it. What I described above are just a handful of my “go to” strategies.

Cause I want it thaaaaaaaat way……..

CategoriesUncategorized

Bridging the Gap Between Rehab and Strength and Conditioning

Dean Somerset is like Gandalf.

Except Dean doesn’t own a staff (I think), or fight dragons, have a Hobbit for a BFF, or have an affinity for taking long journeys towards mountains with ominous names.

In fact, Dean isn’t even a wizard!!  So what the hell? Why am I making the connection?

Dean’s a good friend of mine. In addition, as many of you know, he and I have collaborated on several projects together – Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body, and the Spinal Health and Core Training Seminar – in conjunction with our recent adventures traveling North America (and Europe) conducting our 2-day Excellent Workshop High Five workshop.

As an FYI: we’ll be back in DC next weekend (Oct. 17th), and we’ll also be making a cameo in LA this November.

For info on DC go HERE.

For info on LA go HERE.

Needless to say I’ve spend a lot of time around Dean in the past three or so years – both professionally and as buds.  Professionally speaking, I think it goes without saying we both run on parallel tracks with regards to our approach to training people. Why else would we collaborate on so many projects?

But this isn’t to say we agree on everything. We agree on a lot of stuff, but on the off-chance we don’t, we just settle it with a good ol’ fashioned knife fight.

Kidding.

This is where the comparison with Gandalf comes in.  Dean is smart.  Like, really smart. And I’d be lying if I said that some of the stuff that he’s able to accomplish with people in the gym isn’t short of wizardry.

No matter how many times I listen to him talk, even if it’s something I’ve heard him discuss 47 times, I still walk away dumbfounded with some new nugget of information. This is why I love working with him so much. He always makes me better and pushes me to think outside the box.

Too, he has an uncanny ability to take really complex topics – anatomy, fascial trains, movement assessment, nuclear fission, why it is it takes women F.O.R.E.V.E.R to get ready – and water it down so numbskulls like myself can understand.

He also has a gift for being able to dig deeper on certain topics and not resort to haphazard or arcane answers to people’s questions. He’s able to engage people in a way that’s understandable, relatable, and – not many people can do this – in a way that’s entertaining.

I don’t say all of this to blow sunshine up his ass (although, given that Dean lives in Edmonton and only sees two months of warm weather per year, he can use all the sunshine he can get), but rather just to reiterate that I have a ton of respect for him and the quality of the information he consistently puts out.

To that end, Dean has just put his flagship resource, Post Rehab Essentials 2.0, on sale this week to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving.

This is an EXCELLENT resource for any personal trainer, coach, or fitness enthusiast looking to take his or her assessment and programming skills to the next level. Maybe more importantly, this is a resource that helps bridge the gap between the rehab world and strength and conditioning world.

To save face: This IS NOT something that encourages trainers to diagnose stuff and play physical therapist. There is a scope of practice that needs to be respected. But it does arm them with the tools necessary to assess and write effective, safe programs for the walking wounded, whether it be helping someone deal with lower back pain or programming around a bum shoulder or knee.

Many trainers get stymied or act like a deer in headlights once a client/athlete comes to them with an injury to work around. Post Rehab Essentials 2.o is a great tool to help prevent that from happening in the first place.

Here’s a little taste to wet your palette.  Once it hits your lips………..

—> Post Rehab Essentials 2.0 <—