CategoriesUncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 3/9/12

I’m back baby! We flew back into Boston last night, and while vacation seemingly breezed by in the blink of an eye (don’t they all!), I can honestly say that I feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to tackle the day.

Coincidentally, I’m going to be tackling an inbox full of emails, not to mention will be spending the majority of my day writing programs, and catching up on life – laundry, grocery shopping, you know the drill.

On that note, since a huge part of vacation for me is having the opportunity to do nothing but eat M&Ms lie horizontal and catch up on a lot of reading, here are some highlights from this past week:

The Education of Millionaires: It’s Not What You Think and It’s Not Too Late – Michael Ellsberg

Knowing I was going to be spending a significant amount of time at the beach/poolside, I grabbed a few books from my “Tony, quit being a jackass and read this” pile off of my bookshelf and threw them into my backpack. This one was at the top.

Recommended by my buddy Nate Green, this book discusses the notion that there’s a huge divide between an education and academic excellence and how each correlates to financial success.

Unfortunately our society has placed a premium on the latter under the assumption that, by spending the better part of 16 of the most productive years of our lives focusing solely on achieving high grades – which is commendable and certainly not without merit – and often going into insurmountable debt to do so, we’re somehow guaranteed a career afterwards that will set us up for life.

Not necessarily the case (as the Occupy Wall Street movement clearly demonstrates).

Granted I’m only about a quarter of the way through the book as I type this, but it’s been eye opening to say the least.

More than anything, this book shows that success is not necessarily about studying hard and attaining excellent grades so that you can place letters next to your name.  Rather, it’s about what you won’t learn in college that will dictate how successful you are professionally.

Now, I’d never poo-poo on my higher education experience as I feel that those years served a vital role in helping me develop into the person I am today.  But I’d be lying if I said much of what’s helped me succeed in the fitness industry are things that I have learned INSIDE of academia.  On the contrary, it’s been things on the outside that have been of most benefit. Things like developing networks, learning how to market your services, investing in yourself, and building a brand, to name a few.

Anatomy Without a Scalpel – Lon Kilgore

If you’re like me, and have the tendency to lie down in the fetal position whenever you attempt to read a chapter in “heavier” books like Anatomy Trains or Movement Impairment Syndromes, than this book is right up your alley.

The section on shoes and whether or not there’s any efficacy for their use – and how they affect performance – is worth the price of admission alone.

I read that section on the flight back home yesterday and couldn’t help but wonder whether it was the 40 MPH wind gusts or my nodding my head in agreement so much that was causing all the turbulence.

The bigger picture, though, is that it’s an easily digested read (coming in at just a shade over 300 pages) that provides solid information which won’t cause a headache from beating you down with a barrage of big words.

The Scientific Look at the Dangers of High Heels – Gretchen Reynolds

Sure they look good.  Real good. What guy doesn’t love watching an attractive female walk down the street in a pair of sexy high heels?

But I’ve been riding this train for years, and have been an ardent advocate on exposing the numerous “pitfalls” that high heels can have on the body.

Tellingly, it comes down to a simple question:  would you rather look good, or live the rest of your life with chronic hip, knee, and back pain?

Of course, there’s a middle ground.  Women aren’t going to give up their Christian Louboutin’s anytime soon.  That’s like asking dudes to give up meat, or worse, football.  Instead of taking a black or white approach (either wear them or don’t wear them), it could be as simple as maybe wearing heels once or twice a week, rather than everyday.

REMINDER

Today is your last chance to take advantage of the $1 trial offer for Elite Training Mentorship.  This is your opportunity – on a monthly basis – to look over the shoulders of some of the brightest minds in strength and conditioning.

Some of the highlights include:

  • Videos from staff trainings
  • Program design strategies.
  • Exclusive case studies detailing unique training circumstances
  • Video tutorials on exercise technique and assessment
  • Business advice

And the list goes on and on. The cool part is that the information provided changes month-by-month, and you’ll always have an inside track of what’s currently going on inside the heads of Eric, Mike, BJ, and Dave. So, in a way, the information is always going to be on point and the most up-to-date in terms of the methodologies and techniques currently used by all of the coaches.

Again, today is the last day to save big by going here…

Elite Training Mentorship

CategoriesUncategorized

Things That Bug Me About the Fitness Industry

It’s the last day of vacation, and I’ll be heading back to Boston soon. All I have to say is this:  1) It’s amazing how fast time flies, because I feel like I just got here; and 2) ohhhhhh boy, do I ever have some commercial gym stories to share.

Nevertheless, I’m going to be soaking up as many rays as I can between now and departure time, so today I have another guest post from Pete McCall. 

Pete’s actually an old colleague of mine and was actually the Continuing Education Coordinator at the first club I worked at in Boston close to six years ago. He and I crossed email paths not too long, and after catching up, Pete expressed interest in writing a little sumthin sumthin for the site while I was away.

Enjoy!

Tony and I met a few moons ago when we were both employed by the same New England-based health club company.  Recently I ran across his blog and have enjoyed his pontifications on all things Matt Damon and his occasional tidbit or two on training.

When Tony asked if I could help fill in while he was enjoying sunny Florida, my first response was that’s why I moved from MA to San Diego, because it’s sunny all of the time and every day off is like a vacation. My second was response was “hell yeah” because I’ll have the opportunity to do a little rant-blogging.

Let me be perfectly clear, I’ve been a personal trainer for a number of years; most of them CSCS-certified.  I currently work for a certification organization, I previously taught another organization’s certification, and I fully plan on opening my own conditioning studio within the next two years.

I love what I do because the general public needs professional fitness advice for the most effective way to use exercise for results from better health to a larger contract and signing bonus.  The fitness industry fills a vital role in providing exercise information and helping change people’s lives; however like a piece of food that gets stuck in your teeth and you can’t quite get it out there are a few things that bug me about this industry, so here goes:

1.  Why the flip are we so obsessed with six-pack abs?  I’ve never seen any evidence that the rectus abdominus (or any other muscle) sees itself in a mirror and thinks: “hey baby, you look gooood.”

Muscles do one of two things: they produce force or reduce force. That’s it.  A muscle simply has to convert from the lengthening phase to the shortening phase in the fastest time possible to produce the greatest amount of force.  The amount of time and energy the industry spends on training this one muscle should be redirected to better uses.

Want a strong core? Deadlift. Romanian deadlift. 2-handed cable press-outs. Barbell bent-over rows. Medicine ball chops and lifts. Those basic exercises will produce a rock-solid mid-section; everything else related to six-pack abs is controlled by the proper nutrition, rest and genetics.

2.  Why do manufacturers spend so much time and energy trying to reinvent the same equipment?  Have you ever been to a big trade show like IHRSA or Club Industry?  All of the equipment companies spend tons of time and effort every year to basically put lipstick on a pig and try to upsell health club and studio operators on newer equipment because it is now internet-ready.  WTF?

Training time is the one time when people should be completely disconnected from any sort of device other than an Ipod cranking out old Guns and Roses.  Want to increase strength? Lift something heavy.  Want to increase muscle size? Lift something heavy repeatedly.  Want to lose weight?  Lift something heavy a number of different ways with minimal rest periods.

We don’t need ellipticals that connect to the internet or machines that allow people to sit comfortably while they “exercise.”  Club operators would be better off spending their money on education for staff to teach members how to train for results rather than buying the newest version of a treadmill with a larger TV screen.

3.  Why do so many personal trainers let clients dictate the course of their programs?  Did you ever go to a doctor and say: “this is how I want you to treat my…?”  Did you ever go to an attorney and say: “this is the way we should handle the case?”

No.  Why not?

Because they are professionals who know what they’re doing and we pay them for their professional advice and knowledge.  I’ve heard comments from many trainers like: “my clients don’t like to do that,” or “my clients only like to use machines,” or “my client says that she doesn’t want to sweat.”

Fire. Those. Clients.

We are the professionals; people come to us for advice.  We should have the knowledge, skill, ability and confidence to provide the results clients want.  Insanity is defined as doing the same thing repeatedly yet expecting different results. Clients come to us because they want one thing: results.

Coach your clients on what is needed to achieve results. You’re the professional, they are the client – keep it that way.  If you do a needs-assessment on a client and recommend a specific course of action and the client doesn’t want to follow it then you are not responsible for his or her lack of results. Your time is better spent working with clients who will listen to you because they respect your knowledge and your interest in helping them move towards their goals.

Working in fitness is probably one of the best gigs out there.  Where else can you get paid to tell people what to do?  While I love this industry these are just a few things I’ve noticed over the years that, like that piece of salmon from dinner last night that got stuck in my teeth, are a little annoying.

The thing about the salmon is that I can get a piece of dental floss and the problem is solved. The problems with the fitness industry are a little more systemic and require some action from those of us on the front lines of the business to address by changing the way we do things so we can help move this industry forward.

Hopefully Tony enjoys his trip to the sun and fun of FL.  As he gets settled back in to the last month of New England winter I’ll try not to remind him that with it being sunny and in the 70s every day here in San Diego I actually lose track of what season or month it is.  Stay classy.

Pete McCall Bio:

As an Exercise Physiologist with the American Council on Exercise (ACE), Pete creates and delivers fitness education programs to uphold ACE’s mission of enriching quality of life through safe and effective exercise and physical activity.  He is one of the creators of the new ACE Integrated Fitness Training (IFT®) model of exercise program design.  Outside of his work responsibilities Pete serves on the content review committee for ptonthenet.com a fitness education website and coach’s youth (U16) rugby for the San Diego Mustangs.

 

 

CategoriesUncategorized

Try Elite Training Mentorship for $1

As I noted last week, a few friends of mine (and colleagues I HIGHLY respect), Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, BJ Gaddour, and Dave Schmidtz, have all been working tirelessly for the past year or so on a project that I feel will help the entire industry step up its game.

And, based off what I’ve seen the past two days down here in Florida training at a commercial gym (and observing the personal trainers), this couldn’t have come soon enough.

Read: I’ve had to try really hard to resist the urge to go jump on a live grenade, the trainers have been THAT bad.  But I digress.

The project is called the Elite Training Mentorship, and it’s going to be a game changer.

Eric, Mike, Dave and BJ are not only among the best coaches in  the industry, but each of them have their own unique areas of expertise and this is your chance to be mentored by each of them.

Eric is obviously the “go to” guy when it comes to shoulders, baseball specific training, and being able to out-nerd anyone when it comes to anatomy.

Mike knows a thing or two when it comes to knees. And he’s without question one of the brightest guys I know dealing with assessment and program design.

You’d be hard pressed to find anyone more knowledgeable on fat loss and metabolic training than BJ.

And, if band work is your cup of tea, Dave is your man.

Combined, the four of them are like some kind of Voltron. Except in this case, instead of joining together to form a super robot that defends the galaxy from evil….they just make personal trainers and coaches more informed and less douchy.

In all, Elite Training Mentorship is really the next best thing to actually flying to their facilities and being mentored by them face to face – but you get to do it much more conveniently, watching staff training and coaching sessions from the comfort of your own home.

What’s more, from today until Friday (3/9) they’re letting everyone give the program a test drive for the first month for just $1! Pretty sweet if you ask me.

To learn more about this incredible resource, go here:

Elite Training Mentorship

CategoriesUncategorized

Recovery Strategies for Better Performance

Today, because I’m currently on a blogcation (in Florida) and most likely lying poolside in a state of food coma rocking the world’s greatest farmer’s tan, we have a guest post from Geoff Pritchard.  Geoff is a personal trainer and massage therapist located in Maryland I had the pleasure of meeting a few months ago when he stopped by Cressey Performance to check us out.

He’s a very bright guy and obviously has a passion for what he does, so I hope you enjoy his contribution!

 

As readers of Tony’s blog, I know that you’re familiar with the best exercises and programs to use when you get to the gym. You may internally debate about whether today’s routine should include goblet squats or Pallof press squats (Tony’s invention?!), but you’re anxious to get there and put in your best effort. But, once you leave the gym sweaty and exhausted, what effort do you put into your recovery and regeneration strategy?

Regener-WHAT?

There have always been ways to handle your post-battle aches and pains. The ancient gladiators of Greece and Rome soaked in salt baths and received “rubbing” (massage) as forms of healing. The warriors and women may not have looked as glamorous as on STARZ Spartacus, but the concept of intense fighting/strength training followed by recovery is not new.

Fortunately, your strategy doesn’t need anything expensive or time consuming to be effective. It really comes down to a few key things:

  • Review the foundational things you should do to achieve better performance
  • Evaluate the research and methods of other fitness and bodywork professionals, and
  • Incorporate simple changes into your schedule

Build a Solid Foundation

I have spent the last seven years engaged in personal training and massage therapy and recently operated my own massage business in Boston. As a certified bodyworker, I am constantly listening to complaints of muscular pain… followed by crickets chirping when I ask about what the client does to rest and refuel each day. Too often I end up being the 1-hour of downtime per week that the person gives himself or herself to heal. Without the therapeutic massage I provide, the client has nothing to report that they intentionally do to balance the scales. Missing from their response are ways to actively take a break and recharge. The two easiest things to conquer are:

1 – Eating Well (Enough) – For the majority of people, the goal is to maintain a balanced diet and avoid the nasty ingredients (high fructose corn syrup, excessive sugar, etc) and increase protein, water and vegetable consumption. If you haven’t tackled your diet, make some immediate changes to get your food and caloric intake under control. Remember, food = fuel. You can even refer to the inside of Tony’s fridge for some assistance.

2 – Get 8-Hours of Sleep – We can argue the amount of sleep necessary for each person to “function” during the day. But, the level of your performance – physical and mental – is directly proportional to the amount of sleep you get at night. I’m certain I could give Tiger a run for his money on the golf course if we kept him without sleeping the night before!

Determine Your Recovery Path

Advice from Fitness Professional Nick Grantham

One of the best models for improved performance comes from the research of Nick Grantham of England. I first heard Nick speak on the Strength Coach Podcast in April of 2011 (episode 78). He and his team have spent a lot of time formulating a Recovery and Regeneration pyramid to help us achieve better results. The Level 1 and 2 strategies are where most of us should concentrate our work.

The Level 1 ideas we just covered, but the Level 2 strategies should also be analyzed. Their pyramid shows that ongoing monitoring is essential for performance. Therefore, they have their athletes report back to them about their sleep, nutrition, and daily habits away from the field. What trends do you see in performance as it relates to everyday habits? Monitor yourself and see the impact that proper recovery and regeneration can have in practice or competition.

If you’re a member at StrengthCoach.com, you can reference the remainder of Nick’s research in a 22-page PDF. Log in and search ‘Grantham’.

Advice from Bodywork Professional Sue Hitzmann

If you want something more specific, you should consider progressing your self-myofascial techniques by following the work of Sue Hitzmann. I recently had the opportunity to attend her M.E.L.T. method workshop and appreciated how she took a tedious activity (foam rolling) and re-invented it as a routine with more specificity. And, after class, I asked her how it relates to the general weight lifting audience. Here’s her response:

“As for weight lifting, MELT isn’t myofascial release. I know I use a roller and balls but the technique is what’s compelling. It’s a very specific treatment and the ball sizes and the roller density is specific to the treatment. For weight lifting, MELT offers a reduction in stress injuries and improves grip, muscle timing and sustainability through their high movement demands.”

If you live in New York City, you can have direct access to Sue herself, but otherwise you can search her website for one of the over 300 therapists she has trained in the M.E.L.T. Method.

However, if you really can’t decide on the recovery option that’s best for you, find some bolsters and/or blankets and use this yoga pose – appropriately called Restorative Bridge.

Follow the directions for proper setup here. If this doesn’t put you immediately into a state of relaxation and meditation, nothing will!

Schedule Your Daily, Weekly, and Yearly R&R

I’ve had the privilege of sharing this information because Tony is on vacation. My theory is that he’s actually doing a photo shoot on South Beach for the website…complete with sun hat, Speedo, and SPF-90.

Note from TG:  ^^^^ Busted! The man speaks truth!

I know however that Tony is an uber-trainer and realizes the importance of spending time outside the gym and recharging, so he can achieve his training goals and personal goals for 2012. Find what ideas work for you and schedule it into your routine.

For me, every moment I can spend enjoying time with my wife and 2-year-old son is awesome. I enjoy the gym –always have and always will – but the recovery and regeneration is for my family. If I get injured, then I lose the quality time I love spending with them.

So…

Go hydrate… Get some sleep… And give your recovery strategy more attention!

Author Bio

Geoff Pritchard is an NSCA certified personal trainer and a licensed massage therapist. He has seven years of training experience at gyms, health clubs, and corporate wellness centers. His passion to help people build their lives around healthy habits led him to create Move Free Massage and Fitness in 2008. He recently moved with his family to Baltimore, MD and is excited about the dynamic fitness community in the Timonium and Towson areas. If you want to contact him, please connect with Geoff on Facebook.

 

CategoriesUncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 3/2/12

It’s big day today.  Actually, scratch that.  Today is epic.  I know that word gets tossed around a lot on the internet, but if there’s ever a day that deserves to be labeled as such, today is it.

My lovely girlfriend, Lisa, is defending her dissertation today, and as of roughly 1 PM, barring any catastrophe like an asteroid slamming into Boston, I’ll officially be a trophy boyfriend she’ll officially receive her PhD.

It’s been an arduous and often aggravating roller coaster ride for her, but she’s worked her butt off, refrained from punching any holes in the walls (even though she wanted to), and well, I just couldn’t be more proud of her.

To celebrate we’re heading down to Florida, starting tomorrow, to spend a week doing nothing but chilling on the beach and taking around 103 naps. Of course, we’ll squeeze a few workouts in there, too.  But really, the objective is to relax, read, take a break from the grind, and to load up on some vitamin D.

So, with that, next week I’ll be MIA and taking a well deserved blogcation.  BUT, I’ll still have some content to put up while I’m away, cause I’m cool like that.

On that note, I’m out!

Strength and Conditioning Research – Bret Contreras & Chris Beardsley

I know it seems like an oxymoron given my profession but I HATE reading research.  I hate it even more than I hate the BOSU ball, or worse, Tracy Anderson. In fact, if given the choice between reading a research paper or jumping into a shark’s mouth, I’d pick the shark’s mouth any day of the week.

You can imagine the total number of fist pumps I did when my buddy Bret mentioned that he was going to be releasing a monthly, 50-page, publication reviewing the latest in research on strength and conditioning, biomechanics, physical therapy, physiology, and numerous other things that are equally as geektastic.

50 freaking pages!!!  Every month!!!  And, he does all the work for you!!!

The kicker?

He’s letting everyone try it out for $1 for the first month.  After that, the monthly price increases to $10, which is still a steal in my book.

Do really need me to convince you any further why this is probably a wise investment on your end?

Lift Big Eat Big:  Worst Celebrity Diets – Brandon Morrison

For those of you who like my writing style, you’ll definitely appreciate this post.  Here, Brandon goes to town on some of the more, shall we say……asinine, diets that celebrities have been known to follow and tout.  Cue face palm here.

Enamored with Exercises – Patrick Ward

This was a spot-on post by Patrick that I feel hits the nail on the head in every way. People tend to have ADD when it comes to exercise.  More specifically, though, many have ADD when it comes to choosing what exercises to perform.

In terms of program design, people will tack on more and more exercises, yet never OMIT anything!

As Patrick notes, usually, LESS IS MORE.

EQI Bootcamp – BJ Gaddour

As I mentioned yesterday, Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, BJ Gaddour, and Dave Schmidtz will be releasing their Elite Training Mentorship next week, and as a way to give people more of an idea of what’s in store, they’re releasing some amazing FREE content leading up to the release.

Today, BJ is up and he’s sharing an outstanding video on how he goes about structuring effective bootcamp style workouts. To the chagrin of some, bootcamp training isn’t JUST about making people tired – any joker with a whistle and a clipboard can do that. Contrarily, it’s also about taking the time to coach your clients and to learn how to design effective programs that won’t cause them to shit a spleen.

Okay, I’m done.  See you in a week!

CategoriesUncategorized

Is Eric Cressey an Assessment Jedi?

In a word:  yes. Yes, he is. But more on that in a second.

This industry is constantly changing – almost on a weekly basis. One week it’s boot camps that are all the rage. The next? Dude, you’re gonna kill it if you incorporate more semi-private or group training into the mix.

Even still, there are plenty of trainers and coaches out there who are doing very well following more of a private, one-on-one approach.

In the end, it doesn’t necessarily matter which avenue you choose to go down – private training, group training, Victoria Secret model boot camps (which would be awesome) – when you don’t take the time get really (really, really, really) good and what you do.

The people who tend to be the most successful are the ones who take pride in what they do and go out of their way to master their craft. They’re the ones who are constantly learning, trying new things, changing their train of thought, and most important of all…..

…….are TEACHING it to others.

A few of my friends, Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, BJ Gaddour and Dave Schmitz have collaborated on a pretty baller project that I think is going to help a lot of upcoming (and even seasoned) fitness professionals out there.

It’s called the Elite Training Mentorship, and as of yesterday, they’re giving people an inside look at what it’s all about with some amazing FREE content.

Yep, that’s F to the REE.  As in, you don’t pay a dime.

To kick things off, and to give you an idea of what kind of amazing content is to come, Eric Cressey has shared a staff in-service video on lower body assessment that, for lack of a better term, is pretty freaking good.

Watch Eric Cressey In-Service Video!

And I’m not just saying all of this because Eric’s my good friend (and business partner). He’s one of the industry’s best at what he does and this staff training could easily be a stand alone product due to the depth and quality of information he provides – but you can get it at no cost here:

Seriously. Just Watch It.

The cool part? This is just the tip of the iceberg.  Every month these guys will be releasing similar, in the trenches content that is normally only reserved for their own staff.  If you’re looking to separate yourself from the masses and become a better coach or trainer, you’d be insane not to take advantage of this incredible offer.

CategoriesUncategorized

Chin-Up Progressions for Women (The One Rep Hump) – Part III

Last one, I promise.

By now, I’m sure there are some reading who are thinking to themselves, “alright Gentilcore, lets turn the page for crying out loud!,” or feel as if Charlie Brown’s teacher is talking to them:, “Wannk, wannk, wannk………”

I didn’t think it was possible, but what started as a quick blog post on some simple chin-up progressions for women, quickly turned into my version of War and Peace.

For those just joining in on the fun, I’d highly encourage you to check out the previous two parts, HERE and HERE.

In keeping with the momentum from yesterday – where I talked about the efficacy of performing eccentric only chin-ups –  another viable option would be to perform…….

Loaded Eccentric Chin-Ups

As a brief review, we’re much stronger during the eccentric (lowering) portion of any movement compared to the concentric (overcoming/lifting) portion.  For the guys out there reading, this is why it’s sometimes advantageous to include some dedicated eccentric-only benching variations to help improve overall strength, as well as induce some pretty significant muscle gains.  Pecs for days!!!!!!

Bringing this back to the topic at hand, for women, eccentric only chin-ups are a definite STAPLE in terms of getting over that 1-rep hump.  What’s more, you can also make them even more challenging by adding an external load in the form of a weight vest or maybe a weight belt with a dumbbell or plate attached.

The same principles would apply:  you’d jump up and lower yourself as controlled as possible.  Except here, the awesomeness factor is increased by roughly 312% because of the additional external load

Granted, there aren’t going to be a lot of instances where I’m going to LOAD an eccentric-0nly chin-up – especially if we’re still vying for that one full, unassisted rep – but it’s something we can keep in our exercise toolbox nonetheless.

Chin-Up Isometric Holds

What I love about isometric holds is that there’s going to be a carryover to the 10-15 degrees (above and below) the joint angle being held.  Meaning, I can have someone perform an isometric hold in or around their “sticking point,” and there will be a noticeable carryover.

Of course, for many women, you may remember those dreadful flex-arm hangs that your PE teacher used to make you do back in the day, and I apologize if I brought back any bad memories.

That said, they’re actually a valuable tool that you can implement almost instantaneously.  I like two options:

1.  At the start of a training session – when you’re the most fresh – jump up and hold for a specific time frame.  I generally like to start with anywhere from 20-30 seconds (and build-up from there) for 4-5 sets.

2. Conversely, at the end of a training session – when you hate life – hold in the BOTTOM position and try as best you can to pull yourself up from a dead-hang.  Grab the bar, jump up, lower yourself controlled, and when you come juuuuuuust short of locking your elbows out, HOLD!!!!!!

It seems counterproductive, but I feel there’s some merit in adding a few grinders into the mix and attempt to “muscle” yourself out of the starting position. Of course, I’m not interested in you looking as if you’re having a seizure in mid-air.  The less “body english” the better.

Keeping your shoulder blades retracted and depressed, try as best you can to pull yourself up from a dead hang.

Remember, even if you don’t budge, there’s going to be a certain degree of carryover (above and below) the joint angle being worked.

Pull for 10-15 seconds.  Stop.

Do this for a total of 3-5 “sets.”

Band Assisted Chin-Up

This is probably the most well known variation, and arguably the least understood.  I’ve had several TRAINERS argue with me that they see no difference between a counterbalanced chin-up machine and their band-assisted counterparts. Not surprisingly, these are the same trainers who haven’t picked up a book in five years and think watching The Biggest Loser counts as continuing education.

Sad, but true.

The reason why I prefer band assisted variations is that they take advantage of the strength curve. In about as non-scientific as I can make it: the band “assists” you where you’re most weak – in this case, at the bottom of the chin-up when the arms are full extended.  Conversely, as you pull your body towards the bar, and the joint angles are more in your favor, the band assists less and less and you start utilizing more of your own strength to complete the movement.

In this way, depending on one’s ability, we can use varying set-ups and/or thicknesses of bands to progress or regress the exercise in a much more conducive way.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

1. Remember:  attitude is king. Stop thinking that you can’t do something, and instead, dominate it.  Sure, it’s going to take time and a lot of hard work, but you CAN DO IT!!!!

2.  Frequency is kind of a big deal.  Now, one thing to consider is that for females (and males for that matter) who can’t perform one chin-up, ANY chin-up is going to be a max effort lift.  That said, I’d still recommend shooting for “x” number of reps per day, albeit spread out.  Perform 2-3 eccentric reps in the AM, 2-3 at lunch, and 2-3 at dinner time, no matter what.  Anything more than that is just gravy on top.

3.  Seriously, get an Iron Gym. Arguably the best $27 you can spend on yourself.  Mascara included.

4.  As far as programming:  if performing a chin-up is a priority for you, then you need to make sure that you start each training session with a chin-up variation.  Yes, EVERY session.  So, for example, if you train three times per week….

Session One:  start with one of the TRX progressions highlighted in Part I.

Session Two:  start with eccentric only chin-ups

Session Three:  use one of the band-assisted variations showcased in the video above.

And there you have it. I’m sure I could elaborate a bit more, but in all honesty, if you’re still reading, you deserve a Nobel Prize.

Armed with these suggestions, you should be more than ready to conquer the chin-up.

 

CategoriesUncategorized

Chin-Up Progressions for Women (The One Rep Hump) – Part II

Okay, before I continue with second part of this post, two things need to happen:

1.  If you haven’t already, you need to check out PART I. I’m not going to sit here and say it’s the best thing ever written on the internet (although it’s pretty close), but it definitely sets the tone for the entire piece as a whole, and well, not reading part I before reading part II is kind of like watching The Empire Strikes Back before A New Hope.  It’s just crazy talk!

2.  And since that was an obvious attempt at a segue for me to briefly talk about the Oscars last night, I’m rolling with it.

  • It was great to have Billy Crystal back hosting.  The man is a class-act. Sure, there were some awkward silences when a joke or two (or seventeen) didn’t work; but whatever.  I was entertained, and that’s all that matters.
  • Angelina needs to eat something for the love of god! In fact, while watching the show, both Lisa and myself commented on how Skeletor skinny many of the women appeared.  Granted, she’s now spewing out nonsensical dieting tips like eating apples only grown underneath rainbows or anything like that, so who am I to judge? But is it any wonder why there’s an on going image war in our society on what’s the ideal “look” for women to aspire for?
  • I was really happy to see that Hugo won for Best Cinematography as well as Art Direction.
  • J-Jo was bringing it last night.  Like whoa!

  • In general, 2011 was a pretty weak year for movies.  I mean, sure, The Artist was a good film, and I’m “okay” with it winning for Best Picture, etc.  But lets be honest:  come this time next year, NO ONE is going to remember that it won, and it’s certainly not going to linger in people’s minds.  When they showed one of the numerous montages of past films, I couldn’t help but feel that NONE of the films that were nominated for Best Picture this year would ever be included in such a montage alongside classics (and not necessarily Best Picture winners) like GoodFellas, The Godfather, Jaws, Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, so on and so forth.  Here’s hoping that 2012 is a little more spectacular.

Okay, on to matters at hand:  how to rock your first chin-up.  Unfortunately, not every woman is like Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 busting out chin-ups in a psyche ward.

Then again, not everyone banged a dude from the future and is preparing for the end of the world run by machines. To each his own, I suppose.

Nevertheless, the point here isn’t to necessarily compare yourself to John Connor’s mom (although that’s pretty badass), but rather to show you some strategies you can implement to help take yourself from from Point A (you want me to do what now?)…………

……to Point B (I can do a chin-up, bitches!).

As you may recall, in part one, I went out of my way to suggest that having a little attitude is a good thing, as well as described some unique TRX progressions one can use to help “grease” more of a vertical pulling motion.

Of course, this begs the question:  what happens if you don’t have access to a TRX unit?

Well, you could always purchase one (hint hint, wink wink). For what it would cost to buy a knock-off Coach bag, you can get a TRX.

Just sayin……

In addition, you could also try these other modalities that we like to use with our female clients at Cressey Performance.

Eccentric Only Chin-Ups

Put in simple terms, the eccentric (or the yielding/lowering portion of the movement) is a fantastic way to help build specific strength within that ROM.

Getting geeky for a second, in terms of the actual mechanism, the muscle lengthens while under tension due to the opposing force (body weight) being greater than the force produced by the muscle. Unlike a concentric contraction, where the joint is pulled in the direction of the muscle contraction, in an eccentric contraction the muscle acts to decelerate the joint at the end of a movement.

What’s more, and this is pretty cool:  the body is a shit ton (<– that’s a lot) STRONGER eccentrically than it is concentrically.  Put another way, it’s much easier to lower yourself (controlled) from the chin-up bar than it is to lift yourself from a dead-hang, where you have to “overcome”  the weight of your own body.

Depending on one’s height, you may have to play around with how high of a box you use to stand on to jump to the bar.  A little piece of advice, however:  set the box a little more forward so that when you do jump up, the body won’t sway back and forth as much.

From there, the concept is pretty self-explanatory.

  • Jump up to the bar so that your sternum touches the bar.  Remember, too, to keep your shoulder blades together AND depressed (shoulder blades in the back pocket).  No shrugging.
  • As controlled as possible, lower yourself until your arms come just short of locking out. The “controlled” part is what’s important.  This shouldn’t be a dive bomb towards the floor, but rather a nice 5+ second descent.  Don’t worry if you can’t get a full five seconds – again, it’s the controlled part that’s important.
  • Hop down, jump back up to the bar, and repeat.

Now, of course, how many reps one can do is going to be highly individual.  Grip strength is going to be a limiting factor, not to mention one’s strength levels from the get go.

To that end, I like to use several options.

1.  For the stronger females (one’s who can easily control the eccentric), I’ll shoot for straight sets.  Typically sets of 5-6 reps.  Eight if I really feel like being a masochistic bastard.

2.  Another option I like is to shoot for a specific number of repetitions.  For instance, I may say in their program “25 reps.  Get it done.  No complaining.” Which, if that’s the case, they have to hit that number regardless of how many sets it takes.  If I’m feeling really ambitious, I’ll go as high as 40-50 and I’ll just pair their chin-ups with something else (preferably with a exercise that won’t challenge the grip).

A1.  Chin-Ups (50 reps) – sets of five
A2.  Goblet Squats (x8), Push-Ups (x8) – alternate between sets of chin-ups.

***Meaning, they’ll perform a set of five eccentric chin-ups, and pair it with a goblet squat.  On their next set of chins, they’ll perform a set of push-ups.  From there, they’ll alternate back and forth until all required reps are completed.

3.  For those who are a bit weaker and can’t really perform five (controlled) reps, I’ll utilize more of a rest/pause approach.

So, in this case, I’ll still have them perform sets of 3-5, but with a little “break” in between each rep.  It may look something like this:

Perform 1 Rep
Rest 10-20 seconds
Perform 1 Rep
Rest 10-20 seconds
Perform 1 Rep
Rest 10-20 seconds
Perform 1 Rep
Rest 10-20 seconds (most likely give Tony the look of death)
Perform 1 Rep
Rest 2-3 minutes (flip Tony the bird)

4.  Another point to consider – and this is something that a female reader brought up in the comments section on Friday – is the whole “embarrassment factor.”  Understandably, some females are just intimidated and feel like the spotlight is directly on them when performing anything in the weight room.

As such, sometimes it’s more prudent to give them “homework” and have them perform “x” number of eccentric only reps throughout the day…….on their own……at their own discretion…..in the comfort of their own home.

I’m completely cool with that.

That said, go HERE and buy an Iron Gym.

With this option, again, the objective is to shoot for “x” number of reps throughout the day – 5, 10, till you can’t feel the left side if your face, whatever.  So, whether you allot a specific time to train, or you just happen to walk past the bar on your way to blow dry your hair, and you want to bang out a rep or two, it’s your call. The bar is there and no one is watching.  Have at it!

I’ve used this “homework” approach with several of our female clients, and they LOVE it.

Okay, that should keep the palette wet until tomorrow where I’ll discuss a handful of other options I like to use to get over that one rep hump.  Till then, as always, feel free to share your thoughts below.

CategoriesUncategorized

Chin-Up Progressions for Women (The One Rep Hump) – Part I

I’ve noted in the past that, outside of maybe a handful (who are working their tails off to get there), every female client that trains at Cressey Performance (above the age of 16) can do a real, dead start, arms fully extended, sternum to the bar, non-spastic looking, legit chin-up.  Usually for multiple reps.

In recent months it’s been almost epidemic. Seemingly every female client is on a mission to conquer the chin-up, and the fruits of their labor are blossoming like never before with teenage girls as well as 50+ year old women – some of which who have been training for more than half their life – achieving something that they never thought possible.

You see, they had always been told by friends, family, the bulk of women’s magazines (or more than likely, told themselves) that they could never, not in a million years, do an actual chin-up.

Oh no you didn’t!!!!!!!!

As you can imagine, I think that’s a bunch of silly talk, and nothing is more satisfying than proving each and every one of them that they’re flat out wrong.

Truth be told, it’s amazing what can happen when you cut through the BS, stop making excuses, hold people accountable, and place them in a training environment that doesn’t cater to their fears.

That latter point is something that really bugs me sometimes.  How often have you heard a woman say she’d really love to perform a chin-up, and then her trainer points her in the direction of one of those counterbalanced chin-up apparatuses, or worse, the seated lat pulldown machine.

Full disclosure:  I’m not entirely opposed to those machines.  There’s a time and place for them, just as there’s a time and place for a leg press (hahahahahahaaha.  Just kidding).

But in all seriousness, if I’m starting with someone who’s woefully weak – to the point where gripping a bar and holding their body weight is too challenging – and relatively inexperienced in the weight room, I have no issues whatsoever introducing them to exercises like lat pulldowns or counterbalanced chin-up/pull-up variations to help build strength within that movement pattern and “grease” proper technique:

  • Keep chin tucked
  • Pull through the elbows
  • Keep shoulder blades together and down (retracted and depressed).  Another cue I like here is to keep the shoulder blades in the back pocket.  This helps prevent any shrugging.
  • Finish at the sternum and squeeze!
  • Lower controlled, and come juuuuuuuuuuust short of locking the elbows outs (maintain tension).
  • Repeat and when done, cue Goose and Maverick high five.

Moving forward however, if you want to get more proficient with chin-ups (or pull-ups) it stands to reason that, eventually, you need to gravitate towards the actual chin-up/pull-up bar.  And, if I am to speak frankly, I really feel that utilizing the lat pulldown and counterbalanced machines, exclusively, is just putting a band-aid over an obvious strength issue, if not something more relevant altogether.

To me, serving as the umbrella of all of this – and certainly not to be understated – is the mentality that a vast majority of woman carry heading into such a task.

That they just can’t do a chin-up. Period.

STOP THIS!!!!

It’s counterproductive and all the negative self talk isn’t going to help matters.

[Takes deep breath]

I tried to figure out a way to say what I’m about to say in a more PC fashion, and after fiddling with a few different sentences, talking it over with several other females, and letting my thoughts stew for a few days, I just decided to go with it.  Here it is:

If you have the ability to grow a human being inside your body and push it out, you undoubtedly have the ability to bang out a chin-up.  And might I add:  in MUCH less time than nine months.

Understandably, I recognize how the statement above may rub some the wrong way (but hopefully most of the people reading “get” the context) – but it’s high time we stop making excuses and stop sugar coating things. Quit with the excuses.

That said, what follows are some of the exercises (and progressions) we like to use at Cressey Performance with many of our female clients to help them get over that 1-rep hump……….

TRX Progressions

Giving credit where credit is due, I actually “stole” these from Ottawa based strength coach Elsbeth Vaino, after a distance coaching client of mine directed me in her direction.  I thought these progressions were brilliant and rather than reinvent the wheel, I thought I’d pass them along and share them with you.

A few things to note beforehand:

1.  Before attempting these, it’s assumed that you can perform a regular TRX inverted row flawlessly.  If not, please don’t try these as it’s probably not going to look pretty.

2.  There’s a bit of trial and error involved in setting up the apparatus as you have to wrap the TRX around the bar in order to get the handles at the proper height.

3.  In the videos, I realize that Whitney is using more of a neutral grip rather than a standard supinated (underhand) grip while demonstrating the exercises.  It’s okay, I understand the difference between a chin-up and pull-up, so for those who were inevitably going to get their panties all up in a bunch and call me out……..relax.  I called myself out.  So there!

TRX Chin-Up Progression I

The main point to highlight here, is that Whitney is starting from her knees and then pulling herself up while using her feet to kinda “assist” herself up towards her chest. I don’t mind a little bit of “rocking” at the bottom as all I’m really concerned about here is grooving a more vertical pattern which carries over very well to the actual chin-up.

All the same rules apply in terms of proper technique:  shoulder blades in the back pocket, pull through the elbows, keep the chin tucked, control the eccentric (lowering) portion of the lift, increase your general level of awesomeness.

From there, we can progress the exercise into a more seated variation.

TRX Chin-Up Progression II

This does two things:

1.  Increases the range of motion.

2.  Forces Whitney to pull more of her own body weight.

Still, the objective is to grease more of a vertical pulling pattern, which can’t necessarily be down with a conventional inverted row.

TRX Chin-Up Progression III

Kicking it up a notch, we can then elevate Whitney’s feet onto a box (or stepper) and increase the ROM even further.

Simple, albeit very effective.

Among much else, these variations serve as an awesome way to get the ball rolling and to help better prepare the trainee for pulling her own body weight rather than relying on a machine to do so for her.

Of course, there are numerous other progressions (and even regressions) I like to implement, such as  band assisted variations as well as eccentric only variations, but those will have to wait until next week when I dive into part II.

Till then, feel free to share your thoughts below and offer your own insight into the matter.  I’d love to hear them!

CategoriesUncategorized

Cressey Performance is Hiring!!!!!

And I even used extra exclamation points, so you know it’s kind of a big deal.

You read the title correctly; we are currently in the process of setting things in motion to hire a new strength and conditioning coach at Cressey Performance.

This is the first time we’ve ever posted a job externally, as all previous hires have been from our internship program. In this case, we’ll be opening this opportunity up to the masses.  A few quick notes:

1. The application deadline is March 10.

2. We’ll be selecting a candidate by April 15, and the position will begin on May 15 (this date is negotiable).

3. Please, please, please read the application instructions carefully!

We have a specific email address in place for all job-related submissions and inquiries, and it will be a big bottleneck if applicants start emailing and calling us directly via our normal business email and phone number.  Thanks for understanding in this regard.

You can learn everything you need to know by downloading the application instructions and job description PDF at the following link: CP Job Description and Application Info

Hope to hear from you soon!