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Bench Press Article Teaser

Either later this week, or most likely next week, my latest article on Livestrong.com will come out titled Tips for a Badass Bench.

In it, I discuss some of the variables that get overlooked when it comes to benching.  Namely, how to properly set-up.

It’s not the sexiest topic in the world, and I can only imagine how many people will roll their eyes and scoff, but it’s a topic that often gets drastically overlooked. In fact, I’d garner a guess that if more people paid attention to how they set-up, and not just flop themselves on the bench like a dead fish, they’d see a drastic improvement in their benching performance.

But all of that is for another time.  Today, rather, I’m going to share with you a section that I had to omit due to word count restrictions.  In no uncertain terms, I submitted the original version and received a comment back from my editor along the lines of “WTF Tony??????”

Which was was her way of saying, “lets cut this bad boy down a few hundred words. Whadya say?”

Nevertheless, I did exactly that but figured the information was still valid and could be useful for a lot people out there reading.  Soooo, here you go.  Enjoy.

Tips for a Badass Bench (the part I had to ax)

As with any exercise, the bench press follows a strength curve. Meaning, depending on length-tension relationships of the muscles involved with the movement, certain portions of the lift may be more problematic than others. For instance, some trainees tend to have more trouble off the chest, and tend to miss the lift during that portion. On the flip side, some may lower the bar to the chest, crush it, and then stall mid-way through or even closer to lockout.

Or, you know, you’re delusional and the weight could simply be too heavy.

Just throwing it out there……..

Everyone’s different.

Speaking in general terms, however, for those who tend to miss off the chest, some dedicated speed work may be in order.

In other words, getting faster will undoubtedly help you get stronger.

I go into a little more detail on this in the actual article (which I’ll link to once it’s available), but suffice it to say placing a little more emphasis on bar speed, and subsequently, possessing the ability to plow through any sticking point will go a long way in terms of increasing one’s bench pressing prowess.

Relative to most trainees reading, though – especially beginners and intermediates –  it wouldn’t hurt to incorporate some high(er) rep dumbbell presses into the mix. Dumbbells allow for a bit more range of motion compared to the bench press, which, for those who tend to be weaker off the chest, can come in handy.

For those who seem to stall halfway up, or even at lockout, board presses would be very useful.  Below is a video of Jen Comas Keck board pressing her ass off.  She’s a lot better looking than me, so I figured the guys reading would appreciate the hook up.  And, for the ladies, they’d have the opportunity of seeing another female lifting appreciable weight.

Basically, while board presses do decrease the range of motion, they allow you to overload the ROM where you’re weakest.

Simply put, you take a pair of 2-by-4s and either tape or nail them together. From there, either have someone hold them in place on your chest or just stick them underneath your shirt.

You set up as you normally would, un-rack the bar – with a hand-off, of course – lower the bar to the boards and come to a pause; let the bar sink into them, and then press as explosively as you can.

The above is an important point because many trainees tend to use more of a tap-n-go approach which is flat out wrong.

Using a variety of boards – 1 board, 2 boards, even 3 and 4 boards – is a fantastic way to help increase your bench. But only use them sporadically and not as a substitute for full-range bench press variations.

And finally, as counterintuitive as it may seem, spending more time building the backside of your body can come in handy when trying to increase your bench press. Firstly, from a postural standpoint, training the backside can help to offset many of the imbalances that can arise when benching too much. Yeah, I’m talking to you.

It’s not un-common for many coaches and trainers to program more horizontal rowing variations like seated rows, 1-arm dumbbell rows and chest supported rows to help retain more structural balance. In fact, it’s not un-common to see some coaches program two to three rowing variations for every ONE pressing variation.

Also, having a strong – and thick – upper back will provide more of a base of support to bench from. Look at the backs of any lifter who has an impressive bench – powerlifters are a great example. They’re backs are ginormous.

You can’t expect to build an impressive bench press JUST by bench pressing. While specificity is important, you also need to address your weaknesses. And for many, it’s a small and weak upper back.

Nothing revolutionary, by any means, but hopefully these tips shed some light on a few of my thoughts; and trust me, the full article will be way m0re boss.

Have any of your own tips?  Chime in below……

And remember, I’ll keep you posted on the actual – full length – article as soon as it’s up.

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Tony Visits Diesel Strength

One of the coolest parts about my job – other than all the free t-shirts – is the fact that I have the opportunity to meet a lot of smart and really amazing people in the industry.

As an example, I remember way back in 2006 when I had just started getting my name out there (I had like two or three articles on t-nation.com), I met Dr. John Berardi for the first time in person. He had come to Boston to do a presentation on his G-Flux System, and Eric and I were “hosting” him during his stay.

Having read most of his books and articles up until that point, and looking up to him as someone whom I greatly respected, you could say that I had a little bit of a man-crush on the good doc.

When he arrived at the gym where he was presenting, I felt like a school girl at an N’Sync concert. Weak kneed and with brown paper bag in hand, I feebly approached him and introduced myself.

Me:  Hey John, it’s really great to meet you, I’m Tony Gentilcore.

JB:  Oh, hey Tony!  Nice to finally meet you. I’ve read some of your stuff.

Me (hyperventalating): Uh, I like turtles.

What the what!!?!?!?!  He knew who I was!?!  And, he read some of my stuff! This is amazing!  OMG, do I have something in my teeth??  I’m going to be so embarrassed if I have something on my teeth.  Deep breaths, Tony.  Deep breaths.

Okay, it didn’t really go like that, but suffice it to say, at the time, it was kind of a big deal for me.

That same weekend, coincidentally, I met another dude for the first time, Jim “Smitty” Smith.

Many of you who read this blog on a regular basis will know Smitty very well.  He’s the author of Accelerated Muscular Development, AMPED Warm-Up, has been featured in numerous publications like Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Livestrong.com (to name a few), and he runs a very successful blog himself, www.dieselsc.com.

Throughout the years, Smitty and I have exchanged emails and even bumped into one another at various seminars and symposiums, always talking shop and exchanging ideas along the way.  He’s a really bright guy, and unlike me, developed an un-canny ability to look at things from outside of the box.  I swear if there was a strength coach version of MacGyver, Smitty would be it.

This past summer, Smitty and I both attended the Peak Diet and Training Summit, and I came to find out that the gym where he trains is literally like a 45 minute drive from my hometown in central New York. For some reason, in all the years that we’ve known each other, I didn’t realize that.  Then again, I don’t remember what I had last night for dinner, so he could have very well told me several times, but it went through one ear and out the other.

I told him that the next time I’m home visiting family, I’d try to make a cameo appearance to get a lift in.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, while visiting my old stomping grounds during Thanksgiving, Lisa and I took a trip to Horseheads, NY to visit Smitty.  Yes, you read that correctly – Horseheads, NY. Where I’m from, towns have weird names.  For those wondering, it’s about five miles east of Goatsvagina, NY.

The facility (Elmira Fitness Center) is HUGE!!!!  The building itself is a renovated grocery store of some sort, and they took half of it and made it into a gymnastics club – which is where Lisa and I walked in and met Smitty with his crew warming up.

Cue the Wu-Tang, and we were ready to go.  Smitty led the group, taking us through more of a hybrid, fluid-based warm-up – where movements weren’t quit as “robotic,” but instead melded into one another. It was a definitely a nice change of pace and something that I’m going to start incorporating more into my programming (see AMPED Warm-up, above).

Adding onto that, all the jumping, rolling around that was included (on the spring board loaded floor, mind you), and I have to say it was one of the best warm-ups I’ve ever been through.

From here, I’m just going to have the videos do the talking.  All I’ll add is that it was an awesome experience, and Smitty did a superb job of getting me outside of my comfort zone. He coached the shit out of myself and Lisa, and at the end, Lisa looked at me and said, “babe, that was the most fun I’ve had training in a loooooooong time.”

Can’t say that I disagreed with her.  Thanks Smitty for letting us stop by, and for an amazing experience!

Diesel Row

Here, Smitty combined three movements (inverted rows/pull-up/glute activation) into one.

Softball Pull-Ups (AKA: Smitty Ball Pull-Ups)

Here’s a more challenging variation of pull-ups using softballs as handles.  Brutal!

Bamboo Stick Press

To make the stick, Smitty used two PVC pipes.  From there, all you do is attach a kettlebell on each end (or a light weight plate) and press away.  This is a fantastic drill to help build shoulder stabilization and to get the rotator cuff to fire in a more functional manner.  Smitty likes to use this as a pre-cursor to regular benching – oftentimes telling his guys to get “x” number of reps in prior to their bench session.

As you can tell from the video, I kinda sucked at it the first time through – but around the 3rd set I started getting my groove.

Macebell

Indian clubs have grown in popularity in recent months as a way to build shoulder mobility and core strength.  So of course, Smitty being Smitty, he took it a step (or seventeen) further and decided to attach a f***ing bowling ball at the end of a stick.

Yeah, that sucked!

To end the session, Smitty took me through the Diesel Man Maker – the name says it all. I thought it was going to involve chopping down a tree or something……….but I was wrong.

The video is still uploading on Youtube, so I’ll have to wait to post it later on today.  Check back again when you’re bored.  Until then……….

UPDATE:  see video below

ALSO:  Today is your last chance to purchase Dean Somerset’s Post Rehab Essentials at the discounted $60 off the regular price. Dean went out of his way to provide a really solid product that will undoubtedly help a lot of trainers out there become better at their craft and learn to program around almost any injury they’ll come across in a commercial gym setting.

After midnight, though, the price goes up – so take advantage now while you can!  Tick, tick, tick…….

The Diesel Man-Maker

After watching that again, I still hate my life.

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Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 12/8/2011

First off, my apologies for not putting up a post yesterday. I was having some technical difficulties with the site, and was trying not to jump out the window, but thankfully the guys over at Copter Labs took care of it in two shakes of a lambs tail (name that movie reference), and now we’re back on track and ready to roll.

To make up for it, check out the picture to the left (<===== No, you’re other left), which should provide a few LOLs.

In light of the conversation from two weeks ago, where Congress deemed tomato paste, and as such pizza, a vegetable, I thought this picture (sent to me from Mike A.) was hilarious.  Giving credit where it’s deserved, regardless of how messed up the whole situation is, whoever the manager is of that particular Pizza Hut obviously has a sense of humor.

Also as a quick aside, this is the last day to take advantage of the $1 trial offer by Pat Rigsby, Eric Cressey, and Mike Robertson on The Fitness Business Blueprint.

For what it costs to buy a pack of gum, you can take it for a test drive and see what it actually takes to build a successful fitness business. What’s more, at the end of the trial, if you like it, you’ll save an additional $100 off the regular price. BOO-YAH!  It’s a no brainer. Act quickly, though,  because the offer only lasts until the end of the day today.

*** Sorry for the late notice on this one.

Ladies and CrossFit:  Will the Weightlifting Make Me Bulky? – I have no idea

Tuck your chin, for the love of god!!!!

As much as I grumble about CrossFit – and I do, I admit it – there are a few redeeming qualities and many affiliates out there who go about doing it the right way and don’t make me want to throw a chainsaw into my face.  This article was forwarded to me by one of our ex-clients because he knows how much I love reading material that advocates for women to lift heavy things.

This is one of the better articles I’ve read at articulating to women why lifting weights won’t make them bulky or turn them into Chyna.

Intra – Set Cocaine is a Hell of a Drug – Lee Boyce

As I’ve noted time and time again, there’s nothing to be gained from consistently making yourself want to shit your small intenstine every time you train.  Sure, there’s a time a place for it.  And, I’d argue that it’s actually necessary in order to make significant progress in strength, performance, as well as aesthetics.

Having said that, hard(er) doesn’t necessarily mean better. Taking it a step further, quality of movement oftentimes trumps quantity of movement.  Here, Lee offers some insight as to why not beating yourself into oblivion is the key to long-term

Functional Assessment and Exercises to Enhance Hip Flexion – Mike Reinold

For those in more of a nerdy mood, this is an excellent post by Mike on how to assess and enhance hip flexion – which is an often overlooked (and woefully deficient) movement pattern in today’s society.

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Post Rehab Essentials

I don’t care if you’re a personal trainer who just started working at the local Gold’s Gym last week, or a seasoned veteran who’s been training people for the past 10-15 years, it’s inevitable that you’re going to be working with the walking wounded at some point in your career.

Everyone  you work with is injured to some degree. While some may walk in on day one with an already pre-existing condition – like an ACL injury or AC joint issue – others may walk in completely asymptomatic and be pain free, yet if you were to take an MRI of their spine, it could very well resemble something coming out of a meat grinder.

Nevertheless, having the ability to work around various injuries and not only help “fix” people but still elicit a training effect in a safe and timely manner, is an invaluable skill for any trainer or coach to possess.

Furthering the point above, those trainers who go out of their way to better themselves and learn to develop a bit more of a corrective exercise background, are the one’s that tend to separate themselves from the masses.

Which brings us to my good friend, Dean Somerset.  Dean just released his latest product, Post Rehab Essentials, which is designed for trainers looking to increase their knowledge of how to work with various injuries in a gym-based or studio setting. Truth be told, there’s a rather large knowledge gap between those who know a whole lot about every aspect of training and those who are looking to get a strong foothold and take a step up from average.

Dean was kind enough to send me an advance copy a few weeks ago and all I have to say is that after viewing it, I wish I could just hop onto Craigslist, do a search for “Flux Capacitor,” and then go back in time for the sole purpose of scissor kicking myself in the face for relying too heavily on what my text books told me.

Suffice it to say, it would have saved me A LOT of time if I had resources like this back then.

To that end, Dean was nice enough to sit down and answer a few questions regarding the fitness industry as well as discuss Post Rehab Essentials.

And, because I know some people won’t even bother to read the interview (tsk, tsk, tsk), here are some important things to consider:

1.  Dean breaks this down into four sections:  Introduction, Upper Extremity, Lower Extremity, and the Spine. He not only discusses some basic anatomy, but also covers assessment as well as programming variables. It’s pretty much one of the most baller products out there geared towards rookie and intermediate trainers.

2.  I think it’s an awesome product that will help a lot of trainers out there become better at what they do. This undoubtedly gets the Tony G seal of approval.

3.  Post Rehab Essentials is on sale only from now until Friday (12/9).  After that, the price increase $60, so be sure to take advantage of the savings while you can.

Okay, I’ll let Dean take over from here.

TG:  Dean, lets cut the formalities, most of the people reading this know who you are, because we’re always creepin on each other’s blogs.  For those who don’t, here’s a quick primer:

Dean’s a personal trainer and exercise physiologist who specializes in post-rehab programming, and being really smart. He likes walks on the beach, and, much like me, has an affinity for obscure Jedi references. Heck, we’re practically the same person – except he likes hockey, and I’m way better looking.

Anyways, Dean, tell us a little bit about the driving force behind Post Rehab Essentials. 

DS:  The whole program came about when I had 32 medical professionals referring me business a few years ago, and wound up at a point where I literally couldn’t take on any more business without training 4 or 5 people at once, and that was something the insurance providers and the referring professionals got pissed about.

As a result, I began to look for other trainers to off-load some clients in order to keep business flowing, but I wanted to make sure they had the right skillset to work with these people. No sit and reach testing or max rep pushups here, I wanted to have people who could look at a client and determine why their rotator cuff was getting all beat to hell.

 

As I’m sure you can attest, these kinds of trainers are few and far between, so I had to build a program that would cover the basics to up the games of those who would be working for me, coving all the major injuries you would see in a gym setting: rotator cuff tears, ACL reconstructions, disc herniations, and a few dozen others.

Once I began teaching the trainers what to do and what to look for, they also wanted to have some pre-made programs they could use with their clients (and even themselves) to help get the ball rolling. This was an idea that also piqued interest with a few doctors and insurance providers, so having the standardized plans in place helped actually build more business. Plus, it meant if a client came in with a rotator cuff issue, I could hand them to anyone and they would get a safe program that would help them out.

TG:  That’s awesome, and just goes to show how establishing a solid network of other fitness professionals can be a powerful thing.

Would you agree that the gap between the personal training side of things and physical therapy side of things is closing?  In my opinion the gap is smaller than we think, but it’s a dangerous line to walk because we now have plenty of personal trainers out there thinking they’re capable of diagnosing things because they read a book or two on the topic.  What are your thoughts?

DS: I totally agree that the gap is getting smaller, but I need to preface that a little more. The gap is getting smaller AT THE TOP of the fitness industry, and seems to be getting wider at the bottom, where the entry-level certifications are pumping out trainers with little to no experience with injuries whatsoever.

As a result, I’ve seen trainers telling clients with some obvious structural issues to “push through it” when performing overhead press and weighted crunches. Serious spin kicks needed in those situations.

At the same time, you’re absolutely right when trainers feel they can diagnose after reading Sahrmann or McGill for a weekend. The funny thing is that I’ve specialized in injury post-rehab for the better part of a decade, worked with dozens of doctors, physios and chiropractors in their clinics, observed multiple surgeries, and had my training programs picked over by some of the best minds in rehab, and I don’t even diagnose.

Sure, I can tell a lot about someone by looking at them, but there are some really specific red flags that I look for to see if going to keep training with me or go back for more treatment. I may know in the back of my mind that the person in front of me is presenting with all the right symptoms for a specific diagnosis, but I want to make sure I’m right before I decide on anything, otherwise my wrong move may wind up causing some big issues. I always want to have two sets of eyes looking at a client to make sure, and every other trainer should do the same.

TG: What do you feel are the key components for success in this industry?  More to the point, what can incoming (and current) trainers do to better set themselves up for long-term success.

The biggest advice I could get for any trainer is simple: Get better results for your clients, and get better results for more clients. Knowing how to help a client lose 5 pounds is great, but if you can help them lose 50 pounds, they’ll pay closer attention. Likewise, if you can help them lose 50 pounds, increase their strength, make their back not hurt anymore, and reduce their odds of having a total knee replacement (or helping them do all this after they’ve had a knee replacement) can make or break your ability to have someone open their wallet to get you to help them. The more problems you solve, and the better you solve them, the more in demand you will become.

 

The next piece is to make yourself a specialist in SOMETHING. I hd a client a few years ago who was a young lawyer, and he was all excited when he got his first actual business card, which read on the back “Specializing in marital law, business law, tax law, criminal defence, civil rights, andreal estate.” This means he didn’t specialize in anything at all.

He was a generalist. You shouldn’t be a generalist, because when someone needs something really bad, they want the best at what they do. They’re going to come to you, because you are the best at what you do (hopefully). Whether it’s preparing for a figure contest, getting baseball players ready to throw heat, or helping someone fix their wonky knees, make it your goal to have something account for 80% of your business.

TG: Great insight, Dean.  I couldn’t agree more.  And lastly, if you could, can you give my readers the 5 minute elevator pitch – or in this case, the 500 word pitch – as to what Post Rehab Essentials brings to the table?  Basically, how will this make trainers more awesome?

DS:  Knowledge is power, and this is never more resonant than in fitness.

The trainers who spend the most time learning from as many different sources as possible tend to make the most money, and tend to have the best reputations as fitness professionals. I’m also a big believer in quality, usable content that you don’t have to have a PhD in biomechanics to understand, so I made this product cut to the chase, show why specific injuries happen, how to assess for them, and what to do with the info you get from your assessments.

This is a quick reference guide to help you solve more of your clients problems than ever before, which makes you a better trainer at the end of the day, and as a result make more money and have a greater impact on the quality of your clients lives.

If that’s not enough, consider this: more than one third of asymptomatic people walking the streets would show a partial or full thickness rotator cuff tear on MRI, especially if they’re over 60. More than half of those asymptomatic people also had disc bulges, some at more than one level. What this means is that whether you want to work with injured clients or not, you already are, so not knowing what to do about it will be the fastest way to put yourself out of business.

If that’s not enough, I’m also going to show you a thousand different ways to make your workouts better, more effective, and way more pimp than you ever thought possible.

TG:  Awesome stuff Dean.  Thanks for your time! 

====> Post Rehab Essentials <====

 

 

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Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Multivitamins, In-Season Training, MMA, and More

1.  Q:  There are a few vitamins and minerals in my diet that I don’t get quite enough of so I try to supplement with a multi-vitamin. I’ve been reading that a lot of people think that multi-vitamins aren’t really too effective though. Do you take a multi-vitamin? If so, which one do you like? If not, why not?

A:  I’ve always taken more of a minimalist approach when it comes to supplements. On one end of the spectrum you have those people who take a supplement for everything at the expense of ignoring basic food. At the other end, you have those like Steve Jobs (RIP) who, as I’ve been reading in his biography, Steve Jobs, would go extended periods where all he’d eat is fruit, and ignore supplements altogether.

As is the case with everything, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

With regards to a multivitamin, I’m actually indifferent, as I feel if your diet is diverse in fruits, vegetables, and dead animal flesh, you’re probably good to go.

Having said that, it’s pretty near impossible to ingest EVERY mineral and vitamin known to man.

Some will argue that the body can’t (or won’t) absorb anything in pill form.  Others say that’s a bunch of foo-foo nonsense. If anything, I feel taking a multivitamin is a great way to at least cover your bases. I mean, multivitamins are fairly inexpensive, so I don’t see the big deal.

At the end of day, at best, like I said, you cover your bases.  At worst:  you’re down $10 for a six month supply.  No biggie.

As an alternative, you can try something like Athletic Greens, which I feel is an awesome product and something I’ve been using for the past few months.

2.  A HUGE congratulations goes out to CP coach, George Abele, on an impressive win in his MMA amateur debut this past Saturday night.

George had a big cheering section as all the coaches, as well as many CP clients headed out to Western Massachusetts to support him beating some dudes head in.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never gone out of my way to watch MMA.  Sure, I’ve seen a few fights here and there on Spike tv, but I’d usually watch a fight or two and then flip it back over to Dukes of Hazzard re-runs or something. I just never got into them.

Let me just say, though, that when you go see the fights in person – and you actually know someone fighting – it’s a whole nother ball game.

It’s sick.

At one point, after round 2, I wanted Sparta kick a chair or something and then go all Gladiator and just stand up and yell at the top of my lungs:

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!!?!?!

Oh, I was entertained!  Great job George.  We’re proud of you.

3.  I had a senior in high-school email me about in-season training and whether or not it could be done.  Here’s what I said.

Yes

LOL. Okay, I said a little more than that.  Here’s what I actually said:

In-season training can be a bit of a conundrum, but it stands to reason it can’t definitely be implemented if done correctly.  The key is to:

  • Understand that you will lose some strength during the season. You can’t be under the impression that you’re going to make much (if any) gains during the season. So don’t get pissed if you see your gym numbers dip a bit.
  • The main emphasis of an in-season training program is to prevent injury and maintain some semblance of progress you established during your off-season training.
  • Condense training stress as much as possible.  For instance, with our high-school baseball guys, we like to hit the lower body pretty hard the day after a game.  Then, depending on the position one plays, we’ll have them get 1-2 more sessions in during the week based around their practice schedule.
  • Generally speaking, though, two or three sessions per week is completely fine (and I’d lean more towards two).  I’d make it a point of allotting one of your session to be the day after a game and then maybe another session two days prior to your next game…………..and, if you can pull it off, maybe a REAL easy GPP/mobility session the day before.
  • Please, for the love of god, refrain from doing any excessive agility or “jump specific” training during the season. You get enough of that playing your sport (basketball).  Seriously, don’t do it!

You’re a young kid, and resilient.  Assuming you’re not injured or have a funky injury history, I’d recommend Eric Cressey’s Show and Go program. It’s FOUR months of programming, and it includes 2,3, and 4 day templates, so you could easily fit it into your schedule.

4.  The following is a video that’s been making its rounds around the interwebz the past few days.  I’ve had several people send it my way asking what my thoughts were on it. But first, the video:

Here’s the description of the video on the page itself:

Taken from an event with veteran CrossFit athletes. Hitting axle clean and jerks. Supervised by Strongman Certified Coaches. Axle weight is about 10-15lbs. This lift is not a standard Clean and Jerk.

I almost feel like this is some sort of hoax. How anyone who claims to be a “veteran CrossFit athlete” or “certified strongman coach” would allow this video to see the light of day is beyond me.

I feel like the peeps who put this video up are just trying to throw more flame onto the fire – given all the negative talk about CrossFit – and get a laugh at everyone else’s expense.

I mean, seriously!?!?!?   Why not just take everyone who appears in that video and strap a rocket to their back and launch them into a brick wall?  At the very least, it would make for a killer WOD.

It’s pretty sad (and frustrating) to see this.  As a coach, it pains me to see that this is the kind of training that’s being “sold” to the masses about CrossFit. Don’t get me wrong, there ARE affiliates out there who do it right – and those coaches should be commended for their efforts.  But this?  This is just garbage.  And the  coaches involved – whether it’s CrossFit, Strongman, Olympic, whatever, I don’t care – should be ashamed of themselves.

I’m not kidding, though:  this HAS to be a joke.  Right?

5.  And finally.  I’m posting this video because it’s awesome.

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How to Set-Up to Deadlift Properly

I’m throwing you a curve ball today, and starting what I hope will be an on-going series of video blogs here on tonygentilcore.com.

My hope is that:

1.  I’m able to better convey the information I’m trying to relay to the masses. Writing is one thing, and I feel I do a decent job of not sucking at that. For many, though, they’re more visual learners, and this is the perfect medium for those types of people.

2. 2012 is looking to be the year where I put on my big boy pants and start doing more speaking engagements. The way I see it, video blogs will help me hone my skillz and hopefully teach myself to not swear like a sailor, stop saying “um” every other sentence, and to stop USING MY HANDS WHEN I TALK FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!!

3. And, more importantly, save my fingers from all of this damn typing!

Anyways, the catalyst for today’s video blog stemmed from my incessant (maybe un-healthy?) obsession with deadlifts. But more to the point, it stemmed from various questions and comments I’ve received on articles and blog posts I’ve written in the past concerning how to set-up for the deadlift properly.

Sometimes, things are just lost in translation, and I figured a video would help elucidate my thoughts more clearly and showcase some simple coaching cues I feel will benefit a lot of people.

The tipping point, however, came when an online client sent me a video of his deadlift set-up and I had to do everything in my power not to face plant into my keyboard.

It was bad. Like, “how is his spine still in one piece?” bad. And with that, I knew I had to do something other than write back “Um yeah, you need to stop doing that.”

The result?

How to Set-Up to Deadlift Properly

A few things to note:

  • I feel the set-up is something that many trainees take far too casually.  Let me be blunt:  deadlifting success and performance starts and ends with the set-up.  Foot placement, bar placement, learning to activate the lats, as well as hip placement all come into play. With the latter point for instance, people tend to set their hips either too high, where their lower back takes a beating, or they set up too low, and it turns more into this weird, squat/deadlift, hybrid thingamajig.

Hopefully this video clears some of the murky water.

  • Thanks to Kyle for being my model (and for the sweet Presidential-like wave in the background when being introduced).  Also, thanks for Marco for being Spielberg’esq with the camera work.
  • My goal was to do this sucker in one take. I succeeded. In re-watching it, though, there were definitely some “did I just sat that?” moments (did I just say “finger Kyle?” Dammit Tony!). Trust me, I’ll get better. Promise.
  • I’d love to get your feedback, so please feel free to comment below.  In addition, I’d also be interested in ideas for future installments. Is there anything you’d like to see covered?

Okay, I’ll shut up now.  Here’s the video:

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What’s the Dealo with Weightbelts?

In the words of the great 50-Cent:  Go, go, go, go, go, go.

……Go shawty, it’s your birthday

We gonna party like it’s your birthday

We gon’ sip Bacardi like it’s your birthday

In case you weren’t picking up on my vibe, today’s my birthday, soooooooo, I automatically get a mulligan for taking so long to get this post up today.

I took a personal day off from CP, and as a result I slept in, made a ginormous omelet, opened up my presents, answered some emails, wrote a few programs, dropped Lisa off at work, helped a little old lady cross the street, read scripture to a bunch of orphans, fought crime, and now I’m sitting here writing at a local coffee shop chillaxing.

I’ll hang out here for a while, and then head back to pick Lisa up whereupon she’s treating me to an all-you-can-eat-meat-buffet-extravaganza.

Life is good.

I contemplated not writing a post today, but thought better of it since I took most of last week off due to Thanksgiving/marathon football watching.  And, even more importantly, I didn’t want to leave my loyal readers feeling shafted that I haven’t been a blog writing ninja lately.

I don’t know if it’s something in the water or what, but lately I’ve been receiving a lot of inquiries about my thoughts on weight belts.  Namely, whether or not I feel there’s any efficacy for their use, and if so, when?

As is the case with any question pertaining to fitness, the answer is:

It Depends

For most, here’s where I see a belt’s use coming to fruition:

1.  They have observed others wearing them and have come to the conclusion that it will be a good idea for them to do so as well.

2.  Their back has an ouchie, and they believe that a weight belt with help alleviate the problem.

3.  They think it will make them invincible and chicks will want to hang out with them.

Attacking the first argument (everyone uses them, so I should too) – this is where I feel most trainees miss the boat entirely, and where I feel most need a little dose of tough love.

Sure, there’s a lot of research proving the usefulness of weight belts in increasing intra-abdominal pressure, as well as improving performance: go to Pubmed and do a search, or better yet, go to page 174 of McGill’s Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance, where he uses an entire chapter discussing this topic.

Here’s the rub, though. I feel many trainees tend to get carried away and tend to rely on a weight belt as crutch. Looking at the anatomy, you’ll realize that your body has it’s own natural weight belt already in place.

Anteriorly:  rectus abdomimus (or your abz, in bro-science talk).

Laterally:  internal & external obliques

Posteriorly:  erector spinae, multifidus (segmental stability), longissimus, iliocostalis, and we can even throw the lats into the mix here.

And, digging a little deeper, we can’t neglect the roles of the transverse abdominus, diaphragm, and pelvic floor with regards to core function (with both stability AND performance).

Assuming one is perfectly healthy, and doesn’t have a history of back issues, one could argue there’s no immediate use for a weight belt, and that our body does a pretty darn good job on its own!

Note:  this is taking into consideration that, despite many people being asymptomatic, MRI’s have shown 52% of people walking around have a bulge at one level; 38% have bulges at TWO levels. In short, just because you’re pain free, doesn’t mean you’re entirely in the clear.

But that’s a discussion for another day.

Stealing a section from an article I read by Dave Kirschen on this same topic:

I tend to think of a belt as a performance enhancer rather than protection. If you are lifting correctly, your midsection should be strong enough to support itself through the vast majority of tasks you put it through. You may be limited in how much weight you can lift, but you are not in any significant danger of injury without it. The belt really comes into play when you need the extra support to get after heavy weights.

I couldn’t agree more.

Outside of some heavy, I’m going to shit my spine lifting (we’re talking in the range of 90% + of one’s 1RM), weight belts, in my opinion, are less than optimal.

 

As mentioned above, belts do help to improve intra-abdominal pressure, as well as prevent buckling of the spine with heavier loads, but it’s just gotten to the point where dudes (and girls, too – you’re not off the hook!) wear belts for just about everything:  bicep curls, lat pulldowns, lunges, changing a light bulb, taking the garbage out, you name it.

It’s gotten out of hand.

Attacking the second point (your back has an ouchie, and a belt will help alleviate the problem) – again, I feel this is placing a band-aid over the real issue. Many trainees use weight belts as a crutch and fail to address the actual dysfunctions and imbalances they have.  In a way, by wearing a belt incessantly, they’re “shutting off” the surrounding musculature in terms of doing what they’re designed to do – protecting and stabilizing the spine.

This is actually a tough one to tackle, because there are obviously circumstances where a weight belt is advantageous and warranted.

As a general rule, however, most trainees would be better off taking a step back and addressing the issues at hand (unable to find, or even maintain, a neutral spine, having the t-spine mobility of the Tin Man, and hips that are stiffer than a 2×4, to name a few), rather than relying on a weight belt for everything.

And lastly, undressing the third point (they’ll feel invincible) – I’m not going to lie, there IS a sense of “comfort” and peace of mind that comes from wearing a belt; but again, unless you’re using loads upwards of 90% of your 1RM, you’re better off keeping the belt in your gym bag.

Which presents another question:

What Kind of Belt Should You Get?

Not all belts are created equal. At the expense of sounding like a broken record, a weight belt is mostly designed to help one increase intra-abdominal pressure, which in turn, stabilizes the ENTIRE mid-section. Belts that you can purchase at your local Wal-Mart that are skinny in the front and wide in the back are worthless, because they do a piss poor job at providing enough support for the entire system.

Remember that one time you decided to buy your cottage cheese from the dollar store because, well, it was a dollar? How did that work out? It probably tasted like sour butt crack, right? You get what you pay for. And purchasing a top-notch weight belt is no different.

I’d recommend heading over to elitefts.com and perusing their weight belt section. They’re not cheap, but they’re legit, and will last F.O.R.E.V.E.R.

UPDATE (March 2017): The peeps over at BarBend.com have done everyone a solid and started reviewing every weightbelt they can get their hands on. By the end of this year their goal is to have 40 or so of the top brands reviewed. You can check the list HERE.

Keeping that in mind, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take at least a few moments to discuss how to use a belt properly.

1.  Seriously, don’t wear one for every exercise!  Squats and deadlifts would be the staples. Others on the list would include goodmornings, HAS (Heavy As Shit) farmer carries, and competition bench presses. I’m sure I could think of more, but whatever.  The point is if you’re wearing a weight belt to perform tricep kickbacks, you’re tool.

I’d recommend going belt-less for all of your warm-up and build-up sets. From there, once you reach roughly 90% of your 1RM, strap that baby on and dominate!

2. Mistakenly, many trainees tend to latch their belt on as tight as possible – to the point where they’re cutting off circulation. Again, the belt is there to help, but you also need to do some of the work. Instead, leave some wiggle room and latch the belt a little looser than usual. This way you’re forced to PUSH OUT against the belt and get more kinesthetic feedback.  Additionally, as a result, you’re teaching yourself to increase intra-abdominal pressure without relying too heavily on the belt.

3.  And that’s about it.  This ain’t rocket science, yo.

I’m sure I’m missing some points, and I could expound on a few things in more detail, but I think you get the gist.  At the end of the day, I can just defer to Dr. McGill on the matter:

If one must lift a few more pounds, wear a belt. If one wants to groove motor patterns to train for other athletic tasks that demand a stable torso, it is probably better not to wear a belt.

What are YOUR thoughts?  Agree? Disagree? Don’t care? Sound off below.

PS:  It’s MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

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Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: The Day Before My Birthday Edition

That’s right, it’s the day before my birthday. For the record, I wear a size 10.5 shoe, large t-shirts (okay whatever, smedium), and if you’re looking for any other gift ideas, I’ve been eye-balling the Star Wars collection on blu-ray.

…..I also take gift cards.

Truth be told, I’ve never been much of a birthday person.  I mean, I’m one of seven BILLION people in this world, so who am I to think that November 30th is somehow a bigger deal than any other day throughout the year? Come to think of it, though, I do share a birthday with Bo Jackson – so that’s pretty baller.

Nevertheless, tomorrow I turn 35.  35!  To put that into perspective, 20 years ago Goodfellas came out in theaters (but Silence of the Lambs won Best Picture.  Bullshit!), The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was my favorite television show (Blossom was a close second), and I was totally performing my fair share of bicep curls while listening to Gonna Make You Sweat by C+C Music Factory.

In a way, I guess you could say I was pretty awesome for a 15 year old.

Okay, enough with the walking down memory lane business – I’m sure this is just thrilling to everyone reading. Anyways, here’s some stuff to check out that I felt were fantastic reads from this past week!

Core Power, with a Twist – by Tonge Mccor Erotempo of Econazole

For those wondering who the hell Tonge Mccor Erotempo of Econzole is – that’s me; albeit it’s my Star Wars name. Go a head and click the link.  Don’t pretend you don’t want to know what yours is as well.

If you turn to page 57 of this month’s issue of Men’s Health (the one pictured above), you’ll see a quick 15-Minute workout I wrote.  Sorry there’s no link, so you’ll have to visit your local CVS.  That is all.

The Real Reasons You Should Exercise – by Ericka Hurst

This blog post was sent to me by my internet buddy, Juliet, because she felt it would be something I’d think was pretty badass.  And she was right!

I’ve always been curious as to why, when a woman is seen training her butt off in the gym, she’ll inevitably be approached by someone asking “so, uh, what are you training for, a competition or something?”  My girlfriend gets interrupted all the time during her training sessions by either personal trainers or random gym patrons asking her about her program (which I write). She doesn’t mind or anything, and she’ll answer their questions, but it’s funny to think that just because she’s performing a heavy set of deadlifts followed by kettlebell swings automatically means she’s stepping on stage next week.

Why can’t a woman train just to train?

I love Ericka’s comment:  I workout because being weak and mediocre sucks!

Right on!

New Cholesterol Guidelines:  Utter Madness – by Jonny Bowden

Anyone who’s been reading my blog for a while knows my thoughts on cholesterol. I think it’s been wrongly demonized, and feel that the lay public is woefully misinformed.

Here, Jonny Bowden responds to the news that The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has issued new guidelines on cholesterol, and now advise screening for all children between the ages of 9-11.

I’ll let Jonny take over from here, but suffice it to say, I couldn’t agree more that this is setting a very, very, very dangerous precedent.

How a Chubby Trainer Became the “Go To” Guy Among Dozens of Hardbodies – by John Izzo

I’ve always appreciated John’s perspective on things, because he doesn’t sugar coat anything. If you’re an upcoming trainer or coach, you’d be remiss not to read this excellent post. At the end of the day, it comes down to something Mike Boyle has stated numerous times:  no one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.

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Food Industry’s David vs. Goliath?

It’s the Monday after Thanksgiving, and I’m back (and recovered from the 48-hour insulin coma fest I put myself through). What can I say: I’m powerless when it comes to my mom’s homemade apple pie.  And don’t even get me started when it comes to stuffing and pumpkin rolls.

Needless to say, it was great to see my entire family and spend some quality time with them – as it is, I’m only able to make it home once or twice per year. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t spend the rest of the weekend trying to detox my body. Once we made it back to Boston Saturday night, Lisa and I bee-lined it to Trader Joe’s and bought enough greens to feed an army.

Which serves as a perfect segue to today’s dose of WTF.

Last week I was sent THIS (includes video) story from a local news station about a New England area artist, Bo, who’s also a small biz owner behind the slogan “Eat More Kale.” It’s a labor of love for Bo, who’s been hand making EVERY t-shirt that’s ordered for the past eleven years. He even made mine, which Lisa got for me last year for my birthday.

I love it. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve been walking around with it on, and some random person approaches me and asks “what the heck is kale?” or comments “your shirt rocks!”  What’s more, one time, I even had someone walk past me and throw me a friendly high-five and say “I eat kale, too!”  As if to imply that we were both part of some secret society.

It’s a conversation stimulator if there ever was one. Plus, the t-shirt clearly increases the gunnage factor of my arms, which is always cool.

Anyways, as I noted above, Bo has been using this slogan for upwards of eleven years and he’s FINALLY reached the point where he’s ready to grow and make this thing go viral. He applied for a federal trademark recently only to receive a document from a lawyer stating that “Eat More Kale” too closely resembled that of the fast food chain Chick-fil-A, who’s slogan “Eat Mor Chikin,” clearly draws from the exact same audience (note sarcasm).

Lets think about this for a second. While I’m a clear exception, I’d have to say 80-90% of the people who purchase an Eat More Kale t-shirt are most likely vegetarian.

Moreover, what’s the likelihood that anyone who goes out of their way to purchase an “Eat More Kale” t-shirt would even step foot in a fast food chain?

Taking it a step further, how can anyone claim the slogan “Eat More…..[insert whatever you want here]” as their own?  So, if I were to make a shirt that said Eat More Diarrhea, would Chick-fil-A come after me?????

According to the lawyer, who’s clearly a douchebag to the douchiest degree, Eat More Kale:

“…….is a clear encroachment upon Chick-fil-A’s prior and superior nationwide trademark rights.”  Furthermore, Chick-fil-A somehow feels that Bo’s one-man show t-shirt company is deluding the profits of their corporation.

I just feel that this is probably the most absurd thing I have ever heard, highlighting corporate bullying at its finest, and just goes to show that big food are a bunch of dicks.

Do me a favor, if this pisses you off just as much as me, go HERE to sign a petition that will demand that Chick-fil-A stop being a bunch of a-holes and prevent them from blocking EAT MORE KALE’s attempt at a federal trademark.

Consider it your good deed for the day.

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Trainees Don’t Know How to Learn

Thanksgiving is right around the corner!11!1!  I’m excited because out of all the holidays we celebrate throughout the year here in the States – Christmas, Valentine’s Day, my birthday – it’s my favorite because there’s no pretentiousness to it. Sure, it’s getting a bit ridiculous with all of the Black Friday sales now starting on Thursday……

But in the end, Thanksgiving is about family, friends, and of course, FOOD!!!

I’m heading into the facility shortly to coach an abbreviated day, and then tomorrow we’ll open our doors early for our annual Cressey Performance Thanksgiving Morning Lift.

Think of it as our version of a 5K Turkey Trot, except instead of running, we’re lifting heavy things.  For a quick glimpse, check out this video from a few years ago – which may or may not include me flexing my bicep at the 0:33 mark.

HINT:  it totally does.

It’s kind of a big deal, with people signing up to attend weeks (even months) in advance.  You think I’m kidding, but I’m not.

Afterwards, Lisa and I will be heading back to my old stomping grounds in New York to spend a few days at my parents house, so the likelihood that I’ll be posting anything from now until Monday is somewhere between not a chance in hell and probably not. But hey, you never know.

On that note, have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone. Eat a slice of apple pie for me. Actually, eat two!

Today’s guest post comes from personal trainer Jon Goodman. Jon has asked me to contribute on his site several times, and he offered to return the favor. I thought it was fantastic, and hope you do as well.

Trainees Don’t Know How to Learn

Every once in a while I step out of my boutique studio bubble and enter a big box gym to see how the rest of the World is training.

I know what you’re thinking – this is another rant about the evil empire and we need to burn the owners of big box gyms at the stake. (cue Darth Vader theme)

But hold on for a minute, I’m going to take this article in a different path. I didn’t see a whole bunch of meatheads, idiots, goombas (my personal favourite) lifting improperly. Quite the opposite:

I saw people dedicated to training. I saw people trying to get better. I saw people really trying to train the right way. And you know what? they weren’t doing a bad job. Coaches like Tony are becoming more prevalent and I can say with all honestly that mainstream media is doing a better job in giving the public researched information. I pick up an issue of Men’s Health and can proudly say that not only am I friends with but I also have respect for the majority of the writers in each issue.

So why are People Still Lifting Badly?

The majority of folks in the gym and probably every single person who reads this blog want to lift well. The Goomba squatting 3 plates to a 2.3inch depth doesn’t want to lift poorly, I promise you. In my eyes, the problem is two-fold:

1. Trainees don’t take the time to learn exercises properly before pressing beyond their capabilities (kind of like a fitness Peter Principle)

2. Trainees don’t know how to learn

Tony was nice enough to give me opportunity to help. I’m going to solve both problems for you in one with this short article by teaching you briefly about the physiology of skill acquisition and how you can quickly and effectively use it to learn new exercises fast.

Oligodendrocytes, Astrocytes, and Myelin… oh my

Skill is a cellular insulation that wraps neural circuits and that grows in response to certain signals

Hold your breath – Here comes the science talk. I listed a couple references below but I urge you to check out Daniel Coyle’s brilliant book The Talent Code as well.

I’ll start first by describing an action potential. Without it, movement would never happen. When your brain decides to squat, deadlift, push, pull, lunge, or twist it fires impulses to the muscle. That impulse travels along nerve fibres until it reaches a neuromuscular (joint between the nerve and muscle) junction (NMJ). Once it reaches the NMJ a neurotransmitter is released which crosses the junction to the opened receptors on the other side. Once there, the neurotransmitter enables the Myosin filament to grab onto Actin and BOOM! We have a muscle contraction.

The above is an incredibly simplified version of what actually happens but enough for the scope of this article. What I didn’t mention is that the transmission of the action potential travels along the nerve fibre to the NMJ via voltage gated channels. Speeds vary and the signal can leak out. Our body has developed a system of insulation (called myelin) to conduct the impulse better and avoid leakages.

That much has been understood for years. What wasnít understood was the incredible contribution the myelination system actually does.

In fact, myelination is the key to acquisition of skills and the more myelin you have, the better you are at that skill.  In Daniel Coyleís own words:

The revolution is built on three simple facts. (1) Every human movement, thought, or feeling is a precisely timed electric signal travelling through a chain or neurons ñ a circuit of nerve fibers.† (2) Myelin is the insulation that wraps these nerve fibers and increases signal strength, speed, and accuracy.† (3) The more we fire a particular circuit, the more myelin optimizes that circuit, and the stronger, faster, and more fluent our movements and thoughts become.

The precise mechanism is completed by supporter cells called oligodendroctytes and astrocytes. They sense a nerve firing and wrap more myelin on the fibre that fires.

Preciseness

The beauty of the myelin system is in its simplicity. It makes sense that the more myelination we have, the better insulation our nerve fibers will have and therefore signals will get from one place to the next faster and more efficiently.

The last piece of the puzzle is how unbelievably precise this system is. Oligodendrocytes and astrocytes have no idea what you actually want to accomplish. Their job is to line the nerve that fired. Translation ñ If you fire a nerve fiber improperly, you reinforce that habit. To add to it, in the absence of aging or disease there is no human process to remove myelination. This explains why habits are so hard to break. Your only way to break bad habits is to re-learn new habits stronger.

Since Myelin is a Scienfitic Process How do we Do it Right? … or Better

struggling is not an option, it’s a biological requirement

Before I lay out the steps to better myelinate yourself allow me to drop some numbers on you:

  1. Neural traffic that was once travelling at 2mi/hr can accelerate to 200mi/hr
  2. The refractory time (wait required between signals) can decrease by a factor of 30
  • Together that makes for a 3 000X increase in information processing capability!

Personally, I wouldn’t mind being 3 000X better at something. So here’s how you do it:

1. Have a blueprint. I send my clients videos on new exercises and make sure they watch them before I teach them the movement. The first step in learning a new skill is having the proper form cemented in your brain. You should always be able to close your eyes and visualize what an exercise should look like. Put a video of the exercise on your ipod and watch it before and after each set constantly trying to emulate the form.

The better you get at visualization, the quicker you will learn

2. Fail better. Repeating bad habits is a sure fire way to keep your bad form. The minute form goes awry, stop the set, put the bar down, close your eyes and visualize the step you did wrong. When you pick back up the bar focus on your improper step (if possible only practice the one movement you screwed up).

Try ñ fail ñ fail better

Timing is everything

Consider the unlimited possibilities in movement that our bodies possess. Our neurons are unable to coordinate the timing precisely so myelin has taken on the challenge. Think of how many different movements are involved in a basic squat. If 100 nerves are firing to complete that movement all of the different fibres must be timed perfectly to interact with each other within milliseconds. That’s the power of myelin, it’s the timing mechanism. Visualization and failing with purpose are paramount. Thank me later when you lifts dramatically improve.

References

Yamazaki Y, Hozumi Y, Kaneko K, Sugihara T, Fujii S, Goto K, Kato H. Modulatory effects of oligodendrocytes on the conduction velocity of action potentials along axons in the alveus of the rat hippocampal CA1 region. Neuron Glia Biol. 2007 Nov;3(4):325-34. PubMed PMID:18634564

Fields RD. Imaging learning: the search for a memory trace Neuroscientist.†2011 Apr;17(2):185-96. Epub 2011 Mar 14. PubMed PMID:21403182

The Talent Code – Daniel Coyle

Who’s This Jon Guy?

Jonathan Goodman is a personal trainer out of Toronto on a mission to help as many trainers as possible. In doing so he’s set up a collaborative free resource for personal trainers with some of the brightest minds in the industry called the Personal Trainer Development Center (www.theptdc.com). You can also find him at www.jonathangoodman.ca or on Facebook or Twitter.