Note: I tried to embed the video, but for some reason I’m having a brainfart this morning and couldn’t figure it out. To that end, you’ll have to click on the link to see the video. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these types of blog posts, so I figured I’d revisit my old blogging roots and have a little fun today.
I happened to catch this story on the FRONT freakin page of Yahoo last night, and just had to share it with all of you – mainly because I know many of you would appreciate the absolute redunkulousness of it.
Okay, if you can make it through the entire video without:
For those who couldn’t make it all the way through, let me recap the entire routine for you:
1. Leg raises — 12 reps, 2 sets each 2. Diagonal isometrics — 3 reps per side, 8 seconds each 3. Breathing exercise 1 — Inhale for 5 seconds and slowly exhale, 3 reps 4. Breathing exercise 2 — While taking quick breaths, tighten, inhale, and exhale, 12 reps 5. Ball crunches — 17 reps
For the record, here are my thoughts on ball crunches.
With that out of the way, I almost feel like this is the type of routine that someone would come up with on a whim. You know, kind of like when you’re trying to stall someone, but you don’t really know what to say or do, so you just start making stuff up as you go:
“Here, grab this! Swing it around for 37 seconds. Sing Humpy Dumpty while you do it. Now, uh, come over here. Put your hands over your head. Jump up and down on this BOSU ball for 13 minutes and seven seconds . Feel it? Okay, so now we’re going to, ummmmm, come over here and blow up these balloons while doing crunches on a stability ball. 68 reps.
I have a pet Unicorn! Weeeeeeeeeee.”
Seriously, there was absolutely no rhyme or reason to that routine what-so-ever. How in the hell do you differentiate between exhaling 15% of our air as opposed to 22%?? And, I’m pretty sure that somewhere out there, Dr. Stuart McGill just punched a hole through a wall after watching that disaster. Worse case scenario, a small piece of his soul just died. I mean, what ab routine wouldn’t be complete with dedicated TA training and spinal flexion galore – two components of ab training that, coincidentally, Dr. McGill completely poo-poo’s on in both of his books Low Back Disorders and Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance?!
Whatever. To each his own I guess. Oh, Hollywood, thanks for the entertainment.
With spring coming to an end, things have been amping up at the facility the past few weeks with many of our college athletes (old and new) starting to make their way back for the summer. Some are only here for a few weeks before they head off to their designations for summer ball, while others are here for the foreseeable future getting ready for next season.
Nonetheless, to say that we’re expecting to be busy would be an understatement. What’s cool is that we have guys coming in from as far away as Alaska, Colorado, and even Hawaii to spend their summer with us. With that, however, comes the inevitable conversation explaining why the “band work” routine their coach gave them as their “prehab” mumbo jumbo isn’t necessarily the best option when it comes to rotator cuff work.
In its defense, traditional band work isn’t inherently wrong (or even bad) – it’s just not ideal given that there are far better options in our proverbial “tool box.”
That said, below are a handful of rotator cuff exercises we utilize at Cressey Performance with our baseball guys, and to be perfectly frank, with many of our regular clients as well. You’re welcome!
Side Lying External Rotation – with arm abducted 30 degrees
Contrary to popular belief, there’s no need to get all fancy with rotator cuff work. I don’t quite understand where the notion came from, but it seems that there are a lot of coaches and personal trainers who feel that unless there’s a smoke machine or laser show involved, the exercise is useless.
What’s surprising, is that the side lying external rotation – arguably the simplest rotator cuff exercise in existence – is one of the most effective.
For starters the adducted (arm to the side) position is a far more advantageous since there’s less risk of inducing impingement. Keep this in mind the next time you’re working with someone coming off a shoulder injury.
Secondly, and most important of all, EMG tests have shown repeatedly that this exercise induces greater activity in the infraspinatus and teres minor, thus demonstrating that keeping it simple can be more effective. What’s more, with the arm abducted (slightly) – either with a towel or half foam roller – you place even more emphasis on the rotator cuff since you’re taking the deltoids out of the equation.
It’s important to note, though, that you DO NOT need a lot of weight with this exercise – 2-5 lbs will be plenty for most trainees. More to the point, it’s also crucial that you don’t go to fatigue (not only with this exercise, but ANY rotator cuff exercise), as you’ll often start to use faulty compensation patterns leading to superior migration of the humeral head. Put another way: impingement can occur.
So, in short, you’re not going to be using heavy weight with this one. Sorry.
Standing Shoulder W
Again, keeping with the “simple is better” theme, this is an exercise popularized by physical therapist and Boston Red Sox athletic trainer, Mike Reinold. Mike has always done a fantastic job of explaining how we’re a very upper-trap dominant society, and as such, are prone to shoulder ouchies.
The easy fix, then, would be to pay more attention to the LOWER traps, which are woefully weak on most individuals. In addition to the above, the standing shoulder w exercise provides a lot of bang for our training buck, combining shoulder external rotation, scapular retraction, and posterior tilt, all of which are beneficial for optimal shoulder health.
The video above is pretty self explanatory – the only point I’d like to stress is that you want to make sure you squeeze your glutes during this exercise so as not to compensate with lumbar hyper-extension.
Rhythmic Stabilizations
Lastly, are rhythmic stabilizations. Many are quick to say that the rotator cuff’s main job is to externally/internally rotate and abduct the shoulder. While that’s true, unfortunately, we’re not playing Jeopardy, and it’s a bit more complicated than that.
To that end, while the rotator cuff does invariably play a significant role in external/internal rotation, as well as elevation of the arm, you’d be remiss not to recognize that it’s main function is to simply center the humeral head within the glenoid fossa. Given the more dynamic nature of life (and sport), this makes sense.
Rhythmic stabilizations are a superb rotator cuff exercise to utilize as it forces the muscles of the RC to fire in a more “functional” manner. You don’t need to go all Mr. Miyagi, either. Ideally, you’d GENTLY tap the elbow and upper arm for 10-15 seconds per side, and that’s that.
We like to utilize these as a “filler” exercise during rest intervals. After performing your main movement, say, deadlifts, kneel down on the floor and have your partner tap each arm for 10-15 seconds. You COULD do these on your own, but the unpredictive pattern is the key to the exercise.
And I’m Done
And there you have it – a few of the more popular (and effective) exercises we use at Cressey Performance with regards to the rotator cuff. Again, this isn’t to say that your typical band work is pointless – but rather, it’s just to reiterate that you don’t need high repetition (fatigue inducing) exercises in order to be worthwhile. Keep it simple, do it RIGHT, and you’re golden.
1. Well, if you’re reading this right now, you survived the end of the world on Saturday. High five! I have to say, even if the world DID end on Saturday, I was going out with a bang. Eric Cressey’s “surprise” b-day party (I say “surprise” because I almost let the cat out of the bag the day before like an asshat) was Saturday afternoon, complete with great people and of course, copious amounts of dead animal flesh: including but not limited to, steak tips, chicken breast, and PIG!
Nevertheless, if the world ended right then and there, I would have been happy.
2. For the past month and a half, two members of the CP staff, Chris Howard and Pete Dupuis, have been grinding their way through Chad Waterbury’s PLP: 60 Day Challenge. For those not quite familiar, in a nutshell, you take three movements – the push-up, lunge, and pull-up (PLP) and add ONE rep every day for 60 days.
Assuming you can already perform ten repetitions, you start with ten and then add one rep each day until the challenge ends 60 days later. So, for those who are mathematically challenged, it will look something like this:
Day #1: ten reps each (ten push-ups, ten lunges – per leg, and ten pull-ups)
Day #2: eleven reps each
Day #3: twelve reps each
All the way to day 60, where you’ll end up performing 69 (<===== LOL. Yep, I’m immature) reps each.
The idea is simple: improve your work capacity and get jacked, lean, [insert any word from the brosef dictionary of training here]…all while getting girls to want to hang out with you to boot. You get the idea. If not, read the freakin article!
Anyways, Chris has one week left, and I think Pete is somewhere between “why the hell did I decide to do this” and 52. Now, to clarify, all of this is in ADDITION to our regular training sessions – so it’s not like they’re ONLY doing this challenge. What’s more, I’ve seen firsthand the results they’ve gotten, and I’ve officially thrown myself into the fire as of last week – albeit, I’m only on day four (14 reps each).
I’ve tweaked my plan slightly, however. I’m still including the pull-ups and push-ups, but have opted instead to do goblet squats instead of lunges. My knees will thank me in the long run.
Moreover, unlike Chris (who has been doing PLP as a separate workout everyday), I’m just going to intermittently get all my reps in as the day progresses. A few reps here, a few reps there, shirt optional.
Once I get up to the 40ish range, on my “off” days, I’ll set everything up as a circuit and perform my reps as quickly as I can. According to Chris, who again, is in the 60s right now, he can do it in about 20 minutes. So, this will serve as a great conditioning component as well.
Needless to say, it’s going to make for an interesting two months. Who’s in????
3. And lastly, my girlfriend and I decided to go see the movie Bridesmaids yesterday. Now, under normal circumstances, any movie with the word “Bride” in its title would normally make me sprint in the other direction. But, knowing that the movie was produced by Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, 40 Year Old Virgin), and not to mention has been getting rave reviews, I decided to risk the public scrutiny (hahahahahahaha – Tony’s walking around with a ball and chain around his mancard) and go see it.
All I have to say is that it was hands down THE funniest movie I have seen all year. While the media will sit here and say that it’s “uncomfortable” to watch women cuss like sailors, fart on camera, talk crudly about sex, and act like dudes – to me, funny is funny. I honestly haven’t laughed that hard during a movie in a loooooooong time.
Note: the post below links to my latest article on livestrong.com.
Whether your goal is to lose a few extra pounds, increase your bench press, train for a marathon, or just look and feel better, the gym — and more specifically, the part that holds all the dumbbells, barbells and other cool, shiny stuff — is a great place to start.
Countless people already hit the weights on a daily basis, though some may be doing more harm than good. There’s no such thing as a contraindicated exercise, just contraindicated exercisers. Put another way, and using a common example, not everyone can or should walk into the gym on day one, put a bar on the floor and deadlift it. Too many factors — training history, injury history, mobility and postural deficits — come into play that can affect the safety of the move, let alone its effectiveness.
Also, on a quick aside: Eric Cressey turns 30 years old today – which means I’m no longer the only staff member who can remember how cool it was, back in the day, to show up on the first day of school dressed up like Don Johnson from Miami Vice. So money.
From NOW until this Sunday (May 22nd) at midnight, you can purchase Show and Go for $50 off the regular price. And, since the world is apparently ending tomorrow, if you want to get jacked and hella strong, do it quickly.
Every night I come home from work where I usually sit down, make a protein shake of some sort, defrag my brain for 20-30 minutes (ie: put some light jazz or classical music on the radio), and chillax. Afterwards, I’ll pop open my laptop, procrastinate, read some miscellaneous stuff, and then start sifting through emails and respond to queries from distance coaching clients and such.
After that, I’ll play catch up on any other “project(s)” I have in the works: articles, programs, or future blog ideas. Yes, my life is that exciting.
The latter, however, is what got me last night. Sometimes I’ll think of a good blog idea from a conversation I had at the facility, or I’ll read something in an article or book and want to elucidate my own thoughts on the matter. Or, much like last night, I’ll draw a blank, start hyperventilating into a brown bag, and ask for help on Facebook. Before I hit the hay last night, here’s what I left as my status update
Quick, give me an idea for a blog post!
I woke up this morning still not really sure what I wanted to write about, but thankfully, a few “friends” came to my rescue.
One idea in particular which a handful of people suggested – and it’s actually something I’ve been meaning to write about, but just never got to it – is the whole concept of how to go about training obese clients. Given the popularity of shows like The Biggest Loser (and the inevitable face palm I give myself everytime I watch an episode), I thought it would cool to jot down a few ideas.
The Anti-Biggest Loser Approach
Since this is a pretty heavy (ha, no pun intended, sorry) subject, and one that could easily turn into a full-length article, I’m going to instead write this post in list format and use more of a bullet-point approach. Basically, all I want to do here is
The most important thing you need to remember when training an obese client is that you can throw the rules out the window. I remember an article that Mike Boyle wrote on the topic not too long ago where he stated that, much to my surprise, there are a few things that he WON’T do with an obese client, namely: foam roll, static stretch, core work, and single training.
What the What???
I know it sounds like blasphemy to say the above should be omitted, especially given that they’re pretty much the staples of any well-rounded program, but here’s some rationale.
Foam Roll: for many, this will be a workout on it’s own, and will undoubtedly affect the rest of the training session moving forward. Getting up, down, then back up again is going to be cumbersome for the obese client. Moreover, and this is something I didn’t think of until Mike pointed it out, it could very well be embarrassing for the client – and that’s something you want to avoid at all costs.
Static Stretching: much like above, stretching can be problematic. And, to be honest, as much as I feel that tissue quality and health IS important – when you’re dealing with someone who’s upwards of 100+ lbs overweight, there are more pressing issues to be dealt with and prioritized. You know, stuff like not having a heart attack.
Core Work: here is where I kinda disagree with Mike (to a degree). I think much of the “core” work that obese clients will receive will come from the training in general, so there’s no inherent need to include a lot of isolated core work. That said, I do feel that exercises such as standing band pallof presses (and the like) are a valuable addition, and provide a lot of bang for their buck with regards to training obese clientele. Planks, on the other hand, not worth it.
Single Leg Work: under normal circumstances, I’d place single leg work as arguably one the most important components of a well-rounded program. But here, not so much. Think about it, if you’re working with an individual who’s 300+ lbs, that’s A LOT of weight to place on the knee joint, and it’s something that’s going to be far too challenging for them to do – maybe even dangerous.
Again, and I can’t reiterate this enough, it’s about showing them SUCCESS and not making them feel like a walking ball of fail! The last thing you want to do is have him or her perform exercises that are too hard or just plain impossible to do, because the likelihood they’ll come back is slim to none.
On that note, please, for the love of god, stop with this whole “functional training” mumbo-jumbo. Having a client juggle oranges while standing with one leg on a BOSU is NOT functional. It’s dumb, and a complete waste of time.
In its place, I’d focus more on basic movement patterns. You know, things that they’ll actually use in every day life: squat pattern, hip hinge, upper body push, upper body pull, etc. Too, it probably wouldn’t hurt to include some basic dynamic movement drills into the mix as well.
So, using a few examples, it may look something like this:
Squat Pattern: Bench of Box Squat using bodyweight only to start. In addition, don’t be too concerned with attaining proper squat depth here. Surprisingly, some obese clients will demonstrate great hip mobility with the squat; but for those who have a problem, just use a ROM that they’re able to achieve and work off of that.
***Of note: I’ve found that the TRX is a FANTASTIC tool to use when teaching an obese client to squat. By un-loading their bodyweight, you can easily “groove” an almost picture perfect squat pattern with the TRX.
Upper Body Push: Preferably, I like to use a push-up pattern here where we elevate the client on the pins of a power rack; or by using the wall. Whatever works
Hip Hinge Pattern: Depending on how kinesthetically aware they are, you can use an elevated trap bar, or, go straight up dowel rod against their back to groove the proper deadlift pattern.
If the former, again, use an elevated setting with the trap bar. If the latter, simply place a dowel rod against their backside, and make sure that they maintain all three point of contact (band of their head, middle of shoulder blades, and sacrum) as they practice the hip hinge pattern.
Alternatively, exercises such as pull-throughs and maybe even kettlebell swings – done correctly – would be an ideal option here.
Upper Body Pull: Again, this is where the TRX becomes a valuable piece of equipment as it uses their own bodyweight as resistance and can easily be adjusted to fit their current strength levels. And, of course, we could also implement exercises like standing 1-arm cable rows or band rows here as well.
Dynamic Movement: Here, we can possibly incorporate simple movement drills like high knee walks, or maybe even something like a modified yoga plex.
Also, you can include things that are more metabolic in nature like med ball circuits, or even the airdyne bike depending how much you want them to hate life (and you).
Putting it all together, a workout may look something like this:
Warm-Up: walk on treadmill for 5-10 minutes
Pre Work: X-Band Walks 2×10/leg, Band Pull-Aparts 2×10
A1. Bench Squats x 8
A2. Push-Up – elevated on pins x 8
A3. Pull-Through x 10
A4. TRX STEEP Inverted Row x 10
A5. Band Pallof Press – alphabet (see video above) x 1/side
A6. Overhead Med Ball Stomps to Floor x 10
Perform above circuit for 4-5 rounds (taking as much time between exercises as needed), with 90-120 seconds of rest between each round.
Follow this with either a circuit of Kettlebell (of DB) Farmer Carries, Prowler, or airdyne work for 5-10 minutes.
I could easily keep going, but this is already getting long enough. And all of this isn’t taking into consideration the diet side of things. That’s a whole nother ball of wax.
In a nutshell, though, it pretty much gives you a basic idea of how I would go about designing a program for an obese or overweight client. It’s pretty much the polar opposite of what The Biggest Loser portrays – but I’d be willing to bet that my way will yield better long-term success without pounding people into the ground.
Have any of your own nuggets to share? Feel free to comment below!
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. But trust me, it’s nothing as profound as the Governator’s recent admission that he fathered a love child with a household staff member more than ten years ago. Oh man, I did not see that coming. Although, when you think about it, now we know why he was always smoking cigars; each one could have been celebrating the birth of another secret child. HA! Get it?
Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, my little secret. So, uh, yeah here it is:….I was never an avid reader growing up. See? I told you it wasn’t anything to write home about.
When I was younger, “reading” to me was anxiously awaiting my Sports Illustrated to arrive in the mail every week, or reading the back of a cereal box as I ate breakfast every morning before school. That was about the extent of it.
I remember my 11th grade English teacher, Ms. Hurst, making us read Macbeth for a month, and it was absolute torture. Fast forward to college, in my first semester, I had to take an Introduction to Novels class, and the first book on the list was Madame Bovary. I never wanted to fall on a chainsaw so much in my life. How I made it through that class – with a B no less – was a miracle.
Admittedly, once I started taking courses that were more relevant to my chosen profession, I didn’t consider reading as much of a chore. Call me crazy, but for a meathead such as myself, reading about the differences between type I and type II muscle fibers was a heckuva lot more entertaining than George Orwell’s 1984.
All the same, it wasn’t until 2003 that I started reading for enjoyment. Without getting into the particulars (a certain girl essentially took my heart, poured gasoline on it, set it on fire, then proceeded to stab it repeatedly with a steak knife. I’m over it, though), by happenstance I came across the Modern Library’s list of The Top 100 Novels, and I decided right then and there that I was going to spend my summer putting a dent into it.
And a Nerd is Born
From there, I was hooked. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I must have read 15-20 novels that year alone. Vonnegut, Hemmingway, Steinbeck, you name a classic, I probably read it. I read in my apartment, on random benches throughout my hometown, and I’d even spend my Sunday afternoons at the local Borders reading, oftentimes finishing entire books without paying for them. You could say I was sticking it to the man.
To this day, I’m still working my way through that same list. As it stands right now, I’m reading The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (# 19 on the list – I’m not reading them in order). And by now, you may be wondering what any of this has to do with anything related to fitness.
Well, the other day my good friend, Bret Contreras, wrote something on his blog asking the question: “Why are so many fitness professionals reading books on motivation?”
These days all sorts of coaches are reading motivational and inspirational books. I’m more interested in reading books and journal articles on Strength & Conditioning or Physical Therapy. Don’t trainers and coaches realize how much knowledge is out there and how little the average person knows? Are we so unmotivated that we have to constantly read books to keep us focused?
To his credit, Bret did go on to say that it’s important to be reading two books at once: one that’s scientific and related to your field (in this case, strength and conditioning), and one that’s for pleasure or personal growth. And I agree 100%.
Thing is, though, many fitness professionals (especially those just entering the field) miss the boat entirely, and tend to fall into one extreme or the other.
On one hand, you have those who read anything and everything related to strength and conditioning, physical therapy, corrective exercise, nutrition, so on and so forth. And that’s it. They read blogs (hopefully this one), articles, watch webinars, and consider Science and Practice of Strength Training their holy bible.
That is all well and good – and I applaud that. But at the same time, if you have the personality and communication skills of a water heater, and aren’t able to articulate those skills to quantifiable results with a real, live person then what good does it do? And this isn’t even scratching the surface as far the pyschology of training. That is, motivating someone to do what you want them to do.
Conversely, there are plenty of internet gurus out there who couldn’t tell you the difference between external and internal impingement of the shoulder; yet, can sell ice to an Eskimo. Sadly, many coming into the field are far too concerned with making a quick buck than actually putting out quality information, or actually making an effort of knowing what the hell they’re talking about.
And, while it really has nothing to do with the conversation at hand: I’m always fascinated by these trainers who look like they couldn’t punch their way through a wet paper towel, trying to sell their latest e-book on how to get jacked and swole.
It’s analogous to the health teacher whom you catch lighting up a cigarette in their car, or the accountant who files for bankruptcy. Integrity has it’s worth.
Anyways, I guess all I’m really trying to say is that 1) I was a complete tool back in 2003, and 2) you need to find a balance of both book smarts and street smarts to be successful in this industry. For every book you read by Gray Cook or Mike Boyle, pick up another one by Dan Ariely or Malcolm Gladwell
In today’s day and age, learning how to market one’s self is – for better or worse – a growing requirement in the field. Learning how to “sell” yourself and attract (and maintain) clients is an integral part of success in today’s digital world.
By the same token, it’s kind of important to know what the hell you’re talking about, too. And, it probably wouldn’t hurt to read a classic here and there as well. Just sayin…..
Okay, I’ll admit I’m being lame to start the week. Not much going on in the way of new content so far, but I’m hoping to up my game in the next day or so. As it stands today, I’m swamped with the ladies group, and Eric and I are filming some exercise demonstrations this morning for our soon-to-be epic online database. which will serve as a great resource for our current CP and distance coaching clients.
Don’t know what a Reverse Lunge with Posterolateral Reach is?
BAM
Go to the site, click on the link and you’ll know.
That said, since I’m short on time, I’m going to leave you with some stuff to read. Holla!
For those people wondering what it’s like to be an intern at Cressey Performance, this is your chance to get an inside look. Here, Jay Bonn discusses everything from coaching cues to my pecs. Okay, kidding. But in all seriousness, it’s a great read, and it’s awesome knowing that our interns are walking away with a great experience. One minor detail left out, however, is the fact that we never put the last intern class through a death circuit.
After posting my knee-friendly blog last week where I discussed my afinity for the airdyne bike, my friend PJ Striet contacted me to note that he, too, wrote a similar post not long ago. For those looking for a little more ass-kickery in their lives, look no further!
If there was ever an article that deserved it’s own slow-clap button, this is it! Definitely opens your eyes to some of the shenanigans and politicing that goes down behind closed doors with regards to the food policies we’re told to follow.
Apparently I lied. I don’t piss excellence. I just spent the past 45 minutes writng today’s post, only to see nothing appear when I clicked “post.”
Excuse me while I go punch a hole in the wall. With my face.
UPDATE (10 minutes, and one concussion later): Okay, so rather than be a jerk and leave you hanging, I’ll just write a Cliff Notes version of what I originally wrote.
1. Last week was a big week at Cressey Performance. Our athletes were pissing excellence all over the place, and while I know Eric highlighted many of these over on his blog already, I figured I’d show some love, too.
Tim Collins absolutely shoved at Yankee Stadium last week. You can watch the highlights HERE. In addition, Tim stopped by MLB Network to talk some shop with Mitch Williams on his mechanics. Pretty cool stuff to say the least! Click HERE to watch.
Both Trystan Magnuson (Oakland A’s organization) and Steve Cishek (Florida Marlins organization) had Big League call ups last week. Congrats fellas!
Stanford University sophomore, Sahil Bloom, earned his first victory of the season holding off Pacific with five scoreless innings pitched.
Softball star, Lauren Tuiskula, struck out 13 batters while tossing a no-hitter, leading Leicester to a 2-1 victory over David Prouty. The win helped Leicester qualify for the Central Massachusetts State Tournament
And lastly, the Sox swept the Yankees this past weekend, and more importantly Youk made Joba cry.
All in all, it was a pretty surreal week for us at the facility, and something we likely won’t see repeated any time soon. But, nevertheless, it’s always awesome to see our athletes kicking ass and taking names.
2. Keeping with the baseball theme, I wanted to give a shout out to my alma mater, Mercyhurst College, for winning the PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) title this past weekend.
They head to Eastern PA this weekend to compete in the Division II Atlantic Region Championship Tournament. Coach Spano, who was the assistant coach when I played there (1997-1999) and took over as head coach the year after I left, has done a fantastic job at building a nationally ranked program. Congrats coach, and good luck!
3. I just submitted an article this weekend to both t-nation.com and livestrong.com, so keep your eyes peeled for those. As well, I should have my first FEATURE article in this month’s issue of Men’s Health magazine (what, what!), so I’ll definitely keep you posted on that, too.
4. For those interested, someone sent THIS link on my Twitter feed listing every exercise I’ve ever featured in my “Exercises You Should Be Doing” series. Pretty cool stuff!
And, after that I wrote about how I overheard some girl at Whole Foods over the weekend mention how she had just started running barefoot (presumably after reading Born to Run) and wanted to know if there was any supplement she could take to reduce the swelling.
I went on to say how that would be akin to someone reading how lifting weights can make you all big and swole and stuff, and then heading over to Westside Barbell tomorrow to go toe to toe with AJ Roberts.
Probably not a smart idea.
As much as the shoe industry has fooled us into thinking that we NEED footware, we also need to realize that we’re not meant to run on pavement! I just find it comical how people think they can skip steps 1-117, and then can’t figure out why they hurt themselves, or why they never stick with anything all the way through. It’s kind of like the person who decides that they’re going to start a diet, but rather than reduce their calories by a few hundred kcals, they decide to do something more advanced, like intermittent fasting.
Then, after two days, they feel like crap, and attack the stack of Oreos stashed underneath their bed. If people took the time to make the proper progressions, and not feel like they had to be a hero all the time, they may actually find they’ll get better, long-term, results.
Honestly, what I originally wrote was way more cool than that – but I hope you get the general idea. I’m just really pissed right now and need to go lift something heavy.
Q: What are the best resources for getting awesome at writing programs? Besides CPT textbooks?
I remember watching a movie a few years ago (okay, a lot of years ago) – I think it was either Finding Forrester or Dead Poets Society (or something that was equally as likely to lower my sperm count) – where one of the main characters, a writer no less, asked his mentor a simple question: “How do I get better at writing?”
“Simple,” the man replied, “you write.”
In much the same way, the best way to get better at writing programs is to……wait for it……….wait for it………………..WRITE PROGRAMS!
Sorry if you were waiting for something profound, but really, it’s as simple as that.
Lets be real for a quick minute. There are plenty of internet gurus out there, living in their mother’s basement, with over 10,000 posts on 17 different forums who can quote the likes of Mel Siff, Yuri Verkoshansky, Vladmir Zatisiorsky, Tudor Bompa – or anyone else who’s a lot smarter than any of us will ever be – like it’s their job. Guess how many people these gurus train? I’m willing to bet, zip, zero, nada.
Taking it a step further, and maybe throwing a little tough love your way, you can have all the book smarts in the world, and could very well be a walking encyclopedia of knowledge bombs, but if you’re unable to actually apply that knowledge to an actual real-live person, then what’s the point?
Reading about program design is a helluva lot different than actually siting down and writing a well-thought out, and structured program. You know, much like reading about driving a car is much different than actually sitting behind the steering wheel for the first time; or how reading about asking a girl out is a walk in the park compared to the real thing.
*enters time machine, and travels back to 1997*
Me: Hey
Girl: Hi
Me: Okay, good talking to you.
In all three scenarios, until you actually do it……a lot, it won’t get any easier. And, if you ask me (and you did), that’s the quintessence of program design – just doing it.
Which isn’t to say, that there aren’t any valuable resources out there that can help. There are plenty. Some that quickly come to mind would be things like Mike Boyle’s Functional Strength Coach series vol I, II, and more recently III, Mark Rippetoe’s Practical Programming, Charlie Weingroff’s Training=Rehab, Rehab=Training dvd set, or even Assess and Correct will undoubtedly lay down a solid foundation – a blueprint if you will – for designing programs.
Even still, none of the above, alone, are going to end up being the panacea of program writing ninja awesomeness – because writing (good) programs doesn’t come down to ONE book you read, or ONE dvd you watched. It comes down to experience.
If you had access to my laptop right now, you’d easily find 500+ programs I’ve written over the years – some good, some bad, but mostly good (at least I think so).
I look at programs I wrote when I first started in this industry, and I can’t help but wonder: what the hell was I thinking????? I feel like I should go to an AA meeting for bad program writing.
Hello, my name is Tony Gentilcore, and yes, there was a time where I used to write leg extensions into my programs.
At the time, I’m sure I thought I was the mack daddy, but in reality, I just didn’t have much experience. Since then, I’ve worked with everyone from professional athletes to 85 year-old grandmothers (and everything in between, including teenage girls, soccer moms, and weekend warriors).
I’ve worked with fat-loss clients, powerlifters, people with chronic back pain, obese clients, and have even trained several women through their pregnancies. All of which had different goals, needs, injuries, weaknesses, strengths, imbalances, you name it. Either way you slice it, that’s a lot of programming, and I feel fairly confident that I could write a program for a one-armed Centaur coming off an ACL injury if I had to.
So, in closing, here’s what I’d do if I were you. Sure, you could buy any one of the resources I mentioned above, you could read blogs, articles, books, whatever. All of those will definitely help. Please, read to your hearts content.
But the real dealski is this: just practice writing programs. Ideally, you’d be writing programs for actual clients, but you could just make up crazy scenarios and see how you would program for each one. We do this all the time with our interns, and they love it.
Case in point: Twenty-four year old male, former college football player, just diagnosed with a disc bulge at L4, AND has a sports hernia. What would you do?
Before I get into my three favorite metabolic protocols for people with bum knees, I have a very important announcement to make. No, it has nothing to do with a cannonball (ALA: Will Ferrell, in the movie Anchorman).
No, it has nothing to do with hitting a 600 lb deadlift (trust me, when that happens, you’ll know). And no, it has nothing to do with me divulging any plans to release a product anytime soon (although, that will definitely be in the cards at some point this decade year. I promise).
Actually, the truth is, my girlfriend and I signed a lease earlier this week, which makes it official: we’re moving in together. Yay for co-habitation!!!
Note to Lisa: Just a heads up babe – I pee in the shower.
Anyways, it’s a big step for sure, but it’s something that we’ve been discussing for a while now. We found a ginormous apartment in an area that we love in the city, and we’re really excited to make it ours.
The move in date is in less than a month, which means, among other things, I need to go through my t-shirt drawer and decide which ones I want to take with me. You could say that collecting vintage t-shirts is a hobby of mine, and while some (Cobra Commander) I’m going to keep forever, others are so old and crusty that I could probably walk over to the local nursing home and donate them as penicillin. HA! Get it?
So, that said, if any of you have any words of wisdom (or encouragement), please, feel free to chime in below. I mean, now that we’re moving in together, Lisa is pretty much obligated to make me ham sandwiches everyday, right? Right?
Okay, enough with beating around the bush – lets get down to business. Now, if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, it’s no secret that even though I’m 34 years old, I have knees that are seemingly older than Gandalf. Zing! Count it! Man, I’m on fire today!
As such, while I’m still able to hit my lower body pretty hard, I still have to be careful when it comes to things like squatting (consistently), sprinting, and any other modality that puts a lot of stress on the knees.
Now, before I go on, let me be perfectly clear: despite what a lot of people say – you can ALWAYS train around an injury. I won’t belabor the point – especially since I wrote on the topic already, HERE – but suffice it to say, while I definitely have to tweak my programming accordingly (not to mention stay on point with things like foam rolling and other soft tissue modalities), I still feel I’m able to get a great training effect and maintain (if not improve) my overall strength and conditioning levels following a few basic tweaks – seen below.
As the title above suggested, today, I want to focus more on the metabolic or conditioning side of things – because, lets me honest, when you have cranky knees, doing anything more than a light jog (or even walking) can oftentimes be problematic.
Here are my top three metabolic protocols in no particular order. And, as it so happens – there’s no smoke and mirrors involved.
1. Airdyne Bike Intervals
I’d argue that no one piece of equipment (other than the Prowler) is despised more in our facility than the airdyne bike.
When it comes to interval or metabolic training, not many pieces of equipment can trump the full body effect that the airdyne bike has on the body; which is why I like to follow what’s called the 180 Rule. Which is this: whatever you see the vast majority of people using in the gym (elliptical trainers, for example), do the exact opposite. In layman’s terms, the equipment that no one ever uses tends to be the ones that are the most useful.
See that airdyne that’s tucked over there in the corner of the gym that you thought was part of an antique exhibit? Yeah, you should use it.
People don’t use them because they’re hard, and they’re not fun (and coincidentally, they don’t have a flat screen television attached to them either).
While you can certainly keep things easy and just follow a simple 1:2 or 1:3 (work: rest) ratio – something like 15s of work, followed by 45s rest for a certain amount of time (say 10 minutes) – I like to kick things up a notch and follow a protocol popularized by Christian Thibaudeau:
1a: 30s, easy
1b: 20s, hard (and by “hard,” what I really mean is pretend that a lion is chasing you while you have a steak tied to your back. GET MOVING!!!!!)
2a: 60s, easy
2b: 30s, hard
3a: 90s, easy
3b: 40s, hard
4a: 120s, easy
4b: 50s, hard
5a: 150s, easy
5b: 60s, hard
6a. 180s, easy
6b: 70s, hard
Cool down for 5 minutes, and allot some time to catch your breath.
And yes, if you don’t have access to an airdyne bike, you can still use a regular bike here. The only thing you need to be cognizant of is that you must make sure to increase the resistance on the sprints, and lower the resistance during rest intervals. And clean up your pool of sweat, you jerk!
2. Slideboard
I’ll be honest here and say that there was a time where I felt the slideboard was a foo-foo piece of equipment that I would NEVER use. Then, I actually took my head out of my ass, started listening to people like Mike Boyle (who expounds on their efficacy religiously), and finally started seeing just how valuable and versatile they can be.
The slideboard may be the best, most cost effective conditioning mode available for athletes exclusive of actually running (which for those with bum knees, ain’t gonna happen).
Taking a page from Boyle, the slideboard offers the following:
Places the athlete n a sport-specific position, almost regardless of sport.
Positively stresses the abductors AND adductors muscles.
Allows athletes to work in groups of three to four on one piece of equipment
Provides work capacity training in an interval format with no adjustments, all for under $600.
What’s more, it’s a VERY joint friendly modality to use when someone suffers from knee pain. Moreover, think about how we generally train as a society: we tend to be VERY linear with our movements, doing things in a straight line all……….the………freakin………time. With the slideboard, however, we can now train lateral (side-to-side) movement, which undoubtedly is an important component of any well-rounded program.
Keeping things simple, I prefer to use standard work: rest ratios here. Meaning, one would basically slide for 20-30 seconds, rest of 60-90 (or longer) seconds, and repeat for a required amount of time.
3. Stadium or Hill Sprints
My friend Nia Shanks is going to love this, since she’s ALWAYS telling people how running hill sprints is the bees knees.
I have to say, I kinda agree.
Now that the weather is nicer here in Boston, every Sunday my girlfriend and I head over to Harvard University and run sprints up the football stadium. Here’s me doing my last sprint last weekend:
It’s fairly standard:
Sprint Up (or walk briskly, depending on current fitness level)
Walk Down
Repeat
Hate Life
Because there’s very little (or less) stress on the knees running up stairs (or a hill), this is a fantastic modality for those with knee issues. But, in reality, it’s a phenomenal workout regardless, and I defy anyone to argue otherwise.
So, there you have it – my top three metabolic protocols for people with knee pain. While it’s definitely not an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination, I feel that these are the three that can most easily be implemented by most people given equipment availability. Have one to share? Let er rip below!
