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I Guess There Really Is Something To This Whole Eating “Real” Food Thing

First off, I need to take care of a minor housekeeping issue concerning the RSS feed.   In the past week I’ve received numerous messages informing me that the RSS feed was acting funny.

In a nutshell, for all of you who used to subscribe to the old site via Google Reader, Feedburner, or JackedStrengthCoaches.com, you’ve probably noticed that you haven’t been getting any updates.  Sorry!

Apparently when “we” switched over to the new site, the old RSS feed was lost.  Bummer.   Nonetheless, as much as I realize it’s lame and a major pain in the ass, old subscribers will have to use the new link (provided below) to re-subscribe:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/gentilcore

Secondly, I want to share something with you that I feel paints a pretty direct picture on today’s Western Diet.

SPOILER ALERT:  it sucks!

As many of you are well aware, my girlfriend spent the past ten days down in Colombia working as a consultant for an organization called Partners of the Americas in an effort to better ascertain how she can help improve youth sports development and coaching development.

She rocked it. They loved her.  And, most likely, she’ll be invited back down on an annual basis (and bring me with her…..hint hint).

Anyways, while down there, she stayed with a host-family who, aside from adopting her as their own – introduced her to Colombian culture:  language, dance, sport, drink, and of course, cuisine.

Now, to her credit, Lisa has been a huge influence on my ever growing food repertoire.  Because of her I now consider things like kale, ginger, sprouts, garlic, and various spices (to name a few) a part of my weekly diet.  In short, she eats VERY well.

Like most people, however, she has food intolerances that she’s had most of her life.  As such, she knows what she can eat and what she can’t to keep things under control.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, when I say that things like bread,butter and cheese are on the “I’m not touching that with a ten foot pole” list.

Incidentally, guess what foods make up the staples of the Colombian diet?   Exactomondo:  bread, cheese, and butter.

As you can imagine, she was less than enthusiastic, but it was eithe that or not eat for ten days.  A funny thing happened, though.  Despite the fact that she was eating those foods with literally every meal, NONE of the issues she would normally encounter eating the same foods here, happened.  Zlich!

Why is that?

While it’s only hypothetical, we both came to the conclusion that it was the lack of chemicals in the food.  Yes, she was eating her fair share of butter, cheese, and bread, but you know what (?), she was eating REAL food.  Everything she ate was either homemade or fresh.  She also noted that the eggs where the brighest orange she had ever seen and the fruit (pineapple, mango, etc) was immaculate.

Alternatively, look at the typical American diet, wraught with a plethora of highly processed flour, meat, sugar, and manufactured “food like substances.”  Oftentimes, it’s hard to distinguish whether we’re eating food, or a chemistry experiement!

I guess, in the grand scheme of things, I just want people to be more cognizant of the fact that what we put down out pie holes – even if you ‘think” it’s healthy, is still probably loaded with god knows what.  At the end of the day, eating REAL food is probably the healthiest thing you can do.


 

 

 

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Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work (Or, Stuck At Home – Snowed In – *Grabs Staple Gun*)

Everything You Know About Fitness Is a Lie – Daniel Duane

YES!!!  Kudos goes out to Men’s Journal for running thie piece.  It’s always a good thing when the mainstream media isn’t afraid to give people a little dose of “tough love.” Here, the author is basically told he’s weaker than a baby’s fart, and that all the time he’s spent doing his “sport specific” training on a BOSU ball has been, well, worthless.  In a nutshell, he has his “come to Jesus moment,” calls out the fitness industry, and it’s glorious.

Cliff Notes Guide to Hamstring Strains – Here’s an older post I wrote last year that I felt needed some extra love.   

The Secret of Loaded Carries – Dan John

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Dan John, and this article is yet another gem by the man himself.  So, the question remains:  will I or won’t I act like a screaming 14 year old girl at a Justin Beiber concert when I go see him speak this weekend at Mike Boyle’s annual MBSC Winter Seminar??  HINT: 

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Exercises You Should Be Doing: Band Resisted Broad Jump

It’s days like this where I can’t help but wonder why in the heck I live in the Northeast.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m originally from Central NY – the lake effect snow capital of the world – so I’m used to a lot of snow.  But this is just getting borderline redunkulous.

As it stands now, we’ve gotten 50-60 inches of snow in the past 30 days, with anywhere from 12-16 apparently on its way in the next 48 hours.  Ahhhhhhhh.

To that end, with the impending weather on the way, I’m heading to the facility a little earlier than usual – so today is going to be short and sweet, unfortunately.

It’s been a while since I’ve showcased an exercise you should be doing, so I figured what better day than today.

What Is It:  Band Resisted Broad Jump

What Does It Do:  Much like the vertical jump, the broad jump starts from a standing position and essentially tests how far an individual can jump.  Tangentially, it’s arguably the best standardized test for pure power, and it’s relatively idiot proof to perform.

That said, if you’re like me and have knees that hate you, the broad jump can be unrelenting.  As such, adding the band – while not something I would do with pure beginners – helps to decelerate the body, which tends to be much more joint friendly in the long run.

Key Coaching Cues:  Take a regular light or average band and wrap it around a peg or pole that’s waist height.  Placing the band around your waist, assume an athletic position (chest out, knees slightly bent, feet hips width apart), throw your hands down as quickly as you can and leap forward.  Be careful when you land, however, because the band will immediately pull back  – STICK the landing!

Equally as important, you should still land in an athletic position as well.  What I like to tell people is that “you should land how you start.”  So, if you start with chest high, knees slightly bent, shoulders back, etc.  You should land with your chest high, knees bent, shoulders back, shirt off, etc.  Capiche?

And that’s about it.   Try it out today, and let me know what you think..

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Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 1/31/2011

My girlfriend has been away for the past ten days doing some consulting work down in Colombia, and while it was nice to have some free time to hang out with the boys, leave the toilet seat up, burp out loud, and chew food with my mouth open, I can’t wait to see her in a few short hours.  So, since I’m going to have to leave to pick her up at the airport shortly, I’m just going to leave you with a few random thoughts today.

1.  I got a message on Facebook the other day from an old friend, asking this:

What do you think about that new 17 day diet? Is it hogwash?

B to the U……….llshit.  This is hands down, the epitome of what a fad-diet looks like.  Just look at the cover and your answers are right there smacking you in the face.

– A doctor’s plan for rapid results.

– 17 days, is all you need.  Giving people the illusion that that is all it takes – 17 days.

– All that’s missing are dancing elephants, fireworks, and midgets.  Can’t forget the midgets.

Does it get results? Sure.  Are they going to last? Not a chance.

The basic premise of the diet is to change your caloric load every 17 days (why not 16?  Hell, why not 22?) to keep your metabolism “guessing.”  In short, you’re expected to cycle your calories every few days or weeks, changing the combination of healthy fats, carbohydrates, and protein that you eat.

And therein, lies the problem.  People don’t want to have to think when they eat.  Sure, someone will be able to follow this plan in the short-term, and probably see some results.  But lets be honest – who’s going to want to have to count calories, adjust macronutrients, and let food ALWAYS be on their mind for the indefinate future?

You need to change HABITS in order for results to stick. Following some “cleansing” diet that has you pissing out your ass by day eight, isn’t going to change anything.  Except maybe your wardrobe.**

This isn’t a complete waste, however.  From what I can tell, there are good things about the diet.  I mean, he streses the notion of eating “clean” foods, and that it’s okay to indulge.  But in the long-haul, this diet falls short of helping people make behavioral changes towards their eating habits, and more specifically, it’s un-realistic.

Do yourself a favor, and go to Amazon.com and purchase Michael Pollan’s Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual.

It’s like $8 and will take you 25 minutes to read, and will do a great job at introducing the concept of behavorial changes that MUST take place in order to see long-term results.

2.  If I had to guess, I write anywhere from 25-30 (sometimes upwards of 40 depending on the time of year) programs per week.  It stands to reason, then, that writing MY programs is the last thing I want to do.  I don’t want to have to think.

Starting next week, both myself and Eric Cressey are going to be following Lean Hybrid Muscle by Mike Westerdal and Elliot Hulse.  I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy last week, and after looking through it, I can’t wait to get started!  Eric already has a head start on me – hitting one of the workouts outs over the weekend –  and based off of the feedback he’s given me, it’s going to be badass!

3.  I don’t watch the show, but I watched this clip which was posted on Bret Contreras’ wall on Facebook, and I have to say, I haven’t teared up that much since Travis shot Old Yeller:

But, what’s up with Steven Tyler?  Dude is taking the creepiness to a whole new level:

4.  My new obession are sun-dried tomatoes.  I can’t get enough of them lately.  I’ve been rocking them in my omeletes lately and they’re delicious!

5.  I’ve decided that I really, really, really want to hit a 600 lb deadlift this year.  As it stands now, I’m going through a bit of a bulking phase (210 lbs and counting, thank you very much) and then I’m going to get my sexification on and diet down in the Spring.  After that, it’s game on.  The last time I tested, I hit 570 lbs and it went up fairly easily.  I figure I can follow another deadlift specialization routine similar to what EC and I did about a year and half ago, take an ample deload, and I can hit 600 like a G6.

Or, I can just wait until Nia Shanks actually comes to Boston for our deadlift-off.  Which ever comes first……

6.  Okay, time to go train.  Training at a commercial gym today.  God help me.

 

** Naaaaaaaaaiiiiiled it.

 

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Who Ever Said Lifting Heavy Things Ain’t Cardio………

 

is kidding themselves.  Or, most likely, has never really lifted anything other than pink dumbbells or their remote control.   Not too long ago, one of my female clients told me an awesome story where she was finishing up her training session at her other gym, when some older gentleman (hello Creepy McCreepypants!) approached her and said something along the lines of:

I notice you working really hard, and was wondering what program you’re following?

When my client showed him her sheet, he then asked:

This looks great, but uh, where’s the cardio?

Meanwhile, my client was literally hunched over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath after having completed a “finisher” of overhead med ball stomps paired with spiderman push-ups – for ten minutes.  Without stopping.

She got a good chuckle out of that one, and I certainly can’t blame her.  Similarly, I’m always amused whenever someone asks me how much “cardio” I do on any given week, and I see their reaction when I tell them zero, zip, nada, none.

People are often left dumbfounded when I tell them I never do any “cardio.”  Of course, this isn’t to say that I never get my heart rate elevated, which, speaking technicaly, is what “cardio” really is (i.e., anything that elevates your heart rate).  I elevate my heart rate all the time.  Just the other day, for instance, I performed a set of ten reps with 510 lbs on the trap bar deadlift, and afterwards I felt like my left ventricle was going destroy the back of it’s pants.

I challenge anyone to tell me that that isn’t cardio.  It’s not aerobic (a sustained elevated heart rate), but it is cardio.

Even still, and this is just the strength coach in me talking, I feel that “cardio” is drastically over-emphasized in today’s society.  Now, before everyone starts reaching for their pitchfork, hear me out.  I am not in any way saying that including some direct cardiovascular training is wrong, or a waste of time – it’s obviously a component of a well-rounded program.

All I’m saying is that I feel it’s waaaaaaay over-emphasized, and that people have no idea what the term “cardio” really means –  as if all that “BRISK” incline wallking you see many people do on the treadmill six times per week while they watch The Price is Right (or Grey’s Anatomy, depending on the time of day) is somehow superior to placing a barbell on their back and squatting it.

Please.

Again, I AM NOT saying that traditional cardio is bad, or dumb, or shouldn’t be included in a program.  If anything, I just want people to understand that lifting weights can be “cardio” in nature, too!  You don’t have to be on a treadmill, or stair-master, or ellptical trainer for 45 minutes a day, 4-5-6 days per week, hating life, contemplating Sepuku, in order to get a cardiovascular benefit.  I know I just rocked someone’s world out there, but it’s true.

So, to summarize:

1.  Older guys who admit to “watching you,” is downright creepy.  Nuff said.

2.  Anything that elevates your heart rate is technically “cardio.”  Taking it a step further,  I think it’s the semantics that people often get confused on.  There’s a difference between “cardio” (elevated heart rate) and aerobic (a SUSTAINED elevated heart rate).  As Alwyn Cosgrove has noted on several occasions:

“Everything that’s aerobic is cardiovascular, but not everything that’s cardiovascular is aerobic.”

3.  Who’s getting a gold star for pulling 510 lbs for ten reps?  I AM, that’s who.

4.  Traditional cardio is important – no doubt about it – but if we’re honest with outselves, I think most would agree with me that it’s over-emphasized.

5.  Donna Feldman is hot.

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Please Hold While We Take Care of Technical Difficulties

My apologies to everyone.  This may come as a surprise, but I’m not what you would call the most “technologically savvy” person in the world.  I have no idea what the difference is between RAM and ROM, and I still type with two fingers for crying out loud! That being the case, I’ve been having issues trying to learn the software for this new site, and I’m surprised that Jason (the web developer) hasn’t swallowed a vat of anthrax yet from me constantly pestering him with questions.

You’re a champ Jason!

Neverheless, I hope to get all the kinks fixed soon.  The post from yesterday, welcoming everyone to the new site, seems to be blank when people click on the link, and I have no idea why.  For some it worked, for others it didn’t.  So, for the time being, or at least until I step up my game, here’s a video from the other day of Atlanta Braves prospect, Chad Rodgers, dominating barbell reverse lunges with 225 lbs!  BEAST MODE!

UPDATE:  it worked!!!!!!  I just posted my first video without crashing the site.  Quick, someone give me a gold star!!!!

UPDATE # 2:  while I’m at it, with all the hooplah surrounding the new site, I just wanted to remind people that today (1/27), up until midnight, will be the last day you can download your FREE video and PDF from Mike Westerdal and Elliot Hulse promoting their new Lean Hybrid Muscle Reloaded manual that’s going to be released Feb. 8th.

>>>>—– CLICK HERE —–<<<<

UPDATE # 3:  snow sucks.

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Welcome To the New (and More Baller) TonyGentilcore.com

*Cue Mrs. Doubtfire voice*

Well, heeeeeellllllllloooooooo.

*Cue end of Mrs. Doubtfire voice.*  And note to self:  never do that again.  Ever!

Welcome to the new site!  So yeah, after a few months of development, this is what the end result is.  First and foremost I have to give credit where credit is due and just say thank you to Jason Lengstorf and his crew at Copter Labs for doing such an awesome job.  Believe me, I was completely and utterly out of my element with all the CMS conversion talk, WP browser checks, PSD to HTLM jibberish, integrated flux capacitors, and what have you.  Jason was more than professional, and I really can’t thank him enough other than to wholeheartedly recommend his services to anyone reading.

Now, on to the website itself:  a brief tour if you will.  First and foremost, the content and overall tone is going to stay exactly the same.  Which is to say, I’ll continue to mix content demonstrating how smart I am with fart jokes and pics of hot girls being hot.

In addition, and I think this goes without saying, there are still a few things (aesthetically speaking) that need to be fixed.  For example, you see all those boxes to the left of each blog post with the letters TG in them?  Well, from now on those will contain a picture – much like the one from today (it worked!).  Considering I have well over 600 posts on this site, I highly doubt I’ll go through and fill them all in, but you never know.

As well, many of the tabs above (About Tony, Services, Resources, Testimonials, etc) will also be tweaked here and there as the days (weeks) go by.

Blog:  is the blog itself.  Self explanatory

About Tony:  again, self explanatory – but I’ll be updating this section shortly.  Most notably, I need to go into more detail on why I like long walks on the beach and butterfly kisses.

Services:  explains – in brief detail – the services I offer.

Resources: this serves as a great starting point for anyone interested in what I feel are the best websites, books, manuals, dvds, etc in the fitness industry.  I’m constantly updating this section, and I’m currently in the process of adding pictures of each product.  Go me!

Articles:  iinks to every article I’ve written.

Testimony:  hear what other people have to say about me.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.  But mostly good.  Okay, it’s all good.

Contact me:  Especially you – Alicia Keys.

You’ll also notice that to the left of each post there are links to social media (Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon, Feedburner) – please, please, please, with (dark) chocolate covered (organic) strawberries on top, feel free to share posts that you like with your friends, family, and/or significant others.  While the site has grown a lot in the past year, I’d really love to see it grow even more.  And, it can only do so through the support of all of you who stop by and read it on a daily basis.   So, spread the word!

At the bottom of the homepage, “we” included links to MY social media (me, me and ME).  You can find me on Facebook (hi!), as well as Twitter, and you can also peruse updated pictures I post on Flickr (I need to remember to take more pics at the facility).

Additionally, on the bottom right-hand side, a random video from my Youtube page will pop up where you can view videos of me demonstrating exercises or just view various athletes and clients and CP being badass.  I’m toying with the idea of doing more ‘how-to’ or tutorial videos, so when that happens, this is the section where you’ll be able to view them.

And that, kids, is all she wrote.  So, what do you think?  Feel free to chime in below – I definitely want to hear what you all have to say!

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Why You’re Small and Weak (Most Likely)

In any given month, I’d say I get at least 1-2 emails from people asking me if I’d be willing to promote their fitness-information product. As you can imagine, much of what is sent my way I’d rather use as toilet paper; or a coaster for my coffee table at best. They’re poorly written, sloppy, and to be perfectly honest, it’s pretty clear what the author’s intentions were/are: to make a quick buck.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the underlying rationale to sell something is to make a profit – I wasn’t a Sports Management major for one semester for nothing people! But to say that 75% of what’s produced in the fitness community is about as useful as a ham sandwich at a Barmitzvah, would be an understatement.

Every now and then, however, I come across a product that I’m more than willing to endorse. My checklist (if you will) of whether or not I’ll do so is as follows:

1. Does said individual(s) actually train people? As in, do they have regular human interaction with other human beings and train them in person? Call me cynical, but in an age where ANYONE with a Youtube page and a digital camera can consider themselves a “guru,” I’m pretty diligent with filtering out the stupid.

2. Is the product actually going to help people? Granted this is only my personal opinion, but I’ve come to realize that when someone’s main objective is to INFORM and help people, the quality of the product is infinitely better.

3. Do I know you? I don’t mean personally, but it stands to reason that if I don’t know you or have never corresponded with you, or have never even heard of you, I probably won’t endorse your shitty e-book.

4. While not quite as important as the first three (except that it is), does it have a picture of an attractive female on the cover? Preferably Vida Guerra? Preferably Vida Guerra In a blue, zebra-stripped bikini?

Sold!

All kidding a side, with the release of their new and improved Lean Hybrid Muscle Reloaded manual next week, both strength coaches, Mike Westerdal and Elliot Hulse are sharing a pretty sweet (and FREE) PDF titled The Muscle Shifting Doctrine to help give people a better idea of what it takes to build a strong and lean physique. And trust me, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The Muscle Shifting Doctrine —–<<< FREE Report

I’ll be chiming in later this week with some more info, but suffice it to say, it’s a top-notch product loaded with tons of great information by two guys who know what they’re talking about. Heck, I may even take a video of myself going through one of the conditioning circuits: BRUTAL! In the meantime, though, be sure to check out the free report HERE.

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Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: 1/24/11

I just realized that I haven’t done one of these in a while, so I figured I’d take today and ramble a bit.

1. Website update: I know I’ve been saying this for a while now, but the new website is literally right around the corner. Jason Lengstorf and his staff at Copter Labs have been doing a fantastic job designing what should be, pretty much the best website ever created. We’ve had a few monkey wrenches thrown our way (mainly because I’m about as organized as Eric Cressey’s desk) , but the new site should go live sometime this week barring any major catastrophe.

Stay tuned……

2. I love watching our athletes kicking ass and taking names. Take Becca, for instance. Becca’s a sophomore pitcher at Lincoln-Sudbury high school, and she’s been training at Cressey Performance for about a year and a half now, and has gained quite the reputation. As a matter of fact, some of our older female clients joke about scheduling their training sessions around whenever Becca will be in so that they can watch her train! Totally not kidding.

And while she’s probably going to give me the look of death for saying anything, Becca recently made an 18 and Under GOLD team coached by former USA and Olympic coach, Ralph Raymond. She’ll be competing against girls who are upwards of two years older than she is, and I have no doubts that she’ll hold her own. Congrats Becca!

3. And speaking of bad-assery – check this out.

I passed the ETK man among men test for lady comrades tonight!! I did the 200 snatches with the 12kg in 9:37, and that included a 0:25 break at the halfway point to gasp a little (or maybe more than a little). For the quarter-body weight press test, I used my pre-pregnancy weight as the measuring stick and pushed the 16kg no problem. Just for grins I tried the quarter of my pregnancy weight push at the 20kg and got the right arm up no problem and the left up kinda ugly. But I count the 16kg as the real test. Not bad for 35 weeks!

That’s one of my distance coaching clients, Laura M, basically taking a massive dump on any person who’s ever said that women shouldn’t train during their pregnancy because “it’s too dangerous.” HA!

4. Just a little FYI for those who are interested in nutritional consultations. Former CP nutrition guru, Brian St. Pierre, is currently having a 20% off special that runs through the end of THIS week (January 31st). As someone who has worked with Brian and knows his style, I can say that he definitely separates himself from the masses. For more information, click HERE.

5. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted someone to feel what it’s like to be un-conscious more than this guy:

I can look past the fact that every video he does he has his shirt off – whatever. What really drives me bat-shit crazy is the fact that he (and everyone who defends him) thinks that he actually squatted 225 that many times.

I love how all these people defending him in the comments section are saying that all you need to do is get to parallel and it counts. Sure, I’d agree. But he doesn’t even reach parallel on any rep. Not even once. By my calculation, if you added up the total ROM of every rep he did, you’d get, I don’t know, retarded six.

6. It’s negative two degrees outside right now, and there’s talk of yet another storm hitting us in the middle of the week. That would make FOUR storms in the past three weeks. How many more weeks until Spring again????

7. If you like quirky comedies like me (think Rushmore or The Royal Tenenbaums), than you’ll definitely want to check out Cyrus:

I’ve always been a big fan of John C. Reilly and it goes without saying that there’s usually a 50/50 chance that Marisa Tomei will end up getting naked in any movie she’s in. Alas, while she doesn’t get naked, this was definitely a great movie to watch. Fair warming, though – while this is a comedy, it’s not The Hangover. It’s a bit of zany storyline (yes, I just used the word zany), and it definitely takes a while to get going, but it’s different, and doesn’t suck. And I can dig that. Check it out if you get a chance.

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What’s the REAL Key to Progress?

I finished a really interesting book not too ago called Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average.

I love reading books like this, which talk extensively on behavioral economics, because a lot of what is discussed (even if it isn’t directly) can be applied to what it is that I do on a daily basis: which is to help people get bigger, faster, stronger, and, if we play our cards right, make the opposite sex want to hang out with them. In short, a lot of what I do is to get people from suck to less sucky.

While the entire book was fantastic, there was one chapter in particular (We Can Walk and Chew Gum – But Not Much Else) that I felt hit the nail on the head with regards to basic human behavior.

I’m sure everyone reading this can relate to a point in time where they started one project, only to be juggling any number of things five minutes later. One minute you’re trying to iron your sweater vest for a classic poetry reading later on that night you’re taking part in to benefit the orphaned kittens foundation, only to be interrupted by a phone call from your girlfriend asking if you could pick up some milk, blah blah blah, OMG, you have to check this out!11!11!!1

Next thing you know, that sweater vest is completely ruined because you left the iron on if for too long!

You pickin up what I’m puttin down?

In a nutshell, we’re forgetful. That switching from task to task causes us to forget what we were working on in the first place; in some cases, the forgetting rate can be as high as 40%.

Additionally, using car safety as an example; driver distraction is now considered a much more frequent cause of auto accidents that safety officials once believed. One estimate, as noted by the author, found that in about 78% of crashes, and 65% of near crashes, the drivers were either looking away or engaging in some secondary task: text messaging, fiddling with stereo, etc. What’s more, it doesn’t take much to distract a driver. A two-second glance doubles the risk of an accident.

And, speaking of being distracted:

Okay, I actually have a point to all of this. Knowing what we know above (switching tasks numerous times increases our likelihood to forget things, not to mention increases our affinity to be distracted): why, then, do we think we can get away with switching our goals on a month to month basis? Nothing frustrates me more than when I’m dealing with a flip-flopper.

You all know what I’m talking about. One month you want to focus on getting stronger. The next month rolls around, and you want to focus on fat-loss. Two weeks later you read an article online that’s supposed to add 17 inches to your biceps in five minutes – you’re all over that!

Should it come as any surprise that many trainees are left frustrated that they’re unable to make any progress? Is it any wonder they’re still weak, skinny-fat, out of shape, and still living in their parent’s basement watching Glee? This is training ADD at it’s finest.

We get so caught up in trying to do EVERYTHING at once, that we often forget our original goal in the first place.

I don’t care if your goal is to deadlift “x” amount of weight, lose 10 lbs of fat, or curl in the squat rack till you vomit in your face; the real key here is, what’s really going to determine whether or not you succeed, isn’t how many different programs you can follow in a year. The answer is real simple: commitment and consistency.

I know many of you have probably heard this before, but the best program is the one you’re actually going to follow.

Take Show and Go, for example. I’ve seen first hand people lose A LOT of fat (not to mention get a heckuva lot stronger) following this program. Why? Because unlike most people who flip-flop back and forth between programs on a month-to-month basis, they actually stick with something in it’s entirety – with Show and Go, we’re talkin four months! When’s the last time you followed the same program for that long? There’s a lot to be said about being consistent.

Just ask my girlfriend.

Babe, you wanna go see The A-Team? Babe, you wanna go see The A-Team? Babe, you wanna go see The A-Team? Babe, you wanna go see The A-Team? Babe, you wanna go see The A-Team? Babe, you wanna go see The A-Team? Babe, you wanna go see The A-Team? Babe, you wanna go see The A-Team? Babe, you wanna go see The A-Team?

So, if I had to summarize this whole post it would be this: pick ONE goal and attack it like a bastard. Don’t flip-flop – you’re just going end up spinning your wheels in the end. As Dan John has said on numerous occasions, “your goal to keep the goal, the goal.” Sounds like a plan to me.