There’s an Early Bird rate for both of these events, so keep that in mind before you decide to hold off. Dean and I are really excited for this and hope to see you there!
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I have never written a perfect program for a client. I am constantly x’ing stuff out, changing this to that, and/or doing my best not to be an abject failure.
Stop thinking you HAVE to be perfect.
Have a plan, yes.
But be prepared to change something 100% of the time.
I was given a sneak peak of Precision Nutrition’s latest resource – their Ultimate Calculator – and it’s going to save a lot of people a lot of guess work (and time).
There’s nothing out there like it and it’s very intuitive to use. It bases calculations off the basic stuff like height and weight, but also takes into account goal weight, training goals, and eating/lifestyle preferences…and then offers a “menu” that can be followed using the palm of your hand as a guide.
You don’t have to be Dr. Manhattan or a master of long division to figure it out.
Adapt or “fitness influencer” status will be revoked.
Psych Skills for Fitness Pros – Bros Do Science & Dr. Lisa Lewis
Dr. Lisa Lewis has been working on her upcoming project, Psych Skills for Fit Pros – a 12 hour course on motivational interviewing, how to build and maintain motivation with clients, as well as a plethora of other topics – for the past year and this interview with Rocco Venizelos of Bros Do Science provides an amuse bouche of what to expect.
There’s an Early Bird rate for both of these events, so keep that in mind before you decide to hold off. Dean and I are really excited for this and hope to see you there!
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Nifty adductor drill.
Had a toolbag on IG say “funny ppl hate the adductor machine but do this all day.”
1. I don’t hate it.
2. Adductor machine = $1000. This drill “cost” $50 (plus I can perform hundreds of other exercises).
3. I win. pic.twitter.com/zzlkzLgBZR
Conditioning – how much to do?, how “hard” should it be?, what modalities are best? – can be a conundrum for many.
As with any question the appropriate answer is “it depends.”1
That said, the questions above are no different but are predicated on a number of things: one’s goal(s), injury history, current ability/fitness level, and whether or not they’re Bo Jackson.
Okay, that’s the epitome of “it depends.”
Even still, there’s no way a simple blog post can appropriately articulate the expansiveness of this topic and all the components at play.
However, I will say this:
Conditioning as a means to AID RECOVERY is crucial.
Conditioning is not more effective the harder you make it. I.e., it shouldn’t make you shit your spleen. If it does, you may want to head to the nearest hospital.
Conditioning That Won’t Make You Hate Life (That Much)
At the expense of making things a bit too over-simplistic, in my opinion, conditioning is more about helping to increase one’s work capacity (or ability to do more work in a given time).
Watering it down further and directing my train of thought to most of you reading: low(ish) intensity conditioning can help in the weight room and improve recovery and performance.
But if you prefer a more smarty-pants explanation, I like Alex Viada‘s say on the matter:
“If the goal is to improve work capacity (ability to do more work in a given time) it’s crucial to employ modalities that aid and promote general recovery which also create positive adaptations in durability, energy stores, cardiac output and cardiac perfusion, and other general components of overall endurance that essentially provide the foundation for an athlete to train and compete for longer while recovering better.”
The key, though, is not to be an asshat and turn something that’s supposed to, you know, help you recover…and turn it into loaded Prowler sprints paired with 400m handstand walks over broken glass for AMRAP.
Again, I can’t say this enough…
…AIDING RECOVERY IS THE GOAL.
Here are a handful of my favorite go to protocols.
1. You Haven’t Been An Athlete For 20+ Years So Lets Stop Pretending You Are One Movement Circuit
Sprinting, more often than not, will not be my first choice for most trainees.
It’s too aggressive and most people just aren’t prepared for it. Repeatedly stabbing themselves in the neck with a cactus would likely be more beneficial.
I keed, I keed.
At some point I may venture into opening things up and introducing some sprint work into the mix. But in the meantime, for most people, a more down to Earth approach to movement training/conditioning would be to implement more basic calisthenics like skipping, side shuffling, and the like into the mix.
20 yd Forward Skip
Walk/jog 20 yd
20 yd Reverse Skip
Walk/jog 20 yd
20 yd Lateral Skipping/direction
Walk/jog 20 yd
20 yd Side Shuffle/direction
Walk/jog 20 yd
20 yd Carioca/direction
Walk/jog 20 yd
Rest 1-2 Minutes
Repeat for 3-5 Total Rounds
2. Tempo “Sprints”
My expectation isn’t that everyone has to look like Tom Cruise sprinting from an alien in order to perform sprints:
However, there should be a “base” level of competence involved which is where coaching comes into fruition. That said, sprinting doesn’t always have to be an-all-out-holy-fucking-shit-that-skyscraper-is-going-to-collapse-on-my- head-if-I-don’t-high-tail-it-out-of-here endeavor.
Strength coach Mike Boyle has always championed “tempo runs/sprints” as a conditioning method for his athletes AND regular Joe’s and I agree wholeheartedly.
I think they’re fantastic.
Basically all you do is perform sprints at 60-75% effort with walking recovery.
A basic template would look like this:
Tempo Sprint 50 yd
50 yd walk back
Repeat for “x” number of rounds
A good rule to follow is no more than a 10% increase in volume (distance or time) each week.
3. Add a Prowler
There are a thousand and one different ways to implement conditioning with Prowler Sled.
One that I like is this:
20 yd (loaded) Prowler Sprint (or whatever is best suited for the person: loaded, un-loaded, sprint, walk, pants on, pants off, you’re the coach, figure it out)
“Tempo activity is done at 60-75% of max intensity and while the duration will vary based upon the nature of the activity you’re performing and your requisite fitness levels, 15-45 seconds of work is a good guideline. These work intervals are interspersed with low intensity calisthenics like push-ups, ring rows, abs, or can just be rest periods.”
One of Chad’s favorite protocols (and one I stole from him) is as follows using a stationary bike:
1st Rep: 30 seconds of riding (~110 rpm) followed by 10 push-ups, rest until heart rate returns to bottom aerobic development zone OR you can speak normally.
2nd Rep: 3o seconds of riding (~110 rpm) followed by abs, rest until heart rate returns to bottom aerobic development zone OR you can speak normally.
3rd Rep: 30 seconds of riding (~110 rpm) followed by 10 push-ups, rest until heart rate returns to bottom aerobic development zone OR you can speak normally.
4th Rep: 3o seconds of riding (~110 rpm) followed by abs, rest until heart rate returns to bottom aerobic development zone OR you can speak normally.
5th Rep: 30 seconds of riding (~110 rpm) followed by 10 push-ups, rest until heart rate returns to bottom aerobic development zone OR you can speak normally.
6th Rep: 3o seconds of riding (~110 rpm) followed by abs, rest until heart rate returns to bottom aerobic development zone OR you can speak normally.
Rest 3-5 Minutes and begin Set 2.
Two sets of SIX is a good starting point and over a number of weeks build up to TWO sets of TEN and maintain there.
5. Juarez Push-Up Inverted Circuit
This is a doozy I stole from another strength coach, Josh Bryant, of Jailhouse Strong (which should give away where the name of this circuit came from).
Perform 10 Push-Ups
Get up, walk/jog 20 yds
Perform 1 Push-Up
Get up, walk/jog back 20 yds
Perform 9 Push-Ups
Get up, walk/jog 20 yds
Perform 2 Push-Ups
Get up, walk/jog back 20 yds
So on and so forth
Perform any of these conditioning workouts on “off” days between your regularly scheduled workouts and I am willing to bet you’re going to see some drastic improvements in your ability to recover and work harder in the gym.
There’s an Early Bird rate for both of these events, so keep that in mind before you decide to hold off. Dean and I are really excited for this and hope to see you there!
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I had a client who was very much interested in learning the OLY lifts.
I have more experience playing with He-Man action figures than teaching those lifts, so I referred her to another coach here in Boston who could help.
I wanted to highlight some of my thoughts and programming suggestions on the topic. Don’t get me wrong: To get better at any activity – pull-ups, chess, baking, fighting grizzly bears – you need to actually do the activity. Specificity reigns supreme. I’ve highlighted several ways to progress one’s pull-up prowess on this site before.
I mean, you’re not here for Macadamia Nut Cookie recipes, or, I don’t know, best uses of tape.2
As such, I figured I’d take today to highlight a few of my “go to” non-pull-up exercises that help build the pull-up.
Lets get to it.
NOTE: Before anyone chimes in with the inevitable snide comment that the picture above is a silhouette of chin-up and not a pull-up, I get it.
You’re a hero.
A Quick Aside
I work with many clients – both male and female – who are very interested in performing their first strict, bodyweight pull-up.
And, to no big surprise, they’ve likely been told, via various articles and coaches, to hammer the same two exercises time and time and time again:
Eccentric Only Pull-Ups
Band Assisted Pull-Ups
Kind of like their own version of Groundhog Day hell.
Except without all the LOLs.
Suggesting those two exercise is not altogether bad advice.
I mean, in the name of specificity I implement them all the time too.
However, it’s a bit shortsighted and derails one key component of pull-up training I feel many trainees (and coaches) tend to overlook:
To that end, you need to provide a more diverse training menu (so you can train it more often).
Whenever I work with someone who’s main goal is to perform their first pull-up I try to implement an exercise or drill EVERY session that nudges him or her towards that goal.
Like the Hollow Position “Pull-Up” I discussed the other day HERE.
So, yeah, this means I do include exercises like Band Assisted or Eccentric Only Pull-Ups. It also means I utilize various hanging leg raise exercises (knees bent 90 degrees, straight-leg, etc), bent-arm hang holds (chin above bar and hold for time), tons and tons of rows, and/or various pulldown exercises.
But here’s a few more for you to consider.
1. Bear Stance Fallout
I got this one from Virginia based strength coach Vernon Griffith. I don’t think he posted it as a drill to help build the pull-up, but I’ve been using it as such because it HAMMERS the core (which is often a weak link for many trainees) in addition to teaching more of a “pulling” action back to the starting position (which carries over to the pull-up).
To be fair, I would always start out with plain ol’ push-ups and making sure people get proficient at them first. I have yet to see someone improve on their push-up technique (and ability to do more) and not see an improvement in pretty much everything else – squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, arm wresting a great white shark, you name it.
That said, if you’re looking to up the ante a bit give this drill a go.
2. Bottoms-Up Carry w/ Band
This may make zero sense to some, but hear me out.
“Connectivity” of the pelvis to the ribcage is huge. The pull-up is more of a FULL-BODY exercise than people give it credit for, and if someone is flailing all over the place while attempting it it makes sense why they may be having a hard time progressing.
This drill helps to build some context of the CONNECTION I am after while also building a set of sturdy shoulders.
I don’t have anything profound or sciency to add to this drill other than I like it for nothing else than it just gives people a nice confidence boost. I also like it because there’s a degree of specificity tethered to it (I.e., it’s a vertical pull, but still not quite actual pull-up territory).
Or, maybe it is.
Whatever.
And That’s That
For me, the main goal of getting someone to perform their first pull-up is to attack it more frequently and provide them more exposure to an array of exercises that will help them get there.
I hope these make sense and you can use them yourself!
Intro From TG: Anyone who’s read Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why will understand the significance and power behind the word “WHY.”
Before you can get at the crux of the HOW of any situation or goal (I.e., how can Tony better remember to not leave dirty dishes in the sink every night?) you need to have a firm grasp of the WHY (because he wants a happy marriage, and so that his wife doesn’t murder him in his sleep).
We’ve all heard the phrase…
…”You can’t out-train a poor diet.”
But why?
Why can’t we?
Today’s guest post from Boston-based personal trainer, Patrick Jennings, should help shed some context.
There are many sayings out there that hold merit within the health and wellness industry, one of which is the aforementioned ‘You cannot out train a bad diet’ and despite its popularity it’s often lacking the substance needed to drive home its importance.
When we exercise we place the body/ muscle under acute mechanical stress.
For example a squat (with adequate load and reps) will break down the muscle tissue with the overall goal of the muscle then adapting to the stress and being rebuilt better able to deal with the aforementioned stress (you get bigger, faster, stronger etc.)
In order for the muscle to adapt and grow it is a NECESSITY for it to have the adequate materials to build from.
You cannot expect someone to build a brick wall if all you provide is a handful of feathers, the same way you cannot expect a muscle to grow if you do not provide the necessary nutrients.
This is the exact reason why you can’t out train a bad diet.
I always tell my clients we are building a body you love not destroying one that you hate.
And with that in mind, we need to determine what does the thing I love need?
Day to day living coupled with an intelligent exercise program will require a diet that facilitates the energy requirements dictated by the body.
But what is a good or bad diet?
It can certainly be difficult to separate the truth from fiction and avoid information overload and paralysis by analysis. I have been told to avoid sugar, only eat fats, avoid fats, aspartame will make me grow horns and dairy will make me sexually attracted to cows!………
Note From TG: uhhhhhhhhh
What I believe is that a good diet adheres to the following fundamental principles:
Balanced Kcal consumption appropriate to goals and individual.
Inclusion of all macronutrients (albeit at varying percentages and preferences).
Inclusion of all micronutrients.
Consistency.
(*The only exception to these rules are anomalies, rare conditions or allergies)
One dictates body composition/ weight adhering to the scientific principles of Energy balance, two and three form the foundation of ‘vitality/ energy’ whereas four determines level of success and longevity.
When I sit down to discuss ‘diets’ with clients I am not necessarily referring to protocols, approaches or even the type of food you eat, but more so the current total composition of everything consumed and how this fits into the four foundations mentioned above.
My goal as a coach is to improve the health and wellness of each client with weight loss, improved physical adaptations and psychological adaptations being a positive byproduct.
It must be understood that, yes, you can work out and not have your nutrition dialed in and see results, the same way you could travel 10 miles walking in a straight line for 3.5 hours or do indirect loops and circles and eventually get there in 10.
A bad diet just slows down progress and in some cases counteracts the hard work you may be doing in the gym where as an intelligent, manageable and appropriate diet can streamline the journey to desired results.
What will ultimately determine success is having a true understanding of how badly you want to get to your ‘destination’ or desired state and how you willing you are to focus for an extended period of time to get there?
About the Author
Patrick is the head coach at Boston Based CLIENTEL3 personal training studio. Patrick takes pride in his ability to talk to anyone about anything and takes this diverse approach into fitness coupling the fundemental principles of improving health with clients individual needs and preferences.
A quick heads up: In celebration of its two-year anniversary of being released my good friend Meghan Callaway is putting her renowned Ultimate Pull-Up Program on sale all this week.
You can purchase it at 40% off the original price.
You also have the option of purchasing both her Ultimate Pull-Up Program & Ultimate Landmine Program as a packaged deal at a pretty sweet discount as well.
Also, and don’t quote me on this, Meghan is giving away a free hug/high-five (whichever is less weird to you) to anyone who purchases.
If you’re someone who has struggled conquering the pull-up or you’re a trainer/coach who wants a better understanding of how to program for any of your clients interested in performing their first pull-up (or doing more of them), you’d be hard pressed to find a more thorough resource.
Exercises You Should Be Doing: Hollow Position “Pull-Up”
In light of Meghan’s re-release I wanted to share one of my favorite drills I love using with anyone interested in conquering their first pull-up.
I think there’s a common misconception that the only way to train the pull-up is by doing pull-ups. I mean, yes, that will be a thing – specificity matters – but if someone is unable to perform one, well, what do we do?
I’m a big fan of implementing FLOOR-BASED drills to help build context and confidence.
My starting point for pretty much everyone is to learn the correct way to perform a Hollow Position Hold.
What’s so great about this drill – outside of allowing people a better appreciate of full-body tension and how much it really sucks – is that the position itself emulates how I’d want someone to hang from a bar when they attempt an actual pull-up; as the body is a more “connected” unit.
Again, context.
Now, there are numerous ways to progress the Hollow Body Hold.
Perform for “x” time (and then add more time each week, say 5-10 seconds).
Perform with an emphasis on a FULL exhale (and aim for “x” repetitions).
Juggle chainsaws (but only if they’re also lite on fire)
Perform the hold but add a little flair to it by having people press or rotate things:
Like I said there’s an infinite array of progressions and shenanigans to consider.
To up the “specificity” ante a little more, however, I really like adding a “pull-up” into the mix.
Who Did I Steal It From? – Another good friend of mine, Artemis Scantalides.
What Does It Do? – If anything I feel it provides a bit of an “ah-HA” moment for the trainee. Once they grab the stick or PVC pipe and begin to perform the “pull-up” in the hollow position a light goes off as if to say” oooooooh snap, now I get why we’ve been doing this stuff!!”
Also, context…;o)
Key Coaching Cues – I wouldn’t add this variation until someone is able to hold a strict hollow position for 30 seconds. Once they’re there hand him/her a stick and wammo-bammo…it’s pretty self explanatory.
One thing of note, though, is the breath.
It behooves everyone to start cueing/coaching an exaggerated exhale/snake breath with each repetition. As the trainee emulates the pulling motion (s)he should perform an aggressive exhale; this helps to maintain tension and core recruitment.
Also, because I said so.
2-3 sets of 6-10 repetitions should be money for most beginner and intermediate lifters.
There’s an Early Bird rate for both of these events, so keep that in mind before you decide to hold off. Dean and I are really excited for this and hope to see you there!
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A simple plan:
1. Be nice.
2. Pick up a book every now and then.
3. Move around a little bit (lift weights, brisk walk, etc).
4. Go to bed.
5. Don’t talk about Fight Club.
There’s generally two topics I go out of my way to not discuss on my blog or social media channels: religion and politics.
It’s not because I don’t have strong leanings or beliefs regarding the two.
I do.
Rather, I just feel, given the divisiveness that’s inevitably tethered to both, it’s important not to alienate or turn-off current or potential clients and customers.
As some of you may be aware, in the coming months I am expanding CORE from a 500 sq. foot closet studio to a 3300 sq. foot techno and deadlifting palace located here in Boston, MA.
The name will be changed to CORE Collective, because that’s exactly what it is going to be…
…a collective of other complimentary health/fitness professionals working under one roof to grow their brands and businesses.
In recent months he’s slowly been marinating a movement which has started to gain traction not only locally here in Boston, but nationally as well.
He’s been using CORE as one of his “Queer Gym” pop-ups; a place where individuals in the LGBTQ community can come in, be around other like-minded people with similar backgrounds, and use the weight room to help become more comfortable with themselves.
Justice is an amazing coach and an even more amazing human being.
Please, if you would, watch this quick 5-6 minute documentary-style video that he was highlighted in recently. It’s pretty cool.
They want to be told that 7-Minute Abs (or maybe we’re down to 5-Minute Abs now?) is all it takes to be beach ready, or that drinking an Acai berry detox tea mined from the belly button of a Centaur is the key to fat-loss.
And then there’s the high-school athlete who reaches out two weeks prior to tryouts, as if I’m a wizard and all I have to do is wave my wand (and insert a few sets of box jumps) and PRESTO…
…they’re going to be as equally prepared as those athletes who have been training and working out for several months.
It’s quite interesting isn’t it?
Everyone is seeking the silver bullet to success.
However, on the contrary, in my experience, whether someone’s goal is weight-loss/fat-loss, muscle gain, improved athletic performance, general health, or, I don’t know, to beat John Wick in a street fight, the “x-factor” often comes down to the mundane.
The stuff most people scoff at and altogether dismiss in lieu of the new, bright, shiny object in the room.
Like This Stuff
1. Expectation Management
You know how it’s popular nowadays for personal trainers and strength & conditioning coaches to go out of their way to not refer to themselves as personal trainers and strength & conditioning coaches?
You know, stupid shit like…
Body Architect
Human Performance Advocate
Movement Mechanic
Supreme Chancellor of Douchiness to the Douchiest Power
I feel as if I have a superlative title for myself too.
Manager of Expectations
Whenever someone asks me “how long will it take to….[insert goal here]” I’ll respond with “I have no idea.”
Moreover, I’ll say something to the effect of:
“Consider me your Sherpa. I’m here to guide you and point you in the right direction towards your goal(s) to the best of my ability, and to do so in a time efficient, fun, and safe manner.”
And if that doesn’t impress them I’ll say this:
“3×52.”
Meaning, if I can nudge them in the gym 3x per week, 52 weeks out of the year, then it stands to reason some good shit is going to happen.
Rather than place a specific number or time frame on a goal, it’s my job as their coach to titrate their expectations and to reframe things towards the idea of CONSISTENCY.
Then, after a while (and yes, with a bit of butting of heads), they’ll learn that progress is more about appreciating the journey rather than the destination.5
2. Walk, Sleep, Hydrate
Honestly, whenever I have a conversation with a client/athlete and (s)he is concerned about progress (or lack thereof), before I audit their program/nutrition I’ll look to see whether or not they’re doing the following.
Go for a Walk
I used to think it was cool (and I was doing the industry a favor) being an uppity coach who said stuff like “walking is life, stop saying it’s exercise.”
What’s more, going for a (brisk) walk is a great way to expend energy in addition to helping to improve mental health.
What’s more (even morer), walking is exercise that’s accessible to anyone with working legs – so it’s pretty hard for someone to conjure up an excuse to not do it.
Do yourself a favor and check out the hashtag #walkeverydamnday and maybe reconsider your position if you’re someone who feels telling someone to go for a daily walk is silly or beneath your superior coaching skills.
2. Go to Bed
I am a huge fan of going to bed.
In fact I am such a fan of going to bed (early) that I’m pretty sure I have entered cantankerous curmudgeon territory at the age of 42.
Maybe stop bragging about getting up at 4 AM every day because #hustleandgrind and the subsequent contrast baths and get some sleep instead?
3. Hydrate
By now some of you reading don’t have enough eye rolls to give. But here’s one more suggestion to bring things to a nice, tidy, conclusion.
Ask your clients whether or not they’re hydrated?
This isn’t so much a “are you drinking 8 glasses of water per day?” kind of question as it is “what color is your pee?” question.
Clearer Pee = good to go.
Pee the color of battery acid = not so good to go.
It’s been clearly shown in the literature that chronic dehydration can affect performance in the weight room – upwards of 8-10%. Likewise, chronic lethargy can be attributed to lack of hydration, in addition to it affecting basic metabolic functions.
I.e., the body’s ability to burn energy is diminished the more dehydrated someone is.6
“Wow, Tony. Telling people to go for a walk, get more sleep, AND to drink more water? This is next level shit. What’s next? Flossing? No, wait…look both ways before crossing the street?”
I get it.
I am not saying anything revolutionary, nor anything we all haven’t heard before.
That being said…
…we do a superb job going our of our way to overlook these factors.
