Categoriesmuscle growth Strength Training

Tuning Tension: Getting the Most From Your Muscle

A few weeks ago I presented at the Spurling Spring Seminar up in Kennebunk, Maine. The first presenter of the day, Portland based physical therapist Noah Harrison, blew me away with his talk on muscular tension.

Honestly, the only way his presentation could have been better is if he somehow included a pair of nunchucks.

Or a t-shirt cannon.

His message resonated with me and after he spoke I asked if he’d be interested in summarizing his thoughts in an article for my site. He was more than happy to oblige.

Enjoy (it’s REALLY good).

Copyright: tatom / 123RF Stock Photo

Tuning Tension: Getting the Most From Your Muscle

There are two aspects to what dictates the strength of a muscle; how big it is and how hard it can contract at any given moment, with any given movement. Keeping that in mind there are then two ways you can train a muscle to become stronger:

  1. Make it bigger and give it more leverage.
  2. Teach it to contract harder by creating more tension.

While hypertrophy obviously has its use, there are times our goal is simply to increase strength without having to buy a new wardrobe, or jump a weight class. There are also times we have a little more strength in our muscles as they already are, and it is simply a matter of getting them to work fully in the moment.

This article is about ways in which you can train your muscles to fire a little (or a lot) harder, instantaneously, and apply it to nearly any exercise you are performing.

Yes, you can practice tensing your muscles like a body builder during “X” movement, and if an EMG was attached to your area of focus it would read a spike.

The problem with consciously focusing on flexing your muscles during a movement is that this does produce increased tension locally where you are focusing, but often times at the expense of your performance. Quite often tensioning your muscles consciously while moving will result in you simply working harder, moving slower, and experiencing premature fatigue (1).

So how do you get your muscles to pump out more power without destroying your performance?

Simple: you will not do it consciously.

Instead you will do it reflexively. You will use the reflexive reactions you already have.

What I will map out are three body areas/actions that you can focus on with any given activity, and depending on what you do with these areas/actions will either elicit a reflexive increase or decrease in body wide muscular tension.

Again, this article will solely focus on increasing muscular tension.

The three areas/actions are:

  1. What you do with your breath.
  2. What you do with your hands.
  3. What you do with your face.

Now there is no better place to begin talking about changing bodily tension than talking about…

What You Do With Your Breath

The general rule is that if you want to increase muscular tension then either hold your breath or forcefully exhale.

The latter, a forceful exhale, is preferred.

Why?

First, let’s look at what is happening with both these situations.

In one case you hold your breath and barrel down (a valsalva maneuver) and in the other you forcefully exhale through resistance. In both situations you are jacking up your intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), which is necessary to keep your trunk stiff and give your limbs leverage with anything difficult.

Core strength is pressure production, and if you want to be strong, you need to be able to make a lot of it.

However the valsalva maneuver (VM) has a few significant draw backs. The most notable is that you really cannot do many repetitions this way. One rep, maybe, but once you get to two or three repetitions deep into an exercise you will need to breathe.

The second drawback is that a VM is associated with some negative cardiovascular effects, including a sharp increase in your heart rate, blood pressure, as well as an increased risk of cerebral hemorrhage (2). Again, if it doesn’t kill you, holding your breath is going to gas you quicker than necessary.

The third problem is that a VM is associated with an increased risk of incontinence in certain populations (3, 4), which is not desirable if you or your client is trying to be active. Nobody, regardless of what Adam Sandler says, likes to pee themselves, and especially in the middle of a fierce effort.

via GIPHY

Performing a forced exhalation (FE) has none of these issues, and has been shown to be as equally effective at spiking your IAP as a VM (2).

Additionally, a forced exhalation has been shown to increase the activation of your abdominal wall (5), is as effective at stiffening the trunk as bracing your abdominals (6), and even result in an instantaneous increase the strength of your grip and several large muscle groups throughout the body (2, 7).

We all know that a tight midsection is necessary to keep the body from crumbling during a strenuous task, but the take home from this should be to focus less on bracing your abdomen consciously.

Just forcefully exhale with the movement, and the abs will kick in automatically.

You have to breathe anyway; you may as well make it work in your favor. The general rule is to exhale with effort, and ingrain it with the movement you are performing.

How do you ingrain it? Every movement has a sticking point, you simply exhale through it.

See the video below for a demonstration of how to ingrain this into any exercise.

 

What You Do With Your Hands

This one is pretty simple.

If you want to increase body wide muscular tension, maximally tense your hands, preferably in a fist. If you are holding something, grip it hard (very hard). As a result, the rest of your body will “grip” harder as well.

In matters of strength, this is very convenient, because very often we are gripping something and either trying to move it (A barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, etc) or ourselves around it (a pull up or dip bar). Simply aim your attention on what you are already doing.

How or why does this work? It probably comes down to both the law of irradiation, and how your cerebral cortex is organized.

Irradiation is a principle stating that the activity of a group of muscles will have a ripple effect on its neighboring parts (8). Meaning as you clench your hand harder, not only does your forearm tighten up, but your whole arm and shoulder does as well.

Grip even harder and your whole torso will become engaged. If you are not already trying this I encourage you to begin.

This has actually been measured, as research has shown that the harder you grip your hands, the harder your rotator cuff fires (9, 10). This is convenient, because if you are gripping a hold of something you would really like your shoulder to grab a hold of your body as well. Not only does gripping effect your shoulder, but your body as a whole; postural stiffness will increase the harder you grasp an obect (11). The utility of these reflexive responses with any pressing movement should go without saying.

So that is one factor, how about the second; your brain?

Well what is known is that there is a very large sensory and motor representation of both your hands and your face in the brain. Google “Homunculus Man” and you will see a model representation of this. It is a distorted image demonstrating the density of neurons in our cerebral cortex as it relates to sensing and moving our bodies in our environments.

You can think about this as that your brain both perceives and interacts with the world primarily via your face and hands, so whatever you do at these places will reverberate throughout your body.

If your hands are relaxed, your body will be as well. If your hands are tensed, then your brain will take you seriously and give you more juice. And in matters of strength, we all want juice.

So now we come to our third and final place to consider…

What You Do With Your Face

You may have a hard time believing your face matters so much in terms of strength, but it is true.

Do not forget that strange little homunculus man. Remember; your brain thinks the vast majority of you is face and hands. What you do in these places will resonate through your body.

What you do with you face can be further broken down into three factors;

  1. Your eyes.
  2. Your jaw.
  3. Your facial expression as a whole.

Eyes

What you do at your eyes can be thought of as more steering your bodily tension than necessarily jacking it up or down.

It is well established that the body follows wherever the eyes gaze (12).

This means that if you look to the left, you will have a reflexive weight shift to the left, and the same goes for looking to the right, up or down. Although gymnasts, power lifters and weight lifters will use this often to their advantage to drive extension or flexion with a movement, the vast majority of us should stick to simply looking relatively forward with whatever movement we are performing.

So, for maximal tension; fix your eyes when doing something hard, and do not let them wander.

Jaw

Just as the tension in our hands seems to reverberate through our bodies, what we do at our jaws does as well.

No different than our hands, the amount of tension that we hold at our jaw has the ability to increase reflexive activity as distant as our forearms and calves (13, 14).

Yes you read that correctly; clench your jaw and your forearms and calves will fire harder. In fact, clenching your jaw has been shown to improve your athletic performance across varying endeavors, including a back squat and vertical jump (15, 16).

I would advise caution with this (and for some a mouthpiece), as some people have trouble relaxing their jaws then necessary engaging it. Other people may not have a fully congruent bite, and heavily clenching may cause more of a problem than a help.

Simply focus on setting your jaw and keeping your teeth touching firmly when you need more muscular effort.

Facial Expression

Think about it: setting your eyes and jaw is pretty much a game face now isn’t it?

Besides focusing on where your eyes look and keeping your mouth shut, it is common sense to be serious during a heavy or difficult lift.

Laughing is completely out, as it has been established that there exists a body-wide inhibition of muscular tension for up to 45 minutes after a bout of laughter (17, 18).

So, save the jokes for after the work is done.

Putting It All Together

Here it is; the meat and potatoes of it all.

If you want to increase body wide muscular tension, then simply:

  1. Exhale with resistance.
  2. Clench your fists.
  3. Fix your eyes.
  4. Set your jaw and be serious.

This comes down to learning to place your mental effort on these choice few factors with whatever challenging movement you are performing.

By doing this you set yourself up for the best chance at eliciting the highest potential your muscles and body as a whole has in that given movement, on that given day.

Integrate this into your training, and you will likely find that you become stronger not simply because your muscles have grown, but because they have learned to work together, better.

Enjoy!

[List of references below]

About the Author

Noah is a Physical Therapist and Strength Coach based out of Portland, Maine.

He is the owner of Portland Integrative Physical Therapy, through which he provides one-on-one musculoskeletal rehabilitation with a holistic, full body approach.

Noah has extensive training in a variety of rehabilitative approaches, and combines this with progressive strength training in order to build and restore strong and capable individuals.

He lives in Portland, Maine with his wife Heidi and their young daughter, and can best be reached via his website www.portlandintegrativept.com and email [email protected]

References

  1. Makaruk, H, Porter, JM “Focus of Attention for Strength and Conditioning Training” Strength and Conditioning Journal Feb 2014, 36:1 16-22
  2. Ikeda, ER, et al “The Valsalva Maneuver Revisted: the Influence of Voluntary Breathing on Isometric Muscle Strength” J Strength Cond Res 2009 Jan: 23(1): 127-132
  3. Nitti VW, et al “Correlation of Valsalva leak point pressure with subjective degree of stress urinary incontinence in women” J Urol 1996 Jan; 155(1): 281-5
  4. Peschers UM, et al “Difference between cough and Valsalva leak-point in stress incontinent women” Neurourol Urodyn 2000; 19(6): 677-81
  5. Ishida et al “Maximum expiration activates the abdominal muscles during side bridge exercises” J Back Musculoskeletal Rehabil. 2015; 27(4): 481-4
  6. Ishida et al “Comparison between the effectiveness of expiration and abdominal bracing maneuvers in maintaining spinal stability following sudden trunk loading” J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2016 Feb; 26: 125-9
  7. Li S, et al “Forced ventilation increases variability of isometric finger forces” Neurosci Lett 2007 Feb 2; 412(3): 243-7
  8. Gontijo LB, et al “Evaluation of Strength and Irradiated Movement Pattern Resulting from Trunk Motions of the Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation” Rehabilitation Research and Practice Volume 2012, 6 pages
  9. Sporrong H, et al “Influences of handgrip on shoulder muscle activity” Eur J Appl Occup Physiol 1995; 71(6): 485-92
  10. Sporrong H, et al “Hand grip increases shoulder muscle activity, an EMG analysis with static hand contractions in nine subjects” Acta Orthop Scand 1996 Oct: 67(5): 485-90
  11. Ustinova KI, et al “Postural stabilization by gripping a stick with different force levels” Gait & Posture 2013 May: 38(1): 97-103
  12. Ivanenko YP, et al “Effect of gaze on postural responses to neck proprioceptive and vestibular stimulation in humans” Journal of Physiology 1999; 519(1): 301-314
  13. Takashi T, et al “Modulation of H reflexes in the forearm during voluntary teeth clenching in humans” European Journal of Applied Physiology 2003 Nov; 90(5-6): 651-3
  14. Miyahara T, et al “Modulation of human soleus H reflex in association of voluntary clenching of the teeth” J Neurophysiol 1996 Sep; 76(3): 2033-41
  15. Ebben, WP, et al “Jaw clenching results in concurrent activation potentiation during the countermovement jump” J Strength Cond Res 2008 Nov; 22(6): 1850-4
  16. Ebben WP, et al “Kinetic analysis of concurrent activation potentiation during back squats and jump squats” J Strength Cond Res 2010 Jun; 24(6): 1515-9
  17. Paskind, J “Effects of laughter on muscle tone” Arch Neurol Psychiatry 1932; 28: 623-8
  18. Overeem S, et al “Is motor inhibition during laughter due to emotional or respiratory influences?” Psychophysiology 2004; 41: 254-8
Categoriespodcast

Appearance On the Easy Wins Podcast

I was recently invited onto the Easy Wins Healthy Lifestyle Podcast hosted by Mitch Harb.

Copyright: dr911 / 123RF Stock Photo

 

The concept is simple: to inspire people to take action on living the healthy life they deserve. Mitch sits down with guests to discuss habits, fitness, diet, and overall happiness.

I was fortunate enough to be one of those guests.

You can download our conversation via iTunes HERE (episode #64)

Categoriesfitness business

A Cliff Notes Albeit Honest Guide to Successful Presenting in the Fitness Industry

I’m a little over a week removed from two workshops I did in Vancouver & Victoria, British Columbia.

That’s in Canada for the geographically challenged.

One was a four-hour shindig on shoulder assessment at the downtown Equinox in  Vancouver for a team of their trainers.1

The second event took place in Victoria, on Vancouver Island (which, by the way, involved maximal clinching of sphincter on THIS contraption), where I spent a lovely 2-days taking a group of fitness professionals through my Coaching Competency workshop.

When all was said and done I spent 18 total hours presenting over the course of three days. By the end I was exhausted. But on the ferry ride back to Vancouver to start the trek back home to Boston I couldn’t help but to also feel inexcusably elated.

Elated I completed another seemingly successful trip, elated the t-shirts I chose to wear highlighted the “peciness” of my pecs, elated I was on my way home to see my wife and son, and elated I had a 90 minute ferry ride to sneak in a power-nap.

To date I’ve been invited to 40+ (give or take) speaking engagements/workshops/seminars across North America and the globe. I’m far from perfect and have had my fair share of flubs, but feel I’m doing something right in order to continue getting requests and inquiries to present.

No one has ever pulled out a pitchfork, asked for their money back, or screamed “the fuck outta here, Gentilcore. My scapular upward rotation is perfectly fine. YOU’RE RUINING MY LIFE.”

*slams door*

UPDATE: No one’s done any of those things, yet.

With that in mind I wanted to share some thoughts and insights on how YOU may best be able to set yourself up for success if presenting at health & fitness events is something you’re interested in.

Copyright: wavebreakmediamicro / 123RF Stock Photo

Before We Begin Lets Assume the Obvious

If you’re thinking about presenting at fitness conferences/workshops it makes sense to check off the following criteria:

  • You’re a fitness professional.
  • You’re not a ghost or spirit. Cool, but weird.
  • You have experience.
  • You have a relevant, actionable, possibly unique message to share.
  • You don’t smell like an old-lady fart passing through an onion.
  • You’ve read THIS really, really, REALLY good article by Sol Orwell on how to nail public speaking.

With that out of the way.

1) Establish a Clear Itinerary

Not having a clear itinerary or not sticking to one that’s set are two ways to derail a day of learning.

The former seems self-explanatory

It should surprise no one that people want to know what they’re getting themselves into and what they’re paying for.

“Tony’s Coming to Talk About Stuff,” while an idea I definitely need to test-drive now that I’ve said it, likely won’t garner as much interest (or numbers) as something more concrete such as “The Shoulder: From Assessment to Badass.”

Likewise, you’re not going to have many happy campers if you send out a bullet-point itinerary of what you’ll cover – squatting biomechanics for example – and then end up scratching 17% of it in favor of attempting to convince people bowl cuts are cool because He-Man had one.

Tossing myself under the bus for a second, I had a slight snafu while presenting in Victoria two weekends ago.

I noted in my itinerary I was allotting an hour towards the end of Day #2 to discuss program design.

Sadly, I ran out of time and profusely apologized to the attendees.

When I followed up with my hosts a few days later here’s the email sent my way which helped put things into perspective:

“You got some amazing feedback. Seriously, some of the best we’ve had. No need to change much, really. I think the only thing that was a “mistake” on your behalf was talking about potentially doing the programming talk and then running out of time.

A couple people mentioned it in the feedback, not in a seriously annoyed sense, but they were disappointed. It’s just like having kids, you can’t say “if we have time, we’ll get ice cream” if there’s any chance in hell you won’t get ice-cream. 😉

It’s a common mistake presenters make, but I would just consider keeping the thought inside, then if the time comes and we can do it, you look like a god because you get the opportunity to ask people if they want a “bonus” session, more than they bargained for.

It’s all in the perception, you know?”

2) Itineraries Are Great, But Sometimes You Gotta Say “Fuck It”

Every crowd or group is different.

I may present in Austin and a certain portion really engages the attendees and I end up spending more time there than I had planned because they’re more switched on.

Conversely, I’ll do the same workshop in say, Milwaukee, and the same part of a presentation elicits nothing but blank stares and yawns.

Fuck off Milwaukee!2

When I’m presenting I’m very much “on” and feed off the energy of the group. And if they happen to be digging a particular topic – conversing and asking questions – who am I to not give them what they want?

When this happens I often take the Choose Your Own Adventure approach to presenting.

We have “x” time left, do you want me to talk about “y” or “z?”

Or bowl cuts?

Sometimes giving a modicum of choice to the attendees can help offset any itinerary detours.

3) Hands-On Portions Are Game Changers

Fitness professionals are like sharks…they constantly need to be moving. It’s a huge ask to expect a group of trainers and coaches to sit still for hours on end.

I preempt my talks by informing the group I’m more than capable of not being distracted if a few need to get up periodically to stretch, foam roll, or, I don’t know, perform some parkour on the side.

That being said I feel it’s integral – especially given the material I present on – to include intermittent hands-on portions.

In truth I like to get a little dirty when I present.

My presenting flow tends to go like this:

  • Talk about shit.
  • Lets break off into groups so we can practice the shit I just talked about.
  • Look at this cute picture of my cat.

In fact, one of highlights of my recent Victoria workshop was when I broke down squatting and deadlifting technique and then turned on 90’s hip-hop and had all the attendees squat and deadlift for 45 minutes.

This approach not only helps keep the attendees engaged and excited, but also keeps me fresh.

I’ll use this time to walk around, coach people up, and answer questions of course. But selfishly, I’ll also use it as an opportunity to sneak away for five minutes and recharge my introvert batteries.

4) Don’t Be Zod

I think one of my strengths as a coach (and presenter) is that I’m very much open to other people’s perspectives and ways of doing things.

I don’t think I’m that big of a deal.

It’s not lost on me that people pay to listen to me speak and to listen to my way of doing things.

Still, I try not to have a Zod complex about it.

 

I spend a good minute or two at the start of every presentation or workshop to reiterate to the attendees that I am not there to tell them what to do. I tell them I think I have some cool things to say and feel I’ll be able to help them be better fitness professionals, but in no way, shape, or fashion am I there to insinuate that it’s “my way or the highway.”

In fact I repeatedly ask them for their insights and to share their experiences. I often learn from them as much as they learn from me.

Moreover, I never talk down to anyone or try to make anyone feel inferior. I’ve heard some horror stories from people who have had unfortunate experiences at other events where the presenter was immature, unprofessional, didn’t like to be questioned, and basically was a douche to the douchiest power.

I.e., the god complex.

Don’t be that person.

5) Give Credit

Trust me: you’re not that original.

Another thing I’m very adamant in doing is giving credit where and when it’s due. I’ll often have an entire slide dedicated to the people who’s information I’m “stealing,” just so people are 100% clear I am not that smart.

Too, I’m always name dropping other coaches – I got this variation from “so and so,” I heard this from “such and such” – during my presentations. If anything I think most attendees appreciate the honesty and candor.

But more importantly it’s just the right thing to do.

6) BONUS: Know Your Audience

Swearing.

I’m all for it and do feel it provides a degree of authenticity and “pizzaz” to a presentation.

I’m not shy to swear when I present – a well-timed f-bomb can be comedic gold, help break the ice, keep people entertained, and can really hammer a point home – but I also know when to have some feel and to scale it down when needed.

It’s one thing to be in places like Boston or NYC and be liberal with language. It’s another thing altogether, if not uncouth, to be in places like Fargo, North Dakota – as I was a few years ago – and drop a MF-bomb to the cacophony of crickets chirping.

Awwwwwwwwwkward.

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Deadbug Floor Press

I don’t say this lightly.

I am IronmanDeadbugs are underrated and you need to be doing more of them.

I believe they’re as important and integral of an exercise to your success in the weight-room as squats, deadlifts, or just about any barbell lift you can think of.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say “the more deadbugs you include in your training (and the more proficient you get at them), the higher the likelihood you’ll see improvements in all your lifts.3

Copyright: tankist276 / 123RF Stock Photo

Deadbugs Are About as Exciting as Listening to Bobcat Goldthwait Narrate 50 Shades of Grey

As much as I’m a fan of deadbugs I get why most people tend to roll their eyes when they come up in conversation.

Client: “I’m so excited to get started on my new program. What are we doing today?

Me: “We’re starting off with some deadbugs and then…..”

Client (cue tossing of shade):

via GIPHY

I’ll admit deadbugs aren’t super exciting to perform and there are many, many things clients/athletes would likely rather perform:

  • High rep squats.
  • Fran
  • A colonoscopy

But since when does exercising have to be exciting or sexy? While I can appreciate there should be some form of “give and take” with regards to what I feel clients need to do and what they want to do, I have yet to come across anyone – regular Joes and Janes alike to professional athletes – who haven’t benefited from more deadbugs being peppered into their program.

The ability to stabilize and maintain a “neutral” pelvis/spine while simultaneously moving the extremities has a profound effect on one’s ability not only reduce the incidence of injury, but to also improve performance.

NOTE: For more of the what, why, and how’s on the topic I’d encourage you to read THIS quickie article I wrote a few years ago, in addition to THIS one which shows off a few solid progressions.

Learning to perform a deadbug correctly is step #1 (check out the links above), and not coincidentally provides a profound degree of respect people tend to lack towards the exercise.

Actually, screw it, lets press the pause button.

Watch this short video which details mistake #1 when it comes to deadbug execution:

 

It’s a lot harder than many think.

Another aspect not fully appreciated is the adaptability and “scaling” of the exercise which exists. The deadbug can seamlessly be regressed or progressed to fit the needs, goals, and ability level of the individual.

To that end here’s a nice progression I went over this past weekend while in Vancouver/Victoria teaching my Coaching Competency Workshop.

Deadbug Floor Press

 

Who Did I Steal It From?: I actually learned this variation a few years ago when I was speaking in London during one of my hands-on breakouts. I had all the trainers in attendance try a few of my variations, and as we had a little more of a back and forth dialogue this badboy made an appearance.

What Does It Do?: All of the benefits of a regular, vanilla deadbug (improved core stability, lumbo-pelvic control, anterior core activation, cueing “canister” position), but less instance of someone wanting to throw their face into a cement floor from boredom.

It’s a deadbug, but a little more “meatheady” and athletic.

Key Coaching Cues: Do NOT lowball the exhale. If you didn’t already, please watch the first video above which breaks down what a full exhale should look like.

Some other minor stuff I didn’t go over in the video:

  • When pressing (especially with a KB) make sure your knuckles point towards the ceiling. This will help reduce excessive wrist extension.
  • If need be, you can also decrease the lever of the move by bending the knee of the moving leg, and perform more of heel tap.
  • When the full exhale is complete and the leg is fully extended, try to let the leg “hover” for a 2-3s count before you return back to the starting position with an inhale.
  • I shot this video on June 5th. It was 55 degrees outside. WTF mother nature.

 

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 6/1/18

I’m in Vancouver for the weekend doing a pair of workshops. One at Equinox for a crew of trainers and one in nearby Victoria for a two-day assessment, program design, deadlifting, cat meme extravaganza

It’s lovely here. And the people are lovely too.

I was at Equinox yesterday to get a quick lift in after a long travel day and saw this exchange happen with my own two eyes:

Meathead #1: “Hey dude, I was still using that (bench).”

Meathead #2: “Oh, sorry.”

Meathead #1: “No worries. You can jump in. My name is Mike by the way.”

Meathead #2: “Thanks, I’m Nate. Nice to meet you.”

I was F.L.A.B.B.E.R.G.A.S.T.E.D

That same scenario goes down in Boston? Where another dude jacks another dude’s bench press during prime bro hours?

A knife fight breaks out.

Canadiens truly ARE the nicest people on Earth.

Copyright: wamsler / 123RF Stock Photo

BUT FIRST…CHECK THIS STUFF OUT

1. London Workshop w/ Luke Worthington

^^^ It’s so good we didn’t even feel the need to come up with a witty title for it.

After my workshop in Germany I head over to London to take part in a 2-day event (the weekend of July 7th) with my friend and colleague (and handsomest man alive) Luke Worthington.

This one is filling up fast…..go HERE for more info.

2. Strong Body-Strong Mind – Boston, MA

We had such a great response when Lisa and I hosted a SBSM Workshop in our hometown last year that we decided to do it again this summer.

I’ll be speaking to assessment, coaching up common strength exercises (squats, deadlifts), and how to better “match” your programs to your client’s abilities and goals.

Lisa will be discussing how to better manage client expectations, motivation, and how to adopt better mindset strategies for success.

The umbrella theme of this workshop is to enhance the SOFT skills of coaching, how to garner a connection, and build rapport with your athletes/clients.

  • Spots are limited
  • Early Bird rates apply for both students ($99) and professionals ($129)
  • CEUs will be available (NSCA)

For more details (including itinerary and registration) go HERE.

3. Even More Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint– Dates/Locations Announced

Dean Somerset and I are currently in the throes of drumming up new content for our staple workshop series.

We’ve presented this workshop all over the world – London, Vancouver, Oslo, Prague, Boston, LA, Hoth – and even turned it into a popular digital product HERE so everyone can enjoy it.

We’ve already nailed down dates in Slovenia, Houston, and LA this fall (2018) and are also in talks to bring it to Detroit, Philadelphia, Edmonton, Australia, and Singapore in 2019.

If you’re someone who’d like to host this event/participate in a tickle fight please reach out to either Dean or myself.

Go HERE to register in the announced cities.

STUFF TO READ WHILE YOU’RE PRETENDING TO WORK

*Since I’m in Vancouver I thought it witty to highlight some articles of fitness friends of mine who are located in the area.

The Ways You CAN Use a BOSU Ball – Meghan Callaway

I’ll be the first to admit I like to bust the BOSU ball’s balls, and find that most people use it for silly reasons in an exercise program.

That said, we can find legitimate reasons for any exercise4, and as Meghan so colloquially details in this article, the BOSU is no different.

Cut the S#!t Get Fit Podcast w/ Tony Gentilcore & Lee Boyce 

Rafal Matuszewski is a friend and Vancouver based trainer who runs a pretty kick-ass podcast.

In case you missed it the first time around this is an older episode that aired last year in Rafal’s show featuring myself AND Lee Boyce.

Together.

At the same time.

Sexy.

Sorry if that came across creepy.

How to Adjust Your Meal Composition to Solve 3 Common Problems – Georgie Fear

Georgie is a Vancouver based Registered Dietician and one of my “go to” sources when it comes to anything nutrition.

I really respect her approach and how practical and accessible she makes things. In the world of nutrition this is rare (and a gift on her part).

Social Media Shenanigans

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Every pregnancy is different, and whenever I work with a woman who’s pregnant I always say rule #1 is to listen to your body and to let me know if anything feels off or awkward. That being said I find strength training offers great value during this time. Pregnancy isn’t a disability and there’s much a woman can do during this time to prepare the body for a MUCH bigger event than a set of squats. Giving birth! In addition to trap bar deadlifts, pushups, 1-arm pulldowns, wall assisted 1-legged RDLs, and even some Farmer Carries, Neidine also did a fair amount of deadbugs, Breathing Side Planks, and positional breathing drills during this session too. <—those are just far less exciting to film. We’re still getting after it even as we approach month 7, but also remaining cognizant that pelvic floor health & integrity is paramount too. But to quote @drsarahduvall ….”you need to lift shit, to fix shit.” And to expound on that further I’d add, “you need to lift shit in order to (hopefully) prevent bad shit from happening.” Nothing is set in stone during this delicate time, but strength training can help offset a lot of nefariousness.

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CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

5 Quick Tips to Increase Strength

There are no “hacks” to getting strong. I’m a firm believer you get out of it what you put in.

It’s hard, and it takes a lot of hard work; oftentimes over the course of several years.

That said, below are a few “quick” tips that can help expedite the process. Admittedly there’s nothing profound or elaborate included, but I felt it important to suggest things that are easily accessible to the bulk of people who read this site.

Hope they resonate and help.5 Quick Tips to Increase Strength

1. WARNING: Captain Obvious suggestion of the day: Creatine

It still dumbfounds me to think there are people out there who train on a consistent basis, yet are still not taking creatine (and yes, this includes you as well ladies). It’s the most researched supplement in human history and it’s efficacy has been proven time and time again.

*It’s safe

*It works

*It’s NOT steroids

Just take five grams of creatine monohydrate (no need to buy the expensive brands that are laced with rocket fuel) per day and that’s that.

ADDENDUM: This is a suggestion. Not mandatory. The first step to addressing lack of progress is to audit your program and nutrition. If those two factors aren’t getting the job done, no one supplement is going to be the panacea.

That said, you still need to go train like a savage. Taking creatine alone isn’t going to mount to much.

2. Deadlift Barefoot

Everyone who trains with me here in Boston is told to take their shoes off when (s)he deadlifts.

To quote a new client I started with the other night

“Why?”

BECAUSE I SAID SO. HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME. KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!

Just kidding.

Well for starters, by taking your shoes off you’re now 1-2 inches closer to the ground, which is 1-2 inches less distance the bar has to travel.

Secondly, and more germane to the point, by taking your shoes off you’re now able to push through your heels. As a result, you’ll recruit more of your glutes and hamstrings to help out.

It’s not uncommon for some people to see a significant increase in how much weight they can pull off the ground from a little more posterior chain recruitment.

Thirdly, people will automatically think you’re badass cause you’re training with no shoes on. Of course, this is contingent on whether or not your feet smell like you’ve been walking through a sewer all day.

In that case, it’s your call.

3. Glute Activation

If your glutes aren’t able to fire full throttle, the hamstrings and lower back have to do more work than they’re accustomed to doing.

So from that standpoint paying more attention to glute activation can have positive repercussions for those suffering through chronic low-back pain.

However, people often forget the badonkadonks are not only the body’s dominant hip extensor which play a key role in athletics and strength, but are also a fairly large muscle that’s aesthetically pleasing to look at (cue obligatory fitness Insta-celebrity pic here).

Don’t worry, I got you too ladies:

By “turning on” the glutes with some simple activation techniques beforehand, you will undoubtedly be able to handle more weight when you squat and/or deadlift.

To that end, while I don’t have any PubMed research articles to back this up, more weight=more strength=more people want to see you naked.

Here are some of my favorites:

Up 2, Down 1

 

I like this variation because it allows for more eccentric overload on the lowering leg. Obviously one will need to master the two-legged variation first, but this is a nice progression to consider.

Band Resisted 1-Legged Hip Thrust

 

This is an ingenious variation I stole from Dean Somerset. If you’re looking to progress you’re 1-Legged Hip Thrust and having a hard time figuring out a way to do so, give this a try.

Creepy McCreepypants Frog Pumps

 

Popularized by none other than Bret Contreras, Frog Pumps are another fantastic exercise that aid in getting the glutes nice and juicy.

Thing is, they’re awkward as fuck to perform in public.

So, there’s only one way, and one way only, to perform them….

…..by copying Bret and Dr. John Rusin’s lead and making direct, intense eye contact with someone and making things creepy AF.5.

Reps can range anywhere from 15 to infinity.

4. Stop Testing Strength and Build It

I’m not the first to say this.

Many other coaches stronger than I – Chad Wesley Smith, Greg Robins, Julia Ladewski, Pavel, to name a few – have reverberated this quote on repeat throughout the years.

Far too often trainees head to the gym week in and week out and “test” their lifts rather than actually build them.

Now, mind you, lifting heavy things (90% + of 1 rep-max) is a non-negotiable factor to getting strong. However, as I noted in THIS blog post sub-maximal training (I.e., predominately using loads in the 65-85% range) is much UNDER-valued component to strength training.

In other words: loads in those ranges help one to BUILD strength.

Moreover, utilizing more sub-maximal training – while having an obvious muscle building effect (bigger muscles often equate to more force output) – also allows trainees to hone their technique and to get into (and maintain) proper positions to exhibit their strength more effectively.

5. Use Novelty Sparingly

Unlike coaches Dan John or Mike Boyle, I don’t find myself to be a very quotable person.

However, I am proud of this one:

“Look, I’m not bashing exercise variety. Variety has a time and place. However, the greatest gap in most people’s training isn’t lack of novelty, but rather lack of mastery.”

Many trainees have what I like to call “Squirrel Syndrome” when it comes to working out.

They start doing an exercise (or in most cases start an exercise program) and before they’ve put down the dumbbell on their first set they’re distracted by a new “squirrel.”

 

In this case the squirrel is an entirely new exercise program or a bright, shiny, new exercise.

– “Jumping Jack BOSU Bicep Curls?”

– “Sweet Christmas, I need that in my life.”

Want to get stronger?

Stop hopping exercise to exercise or program to program. It’s almost impossible to see steady progress if you’re heavy-handed on the novelty.

I like Jim Wendler’s approach to programming for strength:

“The boring shit works.”

Observe anyone who’s strong or has a physique you admire and almost always they’re doing very vanilla things in the weight room.

Contrarily, watch most other asshats who cry afoul about hitting their genetic ceiling6(or something equally as lame):

Jumping Jack BOSU Bicep Curls.

CategoriesProgram Design Rehab/Prehab

All About Recovery

I always like to say the progress you make in the gym are the direct result of how well you allow yourself to recover.

As counterintuitive as it sounds you break muscle down in the gym, and it’s the time away from deadlifts, squats, and daily WODs that your body recovers and bounces back stronger than before.

Today’s guest post from TG.com regular, Dr. Nicholas Licameli, expounds on some of the best (and simplest) ways you can get a little more recovery in your life.

It’s not as easy as telling someone to “go to bed.”

Enjoy.

Copyright: lzflzf / 123RF Stock Photo

My Top Recovery Tips

As soon as a training session ends, the goal should be to start the recovery process.

In order for us to consistently make improvements in our bodies and our training, we need exercise that overloads our current tolerance AND adequate recovery. In other words, we need to challenge, break down, and fatigue our muscles as well as recover from that challenge, break down, and fatigue.

There are many ways to look at fatigue. One common breakdown is peripheral fatigue and central fatigue. Peripheral fatigue is simply the physical stress, break down, and depletion of glycogen that muscles experience during training. This decreases strength, power, and performance and causes muscle soreness.

Central fatigue is a bit different.

Without going too in depth (that’s for another article), I introduce the autonomic nervous system, made up of the sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PNS) nervous systems. The SNS controls our stress response, or “fight or flight.”

SNS controls our bodies when we come face to face with a grizzly bear. We’re going to sweat and our heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate will increase. During this state, we are essentially mentally and physically breaking down our bodies.   The PNS controls the recovery response, or “rest, digest, and recover.” During this state, our blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rates all decrease.

It is in this state that we mentally and physically rebuild and recover.

Interestingly enough, the brain’s mechanism for learning works similarly to the mechanism by which muscles grow and become stronger.

Muscles do not grow in the gym.

Training causes muscles to be broken down. It is during recovery and sleep that muscles make adaptive changes.

Similarly, we do not learn while we attend a lecture.

via GIPHY

The lecture is like a training session because we do not make adaptive and lasting breakthroughs while in class. Our brains make new connections and truly absorb new knowledge during the rest, digest, and recover phase, which occurs after the lecture and usually during sleep.

I Sleep Every Night, Isn’t That Enough?

Not quite.

Imagine this sample day:

Alarm goes off (for the 5th time…thanks a lot snooze button) and you jump out of bed feeling like you’re running late. You go into the bathroom, get washed, get dressed, sprint down the stairs, grab some coffee and a quick to-go bite to eat, and you get into your car.

Some traffic, nasty drivers, and frantic lane changes later, you make it to the office a few minutes late. With no time to prepare, you dive right into your daily work duties.

After a stressful day at work (and getting yelled at by your boss for being late) and four cups of coffee, you rush to get home to pick up the kids from school. The commute home is no better than the morning, but you manage to get there on time. You make it home, give the kids a snack[/efn_note]As if I know anything about childcare. Sorry parents, this article is written by a young man without children…yet.7 and head out to the gym.

After taking a pre workout with enough caffeine to give heart palpitations to a Clydesdale horse, you manage to get psyched up for your workout. After a great workout, you jump in the car newly energized and ready to make dinner for the family and help the kids with homework. After collapsing on your bed and staring blankly at your Instagram feed until you can’t keep your eyes open, you manage to somehow fall asleep.

What’s the point of this example?

This is an entire day spent in a sympathetic state!

Remember, the sympathetic system is the fight, flight, and physical breakdown system. There is no time allotted to the parasympathetic system: rest, digest, and recover.

Things like stress, caffeine, and training are all highly sympathetic.

Here’s the good news!

A day like this can be easily changed for the good. All it takes is a few minutes of actively disconnecting from the grind. My favorite (and in my opinion, the simplest) way to accomplish this is simply breathing.

That’s right. Good ol’ breathing.

Inhale deeply and exhaling slowly. Let your shoulders drop down on the exhale. Redirect your mind away from the day-to-day and focus on your breathing (more on this below).

via GIPHY

In my office, we set an egg timer for one hour. When the timer goes off, everyone stops and takes a deep breath. It takes maybe 6 seconds and has had a significant impact on staff and patients alike. No egg timer? Every time you slip away for a bathroom break, try making it a point to take a deep breath. It may even be a good idea to bring along loved ones. What could be a better way to end the day than a couples breathing session in bed?

Actually, don’t answer that.

Note From TG: BOM, CHICKA BOM BOM

It seems logical that a proper recovery plan would target both types of fatigue. The following is a list of some recovery techniques that research has shown may be effective.

The techniques will target both types of fatigue and keep you on your way to achieving and surpassing your goals. Before we go on, it is important to note that no recovery technique, including the ones below, will be effective without proper sleep and nutrition. Getting your Z’s and eating properly to fuel and refuel our bodies are most important.

That being said, let’s get to it!

In an already packed schedule, it is not feasible to think you will be able to set aside time to do each technique, so I’ve numbered them from 1 (most important) to 4 (least important), in my opinion of course.

My opinion is based on the current research, effectiveness, convenience, and anecdotal experience both personally and professionally. It should be noted that although there is some research supporting the use of these techniques, many of the mechanisms and overall effectiveness still warrant further study.

For more information about specific parameters and references (and if you want to feel really insignificant about yourself and the quality of your own content), be sure to check out Chris Beardsley’s work at strengthandconditioningresearch.com right here.

1. Deep Breathing and Meditation

What Is It?

Using deep, controlled breathing and meditation to induce a state of physical and mental relaxation.

What Does It Do?

Deep breathing and meditation increases parasympathetic nervous system activity (rest, digest, recover) and decreases sympathetic nervous system activity (fight or flight).

How to Do It?

Choose a relaxing environment (an empty room, out in nature, etc.) and position yourself in a comfortable position (I prefer lying on my back with a pillow under my head and a pillow under my knees). Breathe in deeply through your nose and imagine the breath filling up and expanding your abdomen and lower back.

Hold for a few seconds and then exhale through your mouth in a controlled manner (don’t just blow the air out). With each exhale, imagine your body melting into the floor. Keep your mind focused on your breathing. “Is this an ‘in’ breath or an ‘out’ breath?” is the only thinking that should be happening.

If you hear a car horn and your attention goes to the car, redirect your mind back to your breathing. If your mind drifts to that report you have to write at work today, redirect your mind to your breathing. Some types of meditation actually involve allowing those intrusive thoughts in, and accepting their presence. If they are of significance, take moment to write them down.

If they are insignificant (be honest with yourself), push them away and redirect your mind to your breathing. Meditation takes practice, but as you train your brain to control intrusive thoughts and focus on the moment, you’ll see drastic changes in your recovery as well as your life.

2. Active Recovery

What Is It?

Active Recovery involves performing light resistance training or cardio either immediately following a workout or between workouts.

What Does It Do?

May reduce muscle soreness, limit strength losses, and even improve mood.

How to Do It?

Perform active recovery by using a light load (30% of 1 rep max) for about 20-50 reps for less than 60 minutes or using an active cool down such as a stationary bike for roughly 15 minutes.

Note From TG: Check out my Bloop, Bloop, Bloop Workout HERE which touches on the same idea a Nicholas describes and gives you some ideas on what to do.

3. Foam Rolling

(For an in depth look at foam rolling, be sure to check out my previous article here and my podcast here, which are much more comprehensive than what is described in this article.)

What Is It?

Foam rolling involves lying on a roller and using gravity to apply pressure to a muscle. The roller is pressed into the muscle belly and the user rolls up and down the length of the target muscle.

 

What Does It Do?

Like deep breathing and meditation, foam rolling can tap into the parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest, recover) and reduce sympathetic nervous system activity (fight or flight) by inducing a global short-term decrease in muscle tone.

Muscle tone is the continuous passive contraction of a muscle controlled subconsciously by the brain. In other words, it’s a muscle’s resistance to passive stretch.

Tone is created by a constant subconscious message from the brain telling a muscle to contract. Many times the sensation of muscle “tightness” has more to do with tone and less to do with actual muscle length.

How to Do It?

1. View video above.

2. Or, if you learn better by reading:

Start off with a slow, steady roll covering the entire muscle group, scanning the area for tender spots. Think of scanning the area as a blind person would scan a new environment. Once you find a tender spot, pause and hold on that spot until a release is felt and the tenderness lessens. Add some deep breathing while holding on the tender spot to further assist in the release. Follow this up with another slow, steady roll over the entire muscle, just like how you started. It is true that foam rolling should be a bit painful, but too much pain will cause an increase in muscle tone, which, as previously mentioned, is exactly the opposite of what we want to do. More pain is not better.

Better quality is better.

4. Water Immersion

What Is It?

Water immersion is the use of ice baths or hot tubs.

What Does It Do?

May reduce muscle soreness and limit losses in performance.

How to Do It?

Use cold-water immersion (8-15°C/46°F-59°F) for 5-15 minutes or alternate 1-4 minute bouts of cold and hot water (38°C-42°C/100°F-108°F). Be sure to be submerged to shoulder height.

Where to Start?

A great place to start is with (1) deep breathing and meditation.

Start small.

Try devoting a few minutes each day to disconnecting and breathing. Work up to longer durations as you start to get the hang of it.

This will help in all aspects of life.

Once you’ve successfully made it a habit to disconnect and breathe for a few minutes each day, try adding in some (2) active recovery days.

After you have a solid daily breathing and meditation routine and you’ve managed to add in some active recovery to your week, consider using a foam roller combined with deep breathing for a few minutes after training and maybe even before bed. Once you have all these in place, feel free to give (4) water immersion a shot if you have the time and resources.

Use these techniques, along with proper sleep and nutrition, and you will soon reap the physical and mental benefits of proper recovery!

About the Author

Nicholas M. Licameli

Doctor of Physical Therapy / Pro Natural Bodybuilder

Youtube: HERE

Instagram: HERE

Facebook: HERE

Every single thing he does, Nick believes in giving himself to others in an attempt to make the world a happier, healthier, and more loving place. He wants to give people the power to change their lives. Bodybuilding and physical therapy serve as ways to carry out that cause. Nick graduated summa cum laude from Ramapo College of New Jersey with his bachelor’s degree in biology, furthered his education by completing his doctoral degree in physical therapy from Rutgers School of Biomedical and Health Sciences (previously the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey) at the age of 24, and has earned professional status in natural bodybuilding. His knowledge of sport and exercise biomechanics, movement quality, and the practical application of research combined with personal experience in bodybuilding and nutrition allows him to help people in truly unique ways. Love. Passion. Respect. Humility.   Never an expert. Always a student. Love your journey.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 5/25/18

It’s Memorial Day weekend. Thanks to those who have had loved ones, friends, or colleagues serve and make the ultimate sacrifice.

And, thanks you everyone currently serving.

No witty intro this week, lets get right to it.

Copyright: wamsler / 123RF Stock Photo

BUT FIRST…CHECK THIS STUFF OUT

1. Even More Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Dates/Locations Announced

Dean Somerset and I are currently in the throes of drumming up new content for our staple workshop series.

We’ve presented this workshop all over the world – London, Vancouver, Oslo, Prague, Boston, LA, Hoth – and even turned it into a popular digital product HERE so everyone can enjoy it.

We’ve already nailed down dates in Slovenia, Houston, and LA this fall (2018) and are also in talks to bring it to Detroit, Philadelphia, Edmonton, Australia, and Singapore in 2019.

If you’re someone who’d like to host this event/participate in a tickle fight please reach out to either Dean or myself.

Go HERE to register in the announced cities.

2. Strong Body-Strong Mind – Bonn, Germany

My wife and I will be in Bonn, Germany on Saturday, June 30 to put on our 1-day Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop.

I’ll be speaking to assessment, coaching up common strength exercises (squats, deadlifts), and how to better “match” your programs to your client’s abilities and goals.

Lisa will be discussing how to better manage client expectations, motivation, and how to adopt better mindset strategies for success.

And then we’ll have a beer….;o)

Spots are limited and the Early Bird rate is still in effect (but not for long).

For more details (including itinerary and registration) go HERE.

3. 2-Day London Workshop w/ Luke Worthington

^^^ It’s so good we didn’t even feel the need to come up with a witty title for it.

After my workshop in Germany I head over to London to take part in a 2-day event (the weekend of July 7th) with my friend and colleague (and handsomest man alive) Luke Worthington.

This one is filling up fast…..go HERE for more info.

STUFF TO READ WHILE YOU’RE PRETENDING TO WORK

5 Types of Squats for Runners: More Variation, More Strength – Jason Fitzgerald

I may as well quote myself from the very article:

“Moreover, runners can always benefit from more force. Squats help make people stronger, which in turn helps to generate more force. As a runner, if you’re able to put more force into the ground to propel yourself forward, the likelihood you’ll see faster race times is pretty high.

Please don’t tell me squats will make you slower. They won’t.”

A Trainer’s Guide to Protein – Mike T. Nelson

Any fitness professional worth his or her’s weight in chicken breasts knows that one of the more challenging aspects of the job is helping clients get dialed in with their nutrition.

Inevitably one of the questions you’re bound to hear is “how much protein should I be eating?” or “which sources are best?” or “will eating too much protein make my kidneys shit a kidney?” 

Dr. Mike T. Nelson answers all your questions here.

How to Do a Goblet Squat, From the Man Who Invented the Move – Dan John

I’ve taught hundreds (if not thousands) of people to squat in mere minutes by using the Goblet Squat.

Thank you Dan John.

Social Media Shenanigans

Twitter

Instagram

Sesame Street sucked us both in.

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Categoriespersonal training

The One Thing That Annoys Me Most About the Fitness Industry

I consider myself a fairly even keeled guy.

I try not to sweat the details nor to come across as someone who complains or argues about trivial things such as traffic, the weather, low bar vs. high bar back squats, LCHF diets vs. any other diet equated for protein and total calories, or which is the best Harry Potter book.8

Then again I am human and sometimes my capacity to suppress my annoyance hits a crescendo, and I’m left with no other alternative than to write about it, like every other a-hole in the world with an opinion and access to a laptop.

Brb…I need to go throw my face into a brick wall.

Copyright: givaga / 123RF Stock Photo

Incessant Entitlement

I can’t tell you how many emails or messages I receive from new(ish) trainers on a routine basis bemoaning the fact they work in, GASP, a commercial gym.

They usually invade my inbox in several iterations, but this is the most common:

“Tony, this sucks. I don’t know what to do. I want to train professional athletes. I didn’t go to school to work with house wives or Jack from accounting. My life is over.

How do I get to where you’re at in your career?”

I don’t know what people expect from me.

I’m not their boss. There really isn’t much I can do, even with a high speed internet connection.

The meanie-head in me wants to say something like:

“I’m all for having goals, but LeBron doesn’t want to train with you.”

However, I’m not a meanie-head and what I usually end up saying is something to the effect of:

“Not to blow up your spot, but I didn’t train my first athlete until year five of my career. His name was Tim, a sophomore in high-school. He played basketball. 

I didn’t train my first professional athlete until year seven.

Also, what’s wrong with training house wives? I love house wives. And Jacks from Accounting. Hate to break it to you, but those lowly house wives (and accountants) you’re too cool for outnumber professional athletes by a ratio of a kajillion-billion to one and are going to be the ones  paying your bills and helping to pay off those student loans of yours.

I also hate to break it to you, but working with athletes isn’t as lucrative as Instagram makes it seem. 

What’s more, and this may come across as blasphemous, I prefer training general pop clients.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Y73sPHKxw

 

Pretty much every “successful” or well known coach today, every…single…one, from Mike Boyle to Eric Cressey to Mike Robertson to Nia Shanks, at some point or another, worked in a commercial gym.

What’s more, there are an infinite number of fitness professionals out there right now who thrive in commercial gyms and end up building very successful brands (and careers).

This may be an unpopular viewpoint and not what you want to hear, but I’d make the argument working in a commercial gym for 2-5 years is often what’s necessary (if not mandatory) to be successful in this industry.

Well, that and a decent bicep peak…;o)

In the end, you get out of it what you put in.

You can either bitch and whine about your situation like every other entitled asshat, or go out of your way to use this time to gain experience, hone your craft, take pride in having an insatiable desire to learn and get better and to make yourself more indispensable (FYI: this should never really stop), get up early, work late, work on holidays, and weekends, fail, fail again, fail some more, and then, at some point, inevitably, reach the same conclusion as many before you.

That who you work with has far less of an impact on your success in this industry and is as insignificant of a thing to concern yourself with as say, what Meghan Markle had for breakfast this morning, or, I don’t know, Tom Selleck having too sexy of a mustache.

None of it matters.”

Okay, that still had a bit of a meanie-head vibe to it.

But it had to be said.

CategoriesCorrective Exercise Program Design

4 Exercises to Strengthen Your Core and How to Program Them For Lower Back Pain

Raise your hand if you watched The Royal Wedding this weekend.

*raises hand*

But I only tuned in because Julian was up so early Saturday morning and there was nothing else to watch.

Yeah, yeah….that’s it.

Anyway, I’ve got an excellent guest post for you today from Florida based trainer William Richards covering a topic pretty much everyone can get on board with…..

…..low back pain and how to choose or modify the best bang-for-your-buck exercises to help nip it in the bud.

Copyright: lightwise / 123RF Stock Photo

4 Exercises to Strengthen Your Core and How to Program Them For Back Pain

When it comes to core training and sensitive lower backs I have been through the gauntlet.

I have experimented on myself and have worked with so many frustrated clients who want to train their core but always seem to re-injure their backs or stay on what I call their own pain cycle.

They go to the gym with minor inflammation thinking a good workout is what they need. They knock out what they think is a “safe” workout and spend the last 20-30 minutes hitting some hanging leg raises, decline sit-ups and maybe even some weighted jumping ball slams (because they heard a stronger core will beat their back pain). The intention behind this workout was good and hopeful but they go home and slowly start to experience this gradual increase in pain and tightness in their lower back.

Fast forward 24 hours and mornings feel like you have a tree branch wedged between two vertebrae.

Forget bending over to tie your shoes let alone put pants on. You feel 80 years old until the Extra Strength Tylenol and Ibuprofen concoction kicks in and you get a small glimpse of what it feels like to be pain-free and healthy. For most this is the only sense of relief they will ever experience.

We all know lower back pain can be complex. There could be a lot of different factors at play here but one of the key topics I want to shed light on is the core training approach.

How Should I Approach Core Training With Lower Back Pain?

In my experience with coaching corrective core training for sensitive backs, there are three key points I find myself covering over and over again.

(1) Safe modified approaches to “modern” exercises that have the sensitive back in mind.

When you here modification you immediately think “an easier version of what your showing me.” Which is true in most cases, but when dealing with a sensitive back your not looking for “easy” you’re looking for a certain pain threshold that the individual/you can control.

This threshold is extremely important to coaching sensitive backs because that very threshold can put someone on the couch for a week popping pain meds or training and moving towards freedom and a faster recovery.

So when picking and executing your core exercises think more about how the variation is affecting the way your lower back feels in the moment AND 24 hours after doing it.

Nothing you should be doing will consists of training through pain. Often times any irritation or discomfort from an exercise will kick in the next day once all the feel good chemicals have worn off.

(2) The correct coaching through these modifications to safely progress to the level of difficulty that is safe for you.

Once you have dialed in on your own safe threshold it’s time to start modifying the exercise to fit your needs. There are tons of ways to do this so I will highlight a few of my top cues here.

If you’re experiencing pain:

-1- Check the position of your pelvis.

Is it neutral?

Especially with exercises like the ones you will see below it’s paramount that you take unwanted stress OFF the lumbar spine. Some of this stress is commonly caused by an overextended or flexed lumbar spine. If you’re experiencing pain, simply being overextended or over flexed will only get worse when you add compression or a form of challenge to the position.

Note From TG: Here’s a great way to teach/cue people how to (safely) move their spine into flexion and extension IN CONTROL. Sometimes back pain is the result of being “stuck” in an over extended or flexed position. Allowing people “access” to range of motion can be a game changer.

 

-2- Bring the loads or limbs closer to your body.

Wait, what?

Try this out: If you have back pain, take a 10 lb plate and hold it straight out in front with your arms stretched out. How does that feel on your lower back?

Now bring the weight closer to your chest. Did that bring relief?

The majority of instability issues will produce pain with the outstretched arm. The closer the load or limbs are to your body the less your body (in this case your lumbar spine) has to work to keep you upright.

You can apply this cue to exercises such as the plank (side and front) or a Pallof press. The more fully weight bearing you are with the plank the more stress it will put on the irritated lower back. The same goes for the Pallof Press.

 

The further outstretched your arms are the more demand it will place on the lower back.

The more sensitive the lower back the more pronounced this will be.

(3) A Mindset Change

When training your core for back pain relief you have to adopt this way of thinking.

It’s not about the exercise you’re doing but the position of your painful points when doing the exercise. I did a quick 1-minute explanation of what I mean below:

Where Should I Start With Core Training?

Now that we have covered how you should be approaching core training, let’s get into applying what we learned. Below I want to show you four of my favorite exercises to use and modify for various levels of clients.

Let’s dive in.

1. Banded Quarter Crunch

 

One of the biggest reasons I love this exercise so much is because of the full upper body muscle recruitment it requires. Sometimes as new lifters or even those who are more seasoned we forget that bracing the trunk and engaging our body with a certain movement requires a lot of interaction between joints and muscle fibers.

To save on energy we subconsciously do the bare minimum to get the exercise done.

This is where weak links in our chain are created.

When doing these banded crunches I want you to think about bringing your arms down and out and engaging your lats before you begin moving anything. When in position be sure your spine is neutral, shoulder blades are tucked down and back and your chin is pulled in towards your neck.

When you go for lift-off, the goal is to move everything together and using the trunk as your primary mover while everything else upstream stays rigid and stiff. One way I like to cue this exercise so that the person isn’t trying to do too much of a sit up is to think about pushing your for-head up towards the ceiling. This will actually make the exercise seem a bit harder and trigger an even more intense muscle fiber recruitment.

You can get creative with this when it comes to the sets and reps scheme. You can do just reps or holds for a number of breath cycles. One rep would be a lift-off followed by a full cycle of breathing (inhale and exhale). For holds, after lift off, you can cycle 3-4 breaths before returning to the starting position.

2. Banded ISO-Deadbug

 

The dead bug can be a major let down for someone with a sensitive back. Most articles you find on the internet for lower back pain and core training you will find the dead bug. Unfortunately, those who take the dead bug at face value and don’t know how to tailor it to fit them are the ones who quit on the exercise before any benefit is seen.

In this video, I show you four variations that you can work from easy to more difficult with this exercise. We are going to use a similar band like the exercise above to help with upper body engagement.

3. Banded Sit Backs With ISO Hold

 

One thing I am a huge fan of other than hole-in-the-wall (probably should get shut down) Mexican restaurants are exercises that are designed or coached not only to make the individual stronger but to teach and groove healthy movement patterns.

One of these movements I see butchered is the hip hinge.

We do tons of exercises that include the hip hinge but with every rep and set we are putting ourselves in more danger than anything else. It’s hard to find an extra 30 minutes a day to practice proper bracing, coordination or healthy movement patterns separately. Which is why I will always work them into my workout like you see in this video.

Key points to remember with this exercise.

The most import thing is what I said HERE

I care more about the integrity of your body position then I do how many sets reps or weight you can do. You have to earn those gradual increments.

You want to stay within your pain threshold. No pushing through the pain to get a better burn. Leave that to the people who enjoy soaking in salt baths every night and are popping muscle relaxers and Percocet just to sleep at night.

4. Banded Birddog

This is another one of those exercises that can lead to frustration and more pain if not taken in small increments depending on how sensitive your back is to this type of movement.

I didn’t respect this exercise when I first introduced it into my personal rehab program. Instead, I just did what it LOOKED like I should be doing and went from there.

I want to help break this habit of the copycat approach. The more you know WHY you’re doing the variation of the exercise the better you will understand what you’re doing.

When doing this exercise, I want you to focus on the different modifications that are available with this move. We talked earlier about your specific pain threshold. These modifications should help keep in the safe zone.

Key things to remember:

Don’t rush the exercise. Start by breaking it down into segments and make sure there are no gaps or missing factors that are causing your pain.

You can attach the band to both the wrist or ankle to add difficulty to that individual limb either in the full Bird Dog or broken segments.

I Know What You’re Probably Thinking

Well, what exercise should I start with or which one is best for _________.

Don’t fall into this trap.

Remember, It’s not about what exercise you’re doing that will unlock your potential for long-term relief. It’s how you approach the exercise that you’re using. Focus on the position of your body BEFORE you even start the exercise then use the exercise to challenge that healthy position.

If you apply this to every core exercise, or any exercise for that matter, your ability to train towards lasting relief will significantly improve.

About the Author

After rupturing my L5-S1 disk over 7 years ago I was told that surgery and pain meds were my only option for a “pain-free” life.

I made a choice as a fitness professional to relentlessly pursue the truth to whether or not exercise could truly be the secret to getting relief.

After 10+ years coaching in the fitness industry I now focus the majority of my time teaching people how to pursue their own drug and surgery free path to back pain relief.

Aside from coaching you can find me on the Gulf Coast of Florida, surf fishing with my two kids and wife or eating my weight in Mexican food. For more info on me and what we have going on you can check out my website HERE.