Oprah: I don’t get it.  Much like it dumbfounds me that people actually take marriage advice from her (NEWSFLASH:  she’s never been married), I just can’t comprehend why women continue to flock to her for diet and training advice as well.

I mean, has she ever you know, been “fit?”  Yeah, yeah, yeah, she ran a marathon, and to her credit, she did inspire people to get off their asses.  But is it really that impressive?  I mean, I’ve witnessed the Boston Marathon a few times, and see people talking on their cell phones at mile 17.  Wow, amazing.

Tracy Anderson: How someone who’s about as intelligent as a ham sandwich (and even that can be debated) has millions of people listening to her, is beyond me.

Gillian Michaels: Preaches hard work, then pimps supplements. Awesome

Anyways, the point I’m trying to make is that women have been programmed by the mass media to think they’re these soft, delicate creatures that shouldn’t (can’t?) lift weights.  It’s downright criminal.  To that end, below are some sites that I HIGHLY recommend and don’t you know, suck:

Stumptuous.com- I’ve never directly spoken with her, but Krista Scott-Dixon is the female version of me.  Same sense of humor, and she tells it like it is.

FigureAthlete.com- You won’t find routines with pink dumbbells on this site.

The Fat Solutions (Nia Shanks)- Nia and I pretty much have an internet crush on one another.  Well, maybe it’s more on my end, but nevertheless, she’s strong as hell and does a fantastic job at motivating women to lift heavy shit.

Rachel Cosgrove.com- She’s competed in triathlons, figure shows, and powerlifting.  Not to mention, she’s kind of smart and knows a thing or two about fat loss.

Cassandra Forsythe- I mentioned her new blog the other day, but I can’t compile a list of “go to” female sites and not include Cass.

This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, but should serve as a good starting point for many.  As such, if you have a few great resources yourself, feel free to drop a line below in the comments section!

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Sure, we can show people how to foam roll, or how to use ordinary things like a tennis/lacrosse ball to help improve their tissue quality, and usually, that’s all people need in order to see vast improvements.  In some cases, however, they can be fairly limited and only go so far.

Personally, foam rollers just don’t do it for me anymore and I’ve graduated to rolling on live grenades.  As such, whether it’s finding a great physical therapist, chiropractor, or massage therapist, if you really want to make a difference with tissue quality, nothing beats someone manually getting their hands on you.

As it is, every Monday afternoon, Nate Tiplady from Patient First Chiropractic & Physical Therapy, located in Waltham, MA, comes in with his Graston tools and works on many of our clients, as well as the CP staff.

For those unaware, the Graston Technique is a unique system that uses small, metal tools to help break up scar tissue and adhesions that prevent fluid movement of muscles, tendons, ligaments, as well as other surrounding tissue.

For a quick primer, click HERE for a slideshow that goes into more detail.

It’s not pleasant.  Actually, it can downright suck.  And it’s sometimes comical to hear the things that come out of people’s mouths when Nate is treating them- sort of like that scene from The 40 Year Old Virgin when Steve Carell’s character goes in to get his chest hair waxed.

Nevertheless, the results speak for themselves, and it’s pretty amazing the marked difference people see in only a matter of a few sessions.  What’s more, sometimes you walk away with a sweet bruise on your leg, like I did yesterday:

My bad if your computer just crashed.

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But come on, how is it possible that someone is that stupid to think they can eat chocolate cake all day, and expect to magically lose weight because she takes a “diet pill?”  Oh wait, are there white wizards and dragon tears involved?  There are????  Well, in that case……..

2.  One of the most kick-ass (and funnest) movies I have watched in a long time:

3. Speaking of movies, my thoughts on the Oscars last night:

- Meryl should have won over Sandra.

- Needed more cowbell.

- That dance sequence in the middle was sick.

- I was kind of indifferent about The Hurt Locker winning Best Picture.   It was okay, but Avatar literally changed the way we’ll watch movies from here on out.  That’s saying something.

- Kathryn Bigelow, the director of The Hurt Locker (and winner of Best Director) is a straight up smoke-show

4.  I hate 1RM calculators.  Don’t say your 1RM was “x” if you haven’t actually lifted it.

5.  I conventional pulled 500 lbs for 6×3 on Saturday.  So, my 1RM is roughly 10, 576 lbs.

6.  My good friend (and one of the smartest people I know when it comes to nutrition) Cassandra Forsythe just launched her new website, and it looks fantastic!  Check it out HERE

7.  I always get my balls busted because I like to wear “form fitting” shirts.  You know, to show off my personality.  I was in Whole Foods on Saturday and as I was going through the checkout line, the cashier (a dude) started asking me where I train, blah blah blah.  I casually mentioned that I’m a co-owner of a facility and I handed him my card.  There’s a lesson to be learned here:  If wearing smedium shirts is wrong, then I don’t want to be right.  Well that, and I was looking pretty gunny that day.

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Nice try, thanks for playing.  My eyes hate me now.

Nevertheless, the box squat is a superb way to keep people honest and “groove” the proper pattern we’re looking for.  And, while I understand that this is a pretty extensive topic that people write books about, it’s 5AM as I type this, cut me some slack.  Besides, considering the fact that most people have ADD as it is, and won’t read past the first two paragraphs anyways, I figured something short and to the point would, oh look, shiny!

First off, as far as box height is concerned, I’d say a rough guesstimate would be 12-13 inches for most.  As Mike Boyle has discussed on several occasions, and as it relates to squatting, tibia length doesn’t differentiate much from person to person.  Once you start talking about guys who are 6-5 and above, however, that changes things.  That being said, a box height of 12-13 inches is a nice start for most.  If you don’t have a box available, then you can use aerobic steppers and adjust them to the proper height using those stacker thingamabobs.  If you don’t have access to either, your gym sucks and you need to find a new one.

Set-Up:

I’d argue that the set-up is the most important part of the box squat.  If you don’t take the set-up seriously and just get under the bar without any thought, it stands to reason that performance is going to suffer- not to mention you’re more likely to get hurt.

• Many place the bar far too high on their neck, and well, it hurts.  The shoulder blades should be pinched together (retracted) so that the upper back makes a “shelf” that the bar will lie on.

• Grab the bar and CRUSH it.  Meaning, you literally want to pull DOWN on the bar and try to rip it apart.  In doing so, you’ll “activate” the lats, as well as the thoraco-lumbar fascia, which will help stabilize the spine.  As well, elbows should be pointing towards the floor (not straight back), and your chest should be up/tall.

• Arch your lower back as hard as you can, brace your abs, and “get your air.”  Ready?

The Descent (BTW, if you ever want to destroy the back of your pants, rent the movie of the same name).

• Your initial movement should be to sit back, keeping a vertical shin angle (knees shouldn’t come forward).  Physical therapist Charlie Weingroff talks about this quite a bit, and I like this cue a lot.  Of note, you should be “straddling” the box so that it’s sitting between your legs.  Feet should be slightly past shoulder width apart, with your toes slightly externally rotated, but not too much.

• Put another way, you want your first movement to be hips BACK, not knees forward.  Far too often, trainees tend to be “ankle squatters,” and their initial movement is to push the knees over their toes.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing (although I’m sure there are plenty of aerobics instructors who will disagree), but it does place a lot more stress on the patellofemoral joint, so it’s something to be cognizant of.  Just remember, SIT BACK!

• Also, I generally prefer that people do these barefoot, or in a pair of Chuck Taylors.  In doing so, it will make it easier to “activate” the glutes and hammies to a greater degree.

• As you sit back, you’ll want to “push” your knees out relative to your feet.  Meaning, your feet shouldn’t move.  Rather, your knees should flare our somewhat (again, to the right and left) in an effort to help “open up” the hips more.

• Again, while maintaining your arch, continue sitting back until your butt gently touches the box.  As you sit, though, imagine that you’re sitting on broken glass.  You shouldn’t just plop onto the box.

• Pause for one second on the box, without rocking back.

• Again, keeping the chest tall, as you come off the box, you’ll want to think about driving through the heels pushing your hips forward.  All the while, as noted earlier, making sure to pull DOWN on the bar and staying as tight as possible.

• From there, you’ll finish by “standing tall,” and firing those hips through as fast as you can- making sure to squeeze the glutes.

Repeat and be awesome.

This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel it gets the point across.  If I left anything out, or, if you have some tips of your own, share them below!

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I haven’t the faintest idea, but Bret shares some great insight on how to help women achieve a badonkadonk that just won’t quit, which is a start.  Like Bret, I too believe that for the bulk of women out there, squats, deadlifts, and various single leg exercises will work wonders.  Unfortunately, for many, they spend an inordinate amount of time using those hip abductor/adductor machines and performing 1/4 squats in the Smith machine, that they’re often perplexed as to why their butt looks like a 2×4.

That being said, however, many of the exercises that are great for the glutes, are also great at developing the thighs.  Not a bad thing per se, but if you want to turn a woman off completely to strength training, make it so she can’t get her favorite pair of jeans past her knees.  And you thought pissing on the toilet seat made her mad?

In any case, Bret sheds some light on the topic and I thought it was fantastic.

2.  4 Things Your Girlfriend Should Know- Me

I can’t remember whether or not I linked to this article before, so forgive me if I have.  Either way, this is probably one of my more popular articles I have ever written.  And, considering the fact that I’m trying to include more female related content, this fits it quite nicely.

3.  Hip Mobility: Femoral Anteversion- Bill Hartman

Bill’s often been called one of the smartest minds in the industry- and with good reason.

4.  Never Eat Alone- Keith Ferrazzi

I’m always asked by incoming trainers and strength coaches what books they should read to get better.  Sure, I’ll recommend the geeky stuff, but being a good trainer and coach is just as much about becoming a better “people person” and having the ability to develop relationships as it is being able to name off insertion and origins of muscles.  Besides, if you have the personality of a bowling ball, that certainly isn’t going to help matters.   This one is easily in my top 10.

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That statement shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone reading.  As of today, and as chef Jamie Oliver states in the video linked below, the previous four generations have blessed our children with a shorter lifespan than their parents- in no small part because of the landscape of food we have built around them.

Diet related disease is the #1 killer in America.  That’s a fact.  Know what else is a fact?  Jake is an idiot for picking Vienna over Tenley in the season finale of The Bachelor.*  What’s more, 10% of our health care costs can be directly attributed to obesity- to the tune of 150 billion per year.  And, that number is expected to double in ten years.

In any case, if you have 20 minutes to spare, I highly encourage you to watch this presentation that Jamie Oliver gave recently at the TED Prize Award ceremony.

* Seriously, that was a bigger upset than Rocky over Drago, or the Giants over the Patriots.  Only, you know, with more gonorrhea and what not.

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To start, the conventional DB step-up is an excellent exercise for a few reasons.

As is the case for most trainees (not you, of course), our programs are woefully deficient in single leg work. For the record doing leg presses with one leg doesn’t count.  Nice try, asshat.  I don’t know why, but many fail to realize that single leg training is a completely different entity compared to bilateral training (think squats, deadlifts, etc). Simply put, once you stand on one leg, it changes the game entirely- particularly with regards to the hip stabilizers.

Coincidentally, the step-up is a fairly fool proof way to introduce someone to single leg training, without making them feel overwhelmed.  Just about anyone can do them.  And, depending on their fitness level, you can adjust the box height accordingly, which is important when trying to limit eccentric stress.

Eccentric stress= soreness.  Call me crazy, but if I’m trying to give someone a training effect without making them too sore to walk the next day, the latter point is kind of a big deal.  Make no mistake about it, however, you can definitely make the exercise harder or more challenging.  Which is a perfect segue to this…….

What Is It: Crossover DB Step-Up

Who Did I Steal If From: Mike Robertson

What Does It Do: On top of what I mentioned above, this version of the step-up adds a little more hip internal/external rotation into the mix, which can be especially beneficial for those who suffer from patellofemoral (anterior) knee pain.

Key Coaching Cues: This is going to sound a bit goofy, but I like to tell people to pretend they’re wearing a pair of clown shoes while performing this exercise (ie: point toes up).  In doing so, when they step onto the box, they’ll fire through the heel, which will automatically engage the hamstrings/glutes to a greater degree.  Also, while doing this exercise, you’ll want to keep the chest “tall” and shoulder blades retracted.  From there, you’ll simply step across with the right leg, step behind with the SAME leg to the opposite side.  Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.

I like to keep the reps a little low(er) with this exercise- so try to shoot for 6-8 repetitions with each leg.

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To that end, my girlfriend recently introduced me to this store called Teavana, which is well known for their organic, delicious teas.  Check out their website HERE. I’ve been rocking a little white/mate mix that I sampled the last time I was there, and it’s amazing.  The way I see it, drinking tea will give me a lot more anti-oxidants as well as a plethora of other health benefits to boot.  Moreover, it will help keep me hydrated- I’m horrible at drinking enough water throughout the day.

Nevertheless, I never thought the day would come where I’d be a tea-drinker.  What’s next?  Fox hunting with the Queen?

2.  It’s been said (I forgot where, you’ll just have to trust me on this one) that on average, families eat roughly less than five meals together per week.  This includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between.  Less than five.  What’s more, our children are more apt to recognize a package of Hamburger Helper than they are a tomato.   We’ve grown so accustomed to eating out of a box, let alone at the same dinner table, that it’s gotten to the point where our kids don’t even know what real food looks like!

One of my clients sent me this link to chef Jamie Oliver’s show Food Revolution:

Wow.

3. CP has been getting a lot of love in the blog-o-sphere as of late. Nia Shanks wrote an awesome blog post last week on women and strength training.  Namely, you CAN be strong and look feminine at the same time.  No, really, you can.  Check it out HERE.  And thanks for the shout out Nia!

4.  So, um, yeah, my girlfriend had me try a umeboshi plum over the weekend.

True to my word, I have been making an effort to try new foods every week.  And, Jonny Bowden gave them a gold star in his book, The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, so I figured how bad could they be?   Well, if you took Play-Doh and dipped it in cancer- that would taste better than these bastards.  Never again.  Never again.

5.  I always thought Terry Tate: Office Linebacker was the best commercial ever made.

Well, that, and that one time Michael Jackson’s hair caught on fire.  Too soon?

Anyways, when I watched the first ten seconds of THIS, however, I quickly changed my mind.   I would have posted the video here, but whoever posted it on Youtube, disabled the embedding feature.  In short, they should be shot.

What I can do, though, is tell you that Donna Feldman’s (the girl in the commercial) boyfriend just made my list of guys I hate because I’m not him.

6.  Just about every day at CP, someone will post a “Poll of the Day” on the inside of the front door.  Below was the question from Friday:

To their credit, Eric deadlifts a house and Brian played rugby and hockey back in the day (not to mention broke his nose like 34 times in the process).  Clearly, people don’t realize I have a blackbelt in crazy.  And by 0% chance, they mean a 0% chance of letting anyone live.

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A: Truthfully, I have no experience what-so-ever with the Vibram Five Fingers, but it’s obvious to me that there’s a lot of merit to their use.  And, given the fact that I see more and more people coming into CP wearing them while they train, it’s readily apparent they’re growing in popularity.

More to the point, when you think about it, our feet are the one part of our body that’s in constant contact with the ground.  Yet we take every opportunity to cover them up with the shoes we wear.  As a result, we oftentimes lose the ability to “use” those small, intrinsic muscles at the bottom of our feet- which not only help with proprioception and balance, but also serve a crucial role in keeping many of the joints up the kinetic chain healthy as well.

That being said, I have the luxury of working at a gym where I’m one of the co-owners, and I’m able to walk around all day shirtless barefoot (albeit in socks) if I want.  And I do.  Similarly, I train bareboot and/or wear my Nike Frees or Chuck Taylors; both of which are a flatter shoe.

Needless to say, personally, I don’t see the need to go out and buy a pair when I don’t necessarily have to.  Likewise, lets be honest here.  If I were to show up to work one day sporting a pair of Vibrams, with a straight face no less, I’d never hear the end of it from the guys.

Having said all that, I think if you’re interested in getting a pair, then do it.  As I mentioned above, I really feel there’s a lot of efficacy towards wearing them.  All told, they’re certainly a step above the cement blocks that most people put on their feet.  And, at the end of the day, who really cares what other people think anyways?  If someone busts your chops for wearing them, just remind them that the 80’s didn’t do them any favors.

Summing up, all I’ll on say on the matter is that if you’re going to purchase a pair, and you plan on running in them, it would be wise to ease your way into it.  If you’re used to running with shoes on, and then go straight to the Vibram’s, you may be asking for a world of discomfort.

If you haven’t already, I’d suggest getting a pair of Nike Frees, and run in those for a while.  From there, you can then gradually increase your mileage in the Vibrams.  Along those same lines, I’d also try to make a conscious effort to walk around barefoot as much as you can- around the house, washing the car, letting hot chicks hang out with you, whatever.

Moreover, in a previous post, I included a link to THIS article which I felt made some great points with regards to people being a bit too overzealous with the whole running barefoot thing.  Check it out and let me know what you think below!

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More often than not, when it comes to “dialing in” the diet, most guys (and girls) fail miserably.  You would think it’s rocket science the way most people treat it.  Here’s a great post by Nate Green summarizing a few key points with regards to how, when, where, and what you should eat.  Bon appetit!

2.  Throw Away Your Scale- some guy named Gentilcore

Just wanted to bring back a little old school flavor.  This is an article that I had originally penned for The Boston Herald, but they big leagued me and never used it.  I posted it on my blog (back when I blogged for them), and figured I’d re-post it here.  Again.  Cause I can.

3.  Assessing Our Assessments- Nick Tumminello

I was talking shop  with one of our interns yesterday, and the topic of assessments came up.  As luck would have it, when I got home last night, I decided to catch up on some reading and came across the above blog post by Nick.

If you’re not assessing, you’re guessing.  As someone who gets paid to get people results, it goes without saying that the initial assessment (whatever that may entail) is kind of a big deal.  What’s more, if you’re a personal trainer or strength coach, how in the world do you expect to write a program geared specifically for your client if you’re not taking him/her through some form of assessment in the first place?

All told, however, it’s important to know when to refer out.  Coincidentally this is why Eric, Brian, and myself have made it a point of surrounding ourselves with people who are much smarter than us.  We know our limits and are more than happy to refer out when necessary.  Unfortunately, many personal trainers fail to understand that they’re not physical therapists and try to work outside their scope of practice, let alone expertise.

Worse still, they’ll take a client through an assessment and take the most inane finding-right pinky toe pronates, for example- and spend two weeks trying to fix it with an assortment of “corrective exercises.” Meanwhile, said client is 30 lbs overweight, has the mobility of a 2×4, and can’t walk more than ten steps without keeling over from exhaustion.  How about, you know, actually training them?

In the end, as personal trainers and strength coaches, it’s imperative that you recognize dysfunction.  I’d go so far as to say that’s part of your job.  Nonetheless, it’s also important to realize your limitations and understand there is a scope of practice.  That’s not to say  we shouldn’t continue to try to bridge the gap between the strength and conditioning world and the physical therapy world.  I just think it’s a dangerous slope to travel when you have personal trainers thinking they’re Shirley Sahrmann after having read one book.

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