Home Posts tagged "Tony Bonvechio" (Page 2)

Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 11/22/16

Yesterday was a busy travel day for our family as we headed up to Massachusetts for Thanksgiving week, so this list of recommended reading comes a day late. It turned out well, as I updated the list with a few articles that were just posted yesterday.

Before we get to the reading list, though, I wanted to give you two quick reminders:

1. Our Black Friday sale is currently taking place. You can get 20% off on a bunch of my products using the coupon code BF2016. Click here for more information.

2. My 30 Days of Arm Care series is also ongoing. You can see all these videos (currently on day 9) via the hashtag #30DaysOfArmCare on both Twitter and Instagram

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Now, we're on to the content...

30 Seconds of Undivided Attention - I'd argue that this might be the single most important blog many novice trainees can do to take their strength and conditioning results to the next level. The ability to "flip the switch" and train hard is essential - and it's one reason why so many individuals make huge strides when they get in the right training environment. Huge thumbs up to CSP coach Tony Bonvechio for pulling this together.

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3 Reasons Athletes Get Injured - Mike Robertson delivered some great stuff in this week's article. Injuries are multifactorial, but Mike hits on some of the big rocks in this one.

How to Quite Weakend Overeating - Krista Scott-Dixon wrote up this outstanding practical article for Precision Nutrition just in time for the holidays.

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Today is Day 5 of #30DaysOfArmCare. Thanks to #Brewers prospect Monte Harrison for his help with this demo. Key takeaways: 1. Optimal scapular (shoulder blade) function is dependent on appropriate core positioning. Doing arm care with poor core positioning is like trying to shoot a cannon from a canoe. 2. As the arms go overhead, the lats are put on stretch - and the challenge to the anterior core and scapular upward rotators increases. 3. You need strong lats for a variety of athletic endeavors - including throwing - but you also need to be able to tone them down when they aren't needed. Follow #30DaysOfArmCare and @cresseysportsperformance for more tips to keep throwing arms healthy. #cspfamily #armcare #baseball #mlb

A video posted by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 8/22/16

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  We're busy hosting one of our Elite Baseball Mentorships, but here's a little recommended reading to get your Monday off to a good start nonetheless:

How Brain Signaling Drives What You Eat - In this excellent Precision Nutrition article, Brian St. Pierre discusses some of the factors governing why individuals may overeat.

Fitness Tourism - Thinking of opening a gym? Before you do, be sure to get out and visit a few successful gyms first, writes my business partner, Pete Dupuis. 

Cressey Sports Performance Fall Seminar Registration - Just a friendly reminder that this Thursday, August 25, is the early-bird registration deadline for the 5th Annual CSP Fall Seminar at our Massachusetts location. Hope to see you there! 

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Register Now for the 5th Annual Cressey Sports Performance Fall Seminar!

We're very excited to announce that on Sunday, September 25, we’ll be hosting our fifth annual fall seminar at Cressey Sports Performance. As was the case with our extremely popular fall event over the past four years, this event will showcase the great staff we're fortunate to have as part of our team. Also like last year, we want to make this an affordable event for everyone and create a great forum for industry professionals and fitness enthusiasts alike to interact, exchange ideas, and learn. 

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Here are the presentation topics:

Pete Dupuis -- Business Before Branding

All too often, business owners put the cart before the horse by focusing on branding before establishing a solid business foundation. Before you worry about creating the most memorable hashtag on Twitter, you need efficient systems, a sound team, and concrete training philosophies. Anyone can convince a client to hand over their money once, but a consistent and predictable service retains the lifetime value of a customer. In this presentation, Pete will take an in-depth look at the core values, systems and principles that helped to create the foundation of our success at Cressey Sports Performance.

Miguel Aragoncillo -- Enhancing Performance with Plyometrics

Are you using bounding, jumping, skipping or hopping in your exercise programs? From track and field to team sports, plyometrics can enhance your performance. Miguel will cover plyometric basics to address various aspects of speed and power development. Whether you're a trainer or want to improve your own performance, this presentation will cover coaching and programming based on your goals. This presentation includes a hands-on component to identify specific techniques when performing jump training.

Greg Robins -- Lessons in Savagery

Nothing can replace old fashioned hard work in the weight room, but a savage work ethic and intelligent programming don't have to be mutually exclusive. Greg will share several important lessons to get strong, build muscle and become a savage without sacrificing the fundamentals of quality physical preparation.

Chris Howard -- What Massage Can Do for Your Strength Training

Massage therapy is often used to treat pain in the strength and conditioning setting. However, after seven years as a strength coach and massage therapist, Chris has developed methods to integrate massage into training programs for improved performance in healthy individuals. In this presentation, Chris will share his lessons learned on how massage therapy can benefit professional athletes and weekend warriors alike.

Tony Bonvechio -- Reverse Engineering the Novice Powerlifter

The rising popularity of powerlifting has sparked a resurgence in heavy barbell training for people of all ages and experience levels. Tony will discuss how to handle a brand-new powerlifter, including considerations for fine-tuning their technique, writing their programs and preparing them for their first competition. This presentation will feature hands-on movement and technique assessments to highlight what truly matters when evaluating powerlifters.

Nancy Newell -- Tackling the Road to ACL Recovery

An estimated 80,000 anterior cruciate ligament tears occur annually in the United States. The majority of these injuries are suffered by 15- to 25-year-olds who want to get back on the field or court as fast as possible. Nancy will examine current research regarding graft selections, risk factors, and how the strength and conditioning coach can help athletes recover both mentally and physically.

Eric Cressey -- Forecasting Fitness

Fifteen years after entering the industry, Eric will make some projections on what the next 15 years will look like in the fields of health and human performance. He'll pay attention to the business, training, and clinical sides of the equation to help fitness professionals to position themselves correctly in the years ahead.

**Bonus 2:30PM Saturday Session**

George Kalantzis and Andrew Zomberg-- The Method Behind CSP Strength Camp Madness

Group training is rapidly overtaking one-on-one training as the most profitable fitness service. However, an effective group fitness system is often difficult to create and sustain. In this session, George and Andrew will take participants through an actual CSP strength camp. The training session will be accompanied by a brief presentation and handouts that dive into the components of programming, coaching and marketing strategies to drive new business and client retention within a group training model.

Location:

Cressey Sports Performance
577 Main St.
Suite 310
Hudson, MA 01749

Cost:

Regular Rate – Early Bird (before August 25) $129.99, Regular $149.99
Student Rate – Early Bird (before August 25) $99.99, Regular $129.99

The early bird registration deadline is August 25.

Date/Time:

Sunday, September 25, 2016
Registration 8:30AM
Seminar 9AM-5PM

**Bonus session Saturday, September 24 at 2:30pm.

Continuing Education

0.8 National Strength and Conditioning Association CEUs (eight contact hours)

Click Here to Sign-up (Regular)

or

Click Here to Sign-up (Students)

We’re really excited about this event, and would love to have you join us! However, space is limited and most seminars we’ve hosted in the past have sold out quickly, so don’t delay on signing up!

If you have additional questions, please direct them to cspmass@gmail.com. Looking forward to seeing you there!

PS - If you're looking for hotel information, The Extended Stay America in Marlborough, MA offers our clients a heavily discounted nightly rate of just under $65.00. Just mention "Cressey" during the booking process in order to secure the discount. Their booking phone number is 508-490-9911.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 8/2/16

I'm a day late with this week's recommended reading in light of a weekend trip to Chicago to present a shoulder seminar and catch a game at Wrigley Field. 

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I'm back in town and fired up for a good week of content, starting with these good finds from around the 'net:

Building Bridges: Leveraging Your Employer to Enhance Your Personal Brand - This was an excellent guest post by Cressey Sports Performance coach Tony Bonvechio for my business partner Pete's blog. We strongly encourage our staff members to build their own personal brands under our roof, and this talks about the how and why.

EC on the Aggressive Strength Podcast - I joined Mike Mahler on his podcast, and we talked a lot about strength development and powerlifting, particularly with respect to the deadlift.

5 Steps to Building Better Athletes - I loved this piece from Mike Robertson. It's "necessarily general," but still wildly important for coaches to understand.

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Optimizing the Big 3 – August 14, 2016

We're excited to announce that on August 14, 2016 Greg Robins will be delivering his one-day seminar, “Optimizing the Big 3″ alongside fellow Cressey Sport Performance Coach Tony Bonvechio. This event, which will take place at our Hudson, MA location, is a a great chance for strength and conditioning professionals to learn from the best. And, it's also been very popular with athletes who have an interest in improving the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

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“Optimizing the Big 3” is a one-day seminar for towards those looking to improve the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

Split into both a lecture and hands-on format, the event will provide attendees with practical coaching on the technique of the classic power lifts. Additionally, Greg and Tony will cover how to individualize movement preparation, utilize supplementary movements, and organize their training around a central focus: improved strength in these “big three” movements. Furthermore, they'll touch upon the lessons learned in preparation for your first few meets to help you navigate everything from equipment selection to meet-day logistics.

The value in learning from Greg is a matter of perspective. He has a wealth of knowledge, and has experience stemming from various experiences as a coach and lifter. Greg will effectively shed light on how he has applied movement principles, athletic performance modalities, and anecdotal evidence from working with a wide variety of different populations to optimize the technique, health, and improvements in strength of amateur lifters.

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Agenda

8:30-9:00AM: Check-in/Registration

9:00-11:00AM: Maximal Strength Training Theory – The main lecture of the day will be focused on the principles of how to assess where you (or your athletes) are in terms of training history and how that determines what kind of training loads should be used. Furthermore, this lecture will focus on principles of managing stressors and how to assign proper loading parameters for different level lifters. Last will be a discussion of the cornerstones of training vs. planning, as well as a look at the commonalities and differences of different training approaches.

11:00AM-12:00PM: Managing the Strength Athlete: Assessing and Meeting the Demands of the Lifter – Learn what demands a high amount of volume in the classic lifts puts on the body; how to assess for it in others and yourself; and what you can do to manage the stress associated with these demands.

12:00-12:30PM: Group Warm-up

12:30AM-1:15PM: Squat Hands-on Session

1:15-1:30PM: Squat Recap, Programming Considerations, and Video Review

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1:30-2:15PM: Lunch (on your own)

2:15-3:00PM: Bench Press Hands-on Session

3:00-3:15PM: Bench Press Recap, Programming Considerations, and Video Review

3:15-4:00PM: Deadlift Hands-on Session

4:00-4:15PM: Deadlift Recap, Programming Considerations, and Video Review

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4:15-5:00PM: Final Q&A

Date/Location:

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Cressey Sports Performance
577 Main St.
Suite 310
Hudson, MA 01749 

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Registration Fee:

$199.99

Click here to register using our 100% secure server!

Note: we’ll be capping the number of participants to ensure that there is a lot of presenter/attendee interaction – particularly during the hands-on workshop portion – so be sure to register early, as the previous offerings have both sold out well in advance of the early-bird registration deadline.

On the fence? Here is what previous attendees have to say...

"Greg Robins has constructed one of the most comprehensive seminars that I have ever attended. I’ve had the opportunity to not only attend The Big 3, but host it at my gym as well. I truly believe that every coach and/or individual who's interested in mastering the squat, bench, and deadlift absolutely must attend this workshop. Greg is loaded with knowledge and learning directly from him has greatly impacted my ability to coach my clients and athletes."
-Chris Semick 
Co-Owner, War Horse Barbell - Philadelphia, PA

"Attending the Big 3 Workshop with Greg Robins and Tony Bonvechio was the best thing to happen to my barbell training. After taking close to 20+ years off from working with a barbell I decided to attend the Big 3 workshop to receive excellent coaching and guidance in training. In my experience as a healthcare provider (ATC) a strength coach and a kettlebell instructor this course has helped myself and my clients significantly. I was able to relate all the movements to rehabilitation, strength training and kettlebell training I perform with clients and this helps me to give them a better transition back to sport and training. I would happily attend this workshop again to continue to learn and dial in the Big 3 movements. Just one day with these two professionals is not enough time to soak in all the knowledge!"

-Eric Gahan
Co-Owner, Iron Body Studios

"Greg Robins is the epitome of high integrity, an unparalleled work ethic, and a true passion and dedication toward making those around him better. His Optimizing The Big 3 Workshop is no different. After attending this workshop while also being a personal client of Greg's, I've increased numbers in all 3 lifts, and improved my overall strength by leaps and bounds in the process. Greg is the real deal. Don't hesitate - just go."

-Matt Ibrahim
Owner, Movement Resilience

And some video proof...

Click here to register!

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Random Thoughts on Long-Term Fitness Industry Success: Installment 2

I published a post on this topic a few months ago, and it was really popular. With that in mind, I figured I'd do another quick brain dump on the subject - and have it serve as the second installment of what will become a semi-regular series.

1. Use people's names as much as possible.

Tony Bonvechio is an outstanding coach at our Massachusetts location, and he does this better than any coach I've ever seen. I don't know if he does it intentionally, but it's simple, yet powerful strategy that allows him to really connect with clients - and I'm confident that it makes his coaching more efficient. 

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This "strategy" does' just apply to coaching, though; it makes all your dealings with other people more positive. As Dale Carnegie wrote in How to Win Friends and Influence People, “A person’s name is to them the sweetest sound in any language.”

2. What you don't say matters just as much as what you say.

Body language means a lot in the world of coaching. Crossing your arms screams, "I'm not interested in talking to you." Hands in your pockets gives off the "I don't really know why I'm here, and I don't have anything of value to contribute." If you don't know how to stand, move! If you're bouncing around and interaction with a lot of athletes (in the group setting) or working from multiple coaching angles (when working with a single athlete/client), you can't give off any vibe other than, "I really care and want to help."

3. "In business, you either grow fast or die slowly." 

Robert Herjavec dropped this quote in his new book, You Don't Have to Be a Shark, and I definitely think it holds true in the fitness industry.

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You see, the fields of health and human performance are remarkably dynamic. New research emerges every day, and we learn better ways to do things. Likewise, the dynamics of the business of fitness is changing dramatically as well; you don't have to look any further than the growth of semi-private training opportunities over the past decade as an example of that.

These changes aren't going to slow down anytime soon, so you better stay openminded and flexible so that you can adapt and grow in the decades ahead. The second you think you have it all figured out, the fitness and business games will quickly humble you.

4. This is likely the best progression for learning how to be a complete strength and conditioning coach...

Step 1: learn functional anatomy.

Step 2: learn exercises and how to coach them (note: most coaches cover a big chunk of this step by being athletes themselves).

Step 3: learn assessments.

Step 4: refine exercise selection and coaching strategies in light of the assessments.

Step 5: learn programming strategies.

Step 5: write programs based on steps 3, 4 and 5.

Step 6: keep refining points 3-6 for the rest of your career. Tinker, but never overhaul.

Everyone thinks they can write great programs right off the bat, but the truth is that there is a lot of foundational knowledge that has to be in place before they'll deliver a great training effect. The best coaches are the ones who've had years of going through steps 3-6 over and over again. For the young coaches out there, a good internship should take you from step 1 all the way through step 5.

5. Recognize your individual weaknesses, and coach accordingly.

I'm a fast talker and I often fall into the trap of mumbling. It's something that I really had to work to overcome for my speaking at seminars, but when I'm bouncing around on the training floor and the gym is busy, I often fall back into the trap of speaking too quickly. Recognizing this, at least 2-3 times per day, I have to remind myself of the cues "clear, concise, and firm" in my head to make sure that my brain doesn't get going too fast for my mouth.

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Some coaches are too mellow and need reminders to step up their energy levels. Some need reminders to maintain eye contact with their athletes. Every coach has weaknesses like these - and you have to be honest with yourself about what they are so that you can be cognizant of not slipping back into your old traps.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 6/27/16

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had an awesome weekend. Just in case you didn't, here is some good strength and conditioning material from around the 'net over the past week:

My 5 Least Favorite Coaching Cues - Mike Robertson wrote up this great article on well-intentioned, but inappropriate coaching cues.

Autonomic Dysfunction: Real or Not Real? - This was an outstanding post from Seth Oberst and Dr. Ben House. I love the emphasis on multiple practitioners from different disciplines collaborating to assist those dealing with chronic stress.

Gym Owner Musings: 5 Random Lessons Learned - My business partner, Pete Dupuis, pulled together this blog on a few lessons we've learned in nine years in business at Cressey Sports Performance.  

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Facebook Live Q&A with EC and Tony Bonvechio - I forgot to post this last week, but Tony and I did a lengthy Q&A to celebrate one year of his "Technique Tuesday" videos. You can watch it here:

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 6/20/16

Happy Monday! And, to all the Dads out there, I hope you had a great Father's Day. Here's some good strength and conditioning content from around the web as a belated gift:

Physical Preparation Podcast with Greg Robins - Mike Robertson interviewed Cressey Sports Performance coach Greg Robins, and not surprisingly, it came out great. 

How I Accidentally Raised a Professional Athlete - This awesome ESPNW article was written by Edie Ravenelle - who happens to be the mother of long-time Cressey Sports Performance athlete Adam Ravenelle. Adam has trained with us since he was in 8th grade, and won a national championship with Vanderbilt before being drafted by the Detroit Tigers.

Cressey Sports Performance on Snapchat! - CSP just started up a Snapchat account; you can follow us at CresseySP.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 6/14/16

Here's some recommended strength and conditioning reading/viewing to get your Tuesday started off on the right foot:

How Neural Tension Influences Hamstrings Flexibility - This Mike Reinold video is an excerpt from our new resource, Functional Stability Training: Optimizing Movement. It's on sale for $30 off through the end of the week.

Why Physical Therapists are Movement System Experts? - I thought this was an excellent article from my good friend and colleague, Eric Schoenberg. I collaborate with Eric on a weekly basis with various rehab cases and he's an outstanding therapist and even better friend.

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Top Instagram Post of the Week: (this week's come from the @CresseySportsPerformance account):

 

Another exciting 1st Year Player Draft in the books. Odds are looking pretty good that we break into triple digits in '17. #cspfamily #mlbdraft

A photo posted by Cressey Sports Performance (@cresseysportsperformance) on

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 5/16/16

It's time to kick off your week with some recommended strength and conditioning reading:

One Weird Trick: Half-Kneeling - CSP coach Miguel Aragoncillo highlights some of the common mistakes we see with folks in the half-kneeling position, and then outlines some strategies for cleaning it up.

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Major League Wisdom - Mark Watts on EliteFTS published this compilation of audio interviews from Carlo Alvarez, Bob Alejo, Mike Boyle, and me, and it focuses heavily on our involvement in baseball. There is a lot of great stuff in here.

Strength Development Roundtable - Greg Robins, Tony Bonvechio, and I hopped on a Facebook Live Q&A to talk about all sorts of strength development topics, from percentage-based training, to exercise sequencing, and velocity-based training. Our signal cut out for a second, so it was actually broken into two parts. That said, you can watch them both here if you missed them live:

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LEARN HOW TO DEADLIFT
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