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BUT FIRST…CHECK OUT WHERE I’M GOING1. Coaching Competency Workshop – New York, NY: Sunday, November 3, 20192. (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Athens, Greece: Saturday, Feb 29th & Sunday, March 1st, 2020This will be the first leg of mine and Dean Somerset’s European extravaganza in early 2020. The second leg will take place in… 3. (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Maidenhead, U.K: March 7th & 8th, 2020There’s an Early Bird rate for both of these events, so keep that in mind before you decide to hold off. Dean and I are really excited for this and hope to see you there! SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
STUFF TO READ WHILE YOU’RE PRETENDING TO WORKIs a Diastasis Recti Normal? – Dr. Sarah DuvallIf you’re a fitness professional you WILL see this and it’s important to recognize it and to have a handful of strategies in your back pocket to address it. How to Build a Successful Career and Rewarding Career in Fitness – Nate GreenThere’s no “easy” path or formula, but Nate provides an excellent blueprint in this article. What If You Stopped Worrying About Employees Maintaining Personal Brands? – Pete DupuisWhenever I hear stories of gyms stifling their employees’ ability to develop personal brands I can’t help but shake my head. It’s dumb. Like, dumber than opening a protein shaker bottle you left in your car in 95 degree heat for a week. Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2019/09/stuff-to-read-while-youre-pretending-to-work-9-20-19/
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Being married to a psychologist has it’s disadvantages:
There are far more perks, however. Most of what “drains” me as a coach isn’t so much the x’s and o’s of writing programs or the ability to ascertain what may be the root cause of someone’s shoulder pain. Those are pretty much second nature at this point in my career. No, what drains me the most is figuring out people. Specifically, what motivates one person to workout (and stick with it) as opposed to what makes the next person do the same? It’s a quagmire to say the least, and often takes too much mental gymnastics for my liking. Autonomy = The “It” Factor to Getting ResultsThis is where my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, comes in. Before I met her anytime I worked with someone who seemingly lacked discipline or “hoodzpah” to get after it in the gym…I’d often resort to some tough love. I’d assume (s)he didn’t want it enough and my default was to question their work ethic. I wouldn’t be a dick or anything, but I also didn’t go out of my way to demonstrate much compassion or empathy. When my wife and I started dating I’d often bring up work with her and attempt to commiserate on how this client wouldn’t work hard during their session or how that client just seemed to not care about getting results or how it just really, really sucked that I had to wear pants. I’d be all like “what the hell!?!” and then throw a chair through a window or something, and then she’d be all like…
And this was when I was first introduced to the Self-Determination Theory. There’s no need to go too far into the weeds. All you need to know about SDT is that it was popularized by psychologists Edward Deci & Richard Ryan and that it revolves around… “a macro theory of human motivation and personality that concerns people’s inherent growth tendencies and innate psychological needs. It is concerned with the motivation behind choices people make without external influence and interference. SDT focuses on the degree to which an individual’s behavior is self-motivated and self-determined.” The three main components are:
For the sake of brevity I’m going to hone in on autonomy or the power of choice. In short, people don’t like to be told what to do. In the fitness industry this comes across as bit absurd given that’s exactly why most people hire us in the first place. However, one of the biggest changes I’ve made in my coaching philosophy – in no small part due to my wife’s nudging through the years – is working on autonomy and offering clients more choice in their programming. It’s not only made a profound difference in helping clients stay motivated to workout, but it’s also helped to expedite their results and progress. Here’s a few suggestions and examples. 1. Allowing Them to Choose the Main Lift of the DayI live in a bit of a strength & conditioning bubble. Most people who start to work with me already know what they’re getting themselves into. They’re going to lift heavy things and they’re going to listen to some EDM while doing it. One “trick” I’ll use – especially with beginners – is to let them choose their main lift of the day. If performing some squats will fill their training love tank that day, that’s what we’ll do. Likewise, if they want to deadlift, we’ll deadlift. The only exercise I’ll say a hard no to is kipping pull-ups. I’d rather them jump into a shark’s mouth. But can you see the inherent advantage this approach provides? If you have a client who’s having a hard time with motivation or just can’t seem to get “jazzed-up” for a particular session, maybe all you need to do is give them a bit more choice. Assuming, of course, you’re taking into consideration their goals, injury history, and ability level. 2. Choosing the Variation of a Particular ExerciseIt’s squat day. [Cue the cacophony of moans] Admittedly, not many people – outside of the truly masochistic – draw a sense of butterfly kisses and rainbows from squat day. That being said, another trick to employ is to allow clients to choose what variation of a particular exercise they’re going to perform that day. Squat
There are many options; and we haven’t even discussed things like ladder sets, drop sets, rest/pause sets, or even tweaks that can be made with stance, tempo, or even speciality bars (SSB, Duffalo, Cambered, etc). Giving clients some say on the variation they’re going to perform that day is a game changer in terms of creating more “buy in” in that session. 3. Free TimeAnother tactic I use often to help increase motivation is to give clients a 5-10 minute “window” at the end of their session to do whatever they want. Most of my male clients choose to do some additional arms or “Gun Show” work. Most of my female clients choose to do some additional glute or “badonkadonk” work. And, not coincidentally, most of the wizards I work with prefer to use their time pecifying their pecs. Science. #dumbledoreisswole All told, this approach serves as a nice compromise. So long as the client completes what’s on their program – and does what I want them to do – I am more than happy to give him or her some free time and choose their fate at the end of the session. If they leave with a bicep or glute pump, and are happy, I am down with that. Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2019/09/subtle-tricks-to-increase-motivation-with-personal-training-clients/
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This is a sponsored post from Bench, the online bookkeeping service that pairs you with a dedicated bookkeeping team and elegant software to do your books for you. Whether it’s putting out small fires in the present or making big plans for the future, there are some tasks only you can tackle for your small business. For everything else, there’s automation. Running your own business can feel like a 24/7 gig. Automating humdrum tasks like payroll, tax filing, and invoicing frees up time, reduces stress, and lets you focus your unique talents on helping your business succeed. Here are some of the best choices when it comes to automating your business. PayrollOnboarding. Retention. 1099s. Name all the tasks you have to tackle, and the care and feeding of employees starts to sound overwhelming. Enter Gusto. This payroll and HR platform is super simple to use, and lets you handle all your employee management on one platform. And you get a professional, remote HR team working for you—so, if you have any questions, it’s easy to reach out and get help. BookkeepingAccurate, up-to-date bookkeeping is the key to tracking and planning your business finances. If bookkeeping tasks are keeping you up at night, or debits and credits give you a migraine, Bench is here to help. With Bench, you get a remote bookkeeping team that tracks and records all your business transactions, and an intuitive app to help you pulse-check your finances on the go. Professionally prepared financial reports make it easy to track business performance. And Bench will even file your taxes for you at the end of the year — one less job ticked off your to-do list. One major benefit of signing up with Bench: They offer catch-up bookkeeping services. So, if your day-to-day bookkeeping has fallen behind, your team at Bench will bring it up to speed. Mileage loggingIf business often has you on the road, writing mileage off your taxes can save you big bucks. Problem is, you need receipts and comprehensive travel log to back up your claim. That can mean digging for receipts and records come tax season. MileIQ is a simple app, working in the background on your phone to keep a record of where you’ve driven. Categorizing trips is easy — the app lets you set work hours and favorite locations. MileIQ compiles all your travels into one easy to read record, making it simple to claim mileage when deduction season rolls around. InvoicingFilling out templates, chasing down emails, sending reminders. If you collect a major part of your income by invoicing, you can end up working overtime just so you can get paid. Freshbooks is an easy solution, and quickly becoming the industry standard for freelancers and the rest of the invoice crowd. Freshbooks lets you create invoices on the fly, filling them in with saved client profiles and your most common line items. Track your paid, unpaid, and not-yet-sent invoices, send reminders with a click, and collect payment by credit card. If you’re on the fence, Freshbooks offers a free trial. Trust us — once you try it, you’ll never want to go back. Receipt storageA paperless office is a tidy office. If you’re relying on fragile, easy to lose paper receipts to track your expenses, digitize them to cut back on clutter and make sure you can back up your deductions. Shoeboxed turns your paper records into pure data. Stuff an envelope, send it in, and you’ll get a reliable, comprehensive expense report in the cloud. Sales taxDoing business in multiple states? Keeping track of sales tax can get you lost in a tangle of spreadsheets. TaxJar sets you free. Easily integrating with your online store, it produces monthly “return-ready” reports. You always know how much tax you’ve collected, and how much you need to file. Once you implement TaxJar, managing sales tax suddenly becomes much less taxing. Travel plansHitting the road? TripIt takes the stress out of planning. The service scans your inbox for events, airline reservations, hotel bookings, and car rentals. Then, it automatically builds an itinerary that you can reference from anywhere. Sharing and collaboration options let partners and team members hop on the ride as well. RecruitingWhen it’s time to fill gaps in your workforce, you want to find employees who are worth the investment. Your best bet is to post job listings as widely as possible. ZipRecruiter saves you the hassle of making multiple postings on multiple job boards. Submit one listing, and ZipRecruiter automatically submits it to over 50 job sites. Plus, through ZipRecruiter’s interface, you can manage all your job applications in one place. Employee trainingWhen you run your own business, getting a new employee up to speed can feel like a major time sink. Trainual is an easy to use tool that smooths out the onboarding process. Keep all your company’s info in one online training manual, and create tests for employees to complete. Then, test their knowledge, track their progress, and get back to business. Email sortingPerfect posture. Total inner peace. Inbox zero. When you’re inundated with emails—business and otherwise—on a daily basis, a tidy inbox can seem like an impossible ideal. Sanebox lumps together all your non-urgent mail into a daily or weekly digest. So you can review all your non-essential communications at a glance, and focus your energy on the stuff that really matters. DesignIt takes a lot of work to look good. If you’re thinking of hiring a designer for your business, but hunting down the right one seems overwhelming, Design Pickle is here to help. For a flat monthly fee, the service lets you submit unlimited design requests. Suddenly, designers are looking for you — and not the other way around. If you’re like most people with Facebook or Twitter, social media already eats up precious attention span during your off-hours. Don’t let it take over your work life, as well. Buffer lets you run multiple social media accounts for your business all from one place. Write and schedule posts in advance, and Buffer makes sure they reach your followers. So you can market your business on the timeline, while saving time for your most valuable one-on-one customer interactions. Customer relations management (CRM)Salesforce is the industry standard for managing customer journeys—from first contact, to sale, to repeat business. But because of its high price, Salesforce is a serious investment. Many small business owners opt to use spreadsheets instead—and end up devoting more time and energy to CRM than they ever intended to. Zoho is a robust alternative to Salesforce, offering much of the same functionality at a fraction of the cost. And it even includes some marketing tools Salesforce doesn’t offer as part of its standard CRM. Customer chatYour FAQ can only go so far. Who can a prospective customer talk to if they have questions you haven’t already answered? Pop-up chat boxes are an increasingly popular solution. Popping up right away on your website’s main page, they encourage users to reach out to you directly, rather than sending an email. That means you can start interacting with a user immediately, cultivating them as a new lead, without cluttering your inbox. Tawk is a well-rounded, free option. It’s quick and easy to set up, letting you monitor site visitors in real time. You can even set “shortcut” responses to common questions. And if you don’t have the time to monitor your chat dashboard 24/7, Tawk will help you hire live chat agents for $1 an hour. ShippingOnce you start an ecommerce business, you soon become a familiar face at the local post office. But if you want to skip the line — and save time and money — there are a few easy solutions. Stamps.com lets you print off postage from the comfort of your own home or office. It takes the guesswork out of shipping prices, too—so you know how much to charge your customers. Owned by Stamps.com, Shipstation completes the rest of the shipping process. It connects with most off-the-shelf ecommerce platforms, letting you track order fulfillment, print shipping and return labels—plus packing slips--en mass. And you can set up shipping profiles to track customer preferences and fulfill future orders faster. Automating the tasks that eat up your hours can help your business run more smoothly. And no matter what type of business you have, one of the best ways to save time and energy is to switch to a paperless office. via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2019/09/19/how-to-automate-your-business/
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Accidents happen all the time. That's why we've partnered with Trupo to offer freelancers access to curated benefits like accident and specified disease (critical illness) insurance. For many of us, if we get hurt then we’re out of work. If we’re unable to visit our clients, use our equipment, or even easily commute then we lose out on paychecks. For example: if a photographer breaks his hands, he can’t use his camera. If a consultant can’t walk, she can’t meet with her clients. That is why accident insurance is so important for freelancers. It can pay you the benefits directly, allowing you to use them however you want. Say you take a spill on your bike and break your leg. How are you going to get around the city or drive a car? You can use your accident insurance payout to cover your newly accrued cab fare. It can cover an x-ray, an ambulance ride, your groceries, and even your rent. It’s important to cover all your bases and protect yourself from the unexpected. Stuff happens, but it doesn’t mean you have to lose your savings over it. Get a curated accident plan for your freelance life. The policy has exclusions and limitations which may affect any benefits payable. Accident insurance is underwritten by The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company, Worcester, MA. ADR1244-2019 via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2019/09/18/a-brief-intro-to-accident-insurance/
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What’s Really Important in StrengthI made it back home to Boston and it was lovely to hug my wife and see Julian for the first time in two weeks. I mean, is there anything better than walking into your kid’s Pre-K classroom, him recognizing you, and seeing him sprint towards you, arms wide open, with a massive smile on his face? I’m still playing a bit of email catch-up today in addition to being smacked around a little bit with some entrepreneurial shenanigans. In light of that I wanted to share my most recent podcast appearance, which took place with my friend, David Tao, of BarBend.com You can give it a listen HERE (there’s also a full transcription of the conversation in case you’d rather NOT listen to my silky, sexy voice). For the Apple snobs in the crowd you can listen on iTunes HERE (September 16th episode). Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2019/09/appearance-on-the-barbend-podcast/
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I’m traveling back to Boston from London today. I’ve been away for two weeks presenting at three different workshops. I’ve had a lovely stay, but am looking forward to heading home and my wife handing Julian over to me as soon as I walk through the door. Thanks to Boston based personal trainer, George Kalantzis, for contributing today’s guest post. 6 Week MASS Building Routine: Start HereLabor day has come and gone, the days are shorter, and the nights are colder. That means it’s bulking season. But you don’t come to Tony’s website for some cookie-cutter bullshit program. Over the next six weeks, you will craft a new physique using intense workouts, discipline, and commitment to add mass. Setting the Expectations For A Clean BulkNothing gets me more fired up than people who are not willing to put in the work to get desired results. When I competed in natural bodybuilding last year, I heard questions like “how do you gain muscle and shred down,” how can I look bigger without gaining fat?” What supplements did you take? The list goes on. I hate to burst your bubble, but the universe does not bend at the whims of your desire. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot have your cake and eat it too. So how do you bulk without gaining excessive weight? To achieve a clean bulk, you must learn how to gain 2-5 pounds per month with half of that weight being muscle, and half of that weight being fat. This will keep your composition in an ideal state for optimal performance. So just eat more food, right? Not quite, too much junk food during a bulk is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Nutrition does matter, and most people will either eat a surplus of shitty food or not eat enough. That is one of the toughest things about adding solid mass.
We are aiming to build a stronger engine so that you can increase size, which means you’ll need to gain healthy amounts of body fat. Don’t get discouraged if you see others gain size quickly or achieve different results, gaining mass is about putting in the work, and for some, adding quality size can take time. Your Blueprint For SuccessLife is motion. The world continues to rotate on the axis, and every day is an opportunity to grow. Your body is the secret to many things. Yet more often, many of us cheat our way through training, going through motions and we never achieve the results we look for. Today is the day we put an end to all of that. Very specifically, this template is designed to form the basis of your training to put on size using bodybuilding methods. Because this is a hypertrophy program, it will help with putting on size, but if you are a powerlifter or strong man, this might not be the best program for you. An additional benefit of this program is that it will help raise your work capacity and thus prepare you even better for the strength phase training you’ll do after. What’s more, this program will help spare muscle loss when you decide to cut back down. This will be your blueprint for a six-week mass building phase.You’ll notice it is broken down into two three-week phases, each phase using a combination of compound exercises and machines to maximize your results. It is these movements where we will construct a blueprint for adding some serious size. Phase IOur first phase consists of flooding the muscles by using compound exercises performed in the optimal range to transform your energy into muscle mass. During the first three weeks, you’ll be training five days a week in a split that is three days of training, with two days off. You’ll repeat 3/2 for three weeks in the following format: legs, push, pull. The great thing about a 3/2 cycle is you can alternate it according to your life. As long as you train three out of every five days, you’ll provide enough stimulus for growth. At first, you’ll notice that the program does not look lie much, but to prevent overtraining and generate the highest anabolic response, you’ll stick to three working sets, not including your warmup sets. Phase IINow that your muscles are primed for growth, this phase makes insane changes to your physique. You’ll go from training five days to six days, and you’ll do different exercises and reps ranges. As with the first phase, adjust the days according to your lifestyle, but keep the days in order and make sure to train all six days. ConclusionIt is human nature to fear the unknown, but it would be inhuman to not yearn for something greater. If you want to experience changes in your physique, you must pushup yourself past your comfort zone. This six-week bulk will give you the tools you need to pack on some serious size. About the AuthorGeorge Kalantzis began his career as decorated Marine with over ten years of faithful service and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s worked with everyone from professional athletes, celebrities, busy executives, and alongside some of the top strength coaches in the world. Today he spends most of his time coaching at Equinox in Boston, and outside of work with his gorgeous little daughter. Please feel free to say hi over on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, as he loves meeting and connecting with new people. Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2019/09/6-week-mass-building-routine-your-quest-for-a-bigger-stronger-physique-begins-here/
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This article was first published by the IRS and has been reproduced with permission. Subscribe to IRS tax tips here. Starting a business can be very rewarding. It can also be a little overwhelming. From business plans to market strategies, and tax responsibilities, there are many things to consider. Here’s what new business owners can do to help get off to a good start. Choose a business structureThe form of business determines which income tax return a business taxpayer needs to file. The most common business structures are:
Choose a tax yearA tax year is an annual accounting period for keeping records and reporting income and expenses. A new business owner must choose either:
Apply for an employer identification numberAn EIN is also called a federal tax identification number. It’s used to identify a business. Most businesses need an EIN. Have all employees complete these forms
Taxpayers interested in starting a business can find information for some industries on the Industries/Professions Tax Centers webpage. Each state has additional requirements for starting and operating a business. Prospective business owners should visit their state's website for info about state requirements.
via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2019/09/16/tax-tips-to-get-your-new-business-off-to-the-right-start/
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BUT FIRST…CHECK THIS STUFF OUT1. (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Athens, Greece: Saturday, Feb 29th & Sunday, March 1st, 2020This will be the first leg of mine and Dean Somerset’s European extravaganza in early 2020. The second leg will take place in… 2. (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Maidenhead, U.K: March 7th & 8th, 2020There’s an Early Bird rate for both of these events, so keep that in mind before you decide to hold off. Dean and I are really excited for this and hope to see you there! SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
STUFF TO READ WHILE YOU’RE PRETENDING TO WORKBuild Strong Glutes – Meghan Callaway & Matthew IbrahimGluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuutes. The Dangers of Poor Sleep and How You Can Fix It – Andrew CoatesI’m an unabashed fan of going the fuck to bed. This was an EXCELLENT post by Andrew on the pitfalls of lack of sleep and some strategies to help improve it. Glute Lab – Bret ContrerasMore glutes from the President of Glute O’Clock…Bret Contreras. I actually pre-ordered my copy (but it’s NOW available to purchase). I can’t wait to dive in. Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2019/09/stuff-to-read-while-youre-pretending-to-work-9-14-19/
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With an unpredictable stream of income, what's the one thing all successful freelancers must have? The answer is budgeting smarts. But how should you go about setting a budget? Let’s find out. Why budget?There are many perks to having a freelance job. First of all, you enjoy a flexible schedule. You can work virtually anywhere and get to work with different people from different parts of the world. There’s also an opportunity to make as much money as you can – as long as you work hard and find the right projects. But speaking of money, there’s one hard truth about freelancing: you lack steady income. One month you’re making a few thousand dollars, the next you’re down to a couple of hundred. Freelancing isn’t always fun and easy and if you’re just starting out, it may also be financially distressing. Think of it – no paychecks, no paid leave, no HMO or other benefits. Not even a free coffee. You also pay for your tools and everything else. The fact that money can be so unpredictable only means the more you need to budget. You want to make sure that you have all your bills covered, plus money left for food, your daily allowance, and of course – your savings. Do not cut corners with any of these. How to set a budgetTrack your incomeQuick – how much money did you make for the previous month? If you have a straight answer to this, you’re doing a great job of managing your finances. Otherwise, you should start tracking your cash flow as soon as you can. Stop guessing and start recording all your projects and money paid to you. With tools like Excel, this is easy. You want to know a) where the money is, and b) where it ends up. When you know how much you are making, at least on average, you can easily adjust your spending and lifestyle to your means. At the same time, you will know whether you need to amp up your game and increase your income goals. Track your expensesJust as you want to track your income, you also want to calculate your expenses. Track your expenses for about three months. Be sure to include not just your fixed expenses but also your variable expenses (items you can vary or cut if needed). Make sure that your expenses do not exceed your income. Or else, you might find yourself indebted. Be sure to record all your personal loans, expenses, and collectibles so you don’t miss payments and due dates. Aim for a 50/30/20 budgeting approachExperts recommend the 50/30/20 proportions when managing personal finances. In this approach, 50% of your income goes to your expenses, 30% to your flexible expenses, and 20% to your savings. You might find it challenging to shoot for the 50/30/20 proportions. Don’t worry. The key is to take it slow. Assess your monthly expenses until you are able to adjust your spending. Make it a conscious effort to save money. Your future self will thank you. Pay attention to your spending habitsIf you list your daily expenses at least for a month, you will have a better idea of where you are going wrong or right. Pay attention to discretionary spending (unnecessary expenses) and find ways to cut them down. It doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself. You just have to be cautious about what you spend your money on. There are ways to cut down your spending. These include grocery shopping once a week and bringing a list on your trip, getting a shared office space instead of renting an entire office for client meetings, and cooking your food instead of ordering takeout. Managing your finances should be one of your priorities as a freelancer. It isn’t that difficult to budget when you don’t have a steady stream of income. The key is to be mindful of your cash flow. Know how much money comes and where it goes. Be mindful of your expenses too. Don’t live beyond your means, save, and try to reduce your unnecessary expenses. All will help you make it work as a freelancer for the long haul. via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2019/09/13/budgeting-skills-for-freelancers/
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This is a Tony Gentilcore & Matthew Ibrahim collaborative post. Or, as I like to call it: A Gentilhim (or Ibracore?) production. The Safety Squat Yoke Bar (also referred to as “SSB”) is a popular speciality bar that’s most often affiliated with collegiate strength & conditioning facilities, powerlifting gyms, or gyms that are a bit more “serious.” However, the Safety Squat bar has grown in popularity in recent years and it’s popping up in more commercial and boutique style gyms as well. This is great because Matt and I both feel the Yoke Bar is a valuable piece of equipment, one that should be in every gym, with a variety of training applications. Read on to see what they are. Safety Squat Yoke Bar in Your Face, SonBefore I proceed it would make sense to show you a picture of the bar so you know what we’re talking about. Advantages1. The SSB is a more “shoulder friendly” way of squatting. Because you grab the bar by the handles which, when the bar is on your back, are located below your shoulders and a smidge in front of the body, it doesn’t require as aggressive of a set-up as a traditional back squat. Traditional Back Squat (Straight Bar) = Shoulders maximally abducted and external rotated. Many lifters don’t have access to this range of motion and as a result their shoulders are like… [embedded content] SSB/Yoke Squat = Not the above. 2. The SSB is more of a “hybrid” squat. As Matt notes:
3. The SSB “fixes” your squat. Mirroring what Matt mentioned above, because of how the bar is designed, you have to fight like hell to stay upright (which, not coincidentally, makes it a great option to strengthen the upper back AND help work on thoracic extension; two things most people need more of). As you get stronger with the SSB/Yoke Bar it’ll make things infinitely easier to stay upright if or when you revert back to a straight bar. 4. The SSB = 110 Power Boost in World of Warcraft (but only with a +1 Shield and Infinity Cloak). Nerd. 5. The SSB helps with depth. Because the bar is situated higher up on the back it promotes more of a “squat down” pattern rather that “squat back.” This, in turn, will often help a lot of people squat deeper (if that’s something they’re interested in). Here’s an SSB Squat in action. [embedded content] The SSB Squat exercise is quite common and frequently used. We wanted to delve a bit deeper to provide several other lower body training exercises you could perform with the SSB that you may not be using already in your overall strength and conditioning program. 1. SSB Hatfield RFE Split Squat (Matt)Description: This exercise targets lower body strength and power, primarily in the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. The trunk stability challenge here is the real deal as well, since you’re holding on to each side of the squat rack with your hands while the SSB rests on your shoulders. Be sure to press the entire surface of the working foot down through the ground as you power up from the bottom position to the top during each rep. I’m a monster fan of this exercise due to the strength and power development components. [embedded content] 2. SSB Reverse Lunge (Tony)Description: This was a staple exercise we utilized when I was coaching at Cressey Sports Performance due to it’s shoulder friendliness in addition to the fact we could be more aggressive with loading compared to dumbbells (grip becomes less of a limiting factor). As with any single leg exercise there’s also a hefty balance and coordination component as well. I prefer a bit of a forward lean when executing this exercise as it places less stress on the lower back and also allows for more emphasis to be placed on the hips. [embedded content] 3. SSB 1-Leg RDL (Matt)Description: This exercise targets lower body strength, primarily in the posterior chain muscle group (hamstrings and glutes). As the SSB rests on your shoulders, be sure to hold the handle grips tight with each hand to ensure trunk stability. It’s important to also mention the relevance of keeping a neutral-ish spine as you descend down into the bottom position due to the orientation of the load on your shoulders. I like this exercise due to the single leg strength and stability demand it poses to the athlete. [embedded content] 4. SSB Front Squat (Tony)Description: This is a variation I first witnessed my man Jim Smith – of Diesel Strength – recommend a few years. ago. I won’t go into the weeds on the benefits of a front squat – you can read more HERE – but what I will say is that this variation is a wonderful way to counterpoint any client/athlete who insists that barbell front squats are too uncomfortable for him or her to perform, I get it. They suck. They’re uncomfortable. I don’t care, do this instead. [embedded content] 5. SSB Good Morning (Matt)Description: Talking about posterior chain development without mentioning the Good Morning exercise is like eating eggs without the bacon; you just don’t do it. The Barbell Good Morning has been a staple training tool for years when attempting to develop the glutes and hamstrings of the posterior chain muscle group. The SSB offers a slightly anterior loaded position when compared to the traditional barbell loaded version, which forces you to hinge your hips back even more than usual. I enjoy using this exercise as a way to really “feel” the hamstrings under load. [embedded content] 6. SSB Pin Squat (Tony)Description: I loooooooooove this variation as an accessory movement to the deadlift. The key is to try to approximate the pin height to one’s hips height so that it “matches” their deadlift setup. In other words: the starting position of the Pin Squat should mirror their deadlift setup. Factor in the increased demand to maintain an upright torso (t-spine extension) and your entire posterior chain is going to be challenged with this exercise. [embedded content] ⠀ Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2019/09/safety-squat-yoke-bar-training-application/ |
AuthorI have 5+ years experience working as a medical transcriptionist. When I am not working, I enjoy sports like playing basketball or judo. I love making friends and connections. Archives
April 2023
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