People in fitness love to make everything hard.

Want to get stronger? Better be squatting heavy 3x/week – better yet if your nose bleeds on your last set.

Want to get better conditioning? Better end every work out on your back gasping for air.

Got some stiff shoulders? Better jam lacrosse balls in your back, pecs and lats – and you’re not done until you find the spot where that makes your eyes tear up.

Do we really need to make things so brutal to make them effective?

Tony Gentilcore is the owner of CORE Fitness and a co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance. Tony has been creating strength & conditioning content on the internet for ages that is both deeply insightful from a movement and biomechanics perspective, as well as hilarious and full of nerd references.

Tony has a balanced perspective on creating long-term development in training, and also works with his wife – Dr. Lisa Lewis – to deliver a workshop on psychological pitfalls that can impact folks in the gym.

Check out the full conversation with Tony to learn:

  • Common mistakes that people make when trying to improve shoulder mobility – and why breathing drills may be more effective than foam rolling and lacrosse balls
  • The dangers of searching for dysfunction that isn’t there through excessive screening – and how Tony teaches clients to think in terms of “progress not perfection”
  • How to filter mindset advice from self-styled life coaches on Instagram – and how to avoid common psychological pitfalls in training

Check out the episode at the links below. If you enjoyed the episode, the best way to support the show is to share with your friends, so send them a link.

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Show Notes:

  • [02:20] A Tribe Called Quest, 90s hip-hop and what the kids are listening to today
  • [13:31] What are common mistakes that people make when trying to increase shoulder range of motion? What is the difference between “smashing” vs doing positional breathing and stability work to change range of motion? What misconceptions do people have about stretching?
  • [27:40] How do you get buy-in and create competency with clients so that they are compliant with their exercise prescription? How much corrective exercise should people do in their program vs how much “hard training” should they do? How do you create quick wins for clients so they can feel successful?
  • [39:45] The dangers of searching for dysfunction that isn’t there – and why convincing clients that they’re broken and need the help of a coach is not a good business model.
  • [44:46] Many clients want to get destroyed every day in training. Getting people to prioritize consistency and shoot for “progress not perfection” is key to long-term training success.
  • [58:23] How should people filter the mindset advice they see on Instagram from self-styled life coaches? How does Dr. Lisa Lewis (Tony’s wife and presenting partner for the Strong Body, Strong Mind seminar) approach they psychological pitfalls that clients run into during training?
  • [1:03:54] Some content on social media is actually intended to be helpful – and some is intended just to make you feel good while scrolling. Be careful which advice you follow. And, Tony will be in Chicago for the Strong Body, Strong Mind workshop in August and will be releasing a new shoulder and hip resource with Dean Somerset.

Links and Resources Mentioned