Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 2/21/20

First things first: A new season of Clone Wars starts today. No big deal.

BUT FIRST…I’M LIKE, REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT

(Things I’ve appeared in, places I’m going, you know, important stuff)

1. (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Athens, Greece: Saturday, Feb 29th & Sunday, March 1st, 2020

It’s official: This marks the sixth year in a row Dean Somerset and I are presenting together. We’re so excited to be coming to Athens to kickstart 2020.

2. Coaching Competency Workshop – London, UK: Sunday, March 8, 2020

3. Strategic Strength Workshop – Detroit, MI: April 5, 2020

This will be my first ever workshop in the region!

I’m expecting ticker tape parades.

4. Strategic Strength Workshop – Washington, DC: May 17, 2020

SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS

Twitter

My little guy has the day off from daycare today. He went to the gym with mommy and I this morning, we went for a scooter ride, and now he’s watching an episode of Clone Wars.

Oh, I also taught him the phrase “bring the ruckus” ala Wu-Tang.

Stellar morning.

— Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore1) February 17, 2020

Instagram

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If want to “correct shit” you gotta “own shit. . I work with a lot of individuals who complain of shoulder ouchies, especially as it relates to performing stuff overhead. . There are any number of factors to consider: . – Tight lats. – Poor anterior core strength. – Tight pecs. – Wearing blue. . Who knows? Lots of things can run awry. . One factor, however, that often gets glanced over is the congruency of the shoulder blades and rib cage. . I.e., Can a concave scapula play together nicely with a convex rib cage? One way to accomplish this is to give the Serratus Anterior muscle a little TLC. The serratus is a “reaching” muscle and helps the shoulder blade move AROUND the rib cage. . For those who have been incessantly told to keep the shoulder blades “together & back” – which, to be fair, is important to lift heavy things – it can sometimes lead to faulty mechanics where they’re cemented in place. . Anything which allows more reaching (protraction), in addition to better access to rib cage expansion (movement), can be MONEY for many people. . In this video I’m performing what’s likely the most boring exercise ever created; but it’s accomplishing a lot. . 1⃣ As I press my hands forward I’m thinking about reaching as far out in front of me as possible (I’m not keeping the shoulder blades still). . Hello serratus. Nice to meet you. . 2⃣ As I progress overhead I’m reaching upward towards the ceiling with my upper traps, staying careful not to cheat via my lower back. Ribs stay down. . Not coincidentally BOTH – serratus & upper traps – play an integral role in scapular upward rotation. The shoulder blades are designed to move! If overhead activities hurt it could be b/c you’ve programmed yourself to keep them in place. . 3⃣ At the top I’m OWNING the position (very important) by adding a breath: INHALE through the nose expanding the rib cage all around. Then a FULL, accentuated, EXHALE to get the ribs down and promote a canister position (rib cage stacked over pelvis). It’s harder than it looks. . 4⃣ Pants optional. . Shout out to @lukewtraining for the idea. . EDIT: an additional shout out to @harris_ssp for inspiration as well.

A post shared by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on Feb 17, 2020 at 10:25am PST