.

The other day I posted about some of the latest research related stuff I’m reading so I figured it would only be fitting today to throw down a FREE annual subscription to my friend Shawn Thistle’s Fitness Research Review Service.

.

If you’re a busy strength coach, trainer, or fitness enthusiast and you like to be up on the most recent research so your methods stay on the cutting edge then this is a great way to do just that.  With bright minds like some of my friends Patrick Ward, Carson Boddicker, and Kevin Neeld on the review team you can bet that the reviews are solid.  If you don’t have the time or inclination to read the research for yourself, this service can make it simple to stay ahead of the masses.

.

All you have to do is check out the Research Review Service and let me know in the comments that you want a free subscription for the next year and I’ll do a draw on Monday to award the membership to the winner.

.

On your mark, get set, get it!

.

PS: Since next week is the last week before Christmas I’ll be giving away Nick Tumminello’s Strength Training for Fat Loss DVD, a copy of Mike Robertson’s Single Leg Solution, AND a copy of Mike Robertson, Eric Cressey, and Bill Hartman’s Assess and Correct. 

.

PPS: Make sure you come back often so you don’t miss out!

.

.

In light of my friend Eric Cressey’s new product release this week I got think thinking about how much his work has influenced me.  Eric is a super cool guy and I couldn’t help but think he might be just about on par with folks like Chuck Norris…or even Yoda.  As a result, I’ve put together a little comparison to see who comes out on top in terms of coolness.

.

Closest Male Companion

Eric – Tall, bald, funny guy Tony Gentilcore.

Chuck Norris – His Fists.

Yoda – Cry baby Luke Skywalker who would’ve been so much cooler if he was a Sith Lord instead.

Decision:  Tough one, but I’d have to go with Chuck’s fists because there are two of them.

.

Weapon of Choice

Eric – Olympic Barbell.

Chuck Norris – Lethal side kick.

Yoda – Lightsaber.

Decision:  Yoda wins hands down.

.

Best Lift

Eric – 660 pound deadlift

Chuck Norris – He just holds the bar and reverses on and off to move it up and down.

Yoda – Whatever he wants.  Uses the force so he hardly breaks a sweat.

Decision:  Yoda.

.

Previously Released Fitness Products

Eric – Magnificent Mobility, Art of Deload, Off Season Training Manual, Assess & Correct, Optimal Shoulder Performance, and more.

Chuck Norris – Total Gym. 

Yoda – Strength Training For Jedis.  (Okay…not really).

Decision:  Cressey.

.

History of incredible resuts from grinding it out in the trenches with everyone from regular Joes to Professional Athletes.

Cressey:  Tons.

Chuck Norris:  None.

Yoda:  Zip.  (Unless you count cry baby Luke)

Decision: Cressey.

.

While Eric certainly isn’t winning points for hanging out with that whacky Gentilcore guy…and he doesn’t have a lightsaber (that we know of), one thing is for sure.  Eric.  Gets.  Results.

.

If you’re looking to get crazy strong and look good doing it check out Eric’s new product Show and Go.  You won’t be disappointed!

.

www.showandgotraining.com

.

.

The other day I mentioned my friend Eric Cresseys soon-to-be-released product Show and Go and asked you guys and gals if there were any questions you wanted addressed?  Sure enough, the great question below came through in the comments and I was able to ask Eric to comment.  Check it out!  (PS: I love having cool peeps on my email contact list.  And yes, I LOVE name dropping.  It gives me an inflated sense of self worth…which is awesome!  )

.

Question:

.

“While I have no doubt it will be chock full of his usual excellent content, as a natural amateur bodybuilder who has been seeing phenomenal results with my programming (and also paying plenty of attention to minimizing the potential deleterious effects of training primarily for show with less emphasis on go), I am wondering just how much there is to be gained from this product, since I have so many potential resources on my current “wish list” and far fewer dollars to spread around on that front.

.

My initial thoughts are that this product will still be more go with better-than-average show, as opposed to maximum show with a good dose of go (which is what I have always been after, as beyond general health, I have no major concern about how much go I possess).

.

Can you separate Go from Show?”

.

 Eric’s answer:

.

“It’s a great question, and here’s my take on it.

.

From reading your inquiry, it sounds like things have gone well for you and you’ve got a fair amount of experience.  If you’re calling yourself a bodybuilder, I’m going to assume that you’ve got at least a few years of training under your belt.

.
If that is indeed the case, you’ve got a nice luxury upon which you can fall back: it’s tougher for you to detrain (as compared to a newbie).  Additionally, while it isn’t a “luxury,” you have a smaller window of adaptation (and de-adaptation, for that matter) in front of you.  I gained 50 pounds in my first year of lifting, but nowadays – even though I’m five times as strong as I was then – if I can go up 3-4 quality pounds a year, I’m thrilled.

.

What does that mean in the context of this discussion?  You can get away with trying new things over eight weeks (or even 16 weeks) to see how they work for you.

.

Likewise, with your level of experience, you can borrow bits and pieces from new resources – and in the case of Show and Go, it might be some new exercises, a novel approach to fluctuating training stress, comprehensive mobility warm-ups, unique self-myofascial release strategies, some new options for metabolic conditioning, innovative loading protocols, or any of a number of other things.

.

As for separating the “Go” and the “Show,” it’s virtually impossible.  As we’ve seen from some great writing from the likes of Chad Waterbury, Christian Thibaudeau, Charles Poliquin, and a lot of high level powerlifters, getting stronger is really important for getting bigger.  It’ll set the foundation for future success – and I know that for me, my gains skyrocketed when I switched to competing in powerlifting as compared to just rolling with “traditional” hypertrophy training – although I know that won’t be the case for everyone.

.

All that said, there’s a money-back guarantee, so you really don’t have anything to lose.”

.

All great points from EC!  And before you go, make sure to check out his new video on Mastering the Squat with the ever handsome model Tony Gentilcore.

In my last post I mentioned that I was beginning to review Eric Cressey’s new product Show and Go.  Well let me also share with you that yesterday I slammed through the whole product including the nutrition component AND the five bonuses before I decided to officially get behind this product.

.

I will do a more thorough review in the near future, but let me just say that if you’re looking for something to take you well beyond Eric’s book Maximum Strength, this product will do just that.  Getting big and strong is the name of the game and I think Eric has nailed it in terms of his programming.

.

However, since the product isn’t officially released until next Monday I’d urge you to check out Eric’s new video on squatting to tide you over.  This guy knows his stuff.  Check it out!  <— No affiliate link.  I don’t make a dime.  Just straight up solid info and a solid guy.

.

Today I’ve got some random thoughts clogging up my brain and need to dump them onto a page before they slip away.  Here they are in very random order.

.

.

1)  Recently I had a discussion with Bret Contreras about a client I had several years ago who was experiencing lower back pain.  At the time, I was reading Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson’s stuff and got my client to stretch his hip flexors, strengthen his glutes, strengthen his abdominals, etc.  What I failed to realize that this was the solution for those with ANTERIOR pelvic tilt and/or extension based pain.  My client had POSTERIOR tilt that was made worse with flexion.  I actually made his pain worse!

.

I later worked to strengthen his hip flexors, lengten his rectus abdominus (think cobra stretch), lengthen his glutes, and stretch the hamstrings.  Fixed the problem in short order.

.

Take home lessons:

.

- Assess your client and make sure that the method you are using is the right one . Eric and Mike had a great protocol, but I was using it on the wrong person.  (My fault, not theirs)

 - If you’re wrong, admit it and make changes accordingly.

- You will almost certainly learn something after talking with Encylopedia Bret-annica.

.

2)  Speaking of Bret, he posted a great interview with my good friend Aaron Schwenzfeier.  Aside from having a name that is impossible to spell (I always cut and paste it when I have to write it) Aaron is a wicked smart dude and I’ve been following his stuff for over a year.

.

Recently THIS POST by Aaron caused quite a stir in the comments on my Facebook page and I’m curious to hear what you think.  Should we have some sort of mimimum standard for physical fitness to graduate high school as we do with other more academic subjects?

.

.

3)  I have been lucky enough to recieve a sneak peek of Eric Cressey’s new product that is to be released next week.  I’m only a few pages in, but a brief scan has led me to believe that this is going to be a great product for anyone interested in gaining strength AND looking the part.  I’m hoping to be able to lure him on here to ask him some questions about the new program in the near future so if you’ve got anything you want me to ask Eric about getting wicked strong let me know in the comments below.

 .

4)  I am also currently reading Movement by Gray Cook, playing with my new Rotator, and reviewing Rick Kaselj’s Muscle Imbalances Revealed product that also features Mike Robertson, Bill Hartman, Eric Beard, Kevin Yates, and Dean Somerset.  On top of that I’ll possibly be checking over the lit review on Mike Robertson’s upcoming product as well.  Suffice it to say that I’ve got a lot going on these days on top of my usual chaos. 

.

The good news is that after I’m done checking out a product I’ll be able to share my thoughts with you.  The bad news is that with some many things to review, I might start to be percieved as one of those internet marketer types who is strictly in it for the Benjamins (that’s dollars for all of you who aren’t down with my gangsta lingo).  So let me reassure you right here and now that you will NEVER see me endorse a product that I do not support or at least think is worth reading, watching, or purchasing. 

.

I honestly figure that this should be obvious since I’ve openly bashed the very popular book Crush It in this post and questioned the even more popular Functional Movement Screen.  To me it should be pretty apparent that I don’t just jump on the affiliate bandwagon to score a few bucks.  But if I do like a product you’ll see a glowing review from me because I consider it part of my responsibility (as someone who has access to a lot of these products) to separate the good products from the garbage.

.

Moreover, if I post an affiliate link from I’ll let you know so you’ll have to option to purchase directly from the person who created it if you prefer.  Of course, my family might go hungry if you don’t buy it through me…but don’t feel guilty if you go the other route.  *cough, cough*  I feel so weak… 

.

Bottom line: You’ll always get the straight truth from me and I won’t put my name behind something that sucks…unless it is a really good vacuum.

.

.

5)  My wife and I have b en reading some funny stuff at a site we’ve discovered recently and I think THIS is the funniest article on the site.  I laugh so hard that it makes me pee a little every time I read it.  On the other hand, my wife thinks THIS article is funnier.  Which one do you think is the best?  Note: Don’t read the stories if you’re easily offended.  The guy is a little abrasive…and by “a little” I mean “a lot”.

.

6)  This is AWESOME!

.

 So I’m all over the map today.  Throw down your comments and let me know your thoughts.  Heck, if you’ve got something else on your mind let’s hear it.

.