Interviews

The Return of Gentilcore: Lift heavy things and eat dead animal flesh

Tony Gentilcore, CSCS, CPT

Tony Gentilcore is back! About 18 months ago, I asked Tony 6-1/2 questions about strength training for the endurance athlete and this time around, we delve into a bit more detail on how one would approach starting strength training work as well as finding the right coach.

Question: Most endurance athletes take the winter months off and kick back and relax. They don’t want to run or bike in inclement weather and prospect of getting to the pool at 5 a.m. when it’s 15 degrees outside makes many want to stay under the covers in their fleece jammies. Should they take this time to rest or should they start incorporating strength training?

Gentilcore: Having lived in the Northeast all my life (and hailing from the Syracuse area, which just so happens to be the lake effect snow capital of the world), I can’t say that I blame them.  I mean, the idea of going out for a run in freezing weather while at the same time dodging the snow plows doesn’t sound like fun in my book.  However, I’m willing to give credit where credit is due, and applaud those with the dedication to suck it up and do it anyways.  I can respect that.

That being said, it only makes sense to take a little time off after an arduous competitive season.  Albeit, I’m reluctant to tell every endurance athlete they should take an entire month off.  In essence, that is going to be totally dependent on the length of their season, number of races they competed in, length of those races, and whether or not they’re dealing with any nagging injuries.  For example, take Cressey Performance client Dede Griesbauer who competed in the Ironman World Championships and the 70.3 World Championships at the tail end of last year (as well as various half marathons/Ironman’s, etc.).  With someone like her, I would definitely suggest she take a few weeks off and just relax.  Conversely, for someone who just competed in a few 10K races and/or possibly a marathon, not so much.  Their cumulative “stress” isn’t even close to to that of Dede.  However, in the grand scheme of things I’m not opposed to endurance athletes taking a week or two off from “endurance activites” and just spending a week or two recovering, spending time with family, eating lots of dead animal flesh, and catching up on episodes of “Lost.”

Now you and I know better, and know that asking the majority of endurance athletes to not run/bike/swim for an extended period of time isn’t going to fly.  If that’s the case, I’d suggest that they participate in some non-traditional endurance activities (snow shoeing, skiing, spinning class, etc), if for anything else, to keep some sense of aerobic conditioning in place while they “recover.”  Additionally, in the first 1-2 weeks, I think it would be a fantastic idea to get some dedicated soft-tissue work done (massage, ART) and incorporate some foam rolling, dynamic flexibility, and corrective exercise drills to help promote recovery.  Soon thereafter, I’d like to see some form of strength training.  It doesn’t have to be anything too intense or taxing, but certainly once they’re in off-season mode, it’s time to get back after it.  Two full-body sessions per week would be a nice start focusing on compound movements with a low-mid rep range (5-8 reps).

In short, the point I’m trying to make is that yes, taking some time off can and will be advantageous.  However “how much time to take off” is going to be completely dependent on an individual basis (as I pointed out above).  General rule of thumb (and this is a very general rule):

1. 1-2 weeks of complete rest. Spend time with family, maybe participate in some light aerobic/endurance based activity, and really hammer away on that soft-tissue work.
2. Start to incorporate some strength training to the tune of 2-3 full-body training sessions per week.  Again, it’s the off-season where you’re supposed to take this time to prepare for the next season.  I think one would be shooting themselves in the foot if they were to take an entire month off and do nothing.

Question: Let’s assume most endurance athletes reading this have no clue whatsoever about what to do once they step foot in the gym. Should they buy some specific lifting books, hire a trainer?

Gentilcore: Great question.  While there are a few books out there that I have no issues recommending to people (The New Rules of Lifting for Men, and The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess both come to mind), I still feel one would much better off hiring a qualified professional to oversee their training.  There is so much more to it than just picking up a book and blindly following some cookie-cutter program with pictures.

Different people have different needs, whether those needs are postural improvements, muscle dysfunctions, weak points in your movement, strength and/or conditioning needs, or any combination that might be appropriate for you.

To be honest, I often cringe at some of the programs that people attempt to follow out of a book.  What may work for one individual, may be a complete disaster for another.  Hence, I feel it’s imporant to hire someone who’s expertise can guide you in the right direction.

Question: If you decide to hire a trainer, what should you be looking for in regard to credentials, certifications, appearance, etc.?

Gentilcore: I could go on for days with this one, but needless to say, you should do your homework and not just casually hire any person you come across who happens to have the words: Personal Trainer typed across their back.  As far as what credentials to look for, I really feel that’s an overrated component. Certainly there are some “gold standard” certifications to look for (NSCA, ACSM, NASM would be at the top of my list), but really, those are just letters next to a name, and don’t necessarily tell you anything about that coach/trainer other than that they were able pass a test.

My good friend Leigh Peele actually wrote a great blog post not too long ago that basically summarizes my sentiments on this topic.

In addition, here are some quick bullet points on my thoughts about trainers:

1. Has this particular trainer ever trained an endurance athlete?  If so, who?  Could you talk to them to see what their experience has been like training with this trainer?  Did their times improve?
2. Does this trainer take his/her time properly assessing you?  The initial assessment shouldn’t be some simple tour where they take you through the Cybex circuit.  I mean, a retarded monkey could do the exact same thing, and it would save you $90.  Rather, the assessment should be a detailed discussion on what your health history entails (past injuries, current injuries, etc), what your goals are, how the two of you will try to attain those goals, setting a timeframe to accomplish those goals, as well as a thorough postural/flexibility assessment to see whether or not there are any muscular imbalances or dysfunctions that need to be addressed.

Essentially, the initial “assessment” will tell you a lot about said trainer and whether or not (s)he is a good fit for you.

You can learn more about Tony Gentilcore (CSCS, CPT) at www.gentilcoretraining.com and I also recommend his blog at the Boston Herald: www.bostonherald.com/blogs/entertainment/step_up

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