{"id":15177,"date":"2025-09-20T02:33:53","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T19:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=15177"},"modified":"2025-09-20T02:33:53","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T19:33:53","slug":"the-lost-art-of-simple-tony-gentilcore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=15177","title":{"rendered":"The Lost Art of Simple \u2013 Tony Gentilcore"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s our obsession with making things hard or complex?<\/p>\n<h3>The Lost Art of Simple<\/h3>\n<p>I remember when I was a kid all I needed to entertain myself was my bike. I\u2019d ride around pretending I was <em>Knight Rider<\/em> talking to my bike as if it were KITT.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cTurbo boost KITT.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>And then I\u2019d pedal faster.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cOh snap, we\u2019re under heavy fire and need to perform counter measures.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>And then I\u2019d swerve back and forth between trees avoiding every heat seeking missile sent in my direction.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cKITT, eject, eject.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This is when I\u2019d point my bike in the direction of some sweet jump I\u2019d have constructed, and, well, this would happen:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Napoleon Dynamite - &quot;Bike Ramp&quot;\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A1fVvGRlFoE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Nowadays you ask a kid to go outside and play and they\u2019re looking at you as if you have three heads and wondering how that\u2019s even possible without an iPhone in hand. It\u2019s almost as if there has to be some form of technology or gadgetry involved.<\/p>\n<p>A frisbee? No way.<\/p>\n<p>A wiffle ball and bat? Pfffft, whatever.<\/p>\n<p>A tree? Hahahahahaha.<\/p>\n<p>The simple days of simple games are long gone. I mean, I know they exist, and I know there are kids out there still playing hide-n-seek, kickball, and pick-up basketball.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s few and far between. <em>Pokemon Go<\/em>, seemingly, has replaced the playground.<\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t help but notice the same parallel in the fitness industry. People (on both sides of the fence: fitness pros and non-fitness pros alike) seem to be under the impression that fancy or complex is somehow better than simple. And maybe even more tragic: many believe that better results are always a result of adopting complex methodologies over the simple ones.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes this is true. Oftentimes it\u2019s BS.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve had my fair share of other coaches coming in to shadow and observe for a few hours at a time. It\u2019s always an honor and I am more than willing to accommodate. Sure they could spend their time reading Mike Boyle or watching any litany of fitness people on Instagram, but no, some choose to come in on a Saturday to watch people deadlift and listen 90\u2019s hip hop.<\/p>\n<p>One theme I am becoming more cognizant of is how surprised some coaches are about how \u201csimple\u201d my programming is.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s very little glitz and glam or shiny bright objects to pivot from the fact that <strong><em>all I really want is for my clients\/athletes to become unapologetically brilliant at the basics.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-460474\" src=\"https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/JN1_0825-4-Pano-1024x512.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"604\" height=\"302\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/JN1_0825-4-Pano-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/JN1_0825-4-Pano-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/JN1_0825-4-Pano-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/JN1_0825-4-Pano-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/JN1_0825-4-Pano-2048x1024.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 604px) 100vw, 604px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>People squat, people hip hinge, and people perform these things called rows, push-ups, and Farmer carries.<\/p>\n<p>You may have heard of them.<\/p>\n<p>Antiques to some, I know.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, is my assessment process.<\/p>\n<p>The idea of simple starts there. Unless someone is coming in with a lengthy injury history or is training for something super specific like, say, I don\u2019t know, the Mime Bombsniffing Olympics, what advantage is there in making the assessment more complicated than it has to be?<\/p>\n<p>Taking a more global approach is a fantastic starting point for most people. There\u2019s no need to put them under a microscope. If anything, for most people most of the time, their \u201cassessment\u201d is nothing more than an opportunity to weed out \u201cred flags\u201d by taking a quick peek at hip IR\/ER, hip flexion\/extension, and other things like overhead shoulder mobility.<\/p>\n<p>In a sense I\u2019m trying to see what their passive ROM is, are there any limitations, and if so, 1) does it match their active ROM and 2) are there any <a href=\"https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/2016\/04\/the-power-of-test-re-test\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #ff0000;\"><strong>test\/re-test strategies<\/strong><\/span><\/a> I can implement to see an improvement?<\/p>\n<p>To a larger degree (and stealing a quote from my friend, Luke Worthington):<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cCan you do the thing that you want to do? Yes. Good. No. Let\u2019s fix that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Here\u2019s the Thing:<\/strong> 80% of my assessments are done on the gym floor. There\u2019s only so much poking and prodding I can do on table before A) shit starts getting weird and B) the client starts feeling like a patient.<\/p>\n<p>In reality the assessment should be a watered down training session.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I want to see them squat.<\/li>\n<li>I want to see them hip hinge.<\/li>\n<li>I want to see them get up off the floor.<\/li>\n<li>I want to see them Sparta kick the wall.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/media4.giphy.com\/media\/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExdm03M3lubXRhYW5sM3lzbmVoZGVwd2l2YWo0MWY2cDMxcnFhMmZ4NSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw\/l46Cf8O3hQqzDq1Gg\/giphy.gif\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I can glean way more information watching people move. And too, they get a taste of what a typical training session will be like with me.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a very simple procedure that, when some coaches observe, comes across as super-duper minimal, and it throws them off, as if to say, \u201cReally? That\u2019s it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yep, that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n<p>People want to train.<\/p>\n<p>They could give two flying shits about their big toe dorsiflexion. Trust me.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Funny Side Story:<\/strong> I was once given a \u201cbad\u201d review at a conference I spoke at because in my topic, \u201cShoulder Assessment,\u201d I didn\u2019t demonstrate anything \u201cnew and innovative.\u201d\u00a0To which I was like, \u201cWell, since when does shoulder assessment need to be new and innovative?\u201d Why not take the mindset of doing the \u201cboring\u201d screens well?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note to Self:<\/strong> Bring a flame thrower to next speaking engagement. That will add some innovation.<\/p>\n<h3>Going Back to Programming.<\/h3>\n<p>This is another component where I feel simplicity has its benefits.<\/p>\n<p>The never-ending game of\u00a0 oneupmanship on social media many fitness pros play is exhausting. This is a conversation for another day, but the LOOK-AT-ME, performative vibe many take is absurd. I watch some of the videos people put up and all I want to do is say \u201c<em>Riiiiiigggghhhhttt.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p>I also want to throw an ax into my face, but that\u2019s besides the point.<\/p>\n<p>Comparatively speaking my Instagram feed is probably batshit boring to some people.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-version=\"7\"\/>\n<p>I can hear the cacophony of \u201cBFD\u201d comments now. \u201c<em>Wow, cool Tony. You have your clients squat. What\u2019s next: A set of chin-ups? <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>No, wait, Pallof Presses!?!?!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Actually, yeah. Probably.<\/p>\n<p>Call me crazy, but I\u2019d rather educate and provide a rationale for putting up certain videos\/pictures (cute cat pictures aside) than worry about whether or not I\u2019m earning some fleeting social media credibility.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, you wanna talk about boring and vanilla? Grab two back-to-back programs of any client of mine and it\u2019s a safe bet you\u2019ll see more of a linear periodization approach, which is about as vanilla as things gets. Take my client Sara for example (the woman in the video above).<\/p>\n<p>On the days she trains with me at CORE we tend to focus more on the coaching-intensive exercises like squats and deadlifts. We\u2019ll first hit one of the two hard (generally, lower reps\/mid to higher intensity loads) and follow suit with \u201ceverything else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how we approached her squats and deadlifts the past two months.<\/p>\n<h4>October<\/h4>\n<table style=\"height: 351px;\" width=\"1176\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"5\" width=\"265\"><strong>Sumo Deadlift (Weeks 1,3), Back Squat (Weeks 2,4)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"53\">\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Week<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Sets<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Reps<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Load<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>85%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>Hit 135\u00d71<\/td>\n<td>then<\/td>\n<td>3\u00d75<\/td>\n<td>115 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>3\u00d71 @90%<\/td>\n<td>then<\/td>\n<td>3\u00d75<\/td>\n<td>\u00a075%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>Hit 140\u00d71<\/td>\n<td>then<\/td>\n<td>3\u00d75<\/td>\n<td>120 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h4>November<\/h4>\n<table style=\"height: 335px;\" width=\"682\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"6\" width=\"318\"><strong>Sumo Deadlift (Weeks 1,3), Back Squat (Weeks 2,4)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Week<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Sets<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Reps<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Load<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>75%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>135 x (2\u00d71)<\/td>\n<td>then<\/td>\n<td>3\u00d73 @<\/td>\n<td>125 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>75%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>145\u00d71<\/td>\n<td>then<\/td>\n<td>3\u00d72 @<\/td>\n<td>130 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>If you pay particular attention to her squat progression, it\u2019s more or less me ensuring she was doing more work each week.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing magical or advanced at all.<\/p>\n<p>And it worked.<\/p>\n<p>She smoked a PR of 145 lbs this past Monday. While listening to Lil Kim. Because that\u2019s how we roll.<\/p>\n<p>Program design doesn\u2019t have to be complex.<\/p>\n<p>All it really comes down to is ensuring you\u2019re coaching your clients well (&lt;\u2013 a lost art in of itself) utilizing stances and grips and bar placements that suit their goals and anatomy\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2026and that they\u2019re placing a premium on doing more work over the course of several weeks\/months.<\/p>\n<h3>Simple and Boring. It Works<\/h3>\n<p>I\u2019m willing to bet your clients will prefer a simpler approach (if not thrive on it) once you give it a fair shot.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>People tend to not need as much novelty as they think. Muscle confusion is a stupid concept. People need consistency in order to master movement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>You don\u2019t <em>always<\/em> need to increase load. People need to earn the right to increase weight on the bar. Staying within a certain range for several weeks and accumulating volume is often a undervalued way to progress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Try not to make assessment to much of a thing. Granted, if someone has a lengthly injury history you may need to go down some sort of rabbit hole to figure out what exacerbates their symptoms. And then attempt to address it. But more often than not people will appreciate you not putting them under a microscope. If you treat the assessment as more of a training session and not some sick game to point out every miniscule dysfunction and how much of a walking fail someone is, they\u2019ll be less likely to think you\u2019re a douche.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/2025\/09\/the-lost-art-of-simple\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 What\u2019s our obsession with making things hard or complex? The Lost Art of Simple I remember when I was a kid all I needed to entertain myself was my bike. I\u2019d ride around pretending I was Knight Rider talking to my bike as if it were KITT. \u201cTurbo boost KITT.\u201d And then I\u2019d pedal &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15177\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}