{"id":15780,"date":"2026-04-02T23:26:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=15780"},"modified":"2026-04-02T23:26:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:26:34","slug":"installment-1-tony-gentilcore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=15780","title":{"rendered":"Installment 1 \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>No need for a witty introduction here.<\/p>\n<p>The title says it all.<\/p>\n<h2>Stuff I Struggle With<\/h2>\n<h4>1. Writing Periodized Programs for Gen Pop Clients<\/h4>\n<p>I know this may ruffle a few feathers out there, but I really struggle with the idea of writing periodized (meaning, several weeks or months in advance) training programs for the general population.<\/p>\n<p>When working with a competitive athlete who has their year broken up between an \u201coff-season\u201d and \u201cin-season\u201d as it relates to their respective sport\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2026yes, it makes sense to write a more detailed, thorough, and robust plan to prepare them for those rigors<\/p>\n<p>Being more meticulous with managing stress, ascertaining precise volumes &amp; loads, managing rest periods, and possibly even going so far as to measuring things like bar speed are all appropriate when preparing an athlete for a competitive season.<\/p>\n<p>Tom, who\u2019s 49 and works in Human Resources, has two kids at home, a cranky left shoulder, and is just looking to lose a little fat and maybe match his squatting numbers from college isn\u2019t Bo Jackson.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/media3.giphy.com\/media\/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExZXU2MGx2OGY3OXl3cW95cXNkeHphNDBkMWlkMjlmMmxqMDYwNWhyciZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw\/FwR8txHjh67K0\/giphy.gif\" width=\"425\" height=\"321\"\/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">via <a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/mlb-baseball-FwR8txHjh67K0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>He doesn\u2019t need to prepare for Sunday or hit a 400 ft home runs.<\/p>\n<p>This is <em><strong>NOT<\/strong><\/em> to insinuate I don\u2019t feel general pop clients don\u2019t require planning or structure within their programming. I just don\u2019t feel having them follow a Block Periodized program so that their bench press peaks to coincide with their kids clarinet recital in the Spring is really the panacea for progress.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, \u201clife\u201d just has a knack for getting in the way:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kids get sick<\/li>\n<li>Work piles up<\/li>\n<li>Vacations get planned<\/li>\n<li>Fucking global pandemics happen (ugh).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Certainly, I\u2019m not suggesting to take a haphazard (or \u201cwinging it\u201d) approach, but writing training programs several weeks \u2013 or more aggressively: months \u2013 in advance, while well-intentioned, is rarely going to \u201cstick\u201d with most gen pop clients.<\/p>\n<p>The more cogent approach will almost always be to write 2-4 week micro-cycle programs, but under the assumption that on any given day \u201cTom\u201d is going to show up for a session and need some tweaking done.<\/p>\n<h4>2. Speaking of Athletes Though<\/h4>\n<p>My friend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/coachmikeperry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Mike Perry<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, owner of Skill of Strength here in Massachusetts, noted this not too long ago: Someone will go on and wax poetic about how \u201cso and so\u201d does \u201csuch and such\u201d in the weight room so why can\u2019t I?<\/p>\n<p><strong>To steal a few examples from Mike:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>1\ufe0f\u20e3 A loaded valgus knee is not dangerous, just look at Chinese weightlifters!<\/p>\n<p>2\ufe0f\u20e3 GSP does a ton of gymnastics, that\u2019s what I should be doing!!<\/p>\n<p>3\ufe0f\u20e3 Tom Brady only used bands and look at his success.<\/p>\n<p>4\ufe0f\u20e3 Lebron has amazing balance from standing and kneeling on stability balls<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>There\u2019s one thing that <strong><em>all<\/em><\/strong> high-level athletes have that you don\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s untrainable.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Natural selection.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Nature picked for them their parents and not yours.<\/p>\n<p>They have superior genetics and would be elite at their sport despite some of the questionable things they do in the weight room.<\/p>\n<p>One athlete may post something on social media where they\u2019re performing some circus-trick exercise and another may post something about how they avoid foods that are colored red.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n<p>Stop it.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>STOP<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re not them.<\/p>\n<p>So I guess what I\u2019m struggling with here is resisting the urge to jump into a shark\u2019s mouth every time I see someone \u2013 whether a coach or just some rando \u2013 attempting to make this borderline moronic argument.<\/p>\n<h4>3. Spelling <del>Calander<\/del> Calendar Correctly the First Time<\/h4>\n<p>Dammit!<\/p>\n<p>Every\u2026single\u2026time. That word is my kryptonite.<\/p>\n<h4>4. Convincing Fit Pros That Rotator Cuff Training Is So Much More Than Band Exercises<\/h4>\n<p>I know some will see this and read the following:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cTony Gentilcore hates band work for rotator cuff exercises. He also hates bacon, oxygen, and kitty cuddles.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>To set the record straight: I have nothing against band work for the rotator cuff.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/media4.giphy.com\/media\/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExMXRtdHN2YmhqaTMxcDc1a2w3OWJrdG01Ym5wdjh2NXNxanNxbTZjdSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw\/iCiYMks0MMHJ34EKRh\/giphy.gif\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\"\/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">via <a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/elastic-band-tennis-fitness-internal-rotator-cuff-iCiYMks0MMHJ34EKRh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re splendid (when performed correctly, of course).<\/p>\n<p>In terms of EMG activation, band work (as well as Side Lying External Rotations) have been shown to be top dog.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Side Lying External Rotation\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iez25S7ll4I?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>That said, there\u2019s so much more to rotator cuff training and shoulder health in general than just standing (or lying) in-place performing endless repetitions of external rotations. The shoulder is a dynamic joint and if we wanted to be nit-picky it\u2019s main job is to maintain joint-centration where the humeral head stays \u201ccentered\u201d within the glenoid fossa.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve long championed the efficacy of implementing rhythmic stabilizations as part of a rotator cuff training strategy.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"tonygentilcore.com Ball to Wall Rhythmic Stabilizations.mov\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MuYcdqNWjME?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>However, taking things to the next level, my friends at Back Bay Health \u2013 Laura &amp; Tim Latham \u2013 posted this on their IG account awhile back:<\/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: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CHv0mlvgyEl\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\"\/>\n<p>OMG \u2013 so good and I\u2019m stealing right away.<\/p>\n<p>Although, to spice it up I\u2019d recommend lighting the stick on fire or something.<\/p>\n<p>Seems reasonable.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><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\/2026\/04\/stuff-i-struggle-with-installment-1\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No need for a witty introduction here. The title says it all. Stuff I Struggle With 1. Writing Periodized Programs for Gen Pop Clients I know this may ruffle a few feathers out there, but I really struggle with the idea of writing periodized (meaning, several weeks or months in advance) training programs for the &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-15780","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\/15780","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=15780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15780\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}