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Don't Fear the Fish

****UPDATE  10/20/17

FOR ALL FUTURE CONTENT, REFER TO GOLDFISHFITNESS.COM THE NEW SITE IS LIVE!!

also... The new DAVEPICCIRILLO.COM is pretty cool. Check it out!





AUGUST 2017


Since this blog still gets a lot of attention despite its lack of new content, I wanted to update ya'll on what's going on.

 I'm still coaching full-time in NYC and have shifted into the endurance world a bit and have been competing in triathlons the past two seasons. It was time to learn what the endurance junkies know, as opposed to those who pound whiskey and crush barbells.  I've also been preoccupied building my love child. It's name is "Goldfish Fitness", and it massages my burning desire to make people strong and fit...(ever so gently). It will take NYC by storm and start a revolution! (seriously)(hopefully)

I'm happy to report that since my last post in 2013, I've noticed a much higher interest in barbell training. The word is out, and people are starting to learn more about the benefits and overall usefulness of it. Nice for you.

I've stopped posting mostly because, between an MBA program, as well as running a full time business, I'm pretty busy. In addition, I've been holding off creating content for the sake of content, and wanted to wait until the company hit a point of self-actualization. I needed to first figure out who are we and why.

My website Goldfishny.com was built in 2014 and is extremely outdated so don't judge. Since then, Goldfish has been growing and will soon make a long-awaited online appearance. With thousands of hours of coaching hours and hundreds of clients, the Goldfish team has been developing tons of content and we will be launching our brand this fall, so stay tuned!

for coaching inquiries both online and in-person in NoHo NYC, send me an email at info@goldfishny.com

The future of Starting Strength

   

Starting Strength Coaches Association 2013.  Taken from tomcampitelli.zenfolio.com

     This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending the 2nd annual Starting Strength Coaches Association conference. The event was hosted by Rippetoe at his famous "Wichita Falls Athletic Club" in Texas.  It was extremely inspiring to be in the same gym where Bill Starr, Glenn Pendlay, and of course, Rip began their careers.  The history of that gym and the impact it has made both nationally and internationally on Strength and Conditioning are overwhelming, and being personally invited down there was a real honor.  As the conference moved forward, and as I listened to the various topics presented by my colleagues, I couldn't help but notice the awe inspiring feeling that came over me.  For the entirety of my experience in this field, I have strived towards complex understanding of so many different topics within strength and conditioning/health and wellness.  By this, I mean I have asked countless questions about countless ambiguous topics pertaining to health and wellness.  Where others have remained complacent with certain paradigms, I have continuously pushed the envelope to understand so many "whys" that still remain so unclear to so many other professionals.  Arriving in Texas last weekend, I realized that all the questions that I've tirelessly aimed to answer ultimately brought me to this gym in the middle of nowhere, filled with dozens of people exactly like me.  I finally felt like I was at the right place, with the right people.  The Starting Strength Coaches Association is comprised of some of the most professional, diligent, intellectual, ambitious, and humble individuals I've ever come to know.  In my day to day dealings in NYC with clients and trainers, I oftentimes feel a real sense of aloneness (not to be confused with loneliness),  similar to the way wise or spiritually evolved people feel when relating to the masses.  The paradox of my complex understanding on how to improve others physically, is that sharing my knowledge with fellow professionals seldom results positively.  As I've said countless times in this blog, there is so much crap out there about fitness.  The field is so overwhelmingly saturated with bullshit, that it is customary for every single professional to have their own paradigms on how training should be conducted.  I completely agree that there shouldn't be organizations full of carbon copy trainers, but that is not what the SSC certification is about.

    The Starting Strength Coaches Association is, as I mentioned earlier, a group of forward thinking individuals who employ reason and logic to their thought processes of how things should be conducted.  They are real "doers" who cannot be satisfied with answers that can't be explained through extensive observation or research.  If something has been shown to work better than what they have previously believed, then they simply change their thought process to allow for a fuller understanding on a topic.  They are, by nature, alpha males and females, so egos are involved of course. However, they are also humble, and will politely bow to a properly presented argument if it proves superior to their own.  They are MD's, PHD's, PT's, and scientists, but most importantly, they are coaches.

     The certification is maintained through the strictest of standards.  To obtain the SSC certificate, one must attend a Starting Strength Coach seminar. Priced at $800, the Seminar is a three day intensive course designed to give attendees a thorough understanding of the principles of the Starting Strength model. Split between lecture and practical hands on lifting/coaching, the seminar allows each participant the opportunity to learn how to coach, as well as perform, the lifts.  The lecture portion discusses in-depth principles of anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics, and how they apply to the Big 5 (the squat, deadlift, press, bench press, and powerclean).  If desired, participants have the option of being evaluated as a potential Starting Strength Coach.  Although a portion of the seminar sets out to teach people how to coach the lifts, Rippetoe always prefaces the weekend with a speech on how it is not his or any other staff coach's responsibility to develop anyone into a coach in a three day period.  He explains that coaching is a skill that is developed over months and years of practice, and that labeling anyone a coach simply because they paid $800 is simply blasphemy, and this distinction is another important aspect that sets the Starting Strength Coach certification apart from other certifications.  If an individual happens to be evaluated as having already attained enough experience as a coach and a lifter prior to the seminar, and demonstrates this ability sufficiently on the platform, then they will have passed the "platform".  If, and only if, a participant passes the platform, they will then be invited to sit for the written exam.  Consisting of 10 essay questions, the exam is a take home test designed to test the coaches understanding of anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, coaching, and stress/adaptation concepts as they pertain to barbell training. The average time spent on the exam ranges from 20-30 hours and results in approximately 15-20 single-spaced pages.  According to Rippetoe, the passing rate of those who decide to actually take the test is between 10-20%.  Naturally, this rigorous certification process weeds out any recreational coaches, and simply leaves only the most exceptional coaches with the most comprehensive knowledge and experience with the subject matter.

     Sitting and listening to Jonathon Sullivan review the pertinent literature of 2013 chosen by the SSC Science Committee, I began to see the future.  When the NSCA created the CSCS certification (the current gold standard of strength and conditioning certifications) back in 1985, the beginning of that process was not too dissimilar to what we were doing there that weekend.  The paradox, however, is this:  with all of the information present, the caliber of professionals in attendance, and the product that is the Starting Strength model, awareness of this organization is not even on the strength and conditioning radar.  The Starting Strength organization is still in its infantile stages.  However, with such a group of professional and passionate individuals, this organization will eventually hit critical mass. Our hope is that the Starting Strength Coach Certification gains the credibility it deserves, and the goal that we all set out to achieve will finally be reached: setting the bar so much higher than it has ever been before. Regulation of the industry, and bringing awareness to "The Truth".

Coaches Rountable Q&A.  From left to right - Jim Wendler, Mark Rippetoe, Matt Reynolds, Jonathon Sullivan.
Taken from tomcampitelli.zenfolio.com

     For more information about the 2013 Starting Strength Coaches Conference, and to see the detailed maintenance of certification (MOC) required by all Starting Strength Coaches, please check the link below.

Starting Strength Coach: From Certificate to Certification

To find a Starting Strength Coach near you, check out the Starting Strength Coach directory here:

Starting Strength Coach directory

   

Rip discusses the limitations of Exercise Science, and how they have hindered the spread of the TRUTH about training

       A true understanding of actual "training" has been slowly entering into mainstream society. Through the increasing popularity of organizations such as Crossfit, Starting Strength, Elite FTS, Rogue, and Kelly Starrett's Mobility WOD, people have become increasingly familiar with strength training, and how to perform barbell movements correctly.  Working in a corporate gym like Equinox, I'm happy to report that people are squatting, deadlifting, and pressing more than ever.  I can remember 5 years back, when everyone was on Bodybuilding.com and still working a 4 day bodybuilding split.  Don't get me wrong, the vast majority of gym goers still have no clue what they are doing, and I still see members and trainers incorporating swiss balls in their routines to "increase their core activation".  However, ever since The Crossfit Games have been televised, and people have been able to see what strength training and Olympic lifting does for one's physique and performance, the spread of knowledge and increase in actual "training" has been profound.  Guys like Wendler, Rippetoe, and Starrett have published great books that have been mainstream successes, and they have begun to circulate around the personal training community.  A few years ago, I had to explain to my managers why I thought every new client needed to focus on getting stronger, and now it seems to be widely accepted as the norm. 
     The podcast below is Rippetoe's dissection of this phenomenon.  He explores why up until recently,  The Truth about barbell training has been hidden, why current Exercise Science literature is lacking in practically applied and observed empirical data regarding barbell training, and what compelling information Academia must embrace to help produce more competent and effective coaches.

     

     Starting Strength Channel: Episode 4

The Birth Of The Practical Application Series

    So if you've been reading the blog, you've noticed that I've been writing a lot about complex topics - analyzing biomechanics and discussing forces.  Talking about the physiology of adaptation and its contextual application.  From the feedback that I've received, these articles may be of interest to some, but for the average gym goer,  they may be a bit too analytical.

Along with these complex articles, I've also been writing a lot about the flaws of commercialized fitness and complaining about the many people who take advantage of the body dysmorphia we experience as a unified society, through the manipulation of fitness hype, and gimmicks.

Alas,  I've been sending mixed signals.  On one hand I've been speaking to the audience constituted by the public - explaining to them that there is a subculture of strength and conditioning (S&C) that most people never see.  A culture that has the answers to most of the questions that the average gym goer has.  How do I get my legs bigger?  How do I increase my bench press?  How do I lose the fat around my ass and fit into a size 6 again?   And on the other hand, I've been writing complex articles for a different audience - this very same S&C subculture!  This culture exists in both college and professional athletic weightrooms.  It exists in secluded barbell and weightlifting gyms.  You can experience it if you go to a powerlifting or weightlifting meet.  It can also be found in Crossfit gyms (if you know where to look).

The unfortunate reality though, is that most average gym goers are never exposed to this S&C subculture, and the answers to their questions.  Instead, they heavily rely on the resources and information that's marketed to them - bodybuilding.com, Men's Health, and Dr. Oz.  The trainers and fitness professionals they are exposed to in their gyms are taught what they know from the same convoluted institution which puts out the aforementioned resources.  They feverishly search for the next "spartan workout", "ultimate mass building program", or "4 weeks to your BEST BEACH BODY EVER!" to hit their goals, and are constantly frustrated with their progress.

"The Truth" is, however, that the coaches and trainers in the S&C community secretly mock all of this.  They know much better than to get into discussions with these people about training and keep to themselves.  Whenever they see some training article that includes a Bosu or Physioball, they laugh to themselves and go squat double their bodyweight somewhere in spite of it all.

This is where I come in.  I am a part of this subculture.  I've trained with some of the strongest people in the world and I've learned and been exposed to some of the best coaches out there.  Working within professional and collegiate athletics,  I am equipped with this "secret" knowledge of what works and what doesn't.  It's actually no secret at all, it's just hidden from view.    It's my job to bring this information to all of you guys - the average gym goers.  The Client Transformation Series is meant to show you all that it is possible to get amazing results in short periods of time.  I can talk all I want, but at the end of the day,  it's the results that matter.

I've been writing for the S&C community a lot and have been leaving the general public hanging a bit.  In response to the feedback I've received from you all,  I'm going to begin The Practical Application Series - focused on equipping you with information that will get you moving towards your goals much faster.

Client Transformation Series: Paco

8 Month Transformation

Age: 51
Height: 6'


     Coming to you now is CTS's first master's trainee - Paco.  Coming to us at 51 years of age, Paco is a native of Mexico.  I first met Paco over by a smith machine back in November of 2012.  After watching him attempt to perform deadlifts on it, I felt it was my coach's duty to intervene in this troubling event.  Over the last 8 months, Paco has worked incredibly hard to improve his diet,  his cardiovascular system, and of course, his body composition.  

     As a young man, Paco was an avid Yogi, but years of inactivity and neglect had led him to develop a kyphotic (rounded) thoracic spine (upper back),  a greatly immobile shoulder girdle,  global inflexibility of his entire body,  poor eating habits, and high cholesterol.  Today, Paco stands tall (literally) at a lean 169 lbs.  His posture, mobility, and flexibility are comparable to those of a college athlete, and his newly developed strength rivals that of men nearly half his age.  His blood lipid profile has improved dramatically, and don't forget the tremendous spike in testosterone he's experienced that *actually sets off the metal detectors in airport security (how does that even happen?!)

*dramatization 

 

     Through barbell training, improvements in his diet, and sporadic metabolic conditioning workouts (metcons),  Paco has become a new man and an inspiration for other +40 year olds.  His new, hard taco man shell speaks for itself: it's never too late to get your life (and body) to where you want it.  

 

Lifts	11/8/12	7/10/13
Squat	75 lbs  3x5	190 lbs  3x5
Bench	95 lbs  3x5	145 lbs 1x9
Press	55 lbs  3x5	95 lbs  1x8
Deadlift	125 lbs 1x5	220 lbs 1x5

Body Composition	11/8/12	7/10/13
Weight	172 lbs	169 lbs
Bodyfat	20%	13%
Fat Mass	34 lbs	22 lbs
Fat Free Mass	138 lbs	147 lbs

Lean Mass Gain - 9 lbs

Fat Loss - 12 lbs

*All clients featured on this blog have given consent for their personal information to be disclosed. 

Bilateral or Unilateral? And why are we doing so many damn "corrective exercises?!!!!!!!!!!!!

     It's nice writing articles here.  It's also nice when other people do it so I don't have to.  This one should raise some nice controversy.  

Rippetoe goes off. Again