If you’ve ever read about fitness and strength training online, chances are you have Tony Gentilcore to thank, at least in part. Tony is a trainer and author who was one of the first to take his thoughts online, creating an early bridge between in-gym experience and the web’s fitness community. Back around 2010, there weren’t a ton of places to turn to when it came to learning about the ins and outs of strength training online. But Tony’s name was one that popped up everywhere, a testament to his ability to take real-world experience and translate that into the written word.
Tony’s known for a lot of things: He co-founded Cressey Sports Performance in 2007, has trained countless elite athletes in pro sports, and remains one of the most prolific writers in the entire world of strength training.
In the days before Instagram, Tony helped mold the blueprint of the trainer-author, paving the way for some of today’s biggest online fitness influencers. He’s someone who excels at combining his real-world coaching experience with the latest evidence and research.
Today, Tony still dedicates a huge chunk of his time to training clients in-person at his Massachusetts studio. He’s still a prolific writer, with an active web presence at TonyGentilcore.com, and is also an in-demand speaker for fitness events around the globe.
In this episode of The BarBend Podcast, I chat with Tony about what’s changed as strength training becomes increasingly mainstream, along with what too many athletes and coaches are STILL getting wrong when it comes to getting stronger. Here’s a hint: We’re probably overcomplicating things.
In this episode of The BarBend Podcast, guest Tony Gentilcore and host David Thomas Tao discuss:
- Why Tony thinks his career seems so surreal right now (3:08)
- Tony’s personal goals for coaching, along with how he determines how much time to set aside for clients versus writing, travel, and speaking (5:25)
- The common thread of “over-marketing” among fitness professionals (9:00)
- Why Tony prefers training the non-elite athletes (or “genpop” in trainer speak) (13:43)
- Training general population clients versus a high level athlete (15:50)
- Training for…fantasy football? (17:45)
- The quickest way to assess athletic capacity (18:20)
- Tony talks about one of his favorite measures of progress and athletic capacity, straight from the mind of Dan John (20:00)
- Getting on the same page as clients regarding athletic goals (23:01)
- Training around issues that occur with strength athletes and extreme specialization (26:21)
- Tony’s pet peeves (31:55)
Relevant links and further reading:
- Visit Tony Gentilcore’s website
- Follow Tony on Instagram and Twitter
