A Response to Anyone Who Feels Deadlifts Are Destroying Everyone’s Spine
A HUGE thank-you to Bret Contreras for his contribution to this post. You’re my boy blue! A little backstory. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away A few years ago – back in 2010 – I wrote a blog post in response to someone claiming that deadlifts were “one of the worst… Read more
Tendinitis vs. Tendinosis: Yes, There’s a Difference
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the filming of Eric Cressey and Mike Reinold’s next phase in their Functional Stability Training series, Functional Stability Training – Upper Body. As an FYI: the first two modalities, Functional Stability Training – Core, and Functional Stability Training – Lower Body, can be accessed HERE. Think of the… Read more
Building a Superhuman Core
Nowadays you seemingly can’t walk more than 15 feet without crossing paths with a CrossFit gym. Along those same lines, you can’t go more than five clicks (it’s like the internet’s version of the Kevin Bacon game!) before you view some iteration of a “core training” article espousing anything from six-minute abs to improved posture… Read more
How to Hip Hinge Like a Boss
Or, in other words: Learn how to groove the hip hinge and then be able to train like a boss. Quick question/observation: Have you ever wondered why, among other things – like why women tend to make that funny face when applying make-up – when it comes to American cars, or “Western” cars, the driver’s… Read more
My Take on the “Knees Out” Debate
In case you’ve been living in a cave for the past few months or engrossed in the latest season of The Walking Dead, you’ve undoubtedly noticed a hot debate in the fitness and weight-training community surrounding the whole “knees out” technique when performing the squat (or deadlift for that matter). As far as debates in… Read more
So Your Shoulders Are Depressed (So Sad)
So Your Shoulders Are Depressed (S0 Sad) Despite the cheekiness nature of the title, you can relax: I’m not suggesting that your shoulders are “depressed” in the literal sense of the word. I mean, it’s not as if they just got word they contracted ebola or that their heart just got ripped out by some… Read more
Squat Assessment: Is It a Mobility or Stability Issue?
Assessing someone’s squat pattern offers a gulf of information – everything from any muscular imbalances or dysfunctions that may exist, to soft tissue restrictions, movement quality, and one’s overall general level of awesomeness. There are a few factors (and to a larger extent, progressions) that I use when I assess someone’s squat pattern, and it’s… Read more
The Perfect Assessment Tool?
Lets be clear from the start: there’s really no such thing as a “perfect” assessment. I’ve seen coaches and trainers spend as little as ten minutes assessing their clients, as well as those who take roughly the same time it would take to read the Harry Potter series, and both have been equally as successful… Read more