I don’t consider myself a kettlebell expert, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express once so that has to count for something.
Note from TG: For those non-American folk who may be reading and have no idea WTF staying at a Holiday Inn Express has to do with anything let alone kettlebell training, maybe watching THIS clip will help.
For those who did get the joke: Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
In all seriousness, while I’ve never taken the RK or HKC or the Strong First course (it’s on my fitness bucket list though), or climbed Mt. Everest, I like to think that despite those minor short comings, I still know a thing or two when it comes to coaching the kettlebell swing, among other KB related exercises.
And while I’m on the topic, I always find it comical when I hear stories from my clients who travel and they tell me how, at certain gyms they’ve come across, they’re not allowed to use the kettlebells without a trainer’s supervision, as if they run the risk of poking their eye out.
Yet, upon watching said “certified” trainer (99.9% of the time not certified through Dragon Door or Strong First) demonstrate a KB workout, whether it entails swings, get-ups, cleans, or snatches, my client’s have to keep their corneas from perpetually bleeding because the trainer’s technique is just god-awful.
Like Jillian Michael’s god-awful:
All that said, because I don’t want to get all fired up and throw my laptop through the window, today I just want to hit on two often overlooked technique snafus that a lot of people make with their swings.
Number One: making the mistake of allowing the KB to drop BELOW the knees.
I wrote a blog post on the difference between a squat swing (wrong) and a hip snap swing (right) a while ago (HERE), and I think anyone who’s curious should check that out first before going any further.
Outside of that, I stole the above gem from the one and only Neghar Fonooni, and it’s something that really made a lot of sense to me when I heard it, and high-five to myself, was something I was instinctively coaching already.
Most of us have heard the often quoted cue from Dan John about keeping the KB closer to the body and “attacking the zipper.” This works well, but I still often find that many trainees will allow the KB to drift below the knees which can wreak havoc on the lumbar spine.
This is more of an “eyeball” what-you-see-is-what-you-get observation, but if it’s something you find yourself or your clients doing, it would be a good idea to, you know, stop it.
Number Two: allowing the KB to “get away.”
This was actually something I snaked from one of my clients who heard it from Dr. Stuart McGill who I think heard it from Han Solo. But I can’t back that up.
When we transition from the hike pass to the actual swing and end up with our arms full extended out in front of us, it’s important not to let the bell itself to “get away” and cause more shear load on the spine.
I always like to tell people they’re going to snap/push their hips through and the arms are just along for the ride. When their arms are fulling extended, the objective is not to be holding on for dear life, they’re going to “relax” for split second, and pull the KB back down towards the swing portion.
During the “relax” portion, however, they want to be fast (and loose) at the top, but not to the point where the KB is going to jolt their spine (for lack of a better term).
The short video below (just a bit over two minutes) tries to hit on both points. I hope it helps. For those celebrating Labor Day Weekend – enjoy!
As some of you know I had the luxury of spending the past few days attending Phase II of the Elite Baseball Mentorship hosted at my stomping grounds, Cressey Performance, listening to Eric Cressey, Eric Schoenberg, and Matt Blake discuss, well, training baseball players.
And while training baseball players is our Soup de Jour at Cressey Performance, what many fail to realize is that we train a wide variety of athletes (softball, basketball, football, hockey, boxing, and at one point we even trained a fencer!) as well as general population clients at the facility.
While the crux of the information covered over the weekend pertained to baseball players and the intricacies involved with managing their care and programming, a fair percentage of it spilled over into the meathead/general population crowd as well.
As is the case every time I attend a seminar or workshop there’s always a nugget or two of information that blows me away and makes me wonder “why am I such a moron?”
One such instance involved a comment that Eric Schoenberg made regarding lunges and how we (as an industry) coach them. In a nutshell he questioned the audience (us) as to why we don’t include more of a hip hinge pattern when we introduce it and coach the lunge?
Ask any strength coach how he or she generally “patterns” the squat, deadlift, kettblebell swing, or any number of other foundational movements, and almost always they’ll say everything revolves around the hip hinge.
Why, then, when we coach the lunge, as Eric noted, do we gravitate towards more of an upright torso (which in turn results in more of a “gross” extension based pattern)?
“Huh,” I thought. “That’s interesting.”
But to be more specific, for visual reference, the video below best depicts my reaction the second Eric made this point.
To give more of a play-by-play description: I’m Triple H, and Eric’s comment is John Cena straight-up power slapping me in the grill.
It……was……awesome. And helped to turn on a light bulb in my head.
And, the whole shebang makes perfect sense when you think about it.
Coaching the lunge with an upright torso isn’t inherently wrong; it just might not be the most ideal way to go about things for some people.
Especially with regards to baseball players and more of the meathead/athletic crowd (who live more of their lives in “gross” extension anyways).
Think about it: those in extension tend to have excessive anterior pelvic tilt, which in turn leads to more femoral internal rotation, which in turn leads to more tibial internal rotation, which then, as we all know, is the real cause of global warming.
But in all seriousness, someone may exhibit faulty hip mechanics, we then coach them to perform a lunge pattern in a way that feeds into said faulty hip mechanics, and then we bark at said athlete or client when his or her’s knee caves in when they lunge.
What’s more, coaching the lunge with a more upright posture only feeds into the extension pattern which doesn’t do their lumbar spine (and more specifically their facet joints) any favors.
And, to add insult to injury, if someone is purposely programmed to think that staying upright is ideal (which isn’t always the case for some), the DBs are going to serve as a counterbalance to keep them in extension.
Instead, what’s wrong with cueing more of a hip hinge and slightforward lean to save their back and to help offset a poor pattern?
One simple cue would be: don’t think of shoulders over the hips, but rather shoulders over the knees.
Thoughts?
This is something that completely flew over my head up until this past weekend, and is something I plan to fix sooner rather than later.
Sadly, I can’t fix the epic fail of having Taylor Swift playing in the background in the above videos.
Q: First off thanks for all the great content you share through your blog and for the amusing writing style you have, it´s always nice to be able to laugh and smile a bit while you learn a thing or two.
I just have a question regarding athleticism and strength training. I know you guys have some pretty strong guys and girls in your facility and I know you guys use a lot of big heavy compound lifts. But how do you guys secure that the athletes still have a great movement capacity while they perform on the field and not end up as “meat heads” with no movement capacity and lack of athleticism?
Do you have some specific part of the strength training with more focus regarding this or is there any specific exercises that works better? Like 1-leg exercises or plyometric training or anything else?
I´m a soccer player myself and a newly educated strength coach and I’ve been asked to have some “on-pitch-strength training” where the coaches as one of the goals asked for better athleticism in the players. I know we´re not gonna be able to do “heavy” stuff since we mostly will be working with our own bodies but do you recommend anything to think about when programming this for keeping athleticism high?
I should start everything off by saying thank you for the kind words. I know there are times where I don’t take myself too seriously with my writing style (poop), but I do try to consistently provide quality content in an entertaining fashion so it’s nice to know I’m hitting the mark all the over in Sweden!
To answer your question I think we first need to clarify what the main goal or objective of a strength and conditioning program is. As far as athleticism and movement capacity goes, nothing (nada, zilch, zero) we do in the weight room is going to emulate or match what actually takes places on the court, field, or Quidditch pitch.
10 points to me for a Harry Potter reference!
Which is why doing stuff like this is borderline asinine:
To get better at pitching, you need to pitch. To get better at kicking a soccer ball, you need to kick a soccer ball. To get better at skating, you need to skate. To get better at supflexing, you need to become an honorary member of the British Bulldogs.
This isn’t to say that everything we do in the weight room is moot and doesn’t have any carryover towards on-the-field performance. That’s just looney talk. Instead, all I’m trying to convey is that the main goals of a well-designed strength and conditioning program is to address weaknesses, imbalances, improve force production, reduce wear and tear on the body, and to help prevent injuries (among other things).
That said, it’s important that we get our athletes strong – as I always say: you can’t have qualities like power, agility (being able to absorb force and change direction quickly), endurance, strength endurance, and what have you without first having a base of strength to “pull” them from in the first place – but we’re also cognizant that we don’t want to turn them into slow lunks with the movement capacity of the Tin Man.
Which is why I feel we do a bang up job of addressing this on a few fronts:
1. Every session starts with addressing tissue quality. Everyone from our Major League guys all the way down to high-school makes sweet, sweet love to their foam roller prior to each training session.
2. From there, while we do have a “canned” dynamic warm-up that we post up on a dry erase board which changes every 1-2 weeks, it’s also not uncommon we write individualized warm-ups for certain athletes or clients who may need a bit more TLC.
This is an excellent way to prioritize and address specific areas that people may need to improve on whether it’s more glute activation, addressing t-spine mobility, or in the context of many of our baseball guys, hammering a bit more upper trap work to improve scapular upward rotation.
3. Next comes movement training or med ball work. The way things are designed during the summer months, our guys typically lift weights four times per week in addition to having two “movement” days, for a total of six training days per week.
However, sometimes we need to congest things into four days depending on summer ball schedules. Taking that into consideration a training week may look something like this:
Monday: Movement Training/Sprint Work, Lower Body
Tuesday: Med Ball Work, Upper Body
Thursday: Movement Training/Sprint Work, Lower Body
Saturday: Med Ball Work, Upper Body
The movement training is nothing extensive, but we’ll typically include one linear based drill like a 30-yd build up and one lateral based drill like a heiden
We CRUSH med ball training. With our baseball guys there is an obvious sense of “specificity” that attaches itself and bodes well as far as carry over onto the field. But even with our general population clientele, we find there’s a ton of efficacy for their use as they’re a great way to train power and explosiveness, not to mention the metabolic carryover they bring to the table.
Between the warm-up, movement training or med ball work, a good 30 minutes or so have passed in the training session and now it’s time to lift heavy stuff.
4. Again, to reiterate, the point of strength training isn’t necessarily to emulate movements in the respective sport(s) that one is participating in. Rather it’s really to address weaknesses, help improve force production (make someone’s glass bigger), and to reduce wear and tear on the body.
The whole “meathead” comment is a bit of a misnomer. I mean sure, we have all our athletes squat, deadlift, row, bench press (not our baseball guys), push the Prowler, perform heavy single leg work, or any number of things you can conjure up.
The key is that we coach our athletes well on the execution of said lifts, and we always place a premium on a (safe) ROM for each athlete.
You won’t see a lot of 1/4 squats or 3-board presses performed under our watch.
Not every athlete is meant to squat ass-to-grass, nor is every athlete meant to perform a conventional deadlift on day one – and any coach who takes that mentality is a douche – but you can bet that we’re always going to coach our athletes to perform their lifts with a safe ROM with the goal of improving over time.
Taking injury and deficits out of the equation, we’ve had countless athletes put on significant muscle mass during the off-season and still be able to maintain ALL their flexibility and movement quality.
5. And on a final note, especially as it relates to youth athletes, one of the best things we can advocate for them is to play a wide variety of sports throughout the year. Specializing too early can lead to a plethora of overuse injuries, as well as “burn” them out and make then hate life.
Pushing a young athlete – and one that’s developmentally behind the curve at that – to play a sport year round is one of the worst things that can be done.
We’re always encouraging our athletes to play different sports throughout the year, and it’s not until they reach 16 or so that we begin to entertain the notion of specializing.
So to make a long-winded answer short: yes, I believe it is possible to maintain (and even improve) athleticism and movement quality in the weight room. You just have to put a little thought into it and understand that it’s a lot of things working in concert to get the job done.
I’d say that at least once a week I open up my email and start reading something that sounds like this, “Hi Tony, this is (enter name of Victoria Secret model here). I was checking out your website and……..”
Just kidding – that’ll never happen. But fingers crossed that it does someday.
Back in reality what typically happens is a receive an email that starts, “Hey man, so, uh, I have this shoulder thingie going on…………………”
And almost immediately the Darth Vader theme music starts echoing in my head.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m always honored when someone goes out of their way to reach out to me and ask for advice. And, I’m always more than happy to respond. It’s just sometimes I feel like I’m a broken record repeating myself over and over and over again.
Now shoulder injuries can be tricky, as no two shoulders are the same. There’s a lot of “stuff” happening, which shouldn’t come as surprise given the shoulder actually consists of four joints (glenohumeral, scapulothoracic, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular), as well as consists of 17 muscular attachments alone. This piece slides into that piece. This part rotates. BAM – it’s like it’s own little Transformer!
On top of all that, because the shoulder is such an intricate joint it lends itself open to injury fairly easily. We have AC joint separations, labrum tears, SLAP tears, external (primary and secondary) and internal impingement, and a whole host of other words that end in ‘itis or “WTF my shoulder hurts!”
All that said, however, I’d say that 90% of the time when someone reaches out to me (or Eric for that matter) asking why their shoulder is flipping them the bird, it usually comes down to a handful of common denominators. While the following shouldn’t be taken as the end all-be all list, I feel it does cover most people’s bases.
Lets get to it!
1. Programming Balance?
There’s a popular theme that a lot of coaches and trainers like to live and die by called programming balance. Meaning, any well structured program should have a balanced approached between movement patterns. Specific to the conversation at hand, with regards to upper body training, it’s often recognized that for every pushing exercise one performs (bench press), he or she should also perform one pulling exercise (seated row, etc).
This actually isn’t a bad advice. The thing is: We all know that Mondays are reserved for bench pressing. So are Wednesdays, Fridays, and every other day that’s a prime number.
Basically, guys like to bench press.
As a result many develop muscular imbalances – short/stiff pecs, weak/inhibited upper back – which leads to protracted and internally rotated shoulders.
If we’re lucky, we may see a set or two of rows in there for good measure, but it’s safe to assume that for many, their pressing to pulling ration is skewed.
Program balance isn’t going to work for these people. Using a 1:1 ratio ain’t gonna cut it. In this sense we need to use an UNBALANCED APPROACH.
Which is why I’m not adverse to recommending that most people revert to a 2:1 or even 3:1 (pull:push) ratio to help offset their gross muscular imbalance and help their shoulder feel better.
To that end I typically let these guys know that their world won’t end if they don’t bench press for a few weeks, and that it would be in their best interests to implement more horizontal rowing into the mix.
2. And Don’t Forget Push-Ups!
I’d say that 95% of the time any shoulder issue comes dow to it being a scapular issue. One of the main reasons why I’d prefer guys nix the bench pressing for the time being is because it’s an open chained movement.
Speaking english, what this means is that the hands are able to move freely, but the scapulae are pinned against a bench. Like, they can’t move. At all. They’re “glued” in place, which doesn’t bode well for shoulder health.
Moreover, holding a barbell locks us into a pronated grip which leads to more internal rotation of the humerus, which closes off the subacromial space
On an aside: using DBs with a neutral (palms face one another) grip would be a more shoulder friendly option, as we can encourage a bit more external rotation and open up the subacromial space a bit more.
Push-ups on the other hand are a CLOSED-CHAIN exercise, where the hands don’t move and the scapulae have a bit more breathing room. This is a HUGE advantage, and something I feel many trainees dismiss because they deem push-ups too wimpy.
Of course push-up technique is going to enter the conversation as a huge reason why a lot of people’s shoulders hurt is because they have no idea how to perform one correctly.
For a primer I’d encourage everyone to check out THIS post.
3. Scaps, Scaps, and more Scaps
As I noted above, much of the time when someone’s shoulder hurts it can pinpointed to the scapulae. The most cliched – albeit easiest – explanation to use here would be the shooting a cannon from a canoe analogy.
When everything is hunky-dory, the scapulae are hugged tight against our rib cage and our force couples are “balanced” and everything is in ideal alignment to allow things to run smoothly. In other words our downward rotators (levator, rhomboids, pecs, and lats) and upward rotators (upper and lower traps, serratus anterior) are doing their jobs and everyone is happy.
Unfortunately, due to societal demands, lack of physical activity, and global warming (we can blame everything on that, right), most tend to be woefully weak in their upward rotators (especially lower traps and SA) and dominant in their downward rotators – leaving the scapulae abducted and anteriorly tilted.
Or……UNSTABLE!
Placing a premium on drills that target the lower traps and serratus anterior while stretching or addressing tissue quality on the levator, pecs, and lats will go a long ways in helping the shoulder feel a ton better.
1-Arm Prone Trap Raise
Forearm Wall Slide w/ Lift Off
Shoulder W’s
Hand Switches w/ Push-Up
Actually Doing Your Rows Correctly
Pec Release w/ Ball
4. Learning to Breath Correctly
While I’ve always felt this was important, I generally steered clear of it because I felt there were more pressing (HA! Pun intended) issues that people should work on – technique, program modifications, soft tissue quality, etc.
But when we consider that everyone takes roughly 20,000 breaths per day, incorrectly, firing our accessory breathing muscles (upper traps, scalenes, levator) and completely neglecting the diaphragm – it’s no wonder we have an epidemic of pissed off shoulders!
I won’t go into too much detail here, other than to say to check out THIS post on breathing patterns I wrote last year as well as check out Mike Robertson’s much more detailed post HERE.
5. Watch Predator
This really has nothing to do with shoulders, but it’s a crime if you haven’t watched this movie. I’m pretty sure watching the Predator Handshake on repeat increases T-levels by 286% instantly. Subsequently your shoulder will feel better!
6. Hammer T-Spine Mobility
I don’t think I need to belabor this point. If you’re rocking a Neanderthal posture, chances are your shoulder hates you. This ties in hand-in-hand with the section on scapular stability above. When we’re stuck in a overly rounded/kyphotic posture, the scapulae are going to be abducted and anteriorly tilted. Tossing in some daily t-spine mobility drills will work wonders on how your shoulder feels.
Some of my favorites include:
Quadruped Extension-Rotation
Side Lying Windmill
Yoga Push-Up Complex
Also, because I’m sick of typing now, I’d HIGHLY encourage you to check our Dean Somerset’s 3-part series on All Things Thoracic Spine HERE.
A few weeks ago a handful of guys from my alma mater – SUNY Cortland – made the five hour trip from central NY to Boston to come visit Cressey Performance for an afternoon and check out the facility in the flesh.
After giving them the quick tour, explaining the general flow of things (everything from client intake to how a typical training sessions runs), and exchanging some pleasantries, inside jokes, and advice on where they should go eat later on in the city, I was asked a simple yet profound question:
Why are you so intelligent, witty, and good looking? What’s some advice you’d give to upcoming trainers when it comes to writing effective programs?
Much of my thought process revolves around something Mike Boyle touched on a few years ago when he said program design as akin to cooking.
Ask anyone what their philosophy or “foundation” entails and many will inevitably say they use a little of Cressey’s stuff, some of Robertson’s, a little of Gray Cook, maybe a dash of Contreras, and a sprinkle or two of Nia Shanks to taste.
They’re all over the place.
But that’s okay, to an extent. I’ll always advocate for someone to broaden their horizons and to learn from as many people and resources as possible. We just need to understand that some people can really cook, while others need to follow a recipe.
In other words: some people write cookbooks, while others are better at following cookbooks.
Everything in a recipe has a purpose, much like program design. For most (if not all) beginner/novice level trainers and coaches you should view yourself as a run-of-the-mill cook. Your job is to follow the recipe and stick to it no matter what. The last thing you should be doing is combining recipes and failing to understand that “whats” and “whys” and general rationale of any one system or approach.
The intermediate level coaches and trainers (2+ years) can be considered the sous chef. They’ve developed the ability to alter the recipe without spoiling it or sending someone to the emergency room. In a way the ingredients can be altered without disturbing the general plan.
They’ve earned the right (not to mention obtained the confidence) to tweak things towards their personal preference.
And then there’s the Bobby Flays, Wolfgang Pucks, and master chefs (5+ years) of the world who have been doing what they do for so long that they pretty much have free reign to add as much garlic as they want to any recipe……and it will be delicious all the same.
It’s okay if they break the rules because they understand the rules.
To that end, digging a little deeper, here’s the advice that I gave them:
1. Don’t make it more complicated than it has to be.
If you look at the bulk of programs that we write at CP, none of them are all that elaborate. Watch our athletes and clients train and you’re bound to see everyone doing some form of squat variation, deadlift variation, single leg pattern, push-up, row, core work, and/or some dedicated “arm care” work.
Walk into any gym and you’re going to see the same things. The thing that differentiates us, however, is that we place a high-standard on the execution of those said movements.
Meaning: we coach the hell out of everything.
You don’t need to write elaborate, complicated programs that require a PhD from MIT to translate. But you do need to actually COACH your clients and make sure they master the basics.
Even something s simple as ensuring they can hip hinge correctly will make things infinitely easier down the road when you do start incorporating more “fun” stuff like box squats or goodmornings or overhead dwarf throwing,
2. You should be able to explain or have a rationale for everything you write.
Why 5×5 and not 3×10? Why are you using a trap bar deadlift as opposed to a sumo? Why use a reverse lunge rather than a walking lunge? Why have one person doing standard planks while another one is performing Pallof Presses? Why are you not wearing any pants?
Unfortunately many trainers and coaches take a very haphazard approach to program design and it’s more like they blindfolded themselves and started throwing darts at a dart board.
You should be able to explain every piece of a program and why you’re including that for that particular person.
3. Have a contingency plan as far as regressions and progressions are concerned.
By that same token, unless your name is Gandalf or Professor Dumbledore you can’t expect to be 100% correct, 100% of the time.
Stuff happens. People get called into work to work overtime They pull a hamstring during their slow-pitch softball game. Kids get sick. They pulled an all nighter studying for an exam. Maybe they hurt their lower back getting up out of their chair. Maybe they ate too much at Chipotle and have a massive case of, well, lets not go there.
Whatever the case may be, sometimes you need a contingency plan and you have to opt for plan B.
Using myself as an example, sometimes I miss the mark and overreach on one’s abilities. I’ll program front squats into their program and it’s just awful. Even with a little tinkering, if I still feel it’s not up to snuff I’m perfectly content with regressing an exercise – to say, a goblet squat – and going from there.
Either way I’m still working the pattern and attaining a training effect.
Conversely, it can go in the opposite direction too. Sometimes I’ll underestimate someone’s ability and will need to progress an exercise and make it more challenging.
Whatever the case may be, sometimes you just have to roll with the punches. But it’s important that you’re prepared enough for when that actually happens.
Nothing spells “unprepared or I’m completely clueless” than standing there scratching your head.
And that’s about it. Nothing profound or revolutionary, but that’s essentially what I relayed back to this particular group. Have any of your own thoughts? I’d love to hear them below.
Today’s guest post comes to you from Michael Anderson, Boston based strength coach and personal trainer. Mike has contributed a handful of posts on this site, and this one is yet another fantastic piece.
Enjoy!
The medicine ball is often seen as an archaic tool because they’ve been around for so long. Sand filled balls were used as training tools for wrestlers 3000 years ago in Persia and Greece. Savages who were preparing to do hand to hand battle were using these, and now they’ve been relegated to this; being used by dorky personal trainers to load their weak clients in a crappy exercise.
<=== Ahhhhhhh, My eyes. MY EYES!!!!!!!
Frankly, this is B to the S. This makes me as mad as seeing people using kettlebells instead of dumbbells for regular exercises like biceps curls or triceps extensions. The 18-pound kettlebell you’re curling with shouldn’t even be considered a real kettlebell! But I digress; that’s a topic for a different day.
Medicine balls can, and should, be used to make you explosive as hell. Notice that I used the word “explosive” and not “strong”. Medicine balls should be used in a forceful fashion; save the nice controlled tempo for barbells and dumbbells.
Note from TG:although, to be fair (and I think Mike will agree), I’ll always encourage people to be “explosive” with their DB and BB exercises as well – particularly on the concentric or overcoming portion of the lift.
It’s just that with med ball training, the objective – ALWAYS – is to be explosive and to help develop power.
These things are strong (or should be). They are made to be tough, rugged and to take a beating. Unless you’re a medicine ball that is unlucky enough to be destined for Cressey Performance.
Note from TG (again):There’s no question that we absolutely crush med ball at Cressey Performance. We used to use First Place med balls exclusively (pictured above), and had great success with them, but at some point they changed rubber manufacturers and their durability went down the tubes.
What once took a few weeks (if not months) to eventually break, turned into days…..sometime hours.
Now we use DynaMax med balls and love them.
Here are some of the most common medicine ball mistakes that I have seen during my time in both commercial gyms and strength facilities:
Not throwing the damned ball.
More often than not, when I see someone doing a medicine ball drill, they are simply completing the exercise in a fashion that could most aptly be described as “flaccid”.
Moving a MB with a submaximal force does nothing besides make you look like a turd. When you step up to do a drill, you should be prepared to produce the maximal amount of force that you can for the given exercise. This is not the time to be gentle: act like you are trying to kill something with the ball. Anything less and you won’t be getting the right training effect.
Hey there! It’s me again, TG:Two great cues we like to use at CP when people are quote on quote “being turds” while throwing the med ball are:
1. “It’s a ball, not an egg – THROW IT!”
2. “Try to break the ball. If you do, here’s a $20 bill with your name written all over it.” Note: you should actually have a $20 bill….;o)
Here is an example of how different they will look: one is powerful and awesome. One is lazy and foolish.
Using a ball that is too heavy.
A ball that is too heavy is going to limit the amount of velocity (v=d/t…check me out with the equation!) that you can produce.
The name of the game when throwing a medicine ball is to move it as quickly as violently as possible. Yes, you can argue, that throwing a heavier ball will result in the produce of more force (f=m*a). This is true in theory, but not in practice.
Using a heavy ball will simply make you move slowly, and you want to move fast. If it doesn’t look fast, it’s not fast. Mike Boyle used to tell people to “make it look athletic”. Clumsily throwing a ball thats too heavy certainly doesn’t look athletic.
Using the bounce
This is a personal preference, to be honest. I find that it’s analogous to jumping back down after completing a box jump. I want each rep to be a separate entity so that you are only concerned about being able to produce as much force as possible for each rep.
Using the bounce of the ball allows you to move faster through the exercise, but not produce more force. While there is nothing wrong with the other way, I simply think too many people rely on it. There may be instances when you want your athletes to learn to quickly receive the ball and return it forcefully, but it’s a more advanced variation that has a more limited application.
Using them to mimic sporting movements
This is one that falls on the coach specifically. If any coach or trainer starts telling you, as an athlete, that they will be utilizing medicine balls/loaded balls to strengthen your sporting motion, tell them to sit on a blender. Throwing or shooting a weighted ball will do nothing but murder your mechanics and probably inflict some serious injury to your joints. A baseball weighs 5 oz and a basketball weighs 20 oz, performing your mechanics with a ball that is twice the weight will simply butcher anything you go do on the court afterwards.
Note from TG:We do implement SOME weighted ball drills with SOME of our pitchers – typically at the end of their throwing session at a distance of 10 or so feet into the matting. But as a whole, they encompass a fraction (10-15 throws total) of their total throwing volume.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=JQWyRk0n1MM
Thanks for reading today! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you get a chance please go check this out (http://operationrun365.blogspot.com/) and help a great cause. Have a great day and go lift something heavy!
I know what you’re thinking: This is either the title of an archived Robert Ludlum novel or the name of an old-school hip-hop album.
Both are wrong – but wouldn’t it be awesome if either of the two were true?
As someone who’s read every Ludlum novel, I’d kill to have access to another one of his masterpieces. While there are a few authors today who write really good espionage fiction, in my opinion Ludlum is the Godfather and everyone else is just Fredo Corleone.
And as far as hip-hop is concerned, lets be honest: today’s hip-hop pales in comparison to what I grew up with in the late 80s through the 90s. I distinctly remember the first time I listened to Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the 36 Chambers and thinking to myself, “Holy fuck balls. This is amazing.”
Likewise, I can’t even begin to tell you how many times – much to my mom’s chagrin – I listened to A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory. Since that was a more PG-rated album, I literally played it everywhere.
I blared it in my bedroom, outside while playing wiffleball, and even, sometimes, when she allowed it, in the family caravan.
Momma Gentilcore used to head bop to a little Scenario back in the day!
Here we go, yo! Here we go, yo! So what so what so what’s the scenario.
I literally wore that tape out playing it so much.
But alas, like I said, neither of the above is the topic at hand in today’s post. Instead what I want to dive into is a little discussion on posture.
More specifically swayback posture.
But we’ll need to give a little anatomy lesson first
When looking at one’s posture, the first thing I typically look at is their pelvic positioning. The pelvis will tell you a lot as far as what’s going on up and down the kinetic chain. In a way, much of the postural imbalances, dysfunctions, and asymmetries that we see on a daily basis have their impetus at the pelvis.
Keeping things (very) watered down and simple, you generally have three presentations:
1. Those who are in some semblance of (excessive) anterior pelvic tilt: typically indicative of stiff/short hip flexors, weak anterior core musculature, short/stiff erector spinae, and weak/inhibited glutes and hamstrings.
You’ll see this present quite often in the athletic population:
2. By contrast, another common presentation are those people who are in (excessive) posterior pelvic tilt, which is typically indicative of the polar opposite of the above: hip flexors are lengthened, anterior core musculature is shortened (due to sitting in flexion too much), erector spinae are lengthened, and the hamstrings are short/stiff.
All told the lumbar spine tends to be flattened, which can lead to an increased incidence of disc herniations.
Not surprisingly this is most common those who sit in front of a computer for large portions of the day.
Again these are just gross generalizations and I understand that more can make it’s way onto the canvas when looking at compensation patterns (and their root causes).
With all this information in our back pocket, we can then set out to write an appropriate training program that will address the underlying issues.
Speaking in generalities it may look something like this:
For those in anterior pelvic tilt: we want to emphasize protocols which will encourage a bit more posterior pelvic tilt and help get the pelvis back to a more neutral position.
1. Lots of glute activation drills and strengthening. While your garden variety glute bridges are fantastic option, one variation I really like is the Posterior Pelvic Hip Thrust highlighted here by Bret Contreras:
2. Emphasizing more posterior chain work – deadlifts, pull-throughs, GHRs, squats, etc (but making sure to cue a brace rather than an excessive arch).
Cueing is key here. Tossing in deadlifts (RDLs) and squats and then cueing someone to arch (and thus falling into more APT) defeats the purpose and just feeds into the overriding problem.
It’s important to teach someone to brace – and maintain as much of a “neutral” spine as possible – rather than arch. Mike Robertson does an awesome job of being Mike Robertson (dropping knowledge bombs left and right) and explaining the rationale HERE.
3. Dedicated (long-duration) stretching for the hip flexors. 30s second stretches aren’t going to cut it here, as all that does is increase one’s tolerance to a stretch and does nothing to increase the number of sarcomeres (which is what’s needed to lengthen a muscle).
Maybe some dedicated stretching for the erectors – although I’m not a massive fan of this.
DO NOT stretch the hamstrings.
Think about why: if someone is walking around in APT all day long, the hamstrings are already lengthened, and the only reason why they “feel tight” is because they’re firing like crazy. Stretching them will only make matters worse.
Of course, this needs to be taken on a case-by-case basis as some will inevitably have “tight” hamstrings. But most of the time is a pelvic issue, not a hamstring issue.
4. Placing a premium on addressing tissue quality – especially in the hip flexors, external rotators, etc.
5. Lots and lots and lots of anterior core work (but not crunches or sit-ups. At this point, I don’t feel I need to go out of my way to explain why).
For those in posterior pelvic tilt: we want to emphasize protocols which will encourage a bit more anterior pelvic tilt and help get the pelvis back to a more neutral position.
In short, those in PPT need to strengthen the hell out of APT.
1. Honestly I’m still going to hammer posterior chain work here (glutes and hamstrings) because most people are woefully weak there anyways.
I want all of my male clients to be able to deadlift a mack truck (female clients too, for that matter), and I want all my female clients to actually have a pair of glutes that they can be proud of and rock their “sexy” jeans (and, if that’s your bag, you too fellas. I don’t judge).
Much of the difference is how I go about coaching and cueing everything, as I’ll need to make sure that they don’t compensate and excessively posterior tilt when deadlifting or squatting – especially when going into hip extension.
2. I won’t include much (if any) dedicated anterior core work here as the rectus abdominus (which aids in posterior tilt) is short and stiff already.
Instead, I’ll focus mainly on STABILITY based exercises and emphasize length (staying tall) on things like Pallof Presses, chops/lifts etc.
In addition we’ll also probably rock out with some planks.
Watch most people do a plank and they’ll inevitably curl up/round their back which just plays into the dysfunctional pattern. Instead, try to coach/cue your spine to get as long as possible – without exhibiting a forward head posture and allowing the lumbar spine to “dip.”
Ideally it will look something like this:
Along those same lines we can consider the RKC Plank, which is a bastard in of itself. Again, stealing from Bret, here’s the nuts and bolts:
3. As far as any dedicated stretching is concerned, I’ll hammer the hamstrings, but in all likelihood will defer to more multi-planar mobilizations, or what’s also referred to as 3D stretching.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg on both fronts, but hopefully helps people understand the big picture.
The red headed step-child of posture: the sway back
Sway back is rarely discussed in fitness circles probably because it’s seemingly so rare. But it IS becoming more prominent and it’s something that was brought to light while watching Mike Robertson’s Bulletproof Back and Knee Seminarrecently.
FYI: It’s a fantastic resource, and I’d highly recommend it to any fitness professional reading.
As noted by Mike, sway back is simply a posterior pelvic tilt albeit with the hips pushed forward.
While a bit rarer in the general population, one demographic where it’s becoming more and more prevalent is….drum roll please……
Vikings? No
Boy Bands? Not quite.
Bomb sniffing dolphins? Nice try, but no.
In actuality, it’s PERSONAL trainers and coaches.
As a coach and trainer myself I can commiserate. I spend roughly 6-8 hours of my day standing – in extension – coaching people. And while I don’t rock a sway back posture I do possess some APT sumthin fierce.
To their credit many have recognized that APT is an issue, and have done a remarkable job at trying to alleviate it.
To that end, many have been placing a premium on cleaning up glute and hamstring issues by strengthening them, only to disregard and neglect the other crucial component of the equation…….
External obliques!
Tossing a little more anatomy into the fire, the external obliques have a few important functions:
3. Posterior pelvic tilt without a pull on the rib cage! Meaning, unlike the rectus abdominus – with prominent attachment points on the rib cage – the external obliques also posteriorly tilt the pelvis sans all the postural ramifications.
So, for those in a sway back, placing more of an emphasis on the external obliques can be of great benefit. You still have to be somewhat careful here, though, because you don’t want to promote too much PPT.
My first choice would be reverse crunches, but you may need to use these on a case-by-case basis depending on how much PPT someone is in:
Not far behind would be Offset Farmer Carries.
I love offset (1-Arm) farmer carries because they absolutely destroy the obliques as you have to fight to stay as upright as possible throughout the duration of the set.
The first progression would be your standard suitcase carry where you hold a DB or KB at your side:
There should be NO compensating in any form. No tilting, rotating, leaning, NOTHING.
From there, I’d progress to RACKED carries:
And then the grand daddy of them all would be overhead or WAITER carries:
I should also add that with all these variations the goal is to keep the rib cage locked down and to wear the coolest t-shirt ever (like the one in the videos).
Just sayin.
Tall kneeling Variations
I’ll also add tall kneeling variations onto this list too. Whether we’re referring to chops, lifts, Pallof Presses, or the plethora of landmine exercises out there, these are all excellent ways to target the external obliques and to help alleviate the sway back posture.
And That’s That
WHEW my brain hurts – I said a lot there. Hopefully within all my rambling I made some sense and was able to shed some light on some simple (albeit not all encompassing) ways to fix/address the sway back posture.
It’s freaking snowing (not that that’s any big surprise)! That would be like saying,”the sky is blue,” or “water is wet,” or “Justin Beiber is a no-talent ass hat!”
I left Boston yesterday under blue skies and 60 degree weather (which feels like summer this time of year), only to arrive in central NY five hours later to overcast gloom and nothing but rain and snow.
Welcome home, Tony!
Despite the really crappy weather, it is nice to be “home.” I placed home in quotations because the college is literally ten minutes from my home town, and part of the impetus for making the trip – other than the non-stop adulation, praise, and ticker tape parade that may or may not happen in my honor – was to be here for Easter and take advantage of Mama Gentilcore’s home cooking.
Which is to say: I absolutely crushed some apple pie yesterday.
Nevertheless, to say it was an honor to be asked to come back and speak would be an understatement.
Note: for those out of loop: I was invited back to my alma mater to speak to some of the Exercise Science, Kinesiology, and Fitness Development majors; as well as any graduate students or general public you didn’t want to watch Dancing With the Stars and come listen to me speak instead.
In fact, it’s been kind of a surreal experience.
I mean, back in the day, when I was an undergrad myself, I was about as nondescript of a student as they come. And now, I’m expecting upwards of 50+ people to show up just to listen to me speak. Unreal.
Everything started to kick into high-gear when, last week, THIS short write up popped up on the school’s homepage detailing (the Cliff Notes version anyways), what I’ve been up to in the year’s since I graduated, as well as giving people a sneak peak into the topic of my presentation, which I’ll be throwing down later today.
From there it’s been an avalanche of local media exposure. I got a call from the school newspaper asking if we could set up a time for some photo ops, and then a local news talk radio station (in Ithaca) contacted me and wanted to do a 5-10 minute interview LIVE for their morning show.
And when I say live, I mean literally – LIVE. I called in and the guy was like, “we’re on in 30 seconds!” Thankfully everything went smoothy and I didn’t drop an f-bomb. Woo-hoo!
Afterwards I got in my car to make the quick trip to the main campus where the game plan was to speak to a Kinesiology class (the class of the professor who set this whole shindig up). The vast majority of the kids in the class were aspiring personal trainers, coaches, and future business owners, so rather than stand there and bore them to tears talking about insertions and origins and blah blah blah, I wanted to take the time to impress upon them some of the traits and characteristics that I feel every fitness professional should strive for.
Namely, that success in this industry isn’t so much dictated by book smarts or just showing up to class – but rather, it’s about having an insatiable drive to always make yourself better, and that at the end of the day it’s important to understand that you’re not that big of a deal and that you need to put your work in just like everyone else.
Here are some of the main bullet points I hammered (within 50 minutes):
1. Do you see this as a career or a hobby? First and foremost you need to get comfortable feeling uncomfortable, because you’re not going to know the answer to everything. But those who deem this more of a career, and something that they see as their future, will always try to find the answer and get better.
2. Understand that you (probably) won’t make a lot of money right out of the gate. Visions of a six-figure salary and having a ton of disposable income is wishful thinking. Statistically speaking most trainers burn out within two years, which isn’t surprising when you factor in 10-14 hour work day, 6-7 days per week. Likewise, most trainers are NOT financially independent, work pay check to pay check, and often have to get a second job to make ends meet.
The point isn’t to be a Debbie Downer or to say that it isn’t possible to do very well for yourself. But, if we’re going to be honest, and if we’re really going to prepare people for the “read world,” then this is the kind of stuff upcoming trainers and coaches need to hear.
3. Don’t have more degrees than a thermometer. HA – get it!?!?!? Degrees? Thermometer? Okay, I’ll shut up.
An example would be Joe Schmo, MSc, CSCS, CPT, LMT, Who gives a s***.
Point blank, no one cares how many letters you have next to your name. It doesn’t really mean anything. Sure it looks cool and it will undoubtedly help open the doors to a few more opportunities, but it always comes down to a quote I’ve heard Mike Boyls state time and time again:
No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.
4. I gave a quick quiz to the students, and asked how many could:
– Name all four muscles of the rotator cuff. Which ones are external rotators?
– What’s the main function of the rotator cuff?
– Name 8 out of 17 muscles that attach to the scapulae?
– Name the only hip flexor which acts above 90 degrees of hip flexion?
– Explain the difference between a short and stiff muscle?
– Coach someone how to deadlift properly?
– Explain to a normal person why there’s no such thing as a “Fat Burning Zone?”
– Draw the Kreb’s Cycle. Blindfolded.
Okay, kidding on that last one.
But the point was – can they actually explain these basic things? If not, well………..what does that say about this being a hobby or a career?
5. Learn functional anatomy. Not everyone is going to be an anatomy cyborg like Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, or Bret Contreras. But it stands to reason that knowing your way around the human body is kind of an important trait to have as a fitness professional.
Admittedly, while I can get by and I can hold my own, anatomy is NOT one of my strong suits. What’s important, and something I stressed to the students, is that it comes down to repeated exposures. You’re not going to learn everything overnight, and if you hang out around the likes of Bill Hartman you can’t help but feel stupid at times.
The omohyoid thingamjiggy does what now?
Read blogs, articles, and books. Watch DVDs. The more repeated exposures you give yourself to any given topic, the more likely, someday, the light bulb will go off.
Trust me: it happens.
6. Be PROACTIVE as a coach! Actually look like you give a shit! Don’t just stand there and look like a zombie and count reps. COACH your clients.
7. But at the same time, don’t overcoach. Someone’s squat may look like a train wreck waiting to happen and you may very well want to throw your face into a wall, but it’s important not to overwhelm someone and to learn to focus on 1-2 major things rathe than trying to perform a miracle.
8. Try not to fall into being part of the status quo. Don’t throw in all the “smoke and mirrors” into your programming for the sole purpose of looking different than everyone else. Get people results, get them feeling better and moving more efficiently, and you’ll be doing your job.
9. I feel EVERY upcoming trainer should spend at least 1-3 years working in a commercial gym setting. Sure you’re going to have to fight the urge to pour battery acid in your eyes or to swallow live bees from all the asinine things you’ll see……but it’s one of the best ways to get better. In what other setting will you have access to such a wide variety of clientele? If you can teach a 45 year old CEO with the movement quality of an iceberg how to deadlift, you can teach anyone how to deadlift.
Sure you’re going to have life-sucking clients that will zap all your energy, but those are few and far between. Having the opportunity to work with such a wide variety of backgrounds, goals, needs, injuries, etc will speak volumes as far as making you a better coach.
10. Watch your social networking. As a potential future employer, I can guarantee you that if you apply for an internship or job, we’re checking your Facebook and/or Twitter accounts.
You know all those pictures you have up from when you won that Beer Pong championship back in 2012? Or all those posts where you called your ex-girlfriend every colorful name under the sun? Yeah, you should probably take those down.
And those were just the tip of the iceberg. I had a few other points that I made, but I feel like I’m just blabbering on now.
Anyhoo, the main show starts at 5 PM where I’m going to speak to a much larger crowd on things like assessment, program design, the season finale of The Walking Dead, and I’m sure I’ll go on a few rants or two. Or three.
Until then I need to get rid of some pent up nervousness and go lift some heavy things. Might as well go deadlift – of course!
This one is short and sweet today. We’re on a very, very tight schedule (spa, tour of the Mets training complex, etc)) and I was warned by Lisa that if she caught me on my computer she’d either Sparta kick me in the chest or force me to listen to nothing but Katy Perry on our way to Miami.
Neither sounds like a great scenario.
*tap, tap, tap, space key, space key, tap, tap, space key, tap, tappidy tap, space key, taparoo*
“Excuse me. But…..What. Are. You. Doing?”
Lisa! Uh, I didn’t see you there. I was just, you know, I thought I heard a noise on my computer, and I opened the screen, and, I, uh, just wanted to make sure it was alright. Since I was here I thought I’d go a head and donate to Greenpeace, and maybe look into adopting a baby seal.
Okay, I was checking my emails and writing a quick post.
Honey, why are you stepping closer? HONEY!!!! NOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Two hours later from a hospital bed:
I was asked a few weeks ago by the editors of T-Nation if I’d be willing to offer some advice on shoulder training.
It turned out awesome and includes solid information from other top-notch coaches like Tim Henriques, Dean Somerset, Bryan Krahn, Ben Bruno, and Dan Trink.
Sorry I’ve been a bit absent this week. Between fighting off this bitch of a cold, prepping for a presentation on posture and low back pain I’m doing at Bose Headquarters this afternoon, and tying up loose ends before heading off on vacation this weekend, my hands have been a bit full.
There’s all of that and a funny story about Lisa almost attacking me with a pillow in the middle of the night thinking I was someone breaking into our apartment. But I’ll save that for a Miscellaneous Monday post down the road.
Nevertheless, today I have an awesome guest post by Nate Palmer on muscle confusion. For those who enjoy my writing style, this one will be right on par. Enjoy!
Muscle Confus….. whaaaa????
If you’re reading this right now, I’m making some broad assumptions about you:
You have above average knowledge of muscular and athletic training.
You’re a 7.5 or better on the general attractiveness scale.
You know and respect the work of people like McGill, Polquin, Bieber, and Cressey.
You are passionate about squatting, building muscle, moving well, and quoting Bane as much as possible.
If you fall into any of those categories, I believe it’s safe to assume that you’ve also heard the phrase “muscle confusion” thrown around like a hipster at a Ramstein concert. It’s all over the news, in radio ads, general fitness articles, and p90x.
Generally the definition of muscle confusion is that by continuing to mix up the exercises/sets/reps/tempo etc. one can ‘trick’ the muscles into growing or burning more fat based on the idea the muscles will adapt to the same stimulus over and over again.
The benefit here is that it is possible to continue to coax new growth out of your muscles without them ever catching on to the fact that you are not, in fact, Mariusz Pudjianowski. Another benefit is that the same routine can be used by a variety of types of trainees with good results.
This is actually science, and since science should not be ignored, I wanted to help clear up the mystical BS surrounding the theory of muscle confusion, and help you create your own muscle confusion workout. At the end, I will give you an example of a workout that I have used for many years with great results, both in my own training, and for many of my clients.
Here is a proven 10 step system that will help you go from Hayden Christiansen status to being a training Yoda in just minutes.
List your goals out on a piece of paper. Be as specific as you can. (i.e. don’t just put “I want to be ripped” put that you want to be bodyweight of 185 at bodyfat percentage of 8%. Don’t put “get stronger” but say you want to squat 315 x 10)
Underneath each goal, write 2-5 exercises that will contribute to your success in that activity.
Now take 12 sticky notes and write down other activities that you enjoy doing, whether that’s sewing, rock climbing, or watching Jumanji on repeat.
Put the sticky notes on your fridge for motivation
While you’re at your fridge, grab something to eat. You don’t want to be hungry while dealing with the advanced principles of muscle confusion.
Grab a calendar for the month. Write down your 7 favorite numbers on it.
Tear all the papers into small pieces and put them into your protein shaker bottle. Shake vigorously for 30-60 seconds to maximize triceps involvement.
Go to the gym with said protein shaker, and begin removing pieces of paper. If legible, tear into smaller pieces and repeat step 7. If you’re becoming confused, that means your muscles are becoming adequately prepped for the workout. While pulling out scraps of paper, you should be haphazardly guessing what they say and doing the exercises with the sets and reps in the way they come out of the shaker.
Your workout should end when the sum of all your sets and reps = 37, or when the minute hand of the clock hits a really cool number.
Make sure to end every session with a naked bosu ball kettlebell snatch on the stair master. Your muscles won’t have any idea what the F just happened!
******BONUS *******
Muscle Confusion Nutrition; the do’s and don’ts.
DO:
Mix 3 parts margarita, with 1 part jack3d and 1 part goji berry extract for the perfect pre-workout beverage. For optimal results, use as a suppository.
Consume as much rotisserie chicken as possible during the workout to involve the digestive system, and to confuse the abs from the inside out.
DON’T:
Have a traditional post workout meal, but instead eat the third thing you see on the way home from the gym. Take a different route every time, or close your eyes while driving to ensure proper confusion.
Listen to the experts. Every body is different, and needs different stimuli to continue growing. Optimize your gains the right way! The confusing way.
DISCLAMER:
Please don’t do this. Any of it really. Except the naked bosu ball snatches. You should do those.
If you’re interested in the actual scientific principle of muscle confusion, look no further than progressive overload, which very simply states that in order to make progress, you must challenge your muscles in ways they haven’t been challenged before. This can take the form of something as simple as adding another rep, or another 5lbs to the bar.
If you are the guy who constantly goes to the gym and does the same 3×10 with 135 every Monday on bench press, you’re not going to make any progress because you haven’t given your muscles any reason to change from the size they are, because they are fully capable of doing your workout.
Constantly changing the stimulus by doing more work per session is the way to create and maintain lasting gains. You don’t need to be jumping from program to program week after week. This will never allow your central nervous system (CNS) to adapt to the movements (which is a good thing that will help you lift more), and you’ll never get any bigger or stronger.
Want to get big and strong? Pick 2-3 big exercises and get really, REALLY strong at them. Add 5lbs per week to start, then add 2.5lbs per week, and if necessary, add 1 lb per week. Do that for a full year. That way, at the end of this year, you will have put somewhere between 50 and 150lbs on your squat. Instead of what you did last year, which was jump around too much and end up with a strained shoulder and a 180lbs squat.
If you want to get brutally strong, stay lean and get legs the size of tree trunks, institute a 20 rep squat protocol. Start lower than you think you should, and add between 1 and 10lbs per week, making lower jumps as you increase weight. At the end of a year, you can easily go from doing 135×20 to doing 250×20.
The most confusing thing you can do for your muscles is squat 300lbs 20 times. Do that, and ditch your fitness DVD’s.
You’re welcome. That will be 49.99.
Author’s Bio
Nate Palmer is a NASM certified personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist. He specializes in weight loss, rehabilitation and stretching, and athletic training. He also loves the smell of vanilla candles, and looking at pictures of puppies online, but he would never admit it.
He’s currently employed at PRO Sports Club in the greater Seattle Area, and for more information check out his website HERE.
