And while no where was there any reference to writing our own Star Wars movie script, starting our own Laser Tag franchise, or, I don’t know, eating carrot cake, by the end of it, Dean Somerset had sold me on the idea of collaborating with a collection of other fitness professionals to curate a continuing education series called The Complete Trainers’ Toolbox.
Once I knew the premise – to create on online resource designed BY trainers for trainers to emulate having some of the brightest minds in the industry coaching you through your biggest hurdles so you can feel confident growing your business– I was in.
Nine coaches are involved in this project.
Nine.
Hmmm, what other events or, dare I say, FELLOWSHIPS, have involved nine individuals?
Yeah that’s right.
You didn’t think I was not going to include a LoTR reference here did you?
I liken this resource to the Fellowship of the Ring; except instead of fighting Orcs, Balrogs, back-stabbing wizards, dragons, and all the other demons, ghosts, and what-have-you’s amidst the depths of Mordor….
….we’re fighting mediocrity.
We wanted to create a product – which we’re hoping becomes a recurring series – that helps separate health/fitness professionals from the masses by connecting them to some of the top minds in the industry.
Those trainers, strength coaches, physical therapists, (and a psychologist) who are in the trenches, every day, working with real people, getting real results, making it their mission to improve the industry, and, for what it’s worth, are all kicking ass and taking names.
So Who’s In the Fellowship and What Are They Talking About?
Tony Gentilcore (Aragorn) – Improving Overhead Mobility & How to Write Stellar Fitness Content
Dean Somerset – Programming 101: How to Design an Effective Workout.
Luke Worthington – Assessing For Excellence.
Dr. Lisa Lewis – Dealing With Negative Thinking (Your Clients and Your Own).
Sam Spinelli – All Things Squats, Knees, & Hips.
Dr. Sarah Duvall– Core and Pelvic Floor Lifting Considerations.
Meghan Callaway – The Ultimate Pull-Up Webinar.
Alex Kraszewski– Understanding Flexion & Extension Based Back Pain.
Kellie Davis– Finding Your Ideal Client.
And that’s not even all of it.
In fact, there’s 17 total hours of content when all is said and done. What’s more, all 17 hours have been approved for CEUs’ (1.7) via the NSCA.
I’m fully confident this is a resource that will help other fitness professionals hone their coaching skills, build better rapport with their clients, and maybe even most important of all…make more money.
And speaking of money, the cost of The Complete Trainers’ Toolbox is set at $100 OFF the regular price all this week. You have until this Sunday (2/17) to take advantage.
I’m really proud of this resource and I hope it helps you as much as I think it will.
I already wrote similar posts covering how I implement fillers with deadlifts and squats, so it only makes sense to finally follow suit with something discussing the bench press.
As a quick refresher for those first tuning in: “Fillers” are low grade exercises that address a specific mobility or stability issue – lack of glute activation, tight hip flexors, poor scapular upward rotation, as examples – which are performed during rest periods of a main exercise.
Fillers could also be a simple stretch.
In short the idea is do something productive during your rest periods – other than stalk your ex on Instagram – that’s not going to affect or deter performance on subsequent sets of deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and the like.
Another way to look at it is this: I know it, you know it, your parent’s mailman’s second cousin’s godfather knows it, we all know it…
…you’re (probably) going to skip your warm-up.
Fillers are the compromise.
Instead of giving people a laundry list of warm-up drills they’re not going to do, I’ll sprinkle fillers in as PART OF THE PROGRAM.
So in no particular order here’s a quick-n-dirty rundown of some of my go to fillers on bench day.
1. Rows
Okay, I’m cheating a little bit here.
I’m only speaking for myself, but I find rows are something most people can’t include enough of in a program. Many of us are so overdeveloped and/or tight in our anterior chain – namely pecs – that it’s not uncommon practice for me to pair a rowing variation with EVERY set (including warm-ups) of bench press to help offset the imbalance
I don’t care if it’s a DB row, Seated Cable Row, Chest Supported Row, Seal Row, TRX Row, Face Pulls, or Band Pull-Apart…I want some kind of row tethered to every set of the bench press.
And then I’ll include 1-2 more rowing variations later in the session too. The whole notion of a balanced approach to program design – where you attempt to include a 1:1 (press:row) ratio – while noble and good place to start, tends to be a bit underwhelming.
I’ll often say it’s more beneficial to UN-BALANCE someone’s program (to the tune of 2-3 rowing variations for every press) to to better “balance” them.”
So, as more of an umbrella theme to consider, just staying cognizant of rowing volume (and adding more of it into someone’s program) is going to be leaps and bounds more effective for long-term shoulder health and training domination than the litany of correctives that can be substituted in.
2. Band Posture Corrector
This is a drill I stole from my good friend and strength coach Jim “Smitty” Smith of Diesel Strength.
Sitting at a desk all day, every day, can be brutal.
The muscles on the back side (namely, rhomboids) get long and weak, while the muscles on the front (namely, pecs) get short and overactive.
A good bench press requires a fair amount of scapular retraction and depression to help protect the shoulder joint and to provide a more stable “surface” to press from.
This drill targets those muscles involved.
Simply grab a band, loop it around your shoulders, and “reverse” the posture.
I like to perform 10-20 reps with a 1-2 second hold on each rep.
3. Foam Roller Snow Angel
Likewise, the bench press also requires a decent amount of thoracic extension (which makes it easier to retract and depress your shoulder blades).
The Foam Roller Snow Angel allows for a few things to fall in place:
A nice pec stretch.
Nudges more thoracic extension (by lying on the foam roller).
I like 10-12 reps here.
4. Child’s Pose – off Med Ball
Pigging back off the above drill, this one also helps to improve thoracic extension in addition to strengthening the scapular stabilizers when you add a static hold at the top of each rep.
Adding the medicine ball into the mix along with flexed hips helps to keep the lumbar spine out of the equation.
NOTE: For the Singapore event you’ll need to use THIS link.
2. Coaching Competency Workshop – Raleigh, NC
I’ll be making my first appearance – ever (<— how’s that possible?) – in the wonderful state of North Carolina this coming March to put on my popular Coaching Competency Workshop.
Full details (date, location, itinerary, how to register) can be found HERE.
EARLY BIRD rate is currently in effect ($50 off regular price), so make sure to take advantage of it while you can.
3) The Complete Trainers Toolbox
I’ve been pretty mum about it, but this is dropping next week…
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
One thing I try to keep young trainers/coaches more cognizant of when writing training programs is grip intensive exercise. Example: Row paired with DB Reverse Lunge. Both require a lot of grip. Maybe switch to GOBLET Reverse Lunge? Boom, you’re a program writing Jedi.
Mike Robertson’s podcast is always a must-listen, but this one featuring my good friend Pete Dupuis was particularly eargasmic.
Pete has an uncanny ability to keep things real when it comes to discussing fitness business shenanigans. If you’re a gym owner (or plan to be)….fire this episode up.
For starters I’m involved with a pretty cool product – The Trainers Toolbox – that’s set to be released next week that’s going to set the fitness industry on fire. I won’t give away too much here, but suffice it to say it’s going to help a lot of fitness professionals.2
Second, we’ve had a cranky toddler on our hands all week this week (wake-up call of 4:30 this morning as a matter of fact), so, basically, FML.
Hence I haven’t had much time to write for my own site this week. Thankfully I have some awesome contributors – like Dr. Nicholas Licameli – who are more than willing to send me articles out of the blue and make me want to buy them a steak dinner.
There are some things that you just don’t hear everyday”
-“Who keeps eating all of the kale!?!?”
-“Of course I understand why my cable bill is $37.97 more this month than it has been in the past 15 months.”
-“I hope I get placed in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff…please, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff…”
-“Let’s talk about Fight Club.”
-“A strong core? No thanks, not interested.”
There seems to be a slight stigma surrounding training the abs and core while lying down because, as some say, there are “better” and more “functional” ways to train.
While this may have some truth to it, I don’t mind training the abs and core on the ground. Whether or not something is “functional” really depends on the individual and his/her goals (is a standard plank really “functional?”).
In order to have functional carryover to the task at hand, the training must be specific to the activity (more on this below).
This means that “functional” will be different for everyone.
If you’re a weight lifter or powerlifter, “functional” core strengthening may include tempo reps, pause reps with postural bracing, breathing drills under sub-maximal loads, etc.
If you’re a baseball player (check outMike Reinold and Eric Cressey, if you haven’t done so already), “functional” core strengthening may include plyometric twists, anti-rotation movements, quick accelerations and directional changes, etc. The point here is that “functional” is different for everyone and if the goal is simply to progressively load and train the abdominals, don’t fear the floor.
Today I’d like to share with you an exercise that I call the lying overhead pullover (LOP) (see the video link at the end of this article). I think I invented this exercise, however Chuck Norris and Total Gym do have a variation of it in their manual and let’s be honest, I do not want to get on the bad side of a man who once challenged Lance Armstrong to a “Who has more testicles” contest and won by five.
Other than the Total Gym variation, I have not seen it anywhere else.
How To Do It
Before we dive into how to perform the LOP, let’s have a quick review on what it means to “brace the core:”
“From the top down, we have the diaphragm, from the bottom up we have the pelvic floor, and around the sides we have the deep abdominals that surround the midsection like a corset. To engage the diaphragm, take a breath in through the nose and brace. To engage the pelvic floor, pull up as if holding in gas or urine. To engage the deep abdominals, tighten up the midsection as if putting on a tight belt after Thanksgiving dinner or walking into a cold pool as the water drifts up to your navel.”
It is imperative that you understand how to perform a pelvic tilt and properly brace the core…the entire exercise depends on it.
For more on this, check out my videos right here and here (these are from the archives, so bear with me…but the content is still relevant!).
To perform the LOP, lie on your back in front of a low cable station or a low anchored resistance band. Bend the knees and perform a posterior pelvic tilt by pressing the small of your back down into the floor. Reach overhead and grab the rope or band. Maintaining the pelvic tilt, bracing the core, and keeping the arms straight, pull the rope down toward your knees.
Squeeze the abs for a count, and slowly return to the start position.
Progressions and Regressions
As with any exercise worth writing about, it must have the ability to be modified to better meet individual needs such as level of experience, pain, personal preference, etc. It may seem intuitive that decreasing or increasing the resistance would make this exercise easier or harder to perform, however how changing the range of motion affects the difficulty of the exercise may be less intuitive.
The LOP is an anti-extension exercise, which means it challenges primarily the anterior abdominals to resist spinal extension.
During this exercise, the spine and pelvis collectively become a fulcrum and our arms and legs become levers. The lever arm and extension moment increase simply by stretching out a leg or stretching the arms overhead. As the lever arm increases, it becomes more challenging to prevent the spine from arching off the ground into extension.
By maintaining that pelvic tilt, we are resisting extension.
Looking for a nasty little extended set to take past failure?
Start with the most difficult position and regress in a stepwise fashion to easier versions as muscle failure is reached, again and again.
Another simple way to alter the range of motion would be to add a small crunch to the mix.
This would allow us to not only resist extension, but also overcome it with slight flexion. Be sure to crunch up almost into a 45-degree diagonal as opposed to down toward the feet or straight up toward the ceiling. This will ensure proper tension and alignment with the line of pull and resistance curve of the exercise.
Why I Like the LOP
There is one very important function of the abs that is often overlooked, and that is resisting movement. Sure, everyone knows that the abs flex, side bend, and rotate/twist the spine, but besides causing movement, the abs collectively function to resist movement and stabilize the spinal column.
The LOP challenges that function nicely.
Another reason why I like it is that the LOP trains lumbo-pelvic stability during upper and lower extremity movement.
Why is that important?
In order to perform pretty much any sport, exercise, or functional task, the spine has to provide a stable base for the extremities to move about, otherwise it would be like vertical jumping on sand or firing a bazooka off of a kayak (why you’d have a bazooka on a kayak is beyond me…).
I am not saying that performing the LOP will directly increase power output and safety during running, cutting, kicking, punching, squatting, overhead pressing, etc.
Nope. Sorry, but the principle of specificity still reigns supreme.
If you want to improve your 40 time, better get sprinting! If you want to improve power output when kicking a soccer ball, better get out on that field and kick! If you want to improve your squat, better read this article and of course…squat!
What I am saying is that the LOP is a great way to feel, get accustomed to, and train spinal stability with extremity movement, which is foundational to all of those previously mentioned tasks.
And That’s That (LOP in Action)
So be sure to give the lying overhead pullover a shot. Depending on how it is done, the LOP can be used as a top down ab movement, a bottom up ab movement, or a core stability movement. Feel free to experiment and find what works best for you and your goals.
Enjoy!
About the Author
Nicholas M. Licameli, PT, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy / Pro Natural Bodybuilder
Nick believes in giving himself to others in an attempt to make the world a happier, healthier, and more loving place. He wants to give people the power to change their lives in hopes to leave this place better because he was here. Bodybuilding and physical therapy just act as mediums for carrying out that cause. Love. Passion. Respect. Humility. Never an expert. Always a student. Love your journey.
We’re smack dab in the middle of that time of year where people start to falter on their New Year’s resolutions. It’s okay, you’re certainly not the only one and there’s no need to be too hard on yourself.
Fat loss can be tricky, and oftentimes what derails many people are simple “things” they may be oblivious to. My buddy, P.J. Striet, who’s a fantastic fat loss coach, was kind enough to contribute today’s guest post.
I know: you vowed and resolved to get all “shredsville” come January 1st.
If it’s working out for you thus far, fantastic…commence to kicking more ass.
But if you started out strong that 1st week or two of the new year, and now maybe things seem to be flaming out like season two of your favorite binge show you had such high hopes for, well…it’s no mystery as to why.
Here are FIVE likely culprits (for many it’s more than one as if one breaks down others seem to synergistically follow) and how to get back on the track to looking like Rambo or Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2.
#1: You Were Not in The Correct Caloric Deficit to Begin With
A common problem I see in New Year’s dieters (or frankly with anyone who decides to lose fat at any time) is that they take a qualitative approach. That’s a fancy way of saying they vow to “eat clean,” make better choices, exercise portion control, etc.
And hey that’s great.
That’s a positive step in the right direction for many.
However, the reality is…what gets measured gets managed.
While qualitative nutrition methods can work, I typically only see them working for a short while before someone stalls. It’s kind of a crap shoot: maybe you are in a caloric deficit on some days and on others maybe you are not. And over the course of time, you will eventually stall using the “I’m trying to eat cleaner/better” approach.
If you want to bake the best cookies, you don’t look at the box and say “Ok, I need eggs, milk sugar, oil” etc. and just start throwing random amounts of those in a bowl and mixing them up, hoping for a jaw dropping finished product. No, instead, you’d not only have the right ingredients, but you’d also measure out the ingredients-what the box calls for to get the best result-in the proper amounts.
So, if your fat loss has already started to sputter out into the new year, you may want to consider moving towards a more quantified approach.
That means setting calories somewhere between 10-12 calories/lb. of body weight, making sure protein is where it needs to be (.8-1g/lb. of bodyweight), and drawing up a meal plan for yourself which fits that mold. I can virtually guarantee you’ll start moving again.
#2: You Have A Concrete Meal Plan but Your Compliance Sucks Dog Ass
Shock-A-Khan alert: having a perfect, macro-optimized meal plan on paper means little if it’s not implemented and followed. For whatever reason, that’s a difficult thing for people to wrap their heads around but I digress.
In my experience in working with hundreds of fat loss hungry clients over 20 years, compliance to a plan has to be 90%+.
That’s the result getting range.
Fall into the 70’s or 80’s?
Expect maintenance (at best) or a little regression.
Fall below that?
Well…I don’t think I have to tell you and won’t insult your intelligence (although many are dumbfounded as to why they are not dropping doing things half the time, but, once again…I digress).
Many will say “that’s just too regimented and stringent…that just doesn’t fit into my lifestyle!” Well, sorry: It is what’s required. If you want the prize, you have to do what’s necessary. Your prior lifestyle put you in a bad spot-to a point where you wanted to change and lean up-so you can’t really expect things to mesh with YOUR lifestyle…not logically.
This is now your new lifestyle.
Beyond that, 10% or so of the time, you can loosen it up a bit.
Let’s put that in perspective.
If you eat four times a day, 365 days/year, that means you can be off your plan 146 times per year and still get some great results.
That’s hardly dietary prison.
It’s just the lifestyle.
And, again, if getting leaner and losing fat (and then maintaining it) is something you say you want to do, then you can hardly moan about what it entails. You are not being forced. It’s a choice.
#3: Your Preparation Is “No Bueno”
This goes hand-in-hand with point #2.
Preparation drives compliance and compliance drives results. If your prep isn’t up to snuff, the entire thing falls apart.
Yes, meal prep is a big component of this.
There is no “ideal” way to meal prep, and different strategies work for different people based on life circumstances. Some bulk prep for the entire week. Others bulk prep for a few days or bulk prep only certain items (like cooked meats) for a few days and then do it again mid-week. Some people bulk prep some items for the entire week and prep “on the spot” for other foods. Some people do a hybrid of all what I just listed.
No matter what you do or how you choose to do it…you need to DO IT!
Preparation also means getting in your calendar (Sunday IS A GOOD DAY FOR THIS 🙂 and trouble-shooting the week ahead, identifying potential roadblocks, and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, plotting out your desired off plan meals/special occasions (TRUE special occasions…NOT “Wine Wednesday”).
Get in your meal adherence tracker (there are several online or just create one in excel or google sheets)) and mark it all off ahead of time, to include your pre-determined off plan meals.
I tell my coaching clients to mark every meal off for the week as 100% compliant and then back track, plotting out when they might be or want to be off plan while staying within the result getting range of compliance (90%+). Then you have the entire week laid out in front of you and you expect success.
It’s on paper.
It’s then just a matter of doing what you said you’d do and honoring the contract you made with yourself.
#4: You Are Getting Caught with Your Hand in The Cookie Jar (Extras)
If you have a sound, quantified meal plan, are following it with a high degree of compliance, are prepared…but your fat loss is stalling, or you are regressing…you might want to be honest with yourself about the extras.
The bites.
The licks.
The spoon fulls.
The hand fulls.
The four glasses of wine you forgot about last week.
The two times you finished up your kids’ uneaten chicken tenders or mac and cheese.
Just understand, a little of this + a little of this + a little of this will eventually not be so insignificant anymore and can either drastically reduce or wipe out the caloric deficit you are in on paper. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had to dive deep with clients who are reporting 100% compliance to a plan which has them in a large deficit but are either consistently stalling or regressing (because it’s rarely physiologically possible for that to be happening). When I start to ask them if “maybe they forgot about some things”, the vast majority of the time, well, they have.
If this is “you” …clean it up.
#5: Your Off-Plan/”Cheat” Meals Are Outrageous
As I said above, there is room for deviations from your meal plan (10% or so) while still getting great fat loss results.
That said, if your off-plan or “cheat” (and hey you are only cheating yourself) meals leave you feeling and looking like that guy Kevin Spacey fed to death in the movie Se7en…waaaaayyyyy too much.
“But I only had two cheat meals last week!” is a common thing I’ve heard from clients over the years.
When I ask them what those entailed, Joey Chestnut would have been appalled.
You can, in fact, derail all your weekly progress in a meal or two (typically on the weekends).
It’s really not that hard.
So, if you are going to be off your plan (and you can), it needs to be kept mindful. You need to act like and eat like an adult. You can’t look at these meals as a reward (are you a dog?) or an opportunity to “get it all in”.
That’s disordered, low-achiever thinking.
Wrap Up
So, after all that, if your New Year’s attack on fat isn’t going quite as you’d enthusiastically hoped for on January 1st…where are you falling short? It’s one or more of the above…trust me. Be honest and introspective with yourself and course correct.
If you don’t, you’ll be back again January 1st, 2020 vowing to do the same deal, and this whole thing stays on repeat like a bad Spotify workout playlist.
About the Author
P.J. Striet is a 20+ fitness industry veteran and the owner of Revive Fitness Systems LLC, an online coaching company solely dedicated to helping the general adult population meet their fat loss goals. His work has been featured in the likes of Shape, Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Vanity Fair, and he has also contributed to several popular fitness industry books, in addition to authoring his own, The 60-Second Sweat.
I’ll be making my first appearance – ever (<— how’s that possible?) – in the wonderful state of North Carolina this coming March to put on my popular Coaching Competency Workshop.
Full details (date, location, itinerary, how to register) can be found HERE.
EARLY BIRD rate is currently in effect ($50 off regular price), so make sure to take advantage of it while you can.
Don’t expect “perfect” from your clients, especially new ones. Perfect technique, perfect nutrition compliance, etc. They don’t need the added pressure.
Nothing like a KSD article to kick everyone in the ass.
“All you have to do is start.
And then, moments will keep moving, as moments do.”
I thoroughly enjoy reading Krista’s writing. I mean, part me hates her guts because she’s soooo good. But then the other part of me remembers how much of a writing crush I have on her and all is forgotten.
I’m always asked what are some podcasts that I like or listen to?
Here’s one.
Eric is a superb interviewer and he has an uncanny ability to make conversation flow seamlessly. He’s also one of the more prolific podcasters, releasing a new episode every couple of days with some pretty big names to boot.
Dean Somerset, Dan John, Jonathan Goodman, Sarah Duvall, Pat Rigsby, Jessi Kneeland, and some weirdo with the last name Gentilcore.
What’s more he interviews an eclectic array of fitness professionals ranging from those who focus on body recomposition or the ketogenic lifestyle to those who’s cup of tea is fitness marketing and brand awareness.
It’s superb, and if you’re looking for a new podcast to follow you’re welcome.
If you don’t have the attention span to read the entire article, you can pick up the gist by looking at the charts at the end.
Fucking A.
SIDE NOTE:HERE‘s my take on the Keto Craze, if you’re interested. I wrote it a few months ago and parallels very much with what Mike has to say (albeit Mike is way more eloquent than I).
Excellent strength coach, and outstanding Canadian, Dean Somerset once stated in an internet post, or maybe it was a blog, “there is always a cost of doing business.” He meant it as a point of emphasis when talking about the various effects of training programs and specific exercises. But he also could have extrapolated it outwards to reflect the stresses of our daily lives.
Poor posture while seated for twelve hours is going to have a cost associated with it just as German volume training.
Note From TG: OMG, German Volume Training brings back the worst memories. I don’t know which was worse: getting kicked on the balls or GVT?
For this reason, the fitness industry has made a major shift towards corrective exercises. Once seen as the tools of progressive physical therapists – these mobility, stability, and integrated exercises have become critical elements in training programs for elite athletes, nimble geriatrics, and the average Joe and Jane alike.
The growth of corrective modalities in conventional personal training is a good thing overall. However, as I pointed out in the introduction to this article series – HERE – there exists a very big downside to the obsession with movement perfection and body correction.
There needs to be a better way of correcting people’s movement flaws, overcoming their specific weaknesses, and getting them to a place where they can safely train hard. Far too many coaches are “under-training” their clients because they are investing too much time “correcting” things. At some point we need to get people training hard towards their actual goals.
Using Your Head For Their Shoulders
There may be no part of the body more susceptible to under-training than the shoulders. With multiple skeletal structures, a bunch of muscle attachments, and a relationship with the spine – there are a lot of reasons that someone wouldn’t be “allowed” to train hard with their shoulders.
Training them includes more than the traditional bodybuilding approach too.
The glenohumeral joint is involved in all upper body pushing and pulling motions as well as the specific isolation exercises that are popular in bodybuilding programs (such as lateral raises or chest flyes). The scapula and clavicle are too, but their positioning on the body also impacts movement such as the deadlift and squat.
Because of their high level of integration with every exercise we do, the shoulders are often the most banged up part of a client’s body. Our poor postures and ill-advised training programs aren’t helping us. Often the two compound each other and only worsen any dysfunction that exists.
Hence the need for correctives.
Really though, the shoulder itself is a bit of a miracle joint – with all the muscles that cross it, the fascia, the nerves, blood vessels, and obvious skeletal structures – it is amazing that it functions as well as it does.
But there can be a whole host of issues going on, or there can be just one. And that is what is most challenging about assessing and correcting shoulder dysfunctions.
It could be as simple as improving someone’s ability to retract and depress their scapula, such as when someone’s posture isn’t where we’d like it.
Or as complex as improving external rotation of the humerus while also stealing more extension from the thoracic spine and stability from the scapula during upward rotation and elevation, such as when a client wants to get better at pull-ups.
No matter how intense the problem is it is important that we as coaches keep our processes simple.
Removing the Restrictions
Yet, simple is not how most coaches approach shoulder health.
In fact, if you were to follow many of the conventional prescriptions that are floated through the industry, then you’d avoid many of the things that produce big results for your clients in favor of small correctives that make small changes. While some clients do need more intervention with these corrective methods – most simply need enough to create an opportunity for more intense training.
If you were to follow many of the guidelines that accompany something as notable as the Functional Movement Screen (the FMS), then many of your clients would not be allowed to press, or pull vertically, or load up abduction or adduction in the frontal or transverse planes until they were able to get a “2” on the shoulder mobility assessment.
While Gray Cook and Lee Burton did an incredible job creating a screening tool that helps coaches discover dysfunction and lack of movement prowess – they also created a system that is preventing a lot of clients from actually getting better.
Note From TG: For anyone interested (I.e., everyone) I wrote about my experience taking the FMS and what I took from it HERE.
The protective measures and governing principles of systems put the fear of God in personal trainers who use them. Many are afraid of loading anything until they see a two on the scoreboard. It is a steady dose of low intensity or no intensity correctives until that day.
Which is where the problem with corrective exercises starts:
Low to no intensity corrective exercises aren’t why clients improve over time. Instead, it is the strengthening exercises that come after these correctives that matter most.
If we are to improve how we utilize corrective exercises in our programs, then we must be willing to accept that what we now know isn’t perfect. We must be willing to entertain the idea that there is a better way of doing business. It is this exact mentality that drives innovation in technology.
It will drive innovation in fitness if we let it.
—-
(It is important to pause here and make a statement – this article is not meant to treat, diagnose, or prescribe methods or modalities for someone who is dealing with diagnosed injury or dysfunction in their shoulders. Traumatic injuries, conditions such as frozen shoulder, cervical kyphosis, and others require a finer touch from qualified medical professionals.)
If Not This, Then What?
Corrective exercises are like the bore that drills tunnels in the side of a mountain. They create the space for the construction to take place, but they aren’t the construction. You wouldn’t want to drive through a tunnel that hasn’t been reinforced with steel supports and millions of pounds of concrete, so why do you think that corrective exercises are enough to create a finished product in fitness?
The mobility and stability exercises that we define as “correctives” simply create the space for more optimal change to take place. They create the opportunity for well-selected strength exercises to change the tissues for the better.
For shoulder health we find that the classic approach of wall-angels, thoracic roll-overs, and cat-cows are simply creating the opening for which exercises like loaded carries, supinated pulldowns, and banded retractions fill with strength and stability. Our goal needs to be to do enough to get to the exercises that stimulate adaptation and create positive change; in the shoulders and in the rest of the client’s body.
Our responsibility as trainers is to help our clients overcome dysfunctions and improve their movement quality – sure. But our job also implies that we help our clients burn calories, build muscle, and come just short of conquering the universe.
Before diving into the actual corrective exercises that will open the gates for us to train with the intensity our client’s want and need, let’s ensure that everyone reading is on the same page on the anatomy and physiology of the shoulder joint.
The Basic Anatomy and Physiology – Skeletal
When looking at the shoulder joint you are presented with three major bones: the clavicle, the scapula, and the humerus.
The clavicle (or collarbone) is the most stationary of all of these structures, but its lateral aspect does elevate and depress in reaction to movements of the other bones. The humerus, the upper arm bone, is designed for external and internal rotation within the socket – known as the glenohumeral joint.
The humerus can move through flexion, extension, abduction and adduction, and horizontal abduction and adduction by rotating around the glenohumeral joint in each of the three planes (sagittal, frontal, transverse). These movements are aided by the function of the scapula.
The scapula (or shoulder blade) is the large bone in the back of the body. It is capable of six motions: elevation, depression, upward rotation, downward rotation, protraction, and retraction. These movements are also correlated to the three planes of motion too – sagittal, frontal, and transverse respectively.
The spine is also involved in shoulder mobility and stability is often left out when looking at function. We will explore this relationship in the next section when we begin looking at how core function can impact shoulder mobility as well as how thoracic extension is necessary for optimal function of the shoulder joint.
The Basic Anatomy and Physiology – Muscular
The human shoulder functions as incredibly as it does because of the incredible number of muscles that are involved. Some control the humerus, others control the scapula, and others control the spine.
Most of these muscles are found in the back.
When looking at the muscles that contract at the shoulder, we must separate the muscles that control the external rotation and internal rotation of the humerus from the muscles that create the six motions of the scapula. While some muscles share functions – it is important to identify its primary action and what it acts upon in order to better understand how the shoulder wants to function.
The four muscles of the rotator cuff are most responsible for the external and internal rotation capacity of the humerus.
There is evidence to support that the triceps are involved in external rotation, especially under load (just turn your arm around as far as you can right now, and you’ll feel the lateral head of the triceps contract). Therefore, the triceps join the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and teres minor as external rotators of the humerus.
With that claim we can also ascertain that the biceps and pectoralis group are involved to some degree in internal rotation (although there is significantly less IR available at the shoulder joint). The subscapularis is the internal rotator of the cuff.
When examining the muscles that move the scapula, we are simply looking at the muscles of the upper back; the lats, teres major, rhomboids, trapezius, levator scapulae, the serratus and the three external rotators of the cuff. Each of these muscles have specific functions on pieces of paper, but it is imperative as coaches that we realize that most exercises performed in a gym setting involve more than just one of these muscles doing one of these functions.
It is easy to point at the traps and say “oh, they are elevators and contribute to upward rotation.” It is less easy being able to look at a flawed motion and know exactly what is wrong:
For example, many coaches will point at someone having issues with retraction and think “ah, the upper traps are overactive and the teres major/minor need strengthening.” They could be right and probably are in a population of people who sit with rounded thoracic spines and internally rotated shoulders.
Add in forward neck and shrugged shoulders and this “diagnosis” seems spot on.
However, getting just the teres group to fire without activating the infraspinatus or supraspinatus is nearly impossible in a traditional training setting. Getting someone to stay out of their upper traps sounds like a great coaching cue, but that requires getting them to fire the muscles that contribute to scapular depression; the lower traps, pectoralis minor, and latissimus dorsi at the same time – something most clients (or you) can’t do consciously.
In fact, a lot of scapular depression comes from the ability to put the thoracic spine into extension. Doing so involves activation the lowest fibers of the traps, the lats, the upper abdominals, and a whole host of muscles that are so deep and connected to the individual vertebrae that considering them in training is pointless.
When these muscles contract and thoracic extension takes place, you find that the scapula better slide into the depressed position.
The Core Connection
Yet, thoracic control isn’t completely isolated either.
It is very hard to contract the thoracic muscles without some level of core control. In this instance, the core includes the anterior muscles of the core that we know (rectus and transverse abdominals, internal and external obliques, and Psoas Major.
It also includes the muscles of the posterior core: the quadratus lumborum and the erector spinae.
Conscious contraction of these muscles allows for the core to hold tension, which better stabilizes the lumbar spine, which better allows the thoracic spine to go into extension, which better allows the scapula to depress, which better allows the humerus to externally rotate. As you can see, everything is connected, which is why we can’t use such generic correctives to solve complex problems.
A Less Important Factor?
You’ll notice that we haven’t yet mentioned the deltoid – the most known shoulder muscle. For all the attention it gets in bodybuilding circles its function is not as critical to shoulder function as you’d believe. The anterior fibers assist in internal rotation and drive flexion of the arm while the posterior fibers aid in external rotation and initiate horizontal abduction. The lateral fibers function to create abduction of the arm in the frontal plane.
From a corrective standpoint, it is very rarely an issue with the deltoid that proves to be the problem. In fact, it is often the overdevelopment of the deltoids and upper traps and underdevelopment of the rotator cuff muscles that create impingement issues in dedicated lifters. Great corrective exercises keep the deltoids involved and avoid shutting them out.
The Hidden Gem
In recent years we’ve come to learn that the fascia in our bodies is more than just a covering and more than just extra tissue that gets cut through in surgery. It is a living tissue that is involved in our function on a day by day and minute by minute basis.
In fact, research from Michol Dalcourt and the team at the Institute of Motion have proven that the fascia can communicate information across the body faster than any muscle tissue. Its ability to compress and expand is crucial for athletic development.
Unfortunately, many fitness professionals see it as tissue that is addressed with foam rollers, lacrosse balls, and other release methods. This isn’t wrong of course as these implements can do well to increase blood flow, increase hydration of the fascia, and improve mobility of the joint in question. However, we can also train our fascia just as we train our muscles. We must look to incorporate the variety of slings that Thomas Meyer’s discusses in his text Anatomy Trains.
In our solutions section we’ll explore a few ways to do that to improve the function of the shoulders and truly correct any issues that exist.
But first, we must identify a few of the most common problems.
Common Problems
1) Desk Posture (UCS)
The most common problem that a client will present in regard to their shoulder health is the classic “desk posture”. The scapula sits in protraction and elevation while the humerus’ are internally rotated. This posture is held for eight, ten, and twelve hours a day. Over time the pectoralis muscles get tighter, the trapezius muscles lengthen, the muscles of the scapula and glenohumeral joint get weaker, and the client continues to worsen.
The most advanced form of this condition is known as Upper Cross Syndrome (UCS) – a severe condition of immobility that usually involves additional intervention with physical therapists, and sometimes, orthopedic surgeons. This posture often presents forward neck as a well – a dangerous condition of the cervical spine.
The treatment for individuals in this position is to correct their posture and work to move them in better retraction, depression, and external rotation. However, many of the common methods do not provide enough intensity to stimulate muscle growth or strength adaptations in the muscles of the upper back. It is crucial for trainers to invest time in building their clients upper backs and coaching optimal patterns if the corrective interventions are ever going to stick.
2) Poor Scapulohumeral rhythm
For many people the pain they experience in their pressing and pulling motions is a result of a poor pattern being present. Of course, there are others who have legitimate issues such as shoulder impingements, strained muscles of the rotator cuff, or overactive trapezius muscles that make doing certain movements nearly impossible. The rest though, simply need help reworking their patterns and an emphasis on strengthening the muscles that control those patterns.
The scapulohumeral rhythm refers to the quality of movement that occurs when we consider the scapula and glenohumeral joints interaction. People with great rhythms typically an exercise pain-free while people who lack control and patterning struggle to accomplish even the most basic tasks.
This topic is quite deep, but in short realize there is a relationship between the position of the humerus and where the scapula “should” be.
For example, in a traditional dumbbell overhead press the scapula should be upwardly rotating and elevating as the humerus adducts towards the midline at the top of the press. Many people will execute their press and have little to no movement out of their scapula, thus causing increased stress on tissues that shouldn’t need to encounter them.
3) Lack of External Rotation
One of the issues many clients face is the inability to rotate their humerus back. This is more than just the presence of too much internal rotation (such as with U.C.S.). The muscles responsible for external rotation of the shoulder are powerful muscles that also engage in the motions of the scapula. Lacking strength in these tissues can cause someone to become more internally rotated, but also makes it incredibly hard to achieve external rotation at the glenohumeral joint.
This matters for more than just mobility.
Popular exercises such as pull-ups require a person to own a certain amount of external rotation in order to execute the motion. So too does the overhead press. Lacking the ability to achieve optimal end range of E.R. makes both movements, and so many others, hard to accomplish.
It is important to understand that the exercises we use to improve external rotation put the humerus in a greater rotation than we would normally encounter in traditional lifting. But, this sort of work is necessary to strengthen and stimulate the muscles that create E.R. and maintain it in an isometric contraction (such as during a overhead press).
4) Weak Core and Poor Thoracic Extension
As stated earlier, the core and spine play a major role in whether the shoulders function optimally. A lot of lifters never develop optimal shoulder health because they create mobility by overextending their lumbar and thoracic spine to compensate. This is especially prevalent in ego lifters performing an overhead press with a massive amount of “layback”.
Lacking the ability to contract the anterior core and stabilize the lumbar spine makes it significantly harder for someone to master true thoracic extension. The ability to lift the ribs and extend the thoracic spine allows for better depression, retraction, and downward rotation of the scapula. These motions are direct opposites of the posture that many fall into as a result of upper cross syndrome or “desk posture”.
Strengthen the abdominal wall and muscles of the T-spine is imperative to optimizing shoulder function. Much like the foundation of a skyscraper must be firm and set underneath the construction, so too does our core and spine for our shoulders.
5) Weak Upper Back and Lack of Awareness
In a lot of cases, especially in individuals who do not regularly engage in an exercise plan, there is simply a lack of proprioception and strength in the muscles that control the scapula and glenohumeral joint. Often, there is nothing “wrong” with this population other than their lack of sensory awareness and force production capabilities.
Clients like this require more exposure to well-coached patterns and a progressively overloaded strength program that allows their muscles to adapt over time. It may be beneficial to use low intensity correctives to prime a specific pattern and create mobility in the joint prior to loading the muscles with traditional methods.
It is critical that we stop seeing all clients as wrecked when they are unable to perform a specific task. For many people, especially with something as obscure as the FMS, it is simply an unfamiliarity with their body and the demand you are placing upon them. Increase their exposure to well-coached exercise instead of trying to fix something that isn’t broken.
New Solutions
As we dive into the specific movements it is important for us to realize that these are just a few examples of great movements that can be used to strengthen and stabilize the shoulder joint. Some of these movements are common and others are painfully boring (in a sense that we aren’t shaking the Earth).
However, simplicity is often the fasted route to success.
A few of these movements are going to be outside the realm of normality for some coaches. Many traditional strength coaches would look at Animal Flow as a weird form of yoga and dancing, but it is that arena that brings the fascia into the fold. Other movements are simply manipulations of variables in the training arena, such as the angled press, that most people aren’t considering.
1) Dual Kneeling Band Pull Apart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rrHNDcVa9s
The band pull apart is nothing new.
However, adding in the kneeling position asks us to contract our core and our glutes – two major parts of our foundation. In doing so we can better extend our thoracic spine, which in turn allows for better retraction of the scapula.
2.1) The Full-House (2 Cables/3 Motions)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COSRT7nPTPc
This multi-pattern movement asks for retraction of the scapula, then retraction into downward rotation and depression (with external rotation of the humerus). Lastly, the overhead press asks for elevation, upward rotation, and forces the external rotators to fire hard to prevent the arms from collapsing forward of the line of gravity.
This sort of movement is incredible for grooving the scapulohumeral rhythm, improving upper back strength, and increasing external rotation of the humerus. It is quite the challenge and needs to be done extra light. Five pounds was the resistance in the videos.
2.2) Second View
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt8ex9TL8GQ
3) External Rotated T, Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Juj1iYiJFE
A simple variation of traditional T and Y – this a movement that can be used to improve retraction of the scapula while strengthening the external rotators. It forces the trainee to own their humeral position and originate movement from the glenohumeral joint while remaining set onto stable scapula.
This exercise also promotes additional thoracic extension.
4) Angled Press
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVPsVXWXds0
Far too many people contraindicate the overhead push pattern when someone is dealing with shoulder dysfunction. If we were to listen to the FMS, no one who can’t get a two on the shoulder mobility exam should ever press overhead. Yet, tons of people can press pain-free without getting a two.
This exercise helps bridge the gap between overhead pressing and not. The slight angle (about 15 degrees) allows you to load up the deltoids a bit without creating a perfect opposition to gravity. The neutral grip, forward elbow, and emphasis on tempo allows us to focus on scapulohumeral rhythm. Use this as a primary exercise after preparing clients for their workouts. This will correct a lot of flaws so long as the movement remains pain free.
5) Supinated Pulldowns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbIy3pH0nlo
At first glance this looks like a standard, boring pulldown.
Yet, it is the dramatic emphasis on depression and elevation of the scapula that makes this one stand out. Far too many folks get on the pulldown and just start yanking on the bar to get their set done. The motion becomes about completion instead of optimization.
The supinated hand grip helps keep the humerus in a slightly more externally rotated position while also prevented much of the internal rotation that happens with heavy pronated pulldowns. The focus here is to emphasize absolute end ranges. Feel the scapula elevate while maintaining control and then drive them downwards into full depression at the bottom.
6) Simple Animal Flow (Beast Hold to Scorpion to Alternating Crab Reaches)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x27wT-nxUkg
A lot of you will look at this and wonder – why in the heck am I going to do all that flailing? Yet, animal flow is an incredible discipline that emphasizes loading of a lot of our passive structures – the fascia, the connective tissue, the skeletal system. Strengthening these things is imperative to the absolute realization of healthy shoulders. Specifically, the external rotation of the humerus in set crab position is a great tool to have in your arsenal.
7) BONUS: New Way to do Chest Flyes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcRTVz4aWOE
Lastly, I want to share the new best way for you to execute chest flyes.
See, the chest flye is one of the most favorite exercises in bodybuilding culture. It causes a tremendous stretch of the pec fibers and can help the person doing them build the muscle they crave. Yet, there is a ridiculous amount of sheering force placed upon the shoulder joint when the dumbbells reach the bottom of a traditional flye.
So, instead of using dumbbells and pissing off your shoulders – integrate this band only variation. The key is to press out into the band for the entirety of the movement, thus keeping a high level of tension on the working muscles without stressing the shoulder joint against gravity. As you fatigue shorten the range and focus on the squeeze.
Putting It All Together
You can correct someone’s shoulders and move their fitness forward at the same time. Your job as a fitness professional is to drive your clients towards the results they want and the results they didn’t know they need. You can still use low intensity correctives in your programs, of course, but it is imperative to go forward understanding that they are simply a very small piece of a much larger puzzle. Your client, if they are to improve, must begin strengthening the muscles by training the appropriate patterns that address shoulder health.
Next: The Lower Back and Pelvis
In the next article we’ll explore the lumbar spine, pelvis, and anterior core and how we can better correct chronic low-level back pain, coach better hinge patterns, and improve our client’s ability to move with confidence.
I’ll be making my first appearance – ever (<— how’s that possible?) – in the wonderful state of North Carolina this coming March to put on my popular Coaching Competency Workshop.
Full details (date, location, itinerary, how to register) can be found HERE.
EARLY BIRD rate is currently in effect ($50 off regular price), so make sure to take advantage of it while you can.
3. I Was Memed
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
Sport specific, schmort schmerlific
The better term is PERSON SPECIFIC training. Athletes don’t need to emulate their sport in the weight room. They need to use the weight room to address THEIR unique injury history, THEIR goals, and THEIR ability level. Just like everyone else.
Not many people know this but I almost dodged out of my first public speaking event. It was back in 2009 and I was slated to speak at a local college here in Boston to a bunch of incoming freshman on “better nutritional choices in the cafeteria.”
I woke up at like 3 am that morning terrified, telling my girlfriend (now wife) that I was thinking about calling in sick.
Can you even do that?
Anyway, she talked me out of it and no one died.
Since then I have spoken well over 50+ times all over the world and I’m 100% convinced that it’s helped me grow my business.
Mark Fisher is THE best public speaker I know and you should read this.
Two things with regards to the title of today’s post:
I’m thinking it could pass for the title of the next big children’s book.4
Searching stock images for “big toe” pretty much made me want to throw up a little in my mouth. I’d place it somewhere between kipping pull-ups and gonorrhea in terms of stuff I’d rather not see with my eyes ever again.
There’s a lot to consider and that can go awry when discussing the squat. To say there’s a plethora of moving parts – not to mention positional considerations (hand position, stance, bar position, etc) – would be an understatement.
One of the last things you’d probably ever consider when it comes to your squat performance is your big toe. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s a pretty damn important and something you should consider considering.
Also, this is about as non-pukey of a picture as I could find of a toe.
What inspired this post was an interaction I had with a new client recently. During his initial evaluation I had him show me his squat because he had mentioned the movement has always bothered his lower back.
He’d worked with previous trainers in the past who had attempted to “fix” things, more often than not resulting in him stretching this, smashing that, performing a cornucopia of positional breathing drills while repeating the Elvish alphabet backwards, and otherwise being over corrective exercised to death
In fact, I’d be surprised if I’m not nominated for a Nobel Prize for how revelatory what I did was.
Are you ready?
Wait for it…
Wait for it…
I watched him squat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Y73sPHKxw
I’m flummoxed as to why this seemingly obvious “intervention” is often overlooked. I think a lot of it has to do with something John Rusin spoke about during his keynote talk at the SWIS 2018 Symposium:
“We’re in an industry that gets too distracted by bright, shiny objects.”
Watching someone squat is boring.
Having someone stand in a zero gravity chamber while a bunch of lasers attempt to release their psoas isn’t.
We’ve become infatuated with gadgets and gizmos so much so that it’s become much harder to galvanize the masses into trusting what it is they do best……
………..COACH.
To that point, I’m old school and I just wanted to watch my man squat.
I had him take off his shoes and pants, and it’s here where I noticed something.
I watched his feet and saw that with every repetition his toes would come up off the ground, like so:
FYI: this is a picture of me doing a reenactment. See you in a few weeks at the Oscars.
Now, for the sake of brevity, it is a conversation to have as to whether or not he was cued into lifting his toes off the ground or not? I’ll nip this in the bud and say for the record that he wasn’t.
He was just never coached on how to squat properly.
As such, it became glaringly clear why his back had always been flipping him the middle finger whenever he attempted to squat (Goblet, front, back, all of them).
When your toes – most often the big toe – comes off the ground you lose your core.
Bullet Points (for those of you too lazy to watch):
When toes come up, you lose canister position (ribs stacked on pelvis) and thus lose your core and stability.
When toes comes up, you crank into lower back.
Think more about foot pressure (pushing into floor and even weight distribution on big toe/metatarsal, small toe, AND heel).
Cement toes to the floor.
Take your clients’ shoes off when they squat. It will tell you a lot.
My biceps looks amazing in salmon colored t-shirts.
But Wait Tony, Some Coaches Cue People to Squat With Big Toe Up on the Way Down, and Then to Push It Into the Ground on the Way Up. Are You Saying They’re Assholes?
No.
Coaches such as Mark Cheng and Cal Dietz – who are both the shit – often advocate the big toe stays up on the way down during a squat (but the ball/metatarsal still stays glued to the floor) and then press the toe down on way up.
I find this to be okay – and far be it from me to say they’re wrong. They’re both developing outstanding athletes and making people better.
I just find that with all the other mental gymnastics that come along with the squat – big air, ribs down, sit down, not back, spread the floor, drive your chest into the bar, hips through, don’t poop your pants – that it gets a little crowded when you add in the “toes up on the descent, toes down on the ascent” cue.
As I note in the video above I like to cue the idea of foot pressure – with three points of contact – and to cement the toes down during the squat.
Moreover, the objective is not to grip or dig into the floor with your toes.
“I don’t like “digging” because you don’t want to press the tip of the toe to the ground, more the pad of the toe. Big toe, ball of the foot, 5th metatarsal, heel. Pressing big toe helps the windlass mechanism as well.“
Here’s a nice demonstration of everything in action by Essex, Vermont based strength coach, Jess Voyer (who was kind enough to refer to me as a genius in her IG post. 4,000,000 points to Gryffindor):
My friend and colleague (and author of the brand spankin new book, Day By Day: The Personal Trainer’s Blueprint to Achieving Ultimate Success), Kevin Mullins, reached out to me recently and asked, “Tony, why don’t you wear pants when you coach can I write a series for your site that covers joint/segment-by-segment breakdown and how to train to improve those regions WITHOUT going too far down the corrective train?”
Kevin understands people don’t have 40 hours per week to train and he’s found a sweet spot with his clients that improves function, hacks away at pain and immobility, and delivers results.
And, he wants to share that shit with the world (<– my words, not his).
Today’s post sets the tone on the over-inundation of corrective exercise (something I wrote about recently HERE), and each week (or two) after that, he’ll discuss a part of the body – shoulders, mid & low-back, and ankles, knees, & hips – and smack everyone in the face™ with how to improve function in that area.
Every year seems to bring a new set of ideals into the world of fitness. On one hand it is exciting to see that there are constantly new ideas, concepts, and tactics being brought into play. Much like living in a city with a lot of construction going on – it’s a good sign when the economy can support growth. The fitness industry, like a budding metropolitan area, is on the upswing.
Demand couldn’t be higher for products in the health and wellness field – as the modern world continues to gain weight and lose function. Millions of people around the world are ready to spend their hard-earned money on anything that will be a solution. It doesn’t matter if the goal is to lose weight, build strength, improve athleticism, get out of pain, or simply recreate the dance battle from the end of Step Up 2 – there is a product out there for them.
Having “money-on-the-table” is key in commercial real estate; a contractor must be confident that someone can afford the building project that is being proposed. When a company, such as a wealthy investment firm, wants to build a high rise and can prove they have the capital, the flood gates open and the contractors start fighting each other for a seat at the table.
In fitness, the “money” is on the table and the eager fitness professionals out there know it.
Personal websites and social media profiles have made “internet-fame” possible for anyone with a camera, microphone, and a desire to make money and be heard. This sort of opportunity has brought forth a litany of incredible fitness professionals that we might not know of otherwise. Just as the music industry found Justin Bieber on YouTube, many great coaches have been found in blogs and videos.
(I know this because I’m one of them).
Yet, with all things that are good in this world there exists the potential for them to turn bad. In this instance the unflinching availability of fitness advice makes it easy for bad information to get out, poor ideas to propagate, and for biased, and unfortunately dense, coaches to steal the spotlight.
In 2018 that spotlight was on all things corrective exercise.
It seems like everyday brought a new way to mobilize this joint, stabilize that segment, and improve breathing capacity by .00002ml.
Coaches from the furthest reaches of physical therapy school began talking about the need to invest hours on mobility, stability, and corrective work each week. Products began flowing into the industry like candy out of torn bag of skittles. Before long everyone was tasting the proverbial rainbow with their favorite flavors in hand: foam rollers, lacrosse balls, Theraguns, foot straps, mini-bands, mobility towels, and specialized assessments derived from the ancient wisdom that powers the Iron Fist.
Note From Tony: ^^^ This show is not as good as Punisher, DareDevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, or watching a dog take a shit in a yard for that matter.
It’s open season on corrective exercise in the fitness industry – a modern day gold rush of fitness equipment designed to drain your wallet and decorate your home with odd instruments of pain and pleasure.
What a glorious time it is…
Let’s Be Clear Though:
Developing one’s mobility – especially in troublesome joints such as the shoulders, thoracic spine, hips, and ankles is never a bad thing. Most people spend twelve hours a day sitting at desks, in cars, and on couches, all in poor posture that stresses their spine, weakens their bodies, and causes long-term health risks to take hold. Every person reading these words can benefit from working on their mobility, except for Kelly Starrett (if he’s reading this) since the guy is a Supple Leopard.
Improving your segmental stability is also important.
Many people struggle with maintaining tension in their core, their mid-back, and their hips and legs. This lack of tension correlates to weaknesses that cause posture to degrade over time. Lifting heavy gets harder too. Weak muscles and poor neural connections make force production elusive.
Specific corrective exercises have their place too.
We are all a little messed up.
Some people have whacky shoulders, while others experience low back pain. Runners often have achy knees and tightened fascia in their shins and ankles. Other folks are pretty jacked up head to toe. For any and all of these people there are certainly movements and therapies that can be done to improve their condition and inch them closer to optimal performance capacity.
But:
A personal trainer’s job is to accomplish these things while also moving the ball forward in terms of their client’s fitness level. Far too many coaches obsess over the missing ten degrees of mobility in someone’s scapular downward rotation and depression while ignoring the additional forty pounds hanging out in their midsection.
Other coaches refuse to load a client even a little until their form in a movement is beyond perfect.
Even then they’ll question whether the client can repeat the performance in future sessions and insist on three more workouts with just an unloaded barbell to make sure. Meanwhile, no sweat has been released and no forceful stimuli are placed against the body. The client might end up with the best looking back squat form in the world (with a forty-five-pound bar), but that is about it.
This sort of absolutism and obsession is not good for a client and not good for the fitness industry either. If a client’s issues are so severe that any sort of intensity causes a series of negative events in their kinetic chain, pain, or lingering discomfort, then they must be referred out to physical therapist, or whatever medical specialist could heal their ailing.
Again, on one hand it is awesome to see so many coaches taking their client’s joint health, core strength, breathing quality, and fascial integrity so seriously. It is much better than an undereducated jack-wagon haphazardly throwing intensity at people in hopes that it gets them in shape and they keep paying. Nothing is more disturbing than a coach who lets their client put themselves at risk of serious injury repetition-after-repetition and session-after-session.
Yet, the coach who spends forty minutes of a sixty-minute session on a variety of implements meant to “improve” a person’s health is still quite the foul. People are paying for the results they want while also experiencing the growth that they don’t know they need, and our job is to give it to them.
Our job is not to force our obsessions upon them while completely ignoring their goals and needs.
A great fitness professional is someone who understands that self-myofascial release and zero-intensity correctives are just tiny pieces of a much larger puzzle that they must solve.
This series of blogs aims to bridge the very gap that has formed in the industry over the last few years. Over the next three installments you’ll find very specific methods of integrating new and better corrective strategies in each of the important joint segments of the body.
Those segments are:
Scapulothoracic Region and Glenohumeral Joint (Shoulder/Shoulder Blades and T-Spine)
T-Spine, L-Spine, and Pelvis
Ankle to Knee and Knee to Hip
Each one will work to answer the following question:
“How do we as a profession properly apply all of the information and modalities that emerge while still honoring the primary function of our profession (deliver a fitness stimuli to create a fitness result)?”
Our job as fitness professionals is to deliver the results our clients want while also giving them what they don’t know they need. As stated earlier, this sort of juggling act is hard to accomplish in a world where some trainers are exchanging thrash for cash and others are acting as extensions of physical therapy (when they aren’t qualified to do so).
The fact that you are already here on Tony’s site demonstrates that you aren’t like a lot of the “noise” of the industry. You realize that heavy things need moving, that the body needs a little oil and grease every now and again, and that hard work is the only pathway to really cool results. The fact that you clicked on this article demonstrates that you are looking to improve your methods, clean up your practices, and deliver better results for your clients.
Some of you might be shaking your head and clenching your fist right now.
You are thinking, “who is this Kevin Mullins guy and why in the hell does he think he can tell me that corrective exercises are a waste of time.” If that is you, then I want to say that I’m sorry if that is how you are reading this – it certainly isn’t my intention.
My goal is to help, in whatever way I can, move the ball forward so that we can continue to deliver better results to our clients in a variety of ways. In my opinion, absolutism is never good practice. It doesn’t work in politics and it doesn’t work in fitness. We must be willing to accept that there is always a better way to do something or else innovation will cease to exist.
Others of you might be wondering where I’m going with this piece.
Heck, you might even be a little irritated that you’ve read this much and didn’t access the secrets to hacking the body and winning the lottery every day. I apologize to you too. I just wanted to set the table for the first of three mega articles that are going to dive into the anatomy, physiology, and practical exercise and program design.
And so, I conclude our teaser with this important quote that I’ve taught every client, and fellow trainer, since I concocted it a few years back:
“It is important to always remember that strength causes stability – stability allows for mobility – and mobility improves the speed and accuracy for which strength can be executed.”
See you next time for a deep dive into the scapulothoracic region, the glenohumeral joint, and the core.
About the Author
Kevin Mullins, CSCS, is a personal trainer and group exercise instructor at Equinox Sports Club in Washington D.C.
Kevin utilizes a listen first, coach second strategy to ensure his clients, and programs, are exceptional…and not his ego.
When he isn’t training clients or writing content Kevin can be found deadlifting, Bicep curling, or finding new, corny ways to emphasize squeezing the glutes. Kevin maintains his own personal site HERE.
Nicholas M. Licameli, PT, DPT
P.J. Striet is a 20+ fitness industry veteran and the owner of Revive Fitness Systems LLC, an online coaching company solely dedicated to helping the general adult population meet their fat loss goals. His work has been featured in the likes of Shape, Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Vanity Fair, and he has also contributed to several popular fitness industry books, in addition to authoring his own, The 60-Second Sweat. 
