It’s been a hectic past few weeks of travel and speaking. Two weeks ago I was in Chicago, last weekend Lisa and I were in Toronto presenting our Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop, and this weekend I’m heading to Saratoga Springs, NY to present my Coaching Competency workshop.
Annnnnd, the next few weekends after that I’m pumped because I get to sit down, relax, take a seat, and be a student myself.
John Rusin and Christian Thibaudeau will be in Boston (10/7-8) presenting their Advanced Performance Coaching & Programming Strategies workshop. Then, on the weekend of 10/15 I’ll head out to Springfield, MA for the Clinical Athlete Workshop with Dr. Quinn Henoch of Juggernaut Systems who will be presenting alongside Matthew Ibrahim and Zak Gabor.
The Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint is finally coming to Boston. Not “fake” Boston, either, on the outskirts of the North or South shore, and we end up calling it a Boston workshop.
No, this sumbitch is going to be IN Boston, at AMP Fitness located near Government Center in the heart of the city.
This shindig goes down the weekend of November 11th and will likely be mine and Dean Somerset’s last hoorah presenting this particular workshop.
The early bird rate is currently in effect. Hope to see you there.
I really enjoyed this article by Andy – short, sweet, and to the point. What I also appreciated was that it didn’t make my head hurt with big words and super scientific explanations and mumbo-jumbo.
Not that approach isn’t important (sometimes), but, you know, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
“Scapular winging” can be a bastardized term tossed around by PT’s and personal trainers alike. It is a “thing,” but it’s not as prominent of a “thing” as people think.
I.e., true scapular winging is an actual medial diagnosis (long thoracic nerve, which innervates the Serratus anterior isn’t doing it’s job).
HOWEVER: when scapular winging is a thing (due to muscle weakness, pain, and/or faulty movement), this article explains how you should approach it.
Social Media Shenanigans
Twitter
20 year old me: “dude, I worked out for 2 hours today, it was amazing.”
40 year old me: “dude, 2 hour workouts? Don’t be cray-cray.”
Outside of several other health/fitness arguments – steady state cardio vs. HIIT, low bar vs. high bar squats, weight belt vs. not wearing weight belt, Paleo vs. eating like a normal human being with a life, blue yoga pants vs. black – there aren’t many topics which rev people up or bunch panties more so than the deload week.
Some people believe they’re crucial for long-term progress, while others feel they’re a complete waste of time?
For the uninitiated, in simplest terms, the deload week or “deload” is a purposeful, structured, and oftentimes planned reduction in training volume or intensity (or both) with the intention of improving performance, recovery, and/or injury prevention.
The concept has its roots via the Fitness-Fatigue Model (or, Two-Factor Theory Model) popularized by I have no idea (probably some Russian dude, they’re smart) and is a tool used to help optimize an athlete’s preparedness for training, and subsequently effect their ability to “peak” or perform at a high-level in his or her’s respective sport.
Photo Credit: BarbellShrugged.com
Feel free to peruse Wikipedia – or any number of my friend’s and colleague’s websites – for a more thorough, eloquent, and potty-mouth free explanation.
However, in even more simpler terms the Fitness-Fatigue Model can be explained as follows: you lift heavy shit in the weight room and you either build “fitness” or accumulate “fatigue.”2
Broadly speaking deload weeks are widely accepted as most “relevant” for a few demographics:
Professional or elite-level athletes (<— probably not you).
Advanced or “strong as shit” lifters (<— probably not you).
Jason Bourne (<— probably not you. But if so, can we hang out?).
Those who are often injured (<— might be you).
If you’re a competitive athlete with an in and off-season and your livelihood relies on your ability to perform at a high level or you’re someone who’s strong AF, it’s likely you’ll benefit from a healthy diet of deload weeks.
On the other hand, if you’re Dale from accounting and you spent two weeks on 5/3/1 or, I don’t know, took a CrossFit class two days in a row, relax, you don’t need a deload week.
“Deloads are like cheat meals everyone wants one but not many have earned one.”
In reality, though, the real best answer as to whether or not a deload is warranted is: it depends.
I mean, if you want to keep things as succinct as possible look no further than a brilliant quote I stole from Molly Galbraith (courtesy of Greg Nuckols):
“If you feel good and are making progress, do more. If you feel bad and aren’t making progress, do less.”
Jordan Syatt has written in the past regarding the idea of the traditional deload and why he feels it’s a bit misguided to assume everyone needs to follow it.
In short, a traditional deload encompasses a full-week of pre-planned reduction in training preceded by three weeks of intense training. The deload week usually involves using submaximal loads (40-60%) and can also include nothing more than dedicated mobility/activation work, bodyweight drills, or, for those inclined to do so, Netflix and Chilling.3
An important distinction Jordan makes is that the traditional deload (three weeks “on,” one week “off”) doesn’t always fly or serve people’s best interests:
“Not only does it neglect individual needs and preferences, it fails to account for inevitable variances in how you feel on a day-to-day basis.
Cybernetic periodization, a term coined by the late Mel Siff, essentially refers to accounting for and modifying your program based on your subjective perception of how the weights feel on that specific day.
This skill, learning how to listen to your body and understand what it needs based on how you feel, is arguably the single most important skill to master for both coaches and lifters a like.
Unfortunately, the traditional deload completely neglects cybernetic periodization.”
Often times this approach can derail one’s training mojo. Just when someone is starting to make decent progress in the gym and starting to move some appreciable weight, and despite feeling great on any particular day and ready to get after it, they tap the brakes too soon and toss in a deload week.
You know, because that’s what’s supposed to be done.
NOTE: Admittedly, from a programming perspective, regardless of most variables, it’s not uncommon for me to toss in a “fake” deload week every fourth week. Part of it is because of how I prefer to write the bulk of my programs.
Each one is written in four-week blocks (in terms of overall training volume):
Week 1 = High
Week 2 = Medium
Week 3 = Hahaha, You’re Going To Hate Life
Week 4 = Low
And then the following week after that a “new” program starts and the intention is the client/athlete feels “fresh” to handle the additional volume and/or handle the novelty of any new exercises that may be thrown their way.4
Of course, this is not set in stone. Someone who’s training 2-3x per week as it is probably doesn’t need a dedicated deload week every fourth week. In this case it may be extended to every six to eight weeks, if not more. It depends….;o)
In addition, from a business and gym owner standpoint, the Week 4 “fake deload” subconsciously primes people into preparing for the next program.
I.e., they pay.
All That Said
If we’re honest: most people don’t work hard enough to warrant a deload.
Some people will use any excuse – they had one hard workout, they strained a little bit and their neck vein appeared, it’s Wednesday, anything – to not work hard.
Most general population clients don’t require structured deloads because the clusterfuckedness of “life” (work, school, family obligations, vacation) feeds them more than enough.
“Life will sprinkle in more than enough deloads. I’ve always found too many people take a deload right when they start making progress. They get the slightest bit uncomfortable, or they think they need to be on some three week on, one week off deal…and in pops a deload that’s more a derail of progress.”
As an industry we jest that “cardio will steal your gainz.” I’d posit that “you’re lack of making gainz (via incessant training deloads) is stealing your gainz.”
When To Deload
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here.
However my sentiments tend to mirror that of many other coaches:
Even with my most consistent and dedicated clients they’ll still miss some time every month due to work or vacation or any other legitimate reason (Laser Tag Tournament?).
If it’s been 6-8 weeks of heavy training, I’ll incorporate a low(er) volume/intensity week and we’ll turn the page and get back after it the following week.
Heck, sometimes a client will walk in on a random day and I know he or she is not feeling it. When that happens I’ll gauge biofeedback and ask questions about sleep, how they feel, etc and adjust accordingly.
Again there’s no one-size-fits-all approach here, but below are some of my favorite options:
I find the term overtraining is drastically overused. Most trainees don’t come close to overtraining, but if they do volume is usually the culprit. To that end my “go to” deload strategy is a simple one.
1. Keep intensity high (as a % of 1RM) and cut training volume by 50%, sometimes as high as 2/3rds.
2. Another approach comes via strength coach Chris Butler: Deload the main lifts to 40-60% of training max (5/3/1).
3. Perform bodyweight only circuits for a week. Use the week as an opportunity to re-charge and prioritize mobility/activations drills like this:
4. Toss in a training curveball. Change up your training entirely. Instead of focusing on the “Big 3,” maybe do a body-part split for a week. Mentally this is huge.
5. Along the same lines maybe a deload week is nothing more than omitting all axial loading exercises.
Give your joints (particularly your spine) a break.
6. Some coaches use the deload week as a “Test Week.”
Meaning, choose one lift per session and go to town. Hit a top set (or maybe a PR?), drop the mic, and peace out.
7. Movement Variability – incorporate movements you rarely perform.
Experiment.
Go outside and do some agility work (skipping, sprinting, etc).
Play around with some sled work KB swings.
Never done frog pumps and try to make people feel really uncomfortable watching you?
Do that. DO IT.
Like I said, there’s no right or wrong here. Have your own strategies to share? I’d love to hear about them.
For the past three years Dean Somerset and I have had the opportunity to practice karate travel together all over North America (and Europe) presenting our Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint to the masses.
Here we are at Movement Minneapolis
All told we’ve had over 500 people – ranging from personal trainers, strength coaches, yoga/pilates instructors, physical therapists, chiropractors, people who like to lift heavy things, and Chuck Norris5 – attend the course, in addition to having over 100o people purchase the online video series.
This November, though, in Boston, MA, will likely be our LAST workshop.
Well, not the last last workshop.
It’s not like he and I had a falling out or something and hate each other’s guts. That could never happen.
Rest assured we have plans to do future workshops together, just not this workshop.
Why Should You Come Hang Out With Us In Boston?
1. I’m serious, I’m 99.7% sure this will be the last liveComplete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint event in the foreseeable future.
Now, granted, Brett Favre retired and un-retired 33 different times and even Crystal Pepsi has managed to make several comebacks, so I’ll never say never.
But unless Disney decides to put Dean and I in some magical vault alongside a pair of glass slippers and several Dwarfs, and re-release us every 40 years, this will be our last CS&H workshop.
2. I’d venture a guess there aren’t many workshops that can give you the same experience as us. We geek out over some geeky shit, but we also make things very digestible and fun:
Every workshop is different and we’re pretty flexible in terms of catering the two-days to what our audience wants to watch and listen to.
3. Learn to connect the dots, if any, between assessment, corrective exercise, and effective strength training strategies for common shoulder and hip ailments and dysfunctions.
100% of your clients have shoulders and hips, I think.
I can almost guarantee you’re going to learn something that you’ll be able to apply right away to help your clients/athletes get better.7
4. It’s an amazing opportunity to network and meet other like-minded individuals.
5. CEU deadlines are coming up at the end of the year and I’m willing to bet you’re someone who’s waited till the last minute. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
This sucker provides 1.4 CEUs (via the NSCA).
6. The weekend of this workshop is an extended Holiday weekend, so most personal training clients will be peacing out anyways.
Why not come visit a cool city, do some sightseeing, and make a weekend out of it?
The Early Bird rate is currently in effect – $100 off the regular price – and seats are limited. Click the link below for full details on the itinerary, location, payment options, and which is Dean’s favorite Spice Girl.
Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Syracuse, NY based coach and personal trainer, Ricky Kompf. He covers a topic I believe every up and coming fitness professional can commiserate with, but more importantly learn from:
Even though I have been working as a trainer for a little over four years this past year and a half I have completely engorged myself in the lifestyle and business mindset of a trainer.
I write this article to share some of the lessons I have learned while building my own personal training career and business.
I have come out of this period of my life with a whole new perspective on what works and what doesn’t in this industry and let me tell you something….it is hard!
Plain and simple, the fitness industry can be one of the most challenging fields to start a career in.
While it may be very challenging in the beginning the lessons and rewards that you encounter makes the difficulties of this field very much worth it. What I wish to share with you are four lessons I have learned growing from 0 clients on day one to 50 plus active clients now.
Lesson 1: Priority Number One is Gaining Experience
Gaining experience and knowledge while in the company of very good and successful trainers in the industry will teach you to stay humble and always continue to educate yourself and develop your craft as a trainer and coach. If you want to be the best, be around the best and study their behaviors to bring into your own practice.
That experience will pay for itself.
For my first two and a half years as a trainer I was training out of college gyms in the student section as well as various commercial gyms.
I had no long-term clients, but knew the experience gained along the way would help me forge full-steam a head down the road.
It was only after finishing my internship at Cressey Sports Performance a year and a half ago that I felt comfortable taking money from people to let me train them.
With experience comes confidence.
At the end of the day if your clients don’t trust your knowledge and experience as a trainer you won’t be able to bring results to them.
Additionally, with experience comes knowledge, and with knowledge comes confidence in yourself, and that is the foundation in which you should start your journey to building your training business and brand.
Have confidence in yourself to deliver an amazing service.
Lesson 2: Over Deliver
I can’t stress this enough; to this day with the 50 plus clients I have to manage I am always searching for ways to over deliver to them.
One thing that I heard Eric Cressey say in a Podcast as well as many other fitness professionals is:
“They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Remember that we are in the service industry and what sets you apart from the competition is the quality of your service.
Your clients should be saying “I can’t believe I only pay this much for this training” more than “I can’t believe how expensive this is!”
Some easy things you can start doing right now are giving free consultations and assessments, without trying to push your services on them. Look at it as you trying to work on your assessment process and how you deliver information that is helpful for that person.
I have done well over 200 assessments in the past year and a half. Probably less than half signed up for training. That being said, I have a great assessment process that I have created and it is very rare now that someone doesn’t sign up.
Go overtime.
If you’re training someone and you know you have some extra time at the end before you have to start your next client or group, spend more time with them.
They will appreciate the extra work you give them and will be more likely to refer someone to you.
Even now that I have my clients and groups pretty much back to back, I give them extra work to do at the end.
Follow up with them outside their training sessions.
Text or call your people, ask them how they’re feeling. Talk to them about their goals outside of the two or three hours out of the week in which you see them. This will show them that you care and that you’re invested in their journey.
Lesson 3: Don’t Waste Your Time (Right Away) Trying To Brand Yourself.
After a year and a half of building my reputation only now am I considering making a website. And even then it’s mainly to communicate with my current clients, giving them information more effectively, in addition to allowing potential clients to see what I’m about and have to offer before signing up.
At my current job one thing we preach to our clients and athletes is that we’re not for everyone.
That being said in the beginning when you first start out, guess what….you are for everyone.
Don’t try to brand yourself as the athlete guy or the basketball guy or the fat loss guy. Train as many different people as you can so you can find your strengths and to find out what/who you really enjoy working with.
For example, I know my strengths are in female and male youth athletes, and adult groups.
This doesn’t mean I don’t train collegiate level athletes or have any one-on-one clients.
I do.
However, I found in the past few years I get jazzed up and excited to train young athletes and to be a mentor towards them. So why not gravitate towards what brings me joy and fulfillment?
I encourage you to do the same – BUT YOU NEED TO TRAIN AN ECLECTIC GROUP OF PEOPLE FIRST BEFORE YOU CAN BRAND OR MARKET YOURSELF TOWARDS A UNIQUE SUBSET.
Lesson 4: Find a Place or Group of People That Will Help You Grow and Enjoy the Process.
I owe a lot of my success and accelerated progress to my boss and partner strength coach, Vinny Scollo.
He’s been an amazing mentor towards me.
Together we have created an environment in our gym that breeds great athletes and amazing results.
We build each other up when energy levels are low and challenge each other to be better coaches. I couldn’t have asked for a better boss and work environment.
If you wish to last in this field and turn it into a career, you must find or create a team that will build you up, challenge you to get better, and enjoy the process.
I have trained and worked in very bad environments with very negative co-workers and I have experienced the best environments and co-workers. An environment that will build you up is a place you want to be in for the long haul, and will make the challenging moments in your career seem not so bad.
About the Author
Richard Kompf, BS, CSCS
Strength and conditioning coach and Internship supervisor for Scollo Strength and Performance. Located inside of Pacific Health Club, based just outside of Syracuse, NY. Specializing in explosive athletes and general population clientele.
The Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint is finally coming to Boston. Not “fake” Boston, either, on the outskirts of the North or South shore, and we end up calling it a Boston workshop.
No, this sumbitch is going to be IN Boston, at AMP Fitness located near Government Center in the heart of the city.
This shindig goes down the weekend of November 11th and the early bird rate is currently in effect. Hope to see you there. And by “there” I meanHERE.
This article was my pick for “article that gave me the biggest nerd boner of the week.”
I’ve long championed the notion that far too many people stretch their hip flexors thinking they’re tight, when the exact opposite is true. As a matter of blunt fact: most people would be better off swallow a Matchbox car whole than stretch their hip flexors.
Dr. Sarah Duvall takes things to the next level in this article, especially as it relates to women and postpartum issues – via pelvic floor/diaphragm – that may arise or never be dealt with, even years after the fact.
1o Keys to a Big Bench Press: Parts I and II – Tony Bonvechio
Tony is one of the best bench pressers I know. It actually pisses me off how good he is at bench pressing.
You know what, never mind, I fucking hate his guts because he’s so good at it.
In all seriousness there aren’t many coaches I’d trust more to turn someone into a bench pressing Wolverine than Tony. Read this two-part article above and then go check out his new manual, Bench Press Like a Beast, which is available now at a very, very, very affordable price.
When it comes to neck pain, as a strength coach, I (generally) don’t touch that with a ten-foot pole. It’s case dependent of course, but more often than not, if someone I’m working with walks in with a some significant discomfort in their neck I 1) start hyperventilating into a paper bag and 2) immediately refer out to a someone who has more diagnostic and manual therapy skills.
This is not to say, however, that there aren’t any avenues to take if you’re a personal trainer or strength coach. It’s not like you can’t do anything. In today’s guest post physical therapist, Dr. Michael Infantino, goes into great detail on some things to consider if you ever find yourself in this predicament.
The Gym Is a Pain In My Neck: Two Movements To Cure Them All
Are you struggling with neck pain?
Does the gym make it worse?
Do you find yourself looking at a lot of informative websites for ways to resolve these issues, but wish it were compactly put in one place?
Does this sound like an infomercial?
Well it’s not!
But for just $29/month you can… just kidding.
This article is here to solve all of those problems. Neck pain is often blamed on poor form when exercising. This is absolutely true. Unfortunately this does not answer a crucial question, “why?” Discovering WHY your form is poor is the goal. On top of that, people often fail to recognize other human errors that are contributing to their symptoms. We will provide a guide for figuring out why you have neck pain and how to resolve it.
In most cases, pain attributed to the gym can be tied to the following:
Limitations in the necessary mobility to perform a movement
Limitations in the skill needed to perform a movement
Limitations in the capacity to perform a movement (Strength and Endurance)
Human error [Electrolyte and Fluid balance, Self-Care, Rest, Sleep, Breathing, Posture, Medication and Fear.]
Limitations in MOBILITY: 2 movements to cure them all!?
Limitations in your ability to put yourself in optimal positions during almost any upper body movement are a result of two movement limitations.
Limitations in these positions can lead to a host of different complaints. For the sake of time we are going to pick on NECK PAIN. If you are struggling with one exercise you are likely struggling with another, you just might not realize it.
Position #1: Shoulder Extension Test
Movements: Push Up, Pull Up, Row, Dip, Pull Up (top), Jump Rope, Punching someone in the nose because they have one of those weird miniature poodle mixes.
Attempt to perform the ^^THIS^^ motion
Instructions: Keep the neck retracted while extending the shoulders just beyond the trunk without the following:
Increased forward head position
Forward shoulder translation
Shoulder shrug
If you are unable to replicate the picture above you likely have a MOBILITY problem.
If you can’t perform this motion when you aren’t under load, you will definitely struggle when you are. Especially with repeated repetitions and the addition of weight.
Target Areas for Treatment
Soft Tissue Mobility
Pecs
Serratus Anterior
Upper Traps
Stretches and Joint Mobilization
Chin Retraction
Thoracic Extension (arms overhead)
Open Book Stretch
After working these bad boys out I want you to RE-CHECK the test position.
Is it better?
If not, you need to keep working on it.
Assuming you now have the necessary MOBILITY to perform this motion, we need to make sure you have the required SKILL with the particular movement you are interested in.
Skill: the necessary strength, stability and coordination to perform the most basic form of a loaded movement (pull up, push up, dip, row, etc.).
Are you able to maintain a good position in the:
Bottom of your push up
Row
Top of your pull up
Bottom of your dip
Jump roping
As you load the arm for a hay maker!
We aren’t as complex as you might think. Many of our daily activities are broken into a few movement patterns.
Follow this sequence:
Create the mobility necessary to perform the pattern in its most basic form. (In this case, Position #1 and #2).
Ensure you have the skill needed to perform your desired movement (Push Up, Pull Up, etc.)
Build capacity with that movement (Endurance and Strength).
If you don’t have the skill to perform a specific exercise or movement, you need to practice. Look at the above definition of skill to make that judgement. If you don’t have the baseline strength to perform one good push up, pull up, dip or row, see below for regressions that will allow you to maintain good form as you work your way back to mastering these moves.
Here are some ideas:
Push Up: Inclined position (Ex. against weight bench or counter), knee push ups
Pull Up: Assisted with a band, inverted row
Dip: Assisted with a band, bench dip
Row: Kind of an outlier since this move typically doesn’t require body weight. Use a weight that allows good form. TRX Row and inverted row are body weight options. Adjust the angle of your body to reduce the difficulty.
The goal here is to demonstrate the ability to maintain proper form throughout each movement with a regression that is appropriate for you.
Joe Muscles next to you may need to take 50 lbs. off his 200 lb. weighted belt during his pull-ups to maintain good form. You may need to work on getting one pull up with good form without any extra weight.
Most of us have one or two good pull ups in our bag of tricks to whip out for an “impromptu” Instagram post. Preventing injury is going to require you to build the strength and endurance to exceed Instagram’s one-minute time cap. DAMN you Instagram!
Adding repetitions and weight to the regression will help you work your way back to a standard pull up, row, dip, push up, etc.
I can’t emphasize this point enough.
We all have high expectations of ourselves. Neck pain after 10 reps is not necessarily a “push up” problem. It may be the fact that you did three other exercises before push ups that started to fatigue the neck. The push up was the breaking point. You need to have a realistic expectation of your current ability, or capacity.
Position #2: Overhead Test
Movements: Overhead Press, Pull Up (bottom position), Snatch
Instructions: Lie on your back with knees bent. Tuck chin (neck flat to ground) with arms flat to the ground in the start of a press position. Press arms overhead by sliding arms along the ground.
Common Faults:
One or both arms come off the floor at any point in time.
Compensatory forward head or extended neck position to keep arms on floor
Compensatory spine arch to keep arms on the floor
Assuming you repeatedly tried to replicate this position without success, once again we have a MOBILITY PROBLEM.
Target Areas for Treatment
Soft Tissue Mobility
Pecs
Lats
Rhomboids
Stretches and Joint Mobilization
Chin Retraction
T-Spine Drop In (or T Spine Extension)
Open Book Stretch (Add: External Rotation at Shoulder)
1st Rib and Scalene mobility
After finding the weak link, it is time to RE-CHECK. If it looks better, great let’s move on. Similar to Position #1, assuming you now have the pre-requisite MOBILITY to perform this motion we need to make sure you have the SKILL necessary.
*If you are having trouble improving your mobility or resolving pain, seek the advice of a qualified medical provider or fitness professional.
Can you maintain the same control and form during your overhead press, snatch, hang position of your pull up (or any variation- kipping pull up, toes to bar)? If not, we need to REGRESS the move. Unlike the shoulder extension position, many of the overhead exercises can be regressed by reducing the weight or working on single arm presses instead of two arms. Other regressions include:
Regressions:
Overhead press: Landmines (Tony goes into more depth in this article).
Snatch: Cleans, Single arm overhead kettlebell squat, single arm overhead lunge
Pull up (bottom): use a resistance band for support, inverted row
Human Error
Now that you have mastered Position #1 and #2, it is time to make sure that you are limiting HUMAN ERROR.
I think everyone should have someone in their life that serves as an extra pair of eyes. Even the best fitness trainers and medical providers in the world have a hard time being objective toward different areas of their own life. Barbers don’t cut their own hair, right? Not positive about that one. Either way, you can’t go wrong with some quality feedback!
Most of us are quick to blame the boulders in our life when it comes to pain, but we overlook the pebbles.
With pain we can’t overlook the pebbles.
The pebbles are diet, water intake, sleep, and self-care habits.
Patients usually tell me that they are doing “better than most” or that they are “pretty good” about optimizing these areas of their life. It isn’t until their spouse shows up to the appointment that we get the whole truth.
I love it!
Proper Fluid and Electrolyte Balance
Paying attention to what you consume pre and post workout is important. Proper fluids and electrolyte intake prior to exercise can help delay muscle fatigue and cramping.
Many people can get by with less than optimal effort when it comes to this category. However, if you are having neck pain you need to give yourself the best chance at success.
“At least 4 hours before exercise, individuals should drink approximately 5-7 mL·kg−1 body weight (~2-3 mL·lb−1) of water or a sport beverage. This would allow enough time to optimize hydration status and for excretion of any excess fluid as urine” (Sawka, 2007).
This is not always possible, I understand. Do your best. Some is better than none.
Warm Up
Proper warm up is also important.
Engaging in a warm up that gradually increases heart rate and muscle flexibility is a great way to prime the muscles. Dramatic increases in blood pressure and heart rate can lead to less than optimal muscle performance and increased risk of exertion headache during your workout.
Your warm up should be focused on getting the heart rate up; along with preparing the body for the movements you are going to perform during your workout (squat, push up, deadlift, clean, etc.).
Taking the time to stretch and do some soft tissue work after exercise will help reduce muscle soreness in the days following your workout (Gregory, 2015).
Leaving your body more prepared for the next workout. It is a great way to improve muscle extensibility and eliminate trigger points that aren’t allowing your muscles to perform effectively (Lucas, 2004).
Adequate rest is also important for recovery.
Going hard every day and not getting adequate sleep does not allow your body to grow and repair itself. Neglecting proper recovery leads to a less than optimal immune system and central nervous system.
Sleep deficits can also lead to an increase in the intensity of pain and alterations in mood. This is some serious shiznit. Can’t express enough how important this category is. I am a huge fan of the “grind.” It just sounds cool. You aren’t meant to grind everyday though, so please take some time to recover.
Breathing and Posture
Proper breathing is something that is often overlooked, but may be contributing to neck pain.
Gritting it out is cool, I highly recommend it. It builds character.
However, regularly holding your breath or clinching of your teeth when exercising can lead to increased tension around the neck. This could end up resulting in tension headaches as well.
Many of us without realizing it spend most of our day performing shallow breaths. We often over utilize the neck musculature. Shallow breathing into the chest can increase tension in these muscles and even increase feelings of anxiety.
It is recommended that people learn how to perform relaxed diaphragmatic breathing to reduce tension in the neck muscles. Staying in sustained postures throughout the day can also be contributing to your neck pain.
Many studies continue to show that sustained postures throughout the day (typically with office workers), especially with a forward head position, can increase neck pain and headaches (Ariëns, 2001).
Symptoms are also more common in people that hate their job.
Really off topic, but it is true …
Consider how stress in your life (emotional or physical) is amplifying your feelings of pain. Emotional pain and physical pain are HEAVILY connected. Check out this video by Tony to learn a little more about proper breathing strategies.
The Advil Fix
This may not seem to fit with the other categories.
Nonetheless, it is super important.
Side effects related to over the counter anti-inflammatory use are becoming common knowledge. Every now and then I run into someone that isn’t aware of the potential risks of regular use.
Popping over the counter anti-inflammatories (i.e. advil) before or after your workouts IS NOT recommended.
It’s like sweeping the dirt under the rug.
“The most common side effect from all NSAIDs is damage to the gastrointestinal tract, which includes your esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. More than half of all bleeding ulcers are caused by NSAIDs, says gastroenterologist Byron Cryer, MD, a spokesperson for the American Gastroenterological Association.”
Fear
One of the reasons that I started RehabRenegade.com was to help share information like this with as many people as possible. Many of the complaints I get in clinic can be fixed SUPER QUICK. Having a basic understanding of how to care for yourself and knowledge of the body can remove the “threat” of pain.
Red flags (serious pathology) represent less than 2% of the cases that are seen in a clinical setting (Medbridge, Chad Cook: Cervical Examination).
The Internet can be a blessing and a curse.
It can either lead you down the right road or scare the living crap out of you. We all know that any injury or illness is usually presumed to be cancer after a late night search on WebMD. Here are some discussions and advice I found on the inter-web related to neck pain in the gym.
Great intentions, but poor advice.
We tend to blame everything on a “pulled muscle,” whatever that means.
Rest?
What year is it?
We stopped recommending straight rest in like 1902.
By all means, take time off from the gym.
This doesn’t give you free rain to lie in bed all day watching re-runs of Game of Thrones.
It’s true… you may have over done it. Your muscles were overworked. Likely leading to a nice amount of local inflammation and some trigger points. The more constructive advice would be to perform some soft tissue work, light stretching and low intensity non-painful exercise to keep that area mobile.
Resorting to pain medication is not a healthy option. Last but not least, mentioning damaged discs and compressed nerves never makes someone feel at ease. Trauma to the neck may be a reason for disc injury. Overdoing your push ups and pull ups is NOT.
Fun Fact: The prevalence of disk degeneration in asymptomatic (without symptoms) individuals increased from “37% of 20-year-old individuals to 96% of 80-year-old individuals. Disk bulge prevalence increased from 30% of those 20 years of age to 84% of those 80 years of age” (Brinjikji, 2015).
Positive findings on MRI are common in people without pain. Don’t get too caught up in images and diagnoses. Do the things we know are healthy. If you hit the gym hard this morning and then followed that up with a CROISSAN’WICH from Burger King, and a cigarette at lunch we have bigger fish to fry.
First and foremost, muscle and joint strain at the neck commonly refers pain to the head. We call this a cervicogenic headache. Rest assured that it is very rare that you have a more serious pathology requiring immediate medical attention. Give the tips in this post a shot, if it doesn’t help by all means see a medical professional. The worst thing you can do is show up to your medical provider without attempting to improve your flexibility, tweak your form or get adequate rest.
If I had a dollar for every time a therapist told someone they had the tightest (fill in the blank) they have ever seen I would be a little better off.
If this poor girl wasn’t worried enough… Now she has the tightest back he has ever seen… really?
As providers we need to be very careful with our words. It is really easy for us to turn neck pain into chronic neck pain.
It is called an iatrogenic vortex.
When people get tied up in the medical system too long they often see symptoms worsen or develop other unexplained diagnoses.
Overview
In most cases, pain attributed to the gym can be tied to the following:
Limitations in the necessary mobility to perform a movement
Limitations in the Skill needed to perform a movement
Limitations in the Capacity to perform a movement (Strength and Endurance)
Human Error [Electrolyte and fluid balance, Self-Care, Rest, Sleep, Breathing, Posture, Medication and Fear]
You could be one small modification away from eliminating your neck pain.
The big takeaway here is to make sure you have the ability to perform various exercises with good skill.
From there, you need the knowledge and self-awareness to know when you have exceeded you capacity.
You also need to look at the big picture to ensure that you are checking the boxes when it comes to living a healthy life. If you are someone that often finds yourself worried or anxious when injury sets in please take a step back and look at the big picture. Use this article to see where your gaps are. If you still can’t get relief please see a medical provider. Nothing makes medical providers happier than working with patients who demonstrate a willingness to learn and grow.
About the Author
Dr. Michael Infantino is a physical therapist. He works with active military members in the DMV region. You can find more articles by Michael at RehabRenegade.com.
References
Ariëns GAM, Bongers PM, Douwes M, et al
Are neck flexion, neck rotation, and sitting at work risk factors for neck pain? Results of a prospective cohort study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2001;58:200-207.
Brinjikji, W., Luetmer, P. H., Comstock, B., Bresnahan, B. W., Chen, L. E., Deyo, R. A.,Jarvik, J. G. (2015). Systematic Literature Review of Imaging Features of Spinal Degeneration in Asymptomatic Populations. AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 36(4), 811–816. http://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr.A4173
Gregory E. P. Pearcey, David J. Bradbury-Squires, Jon-Erik Kawamoto, Eric J. Drinkwater, David G. Behm, and Duane C. Button (2015) Foam Rolling for Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness and Recovery of Dynamic Performance Measures. Journal of Athletic Training: January 2015, Vol. 50, No. 1, pp. 5-13.
Lucas KR, Polus BI, Rich PS. Latent myofascial trigger points: their effects on muscle activation and movement efficiency. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2004;8:160-166
Sawka MN, Burke LM, Eichner ER, Maughan RJ, Montain SJ, Stachenfeld NS. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39:377-90.
Sorry I was absent from writing some content this week. It’s a busy two-week window on my end with travel to Chicago this weekend (for the Elite Training & Performance Summit) and next weekend to Toronto to visit friends.
I’ve got a few blog ideas percolating in my brain at the moment, so I should have some fresh content to melt your faces next week. I hope.
The Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint is finally coming to Boston. Not “fake” Boston, either, on the outskirts of the North or South shore, and we end up calling it a Boston workshop.
No, this sumbitch is going to be IN Boston, at AMP Fitness located near Government Center in the heart of the city.
This shindig goes down the weekend of November 11th and the early bird rate is currently in effect. Hope to see you there. And by “there” I mean HERE.
All I have to say is that it was a breath of fresh air to read an article on the hip thrust that didn’t devolve into a shit-show of platitudes, N=1 summaries, and ad hominem attacks.
Understanding The Shoulder Pain Epidemic in CrossFit Athletes Parts I & II – Dave Tilley
Now if it were me writing this article series all I’d say is:
This weekend is your last chance to get in on the initial launch of Peak Perform University.
It’s a continuing education resource geared towards fitness professionals curated personally by Joe Dowdell, who owned and operated one of the most successful gyms in NYC history, PEAK Performance.
In it you’ll have access to material produced by some of the biggest names in the industry: Pat Davidson, Bill Hartman, Dean Somerset, Perry Nickelston, Joel Jamieson, and yours truly.
You can think of it as an abyss of content: there’s already a hefty database to choose from, and there will be additional, CEU accredited material added month by month.
If you’re a fitness professional looking for an easy and convenient – no travel! – way to expose yourself to some of the top coaches in the industry this is a splendid way to do so.
The best part: you can choose however many courses you’d like to view, there’s no requirement to the number you have to purchase, and you can take however much time you want to view them.
Social Media Shenanigans
Twitter
Lets be real: you’re not “overtrained” and you haven’t reached your “genetic peak.” It’s likely just don’t work hard enough.
I remember one of my first trips into NYC was back in 2006. I tagged along with Eric (Cressey) – we were roommates at the time – and Mike Robertson as they were putting on and filming their Building the Efficient Athlete workshop.
The event took place at PEAK Performance which was right smack dab in the middle of Manhattan.
Trying not to destroy the back of my pants riding a taxi.
NYC truly is an amazing place.
However, the thing I remembered most about that trip was the venue itself…PEAK Performance.
Then, located on an unassuming street in an unassuming building, you’d take the elevator up a few floors, the door would open, and….sha-ZAM:
A training and performance mecca.
It was beautiful.
Anything and everything you’d ever want in a training facility was there. And it was all the creation of the owner, Joe Dowdell.
I got to know Joe that weekend, and he struck me as one of the most handsomest men I have ever met knowledgable people I have ever met and someone who had an insatiable appetite for learning.
From then on out every time I visited NYC I’d always make it a point to visit PEAK. In the years afterwards Joe became a good friend and someone I looked towards for both training and career advice.
I mean, he did build one of the most successful gyms in the country from scratch and was a regular contributor to all of the top fitness publications out there; not to mention he authored or co-authored several books and DVD sets.
He even invited me down to speak to his staff and to attend some workshops he was putting on. In fact, here’s a pic of me at PEAK taking part in a round-table amongst some other heavy hitters in the industry: John Romaniello, Kevin Neeld, Jim Smith, Perry Nickelston, and Joe himself:
Me and Kevin were battling for most upright posture in the world apparently.
Long story short: Joe’s one of the most respected guys in the industry and you can rest assured that if his name is attached to anything, it’s of the highest quality.
It’s a continuing education resource geared towards fitness professionals curated personally by Joe himself. In it you’ll have access to material produced by some of the biggest names in the industry: Pat Davidson, Bill Hartman, Dean Somerset, Perry Nickelston, Joel Jamieson, and yours truly.
You can think of it as an abyss of content: there’s already a hefty database to choose from, and there will be additional, CEU accredited material added month by month.
If you’re a fitness professional looking for an easy and convenient – no travel! – way to expose yourself to some of the top coaches in the industry this is a splendid way to do so.8.
The best part: you can choose however many courses you’d like to view, there’s no requirement to the number you have to purchase, and you can take however much time you want to view them.
The initial launch of Peak Perform University starts today and ends Sunday, September 17th at midnight.
Today’s guest post comes courtesy of regular contributor and San Antonio based personal trainer, Jonathan Acosta.
The fitness industry is rife with people who use hyperbole, quick fixes, and instant gratification tactics to “woo” other people into their web of deceit and mindfuckery.
Whether one’s goal is fat-loss, muscle gain, or to have a pecs that can cut diamonds…more often than not people default to the “I want it and I want it now” mentality. And it sets people up for failure.
Jonathan uses a brilliant metaphor/analogy to break this train of thought.
In the movie TheMatrix Revolutions, Neo gets trapped in a train station that’s basically a border world between the matrix and the machine.That station is essentially limbo…
Why am I telling you this?
Because even the great Neo gets stuck in limbo.
We all do from time to time.
A lot of times it isn’t this permanent stuck here forever type of thing that we are led to believe.
Sometimes we have to ride it out until the train arrives to the station.
Note From TG:I still don’t know WTF this scene was all about.
When it comes to this fitness journey, those of us in this profession know all too well about this limbo and what to do about it. We know that results aren’t linear as we’d expect and hope them to be.
Its not a magical rainbow of results just shooting straight upward.
Luckily the fitness industry has done a good job at getting people to understand this and snapping them out of the “I want it now” mentality.
Sure, we still have to battle the inevitable BS such as same-day liposuction or the latest and greatest Cryo-Fatloss-Mega-Blast-Infrared-Sculpting procedure. But as a whole, I think we’ve done pretty well at giving clients the truth and helping them understand that this isn’t a quick and easy fix.
BUT…
What happens when you’re in this shit period? (The shit period is when progress flat lines to where progress seems non-existent?……………AKA: Limbo)
Now for some, it’s easy to just look down and put in the work day in and day out until they finally see the shimmering light.
But for most, especially ones who haven’t ever prioritized health and fitness in their life, the shit period is so discouraging that quitting is inevitable.
Now you and I both know the cycle.
Three months (if that) of hard work, followed by quitting for six months, only to restart again, usually in worse shape began than before, until the process repeats itself…or they opt for the “instant fixes:”
Liposuction
Cryo-Fatloss-Mega-Blast-Infrared-Sculpting®
Tapeworms
If Only…
If only there was a way to get them to see the 1000 ft. view like you see it right? To get them to see the big picture and the timeline if they stuck with it in the long haul.
I haven’t figured out the answer myself so don’t get your hopes up this is that kind of article.
However, I like metaphors and believe many people learn best this way; they allow an opportunity for a person to connect with a topic.
I can’t remember for the life of me where I got this quote from but its pretty true.
“When it comes to fat loss, you’re going to be in a plateau 80% of the time.”
That means you might be in limbo for a good while.
So where were we?
Oh right. Limbo.
We’ve all been there.
Grinding day in and day out.
Keeping meticulous attention as to what we put in our mouths and staying on point only for nothing to budge.
First of all you should have the help of a competent coach who’s able to recognize “limbo” and guide you through it
Two coaches that come to mind that are exceptional at this are Bryan Krahn and John Meadows.
Even if you’re a coach yourself it would benefit you a ton to hire one of them and learn from them as much as you can.
Next thing is understanding and explaining this curve to them.
I like to give this scenario…
Lets say you’re minding your own business and out of the blue a man comes up to you with a briefcase in hand.
Picture Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby. He gives it to you and tells you open it.
You’re confused but you open the briefcase and all you see is stacks upon stacks of $100 bills.
It’s Leo so you know its legit and not monopoly money.
It’s one million in cash.
You can have it if you want. No strings attached.
Now hold on, before you close the suitcase and run. (I did that in my head mentally the first time I heard this analogy).
He says you can have it no strings attached…Or, you can have this…He then pulls out a penny from his Armani suit pocket (they had Armani back in the 1920’s right?).
He says, “I’ll put this penny into your bank account and I’ll double the money in the account once a month for three years.”
[By the second month you’ll have two cents. The third you’ll have four cents. The fourth you’ll have eight cents and so on.]
Before you start trying to do the math in your head, Leo quickly distracts your thoughts and says, “Which one do you want: The million, or the penny?”
You have 5 seconds to answer…
He literally starts counting down 5, 4, 3,
Now if you suck at math like me, that problem would take you 15 min to figure out let alone five seconds.
So you shout your answer.
What’d you answer?
Its ok, were all friends here. There’s no right or wrong answer.
1 Million or 1 Cent?
In the heat of the moment and with the small time frame given, most would choose the million up front.
Its cold hard cash given right there and then.
Sure we’re all smart and have already witnessed trick questions like these before, so we kind of assume already that the penny would be the better choice.
But since we don’t have time to do the math, or are not able to see the outcome, we choose the quickest, right in front of you, results right nowoption.
Instant gratification.
Does that sound familiar?
Clients really do know the answer to their riddle.
They know their penny option would probably be best.
But since they can’t see the outcome or the answer, and since they have a five second countdown in the form of social media bogus two-month transformations and extremely high expectations…they too succumb to the “I want it and I want it now” mentality where 1 million dollars up front is quick and easy.
Kick Instant Gratification In the Dick
Now this is where you explain to them what they’d get if they chose the penny.
If they chose the penny. The first year would total a whopping $20.48.
That one million is sounding awfully good isn’t it?
It’s ok, this is that limbo period where seemingly nothing is happening.
But slowly and surely you’re depositing into your “fitness account” with dedication, consistency, and day in day out on point eating and workouts.
After two years your bank account should be better right?
The second year puts you right at $83,886.05…
WTF! That’s still not even close to the one million cash.
Its ok, this is STILL limbo.
At this point you have two different types of people.
People that see no end in sight and either quit or go for instant gratification.
And those that figure F- it I’ve already gone this far might as well just keep going and see it through.
By the end of the third year…your account will have a total of $343.5 Million dollars.
Now I’m not good at math but even I know that 343 million is wayyyyyyyy more than 1 million.
And all it took was having patience and to keep depositing throughout that shitty limbo period.
Fat Loss is Just Like That.
If you were to see it as a chart graph, it would seem as if results were slow or practically nonexistent, until out of nowhere… boom!
A huge spike and results soar for a short period of time until you “graduate” to the next level of limbo.
That huge spike is more than enough to get you where you wanna be; it’s just a long and slow process at times.
Seriously.
If you think of body transformations in terms of yearly, in a three-year period it’ll feel and possibly seem like the first year and maybe even two will have been a waste.
Pump the brakes. Chill out.
It’s completely normal to feel frustrated, like you’re stuck in cement, and that progress is moving at a snail-like pace.
The metaphor above puts things into perspective: it assures you that if you’re crossing your T’s and dotting your I’s it’s not a waste…and your day in the sun will come soon.
I’m a huge Bruce Lee fan.
He liked to use water in a lot of his quotes so I’m gonna use one too.
If you’ve ever boiled water and stared at it while it boils you’ll notice that it just simmers for a good while till seemingly, out of nowhere, bubbles erupt and its boiling.
What if you change your mindset about limbo and that shit period and see the parallel to the simmering water?
Realizing that things are actually simmering and leading up to that huge skyrocket of success makes the mundane, daily grind seem much more worth it.
About the Author
Jonathan Acosta is the founder of Underground Performance Center and head trainer at Get Sexy San Antonio and is a certified personal trainer though both ISSA and the NCEP, as well as Precision Nutrition Level 1 certified.
He likes lifting heavy things, reading books with big words in them, his steaks rare, funny stuff, writing stuff, hanging out with friends, and laughing.
1) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Orlando & Boston
** Obviously with Irma kicking on Florida’s door this weekend, this event may be postponed. As of now we’re still good to go, but Dean and I will be sure to keep everyone notified.
There’s only two weeks left to take advantage of the Early Bird rate for Dean Somerset and I’s workshop in Orlando, at Spark Fitness, the weekend of October 21st.
HEADS UP: We’ve also added Boston into the mix later this year. Not Burlington Boston or Beverly Boston, two cities that are lovely, albeit not (that) close to Boston.
No, this is IN Boston. In the heart of the city Boston, at AMP Fitness.
Early bird rate is in effect now and if you’re super eager to sign-up you can go HERE.
A lot goes down when a woman gets pregnant. That’s the understatement of the year I suppose, and it’s not lost on me that I’m a dude saying this.
What the heck do I know?
Well, my wife gave birth to our son earlier this year (trust me: some shit went down) and as a fitness professional I have worked with a litany of women through their pregnancies.
This was an excellent article featured on the Girls Gone Strong website, and if you work with women who are pregnant or postpartum you’ll want to check it out.
Dr. Michael Infantino is a physical therapist. He works with active military members in the DMV region. You can find more articles by Michael at 
