Lisa and I are happy to announce we’re bringing back our Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop.
Last year we had the privilege of presenting together in Austin, TX and London, UK, and we’re elated to be heading to Toronto, Ontario to pick up where we left off.
In a nutshell I speak to a little assessment talk, program design, and breaking down technique on a few common lifts such as the squat, deadlift, get-up, and blindfolded chainsaw juggling, and Lisa speaks to more of the mindset side of the equation and how we can help build better rapport and “buy in” with our clients/athletes.
For more information and to sign up, please go HERE.
2) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Orlando
Our Vancouver shindig in April sold out, but Dean and I have recently announced a stop in Orlando, FL later this year, October 21-22nd at Spark Fitness.
I’ve never been to Orlando. There’s no way in hell I’m visiting Disney World.
I was sent an advance copy of MASS last week and it’s stellar stuff.
It’s a monthly research review specifically curated for strength and physique athletes, coaches, and enthusiasts. Every issue of MASS is created by Greg Nuckols, Eric Helms, and Mike Zourdos.
I hate reading research. I can think of a number of things I’d rather do – wash my face with broken glass, go to a One Direction concert, talk about my feelings with my wife, so on and so forth. I’m not kidding, I hate it.
This is the perfect way for me to stay on top of the game without making my brain hurt: have other smart people I respect a ton break things down and interpret things for me….;o)
Greg, Eric, and Mike are giving away the first issue FREE. You know, to suck you in. But trust me: it’s worth it (I mean, it’s free). After the fact it will still be a very reasonably priced continuing education resource for all fitness professionals.
My head hurt from shaking in agreement so much while reading this article. This is something I harp all…the…time with clients/athletes and even when I speak to fitness professionals on the topic.
You (likely) don’t have “tight” hip flexors. And, how you’re stretching them is only feeding the problem in the first place.
The health/wellness industry is all about being more REACTIVE than PROACTIVE. I get it: much of a doctor’s education is in treating ailments with medicine and not with the iron, and that’s cool. But I’d be remiss not to point out we’d likely get people sustained results by educating and nudging them to workout rather than pop pills.
As this post goes live my wife and I are en route (5.5 hours in the car) back to central NY to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Or, depending on what time it is and when you read this, I may be three slices into my mom’s homemade apple pie. Who knows?
It’s my sincerest hope that everyone reading is enjoying the day with family and eating the most un-Paleo friendly meal possible. And if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving: sorry. Happy Thursday then? Or, better yet: Happy “six days until my birthday?”
HINT: my Birthday is six days away. The big 4-0. Like, whaaaaaaaaaaaat.
Basically it’s been described as the Hamilton of fitness products. Except, you know, without any dancing or rapping Presidents.
If you were someone who missed out on the sale price during the original release, what the heck? What’s next? Telling me you’ve never watched House of Cards or GoodFellas?
On the off-chance that the former happened, you’re in luck. Dean and I are putting it back on sale at $30 off the original price starting today through this weekend.
Fitness Professionals: If you’re looking for a product that covers anything and everything as it relates to shoulder and hip assessment, addressing common movement dysfunctions, and a resource that helps connect the dots towards improved results and performance with your athletes/clients this will do the trick.
Non-Fitness Professionals: If you’re someone who likes stay in at home on a Friday night and nerd out over this stuff and/or are looking for tips on improving exercise technique with common lifts such as squats, deadlifts, and chin-ups (among others) this will be very helpful to you as well. What’s more there’s TONS of exercise regressions, progressions, and lateralizations to consider based off varying goals, anatomical factors and injury history.
You get 11+ hours of both lecture and hands-on material in addition to some epic LOLcat and Star Wars references (if that’s your thing).[footnote]If it is, we should totally hang out.[/footnote]And to top things off CEUs are available.
There you go. Do you need more incentive? Maybe if I included a steak dinner in there? You only have a few days to act.
Oh, hello. You may have noticed that Dean Somerset and I have been all over the internet this week promoting our new resource Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint. Collectively we’ve written about 717 guest posts and appeared on 32 different podcasts.
Okay, maybe not quite those high of numbers. But it sure feels like it. We may have even hit the threshold where we’ve hit annoying political ad territory and people would rather jump into a shark’s mouth than read another article, Tweet, or Facebook post on shoulders and hips.
By now I’m sure there’s a fair portion of the population that’s “had it up to here” with Dean and I.
Sorry[footnote]But not really.[/footnote]
If it’s any consolation…all this week we have both been pumping out tons of FREE content in addition to all the free content other fitness pros have been churning out to help get the word out.
So, shut up….;o)
Below is everything I could find. Enjoy. No purchase required.[footnote]But for real, I have a baby on the way.[/footnote]
Stuff Written by Dean or Tony
I didn’t include THIS article I wrote for my site yesterday yelling at the internet for telling everyone that deadlifts are dangerous. Except, you know, I just did include it.
Dean and I break down some (hopefully) new-to-you drills and exercises you can implement today to keep your shoulders from flipping you the middle finger long-term.
This post will satiate any appetite for anatomy geekery, and will explain why it’s unfortunate that some coaches out there STILL think everyone needs to squat THEIR way.
Eric highlights 1) his affinity for alliterations (the title) and 2) some of his take-home points that resonated with him from watching the Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint.
Tony B shares some his insights on overhead pressing, how to assess it, how to “fix” it, and some more user-friendly options you can pepper in to keep your shoulders healthy.
Dean made his rounds this week on podcasts, talking more shop with Joe and crushing it.
Sale is Winding Down
Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint is currently on sale at $60 off the regular price. But that only lasts until this Saturday (11/5) at midnight.
Come on. What are you waiting for? You get 11+ hours of amazing content that I know will make you better at your craft, along with CEUs, and it has the backing of a many of the top coaches and trainers around. Sooooooooooooo.
The internet is a funny place. Regardless of the topic – Presidential elections, Black Lives Matter vs. All Lives Matter, GMOs, or debating the original Star Wars trilogy vs. the prequels[footnote]Lets be clear, there’s really no debate here: The original trilogy is far, far, superior. If you think otherwise you deserve to be Sparta kicked in chest. Repeatedly.[/footnote] – people tend to marry themselves to extremes. They’re either way over on the left or way the eff over on the right.
There’s very little middle-ground, when it’s the “middle ground” where the answer almost always resides.
I think my fitness and strength & conditioning bubble personifies this sentiment and is very applicable…especially when the topic revolves around the deadlift.
Some people feel the deadlift is the exercise to perform and is a compliment to everything: improved strength, muscle mass, athletic performance, posture, movement quality (dissociating hip movement from lumbar movement), and a whole host of other benefits including the answer to global warming and erectile dysfunction.
Others feel the deadlift – any variation of it – is the worst exercise ever, that no one should perform it under any circumstance, and that it will cause the world markets to collapse (not to mention everyone’s spine).[footnote]Except Optimus Prime. Because he’s a robot (and, you know, doesn’t have a spine).[/footnote]
I think it goes without saying I tend to err on the side that prefers not to make blanket statements and to demonize and proclaim an entire movement pattern as “dangerous” because, well, frankly, you either have very little experience with it (which is cool, you’re just naive and that can be remedied) or, more often than not, you’re probably just a really shitty coach.
Or you might not even be a coach and just someone who likes leaving angry, oblivious comments like this on my blog (a recent doozy I received in response to THIS article I wrote six years ago):
“Idiot. This is a poorly written article that will only appeal to the ignorant or existing proponents of this stupid exercise.
To begin with:
He never illustrates any health benefit from the outcome of a deadlift. And if he will, I challenge him to provide any scientific evidence, let alone anecdotal evidence, that supports his claim.
Moreover, the deadlift may have various effects of potential damage depending on a person’s anatomy and body-type. The only people i see doing DL’s are the short and squatty types with short legs and longer torsos. It’s easier for them to complete that range of motion due to their short legs bypassing the barbell as it ascends upward. This means that they can keep a more straight knee alignment without putting undue stress on the knee joint. If a person is tall and long-legged they run the immediate risk of knocking their shin on the barbell as it ascends upward in motion. Thus, forcing them to angle the thighs outward causing undue stress on the knee joints. The author fails to acknowledge this simple mechanical principle.
These articles that permeate the internet often have this ‘one size fits all’ modality that, if read by an uninformed or novice, will harm an unsuspecting person. These articles, whether, deliberately irresponsible or not, should be vetted and researched thoroughly and vigilantly.”
Um, how do you really feel?
In fairness: I didn’t address in the original article some of what he brought up in his rant. There was no talk about assessment, nor was there any commentary on anthropometry and individual differences in anatomy and how that would affect programming and what variations of the deadlift/hip hinge would be best suited for any one individual (based off goals, current/past injury history, and ability level).
So, yeah, he did bring up some valid points. For some people, deadlifts are a bad choice. And given their leverages and anatomy, certain deadlift variations may be more counterproductive than others. But that’s why we assess, progress accordingly, and cater the lift to the trainee (and not vice versa).
Then again:
1) The main point of the article was to point out that blanket comments suck – “all deadlifts are dangerous and no one should perform them” – and that, in the end, they do little service in helping the industry.
2) It wasn’t a fucking dissertation on everything and anything deadlifts. It was a blog post. Relax.
Ironically, I found it odd he commented “I challenge him (me) to provide scientific evidence that supports his claims” when, in the article, I not only direct people towards Dr. Stuart McGill’s work (the world’s most renowned spine researcher and mustache haver…and avid deadlift fan) but I also referenced seven studies within the text (admittedly through someone else’s quote).
But whatever. I guess I should just GFM.
What’s the deal with using “stress” as an argument against the deadlift?
Deadlifts place “stress” on the spine.
Deadlifts place undue “stress” on the knees.
Well, no shit. That’s the point of lifting weights. To STRESS the body.
We need to “stress” the body in order to elicit an adaptive response – whether it be corrective in nature or more on the performance side of things. We don’t live life in this “stress free” bubble. Lifting weights isn’t supposed to tickle.
Besides, stress is what makes the body more resilient to prevent injuries.
To steal a quote from the always blunt and to-the-point Alex Viada:
“The goal of exercise/training is adaptation. Adaptation is a result of applying a stimulus that is, either acutely or in the aggregate, more than the body can handle in its current state. Applying a stress that is more than the body can handle is almost by definition uncomfortable. It may hurt. It may cause a certain level of discomfort, or even suffering. In other words, it is anything BUT comfortable.
This process is not supposed to be easy or painless. Attempting to keep it so is quite possibly the number one reason many would-be athletes or trainees stagnate- they dislike discomfort, and tend to embrace the flawed notion that “training should be comfortable and enjoyable.”
And this, dear readers (and meanie head commenter), is why any competent fitness professional will use his or her’s assessment to guide their programming and to figure out what VARIATION of the deadlift will be the best fit.
(If they deem it a good fit).
And Guess What?
The word “deadlift” doesn’t always have to equate to a barbell being placed on the ground loaded to 90% of someone’s 1RM.
Deadlift = Hip Hinge
Hip Hinge = Dissociating Hip Movement From Lumbar Movement
That can mean any number of glorious “deadlift” variations (that don’t involve a barbell):
KB to Sternum Hip Hinge
Foam Roller Assisted 1-Legged RDL
Pull-Through
KB Deadlift w/ Hover (and an epic beard)
However, more cogent to the discussion, when we DO incorporate a barbell, it doesn’t always mean we have to 1) perform it from the floor or 2) perform it using a conventional stance or 3) load it heavy each and every time so we shit a spleen.
The only people that have to deadlift from the floor are competitive powerlifters and weightlifters. That’s it.
And no one has to perform only conventional style.
So, of course it behooves any fitness professional to match the proper variation to the needs and ability of the trainee. Conventional, sumo, modified sumo, block pulls, rack pulls, Romanian, trap bar, and Jefferson deadlifts are just the tip of the iceberg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6Xjb72gGTE
[NOTE: All of this assumes one is able to maintain a neutral spine and that appropriate progressions (and regressions) are being utilized.]
Furthermore, none of this takes into consideration that foot stance, stance width, and hip structure will vary person to person. To assume everyone has to perform the same variation let alone point their toes the same way or use a symmetrical stance disregards everything mentioned above.
You’re not going to lose demerit points or be sent to Slytherin if you have the audacity to choose trap bar deadlifts over conventional. If someone does lack ankle dorsiflexion, hip flexion, and t-spine extension, yeah, the trap bar is going to be a better choice. Likewise, lifters with longer femurs and T-rex arms will be better suited with sumo style deadlifts.
It’s all okay. The world won’t end.
No one has to deadlift. Yeah, that’s right: I said it.
However, to say it’s “dangerous” and that it should be avoided at all costs is myopic and juvenile, and, frankly, just as bad as someone who feels the opposite.
Lets pump the brakes internet: the answer is always somewhere in the middle. Except for bacon. It’s always delicious.
It’s a Good Thing I Have a Resource to Help You Figure This Stuff Out
Dean Somerset and I made the Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint in part, to do just that. Help fitness professionals figure stuff out, understand that everyone is different, and that “it depends” is a very powerful phrase to keep in your back pocket.[footnote]I mean, only Siths deal in absolutes. And you’re not a Sith. Or, are you? OMG can we hang out?[/footnote
Want to learn our systems and strategies we use to “connect the dots” from assessment to badassery on the weight room floor? I thought so…;o)
Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint is on SALE this week at $60 off the regular. It ends this weekend. Go HERE now. Now I tell you.
WHEW – talk about a whirlwind day yesterday. I spent the bulk of it glued to my laptop[footnote]Totally dressed like Morpheus from The Matrix.[/footnote] making sure things ran smoothly with the launch, answering questions and emails, and trying to stay on top of social media engagement.
This sucker contains 11+ hours of content covering everything from upper and lower extremity assessment, corrective exercise strategies, numerous hands-on breakouts, as well as program design and exercise technique troubleshooting (with maybe, 37 seconds worth of Star Wars references).
Here are two sneak peak segment from both Dean and I.
The One Where Tony Discusses Scapular Motion
The One Where Dean Talks Hip Integration (and makes a bunch of fitness pros groan)
And there is tooooooons more where that came from.
If you’re a fitness professional I can almost guarantee you’ll pick up something valuable (hopefully several) that will help your clients or athletes. And even if you’re not a fitness pro, and just like listening to two dudes talk shop about training or you’re just looking to pick up some cool new exercise variations to keep your shoulders and hips healthy this resource would be a home run.
Dean Somerset and I have spent the better part of the past two years traveling all across North America and parts of Europe presenting our Complete Shoulder & Hip Workshop. All told, we’ve presented it 10-15 times[footnote]+/- 3,890[/footnote].
I’m not kidding, either: I…could…not…sleep last night.
I kept waking up every few hours as if I were 11 years old again waiting for Christmas morning to arrive. To say I am excited for this would be an understatement. There’s also a small fraction of me doing the best I can not to destroy the back of my pants out of shear terror.
As of this moment it’s 99.2% excitement, and 0.8% “hoooooooly shit this is happening.”[footnote]Most of which is praying to the internet gods that nothing catastrophic happens to the site.[/footnote]
I mean, there’s always a degree of vulnerability anytime you put something out there for the masses. However I KNOW this is going to be a resource that will help tons of people.
What Is It
The Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint is an 11+ hour digital product that takes you through the systems that both Dean and I use with our athletes and clients to improve upper and lower body function, strength, endurance, and resiliency.
We show you how to connect the dots between a thorough assessment, understanding what corrective strategies (if any) will work best, and how to build a training program to help you and your clients in the most direct way possible.
And there’s a few cat memes and light saber jokes tossed in for good measure.
Why This Matters to You
Are you a fitness professional? Do you work with people with shoulders? What about hips?
Well then, this sucker is right up your alley.
More specifically here’s what you can expect:
Help your clients get through common shoulder issues more effectively.
Streamline your assessment and program design, helping you get faster results and more efficient use of your time, and that of your clients’
Help you see the details of shoulder motion you didn’t notice before, and whether something you’re using in your exercise program is working or not.
Upgrade your exercise toolbox to address commonly overlooked movement issues.
You can help clients see IMMEDIATE improvements, sometimes in as little as a minute or two, which will help them buy in to your abilities.
Help you target in on what will work best for the person in front of you, saving you both the time spent on useless exercises or drills.
Connect the dots between assessments, mobility, strength, and conditioning program considerations
Break down a system you can use today with yourself or your clients to see instant benefit while removing the guess work.
And you don’t necessarily have to be a fitness professional in order to reap the benefits of this resource. Dean and I offer tons of practical information in the form of hands-on applications in addition to breaking down many common exercises such as the deadlift, squat, chin-up, and Landmine variations.
The Part Where I Entice You More (or Guilt You) Into Buying
Choose any of the following that resonates with you:
1. “What is this, Napster? Pay for something once, would you?”
2. “Pretty please?”
3. “I got kids! Well, I’ll have one soon, in January, and that shit’s expensive.”
4. “I’ve written tons of free content over the years. Each time I’ve written an article or blog post that’s helped you out, I put a dollar on your tab. It’s collection time, you son of a bitch.”
Okay, for real: I think it’s a great resource, I feel it’s going to help a lot of people, and I’d be honored if you’d consider checking it out.
We’ve put Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint on sale this week. From today through Saturday, November 5th you can purchase it at $60 off the regular price. What’s more there are Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) available through the NSCA, which makes this a solid professional development investment.
