CategoriesUncategorized

Reviewing the Cressey Performance Fall Seminar – Part One

You know the feeling you get when you demolish an ice-cream sundae so fast that you end up with one of those annoying “brain freezes” which makes you crumble to your knees in agony and forces you to make one of those weird, contorted faces that’s about as unattractive as unattractive can get?

No?

Well, maybe a better analogy would be actor Gary Busey.

Take his face (seen to the left) which is essentially what he looks like 100% of the time, and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

Okay, now that you have an ample visual:  that was me this past weekend during the Cressey Performance Fall Seminar. Not to suggest, of course, that I was swimming in a cocktail of vodka and bat-shit crazy, which is more than likely a typical breakfast for Mr. Busey.

Oh snap!  No I didn’t! That’s a Busey burn!

But rather just to suggest that 1) my brain hurt so much from all the quality information thrown my way that I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that’s how I looked and 2) that I needed a day away from blogging in order to decompress, digest, and assimilate all the information.

All told we had roughly 150-175 people make the trek out to CP to hang out, network, and listen to several pretty smart dudes discuss everything from CrossFit to corrective exercise to coaching types to twerking.

Maybe not that last one (next year?), but needless to say there was A LOT of stuff that was covered.  In lieu of all the glowing comments and reviews that followed via Facebook and Twitter, there were a number of people who asked if we filmed the seminar.

Sadly we did not.  But I’m going to take the opportunity today to try to highlight a few points and insights from each presentation.

Today I’ll cover what Eric Cressey, Brian St. Pierre, and Mike Reinold discussed.

Cracking the CrossFit Code – Eric Cressey

Starting the morning off with a bang, Eric decided to address one of the more hotly debated topics in the fitness community: CrossFit.

Contrary to popular belief Eric (as well as myself) aren’t adamant CrossFit “hater” protagonists.

We both see a lot or redeeming qualities in it, but we’re also not dowsing ourselves in the Kool-Aid.  Nevertheless, here’s some points Eric hit on.

1. Interestingly, Eric started off his talk discussing how history is loaded with selective retention.

I’m not going to spoil the surprise (as I know Eric DID film his presentation and have to assume he’s going to offer it as product), but lets just say there’s a reference to Adolf Hitler and CrossFit.

HOLD ON:  before people get all Twitter happy and say that Eric Cressey equated CrossFit to Hitler, HE DID NOT DO THIS!!!!!

But he did make a fair point that Hitler was responsible for things like improving highway infrastructure, airplane travel, and a bunch of other things.  CrossFit, too, for as much as it’s poo-pooed on by the masses, does have a lot to offer.

2. Such as:

Insane camaraderie.
Unparalleled social experience.
Brand recognition.
Interval training preferred over aerobic training.
Variety.
Stresses compound exercises.

3.  But there are also a fair number of caveats or “bad” points to consider as well. Such as:

Low barrier to entry.
Lack of assessment (this is affiliate dependent, but it’s fair to say that many DO NOT offer a keen assessment).
One-size fits all programs.
Prioritizes technically advanced exercises (for high reps, no less).

4.  One must (and should) be able to dominate the sagittal plane if he or she is going to be succeed in a traditional CrossFit program.

5.  There’s no bones about it:  untrained individuals (of which are what CrossFit attracts) move like poop, and its imperative that appropriate progressions AND regressions are in place – especially if you’re going to use a “one-size-fits-all” format.

Insulin: The Hormone, The Myth, The Legend – Brian St. Pierre

It’s always a treat when Brian makes it back to his old stomping grounds at CP.  Not many people realize this (or remember), but Brian was actually our very first employee.

But then he had to go get married, buy a house, advance his career with Precision Nutrition, have kids and stuff, and move to Maine.  What a jerk!

It’s been a pleasure to see Brian grow as a professional and he’s undoubtedly one of my “go to” guys when it comes to anything nutrition related. In his presentation he tackled the often quoted, yet often woefully misunderstood hormone insulin.

1. Insulin is ONE of MANY hormones involved in fat storage. It increases the activity of lipoprotein lipase, decreases the activity of hormone-sensitive lipase, which together leads to an increase of fat into fat cells. Insulin enhances this process, but NOT necessarily for it.

Key Concept: Insulin permits fat storage, it does not regulate it.

** For the nerds out there: The hypothalamus does.

You can gain fat with or WITHOUT elevated insulin levels.  So for all the anti-carb aficionados out there who deem them more evil than Mordor:  nah nah nah nahhhhhhhhh.

2. Hypoglycemia is incredibly rare.

3. The amount of insulin from protein rich food is positively correlated with satiety levels from that food.  So, put another way:  insulin CAN be considered a satiety hormone.

How’s this for a mindf@&k: Potatoes, which are generally regarded as one of the highest insulinogenic foods on Earth, are also reported as having one of the best satiety effects.

4. Nutrient partitioning is real phenomenon, and when used to your advantage, can help to increase recovery and adaptation to training load.

5. No news here:  (purposful) exercise creates a physiological environment where carbs are even more beneficial.

Ie:  carbs have their place.

Integrating Corrective Exercise With Performance Enhancement – Mike Reinold

Before I dive into Mike’s talk, let me just say that he’s an absolute Jedi when it comes to PowerPoint.  Some of the graphics and tricks he uses are unreal.  I’m half expecting one day for Mike to pull a rabbit out of his Macbook or go all “Prestige” on us and clone himself.

Plus, you know, he’s a brilliant therapist on the side.

1.  Mike noted that if you Google “corrective exercise”  in almost every picture there’s a physio ball or someone coaching the shit out of something completely innocuous, like this:

Apparently the message is this:  if you’re not incorporating the use of a physio ball, you’re just pretending…..;o)

2.  The term corrective exercise is a garbage term and is something that’s thrown out there in an effort for people to make themselves sound smart.  There’s no shortage of long-winded definitions out there, but Mike gave one that was about as succinct and to-the-point as they come:

“Corrective exercise are exercises designed to enhance how well you move.”

3.  Why corrective exercises sometimes may not work:

You didn’t assess well, or worked beyond your scope.
You picked the wrong correctives.
You are only addressing part of the problem.
You jumped straight to motor control/stability (you still need to get people stronger and emphasize strength).
Person is in pain.

*** If your correctives aren’t working, don’t work harder.

4. Components of Corrective Exercise:

Alignment (if you strengthen in misalignment you’ll create an imbalance, if you stretch in misalignment you’ll create instability).
Mobility
Stability
Postural Balance

5. Integrating correctives:

Pre-Training: work on alignment (PRI breathing drills), mobility, activation, motor control.

Within the Program: A2, B2, C2 (assist the “1” lifts)

As an example:

A1.  Goblet Squat 3×8
A2.  Lying Deadbugs – 3×6/side

Post-Training:  repeat foam rolling, work on breathing drills (up-regulate parasympathetic system), etc.

And that’s going to be all for today. I told you there was a ton of information covered!  Tomorrow I’ll highlight the presentations from Eric Schoenberg, Greg Robins, Chris Howard, and myself.

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: New CP Site, Recap of Elite Training Workshop, and Boston Strong!

1.  CHECK IT!

Cressey Performance has a brand spankin new website that went live a few days ago HERE. If you have a few minutes to spare, I’d love to hear any feedback you have.

Please shoot me an email if you have anything specific you’d like to share, comment on, or point out that we can improve.

Thanks!

2.  Holy moley: My head is still reeling from the Elite Training Workshop we hosted this past weekend at Cressey Performance.  The lineup was pretty baller and could probably rival the 1927 Yankees.

You had Eric Cressey leading things off discussing the importance of anterior core training and how it’s crucial to assess and address many pathologies ranging from sports hernias to femoral acetabular impingement proximally (core) to distally.  We’re all quick to set out fires were we see the actual symptoms, but more often than not the source is elsewhere.

Looking at the core, and more specifically pelvic alignment, can have far reaching dividends as far as keeping people healthy.

Mike Robertson followed with a fantastic presentation on how to go about working with the general fitness population and helping them to not only train more athletically, but feel more athletic to boot.

One valuable piece of advice he gave was how we use basic terminology with our clients.  If you have someone who’s only goal is to shed some fat and to maybe not embarrass themselves in their recreational basketball league, do you think they really care or take any credence in “soft tissue modality” or “self myofascial release” or whatever other Feng Shui term you want to use here?

Most likely they’ll look at their program, look at you as if you had a Shakeweight in your back pocket, and probably have everything go in one ear and out there other.

Instead, Mike and his team over at I-FAST came up with their R7 System which breaks down one’s training session in a more easily chewable fashion.

Up next was the band-man himself, Dave Schmitz, who basically gave everyone a direct shot of adrenaline into their left ventricle and introduced the crowd of 170+ to the benefits of band training.  In particular he discussed the benefits of including more horizontal vector training.

I’m not exaggerating when I say Dave is a ball of energy.  He’s an awesome coach and one of the more passionate people I’ve ever come across.

I had the task of speaking right after lunch which meant it was my job to keep everyone awake after crushing food for an hour.

The title of my presentation was Training Effect: Trust Me – Your Clients Aren’t Delicate Flowers, and the premise was simple:  demonstrate to everyone that as coaches and personal trainers, you can ALWAYS find a way to train around an injury.

Specifically I spoke to shoulder impingement, how that’s a really poo-poo term and doesn’t really tell you anything, and also delved into the subtle (yet very important) differences that arise when you work with the general fitness population (computer guy) who sit in flexion all day as opposed to the overhead athlete population who live in more extension.

I also included a Han Solo, Jason Bourne, and Professor Dumbledore references, so there’s that too.

Mike Reinold followed me, and he spoke to the intricate relationship between core function and hip kinematics (as well as other nerdtastic stuff like unstable surface training and how there is some (key word: some) efficacy of its use in the healthy population). In addition he also discussed the importance of regressions, and how, sometimes, those can be the most beneficial thing you can do for an athlete/client.

Closing things off were Steve Long and Jared Woolever the co-creators of Smart Group Training, and they demonstrated how to integrate the FMS into a group training format which I thought was pretty impressive and then they took those who participated through the gauntlet.  Which was even cooler.

All in all I think it’s safe to assume that it was an awesome event for all, and people learned a lot. I know I did! Also, I wanted to thank all those who personally introduced themselves to me and had such nice things to say. It’s always humbling on my end when that happens, and it’s always cool to put a face to the name.

Thanks again to all those who attended!

And for those who didn’t – be sure to keep your eyes peeled for future Elite Training Workshops in your area!

3.  Taken from Mike Reinold’s site (<====Important)

We are all still saddened here in Boston.  It seems everyone has a connection to someone who was either impacted or part of the relief team.  For those of you around the country and world that would like to help, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino have announced the formation of The One Fund Boston to help the people most affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15, 2013.

Bob Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots has offered to match donations to The One Fund Boston, up to $100,000, if donated through the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation.  This is a fantastic opportunity to double any donation you may want to consider giving.

Huge Discount on My Products with Eric Cressey with All Proceeds Going to the One Boston Fund

I’ll personally be donating through the New Patriots Charitable Foundation, but in addition, I want to persuade you to donate as well.

Eric Cressey and I have decided to offer both Optimal Shoulder Performance and Functional Stability Training for the Core for 33% off today only, with all proceeds going to the One Boston Fund.  This is the lowest price we have ever offered either program.

For more information go to either FunctionalStability.com or ShoulderPerformance.com.  Be sure to enter coupon BOSTONSTRONG during the checkout process to get 33% off.  We will donate all proceeds from today’s purchases.

CategoriesCorrective Exercise Program Design Rehab/Prehab Strength Training

5 Reasons Your Shoulder Is Jacked Up and Not Jacked Part I

We work with a lot of overhead athletes at Cressey Performance – in particular baseball players – and it’s no coincidence that we deal with, address, work around, and (hopefully) fix a lot of shoulder issues ranging from the acute like AC joint issues and external/internal impingement to the more “oh shit factor” scenarios like shoulder separations and post surgery situations.

And using the word “acute” in this instance isn’t to downplay things like impingement (as anyone who’s had to deal with a chronic case will think otherwise), but rather it’s just to put things into perspective that some shoulder pathologies take a little more attention to detail and TLC compared to others.

As an example I can’t tell you how many times someone’s walked into the facility complaining of consistent shoulder pain preparing for the worst, only to demonstrate to them that their push-up technique is god-awful.

I didn’t need to resort to bells, whistles, and smoke machines or take a page out of Professor Dumbledore’s Magic Book of Bedazzling Hexes and Awesome Shoulder Remedies (on sale now through Amazon!) to show them how to perform a push-up correctly and to not piss their shoulder off further.

Unfortunately, it’s not always so cut and dry.  For many people out there – average Joe’s and meat heads in particular – living their day to day life with shoulder pain or discomfort is sometimes second nature.  Analogous to riding a bike, putting your left sock on before the right, or reaching for that second cup of coffee. Or fifth, don’t worry I won’t judge.

What’s more, some view it as a proverbial right of passage or badge of honor, as if living with daily pain comes with the territory for those who spend their free time lifting heavy things.

While true, there is some semblance of “risk” involved, and many will undoubtedly have a few bumps and bruises along the way (we’re lifting weights here not doing origami), just “dealing” with pain  and sucking it up isn’t an option in my book.

That said, not many things can derail one’s progress in the gym like a banged up shoulder.  Okay, a Zombie apocalypse or a raging case of explosive diarrhea rank fairly high on the list for sure.  But a nagging shoulder injury bites the big one, too.

Below, while not an exhaustive list, are some of the more common “reasons” why your shoulder may be hating you.

1.  No, Seriously, Your Technique Is Horrible

I won’t beat a dead horse here, but it stands to reason that half the reason your shoulder hurts all the time is because your exercise technique is less than exemplary.

I know, I know:  you’ve been lifting weights since stone washed jeans were considered a cool fashion trend, and there’s no conceivable way you’re doing something incorrectly.

Well, I’m here to tell you otherwise!

Taking the time to actually learn how to perform a push-up correctly or how to bench press correctly – or at the very least tweak things to make them more “shoulder friendly” – will go long ways in keeping your shoulders healthy.

It’s akin to lightly tapping your thumb with a hammer.  While seemingly not a big deal at first, before long, it’s excruciating.

Constantly performing your exercises with shitty technique day after day, week after week, and month after month will eventually lead to some bad things happening.  Namely a shoulder ouchie.

And this goes for rowing variations, too.  You’d be surprised as to how many people butcher these on a day to day basis.

A perfect example would be something as innocuous as a face pull.

* Video courtesy of the one and only Mike Robertson

I was training at a commercial gym not too long ago and watched a gentleman perform this exercise with the exact opposite form Mike demonstrates above.

For starters, he held the rope with a pronated (overhand grip) which locks you into more internal rotation and thus compromises the acromion space.

Secondly, he’d allow his scapulae to go into posterior tilt with each rep, and worse he’d substitute scapular retraction with an excessive forward head posture.

While I’m sure he had good intentions for including the exercise in his program, the execution was less than to be desired and was probably causing more harm than good.

And this goes for just about every rowing variation out there.  You’d be surprised as to how many people butcher technique and aren’t even close to performing them correctly.

Take the time do things right, and your shoulder will thank you.

 2.  Your Program Kinda Sucks

More to the point: it’s the structure of the program thats sucks. It’s common in the strength and conditioning community to talk about programming imbalances, especially as it pertains to the upper body.

Dissecting most training programs, it’s not uncommon to see significant favoritism or preponderance towards pushing exercises compared to pulling.  It’s no secret:  guys like to bench press.  And as such, many develop muscular imbalances (overactive/stiff pecs and weak/inhibited upper back musculature) which results in a less than happy shoulder.

To counteract this, many fitness professionals will advocate more pulling motions compared to pushing – oftentimes to the tube of a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio.

In other words: for every pushing exercise prescribed, they’ll “counteract” it with two to three pulling exercises.

This is sound advice, and definitely a step in the right direction for many trainees.  But we’re omitting another less obvious (yet equally as important) component, and it’s something Eric highlighted last year and that we’ve been addressing at Cressey Performance for a while now.

And that is:

While anterior/posterior imbalances are important to address, not many people give any credence to superior/inferior imbalances.

Translated into English, we also have to be cognizant of the interplay between upward and downward rotation.  More and more (especially with our baseball guys, but even in the general population as well) we’re seeing guys walk in with overly depressed shoulders. For visual reference, cue picture to the right.

Most baller t-shirt, ever ================>

This can spell trouble for those whose livelihood revolve around the ability to get their arms over their head (baseball players) as the downward rotators of the scapulae (levator, rhomboids, and especially the lats) are kicking into overdrive and really messing with the congruency and synergy between the scapulae, humeral head, glenoid fossa, and acromion process.

And this doesn’t just pertain to overhead athletes either.  We’re seeing this quite a bit in the general population as well, as we as fitness professionals have been shoving down their throat  “shoulder blades together and down, shoulder blades together and down” for years now.

In this case, some dedicated upper trap work would be advisable so as to encourage more scapular UPWARD rotation.  And no, relax, I’m NOT referring to barbell shrugs.

These wouldn’t be useful because there’s no “real” scapular upward rotation involved, and you’re doing nothing but encouraging more depression anyways.

Instead drills like Forearm Wall Slides with Shrug;

And Back to Wall Shoulder Flexion will work wonders.

Too, it may come down to toning down things like heavy deadlifts, farmer carries, and anything that entails holding onto heavy dumbbells (since all will pull the shoulder girdle down promote significant shoulder depression) in favor of more overhead/waiter carries, Goblet variations (squats, reverse lunges, etc), and barbell related work.

Just some food for thought anyways.

And that’s it for today. Be sure to check back tomorrow for some more insight and conversation on why your shoulder is jacked up and not jacked.

SPOILER ALERT: your shoulder may not be the issue in the first place!

*Smoke bomb, smoke bomb.  Exit stage left*

Also, as an a side (and giving credit where it’s due):  Title inspiration came from THIS article I read a while back on Elitefts.com.

CategoriesUncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Getting Abs, Strength Tips, and Training Women

The past few days have been full of information on my end.  Cressey Performance has been playing host to the Cressey Performance Elite Baseball Mentorship for the past three days, and it’s been unbelievable the amount of knowledge bombs Eric Cressey, Eric Schoenberg, and Matt Blake have been sharing with the over 30 people who have travelled from all over the country – New England, New York, Texas, Seattle, to name a few – to attend.

Sunday was entirely lecture based where the crew discussed much of the lame status quo in the baseball community regarding its often archaic through process with regards to “arm care” and how to train baseball players in general.

In short:  the system is broken what with teams “accepting” that injury is just part of the process.  One stat that really jumped out at me was the fact that injuries in 2011 cost clubs $487 million – or about $16 million PER TEAM – in lost revenue.

Sadly, teams are more prone to spend exorbitant amounts of benjamins on facilities, equipment, and the like, yet skimp out when it comes to spending any amount of money on proper, up-to-date, and relavent rehab.  Or even more proactive, preventative measures for that matter.

Too, the crew spent a lot of time discussing common injuries (and their mechanisms) on Sunday.  One line that I absolutely LOVED was when Eric Schoenberg noted:

If you throw with JUST your arm, than do an “arm care” program!

Essentially, Eric noted that if you’re only working on a “shoulder/arm care” program, you’re missing the whole picture.  It’s a garbage term.

Take for example that anterior core drills can actually be considered an “arm care” program.  I  mean, if one lacks appropriate core stiffness to elevate their arms over their head (which is kind of important for a baseball player to do), and their lats are stiffer than a 2×4, what’s the likelihood their shoulder is going to flip them the middle finger at some point?

Some food for thought, no?

In addition, program design and strength training considerations were discussed.  Like how one would go about managing a strength training program for a pitcher who’s “lax” as opposed to one who’s “stiff.”

And, Matt Blake spent a fair amount of time breaking down pitching mechanics and what he often looks for when tweaking guys’ deliveries.

In short, after attending on Sunday (and Monday where assessment and corrective exercise was heavily discussed) I’m pretty sure if I was at a carnival and walked past one of those “fast pitch” thingamajigs, I’d sit 90MPH, easy.

Needless to say there was a crap ton (ie: a lot) of information shared, and I definitely have a few posts lined up in my head that I write up which I think many of you will enjoy and find beneficial (even if your goal isn’t to throw a 12-6 curveball and make a batter destroy the back of his pants).

Okay, with that out of the way, lets get to this week’s list of Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work:

The Men’s Health Big Book: Getting Abs – Adam Bornstein

Since it’s now officially 2013, and many people are hightailing it to their respective local gyms in droves, I figured it was fitting to point people in the direction of a brand spankin new book that I, along with many of my fitness industry friends – Adam Bornstein, Mike Robertson, John Romaniello, James Smith, Chris Mohr, Nick Tumminello, and many others contributed to.

If you want abs, this is your ticket.

And even if you don’t want abs (or you already have them), this book is chock full of ideas and insights to help you get in the best shape possible.

Be the Man You Would Want Your Sister to Train With – Chad Landers

I thought this was a fantastic article dealing with some of the minor (albeit profound) subtleties that come with training women.

Chad hits the nail on the head with this one, and I highly recommend this to ANY trainers out there who may be reading.

Seriously, don’t skip this one.

4 Strength Training Tips You Won’t Find in Books – Jim Smith

This was an absolute gem written by Smitty (as if that’s any surprise).  I particularly like tip #3:  Not Everyone Can Be a Powerlifter. Or, for that matter, should train like one.

And that’s this week’s list.

On that note, please feel free to share or send me any articles or links to articles you like!  I’m always looking for new material to read, and could always use some new “ammo” for this series.  Either share them below to shoot me an email.

Thanks!

 

CategoriesUncategorized

The Real Rules of Assessment

The topic of assessment can be a daunting subject to tackle given there have been hundreds – if not thousands – of books, ebooks, manuals, DVDs, tapes (ha – remember those!?), brochures (and whatever other form of media you can think of) that have dissected and scrutinized every nook and cranny.

What else is there to say?  Certainly writing a blog post on the subject isn’t going to enlighten anyone –  especially considering there really isn’t anything new to say.  Likewise, it’s unlikely I’m going to say anything profound or revolutionary that will bring me accolades, a ticker tape parade, or in the event I really blow people’s minds, a Nobel Prize for Being Awesome.

Giving full disclosure, when it comes to assessment, there really is no set protocol I follow.  In the fitness world there are undoubtedly a bevy of phenomenal procedures or “systems” to utilize (FMS, NASM, Assess and Correct, to name a few) – but if I’m going to be honest, there is no ONE  that I prefer over the other.

I think Eric Cressey (my good friend, and business partner) said it best:  at Cressey Performance, with regards to assessment, we take a bit more of a “broad” approach and then dig a little deeper if need be.

Well I should clarify that statement to a degree.  With a large part of our population – specifically all of our baseball guys – we definitely start with a more targeted approach.  With them we’ll immediately delve into nitpicky things like total range of motion (IR + ER) between throwing and non-throwing sides, check their scapular upward/downward rotation, shoulder flexion, and the like.

After placing them under the microscope, we’ll then start to incorporate more generalized screens like the Thomas Test, adductor length, lunge and squat pattern, so on and so forth.

With such a specialized group of people, it only makes sense to start in that capacity.

On the flip side – with a more generalized population (those looking to lose some fat, increase their general level of badassery, or to look better neked), we’ll usually start with a more “broad” approach and then dig a little deeper if need be.

In the latter scenario, a perfect example would be someone who walks in with a history of chronic lower back pain.  In that case I’m definitely going to want to take a closer look at things and try to see if any red flags pop up that will give me more pertinent information.

The more info I have, the clearer picture I get, and the more likely I am to better ascertain what their needs are and come up with a plan of attack from a programming standpoint.

It’s in this type of scenario where having a “cherry picking” attitude towards assessment comes in handy.  I’ll take bits a pieces from the FMS, from some of Dr. McGill’s stuff, Gray Cook, Mike Boyle, Mike Robertson, Charlie Weingroff, Papa Smurf.  It’s all fair game.

Like I said:  I’m not married to one train of thought over the other.

Regardless, I do feel there are some overlying rules or “code of conduct” when it comes to assessment that I’d like to share.  And with that I’d like to share what serves as an umbrella of sorts to my general philosophy when it comes to assessment.

Rule #1: Actually, You Know, Do an Assessment

It still boggles my mind that there are still some fitness professionals out there who don’t even perform an assessment with their clients.  While I know it’s a cliched saying:  if you’re not assessing, you’re guessing.

As I alluded above, I don’t care what type of assessment you follow – everyone has their own preferences            train of thought, and I’m not here to state who’s right and who’s wrong, which systems are worthwhile and which ones are bogus.

BUT:  you’re an a-hole if you’re idea of an assessment is to just show a client the Cybex circuit. If you’re not taking your clients through an assessment, you might as well use a dartboard to write their programs.  Good luck with that.

I am by no means saying that what we do at CP should be considered the gold standard, but just to give everyone an inkling of what an assessment entails:

– Thomas Test, Seated Hip IR/ER, Supine Hip IR/ER, Adductor Length, Hamstring Length, Prone Quad Test, Prone Hip IR/ER, Shoulder IR/ER (total ROM), GIRD?, Shoulder Flexion, Say the Alphabet Backwards (for time)

This takes all of 5-10 minutes (tops) and provides a gulf of information.  For example, if I’m working with a right-handed pitcher coming in with some elbow pain, the first inclination is to look at the elbow (which we obviously do).

But if that’s all I did, and I didn’t test his lead hip IR (which we find is woefully deficient, which means he’s probably opening up on his delivery too soon, which mean’s he’s placing waaaay more valgus stress on his elbow), we’d be barking up the wrong tree.

From there, we like to get people moving.  Testing them on the table is cool and all, but when we train, we move, and I like to see how people move.

– Squat Patern

– Lunge Pattern

– Teach Em’ How to Dougie

Using a general fitness enthusiast as an example, there are several squat “screens” I’ll take people through which I highlighted in THIS article.

But if all I did was a simple overhead squat screen – which most people fail miserably at – and I didn’t dig any deeper, I may just assume that the reason why he or she can’t get to depth is because their hips are tighter than a crow bar.  This is what they’ve been told from several other trainers, so it must be true!

I’ll take people through 3-4 squat screens to see what shakes free.  With the last one I’ll have them hold a counterbalance out in front of their body, and it’s almost profound how much of an improvement you’ll see.

By holding the weight out in front of you as a counterbalance, you’re forced to engage your anterior core musculature, which in turn gives the entire body the stability it needs to allow for more squat depth.

Without performing this last screen, many would automatically assume that the reason they can’t squat to depth is because of a mobility issue, when in fact, as Alwyn Cosgrove has noted on numerous occasions, it’s a stability issue.

Without this differentiation, we can see how many people would be barking up the wrong tree, and doing themselves a massive disservice on the training side of things.

Think what would happen if we omitted or neglected to perform the last squat screen – we’d assume that we have a mobility deficit somewhere and just focus on that one component, rather than address the real issue at hand, namely lack of stability.

Rule #2: You’re Objective Isn’t To Make Them Feel Like a Walking Ball of Fail.

The objective of an assessment is to give you information, not to point out every dysfunction that the person has and make them feel like a loser.

I remember one of the biggest mistakes I made as an upcoming trainer was to try to prove to people who much smarter I was than them.  When I’d start with a new client, I’d take them through an assessment, use big words like synergistic dominance, reciprocal inhibition, and adductor aponeurosis, and try to wow them with my infinite wisdom, intelligence, and witty banter.

Really all I did was come across as a walking douche.

I’d go out of my way to point out every single dysfunction – OMG, your left pinky toe doesn’t dorsiflex 17 degrees! – and honestly, it would turn many of them off.

Don’t get me wrong:  I think it’s important (wand warranted) to point out any concerns or red flags that may appear, but it also doesn’t hurt to have some sort of social filter and tone it down on the first day.   Try not jump at every chance to tell them how much of a train wreck they are.

Rule #3: It’s Still Important to Achieve a Training Effect

Pigging backing on the point above, many trainers get a little too overzealous with assessment and fail to realize that it’s still important to give people a training effect (even if they are banged up).

Think about it this way:  would YOU want to spend an entire hour on a table getting poked and prodded like a piece of meat?  Indeed, there are cases where that’s warranted – particularly when someone presents with a unique injury history. But you might as well just toss in an episode of Army Wives and bore them to tears if all you’re going to do is test hamstring length for an hour.

GET THEM MOVING!!!!!!!!!

At CP we’ve designed our initial assessment to be half table work/showing them how to foam roll/taking them through a general dynamic warm-up and half lets-get-them-on-the training-floor-and-see-what-shakes-free  hodgepodge.

Actually SEEING whether or not your client can perform a proper hip hinge or whether he or she can perform a push-up without compensating willl provide a heckuva lot more information, in my opinion, than testing breathing patterns for 45 minutes.

Rule #4: Make Them Prove You Wrong

And lastly, this is the crux; the creme de le creme if you will.

The REAL point of an assessment is for them to prove to me that they CAN do “stuff.” Listen, I think as fitness professionals (or just general fitness enthusiast) we all know that exercises like squats, deadlifts, rows, pull-up variations, single leg work, etc are going to make the “bulk” of most training programs.

My goal is to get all of my clients squatting, deadlifting, bench pressing, and kicking ass.

What TYPE of squat or deadlift or whatever is where the assessment comes in.  If someone comes in with FAI, I’m sure as shit not going to squat them (at least not past parallel).  But I can more than likely have them perform trap bar deadlifts and single leg work without much fanfare.

Additionally, if I’m working with someone dealing with a shoulder impingement problem, I’m probably not going to have them bench press, but I can probably have them perform dumbbell floor presses (and a crap ton of horizontal rowing) and progress them from there.

The point is:  they must demonstrate to me – through the assessment process – that he or she can perform the things I want them to do in a safe manner, with flawless technique, and without pain.

More importantly (and this can’t be glazed over):  will said exercises point them in the right direction with regards to helping them attain their goals?

In many ways, this is the REAL rationale behind an assessment.  To prove to you – the fitness professional – that they can perform “x” exercise(s) without causing injury or harm.

And That’s That

The above certainly isn’t an exhaustive overview on my thoughts with assessment, but more along the lines of a quick brain dump that (hopefully) sheds some light on things I’ve learned, experienced, and adapted throughout the years.

I think at the end of the day, no one is really right or wrong when it comes to assessment.  There are certainly many, many ways to approach it.

I’d love to hear everyone else’s thoughts.  Agree? Disagree?

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work Uncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Conditioning? Review of CP Seminar, and Arnold

As this post goes live I’m most likely confined in an airplane on my way to Florida with Lisa for her cousin’s wedding.

We’re actually head to Captiva Island for three days and it’s going to be glorious. I haven’t had any direct sunlight in like two months, and I can’t even remember the last time I had a tan. 1994 maybe?

Plus, things are going to be getting uber busy at the facility within the next week or two with all of our college guys coming home for Christmas break, contributing more or less, to a “perfect storm” of pro baseball players, college baseball players, and high-school baseball players….

…..so this short getaway will serve as a welcome length of quiet before the storm.

That said, as you’re reading this, I’m sitting in a plane (clenching my butt cheeks like you wouldn’t believe), which isn’t one of my more favorite things to do.

Given a choice between lighting my face on fire or flying, lets just say I’d have to think about it.

So of course what did I do all this morning?  Like an asshat I watched videos of plane crashes, of course!

I just want to make sure I’m prepared.  You know, just in case.

Anyways, here’s this week’s stuff to read:

Conditioning is a Sham – Mark Rippetoe

I respect the hell out of Coach Rip, and it’s hard not to love anything the man’s written given his remarkable career and experience.

This article is no different.

Funnily enough, just yesterday I was joking with a few of the guys after performing a high-rep set of deadlifts (405×12), bent over and panting trying to catch my breath, that anyone who thinks strength training can’t count as “cardio” or that it can’t improve your conditioning is crazy.

You don’t need to bring your body to the brink of shitting a kidney in order to improve your conditioning.  No kidding!

1st Annual Cressey Performance Fall Seminar Review, Part II – Matt Kramer & Chad Rodgers

In the last installment of “stuff to read,” I linked to the Matt and Chad’s awesome review of the CP seminar from a few weeks ago.  Here’s part II where they cover both Eric Schoenberg’s and Chris Howard’s topics.

Thanks for doing this fellas!

Arnold Wisdom – John Romaniello

Those who are familiar with John’s writing will eat this post up.  Those who aren’t familiar – well, you’re welcome. Your world just got a little more awesome

And one more BONUS addition.

How to Get Your Period Back – Cassandra Forsythe

I know half my audience will balk at the title (and yes, it’s about EXACTLY what you think it is) but this was an absolute knowledge bomb of an article that I feel should get more attention.

On that note, I’m out!  See everyone when I get back!

CategoriesUncategorized

Cressey Performance Facility Tour

This past Saturday we celebrated the grand opening of our brand spankin new facility. As you’ll see from the video below, we’ve grown throughout the years.  What started as a rinky dink 2200 sq. foot space in the summer 0f 2007, has grown to a current 15,000+ sq. foot mecca of awesome.

The most surreal part? Our new lobby/greeting area is larger than the ENTIRE footprint of the original CP. If you can imagine, at one point, Eric, Pete, and myself shared an office.

Nonetheless, I just wanted to thank everyone who showed up this past weekend to offer their support and to help inaugurate the new space. While many of our athletes, parents of athletes, clients, and ex-interns showed up to get their lift on, there were also a fair amount of fitness friends and colleagues who made a cameo appearance as well including John Romaniello, Sean Hyson, Ben Bruno, Jen Sinkler, David Dellanave, Neghar Fonooni, Alli McKee, and Dick Talens to name a few.

In fact, we all got a pretty epic training session in at the end of the day complete with BBQ. Just to give you an idea of some of the shenanigans that went down here’s Roman and Bruno doing their best Ace and Gary impersonation teaming up on a set of Jefferson deadlifts.

Okay enough of the shenanigans.  Here’s the video. SHA-ZAM!

NOTE: Credit to myself for the Steven Spielberg’esque camera work!  Man, I’m good.

Thanks again to everyone for all their help and support.

CategoriesUncategorized

Moving Day at Cressey Performance

Yesterday was spent moving Cressey Performance from one space to another located roughly 100 yards at the other end of the building.  Surprisingly, we got A LOT more done than initially expected and all that’s left is putting down the new turf and then some aesthetic touch ups here and there (which may or may not include a massive shirtless mural blasted on one of our walls of me taking the bull by the horns, ala Ben Stiller from Dodgeball).

For those who need a visual reference – take a gander up and to the left.

Pretty sweet, right?

All kidding aside, I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who helped out yesterday (and today) for busting their asses start to finish without ever once being asked to do so.  It’s times like this where we feel so blessed and honored to have such awesome clients, colleagues, and friends willing go out of their way to lend a helping hand.

As you might expect, my hands are pretty full today, but I wanted to share a funny video that CP coach, Greg Robins, filmed from yesterday’s chaos starring Eric Cressey’s old desk.

The new Cressey Performance opens up tomorrow (August 25th) at 9 AM.  Yeah buddy!!!!!!!

From the sounds of it, there’s going to be quite the showing of fitness peeps making a cameo appearance: John Romaniello, Sean Hyson, Jen Sinkler, Neghar Fonooni, Alli McKee, Roger Lawson, and Ben Bruno to name a few.

I’m still waiting to see if Alicia Keys got the invitation.

Video tour of the new facility will be posted on Monday!

 

CategoriesUncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Holiday Weekend Edition

I’ve sequestered myself in academic quarantine for the better portion of the week getting my presentation ready for next weekend’s Spinal Health and Core Training seminar up in Edmonton (Canada) alongside the likes of Rick Kaselj, Dean Somerset, and Dr. Jeff Cubos.  Unfortunately, Megatron had a scheduling conflict.

I’m pretty excited – and maybe a teeny tiny bit nervous (I’m hyperventilating into a brown paper bag as I write this) – to have the opportunity to speak on some of the ways we go about handling spinal issues and core training with our athletes and general population clients at Cressey Performance.

My presentation is tentatively called Addressing the Core:  From Assessment to Badass. It’s either that or Your Back Hates You:  Here’s Why.  I don’t know, I’m still working with a few things, but I’m definitely leaning towards the former.

For those curious, in a nutshell I’m approaching this as a massive brain dump and plan on discussing everything from breathing patterns to squat and deadlift progressions (and a few things in between).  Hell I might even throw in a shadow puppet show for good measure.

Nevertheless, between now and next Friday I’m going to try my best to stay on top of putting up some blogs, but don’t hate me if I end up slacking in that department.  Like I said, I’m in academic quarantine mode, and I’m pretty much counting on doing nothing but reading, writing, and working on this presentation between now and then.

Oh look, Baywatch is on!!!!!

10 Hidden Expenses in Opening Your Own Strength and Conditioning Facility – Pete Dupuis

Pistol Pete makes his literary debut and goes into depth on what some of the “hidden” costs entailed when we started Cressey Performance.  Some are old, some are new……either way, it hopefully helps sheds some light to those contemplating opening their own facility.

The Truth About Cleansing and Fasting – Brad Pillon

With intermittent fasting all the rage right now, I felt this was a concise (and well researched) explanation by Brad on the merits of fasting and why those colon cleanse products that taste like sandpaper dipped in cancer are pretty much a waste of time (and money).

While I’m far from an expert on the topic, I will say that I have been toying with the concept here and there and think there’s a lot of validity to it.

For those looking for a bit more information on fasting and how to implement it into your schedule, check out John Romaniello’s Fat Loss Forever.

High School Strength Coaches: Don’t Make This Mistake – The Angry Coach

Don’t train high school kids like they’re adults

That’s the quote that summarizes this article, and I couldn’t agree more.

Many coaches (I did it too, back in the day) are quick to revert to smoke and mirrors when it comes to training their younger athletes, either for the “cool” factor or to try to impress the parents.  Look ma!  Chains!!!!!!!!!!

Listen, teaching a young athlete how to perform a proper lunge or push-up is going to be way more beneficial to his or her athletic performance than those silly agility ladders.  Above all, while focusing on strength should be paramount in terms of priorities (seriously, put those speed cones away), I’d also make the argument that taking the time to actually COACH your athletes ranks even higher.

I can’t even tell how many times I’ve had a high school kid walk into the facility boasting about his 405 lb squat, only to get STAPLED by 185 lbs because I forced him to actually squat to depth.

In any case, this was an awesome piece and I highly encourage you to check it out, and more importantly, forward it to your local high school strength coach.

CategoriesUncategorized

Cressey Performance is Hiring!!!!!

And I even used extra exclamation points, so you know it’s kind of a big deal.

You read the title correctly; we are currently in the process of setting things in motion to hire a new strength and conditioning coach at Cressey Performance.

This is the first time we’ve ever posted a job externally, as all previous hires have been from our internship program. In this case, we’ll be opening this opportunity up to the masses.  A few quick notes:

1. The application deadline is March 10.

2. We’ll be selecting a candidate by April 15, and the position will begin on May 15 (this date is negotiable).

3. Please, please, please read the application instructions carefully!

We have a specific email address in place for all job-related submissions and inquiries, and it will be a big bottleneck if applicants start emailing and calling us directly via our normal business email and phone number.  Thanks for understanding in this regard.

You can learn everything you need to know by downloading the application instructions and job description PDF at the following link: CP Job Description and Application Info

Hope to hear from you soon!