CategoriesAssessment Corrective Exercise Program Design

Accessing T-Spine Extension For Healthy Shoulders

There are many things that can make your shoulder(s) hate life.

  • Poor programming balance
  • Less than stellar exercise technique
  • Muscular imbalances
  • Bony adaptations (acromion type
  • Poor scapular kinematics
  • Orcs

And, for some, we could even make the case for faulty breathing mechanics and/or contralateral hip/ankle mobility restrictions.

I try not to get that into the weeds when it comes to people’s shoulders, though. It comes across as too voodoo(ish). That’s a word right?

If someone’s shoulders are cranky I like to keep things simple and start where I most often see issues…….

……their left ventricle.

HAHA, just kidding.

It’s the thoracic spine.

Copyright: remains / 123RF Stock Photo

Accessing T-Spine Extension For Shoulder Health

Having the ability to extend the thoracic spine is a game changer for many people, especially for those who tend to be sequestered for hours on end in front of a computer on a day-to-day basis.

For lack of a better term, a lot of cool shit happens with extension:

  • The shoulder blades can retract and upwardly rotate.
  • It’s much easier to get the arms overhead.
  • It’s easier to keep the chest up during squats and deadlifts.
  • It makes for a “better” bench press. I.e., shoulder blades can retract and depress providing a more stable base of support.
  • It makes you 17.2% more attractive.1

The thoracic spine (thorax for the nerds in the room) is the “anchor” of the shoulder blades. Ideally we like to see congruency between the ribcage/thorax/t-spine/whatchamacalit and the shoulder blades.

When someone is a bit more kyphotic (rounded) in that area it makes it almost impossible for this to happen because the shoulder blades will often be more abducted and anteriorly tilted.

This can setoff a domino effect of other shenanigans such as a narrowing of the acromion space (for example), which in turn leads to rotator cuff issues, which then leads to not being able to bench press without pain, which, as we all know, means the Apocalypse is upon us.

Let’s avoid the Apocalypse.

To that end I’d like to take this time to share some of my “go to” T-Spine Extension drills I use with my own clients and athletes on a weekly basis.

1. T-Spine Extension Off a Foam Roller (Performed In a Way That Doesn’t Make Me Want to Swallow Live Bees)

Likely the most recognizable drill many gravitate towards – and for good reason (it’s a good one) – is T-Spine Extension off a foam roller.

However, many tend to go waaaaaaay too far with their total range of motion on this to where it becomes more of a lumbar spine movement.

Here’s how to do it correctly:

 

2. Prone T-Spine Extension

I reserve “fancy” for choosing a nice restaurant for a date night with my wife.2

I don’t feel the need to get fancy with my T-spine extension drills.

The Prone T-Spine Extension drill is a fantastic way to build mid-back endurance.

 

3. Child’s Pose Back Extension Off Med Ball

What’s great about this variation is that when we adopt the “child’s pose” (knees tucked underneath) we OMIT the lumbar spine.

So now the only area we can get movement is the t-spine.

 

4. Pigeon Stance w/ Reach Through & Extension

Taking the previous concept and upping the ante a little bit is this exercise I “stole” from Dean Somerset.

If we want to talk about a drill that provides a TON of benefit for our training buck this is it.

 

Here we get a stellar hip mobility/glute stretch, while at the same time taking the lumbar spine out of the equation (because that’s NOT where we want movement from).

Too, with the reach through (and then extension) we’re getting a double whammy effect of mid-back mobility goodness.

NOTE: I like to add in an inhale (through the nose) on the reach through and then a FULL exhale (out the mouth) as the individual extends back up.

NOTE #2: My tricep looks fucking amazing in this video.

5. Wall T-Spine Extension w/ Lift Off

 

This drill is a doozy as well.

Pushing the hips back and “settling” into your accessible t-spine extension ROM is money enough for most people. But when you add in the end-range “lift off” (lifting the hands off the wall) at the end, it adds that little “eff you” component not many people will like.

Be careful not to crank through your lower back on this one!

6. Goblet Squat w/ Overhead Reach

 

You can thank Dr. Quinn Henoch for this one.

This one is more challenging than it looks, so way on the side of conservative when choosing the loads you use.

I’m using a 10 kg kettlebell in this video and am pretty sure I blacked out after shooting this video.

Want More Shoulder Magic?

Join me IN-PERSON for two upcoming Fall workshops I am putting on. I cover shoulder/hip assessment, programming strategies, the concept of the TRAINABLE MENU, favorite Decepticons, and much, much more.

1. Strategic Strength Workshop (w/ Luke Worthington) – October 8-9th @ West Hollywood, CA

2. Coaching Competency Workshop – October 20th @ Rochester, NY

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 1/8/21

Copyright: neirfy / 123RF Stock Photo

CHECK THIS OUT FIRST

1.  Kabuki Education Week is Coming

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be one of 55+ industry leaders taking part in Kabuki Education Week that’ll be taking place February 1-7, 2021.

Kabuki Education Week – Hosted by Kabuki Strength – is a unique opportunity to attend 40+ live hour-long lectures (with Q&A) presented by the most respected and well established educators, coaches, clinicians, and athletes in the strength & fitness industry. This event brings together a wealth of knowledge across multiple domains; all condensed into week-long virtual format that allows you to attend as many courses as you choose with the added opportunity to purchase recordings.

You can register for my presentation (and save 50% through the end of the year) – The Hip: From Assessment to Badass – HERE.

Alternatively you can register for the ENTIRE event at the Early Bird rate – HERE.

This will undoubtedly be an event you won’t want to miss as the line-up, speaking as a fan boy myself, is one of the most impressive I have ever seen.

2. CORE @ Home

You can now purchase CORE @ Home for whatever you want to pay.

During the first quarantine I started a platform where I’d deliver 20-40 minute workouts that could be performed in everyone’s living room using minimal equipment.

In all I filmed 36 workouts using nothing but bodyweight, bands, and kettlebells and/or dumbbells. With many people still reticent to head back to their regular gyms (not to mention the scarcity of gym equipment out there to purchase) I figured this would be a nice opportunity to help.

Now that many parts of the US (and world) have started to implement a second wave of shut-downs, this resource is timely.

Whether you want to spend $1 or $99 (FYI: the latter enters you to win a 5×7 shirtless pic of me), the workouts are ready and available to start.

For more information go HERE.

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STUFF TO READ WHILE YOU’RE PRETENDING TO WORK

Stretching For Health & Performance: Duration Matters – Justin Farnsworth

This has always been (and always will be) a contentious topic amongst fit pros.

I know the title may make some eyes roll: Really? A stretching article?

It’s well worth the read. Trust me.

My 14 Most Popular Home Workout Instagram Posts From 2020 – Meghan Callaway

Few were more prolific on IG this past year posting relatable, easy-to-implement content than Meghan Callaway.

She has a legit brain.

Two Decades in the Gym – Eric Cressey

Consistency wins.

Also, it’s less about the destination and more about the process.

Oh, and also again: I was Eric’s personal bench press hander-offer guy for two full years, arguably when his bench was the best it ever was. Just sayin…;o)

Awesome post from my boy.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 11/2/18

Copyright: wamsler / 123RF Stock Photo

BUT FIRST…CHECK THIS STUFF OUT

1. (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – Los Angeles, CA

This workshop will piggyback on the material Dean Somerset and I covered in the original Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.

We just returned from Slovenia where we taught the course to 40+ fitness professionals from across nine different countries. We received amazing feedback

With this iteration, though, we’ll be going a bit deeper into the coaching and programming side of things:

  • How to program around common injuries.
  • How to “connect” the appropriate exercises to the client/athlete.
  • How to squat and deadlift like a boss.

All who register will:

1. Receive free access to the digital version of the first series.

2. Receive 1.4 continuing education credits via the NSCA.

3. You also get a super secret bonus we won’t reveal until the weekend of. HINT: Attendees are blown away by how cool is is.1

To register and for moe details go HERE.

 2. Coaching Competency Workshop – NYC

I’ll be back in the city that never sleeps this Fall to put on my popular Coaching Competency workshop. Albeit this will be condensed version (five hours instead of seven); a fitness amuse bouche if you will.

Honestly a better title for this workshop would be: From Assessment to Clients.

I’ll go into detail on how to create better “buy in” with potential clients, in addition to creating a better (current) client experience starting with the assessment to programming suggestions.

Full details (itinerary, location, and cost) can be found HERE.

SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS

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Here’s another gleaming example of how TRAINING is corrective. . First picture shows a clear asymmetry and lack of Shoulder flexion on the left side. What’s the culprit? . It could be a few things: capsular issue, lack of scapular rotation, soft tissue restriction, lack of lumbo-pelvic control, it’s Wednesday? I don’t know. . I have to respect my lane and understand it’s not my job as a strength & conditioning coach to diagnose. . I can, however, assess movement, use my knowledge of anatomy, and perform a little trial and error to see if I can improve things. . What actions have to happen at the scapulae to get the arms overhead? . – Upward rotation – Protraction – Posterior tilt . Emily wasn’t getting much upward rotation on that left side, so I had to think about what muscles help with that action? . – Upper and lower traps – Serratus . I noticed she also had a more depressed shoulder girdle as a whole; her clavicular angle was more horizontal rather than having a slight upward grade. . I surmised her UPPER traps needed some attention. They often get a bad rap and are avoided like a Coldplay concert. We often forget the upper traps are a major player in UPWARD ROTATION, not to mention help with scapular elevation…both of which, in my eyes, Emily could use some more of. . I didn’t get over corrective with her and have her start performing some voodoo shenanigans like tap her big toe three times while flossing her teeth with a strain of hair from a Hippogriff. I didn’t have her perform a laundry list of correctives that would likely bore her to tears. . Nope, I had her TRAIN and just modified a few things. We did: . – Landmine Presses with a Shrug/Reach – Face Pulls in an upwardly rotated position (so the upper traps were engaged) – And instead of performing movements that would pull her into more shoulder depression and downward rotation (deadlifts, farmer carries, etc) we opted for Landmine Squats, Zercher RDLs, and Hip Thrusts. . In short: we turned shit on (upper traps) and trained movements that (likely) wouldn’t feed into the root causes of her symptoms. . The second pic was taken at the end of her session. I’m Gandalf.

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STUFF TO READ WHILE YOU’RE PRETENDING TO WORK

4 Best Compound Sets For Size – Lee Boyce

Are compound sets the same as super sets?

Nope.

Is this is an awesome article by my boy Lee?

Yup.

Assessments You May Be Overlooking: Installment 6 – Eric CresseyEric possesses a keener eye than most when it comes to assessments.

He sees stuff many of us mere mortals overlook. I wouldn’t be surprised if he can see SOULS.

Nonetheless, per the usual…Eric is smart and provides some great insights in this latest installment of Assessments You May Be Overlooking.

And, you totally are. Me included.3

Should You Fear Lumbar Flexion? – Sam Spinelli

I’m a little late in getting to this article (it was written in August), but that’s par for the course when you have a toddler at home.

EXCELLENT stuff by Sam here.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 4/15/16

FINALLY…I weekend of no travel.

Not that I’m complaining. I actually like to travel and enjoy the opportunities I get to visit various cities and towns, meet new people, and catch up with old friends/colleagues.

It’s just, you know, sometimes you feel like you’ve been run over by a Mack truck.

So I’m really looking forward to a weekend home with my wife and enjoying the beautiful weather we’re expecting to have in Boston.

After that, though, it’s game on:

PHILADELPHIA – Sunday, April 24th @ War Horse Barbell

KANSAS CITY – April 29-30th, The Fitness Summit

In addition to Dean Somerset and I taking our Complete Shoulder & Hip Training Workshop to both PRAGUE (Czech Republic) and OSLO (Norway) in May.

It’s going to be a whirlwind to say the least for the next several weeks, but, again, nothing t0 complain about.

I mean, I’m going to freakin Europe!

Without further ado, lets get to this week’s list.

Smarter, Faster, Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business – Charles Duhigg

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Duhigg’s first book, The Power of Habit, so it wasn’t a hard sell for me to swipe this book off the bookshelf when I saw it a few weeks ago.

We all know someone in our lives who can seemingly juggle responsibilities of work and home life, yet still have time to coach three different youth teams, read poetry to orphans, and still workout 5x per week.

It’s nuts. How do they have the time to do it?

Read the book….;o)

10 Random Thoughts on Fitness Industry Success – Eric Cressey

Eric first spoke on the Perform Better Tour when he was 25.

Unreal.

Another fun fact about Eric: when he and I lived together, while I’d be in the living room watching Lord of the Rings for the 47th time, he’d be in his room writing Maximal Strength.

The man had unparalleled work ethic even then.

This was an awesome read by Eric, and something I hope the bulk of fitness pros reading take the time to read themselves.

Deadlifts: Which Type is Best For You? – Mike Robertson

I posted a video on my IG account a few weeks ago of a woman I had just started working with – literally, it was her first session with me – and I was able to get her to deadlift from the floor without any pain for the first time in years.

I had her perform a modified sumo-stance deadlift.

She crushed it. It looked good, it was pain-free, and I was able to show her SUCCESS on day #1. Win-win-win.

Of course, several coaches chimed in questioning my coaching abilities because I didn’t have her perform a conventional deadlift. Apparently they deemed me an inferior coach because of it.

It’s the internet. It’s to be expected.

Anyways, this is why I LOVED this article by Mike. Not everyone HAS to deadlift conventionally, and not everyone HAS to deadlift from the floor.

At the end of the day: any competent coach will understand that the BEST approach is one that’s best suited for the individual, and not to stoke his or her’s ego.

CategoriesProduct Review Program Design

The Single Biggest Mistake Most People Make With Their Training Programs

Full Disclosure: Today is a repurposed post written last year and coincides with Eric Cressey placing his resource, High Performance Handbook, on sale this week for $30 off the regular price.

Sale notwithstanding, it’s still a good post. You should read it.

The Single Biggest Mistake People Make With Their Training Programs

I want to tell you about a friend of mine. Lets call him Matt Damon.

For the record, no, Matt Damon isn’t his real name. In fact this friend I’m referring to doesn’t even exist (or star in any Jason Bourne movies).

Rather, he serves as a metaphor for many of you reading this post.

You see Matt is like many of you who, unknowingly or not, repeats the same mistake time and time again when it comes to his (or her!) training.

To his credit, “Matt” makes it a point to ensure the bulk of his training revolves around the compound lifts.

Instead of an “arms and shoulders day, “ he performs a chin-up day; instead of a “hamstring and anterior tibialis day,” he performs a deadlift day; and well, you get the idea.

Likewise, while he generally prefers to lift weights 3-4 times per week, he’s not immune to stepping outside that bubble, understands that variety is the spice of life, and enjoys doing other things. Every now and then he’ll attend the Bikram yoga class or spin class or hell, he’s even been known to spend an afternoon hiking or playing Ultimate Frisbee.

At the end of the day, though, his heart and passion lies in the gym and tossing around some iron.

But here’s the thing: he loves to lift weights. That’s what he eats, drinks and breaths. He spends a lot of his free time reading fitness websites like T-Nation.com, Men’s Health, or various blogs (even this one!)4, and he’s been doing it for a few years now.

Yet, he’s never been really happy with his results.

Matt hasn’t sniffed a PR in months (if not longer), he always seems to have some kind of nagging injury – a tweaked shoulder here, a dinged up knee there – and he can’t remember the last time he looked in the mirror and thought to himself, “are those my pecs or a steel plate I have on my chest?”

He’s more or less spinning his wheels.

Does this sound vaguely familiar? Can you relate?  What the hell is he/you doing wrong?

It’s certainly not lack of effort or desire.

I’ll Tell You What’s Wrong

You know that popular saying, “The best program is the one you’re not doing?”

Well, I think a more cogent saying should be,

“The best program is the one you’re not doing, and the one you’ll actually follow for more than a week at a time.”

In other words: Far too many people tend to fall in the trap of program hopping.

One week Matt wants to focus on fat loss, only to do a complete 180 after reading an article the following week talking about a kick-ass Smolov squat cycle.

Then, inevitably, he’ll join his local CrossFit box and do that for a few weeks. That is, of course, until he’s done so many kipping pull-ups and burpees that he hates life or can’t feel the right side of his face.

Which ever comes first.

And then he’ll come across yet another program that promises to add four inches to his biceps, 50 lbs to his bench press, and help him speak fluent Mandarin in a month.

Oh, but wait – two weeks into that program he forgets he promised his girlfriend he’d train for a 5K with her scheduled later next month.

Shit. Goodbye gainz.

You get the point. And I have a fair assumption that, while the above example(s) are a bit exaggerated, many of you reading are sitting their with your tail between your legs.

Many begin an exercise program (whichever it may be), only to follow it for a week, or worse, days, and don’t get immediate results…then blame everything on the program.

Guilty as charged, right?

Program hopping can have a number of detrimental effects:

1.  You never give the body the chance to truly adapt to anything. While it’s a good thing to NOT perform the same things over and over again for months on end (which a lot of trainees make a mistake of doing); the same can be said for switching things up too often.

More to the point: There’s a distinct lack of skill development. You never get “good” or develop proficient at doing anything.

It’s a pendulum that’s swung either too far to the left (not changing anything) or too for to the right (program hopping), and what most people need is to swing it back to the middle.

2.  Moreover, with program hopping, it makes it much more of a challenge to gauge actual progress.

As noted above, if one week you’re performing a deadlift specialization program only to switch gears three weeks later to follow a bench press specialization program, how the heck do you expect to measure progress?

I don’t know if there’s such a thing as program hopping Adderall, but I will say that for most people, most of the time, what will help them most is a program that will give them structure.

Something that will lock them in and keep their focus for more than a week at a time.

A program that will give them purpose, a goal. Results!

Boom, Goes the Dynamite

A few years ago my good friend, business partner, and long-time training partner, Eric Cressey, released his flagship resource Show and Go.

To say it was a popular program and a huge success would be an understatement. It helped countless people nail personal records they never thought possible, take their physiques to another stratosphere, not to mention helped thousands to learn to move better and feel like a million bucks.

As much as the programming was top-notch, I think the biggest benefit was that it held people accountable and kept them on track for an extended period of time.

It gave them focus!

And like magic, people finally attained results.

A few years later Eric released his second digital training program, The High Performance Handbook.

It’s everything Show and Go was/is, but 10x better.

For movie buffs out there reading, it’s like this: The Godfather was the shiz. But the Godfather II? Well, that mofo slapped you in the face and called you it’s daddy.

High Performance Handbook is The Godfather Part II (<– Eric, you have my permission to use that as a blurb).

It’s been a very popular program, one of the best selling programs on the internet since its initial release, and it’s currently on SALE at $30 off the regular price.

NOTE: I recognize everyone who’s anyone in the industry is highlighting the sale today (and all this week for that matter5.) on their respective blogs and websites.

And rightfully so…it’s an awesome program.

But unlike everyone else, I’ve actually seen the program performed in the flesh and KNOW how well it works.

1. First off, The High Performance Handbook allows anyone who purchases it to customize the program to fit their body-type. There’s a self-assessment component that no other training program has implemented before.

Rather than provide a cookie-cutter program – which, lets be honest, is how things have to be done over the internet when you have limited (if any) actual face time with people – Eric made it a priority that people would be able to modify the program based off their body type, exercise frequency, as well as equipment availability. So, in many ways, this is as NON-cookie cutter of an internet program as you can get.

2. This is about as close as anyone is going to get to training at Cressey Sports Performance without actually stepping foot in Cressey Sports Performance.  The templates used and the exercises provided have been tested (and proven to work) time and time again, and are the EXACT same protocols we use to turn people into tanks on a daily basis.

3. Speaking of exercises:  Eric filmed over 200+ videos for this product, including all the coaching cues and bullet points we use with our athletes and clients at the facility.  That’s over three hours of content on its own.

4. Lastly, there are some pretty sweet bonuses involved from fellow Cressey Sports Performance coaches Miguel Aragoncillo and Andrew Zomberg

In all,  you’ll have the option of purchasing the Gold Package (which includes the Nutrition Guide) for $30 off the regular price, or the Silver Package (no Nutrition Guide) for $30 off the regular price as well.

I tried convincing Eric into tossing in a 5×7 picture of me flexing to help sweeten the pot, but he didn’t bite. Pfffft, whatever.

Both options are a steal considering you’re getting 16 weeks of programming with Eric coaching you every step of the way.

The sale’s almost over. Act now. You won’t be sorry.

—-> The High Performance Handbook<—-

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 9/11/14

Well, if you’re reading this post you know I landed safely in the UK!!

I purposely didn’t program this post to go up automatically because 1) I’m superstitious and 2) due to my proclivity for superstition, I somehow convinced myself that if I pre-programmed this post to go up – due to travel – something bad would happen, because, you know, I’m logical like that.

In any case I made it (!!!), and I’m so stoked to be here and this is pretty much what I looked like when I stepped off the plane and went through customs at Heathrow:

By now, after this post goes live, I’m either aimlessly walking the streets of London doing my best impersonation of Austin Powers or asking around for directions to where they’re filming Star Wars.

Or on a quest for some Cadbury chocolate (per the request of Lisa).

Before Dean and I melt people’s brains with strength and conditioning knowledge this weekend, I have a day and a half to be a tourist here in London, so if anyone has any recommendations (that aren’t too “touristy”) I’d love to hear them and take any suggestions in the comments section below!

And now this week’s list of stuff to read…..

How Prolonged Sitting Impacts Your Body – Michael Mullin (via EricCressey.com)

In other news, water is wet; you need to breath oxygen in order to live; and Justin Bieber is a douche to the douchiest degree.

9 Ways to Use Mechanical Advantage Drop Sets For Strength – John Romaniello

Looking to add a little variety to your training repertoire? Or, maybe you’re looking to bring up a lagging or weak body part?  Try adding in some mechanical advantage drop sets!

Back Pain? Here Are the Best Positions for Sex – Dr. Stuart McGill

I don’t care if we’re talking about getting out of a chair, lifting weights, sex, or back friendly twerking moves, if Dr. McGill chimes in I’m going to listen.

You know you’re going to click.  Do it! Do it. Do it!  Pun totally intended.

CategoriesAssessment Corrective Exercise

Tendinitis vs. Tendinosis: Yes, There’s a Difference

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the filming of Eric Cressey and  Mike Reinold’s next phase in their Functional Stability Training series, Functional Stability Training – Upper Body.

As an FYI:  the first two modalities, Functional Stability Training – Core, and Functional Stability Training – Lower Body, can be accessed HERE.

Think of the whole shebang as on par with The Dark Knight trilogy.  All stand alone pieces are equally badass in their own right, but as a whole……can be considered mindblowing.

Yesterday entailed the filming of the “hands-on” or lab portion, and Cressnold (as I like to call them) took volunteers from the audience and placed them through a few shoulder screens/assessments to demonstrate that not all shoulders are created equal.

More importantly, they took it as an opportunity to demonstrate to everyone that how “we” approach treating and addressing certain dysfunctions can drastically change from one shoulder to the next.

And, as it happened, I ended up being one of their guinea pigs, as seen below in a “behind the scenes” shot.

Basically, it went down like this:

Mike:  would anyone be willing to take their shirt off?

[dead sprint from my seat]

Me:  Can The Rock smell what’s cookin?  Does a bear shit in the woods?  Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back?  YOU WANT MY PANTS OFF TOO????

I suspect that my 20 minute shirtless cameo will be a huge selling point for Eric and Mike when they finally release this module.

Learn the secrets behind an effective shoulder screen/assessment.  

Find out how both Mike and Eric choose what treatment and corrective exercise progressions come into play based off a thorough shoulder assessment.

Watch Tony squeeze his pecs and turn a piece of coal into a diamond!

Okay, all facetiousness aside, it was a FANTASTIC event and it should come as no surprise that Mike and Eric helped make a lot of people a heckuva lot smarter.

One key point that I want to discuss today which Mike hit on briefly during one of his talks, is the notion of tendinitis and tendinosis.

Many people think the two are one in the same and that both should be lumped together (like Star Wars and Star Trek.  You know, cause both take place in space) with regards to how we go about assessing and addressing each.

This is wrong, and here’s why.

– itis = is the Greek suffix for inflammation.

– osis = is the Greek suffix which denotes actions, conditions, or states. In the context of this conversation it refers to degeneration.

Someone with acute elbow pain or discomfort for example has tendinITIS.  You can palpate the area, the person will say “ow,” tell them to apply ice, take some ibuprofen for a few days, lay low on things that exacerbate symptoms, and they should be fine within a few weeks, if not days.

Conversely, someone with a more chronic, insidious condition has tendinOSIS.  You can palpate the area, the person will probably want to punch you in the face (but it could just as easily be more acute discomfort like the example above), but in this case, despite icing, popping NSAIDS, and rest, the condition, even after six months hasn’t gotten any better.

The problem here is actual degeneration of the joint, and it’s in this scenario we need to look more outside the box.

In keeping with the elbow example, someone with tendinitis will typically – not always – respond well with dedicated manual therapy on the problem area itself alongside your standard ice/rest protocol.

If the issue doesn’t resolve and it continues for months on end (tendinosis), and as Mike pointed out, sometimes you need to look elsewhere along the kinetic chain to see what’s the TRUE culprit.

It’s something he’s routinely referred to as The Kinetic Chain Ripple Effect.

When dealing with a more chronic issue, you still need to look at the affected area (in this case the elbow), but you also need to look at other factors elsewhere.

You can treat the elbow all you want with manual therapy and corrective exercise, but if someone has atrocious T-spine mobility, is overly kyphotic, and has forward head posture, wouldn’t it make sense to address those “red flags?”

Interestingly, Mike worked with someone yesterday during his presentation who had elbow pain, and one of the first things he did was test her grip strength bilaterally.  It should come as no surprise that she was weaker on the side which hurt to squeeze.

After coaching her on her posture – getting the shoulders back and posteriorly tilted, learning to brace the abs and posteriorly tilt the pelvis, and to tuck the chin – he retested her grip and she immediately saw a 16% increase (and it was less painful!).

And all he did was place her into better alignment!

There’s no doubt that she would still need soft tissue work to address her elbow, but many of her symptoms were corrected by taking a closer look at her shoulder and head position!

All of this to say:  if you’re a personal trainer or strength coach and have a client with a nagging injury that hasn’t gotten better with traditional ice, rest, and NSAIDS, it’s a safe bet that it’s not just a simple case of tendinitis, and you’re dealing with something more chronic like a tendinosis (or, actual degeneration of a joint).

Step one would be to refer out to your network and have him or her work with a manual therapist.

Step two, and something which you can take more of the reigns on, would be to keep an eye out for other factors such as posture or any movement dysfunctions who may notice.

More often than we think an “elbow issue” isn’t just something that’s wrong with the elbow. Likewise, a “knee issue” could be something fishy going on elsewhere. We can’t assume it’s solely the knee.

I like to put all the blame on CrossFit….;o)  Just kidding.  Kinda.

What are you thoughts?  Agree?  Disagree?  Tomato? Tomahto?  I’d like to hear everyone else’s thoughts on the matter.

CategoriesMotivational Strength Training

Why It’s Not Always JUST About Strength

“One more!  Get it! Yeah!  All you, all you, all you. Just the pinkies.  JUST…….THE……PINKIES!!!”

We’ve all been there.  Rolling our eyes at the two meatheads who are screaming at one another and drawing attention to themselves as they eek out one more rep on the bench press, or squeeze out another rep in the squat rack, or, I don’t know, engage in an epic thumb war battle.  Who knows?

The point is, we’ve all seen it happen. Or, more to the point, have been there ourselves (don’t worry, I won’t judge).

While 95% of the time the guttural screams we hear at the gym are nothing more than some lame song and dance to garner attention or some alpha-male power play akin to a peacock spreading its feathers, sometimes, on rare occasions, it just comes down to someone working their tail off.

And that should be commended.  To an extent.

Let me expound a bit.

You see, deep down inside I’m a meathead at heart.  I’ve been lifting weights since I was 13, and can remember vividly the Christmas morning when I got my first weight training set from my parents (I mean Santa).  It was one of the best mornings of my life, and I can remember like it was yesterday how I instantly plopped down on the bench to bang out a few reps of bench presses.  All in the comfort of my He-Man pjs. It was awesome.

The next 10-15 years were filled with your prerequisite training career.  I can recall doing my fair share of bicep curls in front of the mirror just outside my bedroom door while my stereo cranked out the likes of Wu-Tang Clan and Stone Temple Pilots.

I can only imagine what was going through mama Gentilcore’s head as I was upstairs cranking out curls and push-ups as Wu-Tang Clan’s Ain’t Nuthin to F*** Wit was shaking the windows.

Ma!  The meatloaf!

It was business as usual all through high-school and college.  As my baseball career developed I spent more and more time in the weight room as a means to an end.  My goal was to play professional baseball (and to make out with Mariah Carey. It was the mid-90s, sue me!) and I’d spend much of my free time working out and doing what I needed to do to make myself better.

I won’t sugar-coat anything: While I had a few professional looks and tryouts, it didn’t pan out.

After I was done playing, my goals then turned to what else: getting jacked. While I was able to make some progress in the gym – it wasn’t until I started my first job in corporate fitness and started reading sites like T-Nation that I started to place a premium on STRENGTH!

It’s hard to believe, but I didn’t perform my first deadlift until 2003, when I was 25.

A funny (and looking back, a not so coincidental) thing happened once I started training for strength. I got results!  I went from 180 to 21o lbs in less than a year, and while all of that was cool……..I was no where near closer to making out with Mariah Carey.

For the record:  I’m still referring to mid-late 90s Mariah, not the hooched out diva, uppity bitch of today.  And yes, I realize that at this point in the story I’m past the 90s, and unless I have a flux capacitator in my back pocket the chronological order doesn’t jive. Whatever Einstein.  It’s my story, just roll with it.

Getting back on task – I’m a strength guy.  I wouldn’t call myself a strength coach if I wasn’t.  I feel strength and getting stronger should be the backbone of anyone’s program.  You can’t have things like power, agility, endurance, charm, and unwittingly good looks without first having a solid foundation of strength.

Likewise, there aren’t many guys (or girls) out there who have built impressive or admirable physiques who aren’t strong.

One of the best analogies I’ve ever come across about why strength is important is to think of it as a glass.

What kind of glass are we talking about here?  A standard 8 oz glass?  A wine glass?  An Optimus Prime collectors mug I got in a Happy Meal circa 1985?  This post is just chock full of nostalgia today!

Well, any glass really. The idea, though, is to make the glass bigger!

This is an analogy I first heard from Eric Cressey, and again later on from Master RKC instructor, Brett Jones.

Think of strength as a glass, and the water inside the glass as all the “qualities” we train for:  endurance, strength-endurance, power, agility, speed strength, strength speed, having the ability to somehow take F.O.R.E.V.E.R in the bathroom getting ready (ladies?), you know, those types of things.

The smaller your glass, the less “qualities” you’re able to express, let alone at a high level.  That said…..

Strength is the basis for everything. 

You can’t be “fast” without having some semblance of strength (or horsepower) in reserve.  You can’t improve your timed mile, or taking a bit further, your marathon time if you can’t generate more force into the ground to propel yourself forward.

The larger you make your glass, the more liquid you’re able to place inside said glass, and the likelihood your performance improves.  Whatever your endeavors may be.

That said, and going back to the example of the two meatheads above, as much as I LOVE strength and getting people stronger, and as much as I respect people who work hard and get “after it,” it does come at a price.

In other words:  you can’t ALWAYS grind out reps and beat your joints to a pulp, and a well-rounded program isn’t SOLEY about lifting as much weight as possible until your knees or shoulder or spine feels like tossing you the middle finger.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before………

Eric Cressey released a book this week!

You’ve no doubt been inundated with countless posts, tweets, and Facebook statuses from other fitness professionals about The High Performance Handbook this week.  And getting the obvious out of the way, this was a post “disguised,” in large part, to support Eric’s new book, to sell a few copies, and yes, to help fund my insatiable ice-cream habit…..;o)

Speaking truthfully, however, the main impetus was to help get a quality product into the hands of people who need it.

There are a boatload of people out there haphazardly going to the gym each and every day not making progress, and more often than not, causing more harm than good.

Sure many are lifting weights, but many are lifting weights poorly.  On top of that many don’t understand that a well-rounded program entails much more than just hoisting weights off the ground, and that if more people learned to tweak a program to fit their body-type, needs, and capabilities on top of addressing movement quality, that they would see profound differences in not only how they feel but how they look too.

And that’s the crux of The High Performance Handbook and what separates it from the masses.

Make no mistake:  you’re going to lift heavy things and hate life at certain points.

But it’s not just about lifting weights.

It’s also about moving well, and also understanding how to lift weights correctly.

I think most people reading this site knows my affiliation with Eric, and by extension Cressey Performance. This resource is about as close as you’re going to get to training at CP without actually being at CP, and it goes without saying that I feel the “system” works.

To that end, you only have until TONIGHT (SATURDAY, October 26th) at MIDNIGHT to take advantage of the introductory sale price.  After that the price goes up significantly.*

UPDATE:  it’s been brought to my attention that Eric’s extended the offer to come train at Cressey Performance. Anyone who purchases the book before the deadline, will be entered to win an all expenses paid trip to come train at Cressey Performance. We can totally like, hang out and stuff!

—-> The High Performance Handbook <—-

* = and a baby seal cries.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 10/24/13

Sooooo, I heard through the grapevine that Eric Cressey released some sort of product this week?

I jest.

I know everyone and their Little League coach has been promoting it this week on their blogs and various social media outlets, and you know what?  Good!

[For those who may have missed it earlier this week, HERE’s my review of The High Performance Handbook.]

There’s a lot of garbage that gets released all over the internet on a daily basis promising abs in six minutes or the body of your dreams in 20 minutes, three days per week, or, for the more gullible, a program which guarantees immediate results using some kind of magical formula like showering underneath a rainbow every 3rd Friday.  But only if you’re holding hands with a Leprechaun.

Again, I jest. But suffice it to say I’ve seen some doozies out there, and it never ceases to amaze me what people will buy (or believe) in order to be told that they don’t need to work hard (and smart!) to attain the results they want.

The High Performance Handbook

For what mounts to $20 per month (it’s a four month program), you can have one of the best strength coaches in the world in your corner coaching you every step of the way.  Unlike many online programs, The High Performance Handbook can easily be CUSTOMIZED to fit your body-type (there’s actually a thorough video assessment to help you ascertain what your body-type is), training schedule, and equipment availability.

All of it is under the guise to help you kick-ass in the gym, attain results (strength and aesthetic) that you never thought possible, and without sugar coating anything.  You’ll need to work. Probably harder than you’ve ever worked before.  But the if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to train at Cressey Performance, this is your chance.

The Diet Delusion – Jen Comas Keck

I read this post by Jen last week and felt it needed to be read by more people, if for nothing else to help nudge people into a little dose of reality.

Sorry, you can’t crush Pop-Tarts on a daily basis and get shredded.  Even if it “fits your macros.”

Concurrently, because of the recent trend of people writing about long-stemming affects of metabolic damage from long-term dieting (and it DOES exist), many people are now fearful of approaching a caloric deficit.

Hate to break it to you:  but if you want to shed fat, you have to elicit a caloric deficit.

Dieting ain’t easy.  Sometimes you’re going to be hungry, and sometimes you’re going to feel mildly irritated because you haven’t had carbs in two days and want to punch a hole through a wall.

It’s okay.  It’s normal.  Deal with it.

CrossFit: My Swimmers.  My Thoughts – Tad Sayce

Tad’s a former intern/coach at Cressey Performance who now runs his own facility just outside Boston that caters to more of the swimming crowd.

Coincidentally enough, even though Tad writes with swimmers in mind, A LOT of what he talks as it relates to shoulders/elbows, shoulder/elbow care, and yes, CrossFit, parlays very well to other overhead athletes such as baseball, volleyball, as well as the general fitness population.

In addition, Tad’s thoughts on how to properly progress “plyos” and how CrossFit often (not always) misses the mark hits the nail on the head.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work Uncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 10/17/13

Before we get into this week’s stuff to read, if you would be so kind as to allow me to take a few moment to tell you how much I hate Dan Trink that would be lovely.

Now, to clarify:  I don’t mean “hate” hate Dan Trink.  Hate’s a strong word and I generally reserve it for things like Tracy Anderson, seafood, people who don’t turn right on red, or whenever my girlfriend wants to talk about our feelings.

Dan’s actually a good friend and someone whom I’ve collaborated with on several articles on T-Nation as well as the Greatist Workout of the Day – GWODs – back in the day.

In fact Dan and I trained together a few weeks ago when I was down in New York City visiting and I made a cameo appearance at Peak Performance (where he’s the fitness director).  After taking a group of their trainers through a staff in-service on shoulder shenanigans/assessment, Dan pretty much bullied me into putting on a pair of shorts so that he and I could lift some heavy stuff.  Not that he had to pull my arm or anything, but after speaking for close to two hours I wasn’t exactly in the mood to work up to a few sets of heavy triples on front squats.

Then again, are you going to say no to this guy?

Excuse me while I go clean the back of my pants.

It was during our session, however, that I confided in Dan that I was in a bit of a training funk.  A few weeks prior, while training through a fairly aggressive deadlift cycle (in my seemingly never ending quest for a 600 lb pull), I tweaked my back (more on this below), and as a result I admitted I was just going through the motions with my training.  No real goal or purpose, which sucks donkey balls.

As such I asked Dan if he’d  be willing to take over my programming for the next few months, to maybe place a little more focus on a hypertrophy/bodybuilding split and to give my joints a bit of a break – something, admittedly, I haven’t done in years – and he graciously said yes.

He said yes!!!

And it just so happened that this past weekend Dan sent me my first month of programming – and I hate is effin guts!

Yesterday, for example, included 3×12 on deadlifts with timed rest. 3×12.

Like, what the hell!?!?!?

I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve ever done a set of twelve on deadlifts. Let alone time my rest.  I championed through, though, and on my last set, while still playing the “conservative card,” I performed 365lbs x 12.  And then I counted the black spots and purple unicorns I was seeing before I passed out.

Needless to say, it’s going to be an interesting month.

Breath Better, Move Better – Eric Cressey

Breathing is a topic that is catching the fitness industry by storm in recent years.  And while I realize that for some it’s a topic that’s about as exciting as watching an episode of Downton Abbey, I can tell you from firsthand experience that it’s something that can (and has) had a profound effect on people’s movement quality AND performance in the gym.

With his new resource, The High Performance Handbook, coming out next week, Eric Cressey shares another FREE video on the importance of learning how to breath properly (0r more to the point:  learning to use our diaphragm more efficiently) and some drills we incorporate at Cressey Performance on a regular basis.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but the guy in the video demonstrating the drills is one sexy bastard……;o)

CrossFit and High-Rep Olympic Lifting – Bryan Krahn

One of the more “shared” Tweets I posted not long ago went something like this:

High-rep OLY lifting makes about as much sense as a poop flavored lolly pop.

It wasn’t long ago that I wrote my treatise regarding my thoughts on CrossFit.  For those who missed it (how dare you!), you can check it out HERE.

Nonetheless, I think it goes without saying – as if my Tweet didn’t give it away – what my thoughts are on high-rep OLY lifting.

In fairness, this article gives opinions on BOTH sides of the equation which I felt was pretty cool.

Strength Goals: Don’t Be Afraid to Abandon Them – Bret Contreras

Outside of bringing back some fond memories of internet legend Diesel Weasel, this article really hit home for me (and not because Bret used me as one of his examples).

As I alluded to above, my on-going quest to hit a 600 lb deadlift has been, well, on-going.  How’s that for wordplay?!

Thing is, I also like to stay lean – year round.  Much like Bret explains, every time I start ramping up my DL training, I’ll hit a certain “threshold” (the 550 lb mark) and inevitably my back then tosses me the middle finger.

Of course if I were to just throw my hands in the air, crush some PopTarts and donuts for months on end, and just tack on 20-40 lbs to my frame I’d probably hit that number in no time flat.

But that’s just not an option.

Kudos to Bret for writing such an honest article, as well as helping me see some light at the end of the tunnel. I’m by no means giving up, but it’s definitely helped to put things into perspective.