My wife is currently in Florida enjoying her first “mommy-free” weekend since Julian was born.
It’s a well-deserved getaway and I am so happy for her.
For our part Julian and I are having a blast too. We toured the Asbestos Factory yesterday and we spent all morning this morning running around with scissors.
Dean Somerset and I are currently in the throes of drumming up new content for our staple workshop series.
We’ve presented this workshop all over the world – London, Vancouver, Oslo, Prague, Boston, LA, Hoth – and even turned it into a popular digital product HERE so everyone can enjoy it.
We’ve already nailed down dates in Slovenia, Houston, and LA this fall (2018) and are also in talks to bring it to Detroit, Philadelphia, Edmonton, Australia, and Singapore in 2019.
If you’re someone who’d like to host this event/participate in a tickle fight please reach out to either Dean or myself.
My wife and I will be in Bonn, Germany on Saturday, June 30 to put on our 1-day Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop.
I’ll be speaking to assessment, coaching up common strength exercises (squats, deadlifts), and how to better “match” your programs to your client’s abilities and goals.
Lisa will be discussing how to better manage client expectations, motivation, and how to adopt better mindset strategies for success.
And then we’ll have a beer….;o)
For more details (including itinerary and registration) goHERE.
^^^ It’s so good we didn’t even feel the need to come up with a witty title for it.
After my workshop in Germany I head over to London to take part in a 2-day event (the weekend of July 7th) with my friend and colleague (and handsomest man alive) Luke Worthington.
We’ll be taking a deep dive into assessment, PRI, program design, and coaching up common strength movements such as squats, deadlifts, and shoulder friendly light saber tactics.
What’s more, the event will be taking place at the brand spankin new Third Space location in the city (HERE). This event is breaking the place in before it actually opens to the public.
If you’re a personal trainer, coach, or just someone who likes to nerd out on scapular upward rotation, Zones of Apposition, and/or how to deadlift a castle you won’t want to miss this.
A few spots are still available…..go HEREfor more info.
There are a lot of myths and fallacies when it comes to training youth athletes. Renowned strength coach Mike Boyle provides one of the most thorough resources I have ever come across on the topic.
If you’re a coach or trainer who works with youth athletes this is a must have.
If you’re a parent who thinks your kid is the next Serena Williams or Tom Brady this is a must have.
The initial sale of $50 off regular price ends TODAY (5/18).
I often have clients who get really down on themselves if they miss a workout or have a bad day of eating. I just reiterate I’m more concerned with making progress rather than striving for 100% perfection. One day doesn’t define anyone.
Now, before people reach for their pitch forks, or, I don’t know, call their local IPF director to blacklist me, let me be clear: this is not an attempt or diatribe to dissuade anyone from back squatting.
I like back squats.
Back squats are awesome.
I still have my clients back squat (and perform the exercise myself, even though the video below is of me using a Safety Squat Bar).
The irony here is that I used to hate front squats. Almost as much as I hated Jillian Michaels’ kettlebell swing tutorials.
On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being a tickle fight with Gizmo from Gremlins and 10 being feeling like you’re getting choked out by Chuck Liddell) front squats were around an 8 for me.
Whenever I did them they always felt, well, unpleasant.
They didn’t hurt or cause physical pain or anything. They just, you know, sucked a bunch of donkey balls whenever I did them.
So I didn’t.
Then I had an epiphany of sorts:
I noticed that once I hit 40 back squats weren’t feeling all that spectacular. I found my hips and low back weren’t tolerating the consistent loading and it took longer to recover.1
I had always been slow off the floor with my deadlifts and wondered if it was due to lack of quad strength (pushing away from the floor)? After listening to Chad Wesley Smith pontificate on the topic and mention how much of a fan he was of front squats to help with this issue, I was sold.
I needed to stop being such a pussy.
So I made a concerted effort to prioritize front squats in my training.
And wouldn’t ya know…
I started getting better at them. They sucked a little less. And some good things happened.
2. Fast Forward a Few More Months…I Finally Hit a 600 lb Deadlift
But, Tony, Why Should I Front Squat? It’s Not All About You. Gosh.
1. They’ll Likely Feel Better
Again, I want to remind anyone who’s contemplating throwing their face into their keyboard at the mere hint of me suggesting people not back squat….
…….that’s not what I’m saying.
We’re on the same team.
However, there’s likely a fair number of you reading who have had a rocky time with back squats. Or maybe you have a client who’s lived through a maelstrom of on-again/off-again relationships with them?
Hey, it happens…and there’s nothing wrong with it.
Back squats aren’t bad, and front squats aren’t some end-all-be-all panacea.
In fact, front and back squats are more similar than they are different – both require massive amounts of strength/stability in the hips and core, as well as requisite “access” to hip flexion, knee extension, and ankle dorsiflexion – so I really see little need to get all territorial about which one is better.
In the end, as far as which is better, it depends. It depends on someone’s goals, preferences, anthropometry and injury history.
I will say this: Unless you’re a competitive powerlifter (or just solely interested in lifting as much weight as possible), no one has to back squat.2
It’s my opinion, though, that for most people, most of the time, given most goals (and taking into account the cost-benefit of exercise selection) front squats will likely be the best option and better fit.
For those reading who, while respecting anecdotal examples, are more keen on evidence-based data, I’d point you towards the renowned Gullet, et al study – A Biomechanical Comparison of Back and Front Squats in Healthy Training Individuals – which compared EMG activity between the two variations.
Are they dramatically different? Nope.
This study compared 70% of 1-rep max of the back squat to 70% of 1-rep max of the front squat and showed that EMG activity on the quadriceps, hamstrings, erectors, even the eye lids were overall the same.3
Biomechanically speaking most people can back squat more than they can front squat, so 70% of back squat was heavier than 70% of front squat in the study.
However, as Dr. Mitch Babcock pointed out in a recent video of his I watched:
“If someone has a compressive type problem (knees achy, maybe their spine feels like linguini)…we can get equal EMG activation with less load by utilizing front squats”
Some trainees may think their world is going to end and that they’ll lose strength in their back squat, but hopefully you can see the value in leveraging the above information.
We can still elicit a high training effect on the legs with front squats.
2. Front Squat = Deeper Squat
There’s a massive caveat here.
A deep squat isn’t always better nor is it something that should be the end-goal of every individual.
Please read THIS post for a little more detail on the topic.
That being said, because of the bar placement (anterior on the shoulders) and because one is able to maintain a more upright torso during its execution, most people will be able to achieve a much deeper depth with a front squat.
Why is this good?
1. The internet trolls won’t judge you as much.
2. A deeper squat = more glute max recruitment.
I like to use this tidbit of info with many of my female clients who are a little more badonkadonk obsessed compared to their male counterparts.
Thanks in no small part to Bret Contreras and his popularization of the hip thrust, many women (guys too) have been placing more emphasis on their derriere in recent years.
That being said, there has been a trend of late where many women perform only hip thrust (as well as a cornucopia of band exercises – band hip abductions, kickbacks, side raises, lateral stepping, etc) to target their glutes.
[My good friend Lee Boyce noticed this trend too and wrote about it HERE.]
If you want glutes perform your hip thrusts and the litany of other exercises that target that area. However you still need to build them with some good ol’ fashioned strength training.
Front squats can help immensely in this department.
3. Better Posture
I saved the boring one for last.
Come on, if I started with posture this would have happened:
This will be short.
Front squats nudge people into more thoracic extension which is going to be a game changer in terms of helping to improve posture.
As you descend closer to the ground you have to “fight” to keep from folding over. In many ways the proper execution of the exercise itself is self-coaching.
If you don’t maintain thoracic extension the barbell rolls off your shoulders.
Youth training is a can of worms and hotly debated topic to say the least – right up there with GMOs, gun reform, and who’s the better wizard: Dumbledore or Gandalf?
I’ve been training youth athletes for the better portion of my career, working with kids ranging from 9-16 from every sport imaginable, and their parents (<— said with a hint of shade), so I’m fairly confident I have the requisite experience (15+ years) and knowledge (physiology, programming, and 80’s cartoon trivia) to chime in on the topic.
I, and many other prominent and/or experienced coaches, am pretty adamant on this point.
Nothing derails a young athlete’s development more – both physiologically and athletically – than playing one sport year round.
When I was kid growing up I played a sport for every season. I one hundred percent believe that playing a variety of sports throughout the year allowed me to excel in baseball, which is what I ended up playing in college.
Playing several sports helped me to develop a multitude of athletic abilities and made not just a better baseball player but a better athlete. Moreover, it kept me healthy and prevented me from developing pattern overload injuries that are quite common in sports like baseball, gymnastics and hockey, to name a few.
I stress these points with every young athlete I work with.
It saddens me when I start working with an athlete and I ask him or her which sports he or she plays, and they respond with “tennis” or “football” or lacrosse” or “ninja’ing.”
And I have to assume that that stat mirrors other leagues such as MLB, NBA, and the NHL.
2. Kids Aren’t Professional Athletes
Weird, right?
There’s zero need to get fancy or ornate with kids in the weight-room. They need to learn how to throw, sprint, lift, and jump.
There’s a great analogy I heard strength coach Chad Wesley Smith use once when discussing the training habits of elite athletes and lifters.
Many people are quick to ask how “so and so (referring to any elite level athlete or lifter) trains?” or “what program is he or she using?”
The implication being….do what they’re doing and you’ll get the same results.
Choosing the right parents aside, it doesn’t work like that.
As Chad noted:
“The better question isn’t “what are they doing NOW, but rather what did they do 10, 15, 20 years ago to help set the foundation that allowed them to succeed further down the road?”
I can’t tell you how many times a parent would bring their kid to Cressey Sports Performance when I was there and ask if or when their kid would be doing speed work or more advanced agility drills?
My inner dialog would go something like this:
“Dude, your kid can’t perform a walking lunge without looking like he’s going to dislocate his knee cap.
The fuck outta here.”
What I’d actually say:
“Speed work and agility drills at this stage are kinda like giving a Ford Focus a sweet paint job and rims to give the appearance of being fast. However, until we address the horsepower – I.e., work on the basics & getting stronger – it’s still going to be a Ford Focus.”
Youth athletes need Goblet Squats and how to learn to perform a push-up well (or hell, to be told to go climb a tree), not parachute resisted sprints and CrossFit.
3. Sport-Specific Training Doesn’t Exist
There’s no such thing as a “baseball-specific program” or a “football-specific exercise.” I understand there are some exceptions to the rule and a degree of semantics here, but for all intents and purposes the statement is true.
As I noted above, the end goal is to make someone a better athlete and to immerse he or she in an environment that allows them to explore all facets of movement and locomotion.
Not to create a one-trick pony.
What’s more, the weight-room – and strength training in particular – shouldn’t go out of it’s way to emulate what’s accomplished on the field or court. Athletes get enough “sport specific training” playing their respective sport(s).
No, the weight-room should be used as a tool to marinate kids in movements and exercises they’re not accustomed to; to address weaknesses and build resiliency; to help build confidence and self-esteem; and, you know, to make their competition cry….;o)
4. Kids Aren’t Delicate Flowers. Strength Training Won’t Stunt Their Growth
This popular fallacy is NOT supported by research or clinical findings.
In his book Facts and Fallacies of Fitness, renowned exercise physiologist and bio-mechanist, Mel Siff, notes that force plate analysis shows even fairly heavy squats (exceeding body-mass) do not impose as great a load on the body as fairly casual running or jumping, which can impose joint loading which is greater than SIX TIMES bodyweight.
Thus, if resistance training is to be eliminated to promote growth plate safety, then all children must be forbidden to run and jump.
Good luck with that.
Besides, kids are like miniature Terminators. Outside of being lowered into a vat of molten metal they bounce back from nicks and falls all the time.
Furthermore, and I believe this is a point Eric Cressey has brought up before, the weight-room is a very controlled environment compared to anything that’s experienced in competitive sports.
To that end, assuming appropriate loading and exercise progressions are taken into account, the weight-room is a very safe space for a young athlete.
Coaches, trainers – and maybe more importantly PARENTS – will love this new resource from strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle.
One of the main goals of Complete Youth Training is to educate parents and coaches on both the correct ways to train youth athletes as well as to highlight the training methods currently being used that may be detrimental to youth athletes.
All youth training methods and principles discussed and demonstrated in Complete Youth Training are backed by a multitude of scientific research.
Coach Boyle covers E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G from lack of parent education and the importance of fun and free play for children to appropriate strength training protocols for youth athletes and much of the (mis) information surrounding it.
There are few resources I refer to as “must have’s,” but this one ranks right up there.
It’s offered in both digital and physical format, CEUs are available, and it’s currently on sale through this Friday, May 18th.
Dean Somerset and I are currently in the throes of drumming up new content for our staple workshop series.
We’ve presented this workshop all over the world – London, Vancouver, Oslo, Prague, Boston, LA, Hoth – and even turned it into a popular digital product HERE so everyone can enjoy it.
We’ve already nailed down dates in Slovenia, Houston, and LA this fall (2018) and are also in talks to bring it to Detroit, Philadelphia, Edmonton, Australia, and Singapore in 2019.
If you’re someone who’d like to host this event/participate in a tickle fight please reach out to either Dean or myself.
My wife and I will be in Bonn, Germany on Saturday, June 30 to put on our 1-day Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop.
I’ll be speaking to assessment, coaching up common strength exercises (squats, deadlifts), and how to better “match” your programs to your client’s abilities and goals.
Lisa will be discussing how to better manage client expectations, motivation, and how to adopt better mindset strategies for success.
And then we’ll have a beer….;o)
Spots are limited and the Early Bird rate is coming to a close on 5/15, so act quickly if you want to take advantage!
For more details (including itinerary and registration) goHERE.
^^^ It’s so good we didn’t even feel the need to come up with a witty title for it.
After my workshop in Germany I head over to London to take part in a 2-day event (the weekend of July 7th) with my friend and colleague (and handsomest man alive) Luke Worthington.
We’ll be taking a deep dive into assessment, PRI, program design, and coaching up common strength movements such as squats, deadlifts, and shoulder friendly light saber tactics.
What’s more, the event will be taking place at the brand spankin new Third Space location in the city (HERE). This event is breaking the place in before it actually opens to the public.
If you’re a personal trainer, coach, or just someone who likes to nerd out on scapular upward rotation, Zones of Apposition, and/or how to deadlift a castle you won’t want to miss this.
A few spots are still available…..go HERE for more info.
4) Tully
My movie watching prowess has taken a steady nose dive in the past year for obvious reasons.
I miss it.
Excited to head to my snobby, local, independent theater tonight to go see this latest one from director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody.
As someone who also uses profanity in my prose – and who often receives backlash from people who live PG lives – I appreciated this piece by Erica Suter.
He has built and runs the most successful gym in Maine which generates over seven-figures and provides full health benefits and 401k’s for all his employees. In addition he also dabbles in real estate, writing, and does a ton of charity work.
I think it’s fantastic more and more women are seeing (and reaping) the benefits of traditional strength training. But much like we’d chastise dudes for always training their pecs or biceps, the same can be said for the bulk of women who feel training their glutes and only their glutes is the key to a desirable derriere.
Social Media Shenanigans
Twitter
I wish there was a way to bottle up patience & consistency. Those are the two “supplements” most people need the most of.
Last week I posted something up on my Instagram account highlighting the latter point – earning your curls – that sparked some good conversation.
I posted a video of one of my female clients performing a set of bicep curls and in the description I wrote:
“I have a silly rule when it comes to working with female clients. I don’t include any direct arm work (mostly referring to bicep curls here) until they’re able to perform a strict bodyweight chin-up. @blondepaleo has earned her curls.”
Actually, what am I doing?
Why don’t I just post the video and subsequent commentary here?
Many who chimed in simply asked “why?” and asked if I’d explain my rationale and train of thought.
Others brought up some very valid points, even disagreeing with me, which also served as an additional impetus to write this post and expound further.
So, here we go.
Earn Your Curls
First and foremost let’s not get cra-cra.
There’s a lot of things I take an “anti” stance on – anti-vaccers, Dr. Oz, mushrooms, poodles – but bicep curls isn’t one of them.
I’m not some elitist, Acai shake drinking, gluten free eating, bourgeoisie douchehole running around the far reaches of the internet trolling people telling them “bicep curls aren’t a functional exercise.”
Because, well, they are.
There are many things we do and accomplish in everyday life that require us to flex our elbows and/or to hold something isometrically in our arms.
Secondly, just so we’re clear, I’m also not a Sith Lord.
I don’t deal in absolutes.
There’s always going to be a “what if” or “it depends” caveat to any comment or claim.
As someone astutely pointed out in my original IG post:
“What if you’re working with someone who’s overweight and would otherwise have a long journey to their first chin-up/pull-up?”
1. On one hand, as a coach, I’m going to work to the best of my ability to set all my clients up for as much success as possible. My goal is to respect their goal(s) and to elicit a training effect.
If bicep curls are part of that equation, so be it.
2. However, assuming an overweight client’s goal is to lose weight, I can think of many things more deserving of our time within an hour session than performing bicep curls.
Anyhoo…..
As far as WHY I have my “no bicep curl until you can chin-up” rule I can wrap it up into a few bullet points:
1. Standards Simplify Programming
By implementing a few standards or “markers” into the mix, I find it helps to make programming more seamless and transparent.
As an example I have my own rule that no one graduates to the Trap Bar Deadlift until he or she can deadlift the “Beast” (48 kg kettlebell).
I have no smarty aleck explanation as to why, it’s just something I adopted after reading something from strength coach Mike Perry which resonated with me.
There’s no time line on this.
I have some clients who nail it within a session or two. Some take a few weeks. Others take a few months.
Either way it provides some semblance of guidance and direction with programming.
Do this then you can do that.
2. Performance Based Goals Work
Lets be real: most people start working out because they want to look good naked.
There’s no denying the aesthetic bias that drive many of us to the iron.
Whether I’m working with a female or male client for the first time, many will divulge they’d like to “tone up” this area or “tighten up” that area.
Having a pair of muscular arms to show off – especially now that we’re in the summer months here in Boston – is almost always high on someone’s list.
In my 15+ years as a personal trainer and strength coach, though, the limiting factor which prevents most people from attaining a nice pair arms isn’t their lack of bicep curls.
It’s their lack of being strong.
If I can nudge trainees towards a performance based goal – which will provide purpose and intent in their training – almost always, the aesthetic changes many covet just kinda sorta happen.6
3. People Are Gonna Perform Curls
Listen, I’m not going to sit here and say programming bicep curls is stupid, because it’s not. I often toss in a bonus “Gun Show” for many of my clients at the end of their session.
That being said, I wasn’t born yesterday.
Why program curls if you know people are going to sneak them in on their own no matter what anyways?….;o)
The Chin-Up Hierarchy
My friend and colleague, Max Shank, brought up a valid point in the conversation:
“Dude I have a rare opportunity to politely disagree with you on something!
Shall we?
Curls are a functional exercise. They also can help one achieve a faster, better pull up if applied properly. “Endless” would be totally up to application.
You are silly in a good way, my friend—and your rule is silly in a doesn’t really make sense to me yet kinda way. Maybe this is just the pendulum swinging back from too many curls and kickbacks and no compound moves?”
I can’t disagree with any of that.
“It depends” is always the right answer to any question.7 And, to be candid, I have programmed bicep curls into some client’s programs in an effort to expedite their chin-up prowess.
Oftentimes for the the exact reasons Max outlined above.
But also because bicep curls can help with the “end range” of the chin-up….especially those last 1-2 inches. Moreover, in terms of helping to improve anterior shoulder stability (bicep tendon attaches to the corocoid process), bicep curls can be valuable.
To that end, when it comes to one’s ability to perform their first chin-up (male or female) there’s a hierarchy of sorts I like to follow.
Training chin-ups/pull-ups more frequently will be paramount. This is a point I stole from Artemis Scantalides who’s a HUGE fan of training the chin-up 4-5x PER WEEK.
Mind you, not the “chin-up” chin-up 4-5x per week, but rather all the “stuff” that make up its parts 4-5x per week.
1. Learn the Hollow Position
This is a great way to teach context. Trainees need to learn to appreciate the Hollow Position from the floor before they have any hope in emulating the same position hanging from a chin-up/pull-up bar.
What’s more, there are a number of exercises you can perform in the Hollow Position – 1-Arm Presses, DB Flye, for example – that will reinforce full-body tension and transfer very well to the chin-up/pull-up
2. Learn to Use the Scapulae and Lats
The biceps ARE in the line-of-pull when it comes to chin-ups/pull-ups, so it’s not uncommon for people to feel them working.
However, it becomes a problem when the biceps the only thing people feel working.
The upper back, scapulae (shoulder blades) in particular, should be where the movement initiates, as well as the lats.
Scapular pull-ups, as demonstrated by strength coach Meghan Callaway above are a fantastic learning tool. That and cueing people to drive their elbows towards the floor when pulling.
3. Confirming, that, in fact, Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin to Fuck Wit
Because, they’re not.
4. Actual Chin-Up Variations (Hanging From a Chin-Up/Pull-Up Bar)
Chin-ups with accommodating assistance (band assisted)
Eccentric Chin-Ups (emphasizing the lowering portion)
Flexed-Arm Hangs
Straight Arm Hangs
Straight Leg or Bent Knee Raises
5. Accessory Movements
Movements/exercises that very closely resemble chin-ups/pull-ups and/or target the same muscle groups:
Rack Pull-Ups
TRX Progressions
Starting with regular ol’ Inverted Row variations to something more along the lines as this:
Seated Lat Pulldowns – various grips
Any rowing variation – Seated Rows, Chest Supported Rows, DB Rows, literally, anything.
Rollout variations – Stability Ball, Ab Wheel, etc
6. Bicep Curls
Get some.
Wrapping Up
I am not anti-bicep curl.
I am not anti-bicep curl as part of a program to help someone achieve their first chin-up (or to perform more chin-ups).
I’m just anti-bicep curl when I know I have a limited amount of time with someone.
I’m still playing a little catch-up on my end from a weekend of Fitness Summit shenanigans in Kansas City.
I promise I’ll have some content ready to share tomorrow into the rest of the week (you miss me, right?), but in the meantime I’ve got an excellent guest post from Israeli Strength and Conditioning coach Menachem Brodie.
How the Endurance Athlete Can Appease a Shoulder That Hates Them
As a Strength & Conditioning coach who works extensively with cyclists & triathletes most folk first reaction is “WTF Mate?” or “I didn’t even know that was a thing!”
When asked to describe it to people, the best I can come up with is that I know pretty much EXACTLY how Scott Evil feels:
Not “Strength coach” enough for that crowd, and not quite “Cycling enough” for that crowd…
But there is a ton that we can learn about posture and shoulder health from our two wheeled, pedal pushing friends, as they spend hours in positions just a bit more extreme than you or I sitting on the couch watching TV on the weekends.
The difference is that while we ingest 2,000 calories in Buffalo Wild Wings and that awesome ranch dressing, they burn those calories climbing mountains.
While posture and shoulder health have a huge impact on our overall well-being and can have significant and far-reaching effects, those effects are not always felt before it’s too late in the game.
This is especially true for Road Cyclists, runners, and triathletes, as their sport, by design, requires the body to work for long periods of time, preferably as energy efficiently as possible.
When I first started coaching cyclists for performance & strength, I focused on the glutes and their huge impact on the pelvis, spine, and rib cage as they supply the base of power on the bike and support for the upper body.
But it quickly became apparent that while I was on the right track, there was something even more basic that limits cyclists performance: Their posture….It is completely jacked due to hours on the bike in a closed position, supporting around 30% their weight with their hands and arms. (If you’re a cyclist and feel that you’re subjectively supporting more than 30% of your weight with your arms, go see a bike fitter, after you get started with the exercises we learn today.)
And so, the journey down the rabbit hole began, except unlike Alice, I could answer the Cheshire Cat with a definitive answer to “Where do you want to go?”
Improved performance
Improved quality of life
Avoiding looking like a Time trial cyclist/ the hunchback of Notre Dame….when you’re walking around at age 60
Let’s Get Down to Basics
There are two diaphragms in the torso that we want to have aligned in order to allow our body to function properly, including managing internal pressure, allow for proper/optimal muscle function, improved breathing, improved rib mobility, and much, much more:
Thoracic Diaphragm – controls pressure between chest and abdomen, the muscle responsible for respiration in the body, and what most people think of then you mention “Your diaphragm”.
Pelvic Floor – Controls pressure between pelvis and abdomen.
Interestingly enough, while in the general population we may see issues mostly at two of these diaphragms (Pelvic Floor and Thoracic diaphragms), in cyclists we tend to see a bit more issues, in large part due to the extreme position in which these athletes must perform for their sport.
Add into this mix that cycling is pretty much the only sport we have where the feet rotate about a fixed axis, variability in terrain, road surface, winds, and rider movements on the bike, and we have the right ingredients for some major movement issues.
Bear in mind that EVERY sport develops/requires its fair share of movement “deficiencies” or “imbalances at joints” due to repetitive tasks and movements, and while this is a part of sport, we need to keep our “average” cyclist in balance – after all, they are competitive in cycling, but a pro at something else…
Cycling puts you into an extremely vulnerable spot posture wise, not to mention with drivers (of note, PLEASE give us three feet when passing, it’s F***ing scary to have a car whiz past you within inches of knocking you off the road… when they could have waited 5 more seconds and given space… not to mention it’s pretty much law in nearly all countries and states).
Unfortunately, many in the cycling and triathlon communities have come to simply accept some forms of injuries as a right of passage for cyclists who are out there riding hard year in and year out.
From frozen shoulders and lower back pain, to constant upper neck pain and loss of hip extension….and a number of other issues, the communities have come to determine that “it just happens due to playing our sport”.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
If we simply work on a few basic moves off the bike, we can have a significant positive impact on the riders performance and health, as well as YOUR performance and health from constantly flexing your spine to scroll through Instagram and Facebook throughout the day.
(Yeah, I saw you sit up a little straighter right there).
Opening the shoulder girdle, re-attaining proper scapular rhythm, and attaining better alignment of the Cervical, Thoracic, and Pelvic diaphragms are the goals we strive for and are not won in a few weeks, but rather over the course of a few months, and for more veteran riders, years.
It takes consistent work, done over a time period to see major gains and advances.
While it’s tough to argue which of these three diaphragms is “The most important to address” as it is based off of each individual athlete and what/if any issues they are having, we can say that due to our modern-day lifestyle, the shoulder girdle is a great place to start, as most cyclists will move to a compromised position at some point in longer/harder rides.
Not to mention that keeping the shoulder in good balance can relieve pressure on the brachial plexus, reduce the risk/ development of an overgrown coracoid process, as well as help alleviate some of the tension from the cervical extensors that are working so hard.
This allows accessory muscles of the thorax and neck to work as…. Accessory muscles, not stabilizers hanging on for dear life. As we get the shoulder joint sitting better, we can see the rib cage begin to gain proper movement, which leads to a better alignment of the Pelvic and Thoracic diaphragm, which allows the pelvic floor to relax and glutes and pelvic floor to activate in order to stabilize and move the body with more efficiency.
If we know that joint position dictates muscle function, then there are so many compensations happening in the sport of cycling, that many muscles wind up feeling like Tom Hanks in Castaway: They know what it’s like to be social and around others, but they begin to become detached from reality, and start doing other funny things.
Aside from helping to put you in the best position to maximize energy expenditure, keeping the shoulders healthy and moving well can help you be able to EAT while out on the bike as well!
The number of riders I’ve had the last ten years who had lost proper range of motion in their dominant shoulder, and were unable to eat on the bike due to loss of the range of motion thus not being able to reach into their back pockets, and “not trusting” their other hand to steer, is many.
While we often see hip issues in cyclists as well, we know that the hip and opposite shoulder work together in unison to allow us to move forward, and thus why starting at the shoulder along with breathing, can significantly improve a riders performance AND their quality of life.
Enough of the talk, let’s get into some solid action items that you can implement 3-5 days a week, in 15 minutes or less, to help you get back to great posture and able to express your true conditioning and strength, no matter what your sport.
Before jumping into the exercises, be sure to take 4-6 minutes to foam roll/ lax ball, especially:
Foam rolling the Lats
Foam rolling the chest
LAX ball/ ACUMobility the neck – all the cool kids are talking about the ACUMobility ball, and while I haven’t used it myself, it does look like a useful piece of equipment that will be regularly used, so yes, I’ll jump on the bandwagon.
Just don’t make the mistake that many endurance athletes do and spend too much time on the roller/lax ball. If you’re doing soft tissue mobility for longer than 10-12 minutes, you need to get a life/ take a hard look at your recovery/ lack of recovery between sessions.
It’s not how hard you can go in a session, it’s going hard enough that you can recover session to session, while keeping consistency in your trainings.
After the foam roller we’ll jump into breathing as shoulder joint position will also affect inhalation and exhalation, so we’re going to start here, with learning to breathe.
Learning to Breathe & Resetting the Diaphragm
All 4’s Quadruped Breathing – Resetting the Diaphragm
1 set of 5 deep breaths through the nose, out through the mouth. Hold each breath for 4 seconds
Crocodile Breathing – Filling the Cavity Evenly
1 set of 5 to 8 breaths
Next, we want to work on opening the shoulder, but in a way that allows us to tap into Thoracic Rotation. For some of you this may be a bit much, be sure to listen to your body, and breathe out and RELAX when you hit a tough spot.
Side Lying Windmill
Opening up lats, pecs, and T-spine to help the athlete function better.
One set of 8 each side
Finally, we work to fire up some muscles that may have been turned off, and/or “went on break.”
Wall Scap Slides
– Activating the Serratus anterior, Mid and lower Traps.
1 set of 8- make sure to keep your ribs from flaring, and your chin tucked.
Behind the Back Band Pull Aparts
– Activating the lower traps and rhomboids.
1 set of 8
Chin Nod, Progressing to Chin tuck Head lift
Helping activate the deep core, and fire up the muscles in your neck.
1 set of 8
Wrap Up
While these seem like a lot, you can and should be able to execute these exercises, in this order, 3-5 days a week, in 10-15 minutes. Remember, it’s not doing the exercises intensely or until fatigue that will help you see progress, it’s the CONSISTENCY that will.
About the Author
Menachem Brodie is a USA Cycling Certified Expert Level Coach, NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist, and Serotta Certified Bike Fitter with over 20 years in the Health & Fitness Industry. “Brodie” as he is known, has done over 15 presentations for USA Cycling on Strength Training for Cycling, and is the author of Training Peaks Universities “Strength Training for Cycling Success”Online course.
When he’s not geeking out reading Ex-phys books, riding his bike, or trying to lift heavy things, he’s probably sleeping….errr, “recovering”. If you see Brodie without a coffee in his hand, something is probably amiss and you should call 911 immediately, as he may be signaling you for help.
I’m in Kansas City for The Fitness Summit at the moment and basking in the company of friends and colleagues.
Dean Somerset and I were invited in a day early to put on a special Pre-Conference where we spent four hours covering new material we plan to use for our upcoming (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.
No one left early or threw a table at us so I consider that a success.
Anyhoo: I need to get back to hugging it out with people. Onto this week’s list.
Dean Somerset and I are currently in the throes of drumming up new content for our staple workshop series.
We’ve presented this workshop all over the world – London, Vancouver, Oslo, Prague, Boston, LA, Hoth – and even turned it into a popular digital product HERE so everyone can enjoy it.
We’ve already nailed down dates in Slovenia, Houston, and LA this fall (2018) and are also in talks to bring it to Detroit, Philadelphia, Edmonton, Australia, and Singapore in 2019.
If you’re someone who’d like to host this event/participate in a tickle fight please reach out to either Dean or myself.
My wife and I will be in Bonn, Germany on Saturday, June 30 to put on our 1-day Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop.
I’ll be speaking to assessment, coaching up common strength exercises (squats, deadlifts), and how to better “match” your programs to your client’s abilities and goals.
Lisa will be discussing how to better manage client expectations, motivation, and how to adopt better mindset strategies for success.
And then we’ll have a beer….;o)
Spots are limited and the Early Bird rate is still in effect (but not for long).
For more details (including itinerary and registration) go HERE.
^^^ It’s so good we didn’t even feel the need to come up with a witty title for it.
After my workshop in Germany I head over to London to take part in a 2-day event (the weekend of July 7th) with my friend and colleague (and handsomest man alive) Luke Worthington.
This one is filling up fast…..go HEREfor more info.
Brutal truth: if you’re not as lean as you want to be maybe instead of debating minutia like “how many carbs you can tolerate” (should I eat 172 or 112 carbs/day?) you just, you know, need to actually shut up and train. Seriously, go to work.
I’m heading out to Kansas City today for The Fitness Summit.
My boy, Shane McLean, was kind enough to send along this stellar article extolling the merits of “reaching” and how it can help make your shoulders not hate you.
Reaching: The Underrated Key to Key to Shoulder Health
When you’ve lifted weights for any length of time (I’m assuming you do because you read this site) you’ve probably had some type of shoulder injury. They suck as hard as a mother in law getting all up into your business.
And as a result, your gains and patience grind to a halt.
The shoulder is a shallow ball and socket joint that has the incredible ability to move in multiple directions. This allows you to lift humongous weights, throw baseballs and footballs really fast or to do the wave when you’re bored out of your mind at a baseball game.
All that mobility is great, but the shoulder needs stability too. The four muscles of the rotator cuff work hard to keep this ball and socket joint in a vertical position no matter you do to your shoulder.
However, the rest of the stability equation is up to you by getting the muscles around the shoulder girdle strong. This is (usually) achieved by doing variations of pushes, pulls, shoulder raises and planks.
Push-Up Palooza
Pull-Up Palooza
Meathead Palooza
Even when you minimize the risk of injury by doing the right things, the occasional shoulder injury can happen while lifting because sometimes we (yes me too) can get a little over ambitious.
However, there’s one little movement that most lifters neglect to do that can help prevent niggly shoulder injuries from occurring at all.
Do you what it is?
Reach, baby, reach.
What were you, thinking? More bicep curls?
Reaching is a movement that you perform every day. You reach for
the food in the fridge
the food in the pantry
the door
the dumbbells to do more curls
Adding a reach while performing pushes and pulls is important for your shoulder health because this allows the shoulder blades to move across your ribcage as intended.
The muscle that allows this magic to happen is the often neglected and unloved Serratus Anterior. This a broad muscle that wraps around the ribcage and acts to stabilize the scapula by holding it against the back of the thoracic wall.
In other words, it’s kind of a big deal.
When you’re lifting in the horizontal plane with exercises such as one arm cable chest presses/ rows or pushups, the Serratus Anterior main job is to protract/abduct the shoulder blades.
Now if the Serratus didn’t do its job correctly, then the scapula doesn’t move around the ribcage like it should (scapular winging) and muscular imbalances and mobility limitations may result.
And nobody has time for that.
However, just by adding a simple reach to a horizontal push or pull will help strengthen the Serratus and take your shoulders through a fuller range of motion which makes for happier shoulders and maybe a happier mother in law.
You can only hope.
Reaching vs. Rounding
Reach and Row
The simple act of adding a reach has huge implications for your shoulder health and strength and it’s an easy movement to add to your lifting repertoire.
The Serratus also plays a vital role in scapulohumeral rhythm as an outward rotator of the scapula that allows your arms to get into an overhead position. This is vital for lifting weights overhead and for reaching for anything above your shoulders.
If the Serratus is inhibited in any way, the body will find a way to perform the movement regardless and that faulty pattern over a period of time may lead to pain and dysfunction. This usually occurs in the upper traps, neck and lower back.
Stop for a moment and see if you can raise your arms above your head, getting your biceps by or behind your ears without your ribcage coming forward or your lower back over arching.
This test is best performed in front of a mirror without a shirt on. I thought you’d like that.
Now, if you can that’s great but if you can’t, try foam rolling the lats and performing some Serratus wall sides and then re testing your shoulder mobility for any improvement.
Serratus Wall Slide Variations
However, even if you don’t have any problems in that department, performing the Serratus wall slide is still a fantastic warm up and mobility exercise for your shoulders.
Wrapping Up
Taking care of the shoulders is imperative when you’re crushing the weights because you probably don’t think about the health of your shoulders until it’s way too late.
However, by showing a little love and affection to the Serratus Anterior, you can keep lifting pain-free and stay off the Physical Therapists table to boot.
Therapy, who has time for that?
About the Author
Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Texas. Shane believes in balancing exercise with life while putting the fun back into both.
Dean Somerset and I are currently in the throes of drumming up new content for our staple workshop series.
We’ve presented this workshop all over the world – London, Vancouver, Oslo, Prague, Boston, LA, Hoth – and even turned it into a popular digital product HERE so everyone can enjoy it.
We’ve already nailed down dates in Slovenia, Houston, and LA this fall (2018) and are also in talks to bring it to Detroit, Philadelphia, Edmonton, Australia, and Singapore in 2019.
If you’re someone who’d like to host this event/participate in a tickle fight please reach out to either Dean or myself.
My wife and I will be in Bonn, Germany on Saturday, June 30 to put on our 1-day Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop.
I’ll be speaking to assessment, coaching up common strength exercises (squats, deadlifts), and how to better “match” your programs to your client’s abilities and goals.
Lisa will be discussing how to better manage client expectations, motivation, and how to adopt better mindset strategies for success.
And then we’ll have a beer….;o)
Spots are limited and the Early Bird rate is still in effect (but not for long).
For more details (including itinerary and registration) go HERE.
^^^ It’s so good we didn’t even feel the need to come up with a witty title for it.
After my workshop in Germany I head over to London to take part in a 2-day event (the weekend of July 7th) with my friend and colleague (and handsomest man alive) Luke Worthington.
This one is filling up fast…..go HERE for more info.
A year ago the guys over at Stronger By Science (Greg Nuckols, Eric Helms, and Mike Zourdos released their monthly research review MASS (Monthly Applications in Strength Sport) and it’s made the industry better.
I for one HATE reading research and much prefer to let other people who are much smarter than myself to break things down in more bite sized, manageable nuggets of information.
This is a meticulously curated monthly service. The MASS reviewers sift through 100+ journals per month to help you get smarter and to better sever your athletes/clients. If you’re a coach, physique or strength athlete, or just someone who likes to nerd out and talk about actin/myosin chains at the dinner table this will be right up your alley.
Today (4/27) through next week (5/3) is your chance to take advantage of some BIG markdowns on the service.
$21 monthly subscription (normally $29)
$209 yearly subscription (normally $299)
$699 lifetime subscription (normally $999)
If you’re still on the fence you can check out the goods HERE for a free sample issue.
Otherwise you can just trust that I have smart friends and excellent taste in the resources I recommend to people and go HERE.
Many of the programs and tactics used to target the 40+ lifter are garbage. As my friend John Rusin would say:
“Just because you are 40+ years old does NOT mean you need a training program specifically designed for “40+ Year Old Lifters” as sleazy fitness industry marketing 101 is attempting to force feed you. What you really need is a program that is custom fit to YOU and your BIOLOGICAL age and needs, not your chronological age.”
I found this article very relevant with a sound message. Check it out.
Per usual, Charles provides a bevy of sound and practical advice in this article.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
I’m often amused when random strangers in grocery stores comment on the amount of eggs and red meat in my basket and serve as the “health” police when their’s is full of potato chips and Kit Kats and they’re clearly overweight.
We’ve all seen the statistic: 80% of the population will experience low back pain in their lifetime.8
Back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide. Americans spend upwards of $50 billion per year on back pain. Back pain is the nemesis of all ninjas.
The struggle is real folks.
Given how pandemic the issue is and the sheer number of resources there are on the topic, why is LBP still such a nuisance and the Bane of many people’s existence?9
When it comes to low back pain there is no one clear cut answer or way to explain things. As my good friend David Dellanave would say “different shit is different.”
It’s impossible to definitively point the finger at one or two things and say “there, that’s it. THAT’s why everyone’s back feels like a bag of dicks.”
Certainly we can proselytize, but at the end of the day we’re mostly just guessing at what may be causing someone’s low back pain. We’re using an amalgamation of relevant anecdotes, experiences, expertise, and evidence based research to make those educated guesses.
But it’s guessing nonetheless.
[BEFORE WE MOVE ON: Another good friend, physical therapist Zak Gabor, sent me THIS rather thorough paper on management of low back pain. To quote Zak…”Movement is key, but EDUCATION on false beliefs about the body is arguably most important.”]
A week or so ago as I was watching an episode of VICE News on HBO and one of the main stories that night was on opioid addiction and of a former drug representative who, sadly, because of debilitating low back pain, had become addicted to the very pain killers that had made him so successful years prior.
In the story he described a seemingly endless barrage of treatments ranging from massage therapy and acupuncture to ultrasound treatments, physical therapy, and traction.
It was a hefty list and I can’t remember all of it.
In the end he ended up having back surgery, yet unfortunately was still reliant on pain killers to help with his chronic low back pain.
As the story unfolded they panned to the same individual miniature golfing with his family and I ended up taking a screenshot of him bending over to pick up the ball after sinking a shot.
If I could add sound it would be accompanied with a cacophony of painful grunting akin to a rhinoceros passing a kidney stone.
Now, what follows is not an attempt at me diminishing his experiences, and I’m fully cognizant my only source of info regarding his “treatment” was/is the five minute snap shot I was given from the story.
That said, I wonder how much agony and frustration might have been prevented in his lifetime if someone took the time to show him some basic “spinal hygiene” (to steal a phrase from Dr. Stuart McGill and his book Back Mechanic) tactics to clean up his daily movement?
What might have happened (what can happen?) if, instead of acupuncture, he was shown how to hip hinge well or given a healthy dose of Deadbugs, Birddogs, and Breathing Side Planks?
Repetitive (aberrant) flexion, as shown in the still shot I took, certainly isn’t doing his back any favors. And, I have to assume this type of thing is happening dozens (if not hundreds) of times per day, whether he’s picking up a golf ball or getting out of a chair.
It glaringly demonstrates how we often neglect to address the obvious and simple everyday “hammers” in our lives that can (not always <— this is important) lead to back pain.
I’m talking about the kind of hammers – repetitive movement (repeated spinal flexion, and extension for that matter) – that start off as innocuous nothings (the twist there, the bending over there), yet manifest into something far more nefarious once one’s tissue tolerance is surpassed.11
As my friend and strength coach, Joy Victoria, notes:
“Habitual daily postures and movement strategies have a greater influence, than intentional exercise.”
Massage, ultrasound, etc, while likely part of the puzzle (and can provide immediate, albeit temporary relief), are just band-aids.
I think exercise, and to be more specific, strength, can play an integral role in the grand scheme of things.
However, as fitness professionals it’s imperative we keep a keener eye. Deadlifts don’t cure everything. Recognizing run-of-the-mill wonky movement and attacking that, as trivial as it may seem, can make all the difference in the world for those who suffer with low back pain.
