Home 2008 May

The Golden Boy of Strength and Conditioning

I've certainly been called a lot worse! Check out this recent phone interview I did with Kaiser Serajuddin. I'm off to speak at the Perform Better Summit in Rhode Island. Have a great weekend!
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Heavy Lifting to Wussy Music: Why Not?

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Maximum Strength: Working Around Equipment Limitations

Q: I recently ordered Maximum Strength and am really enjoying it and looking forward to building strength with the program. I did, however, have a question for you. Because of convenience to my house the location I work out at has no power rack (sad, I know). For now I need to stay training here just because of location but need some help with the Maximum Strength Program. What alternatives could I use for the time being for the following exercises? -RACK PULLS FROM KNEES -DEADLIFT BAR ELEVATED -SPEED PIN PRESS -ANDERSON FRONT SQUATS FROM PINS -CLOSE GRIP FLOOR PRESS -SPEED PIN PRESS A: Piece of cake: -RACK PULLS FROM KNEES - elevate bar on aerobic steps -DEADLIFT BAR ELEVATED - same (or plates) -SPEED PIN PRESS - just a board press -ANDERSON FRONT SQUATS FROM PINS - box squat -CLOSE GRIP FLOOR PRESS - board press -SPEED PIN PRESS – regular bench press (to a board, if desired) Get Your Strongest Body in 16 Weeks with the Ultimate Weight-Training Program
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Waiting to Reach Threshold?

According to Princeton researchers, one in four Americans have daily pain. Unfortunate? Yes. Surprising? It would depend who you ask. I'm a firm believer that most people are just waiting to reach threshold. With so many sedentary folks - and those who are actually exercising doing a lot of moronic stuff (machines, excessive aerobic training), it's just a matter of time until a chronic overuse condition comes to fruition - or something traumatic occurs. Additionally, just because folks aren't symptomatic doesn't mean that they don't have structural defect. It's estimated that approximately 80% of Americans have disc bulges and/or herniations that are asymptomatic, and I'd put the number of spondylolysis (vertebral fractures) right up in that ballpark as well. All baseball players have labral fraying in their shoulders, but not all of them are in pain. A lot of folks have tendinopathy under the microscope, but don't actually present with pain - YET. So what can you do? First off, if you're sedentary, move. Something is better than nothing! If you're already active, when it comes to your health, think "inefficiency" and not "pathology." The conventional medical model tells us to wait until we have pain to get something checked out. To me, a lack of hip internal rotation range-of-motion, fallen arches, and poor scapular stability are all example of issues that you need to address before pathologies present as pain and loss of function. If you've got shoulder or upper back issues, check out Inside-Out and Secrets of the Shoulder. If your hips are tight, check out our Magnificent Mobility DVD. Lower back pain? Try Dr. Stuart McGill's Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance. If it's knee problems, Mike Robertson's Bulletproof Knees is for you. Cruddy ankle mobility? I like Mike Boyle's Joint-by-Joint Approach to Training. A little education and a small financial investment early-on will do wonders for saving you a lot of pain, time, and cash down the road.
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Eric Cressey is Unbalanced

Things are pretty crazy as we get the ball rolling for summer training at Cressey Performance, but I was lucky to have some content "in the well" from an interview I recently did for Jen Sinkler at Experience Life Magazine. Check it out: Eric Cressey is Unbalanced
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Eric Cressey is Unbalanced

At Cressey Performance, stability balls are holey. No, that's not a typo. I mean employees literally use knives to puncture them. With glee.
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The Golden Boy of Strength and Conditioning

Eric’s the version 2.0 of the sports and conditioning expert and entrepreneur. He has tremendous credentials, has published a book, trains high-level athletes, and has now opened his own major training facility. He’s really living the dream and setting the standard of what seems to be everyone’s ideal career path in fitness these days. Continue Reading... - Kaiser Serajuddin
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Got Shoulder Problems? How’s your breathing?

Q: I noticed you mentioned breathing patterns as a potential issue that a good PT should address. Tony briefly explained how this relates to overall shoulder function in his Limiting Factors article if I remember correctly, and it seems to be a subject that's been popping up quite a bit recently. Would it be possible for you elaborate on this even further? Even just throwing out some random thoughts you may have on the topic would be great A: Think of what happens when air enters the chest: the shoulders rise. Most people are extremely tight in levator scapulae already - so elevating the rib cage, clavicle, and scapulae further is only going to exaggerate things. Learn to breath into the belly, and you can put levator scapulae on slack a bit more. The fundamental problem is that levator scapulae is a downward rotator of the scapula - and when it's tight, it makes it difficult to get appropriate upward rotation to allow for safe overhead motion. This compromises the space through which the rotator cuff tendons pass. Gray Cook’s Secrets of the Shoulder delves into this in some detail. Eric Cressey

shoulder-performance-dvdcover

Click here to purchase the most comprehensive shoulder resource available today: Optimal Shoulder Performance - From Rehabilitation to High Performance.
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Couldn’t Have Happened to a Better Guy

Awesome.
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7 Tips for your Physical Therapist Visit

After two years of searching, I've established a good network. But you as a Testosterone reader don't have that luxury when your shoulder is throbbing. With that in mind, here are seven tips to help you be an advocate for your cause as you visit a physical therapist. Continue Reading...
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