We're back on track with our next list of recommended reading. Here are some things worth checking out:
13 Tips for Fitness Blogging Success - I know a lot of you have blogs of your own, and I'd encourage all of you to check out this great collection of advice from Mike Robertson. A lot of it parallels exactly what I've tried to do with EricCressey.com.
Never Eat Alone - This is one of the better business books I've ever read, as it focuses a ton on how to build and maintain a network in the business world. I came across the title in some reading I was doing the other day, and it reminded me of just how much it has helped me since I read it in March of 2007.
Vanilla Pumpkin Pie: Best Smoothie Yet? - Another great shake recipe from Brian St. Pierre.
Dude does a face plate into a bunch of iron after a one-rep max deadlift attempt - Okay, I gave this one away. It was too good to not repost.
Sorry, dude. That's what you get for celebrating like a weenie.
Thus far this week, we've covered the top articles, product reviews, videos, and guest submissions of the year. Today, I just wanted to cover the stuff that was fun for me to write (or film) - and it isn't just exclusive to EricCressey.com.
Birthday Blogging: 28 Years, 28 Favorites - I just remember that this thing rolled off my fingertips as I wrote it on my 28th birthday.
What Folks are Saying about the Cressey Performance Majestic Fleece - I just remember that we had to film this about 47 times because none of us could stop laughing.
The Opportunity Cost of Your Time - I don't know why this one was fun to write, but it was. I suppose it might have something to do with the fact that I started out at business school, and then moved over to the exercise science world to complete my undergraduate degree.
The Truth About Unstable Surface Training - This was actually introduced at the end of 2008 (and written in sections between 2005 and 2008), but deserves mention in light of its first full year of availability. I'm most proud of this work because it took a ton of time to compile both the literature and our original research, which was the first of its kind. Nobody had looked at how a long-term training lower-body unstable surface training intervention would affect healthy, trained athletes' performance. This book presents not only those results, but a series of practical application recommendations that are of value to any strength coach, personal trainer, or other fitness professional.
Lower Back Savers Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 - Featured at T-Muscle, these were really fun to write because I had a chance to be dorky and practical at the same time, blending research with what we've anecdotally seen in those with lower back issues. Honestly, I still have enough content to write a part 4, and that may come around in the next few months.
This week, I've already featured our top articles, product reviews, and videos of 2009. I was also really lucky to have some bright minds as guest contributors this year, and today I'll feature a few of their submissions.
The Rocker Inferior Capsule Stretch - This excellent submission from physical therapist Tim DiFrancesco shows a shoulder mobility exercises we've used with some of our guys with excellent results. It includes some great videos like this:
So What Does a Pitching Coach Do, Anyway? - I love this guest blog from Matt Blake, a great pitching guy with whom I get to work daily. It just goes to show you that there is a lot more to understand than mechanics when it comes to developing elite pitchers.
Real Activation: Modifying a Classic Core Movement - Jim Smith is perhaps best known for being a true innovator when it comes to exercise selection, and this post was an excellent one for that very reason.
This week, we've already covered the most popular articlesand product reviews from EricCressey.com in 2009. Next up are the popular videos.
One of my goals for 2009 with this site was to include a lot more video content - whether it was "built in" to the text, or serving as a stand-alone content source in itself. Here were some of the most popular ones for the year:
Correct Push-up Technique - This one got over 9,000 views in spite of the fact that I never even included it in a blog post (that I can remember). I guess my theory that most people really need to learn how to do good push-ups was right on the money.
My 660 Deadlift - I guess lifting heavy stuff is only about 89% as cool as body weight push-ups.
Tim Collins Can Jump - Great guy, stud athlete, bright future. Gotta' love him.
16x16 Sled Madness - This sled masochism was popular among our staff early in the year. There is more info on it HERE.
Rollouts: Friend or Foe - This video went hand-in-hand with this newsletter.
Anterior Core Progressions - This video was a follow-up to the previous one, and was found in this newsletter.
Measuring Hip Internal Rotation - This video was featured as part of this newsletter.
Lastly, there were a few newsletters that included a ton of video content. Here's my personal favorite, a follow-up from Mike Reinold and my shoulder seminar (available soon on DVD): Recap: Testing, Treating, and Training the Shoulder.
Tomorrow, we'll cover the top guest submissions for the year at EricCressey.com.
In my last post, we covered the most popular articles here at EricCressey.com in 2009. Today, we'll cover my top product reviews of 2009. Several of these were interviews with authors that came in light of their launch of new products. In addition to discussion of the products, most of these have a ton of good information you won't want to miss.
Warpspeed Fat Loss Results Part 1 and Part 2 - Technically, this was the end of 2008, but had we done a November-to-November year, it would have blown the rest of these product reviews out of the water. The reason? Results! Check out the before and after pictures of one CP client who kicked some serious butt with this program. For a lot of you who are looking to get on track with your fat loss efforts in the new year, this would be a good product to check out.
Strength and Conditioning Webinars - I think this product might be the most useful one of the year for fitness professionals, as Anthony Renna has made sure that there is awesome content coming out month after month. It's cheaper than traveling to seminars, and you can get educated on YOUR schedule. I highly recommend checking it out.
Off-Ice Performance Training for Hockey (with Kevin Neeld) - This is an interview with Kevin that covers hockey training tips for both coaches and players.
Tomorrow, we'll cover the most popular EricCressey.com exclusive videos on the year.
In place of "Stuff You Should Read" this week, I thought it might be cool to direct you to our most popular pages and videos for 2009, according to our website statistics. Presumably, these are the ones that people forwarded to friends the most, and/or the ones that caught the most people's eyes. This excludes pages like the homepage, baseball content, products, etc. Here we go:
Medicine Ball Madness - This piece outlined some of the medicine ball work I do with both my baseball guys and the rest of our clients. It was so popular that it actually led to me deciding to cover this topic at my Perform Better talks for 2010.
Hip Internal Rotation Deficit: Causes and Fixes - This Q&A on what the lying knee-to-knee stretch does actually led to a discussion of the who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Front vs. Back Squats - This is a different kind of discussion on a debate that's been going on for years.
Crossfit for Baseball - Controversial? Yup. I got a little hate mail for this one, but on the whole, I think I was pretty fair with how I approached it.
"Quad Pulls" and Sprinting Warm-ups - This article discusses how the term "quad pull" might not be the most accurate one out there - and, more importantly, how to avoid them.
A Common Cause of Hip Pain in Athletes - This piece discusses femoral anterior glide syndrome, a term coined by Shirley Sahrmann.
Next, we'll feature the most popular product reviews of 2009.
Happy New Year, everyone!
I thought I'd use this first post of 2010 as a way of looking forward to what's on tap at EricCressey.com for the year. In true "Random Thoughts" fashion, here we go:
1. Nate Green just interviewed me for what I think will be a great feature at T-Muscle in the next week or two. It will be similar in structure to this piece Nate did with Dave Tate, which definitely turned out to be an entertaining read. Keep an eye out for it!
2. Speaking of interviews, I'll be doing one with Brian Grasso for the IYCA on Tuesday. Brian's a very forward-thinking guy and I'm excited to catch up with him.
3. Speaking of T-Muscle, I'm finishing up my "What I Learned in 2009" article this weekend. It follows the articles I wrote for 2006, 2007, and 2008.
4. Also coming up in the next month or so will be the release of the DVDs of Mike Reinold and my seminar from November: Testing, Treating, and Training the Shoulder: From Rehabilitation to High Performance. It's being edited as I type this.
5. This January 24, Cressey Performance will be hosting Neil Rampe of the Arizona Diamondbacks for his seminar, . You can register HERE, or for more information on Neil's background, click HERE. If you'd like to see a seminar agenda, please just email me at ec@ericcressey.com.
6. I'll be presenting in Tampa, FL (Jan); Winchester, MA (Jan); Las Vegas, NV (March); and Vancouver, BC (March); and Boston, MA (May) in this first part of 2010. Check out my schedule page for more information on these events.
7. I'm very anxious to hear more of the feedback on Assess and Correct, which has already sold in more than two dozen countries. This is a product I truly believe will help a lot of people, and the short-term feedback we've received since its release in October has been tremendous.
8. At Cressey Performance, our staff has started up what (for lack of a more masculine term) we're calling the Staff Book Club. Each staff member will present on what he learns in a different book each week. I think it'll be a great way to cover more material and keep us all accountable to each other on getting our continuing education done.
9.I'm pumped for more content from Matt Blake in 2010. He's been a fantastic resource for all our athletes and I'm excited to share with you all how Matt and I collaborate to make our pitchers better. I think it'll make for some great content.
10. I'd really like to continue to grow both the newsletter and blog. You can sign up for notifications on both fronts to the right of the screen, if you haven't already.
11. I'm really pumped for all our guys who have found great college choices; it's an exciting time for both the 2010 and 2011 guys. Most recently, CP athlete Adam Ravenelle committed to Vanderbilt on a baseball scholarship. Adam's been with us since before his freshman year, and we're all really proud of him. He actually joins another CP pitcher, Tyler Beede, who committed to Vanderbilt just a few weeks ago. Both guys are in the class of 2011, and join Barrett O'Neill (University of Virginia) and Joe Napolitano (Boston College) as our early committees from that class.
There should be plenty more guys with exciting news along these lines in the months to come as well.
12. I'm really excited to watch Cressey Performance grow in the months ahead. While I was certainly thrilled at the growth we saw (15%) in 2009 and I hope it continues, I am most thrilled at how many clients we've seen change their bodies and their lives since they started up, and how many friendships we've seen cultivated inside CP. If you'd have told me a few years ago that we'd have over 25 people in on Thanksgiving morning, for instance, I would have told you that you were crazy!
In addition to our clients' accomplishments, I'm so proud of our staff. I could never do what I do without such great guys working alongside me, and the best part is that they are insatiable in their desire to get better. We're constantly getting better and it makes every new day fun. The best part is that I feel like it's something that's carried over to our interns, too; there are some really talented people with bright futures coming through here.
13. I'm very excited for the new CP website, which should be done in a matter of a few days. Along those same lines, there is a pretty sweet training and testimonial montage being pulled together about our Elite Baseball Development program. I was actually getting pretty fired up just watching some of the footage that had been gathered thus far.
14. I can't wait to attack all the books and journal articles that are in my stack of "Things to Read" right now. There's too much material to cover, but never enough time!
15. Last, but certainly not least, it'll also be a very busy (but exciting) year for me personally in 2010, as my fiancee Anna and I will be getting married this October. And, even before we get to that, we're planning to buy our first home in the next 4-6 months. Obviously, we're already doing a lot of planning!
Needless to say, I'm looking forward to all of this - and probably a few surprises along the way. Best wishes for 2010, and stay tuned!
