Q: I am just finishing up Phase 1 of Maximum Strength, and I have a few questions about the loading. 1. When we have deload weeks, like in week 4, do we decrease the load or is the decreased volume you prescribed the actual deload? I find myself increasing the load on weeks 2 and 4 to compensate for the decreased volume, but I have a feeling I am defeating the whole purpose of the deload.2. When we are doing our sets, should we try to keep the same load for each set, or do we work up to a RM on our last set?
A: With respect to your first question, you are definitely doing the right thing. The best answer I can give is to get stronger! And, you will! So, if the reps go down, the weights should go up. And, if the reps stay the same, the weights should still (hopefully) go up.
There are exceptions to this rule, of course - particularly as you get more and more advanced or have a previous history of injury. It'd be worth picking up a copy of my Art of the Deload e-book for details for only $12.99:
As for your second question, I'd keep working up and only count the stuff that's at or above 90% of your best working weight for the day. So, let's say you're doing three sets of three reps on front squats, and your progression goes something like this:
45x5, 95x3, 135x3, 165x3, 185x3, 200x3 (heaviest you can go, you discover)
So, you work backward from that 200 pounds to find that 90% of it is 180 pounds. So, the only two sets that have "counted" thus far are 185 and 200 - so you need to do one more set between 180 and 200 pounds to finish up the 3x3.
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Next time you set up to bench press, think about what you ask for:
a. a spot
b. a hand-off
I don't know about you, but I'm asking for the hand-off, because there's no way I'm thinking that I'll need a spot. How's that for a thought of the day?
Remember that this is half-full...
Q: I'm a baseball pitcher who was diagnosed with a posterior labral tear. Since I was young and the doctor didn't feel that the tear was too extensive, he recommended physical therapy and not surgery. I'm still training the rest of my body hard, but am finding that I can't back squat because it causes pain in the shoulder. Any idea why and what I can do to work around this?
A: It isn't surprising at all, given the typical SLAP injury mechanism in overhead throwing athletes. If there is posterior cuff tightness (and possibly capsule tightness, depending on who you ask), the humeral head will translate upward in that abducted/externally rotated position. In other words, the extreme cocking position and back squat bar position readily provoke labral problems once they are in place. The apprehension test is often used to check for issues like this, as they are commonly associated with anterior instability. Not surprisingly, it's a test that involves maximal external rotation to provoke pain:
The relocation aspect of the test involves the clinician pushing the humeral head posteriorly to relieve pain. If that relocation relieves pain, the test is positive, and you're dealing with someone who has anterior instability. So, you can see why back squatting can irritate a shoulder with a posterior labrum problem: it may be the associated anterior instability, the labrum itself, or a combination of those two factors (and others!).
On a related note, most pitchers report that when they feel their SLAP lesion occur on a specific pitch, it takes place right as they transition from maximal external rotation to forward acceleration. This is where the peel-back mechanism (via the biceps tendon on the labrum) is most prominent. That's one more knock against back squatting overhead athletes.
If you're interested in reading further, Mike Reinold has some excellent information on SLAP lesions in overhead throwing athletes in two great blog posts:
Top 5 Things You Need to Know about a Superior Labral TearClinical Examination of Superior Labral Tears
The solutions are pretty simple: work with front squats, single-leg work (dumbbells or front squat grip), and deadlift variations. If you have access to specialty bars like the giant cambered bar and/or safety squat bar, feel free to incorporate work with them.
And, alongside that, work in a solid rehabilitation program that focuses not only on the glenohumeral joint, but also scapular stability and thoracic spine mobility.
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used by Cressey Performance Pitchers after they Throw!
This might be surprising to some, as one would think that any sort of physical activity would benefit untrained elderly individuals. However, I wasn't surprised at the results at all, given all the research I'd done to prepare for The Truth About Unstable Surface Training. And, I wasn't surprised at all when I realized that this had significant parallels to how we train balancing proficiency in athletes.
It's important to understand first and foremost that balance and proprioception (and, therefore, stability at a certain point in time) are skill-specific. In particular, one must appreciate that static balance - which is typical of Tai Chi - is markedly difference from dynamic balance, which we encounter all the time in everyday life and in the world of athletics.
For proof, one mustn't look any further than when Drowatzky and Zuccato (1966) found little carryover from static to dynamic balance (1). Tsigilis et al. confirmed this finding 35 years later (2). And, it's one reason why I feel so strongly that we have to qualify our unstable surface training (UST) recommendations. UST necessitates a significant amount of static balance that may not transfer to sporting movements, which typically are more dependent on dynamic balancing proficiency.
From my e-book on the subject, "Previous research has demonstrated that scores on static balance tests are not useful information when attempting to predict inversion ankle injuries in soccer players (3). This lack of correlation implies that methods to improve static balance may not be effective training approaches to prevent injuries in dynamic sporting contexts - especially when dealing with athletes with no recent history of lower extremity injury."
Now, we know that we can't train complete specificity 100% of the time. Otherwise, in the elderly, we'd be trying to simulate every kind of fall that is possible. And, in a football player, for instance, we'd be trying to simulate every kind of tackle a running back could possibly encounter. So, what do we do? Once again, we look to the research!
In a study by Bruhn et al., a high-intensity strength training group actually outperformed the unstable surface training (static balance training) group on measures of static balance (4). In other words, one group trained static balance, and the other didn't - and the one who didn't train static balance directly actually improved the most overall. Maybe muscle cross-sectional area played into it? Maybe it occurred because of increased stabilization via enhanced intra- and intermuscular coordination that would allow for more rapid and effective force production (strength and rate of force development)? Maybe true specificity isn't as important as we thought?
1. DROWATZKY, J.N., AND F.C. ZUCCATO. Interrelationships between selected measures of static and dynamic balance. Res. Q. 38:(3) 509-510. 1966.
2. TSIGILIS, N., E. ZACHOPOULOU, T. MAVRIDIS. Evaluation of the specificity of selected dynamic balance tests. Percept Mot Skills. 92(3 Pt 1):827-33. 2001.
3. KONRADSEN, L. Factors Contributing to Chronic Ankle Instability: Kinesthesia and Joint Position Sense. J Athl Train. 37(4):381-385. 2002.
4. BRUHN, S., N. KULLMANN, AND A. GOLLHOFER. The effects of a sensorimotor training and a strength training on postural stabilisation, maximum isometric contraction and jump performance. Int J Sports Med. 25(1):56-60. 2004.
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Two weeks ago, I made it clear that a lot of folks were missing the boat with respect to baseball strength and conditioning by insisting that "plyos are all you need."
And, last week, I discussed how strength and reactive ability have interacted in some successful players in professional baseball, and how those qualities should dictate how an athlete trains.
This week, though, I'm going to throw you for a little loop and tell you that the static-spring continuum means absolutely NOTHING for a lot of athletes. Why?
You must first understand that each stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) activity involves three distinct phases:
1. eccentric (deceleration, preloading)
2. amortization (isometric, pause)
3. concentric (propulsion) phases.
As I discussed in great detail in The Truth About Unstable Surface Training, Komi (2003) outlined three fundamental conditions required for an effective SSC action (1):
1. "a well-timed preactivation of the muscles before the eccentric phase" [we need our muscles to be ready to go to decelerate]
2. "a short and fast eccentric phase" [deceleration has to occur quickly, as the faster the rate of stretch, the more energy the musculotendon complex stores]
3. "immediate transition (short delay) between stretch and shortening (concentric) phases." [if we spend too much time paused at the bottom, the stored energy is lost as heat instead of being used for subsequent force production]
So, what I'm really saying is that if you don't have a decent foundation of strength, training reactive ability - or even considering where you stand on the static-spring continuum - is a waste of time. Weak athletes need to have the strength (and rate of force development, for that matter) to decelerate with control in order to allow for fast eccentric and amoritization phases to occur.
I'd estimate that 60% of the young athletes who walk through my door on their first day to train are nowhere near strong enough to derive considerable benefit from "classic" plyos. Sure, they need to learn deceleration and landing mechanics and pick up some sprinting techniques, but the true progress comes from the resistance training they do.
Now, let's apply this to baseball, a sport where good strength and conditioning is still yet to be appreciated - and many athletes go directly from high school to the professional ranks without ever having touched a weight in their lives. As a result, many baseball athletes don't have the underlying strength to effectively make use of the reactive training that typifies the training presented to them.
And, in many cases, it will take a long time to get it during the season in the minor leagues, where they'll have competing demands (games, practice, travel) and limited equipment access. It's why I've seen several professional baseball players come my way with vertical jumps of less than 20". As a frame of reference, you need to be over 28.5" to be in the top 13 on my HIGH SCHOOL record board. Pro athletes? Really?
These guys can be conundrums from a training standpoint, as you have to realize that sprinting is possibly the single-most reactive/plyometric training drill there is; we are talking roughly four times body weight in ground reaction forces with each stride - and that's in single-leg stance. So, we have somewhat of an injury predisposition, but more important, it comes down to training economy. They aren't strong enough (relative to their body weight) to get much out of the sprinting, and would benefit more from strength training, bilateral jumping variations, and single-leg low hops. However, they need to jump and sprint as part of their profession, so we've got to prepare them for that as well.
All that in mind, the problem isn't traditional strength and conditioning, in my eyes. It builds a solid base of strength for many athletes and helps to increase body weight, which in itself is a predictive factor for velocity. However, the shortcomings of this S&C occur when coaches don't understand how to modify traditional strength and conditioning to suit the needs of the baseball athlete. And, problems kick in when folks don't appreciate that even just a little bit of strength goes a long way.
New Blog ContentRandom Friday Thoughts
Inverted Row IgnoranceMaximum Strength Feedback: 1/20/09Stuff You Should Read: 1/22/09
All the Best,
EC
References
1. Komi, PV. Stretch-shortening cycle. In: Strength and Power in Sport (2nd Ed.) P.V. Komi, ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 2003: 184-202.
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used by Cressey Performance Pitchers after they Throw!
1. I'm speaking at the Massachusetts High School Baseball Coaches Association's Annual Clinic this morning, so this week's random thoughts will be somewhat abbreviated. I didn't even have time to pick out this week's music selection, so you have to settle for this dude getting owned!
2. Speaking of baseball, one thing I'll be discussing in some detail is hip flexion range-of-motion asymmetries in pitchers. You'll almost always see far more hamstrings flexibility on the front leg for obvious reasons, but it's also important to consider how throwing styles contribute to this issue. Guys who throw on stiff front legs are ones who will most commonly present with big asymmetries. Justin Verlander would be a great example:
Guys like Verlander need to pay close attention to maintaining adequate length of the right hamstrings (the opposite would be true of a left-handed pitcher). Conversely, a guy like Greg Maddux who - at the same point in his throwing motion - is more flexed on the front knee, generally won't have big issues in this regard (although they should still be assessed and addressed).
Leaving these issues unaddressed can lead to a host of problems, most notably hamstrings strains on the back leg.
3. Manuel Buitrago has put some excellent Olympic lifting demonstrations online to help those of you at home who are trying to pick up these complex lifts on your own. Here's a little sample:
4. While I think it's awesome that a lot of folks are finally catching on that glute activation is important for both injury prevention and rehabilitation, a lot of folks have lost sight of the fact that you have to be careful about just training the glutes in hip extension. It's also very important to pay attention to theirs roles as external rotators and abductors. Once you've mastered bilateral movements in the sagittal plane (e.g., supine bridges), you need to get into single-leg and emphasis movements like bowler squats and lunges with reaches to various positions. These are great inclusions in the warm-up, and we highlight several options in our Magnificent Mobility DVD.
And, to take it a step further, you've got to load up those single-leg movements and challenge frontal plane stability to lay some strength down on top of those newly discovered movement strategies.
5. In light of the flexibility/mobility tone of this series of random thoughts, I thought it might be a good time to remind you that "creep" typically sets in at about 20 minutes. So, if you've been sitting at your desk reading for longer than that, it'd probably be a good idea to stand up for a few minutes, Quasimodo.
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used by Cressey Performance Pitchers after they Throw!
I just received this email yesterday from a happy Maximum Strength customer:
"Eric,
"I just finished up with your Maximum Strength program and wanted to write you to let you know of the results. Before I get to the good stuff, I wanted to thank you for writing such a comprehensive strength training program. Not only was it challenging but it was also laid out in a format where it is easy to understand and follow. I have not stopped talking about this program for 16 weeks and now that I have the results, I have people getting ready to jump on the Maximum Strength bandwagon.
"Not only did I see an increase across the board in lifts and movements, but the soft tissue and mobility work opened up my hips and all but eliminated any IT band issues I was having previous to this. I started this program with the idea that the conclusion would come just in time for me to start going back to my endurance training for this summer's triathlon circuit. Now that I am done, I am at the strongest I have been in 12 years, I set a PR in deadlifts and I am in a frame of mind for my next race where I know I will be one of the strongest competitors in the field.
"Here are the results from the program:
Moving Day Packing Day Difference
Weight - 201 212 lbs + 11 lbs
Broad Jump - 88" 115" + 17"
Squat - 385 lbs 445 lbs + 60 lbs
Bench - 300 lbs 325 lbs + 25 lbs
Deadlift - 385 455 + 70 lbs
3 Rep Chin - BW +30 BW + 60 30 lbs + 11 of BW
"To say I am excited about these results is an understatement. I was a little bummed on the weight until I got my new circumference measurements done. While I did add 11 pounds, I lost .5 inches off my waist and added 6, yes I said 6 inches to my chest/back/shoulders measurement. The compliments I have gotten from friends and family are even more indicative of a successful program. Not only did I set a new PR in dealift but I am most proud of the 3 rep chin max, where not only did I add muscle and body weight, I was also able to increase my strength and added additional external weight as well.
"Thanks again. I plan on recommending this program to friends, family and soon-to-be clients!"
-Chris Bartl
One of the pro baseball guys I work with from afar is in town this week for a check-in, and he bought ten protein bars for $10 in anticipation of eating out of airports. He was munching on one of them at the facility yesterday, and it was labeled as a "Triple Threat" for a) great taste, b) energy, and c) nutrition.
Now, you're talking to a guy who spent two years at business school before deciding to go the exercise science route, so I've got a little marketing analyst in me. We all know that lots of stuff can have double meanings - so I check out the first three ingredients:
1. Corn Syrup
2. Soy Crisps
3. "Chocolatey" Coating
Yes, it really had a "Y" on the end of the word. So, you not get a candy bar with crap ingredients, but also are treated like a child with words like "chocolatey."
Joking aside, the best protein bars available are the ones you make yourself. John Berardi has some awesome recipes in Gourmet Nutrition Cookbook (also available as part of the Precision Nutrition package).
