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High Praise for Maximum Strength:

"In Maximum Strength Eric Cressey outlines a system of scientific and user-friendly principles that will build a body that's strong, muscular, mobile and healthy. That's a tough combination to pull off, but this book does it. Whether you're an athlete or weekend warrior, you need this book." -Chad Waterbury
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EC on the Fitcast

Check it out! http://thefitcast.com/?p=329
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Random Thursday Thoughts: 7/3

Hey Gang, With the 4th of July falling on a Friday, we won't have any Random Friday Thoughts this weekend. However, that's not to say that we can't bump up my senseless digressions to Thursday just this once... 1. I made my ESPN.com debut this week – but it’s not for the reason you might think! Check out DJ Gallo's column. I'm actually pretty honored that he even gave me the mention, as I've been reading Page 2 for quite some time now. 2. I am headed to Maine (my old stomping grounds) with Tony Gentilcore and our girlfriends for the 4th of July. Geek that I am, I am taking about 15 journal articles on shoulder dysfunction with me to read on the beach. I'll be at Cressey Performance on Sunday night, and then it's off to Delaware for four days for some more continuing education with respect to the overhead throwing athlete. Dr. Craig Morgan and his colleagues at the Morgan-Kalman Clinic have been gracious enough to extend an invitation to see them in action. To say that I am excited would be an understatement, as these guys have worked with a lot of messed-up arms - many of them worth millions of dollars. I'll also spend some time in the clinic with Shon Grosse, a great PT in Philadelphia. So, it'll be seven days of shoulders. 3. Congratulations to Dave Robertson on his Major League Debut. Dave spent some time with us at Cressey Performance this past-offseason, and he made an appearance at Shea Stadium on Sunday for the Yankees. Dave is a great guy and a really hard worker; he deserves all the success that comes his way. 4. Worst. Sign. Ever. 5. Here is a simple, yet effective stretch for those of you who are locked in hip external rotation. This is really common in soccer, hockey, and powerlifting athletes. When performed correctly, you should feel it in your glutes. It's also a common problem spot for people who over-pronate, as subtalar pronation leads to more tibial and femoral internal rotation - which causes the lateral rotators to work overtime with respect to deceleration. Soft tissue work on these areas works best, but some basic stretching can help as well. 5. DId a 545x3 deadlift and hit a 32.5-inch vertical jump today. Not a bad day at the office... Have a great holiday!
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Cressey Performance Athlete Featured in the Boston Globe

Thought I'd give you a heads-up on a great read about a great kid: Mike Soboff. Mike's one of our athletes at Cressey Performance, and he's got a bright future ahead of him. Newton South Grad to Play Soccer at University of South Florida
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The Cressey Performance Foam Roller Series

I've had a few questions about specifically what we do with the foam roller with our athletes, so figured I'd just video it for you with a voice-over. You can pick up a Foam Roller Plus like this at Perform Better. Sign up for our FREE Newsletter today and and receive this deadlift technique video!
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The High-Heels Addiction

In preparing my presentation for yesterday's seminar (the focus was female training), I used Google images to dig up a picture of a high-heeled shoe for my powerpoint. In doing so, I came across a 20-step guide to learn how to walk in high heels. Does anyone find it a bit scary that you can beat alcoholism in 12 steps, but it takes 20 to learn how to do something that will grossly warp your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and lower back?
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Random Friday Thoughts: 6/27/08

1. Congratulations to Cressey Performance athlete Ryan Wood on throwing a perfect game for Sudbury Legion on Wednesday night. 2. For those of you with injuries who still plan to go out and get tanked this weekend, give this study a read. In particular, pay attention to the section that says, “The development of alcoholic muscle disease, which affects both cardiac and skeletal muscle, leads to increased morbidity and mortality in patients who abuse alcohol. The disease pathology includes myocyte degeneration, loss of striations, and myofilament dissolution, which is consistent with alterations in structural and myofibrillar proteins.” Now, it has been too long since I took muscle physiology in my graduate school days, but I’m guessing that getting hammered tonight isn’t going to help your knee to feel better… 3. Rumor has it that Robertson and Cressey are brainstorming for a new project. And yes, you know it is Friday because I am referring to myself in the third person. 4. A lot of people are resorting to using video newsletters because they feel that they can interact with the reader better. To be honest, I’m typing this blog post in an old t-shirt with a serious case of bed-head – and as much as I like all of you, my living room isn’t all that exciting to view. If I decided to go the video route, I’d have to shower, get all decked out, and hang some nice paintings – but I’d rather just spend that time working on content. Hopefully, you aren’t too disappointed. 5. I’m speaking at Fenway for the Jimmy Fund’s Fantasy Day tomorrow. This is an awesome cause and they could definitely use your donations. 6. If you’ve got an extreme pronator or supinator, you can modify your ankle mobilizations accordingly. If they pronate, elevate the medial (inside) aspect of the foot with a five-pound plate to drive more supination. If they supinate, elevate the lateral aspect to drive more pronation. 7. The other day, I remarked that writing a marathon training program for an oft-injured runner is like being a drug dealer giving an addict her fix. To that, a great manual therapist with whom we work replied, “Eric, you’re only a drug dealer if you’re dealing drugs illegally. Be her pharmacist; she’s her own primary care physician with this one: much less accountability.” 8. Raspberry-Mint is the single worst flavor of chewing gum in history. I hope somebody got fired for thinking it up and having the idiocy for actually opting to market it. 9. I just realized that it’s been a long time since I gave Mel Siff a mention in my newsletter. Considering he might be the brightest guy in the history of exercise science, that’s unacceptable. So, if you’re an up-and-comer and want a great foundation, read Supertraining…and read it yesterday. 10. Here’s an interesting read about an NFL lineman who decided to powerlift in the off-season. Big guys need to be strong – but they also need to move well. Hopefully, he’s doing plenty of mobility work on the side and staying athletic. You can be strong and move like crap. Have a great weekend! EC
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Feedback on Maximum Strength

"Hi Eric, I just wanted to let you know that your new strength manual is amazing. I am doing the program with two other guys. Before the program, one of them could not even back squat because his shoulders would be in too much pain holding the bar. After two weeks of foam rolling and the mobility work, he was amazed to see that he could back squat with zero pain. Also, I had shoulder pain from benching before starting the workout, and ever since then the pain is gone and we are all improving quite nicely on all our lifts. Just wanted to thank your for the great book. I recommend it to everyone; the dynamic warm-up alone is worth the price. THANKS!" Daniel Pfohl West Seneca, NY To find out for yourself, check out Maximum Strength.
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Simple Asymmetry & Balance Fixes

In a 2007 study, Ellenbecker et al. compared hip internal and external rotation range-of-motion in elite baseball pitchers and elite tennis players. They noted the following: An analysis of the number of subjects in each group with a bilateral difference in hip rotation greater than 10 degrees identified 17% of the professional baseball pitchers with internal rotation differences and 42% with external rotation differences. Differences in the elite male tennis players occurred in only 15% of the players for internal rotation and 9% in external rotation. Female subjects had differences in 8% and 12% of the players for internal and external rotation, respectively. So, in other words, baseball pitchers were more likely to be asymmetrical than tennis players. While they both serve/pitch with one arm and push off the same-side leg. Tennis players, move a lot more in various directions. And, just as importantly, they hit backhands - so the asymmetries you see at the shoulder are less pronounced as well. Who would have thought: moving more and doing the opposite of what you normally do is a good way to stay healthy? Yes, I'm being sarcastic. Regardless of your sport, you need to get out of your comfort zone more often if you want to stay healthy. To learn more about the common asymmetries affecting overhead athletes and how to manage them, definitely check out the Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set.

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Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive a Copy of the Exact Stretches used by Cressey Performance Pitchers after they Throw!
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Eccentric Exercise and Mobility

One of the things that we are constantly working to address with our baseball guys is the loss of range-of-motion following an extended period of throwing (i.e., a pitching appearance). There's some good research out there showing that the marked eccentric stress on the elbow flexors (biceps, etc) and glenohumeral external rotators (posterior rotator cuff) can lead to an acute (and potentially chronic) loss of elbow extension and humeral internal rotation range-of-motion. Pitching with a loss of ROM over the course of a competitive season is a recipe for disaster - both in terms of velocity reductions and risk of injury. Interestingly, previous research has shown that post-exercise ROM is reduced more with eccentric muscle actions than concentric muscle actions. Since virtually every resistance training sessions comprise some form of eccentric exercise, post-training stretching for the involved musculature is really valuable. And, if you're doing a lot of eccentrics in that training sessions, it's even more important. A lot of athletes get bored really quickly with static stretching, so one thing I've done a bit (especially with kids who really need to work on their mobility) is to simply repeat our dynamic flexibility warm-ups - but integrate a bit longer of a hold on each rep. Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive a Copy of the Exact Stretches used by Cressey Performance Pitchers after they Throw!
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