Home Posts tagged "Elite Training Mentorship" (Page 3)

Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 4/18/13

Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:

Elite Training Mentorship - My in-service this month talked a lot about the business of fitness and how we developed our baseball niche.  I also uploaded a few articles and exercise demonstrations to complement the contributions from the rest of the ETM crew.  If you aren't checking this great resource out yet, do so!

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Fascinating Facts About Sleep - This was a fantastic piece by TC Luoma at T-Nation about the importance of sleep - and you'll definitely learn something.

Foam Rolling and Increased Joint ROM - This was a study summary from Patrick Ward.  It's a great read for those who are skeptical of the benefits of foam rolling.

Also, in light of this week's tragedy in Boston, I'd call this a must-view video.  It's the moment of silence, video tribute, and national anthem from before the first Boston Bruins game after the event.

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Fitness Professionals: Figuring Out Your Learning Style

One of the more profound realizations any fitness professional can make is that not all clients and athletes learn the exact same way.  Some athletes simply need to be told what to do.  Others can just observe an exercise to learn it. Finally, there are those who need to actually be put in the right position to feel and exercise and learn it that way.  And, you can even break these three categories down even further with more specific visual, auditory, and kinesthetic awareness coaching cues.

These learning styles aren't specific to the athletes' training experience, demeanor, intelligence, injury history, or previous coaching experiences.  I've had professional athletes and very inexperienced athletes from various walks of life in each categorization.  People are just wired the way they're wired, and you're better off working with that, as opposed to changing it.

Every good fitness professional gets to this realization eventually on the coaching front, but I'm constantly amazed at how individuals never stop to consider how it might apply to their own learning.  In other words, just like you can make faster fitness progress when you have the right cues, you can also acquire a lot more knowledge as a coach when you appreciate your own unique learning style.  Let me explain.

I'm an auditory and visual learner.  I can watch a DVD, read a book, or listen to a presenter and retain information very well.  I find hands-on sessions at seminars to be far less productive than lectures.  I don't get excited about going to seminars that are just full days of exercise; I'd rather just read the handouts or watch a DVD of the event at 8x fast-forward (yes, I often watch DVDs in fast forward).  This makes me dramatically different than most fitness professionals, though.  In my experience, far more than half of attendees at seminars thrive in the hands-on components, and struggle to learn and apply knowledge from reading book chapters.

What does this mean for you?  Very simply, you need to figure out what your learning style is and then plan your continuing education accordingly. 

If you do well with hands-on learning, attending a workshop with 1,500 attendees probably isn't going to be a great learning experience for you. A 600-page book would probably bore you to death. You'd be better off seeking out a more intimate learning experience like a mentorship - or even just hiring a personal trainer you respect to coach you through something you'd like to learn.

If you're more like me and do well with just reading or listening, a lecture-based experience might work great, even with a larger crowd.  And, books might be a much more affordable option for continuing education, as you can get a ton of information without travel expenses.

If you're an observational learner, make sure that you get to seminars (like the Perform Better tour) that have practical components to complement the lectures.  Pick up DVDs and order webinars in lieu of buying books.  And, make trips to visit other gyms to learn; we have trainers come to visit us at Cressey Sports Performance all the time, for example.

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The great thing about technology in today's society is that it's made the same great information available via multiple mediums.  If you want to learn Shirley Sahrmann's methods, for instance, you can read her books, watch her DVDs, go take a course with her, or study in a fellowship until a therapist who has trained under her.  And, you can even pursue all of these avenues with someone who has previously learned from her, but figured out how to relate information in a manner that might be more user-friendly for you. 

The sky is the limit; you just need to figure out what works best for you.

This is one reason why I'm so proud of the resource we've put together with Elite Training Mentorship.  It combines in-service lectures, articles, exercise demonstrations, sample programs, and case studies all in one place; there is something for everyone.  If you haven't checked it out already, I'd encourage you to do so.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 3/12/13

Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:

Some Thoughts on Crossfit - I thought Patrick Ward did an excellent job writing up this post, which features a review of a recent study performed on the efficacy of Crossfit.

Elite Training Mentorship - In this month's update, I contributed an in-service on evaluating and managing "tight hamstrings" as well as a few articles and exercise demonstrations. Vaughn Bethell and Tyler English also contributed some excellent stuff, so check it out!

Unilateral Work: Don't Forget the Upper Body - I wrote this blog post over at Men's Health almost two years ago, but was reminded of it during a conversation I had with an athlete this week.  It seems like as good a time as any to bring it back to life!

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Coaching Cues to Make Your Strength and Conditioning Programs More Effective – Installment 5

Today marks the fifth installment of a series that looks at the coaching cues we use at Cressey Sports Performance. Here are three more cues we find ourselves using with our athletes all the time.

1. Move the hands in or out to improve your deadlift technique.

When you're learning how to deadlift, understanding hand positioning is really important - but each deadlift variation is unique in terms of what you have to do with your grip.  Check out this video to understand why:

2. Squat between your legs instead of over them.

In the past, I've spoken at length about how stance width impacts where the knees go.  Move the feet out too wide, and the knees have no place to go but in.  Bring them in closer, and it's much easier to get the knees out.  Check out this video for more details:

So, for many folks, bringing the feet in can really help - particularly with the deadlift.  However, squats can be a bit trickier, as the stance coming in can lead to a lot more forward lean and individuals not positioning the torso correctly. Individuals will squat as if they are trying to touch the belly to the quads.  There are, in fact, some accomplished lifters who do this, but their bellies are very big, and the Average Joe isn't fat enough to pull this mechanical advantage off! Most folks wind up turning this approach into a really ugly good morning.

This is why I like the cue of telling folks to squat between the legs instead of over the top of them.  Some people grasp it a lot better than "spread the floor" or "knees out."  They can also understand positionally if you show them a bad set-up followed by a good set-up, like this classic photo (notice how the knees around outside the torso from the rear view):


Source: DaveDraper.com

3. Pretend your biceps is a rotisserie chicken.

This is, without a doubt, the strangest cue I've given.  However, it works.

When we're doing our (shoulder) external rotation variations, we want to make sure the humeral head (ball) is centered in the glenoid fossa (socket), as that is the primary functional of the rotator cuff.  This cue gets the job done:

Looking for more detailed coaching tutorials like this?  Check out Elite Training Mentorship, an extensive online education program that features my staff in-services, exercise demonstrations, and articles - as well as the contributions of several other accomplished fitness professionals.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 2/7/13

Here are this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reads:

Eric Cressey on Specialized Training for Baseball Players - I was recently interviewed by New England Baseball Journal on managing the training of baseball players, and what advice I'd give to up-and-coming players.

Elite Training Mentorship - In this month's update, I contributed an in-service on scapulohumeral rhythm as well as a few articles and exercise demonstrations.  There's also some great stuff from Vaughn Bethell and Tyler English, so check it out!

5 Keys to a Productive Bullpen Session - CP athlete Chad Rodgers wrote up this great blog that should be a "must-read" for all up-and-coming pitchers.  Chad shares what he learned in the professional ranks after being drafted out of high school.

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The Best of 2012: Strength and Conditioning Product Reviews

To wrap up my "Best of 2012" series, I'll highlight the top product reviews I did at this site in the last year.

1. Deadlift Dynamite - This product was a great fit for me to review not only because I'm particularly fond of picking heavy s**t up off the floor, but because Andy Bolton and Pavel Tsatsouline packed so much practical, yet forward-thinking information into it that it was hard to not rave about it!  Check out my entire review: What a 1,000-Pound Deadlift Can Teach You.

There were certainly some other great products I encountered this year, but these three reviews proved to be the most popular with my readers, based on hosting statistics.

2. High Frequency Training - I'd actually say that this was my "funnest" read among the product reviews featured here, as I've always enjoyed Chad Waterbury's writing and perspective.  It'll really make you rethink your perspective on volume management in training programs - and if you're looking for a program to kick your butt, look no further.

3. Elite Training Mentorship - It probably sounds incredibly self-serving to review my own product, but Elite Training Mentorship is a resource of which I'm tremendously proud because it isn't just mine.  Rather, it's updated monthly with contributions from great coaches like Mike Robertson, Dave Schmitz, Tyler English, Vaughn Bethell, Steve Long, and Jared Woolever.  With monthly updates - in-services, exercise demonstrations, webinars, articles, sample programs - from each of us, this is a fantastic continuing education resource that is both affordable and convenient. This isn't so much a product review, but I think you'll appreciate how this article demonstrates just how valuable a site like this is: 5 Reasons to Be Excited About the Future of the Fitness Industry.

There were certainly some other great products I encountered this year, but these three proved to be the most popular with my readers, based on hosting statistics.  Hopefully, there will be plenty more to come in 2013!

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4 Reasons the Game is Always Changing in the Fitness Industry

Yesterday, a reporter for MLB.com came by Cressey Performance to interview a few of our major leaguers.  While there, he asked me my take on whether or not I thought players' off-season preparation changes dramatically from year to year. My answer was something to the effect of:

The fitness and strength and conditioning industries as a whole change significantly each year, so that would certainly be the case in baseball, which features throwing - the single fastest motion in all of sports - and alarmingly high injury rates at all levels.  Guys certainly have mainstays that they stick with regardless of the points in their career, but with innovation as prominent as it is in our field, I change quite a few things each year with how we prepare our guys.

With that in mind, I thought I'd highlight four things that have forced innovation in the way that we train athletes and general fitness folks alike.

1. New Research

There are more scholarly journals - and research review services summarizing these publications - than ever before.  Even if you aren't trained in research methods, you can easily get access to interpretations of these research studies via those who are.  And, just by looking around online and attending seminars, you can see how other coaches and trainers in the field are integrating this new research in their programs.

2. Better diagnostic procedures, physical therapy treatments, and surgical interventions.

Nobody had ever heard of a sports hernia or femoroacetabular impingement before the last 10-15 years, yet nowadays, they're incredibly common diagnoses in athletes involved in violent extension and rotation.  And, taking it a step further, when you can diagnose something, you have to be able to treat it - whether it's conservatively or surgically.  Diagnostics, surgeries, and PT all give rise to the need for more trainers to understand new conditions - both from prevention and post-rehabilitation standpoints.

3. More competition.

When you're King Crap on Turd Mountain, there really isn't much incentive to try to better yourself.  Nowadays, though, while the fitness industry at times is perfectly described as "Turd Mountain," there is no definitive "King Crap."  This is especially powerful when you consider that the industry is moving toward more and more specialization.  People are focusing on specific athlete/client populations and still not differentiating themselves as the absolute best.  As a result, everyone who wants to be near the top really has to bust their butts.

As an interesting parallel to this, try to name a major professional sport where one athlete is so far superior to all the rest.  I'll give you Usain Bolt, but in every other major discipline, there is a far more even playing field.  I think innovations in strength and conditioning have played a big part in that.  Outstanding fitness can make up for a lot of what high level athletes may lack in raw talent/skill.

4. An aging clientele.

Anyone who has outstanding client retention can attest to this: people change over the course of the many years that you train them.  I've trained 13 year-olds who have gone on to be taken in the MLB draft.  I've written letters of recommendation for former high school athletes to get into medical school.  I've watched how career and financial success can change exercise adherence both for the good and bad.  And, I've learned that training single athletes is much different than training those athletes when they're married and have children. Heck, pretty soon, I'll be training their kids, too!

Aside from these social factors, people's bodies change.  There may be fluctuations in life stresses that may impact what they can do in the gym. There may be aches and pains over the years around which you have to work. An offensive lineman might decide he wants to lose 100 pounds after his playing career is over. A client may even finally have a hip replacement they've been putting off for a decade. 

The point is that you have to be educated in order to adjust to clients as they evolve as people.  And, in order to do that, you have to be educated - and stay educated.

This is one reason why I'm so proud to be a part of the Elite Training Mentorship team.  Twice each month, this site updates with in-services, exercise demonstrations, case studies, sample programs, and webinars to keep you up-to-date on what's going on with the fitness industry.

I'm excited to announce that through tonight at midnight, you can get 30 days of Elite Training Mentorship for just $1 - and to sweeten the deal, we're offering the entire Fitness Business Weekend seminar (twelve 45-60 minute presentations) as a bonus to those who sign up.  This is an absurdly good value, so don't miss out.  Click here for more information.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 12/6/12

Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:

Elite Training Mentorship - I normally post my updates here once a month, but this month, it's especially exciting, as we're running at "30 days for $1" trial at ETM, and as a bonus for signing up, you get all the presentations from the Fitness Business Weekend.  So, effectively, you're receiving education on the training and business sides of the fitness industry, and you certainly can't beat the price!  Head over to the Elite Training Mentorship site for details, but don't wait, as the deal ends this Friday at midnight.

By the way, for those interested, my in-service this month was "Understanding Common Shoulder Conditions and Surgeries," and I also had two articles and exercise demonstrations posted.

Everybody, Never, and Always - This blog from my friend and business partner, Tony Gentilcore, is a great post on why "absolutes" are never a good fit in our industry. He cites some specific examples, but just as importantly, encourages you to consider how these three words apply to your own training.

Is it Dangerous to Squeeze the Glutes During Hip Extension Exercises? - This was a great Q&A from Bret Contreras on how to cue athletes during exercises like glute bridges, deadlifts, and kettlebell swings.

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How to Front Squat: Everything You Need to Know

The squat is one of the most revered strength training exercises of all time, and the front squat is a popular variation on this compound lift.  However, like many lifts, it's often performed incorrectly, and in many cases used by folks for whom it isn't a good fit.  To that end, I thought I'd devote this article to outlining everything you need to know to be successful with the front squat.

What Makes the Front Squat Different?

A few primary factors differentiate a front squat from a traditional back squat.

First, the bar is positioned on the front of the shoulder girdle rather than on the upper back.  In the process, an athlete is given a counterbalance to allow for a better posterior weight shift, which improves squat depth.  If you need proof, check out your body weight squat, and then retest it while holding a ten-pound plate out at arm's length; most of you will improve substantially.

Second, because the arms are elevated (flexed humeri), the lats are lengthened.  This is in contrast to the back squat, where the lats can be used to aggressively pull the bar down into the upper back and help create core stability.  I firmly believe the lack of lat involvement is what accounts for the significant differences in loads one can handle in the front squat as compared to the back squat.  However, "quieting down" the lats on the front squat is likely why athletes with such dramatic lordotic posture can often squat much deeper/cleaner with the front squat.  Of course, if they have an excessive lordosis and anterior pelvic tilt, you may not want to squat them in the first place!

Third, the positioning of the bar in the front makes the front squat much more shoulder friendly than the back squat, assuming we aren't dealing with an acromioclavicular joint injury, which would be irritated by direct pressure of the bar.  In the back squat, the externally rotated "rack" position poses problems for athletes with poor upper body mobility, and it actually reproduces injury mechanisms at the shoulder and elbow in overhead athletes like baseball players, tennis players, volleyball players, and swimmers.

Fourth, the upright torso angle of the front squat reduces shear stress on the spine. More forward lean equates to more shear stress, as the resistance is moved further away from the axis of rotation; just think of a see-saw where your lower back is the middle point and you'll catch my drift. Moving the load further out also increases risk of going into excessive lumbar flexion under compressive load. The front squat – even under heavier loads – keeps a lifter more upright, or else he’ll simply dump the bar; it's somewhat of a self-limiting strength exercise.

Fifth, because the load is positioned further forward than in a back squat, there isn't as much of a pre-stretch for the posterior chain, so the front squat will be more quad dominant than the back squat, which will engage more glutes and hamstrings.  Of course, you can use front box squats to shuffle things up and get some variety, but we won't deviate from the point too much here.

Sixth, in the overwhelming majority of lifters, because of the upright torso angle and increased recruitment of quads relative to posterior chain, most lifters will use significantly less weight on the front squat than the back squat. All things considered, if you can achieve a comparable training effect with less external loading, you're dealing with what would generally be considered a safer exercise.

Contraindications

Some individuals simply aren't cut out for any kind of squatting, so before we even talk technique, it's important to start by separating these lifters out.  Some common contraindications for squatting include poor tolerance to compressive loading (e.g., symptomatic lumbar spine disc injuries) and femoroacetabular impingement (this bony block at the hips makes it virtually impossible to squat without developing issues acutely and chronically).

Specific to front squatting, poor hip mobility, ankle mobility, core stability can be problematic, but perhaps nothing is as big of a buzzkill for front squatting as a kyphotic posture.  As I demonstrate with my Quasimodo impression in this photo, it's impossible to get the elbows up when you're rounded over like a scared cat.

 

These are really just the tip of the iceberg in terms of potential contraindications, but they serve as examples of how we need to fit the exercise to the lifter and not vice versa. With that out of the way, let's talk...

Technique!

We'll start with the hand positioning, as it's the most hotly contested portion of the front squat technique debate.  Only a video will do it justice:

When it comes time to unrack the bar, I cue the athlete to push the elbows up high and take air into the belly as they stand up the weight.  This combination of "elbows up" (shoulder flexion) and "air in" prevents the bar from rolling - either because the arms are angled down or because the torso goes to mush as the rib cage comes down.

After the weight is walked out, the athlete should take a slightly outside hip width stance, with the toes angled slightly out.  One of the biggest mistakes I see is that athletes go too wide with their stance, and the end result is that the knees have nowhere to go but in:

To piggyback on the "feet in, knees out" cue, I encourage athletes to think of "squatting between the knees, not over them."  This seems to get folks to the right balance of "sit back" and "sit down," as an (Olympic) front squat will have more "sit down" than a back squat or box squat variation. Additionally, a regular back squat will be slightly wider in stance than a front squat for most folks, and a box squat will certainly be even wider.

"Elbows up" is a cue that resounds throughout the movement, and it's especially important in the bottom position, when the bar will want to roll the most.  Regardless of the hand position you select, make sure the elbows are at or above the level of the bar at all times.  One great drill for practicing is to simply unrack the bar hands-free and gradually build up loads.  If you can get comfortable with this set-up, you'll always remember to think "elbows" and not "hands."

As you come out of the hole and accelerate toward lockout, make sure you don't get lazy as you enter the easy portion of the strength curve.  This is where front squatting with chains can be very helpful; it educates you on how to accelerate right up to lockout, where the hips and knees extend fully simultaneously.  If you don't have chains, try loading the last ten pounds of weight as 2.5-pound weights (two on each side). Position the clamp about an inch further out than it would normally be so that they can "clank" a bit.  Your goal is to make the 2.5-pound plates rattle at the top of each rep.  Finish with the glutes as you stand tall, and reset your breath before descending for subsequent reps.

Speaking of reps, stay away from doing high-rep front squats.   Sets of six should be the maximum you do, as muscles involved in maintaining the "rack" position may fatigue early and compromise the safety of the exercise.

Equipment Considerations

There are three important equipment considers to take into account.

First, your shoes should have a subtle heel lift.  It doesn't have to be an Olympic lifting shoe, but something that is totally flat to the ground won't work for the majority of folks.  It'll take some tremendous ankle mobility to squat deep without a little lift - even if it's only a few millimeters.  Front squatting (assuming an upright, Olympic stance) barefoot is probably not a great idea; I can count on one hand the number of people I've seen do it in good technique in the past 4-5 years since the barefoot craze took off.  Minimalist shoes are fantastic, but not necessarily for deep, Olympic-style squatting. If you're rocking a Minimalist sneaker, you can always slide a five-pound plate under the heel.

Second, be careful with shirts made of "wicking" fabric.  While they may be super comfortable, they do tend to allow the bar to slide a bit too much, especially if you're using a bar that doesn't have much knurling.  A quick solution to this is to spread some lifting chalk around the collar and chest to help the bar grab the shirt a bit more - or you could just wear a different shirt.

Third, many front squat newbies will really struggle with the discomfort of the bar position as they're learning to the bar-in-front technique.  While everyone ultimately adjusts to this discomfort (especially if they add some muscle mass to the area), one strategy to help athletes get by in the short-term is to just have them wear two shirts while they front squat.  This extra layer of padding is subtle and won't change the technique of the exercise, but will make it more tolerable during the learning phase.  You can taper an athlete off of it shortly thereafter.

Closing Thoughts

Squats aren't for everyone, but if you are going to squat, the front squat is one great option. Put these coaching cues and strategies into action, and you'll be front squatting safely and moving big weights in no time.

Looking for more detailed training tutorials like this, and a program in which front squatting is incorporated? Check out The High Performance Handbook, the most versatile strength and conditioning program on the market.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 11/14/12

Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:

Elite Training Mentorship - In addition to the fantastic contributions from the likes of Mike Robertson, Dave Schmitz, Tyler English, and Vaughn Bethell, I have an in-service on frontal and transverse plane power development.  This covers a lot of the unique plyo drills we utilize in our progressions with rotational sport athletes.  Additionally, I have two new exercise demonstrations on how we coach lower trap activation and rotational medicine ball drills.  Check it out!

Do Pain Pills Impair Muscle Growth? - This was an exceptional, well-researched article from Brad Schoenfield on everything you need to know about NSAID usage as it relates to your strength training goals.

Training the Unstable Client - Here's another one of those epic Mike Robertson posts that clearly took 14 years to write.  Man, that guy is persistent. Kidding aside, this is great stuff for the fitness professionals in the crowd!

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LEARN HOW TO DEADLIFT
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