Home Posts tagged "Shoulder Exercises" (Page 3)

The Top 10 Mistakes Intern Applicants Make – Part 1

At Cressey Performance, we have a few interns in the spring (1/5 - 5/10), summer (6/1 - 8/30), and fall (9/1-12/23).  Over the past three years, this internship program has "kicked out" some coaches who are doing great things in the industry, including names you'll recognize like Brian St. Pierre (who we wound up hiring as our first employee), Kevin Neeld (now a hockey expert and director at Endeavor Fitness), Kevin Larrabee (now on staff at Mike Boyle's place), Chris Howard (Cressey Performance's newest employee), and Roger Lawson (World-Class Rock, Paper, Scissors Competitor):

There are several more who are either still in school or out in the world doing great things - and we're really proud of them. In light of the successes of these folks (and, presumably, the outlandish intern-hazing death circuits we've featured in this blog), Cressey Performance internships have become coveted ones.  In fact, for the three internship positions we had available for this summer, we had 33 applicants.  It proved to be a huge challenge for us to narrow it down to our final few, as we had strong applicants, and many of them came with recommendations from good friends/colleagues of mine in the industry. With that in mind, since I know we have a lot of industry up-and-comers reading this blog, I thought I'd throw out my top five mistakes that intern applicants make - at least in my experience.  Not surprisingly, most (if not all) of these bulletpoints also apply to to the application process for a job. Mistake #1: Spelling "Cressey" incorrectly. - I'm dead serious; this really happened.  One international applicant read about the internships at www.ericcressEy.com and download the application form at www.cressEyperformance.com, but somehow found a way to spell my last name "Cressy"on the mailing envelope and at least 4-5 times in his application essay - which was stapled to the application with the word "Cressey Performance' across the top.  Attention to detail and the ability to follow directions are important - and this cut us down to 32 candidates pretty darn quickly.

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Mistake #2: Not proofreading your application essay. - This was an issue for quite a few others.  It's really unfortunate, as some folks may be great coaches who are articulate in speaking, but just don't come across well in writing.  However, we're talking about a 500-word essay.  It wouldn't be wrong to ask 2-3 friends, parents, or colleagues to have a look at it to make sure it's clean.  So, you could say that in my eyes, a poorly written application essay doesn't just show that you're unprepared in the context of a crucial skill in the working world, but also that you aren't comfortable asking for help.  I want all of our interns to be secure (and humble) enough to admit when they don't know/understand something so that we can teach them.

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Mistake #3: Glazing right over the application. - We had this issue with a few applicants for different reasons.  Two applicants glazed over the application and just included their essay and resume, and while they were good candidates in terms of the essay and their qualifications, the simple fact that they did not include the application added five minutes to our internship coordinator Pete's day as he tried to track down their contact info, references, and desired internship period (spring, summer, or fall).  A few others had such poor handwriting that we had to contact them with follow-up emails to determine what they were really trying to relate.  Pete is already a super-busy guy with the regular goings-on of CP, so someone who comes up short on such a simple task stands out to us as someone who is going to throw up "inefficiency roadblocks" as an intern down the road, as opposed to becoming a thriving member of the team. Mistake #4: Acting like an immature bag-of-worthlessness in your social networking profile(s). - Research from the University of Dayton's Career Services showed that approximately 40% of employers check out job applicants on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. before making a hiring decision.  CP is proud to be among those 40%.  Dropping F-bombs left and right and posting pictures of you boozing are not good ways to win over potential employers and internship supervisors - especially since we know many of our interns become very popular with clients and eventually form Facebook friendships.  And, many of our clients are impressionable young athletes; you need to prove to us that you are mature enough to be role models for them.

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Mistake #5: Attempting to always go through Eric. - Yes, I just referred to myself in the third person, but that's not the point.  We had a few applicants who would call or email constantly to request more information about the internship: dates it runs, application deadlines, housing recommendations, etc.  As I noted above, in addition to being our business director, my business partner Pete is also the internship coordinator.  He took this position not only because he's beyond qualified for it, but because I don't have the time or desire to manage the logistics of the preparation for the program.  My responsibilities are working with the interns once they arrive, and - to that end - I refer all inquiries directly to Pete during the application process.  Still, we have had several people call/email who big-leagued Pete by refusing to interact with him, instead requesting to always speak with me.  Invariably, when I speak with them (if I do contact them at all), the questions all wind up being ones that Pete could have fielded easily - and with more detail than I could.  So, the take-home lesson is to always deal with the internship coordinator - because he a) controls your future more than anyone else, b) will immediately black-list you if you big-league him, and c) will actually give you the best responses of anyone in the process. Remember that there is a difference between being proactive and being a pain in the butt; persistence is fine, but cumbersome is something difficult is another thing altogether. You'll notice that none of these five mistakes had anything to do with coaching ability, academic performance/GPA, and previous experience.  Very simply, we can rule out a good 50% of candidates simply because they haven't established themselves as professionals.  As an example, Roger Lawson was one of our most popular interns of all time with clients - and he did it with ZERO academic background in fitness (he graduated with a degree in English Literature).  However, his application and essay were thorough and professional, and he was humble and "politely persistent" - so he made it past the first round over people who had as much as six years of experience in the classroom and training world than he did. Some recommended reading for those out there who are worried about making it past this first stage: How to Win Friends and Influence People - It should cost you about $1 on Amazon, and you should read it within a day. Made to Stick - Discusses the importance of first impressions and how to make yourself "stick" in someone's mind during the selection process. Never Eat Alone - It's about networking, but not the cheesy kind where you just name drop.

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Peak - This book explains a lot of why our business  (or any business) is successful. In my next post, I'll talk about what separates the folks in the final decision process after the initial "cuts."
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Stuff You Should Read: 3/9/10

I just got back from speaking at the NSCA Personal Trainers Conference in Las Vegas, so I'm a bit short on content as I play catch-up now that I'm back in Boston.  Luckily, Bill Hartman put together an excellent two-part series on femoral anteversion as it relates to hip mobility.  Check them out: Hip Mobility: Femoral Anteversion - Part I Hip Mobility: Femoral Anteversion - Part II Along similar lines, this old video blog of mine might interest you: Measuring Hip Internal Rotation
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6 Dirty Tricks to Instantly Increase Muscle and Boost Performance

When we were seven, my friends and I loved to eat spinach. Not because we liked the taste. God no. Raw spinach tasted like, well, leaves, and the goop we'd spoon out of the can was vile, smelly stuff. No, we ate spinach because Popeye ate spinach. It made him instantly muscular and powerful-a can of spinach and he could punch through brick walls. We could only imagine how it would transform our pre-pubescent bodies into superhero physiques. We shoveled it down our throats, testing our gag reflexes, and satisfying our mothers. Continue Reading...
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Wrapping Up a Great Pro Baseball Off-Season

Today marks the end of one of the funnest "eras" of my life. Back on September 9, we officially kicked off the pro baseball off-season with Tim Collins' arrival at Cressey Performance for his first training session of the off-season.  Coming off a great season that included a promotion to Double-A at age 20 and a Blue Jays organizational pitcher of the year award, Tim was ready to get after it - and that's exactly what he did.  From that day in September through February 6 (when he was called to Florida for mini-camp), Tim added 21 pounds to his frame while getting leaner - and increased his vertical jump by four inches (to 37.9 inches).

Tim was one of over 30 pro guys we had this winter.  Results were typical. Chad Rodgers (Atlanta Braves organization) went from 206 to 233 while adding just under three inches to his vertical jump.  And he dominated "No Shave November."

Jeremiah Bayer (Red Sox organization) packed on muscle mass faster than just about any athlete I've ever seen - to the tune of 13 pounds in only two months - while adding an inch to his vertical.  That's a 5.6% improvement in predicted peak power in a short amount of time - and one that is carrying over to the mound already. Heck, Pat Bresnehan packed on 14 pounds and jumped 37.5 inches (a 6.3 inch) improvement - and got himself signed by the Mariners - after coming to us in the latter phases of his rehab period! Craig Albernaz (Rays organization) increased his vertical jump by over five inches while adding seven pounds before heading to big league camp - and this is a guy who has always struggled to put on any weight, let alone good weight! Cory Riordan (Rockies) and Steve Cishek (Marlins) win the awards for the longest commutes to train.  Cory drove two hours to CP, and two hours home to Connecticut to get in his work with us - and he's got a new body and a lot more athleticism to show for it.  Cishek wasn't far behind with his 1 hour, 45 minute commute from Cape Cod four times a week all the way up through January.  I can say without wavering that both of them would tell you that the ride was 100% worth it. Two other Braves guys - Derick Himpsl and Matt Kramer - also put in some great work that is already carrying over to the field.

Zach Piccola's headed to White Sox camp with a great few months of training under his belt alongside free agent Nick Asselin.  Jim Fuller (Mets) committed himself to train like he never had before, and looks fantastic now.  Another Mets guy, Tim Stronach, has busted his hump to get better alongside his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery. Steffan Wilson leaned out and dramatically changed the way he looks and moves - and it helped get him a much-deserved call-up to big-league camp last week.

Kevin Youkilis had a great off-season as well - due in part to his love of pushing the sled.  So far this spring, Youk's looked good (much better than his strength coach, as is shown below), and we're excited about the Red Sox season ahead.

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Will Inman (Padres), Phil Negus (White Sox), and Kevin Nolan (Blue Jays) put in a great few months in the fall, and Steve Hammond (Giants), Kevin Pucetas (Giants), Nick McBride (Rangers), Benji Johnson (Braves), Matt Morizio (Royals), Justin Edwards (Cardinals), and Howie Clark (Blue Jays) made the most of all their visits to Boston this winter.

And, some "distance-based" guys of mine - Chad Jenkins (Blue Jays) and Anthony "A-Tan" Seraterelli (Royals) - made some excellent progress by following everything to a "T."  A-Tan, Howie, and Morizio even made a hilarious video about their experiences (a joke, FYI):

One athlete, though, stepped it up big time on Thursday to set himself apart from all the rest. Tim Kiely (Angels) added 11 pounds and seven inches to his vertical jump, but his biggest claim to fame is that he took home the Gold in the first ever Cressey Performance Elite Baseball Olympics on the last day.  Granted, the "Olympics" were limited to five participants who collectively agreed to not tell the most athletic guys of the bunch about the event ahead of time - but that doesn't mean that the boys didn't bring their A games!  The Silver (5-lb) went to CP pitching coach Matt Blake, and the Bronze (2.5-lb) went to free agent Alex Szymanski.  Shawn Haviland (A's) finished fourth, but he has a Harvard degree, and probably would have won if Sabermetrics trivia and word searches had been part of the contest.  Here's the much-anticipated medal ceremony:

I am not sure where the championship belt fit in, but the entire day didn't make much sense, so it seemed right.  Congratulations, Tim.

From these videos, a lot of people might think that we're all about goofing around - but that couldn't be further from the truth.  Our guys have a good time, for sure, but it always comes after they've busted their butts in the gym.  And, frankly, if we didn't have such great camaraderie and the guys weren't such good friends, the motivation to train would never approach the level it has.  A good culture and outstanding results absolutely, positively go hand-in-hand.

Most of my writing on this blog is obviously geared toward educating folks on the training, research, nutrition, and other geeky science stuff.  However, I should make it absolutely clear that all the knowledge in the world in these regards won't matter if you don't have a good culture established for your athletes and clients.  They need to enjoy training and look forward to each and every session because they enjoy the process as much as the destination.

They need to be willing to come to you to critique the best man's toast they've written (happened this winter).  They need to feel comfortable staying at your place if they're in town for a few days (happened multiple times this winter).  They need to feel welcome spending Thanksgiving with your family (two of my athletes came home with me this past November).  And, they need to respect you enough as a person to value your opinion as a professional.  As the saying goes, they don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

That's why most of our pro guys train six days a week from September/October all the way up until now, whereas many other places pro guys frequent consist of 3x/week "workouts" for the 4-6 weeks before spring training starts.  And, I feel like it is one of many things that differentiates us from our competition (whatever that may be).  We are about making athletes better, not just "working them out."

I'm proud of all our guys not only for their hard work this off-season, but for taking an ownership stake in Cressey Performance to make it something special now and in the future.

Thanks for an awesome 5+ months, guys.  We can't wait to do it again.

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Strength and Conditioning Programs: Acts of Commission vs. Omission

At the last Winter Olympics, Dutch speedskater Sven Kramer missed out on a gold medal because his coach, Gerard Kemkers, directed him into the wrong lane part way through the race.  Kramer finished the race with an Olympic record time - four seconds ahead of his nearest competitor - but was immediately disqualified because of an incorrect lane change with eight laps remaining on his long-time coach's cue. In the aftermath of the disqualification, Kemkers obviously came under a ton of scrutiny.  After all, he committed a pretty big coaching mistake - and it'll probably become a huge part of his legacy, as unfortunate as it is.

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Here is a guy who has likely helped thousands of speed skaters over the years, presumably devoting countless hours to research, coaching, and becoming the best he could be - both as a coach and an athlete (he won a bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics).  And, as Kramer noted, it is hard to argue with the success Kemkers helped him achieve:  "Three times world champion, four times European champion, so many World Cups and Olympic gold in the 5,000 meters." In the process, Kemkers had to have omitted little to nothing; otherwise, he wouldn't have been coaching at such a high level. Had Kemkers never endeavored to get to a high level - or taken shortcuts to get there - there would have been countless omissions along the way: gaps in his knowledge, an inability to befriend athletes, and a fundamental misappreciation for what it takes to compete at a high level.  He would have been mediocre at best.

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Kemkers' mistake was an act of commission, not omission. Meanwhile, millions of "armchair" quarterbacks around the world will criticize him for being an idiot, when in reality, the opportunity to make this mistake might never have come along if he hadn't spent so much time preparing to not be an idiot. Speedskating isn't really our thing here in the United States, so let's apply this to something that better fits our existing schema: ACL injuries in female athletes.  We know ACL tears are extremely common in female athletes, particularly those participating in basketball, gymnastics, and soccer.  I actually recall reading that the average NCAA women's soccer team has one ACL tear every year, and that typically, 1 in 50 female NCAA basketball players will blow out an ACL in a given season.  These numbers may be a bit dated now, but you get the point: if you don't train to prevent these injuries, you're omitting an insanely valuable initiative that protects your athletes...and mascots.

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Now, we need to see another "ACL Injury Prevention Protocol" on Pubmed like I need to experience another Tony Gentilcore Techno Hour.  In other words, there are plenty of them out there, and we know what kind of strength and conditioning programs work; it is just about execution. So, let's take your typical strength and conditioning coach who puts his female athletes through everything he should to protect them from ACL injuries - but one girl drops a weight on her foot and breaks a toe to miss the rest of the season. Had he omitted external loading from his strength training program, this never would have happened - but he probably would have had four times as many ACL tears as broken toes and his athletes wouldn't have performed as well.  Here, an act of omission would have been far worse than an act of commission - just like we saw with Kemkers.  This isn't always the case, but it's important to realize that two kinds of mistakes occur, and sometimes you're better being proactive and making a mistake than you are ignoring a responsibility and just keeping your fingers crossed. It's been said before that strength and conditioning programs are both a science and an art - and the art is interpreting what to leave out and what to include in light of risk-reward for each unique athlete.  For instance, a front squat is a fantastic exercise from a scientific standpoint, but on the art side of things, it may not be appropriate for an athlete whose spine doesn't like axial loading.  Or, it may be a problem if an athlete hasn't been front squatting, and introducing it right before competition would cause soreness that might be counterproductive to performance. Think about how this applies to the next strength and conditioning program you write, and the next client/athlete you coach. Related Posts Risk-Reward in Training Athletes and Clients Why Wait to Repair an ACL? Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a deadlift technique tutorial!
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Building the Elite Pitcher

Back in December, I was honored to be included as one of several speakers who presented at Ron Wolforth's 2009 Ultimate Pitching Coaches Bootcamp.  As was the case in previous years, it was a great event that brought together a lot of forward-thinking minds from various roles in the pitching world.  Today, I'm happy to announce that I've arranged for a sweet deal on the DVDs of the event for my readers only. Since I was a presenter and Ron's a good friend of mine, he agreed to let me make the DVDs available to my readers at $50 off the normal purchase price.  All you need to do is click through the following link, and the discount will automatically be applied at checkout: https://m130.infusionsoft.com/go/UPCBC2009/EC/ My presentation, Whip: What it is and how to get it, lasted 75 minutes and covered: -The stretch-shortening cycle: what it means to pitchers and how to get the most out of it -How different pitchers throw hard via different mechanical, flexibility, and strength/power factors -How to identify and address mobility and stability deficits in pitchers I also gave a 30-minute hands-on session on foam rolling for pitchers. In addition, there were several other fantastic, informative - and sometimes controversial - presentations from Phil Donley, Neiman Nix, Wes Johnson, Brent Strom, Flint Wallace, Aaron Weintraub, and, of course, Ron Wolforth.  I love the fact that this event always covers everything from physical therapy/injury prevention, to physical preparation, to mental preparation, to mechanics, to structuring practices, to pitch sequencing.

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Fortunately, the 150 coaches in attendance aren't the only ones who will get to experience this event, as the entire weekend was recorded. So, whether you coach, rehabilitate, or train baseball athletes, this is a great resource that you'll find yourself looking back to for years to come.  I know I put a ton of time into my presentation and did my best to load as much information into it as possible - so you have my word that it'll be worth it. Here's the link again: https://m130.infusionsoft.com/go/UPCBC2009/EC/
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Stuff You Should Read: 3/2/10

Here are a few recommendations for this week: East Coast Muscle - Recently, Men's Health Fitness Editor Adam Bornstein traveled all along the East Coast to check out several training facilities - one of which was Cressey Performance.  This blog post details his experiences and features a picture of one dead sexy guy named Cressey lifting heavy stuff. Five Resistance Training Myths in the Running World - This is one of my most popular articles of all-time, and with the number of crazy endurance folks getting ready for the Boston Marathon in 10-degree weather, it seemed like a fitting time to bring this piece to the forefront once again. Made to Stick - Someone mentioned this in conversation the other day, and it reminded me that it was one of my favorite books of the past five years.  It's a great read - whether you're a teacher, trainer, parent, or any of a number of other things!

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What Stupid Stuff Have You Seen in the Gym?

I recently came across a study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine that showed that over an 18-year period, an estimated 970,801 weight-training-related injuries presented in emergency rooms around the country.  That's an average of 53,934 injuries per year...nationwide.

Based on the market research from back when we wrote Maximum Strength, about 23 million Americans lift weights for exercise - meaning that one out of every 426 people who lifts weights actually gets jacked up enough during a training session that he/she has to to go the hospital.

Now, I'll be honest: while I have seen people do some INSANELY STUPID stuff in commercial gyms, I can't say that I've ever seen anything that warranted a trip to the hospital.  Obviously, I've lived a bit of a sheltered life in owning Cressey Performance for the past three years and working in either private training facilities or college weight rooms since 2003, but one would think that I could have come up with at least ONE gruesome story.  Alas, nothing comes to mind...not even a goofy laugh while benching.

So, I'm counting on you, my loyal and entertaining readers, to provide me with some good stories in the comment section below.  What outlandish stuff have you seen in gyms that has landed some schmuck in the emergency room?

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What I Learned in 2009

Four years ago, I wrote What I Learned in 2006, my first year-in-review series that continues to this day. Since then, this website has gone from T-Mag to TMUSCLE. I've opened my own facility, got engaged, and thanks to a little bit of both, lost a bunch of my hair. Interestingly, people seem to be writing "What I Learned in 2009" series all over the Internet. I've seen the phrase flown on banners behind airplanes, "tweeted" by NBA superstars at halftime, and printed across the back of girls' short-shorts. But let's get something straight, folks: you're reading the original right here. Got it? Good. Now let's move on. Continue Reading...
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What a Week!

This week has been a busy and exciting one, to say the least. 1. There's no more fitting way to start this list of random thoughts off than with a huge congratulations to CP athlete and Team USA bobsledder Bree Schaaf, who finished 5th at the Olympics on Wednesday night.  I first started working with Bree in July of 2007 when she was working her way up the ranks as a skeleton competitor for the US National Team (she was as high as 12th in the world at one point) after her collegiate volleyball career ended.  A few months later, Bree decided to make the switch to bobsled - and just two years later, wound up in the Olympics. The whole Cressey Performance "Extended Family" is incredibly proud of her hard work and how far she's come.

To check out videos of Bree's four runs, head over to nbcolympics.com.

2. My fiancee and I had an offer accepted on a house this week as well, so between negotiations/offers and making arrangements for mortgage stuff, a home inspection, appraisal, and dates for the P&S and closing, it's been a hectic week.  It'll all be worth it, though, as the move will substantially reduce my commute time (by at least 80 minutes per day!) and, obviously, improve my productivity and our quality of life.  Needless to say, we are really excited about how things are developing and love what will be our new house.

3. I'm experimenting with some Underarmour Performance mouthwear right now in my training, thanks to a generous gift from CP client Dr. Jeff Tocci, who fits dozens of these each week for athletes and non-athletes alike.

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There is actually quite a bit of research supporting these initiatives, so thanks to Jeff, I get to put it to the test while I'm lifting heavy stuff this week to see how I respond.  So far, so good.

4. Mike Reinold and I are working hard to put the finishing touches on our new DVD set, Optimal Shoulder Performance.  We definitely plan to have it up and running sometime in March.

5. No surprise here, but pitchers who throw harder are more likely to develop elbow issues.  You can look at this transiently in the context of the faster arm speed placing more stress on both the active and passive restraints.  However, more chronically, if you consider that the arm is moving faster, you'll realize that the deceleration-imposed adaptations (more specifically, the muscle shortening that comes from repeated eccentric exercise exposures) can lead to chronic adaptations (loss of elbow extension and shoulder internal rotation) that can place more stress on the elbow.  Likewise, stud pitchers who throw the crap out of the ball are more likely to get overused - so it's really a triple whammy working against you if you throw hard.

That said, I'd rather throw 100mph with a higher risk of injury than throw 76mph and get shelled in some beer league.

Have a great weekend!
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