Home Posts tagged "Tim Difrancesco"

Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 4/7/15

I'm making the drive from Florida to Massachusetts over the next two days, so there won't be time for new content. However, I've got some awesome reads and a "listen" to hold you over until I have a chance to blog again:

Red Flags that You're Working Out Instead of Training - My buddy Tim DiFrancesco, the strength and conditioning coach for the Lakers, just got his blog up and running. He's already got some great content up and running, too!

Charlie Weingroff Integrates All Aspects of Performance - This was an excellent podcast with Charlie at EliteFTS.com.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 12/16/13

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

Nutrition in the NBA; Part 1: Lessons Learned in LA Help Howard's Career - This was a great article at CBS Sports on the awesome work my buddy Tim DiFrancesco has done on the nutrition front with the LA Lakers.  It's part of a multi-article series on nutrition in the NBA (including a section that discusses another friend, Mike Roussell, and his work with Roy Hibbert).

10 Best Unilateral Exercises - I like (and regularly use) several of the variations Bret Contreras highlights in this article.

Genetics, BDNF, Rehab, and Performance - Bill Hartman summarizes a conversation he had with Eric Oetter, and then discusses some practical applications.

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The Best of 2009: Guest Submissions

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.

21st Century Nutrition: Talking Shop with Dr. John Berardi - This was more of an interview than a guest submission, but let's be honest: JB provided most of the content here!  He discusses the future of nutrition and the success of Precision Nutrition.

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The Be-All, End-All Throwing Program from Your Favorite Snake Oil Salesman - Here's another post from Matt Blake.  I like this one because it's entertaining thanks to the cynical tone that kicks it off, but educational because of the justification for that cynicism.  It's classic "info-tainment."

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.

Interval Training: HIIT or Miss? - A great guest submission from Mike Boyle; enough said!

Building Vibrant Health Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 - Eric Talmant presented a comprehensive look at his involvement with Metabolic Typing(R).

Thanks to everyone for the time they spent on creating these pieces, and the expertise they shared!

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The Rocker Inferior Capsule Stretch

One of the most common functional limitations we see in those with shoulder issues is the inability to achieve full overhead range of motion.  This can occur due to soft tissue restrictions (lat, pec minor, long head of triceps, among others), weakness (lower traps, serratus anterior), joint restrictions (thoracic spine), or a combination of several of these factors.  The end result is often that a quick assessment reveals something like this:

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In a "healthy" shoulder, with the lower back flat, both upper arms should be flat on the table.  This is a great position to quickly check what's going on and eliminate the muscular strength side of things, as gravity does the work for you as the arms flop down.

The question, of course, is how do you fix it once it's there?  Well, the truth is that there are several things you'd need to do a few different assessments to see exactly what's up, and while that's beyond the scope of an individual article, we can touch on one of them with some detail - thanks to Tim DiFrancesco, a great physical therapist who provided today's guest post below.  From Tim:

I developed the inferior capsule rocker stretch to address limited mobility of the glenohumeral joint's inferior capsule.  This limitation is often a major factor in dysfunctional shoulders of overhead athletes and/or those performing regular overhead activities of daily living.  It is appropriate and necessary to assess inferior capsule mobility in those performing regular over-head activities as well as when there is a shoulder pathology suspected. Inferior capsule integrity can be assessed with an inferior glide looking at accessory joint motion.  This is paramount to address with these populations due to the fact that a restricted inferior capsule is often associated with superior humeral-head migration.  Impingement then results. To perform the stretch: 1. Begin in quadruped position and rock hips back to heels (place pad under knees).  Hands flat on the floor in front. 2. Reach the right arm out into flexion/elevation in pronated position (fixing the scapula and locking the thoracic spine).

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3. Roll the palm open into a supinated position (decreasing the chance of subacromial impingement). 4. Slide the arm out into the scapular plane (decreasing the amount of stress on the rotator cuff tendons and surrounding soft tissue structures). 5. Reach the left hand under the right axillary (armpit) region (cupping the latissimus dorsi).

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6. Rock or shift the body weight into the right shoulder until a strong but comfortable stretch is felt in the right axillary region.

7. Hold for 30-60 seconds without pain.  If pain is noticed in one focal location at the anterior/superior aspect of the shoulder, then reposition the shoulder into more precise supination and scaption. You can also perform a similar stretch with the arm crossing the body (adduction).

Timothy DiFrancesco, PT, DPT, ATC, CSCS graduated from Endicott College in 2003 with his Bachelor's degree in science/athletic training. While at Endicott Tim was a four year member of the varsity men's basketball team. Tim immediately went on to the University of Massachusetts Lowell where he earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2006.

In 2007, Tim co-founded TD Athletes Edge, LLC, which offers a systematic, results-driven approach to performance training and rehabilitation. In addition to his work as President of TDAE he currently works as a physical therapist on Boston's Northshore and is an adjunct faculty member at Salem State College. He recently accepted the position as the Head Athletic Trainer and Strength & Conditioning Coach with the NBA D-League Bakersfield Jam.  Tim has a passion for working with athletes and patients of all levels to help them achieve their goals and reach their performance potential. 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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