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Strength and Conditioning Programs: Crossfit for Baseball?

I've received a lot of emails just recently (as well as some in-person questions) asking me what I think of Crossfit for strength and conditioning programs with baseball players and, more specifically, pitchers.

Let me preface this email with a few qualifying statements.  First, the only exercise "system" with which I agree wholeheartedly is my own.  Cressey Sports Performance programming may be similar in some respects to those of everyone from Mike Boyle, to Louis Simmons, to Ron Wolforth, to the Crossfit folks - but taken as a whole, it's entirely unique to me.  In other words, I will never agree completely with anyone (just ask my wife!).

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Second, in spite of the criticism Crossfit has received from some people I really respect, I do feel that there are some things they're doing correctly.  For starters, I think that the camaraderie and enthusiasm that typifies their training groups is fantastic; anything that gets people (who might otherwise be sedentary) motivated to exercise is a plus.  Moreover, they aren't proponents of steady-state cardio for fat loss, and they tend to gravitate toward compound movements.  So, good on them for those favorable traits. Additionally, I know some outstanding coaches who run Crossfit franchises, so their excellent skill sets may be overshadowed by what less prepared coaches are doing simply because they have the same affiliation.

However, there are several issues that concern me with applying a Crossfit mentality to the baseball world:

1) The randomness of the "workout of the day" is simply not appropriate for a sport that has quite possibly the most specific sport-imposed asymmetries in the world of athletics.  I've written about these asymmetries in the past, and they can only be corrected with specific corrective training modalities.

I'm reminded of this constantly at this time of year, as we get new baseball players at all levels now that seasons are wrapping up. When a player presents with a 45-degree glenohumeral internal rotation deficit, a prominent scapular dyskinesis, terrible right thoracic rotation, a big left rib flair, a right hip that's stuck in adduction, and a complete lack of rotary stability, the last thing he needs to do is a 15-minute tri-set of cleans, kipping pull-ups, and push-ups - following by some 400m sprints. It not only undermines specificity of exercise selection, but also the entire concept of periodization.

Getting guys strong isn't hard.  Neither is getting them powerful or building better endurance.  Finding the right mix to accomplish all these initiatives while keeping them healthy is the challenge.

2) The energy systems development found in Crossfit is inconsistent with the demands of baseball.  I wrote extensively about my complete and utter distaste for distance running in the baseball world, and while Crossfit doesn't go this far, in my eyes, anything over 60yds is "excessive distance" for baseball guys.  Most of my guys sprint two times a week during the off-season, and occasionally we'll go to three with certain athletes.  Let's just say that elite sprinters aren't doing Crossfit, and the energy systems demands of baseball players aren't much different than those of elite sprinters.

3) I have huge concerns about poor exercise technique in conditions of fatigue in anyone, but these situations concern me even more in a population like baseball players that has a remarkably high injury rate as-is.  The fact that 57% of pitchers suffer some sort of shoulder injury during each season says something.  Just think of what that rate is when you factor in problems in other areas, too!  The primary goal should not be entertainment or variety (or "muscle confusion," for all the morons in pro baseball who call P90X their "hardcore" off-season program).  Rather, the goals should be a) keeping guys on the field and b) safe performance enhancement strategies (in that order).

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As an example, all I need to do is look back on a program we used in one of our first pro pitchers back for the off-season last fall.  He had a total of 20 pull-up and 64 push-up variation reps per week (in addition to some dumbbell bench pressing and loads of horizontal pulling/scapular stability/cuff work).  This 84-rep figure might be on the low-end of a Crossfit program for a single day.  Just like with throwing, it's important to do things RIGHT before even considering doing them A LOT.

4) Several of the exercises in typical Crossfit programs (if there is such a thing) concern me in light of what we know about baseball players.  I'll cover this in a lot more detail in an article within the next few weeks, but suffice it to say that most have significant shoulder (if not full-body) laxity (acquired and congenital), abnormal labral features, partial thickness supraspinatus tears, poor scapular upward rotation, retroversion (gives rise to greater external rotation), and diminished rotator cuff strength in the throwing shoulder (particularly after a long season).  Most pro pitchers will have more than 190 degrees of total motion at the shoulder, whereas many of the general population folks I encounter rarely exceed 160 degrees.

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In short, the shoulders you are training when working with baseball players (and pitchers, in particular) are not the same as the ones you see when you walk into a regular ol' gym.  Want proof? Back in 2007, on my first day working with a guy who is now a middle reliever in the big leagues, I started to teach him to front squat.  He told me that with only the bar across his shoulder girdle, he felt like his humerus was going to pop out of the socket.  Not surprisingly, he could contort his spine and wrists like a 14-year-old female gymnast.  This laxity helps make him a great pitcher, but it would destroy him in a program where even the most conservative exercises are done to the point that fatigue compromises ideal form.  And, let's be honest; if I was dumb enough to let someone with a multi-million dollar arm do this, I'd have agents and GMs and athletic trainers from a lot of major league systems coming after me with baseball bats!

5) Beyond just "acts of commission" with inappropriate exercise selection and volume, there are also "acts of omission."  For example, a rotational sport like baseball requires a lot of dedicated work to address thoracic spine and hip mobility and anti-extension and anti-rotatoin core stability.  If you exhaust your training time and recovery capacity with other things, there may not be enough time or energy to pay attention to these important components.

All that said, I would encourage anyone who deals with baseball players to learn to borrow bits and pieces from a variety of methods available today.   Along the way, take into account the unique characteristics of the overhead throwing athlete and manage accordingly.  Simply saying "I'm a Crossfit guy"  and adhering to an approach that was never intended for a baseball population does a huge disservice to the athletes that count on you to bring them the most up-to-date, cutting-edge training practices available.

If you're interested in learning more about some of the asymmetries and training techniques I noted above, I'd strongly encourage you to check out Optimal Shoulder Performance, where both Mike Reinold and I go into some detail on assessment and corrective exercise for pitchers in this seminar (and there's also a lot more fantastic information for anyone looking to develop pitchers). You can buy it HERE, or learn more about it HERE.

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Mobility Exercise of the Week: Hand Switches

For more mobility exercises, be sure to check out Assess and Correct: Breaking Barriers to Unlock Performance.

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Random Friday Thoughts: 9/11/09

1. First off, I hope everyone takes a moment our of their day today to remember all those who lost their lives in 2001. 2. I'd encourage you guys to check out a great article from Chris Shugart at T-Muscle on the topic of Vitamin D: "D" is for Doping A lot of you know that I've been a huge advocate of supplemental Vitamin D for about two years now, and this article outlines a lot of reasons why I'm such a fan. 3. It was a great night in Double A playoffs for a few CP athletes last night. Huntsville Star Steffan Wilson - just one day after a call-up from High A - hit a game-winning 3-run homerun in the opener of a five-game playoff series.  Steffan is a corner infielder in the Brewers System. At the same time, CP athlete and San Antonio (Padres AA) pitcher Will Inman picked up the win to even up their playoff series at 1-1. 4. Along those same lines, here are a few recent articles about some CP athletes: Quinn Begins Southern Quest Size Doesn't Matter: A Conversation with Blue Jays Pitching Prospect Tim Collins 5. Check out this study, which reported a markedly different neuromuscular pattern in those athletes who ruptured ACLs as compared to those who didn't. In a nutshell, at pre-screening, prior to a cutting maneuver, all five players who went on to rupture ACLs actually recruited more vastus lateralis (quads) and less semitendinosis (hamstrings).  It isn't surprising that this would be an injury predisposition, as the hamstrings work synergistically with the ACL.  Reduce hamstrings activity, and the ACL has to take on more of the stress.  It's the same old Active vs. Passive Restraints discussion we've had in the past. The bigger question, in my eyes, is why certain individuals showed this tendencies.  Was it their builds (greater Q angles)?  Prior training programs that may have omitted things?  A combination of the two? Interested in learning more?  I highly recommend checking out Bulletproof Knees; Mike Robertson did a fantastic job with it.

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Have a great weekend!

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Stuff You Should Read: 9/10/09

This week is a stand-alone recommendation just because I think it's an important one.  It comes from CP staff member and nutrition expert Brian St. Pierre: The Real Truth of Acai At least once a week, someone tries to sell me MonaVie in quite possibly the most obnoxious pyramiding scheme in retail history.    It gets old really quickly - so I just ignore those solicitations altogether. Amen, Brian.  Amen.
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Getting Geeky with AC Joints: Part 2

Getting Geeky with AC Joints: Part 2 In my last newsletter, I went into great detail on the types of acromioclavicular (AC) joint injuries we see, and some of the common inefficiencies that cause some folks to become symptomatic.  I also outlined some corrective exercise strategies to expedite recovery time.  This week, though, I discuss a very important - yet often-overlooked - piece of the puzzle: how to maintain a training effect in spite of these injuries. Ask anyone who has ever had an AC joint injury, and they'll tell you three things to avoid if you don't want to irritate it: 1. Avoid direct pressure to the area (particularly because it has very little muscle mass to cushion it) 2. Avoid reaching across the body (horizontal adduction) 3. Avoid reaching behind the body (full extension) We can use these three guidelines to get moving in the right direction with respect to maintaining a training effect in spite of the AC joint injury. With respect to #1 from above, front squats are an absolute no-no.  The pressure on the bar across the shoulder girdle can really take an upset AC joint and make it markedly worse.  And, since this is in many cases an injury that we're just "waiting out," simply training through it will only makes things worse long-term.  So, deadlift variations, single-leg variations, and back squats (assuming no other related problems) are likely better bets.  That said, we generally use the safety squat bar and giant cambered bar exclusively with those who present with AC joint problems.

Another important consideration in this regard is overhead pressing.  Believe it or not, many individuals with AC joint problems will actually tolerate overhead pressing quite well, as direct trauma to the AC joint won't really compromise scapulohumeral rhythm very much.  However, you have to consider two things. First, as I mentioned in my previous newsletter, some folks might have developed the AC joint issue over time due to a scapular anterior tilt causing the acromion and clavicle to sit differently.  This dyskinesis would also make overhead work less safe - so the individual would actually be training through a faulty movement pattern, and potentially injuring the rotator cuff, biceps tendon, bursa, and labrum. Second, if the individual is okay to overhead press from a movement standpoint, one needs to make sure that the bar, dumbbell, or kettlebell does not come down directly on the AC joint in the bottom position. With respect to #2 from above, obviously, dumbbell flyes and cable crossovers are out (not sure why they'd be "in" in the first place, but that's a whole different newsletter).  However, close-grip bench pressing variations will generally cause pain as well.  You also have to be careful with cable and medicine ball variations that may position the arm across the body. Moving on to #3, full extension of the humerus will light up an AC joint pretty quickly.  So, dips are out - and, honestly, I generally tell folks they're out for good after one has experienced any kind of AC joint issue.  Full range-of-motion (ROM) bench pressing and push-ups are generally issues as well, so I tend to start folks with more partial ROM work.  Examples would include dumbbell and barbell floor presses and board presses.  Here's a 3-board press:

As the shoulder starts to feel better, one can move down to 2-board, 1-board, and eventually full ROM bench press.  Remember, a medium or wide grip will generally be tolerated better than a close grip.

I also really like push-up iso holds at a pain-free ROM for these individuals because closed-chain exercises are always going to be a bit more shoulder friendly than open-chain variations.  This is really quite simple: set up as if you are going to do a push-up, and go down as far as you can with no pain.  When you reach your pain-free end-range, hold there while bracing the core, locking the shoulder blades down and back, and tightening the glutes; do not let the elbows flare out or hips sag!  We'll hold for anywhere from 10-60s, depending on fitness levels.  Over the course of time, increase the ROM as your symptoms reduce.

There you have it: acromioclavicular joints - from onset to corrective exercise - in a nutshell.  Obviously, make sure you seek out a qualified professional if you think you may have these issues, but keep this progression in mind as you return to (or just try to stay in) the iron game. Feedback on Building the Efficient Athlete "In my ten years in the fitness industry, I have been to many seminars and conferences - but the Building the Efficient Athlete Seminar was by far the most informative and comprehensive event I have attended in as long as I can remember.  The amount of knowledge you get when you combine Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson is unparalleled.  The seminar was filled with great classroom information, hands-on assessments, and on-site training tips.  I highly recommend this DVD set to any coach, trainer, or athlete who is looking to get a leg up on the competition." Mike Hanley, USAW, RKC Morganville, NJ www.HanleyStrength.com

Pick up your copy of Building the Efficient Athlete today!

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New Blog Content Exercise of the Week Stuff You Should Read Jays Prospect Collins a Surprising Strikeout Machine Random Friday Thoughts How to Progress Back to Deadlifting After a Back Injury Have a great week! EC

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Click here to purchase the most comprehensive shoulder resource available today: Optimal Shoulder Performance - From Rehabilitation to High Performance. 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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Maximum Strength Works for Females, Too!

I received this email this weekend from a very satisfied female Maximum Strength customer.  It should put to rest any doubts about whether or not this program works for females: Dear Eric, Hello, I'm Kelsey Doucette. I'm a 22 year old (female) powerlifter and aspiring Olympic lifter. I just finished your Maximum Strength program. I made splendid gains. Beginning:                              End: Body weight: 113                     Body weight: 115 Squat- 200                              Squat: 205 Deadlift: 265                           Deadlift: 260 Bench:  115                             Bench: 135 Pull-ups: 15 lbs extra               Pull- ups: 25 lbs extra Broad jump: > 5 ft                   Broad jump: 7.5 ft You're probably wondering about the squat and deadlift numbers (and why I'm ecstatic about them). Allow me to explain.  Right before I began your program, I just started physical therapy for my hips. Among a myriad of problems (I was considered "a train wreck" by the therapists) one was that I had weak adductors, hip flexors and poor (I mean REALLY poor) glute activation. I also had horrendous hip mobility. I started your program and noticed a difference within the first two weeks just from doing the mobility warm-ups and foam rolling. Not only did your program inspire me to lift like a real strength athlete (I am a former body builder. I decided I liked lifting better than posing) but also to aggressively attack my hip issues both with knowledge and actions. It was about half way through your program when during a squat I felt my glutes activate. I was so excited I jumped up and down in jubilation once I finished my set. The same thing happened with deadlifts.  So I guess you could say I squatted 205 and deadlifted 260 WITH glute activation, which I consider a major accomplishment from where I started. My conclusion is that even though my numbers didn't change a whole lot (at least on the two lifts I really care about. I think i was just sick of benching less than a plate and that's why my bench went up so much) I feel like a much more efficient lifter. My muscles are firing in synchrony like they're supposed to and I'm now on my way to busting my former lifting plateaus. I also understand my body a lot more and I'm enthusiastically devouring as much knowledge about strength and conditioning as I can. Thank you! Sincerely, Kelsey Doucette

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Click here to pick up a copy of Maximum Strength yourself!

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The Regular Guy Off-Season Strength Program

Pop quiz, hotshot. You need to add some plates to the bar and pack some meat on your bones. You've got precious few weeks to accomplish both, but only have four days per week to train. What do you do? What do you do? I've asked this question to myself countless times and only recently have I come up with what I believe is the most effective method. Forget total-body training. Forget upper and lower splits. The trick is to, well...I'll get to that in a minute. Continue Reading...
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Strength Exercise of the Week: Stability Ball Rollouts

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Random Friday Thoughts: 9/4/09

1. Roger "It Ain't Over 'Til I Turn in this Power Rangers T-Shirt and Reclaim my Man Card with a Thundercats Shirt" Lawson has his revenge!

Okay, so it was really only good for third place.  It was, however, markedly improved from the previous effort, so we'll give him a thumbs-up (but not a high-five, Roger; that's just not how I roll).  Thanks for all your hard work this summer! 2. Speaking of thumbs-up, here's a diet that would make it difficult to give that stamp of approval: The Amputation Diet Just in case you weren't catching the sarcasm in that post, please don't go and cut your hand off. 3. For those of you looking for a good read, I'd encourage you to check out Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.

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Now, before you go and start telling everyone that Cressey's gone off the deep end and is now a distance running zealot, I liked this book because it talked a lot about the merits of barefoot training and how we've been royally screwed by modern shoe companies.  If you're a runner who has ever had plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendon issues, you have to give this a read.

I actually listened to the book on tape during my commute to the facility.  The unabridged version is about eleven hours long, and is very entertaining.

4. The first pro ball player off-season training session is in the book for Tuesday.  A big gold star goes out to Blue Jays Double-A pitcher Tim Collins for officially kicking off the madness that is the life my life from now through the third Monday in March. Tim's season ends on Monday, and he's practically kicking the door down to come back and train.

With attitude like this, and 18 pro guys confirmed (and more still sorting out details), it's shaping up to be a great off-season at CP.  I am fired up!

And on that note, make it a good weekend!

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