A Follow-up to Perform Better – Atlanta

First Annual Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning Winter Summit

Rave Reviews for The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual and Magnificent Mobility

New Article Update

EricCressey.com Exclusive Interview: Mike Roussell

A Special Offer from Zach Even-Esh

New Article

Last, but not least...EC on Max-Out Radio

Building the Efficient Athlete Update

A GREAT Read

Contributor's Corner: John Cowell

With the holidays fast approaching, it’s a busy time up here in Boston.  We’ll get right to the meat and potatoes this week!

Perform Better – Atlanta

For those of you in the Southeast US, I’ll be speaking at the Perform Better one-day seminar in Atlanta on January 13.  The other speakers will be Mike Boyle, Alwyn Cosgrove, and Chuck Wolf.  For more information, check out Perform Better’s website.  Hope to see you there!

Updates to the Recommended Resources Page

It’s been a while since I updated the recommended resources page, but that’s not to say that I haven’t been doing a ton of reading (as always).  Be sure to check it out:

http://ecressey.wpengine.com/recommendedresources.html

An Interview with EC by Mind & Muscle

This week, the guys at Mind & Muscle ran an interview with me; you can check it out HERE.

Q&A

Q: What is your opinion of online or distance education masters degrees in human kinetics/kinesiology? Do you know of any good distance education programs? I want to further my education, but I already have a good full time training job and client base that I don't want to leave to do a master’s degree at one of the local universities.

A: To be honest, I'm not too fond of the online master's degrees in THIS field.  Exercise Science really is a hands-on discipline; a large portion of the master's degree should be about experiencing things.  When I look back at my time at the University of Connecticut, I'd say that about 90% of what I took away (which was a lot) was experience-based between strength and conditioning and the human performance laboratory – not to mention just interacting with labmates, fellow coaches, and the faculty – while only about 10% was classroom-based.

Are you close enough to any universities to go part-time over an extended period of time?  You have to look at this as an INVESTMENT, not an expense.

With all that said, there are a lot of great coaches out there who don’t have Master’s degrees – but they’ve picked up the slack with tons of reading, building huge networks, and interning under other coaches who have gone before them.  So, at the very least, put yourself on academic quarantine as often as possible to get some reading done, and seek out those who are doing what you’d like to do – and doing it well.

Q:  I injured my back on the lowering phase of doing deadlifts. I am thinking it was because my form was not good on my last set and my back muscles did all the work. I was wondering if what you would recommend for recovery from this injury.

A: Prevention: Don't squat the weight down; this is a portion of the movement that gives more people trouble than the actual lift. Push the hips back, keep your spine neutral and abs braced, and don't break your knees until the bar has passed them.  Breaking the knees too early is the biggest mistake I see.

Fixing it: First off, see a qualified professional in your area; there is only so much I can help you with over the internet, especially with so little information.  The solution will most likely be rest, but after the fact, you’re going to need to leave your pride at the door, drop the weights a bit, and work to establish good form and proper lumbo-pelvic rhythm. Get a video of your form to critique yourself, and also check out our Magnificent Mobility DVD to get your hip-lower back issues headed in the right direction.

Happy Holidays,

EC

For the Aspiring Athlete

Call it shameless self-promotion, but it’s my newsletter! Publishing The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual was one of the highlights of the year for me – not just because it was my first publication, but because of the tremendous feedback I’m still receiving on a daily basis. The self-tests and 30 weeks of sample programming alone justify the investment; all the other information is just icing on the cake!

On a related note, I can’t say enough great things about Kelly Baggett’s Vertical Jump Development Bible. It belongs on every athlete’s bookshelf.

For the guys who don't consider "round" as being "in shape"

If you know someone who is looking to lean out in 2007, your two best resources are Afterburn and Turbulence Training. You won’t find two guys that know how to get folks lean better than Alwyn Cosgrove and Craig Ballantyne.

For the “Sponge”

Are you one of those people who just can’t get enough information about anything and everything that is training, nutrition, or supplementation-related? If so, the FitCast Insiders would be a great gift idea for you. Great interviews with some of the industry’s brightest minds on a variety of topics several times a month; what more could you ask for?

You’re watching, but are you listening and observing outside of your comfort zone?

Last week, Jeff Salzenstein (previous career high ranking of #100 in the world in tennis) was in town to work with us. On Thursday morning, Jeff and I sat down together and watched film for about 90 minutes. In that time, we watched some of the best in tennis history – Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Marcelo Rios, David Nalbadian – in slow motion to pick up on the little things that great, efficient athletes do. Additionally, Jeff and I discussed at-length the growth areas he perceived for his game and considered them in the context of the film I’d seen of him and his injury history. The intent was obviously to help Jeff get healthy and improve his game, I can honestly say that it was an eye-opening and extremely beneficial experience for me, too!

We’re going to go in a few different directions with this newsletter.  It seems only fitting, as the holidays are a crazy time of year.  First, let’s get the ball rolling with an announcement…

EC in the UK

I’m in the process of putting the finishing touches on a trip to London for this spring; while there, I’ll be giving a one-day seminar.  For our UK readers who are interested in coming to the event (or the really overzealous EC groupies who would actually follow me from the States…couch, Mike Yuhaniak, cough), drop me an email at ec@ericcressey.com and we’ll notify you via email when the specifics are confirmed.

Additionally, it’s been confirmed that I’ll be presenting in Atlanta on January 13th and Washington, D.C. on February 24th – and there are more events in the works.  You can keep track of things by checking out my schedule.

An Interview with EC by Precision Nutrition

For those who missed it, last week, John Berardi and the Precision Nutrition crew tossed out some really cool holiday surprises.  The party got rolling with a free results tracker, and they followed it up with free interviews and comprehensive programs:

Monday: Body Transformation for Men, by Carter Schoffer

To say that I was honored to be included in this group would be an understatement.  You can check out my interview with Phil Caravaggio for the project at:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/eric-cressey.html

The comprehensive 12-week program – which piggybacks on the success of The Ultimate Off Season Training Manual – is available to all Precision Nutrition members.  If you’re not a member already, pick up a copy of Precision Nutrition today; it’s an incredible product, and you’ll automatically get all of the great programs outlined above  (plus the results tracker and some other sweet gifts JB still has in store).

Exclusive Interview: Jim “Smitty” Smith

I’ve been following the Diesel Crew guys for a few years, but it wasn’t until the past year or so that I had the opportunity to start interacting with Jim “Smitty” Smith regularly.  In the short time that I’ve known him, Smitty has really impressed me; he is without a doubt one of the most knowledgeable and innovative guys in the “biz.”  The interview below is just a small sample of the tremendous amount Smitty has to offer; enjoy!

EC: Okay, Smitty, I know quite a bit about you, but that’s not to say that our readers can be sure that you’re not a complete poser.  Tell is about yourself.

JS:  I’ve been involved in strength training since 1995 and a strength coach since 2001.  I have gotten a few certifications over the years, but have most of my knowledge from years of self study, competing in sports and strongman competitions.

I co-founded the Diesel Crew, along with Jedd Johnson, in late 2001 and have been developing the Diesel Method since then.  We’ve been utilizing powerlifting, odd objects, kettlebells, weightlifting, and Grip strength protocols to build athletes to their greatest potential.

I believe we have a solid reputation for being innovators and hopefully provide strength coaches and fitness professionals with new ideas to improve their strength programs.

EC: You’re about as creative a person in this industry as I’ve met.  You’re like MacGyver; you could train a blind man with no arms and legs with just a book of matches, some Blue Heat, and a burrito.  How did you get so creative?  Do you sniff glue or something?

JS: What have you heard?  Let’s not talk about college.

Seriously, when people first see our products, I am sure they say to themselves, “Damn, I would have never thought of that exercise.”  I take a lot of pride in that.

When Jedd and I first started, we had no money and no equipment.  All we had was a great desire to succeed.  If we had an idea for an exercise, but we didn’t have the equipment, we had to make it or improvise.

For instance, in the EliteFTS Q&A Exercise Index, you’ll see one unique way to train atlas stones right in a commercial gym without atlas stones and even a cool way to train farmer’s walks without farmer’s walk implements.  These are just two quick examples.

But it is much more than being creative with equipment when you are poor.

If athletes or coaches are participating in or training with powerlifting components, they typically only use powerlifting techniques.  If people are utilizing odd objects in their training, they also typically only use these techniques and exercises.

But, we saw great potential benefit trying to combine techniques from each protocol into one system.  We called it the Diesel Method.

One example would be to take typical keg lifting (odd object) and perform beyond the range (powerlifting) bear hug good mornings.  This BTR hip extension has huge carryover for gluteal firing and neutral lumbar stability endurance.

EC: You and Jedd are the go-to guys when it comes to grip training.  What are the most common mistakes you’re seeing people make with their grip training?

JS: Grip training is not only about getting your hands stronger; it is also about preventing imbalances, training specificity (General, General Specific) for your sport and finally learning how to channel the power generated by your body through your hands.  The body works in integration and everything is connected.  Grip is typically the weakest link in this coordinated kinetic chain.  Strength programs focus on developing limit strength, rate of force development, power, speed, agility and so on – but we still must be able to express this strength through our hands to play any sport!  That is why Grip strength is so important.

For example, if you’re a boxer whose hands, wrists, and elbows are weak or beat up from tons of sparring, you are very quickly going to:

-  become injured from impact – cannot provide adequate contraction of musculature

-  become injured from too much tendon and soft tissue trauma - poor restoration

-  become limited in your ability to generate a powerful punch – poor neural expression

To determine how to implement Grip protocols into your training, check the Needs Analysis for the sport and go from there.

EC: I know you’re got a pretty good corrective training background; have you been able to apply some of this grip work in that capacity to prevent/rehabilitate injuries to the elbows, forearms, and wrists?

JS:  Eric, you know we need to create balance in our movements.  If we have balance in movements, improved soft-tissue quality, neural grooving of firing - then we’ll have proper functioning.  The same goes for Grip.

You used the example in your Sturdy Shoulder seminar of people who sit in flexion, type in flexion, watch TV in flexion, play video games in flexion all day long.  These people MUST do extension, mobility, and soft tissue work.

Similarly, a comprehensive grip protocol would include; flexion (fingers, wrists), extension (fingers, wrists), supination, pronation (radial/ulnar), ulnar / radial deviation (wrist), internal / external rotation (humerus), adduction / abduction (fingers) – everything from the fingertips to the shoulders.  Remember, everything is connected.

Now, once these movements, imbalances, and injuries have been addressed, we move to Level II, where we start to learn how to express power through the hands.  That is where irradiation or co-contraction comes into play.

The lower arm musculature is part of the whole kinetic chain.   You’ll immediately see this when you move into finger into extension against a rubber band or sand (bucket), and the musculature that crosses your elbow contracts.  Why is that?  Because we know that if a muscle crosses a joint it affects that joint.  That is why when you clench your fist as hard as you can, your forearm, biceps, triceps, deltoid, and lat contract as well.  That is how the kinetic chain works, and we can utilize this to our benefit in our training.

EC: Let’s talk about the Jim Smith library.  What are your top five resources?

JS:

1. All the standards:

-Essentials of Strength and Conditioning, by Baechle and Earle

-Supertraining, by Siff

-Science and Practice of Strength Training: 2nd Ed., by Zatsiorsky and Kraemer

-Designing Resistance Training Programs, by Kraemer and Fleck

2. The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual, by Cressey

3. Starting Strength, by Rippletoe and Kilgore

4. Afterburn I & II, by Cosgrove

5. James Smith’s Manuals

6. The Coach's Strength Training Playbook, by Kenn

7. Chu’s Plyometric books

The list goes on and on.  Some I reread regularly, some I use as a reference.

I would recommend that your subscribers also do the following:

1. Print out articles and categorize them by topic: nutrition, periodization, sport, protocol, etc.  Now, take these articles and get a bunch of 3-ring binders and create a binder for each category.

2. Make a goal for yourself that each day you will: read one article, read one blog post, add one article to your binder(s), email someone on a question you have, start or create an article yourself.

3. With the idea of always trying to improve yourself, attend every seminar, clinic, and/or conference you can.  I’ve spent thousands this year in the never-ending pursuit of knowledge.

I dropped the loading pin curls on you at the Sturdy Shoulder seminar,

Here’s another one, though.

Kettlebell Radial Deviations

The neutral hand position and thick grip makes this one a great finisher – and gives you another option for your kettlebells.

AJ Roberts’ snoring habits: Imagine this.  Set up a bed in the forest at the base of a giant Redwood.  Now, get rolling into a deep REM.  Next, have some lumberjack start cutting down that same tree that you are sleeping under with one of those 10-foot chainsaws, right next to your head.  Next, imagine that whole set-up inside of a closed 15’x15’ room.  Next, put that sound coming out of a hole approximately 3” in diameter (as you can imagine, the sound would be amplified.) The funny part is actually me making bird calls and yelping noises trying to wake him up. Mike Robertson: One of the nicest guys out there.  I really appreciate his thoughtfulness toward others.  I also think that he has yet to show his true potential.  I can’t wait to see him provide the industry with more great products in 2007. Todd Hamer: Hilarious EC: You’ve got a new manual: “Building the Ultimate MMA Athlete.”  Fill us in a bit on it. JS:  I’ve been a huge MMA for years and coming from a wrestling background, I have been formulating ideas for years to put in this manual, specifically training the functional movement patterns for combat athletics.  It started as a small project and ended up being an eight-month project ending with a 300-page manual. I have gotten an overwhelmingly great response to the book because it is not your standard deadlifts, pull-ups, and cleans type of manual.  Of course, those exercises form the foundation of the program and are in there, but I wanted to go above and beyond that standard school of thought.  I used every implement known to man and took the three functional positions; Standing/Clinch, the Guard, and the Mount, and built the programs and exercises around them. My next manual, Chaos Training, is also going to open a lot of eyes and minds on what “functional” training really is. EC: Cool stuff; thanks a ton for taking the time, Smitty.  How can our readers contact you? JS: The best bet is to go through our websites; www.DieselCrew.com www.TheGripAuthority.com Email: james.smith@dieselcrew.com Thanks Eric! Until next week, train hard and have fun! All the Best, EC

New Article

For those who missed it, I had an article published last week at T-Nation.  Check it out:

Lats: Not Just for Pulldowns

Exclusive Interview with….me!

Two weeks ago, Lyle MacDonald interviewed me for his newsletter at BodyRecomposition.com.  Enjoy!

LM: Hi Eric, thank for joining us. I know you probably get this question a lot, but I think my readers will be interested: in brief, what's your background in the field?

EC: I’ve been lucky to gather some perspective in a few different realms early-on.  In terms of “book smarts,” I’ve got a B.S. in Exercise Science and Sports and Fitness Management (double major) from the University of New England, and I went on to the University of Connecticut for my Master’s degree in Exercise Science.  I was lucky to work with and study under some of the world’s premier health and human performance researchers.  Additionally, I read a ton to this day, so in a way, I’ll never really leave academia.

In terms of practical applications, I’ve worked with athletes and ordinary weekend warriors at every level – youth sports, high school, collegiate, Olympic, and professional.  Heck, I even did a six-month internship in cardiac and pulmonary rehab.  I appreciate the variety, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t like the high-motivation athletes the best (and that’s independent of ability level).

Lastly, and perhaps most applicably, I’m always looking for ways to get better under the bar myself.  I compete as a powerlifter, and have trained in one of the best Division I weight rooms in the country for two years, South Side Gym (premier powerlifting gym) for one, and am now working and training out of Excel Sport and Fitness just outside of Boston, MA – where I get to interact with a great staff that feature people from a wide variety of athletic backgrounds.  There’s no better way to improve as a coach than to experiment yourself and see what works for you.

Right now, I’m really happy where life has taken me.  I’m close to family, living in a great city (I’m a big New England sports fan), and working out of a great facility with like-minded individuals who are among the best in the business.  I set my own schedule, and only train the people I want to train.  I can travel when I want – whether it’s to see another coach, consult for a college or pro team, or go to a seminar.

If readers are more interested in the “classic” bio stuff like articles I’ve written, seminars at which I’ve spoken, products I’ve released, and a discussion of my webbed feet, glass eye, and third nipple, they can check out my website’s ”About Eric” page.

LM: What are your personal athletic accomplishments? What about current goals?

EC: Believe it or not, I was all-state as a tennis and soccer player in high school.  I always joke with people that I took up powerlifting to convince everyone that I was actually tough.  Up until now, I’ve competed in the 165-pound weight-class and collected some state, national, and world records.  My competition bests are 540 squat, 402 bench, 628 deadlift, and 1532 total.  I won’t be able to make weight at 165 anymore, so 181 is the next step for me.  The next meet is December 2, and I’ve already deadlifted 635 and benched 420 in training.  We’ll see what happens…

I’m not sure that I’ll stay in powerlifting for the long-haul, as I still consider myself more of an athlete than a powerlifter.  I like being able to play recreation basketball and softball, and I’d like to vertical jump 40 inches down the road.  I’ll probably compete in some strongman, maybe even move to Canada and take up curling.  You never know.  I would like to pull 700 at 181 before I move on, though.

LM: In your own training past, what would you say was your worst mistake? Put differently, if you could go back and time and train more effectively, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

EC: I’d say that there would be two.

First would be the fact that for a long time, I was just “working out.”  As I mentioned, I’m an athlete at heart, so unless I’m preparing for something a bit more quantifiable, I’ll never feel like I’m training.  Powerlifting gave me that missing piece; there is nothing like training when you know you’ve got 12 weeks to go before you’re standing in front of hundreds of people with hundreds of pounds in your hands and veins popping out of your forehead!

As an added bonus to returning to the competitive landscape, it gave me a great frame of reference from which I could deal with athletes.  Athletes are brighter than you think, and if you don’t practice what you preach and can’t relate to them, they can and will call bulls**t on you (especially as you deal with some of the more advanced athletes who really don’t care what anyone thinks of them).

Second, and on a semi-related note, I worried too much about foo-foo bodybuilding crap early-on.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; if 90% of the self-proclaimed internet gurus (read: guys who weigh 150 pounds and bench even less) wanted to make progress, they’d quit worrying so much about classic bodybuilding stuff and spend more time focusing on doing what it takes to add more pounds to the bar.  You can’t build a statue without a foundation, and the overwhelming majority of people on the internet haven’t built that foundation.  If I hear one more forum guy call a 315 deadlift “inspirational,” I’m going to burst out laughing (actually, I’ve already done that).  315 is only impressive if you’re a woman or an old man; otherwise, it ought to be speed weight.

Anyway, in a nutshell, the stronger I’ve gotten, the more happy I’ve become with my physique – and the easier it’s become to build muscle mass.  I swear: I’m not this cynical.  It’s just frame of reference and a little frustration over answering the same email inquiry 8,573 times!

LM: You and Mike Robertson recently produced a video called Magnificent Mobility that goes through a variety of dynamic warm-up exercises.  Since doing that DVD, what would you say has changed in terms of how you approach warmups for athletes? Any changes in movements, changes in approach, movements you no longer use for one reason or another?

EC: Well, Mike and I are always thinking up new stuff, so we’ve chatted about coming out with a sequel at some point.  We’ve got some new tricks up our sleeves.  I’d like to do more to address the spiral line fascial connection between the upper and lower body, spend a little more time talking about segmental mobility vs. stability on a joint-by-joint basis, and discuss how we incorporate soft tissue work into a good warm-up.

If I had to do it over again, I’d probably coach the hip abduction and rotation work a lot harder to ensure that people were getting it there without much (if any) motion at the lumbar spine.  That’s one area in which people tend to butcher this stuff.  So, in essence, I’d put some asterisks alongside the scorpions, yoga twists, and windmills.  Beyond that, though, I’m happy with what we have out there – and the feedback has been awesome.  It’s nice to see people who have almost “accidentally” eliminated pain from chronic injuries.

LM: There's zero doubt that the types of dynamic warm-ups described in that DVD are ideal for athletes, it's certainly an improvement from the old “Jog for 20 minutes and then static stretch” approach.  However, what do you think about such warm-ups for folks whose main goal is hypertrophy or body composition changes?  I guess what I'm asking is this: for the general trainee who may be doing an hour workout, is a 20-40 dynamic warm-up really necessary? Is there some way for them to shorten their warm-up and get the most bang for their buck out of a few movements?

EC: Well, for starters, our dynamic warm-ups almost never exceed ten minutes.  I have to admit that it kind of cracks me up that people have tried to pigeonhole me into the “Mobility Guy” role.  The truth of the matter is that mobility/activation work accounts for 5-10% of my programming at most (sometimes a bit more in people who really need it).  About eight movements – each lasting 30 seconds or so – is all you need.  Do some foam rolling beforehand, and you’ve got a complete warm-up 8-10 minutes.

Believe it or not, the average guy needs it even more than the serious athlete, as he’s not using his mobility work on a daily basis.  There’s a big difference between going to a desk at the beginning of your workday and going to the track to do tempo runs or the court to run lane agilities.

It might not directly lead to hypertrophy, but in the long run, it’ll keep you healthy.  Many elite athletes have credited much of their success to staying healthy for the duration of their careers, so why should an advanced bodybuilder be any different?  Lose your hip mobility, and you’ll see pulled hip flexors, hamstrings, and adductors; anterior/lateral knee pain; anterior hip pain; lower back pain – you name it.  It’s really just a matter of where people break down.

LM: Because the majority of articles on t-mag that you've written are rehab related, people have sort of shoehorned you as the 'rehab guy' with Mike Robertson but this is clearly far from all that you do. You recently wrote a book called "The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual" that deals with athletic training, please tell my readers

EC: You’re right; there’s another Cressey stereotype.  I really can’t win, can I?

Truthfully, I don’t see myself as a “rehab” guy; I’m not a physical therapist, manual therapist, or doctor of any sort.  “Rehab” is a reactive discipline, and I’m a proactive guy.  I’m looking for inefficiencies that may lead to problems down the road.  I might not be able to fix a torn labrum (well, if you sign a waiver form, I might be willing to get out the Swiss army knife, whiskey, and glue gun and give it a shot), but I can definitely spot the scapular dyskinesis that might have caused it.  Save the pathologies for the doctors and CDC; I’d rather prevent them from happening in the first place.  There’s obviously a gray area with all of this; just because 80% of Americans have lower back pain at some point doesn’t mean that we can send them all to physical therapy, so those of us who know corrective exercise well can pick up the slack.  I’ve had success with everyone from weekend warriors to Olympians on this front; some doctors just see the problem, not the cause.  But I digress…

The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual was something that took quite some time to pull together (right about a year) because I was constantly modifying little things based on what I was seeing work or not work.  It draws on experience working with athletes who have had incredible off-seasons, and on observing others that have wasted this crucial time of year.  I’m fortunate to have been involved in the basketball world extensively, and that’s the population in which off-season idiocy rears its ugly head the most.  So, in that regard, writing this book was a way to let off some steam – but get the word out on how to do things right.

I go into a lot of detail on the status quo, self-tests to determine training needs, individualization in programming and yearly periodization, and a whole lot more.  The manual concludes with 30 weeks of sample programming.  Those who have read my stuff know that I don’t write programs for the masses unless there is a ton of pre-assessment work done – and that’s the case with this manual.  Athletes and non-athletes alike have really enjoyed it thus far, as it makes you consider the practicality of the things going on around you in the world of training.

LM: I'd say that your article "Feel Better for 10 Bucks" may have been the one to really bring foam roller (self-myofascial release) work to the general public and you can find people using foam rollers (or at least discussing it) all the time now.  Coaches are throwing stacks of rollers out to their athletes for warm-ups and athletes are continually looking for harder implements to get even deeper into their tissues.  What do you think people are doing correctly with foam roller work?  Where are they going wrong?

EC: The two biggest mistakes I see are a) just going through the motions (doing it quickly instead of correctly) and b) rolling the lumbar spine.  You don’t want to roll at the lower back unless you’re someone with a lot of meat down there to protect the spine itself. Even then, it’s not really a good idea to encourage hyperextension, so I’d avoid it altogether.

As far as pushing too hard, I don’t think it’s too valid a concern.  There is only so much you can do with your body weight – regardless of whether you’re using a roller, tennis ball, lacrosse ball, or whatever else.  Anyone who has ever had Graston or rolfing has had it a lot worse.  The secret is to remember that this is all progressive; you have to build up just like you would with anything else.

LM: As a follow-up to question 7, what about the application of foam rolling and self-myofascial release for the general trainee?  Does a bodybuilder or someone simply seeking general fitness need to worry about any of this stuff?

EC: Does a bear s**t in the woods?  It goes right alongside the mobility work; it might not make you bigger in the short-term, but it’ll extend your training career significantly, keep you healthy, and improve your quality of life.  If that won’t lead to better gains in muscle mass and general fitness, I don’t know what will.

LM: Shoulder injuries are arguably one of the most common to come out of weight rooms, especially in the bench press obsessed United States.  You're known as a shoulder guy (for good reason); is there any single thing that trainees should be doing to prevent shoulder problems from occurring in the weight room?

1. Proper structural balance in training

2. Considering what happens in the other 23 hours per day (e.g., poor posture)

3. Activation work for the lower traps and serratus anterior

4. Soft tissue and flexibility work for the pecs, lats, upper traps, and levator scapulae

5. Thoracic mobility in extension and rotation

6. Strengthen the rotator cuff

7. Mobility of the contralateral hip and ankle

8. Learning to lift properly (sadly, few people actually know how to bench correctly)

9. Realize that overhead pressing isn’t for everyone (and in fact, it’s probably wrong for about 2/3 of the population – especially as they get older)

10. Stop doing upright rows.

LM: You're quite prolific as an author (I highly recommend all of Eric's articles over on T-Nation, especially the “Neanderthal No More” series he did with Mike Robertson).  Where can readers find more of your stuff?

EC: The best bet is probably to go to the “Articles” page at my website; I keep it pretty up-to-date (although print magazine articles aren’t available online):

http://ecressey.wpengine.com/articles.html.

I also publish a free weekly newsletter on my site; readers can subscribe at http://ecressey.wpengine.com/freenewsletter.html.

Thanks for having me, Lyle!

That’ll do it for this week.  Until next Tuesday, train hard and have fun!

For many of you, Thanksgiving probably conjures up images of pilgrims, squash, football, family, and, of course, turkey.  And, when you think of turkey, you’d have to be crazy to not also think about that afternoon slumber on the living room floor that everyone inevitably takes after eating a few pounds of it at the Thanksgiving table.

I haven’t been much of a traditionalist with this newsletter, and I won’t break from that trend this week and be like the “usual” fitness industry folks who preach moderation and implement scare tactics in hopes of scaring you away from the dinner table.  I’m a realist, folks; I know that you’re going to get plenty of bang for your buck this Thursday at the dinner table.  Fortunately for you, I’m also an optimist, so I figured I ought to at least frame the entire situation in a positive light: turkey-induced sleep is awesome because SLEEP in itself is awesome.  Save the leftover turkey and put it to good use.

Just a few days ago, the following “Cool Tip” by Dr. Lonnie Lowery was featured at T-Nation:

The Sleep Factor

Did you know that enough sleep deprivation in rodents causes death?  Or that there's a nearly linear relationship between hours of sleep and body mass index (a crude marker of obesity in non-athletes)?  Or, how about the fact that sleep debt contributes to carb intolerance and fat gain over time?  Of course, this is to say nothing of immune dysfunction, altered physical performance, and mental clarity. Lesson: Lack of sleep could be why your progress in the gym has stalled.

Great Ways to Stay Awake

Let’s face it: sometimes, you actually do have to stay awake – and it isn’t easy.  The commuters in the crowd can certainly relate to this problem, and nobody wants to nod off behind the wheel.  The solution?  Intellectual stimulation in place of monotony!

I recall Brian Tracy stating that the average American spends between 500 and 1,000 hours in the car each year.  If he listened to audio CDs or cassettes for this entire time, it would be the equivalent of full-time enrollment in a college.  Don’t get me wrong; I love my music and Boston Sports Talk Radio just like everyone else, but I’d say that a good 50% of the time that I’m in the car, I’m listening to something related to fitness or business.

Fortunately for you, with the holidays upon us, Kevin Larrabee has just introduced the FitCast Insider, a fantastic new resource that will suit your needs in this regard.  Each week, you can download interviews with some of the brightest minds in the industry – not to mention some goober named Cressey, who rambled on and on for 50 minutes on Saturday afternoon to Kevin’s delight.  Do yourself a favor and check it out now:

FitCast Insider

Guest Contributor: Maki Riddington

Okay, back to the sleep stuff!  The following article was originally featured at WannaBeBig.com, and when Maki sent it my way, I thought it would be perfect for this newsletter.  Enjoy!

The Art of Napping

By Maki Riddington

“A day without a nap is a day wasted”

There are many of us who are not people of the siesta, unlike some Latin Americans and Europeans who view 10-30 minutes of shut-eye in mid-afternoon as a worthwhile tradition. In Mexico and in Greece it's customary to close shop sometime after high noon so shopkeepers can count sheep. Not only is napping a practice in many countries, but some of the world’s most influential leaders have practiced this custom. While leading a victorious campaign during the Battle of Britain, Sir Winston Churchill took naps. His Italian enemy, Benito Mussolini, also napped, however, it is said to have cost him the war. Napoleon Bonaparte, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and John F. Kennedy have also have been in the ranks of notable nappers (all of them napping, of course, for the benefit of the nation). Seven-time Tour De France winner, Lance Armstrong, napped his way to the podium. His coach, Chris Carmichael says that these "naps were critical” in his overall training plan.

Despite a history of positive views of napping, many people today still frown upon this sleep tradition because most of the western world tends to associate napping with lethargy and non-productivity. However times are changing, and there is now a North American group called the World Nap Organization which proclaims itself as "the nap lobby —an unabashed special interest group devoted to battling negative images of the blissful practice of nap-taking."

The art of napping is staging a comeback. The evidence is mounting, and our day-to-day lifestyles are reinforcing the notion that napping does the body good.

If you’re a student, you’re usually up at the crack of dawn, ready to hit class and to get down to learning. You’ve made your meals for the day, head off to train, study, and then hit the sack. If a student is lucky they’ll usually get 6 hours of quality sleep a night. If you’re a college athlete, you’ll have mandatory practices, games, training sessions and course-work. For those of you in the work force who put in an 8-15 hour day, 5-6 days a week combined with several intense training sessions a each week ... well you get the idea ... sleep is a luxury.

For females, if it’s that time of month sleep can become compromised, usually for the duration of the menstruation. And, let’s not forget stay-at-home moms and dads (hey, it’s a liberated era) - sleepless nights from attending to a newborn. Did you know that this results in 400-750 hours of lost sleep for parents in the first year? Running the kids to soccer practice and ballet, cooking dinner, and house chores can take quite the toll on the body.

When it comes to making progress in the gym, people take into account their training, nutrition, and supplementation. They spend hours tweaking their routines, finding the right performance-boosting supplements, and making sure as they prepare and cook their meals that they are eating the right foods at the right time of day. Unfortunately, it’s the need for quantity and quality of sleep that is often overlooked in a trainee’s routine. Sleeping eight hours a day is not always enough and, even then, the quality may be poor.

The next time you’re in the local Barnes & Nobles or Chapters, browse through the “fitness” and “exercise” section. Notice how many books have been written on the topic of strength training, supplements, and nutrition. Then look at how many have been dedicated to getting a good night’s sleep, or talk about the quality of sleep and its effect on the body in relation to strength training.

If you’re lucky, you might find a chapter somewhere that touches briefly on the subject. The impact sleep has on overall health, body composition, performance, and recovery means that it should rank high on any list of strength-training priorities. It is also equally important that people realize why a nap can do the body good - even after a full 8 hours of sleep a night.

Did You Know?

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) reports that:

The average adult sleeps under 7 hours a night during a workweek.

33% of adults surveyed sleep only 6 1/2 hours nightly.

40% of adults admit that the quality of their work suffers when they're sleepy.

68% say their ability to concentrate is diminished by sleepiness.

19% report making mistakes and errors due to sleepiness.

Sleepy drivers cause approximately 100,000 car crashes annually.

33% of adults surveyed would nap at work, if allowed.

Sleep can be defined as an anabolic state since it increases the process of growth and contributes to the restoration of the immune, nervous, and muscular systems. It is also responsible for maintaining normal levels of cognitive skills such as speech, memory, innovative, and flexible thinking. In other words, sleep is an essential part of life. The world record for the longest period without sleep is 11 days, set by Randy Gardner in 1965. It’s up there with all those other body-abusing milestones, such as denying the body food and water for long periods of time.

Sleep Overview

Those of us who live an active life should have a nap during mid afternoon. However, to appreciate why we need to include this nap in our daily routines requires a quick overview of the mechanism of sleep.

After a long day, it’s time for bed. You prepare your meals for the next day, gulp down your last protein shake or meal, and then the lights go out. But wait—there’s more to sleep then just closing your eyes and then pulling yourself out of bed the next morning.

There are 5 stages that the body goes through during a good night’s rest. The first stage of sleep, called non-rapid eye movement (NREM) contributes to the physical regeneration of the body. Although more info is needed, NREM has also been said to be responsible for the bolstering of the immune system. NREM is known as a transitional stage between waking and sleeping and lasts for approximately 5-10 minutes. During this period, breathing slows down, the heart rate decreases, the eyeballs start rolling and drowsiness occurs.

Moving into stage two of sleep, eye movements disappear, images start to pass through the mind, the muscles start to relax and the body starts to shut down.

In stage three, breathing becomes increasingly slower as does the heart rate. Stages three and four are usually grouped together. These two stages are referred to as “Delta Sleep” or “Slow Wave Sleep.” This stage is probably the most important stage for weight trainers as growth hormone (GH) is released (1,2,). GH is responsible for a number of things. Increased mental alertness, increased strength, increased feeling of wellbeing, decreased body fat and improved neurological function. The fifth and final stage of sleep is rapid eye movement (REM) otherwise known as “Dream Sleep”. During REM the brain is very active, dreams occur at this stage as well as paralysis of the muscles. Other characteristics are irregular breathing, increased heart rate, and rapid eye movements.

In total, the brain’s sleeping pattern repeats its cycle every 90-120 minutes. The brain will move from a light sleep, to a deep sleep then to a mentally active sleep and finally back to a light sleep. This cycle will repeat itself 2-7 times in young and middle-aged adults (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).

Typical sleep cycle

Why Nap?

Even though we spend a third of our lives sleeping, scientists are still trying to learn exactly why people need sleep. In animal studies it has been shown that sleep is necessary for survival. For example, while rats normally live for two to three years, those deprived of REM sleep survive only about 5 weeks on average, and rats deprived of all sleep stages live only about 3 weeks. In humans, those who had been deprived of just one night’s sleep were shown to have a reduction in mental exertion. In real life situations, the consequences of being sleep-deprived are grave. Some speculation has linked sleep-deprivation to certain international disasters such as the Exxon Valdez oil-spill, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and the Challenger shuttle explosion.

Taking this into the gym can mean that the ability to concentrate and focus can become compromised which means less of an effort and intensity in the workout (9). Hopefully it’s not leg day.

Athletes who suffer from sleep-deprivation have been shown to see a decrease in cardiovascular performance (10), that is, their time to exhaustion is quicker. Sleep-deprivation in studies has been shown to occur around 30-72 hours. For an athlete who has a full course-load, studies, mid terms, and trains, sleep-deprivation can accumulate very rapidly.

Another study looked at cortisol and performance levels after staying up for an 8-hour period overnight. Performance declined and cortisol levels increased. For someone looking to pack on muscle and increase strength, this is bad news since the main focus is to minimize cortisol release since it is a catabolic hormone (11).

From a fat loss perspective, sleep deprivation can impair fat loss through a decrease in levels of the satiety hormone leptin, and increases in the hunger hormone ghrelin. According to Dr. Van Cauter a professor of medicine at the university of Chicago, “One of the first consequences of sleeplessness is appetite dysregulation.” “Essentially, the accelerator for hunger [ghrelin] is pushed and the brake for satiety [leptin] is released.” “The leptin levels are screaming ‘More food! More food!’” What this means is that the hormone leptin is responsible for telling the body when it is full. However, with decreased production of this hormone, the body will crave calories (especially in the form of carbs) even though its requirements have been met. For someone trying to diet, good luck!

Voluntarily sleeping less than 6 hours per night has been associated with an increased incidence of impaired glucose tolerance, according to a cohort analysis of the Sleep Heart Health Study (SHHS) reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine. (12) This may mean that a chronic lack of sleep can impair glucose tolerance, which can make body recomposition a difficult task. Most people have a hard enough time trying to regulate their carbohydrates and time them so that the body metabolizes them efficiently.

So, if you’re getting the required 8 hours of sleep, are you ok? Well, if this sleep is broken up, then its value decreases as the sleep cycle is interrupted. Deep sleep appears to be connected with the release of growth hormones in young adults. Many of the body's cells also show increased production and reduced breakdown of proteins during deep sleep. Since proteins are the building blocks needed for cell growth and for repairing bodily stress (muscle damage from strength training), uninterrupted deep sleep plays an important role in recovery and regeneration of the body.

Finally, adequate sleep and a properly functioning immune system are closely related. Sleep-deprivation compromises the immune system by altering the blood levels of specialized immune cells and important proteins called cytokines. These chemical messengers instruct other immune cells to go into action. As a result of being compromised, greater than normal chances of infections are likely to occur. And we all know that being sick can be a big setback both in and out of the gym.

The Benefits of Napping

Hopefully, you are beginning to understand why taking a nap just might be beneficial, if you aren’t already snoozing sometime during the day. The question that needs to be answered is: how long do I nap?

The Center for Applied Cognitive Studies states:

"Studies show that the length of sleep is not what causes us to be refreshed upon waking. The key factor is the number of complete sleep cycles we enjoy. Each sleep cycle contains five distinct phases, which exhibit different brain- wave patterns. For our purposes, it suffices to say that one sleep cycle lasts an average of 90 minutes: 65 minutes of normal, or non-REM (rapid eye movement), sleep; 20 minutes of REM sleep (in which we dream); and a final 5 minutes of non-REM sleep. The REM sleep phases are shorter during earlier cycles (less than 20 minutes) and longer during later ones (more than 20 minutes). If we were to sleep completely naturally, with no alarm clocks or other sleep disturbances, we would wake up, on the average, after a multiple of 90 minutes--for example, after 4 1/2 hours, 6 hours, 7 1/2 hours, or 9 hours, but not after 7 or 8 hours, which are not multiples of 90 minutes. In the period between cycles we are not actually sleeping: it is a sort of twilight zone from which, if we are not disturbed (by light, cold, a full bladder, noise), we move into another 90-minute cycle. A person who sleeps only four cycles (6 hours) will feel more rested than someone who has slept for 8 to 10 hours but who has not been allowed to complete any one cycle because of being awakened before it was completed.... "

Power naps can be defined as “brief periods of daytime sleep lasting an hour or less.” They should be directed at targeting sleep stages 1 and 2, and take place in the afternoon. Dr. Claudio Stampi's, aka Dr Sleep (one of the world’s foremost sleep researchers), found that afternoon siestas were full of slow-wave sleep. The main benefit that is derived from these stages is restoration from mental fatigue or an increase in alertness. During a 10-20 minute nap the brain cells reset their sodium & potassium ratios when the brain is in Theta state. This state of mind is associated with a flow of ideas or a positive mental state. The sodium & potassium levels are involved in osmosis, which is the chemical process that transports chemicals into and out of your brain cells. After an extended period in the Beta state (when the brain is aroused and actively engaged in mental activities, it generates beta waves) the ratio between potassium and sodium is out of balance. This is the main cause of what is known as "mental fatigue". A brief period in Theta (about 5 - 15 minutes) can restore the ratio to normal resulting in mental refreshment. Stampi says, "Sleep charges your battery more at the beginning of the sleep cycle than at the end."

Nap of Choice

The Nothing-Nap: This nap lasts a whopping 10 to 90 seconds. Studies are inconclusive as to the benefits of nodding off on someone’s shoulder while on the bus (13).

The Quickie Nap: 5 to 20 minutes of shut-eye can increase alertness and motor performance (14,15).

The 20 Minute Snoozer: This also allows for an increase in mental alertness and the increased performance of tasks (16).

The Deluxe Nap: If you can afford the time a 50 to 90 minute nap allows for muscle recovery to take place. This nap includes slow-wave plus REM sleep; which is when growth hormone is released.

The Caffeine Nap: Drink your favourite Starbucks caffeinated beverage and immediately take a 15-minute nap. Coffee helps clear your system of adenosine, a chemical that makes you sleepy. A combination of a cup of coffee with an immediate nap chaser provided the most alertness for the longest period of time (17).

Note: One of the side effects of snoozing occurs upon awakening. The feeling of grogginess that is often experienced here is called Sleep Inertia. Minimizing the time it takes your brain to get into sync can be accomplished by not waking up while you are in the Slow Wave Sleep stage.

If you don’t want your naps to interfere with your night-time sleep keep them under the 3 hour mark and make sure they are completed at least 3-4 hours before going to bed (18).

Conclusion

Taking a power nap provides more patience, less stress, increased learning, better health, better reaction time, more efficiency. Many athletes find a daytime nap further increases their body's ability to build muscle. Dr. Sara Mednick, a scientist at the Salk Institute for Biologicak Studies adds that “Napping also benefits heart functioning, hormonal maintenance, and cell repair.”

So stop feeling guilty and take a well-deserved nap at work or at home. Your Nattitude (nat´y-tood´)n.: a proud attitude about one's napping) should be displayed by laying your head down and grabbing some well-deserved shut-eye. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s past my naptime, and I’ve got to get setup for the rest of the day.

About The Author

Maki Riddington is the Editor for www.wannabebig.com and a Body Recomposition and Strength and Conditioning Specialist based in Richmond, British Columbia. He focuses on athletic and strength conditioning. For more info visit www.dynamicconditioning.ca

References

1. Born J, Fehm HL. The neuroendocrine recovery function of sleep. Noise Health. 2000;2(7):25-38.

2. Steiger A, Holsboer F. Neuropeptides and human sleep. Sleep. 1997 Nov;20(11):1038-52. Review.

3. Brezinova, V. Sleep cycle content and sleep cycle duration. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 36: 275-382, 1974.

4. Clausen, J, Sersen EA, and Lidsky A. Variability of sleep measures in normal subjects. Psychophysiology 114: 509-516, 1974.

5. Hartmann, E. The 90 minute sleep-dream cycle. Arch Gen Psychiatry 18: 280-286, 1968.

6. Kripke, DF. An ultradian biologic rhythm associated with perceptual deprivation and REM sleep. Psychosom Med 34: 221-234, 1972.

7. Merica, H, and Gaillard JM. Statistical description and evaluation of the interrelationships of standard sleep variables for normal subjects. Sleep 8: 261-273, 1985.

8. Sterman, MB, and Hoppenbrouwers T. The development of sleep-waking and rest activity patterns from fetus to adult in man. Brain Dev 31: 313-325, 1971.

9. Engle-Friedman M, et al. "The Effect of Sleep Deprivation on Next Day Effort." Sleep 1999; 22(1 Suppl): 151.

10. VanHelder T, Radomski MW. Sleep deprivation and the effect on exercise performance. Sports Med. 1989 Apr;7(4):235-47. Review. PMID: 2657963

11. Goh VH, Tong TY, Lim CL, Low EC, Lee LK. Effects of one night of sleep deprivation on hormone profiles and performance efficiency. Mil Med. 2001 May;166(5):427-31.

12. Gottlieb D, et al. Association of Sleep Time with Diabetes Mellitus and Impaired Glucose Tolerance. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:863-868.

13. Tietzel AJ, Lack LC. The recuperative value of brief and ultra-brief naps on alertness and cognitive performance. J Sleep Res. 2002 Sep;11(3):213-8. PMID: 12220317

14. Brooks A, Lack L. A brief afternoon nap following nocturnal sleep restriction: which nap duration is most recuperative? Sleep. 2006 Jun 1;29(6):831-40. PMID: 16796222

15. Takahashi M, Nakata A, Haratani T, Ogawa Y, Arito H. Post-lunch nap as a worksite intervention to promote alertness on the job.Ergonomics. 2004 Jul 15;47(9):1003-13. PMID: 15204275

16. Hayashi M, Watanabe M, Hori T.The effects of a 20 min nap in the mid-afternoon on mood, performance and EEG activity. Clin Neurophysiol. 1999 Feb;110(2):272-9. PMID: 10210616

17. Hayashi M, Masuda A, Hori T. The alerting effects of caffeine, bright light and face washing after a short daytime nap. Clin Neurophysiol. 2003 Dec;114(12):2268-78. PMID: 14652086

18. Pilcher JJ, Michalowski KR, Carrigan RD. The prevalence of daytime napping and its relationship to nighttime sleep. Behav Med. 2001 Summer;27(2):71-6. PMID: 11763827

Now, shouldn’t you be napping?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

EC

We’ve got lot of exciting stuff this week, so let’s get right to it.  So much content, but so little time…

Impressive Results with Magnificent Mobility

This week on the forums, I accidentally stumbled upon one man’s journal of his results over the past 6-8 weeks with Magnificent Mobility.  It’s pretty cool stuff; check it out!

Magnificent Mobility Journal

You can pick up a copy at www.MagnificentMobility.com.

Product Review: Tap Out: Strength and Conditioning for Combat Sports

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve got a ton of respect for mixed martial arts (MMA) competitors and wrestlers.  Whether you enjoy watching the sports or not (and I definitely enjoy them), you’ve got to give a ton of credit to guys for not only the guts it takes to compete, but also for the extensive training these sports mandate.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of guys out there who are spinning their wheels with the conditioning aspect of things, and they’re getting beaten like rented mules in competition as a result.  Fortunately for them (if they’re smart enough to know where to look), Jason Ferruggia came along and introduced Tap Out: Strength and Conditioning for Combat Sports.

Up until now, I’ve seen a bunch of products for grapplers, and to be honest, I haven’t seen one that has really impressed me.  Usually, they’re just a collection of exercises put together by some guy who used to wrestle or fight.  There are no guidelines.  There is no structure.  There is no systematic fluctuation of training stress.  There are no nutritional guidelines.  Very simply, there’s no system.

Now, if you were involved in a sport where you could potentially get knocked senseless, and you knew that training was crucial to your success, which avenue would you pursue?

Option A: A results-backed system, comprised of training, nutrition, and supplementation guidelines specific to the athlete, complemented by several information-packed bonus interviews with guys who have been successful MMA competitors in their own right.  It teaches you how to get stronger, faster, and leaner while avoiding injury and completely dominating your opponents.

or…

Option B: Pictures of some dirty sweatpants-wearing, has-been wrestler showing you the same exercises his high school coach taught him back in 1984.  It teaches you how to be mediocre (at best) and, if you work really hard, how to get fat enough to protect your internal organs from the beatings you’ll take in the ring or on the mat because you didn’t train correctly.

Jason is Option A.  The guys following Option A are probably the ones who roughed you up last time around.  Don’t believe me?  Check out the testimonials, and while you’re at it, pick up a copy of Jason’s fantastic manual.

Exclusive Interview: Michael Stare

As you’ve probably already surmised by now, I’m always looking to meet new physical therapists who are effective at bridging the gap between healthy and injured athletes.  The sad truth is that just as there aren’t many trainers/coaches who really understand musculoskeletal dysfunction and the resulting pathology, there aren’t many PTs who really understand what an athlete puts his/her body through on a daily basis.

Let’s just say that I’m lucky to have found Mike Stare, and it’s just my luck that he’s right up the road from me here in Massachusetts.  Mike is a brilliant PT and trainer from whom you can expect to hear a lot more in the months and years to come; we’re already brainstorming on some projects together.  Here’s a small sample of the great information Mike has to offer; as I told Mike, I think it’s some of the best information we’ve had in any interview at EricCressey.com thus far.

EC: Hi Mike, thanks for taking the time to join us today.  Before we get cracking with the interview, could you tell us a bit about who you are, where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’re going?

MS: I’m a Physical Therapist and a CSCS, practicing with Orthopaedics Plus in Beverly, MA, as well as Director of Spectrum Fitness Consulting, also in Beverly.

My early years as an oft injured and undersized athlete landed me in the orthopedists’ office far too often.  After a serious neck injury from football, I found myself in Physical Therapy for several weeks.  That experience really opened up my eyes and I decided that I wanted to pursue a career as a PT.

I studied kinesiology at the University of Illinois, and began working as a personal trainer for the division of campus recreation.  I also worked with the spinal cord athletes there, and had an opportunity to travel to the 1996 Paralympic games to work with spinal cord injured athletes.

I moved East to pursue a Masters of Science in Physical Therapy at Boston University. I continued to work as a personal trainer with the Boston Sports Clubs and obtained the CSCS while I was in grad school.  I also had the opportunity to help develop and teach a training curriculum for the trainers at BSC.

After graduation, I worked in an outpatient rehab hospital where I saw the full spectrum of conditions.  I treated a C5 quadriplegic who was more athletic the most people I know, a lady who had both legs amputated from her pelvis (best pair of arms on a 60 year old I ever saw and a heart of gold), bodybuilders with overuse injuries, chronic low back pain - you name it – I saw it.  It was a phenomenal learning experience, but I knew that I needed to focus in order to hone my expertise.  So I choose to concentrate on orthopedics, and jumped on board with Orthopaedics Plus.

I returned to graduate school part-time while working full time as a clinician to finish my Doctorate in Physical Therapy, and then completed a two-year fellowship in orthopaedic manual therapy.  That was an invaluable experience; I learned from what I truly believe to be the greatest minds in Physical Therapy.

I had moved away from personal training while pursuing my post-graduate studies, and I really missed it.  As a clinician, I grew frustrated with the fact that many of my patients were seeing me for injuries or conditions that could have been prevented if they had received the proper training or education.  I thought I was going to lose my mind if I saw another 16-year-old girl with excessive genu valgum and the glute strength of a mosquito limping in after ACL reconstruction waiting to get back to her three soccer leagues.

I decided that I needed to provide a service that would not only help people recover from their injury, but also reduce their injury risk and enhance their performance and health. As a result, in partnership with Orthopaedics Plus, I formed Spectrum Fitness Consulting this past January.  We focus on providing personal training services, as well as sports conditioning for young athletes.  Our studio is located adjacent to the PT clinic, which facilitates me working as both a clinician and a trainer.

We are rapidly growing and have some excellent new programs coming soon.  I’m looking forward to finding some quality trainers to help us grow, as well as expanding our reach throughout the North Shore region, developing more of a web presence, and hopefully perform some research in the near future

For now, I’m trying to stay focused on getting things done right, keep my head from spinning off, and enjoy hanging out with my new baby and my wife as often as possible.

EC: The first chapter of your memoirs is now officially complete; congratulations!  Moving on…you’ve done quite a bit of research on preventing elbow injuries in young pitchers; what have you got for us?

MS: Last fall I had the opportunity to mentor a Doctoral Student from BU.  We found some great info about elbow and shoulder injuries in young baseball pitchers. Among some of the most notable findings:

·         Injuries in young pitchers most often involve the growth plates, as opposed to the rotator cuff, labrum, or ligaments commonly seen in adults

·         The growth plates are the weakest link in the joint complex in young pitchers.

·         Growth plates in the elbow are open until about 16 and until 19-22 in the shoulder.

·         Injury to the growth plate is very difficult to detect, except in severe cases. Thus, early and appropriate response to pain is critical.

·         Pitch counts and pitch types are associated with risk of elbow and shoulder injury. Researchers from the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) have given specific recommendations for pitch type and count based on their findings.  For example, a sample of 476 9-14 year olds who threw curve balls had a 56% increased risk for shoulder pain and those who threw sliders had an 86% increased risk for elbow pain.  A sample of 330 9-12 year olds showed increased incidence of elbow and shoulder injury occurred with:

1) Those who threw >75 pitches/game or 600/season

2) Pitched in multiple leagues

3) Experienced arm pain during the season

4) Pitched less than 300 pitches per season.

EC: Very interesting; we often hear about throwing too much as being a problem, but some kids were actually having problems from not throwing enough pitches and then going out to “turn it loose?”  In other words, is that 300-600 pitches/season number precedent for a “golden pitch count rule?”

MS: No, I don’t consider it as a golden rule.  Rather, it should provide a basis from which coaches, clinicians, and researchers can begin to establish the boundaries between what is too much stimulus for a developing arm, and what is not enough stimulus to facilitate enhanced motor skill and optimal conditioning.

The research from ASMI and others is merely revealing initial data about factors that correlate with shoulder and elbow injury, not cause the injuries.  Pitch counts are a convenient way to quantify arm stress, but they are far from perfect.  The research regarding this topic is still very new and continues to evolve.  Pitch counts are just one of the many factors related to increased risk.

I think focusing on a firm pitch count for the season may be a problem in that it relieves the coaches, parents, etc., of responsibility of considering other variables that may also indicate increased risk, essentially, providing a false sense of security.

It still isn’t clear why pitching less than 300/season was associated with risk of arm injuries.  Perhaps those who threw less had less skill, and thus imposed greater stress upon their arms.  Maybe they were less conditioned.  Or perhaps, as you mentioned, they progressed their volume of throwing too quickly.  The higher risk with throwing greater than 600 seems more obvious – perhaps it was just too much?

Regardless, I think the problem is not simply about too many pitches or too few pitches in games over the season.  There seems to be a trend towards kids playing in less informal settings, and more often in competitive settings.  This has some significant implications.  Less informal play means less opportunity for honing the motor skill of throwing.  Motor learning is best developed by practicing frequently, in small chunks of time, at initially lower intensities.  This is what is typically done through informal play.

There is a big difference between how you throw in a competitive game situation versus while practicing or playing catch with friends.  Thus, kids are in more frequent situations that place higher stresses on the arm, while spending less time improving their motor skills.  Given this trend, I think it becomes clear why the incidence of arm injuries is one the rise.

Improving their conditioning and responding to the early warning signs of injury would substantially offset this higher risk.  Combined with coaches focusing more on teaching the skill of throwing, while gradually increasing the volume and intensity of throwing, the incidence of arm injuries could be greatly reduced.  Rather than just focusing on the pitch count, I suggest coaches and parents also simply rate velocity and control each inning, as well as observe any other signs of a change in mechanics or taking more time between pitches.  This will be more effective than just quantifying pitch count.

EC: Great stuff – sorry to interrupt.  What else have you got?

MS:

·         Certain flaws in pitching mechanics will predispose the shoulder or elbow to greater stress. For example, excessive shoulder rotation at initial contact of the stride leg, and a more cross body horizontal arm follow-through leads to increased torque on the elbow.

·         The humerus rotates up to 7000 degrees per second in from late cocking phase to acceleration phase, and the arm experiences a distraction force of up to 1.5 the athlete’s bodyweight during the deceleration phase

·         Clinicians and surgeons are reporting a 5-6 fold increase in pitching related elbow and shoulder injuries in youth pitchers.

I’ve seen too many kids devastated by realizing that their throwing careers are over at age 15, recovering from their second arm surgery. There’s too much information out there; we need to apply it.

EC: Agreed!  So why aren’t more trainers and coaches putting this information into practice?

MS: Although we found some great info about kinematics, kinetics, and epidemiology, there was very little information about conditioning or training strategies. It was implied by almost every researcher, but never thoroughly discussed. That is were my “Young Guns” program comes in.  Our program will be the only that I’m aware of that will emphasize not only the preventative strategies via pitch count, pitch type, and throwing mechanic alterations, but also implement specific conditioning strategies.  As with so many other conditions, the ability to generate and translate force through out the entire kinetic chain, as well as efficiently decelerate, correlates with improved performance and reduced injury.  I think this reasoning applies perfectly to throwing athletes, and they should be trained accordingly.

EC: Great stuff; I’m sure it’ll be fantastic.  How about correcting injuries once they’re in place?  Any rehab tips for those who already have bum elbows?

MS: The injured tissue must be identified first. This is especially important for young athletes, as growth plates are particularly vulnerable.  Treating a growth plate injury will be much different than treating a lateral epicondylopathy.  Seeing an orthopedist who specializes in elbows and shoulders – together with a PT with a manual therapy background – is your best bet.

Next, identify the cause of the problem. It’s always easier to investigate a crime closest to when it was committed.  The irritating factors must be modified or avoided.

Look at the shoulder, thoracic spine, and hips for mobility deficits.  Inadequate mobility at any of the joints along the kinetic chain can result in greater compensatory mobility demands upon the more vulnerable elbow joint, leading to excessive strain and ultimately injury.

If soft tissues of the elbow are involved, such as is the case with tendonopathy of the common extensor (lateral epicondylopathy) or common flexor (medial epicondylopathy) tendons, deep tissue massage is very effective.  It doesn’t feel so good initially, but it works.  Usually, you can do it yourself; just follow the tendons starting about ½ inch from the origin, and deeply massage with small amplitude parallel and perpendicular to the tendons.

Joint mobilization is also very effective at restoring normal mobility and promoting joint healing – but you’ll need a skilled therapist for that.

For less acute injuries, very high repetition, low load exercise can be effective at improving tensile qualities and promoting healing.

The common practice of applying ice shouldn’t be overlooked.  Ice massage is very easy and effective.  Freeze water in a Dixie cup, peel back the edges, and rub the effected area for about 5-10 minutes.

EC: My favorite part is that you never recommended non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).  We know we’re dealing with degenerative, not inflammatory conditions, so these interventions have little merit aside of pain relief, which is better accomplished with ice anyway.  All those NSAIDs are just inhibiting the healing process and giving people a false sense of good health, leading them to throw the tissue back into the fire much too soon.  Would you agree?  (You’re not allowed to disagree, for the record; this is my newsletter!)

MS: I absolutely agree, and not just because I fear being chastised like your friend Hugo from a few newsletters ago!  Soft tissue injuries have often been labeled as tendonitis, the –itis suffix inferring an inflammatory pathology.  However, histological studies consistently fail to find markers indicative of inflammation with these conditions, leading to the increasing use of the appropriate term tendonopathy instead.

This is more than a semantics issue.  As you mention, taking an anti-inflammatory to treat something that does not have an inflammatory pathology may yield unnecessary risks and hinder healing.  Recent research has demonstrated impaired bone healing in conjunction with NSAID usage.  This is particularly important if bone pathology is suspected, as often is the case with young pitchers having a high incidence of growth plate injuries

EC: This has been fantastic stuff, Mike; thanks for taking the time.  Where can our readers find out more about you?

MS: It’s my pleasure Eric, anytime. I can be reached at mike@spectrumfit.net, and your readers can learn more about Spectrum Fitness Consulting, the Young Guns program, and myself at www.spectrumfit.net.

That’ll do it for this week, everyone.  Keep an eye out for some exciting news in the next few days…

All the Best,

Congratulations, AJ Roberts!

For those who missed it…

So what are the take-home points?

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