Exclusive Interview: Nick Grantham

The Sturdy Shoulder Seminar Report

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who made the trip out for last weekend’s Sturdy Shoulder Seminar at Excel Sport and Fitness Training. In spite of the lousy weather, we had just over 60 people in attendance. The feedback has been great, and it looks like there will be a few articles written in the next few weeks to recap the event; I’ll keep you posted.

A Review of Magnificent Mobility

For those of you who haven't picked up a copy of our Magnificent Mobility DVD yet, check out this review from FightersReview.com. You can pick up a copy at www.MagnificentMobility.com.

Remembering a Legend

I know this is predominantly considered a fitness newsletter, but I think I’d be doing a great disservice to my upbringing if I didn’t take a quick moment to bring attention to the passing of Red Auerbach, the long-time patriarch of the Boston Celtics franchise. Growing up, the Boston Celtics meant everything to me. Back in the Bird/Parrish/McHale/Ainge/DJ days, I used to practically cry myself to sleep every time they lost. I remember jumping around my living room throwing punches when an undersized Jerry Sichting unloaded on big Ralph Sampson during the 1986 NBA Finals (I was five years old). I'm convinced that the fact that I was born in 1981 - the year of the first Celtics championship in the 1980s - was some sort of omen. Each year, my father took my brother and I to the old Boston Garden for one game – and it was the highlight of our years. While I was never a stud basketball player myself, I can say without wavering that this early passion for high-level basketball was what led me to a career where I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the best college and professional players in the world. It goes without saying that none of this would have been possible if Red Auerbach hadn’t made the Celtics what they were. With all that said, even if you’re just a casual sports fan, I’d encourage you all to check out Bill Simmons’ column at ESPN.com this week; it’s well worth the read.

On a Brighter Note…Exclusive Interview: Nick Grantham

I first came across Nick Grantham’s name in some of Alwyn Cosgrove’s writings, and I know that Alwyn isn’t one to lavish praise on anyone in this industry who doesn’t deserve it. Shortly thereafter, Nick and I began exchanging emails, and I came to appreciate just how solid a coach he is. I did an interview for his newsletter a few months back, and now it’s time to reverse roles and share with you a bit of what he has to offer.

EC: Hi Nick, thanks for taking the time to be with us today. Please take a few moments to fill our audience in on who you are, where you’ve been, and what you’re doing now. Feel free to leave out any incriminating details, but don’t omit anything that’ll give me some firepower for busting Cosgrove’s chops! NG: First, thanks for asking me to do this interview. I guess I had a pretty standard childhood (fortunately, it was back in the day before computer games, so there was plenty of physical activity). I always enjoyed sport and belonged to my local track and field and soccer clubs, although I was never setting the world on fire with my performances. That was left to one of my older brothers, Chris, who has an annoying ability to be pretty good at any sport he even attempts. Around the age of 12, I got into Taekwon-Do, and once I got to black belt, I realized that I was pretty good! To cut a long story short, I competed nationally and internationally for a number of years, and it was during this time that I was unfortunate enough to encounter Alwyn Cosgrove! I have plenty of good stories – maybe a future e-book! Al was at University and I was also thinking about getting out of my job in insurance to go to Uni. I applied and was accepted at the same Uni as Al, which was great because we now both had a training partner and I think this was really when our understanding of the importance of physical preparation took off. Alwyn graduated a couple of years before me and set up shop in America (the rest is history – fantastic wife, beautiful house, great career). I finished my degree and went on to complete a post-graduate degree in Exercise and Nutrition Science. I began my coaching career at the Lilleshall Sports Injury and Human Performance Centre, where I worked for the British Gymnastics Team. Since then, I’ve continued to work as a strength and conditioning coach working with many of the country’s elite athletes, including Olympic and Paralympic finalists; World, European and Commonwealth Games medalists; and professionals in a multitude of sports, including netball, cricket, hockey, skiing, professional football, rugby league, rally driving, Boxing and ultra-endurance running. I’m currently working for the English Institute of Sport, a lottery funded organization that provides a nationwide network of world-class support services designed to develop the talents of elite athletes. My role is lead strength and conditioning coach for the West Midlands region and I’m responsible for the programming of 20-30 athletes from a range sports. In addition to the day job, I’m running Winning Edge Fitness Solutions (www.winningedgefitness.co.uk), a web-based venture delivering information to coaches and athletes on the latest advances in training. It’s been a real challenge, but it’s exposed me to so many great people that are out there that are working on the floor and getting results. EC: What are the main differences you see in the performance enhancement community in Europe as compared to North America? What do you feel is unique that Europe has to offer us? What do we offer to Europe? NG: The biggest difference is experience. S&C is well established in North America. Western Europe has been slow to catch up and S&C is only now starting to become a recognized career path. I think we are at the “tipping point” and in the next five years, S&C will go from weakness to strength (excuse the pun). I’ve been fortunate enough to travel through and visit some of the leading training establishments in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, so I’ve a pretty good idea of what’s out there. North America – experience is the key – S&C has been around for decades and it’s ingrained in the national culture (sporting culture…not the burger eating culture). If I want to know what works over time in a practical environment, chances are I can get a good answer from a coach in the USA. I’ve always found the coaches to be very open and honest on my visits to the USA (maybe because they don’t see a UK S&C coach as a threat!). One drawback is that it’s sometimes difficult to take direct comparisons due to differences in national sports (American football, baseball, lacrosse, etc.) and a superior collegiate system. The other negative is that at times you can be a bit insular, and given that Western Europe and the Southern Hemisphere is catching up in terms of S&C, you would do well to dig your passports out and take a flight out of America to come and see some of the good stuff that is taking place overseas. Western Europe – it’s exciting times! The profession is young and that means there is a real desire to improve. It’s a bit like sport – when you are a champion there’s always someone that wants to knock you off your perch; that someone is Europe! I think there is a real passion to drive S&C forward and to begin to lead the way (let’s face it: Eastern Europe led the way for years). The diversity that Europe offers culturally translates into S&C and we have the opportunity to go to different countries and see how their system works and then take it and apply appropriate parts to our training environment. When all that is said, we can all learn a lot from each other – I know that I’ve picked up a lot of very useful information during my travels and I really enjoy sharing my experiences with coaches from overseas. EC: Very interesting perspective. Now, rapid fire: what are ten things our readers can do RIGHT NOW to become leaner, stronger, faster, and more muscular? NG: 1. Set goals – SMART goals so that you know where the journey is going to take you and how you are going to get to your destination. 2. Keep a training diary – You need to track your progress. 3. Train consistently – Set a plan and stick to it. It’s all too easy to say, “Hey, I’ll train today.” If you don’t schedule a time to train, chances are you will get to the end of the day and you will have missed your session. 4. Recover well – You’ll understand why when you read the rest of the interview! 5. Concentrate on the 98% - I’ll explain this one later on. 6. Include conditioning work (prehab/remedial/injury prevention….call it what you like….my choice is conditioning) in your training session. Superset between the main lifts – that way the work gets done and you will be on the way to becoming “bulletproof.” 7. Replace steady-state running with high intensity intervals – Come on, do I really need to explain this one? Intervals will give you more bang for your buck than slow steady-state running. 8. Don’t get hung up on TVA recruitment – Isolating a muscle will not necessarily transfer to improved core strength during athletic movements. Train how you are going to perform; make sure you hit all of the major muscle groups (rectus abdominus, obliques, erector spinae, etc.). 9. Learn to handle your bodyweight – I’ve worked with elite gymnasts – these guys are super strong. I don’t really care what your bench is if you can’t even handle your own bodyweight with good form. Don’t neglect the basics. 10. Whole body hypertrophy programmes – I’m with Alwyn Cosgrove on this one. Why go for split routines when you can get a greater training effect from a whole body hypertrophy routine? EC: You’re on a sinking ship with your entire library of resources – training, nutrition, business, psychology, lifestyle, gardening, astrology, whatever. What are the ten resources you save as the ship goes down? NG: OK, I’m not sure why I would have my entire library of resources on me during a cruise, but hey, I’ll go with it! It’s really difficult to do this and I’ve not gone into my library (actually, bookshelves in a spare bedroom) to jog my memory. I’m going with what comes to mind as a write this down. Physical Preparation Supertraining – Mel Siff (a no brainer - this is a must have – I was fortunate to see Mel present before he passed away – awesome knowledge base) Running: Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology in Practice - Bosch and Klomp (I just got this and it’s looking good) Speed Trap – Charlie Francis (not really a training manual, but there are some great insights into Charlie’s training concepts) Functional Strength Coach DVD Set – Mike Boyle (this is a must-have DVD series – 10 hours packed full of great information from Mike) Business The E- Myth - Michael Gerber (great one for anyone thinking of setting up a small business) So You Want to be a Physical Preparation Coach? – Ian King (this book helped me enormously when starting out – especially with my contract negotiations!) Fitness Info Products – Ryan Lee (I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing right now if I hadn’t bought this product) Lifestyle The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle – Jim Rohn (Great book that offers a real perspective on what’s important for success. The Millionaire Next Door – Stanley & Danko (I have this as an audio book and just loved the insights into behaviors and characteristics of the wealthy) Think and Grow Rich – Napolean Hill (tough going and one that took me a long time to get though but it certainly makes you think) EC: Speaking of sinking ships, where are most athletes missing the boat? What common mistakes do you see all the time? NG: Don’t get me started or we will be here all day! I will try to keep it brief and give you my top three: 1. Lack of consistency – So many people want a quick fix and want to see results yesterday. Newsflash: it takes time. I’m sure we are all familiar with the general rule of 10,000 hours of correct, progressive and adaptive training to be a successful athlete at the elite level. Okay, so some of you may argue that not everyone will be operating at an elite level, but the general rule still applies; you need to do your time before you can expect to get some payback. There are no shortcuts and one of my favorite quotes is “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” Think about it! 2. Being too clever - People trying to be too clever and thinking that innovation should always mean advances in technology or the like. Sometimes, innovation can be adopting a very simple approach. I was recently listening to Vern Gambetta speak and he summed it up with this quote: “Everyone is looking for the 2% that is going to make a difference – but what about the other 98%?” All too often, we worry about the small things when we don’t even have the basics under control. You have no right to be doing the clever stuff until your have the 98% covered – and don’t forget it has to be done consistently. I think your Magnificent Mobility DVD is a great example of taking care of the 98%. Please don’t be offended, but what you deliver is a simple-to-use resource. The content is proven, it’s not fancy, it’s not clever, and you don’t need the latest piece of kit to perform the drills. It takes care of the basics – that’s what will boost performance. 3. Poor Recovery – It’s all about training and what takes place during the 1-2 hour training session. The majority of people neglect what happens during the other 22 hours! You don’t improve from training; you improve by recovering from training. This is an area that I’ve been looking at for the past 18 months and I guarantee that if you take care of the fundamental rules of recovery you will see your performances in the gym and in your sport go through the roof. I’ve recently pulled together a heap of recovery information into a single training manual and I’ve put together the “recovery pyramid” that guides you through the myriad of different recovery strategies available. For more details, check out www.recoveryregeneration.com. EC: Right on. I’ve read the e-report and it’s very thorough. Moving on, what does the future hold for you? Where is Nick Grantham going to be in five years? NG: More of the same, I hope! I always find it difficult to predict where I will be in 5-10 years. Back in 1992, I was working in Banking and Insurance, five years later I was graduating from University, five years on from that I was working with a national squad preparing them for a major World Championships. I honestly wouldn’t have predicted any of those major events! I’m really enjoying what I’m doing at the moment. The day job is fantastic; I get to work with some great high-level athletes in a tremendous working environment, and the website stuff is an exciting new area. I hope that whatever the future holds won’t take me too far away from what I really enjoy – and that’s coaching. The new ventures that are starting this year are very exciting and I think that the UK is just on the verge of taking off in terms of getting the S&C message out to wider audiences; hopefully, I will be part of that movement. Moving away from work, I hope the future will bring some additions to my family; my daughter Erin needs some playmates! The short answer is, who knows what I will be doing in five years? I’m not too bothered, as long as I have my family and friends around me to share the experiences with (it would be very dull otherwise). EC: Feel free to shamelessly promote your products and services here. I’ll just sit back and give a cyber “thumbs-up” as you go. NG: Well, Eric, the website has been name checked a few times! The first two products to come out from Winning Edge Fitness Solutions are two in-depth reports. Recovery and Regeneration - The Essential Guide to Training Hard Without Falling Apart gives readers access more than 20 pages packed full of the latest information on recovery and regeneration. Vibration Training - From Space Exploration to Fitness Club is a slight departure from the norm, and I know I’ve had a dig at people being too clever! However, like it or not, vibration training is big news and it’s important that you are up to date with the background information because you need to be able to be able to answer your clients questions on the latest advances in training technology – and they will be asking! The big thing you will then need to do is work out if it falls into the 98% or the 2% - but one thing is for sure: if you don’t have the information, you can’t make an informed decision. Other than the e-reports, I’ve got some exciting collaborations with two companies in the UK that are looking to establish a series of seminars throughout the UK (keep an eye on the site for my speaking schedule), as well as some possible joint ventures including a tennis-specific conditioning manual. EC: Thanks, Nick. Where can our readers find out more about you? NG: Thanks for having me Eric. If your readers are interested in reading more about me or they simply want to take a look through my archives, then they can check out www.winningedgefitness.co.uk. We run a free weekly newsletter packed full of training advice and regular features. If your readers have any questions, they can also e-mail me at nick@winningedgefitness.co.uk. That’ll do it for this week’s update. Until next week, train hard and have fun! EC

Memories of Red

The Sturdy Shoulder Seminar Update

There are only five days left until the Sturdy Shoulder Seminar here in Boston, so if you’re on the fence about coming, be sure to check out the brief interview I did with Kevin Larrabee of the FitCast on Sunday. As an added bonus, you can listen to about two hours of John Berardi after our quick chat. Check it out HERE.

Those of you interested in attending can email me at ec@ericcressey.com for more information. Hope to see you there!

Guinea Pigs Needed!

I can't let the cat out of the bag completely, but let's just say that I have an opportunity for five lucky newsletter subscribers to get four months of FREE online consulting with me. If you fit this description, drop me an email at ec@ericcressey.com with a short write-up of why I should pick you, and you may be the lucky winner. Requirements: 1. You must be an intermediate male lifter interested in building a strong, dense, functional body to get to the next level. No complete beginners or hardcore bodybuilders need apply. You can't wear a fanny pack, either. 2. You must be a healthy guy; this is not a rehabilitation program. 3. You must have purchased our Magnificent Mobility DVD and Mike Robertson and Bill Hartman's Inside-Out DVD/Manual (those who have not purchased either can become eligible by ordering the Monster Mobility pack). 4. You must be between the ages of 22 and 32 - ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs are all eligible. 5. You have to be willing to bust your butt in the gym. If you're more interested in collecting stamps and playing checkers than you are getting diesel, this isn't right for you. 6. You can't be dirt broke and living in your parents' basement playing Dungeons and Dragons. We're actually assuming that you can afford good food, protein powder, and a gym membership (sorry, home gym folks). 7. Along these same lines, you have to be willing to pay attention to nutrition; this isn't just a training thing. Those who have John Berardi's Precision Nutrition program will get extra consideration. 8. You cannot be a pain in the butt. I know nobody considers themselves a pain in the butt, but the truth is that there are a lot of you out there. Remember that this is all free, so whiners will be prompty executed...or something like that. 9. You must be willing to take before and after pictures and recap your experience in writing - and understand that these photos and synopsis may be displayed publicly. 10. There really isn't a #10. Lists of only nine look stupid, though. Again, if you meet these requirements and are interested, drop me a line at ec@ericcressey.com and toss your hat in the ring. This is a Huge Fish This has absolutely nothing to do with training, nutrition, supplementation, or anything that you typically associate with my newsletter, but look at the striped bass my older brother Brian caught this past weekend. It’s 43” long, 30” around, and 38.5 pounds. When they cleaned it, they found a full 10” flounder and 8” eel in its stomach. Us Cresseys don’t mess around.

I guess you could say that Brian is the official accountant for EricCressey.com, so that has to justify this to some extent. Anyway, congratulations. Mom and Dad still like me more, though.

Exclusive Interview: John Pallof

I’m a nice guy. I pay my taxes, get all giddy when I see new pictures of my baby niece, and never rip the tags off my mattresses. However, when it comes to fitness and health care professionals, I’m a cynical bastard. I read a ton and am always looking for ways to get better, so I guess you could say that I’m less than tolerant when it comes to people in this industry who are lazy and afraid to question the status quo. This is probably why John Pallof and I get along so well (well, that and the fact that we’re both Irish, went to school at UCONN, and cheer for the Red Sox). John is without a doubt one of the brightest therapists I know. He’s our go-to guy in Massachusetts, and has already been out to our facility to offer one more set of eyes to our most complex cases and highest-caliber athletes. I just had to interview a guy who “gets it” so well. EC: Hey John, thanks for taking the time to talk shop. As hackneyed a first question as it might be in the world of fitness interviews, could you please tell our readers a bit about yourself? JP: I am a physical therapist first, specializing in treating athletes of all ages and levels. I have worked hard to develop skills in both the PT and performance enhancement arenas, as I do actively train athletes anywhere from four to ten hours a week on top of my “normal” PT job at South County Physical Therapy in Auburn, MA. As for the physical therapy side of things, I pride myself on my manual therapy skills, biomechanical assessment perspectives, and a very solid therex background, largely developed from my interactions with numerous professionals in the strength and conditioning field. EC: I can’t believe you’re not even going to list “off color humor” as one of your finest qualities! But anyway…one of the main reasons you’re our go-to guy in terms of physical therapy is that you think outside the box and really have an understanding of what it is performance enhancement coaches do. How did you gather that perspective? JP: I have had the great fortune to spend the past four years working with the two coaches I view as the standard to whom all other strength and conditioning coaches should be compared: Jeff Oliver and Brijesh Patel, from the College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester MA. My career would not be where it is if not for them. I have spent countless hours with these guys on a weekly basis, and they’re two of the brightest guys I know, in any field. Above all, I have learned the value of generosity (in time, knowledge, and opportunity) and how to be a true professional from “Ollie.” I have accepted the fact that we will probably all be working for Brijesh someday, as he is the most disgustingly organized, and hardest working person I know. A woman at HC actually mistook me for B once – not sure if she had her glasses on! As far as gaining perspective on performance enhancement, the only way to learn it is to do it – do the training yourself, and coach, coach, coach – and then coach some more. Plus, there is an abundance of good seminars and reading materials out there, so there is no excuse to slack off on learning. EC: Along those same lines, why is it that most physical therapists aren’t able to see things like you are? Where is the profession as a whole missing the boat? JP: Some of the blame falls at the feet of the academic world, and thus the American Physical Therapy Association, who designs the standardized academic criteria for accreditation. This can be a very long conversation, but in a nutshell…more emphasis needs to be placed on teaching students clinical reasoning skills – learning how to think critically – as opposed to dogmatic memorization of theories which are just that: theories. Not to be overlooked as well, the therapeutic exercise component of the education process is pretty bad. Most, if not all PTs have no idea how to teach a squat, much less an Olympic lift. I was lucky enough to have Dave Tiberio and Mike Zito (among others) as role models while at UCONN, so I learned that it’s not really about memorizing crap; it’s about learning how to think and problem solve. EC: You and I had a great discussion recently about lumbar stabilization, and I know our readers would love to hear some of the stuff you shared with me. Care to fill them in a bit? JP: I view abdominal musculature in two categories: global stabilizers and local stabilizers. Local stabilizers function to give segmental stability – control what happens between individual vertebrae – primarily shearing and compressive forces. They give your spine integrity and prevent buckling when you flex/twist. Examples include the transversus abdominus, multifidus, psoas, and to some degree the internal oblique due to its insertions into the thoracolumbar fascia. Global stabilizers are your larger muscles that contribute to overall stability and help generate force – think rectus abdominus, quadratus lumborum, and external oblique, amongst others. Paul Hodges and others helped develop these classifications, and are extremely bright therapists. EC: Any helpful tips for training within these classifications? JP: First, make sure you have good local stabilizer function, especially if the client has had LBP in the past. Second, focus on isometric endurance (these are postural muscles remember). Then, progress to force production and movement: just my two cents. Remember – pain shuts these local stabilizers down – so athletes with a history of pain may need to work extra on these guys. EC: How about a few examples in this regard? Any particular exercises you’re using frequently to retrain local stabilizers following injuries? JP: Well, there are two main ones that I find myself using frequently – cable column (or stretch band) pushes and quadruped multifidus lifts. CC pushes – standing in an athletic position (good lordosis, butt back, chest up/scaps back, feet beneath hips), the cable is parallel to your body – holding the handle with both hands in front of your belly button. Without allowing trunk movement and maintaining good positioning, you slowly extend your arms to full extension (at stomach height), than slowly return. Can do for reps or holds. You are basically resisting a rotational force. EC: They’re called Pallof Presses, dude! Tell the world! JP: Quadriped multifidus lifts – quadruped, with one knee on airex pad (knees beneath hips, hands beneath shoulders). Slowly lift the down femur vertically by rotating your pelvis to level – no actual hip movement, more pelvis on spine motion. Again, for reps, then progressing to holds for isometric endurance. EC: I know you’ve seen a lot of really bright physical therapists and coaches speak; who do you feel would be the best for trainers and ordinary weekend warriors to see? JP: Mike Boyle; some of the Australian therapists (e.g., Mark Comerford) who are starting to make the rounds; and Brijesh Patel. For PTs, any of the Maitland manual therapy seminars or Mulligan courses. There are a ton of people who I have not seen but would like to in the years to come. EC: How about resources? What five books, DVDs, manuals, CD-ROMS, etc. have impressed you? JP: In no particular order: 1. Theory and Applications of Modern Strength and Power Methods, by Christian Thibaudeau 2. Nutrient Timing, by John Ivy and Robert Portman 3. Atlas of Human Anatomy, by Frank Netter – by far the best and most accurate anatomy book, bar none. 4. Freakonomics, by Stephen Levitt – excellent book, examining how the “conventional wisdom” of anything is often wrong, when looked at objectively in the right context. 5. Spinal Mobilization Made Simple: A Manual of Soft Tissue Techniques, by Jeffrey Maitland – more of a reference – the Maitland manual therapy/clinical reasoning seminars are the best continuing education series out there – rock solid, phenomenal results, bulletproof reasoning methods. Check out www.ozpt.com. Lots of great research backing up the superior efficacy of manual therapy combined with corrective exercise. 6. Therapeutic Exercise for Lumbopelvic Stabilization: A Motor Control Approach for the Treatment and Prevention of Low Back Pain, by Paul Hodges and Carolyn Richardson. Once again, those damn Aussies are ahead of the game when it comes to rock solid science. Not “I think,” but “research shows” – and they don’t just talk about it, they apply it. Oops – that was six – had to include the anatomy book, because most people have no idea about something as basic as origins and insertions. EC: Thoughts on Stuart McGill’s stuff? JP: I like most of his concepts – very practical, and they make sense. I have not seen him speak first-hand, but I’ve heard nothing but positive reviews. I’m not sure that I agree with avoiding rotational movements in the spine – you can twist all you want, but you’re not going to get a lot of rotation in the lumbar spine due to the orientation of the facets – primarily compressive forces between opposing joint surfaces. However, I completely agree with shearing forces, not so much compressive forces, being damaging to the spinal column. The idea of isometric endurance rather than force production when training the core also makes tons of sense. EC: Randomly throw some idea out there that will really make our readers say “Oh, crap, that really makes sense!” JP: 1. A muscle that often gets overlooked with shoulder impingement type problems – like the plain looking girl at the dance – the serratus anterior. It’s very important for a few reasons: helps rotate and protract the scapula/acromion up and out of the way of the humeral head, and is also important for force coupling with the rhomboids/lower and middle trapezius. 2. Many “hamstring pulls” – especially chronic ones – are actually symptoms of a mild nerve irritation – neural tension dysfunction. Just like a brake cable on a bike, your nerves need to glide through the tissue they travel through. If they get hung up, they will become symptomatic to varying degrees. Picture a brake cable on a bicycle – the metal cable glides through the plastic casing. Your nerves need to be able to glide through the structures and tissues they travel through – as much as 7 to 10 mm in some areas! 3. A topic of contention – the elephant in the room – the psoas. While there are many theories out there, I believe the psoas acts along with the TVA/multifidus/internal oblique as a local/segmental stabilizer of the spine. Think about the origins on the anterior surface of the transverse processes of the lumbar spine. Why the hell would it attach so intricately if all it did was flex the hip? The psoas atrophies in a fashion similar to the multifidus with back pain. The multifidus and the psoas form a force couple/agonist-antagonist relationship, giving stability of one vertebrae on the other. EC: Very cool stuff, John; thanks again for taking the time. How can our readers contact you? JP: They can drop me an email at jpallofpt@hotmail.com. Thanks again, Eric! Note from EC: John is actually on a much deserved vacation to the Carolinas this week, so if you email him and he doesn’t get back to you right away, don’t sweat it. That does it for Newsletter #29. Have a great week! All the Best, EC

Dr. McGill: 20 Take Home Points

I was out of town for a two-day seminar with Stuart McGill last weekend and managed to get sick for the first time in as long as I can remember. Fortunately, though, along with the flu, I brought back plenty of insights from a great weekend with Dr. McGill. First, though, let’s get to some quick logistics…

Newsletter Re-Opt-in

As I’ve mentioned in the past two newsletters, we just switched our newsletter over to a new server and imported all the email addresses we had on file. To complete the switch, we need to have everyone re-opt-in by clicking through the confirmation email they received. If you didn’t receive an email earlier this week (and hadn’t confirmed previously), just drop us a note at ec@ericcressey.com and we’ll take care of making sure you’re still on the list. Some of you likely received this newsletter announcement twice; it’s because we’re sending it to both lists temporarily to ensure that everyone gets the word. This will be the last week of that; thanks for your patience!

The Sturdy Shoulder Seminar Update

Sign-ups are rolling in for the Sturdy Shoulder seminar at Excel Sport and Fitness Training in Waltham, MA. To say that I’m excited about “christening” the new place with our first seminar would be an understatement, especially in light of the fact that there will be some of the best minds from the strength and conditioning and physical industries present. For more information and a registration brochure, please drop us an email at ec@ericcressey.com.

20 Take-Home Points from a Weekend with Dr. McGill

I’ve seen Dr. McGill in seminar before, and by my own admission, I’ve always been more of a “listen and watch” guy than a note-taker. However, that’s not to say that I didn’t hear a lot of great points that went right to my notepad. Here were some highlights along with (in some cases) my commentaries on their applicability to what we do: 1. As counterintuitive as it may seem, flexion-intolerant individuals (e.g. disc herniations) will sit in positions of flexion, and extension-intolerant patients (e.g. spondylolisthesis) will sit in positions of extension. It might give them temporary relief, but it’s really just making the problem worse in the long run. We become intolerant to certain lumbar spine postures not only because we’re in them so much (e.g., cyclist or secretary in long-term lumbar flexion), but also because we’re forced into this posture due to a lack of hip mobility or lumbar spine stability. 2. It’s absolutely comical that the American Medical Association still uses loss of spinal range of motion as the classification scheme of lower back dysfunction. There isn’t a single study out there that shows the lumbar spine range of motion is correlated with having a healthy back; in fact, the opposite is true! Those with better stability (super-stiffness, as Dr. McGill calls it) and optimal hip mobility are much better off. 3. Lower back health is highly correlated with endurance, while those with stronger and more powerful lower backs are more commonly injured. The secret is to have power at the hips – something you’ll see in world-class lifters. 4. There is really no support for bilateral stretching of the hamstrings to prevent and treat lower back pain. In most cases, the tightness people feel in their hamstrings is a neural tightness – not a purely soft-tissue phenomenon. Dr. McGill believes that the only time the hamstrings should be stretched is with an asymmetry. This is something I’ve been practicing for close to a year now with outstanding results; the tighter my hamstrings have gotten, the stronger and faster I’ve become. The secret is to build dynamic flexibility that allows us to make use of the powerful spring effect the hamstrings offer; static stretching – especially prior to movement – impairs this spring. 5. Next time you see an advanced powerlifter or Olympic lifter, check out the development of his erectors. You’ll notice that the meat is in the upper lumbar and thoracic regions – not the “true” lower back. Why? They subconsciously know to avoid motion in those segments most predisposed to injury, and the extra meat a bit higher up works to buttress the shearing stress that may come from any flexion that might occur higher up. Novice lifters, on the other hand, tend to get flexion at those segments – L5-S1, L4-L5, L3-L4, L2-L3 – at which you want to avoid flexion at all costs. Our body is great at adapting to protect itself - especially as we become better athletes and can impose that much more loading on our bodies. 6. Shear forces are far more of a concern than compressive forces; our spines actually handle compressive forces really well. You can’t buttress shear effectively in flexion, so it’s important to avoid it – especially at the most commonly injured lumbar spine segments – at all costs. The spine doesn’t buckle until 12,000-15,000N of pressure are applied in compression, but as little as 1,800-2,8000N in shear will get the job done. 7. The rectus abdominus is not about trunk flexion; it’s an anti-rotator that is responsible for transferring hoop stresses. If it was about trunk flexion, it wouldn’t have the lateral tendinous inscriptions; we’d have hamstrings there instead! 8. Don’t just train the glutes in hip extension; really pay attention to their role as external rotators. Once you’ve mastered linear movements (e.g. supine bridges), you need to get into single-leg and emphasis movements like bowler squats and lunges with reaches to various positions. These are great inclusions in the warm-up. 9. Contrary to popular belief, the vertebral bodies – and not the discs – are the shock absorbers of the spine. Amazingly, the elasticity we see is actually in the bone; blood is responsible for pressurizing the bone. 10. End-plate fractures are the most common injury with compression; they almost always are accompanied by a “pop” sound. 11. Full flexion reduces strength in buttressing against shear by 23-43%, depending on hydration status (more hydrated equates to a bigger drop). Our spines are “superhydrated” when we first wake up in the morning, so it’s especially important to avoid flexion at this time of day. 12. If your chiropractor is doing flexion-distraction, tell him to stop. There are already some pretty noteworthy lawsuits taking place in this regard already. Our spines aren’t designed to buttress shear that comes from the lower body moving backward on the upper body (one more reason to avoid the “hyper” part of reverse hyperextensions). When the upper body shears forward on the lower body (e.g., hyperextensions), the facets take the stress (a problem, but not as huge a problem). When the lower body moves on the upper body in flexion, the shearing stress goes on the discs. 13. Those with flat backs stand with less stress, but sit with more (on the posterior ligaments). Those with lordotic backs have less stress posteriorly seated, but have more in standing. 14. Twisting isn’t a problem. Torque isn’t a problem. However, when you apply torque from a twisted position (especially chronically with faulty recruitment patterns), you’re setting yourself up for a world of back pain. 15. If you have 5% or more endurance on one side than the other with side bridges, it’s an injury predisposition. The flexion to extension endurance ratio should be no more than 1.0. Watch for unilateral side bridge endurance in unilaterally dominant sports like golf, tennis, baseball, etc. Full lateral flexion at ball contact is a huge problem in golfers, and the best golfers don’t combine twisting and torque. 16. Disc herniations can actually tolerate quite a bit of compression as long as the spine is positioned in neutral. Speaking from my own personal experience, disc injuries are not death sentences, people; you can bounce back and still do a lot of the things you enjoy if you handle things appropriately. 17. Abdominal hollowing is about as useful as a crap-flavored lollipop (that was my pun - not Dr. McGill's - for the record). 18. Supermans and Roman Chair hyperextensions are ridiculously outdated. You’re much better off with birddogs - both from EMG and reduction of spine load standpoints. 19. Stability balls might increase fiber recruitment, but they can also double the spine load. Most rehab patients have no places on stability balls – and I can’t say that the rest of the population ought to be on them that much, either (more to come from me on that in the next few months). 20. Twenty minutes appears to be the “golden timeframe” when it comes to creep (the loss in stiffness and disc equilibrium that occurs when ligaments are stretched). Whether you’re an athlete coming off the bench or someone at a desk job, move around every 20 minutes – and make sure that you warm-up thoroughly before all activities. As an interesting aside to all of this, Dr. McGill and I actually spoke at length about the importance of hip mobility – something that obviously is closely related to all twenty of these points. If you lack mobility at the hips, you’re forced to go to the lumbar spine to get it, and that is a serious limitation to building stability. On several occasions, Dr. McGill alluded to Mike Robertson and my Magnificent Mobility DVD, so if you’re looking to protect your back, improve performance, and feel better than you ever thought possible, check it out at www.MagnificentMobility.com. Additionally, I can’t say enough great things about Dr. McGill’s book, Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance; a resource like this can protect you from a lifetime of pain, so it’s impossible to put a dollar value on it. That said, $49.95 is a steal. And, on a related note, if you ever have the chance to see him speak, don't pass it up. That’ll do it for this week, but before I go, I want to send out a special thanks to everyone who made donations to Boston Medical Center after last week's newsletter; we raised $265 for a great cause. We’ll be back next week with a great interview that I’m sure you’ll all really enjoy. All the Best, EC

Fun with Hugo

We're back with somewhat of an off-color newsletter this week. Although it's a bit lengthier than my typical newsletters, I think you'll all still enjoy it - especially since it culminates with a special offer.

The Sturdy Shoulder Seminar Update

Just a reminder that the early reistration deadline for our first seminar at Excel Sport and Fitness in Waltham, MA is this Saturday, October 14th. Right now, in addition to a strong local contingent, we have attendees coming from Canada, Louisiana, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, NY/NJ, and all over New England. It will be more than just a great educational experience; it will be a great networking event, too. Many of the attendees are accomplished strength and conditioning coaches at the collegiate and professional levels. Don't miss out; email ec@ericcressey.com for a registration brochure. One Last Reminder for the Re-Opt-In As I've mentioned in the past two newsletters, we're on the brink of switching our newsletter over to a new server. If you haven't already done so, please send an email to ecressey-178309@autocontactor.com to ensure that you will continue to receive our newsletter updates. We'll officially be making the switch this week.

Fun with Fan Mail

Being an internet writer isn’t much different than being a waiter, if you really think about it. Most of the time, people enjoy your food (articles), and everyone’s happy. Occasionally, though, steaks get burned (people don’t like your topic), or drinks get spilled (people don’t like you), and you get bad feedback. However, where these two occupations markedly differ is that waiters don’t typically get customers (readers) who like to stand outside the restaurant and relentlessly berate them because the wine was room temperature when it was supposed to be slightly chilled. The internet changes all of that, though; writers are all easily accessible, and people are far more likely to act inappropriately in the emails they write than they would in person. I have the good fortune of having one "fan" who likes to do just that. To protect his identity, for the sake of this article, upon Mike Boyle’s stellar recommendation, we’ll just call him Hugo Faulkurself. Back in early November of 2005, I published an article at T-Nation called 10 Uses for a Smith Machine. The main gist of the article was that Smith machines are about as useful as a condom at the Vatican. However, since we know they’re perpetually going to occupy part of the space at almost every gym we encounter, I offered ten tips – from hurdle drills, to suspended extensions, to bench throws – for actually putting these overpriced coat racks to decent use. At the time, the article was very well received. Then, in late January, an irritated Hugo Faulkurself bumped up the article discussion in defense of the Smith machine, and in spite of my willingness to response to his inquiries professionally on the thread, he chose to send me the following email (left unedited in order to maintain the effect):

Eric, You don't know what you are talking about. If you knew who invented the smith machine and why it was invented then you would understand how great this machine can be. Unfortunately, closed minded people such as yourself always go against exercises that work. Who are you? I have read some of your articles and must say that you are an arrogant, pompous, egotistical, sarcastic book smart kid. Big deal so you have power lifted 340 on bench and 500 on squat. When I was 18 years old I benched 400 pounds, squated 650 at 163lbs (natural). I got bored with power lifting. I started body building and now I know more about body building than you will ever know. I am a natural athlete. I don't take supplements. I eat right. You take a bunch of garbage that is found on the t-nation website. You should just take steroids because what you're taking is very similiar. You are young and you have a terrible looking physique. YOU ARE NOT A BODYBUILDER!! So stop giving dumb advice to bodybuilders. Keep your stupid power lifting remarks to power lifters. You can continue to have your distended (1 pack) abs and skinny legs and skinny arms. Leave bodybuilding to me and my brothers. I am ripped to the bone 220 steroid and supplement free. I started lifting before you were born. I am tired of you young egotistical college brats thinking that you are god's gift to the world. You are probably one of those kids who had some psychological insecurity and never could develop a good physique so you began power lifting to fill the insecure void. ANYONE CAN POWER LIFT. All the fat, big assed smooth as a bar of soap fellas resort to power lifting. All the power lifters I know all have big asses, blown out shoulders, cross syndromes, lumbar disc problems. IT takes a real man to body build. All you science boys mostly have terrible looking physiques. You slam coaches of being "old school" well son if we are supposed to train like you say then we will look like you, I will stick with old school methods thank you very much, because I don't want to have a physique like yours. You can be a sarcastic bastard behind the computer. You are a good writer I will give you that but as far as your training advice you lack the knowledge of creating a great physique. Not everyone is playing on a sports team and you think that you have come up with this "new" type of training. You are just developing new ways because you don't know how to really train. I trained with the best and we didin't jump around like an idiot, we didn't use rubber freaking bands, etc. If I wanted to train like that I would have joined the circus. Give me a break freaks like you are ruining the true essance of bodybuilding. Keep in mind I may be a genetic freak but I look way better than you at age 50. I have never had any injuries and I still compete. I have trained thousands of people and they all made great gains. I have used the smith machine and developed an incredible chest. You are young and are only book smart. You have no real life experience. Leave the bodybuiding to REAL Men. It must be a bummer having a genetically poor physique. I saw you at the holy cross seminar and was dissapointed that you looked liked a typical power lifter, no symmetry, no shape, just a big stomach and skinny legs. HF

(initials changed to protect the hopelessly confused) Once I had finished laughing and forwarded the email on to a few friends for their amusement, I ignored it. That is, until August 3, when I received an email from someone (claiming to be 24 instead of 50) with the same last name and a virtually identical email address. I suppose I’ve either upset the entire family, or my favorite fan has actually taken up different identities just to bust my chops over the internet. Damn, I feel important; Mom is going to be so proud of me. It read (unedited, again):

Eric, I noticed your website and will say that you have good writing skills and seem well versed in book knowledge, but what about experience. You can lift a lot of weight, but lifting heavy doesn't really mean much if you are not a competitive power lifter. I was going to hire you to train me, however, I saw you at a current seminar and I must say I was rather surprised of your physique. All this time I pictured you as a ripped, bodybuilder type guy. To my surprise you were bulky and fat, over developed traps, imbalanced pecs to back proportion, distended abs, skinny legs. I guess that must be the look that power lifters must like. For me I am interested in having a bodybuilders physique. Do you know of anyone who bodybuilds that you could recommend that I get in touch with. I am not interested in power lifting, or functional training. I am 24 and haven't played football in years and don't want to train like a football player. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Good luck with the power lifting.

I’m seriously not making this stuff up, folks. Four years ago, I would have been tempted to get into an internet pissing match with him. However, at the ripe ol’ age of 25, I’ve realized that the best way to win an argument is to avoid it, so I just ignored it…sort of. You see, the thing about internet trolls is that they want you to fall into the trap of arguing with them. They know that it screws with your productivity and interferes with the important things in life. By arguing with them – or even replying to them – you give them exactly what they want: attention and the assurance that they’re getting under your skin. Isn’t that right, Hugo? Well, I’m here to burst your bubble, Mr. Faulkurself. Your plan backfired; I’m using your emails to a) educate the masses, b) advance my career, and c) actually raise money for charity. How so? Read on. Where Hugo is Missing the Boat Let’s review Hugo’s comments of interest one-by-one: 1. “When I was 18 years old I benched 400 pounds, squated [sic] 650” Lesson #1: If you want people to believe your fabricated internet PRs, you should never use even numbers like 400 and 650 – or the multiples you get with 45-pound plates (e.g., 315, 405, 495). If you were smart, you’d have said 402 and 644 – both kilogram equivalents. Likewise, you might have wanted to play it safe with your assertions, as those numbers would have made you one of the best 18 year-old 165s in history – and in an era that hadn’t seen today’s advances in supportive/assistive equipment. Finally, for added emphasis, you should have followed up these statements with a few sentences about your beloved pet unicorn, and possibly some sort of explanation of why OJ was innocent. 2. “…at 163lbs (natural)”and “I am a natural athlete.” and “I am ripped to the bone 220 steroid and supplement free.” Lesson #2: The number of times you mention that you are natural is inversely related to the likelihood of you actually being natural. This was Weider Principle #479, Hugo. And you don't even take Flintstone chewables? 3. “YOU ARE NOT A BODYBUILDER!!” Lesson #3: Capitalizing something we all already know will not make your revelation seem any more significant. I'm not a chaffeur, magician, protologist, or Latin American folk singer, either; what's your point? And no, we haven’t forgotten that you’re natural yet. 4. “So stop giving dumb advice to bodybuilders.” Lesson #4: Never call someone dumb when your allegation is grammatically incorrect. This is a dependent clause, Hugo; you would be better off using “You should” in place of “So.” Yes, irony is a bitch (and this is true irony, as it’s tragic how hopeless your punctuation is). 5. “I am tired of you young egotistical college brats thinking that you are god's gift to the world.” Lesson #5: You’re more likely to get God on your side if you capitalize his name. The big man upstairs is a proper noun, you know. 6. “You are probably one of those kids who had some psychological insecurity and never could develop a good physique so you began power lifting to fill the insecure void.” Lesson #6: Typically, those with psychological insecurities about their physiques don’t take the initiative to deadlift over 600 pounds in just a wrestling singlet in front of a hundred or so people. Ever wonder why anorexics wear very baggy clothes? 7. “ANYONE CAN POWER LIFT.” Lesson #7: Last time I checked, nobody has ever been refused from entering a bodybuilding show. In fact, you've got MILLIONS of people around the world calling themselves bodybuilders even though they've never competed. Meanwhile, not everyone who does sets of one rep in training automatically becomes a powerlifter, so you could say that our discipline is a bit more exclusive. And didn’t we cover this all capital letters issue earlier? 8. “All the fat, big assed smooth as a bar of soap fellas resort to power lifting. All the power lifters I know all have big asses, blown out shoulders, cross syndromes, lumbar disc problems.” Lesson #8: Generally speaking, having a big ass is a preventative measure against lower crossed syndrome, which is characterized by overactive hip flexors and hamstrings, with weak abdominals and glutes. And for the record, bodybuilders have a lot more shoulder impingement, patellar tendonosis, Achilles tendonosis, and IT band friction syndrome than do powerlifters. 9. “IT takes a real man to body build.” Lesson #9: Everyone be sure to commit this quote to memory. Be sure to chant it to yourself during your next concentration curl drop set. Leave the 900-pound deadlifts for the sissies. 10. “You can be a sarcastic bastard behind the computer.” Lesson #10: Yes, I can – especially when given great material like this. 11. “ If I wanted to train like that I would have joined the circus”. Lesson #11: You're in luck. Being an internet troll automatically qualifies you to join the circus; you don’t even have to try out. 12. “Give me a break freaks like you are ruining the true essance [sic] of bodybuilding. Keep in mind I may be a genetic freak but I look way better than you at age 50. I have never had any injuries and I still compete.” Lesson #12: Never call someone a freak after you’ve spent an entire email asserting that they’re mediocre-looking and genetically inferior – especially if you call yourself a freak in the following sentence in an attempt to impress others. On a semi-related note, don’t drink your tanning lotion, people. 13. “I have trained thousands of people and they all made great gains. I have used the smith machine and developed an incredible chest.” Lesson #13: Your extraordinary success and that of your clients is inversely related to the amount of time and desire you have to harass people via email. 14. “Leave the bodybuiding [sic] to REAL Men.” Lesson #14: Real men go to war for their country, help old ladies carry groceries, take their sons fishing, and call their mothers often. They also study up on the English language when they realize they’re writing at a third-grade level in spite of being 50 years old. You’re not as special as you think. 15. “It must be a bummer having a genetically poor physique. I saw you at the holy cross seminar and was dissapointed [sic] that you looked liked a typical power lifter, no symmetry, no shape, just a big stomach and skinny legs.” Lesson #15: It’s very difficult to assess someone’s physique when they’re wearing dress clothes. For the record, I was about 180 at 11% body fat (as measured on a DEXA scan, which doesn’t inflate results like other commonly used methods) at the time of the seminar, and it was about three weeks after I’d pulled 601 at 164 in competition. If you understood the demands of powerlifting, you’d realize that it’s silly for me to get too lean, as it’ll screw with my endocrine system and sap my strength. Given your “natural” status, Hugo, I would have thought that you’d be well versed in how a non-assisted lifter has to manipulate the endocrine system for optimal progress. Also, I thought all the powerlifters you know have big asses? You know me; how can I have a big ass and skinny legs? Isn’t my ass part of my legs?

16. “You can lift a lot of weight, but lifting heavy doesn't really mean much if you are not a competitive power lifter.”

Lesson #16: The most successful bodybuilders are also really damn strong. Ronnie Coleman credits a lot of his success to the foundation he built as a powerlifter. Think about it this way…who is going to have more stimulus for growth: a guy benching 225 for eight reps, or a guy benching 315 for eight reps? You can’t have strength endurance if you don’t have strength. 17. “To my surprise you were bulky and fat, over developed traps, imbalanced pecs to back proportion, distended abs, skinny legs”. Lesson #17: Pay attention, folks: when you really want to get under a powerlifter’s skin, be sure to call him out on his overdeveloped traps and pec-back balance. I’ve already started to see a therapist to get over this one. 18. “I guess that must be the look that power lifters must like.” Lesson #18: Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy, but powerlifters tend to look like powerlifters. Likewise, the basketball players I train tend to be tall; they look like basketball players. The hockey guys are missing teeth; they look like hockey players. And the models that I've trained? Well, they have great breasts; it absolutely kills their pecs to back proportion, but we manage to get by. I’m no rocket scientist, but I’m willing to bet that my powerlifter "look" might actually be a protective adaptation that occurs in response to lifting a crapload of weight over a prolonged amount of time. Don’t take my word for it, though; I’m just a book smart geek with no symmetry. 19. “For me I am interested in having a bodybuilders physique. Do you know of anyone who bodybuilds that you could recommend that I get in touch with.” Lesson #19: Perhaps you should check with your other identity/father; he sure seems to know a lot about bodybuilding. 20. “I am 24 and haven't played football in years and don't want to train like a football player. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.” Lesson #20: Do not read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” backwards. It’s never a good idea to insult someone before you ask them for a favor. How Hugo is Helping Me As I mentioned, I gain nothing by replying to these emails; doing so would cost me money and distract me from what’s important in my life. I have, however, made lemonade out of rotten lemons. You see, Hugo, your email gave me subject matter for an article. That article will bring unique readers into my network. They’ll sign up for my newsletter, buy my DVD and manual, and support the sites for which I write. This gives me a loyal following, immediate income, and job security, respectively. In turn, I can devote more time and money to continuing education and traveling to train with great lifters. This will expand my knowledge base and enable me to bring in more clients, write more articles and books, and speak at more seminars – thus spreading my philosophy further throughout the industry. You’ll have that much more asymmetrical, distended, big-assed, rubber-freakin’-band-using, sarcastic Eric Cressey propaganda standing in the way of the “essence” of bodybuilding, as you call it. So, Hugo Faulkurself, the joke’s on you. And the Smith machine still sucks. About the Author Eric Cressey is a performance enhancement specialist at Excel Sport and Fitness Training in Waltham, Massachusetts. He takes pride in the fact that he looks like a powerlifter and has absolutely no symmetry. His pec tie-ins are probably subpar, and he wouldn’t know a striated glute from decade-old piece of beef jerky. Nonetheless, women in the Greater Boston area love his distended abs, distorted traps, and big ass. In spite of his genetic inferiority, Eric somehow manages to publish a free weekly newsletter at his site, www.EricCressey.com. Assuming you’re not genetically superior and into Smith machines, you’ll probably like it. Adding Insult to Injury fFor Hugo Here’s what we’re going to do to make these even better, folks. First, I want you to forward this to a friend or two. Encourage them to subscribe to the newsletter and pass the link along to their friends. Let’s make sure that there are LOADS more people out there who can piss Hugo off. Second, in appreciation of your spreading of the word, for the next 48 hours, I’m going to give 15% off The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual to everyone who clicks through the following link: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=265220 What’s better, though, is that for every manual sold, I’m going to donate $10 to the Boston Medical Center. One of my training clients will be running the Boston Marathon in the spring to raise money for this charity, so all proceeds will go directly to Boston Medical Center. I'll report back next week with the results of these donations. If any of you would like to make a donation of your own in Hugo's honor, drop me an email at ec@ericcressey.com after you do so and we'll add your number to the pool and give you some love in Newsletter #28. In the "My gift is in honor of" section, just type in "Steph B's Marathon fundraising efforts." Thanks to everyone in advance; this is a great cause. Have a great week! EC

I’m back from a weekend in Stamford, CT for the Ryan Lee Bootcamp, so it’s time to get back at it with this week’s update.

Re-Opt-in

Reminder I just want to remind you all once again that if you haven’t re-opted-in, we’ll need you to do so as soon as possible. As I mentioned last week, we’re switching our newsletter over to a new set-up, and this requires us to do the opt-in again with the new sign-up. The simplest way to do things is to send an email with the subject line “SUBSCRIBE” to ecressey-178309@autocontactor.com. Doing so will ensure that you’ll receive all the newsletters when we officially make the switch in a few weeks. Thanks for your patience with us as we go through this annoying but necessary process! FANTASTIC New Product from Robertson and Hartman Over the past few years, I’ve become known as the “Shoulder Guy.” I probably get two dozen emails each week from readers who have shoulder problems due to poor training programming, incorrect technique, congenital factors, or traumatic injury. To say that it occupies a lot of my time would be an understatement! While I make a point of answering all email inquiries as thoroughly as I can, it goes without saying that I can only do so much without being “there” to coach someone. It’s not just about what you do; it’s also about how you do it. This is just one of several reasons I’m absolutely thrilled to recommend the Inside-Out DVD and Manual, a new resource that was just introduced by my friends and brilliant colleagues, Mike Robertson and Bill Hartman.

This resource will not only save me a lot of time; it’ll also give me a product to which I can send those with chronic and acute shoulder pain – and those looking to avoid it in the first place. Mike and Bill go into great detail on the seven key components that need to be included in an effective upper-body warm-up program to protect against injuries, optimize performance, and correct existing imbalances. I was fortunate to preview the DVD and manual for Mike and Bill, and I immediately sent them a unsolicited testimonial for them to use after watching it. It really is THAT good; this will be a valuable resource for years to come.

Do your shoulders a favor and pick up this DVD and manual today; you’ll be thanking me immediately and in the years to come. Inside-Out New Article Last week, I had a new article published at T-Nation; check out 13 Tips for Mighty Elbows and Wrists. Ryan Lee Bootcamp Recap Ryan Lee once again put on one of the fitness industry’s premier events. This year’s Bootcamp provided an outstanding blend of training information and practical business information for fitness professionals. Things are crazy busy for me after a weekend on the road, so I don’t have the time to write up a full review. I can, however, give you a quick list of some of the take-home points from the seminar for me personally. Some of these are related to the speakers themselves, and some are simple my take-away thoughts/impressions: 1. Mike Boyle is without a doubt one of the most forward-thinking guys in the industry. If you don’t believe me, see below. 2. Jeremy Boone outlined some intriguing ACL prevention testing strategies that may come to light in the next few years. I have some questions about the accuracy and precision of one-half of the test, but I definitely thing that the idea is great and has a lot of potential. 3. If you haven’t read Brian Grasso’s stuff, you need to do so IMMEDIATELY – especially if you deal at all with young athletes. Brian is a brilliant coach, speaker, and leader in the fitness industry; in fact, he’s everything that is right about the fitness industry. If you haven’t looked into the International Youth Conditioning Association (www.IYCA.org), I would strongly encourage you do so right away. I don’t make a penny off endorsing the organization; I just feel strongly that this group is going to be doing even more incredible things in the years to come – especially with a guy like Brian at its head. If you haven’t seen him speak, seek him out. 4. Steve Cotter can do some really impressive stuff! 5. Jimmy Smith is one helluva’ Stamford tour guide. Thanks, Jimmy! 6. At any event, the opportunities in the hotel lobby, hallway, and at the networking socials are just as valuable as the speakers themselves. If you aren’t interacting with your colleagues at these events, you’re missing out. Be proactive! 7. If you want to be a great coach, don’t just focus on learning on new exercises. Focus on learning how to effectively implement the exercises in your training arsenal and making people better instead of just more tired. This is what separated the brightest attendees from the mediocre ones, in my opinion. 8. This kettlebell thing has really gotten out of hand, people. I admire your enthusiasm and motivation to help others succeed, but it’s just one tool in your toolbox. 9. There is absolutely no substitute for enthusiasm and hard work – regardless of your progression. 10. As always, you should be reading at least an hour per day. Every successful fitness professional at this conference was putting in this minimal amount of time – and often a whole lot more. Tip of the Week Reconsider how you approach single-leg training. I get a lot of questions about whether single-leg exercises are quad-dominant or hip dominant and where to place them in training programs. After chatting more with Mike Boyle and considering how I’ve approached it in the past, I’ve realized that if you categorize things the way Mike does, you have a lot of “wiggle room” with your programming to fit more of it in. Mike separates his single-leg work into three categories: 1. Static Unsupported – 1-leg squats (Pistols), 1-leg SLDLs 2. Static Supported – Bulgarian Split Squats 3. Dynamic – Lunges, Step-ups From there, you can also divide single-leg movements into decelerative (forward lunging) and accelerative (slideboard work, reverse lunges). I’ve found that accelerative movements are most effective early progressions after lower extremity injuries (less stress on the knee joint). I think that it’s ideal for everyone to aim to get at least one of each of the three options in each week. If one needed to be sacrificed, it would be static supported. Because static unsupported aren’t generally loaded as heavily and don’t cause as much delayed onset muscle soreness, they can often be thrown in on upper body days. Here are some sample splits you might want to try: 3-day M – Include static supported (50/50 upper/lower exercise selection) W – Include static unsupported (only lower body exercise) F – Include dynamic (50/50 upper/lower exercise selection) Notice how the most stressful/DOMS-inducing option is placed prior to the longest recovery period (the weekend of rest). 4-day M – Include static supported in lower-body training session. W – Include static unsupported (only lower body exercise in otherwise upper body session) F – Include dynamic in lower-body training session Sa – Upper body workout, no single-leg work outside of warm-up and unloaded prehab work Be sure to switch exercises and rotate decelerative/accelerative every four weeks. For those of you who haven’t seen it already, definitely check out Mike’s Functional Strength Coach DVD set; it’ll make you a better coach and lifter immediately and force you to rethink a lot of the things you’re doing. His Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities manual is also fantastic. That does it for this week. We’ll be back next week with some great new content that I GUARANTEE you’ll really enjoy – but you’ll need to take care of the re-opt-in process I outlined above. Just send an email with the subject line “SUBSCRIBE” to ecressey-178309@autocontactor.com, and you’ll be all set. All the Best, EC

Newsletter #25

This week’s newsletter is going to be right to the point, as I’ll be headed out on Friday for Ryan Lee’s Bootcamp in Stamford, CT. Fortunately, my crazy summer/fall traveling schedule is winding down, so you can plan on seeing a lot more from me in the online and information product realm in the months and weeks to come.

Newsletter Update: IMPORTANT!!!!!

After some frustrations with our current newsletter set-up, I’ve decided to host EricCressey.com updates from a different provider. As such, as much as I hate to have to do this, we’re going to need everyone on our list to resubscribe with the new set-up; due to opt-in laws, we can’t just transfer your subscription without having you confirm it.

Fortunately, though, this is a tremendously easy process. Later this week, I'll import all your addresses into the new system. You’ll receive an opt-in email to confirm your subscription; please just click through the provided link, and you’ll be golden. You can, however, make the process easier by going HERE to re-subscribe now, or by sending an email to ecressey-178309@autocontactor.com (no opt-in is necessary with the email option).

IMPORTANT NOTE: In many cases, your junk mail filter will send the opt-in notification to your junk mail folder, so be sure to check there if you don’t get it. Also, be sure to mark us as “safe” so that you can receive future newsletters.

If you have any concerns that you haven’t been subscribed, drop us an email at ec@ericcressey.com and we’ll take care of you. Thank you very much for your patience and understanding as we work to make this newsletter experience even better.

The Sturdy Shoulder Seminar: October 28th in Waltham, MA

Sign-ups are rolling in for our first seminar at Excel; don’t miss out! NSCA CEUs are available, and we have student discounts in place. Please email ec@ericcressey.com for more info.

Tip of the Week

Don’t be so linear and forward in your energy systems work.

Got to any gym, and you’ll see loads of people doing cardio at varying intensities, with different machines, listening to different music, and wearing different exercise sneakers. While they each appear unique, the reality is that they’re all stuck in linear movements that always have them moving forward. Take any of these people off their precious ellipticals, treadmills, and recumbent bikes, and you’ll find that they lack frontal and transverse plane stability and carry their weight anteriorly. The solution is pretty simple; get them moving in different ways!

The first step is to include some single-leg work in all exercise programming. This does NOT include unilateral leg presses and Smith machine lunges; you should actually be doing some of the stabilization work!

Second, make sure that you’re training movements that require full hip flexion (knees get above 90 degrees) and hip extension (glutes fire to complete hip extension). Sprinting meets these guidelines very easy, but cardio equipment that limits range of motion will always fall short. I’m not saying that they don’t have their place; I’m just saying that I’d rather have people outside doing sprints and multi-directional work instead.

Third, and most importantly incorporate more backwards and lateral movement in your energy systems work. Here’s an example that I used with an online consulting client of mine recently:

Dynamic Flexibility Warm-up

The following should be performed in circuit fashion with the designated rest intervals from below incorporated between each drill.

A1) High Knee Run: 20 yards

A2) Butt Kicks: 20 yards

A3) Backpedal: 20 yards

A4) Carioca: 20 yards to the right

A5) Carioca: 20 yards to the left

A6) Side Shuffle: 20 yards to the right

A7) Side Shuffle: 20 yards to the left

A8) Backpedal: 20 yards

A9) Scap Push-up: 15 reps

A10) Sprint: 50 yards

Week 1: 3 times through, Rest interval: 15s between drills, two minutes between sets

Week 2: 3 times through, Rest interval: 10s between drills, two minutes between sets

Week 3: 4 times through, Rest interval: 10s between drills, two minutes between sets

Week 4: 2 times through, Rest interval: 5s between drills, two minutes between sets

EC on Superhuman Radio

I did an hour-long interview with Carl Lanore on Superhuman radio on Saturday. We went into detail on a lot of the topics I cover in The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual, and there’s even a week-long discount code in place at www.SuperHumanRadio.com for those wanting to purchase the manual. You can even download a few chapters free to check it out. The audio interview is available in both Media Player and MP3 format.

That’ll do it for this week’s update. Don’t forget to confirm your subscription so that you can continue receiving updates from EricCressey.com!

Have a great week,

LA Strength and Performance Nutrition Seminar Recap

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone – both attendees and speakers – who came out to the Los Angeles seminar this weekend. In particular, a HUGE thanks goes out to Andy Susser on a great job organizing the event. He did a fantastic job of scoring an excellent facility and pulling together a great lineup of speakers, an enthusiastic audience, and several generous sponsors, including Biotest, APT Wrist Wraps, Staley Training Systems, Zach Even-Esh, Mike Robertson, Alwyn Cosgrove, Dan John, and I.

Next up will be Ryan Lee’s Bootcamp, followed by “The Sturdy Shoulder” seminar October 28th here in Boston at Excel Sport and Fitness. For more information on registration for the shoulder seminar, drop me an email at ec@ericcressey.com.

Congratulations to Greg Panora!

I wanted to take a quick moment to congratulate my good friend Greg Panora (Westside Barbell) on a tremendous accomplishment. This past weekend, Greg squatted 1000, benched 685, and deadlifted 800 for a 2,485 total to surpass Steve Goggins' world record in the 242-pound weight class. What makes this feat even more impressive is that Greg contacted me less than a year ago to help him out with some back problems he'd been having. At the time, Greg couldn't even put a bar on his back, and several doctors had recommended that he give up powerlifting altogether. Less than a year later, he's pain free and the #1 lifter in his weight class in unarguably the most competitive powerlifting federation around. My interactions with Greg gave me an appreciation for just how "hardcore" corrective training can be if you really understand both the psychological and physiological ramifications of having an injury when you compete at a high level. And, he's a perfect example of how you sometimes have to take one step back to take two steps forward. If more lifters had the discipline Greg has demonstrated, I'd see a lot fewer injuries - and those who are injured would heal up a lot quicker. Nice job, buddy.

Jim Labadie Interview with EC

A few weeks ago, fitness business expert Jim Labadie interviewed me for his newsletter. The main focus of the interview was how I’ve managed to pull things together at the ripe ol’ age of 25. Jim didn’t use all the content, so I figured that we’d post it here rather than let it disappear into the archives of my hard drive. Additionally, in light of this past weekend’s LA seminar, I decided to add some tidbits. The following comes in response to the question, “To what do you attribute your success at such a young age?”=

1. Mentors

I have to give a ton of credit (and thanks) to several mentors who have looked out for me with respect to training/nutrition and – probably most importantly – business. Hard work and learning from your mistakes can take you as far as you want to go, but if you want to get there faster, you’re best off seeking out the advice of those who are where you’d like to be.

I’ve been fortunate to have guys like Alwyn Cosgrove, Dave Tate, John Berardi, Jason Ferruggia, Mike Boyle, Joe DeFranco, and – more recently – you and Ryan Lee. I only wish I had found out about you two sooner; things would have come about even faster! You can’t be an expert on everything, so it’s to your advantage to have a solid network of mentors to which you can turn when an unfamiliar situation arises. Chances are that one or more of them has been there at some point, made a mistake, and learned from it; why bother to make that same mistake on your own?

Case in point: Alwyn and I had a running email dialogue going about two months ago. I have one emailed saved in which he referred me to his production and shipping company (Vervante), recommended a great liability insurance agent to meet my needs (clubinsurance.com), and recommended two books by Thomas Plummer that have been great. That email saved me thousands of dollars and countless hours on trouble.

A conversation I had with Dave Tate about four months ago really solidified this concept in my mind. Dave did a tremendous job with his physique transformation with John Berardi’s nutritional guidance. Truth be told, though, Dave knows nutrition better than you might think; he actually minored in it in college! However, soliciting JB’s advice was in Dave’s best interests; John is really up-to-date on optimal nutrition and supplementation strategies. Why would Dave want to spend hundreds of hours reading up on recent developments in the nutrition world when he can be studying up on public speaking, running a business, developing great equipment, and making people stronger – the four things for which he is best known? A few phone calls and emails to John was the smarter – not longer – way to work.

2. A Variety of Experiences

I can’t overstate how valuable it has been for me to experience as many different realms within the fitness industry as possible. I’ve worked in general fitness settings, collegiate strength and conditioning, and now athlete-specific training in the private sector. I’ve worked with some great physical therapists, and in the human performance laboratory of the #1 Kinesiology graduate program in the country (The University of Connecticut). I’ve spent a year training at South Side Gym, one of the world’s most renowned hardcore powerlifting gyms. At the other end of the spectrum, I’ve done a six-month internship in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation during my undergraduate years. All these experiences have given me a better frame of reference from which to coach, write, and speak at seminars. And, as a competitive athlete who practices what he preaches, I have a more informed perspective to offer those who have competitive aspirations as well.

3. Reading about Business instead of JUST Training

Third, more recently (thanks to recommendations from ALL of the aforementioned mentors), I’ve been paying as much attention to business reading as I do training/nutrition reading. I’ve already read hundreds of training books (and I’ll continue to read them), but in the grand scheme of things, increasing my training knowledge 5% probably won’t change my income or “brand equity” much at all. If I increase my business knowledge, though, both will increase pretty rapidly, as that’s the area with the greatest room for growth. It’s not any different than giving more attention to your weaknesses in the weight room, if you really think about it.

Our DVD and my off-season training manual are perfect examples. These are training ideas that have been rattling around in my head for years now, but it took business “know-how” and enough confidence in my ability to bring them to market to make them a reality. On a semi-related note, I should note that (assuming you have the right business partner), joint ventures tend to work best on big projects. Mike Robertson and I work really well together, so when we decide to bring something new to market – as was the case with our DVD back in January, and a DVD set of our July seminar that will be out in October – things fall into place much more quickly. It’s nice to be able to split tasks up, and more importantly, you always know someone is waiting for you to get your s**t done. The deadlines are always built-in; you can’t procrastinate.

4. An Appropriate Outlook on Continuing Education

Fourth, I’m positive that my outlook on continuing education has played a huge role in getting me to where I am today. If you ask most trainers to spend $199 to attend a seminar, they say that it’s too expensive. However, if you asked them to put $199 into the stock market with a guarantee that it would increase their income, they’re call it a wise investment. Does anyone see where I’m going with this?

Apparently, going to training and nutrition seminars in order to become a better training isn’t a wise investment; it’s just an “expense.” Last time I checked, when all things are held equal, good trainers make more money than bad trainers. In fact, I can speak from experience as someone who specializes in corrective training; I spend a lot of time fixing the damage some crappy trainers have done. I get the clients’ referrals, and the “other guy” gets all the public criticisms. Are those seminars, books, DVDs, and CDs still “expenses?”

And, these same people don’t seem to think that business education for trainers is a worthwhile investment. I can say without wavering that this couldn’t be more off the mark. Before I got into the fitness industry, I thought I wanted to be an accountant – so I spent two years at Babson College, the best entrepreneurial school in the country according to Business Weekly. They taught me a lot about how great companies like Dell and GE operate – but they never talked about the fitness industry. As much as I learned about business in a general sense in those two years, I can honestly say that VERY little of it applies to what I do on a daily basis now. Our industry is entirely unique, and that’s why products from guys like you, Ryan Lee, and Thomas Plummer are paying themselves off hundreds of times over. I’d call that an investment – not an expense.

People also need to remember that a lot of these expenses can be written off at year-end. If you’re incurring income as a result of these expenditures, they’re business expenses (although you should still view them as investments). I never lost all the accountant in me – especially since I’ve got three CPAs in my family.

I’ve invested over $8,000 on continuing education this year – and it’s only September. Brian Tracy has said that reinvesting 3% in your continuing education is one of the most valuable career moves you can make. That’s only $1,500 for a trainer earning $50K, but it would give you any of the following (or a combination of several):

· 6-7 two day seminars

· 10-15 one day seminars

· 15 manuals

· 30 DVDs

· 40-80 books

Think about what happens with a seminar, DVD, book, manual, or any other information product. A qualified professional devotes hundreds and possibly even thousands of hours to pulling together loads of information in an organized format – and then sells it to you for a tiny fraction of the costs he incurred to gain this knowledge. You don’t have to devote nearly as much time to acquire the information, either.

Seminars in particular are a fantastic expenditure not only because of the information presented, but also because of the networking opportunities. To be honest, at this point, I look forward more to talking shop with colleagues in the audience than I do to the presentations! This past weekend alone, I chatted at length with:

John Berardi
Alwyn Cosgrove
Dan John
Mike Robertson
Julia Ladewski
Jesse Burdick
Scot Prohaska
Nate Green
Carter Schoffer
The UCLA Strength and Conditioning Crew (who graciously hooked us up with a place to train on Monday morning)

Factor in that I also presented to 65-70 seminar attendees on Saturday and Sunday, and then to another group of high school athletes and parents Monday night, and you’ll realize that I had the opportunity to interact with a ton of avid trainees. You never know what training secrets they’ll bring to the table, or how they’ll add to the frame of reference you possess as a coach. I’d also like to add that I saw Jessica Simpson at the airport – but I’m still convinced that the paparazzi were just there to see me!

With all that said, here’s your chance to see for yourself. On Saturday, October 28th, I’ll be giving my first seminar at Excel Sport & Fitness Training. We’re keeping the cost down because we want this to double as an “open house” for the new facility – but I can assure you that I’ll be going into a ton of depth on the seminar. And, just as importantly, there will be a ton of big names from the industry in attendance – meaning that you’ll have loads of opportunities to network. For more information, email ec@ericcressey.com.

5. Hard Work

This one probably should have gone first, but that wouldn’t have made for much of an interview, huh? I’m not going to lie: I come from a family of hard-working perfectionists in which mediocre just isn’t acceptable. There are a lot of people in the fitness industry who are working hard already, but need to learn to work smart. However, there are also a lot of trainers and coaches out there who are flat-out lazy and need to get with the program. I didn’t spend a penny on alcohol in my college career, as I worked every weekend, volunteered in any fitness capacity that I felt would advance my career, and trained to compete at a high level myself.

I’m not saying that people have to follow in my footsteps; hell, what I just typed doesn’t sound fun to me at all! But, at the same time, I think that the take-home lesson is that you have to be willing to make some sacrifices and use some elbow grease if you’re going to get to where you want to be. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."

That does it for this week. Have a great week, everyone.

Exclusive Interview: John “Sully” Sullivan

As many of you know, I made the move back to Boston just over a month ago because I was absolutely thrilled at the opportunity to be a part of what I believe is one of the premier performance enhancement teams in the country: Excel Sport & Fitness Training. A few weeks ago, I profiled one member of that team: Carl Valle. Now, it’s only fitting to look to the rest of the team – starting with my long-time friend John Sullivan.

Sully is one of the reasons that I am a strength athlete. He’s handled for me at powerlifting meets, I’ve been at his Strongman competitions, we’ve competed in the same events, but only recently have we gotten the opportunity to work in the same facility and train together. To say that I feel fortunate would be an understatement; Sully is the kind of lifter, athlete, and coach that makes you better at what you do – regardless of your experience level. He has considerable experience as a strongman, powerlifter, and mixed martial artist, and he’s one of the more well read coaches I’ve ever met.

EC: Hey Sully, thanks for taking the time to talk some shop today. I obviously know what you’re up to nowadays, but please fill our readers in on what’s new in your world.

JS: I’ve been busy opening my training facility, Excel Sport & Fitness, with my two partners Brad Cardoza and Rebecca Manda. On top of that, we’ve brought in Carl Valle, Matt Delaney and the great Eric Cressey to round out our staff. That’s consumed most of my time as of late, but we seem to really be picking up steam so it’s worth it.

Aside from that I’m currently preparing for 2006 North American Strongman Nationals, where I’ll be competing on Oct. 21st in Louisville, Kentucky. My training has been going really well, and I’m looking to come in stronger than ever.

EC: You’re most well known for your success as a strongman, so we’ll start there. How did you get into Strongman, and how has competing as a strongman made you a better trainer and coach?

JS: I got started in 2002 when I met a couple guys who owned a facility in my area. I decided to give it a try for a change of pace in my training, though had no intentions of ever competing. I did tire flips, log presses, and farmer’s walks on my first visit and I was hooked.

The main aspect of strongman competitions is that they require a fairly diverse range of strength qualities. Raw strength, power, strength endurance, etc. are all necessary components of strongman preparation. As such, it became necessary for me to become proficient in the powerlifts, the Olympic lifts, certain bodybuilding techniques, as well as learning different methods of injury prevention, injury management, etc. Aside from this, it opened my eyes to the potential for using certain strongman implements to train athletes. This has given me a pretty broad base of options with which to train clients.

EC: A question I hear all the time with respect to strongman training is “How can I prepare for a competition if I don’t have unlimited access to the implements?” What can the Average Joe do in his gym to help him along?

JS: Of course, nothing can replace training on the implements. But if access is limited, you have to make sure your gym training focuses on compound movements that will give you the necessary strength to manipulate the implements effectively. As I said earlier, a blend of powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting along with some boldybuilding techniques is a good mix. If you’re doing cleans, box squats, jerks, heavy rows, front squats, deadlifts, and the like in your training, you’ll be on the right path.

EC: I know you’re never one to turn down an opportunity to rant about something. What frustrates you the most about this industry?

JS: Just one? Damn. Well, one thing I hate is when trainers and coaches are ill-prepared to train their clients. I think the best people in the industry are very well rounded, in both the theoretical and practical aspects of strength & conditioning. Some trainers have no basis working with clients, because they lack the fundamental knowledge to not only get results, but to keep their clients safe in the process. In the private setting especially, I think clients would be shocked if they knew that their trainer’s resume consisted of little more than simply “I’ve got big arms.”

EC: What have been your biggest mistakes as a lifter and trainer?

JS: As a lifter, I think my biggest mistake was ignoring the boring stuff, like activation and mobility work. It’s not fun, but eventually it catches up with you and you get an injury. In my case, it was a back injury that nearly kept me from competing at 2005 Nationals. Since then, I’ve smartened up and have added a lot more mobility work to my training, and my back has thanked me for it.

As a trainer, I think I used to get too advanced when people didn’t really need it. The basics are almost always the best.

EC: You’re a very well-read guy; I don’t know many people who can quote Supertraining from memory! With that said, what five resources (books, DVDs, manuals) have been the most valuable to you?

JS: A few resources that I really like have been:

Modern Trends in Strength Training by Charles Poliquin – It’s a small book but full of information you can immediately use.
Magnificent Mobility by Eric Cressey & Mike Robertson – Again, if you want to stay injury free something like this is really a must.
Diagnosis & Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes by Shirley Sahrmann – Every trainer should own this book. It’s full of useful information that will help keep your clients injury free.
Supertraining by Mel Siff – It’s been criticized for being too difficult to decipher, but it’s an awesome resource with tons of information.
Science and Practice of Strength Training by Vladimir Zatsiorsky – A great blend of theoretical and practical information.

EC: What are five things our readers can do right now to become better lifters, athletes, coaches, and trainers?

JS:

Be able to both teach and demonstrate proper form on as many lifts as possible.
Never stop learning (books, DVD’s, seminars, phone conversations, etc.).
There are many ways to get people stronger, faster, leaner, and more muscular; learn more than one of them.
Learn functional anatomy, you owe it to your clients and yourself.
Be passionate about what you do; your clients can tell if you’re just going through the motions.

EC: Thanks again for taking the time, John.

We’ll be back next week with another all-new newsletter. Until then, train hard and have fun.

All the Best,

Q&A with Precision Nutrition Creator, Dr. John Berardi

You can’t do anything really creative with your 22nd newsletter; it really isn’t an eventful occasion at all. As such, we might as well get right to the good stuff!

Good Stuff from the Good Doctor Berardi

Last week, John Berardi sent me a heads-up on a great new program he’s offering to everybody for FREE. Just this morning, I finished reviewing it myself, and I have to say, it’s another great offering from one of the industry’s brightest experts. This course piggybacks on John’s highly successful Precision Nutrition package. You’ve got nothing to lose; sign up for the 8-day Body Transformation with Precision Nutrition email course today and check out what JB has to offer. In the meantime, here's today's reader mail Q&A.

Q&A

Q: What’s your take on frequency of static stretching? Is it "the more, the better"? More or less, how many days per week would be a good idea?

A: In a nutshell...

1) I'm not as huge an advocate of stretching as I used to be, but I still think people need to do it – especially those who sit at computers all day.

2) Activation work and dynamic flexibility drills are ten times as valuable as static stretching. I’d rather do 6-8 mobilizations than a 12-15 second static stretch.

3) More people need to pay attention to soft-tissue work. Many times, muscles will just feel tight because they’re so knotted up. It's not just about soft tissue length anymore; it's about quality, too. You can check out my article The Joint Health Checklist for details.

4) My clients do 2-3 static stretches pre-training at the very most (only chronically overactive muscles), and the rest are at other times of the day. We’ll include some static stretching of non-working musculature during training in between sets just to improve training economy.

5) Stretching daily has helped a lot of my clients improve faster, but I think that they've come along almost just as well with pure activation and mobilization work (we do both).

Q: I've been getting a bit of pain in the front of my hips when squatting. I'm not sure whether it's the hips flexors or something else. Squats with a stance around shoulder width are fine, as are any hip flexor exercises that work my legs in line with my body.

It's only when I squat with a slightly wider stance or do overhead squats that my hips are bothered. It's only when I do leg raises with my legs apart, making a “Y” shape with my body, that I really feel the irritated muscle working. Although these do seem to help it rather than cause it pain.

Do you have any idea what this could be? Or, tips on how to strengthen the area to avoid it? Thanks for any insight you can offer.

A: Femoral anterior glide syndrome is a classic problem in people with poor lumbo-pelvic function (overactive hamstrings and lumbar erectors coupled with weak glutes). The hamstrings don’t exert any direct control over the femur during hip extension; their distal attachments are all below the knee. So, as you extend the hip, there is no direct control over the head of the femur, and it can slide forward, irritating the anterior joint capsule. This will give a feeling of tightness and irritation, but stretching the area will actually irritate it even more.

The secret is to eliminate problematic exercises for the short-term, and in the meantime, focus on glute activation drills. The gluteus maximus exerts a posterior pull on the femoral head during hip extension, so if it’s firing to counteract that anterior glide caused by the humerus, you’re golden. We outline several excellent drills in our Magnificent Mobility DVD; when handled correctly, you should see almost complete reduction of symptoms within a week.

Lastly, make sure that you're popping your hips through and CONSCIOUSLY activating your butt on all squats, deadlifts, good mornings, pull-throughs, etc. Incorporate some single-leg work as well. For now, though, keep your stance in for a few weeks, stay away from box squatting, and get some foam rolling done on your adductors, quads, hip flexors, ITB/TFL, and piriformis.

Q: Many members have complained about the thought of getting rid of the Smith Machine in our gym and replacing it with a power rack. If you wouldn't mind giving me some ammo (arguments) to shoot them down , I’d really appreciate it.

1. The Smith Machine offers less transfer to the real-world than free weight exercises.

2. Depending on the movement, the shearing forces on the knees and lumbar spine are increased by the fixed line of motion.

3. The lifter conforms to the machine, and not vice versa. Human motion is dependent on subtle adjustments to joint angle positioning; the body will always want to compensate in the most advantageous position possible. Fix the feet and fix the bar, and the only ways to get this compensation are inappropriate knee tracking and, more dangerously, loss of the neutral spine position.

4. Smith machines are generally more expensive. I suspect that you could get a regular coat rack for about $2K cheaper – and it would take up less space.

Admittedly, I did put together an entire article on things that you actually CAN do with the Smith machine, but the truth is that you could just as easily do them on a fixed barbell in a power rack.

Have a great week, everyone.

Foam Roller Plus

New Articles

Last week, I had an article published in the FitCast Magazine; you can check out “Yoga This and Pilates That” here. Additionally, if you’re standing in line at the grocery store, you can find an interview with me in the October issue of Oxygen Magazine. The article – written by Karen Karvonen – delves into the merits of soft tissue work. Speaking of soft-tissue work…

Product Review: Foam Roller Plus

About two years ago, Mike Robertson and I wrote “Feel Better for $10,” an article that discussed the “what, why, and how” of foam rolling. It might have been our most popular article at T-Nation; the positive responses were overwhelming – and they continue to be to this day. Simply breaking down some knots in soft-tissue can make a huge difference in how you feel and perform. However, what would you say if I told you that I just stumbled onto something even better? When I arrived at Excel in early August, I noticed that the crew had picked up a pair of the “Foam Roller Plus” models. It didn’t take long for these things to really impress me; they absolutely blow the plain ol’ foam models out of the water. What separates them from the original model? Well, for starters, several inches of foam have been replaced by PVC pipe! It’s a five-inch PVC core surrounding by just one inch of foam, making it a great progression for those who have gotten past the entry level version – not to mention those who are masochistic enough to enjoy it full-throttle from the start! Pick one up and see for yourself!

Contributor’s Corner: Jimmy Smith

Many of you may not have heard of Jimmy Smith yet, but rest assured that he’s a name that you’ll want to remember, as he’s going to be doing great things in the fitness industry for many years to come. Check out The Functional Seven, Jimmy's contribution to EricCressey.com, and see for yourself! Until next week, train hard and have fun! EC