As I was driving to Cressey Performance on Saturday morning, a story about a drunk-driving incident in Bosnia came on the air. Apparently, some dude got picked up with a blood alcohol level of 0.6% – twenty times the legal limit (0.03%). Apparently, most people would have gone into a coma at a level of 0.4% – yet this guy was still going strong.

Now, you might be wondering, “What does this have to do with strength and conditioning, corrective exercise, or high-level performance?” It’s a reasonable question.

Truthfully, the answers exist all around you.

Go to your gym, and you’ll find the guy who has been doing full ROM leg presses and rounding his back under compressive loading for years – yet his back doesn’t hurt.

Then, glance across the room and you’ll see the guy benching with his elbows flared WAY out – just like he has three times a week for years – yet his shoulders don’t hurt.

Next to him, there’s that dude in the middle of his “abs circuit.” He’s done 400 hyperextensions and sit-ups – and is now looking to the seated oblique machine to see if he can completely annihilate his spine in one trip to the gym. The problem is, you’ve seen this every Tuesday since 1998 – and his back doesn’t hurt.

Look to the basketball court, and you’ll find some kid rocking the highest high-top sneakers you’ve ever seen; they look like cinderblocks on his feet. His ankles are taped, and his knees buckle in with every landing – yet his knees don’t hurt.

All these guys do crazy stuff that really isn’t good for the body, but they respond differently than the rest of us. They may just be waiting to reach threshold, or they might just be the lucky few that never become symptomatic – no matter how absurd what they do may seem.

The exception doesn’t make the rule. The rule is made from the research and anecdotal evidence from coaches who really know how to pick up on this stuff. They look at injuries, and then identify common causative trends they share.

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Muscle Gaining Secrets

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Feedback on “The Art of the Deload”

“The Art of the Deload is a great resource and reference for any strength coach, athlete, trainer, or everyday lifter.  Avoiding plateuing or hitting the wall in training can save coach and athlete alike days, weeks, and even months of frustration and backtracking.  Eric has done a wonderful job outlining a variety of ways to manipulate deloading to ensure continued progress and success in training.”

Mike Kamal

Head Strength and Conditioning Coach – Merrimack College

Click HERE for more information.

All the Best,

EC