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,

EC

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!

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.

EC

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.

A:

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.

EC

My personal assistant will be compiling all of your responses over the next few days in hopes of making this newsletter the best it can be.  You can send your feedback to ec@ericcressey.com with the subject line “Newsletter Feedback.”  Thanks in advance for taking the time to make this newsletter even better.

The Clock is Ticking…

There are only ten days until the early registration deadline for the LA Strength and Performance Nutrition Seminar arrives.  People are coming from as far as England for this outstanding event; you definitely don’t want to miss out on an awesome speaking lineup:

-John Berardi

-Alwyn Cosgrove

-Dan John

-Mike Robertson

-Julia Ladewski

-Some guy named Cressey

There will be plenty of free goodies, complimentary Active Release® assessments and treatments, and loads of opportunities to talk shop with presenters and other coaches, trainers, and athletes.  Check it out now at www.LAStrengthSeminar.com.

A Review of Body Worlds

Those of you who have followed me for more than a few days should know by now that I’m an absolute functional anatomy geek.  So, as I’m sure you can imagine, I was absolutely stoked to hear that “Body Worlds” was coming to the Museum of Science here in Boston.  I’ve written in the past that Gross Anatomy – the course in which I spent about five hours per week with a bunch of cadavers for six months – was likely the most influential course I’ve ever taken.  Unfortunately, while this course was tremendous, few people in the fitness industry – or any industry, for that matter – have the opportunity to experience it.  The Body Worlds exhibit – made possible through a process known as “Plastination” – brings this experience to everyone.

Yesterday, I checked the exhibit out with Cassandra Forsythe, Tony Gentilcore, and Carl Valle, and we were all extremely impressed.  Suffice it to say that I was in full-fledged “functional anatomy geek” mode, so nobody in our group needed the earpiece for a guided tour!

The exhibit is featured in Boston until January 7, 2007, and is also on display in Houston and St. Paul for a limited time.  It’ll be coming to Vancouver in less than one month as well.  I would highly recommend it to anyone – and I don’t get a penny for saying so.  You can find more information at www.BodyWorlds.com.

I would also like to take this moment to mention that Cass and I caught Tony skipping in the museum at one point.  Apparently, you can still get excited about 3-D glasses if you’re 29 years old and can deadlift 560 pounds – but you will still look like a girly-man.

Q&A

Q: Why is it that when I go on an inversion table – whether it’s totally upside-down hanging by the ankles or just partially upside-down, my lower back actually hurts as it stretches?  I don't know whether it’s stretching or whether the total area is just relaxed from the gravity and daily crunch on the spine.

Any ideas?  I can't stay on it long enough to benefit.

A: Inversion tables aren't a universal treatment approach for lower back injuries.  They might work well with disc issues, but if you have another underlying pathology, there's a chance that this position will actually give you problems.  For example, I've seen people with SI joint problems who can't hang from a chin-up bar without pain.  You need to get a concrete diagnosis upon which to base treatment modalities - not just pick and choose what you think might work.

Q: I recently saw a tip from you where you encouraged those with shoulder impingement to stay away from back squats and use front squats instead.  I have to say that when I go heavy with front squats, my right shoulder is not happy.  What gives?

A: Front squats are actually an awesome SUBSTITUTE to use when someone has impingement; they keep the humerus out of the "at-risk" (externally rotated and abducted) position that you get with the back squat. A lot of people with impingement really struggle with back-squatting.

If you're having pain in the shoulder with front squats, I would guess that your problem is more likely to be related to your acromioclavicular (AC) joint.  It's very common for those with AC joint pathologies to get irritation from positioning weight right on that area.  If you’ve got AC joint problems, you’ll have pain with reaching across your chest, and performing dips and full range-of-motion bench presses.

Q:  I read your article Frequent Pulling For Faster Progress and I loved it. I just finished up week 4.  I see that I’ll be doing rack pulls for weeks 5-8.  Is there a percentage of my max I should be using?  Thanks in advance.

A: For the rack pulls, it really depends on where the pins are set.  Mid-shin will usually be slightly lower than your pull from the floor (starting from the weakest point in the strength curve).  Anything from the bottom of the kneecap up will generally be well above your max.  As a frame of reference, my best competition deadlift is 628, and I've done rack pulls above the kneecaps for 755x5.

It’s important to note that contrary to popular belief, pulling from pins above the kneecaps won’t help your lockout much in spite of the apparent specificity.  It’ll thicken up your upper back very quickly, though.  If you want to build your lockout, focus pulling against bands, chains, and weight releasers.  For more information on troubleshooting your sticking points, check out my article, Deadlift Diagnosis.

Lastly, don’t worry so much about percentages.  Sometimes, you just need to leave the numbers-crunching for the accountants and test the waters for yourself.

Q: I’m having a hard time getting my lower legs with the foam roller.  I just can’t get enough pressure applied; any tips?

A: Piece of cake!  Just use a tennis ball in place of the roller; you’ll be amazed at how much scar tissue this seemingly harmless ball can break down.  Most people will notice the most discomfort on the lateral head of the gastrocnemius, and this discomfort will intensify as they move up onto the peroneals.

Additionally, you would be well served to pick up The Stick; it gets the job done and is very versatile, so you can use it on several other hard-to-reach areas.

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

EC

It’s been a crazy few days, as I made the move to Boston from Southern Connecticut yesterday – into this morning. The last box was taken off the truck at 12:30AM, and we’re now sorting through the madness around the new apartment. Fortunately, however, our Internet was rigged up this morning, so as a true workaholic, I’m sending this email out at 11:50PM on Tuesday night. I promise a Tuesday newsletter, and I’m a man of my word! Congratulations are in order!In the collegiate strength and conditioning realm, a lot of interns come and go. At risk of sounding judgmental, few really do much to distinguish themselves. Maybe they’re just there for college credit, or they just don’t have the passion for taking an athlete’s success to heart. Every so often, though, you get an intern who is a diamond in the rough – and Mike Irr is one diamond with whom I was fortunate to work while at the University of Connecticut. To be blunt, at only 22 years of age, Mike has already shown that he is one of the few people in the industry who really “gets it.” He’s a tremendously hard-working and passionate coach, and just as importantly, he’s open-minded and unconditionally positive. Last week, all those excellent qualities and diligence paid off for Mike. I received a phone call from Mike telling me that his internship with the Chicago Bulls this summer had gone so well that he was offered a position as the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the team. Keep an eye out for the Bulls in the months and years to come; they just added one hell of a coach to their staff. Congratulations, Mike!

A Strength and Performance Nutrition Symposium Update

Q&A

Last week, I promised that another big announcement would come in this newsletter, and I’m not going to go back on my word.  We officially confirmed the speaking lineup and location for what I believe will be a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime event: The Los Angeles Strength and Performance Nutrition Seminar.  This amazing event will take place on September 16-17 and feature panel of speakers with expertise in a variety of areas:

• Dr. John Berardi
• Alwyn Cosgrove
• Dan John
• Eric Cressey
• Mike Robertson
• Julia Ladewski

Jesse Burdick and Dr. Ryan Smith will also be on-hand to perform complimentary ART all weekend and help out with a few presentations.  Likewise, there will be plenty of bright writers, coaches, and trainers (not to mention some experienced lifters) from the fitness industry in attendance, so networking opportunities will abound.  I’ll have more information and a link to the official seminar homepage in next week’s newsletter; for now, you can follow along here.

More Outstanding Feedback on The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual

“Your Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual is jam-packed with tons of must-have information for the coach and the athlete!  Not only do you point out the problems in the majority of off-season training programs, but you have thoroughly posed solutions that have been proven in the trenches.  Not only are these proven in the trenches, but they are also very easy to follow, and I respect the fact that with all your knowledge, you did NOT try to impress the reader with overcomplicated methods and terminology.  This is a user-friendly manual that I'll be re-reading frequently.  This manual must be in the hands of all coaches who are looking for effective ways to truly improve their team's athletic capabilities! Bottom line, this is a Must-Read!”

Zach Even-Esh

www.UndergroundCombatTraining.com

"I received my copy of "The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual" a couple of days ago and have been holding off writing anything about it until I'd absorbed as much as the information as I could.

Check it out for yourself now!

New Articles!

I had two articles published last week; be sure to check them out when you get a chance:

Shoulder Savers: Part III

Hanging with Eric Cressey, an interview by Maki Riddington

Contributor’s Corner: Nate Green

Most of you probably aren’t familiar with Nate Green, but don’t forget the name; he’s one of the true rising stars in this industry.  Keep an eye out for great things from him in the future; here’s a sneak peak.

Let it Flow: A Quick Lesson in Optimal Experience

By: Nate Green

Psychology has always fascinated me. At the deepest level, I figure if you can understand how people think—what motivates, aggravates, and incapacitates their total progress, whether in the gym, the kitchen, on the field, or in any faculty of life, really—it’s easier and more exciting to coach them while having a significantly more powerful impact on their overall performance.

So, like EC and his somewhat scary, lustful quest for knowledge obtained from training, coaching, and business books, I’m pretty much a psychology whore—except I’m a much higher grade prostitute than Eric “dirty boy” Cressey – but don’t tell him that!

It’s with this in mind that I would like to introduce an interesting “smack-your-forehead-obvious-but-rarely-elaborated” concept to you: the process of flow.  Coined by renowned psychologist, Mike Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced “cheeks sent me high”), flow describes a state in which one is so completely engaged with a favorable, enjoyable task that time seems to stop.

Now, while that may sound all well and good, Csikszentmihalyi is careful to differentiate between pleasures and enjoyments as they pertain to flow.  While pleasures are seen more as consumption oriented activities that satisfy biological needs—bodily pleasures such as delectable tastes, soothing sounds, orgasms, and the like—enjoyments (or gratifications) are categorized as building psychological capital. Simply put, enjoyments, while they may not bring about intense bodily pleasures at the moment, cause us to invest in absorption and a feel a greater sense of accomplishment in retrospect.

Here are the components of flow:

• The task is challenging and require skill
• We concentrate
• There are clear goals
• We get immediate feedback
• We have a deep involvement
• There is a sense of control
• Time stops

As Dr. Martin Seligman points out in his book Authentic Happiness, “…flow is a frequent experience for some, but this state visits many others rarely if at all.”  I believe that those of us into this whole “fitness thing” experience flow on a much more regular basis than the average individual.  Whether we’re gasping for air after our last set of squats, taking our third lap around the track, or sinking into a hot, Epsom salt bath, I think it’s safe to say that fitness enthusiasts, whether athletes or weekend warriors, are constantly engaged in a sort of flow continuum.

Take a look back up to the list of components.  Which ones describe the way you feel while in the gym or playing your sport?  All of them?  Good.  Personally, I couldn’t imagine not being dedicated to lifestyle that brings about such high ‘psychological capital’.

Seligman writes, “While we moderns have lost the distinction between the pleasures and gratifications, the golden age Athenians were keen on it.  For Aristotle, distinct from bodily pleasures (eudaimonia) is akin to grace in dancing.  Grace is not an entity that accompanies the dance or comes at the end of the dance; it is part and parcel of a dance well done.”

That’s good stuff.

However, while both Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi separate pleasure from flow, I beg to differ slightly.  While they’re both incredibly intelligent and renowned psychologists, I have reason to suspect that their physical conditioning may not be quite up to par with their “mental muscle.”

Now, if you have Dr. John Berardi’s Precision Nutrition program (which you should), you know all too well that your meals can be both pleasurable (with the right spices and food combinations) and gratifying (with the right macronutrient balance and other healthy effects).  And, if you’ve ever been under hundreds of pounds of iron, you know that the cold bar against your hands just feels right, the way it bends just looks cool, the inhalation of chalk dust just smells, well, chalky. But along with those simple pleasures come the other enjoyable consequences (consequences can be defined as either negative or positive) associated with weight training: better body composition, proper and realistic goal setting, and increased psychological capital and motivation to just set the bar higher.

If you get a “rush” or a “high” from training, good for you; now you know that you’re also building a strong foundation of good habits, strength in every respect, and a strong base upon which you can build.  When the bar hits the ground, inhale deeply and let the whole experience flow right through you.

Just don’t forget to exhale.

About the Author

Nate Green is a member of the Advisory Team for Maximum Fitness magazine, holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is a NFPT certified trainer who works with clients in his hometown of Whitefish, Montana.  He is currently reading everything on which he can get his hands, constantly pestering industry professionals for advice, and preparing to make a splash in the fitness realm. You can contact Nate at nategreen03@hotmail.com.

I'm headed to New York City this weekend for our long-awaited Building the Efficient Athlete seminar, but I'll be back next Tuesday with more fresh material for you.  Have a great week!

EC

It’s a crazy busy week, so this newsletter is going to be a quick-hitter.

• I did a push/pull last weekend to get a little redemption for my Senior Nationals frustration and wound up benching 402 and deadlifting 628 – both competition personal bests.  It was nice to get back on track and set the tone for the new training cycle.
• I had a new article published at T-Nation last week; in case you missed it, check out The Joint Health Checklist.

I recently did an interview with Nick Grantham, a highly respected strength and conditioning coach in the UK.  Enjoy!

NG: Eric, thank you for the interview. Why don't you start by telling us a little bit about your current coaching commitments?

EC: My pleasure, Nick; thanks for having me.  I just left the facility in Southern Connecticut at which I was taking clients and athletes, and I’ll be moving up to Boston August 1 to help get Excel Sports and Fitness Training  off the ground with Rebecca Manda, John Sullivan, and Brad Cardoza.  Additionally, Carl Valle – one of the best track and field coaches around – will be actively involved at Excel as well.  We are going to do phenomenal things with athletes and weekend warriors of all levels; I’m really excited to be a part of such a fantastic opportunity.  I lived in Boston for two years and was born and raised in Maine, so it’ll be a return home of sorts; I still have lots of family and friends in the area.

Presently, I’m back up at the University of Connecticut 2-3 days per week helping out with the athletes with whom I worked while I was there in the past.  We’ve already had three drafted into the WNBA and anticipate having six more headed to the NBA, so there has been a lot of work going into preparing them for their individual workouts with teams and, for some guys, the NBA combine.  There are still a lot of undergraduate athletes on campus, too, so it’s a full day.

For the most part, though, I’m actually enjoying a little downtime for the first time in long while.  I'm stronger than I've ever been because I've been able to devote more focus to my training at South Side Gym.  Likewise, it’s given me a chance to work on various writing and consulting projects, and travel to attend and speak at seminars.  So, I guess I’m just an unemployed guy who doesn’t like to sit still, now that I think about it!

Rest assured that I don’t have it in me to become one of those guys who just writes books and articles and never trains people; we’ve got too many of them in this industry already.  I love to work with athletes and get under the bar myself; the day that stops being fun and I start considering just writing and consulting full-time is the day that I need to find a new profession.  Performance enhancement coaching is about attitude and passion – not typing.

NG:  Can you tell the reader your educational or previous career background?

EC: I started out at business school (Babson College) thinking that I wanted to be an accountant.  That thought passed pretty quickly, as I realized that training and nutrition was on my mind a lot more than crunching numbers.  I transferred to the University of New England after my sophomore year, taking all my management credits with me into a Sports and Fitness Management degree (with some supplemental classes in health service delivery systems).  I pretty much had that degree done in 2.5 years, so I decided to double major by adding Exercise Science to the mix.  I wound up graduating with 168 credits, and in the process recognized that I was a lot more interested in the science and practice of performance enhancement than I was in management.

As such, I went on to get my Master’s degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Science at the University of Connecticut, where I was involved in varsity strength and conditioning and research in the human performance laboratory.  The UCONN Department of Kinesiology was recently voted the #1 Kinesiology Graduate Program in the US; the faculty and graduate students are brilliant, and opportunities abound with research and coaching.  I am really lucky to have had the opportunity – and to still be involved in some capacity and have those resources at my fingertips.

NG: You're a competitive powerlifter - what can you take from your own training that would be of use to our readers?

EC: Competing has completely changed me as a coach and a writer; I never realized how much better I am at what I do when I share a competitive mindset with my athletes.  My decision to compete was one of the wisest choices I ever made.  In fact, this decision had such profound implications that I think I could go on all day.  However, a few things that I have come to appreciate in a whole new light:

1. Planned overreaching is tremendously valuable when used correctly.

2. You need to appropriately schedule back-off/regeneration phases.

3. Success rests with attention to detail.  Imagine putting in an entire 12-week training cycle and then bombing out because your squat technique was off on just one day…this hasn’t happened to me, but it does happen.

4. Train for performance, eat clean, and things will almost always fall into place.  I couldn’t care less about “the pump” anymore.

5. Attitude is the single-most important factor that determines your success or lack thereof.  I’ll take a guy with a great attitude on a garbage program over someone with a lousy attitude and the best program in the world anyday.

6. The value of a good training crew cannot be overstated.  It changes your attitude completely.  They pick you up when you’re dragging, and you do the same for them.  They pick up on the little things that make the big differences and help you get personal bests when you don’t realize you have them in you.

I could go on all day, but you get the point.  If you don’t have a goal, it’s hard to view exercise as anything more than “working out.”  Anybody can “work out;” you need to train.

NG: I spend a lot of time working with athletes that come to me with a good training history, only to find that lifting techniques are, well, pretty crappy to say the least! Sometimes the best people to work with are the ones that have never stepped foot inside a gym because you don't have to spend the whole of the session undoing all of the bad habits! If a newbie walks into your facility, what would you do to make sure that when he came over to the UK in 3 years time to train with me that I wouldn't be faced with a mess?!

EC: We’d do loads of foam rolling, activation, and mobility work to make sure that he’s moving efficiently through a full range of motion.  From there, I’d use a combination of isometric holds and traditional strength training movements with an emphasis on single-leg work and lumbar spine and scapular stabilization.  The basics work great when they’re done properly; it’s our job to ensure that ideal technique precedes loading.  People wouldn’t need to have such elaborate assessment schemes if most athletes were taught to do the right things correctly early-on, you know?

NG: I know you share with me an interest in maintaining a healthy shoulder girdle (that sounds a bit sad!). I try to incorporate my injury prevention work for the shoulders into the main training routine (I like to superset between the main lifts). I like to use a variety of exercises internal/external/PNF pattern rotator cuff work on elastics/pulleys, stability push ups on balance boards, bosu boards, rings, med ball catches, plate throws, Cuban snatches etc). Can you share with our readers some of the key exercises that you use to protect the shoulders from injury?

EC: Ha!  You’re not kidding; I became a shoulder enthusiast out of necessity.  Being a tennis player turned powerlifter isn’t exactly easy on the shoulders, you know?

You’ve got some great stuff there; I use most of them myself.  One thing that I can overstate enough is the fact that the overwhelming majority of shoulder problems originate at the scapula – not the glenohumeral (ball-and-socket) joint.  With that in mind, as the years have gone on, I’ve devoted more of my “prehab” volume to stabilizing the scapulae – most commonly with work emphasizing the lower traps and serratus anterior in particular – along with the traditional external and internal rotation work for the humerus.  The progression is always isolated to compound; my more experienced athletes don’t do as much of the single-joint stuff.  It’s generally integrated in more complex patterns.

Above all, though, fitness professionals need to understand how to assess the shoulder girdle.  Unfortunately, it’s an assessment that isn’t in the repertoire of most coaches today.  Hopefully, some products with which I’m involved will help to elucidate these issues to fitness professionals within the next six months.

NG: Your Master’s thesis looks at training on unstable surface as it relates to improving athletic performance. How has what you've discovered as a result of your research influenced your programming?

EC: Well, unfortunately, I can’t reveal my data until the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research publishes it (hopefully this fall).  I can, however, tell you that I’m already hard at work on putting together a “layman’s” version of the entire thesis to relate my findings to athletes and coaches in a more easily-interpreted context (reading academic writing isn’t much different than perusing stereo instructions, unfortunately).  Without saying too much, I can tell you that a lot of people are going to be very surprised at the results; it’s going to open a lot of eyes and make people re-evaluate how they utilize these implements.  This truly was the first study of its kind; nobody to-date had looked at how chronic training on these implements affects performance in trained, healthy athletes.

NG: I recently gave a talk on core stability to a group of strength coaches and physiotherapists (athletic trainers) - this was my first slide 'Much of what has been said about ‘core training’ has come from physiotherapists – they are experts at getting injured people healthy – they are not experts at training athletes!' - I borrowed that from Mike Boyle! Now I wasn't rubbishing all of the good work that has been done by people like McGill, Hodges, Saunders and Sahrmann. I was trying to do two things - 1. wake the audience up! 2. wake the S&C coaches up to the fact that maybe somewhere along the line a whole load of us forgot what we were supposed to be doing, building strong and a powerful athletes that can withstand the demands of their sport. How do you approach training the 'core' with your clients?

EC: Honestly, the word “core” has become so hackneyed that it makes me kind of ashamed that our profession.  I mean, let’s face it: “Core” can essentially be translated as “The rectus abdominus, lumbar erectors, obliques, and all those other muscles between the knees and shoulders that I’m either too lazy or misinformed to list.”

Everything is related; our bodies are great at compensating.  As such, it’s imperative that the approach one takes to “core” training be based on addressing where the problems exist.  The most common lower back problems we see are related to extension-rotation syndrome.  We most often get hyperextension at the lumbar spine because our gluteus maximus doesn’t fire to complete hip extension and posteriorly tilt the pelvis; we have to find range of motion wherever we can get it.  Having tight hip flexors and lumbar erectors exaggerates anterior pelvic tilt, so this hyperextension is maintained throughout the day to keep the body upright in spite of the faulty pelvic alignment.

The rotation component simply comes along when you throw unilateral dominance into the equation.  It might be a baseball pitcher always throwing in one direction, or an office worker always turning to answer the phone on one side.  Lumbar rotation is not a movement for which you want any extra range of motion, and the related hip hiking isn’t much fun to deal with, either.

The solution is to get the glutes firing and learn to stabilize the lumbar spine while enhancing mobility at the hips, thoracic spine, and scapulae.  You just have to get the range of motion at the right places.

Unfortunately, thinking this stuff out isn’t high on some people’s priority list.  It’s “sexier” to tell a client to do some weighted sit-ups, Russian twists, and enough yoga to make the hip flexors want to explode.  I’m not going to recommend sit-ups to anyone, and if an athlete is going to do something advanced, he’s going to have shown me that he’s prepared for it by successfully completing a progression to that point.  You can get away with faulty movement patterns in the real world, but when you put a faulty movement pattern under load in a resistance training context, everything is magnified.

NG: I like to develop what we call 'bullet proof' athletes - men and women that can take to the field and cope with what the sport and their opponents throws at them. What would be your main tips for making a 'bullet proof' athlete - what areas should we focus our attention on and what exercises could we use?

EC:

1. Adequate hip mobility.

2. Stability of the lumbar spine, scapulae, and glenohumeral joint.

3. Posterior chain strength and normal firing patterns

4. Loads of posterior chain strength.

5. More pulling (deadlifts, rows, and pull-ups) than pushing (squats, benches, and overhead pressing)

6. Greater attention to single-leg movements

7. Prioritization of soft-tissue work in the form of foam rolling, ART, and massage

8. Attitude (being afraid when you’re under a bar is a recipe for injury)

9. Adequate deloading periods

10. Attention to daily posture (you have 1-2 hours per day to train, and 22-23 to screw it up in your daily life)

NG: I know you study the field a lot and - who are your go to guys when it comes to training?

EC: Wow, that’s a very loaded question, as I’m fortunate to be able to communicate with some of the most brilliant minds in the business (training, nutrition, supplementation, and marketing) on a daily basis.  Some names that immediately come to mind as really influencing me personally are: Chris West, Brijesh Patel, Alwyn Cosgrove, John Berardi, Jason Ferruggia, Dave Tate, Mike Boyle, Mike Robertson, Michael Hope, Jim Wendler, Cassandra Forsythe, William Kraemer, David Tiberio, Brian Grasso, Kelly Baggett, Bob Youngs, Joe DeFranco, Buddy Morris, Brad Cardoza, John Sullivan, Carl Valle, Ryan Lee, and too many powerlifters and training partners to even list.  Suffice it to say that my email address book and the phone book on my cell phone are pretty much filled to capacity!  My undergraduate advisor called me a “sponge for information;” others might just call me a pain in the ass who needs to stop cramming so much information into his brain and have some fun instead.  They don’t realize that this IS fun for me!

NG:  What are your goals as a coach?

EC: I want to positively influence the lives of those with whom I work and those who buy my products.  My love of exercise in many ways saved my life, and I’m fortunate to be in a position to give something back to the world of health and human performance.

NG: In a nutshell - What is your training philosophy?

EC: I’ve been asked this so many times that I’ve decided to come out with an “auto-responder!”

“Train your body to work efficiently and take care of your diet and lifestyle, and you’ll be rewarded with a physique that performs at a high level and just so happens to look great.  You can’t build a castle on quicksand, so sometimes you need to take a step back and make sure that the appropriate foundation is in place.  Foundations aren’t built with gimmicks; they’re built with hard work and scientific practices.”

NG: I'm asking all of our contributors for their top three books - the ones every S&C coach should have in their library? We've had some great answers and I'm building a virtual library on the links page of the web-site....what are your top 3?

This is going to come across as a self-fulfilling prophecy, but if you ask the functional anatomy guy what’s important, he’s going to say “functional anatomy.”  If you don’t understand structure, you won’t understand function.  If you don’t understand function, you won’t understand performance or be able to recognize dysfunction – and every athlete has something wrong with them, trust me.

1. Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes by Sahrmann

2. Muscles: Testing and Function with Posture and Pain (5th ed.) by Kendall et al.

3. Kinetic Anatomy by Behnke (good starter text for people just getting their feet wet)

Keep in mind that I read about two books per week; these are just three that are great in light of the subject matter at hand.

NG: Is there anything else you would like to mention (you can talk about your products etc)?

EC: Well, now that I’m officially the “busiest unemployed guy in the world,” I’ve been fortunate to tie up some loose ends on a variety of projects that I’ve had in the works for months.  Mike Robertson and I just launched MagnificentMobility.com to promote our DVD, which has already received tons of great feedback.  I’ll also be releasing my first solo writing project this summer; not to toot my own horn, but sports performance coaches around the world are going to absolutely eat it up.  It draws on a ton of personal experience with a wide variety of athletes as well as conversations I’ve had with some excellent coaches; I really think it’s going to open a lot of people’s eyes about how we train our athletes.

Mike Robertson and I will be releasing our next big project in mid-August as well, so we’re excited about that.  I’ve also got several speaking engagements lined up; readers can check out my schedule.  Other than that, it’s mostly just some e-books and lots of facility planning on the agenda.

Thanks again for having me!

Another week in the books; thanks for stopping by!

All the Best,

EC

The “Great Eight” Reasons for Basketball Mobility Training

By: Eric Cressey

When it really comes down to it, regardless of the sport in question, the efficient athlete will always have the potential to be the best player on the court, field, ice, or track. Ultimately, knowledge of the game and technical prowess will help to separate the mediocre from the great, but that is not to say that physical abilities do not play a tremendously influential role on one’s success. Show me an athlete who moves efficiently, and I’ll guarantee that he or she has far more physical development “upside” than his or her non-efficient counterparts.

This “upside” can simply be referred to as “trainability;” I can more rapidly increase strength, speed, agility, and muscle mass in an athlete with everything in line than I can with an athlete who has some sort of imbalance. That’s not to say that the latter athlete cannot improve, though; it’s just to say that this athlete would be wise to prioritize eliminating the inefficiencies to prevent injury and make subsequent training more effective. Unfortunately, most athletes fall into the latter group. Fortunately, though, with appropriate corrective training, these inefficiencies can be corrected, and you can take your game to an all-new level. Mobility work is one example of the corrective training you’ll need to get the job done.

What’s the Difference Between Mobility and Flexibility?

This is an important differentiation to make; very few people understand the difference – and it is a big one. Flexibility merely refers to range of motion – and, more specifically, passive range of motion as achieved by static stretching. Don’t get me wrong; static stretching has its place, but it won’t take your athleticism to the next level like mobility training will.

The main problem with pure flexibility is that it does not imply stability nor readiness for dynamic tasks – basketball included. When we move, we need to have something called “mobile-stability.” This basically means that there’s really no use in being able to get to a given range of motion if you can’t stabilize yourself in that position. Believe it or not, excessive passive flexibility without mobility (or dynamic flexibility, as it’s been called) will actually increase the risk of injury! And, even more applicable to the discussion at hand, passive flexibility just doesn’t carry over well to dynamic tasks; just because you do well on the old sit-and-reach test doesn’t mean that you’ll be prepared to dynamically pick up a loose ball and sprint down-court for an easy lay-up. Lastly, extensive research has shown that static stretching before a practice or competition will actually make you slower and weaker; I’m not joking!

So what is mobility training? It’s a class of drills designed to take your joints through full ranges of motion in a controlled, yet dynamic context. It’s different from ballistic stretching (mini-bounces at the end of a range of motion), which is a riskier approach that is associated with muscle damage and shortening. In addition to improving efficiency of movement, mobility (dynamic flexibility) drills are a great way to warm-up for high-intensity exercise like basketball. Light jogging and then static stretching are things of the past!

My colleague Mike Robertson and I created a DVD known as Magnificent Mobility to address this pressing need among a wide variety of athletes – basketball players included. We’ve already received hundreds of emails from athletes and ordinary weekend warriors claiming improved performance, enhanced feeling of well-being, and resolution of chronic injuries after performing the drills outlined in the DVD. I think it’s safe to say that they like what we’re recommending! In case that feedback isn’t enough, here are seven reasons why basketball players need mobility.

Reason #1: Mobility training makes your resistance training sessions more productive by allowing you to train through a full range of motion.

We all know that lifting weights improves athletes’ performance and reduces their risk of injury. However, very few people realize the importance of being able to lift through a full range of motion. Training through a full range of motion will carry over to all partial ranges of motion, but training in a partial range of motion won’t carry over to full ranges of motion.

For example, let’s assume Athlete A does ¼ squats. He’ll only get stronger in the top ¼ of the movement, and his performance will really only be improved in that range of motion when he’s on the court.

Now, Athlete B steps up to the barbell and does squats through a full range of motion; his butt is all the way down by his ankles. Athlete B is going to get stronger through the entire range of motion – including the top portion, like Athlete A, but with a whole lot more. It goes without saying that Athlete B will be stronger than Athlete A when the time comes to “play low.”

Also worthy of note is that lifting weights through a full range of motion will stimulate more muscle fibers than partial repetitions, thus increasing your potential for muscle mass gains. If you’re a post-player who is looking to beef up, you’d be crazy to not do full reps – and mobility training will help you improve the range of motion on each rep.

Reason #2: Mobility training corrects posture and teaches your body to get range of motion in the right places.

If you watch some of the best shooters of all time, you’ll notice that they always seem to be in the perfect position to catch the ball as they come off a screen to get off a jump shot. Great modern examples of this optimal body alignment are Ray Allen and Reggie Miller; their shoulders are back, chest is out, eyes are up, and hands are ready. The catch and shot is one smooth, seemingly effortless movement.

By contrast, if you look at players with rounded shoulders, they lack the mobility to get to this ideal position as they pop off the screen. After they receive the ball, they need to reposition themselves with thoracic extension (“straightening up”) just so that they can get into their shooting position. This momentary lapse is huge at levels where the game is played at a rapid pace; it literally is the difference between getting a shot off and having to pass on the shot or, worse yet, having it swatted away by a defender. These athletes need more mobility in the upper body.

As another example, one problem we often see in our athletes is excessive range-of-motion at the lumbar spine to compensate for a lack of range of motion at the hips. Ideally, we want a stable spine and mobile hips to keep our lower backs healthy and let the more powerful hip-joint muscles do the work. If we can’t get that range of motion at our hips, our backs suffer the consequences. Believe it or not, I’ve actually heard estimates that as much as 60% of the players in the NBA have degenerative disc disease. While there are likely many reasons (unforgiving court surface, awkward lumbar hyperextension patterns when rebounding, etc.) for this exorbitant number, a lack of hip mobility is certainly one of them. Get mobility at your hips, and you’ll protect that lower back!

Reason #3: Mobility training reduces our risk of injury.

It’s not uncommon at all to see athletes get injured when they’re out of position and can’t manage to right themselves. If we get range of motion in the right spots, we’re less likely to be out of position, so we won’t have to hastily compensate with a movement that could lead to an ankle sprain or ACL tear.

As an interesting add-on, one study found that a softball team performing a dynamic flexibility routine before practices and competition had significantly fewer injuries than a team that did static stretching before its games (1).

Reason #4: Mobility training will increase range of motion without reducing your speed, agility, strength in the short-term.

Believe it or not, research has demonstrated that if you static stretch right before you exercise, it’ll actually make you weaker and slower. I know it flies in the face of conventional warm-up wisdom, but it’s the truth!

Fortunately, dynamic flexibility/mobility training has come to the rescue. Research has shown that compared with a static stretching program, these drills can improve your sprinting speed (2), agility (3), vertical jump (3-6), and dynamic range of motion (1) while reducing your risk of injury. Pretty cool stuff, huh?

Reason #5: Mobility training teaches you to “play low.”

All athletes want to know how to become more stable, but few understand how to do so. One needs to understand that our stability is always changing, as it’s subject to several environmental and physical factors. These factors include:

1. Body Mass – A heavier athlete will always be more stable. Sumo wrestling…need I say more?

2. Friction with the contact surface – The more friction we can generate (as with appropriate footwear) with the contact surface, the better our stability. Compare a basketball court (plenty of friction) to the ice in a hockey rink (very little friction), and you’ll see what I mean. This also explains why athletes wear cleats and track spikes.

3. Size of the base of support (BOS): In athletics, the BOS is generally the positioning of the feet. The wider the stance, the more stability we are. Again, think sumo wrestling.

4. The horizontal positioning of the center of gravity (COG) – For maximum stability, the COG should be on the edge of the BOS at which an external force is acting. In other words, if an opponent is about to push you at your right side, you’ll want to lean to the right in anticipation in order to maintain your stability after contact.

5. Vertical positioning of the COG: The lower the COG, the more stable the object. You’ll often hear sportscasters talk about Allen Iverson being unstoppable because of his “low center of gravity” or because he “plays low.”

From a training standpoint, we can’t do much for #1, #2, or #4. However, mobility training alone can dramatically impact how well an athlete handles #3 and #5. The better our mobility, the easier it is for us to get wider and get lower. The wider and lower we can get when we need to do so, the better we can maintain our center of gravity within our base of support. Neuromuscular factors – collecting providing for our balancing proficiency – such as muscular strength and kinesthetic awareness play into this as well, and the ultimate result is our stability (or lack thereof) in a given situation.

Reason #6: Mobility training can actually make you taller…Really!

I’ve worked with a lot of basketball players, and I can honestly say that not a single one of them has ever told me that he wants to be shorter. And, I can assure you that the coaches and scouts would take a guy who is 7-0 over a 6-11 prospect any day.

So what does that have to do with our mobility discussion? Well, imagine an athlete who is very tight in his flexors; his hips will actually be slightly flexed in the standing position, as the pelvis will be anteriorly tilted (top of the hip bone is tipping forward). Likewise, if an athlete has tightness in his lats (among other smaller muscles), he’ll be unable to fully reach overhead. These two limitations can literally make an athlete two inches shorter in a static overhead reach assessment.

Just as importantly, such an athlete is going to “play smaller,” too. He won’t jump as high because he can’t get full hip extension and won’t be able to optimally make use of the powerful gluteal muscles. And, his reach will be limited by his inability to get the arms up fully. Together, these factors could knock two inches off his vertical jump and prevent him from making a game-saving block. It really is a game of inches.

Need further proof? I’ve seen several athletes instantly add as much as two inches on their vertical jump just from stretching out the hip flexors and lats before they test. This is an acute change in muscle length, though; mobility training will enable you to attain these ranges of motion all the time.

Reason #7: Mobility and “activation” training teach certain “dormant” muscles to turn on.

In our daily lives and on the basketball court, it’s inevitable that we get stuck in certain repetitive movement patterns – things we do every day, several times a day. With these constant patterns, certain muscles will just “shut down” because they aren’t being used. Two good examples would be the glutes (your butt muscles) and the scapular retractors (the muscles that pull your shoulder blades together). As a result, these shutdowns lead to faulty hip positioning and rounded shoulders, respectively (and a host of other problems, but we won’t get into that).

To correct these problems, we need what is known as activation work. These drills teach dormant muscles to fire at the right times to complement the mobility drills and get you moving efficiently. Mike and I went to great lengths in Magnificent Mobility to not only outline mobility drills, but also activation movements and movements that incorporate components of both.

Reason #8: Having mobility feels good!

Think about it: what’s the first thing an athlete wants to do after a good stretching session? Go run and jump around! Now, just imagine having that more limber feeling all the time; that’s exactly what mobility training can do for you.

Knowledge of the game and technical prowess will take an athlete far in the game of basketball, but it takes an efficient body to build the physical qualities that will take that same athlete to greatness. Without adequate mobility, an athlete will never even reach the efficient stage – much less the next level.

For more information on mobility training, check out MagnificentMobility.com

References

2. Nelson AG, Kokkonen J, Arnall DA. Acute muscle stretching inhibits muscle strength endurance performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2005 May;19(2):338-43

3. Kurz, T. Science of Sports Training. Stadion, 2001.

4. Young WB, Behm DG. Effects of running, static stretching and practice jumps on explosive force production and jumping performance. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2003 Mar;43(1):21-7.

5. Thompson, A, Kackley, T, Palumbo, M, Faigenbaum, A. Acute effects of different warm-up protocols on jumping performance in female athletes. 2004 New England ACSM Fall Conference. 10 Nov 2004.

6. Colleran, EG, McCarthy, RD, Milliken, LA. The effects of a dynamic warm-up vs. traditional warm-up on vertical jump and modified t-test performance. 2003 New England ACSM Fall Conference. 11 Nov 2003.

Product Review: Alwyn Cosgrove's Afterburn

If you aren't familiar with Alwyn Cosgrove's stuff, you're really missing out; here is a guy who has produced results time and time again.  If you're looking to get lean fast, but don't have a clue where to start, let Alwyn show you the way.  One of the best aspects of this product is that there's something for everyone.  Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned veteran, you'll learn some tricks of the trade to get you to where you want to be faster.  I've used a lot of Alwyn's ideas personally and with my athletes and clients; I would encourage you to check them out and experience the results for yourself.

Afterburn

Eric Cressey Interview

Yes, I'm really putting an interview with me in my own newsletter.  It's not what you think, though! Brian Grasso from www.DevelopingAthletics.com interviewed me for his newsletter last week; I hope you enjoy it!

Eric Cressey is one of the youngest and brightest stars in the conditioning world today.  He and I have forged a great relationship as of late and I wanted to bring his expertise to you... you WILL be impressed!

BG - Your newest DVD, Magnificent Mobility cites the importance of delineating the difference between "mobility" and "flexibility" in a training program. What is the difference and when do each apply?

EC – Those are great questions, Brian; very few people understand the difference – and it is a big one. Flexibility merely refers to range of motion – and, more specifically, passive range of motion as achieved by static stretching. Don’t get me wrong; static stretching has its place. I see it as tremendously valuable in situations where you want to:

a) Relax a muscle to facilitate antagonist activation (e.g. stretch the hip flexors to improve glute recruitment)

b) Break down scar tissue following an injury and/or surgery (when the new connective tissue may require “realignment”)

c) Loosen someone up when you can’t be supervising them (very simply, there is less likelihood of technique breakdown with static stretching because it isn’t a dynamic challenge)

However, the principle problem with pure flexibility is that it does not imply stability nor preparedness for dynamic tasks. As one of my mentors, Dr. David Tiberio, taught me, we need to have mobile-stability; there’s really no use in being able to attain a given range of motion if you can’t stabilize yourself in that position. Excessive passive flexibility without mobility (or dynamic flexibility, as it’s been called) will actually increase the risk of injury!

Moreover, it’s not uncommon at all to see individuals with circus-like passive flexibility fail miserably on dynamic tasks. For instance, I recently began working with an accomplished ballet dancer who can tie herself into a human pretzel, but could barely hit parallel on a body weight squat until after a few sessions of corrective training. She was great on the dynamic tasks that were fundamentally specific to her sport, but when faced with a general challenge that required mobility in a non-familiar range of motion, she was grossly unprepared to handle it. She had flexibility, but not mobility; the instability and the lack of preparation for the dynamic motion were the limiting factors. She could achieve joint ranges of motion, but her neuromuscular system wasn’t prepared to do much of anything in those ranges of motion.

We went to great lengths in Magnificent Mobility to not only outline mobility drills, but also what we call “activation” movements. Essentially, they teach often-dormant muscles to fire at the right times to normalize the muscle balance, improve performance, and reduce the risk of injury. Collectively, mobility and activation drills are best performed as part of the warm-up and on off-days as active recovery. We’ve received hundreds of emails already from athletes and ordinary weekend warriors claiming improved performance, enhanced feeling of well-being, and resolution of chronic injuries; this kind of positive feedback really makes our jobs fun!

BG – You certainly are known for you ability to get athletes stronger. What type of training do you use for adolescent athletes… let me narrow that down (i) a 16 year old with no formal strength training experience (ii) a 16 year with a solid foundation and decent knowledge with exercise form

EC - First and foremost, we have fun. It doesn’t matter how educated or passionate I am; I’m not doing my job if they aren’t having a blast coming in to train with me. With respect to the individual athletes, I’ll first roll through a health history and just run them through some basic dynamic flexibility movements to see where they stand. As we all know, there is a lot of variation in terms of physical maturity and training experience at these ages, and I can get a pretty good idea of what they need just by watching them move a bit. In your individual cases, much of my training would revolve around the following:

In the unprepared athlete, I’d go right into several body weight drills – many of them isometric in nature – to teach efficiency. We often see an inability to differentiate between lumbar spine and pelvic motion, so I spend quite a bit of time emphasizing that the lumbar spine should be stable, and range of motion should come from the hips, thoracic spine, scapulae, and arms. Loading is the least of my concerns in the first few sessions; research has demonstrated that beginners can make progress on as little as 40% of 1RM, so why rush things with heavy loading that will compromise form? The lighter weights will allow them to groove technique and improve connective tissue health prior to the introduction of heavier loading.

In the athlete with a solid foundation, I’ll run through those same preliminary drills to verify that they are indeed “solid” and not just good compensators for dysfunction. Believe it or not, most “trained” athletes really aren’t that “trained” if you use efficiency as a marker of preparedness – even at the Division I, professional, and Olympic ranks; you can be a great athlete in spite of what you do and not necessarily because of what or how you do it.

Assuming things are looking good, I’ll look to give them more external loading on all movements, as the fastest inroads to enhanced performance will always be through maximal strength in novice athletes. As they get more advanced, I’ll start to look more closely at whether they’re more static or spring dominant and incorporate more advanced reactive training movements. Single-leg movements are still of paramount importance, and we add in some controlled strongman-type training to keep things interesting and apply the efficiency in a less controlled environment. Likewise, as an athlete’s deceleration mechanics improve, we progress from strictly closed-loop movement training drills to a blend of open- and closed-loop (unpredictable) tasks.

In both cases, variety is key; I feel that my job is to expose them to the richest proprioceptive environment possible in a safe context. With that said, however, I’m careful to avoid introducing too many different things; it’s important for young athletes to see quantifiable progress in some capacity. If you’re always changing what you do, you’ll never really show them where they stand relative to baseline.

BG – Olympic lifts and adolescents… do you use them? Why or why not?

EC – Personally, I generally don’t for several reasons. It’s not because I’m inherently opposed to Olympic lifts from an injury risk standpoint. Sure, I’ve seen cleans ruin some wrists, and there are going to be a ton of people with AC joint and impingement problems who can’t do anything above shoulder level without pain. That’s not to say that the exercises are fundamentally contraindicated for everyone, though; as with most things in life, the answer rests somewhere in the middle. Know your clients, and select your exercises accordingly.

My primary reasons for omitting them tend to be that I don’t always have as much time with athletes as I’d like, and simply because such technical lifts require constant practice – which we all know isn’t always possible with young athletes who don’t train for a living. Equipment limitations may be a factor (bumper plates are a nice luxury). And, to be very honest, I’ve seen athletes make phenomenal progress without using Olympic lifts, so I don’t concern myself too much with the arguing that goes on. If another coach wants to use them and is a good teacher, I’m find with him doing so; it just isn’t for me, with the exception of some high pulls here and there.

BG – Basing off of the last question, do you teach Olympic lift technique to pre-adolescents?

EC – I don’t. It’s not to say that I wouldn’t be comfortable doing so with a broomstick or some PVC pipe, but when I consider the pre-adolescents with whom I’ve worked, I just can’t see them getting excited about all that technique work for one category of exercises. Olympic lifting is a sport in itself, and I think it should be viewed that way.

BG – My subscribers know that I believe as much in deceleration training as I do in any sort of speed enhancing-based work… How do you improve speed and deceleration habits?

EC – We’re definitely on the same page on this one. In a nutshell, I just slow everything down for the short-term – starting with isometric holds. Every change of direction has a deceleration, isometric action, and acceleration; I’ve found that if you teach the athlete how his/her body should be aligned in that mid-point, they’ll be golden. My progressions are as follows (keep in mind that you can span several of these progressions in one session if the athlete is proficient):

Slow-speed, Full Stop, Hold > Slow Speed, Full Stop, Acceleration > Slow Speed, Quick Transition,

Open-loop > Closed-loop (predictable > unpredictable)

With respect to reactive training methods (incorrectly termed plyometrics), we start with bilateral and unilateral jumps to boxes, as they don’t impose as much eccentric force (the athlete goes up, but doesn’t come down). From there, we move to altitude landings, and ultimately to bounce drop jump (depth jumps), repeated broad jumps, bounding, and other higher-impact tasks.

Finally, one lost component of deceleration training is basic maximal strength. All other factors held constant, the stronger kid will learn to decelerate more easily than his weaker counterparts. So, enhancing a generally, foundational quality like maximal strength on a variety of tasks will indirectly lead to substantial improvements in deceleration ability – especially in untrained individuals.

Another week in the books!  Thanks for checking in.

Until next time, train hard and have fun!

EC

Product Review: The Vertical Jump Development Bible by Kelly Baggett

It’s not often that I come across a product that really blows me away to the point of me not only saying “wow,” but also calling the author and complimenting him personally.  There aren’t many Kelly Baggetts in the world, though.

Kelly and I have both worked with a ton of high-level athletes, and I literally found myself nodding in approval with every paragraph I encountered in this book.  Simply put, Kelly is one of the few people in this industry who really “gets it;” he put into words so many things that go through my mind all the time.  This book won’t just teach you about improving an athlete’s vertical jump; it’ll teach you about improving an athlete period.  I’ve used the principles outlined in the book with athletes myself, and they’re tremendously effective and, just as importantly, related in a context that’s understandable for experienced coaches and novice lifters alike.  This book is more than just the “what;” it’s the why, how, when, and who as well.  If you work with athletes or are an athlete yourself, you need to pick up The Vertical Jump Development Bible.

If you need any further proof that Kelly has my highest endorsement, consider that he and I are actually co-authoring an e-book right now as well.  I’m about as picky as they come when it comes to joint ventures; I wouldn’t be pursuing this book if Kelly wasn’t the real deal.  Definitely check his stuff out.

Newsletter Subscriber-only Exclusive Q&A The Q&A I did in last week’s newsletter was very well received, so I’ll be doing this more frequently.  Last week, I received a great question from an accomplished golfer from whom I am an online consultant, and it sparked a good ol’ fashioned Cressey tangent with plenty of rambling.  Hopefully, there will be something for everyone. Q: Having been lucky enough to spend time around some of the world’s best golfers (both pros and amateurs) over the years, the one question that comes up about conditioning for golf is “What gives you the biggest carryover to improving your performance?”  Over the years, I have talked to and asked many strength and performance specialist coaches and have gotten very different answers to what gives maximum results.  One well-known “guru” who has written a book on golf conditioning insists that because golf is a rotational movement, the best way to improve is to bang out lots of rotational movements.  I followed this with a trainer I had until he went and spent time with another world-renowned coach who told him that through his research with hundreds of athletes from multiple sports that rotational movements don’t carry over to rotational events.  I emailed this coach to ask about this and also what part Olympic lifts had for golf and he told me the carryover was not too good and that strong lats and a well integrated shoulder unit is what is required.  But then, to put another slant on this, a prominent Olympic lifting coach told me to snatch and clean, which made me curious to keep finding answers. Now that I’m training with your programming, you have opened my eyes to a very complete way of training making sure to cure imbalances and develop all strength qualities as well as all factors of dynamic flexibility.  I am now convinced that this is the way to get max results when training for any sport and specializing is not the answer.  I hope you don’t mind me asking you about this, but what your opinions on so-called “sport-specific training?” A: Without going any further, the big answer will always be "biomechanically correct efficiency."  You can't have health and performance without it.  Teach the body to move efficiently, and you'll keep it healthy and performing at a high-level indefinitely.  My number one responsibility as a performance enhancement coach is to keep you healthy; you can’t perform if you’re injured.  If you’re inefficient, you’re asking for injury, so that needs to be addressed first and foremost. However, that’s not to say that corrective training has to follow the lines of the foo-foo garbage so many personal trainers are promoting nowadays.  In fact, I’m speaking on “hardcore corrective training” at the Syracuse Strength Spectacular, and Mike Robertson and I will touch on the subject in great detail at our Building the Efficient Athlete seminar on July 22-23 in New York City.  Just because someone is a little out of kilter doesn’t mean that you have to treat him like he’s a geriatric hip replacement patient.  Here’s a quick example: Let’s say that a right-handed golfer comes to me with an extension-rotation syndrome (very common) that’s giving him some left lower back pain.  I check him out and find that he’s got a super-tight right iliotibial band – tensor fascia latae complex, and his right rectus femoris is equally knotted up.  My knowledge of functional anatomy tells me that two of his hip flexors on that side are working crazy overtime, so there is a good chance that the psoas major (the only hip flexor active above 90-degrees of hip flexion – a range of motion that most people don’t encounter enough) might not be doing its job.  I test it, and there’s a deficit.  I know that the psoas major doesn’t just flex the femur; it also has the ability to rotate the lumbar spine.  If the right psoas is not firing, it’s not acting in rotation to counteract the rotational pull of the left psoas major.  Essentially, its stiffness relative to the opposite side is insufficient.  So, there’s my rotation. I also know that the psoas major can pull the lumbar vertebrae anteriorly, so that can contribute to my extension problem.  Likewise, when I factor in the tightness and adhesions in the rectus femoris and TFL, it’s pretty clear that the pelvis is going to be anteriorly tilted (and rotated, most likely) and the gluteus maximus isn’t going to be firing due to reciprocal inhibition.  As such, the individual isn’t going to be able to get full hip extension – so he’ll have to hyperextend his lumbar spine to compensate for a lack of hip extension range of motion.  Likewise, with the overactive TFL, I can guarantee that his gluteus medius on that side isn’t going to be doing its job, so the hip will likely slip into adduction (think of the hip fallout you see in a newbie squatting). This is really just a small piece of the puzzle in terms of what’s going on, as you’re going to have compensations up and down the entire the kinetic chain.  A knee could have gone first, or the individual might actually develop shoulder pain secondary to this lumbo-pelvis misalignment.  How do we treat it?  Well, definitely not with leg extensions, a little stationary cycling, and some unstable surface balancing!  Here’s what I’m going to do: 1. Really get after the TFL, rectus femoris, quadriceps, and adductors with a foam roller, “The Stick” and, if possible, Active Release®. 2. Static stretch the TFL and rectus femoris. 3. Do some activation work for the psoas major, gluteus medius, and gluteus maximus. 4. Progress to tightly supervised bodyweight-only mobility drills that don’t allow faulty compensation patterns. 5. Use a combination of bilateral and unilateral movements done CORRECTLY to teach proper initiation of the posterior chain.  In other words, I might do a rack pull or pull-through where I teach the individual to fire the glutes and pop the hips through at lockout instead of simply leaning back.  Controlled eccentrics and isometrics holds can be fantastic here. 6. We’re going to start with pure stabilization work for the lumbar spine, and over time, we’ll start to progress to rotational movements once I see that he can get the rotation in the right places. 7. I’ll discuss with the individual what can be done to avoid reinforcing this movement pattern in his daily life.  Maybe he’s always reaching to one side to answer the phone.  Or, more likely, he’s getting too much rotation at his spine with his golf swing because his hip rotators are too tight. All this said, without a doubt, the single-most important thing I’m going to do with this golfer is continue to treat him like an athlete.  I’ll give him challenges and test him just as I would a healthy athlete – just in a more controlled environment and with slightly modified exercises.  None of that sissy crap needed; it’s just going to make him so soft that training him once he’s healthy (if he ever does get healthy with that garbage) will be like pulling teeth. Anyway, the take-home message is that you have to understand functional anatomy first and foremost.  Otherwise, you have no place telling people that you’re using “functional training” – especially if you don’t even know the true origins of the term.  I’ll step off my soapbox and get to your questions now… I think the rotational idea has merit, but the fundamental problem with this is that most people get rotation in all the wrong places.  If you're getting lumbar rotation, you're on the fast track to lower back pain.  Get it at your hips, thoracic spine, and scapulae, though, and you'll be in a good position.  In this regard, one needs to learn to stabilize the lumbar spine (think “Super Stiffness,” as per Stuart McGill) and mobilize the hips, thoracic spine, and shoulder girdle.  That's what you've been doing, and it's paying dividends.  If I just send Average Joe out to train rotation all day, he'd be booking an appointment with his orthopedic back specialist in a matter of weeks (it's the same reason that so many golfers have back pain...remember extension-rotation syndrome secondary to tight hip lateral rotators and hip flexors?) Let’s just say that I would love to see the peer-reviewed journal in which that “extensive research” was published; lats are important, no doubt, but still somewhat of a stretch as “most” important.  My experience tells me that they're most valuable in sports where you're actually hitting the ground with your swing (e.g. hockey), but not as important as rotational power in the golfing motion.  The effective shoulder model is definitely important, though, so he’s on track in that regard.  You need a perfect balance of stability and mobility for optimal health and performance. As far as the snatch and clean recommendations are concerned, go to an Olympic lifter, and he's going to tell you to Olympic lift, you know?  Olympic lifting has merits, but two lifts aren't a magic bullet.  The reason this coach’s ideas are valuable is because he made you realize that the value of simplicity is highly overlooked.  However, if you've got imbalances like most golfers do, doing two compound lifts is just going to reinforce those imbalances. I'm a firm believer in what Vladimir Zatsiorsky termed delayed transmutation (of nonspecific motor potential into sport performance results); it's defined as "the time period needed to transform acquired motor potential into athletic performance."  Basically, this holds that you build an athletic up in a general sense, and then he takes those general qualities and adapts them to his specific sport.  You can think of the training as "generally specific.” With your program, I'm not tinkering with your golf swing directly, but I'm tinkering with your neuromuscular system, which governs that golf swing.  If it moves efficiently (via constant ingraining of those activation and mobility patterns), you're going to integrate that efficiency into your golf swing without even knowing it.  It's the same reason I can make someone run faster without actually making him run.  Would you believe that in biomechanics lab analysis, the best golfers swing 50% as hard as their poorly performing counterparts?  As long as they've got efficiency and ROM, they can get the job done without overswinging - which also throws things off because transfer of energy through the core is out of whack. We train mobility where we need that, and stability where we need that. We train power at all points along the speed-strength continuum for obvious reasons. We train maximal strength because it can have a ceiling effect on power, especially in naturally reactive individuals. We do rep work to iron out imbalances and attend to your "aside" goal of being more solid.  As long as you don't put on so much muscle mass that you lose ROM, we're golden. We do low-intensity recovery work to allow you to bounce back and training again sooner and at a higher level of strength and speed.  Plus, it helps to repeat mobility and activation work on a daily basis. What we will NEVER do is have you mimic the golf swing under loaded conditions or while standing on an unstable surface.  Crap like this is what makes so many modern "sport-specific" and "functional" training programs so useless.  From my thesis defense presentation: “Willardson (2004) observed that two problems arise when one attempts to mimic sports skills while on an unstable surface. 1) The individual may actually be mastering two separate motor patterns, as “the underlying neuromuscular recruitment patterns and proprioceptive feedback may be completely different” for the two exercises. 2) The incorporation of unfamiliar entities to a pre-existing neuromuscular recruitment pattern for a given activity may negatively impact performance of that skill.” So, basically, trying too hard to mimic the golf swing will screw up your golf swing, but enhance your performance in this new environment.  If you want to add ten pounds to your clubs or play in the middle of an earthquake, you’ll be more than prepared.  Otherwise, I’d stick to “general specificity.” Hopefully, all this makes sense.  I tend to ramble sometimes… That’s all for this week; stay tuned for some great announcements and new material very shortly.  Have a great week! EC