Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 4/27/18

Written on April 27, 2018 at 1:46 pm, by Eric Cressey

It's a rainy day in Massachusetts - which is the perfect time to compile some recommended reading for the week. Check it out:

Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes - I'm throwing this one in there because it's probably been the single most influential book on my development as a coach. It was first published 17 years ago, but I still finding myself referencing it regularly - including this week. If you're in the fitness or rehabilitation worlds, give it a read.

Behold the Transformation of Noah Syndergaard - This was an excellent Sports Illustrated article that took a look at the pitch selection modifications that Cressey Sports Performance athlete and Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard has made over the years.

Are Health and Aesthetics Mutually Exclusive? - A question I got this week reminded me of this blog I wrote back in 2014, so I thought I'd bring it back to the forefront.

Top Tweet of the Week

We currently have 4 free agent LHPs who sit 91-93, 90-92, 92-95, & 93-96mph. 15 yrs ago, there probably weren’t 100 LHPs w/this much velo in the entire US at any level. Game has changed dramatically; velocity alone won’t get you to where you need to be. It’s just a prerequisite.
— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) April 21, 2018

Top Instagram Post of the Week

On the left, you’ll see one of the biggest mistakes we see with the landmine press: the scapula (shoulder blade) dumps forward at the bottom position - and it winds up setting an individual up for not being able to upwardly rotate the scap during the pressing phase. 🤔 In the position of “elbows close to the side,” you’re right in the line of pull of the lats and pec minor, which both directly or indirectly oppose upward rotation and good overhead motion. These suckers like to turn on and stay on. 👎 With that in mind, getting the elbow off the side can be a game changer for driving good scapular motion around the rib cage. Note how much “cleaner” the shoulder blade moves in the video on the right. A cue i like on this front is to “draw half of the letter U.” 👍 Thanks to @lala_salt for the Stella demos! #cspfamily

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Apr 22, 2018 at 8:58am PDT