Home Posts tagged "Acumobility"

The Best of 2023: Strength and Conditioning Articles

With 2023 winding down, I'm using this last week of the year to direct you to some of the most popular content of the past 12 months at EricCressey.com. Today, we start with the most popular articles of the years. Admittedly, I've shifted away from long-form written content and more to videos over the years (so they aren't really articles), but content is content!

1. Exercise of the Week: Acumobility Ball on Quadratus Lumborum - I posted five years ago about how to use the Acumobility Ball for upper body health, so it seems long overdue for me to share one of the ways we’re using it a bit further down the chain: on quadratus lumborum (QL). Here’s a quick video tutorial, plus the rationale for it.

2. Our Favorite 3D Strap Drills- We use the 3D Strap a ton with our athletes, so Cressey Sports Performance – MA coach Ethan Dyer and I put our heads together to record a few of our top drills to share with a larger audience. Here are Part 1 and Part 2.

3. I Use This Every Single Day. - This is a cool story of the origins of AG1 (formerly Athletic Greens) - and it also speaks to some of the concerning trends in the supplement industry as a whole.

4. Elbow-Supported Dumbbell External Rotations: Do or Don’t? - The elbow-supported dumbbell external rotation is a pretty common exercise in strength and conditioning circles, but does it hold value for overhead throwing populations? In this video, I answer that question.

5. Hand Size, Anatomy, and Tissue Extensibility - The hands don't get nearly enough attention in the strength and conditioning and sports medicine worlds. Hopefully, this article helps to change that.

I'll be back soon with another "Best of 2023" feature. Up next, the top guest posts of the year!

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Exercise of the Week: Acumobility Ball on Quadratus Lumborum

I posted five years ago about How to Use the Acumobility Ball for Upper Extremity Health and Performance, so it seems long overdue for me to share one of the ways we're using it a bit further down the chain: on quadratus lumborum (QL). Here's a quick tutorial, courtesy of Cressey Sports Performance - Florida coaches Andrew Lysy and Ian Connors:

As a brief follow-up, take a look at the anatomy of QL, which has attachments on the ilium (pelvis), L1-L4 (spine), and 12th rib:

It can contribute to lateral flexion and extension of the spine, and also is a accessory muscle of inhalation. And it can hike the pelvis. In short, it'll often serve as a "fake" glute that substitutes lumbar extension (low back arching) and hip hiking for motion that should be occurring at the hip. It's a common player in extension based low back pain, and can limit thoracic rotation. QL trigger points can refer all over the place, too; it's not uncommon for it to present as a sciatica pain pattern, or even refer to the anterior hip.

It's a slam dunk when you see one hip that's hiked up on static posture assessment, and we'll follow this self-myofascial release drill up with some hip shifting drills based on what we see on our assessment (particularly with respect to hip rotation and straight leg raise). We'll usually integrate some positional breathing drills that emphasize posterior pelvic tilt as well. All that said, two drills that you probably can't go wrong with on this front are a lean away lateral line stretch (5 full exhales) and prone hip extension iso hold off table.

This one is a "keeper" in our daily warm-up series, so give it a shot and see how you like it. You can get one HERE.

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The Best of 2018: Strength and Conditioning Articles

With 2018 winding down, I'm using this last week of the year to direct you to some of the most popular content of the past 12 months at EricCressey.com, as this "series" has been quite popular over the past few years. Today, we start with the most popular articles of the year; these are the pieces that received the most traffic, according to my hosting statistics.

1. The Study Every Trainer and Coach Should Read and Understand - Good movement matters - and here's the research that helps to demonstrate why.

2. How to Use the Acumobility Ball for Upper Extremity Health and Performance - I'm a huge fan of the Acumobility ball, and in this detailed video-oriented post, I discuss how we utilize it for specific work in the upper body.

3. Crossfit and Confirmation Bias - Write a blog that mentions Crossfit and get great traffic? Go figure.

4. Making Movement Better: Duct Tape or WD-40? - Should you add stability or mobility to fix a problem? Give this article a read to find out.


Source: http://laughingateverydaylife.com/2016/07/duct-tape-vs-wd40/

5. Why You Shouldn't Look Up When You Lift - It drives me bonkers to see lifters looking up at the ceiling during squats, deadlifts, and even arm care exercises. In this post, I discuss why that's the case.

I'll be back soon with another "Best of 2018" feature. Up next, the top videos of the year!

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Making Sense of Subclavius

With this week's sale on my Thoracic Outlet Syndrome course, I thought I'd highlight a really common trigger point in throwers. Look no further than subclavius. It’s stuck right between the clavicle (collarbone) and first rib (highlighted in red here).

In normal posture, the clavicle should have a slight upslope. In many throwers who sit in scapular depression, downward rotation, and/or anterior tilt, the clavicle is pulled down even more, as the collarbone interacts with the shoulder blade at the acromioclavicular joint. Wherever the scapula goes, the collarbone goes.

Here’s the problem: with overhead motion, the clavicle actually needs to rotate up as well – and a short, dense, fibrotic subclavius will restrict that movement.

Making matters worse, the subclavius works with the often hypertonic scalenes to elevate the first rib – so this muscle gets smashed from the bottom while it’s already bunched up from the top. And don’t forget that there are important nerve and vascular structures that course between these two bones as well, so subclavius is an anatomical structure that can’t be ignored anytime a thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis is considered.

From a referral standpoint, trigger points in subclavius can lead to symptoms in the anterior shoulder, biceps muscle belly, and lateral forearm all the way down to the thumb side of the hand. It’s also not uncommon to see the clavicular angle increase (upslope) after good manual therapy on subclavius in someone with a low shoulder.

In short, don’t overlook this muscle just because you’ve never heard of it or it’s really small. Taking care of it can be a game changer, whether it's with quality manual therapy, self-myofascial release on the Acumobility Ball, or a combination of the two.

Also, if you're looking to learn more about how I assess, coach, and program at the shoulder, I'd encourage you to check out my popular resource, Sturdy Shoulder Solutions. I dig in deep on functional anatomy of the upper extremity on a number of fronts in this resource; you can learn more at www.SturdyShoulders.com.

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Acumobility Self Care for the Neck – Part 5

Today is the fifth and final installment of my video series on self care for the neck and upper extremity with the Acumobility Ball. In this edition, I cover the upper traps with a four-minute video, as this approach isn't right for everyone. Don't forget that you can get 10% off on this great soft tissue tool with the coupon code cressey at www.Acumobility.com.

Thanks for sticking with me for all five videos! I hope you enjoyed them and derived some benefit.

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Acumobility Self Care for the Neck – Part 4

Today is part 4 of my series on how we utilize the Acumobility Ball for self myofascial release in the neck and upper extremity. Here, I cover the coracoid process, an attachment point for pec minor, coracobrachialis, and the short head of the biceps. Don't forget that you can get these great soft tissue resources for 10% off by using the coupon code cressey at www.Acumobility.com.

I've got one more video coming up for you tomorrow, so stay tuned!

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Acumobility Self Care for the Neck – Part 3

It's time for part 3 of my series on how we utilize the Acumobility Ball for the neck and upper extremity. Today, I cover another overlooked muscle: subclavius. Before we get to it, remember that you can get these great soft tissue resources for 10% off by using the coupon code cressey at www.Acumobility.com.

I'll be back soon with another video to keep this series going.

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Acumobility Self Care for the Neck – Part 2

Today, I've got the second video in my series on how we utilize the Acumobility Ball to perform self myofascial release in the upper extremity - and, in particular, the neck. As a reminder, the crew at Acumobility have been kind enough to provide my readers with 10% off by using the coupon code cressey at www.Acumobility.com. Today, we'll talk about the scalenes.

I'll be back soon with another video to keep this series going.

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Acumobility Self Care for the Neck – Part 1

In a recent Instagram post, I discussed how big of a fan I am of the Acumobility ball, and I got a lot of questions about how we integrate it for upper extremity and neck self-care. With that said, I wanted to kick off a series this week with a look at where we start when it comes to implementing this tool. The good folks at Acumobility have been kind enough to provide my readers with 10% off by using the coupon code cressey at www.Acumobility.com.

To kick things off, let's talk about functional anatomy and self myofascial release for the sternocleidomastoid (SCM):

I'll be back soon with a new video to keep this series going.

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How to Use the Acumobility Ball for Upper Extremity Health and Performance

I'm a big fan of utilizing the Acumobility Ball for self-myofascial release. You just need to be very careful to not work too intensely around the more delicate structures of the neck.

Check out this five-part video series on how we integrate this great tool:

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