This week's list of recommended reading:
Build Your Balance - This article at Experience Life Magazine is based on a series of interviews with me in light of my research on unstable surface training. For the more in-depth background and practical applications, you'll want to check out my e-book, The Truth About Unstable Surface Training.
Pasteurization: Awesome or Complete Garbage? - This blog post from Brian St. Pierre is very well research and presented. Let's just say you won't ever want to drink warm milk again after reading this.
Assess and Correct - Uh, duh. We introduced it earlier this week. What are you waiting for?
1. Okay, first and foremost, keep an eye out for Monday's blog, where Mike Reinold and I will officially open registration for our one-day, limited enrollment seminar. I'll have a special discount code in place for my readers to get $30 off the cost of registration for the first week only - but to be very honest, with the small size of the event, I can't imagine that it'll be a full week before it fills up. Keep an eye on this blog EARLY on Monday morning if you want to reserve your spot.
2.Here's another little teaser for you on the shoulder . I remember hearing in a seminar last year with Kevin Wilk that scapular retraction increases subacromial space by up to 200%. Those of you familiar with this stuff should know that the size of the subacromial space is a darn good predictor of shoulder pathology (check out my impingement series, part 1 and part 2 for details). It's not a large space in the first place, but if you have factors - including bone spurring, a type 3 acromion, or just terrible scapular positioning - you'll run into problems pretty quickly, particularly with overhead movements.
Now, think about the cornerstone of most traditional shoulder rehabilitation programs: rotator cuff strengthening. Now, while cuff strengthening is obviously super important, it really is only half (at most) of the equation. The cuff will help to preserve the subacromial space reasonably well because it (when healthy and strong) stabilizes the humeral head (shoulder "ball") in the glenoid fossa (shoulder "socket"). However, if the scapula is excessively protracted, that glenoid fossa won't be in the right place.
What puts the scapula in a good position? Loads of work for the lower trapezius and serratus anterior - and, further down the chain, improving thoracic spine mobility, core stability, and hip mobility. The cuff is just the tip of what is a very big iceberg...and that's why we're doing an entire seminar!
3. I'm writing about three blogs early this week because Cressey Performance's Brian St. Pierre is getting married on Saturday. Those of you who may be in attendance will be able to easily recognize Tony Gentilcore and I thanks to our keen fashion sense:
Kidding aside, Brian is a huge asset to our business, as he brings a unique skill-set to our methodology and is a big hit with all our clients. We're all really happy for him and his fiancee. Head on over to his blog and give him some love.
4. On Thursday, I put in some work to update the Baseball Content section of the website. It basically just compiles all the baseball-related writing I've done in one place. Check it out!
5. It's playoff time, so you know what that means: time for the wheels to come off for the Yankees (the commentary on this is great).
This week is a stand-alone recommendation just because I think it's an important one. It comes from CP staff member and nutrition expert Brian St. Pierre:
The Real Truth of Acai
At least once a week, someone tries to sell me MonaVie in quite possibly the most obnoxious pyramiding scheme in retail history. It gets old really quickly - so I just ignore those solicitations altogether.
Amen, Brian. Amen.
Here's a collection of stuff I encourage you to check out this week:
The Return of BSP - I really enjoyed CP staff member Brian St. Pierre's latest blog post on supplements. Some people just need a smack in the face to wake up from idiocy.
Research links Nicotine to Pre-Diabetes - And you thought that only junk carbs, poor genes, and a lack of exercise makes folks insulin resistant. In reality, it sounds like smoking does as well.
Self-Ankle Mobilization to Increase Dorsiflexion - Here's a cool new video Bill Hartman just posted on ankle mobilizations. I've used stuff like this in the past on my own ankle and it definitely makes the mobilization more effective.
