Home Posts tagged "Bulletproof Knees"

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale

I don't know about you, but I can't think of anything I would rather do less than get up at 4am and go stand in line at some store with thousands of other people to take advantage of some sale.  And, it's with that in mind that Mike Robertson, Bill Hartman, Mike Reinold, and I are proud to announce a sale through Monday (11/28) at midnight on the following products: Assess and Correct DVD Set Inside-Out DVD Set Magnificent Mobility DVD The Bulletproof Knees and Back Seminar DVD Set Building the Efficient DVD Set 2008 Indianapolis Performance Enhancement Seminar DVD Set The Single-leg Solution DVD Set and Manual Bulletproof Knees Manual and DVD Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD Set I've linked to each one of these products individually so that you can learn more about each of them, but you can purchase them individually or together easily at the Robertson Training Systems Product Page. The only exception would be Optimal Shoulder Performance, which can be purchased exclusively through www.ShoulderPerformance.com with the coupon code bfcm2011. If you're someone who is "new" to our products, I'd encourage you to check out this video on Assess and Correct to learn a bit more about how we roll with one of these products.  Assess and Correct is a great place to start, if you haven't purchased any of our stuff yet:

Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift!
Name
Email
Read more

Random Friday Thoughts: 8/27/10

I didn't do a "random thoughts" feature last week, so I'll have to be extra random this week to make up for it. 1.  Bam!

guyswalksintoabar

You weren't expecting me to come out with such amazing humor, were you?  Let that be a lesson to you; nobody is more random than EC (and nobody pulls off referring to himself in the third person better, either). 2. We all know that warm-ups are importance for enhancing power output, grooving appropriate neural patterns, and avoiding injury.  Here is some cool research that demonstrates how much more effective an active warm-up is than a passive warm-up when it comes to metabolic responses to exercise.  Namely, those who undergo an active warm-up demonstrate increased oxygen uptake and lower heart rate at a given workload than those participating in a passive warm-up (or no warm-up at all). Anecdotally, I can tell you that there have been some days where I have felt like there was lead in my shoes and that there was no way I could get any interval training in on a day I'd planned to do so.  However, after a good dynamic flexibility warm-up, things "miraculously" got a lot easier. 3. A big congratulations go out to CP baseball athletes Jordan Cote, who committed to Coastal Carolina, and Joe Napolitano, who committed to Wake Forest. Both made their decisions last week and were featured at ESPN Boston.  We're proud of our boys! 4. Likewise, I've got to give a congratulations to CP athlete and Lincoln-Sudbury All-American soccer player Cole DeNormandie, who became the second CP athlete featured on the cover of ESPN Rise Magazine in just the past few months (he joins Vanderbilt-bound pitcher Tyler Beede):

cole-espn-rise

5. Mike Robertson published a three part series on Knee Pain Basics this past week; it is absolutely fantastic and I'd strongly encourage you to check it out.  Here are the links: Part 1 - Philosophy Part 2 - Programming Part 3 - Coaching Along these same lines, if you haven't checked out Mike's Bulletproof Knees Manual yet, I'd strongly encourage you to do so; it's an excellent resource.

bpk

6. Greg Robins recently came down to spend some time observing the madness at Cressey Performance, and wrote up a detailed review of his experience; check it out: Science and Attitude: My Trip to Cressey Performance. 7. Here is a link to a great blog from Bret Contreras; it's definitely worth a read: Sprint Research, Biomechanics, and Practical Implications - An Interview with Matt Brughelli. 8. I need some advice from the dog lovers out there.  Both my fiancee and I grew up with dogs and are thinking about getting a puppy after our wedding (less than six weeks away right now).  We both agree that we want something small - but at the same time, I'd like something that doesn't make me want to instantly turn in my man card, like the silky poo for which she is currently pushing:

silkypoo-450x300

I actually really like bulldogs, but that's going to be a tough sell for her unless it's a "hybrid" where you can't see a whole lot of bulldog.  Plus, I know a lot of people have said that they have a higher propensity for health issues.  I like puggles, mini pincers, and a few others, but what do those of you in-the-know suggest?  Thanks for any help you can offer!

Please enter your email below to sign up for our FREE newsletter.
Name
Email
Read more

Who “Kneeds” Normal Knees?

Okay, this subject line was undoubtedly the worst of all time, but I promise that the information that follows will be worth reading. A lot of you were probably hoping that you were out of the woods after I told you how bad your lower backs and shoulders look on diagnostic imaging such as MRIs.  I'm sorry to say that these "normal" structural disasters also apply to the knees. A 2010 review from Flanigan et al. looked at studies that collectively examined the (1,862) knees of 931 athletes (40% of whom were professional athletes) using MRI and arthroscopy.  They found that 36% of these knees had full-thickness chondral defects, but 14% of these subjects had no symptoms when diagnosed.  The researchers concluded that "Over one-half of asymptomatic athletes have a full-thickness defect."

chondral-defect

Years earlier, Cook et al. screened 134 elite junior basketball players (268 total knees) for patellar tendinopathy.  At the time, only 19 (7%) of the 268 tendons presented with symptoms (pain) of tendinopathy.  Interestingly, though, under diagnosis with ultrasound, researchers actually found that 26% of all the tendons could be labeled tendinopathy based on the degenerative changes observed.  In other words, for every one that actually presents clinically with symptoms, more than three more go undiagnosed because people either haven't reached threshold, or they move well enough to keep symptoms at bay.  Or they are Kurt Rambis and can just look so awkward that nobody even pays attention to their knee sleeve.

hh_rambis_19jan2007

On the "move well enough" side of things, check out this study from Edwards et al.  They showed that these athletes with asymptomatic patellar tendinopathy actually land differently - both in terms of muscle recruitment and sequencing - than asymptomatic athletes without tendinopathy.  Fix that movement pattern neurally and strengthen the right muscles, and those issues never reach threshold.  Leave it alone, and they'll be presenting with knee pain sooner than later.  Mike Robertson does a great job of outlining ways to improve knee health via movement retraining in his Bulletproof Knees Manual.

bpk

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  You'll see loads of chronic ACL and meniscus tears that folks never realize they have.  I could go on and on. The take-home messages?  Yet again, diagnostic imaging is just one piece of the puzzle, and how you move is far more important. Related Posts The Importance of Ankle Mobility Healthy Knees, Steady Progress
Read more

The Lucky 13: Cressey’s Top Reading Recommendations

A few months ago, I gave a two-day seminar to just over 80 fitness professionals and strength and conditioning coaches.  Even with a seminar this long, I can never cover everything I'd like to cover - and it's generally because much of what I'd like to address relies on some prerequisite knowledge that the attendees may not possess.

seminar

With that in mind, at the attendees' request, I sent a follow up email to all of them with a list of some of the best resources - books/manuals and DVDs - that I've encountered along my journey of self-education. Please keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list, by any means, but it does cover what I'd consider requisite reading to get a good foundation in a lot of the concepts I covered last weekend. 1.  Any anatomy text will do, but I prefer texts that speak more to functional anatomy.  Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy is very good, and I know of many physical therapists in the US who keep a copy of this book on hand for patient education.  Kinetic Anatomy is also a solid text that speaks to functional anatomy, and I believe the newer version comes with a tag-along DVD.  Lastly, our Building the Efficient Athlete DVD set was created in part to educate folks on the functional anatomy side of things that they may miss during a conventional college curriculum.  I know of several facilities in the US that use it extensively for staff training. 2. Anything from Stuart McGill - While there are several schools of thought with respect to low back function and rehabilitation (and I'd encourage you to check out each of them), McGill is the one that resonates with me the most.  You can find a lot of his research on Pubmed, but he also has several books (and a DVD) available that I'd highly recommend.  For those of you who are interested in some science and some applied, go with Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance.

mcgill

For those of you who are a bit geekier and want to learn a lot more about the clinical side of things, check out Low Back Disorders.  If you are going to train clients or athletes, you need to understand back pain. 3. Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes by Shirley Sahrmann is probably the book that has influenced me more than any other in my career.  It's worth every penny.

sahrmann

4. For shoulder stuff, I think that The Athlete's Shoulder is a great resource.  It is written by physical therapists and surgeons, though, so it can get very clinical at times.  Those of you who are more interested in actual practical applications would be more interested in our new Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set, which is the video of a seminar I did with Mike Reinold, who is actually one of the co-authors of The Athlete's Shoulder.  If you enter the coupon code "reinold200osp" today only at checkout HERE, you can get the DVD set with free shipping today as part of Mike's "sale week" to celebrate his 200th post.

shoulder-performance-dvdcover

5. Muscles: Testing and Function with Posture and Pain - This is a newer version of Kendall's classic text, and it's an incredibly detailed resource that you'll find yourself referring back to time and time again.  Several of the screens we use in our everyday assessments with clients and athletes were influenced in part or entirely by Kendall's text. 6. Gray Cook's work is fantastic.  If you want quick, practical tips, check out Secrets of the Hip and Knee and Secrets of the Shoulder.  Both DVDs give you some tips that you can immediately put into practice. 7. Anatomy Trains by Thomas Myers is an excellent read to get you thinking more and more about the role of the fascial system.  I saw Thomas speak this past weekend in Providence, and he was absolutely fantastic - so excellent, in fact, that I'll probably write up a blog with some quick notes from his lecture.  And, I'll be reading this for the third time this week, too!

anatomy-trains

8. Bulletproof Knees - Mike Robertson wrote this manual and I can honestly say that I haven't seen a better product on the market with respect to information that can be quickly applied to clients with knee pain - both in terms of understanding it and correcting it.

bpk

9. Mike Boyle has some excellent products - including all the Functional Strength Coach DVDs (#3 was the most recent).  You can always find some good reading at StrengthCoach.com.  I believe they still have the 14 days for $1 trial period, and as part of that, you get his Designing Resistance Training Programs and Facilities book for free. 10. Anatomy of Breathing - I think it's valuable to appreciate the muscles involved in respiration and start to put them into your functional anatomy framework as soon as possible.  This book is a very quick read, but you'll get that foundational knowledge and start to think about how all this stuff lines up.

anatomyofbreathing

11. 2008 Indianapolis Performance Enhancement DVD set - This is a product that has largely flown under the radar because it was overshadowed by several other products that were launched around the same time.  However, the short vs. stiff discussion that Bill Hartman presented as part of it is well worth the cost of the entire DVD set. 12. Clinical Applications of Neuromuscular Techniques (Part 1 and 2) - These books read like stereo instructions, but they are insanely thorough.  I recommend them to anyone who is really dorky like I am.  They will definitely help you to collaborate with manual therapists and physiotherapists a lot more effectively. 13. Assess and Correct - Shameless self-promotion here, but I'm extremely proud of this product.  It's a DVD set and four accompanying manuals that cover 27 assessments and 78 corrective exercises we use with our clients and athletes.  If I had to recommend one of our products to a trainer, this would be it.  Stuart McGill have us some extremely flattering reviews on Assess and Correct as part of his new DVD.

Layout 1

I should note that the countless journal articles I've read over the years are noticeably absent from this list, but you can easily access the abstracts of those pieces at www.pubmed.com if you search by whatever keyword relates to your area of interest.  I find myself using it daily, and I'll generally follow up on these abstracts by getting the full-text articles.  Also, in addition to the few resources I note below, you can find a more extensive collection of recommended readings on my resources page. This includes a collection of links to free blogs that I read daily.  Many of my blog readers don't know that, in addition to this blog, I have a free newsletter where readers get exclusive content and early notice on things - so you'll definitely want to sign up HERE if you haven't already. It's also been a matter of interacting with as many smart folks as possible, just making (and documenting) observations with our clients/athletes, and going to seminars.  This list should get you started, though!
Read more

Stuff You Should Read: 4/27/10

Here are some reading recommendations for the week: Q&A: Partial Knee Meniscectomy - Here is a great blog from Mike Robertson about training modifications for those who have had a portion of the meniscus removed.  Mike's a brilliant knee guy (definitely check out Bulletproof Knees if you haven't already).  Stick around Mike's site and read a bit; he's been kicking out some great content lately. bpkAre You Inflamed? - This is a good one on the nutrition side of things from Mike Roussell. What Makes Roy Run? - This was an awesome article about Roy Halladay from a few weeks ago in Sports Illustrated.  To be blunt, a ton of professional baseball pitchers are lazy, one-trick ponies who rely on natural talent and don't work hard to fulfill their potential.  Halladay is an exception to that rule: a guy who has worked incredibly hard to become arguably the best pitcher in the game.  This is a tremendously well-written and entertaining piece about the path he took and how he deserves every bit of success that comes his way.  Phillies fans are lucky to have him.
Read more

Got Bum Knees? Want to Prevent Them? Check out this Sale.

Just wanted to give you all a heads-up that Mike Robertson is running a customer appreciation sale on Bulletproof Knees this week.  If you enter the coupon code KNEES2010 at checkout, it'll get you $15 off the cost of the product.  I've raved about this resource in the past, as I think it's the single-best corrective exercise product on the market with respect to knee pain.

bpk

Check it out: Bulletproof Knees. This sale only goes through the end of the day on Thursday, February 11.

Read more

Random Friday Thoughts: 9/11/09

1. First off, I hope everyone takes a moment our of their day today to remember all those who lost their lives in 2001. 2. I'd encourage you guys to check out a great article from Chris Shugart at T-Muscle on the topic of Vitamin D: "D" is for Doping A lot of you know that I've been a huge advocate of supplemental Vitamin D for about two years now, and this article outlines a lot of reasons why I'm such a fan. 3. It was a great night in Double A playoffs for a few CP athletes last night. Huntsville Star Steffan Wilson - just one day after a call-up from High A - hit a game-winning 3-run homerun in the opener of a five-game playoff series.  Steffan is a corner infielder in the Brewers System. At the same time, CP athlete and San Antonio (Padres AA) pitcher Will Inman picked up the win to even up their playoff series at 1-1. 4. Along those same lines, here are a few recent articles about some CP athletes: Quinn Begins Southern Quest Size Doesn't Matter: A Conversation with Blue Jays Pitching Prospect Tim Collins 5. Check out this study, which reported a markedly different neuromuscular pattern in those athletes who ruptured ACLs as compared to those who didn't. In a nutshell, at pre-screening, prior to a cutting maneuver, all five players who went on to rupture ACLs actually recruited more vastus lateralis (quads) and less semitendinosis (hamstrings).  It isn't surprising that this would be an injury predisposition, as the hamstrings work synergistically with the ACL.  Reduce hamstrings activity, and the ACL has to take on more of the stress.  It's the same old Active vs. Passive Restraints discussion we've had in the past. The bigger question, in my eyes, is why certain individuals showed this tendencies.  Was it their builds (greater Q angles)?  Prior training programs that may have omitted things?  A combination of the two? Interested in learning more?  I highly recommend checking out Bulletproof Knees; Mike Robertson did a fantastic job with it.

bpk

Have a great weekend!

Read more

The “Don’t Squat” Recommendation

I always love it when folks come back from doctors with the "don't squat" recommendation.  My immediate response is, "So you aren't allowed to go to the bathroom?" Obviously, I'm saying this pretty tongue-in-cheek, as I know they're referring to squatting under significant loads.  However, I wish we'd get more doctors who would appreciate that certain things (e.g., squatting) are important parts of our daily lives, and that those with knee pain need to learn how to squat correctly, not avoid it altogether. Learning to sit back and hinge at the hip can give a majority of knee pain sufferers relief from symptoms when they do have to do a squatting motion during their daily lives.  Effectively, when one squats this way, it reduces shear stress at the knee and places the load more on the hip extensors: glutes, hamstrings, and adductor magnus.  These muscles have big cross-sectional areas and can easily handle the burden of squatting. I hate to play devil's advocate, but it's a perfect example of a scenario where a doctor only sees pathology and not movements.  It never ceases to amaze me how simply alternating movement patterns can markedly reduce how symptomatic a pathology is - and this is where good physical therapists and trainers/coaches come in.  A lot of doctors are extremely well-schooled in diagnostics, but have little background in terms of mechanisms of injury (particularly for chronic injuries), optimal rehabilitation , and the hugely important role soft tissue restrictions play in the development of pain.  Often, these issues are left unaddressed and an individual still gets healthy simply because the doctor has contraindicated so many exercise modalities that a patient gets better only through resting the irritated tissues. With respect to the knee, Mike Robertson has put forth some great material on this front in his Bulletproof Knees manual.

bpk

Read more

How to Train around Knee Pain

Q: I've just bought your book Maximum Strength. I think it is wonderful. I've seen noticeable changes in just 2 weeks on the program. The only problem I have stumbled on is my weak knees/hips. My knees get very sore when I do the squats and make a grinding noise when i bend them. I was wondering if there was any sort of stretching or warm up i could do along with the designated one that would strengthen them and help me gain the maximum lower body results. A: Give this a shot for the knee: 1. Do reverse lunges instead of walking lunges in Phase 1. 2. Box squat on both days (easier on the knee) and wait until phase 2 to front squat. When you box squat, do it barefoot or in a shoe without heel-lift (Nike Fress and Converse All-Stars are good) - not in regular cross trainers. 3. Deadlifts, pull-throughs, rack pulls, etc. should be fine. I think you will be okay with the knee, but if you feel any tweaks, skip that exercise, add a few sets to the next one. The foam rolling and mobility stuff in the book should get it on track pretty quickly, but I'd still highly recommend Bulletproof Knees for you as a resource to use in conjunction with Maximum Strength. This would definitely be a useful investment for you, as there are a lot of drills that you can use to complement the MS program to keep training hard as you get healthy. For more information about Maximum Strength, head HERE.
Read more
Page
LEARN HOW TO DEADLIFT
  • Avoid the most common deadlifting mistakes
  • 9 - minute instructional video
  • 3 part follow up series