It's a rough Monday morning for Patriots fans, but the show must go on! Here's some recommended reading/listening for you while I cry in my coffee.
The Culture Code - This new release from Dan Coyle is absolutely outstanding. I'm about 3/4 of the way through it and really enjoying every page. Whether you work in team sports, own your own business, or just want to make your work environment better, there's something for you. Get it.
EC on The Ready State Podcast with Kelly and Juliet Starrett - I hopped on Kelly and Juliet Starrett's podcast to discuss training kids, and it was one of my favorite podcasts that I've ever done. We covered some really important stuff, so I'd encourage you to have a listen.
When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing - I just finished up this new book from Daniel Pink, and it was outstanding. He covers everything from nutrition, to exercise, to career success, to economic ups and downs, to sleep quantity/timing. It was a really entertaining read with many applications to the strength and conditioning field.
Organic vs. "Forced" Lay Back in the Pitching Delivery - This mechanics discussion from CSP-MA pitching coordinator Christian Wonders is very important stuff to understand if you work with pitchers.
In your coaching repertoire, you have auditory (talk), kinesthetic (position), and visual (demonstrate) coaching cues. If you as a coach don't move well yourself, you diminish your effectiveness with visual approaches. Practice what you preach and you keep your toolbox full.
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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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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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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I hope you're having a good week. I'm shifting this series to later in the week because I'm doing more of my writing on Sundays these days, so look for Thu/Fri "round-up"posts from here on out. Here are some good reads from around the 'net over the past week:
EC on the Seams Legit Podcast - This is a two-part interview I did with Nick Friar. We discuss baseball development and our work with (among others) Corey Kluber, Max Scherzer, and Noah Syndergaard.
The man, the myth, the Monte (@Team_Harrison3) taking slideboard bodysaw push-ups to the next level with some chains. This is a great drill for challenging not only upper body strength and mobility, but also core control. #cspfamily#brewerspic.twitter.com/7Pc4M0L968
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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As I promised back in November, I've decided to dedicate a regular series to the principles that govern a lot of our program design at Cressey Sports Performance. Here's the second installment:
1. A few positional breathing drills can be a game changer, but don't let them take over the training session.
Positional breathing drills have really surged in popularity in recent years, largely thanks to the great work of the folks at the Postural Restoration Institute. Forceful exhalation in certain positions can both activate certain muscles and inhibit others. Take, for instance, TRX Deep Squat Breathing with Lat Stretch.
We're firing up several muscles of exhalation: rectus abdominus, external obliques, serratus anterior - and toning down our lats, rhomboids, lumbar extensors, and calves (to name a few). It's not uncommon for folks to get up from this exercise after 30 seconds and feel dramatically different.
That said, as is often the case in the fitness industry, if a little is good, then a lot must be better, right? It didn't take long for us to find the zealots who are spending 30 minutes doing positional breathing at the start of every training session. It's somewhat analogous to the folks who foam roll for an hour every day.
You're better off doing 1-2 breathing drills at the start of a warm-up (and possibly as a cool-down) and then following it up with good resistance training technique to make those transient changes "stick." Patience and persistence always win out over short-term "overindulgence."
2. Follow these two great Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) strategies.
SFMA was one of the better courses I've taken in the past few years, and two programming principles they discuss really stand out:
a. Chase dysfunctional, non-painful patterns first.
Let's say someone walks in with a cranky shoulder that's limited into internal rotation: a dysfunctional, painful pattern. If you just throw caution to the wind and stretch that shoulder into internal rotation, more often than not, you're going to flare things up even further.
Let's say that individual also has a pronounced scapular anterior tilt and very limited thoracic extension and rotation. If you do some soft tissue work on pec minor and work in some thoracic spine mobilizations, there is a very good chance that when you go back to retest shoulder internal rotation, it'll be improved and pain-free. Sometimes, the best way to get from A to B is through C or D.
b. Find and address areas were passive range-of-motion far exceeds active ROM.
There's a reason a lot of gymnasts and dancers retire with stress fractures in their lower backs; they have a lot of passive range-of-motion, but not always much motor control to stabilize those ranges of motion. This is why it's important to have assessments that test both passive and active ROMs (straight leg raises and supine vs. standing shoulder flexion are great examples). And, you need to have training initiatives that build control in those passive ranges.
3. Check out the Acumobility Ball.
I posted this on my Instagram and thought it might be of interest. The Acumobility Ball has been a game changer for us. You can save 10% on it at www.Acumobility.com with the coupon code cressey.
Here's a little example of how we'd use it on the pec minor/coracobrachialis/short head of biceps attachments on the coracoid process.
4. There's nothing that says you have to progress or regress programming - and there are many different ways to make lateral moves.
As few years ago, Charlie Weingroff coined the term "lateralizations" for times when you don't progress or regress an exercise, but rather, move laterally.
An example would be something along the lines of going from a standing 1-arm cable row to a split-stance 1-arm cable row. There really isn't any change to exercise complexity, but it does give the trainee some variety in their programming.
I'd say that lateralizations are the most useful with adult clients who don't have crazy lofty fitness goals - and therefore aren't interested in taking on a ton of risk in their training programs. They might not crave being sore all the time from all the innovative new exercises you can throw at them. Lateralizations can keep training fun via novelty without adding a steep learning curve.
Additionally, remember that exercise selection isn't the only way to progress or regress the challenge to the athlete or client in front of you. You can increase or decrease volume, alter the tempo, modify the load, or adjust the rest intervals.
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Happy New Year! Thanks for your support of EricCressey.com in 2017. I've got some great things in store for 2018. Let's kick it off with some content from around the 'net.
For the most part, you can throw "sport-specific" out the window in an untrained population. The basic movement and strength foundation - squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull - is pretty universal for all sports.
I've already highlighted the top articles and videos I put out at EricCressey.com in 2017, so now it's time for the top guest posts of the year. Here goes…
1. Is a Calorie Really Just a Calorie? - Brian St. Pierre tackled this hot topic in the nutrition world and (unsurprisingly) it generated a lot of buzz.
2. Should You Even Stretch? - Dean Somerset always comes through with great content on the corrective exercise side of things.
3. 5 Tips for Improved Client Relationships - Brett Velon was one of the best interns we've ever had, and it had a lot to do with his amazing ability to build rapport with clients so quickly. He shares some of his tips here.
