It's been a hectic week in South Florida with Hurricane Matthew preparations on top of the baseball off-season, but we lucked out as the storm moved past us in Jupiter before coming ashore further North. Hopefully all our readers in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas are safe and sound! 

That said, here's a little content to get the week going:

Elevation Training Masks: An Analysis - I've been meaning to write a similar post up for a long time, but suffice it to say that I never got around to it. Luckily, Doug Kechijian made it happen and did a great job. Elevation masks are a waste of time and money - and have potentially negative side effects.

Gym Owner Musings: Installment 2 - My business partner, Pete Dupuis, discusses a few of the lessons we've learned in running Cressey Sports Performance for the past 9+ years. I think point #3 on early-stage "learning by doing."

The Ideal Business Podcast with John Berardi - Dr. John Berardi was been a great friend and mentor to me, and he shares some awesome business development wisdom in this podcast with Pat Rigsby. I thought the portion of the interview where he talks about the importance of saying "No" was particularly intriguing (and an area in which I need to improve!). 

Top Tweet of the Week:

Systems are important, but culture determines whether those systems actually work. Lessons from Belichick & Maddon: https://t.co/6fxpZMMGZc pic.twitter.com/5UEFV54QLX

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) October 9, 2016

Top Instagram Post of the Week:  

 

Marlins prospect Tyler Kinley has 99 problems, and slideboard reverse lunges with a front squat grip are definitely one of them. #cspfamily #elitebaseball

A video posted by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Oct 8, 2016 at 8:19am PDT

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

Another week, another Patriots win and fantasy football victory for me! I'll keep talking about it in this weekly blog until the luck wears off! 

That said, let's look at some top picks from around the web from the past week:

They Myths of Mental Toughness Training: Part 1 and Part 2 - Doug Kechijian is a super bright physical therapist who also happens to have extensive military experience. So, you could say that this fantastic two-part article comes from excellent perspectives in multiple regards.

Physical Preparation Podcast with Boo Schexnayder - This podcast from Mike Robertson is several months old, but I actually went back and listened to it a second time. There are loads of pearls of wisdom in there for any coach from any discipline.

Podcast Q&A with Dr. Stuart McGill - There was some excellent information on the lower back front in this interview for Dean Somerset's site. The discussion of calcification in the spine of lifters of various proficiency is fascinating, and is around the 18-minute mark.

Top Tweet of the Week:

6 Reasons Anterior Core Stability Exercises Are Essential https://t.co/kMdbLHG9bK pic.twitter.com/xFYE5GCshE

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) September 17, 2016

Top Instagram Post of the Week:  

 

Getting back to some sumo #deadlifts after a little hiatus from this variation. Worked up to 530x4 with a focus on technique and bar speed here in week 1. #cspfamily

A video posted by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Sep 18, 2016 at 2:24pm PDT

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

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Here's a little recommended reading from the strength and conditioning world to get the week started off on the right foot:

EC on the Movement Fix Podcast - Dr. Ryan DeBell had me on his podcast a few weeks ago, and we talked about everything from business to evaluations and programming for overhead athletes.

Recap of the 2016 Perform Better Functional Training Summit - Harold Gibbons wrote up this great review of the Perform Better presentations he attended recently in Providence. I've been presenting on the PB tour for ten years now, and I can honestly say that these events are the best value in continuing education in the fitness industry today. I'd highly recommend checking them out, if you haven't already.

A Comparison of Different Commercial Models of Physical Assessment: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 - This outstanding series from physical therapist Doug Kechijian discusses the utility of three different clinical approaches - PRI, FMS/SFMA, and FRC - and how they all deserve a place in your comprehensive approach.

Top Tweet of the Week:

Top Instagram Post of the Week:

 

In your life, you have friends, mentors, and people who change your life so immeasurably that neither of those two words can possibly do them justice. Alwyn Cosgrove falls into that third category for me. In my email account, I have a folder called "AC Stuff." It's a collection of literally hundreds of emails Alwyn sent me from 2005-2008 on topics relating to professional development and starting a fitness business. Without these invaluable lessons, there probably wouldn't be a @cresseysportsperformance today (let alone facilities in both MA AND FL). This generosity with his time and expertise was remarkable enough, but what makes these interactions even more incredible is that Alwyn was doling out this advice while he was beating Stage IV cancer for the second time. Between bouts of chemotherapy, he was passing along reading recommendations. As he prepared for his stem cell transplant, he was describing the ins and outs of semi-private training to me. If that's not the very definition of "selfless," I don't know what is. Always good to see you, buddy. You should get Instagram so that you can actually read this. :)

A photo posted by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Jul 18, 2016 at 5:08pm PDT

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

Monday, Fun day! I hope you all had a great weekend. Here's some recommended strength and conditioning reading to kick the week off for you:

4 Tips for Stronger Client Connections - Todd Bumgardner provides some excellent tips for anyone - especially the personal trainer - who is in the business of dealing with people.

Usain Bolt, the Movement Police, and Keyboard Sprinting Experts - Doug Kechijian is a super bright physical therapist who isn't afraid to tell it like it is - and this article is a fantastic example of his candor and openmindedness. 

With Scholarship Limit, College Baseball Careers come with a Cost - This is an excellent piece by Dirk Chatelain on scholarship limitations and their financial implications in collegiate baseball. 

Top Tweet of the Week:

Top Instagram Post of the Week:

 

Working on scapular upward rotation with some @officialccbl pitchers at Fenway today. #cspfamily #capecodbaseball

A photo posted by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Jul 7, 2016 at 10:18am PDT

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