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We're excited to welcome Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Soroka to the podcast. A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Lumberlend. Head to www.Lumberlend.com and enter the coupon code CRESSEY to get 10% off on your order as you customize a bat mug today.
Show Outline
- How growing up playing baseball in Canada influenced Mike’s early career
- How playing for the Canadian national team as a teenager allowed Mike to compete against the best and learn to fail forward at a young age
- How Mike transformed from a lanky 6-2, 140-pound high school ball player to one of the youngest players in the big leagues
- What has led Mike to his unique pitching delivery and what positions he prioritizes feeling throughout his throwing motion to remain consistent while still preserving his deception on the mound
- How Mike differentiates his two-seam and four-seam fastball
- How Mike learned to spin and manipulate the movement of a baseball by playing with a Wiffle Ball as a kid
- What key skills and major adjustments helped Mike progress through the minors quickly
- How learning to command the zone, specifically in different counts, has given Mike an edge in pro ball
- How having a true grasp of reality and embracing a growth mindset have allowed Mike to shape his mentality to be a mature and successful young pitcher
- Why making mental adjustments are just as influential as making mechanical adjustments when working to be consistently successful, and how learning to make adjustments on the fly have given Mike an advantage
- How Mike’s curiosity for answers and appreciation for details have allowed him to master the intricacies of the game of baseball
- How Mike structures his throwing and training programs on a 5-day rotation, and how he takes advantage of the high-low model to manage stress throughout the season
- What Mike’s schedule is on game day
You can follow Mike on Instagram at @mikesoroka_ and on Twitter at @mike_soroka28.
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by Lumberlend Co. If you're looking for a unique gift for a baseball fan in your life, you'll definitely want to check this out: they've hollowed out the bat barrel and created a cool drinking mug. You can customize these with colors, names, logos, and photographs. They're also an officially licensed MLBPA product, so you can get your favorite teams and players incorporated into the designs. I've used these as gifts with great feedback, so I'm confident you'd experience the same. Just head to Lumberlend.com and enter the coupon code CRESSEY to get 10% off as you design yours today.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
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We're excited to welcome the co-founder of Precision Nutrition, Dr. John Berardi to this week's podcast. In lieu of a sponsor this week, we've just got a reminder about this year's fall seminar and business building mentorship at CSP-MA. They'll take place September 21-23; you can learn more HERE.
Show Outline
- How Berardi became the fitness influencer and successful businessman he is today
- Where Precision Nutrition began, and how John has grown a massively successful company in the health industry
- What the core values and mission of Precision Nutrition are
- How John differentiates Precision Nutrition through the creation of digestible, interactive content and what John’s model is for mastering marketing and creating influential content consistently
- How understanding the basics of nutrition and executing the simple things at the table are the common problems of all populations John works with
- What John’s first step is when working with a new client looking to change their eating habits
- How John works to define his client’s health goals and identify their dietary limiting factors in order to drive behavioral changes that will yield results
- Why John strives to inspire autonomy in his clients by creating a simple nutritional plan built on small changes rather than creating a complicated, restrictive eating experience with rules and regulations
- How parents can learn to speak more effectively with their children about food and what strategies they can implement to create an atmosphere of happy, healthy eating
- How John approaches educating his athletic populations about nutrition
- How John deals with athletes who want to make drastic changes to their eating habits and experiment with a new type of eating (i.e. keto, gluten-free, vegan, etc.)
- How John would update his “7 Habits of Highly Effective Nutrition Programs” if he were to rewrite them today
- How individuals can fine tune their eating environment and become more attuned with their hunger and appetite
- How John’s new book, can help health and fitness industry professionals learn more about business, building a reputation, and orienting a career
Here's where you can find John and Precision Nutrition on the web:
Precision Nutrition (Facebook)
Precision Nutrition (Instagram)
JohnBerardi.com
PrecisionNutrition.com
ChangeMakerAcademy.com
And, to pre-order his new book, head to the following link: Ch ange Maker: Turn Your Passion for Health and Fitness into a Powerful Purpose and Wildly Successful Career
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
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We're excited to welcome Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Alex Wood to this week's podcast. A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Athletic Greens. Head to http://www.athleticgreens.com/cressey and you'll receive a free 10-pack of Athletic Greens travel packets with your first order.
Show Outline
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. It’s an all-in-one superfood supplement with 75 whole-food sourced ingredients designed to support your body’s nutrition needs across 5 critical areas of health: 1) energy, 2) immunity, 3) gut health, 4) hormonal support, and 5) healthy aging. Head to www.AthleticGreens.com/cressey and claim my special offer today - 20 FREE travel packs (valued at $79) - with your first purchase. I use this product daily myself and highly recommend it to our athletes as well. I'd encourage you to give it a shot, too - especially with this great offer.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
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I'm flying solo for this week's podcast, as I wanted to tackle a controversial topic in the world of baseball development: distance running. Before we get to it, though, a special thanks to this show's sponsor, Athletic Greens. Head to http://www.athleticgreens.com/cressey and you'll receive a free 10-pack of Athletic Greens travel packets with your first order.
Show Outline
- Why “traditionalism” is so rooted in baseball, leading to distance running becoming commonplace
- How athletic performance is a multifactorial equation and coaches should avoid pinpointing success to one specific methodology and being married to the n=1 training approach
- Why skill coaches need to appreciate the dynamic nature of exercise science and understand that what we know about training athletes is remarkably different from decades prior
- How the athletes playing baseball have grown to be bigger and heavier over the decades and what the implications are for using outdated training practices with this new breed of baseball players
- How physiological adaptations are incredibly specific
- Why coaches need to better understand the energy system demands of baseball and employ methodologies that build an aerobic base rather than thrash their athletes and end up training the players anaerobically
- Why clearing lactic acid is a poor excuse for using distance running and what the real reasons are for feeling fresh after long distance, low intensity running
- Why building an aerobic base is necessary for athletic performance and vital for acute and chronic recovery
- How training an aerobic base requires a much lower intensity than most athletes and coaches think
- Why using a low amplitude, low variability movement, like distance running, is insufficient for training a high amplitude, low variability movement, like pitching
- How coaches can implement more practical methods, such as mobility circuits, to drive adaptations, preserve strength and power qualities, and optimize recovery
- When the ideal time is to target the aerobic system – and how these benefits can best be preserved throughout a season
Mentioned Resources: Building Aerobic Capacity with Mobility Circuits
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. It’s an all-in-one superfood supplement with 75 whole-food sourced ingredients designed to support your body’s nutrition needs across 5 critical areas of health: 1) energy, 2) immunity, 3) gut health, 4) hormonal support, and 5) healthy aging. Head to www.AthleticGreens.com/cressey and claim my special offer today - 20 FREE travel packs (valued at $79) - with your first purchase. I use this product daily myself and highly recommend it to our athletes as well. I'd encourage you to give it a shot, too - especially with this great offer.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
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We're excited to welcome Chicago Cubs reliever Brandon Kintzler to this week's podcast. A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Athletic Greens. Head to http://www.athleticgreens.com/cressey and you'll receive a free 10-pack of Athletic Greens travel packets with your first order.
Show Outline
- How Brandon progressed from being a two-time 40th round draft pick out of Dixie State University to an MLB All-Star (while being released and going to Independent ball along the way)
- How training to be healthy and durable allowed him to become a student of the game, recover from his injuries, and find success in pro ball
- How Brandon has learned to effectively throw a sinker
- Why having good direction in your delivery and mastering your lower half mechanics is essential to be able to stay behind the baseball, create late arm speed, and power through a two-seam fastball
- Why Brandon chooses to stick to his strengths and hold firm in his belief in the effectiveness of his two-seam even while so many MLB pitchers shift toward 4-seamers
- How Brandon’s velocity has steadily increased since coming back from injury and why he chooses to live in his sweet spot for velocity rather than throwing as hard as he possibly can
- Why Brandon is throwing more off-speed pitches in recent years and how simplifying his mechanics have allowed him to have more consistent, repeatable stuff
- Why Brandon struggled in the 2018 season and how straying from his game plan to chase more strikeouts turned out to be detrimental to his game
- Where Brandon is most misunderstood by the public and why he has chosen to spend his energy being his genuine self rather than worrying about his image portrayed by the media
- How beating Steve Cishek in a round of golf has led to a hilarious prank war between the two teammates
- How Brandon has developed a relationship with Cy Young Award winner, Max Scherzer, and how the two challenge each other to be better pitchers year in and year out
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. It’s an all-in-one superfood supplement with 75 whole-food sourced ingredients designed to support your body’s nutrition needs across 5 critical areas of health: 1) energy, 2) immunity, 3) gut health, 4) hormonal support, and 5) healthy aging. Head to www.AthleticGreens.com/cressey and claim my special offer today - 20 FREE travel packs (valued at $79) - with your first purchase. I use this product daily myself and highly recommend it to our athletes as well. I'd encourage you to give it a shot, too - especially with this great offer.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
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We're excited to welcome Oakland A's reliever Blake Treinen to this week's podcast. A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Athletic Greens. Head to http://www.athleticgreens.com/cressey and you'll receive a free 10-pack of Athletic Greens travel packets with your first order.
Show Outline
- How Blake began his baseball career at a small NAIA college in Kansas and why he chose to leave to attempt to walk on at a Division 1 program
- Why Blake was forced to take a year off from baseball and what lessons he learned from taking the time to step away from the game to train and
- How Blake’s time away from organized baseball allowed him to add much needed size, prioritize learning to throw with intent, and understand his optimal mechanics on a trial and error basis
- What lead Blake to walk on at South Dakota State University and how he progressed to MLB draft prospect throwing a mid-90s fastball
- How Blake’s faith in God has propelled him to the success he has had in baseball and been a vital key to his success through the tribulations of his career
- How being passed up by the Miami Marlins turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Blake and how he ended being drafted by the Oakland A’s the following year
- What cues Blake has adopted to reinforce his consistent, effortless mechanics and how has learned to master creating late arm speed
- How training at CSP helped and training functional exercise/core exercise helped Treinen become a more effortless, compact pitcher
- How Blake approaches pitch design and developing various pitches
- How Blake developed a cutter and the work that went in to trusting to us it in game
- How Blake developed a one seam and how future sinker ballers can find success
- How the evolution of the cutter has transformed the way current pitchers are attacking the launch angle evolution and attacking hitters inside
- What the hardest adjustments were for Blake as he transitioned from starter to reliever
- How Blake structures his daily throwing routine
- How Blake mentally prepares for each outing
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. It’s an all-in-one superfood supplement with 75 whole-food sourced ingredients designed to support your body’s nutrition needs across 5 critical areas of health: 1) energy, 2) immunity, 3) gut health, 4) hormonal support, and 5) healthy aging. Head to www.AthleticGreens.com/cressey and claim my special offer today - 20 FREE travel packs (valued at $79) - with your first purchase. I use this product daily myself and highly recommend it to our athletes as well. I'd encourage you to give it a shot, too - especially with this great offer.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
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We're excited to welcome an astonishingly accomplished and influential researcher and clinician, Dr. Stuart McGill, to the podcast for Episode #16 for an in-depth discussion on sparing the spine in rotational sport athletes. A special thanks goes out to this show's sponsor, Acumobility. Their products have been absolute game changers for our mobility approaches at Cressey Sports Performance, and they've got a great 10% off offer going for our podcast listeners who enter the coupon code CSP10 at http://www.Acumobility.com.
Show Outline
- How Dr. McGill has become a prominent figure in the world of spine health
- What the key considerations are for understanding the spine demands in rotational athletes
- How the anatomical structure of the spine drives an individual’s movement capabilities
- What qualities should be prioritized in elastic rotational athletes – and how much strength is enough?
- Why power is plane specific and how this impacts rotational athletes expression of power in the three planes of motion
- What spondylolsis is, how this injury occurs, and whether a back brace should be utilized
- How fascial slings impact athletic performance and spine health
- How effective is manual therapy in changing tissue quality and aiding in transforming movement capabilities
- How clinicians can more effectively interpret scientific research and why they find value in variance rather than averages
- How to differentiate between a “scar” and a “wound” on diagnostic imaging
- How Dr. McGill preserves the human element in patient management
- What has changed over the last 10 years in his understanding of the spine
- Where future spine research is needed
You can follow Dr. McGill on Instagram at @BackFitPro - or visit his website at www.BackFitPro.com.
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by Acumobility. While their product line is super expansive, the implement I use the most on a daily basis is the Acumobility ball, a patented flat based mobility ball that keeps the ball in contact with a trigger point so you can do active mobility. You can can use it against a wall, rack, or any floor surface and it won't roll away. As a result, it allows you to do incorporate some innovative and advanced active mobility exercises, including on hard to reach areas like the neck and shoulders. Perhaps most importantly, the folks at Acumobility do an awesome job with educational initiatives to accompany their products; this way, you can assess AND correct movement problems to improve performance. Head to https://csp.acumobility.com/podcast and enter coupon code CSP10 to save 10% on your order.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
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We're excited to welcome a well-respected and accomplished hitting coach, Bobby Tewksbary, to the podcast for Episode #15 for an in-depth discussion on the evolution of hitting. A special thanks goes out to this show's sponsor, VersaPulley. It's an awesome option for challenging deceleration in multiple planes of motion, and has been an excellent addition to our training at Cressey Sports Performance. They've got a great 10% off offer going for our podcast listeners through June 30 at http://www.VersaPulley.com/Cressey10.
Show Outline
- How Bobby’s experience as a hitter inspired him to become a knowledgeable coach
- What the old school mindset surrounding hitting was and why ballplayers used to be reluctant to discuss their swing
- What concepts of hitting are constant and true regardless of the individual
- How new trends towards the utilization of technology and data are impacting the next generation of batters
- How the collection of data offers measurable and diagnostic feedback to help manage the swing, identify what athletes need, and conceptualize information to allow hitters to make meaningful changes
- How the game of baseball is more openminded than ever and how the private sector is taking advantage of this revolution in baseball
- What qualities players should look for in their hitting coaches and what common mistakes young hitting coaches should avoid
- Why hitters need to be exposed to failure at a young age to avoid developing an ego-centric, highlight-focused mindset
- How executing a swing and learning how to hit are very different things – and why this distinction is vital for hitters
- Why having confidence in the batter’s box is superior to any mechanical factor in a hitter’s swing
- How Bobby expects hitting to change in the years ahead
- How Bobby is working to improve his ability to impact hitters with a new project
You can follow Bobby on Instagram at @TewksHitting and Twitter at @TewksHitting - or visit his website at www.TewksHitting.com.
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by VersaPulley. The VersaPulley offers flywheel training and one benefit of training with a flywheel is inertia. The faster the flywheel is moving, the more the user must decelerate the inertia that is created - and we know training deceleration is a huge piece of preventing athletic injuries and enhancing performance. While there are a few flywheel training options on the market, the VersaPulley is the only one that that allows you to train at any point along the force/velocity curve, and in multiple planes of movement. If you want to train at any speed, any load, and any direction, the VersaPulley has got you covered. They've set up a great discount of 10% for our listeners; you can learn more at http://www.VersaPulley.com/Cressey10.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
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We're excited to welcome sports scientist Dr. Brandon Marcello to the podcast for Episode #14 for an in-depth discussion on sleep. A special thanks goes out to this show's sponsor, VersaPulley. It's an awesome option for challenging deceleration in multiple planes of motion, and has been an excellent addition to our training at Cressey Sports Performance. They've got a great 10% off offer going for our podcast listeners at http://www.VersaPulley.com/Cressey10.
Show Outline
- What the four major components of recovery are, and how sleep influences these domains
- Why sleep is vital for human performance and what the negative implications are for ignoring its importance
- How individuals are actually born as early birds or night owls, and what strategies people should utilize to maximize their sleep regardless of their tendencies
- Why routine is king when establishing quality sleep habits
- What is sleep debt and why it is significant for people to avoid the accumulation of sleep debt over time
- How impactful are naps for overcoming the accumulation of sleep debt, and how to best incorporate them
- Why not all sleep supplements are everything they claim to be
- What easy adjustments athletes can implement to improve their sleep beyond the well-known strategies already commonly practiced
- How athletes can combat the negative implications of their current sleep situation
- Why coaches should encourage their athletes to value their sleep, and what strategies they can use to aid in their players accumulation of quality sleep
You can follow Brandon on Instagram at @bmarcello13 and Twitter at @bmarcello13.
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by VersaPulley. The VersaPulley offers flywheel training and one benefit of training with a flywheel is inertia. The faster the flywheel is moving, the more the user must decelerate the inertia that is created - and we know training deceleration is a huge piece of preventing athletic injuries and enhancing performance. While there are a few flywheel training options on the market, the VersaPulley is the only one that that allows you to train at any point along the force/velocity curve, and in multiple planes of movement. If you want to train at any speed, any load, and any direction, the VersaPulley has got you covered. They've set up a great discount of 10% for our listeners; you can learn more at http://www.VersaPulley.com/Cressey10.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
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We're excited to welcome St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas to the podcast for Episode #13. A special thanks goes out to this show's sponsor, Versaclimber. It's my absolute favorite conditioning option, and they've got a great 10% off offer going for our podcast listeners at http://www.Versaclimber.com/Cressey.
Show Outline
- Why Miles decided to stay close to home and attend Division 2 powerhouse Nova Southeastern in FL
- How adding weight, gaining strength in the right places, and improving body awareness while in college allowed Miles to make a velocity jump and become an MLB draft pick
- How Miles quickly ascended through the minor leagues, but realized the consistency needed to be a mainstay in MLB
- How he worked to become a more consistent pitcher in all facets of his game as a result
- How Miles transitioned from a reliever to a starter
- Why Miles added a slider to his pitch arsenal as a starter and how this shorter, harder breaking ball complements his big, loopy curveball to challenge hitters in a different dimension
- Why Miles chose to bet on himself and leave MLB after the 2014 season to play in the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan
- How being exposed to the Japanese style of baseball taught Miles many invaluable lessons
- How Miles refined his arm action in 2015 to 2016 to take unnecessary stress off his arm
- Why Miles values first pitch strikes and works to play the percentages to efficiently get hitters out
- How Miles models his throwing and lifting program in season on a 5-day rotation
- What it is like for Miles to pitch to one of the greatest catchers of all-time, Yadier Molina, and what young catchers can take away from this legend’s unbelievable knowledge and skill set
You can follow Miles on Instagram at @magic_mikolas39 and Twitter at @lastoneformiles.
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by Versaclimber. In addition to being a phenomenal option for training all across the energy systems continuum, the Versaclimber exposes individuals to important fundamental movement patterns: scapular upward rotation, hip extension, and a synced-up crawling pattern. It's also non-impact, and can therefore be used with a wider variety of clients than other conditioning modalities. They've set up a great discount of 10% for our listeners; you can learn more at http://www.Versaclimber.com/Cressey.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
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LEARN
HOW TO
DEADLIFT
- Avoid the most common deadlifting mistakes
- 9 - minute instructional video
- 3 part follow up series
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