This will be the last recommended reading/listening of the year, as we're switching over to the "Best of 2018" series in the next few days. In the meantime, check these out! And happy holidays!

59 Lessons: Working with the World's Elite Coaches, Athletes, and Special Forces - Fergus Connolly just released this new book, and I'm excitedly going through it. He's one of the sharpest minds in the sports science field, so it's sure to be a good one.

How Should We Space Training to Optimize Skill Acquisition - This was a quick, but awesome listen on Rob Gray's Perception and Action Podcast. A special thanks to CSP-MA pitching coordinator Christian Wonders for sharing it with me.

Are You Doing Too Much Rotator Cuff Work Before Throwing? - This article came from my series on common arm care mistakes, and I decided to bring it back to the forefront in light of a conversation I had with an athlete about how his warm-ups shouldn't take 60 minutes.

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We use off-bench oblique variations often. They can be useful unloaded in early post-op upper body cases when other core exercises are off limits. You can eventually progress to loaded reaching variations when athletes have built up proficiency w/them. https://t.co/m9ygjoh9HG pic.twitter.com/OEvtLku2Ot

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) December 18, 2018

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I am way more jacked in person than you all have seen on Instagram. 🤣 #cspfamily

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Dec 20, 2018 at 1:04pm PST

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I hope you had a great weekend. We're getting back on an every Monday schedule with this recommended reading. Before I get to it, just a quick reminder that I just announced a new date for my one-day shoulder course. It'll be taking place near Dallas, TX on January 27. You can learn more HERE.

How Rib Cage Positioning Impacts the Pitching Delivery - CSP-MA pitching coordinator Christian Wonders wrote this up last year, and in light of a recent conversation on pitching mechanics, I wanted to bring it back to the forefront.

Fergus Connolly on Winning and Success at Every Level - Fergus is one of the most insightful guys in the sports science world, and this podcast with Mike Robertson is a great example.

The 7 Keys to Longevity with Dr. Jonny Bowden - Jason Ferruggia interviewed Dr. Bowden on his up-to-date thoughts on a variety of topics: nutrition, sleep, stress, and several other factors.

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Ulnar deviation w/the steel club. If you’re looking for forearm drills for pitchers, here’s a good complement to the pronation/supination exercises I’ve posted in the past. Flexor carpi ulnaris protects the ulnar collateral ligament against valgus stress; this targets it. pic.twitter.com/7Ru1mfDA2C

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) December 13, 2018

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Here is an awesome cadaver photo to demonstrate just how little wiggle room there is when dealing with the shoulder. The glenohumeral (ball and socket) joint is maintained in such a small window that it’s possible to say that impingement is a physiological norm. These challenges are even more extreme in the case of structural adaptations and pathology. In other words, we can’t leave any stones unturned in our quest for shoulder health, particularly when one’s sport demands involve high forces and extreme ranges of motion. Anatomy never lies. #cspfamily #Repost @chicagosportsdoc with @get_repost ・・・ Rotator cuff anatomy - A tear into one of these tendons is a common cause of pain and disability among adults. Each year, almost 2 million people in the United States visit their doctors because of a rotator cuff problem.

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Dec 2, 2018 at 7:39am PST

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Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. The baseball off-season is in full swing and I have several evaluations today, so we'll be sharing some good content from around the web to keep you entertained until I have a spare moment to pull together some content. Check it out:

Resilient Performance Podcast with Dr. Fergus Connolly - Doug Kechijian interviewed Fergus in light of the release of his new book, Game Changer. There's some excellent discussion of the current state of sports science.

Changing Baseball Culture: A Call to Action - In light of a few recent conversations, I thought it was a good time to reincarnate this guest post from my good friend Eric Schoenberg.

The Older You Are, The Worse You Sleep - I thought this essay from Dr. Matthew Walker for The Wall Street Journal was intriguing. At the very least, it was nice to see a well-researched article on a health topic in a more mainstream publication. 

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It's amazing how many people on the internet who've never played pro sports know exactly how pro athletes should do their jobs.

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) October 15, 2017

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Big thanks to @smittydiesel of @dieselscgear for the awesome new straps. Awesome durability, but plenty of versatility, too. They’re great for everything from face pulls, to rows, to sled work. Check ‘em out. #dieselstraps #cspfamily #facepulls #jupiterfl

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Oct 9, 2017 at 12:50pm PDT

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Happy Labor Day! I hope you're all enjoying the long weekend and not laboring too hard. In the event you're laying low and relaxing today, here are a few reading/listening recommendations for your weekend.

Upcoming Atlanta Seminar - Just a quick heads-up that I announced a new date for my one-day shoulder course. it'll be in Atlanta on November 5.

Game Changer - I'm just 60 pages into this new release from Fergus Connolly (Performance Director for the University of Michigan football team) and it's excellent. If sports science intrigues you, I'd definitely recommend you give it a read. I got an advanced copy, but it officially publishes on 9/5 and is well worth the pre-order.

Gym Owner Musings: Installment 7 - My business partner, Pete Dupuis, always has some good thoughts to share in these features.

My Favorite "Catch-All" Assessment - A discussion last week reminded me to "reincarnate" this popular article I wrote a few years ago about the overhead lunge walk.

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Move the scap on the arm, not just the arm on the scap.
Wherever scap goes, the arm should also go - & vice versa. https://t.co/xFRDP9Fr4b pic.twitter.com/4D5uiL1tiJ

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) August 30, 2017

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*Narrow exercise selections make for impressive lifters, but less impressive athletes.* 👇 With our typical minor league baseball player, we may actually have time to get through six 4-week programs over the course of an offseason. In six months - especially if we happen to have an athlete who is genetically gifted for strength development - we *could* get guys freaky strong on a few big lifts. We choose not to, however. Why? 🤔 A narrow exercise selection can lead to some very impressive weight room performances on a few lifts: squat, bench press, deadlift, clean, etc. This specificity can be great if you want to be a one (or three) trick pony (powerlifter), but not quite as helpful if you're an athlete who actually needs to change directions, demonstrate motor control at extreme ranges of motion, and handle a variety of sport-specific loads and velocities. ⚾️ Here, @ryancusick33 demonstrates some of the "athletic versatility" that made him a 95mph arm and @wakebaseball commit in the 2018 class. Additional thoughts in the comments below. #cspfamily #sportsperformance #pitching #SportsMedicine #strengthtraining #strengthandconditioning #deadlift #turkishgetup

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Sep 1, 2017 at 12:07pm PDT

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I hope you all had a great weekend and are getting excited for the upcoming 4th of July holiday. I'm looking forward to my 93-year-old grandmother beating me in golf, which is a yearly occurrence in my world. Fortunately, I've had some good strength and conditioning reading to keep my mind off of how bad my golf game is.

The Truth About Sugar - The crew at Precision Nutrition never disappoints, and this article is an excellent example of why. One particular quote that really jumped out at me was, "...despite lowering sugar intake by nearly 20% over a 14 year period, obesity (and diabetes) rates have continued to climb."

How Sports Scientists are Trying to Change College Football - This ESPN article was actually surprisingly well done. In particular, I liked Fergus Connolly's quotes about the data only being useful for asking better questions, not guaranteeing solutions. Additionally, his comments on the importance of getting to know the person - not just the data point - is incredibly important.

5 Reasons to Use Speed Deadlifts in Your Strength Training Programs - I recently posted on Instagram about my favorite approach to incorporating speed deadlifts, and it reminded me to bump this older article of mine back up from the archives.

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I could watch this all day. See what happens when you put force into the ground and get yourself in good positions to succeed? Athleticism. https://t.co/5vpDiOeBWq

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) June 24, 2017

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Here's a #tbt to me in eighth grade because nobody believes me when I tell them I used to rock an Afro and looked like Jonah Hill as Seth in "Superbad." No filter needed because I pulled it off just fine without one in 1995. #cspfamily #selfdeprecatinghumor

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Jun 22, 2017 at 10:12am PDT

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Happy Friday! I hope everyone is gearing up for a great weekend. Before you kick off the festivities, though, here are a few good reads to wrap up your week:

The $100 Billion Hoax - My buddy Adam Bornstein authored this fantastic post on how outrageously spending has increased in the health, fitness, and nutritional supplement sectors while Americans have become more obese than ever.

Fergus Connolly Coaching Series: Part 1 - Great Coaches - This was a fantastic article written by Fergus Connolly, who has a fantastic background in sports science at the highest levels.

The Arm - Jeff Passan recently released this great read - and it's the culmination of several years of research all around the country to examine the causes of the pitching injury epidemic. He actually stopped by CSP-Florida last spring to interview me. The finished product is great "infotainment," where you'll learn to see injuries through a different light while being drawn in by various stories on baseball development, new research on the horizon, and rehabilitation struggles. I'll be posting an interview with Jeff on EricCressey.com soon.

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