It's time for another listener Q&A, so I cover three questions from our audience in this week's podcast:

1. I saw your recent Instagram post about how you’re using an Oura ring and noticed what it turned up when you were sick. What are your thoughts? I’ve noticed that my sleep tracking can sometimes dome me up because it doesn’t always align with how I feel.
2. What’s something you see as heavily overlooked in training teenage athletes?
3. I’ve recall you writing somewhere that you felt the “tendinitis” diagnosis was overused. Can you please elaborate more?

A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Marc Pro. Head to www.MarcPro.com and enter the coupon code CRESSEY at checkout to receive an exclusive discount on your order.

Sponsor Reminder

This episode is brought to you by Marc Pro, a cutting-edge EMS device that uses patented technology to create non-fatiguing muscle activation. Muscle activation with Marc Pro facilitates each stage of the body’s natural recovery process- similar to active recovery, but without the extra effort and muscle fatigue. Athletes can use it for as long as they need to ensure a more full and quick recovery in between training or games. With its portability and ease of use, players can use Marc Pro while traveling between games or while relaxing at home. Players and trainers from every MLB team - including over 200 pro pitchers - use Marc Pro. Put Marc Pro to the test for yourself and use promo code CRESSEY at checkout at www.MarcPro.com for an exclusive discount 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!

We welcome Chicago Cubs pitcher Julian Merryweather to the latest podcast. We talk about the advantages attending junior college afforded him; what factors were key to his velocity improvements; and the strategies he employed to have a career year in terms of performance and durability in 2023.

A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Marc Pro. Head to www.MarcPro.com and enter the coupon code CRESSEY at checkout to receive an exclusive discount on your order.

Sponsor Reminder

This episode is brought to you by Marc Pro, a cutting-edge EMS device that uses patented technology to create non-fatiguing muscle activation. Muscle activation with Marc Pro facilitates each stage of the body’s natural recovery process- similar to active recovery, but without the extra effort and muscle fatigue. Athletes can use it for as long as they need to ensure a more full and quick recovery in between training or games. With its portability and ease of use, players can use Marc Pro while traveling between games or while relaxing at home. Players and trainers from every MLB team - including over 200 pro pitchers - use Marc Pro. Put Marc Pro to the test for yourself and use promo code CRESSEY at checkout at www.MarcPro.com for an exclusive discount 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!

We're excited to welcome Cleveland Indians pitcher Aaron Civale to the latest podcast. He shares some awesome insights related to pitch design/execution, competitive mentality, and the benefits of strength and conditioning.

A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Marc Pro. Head to www.MarcPro.com and enter the coupon code CRESSEY at checkout to receive 10% off on your order.

Show Outline

• What type of pitcher was Aaron in high school and how earned a spot at Northeastern University
• What the biggest adjustment Aaron had to make as he transitioned into a college pitcher was
• Why Aaron chose to embrace the natural cut of his fastball instead of fixing this unique trait that allowed him to put away hitters
• How Aaron stumbled upon the feel for a slider mid-game
• What adjustments Aaron had to make as he transitioned to pro ball after three years at Northeastern
• How Aaron’s approach of pounding the zone and eliminating walks is contradictory to today’s baseball world
• How Aaron arrived at his 6-pitch arsenal and how he has worked to differentiate each pitch
• Why Aaron has always felt more comfortable throwing his two seam fastball and what work he has been doing this offseason at CSP to improve his four seam for 2020
• How Aaron ended up finding a more comfortable slider grip while playing around with his two seam grip
• How Aaron has developed a natural feel for spinning the ball from a young age and what he has done to ensure the differentiation of his two breaking balls
• What traits Aaron thinks helped to give him immediate success at the Major League level
• How possessing a process-oriented mindset and unwavering demeanor has inspired confidence in Aaron and provided the trust in his ability necessary to be dominant at any level
• What made working with CSP-FL physical therapist Eric Schoenberg so impactful while rehabbing from a lat strain in 2018
• What Aaron’s 5-day throwing and training routine looks like between starts
• How Aaron’s game day routine is structured

Sponsor Reminder

This episode is brought to you by Marc Pro, a cutting-edge EMS device that uses patented technology to create non-fatiguing muscle activation. Muscle activation with Marc Pro facilitates each stage of the body’s natural recovery process- similar to active recovery, but without the extra effort and muscle fatigue. Athletes can use it for as long as they need to ensure a more full and quick recovery in between training or games. With its portability and ease of use, players can use Marc Pro while traveling between games or while relaxing at home. Players and trainers from every MLB team - including over 200 pro pitchers - use Marc Pro. Put Marc Pro to the test for yourself with their new "Try Before you Buy" program, and use promo code CRESSEY at checkout at www.MarcPro.com for 10% off 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!

We're excited to welcome Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Tim Collins to this week's podcast. Tim has a great story of not only getting to pro ball, but ascending to the big leagues at the height of 5-7. He's been a Cressey Sports Performance athlete for 13 years now, so it's a great discussion of long-term athletic development as well. 

A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Marc Pro. Head to www.MarcPro.com and enter the coupon code CRESSEY at checkout to receive 10% off on your order.

Show Outline

• How Tim transformed from a 4-7, 82 lb high school freshman into a 5-5, 120 lb MLB high school senior
• How deception, great stuff, and dominance on the field earned Tim a draft spot out of high school with the Toronto Blue Jays despite being undersized
• How impactful strength training and attention to detail in the kitchen were for Tim’s progression from a low 80s high schooler to a mid 90s pro arm
• How Tim navigated minor league baseball as he climbed the ranks of the Jays minor league system
• How being exposed to Alan Jaeger’s throwing philosophies in his time with the Blue Jays allowed him to appreciate the value of long toss, build arm speed, and recover adequately between outings
• What the average person doesn’t understand about the minor league baseball lifestyle and how most players journey to the big leagues is far more difficult than most can comprehend
• How pitching fearlessly and understanding he had nothing to lose propelled Tim through the minors and gave him the consistency he needed to keep advancing through the ranks
• What differentiated Tim as a minor leaguer and what he did to “stick” in Major League Baseball
• How young talent comprising the Kansas City lineup provided a unique chance for Tim to play a major role in 2011
• Why developing a changeup was such an key factor in Tim’s MLB success, and what strategies he implemented to find consistency with this pitch after years of struggles
• What mechanical changes Tim made between ’11 and ’12
• How Tim developed the ability to spin the baseball and throw an elite curveball
• What Tim’s mental cues are when throwing his curveball
• After enduring the longest season of his career, a World Series run with the Royals in 2014, why Tim chose to have a nagging hernia repaired and what the implications were for this decision heading into the 2015 season
• How recovering from hernia surgery into the 2015 season forced him to have a quick ramp up into 2015, resulting in a torn UCL in his first outing of spring training
• After rehabbing for 12 months, why Tim had to undergo a UCL revision surgery
• Why Tim quickly learned to appreciate that every rehab is different and how understanding to listen to his body over the experiences of other athletes turned out to be vital to his rehabilitation process the second time through
• How Tim’s arm responded to the rigors of professional baseball after being completely out of competition for two years
• What struggles Tim faced in 2017 as he climbed through the minor leagues again
• What impact Mark Campbell, director of mental conditioning for the Washington Nationals, had on Tim’s return to the big leagues in 2018
• What the biggest lessons Tim has learned from his injuries are

Sponsor Reminder

This episode is brought to you by Marc Pro, a cutting-edge EMS device that uses patented technology to create non-fatiguing muscle activation. Muscle activation with Marc Pro facilitates each stage of the body’s natural recovery process- similar to active recovery, but without the extra effort and muscle fatigue. Athletes can use it for as long as they need to ensure a more full and quick recovery in between training or games. With its portability and ease of use, players can use Marc Pro while traveling between games or while relaxing at home. Players and trainers from every MLB team - including over 200 pro pitchers - use Marc Pro. Put Marc Pro to the test for yourself with their new "Try Before you Buy" program, and use promo code CRESSEY at checkout at www.MarcPro.com for 10% off 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!

We're excited to welcome physical therapist Eric Schoenberg to this week's podcast. Eric has extensive experience working with individuals from all walks of life, but specializes in working with baseball players. He'll serve as the physical therapist at the soon-to-open Cressey Sports Performance location in Palm Beach Gardens, FL starting on November 1 as well. In this episode, we discuss the typical challenges baseball players can see movement-wise, as well as how the rehab process can be improved across all populations.

A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Marc Pro. Head to www.MarcPro.com and enter the coupon code CRESSEY at checkout to receive 10% off on your order.

Show Outline

• How Eric has evolved as a physical therapist since graduating from PT school
• How learning to never settle for mediocrity and working to be more familiar with the world of strength and conditioning through CSP has allowed Eric to advance his physical therapy career
• How being a high quality physical therapist involves appreciating the art of physical therapy as much as the science of the field
• How Eric became an early adopter of Shirley Sahrmann’s work on movement system impairment syndromes
• Why young physical therapists and health professionals should work to create their own philosophy for analyzing movement proficiency and how having a model for analyzing movement can help them make better decisions for their clients
• Why has Eric deviated from the standard time-restricted, semi-private PT model and instead adopted a one-on-one, private model
• Why the rehabilitation world should move away from its generalist perspective and encourage practitioners to specialize and refer out to others who have more experience rehabilitating a specific injury
• Why experts need to drop their ego and be open to working with other professionals across the scope of health and human performance
• What the most common movement impairments Eric sees in baseball players are
• Where the biggest mistakes occur in the interaction between rehab specialists and strength and conditioning coaches
• How being a father has influenced Eric’s perspective on youth athletics, the little league experience, and lifelong movement health
• What big mistakes Eric is seeing in post-op baseball cases
• How Eric manages transitioning athletes from being completely in the rehab setting back to training at full health over the course of the rehab process
• What research Eric has been studying to continue to advance his career, and what books he recommends to all health professionals

You can follow Eric on Twitter at @CSP_PhysTherapy and on Instagram at @CSP_PhysTherapy. To contact him directly, you can email eric@diamondphystherapy.com.

Sponsor Reminder

This episode is brought to you by Marc Pro, a cutting-edge EMS device that uses patented technology to create non-fatiguing muscle activation. Muscle activation with Marc Pro facilitates each stage of the body’s natural recovery process- similar to active recovery, but without the extra effort and muscle fatigue. Athletes can use it for as long as they need to ensure a more full and quick recovery in between training or games. With its portability and ease of use, players can use Marc Pro while traveling between games or while relaxing at home. Players and trainers from every MLB team - including over 200 pro pitchers - use Marc Pro. Put Marc Pro to the test for yourself with their new "Try Before you Buy" program, and use promo code CRESSEY at checkout at www.MarcPro.com for 10% off 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!

We're excited to welcome sports dietitian Angie Ashe to this week's podcast. Angie does an outstanding job with nutritional counseling for a variety of athletes, and has a lot of experience working with baseball players in particular. In this episode, we delve into the controversial topic of nutrition supplementation.

A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Marc Pro. Head to www.MarcPro.com and enter the coupon code CRESSEY at checkout to receive 10% off on your order.

Show Outline

• How Angie goes about starting nutritional conversations with her athletes and teaching them what they can do before looking to dietary supplements
• Why athletes should be maximizing what they are eating and drinking before worrying about what supplements they should be taking
• What supplement story initially sparked Angie’s interest in the world of supplements as a dietician
• Where athletes can be misguided by the hype around supplements
• What supplements Angie sees as must-haves in all peoples’ diets
• What boxes Angie looks to check before recommending dietary supplementation in youth athletes
• Why individuals need to be aware of the post-market testing model exploited by the supplement industry in order to understand the importance of buying third party verified products
• How being conscious of ingredients on supplement labels can make it easier for consumers to identify safe and ethical supplements
• What supplements are a complete waste of money
• What athletes need to know about popular supplements such as BCAAs, collagen powders, probiotics, and glutamine
• What to look for and stray away from when investing in protein powders
• What guidelines Angie recommends for consuming creatine and how it can be used to improve athletic performance
• With the heightened popularity of preworkout and energy drinks, why athletes should be cognizant of the source of their caffeine consumption and what Angie recommends for caffeine intake in one’s diet
• What research says about the benefits of drinking coffee and how obtaining caffeine from healthy sources is often overlooked for healthy living and improving human performance
• How individuals should be concerned about consuming more processed protein sources as more people are moving away from animal consumption and towards alternative diets
• Where Angie goes to learn more about nutrition and stay up to date on the research of the field
• What Angie’s go-to smoothie is for skinny individuals looking to gain weight
• Where Angie sees future research in the nutrition community heading

You can follow Angie on Twitter at @EleatNutrition and on Instagram at @EleatNutrition.

Sponsor Reminder

This episode is brought to you by Marc Pro, a cutting-edge EMS device that uses patented technology to create non-fatiguing muscle activation. Muscle activation with Marc Pro facilitates each stage of the body’s natural recovery process- similar to active recovery, but without the extra effort and muscle fatigue. Athletes can use it for as long as they need to ensure a more full and quick recovery in between training or games. With its portability and ease of use, players can use Marc Pro while traveling between games or while relaxing at home. Players and trainers from every MLB team - including over 200 pro pitchers - use Marc Pro. Put Marc Pro to the test for yourself with their new "Try Before you Buy" program, and use promo code CRESSEY at checkout at www.MarcPro.com for 10% off 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!