I'm psyched to announce that Cressey Performance will be hosting the first ever Elite Training Workshop in the Boston area on Sunday, April 21. Presenting will be Mike Robertson, Mike Reinold, Dave Schmitz, Tony Gentilcore, Jared Woolever, and Steve Long. Additionally, there will be a "bonus" fitness business day with Pat Rigsby and Nick Berry on Saturday afternoon, April 20. At just $99.95, this is an outstanding value.
Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning stuff you should read:
Sprinting Lessons - This was an absurdly detailed blog post on Bret Contreras' site; it details the thoughts of coach Greg Potter on developing elite sprinters. There are a lot of great tidbits in here.
Bootcamp in a Box - Mike Robertson, Molly Galbraith, and Jim Laird just released this product this week. Candidly, I haven't seen it yet, but there are two reasons I'm a) excited to see it and b) encouraging you to check it out, too. First, these are three bright people who have a lot to offer the fitness industry, so there is sure to be a lot of excellent information in there. Second, a lot of the technique, progressions/regressions (or lack thereof), and overall programming strategies you see at bootcamps is so atrocious that having a product like this at your fingertips is a great way to separate yourself from the pack.
The Real Biggest Losers? The Show's Audience - This article was a reprinted letter Dr. Yoni Freedhoff sent to the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding their endorsement of The Biggest Loser. This season, the show is including a few children as contestants, and this certainly has a lot of people concerned on a number of fronts. Dr. Freedhoff highlights many of these concerns in a very well researched and prepared letter.
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To wrap up my "Best of 2012" series, I'll highlight the top product reviews I did at this site in the last year.
1. Deadlift Dynamite - This product was a great fit for me to review not only because I'm particularly fond of picking heavy s**t up off the floor, but because Andy Bolton and Pavel Tsatsouline packed so much practical, yet forward-thinking information into it that it was hard to not rave about it! Check out my entire review: What a 1,000-Pound Deadlift Can Teach You.
There were certainly some other great products I encountered this year, but these three reviews proved to be the most popular with my readers, based on hosting statistics.
2. High Frequency Training - I'd actually say that this was my "funnest" read among the product reviews featured here, as I've always enjoyed Chad Waterbury's writing and perspective. It'll really make you rethink your perspective on volume management in training programs - and if you're looking for a program to kick your butt, look no further.
3. Elite Training Mentorship - It probably sounds incredibly self-serving to review my own product, but Elite Training Mentorship is a resource of which I'm tremendously proud because it isn't just mine. Rather, it's updated monthly with contributions from great coaches like Mike Robertson, Dave Schmitz, Tyler English, Vaughn Bethell, Steve Long, and Jared Woolever. With monthly updates - in-services, exercise demonstrations, webinars, articles, sample programs - from each of us, this is a fantastic continuing education resource that is both affordable and convenient. This isn't so much a product review, but I think you'll appreciate how this article demonstrates just how valuable a site like this is: 5 Reasons to Be Excited About the Future of the Fitness Industry.
There were certainly some other great products I encountered this year, but these three proved to be the most popular with my readers, based on hosting statistics. Hopefully, there will be plenty more to come in 2013!
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Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:
Like Swings, Offseason Workouts Evolve with Time - Evan Drellich from MLB.com interviewed me for this feature on how professional baseball players change their training approaches from one offseason to the next. He did a great job with the article.
Warm-up - Here's an incredibly thorough piece on warming up by Mike Robertson, one of my co-creators on the Assess and Correct DVD set.
Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:
Invincible Immunity - This is an article I wrote all the way back in 2002. While it's over a decade old now, the information is still valuable, especially with cold and flu season upon us!
Player Interview: Steve Cishek of the Miami Marlins - Current CP intern Jay Kolster interviews long-time CP client and Marlins closer Steve Cishek on everything from pre/post-game routines, to strength and conditioning, to advice for up-and-coming players. This is excellent stuff.
7 Tips for Dominating Seminars - This was an awesome post from Mike Robertson that everyone in the fitness industry should read prior to attending seminars. It'll help you guarantee that you'll get the most of these learning experiences.
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I guess I'm joining in the discount madness this holiday season, even if I didn't have to do any planning! Here are some options for your holiday shopping at EricCressey.com:
1. Whip: What it is and How You Get it - This was a presentation I did a while back at Ron Wolforth's Pitching Coaches Bootcamp, and it's now available for sale individually. In the presentation, I talk about factors the influence whether you increase throwing velocity and how strength and conditioning programs can have a dramatic impact - either positive or negative - on whether one develops the whip needed to throw harder. You can either watch this online or get it as a DVD.
2.20% off all Physical Products at MikeReinold.com - This sale includes Functional Stability Training and Optimal Shoulder Performance, along with many of Mike Reinold's other products. Just enter the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY2012 at checkout to get the discount.
3. 15% of all Products at RobertsonTrainingSystems.com - This sale includes Assess and Correct, Building the Efficient Athlete, and Magnificent Mobility, along with many other products from Mike Robertson. The discount will automatically be applied at checkout.
We don't put products on sale very often, so be sure to take advantage of these offers before they expire at the end of the day on Monday!
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Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:
Elite Training Mentorship - In addition to the fantastic contributions from the likes of Mike Robertson, Dave Schmitz, Tyler English, and Vaughn Bethell, I have an in-service on frontal and transverse plane power development. This covers a lot of the unique plyo drills we utilize in our progressions with rotational sport athletes. Additionally, I have two new exercise demonstrations on how we coach lower trap activation and rotational medicine ball drills. Check it out!
Do Pain Pills Impair Muscle Growth? - This was an exceptional, well-researched article from Brad Schoenfield on everything you need to know about NSAID usage as it relates to your strength training goals.
Training the Unstable Client - Here's another one of those epic Mike Robertson posts that clearly took 14 years to write. Man, that guy is persistent. Kidding aside, this is great stuff for the fitness professionals in the crowd!
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Check out this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:
9 Hardgainer Training Myths: Part 1 and Part 2 - I thought this two-part series from Jason Ferruggia was excellent. It's definitely something anyone who claims they "can't put on size" should read.
Round Back Deadlifts - This was an EPIC blog post from Mike Robertson. Of particular interest to me was his commentary on getting your breath TWICE in an ideal deadlifting set-up. This is something I've always done - once standing, and once in the bottom position - and I suspect it's had something to do with my deadlifting success over the years. Coincidentally, I pulled heavier earlier today and you can pick up on the two points at which I set my breath before the first rep: the 10-11 second mark and the 12-13 second mark.
As an aside, you can tell I was strongly considering taking this for a third rep. I had it in me, but decided not to be stupid today. I guess I'm getting wiser in my old age.
How to Eliminate Distractions from Your Strength and Conditioning Program - I wrote this post up last summer, and was reminded of it during a conversation I had with one of our adult clients. If you're looking for strategies to improve your exercise adherence and the quality of your training, this post is a must-read for you.
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Today marks the fifth anniversary of the day my business partners and I founded Cressey Performance. In that time, we've gone through two expansions, and we're now in the process of a third one, which will effectively double the size of our space to over 15,000 square feet.
It's been somewhat of a tradition for me to write something about Cressey Performance on EricCressey.com every July 13 in honor of the occasion. To that end, in light of the fact that I know I have a ton of current or aspiring facility owners reader this site, I thought I'd use today's post to outline one of the most important considerations I want our entire staff to understand.
Success isn't just measured in revenue.
Most business owners look to at a net income total at the end of each month to determine if they're successful. While this certainly governs whether or not they'll be able to keep the lights on at the facility and feed their families, it doesn't speak to the far-reaching implications that a successful business has.
In the case of a fitness business, how many chronic diseases have thousands of exercise programs helped prevent? How many bum shoulders have become asymptomatic so that a father can throw 400 pitches at his son's team's batting practice? How many kids have gained confidence that's gone far beyond the weight room, impacting school performance and social interaction? How many shoulder and elbow surgeries have been avoided by proactive strength and conditioning program initiatives? How many young athletes have spent 10-12 hours a week at Cressey Performance surrounded by professional and college athlete role models when they could have been out getting into trouble with the wrong crowd? How many families have collectively started eating healthier because a young athlete came home from CP with some healthy food options for them to try? How many young athletes have been inspired to pursue fitness as a career? How many people have learned to stand up for their beliefs in vigorously defending their answers to the Tim Collins Question of the Day?
It excites me to see our former interns doing absolutely fantastic things. Many have gone on to master's degrees and doctorates in physical therapy, and two are in medical school. Some have started their own training facilities, and others have gone on to college strength and conditioning positions. Kevin Neeld is working with the U.S. Women's National Hockey team and loads of high-level hockey players. Brian St. Pierre and Jay Bonn are having a huge impact on a number of lives through their work with Dr. John Berardi and Precision Nutrition. Brad Schnitzer can drink a bottle of water really fast, too.
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that I'm very proud of all these interns and what they've accomplished.
Taking it a step further, I'm always psyched to see guys like Tim Collins (Royals), Steve Cishek (Marlins), Kevin Youkilis (White Sox), and Bryan LaHair (Cubs) doing as much stuff as possible in terms of charity work.
And, I'm even more psyched when I see our minor league guys wanting to follow their lead, and that's why getting involved with charity initiatives is an important part of our off-season pro baseball training crew. These little gestures of kindness mean a lot to people, and they mean even more when you're on the biggest stage and have a rare opportunity to impact thousands of people with your words and actions. My hope is that the Cressey Performance experience has helped to not give our younger guys the the awareness to appreciate these opportunities to help others, but instill in them the humility to properly make use of them.
Additionally, in our case, Hudson, MA isn't a tourism hub by any means (although we do have an Applebees, for what it's worth). Yet, CP brings anywhere from 80 to 120 clients per day to Hudson from all over Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island. They spend money on food (including at our building's cafeteria), gas, and any of a number of other things while they're in town. Additionally, we have a lot of clients and interns who travel from all over the U.S. and abroad to train with us, and they support local hotels and rental properties. Finally, in Tony's case, he single-handedly keeps a local auto body shop in business with all the repairs on his car; in fact, I think their owners would vote for him if he ran for mayor because of all the "economic stimulus" he's provided them. At least these kids got some exercise and entertainment pushing his car to the mechanic.
All these considerations in mind, recognize that you don't go into business solely to make money. When you're six feet under and looking up at the grass, nobody remembers you for your net income in August of 2010, but rather the impact you had on the world before you left it. And, on a related and interesting note, looking at ways to overdeliver and add value to someone's experience is often the best way to make a business more profitable. As my friend Pat Rigsby would say, pursue "value addition" opportunities, not "value extraction" ones.
To all our clients who have supported us for the past five years, thank you very much. Our entire staff is deeply appreciative of your continued support.
Speaking of Pat, he, Mike Robertson, and I collaborated on a product called the Fitness Business Blueprint last year. It discusses all the mistakes we made when opening our fitness businesses, as well as the common mistakes Pat sees in the businesses for which he consults. Mike and I complement Pat's business teachings with training-specific information like assessment and program design. Taken all together, it's a great product for someone looking to start their own fitness business, or improve upon the one they already have. In honor of CP's fifth birthday, we've put it on sale for $100 off for this weekend only (sale ends Sunday, July 15 at midnight). You can pick up your copy at the special sales page HERE.
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Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:
Elite Training Mentorship - I just had some new content loaded here for one of our twice-a-month updates. My two in-services, Progression and Regression and Understanding and Managing Acromioclavicular Joint Issues will be of particular interest.
Trunk Stability for Young Athletes - Mike Robertson did a great job with this post on preparing today's young athletes without skipping steps.
Understanding USA Hockey's American Development Model (ADM) - This is an excellent post from my friend (and former CP intern) Kevin Neeld. I love how Kevin has sought out to be "the guy" when it comes to hockey much like we have done so in our work with baseball players. I also really enjoyed this post, because I think we can learn a lot on long-term development models by looking to the successes and failures encountered in other sports. In particularly, I loved his quote, "We're winning the race to the wrong finish line."
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