We're back on track with our next list of recommended reading. Here are some things worth checking out:
13 Tips for Fitness Blogging Success - I know a lot of you have blogs of your own, and I'd encourage all of you to check out this great collection of advice from Mike Robertson. A lot of it parallels exactly what I've tried to do with EricCressey.com.
Never Eat Alone - This is one of the better business books I've ever read, as it focuses a ton on how to build and maintain a network in the business world. I came across the title in some reading I was doing the other day, and it reminded me of just how much it has helped me since I read it in March of 2007.
Vanilla Pumpkin Pie: Best Smoothie Yet? - Another great shake recipe from Brian St. Pierre.
Dude does a face plate into a bunch of iron after a one-rep max deadlift attempt - Okay, I gave this one away. It was too good to not repost.
Sorry, dude. That's what you get for celebrating like a weenie.
Today's a really exciting day for Mike Robertson, Bill Hartman, and I - and hopefully for you, too!
You see, after months of planning, filming, and editing, our new product, Assess and Correct, is now available at www.AssessAndCorrect.com. And, for the first week ONLY, we're making the product available for $30 off what will be the normal retail price.
Assess and Correct is the first resource that empowers you with not only a series of self-assessments to identify your own flexibility and stability limitations, but also exercise progressions to correct those inefficiencies. In the process, you'll take your athletic performance to all new levelsandprevent injuries from creeping up on you - whether you're a high-level athlete or someone who sits at a desk too much.
With 27 self-assessments and 78 corresponding exercises, you'll cover virtually everything you need to feel and perform well. And, you'll have plenty of variety to use for many years to come! And, while the DVDs alone are really comprehensive, the bonuses we've added to this really sweeten the deal. Included in this package are:
DVD #1:Your Comprehensive Guide to Self-Assessment
DVD #2:Your Individualized Corrective Exercise Progressions
Bonus #1:The Assess and Correct Assessment E-Manual, which is a guide to which you can refer to in conjunction with DVD #1.
Bonus #2:The Assess and Correct E-Manual, which includes written cues and photos for each recommended drill in DVD #2 so that you'll have a resource you can take to the gym with you.
Bonus #3: "The Great Eight Static Stretches" E-Manual, which shows you eight additional flexibility drills that we use on a regular basis in addition to the drills featured in the DVDs.
Bonus #4:The "Optimal Self Myofascial Release" E-Manual, which shows you the soft tissue methods and techniques we use with our clients and athletes.
Bonus #5: "Warm-ups for Every Body" E-Manual, which is a collection of two sample warm-up templates for 19 different sports/scenarios.
Again, this introductory offer will end next Sunday, November 1 at midnight EST. For now, though, I'd encourage you to head over to www.AssessAndCorrect.com to check out some of the sample videos from the DVDs - including the introduction in which we discuss our rationale for creating the product.
Here is this week's list of recommended reading for you:
The 2008 Indianapolis Performance Enhancement Seminar DVD Set - Right now, I'm working with Mike Robertson and Bill Hartman on a new product - and we're doing it through the same guy (James Simon) who filmed, edited, and produced this DVD set for them. All our email interactions got me to thinking about just how fantastic and thorough a resource it is. I reviewed it in detail a while back HERE, and would strongly recommend you check it out if you haven't already.
Okay, so I guess that last one was more about "viewing" than "reading," but you get the point...
Birthday Blogging: 28 Years, 28 Favorites - I published this blog post on my birthday back in May, and it touches on just about everything!
I'm headed to a Sox game tonight and have plenty to do around the facility before I go, so I thought I'd just use today to throw out a few quick reading recommendations:
Re-Building the Reverse Hyper - This great newsletter from Mike Robertson goes into some excellent detail on the biomechanics of a very controversial exercise - and how we can make it safer and more effective.
Wiggling Their Toes at the Show Giants - This is a piece in the NY Times that is actually surprisingly good. It goes hand-in-hand with my recommendation of Born to Run from a few weeks ago. Definitely check both the article and the book out.
Super Bowl Super Shakes - Dr. John Berardi just published this collection of shake recipes this week. It's definitely worth checking out if you're looking for some new ideas to add variety to your diet.
1. First off, I hope everyone takes a moment our of their day today to remember all those who lost their lives in 2001.
2. I'd encourage you guys to check out a great article from Chris Shugart at T-Muscle on the topic of Vitamin D:
"D" is for Doping
A lot of you know that I've been a huge advocate of supplemental Vitamin D for about two years now, and this article outlines a lot of reasons why I'm such a fan.
3. It was a great night in Double A playoffs for a few CP athletes last night. Huntsville Star Steffan Wilson - just one day after a call-up from High A - hit a game-winning 3-run homerun in the opener of a five-game playoff series. Steffan is a corner infielder in the Brewers System.
At the same time, CP athlete and San Antonio (Padres AA) pitcher Will Inman picked up the win to even up their playoff series at 1-1.
4. Along those same lines, here are a few recent articles about some CP athletes:
Quinn Begins Southern QuestSize Doesn't Matter: A Conversation with Blue Jays Pitching Prospect Tim Collins
5. Check out this study, which reported a markedly different neuromuscular pattern in those athletes who ruptured ACLs as compared to those who didn't.
In a nutshell, at pre-screening, prior to a cutting maneuver, all five players who went on to rupture ACLs actually recruited more vastus lateralis (quads) and less semitendinosis (hamstrings). It isn't surprising that this would be an injury predisposition, as the hamstrings work synergistically with the ACL. Reduce hamstrings activity, and the ACL has to take on more of the stress. It's the same old Active vs. Passive Restraints discussion we've had in the past.
The bigger question, in my eyes, is why certain individuals showed this tendencies. Was it their builds (greater Q angles)? Prior training programs that may have omitted things? A combination of the two?
Interested in learning more? I highly recommend checking out Bulletproof Knees; Mike Robertson did a fantastic job with it.
Getting Geeky with AC Joint Injuries
Lately, I've gotten quite a few in-person evaluations and emails relating to acromioclavicular (AC) joint issues. As such, I figured I'd devote a newsletter to talking about why these injuries are such a pain in the butt, what to do to train around them, and how to prevent them in the first place (or address the issue once it's in place).
First off, there is a little bit about the joint that you ought to know. While the glenohumeral joint (ball-and-socket) is stabilized by a combination of ligamentous and muscular (rotator cuff) restraints, the AC joint doesn't really have the benefit of muscles directly crossing the joint to stabilize it. As such, it has to rely on ligaments almost exclusively to prevent against "shifting."
As you can imagine, then, a traumatic injury or a significant dysfunction that affects clavicle positioning can easily make that joint chronically hypermobile. This is why many significant traumatic injuries may require surgery. While almost all Grade 4-6 separations are treated surgically, Grades 1-2 separations are generally left alone to heal - with Grade 3 surgeries going in either direction.
In many cases, you'll actually see a "piano key sign," which occurs when the separation allows the clavicle to ride up higher relative to the acromion. Here's one I saw last year that was completely asymptomatic after conservative treatment. It won't win him any beauty contests, and it may become arthritic way down the road, but for now, it's no problem.
Now that I've grossed you out, let's talk about how an AC joint gets injured. First, we've got traumatic (contact) injuries, and we can also see it in people who bench like this:
Actually, that's probably a fractured sternum, but you can probably get the takeaway point: don't bounce the bar off your chest, you weenie. But I digress...
Insidious (gradual) onset injuries occur just as frequently, and even moreso in a lifting population. Most of the insidious onset AC joint problems I've encountered have been individuals with glaring scapular instability. With lower trapezius and serratus anterior weakness in combination with shortness of pec minor, the scapula anteriorly tilts and abducts (wings out) - and you'll see that this leads to a more inferior (lower) resting posture.
In the process, the interaction between the acromion (part of the scapula) and clavicle can go a little haywire. The acromion and clavicle can get pulled apart slightly, or the entire complex can get pulled downward a bit. In this latter situation, you can also see thoracic outlet syndrome (several important nerves track under the clavicle) and sternoclavicular joint issues in addition to the AC joint problems we're discussing.
As such, regardless of whether we're dealing with a chronic or insidious onset AC joint issue, it's imperative to implement a good scapular stabilization program focusing on lower trapezius and serratus anterior to get the acromion "back in line" with the clavicle. Likewise, soft tissue and flexibility work for the pec minor can also help the cause tremendously.
Anecdotally, a good chunk of the insidious onset AC joint problems I've seen have been individuals with significant glenohumeral internal rotation deficits (GIRD). The images below demonstrate a 34-degree GIRD on the right side.
It isn't hard to understand why, either; if you lack internal rotation, you'll substitute scapular anterior tilt and abduction as a compensation pattern - whether you're lifting heavy stuff or just reaching for something. And, as I discussed in the paragraph above, a scapular dyskinesis can definitely have a negative effect on the AC joint.
Lastly, you can't ever overlook the role of thoracic spine mobility. If your thoracic spine doesn't move, you'll get hypermobile at the scapulae as a compensation - and we already know that's not good. And, as Bill Hartman discussed previously, simply mobilizing the thoracic spine can actually improve glenohumeral rotation range-of-motion, particularly in internal rotation. Inside-Out is a fantastic resource in this regard - and is on sale this week, conveniently!
So, as you can see, everything is interconnected! In part 2 of this series, I'll discuss training modifications to work around acromioclavicular joint problems and progress back to more "normal" training programs.
New Blog ContentBirddogs, Continuing Education, and Terrible JournalismStuff You Should ReadExercise of the Week: Dumbbell Reverse LungeRandom Friday ThoughtsIt's All About Specialization
All the Best,
EC
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used by Cressey Performance Pitchers after they Throw!
As many of you know, Bill Hartman, Mike Robertson, and I are very close to releasing a new product. In fact, we spent the weekend going through edits on the footage and pulling together the tag-along manuals.
This new product includes a lot of our newer perspectives on assessment and corrective exercise. Many of the drills we outline actually piggyback on those we outlined with our previous DVDs, Magnificent Mobility and Inside-Out. There is even a bit of overlap where we discuss how the "older" drills fit into our up-to-date progressions.
So, while the MM and I/O DVDs might be a few years old, the good news is that the human body hasn't evolved dramatically since then - so these drills are still highly effective. However, with new products, older products sometimes get forgotten - and that's why we figured we'd throw out this opportunity to grab up these two previous products at a big discount.
Here's the deal...
30% off on Magnificent Mobility and Inside-Out from Monday, August 31 through Wednesday, September 2. All you need to do is head over to the RobertsonTrainingSystems.com Products Page and add the item(s) to your cart. At checkout, enter the coupon code "FALL09" (all caps, no quotation marks) and the discount will be applied.
Don't miss this last chance to get two great products at a great discount!
Q: I've read a lot from you, Robertson, and Hartman about including push-up variations in strength training programs is really important for shoulder health. Unfortunately, whenever I do them, I have pain in my bum shoulder. Any ideas what to do?
A: Well, obviously, there are two things we need to rule out:
1. You may simply have a really irritated shoulder, which (in most cases) means that any sort of approximation or protraction movement could get it angrier, even if it is a closed-chain movement like the push-up that is normally pretty shoulder-friendly. Likewise, if you have a significant acromioclavicular joint injury, the extension range-of-motion at the bottom of a push-up could exacerbate your symptoms. So, obviously, the first step is to rule out if something is structurally wrong with your shoulder, and if so, if the push-up even belongs in your strength training program.
2. Your technique might just be atrocious. If the elbows are flared out, hips are sagging, and/or you're in a forward head posture, simply changing your technique may very well alleviate those symptoms. In a good push-up, the elbows should be tucked to a 45-degree angle to the body, with the hips, torso, neck, and head in a straight line. The muscles of the upper back should essentially "pull" you down into the bottom position:
Once you've ruled out those two issues and still have some annoying issues, there is one more thing you can try: simply elevate the feet. Looking to the research, Lear and Gross found that performing push-ups with the feet elevated significantly increased activation of the serratus anterior (SA).
If we can get more SA recruitment and less pectoralis minor contribution, it keeps us out of a position of scapular anterior tilt, which mechanically decreases the subacromial space through which the rotator cuff tendons pass. In the picture below, think of the area just below the word "acromion" being smaller, and then picture what would happen to the tendons that pass through that region; they get impinged. Serratus anterior (along with lower trapezius) can help prevent that.
That said, I've seen quite a few folks with persistent shoulder pain with bench pressing variations (barbell and DBs) and regular push-ups who were able to do the feet-elevated versions completely pain free in their strength training programs. Obviously, begin with just body weight and see how it goes, but over time, you can start to add resistance and use the single-leg version.
Here's this week's list of resources to check out:
Risk-Reward in Training Athletes - This old newsletter of mine highlights indivividual physical and situational differences among athletes, and spotlights the work of one Cressey Performance athlete who made tremendous progress with these individual factors playing a key role in how that training was approached. If you play or coach baseball, this is a must-read.
Are Tennis Elbow Straps Effective? - This blog post from Mike Reinold provides a great overview of these commonly used rehabilitation adjuncts.
In the Trenches: Michael Boyle - Mike Robertson's newsletter last week featured this audio interview with Coach Boyle.
