What the experts are saying about The Truth About Unstable Surface Training…
“Unstable surface training is many times misunderstood and misinterpeted in both the physical therapy and athletic performance fields. The Truth About Unstable Surface Training e-book greatly clarifies where unstable surface training strategically fits into an overall program of injury prevention, warm-up/activation, and increasing whole body strength. If you are a physical therapist, athletic trainer, or strength training professional, The Truth About Unstable Surface Training gives you a massive amount of evidence-based ammunition for your treatment stockpile.”
Shon Grosse PT, ATC, CSCS
Comprehensive Physical Therapy
Colmar, PA
Click here for more information on The Truth About Unstable Surface Training.
Subscriber-Only Q&AQ: I have a question about your 22 More Random Thoughts article from October of 2008 on T-Nation. In the stretch for the hips found above #10, I can't tell is that athlete bridging or are the hips on the ground. Also, can you please explain exactly what is stretched and how a little bit about how it corrects out-toeing of the feet?
A: Sure, no problem. Here's the lying knee-to-knee stretch, for those readers who missed the original article:
First off, it's a stretch for the hip external rotators, and the athlete is not bridging up. However, it's also useful to do the stretch in a more hips-extended position, as a small percentage of athletes will feel it more in that position. To perform this stretch, we'll do the exact same position, but have the athlete set up atop a stability ball (which keeps the femurs in a more extended position).
Poor hip internal rotation range-of-motion is something you'll see quite frequently in soccer players, hockey players, and powerlifters, as all spend a considerable amount of time in hip external rotation. Likewise, I monitor this closely with all my baseball pitchers, as front leg hip internal rotation deficit is a huge problem for pitchers. When the front hip opens up too soon because of these muscular restrictions, the arm lags behind the body (out of the scapular plane). As such, it isn't uncommon for pitchers with elbow and/or shoulder pain to present with a significant hip internal rotation deficit.
There is also a considerable amount of research to suggest that hip rotation deficits - and particularly, hip internal rotation deficits - are highly correlated with low back pain. There was a great guest blog post at Mike Reinold's blog recently that highlights all this research; you can check it out HERE. My personal experience with hundreds of people who have come my way with back pain overwhelmingly supports this "theory" (if you can even call it that). It's my firm belief that this is one of the primary reasons Mike Robertson and I have gotten so much great feedback on our Magnificent Mobility DVD from folks who have seen a reduction (or altogether elmination) in back pain. Teach folks to move at the hips (particularly in rotation) instead of the lumbar spine, and whatever's going on in their low backs calms down.
Our goal is a minimum of 40 degrees of hip internal rotation. This is measured in the seated position (hips flexed to 90 degrees).
In addition to the classes of athletes I mentioned earlier, we also need to watch out for hip internal rotation deficit (HIRD) in the general population because of what happens further down the kinetic chain. We all know that overpronation at the subtalar join is a big problem for a lot of folks. This can occur because of a collection of factors, from poor footwear (too much heel lift), to muscular weakness (more on this in a second), to mobility deficits (particularly at the ankle), to congenital factors (flat feet). To understand how pronation affects the hip external rotators, you'll need to listen to a brief synopsis of subtalar joint function...
During the gait cycle, the subtalar joint pronates, to aid in deceleration. Basically, the foot flattens out to give us a bigger base of support from which to cushion impact, and from there, we switch back over to supination to get a rigid foot from which to propel. The picture below shows what our foot looks like when we have too much pronation.
Here's where our hip gets involved. Physical therapist John Pallof once called the subtalar joint a "torque converter," and it really stuck with me. What that means is that while the subtalar joint allows motion in three planes for pronation/supination, it converts this motion into transverse plan motion where it interacts with the tibia. And, as you can imagine based on the picture above, when you pronate, you increase tibial internal rotation. This, in turn, increased femoral internal rotation. Taken all together, we realize that increasing pronation means that there is more tibial and femoral internal rotation to decelerate with each step, stride, or jump landing.
The hip external rotators are strong muscles with a big cross sectional area, so they can take on this burden. However, over time, they can get balled up from overuse. As a result, the hip will sit in a more externally rotated position all the time - and the feet simply come along for the ride. That said, as I wrote HERE, it isn't the only cause of this foot position, so be sure to assess thoroughly and individualize your recommendations.
Also, a quick side note, be careful using this stretch with individuals who have previously experienced medial knee injuries, as the valgus stress can be a bit too much for some folks.
New Blog ContentRandom Friday ThoughtsFor High School Pitchers, No Grace PeriodDoga? Seriously?CP Athlete Featured at Precision Nutrition
I encourage you to check out this Precision Nutrition Athlete Profile on Cressey Performance athlete and Oakland A's minor league pitcher Shawn Haviland. Shawn completely changed his body this off-season and had a nice velocity jump from 87-89 to 91-93mph - and he's off to a good start for the Kane County Cougars. A lot of this can be attributed to him making huge strides with improving his nutrition.
Have a great week!
EC
To kick off the week, I thought I'd give you a quick heads-up on some stuff you ought to read:
What Your Doc Doesn't Know About Weightlifting - This great piece is from Nikhil Rao, an avid weight trainer who also happens to have recently become a doctor. He shares some excellent insights about how prepared your doctor may (or may not) be to give recommendations to you on exercise and nutrition.
The Proactive Patient - Along these same lines, it'd be worth checking out this article I wrote last year. It talks a lot about things you ought to consider if you're injured and want to get the best care possible.
I've actually got something good in the works along these lines right now, and should be submitting it at T-Nation by the end of the week.
The Indianapolis Performance Enhancement DVD Set - I previously wrote a review about this product HERE, but it seemed like a good idea to give it another mention since it's on sale at 15% off through the end of the day Thursday. Just use the coupon code "HITCHED" at checkout.
I got to talking with an athletic trainer at a recent seminar, and we were discussing how people really don't understand how the rhomboids work.
You see, the rhomboids typically get lumped right in with the trapezius complex as scapular retractors - and that's correct, but not exhaustive enough to illustrate my point. What you want to observe is the line of pull of the rhomboids:
What you'll see if that this line of pull is quite similar to that of the upper trapezius and levator scapulae muscles, both of which "hike" the scapula up. In reality, the goal with any rowing exercise should be to get the lower trapezius firing as much as possible, as its line of pull depresses the scapula as it retracts - and the muscle is involved upward rotation, which is essential for safe overhead movements.
Note how the line of pull of the trapezius changes as you go superior (top) to inferior (bottom).
As such, you want to make sure that you get your shoulder blades back and down as you do your rowing movements. Here's an example of what a bad seated cable row, where the scapulae are retracted, but ride up, leading to upper trap, levator scapulae, and rhomboid recruitment.
Much of this comes because of the backward lean, but it's also possible to have it when in the right torso position.
If you are someone with shoulder issues, you'll be surprised at what some general massage work on the rhomboids will do to alleviate your discomfort. We know that working on pectoralis minor and levator scapulae will quickly yield results, but rhomboids falls into the same category, as (like these two muscles) they're involved in downwardly rotating the scapulae.
Click here to purchase the most comprehensive shoulder resource available today: Optimal Shoulder Performance - From Rehabilitation to High Performance.Sign up Today for our FREE newsletter and receive a deadlift technique video!
I'm back after the holiday hiatus from blogging. Over the Christmas holiday, I actually slept in three states (MA, CT, and ME) in three days and four different houses in five days in light of all sorts of gatherings in different places. Needless to say, it was quite a bit of travel, but well worth it. I'm back and feeling pretty refreshed as 2009 gets underway. So, without further ado, it's back to the madness.
1. Today's music selection goes back quite a few years, but it's a classic that's gotten some play around the gym recently: Only by Anthrax. Press play, if you want:
I'm really not an angry person, I swear.
2. I got an I-Pod for Christmas and finally caught up with the 12-year-olds of the world. If I can actually figure out how to use it, I suppose that I'll be considered an adult.
3. On Christmas Eve, my older brother commented on how I was getting "thin up top" - confirming a suspicion that I'm gradually losing my hair (my girlfriend thinks I'm nuts when I say it). I mentioned it to Brian St. Pierre the other day, and he told me to bump up my flaxseed intake. I guess it can't hurt. Hmm...
4. Speaking of Brian, he was the inaugural Cressey Performance Fantasy Football League Champion. Thanks for keeping the hardware in the family, dude, and congratulations.
5. I was asked the other day what I thought of online master's programs, and here was my response:
"My first recommendation, above all, is that if you want to do graduate school, you should absolutely, positively do it IN-PERSON, if possible. There are a lot of online master's programs, but none of them hold a candle to the experience that is graduate school. At UCONN, I had daily interactions varsity athletes, the best professors in the country, and experienced researchers in the human performance lab. The coursework was valuable, but was secondary to the tremendous benefit I got from those opportunities. You just can't get that online.
"The online master's route may be appropriate for someone who is already working in a position - such as collegiate or professional sports - where those experiences are already taking place. If you opt to go the online master's route, I'd also highly recommend you apply for an internship somewhere under someone who is doing what you'd like to do."
6. Here's an old article of mine that deserves a mention in light of all the New Year's Resolutions that are going around:
Rotten Resolutions
The goals might be outdated, but the message isn't.
7. My girlfriend and I asked for a food processor for Christmas, and my grandparents came through with a nice one. Of course, I chose to christen it by gashing open my thumb as I took the blade out of the box. Luckily for us, the Gourmet Nutrition Apple-Cinnamon Bars we made with the new toy (once I had clotted) turned out great.
8. I coined a new term today: scromelette. A scromelette is what results when you screw up while making an omelette, and after some cursing, wind up with scrambled eggs and vegetables.
9. Another great article (this one more recent) from Mike Robertson worth reading:
Facts and Fallacies of Corrective Exercise.
That's all for today. Have a great weekend!
I always love it when folks come back from doctors with the "don't squat" recommendation. My immediate response is, "So you aren't allowed to go to the bathroom?"
Obviously, I'm saying this pretty tongue-in-cheek, as I know they're referring to squatting under significant loads. However, I wish we'd get more doctors who would appreciate that certain things (e.g., squatting) are important parts of our daily lives, and that those with knee pain need to learn how to squat correctly, not avoid it altogether.
Learning to sit back and hinge at the hip can give a majority of knee pain sufferers relief from symptoms when they do have to do a squatting motion during their daily lives. Effectively, when one squats this way, it reduces shear stress at the knee and places the load more on the hip extensors: glutes, hamstrings, and adductor magnus. These muscles have big cross-sectional areas and can easily handle the burden of squatting.
I hate to play devil's advocate, but it's a perfect example of a scenario where a doctor only sees pathology and not movements. It never ceases to amaze me how simply alternating movement patterns can markedly reduce how symptomatic a pathology is - and this is where good physical therapists and trainers/coaches come in. A lot of doctors are extremely well-schooled in diagnostics, but have little background in terms of mechanisms of injury (particularly for chronic injuries), optimal rehabilitation , and the hugely important role soft tissue restrictions play in the development of pain. Often, these issues are left unaddressed and an individual still gets healthy simply because the doctor has contraindicated so many exercise modalities that a patient gets better only through resting the irritated tissues.
With respect to the knee, Mike Robertson has put forth some great material on this front in his Bulletproof Knees manual.
Mike Robertson just brought to my attention that the Monday after Thanksgiving is known as Cyber Monday because it's the biggest day of the year for online sales. So, particularly with the economy the way it is, we decided to put most of our products up for sale for today ONLY.
For the fitness professionals in the crowd, keep in mind you can also purchase NSCA CEUs for the majority of these products, and those CEUs will come in handy at this time of year as you're up for renewal of your certification. The products with the asterisk after their names below are eligible.
Simply head on over to the Robertson Training Systems Products Page, add a product (or a bunch of products) to your shopping cart, and enter the coupon code CYBER at checkout to receive 15% off on your purchase. Eligible products include the Building the Efficient Athlete DVD Set*, Magnificent Mobility DVD*, Inside-Out DVD*, 2008 Indianapolis Performance Enhancement Seminar DVD Set*, and Bulletproof Knees Manual*.
Also, through my shopping cart, this same offer (same CYBER coupon code) is available for The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual and The Art of the Deload E-Book. You can purchase those on my Products Page.
Don't miss out on this great chance to purchase our stuff at an excellent discount just in time for the holidays!
I'm writing this blog on Tuesday night, as I'm pretty sure that my mind will be a bit hazy after the insulin-induced coma that follows my Thanksgiving feast.
1. While I've had a week-long argument with my new website set-up, I have to say that one of the cool features I now have is a really detailed analytic panel to look at hits, referring sites, and the keywords people used in their searches to find my site. Believe it or not, 6.8% of my readers can't spell my last name correctly in a web search. So, just to be clear, it's "CRESSEY," not "CRESSY." The extra "E" stands for excellence, in case anyone was wondering. Stop laughing.
2. I work with two pro ballplayers who were drafted out of Harvard, and the other day, we got to talking about how I had finally gotten DVR on my TV (mostly for my girlfriend, to be honest). They started talking about how it'd be nice to be able to fast-forward through the commercials, and I commented on how that parallels what I do with educational DVDs. You see, I just push fast-forward and listen to things in about half the time it would take to hear the entire thing. I still comprehend everything - kind of like this guy:
They were kind of floored that I could do that - although I'm really not sure why. I'd be willing to bet that there were a lot of students at Harvard who are a lot more cyborg-ish than I am.
3. For the record, this strategy comes in handy when listening to presenters with Midwestern and Southern accents. I employed it with great success when viewing the 2008 Indianapolis Performance Enhancement Seminar DVD Series, as that Robertson character is one........sloooooooowwwww......talker.
Kidding aside, this was a fantastic seminar; I'd highly recommend you pick up a copy. I actually reviewed it in detail in a previous blog entitled The Best Thing I've Seen All Year.
4. Eric Chessen has a new blog about Autism Fitness. Definitely check it out at www.Autism-Health.com if that's your cup of tea. Eric's at the head of his field in this regard.
5. I'm going to be writing a new article for T-Nation this weekend. And, while I have some ideas on what I am going to write, I'm always open to suggestions. If you have one, please post it as a comment on this blog and I'll see what I can do.
6. HERE is an interesting new study I just read that talks about performance decrements with subtle sleep deprivation. These results seem to suggest that if you're going to miss hours of sleep, it is better to do so by going to bed later than it is to do so by rising earlier. We always teach our athletes that one hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after midnight, so these results would seemingly fly in the face of our recommendations. However, these recommendations assume no sleep deprivation. In other words, I'd rather have an athlete sleep 11pm-7am than I would have him sleep 2am-10am.
Just a quick one this week in light of the holiday. Have a great weekend!
This ran in my newsletter yesterday, and for those who didn't see it,
a) What's wrong with you? Why not subscribe to my FREE NEWSLETTER?!?!?!
b) Read on. It's a great product.
Last week, I was fortunate enough to get a free copy of Mike Robertson and Bill Hartman’s 2008 Indianapolis Performance Enhancement Seminar DVD Set. To be honest, the word “fortunate” doesn’t even begin to do the product justice; it was the best industry product I’ve watched all year.
The DVD set is broken up into six separate presentations:
1. Introduction and 21st Century Core Training
2. Creating a More Effective Assessment
3. Optimizing Upper Extremity Biomechanics
4. Building Bulletproof Knees
5. Selecting the Optimal Method for Effective Flexibility Training
6. Program Design and Conclusion
To be honest, I’ve already seen Mike Robertson deliver the presentations on DVDs 1 and 4 a few times during seminars at which we’ve both presented, so more of my focus in this review will be on Bill’s presentations because they were more “new” to me. That said, I can tell you that each time I’ve seen Mike deliver there presentations, he’s really impressed the audience and put them in a position to view training from a new (and better) paradigm, debunking old myths along the way. A lot of the principles in his core training presentation mirror what we do with our clients – and particularly with those involved in rotational sports.
Bill’s presentation on assessments is excellent. I think I liked it the most because it really demonstrated Bill’s versatility in that he knows how to assess both on the clinical (physical therapy) and asymptomatic (ordinary client/athlete) sides of the things. A few quick notes from Bill’s presentation that I really liked:
a. Roughly 40% of athletes have a leg length discrepancy – but that’s not to say that 40% of athletes are injured or even symptomatic. As such, we need to understand that some asymmetry is normal in many cases – and determining what is an acceptable amount of asymmetry is an important task. As an example, in my daily work, a throwing shoulder internal rotation deficit (relative to the non-throwing shoulder) of 15 degrees or less is acceptable – but if a guy goes over 15°, he really needs to buckle down on his flexibility work and cut back on throwing temporarily. If he is 17-18° or more, he shouldn’t be throwing – period.
b. It’s important to consider not only a client/patient/athlete looks like on a “regular” test, but also under conditions of fatigue. There’s a reason athletes get hurt more later in games: fatigue changes movement efficiency and safety! This is why many tests should include several reps – and we should always be looking to evaluate players “on the fly” under conditions of fatigue.
c. Bill made a great point on “functional training” during this presentation as well – and outlined the importance difference between kinetics (incorporates forces) and kinematics (movement independent of forces). Most functional training zealots only look at kinematics, and in the process, ignore the amount of forces in a dynamic activity. For example, being able to execute a body weight lateral lunge with good technique doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be “equipped” to handle change-of-direction challenges at game speed. In reality, this force consideration is one reason why there are times that bilateral exercise is actually more function than unilateral movements!
d. Bill also outlined a multi-faceted scoring system he uses to evaluate athletes in the context of their sports. It’s definitely a useful system for those who want a quantifiable scheme through which to score athletes on overall strength, speed, and flexibility qualities to determine areas that warrant prioritization.
DVD #3 is an excellent look at preventing and correcting shoulder problems – and in terms of quality, this presentation with Mike is right on par with their excellent Inside-Out DVD. Mike goes into depth on what causes most shoulder problems and how we can work backward from pathology to see what movement deficiency – particularly scapular downward rotation syndrome – caused the problem. There is a great focus on lower trapezius and serratus anterior strengthening exercises and appropriate flexibility drills for the pec minor, levator scapulae, and thoracic spine – as well as a focus on the effects of hip immobility and rectus abdominus length on upper body function.
To be honest, I think that DVD #4 alone is worth far more than the price of the entire set. It actually came at an ideal time for me, as I’m preparing our off-season training templates for our pro baseball guys – and flexibility training is a huge component of this. Whenever I see something and it really gets me thinking about what I’m doing, I know it’s great. Bill’s short vs. stiff discussion really did that for me.
Bill does far more justice to the discussion than I can, but the basic gist of the topic is that the word “tight” doesn’t tell us much at all. A short muscle actually has lost sarcomeres because it’s been in a shortened state for an extended period of time; this would be consistent with someone who had been immobilized post-surgery or a guy who has just spent way too long at a computer. These situations mandate some longer duration static stretching to really get after the plastic portion of connective tissue – and this can be uncomfortable, but highly effective.
Conversely, a stiff muscle is one that can be relatively easily lengthened acutely as long as you stabilize the less stiff segment. An example would be to stabilize the scapula when stretching someone into humeral internal or external rotation. If the scapular stabilizers are weak (i.e., not stiff), manually fixing the scapula allows us to effectively stretch the muscles acting at the humeral head. If we don’t stabilize the less-stiff joint, folks will just substitute range of motion there instead of where we actually want to create it. In situations like this, in addition to good soft tissue work, Bill recommends 30s static stretches for up to four rounds (this is not to be performed pre-exercise, though; that’s the ideal time for dynamic flexibility drills.
DVD #5 is where Mike is at his best: talking knees. This is a great presentation not only because of the quality of his information, but also because of his frame of reference; Mike has overcome some pretty significant knee issues, including a surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Mike details the role of ankle and hip restrictions in knee issues, covers the VMO isolation mindset, and outlines some of the research surrounding resistance training and rehabilitation of knee injuries in light of some of the myths that are abundant in the weight-training world.
DVD #6 brings all these ideas together with respect to program design.
I should also mention that each DVD also includes the audience Q&A, which is a nice bonus to the presentations themselves. The production quality is excellent, with “back-and-forths” between the slideshow and presenters themselves. Bill and Mike include several video demonstrations in their presentations to break up the talking and help out th
e visual learners in the crowd, too.
All in all, this is a fantastic DVD set that encompasses much more than I could ever review here. In fact, if it’s any indicator of how great I think it is, I’m actually going to have all our staff members watch it. If you train athletes or clients, definitely get it. Or, if you’re just someone who wants to know how to keep knees, shoulders, and lower backs healthy while optimizing flexibility, it’s worth every penny. You can find out more at the Indianapolis Performance Enhancement Seminar website.
According to Princeton researchers, one in four Americans have daily pain.
Unfortunate? Yes. Surprising? It would depend who you ask.
I'm a firm believer that most people are just waiting to reach threshold. With so many sedentary folks - and those who are actually exercising doing a lot of moronic stuff (machines, excessive aerobic training), it's just a matter of time until a chronic overuse condition comes to fruition - or something traumatic occurs.
Additionally, just because folks aren't symptomatic doesn't mean that they don't have structural defect. It's estimated that approximately 80% of Americans have disc bulges and/or herniations that are asymptomatic, and I'd put the number of spondylolysis (vertebral fractures) right up in that ballpark as well. All baseball players have labral fraying in their shoulders, but not all of them are in pain. A lot of folks have tendinopathy under the microscope, but don't actually present with pain - YET.
So what can you do?
First off, if you're sedentary, move. Something is better than nothing!
If you're already active, when it comes to your health, think "inefficiency" and not "pathology." The conventional medical model tells us to wait until we have pain to get something checked out. To me, a lack of hip internal rotation range-of-motion, fallen arches, and poor scapular stability are all example of issues that you need to address before pathologies present as pain and loss of function.
If you've got shoulder or upper back issues, check out Inside-Out and Secrets of the Shoulder.
If your hips are tight, check out our Magnificent Mobility DVD.
Lower back pain? Try Dr. Stuart McGill's Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance.
If it's knee problems, Mike Robertson's Bulletproof Knees is for you.
Cruddy ankle mobility? I like Mike Boyle's Joint-by-Joint Approach to Training.
A little education and a small financial investment early-on will do wonders for saving you a lot of pain, time, and cash down the road.
I used to think that I had the coolest job in the world – until I met Sarah Neukom and learned about what she gets to do every day.
Don’t get me wrong; helping athletes get leaner, stronger, and faster is a lot of fun. I’m thrilled that we get to instill positive diet, exercise, and lifestyle habits in people that will sustain them for life. I love the fact that my writing, speaking, and coaching has CHANGED some lives.
To be honest, though, my responsibilities don’t hold a candle to Sarah’s; she gets to SAVE lives.
You see, Sarah is a Development Office for Jimmy Fund Special Events. For those who aren’t familiar with it, the Jimmy Fund supports cancer research and care at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and it’s become synonymous with the word “charity” in the city of Boston.
The events Sarah organizes – from autograph signings with the Red Sox to ice cream festivals – directly fund the services that save thousands of lives each year. And, to take it a step further, Sarah’s enthusiasm for her job and passion for helping others is contagious. In fact, the first time I heard her talk about how much she loves her job, all I could think about was what I could do to help.
Fortunately, I now have that opportunity. You see, like many other athletes who run the Boston Marathon for various charities, Sarah is hitting the pavement to raise funds for Dana Farber. Normally, runners with charity associations are required to raise $3,000 to run, but given Sarah’s job, the bar has been set even higher: $8,000!
Now, I might be able to lift heavy stuff and jump high, but you can be sure that I’m no endurance athlete. As such, I’ll stick to fund-raising support and leave the support running to others…
Once you’ve done so, forward your donation confirmation email to me at ec@ericcressey.com and tell me which product you’d like for your discount. We’ll get you a discount code for your purchase. The products included are:
The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual Magnificent Mobility DVD and/or Manual Inside-Out DVD/Manual Monster Mobility Pack (MM + I-O) Building the Efficient Athlete DVD set ($25 donation saves you $50!) Bulletproof Knees Manual
You might be wondering: why don’t Mike and Eric just donate a portion of the proceeds from all sales for the week? The answer is simple: if you buy from us, it’s not tax deductible. We’ll eat the difference instead of making you eat it; we want to encourage you in your philanthropic efforts.
Of course, if you already have all our products, or just aren’t interested – but want to make a donation anyway – forward your confirmation email on anyway and I’ll get something good sent out to you to make it worth your while.
For more information on Sarah’s efforts, you can check out www.SarahSaidSheWould.com.
And, by all means, please pass this along to others.
5. I was asked the other day what I thought of online master's programs, and here was my response:
"My first recommendation, above all, is that if you want to do graduate school, you should absolutely, positively do it IN-PERSON, if possible. There are a lot of online master's programs, but none of them hold a candle to the experience that is graduate school. At UCONN, I had daily interactions varsity athletes, the best professors in the country, and experienced researchers in the human performance lab. The coursework was valuable, but was secondary to the tremendous benefit I got from those opportunities. You just can't get that online.
"The online master's route may be appropriate for someone who is already working in a position - such as collegiate or professional sports - where those experiences are already taking place. If you opt to go the online master's route, I'd also highly recommend you apply for an internship somewhere under someone who is doing what you'd like to do."
6. Here's an old article of mine that deserves a mention in light of all the New Year's Resolutions that are going around:
