We just received this great feedback on Optimal Shoulder Performance:
"I just recently finished the Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD's. Without a doubt, that was the best $100 I've spent on a home based CEU opportunity.
The material was very well presented, the talks cut to the chase, and provided tons of practical ideas that I have already put into practice with my baseball and softball players."In addition to the downloadable PowerPoint slides PDF, I took tons of notes because both of you offered up such great information.
"I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants a quality shoulder DVD to add to their professional library.
"Thanks, guys, for a very high quality practical product!"-Kevin Collins, MS, ATC
About this time last year, I attended and spoke at at big sports medicine conference organized by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School. Given that it was baseball season, and the event's organizers were all also on staff with the Boston Red Sox, a big focus of the event was the diagnosis, treatment, and causes of throwing injuries to the elbow and shoulder.
One of the organizers happened to be my good friend Mike Reinold, who is the head athletic trainer and rehabilitation coordinator for the Red Sox. As you probably know, we collaborated on the Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set as well.
One of the resounding themes of Mike's talks was that throwing hard is not the single-most important factor in being a successful pitcher. Rather, success is all about changing speeds and hitting spots. The point is an important one - and it's backed up by the success of the likes of Jamie Moyer, Tom Glavine, and Greg Maddux.
Why is it so important for youth pitchers and parents to understand this? It's because it demonstrates that long-term success is not about dominating in little league; it's about acquiring skills that allow for future improvements.
Youth pitches should focus on commanding their fastballs with consistent repetition of their mechanics early-on - not just throwing hard. If you think you have the fastball mastered at age 9 and simply learn a curveball so that you can dominate little league hitters, you're skipping steps and trying to ride too many horses with one saddle. It's not that the curveball is inherently more stressful than any other pitch; it's just that - as the saying goes - "if you chase two rabbits, both will escape."
While kids need variety, they shouldn't try to master too many different complex skills at once. Step 1 is to have command of your fastball - not just to throw it hard.
Step 2 is to learn a good change-up to start creating the separation to which Mike is referring. Breaking pitches can come later.
Need proof? I recently saw some statistics that demonstrated that the MLB average against off-speed pitches has decline each of the past three years. Meanwhile, not surprisingly, the average MLB fastball velocity has increased by about 1mph. Throwing harder made all those off-speed pitches more effective by creating more separation. So, yes, throwing the crap out of the ball is still important - but only if you know where it's going - otherwise the average fastball velocity wouldn't be higher in Low A ball than it is in the big leagues.
Oh, and in case you need further proof of how MLB general managers perceive the importance of off-speed pitches, Phillies First Baseman Ryan Howard gave you $125 worth when he signed a new five-year contract last month. While the MLB average against off-speed pitches has steadily declined over the past three seasons, Howard has gotten better.
The take-home message is that youth pitchers need to develop the mechanical efficiency and physical abilities that will eventually make them able to throw hard in conjunction with a solid assortment of off-speed pitches. They don't need to light up radar guns and showcase curveballs when they're still regulars at Chuck 'E Cheese.
Also, don't forget that today is the last day to get the $20 early-bird discount on The Single-Leg Solution. Don't miss out; the introductory price ends tonight at midnight.
1. Yesterday was tax day. And, since you're all probably feeling like Uncle Sam took a dump in your favorite shoes on the taxes front, this uplifting video couldn't be more appropriate to kick things off.
2. Yesterday also marked the end of the introductory offer on our new Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set. Some of our more noteworthy customers of these DVDs sold to the likes of President Obama, Amelia Earhart, Spongebob Squarepants, and King Tut. Okay, they really didn't buy any - but they might have if you blog readers had told all your friends about this fantastic resource to spread the word. The take-home point is that you should feel poor and guilty the day after April 15. Thanks for nothing. Let's move on.
3. Just when I thought nobody could beat me down more than Uncle Sam yesterday, I realized that Tony had written this month's staff training program, and I went through one of the most brutal training sessions in Cressey Performance history. Here's a little taste:
A1) Bench Press Clusters: 4 x (4x2) - 10s
A2) (160-lb/hand) Farmer's Walk: 4x90yds (on last set, it was walk as far as you could go...I went 135 yards)
Frankly, this first pairing was enough to get a 25% attrition rate from our training crew (man down!) - but there was actually more:
B1) Wide Pronated Grip Seated Cable Rows: 3x10
B2) 1-arm, 1-leg DB RDL: 3x8/side
C1) Standing DB Military Press: 3x8
C2) Slideboard Bodysaw: 3x10
And, last but not least:
D) Side-Lying External Rotations: 2x8/side
I'm not sure why, but it really made me angry to do these external rotations at the end of all this brutality. It was almost like Tony was rubbing it in our faces that we weren't quite done, even though the hard stuff was over. So, just as a statement, I did 2x10/side instead and then suplexed Tony off the loading dock...just because (okay, not really; Uncle Sam suplexed him off the loading dock).
4. While I don't really "commute" anymore because our new house is so close to the facility, I do have a pretty good audio book rolling in the car right now: Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard.
It was written by Chip and Dan Heath (who also wrote Made to Stick, a book I absolutely loved and highly recommended in the past). The Heath brothers go into detail on the important factors that determine whether or not attempts at change will be successful, highlighting some profound examples from everything from the business world to nutritional practices with newborns in Southeast Asia. What I like the most is that they relate everything back to principles that are directly applicable to everything in my "world:" training and nutrition practices, managing employees, and running a business. It's definitely worth a read. Check it out HERE.
5. This point is going to make today's blog interactive, as I need some feedback. My one responsibility on the wedding planning front is to decide where we go on our honeymoon (tough job, I know). I know I've got readers all over the world who have been to some cool places, so let's hear some recommendations in the comments section below. We're an active couple and want to honeymoon where we can hike, exercise, etc. instead of just sitting around drinking tequila. As of right now, I'm leaning toward the Riviera Maya, but am open to suggestions - except Iceland. This guy convinced me otherwise:
Just a friendly reminder that the introductory price of $97 on Optimal Shoulder Performance: From Rehabilitation to High Performance ends tonight at midnight - when the price goes up by $30. This DVD set has been getting some awesome feedback, so don't miss out on this last chance to get it at a an awesome value:
www.ShoulderPerformance.com
"Mike and Eric do an incredible job of making sense out of complex information and research without watering it down a bit. I not only left the seminar with a better understanding of the functional work that all the muscles of the shoulders do, but also with plenty of new tools to put into my own program along with the knowledge to know when and why to use them. It was worth every penny, which I'm sure comes as no surprise to anyone fortunate enough to have learned from these guys previously."
Jon Hudak MS, CSCS
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
With the recent release of Mike Reinold and my Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD Set, I thought it'd be a good time to list of a few more reasons to pick up a copy of this thorough resource.
1. The presentations in this DVD set not only outline the differences in shoulder conditions among ordinary lifting populations, sedentary folks, and overhead throwing athletes - but it also outlines different ways to manage these individuals.
2. When you consider annual salaries and signing bonuses, collectively, Mike and I manage over $1 billion in professional baseball shoulders annually. If that doesn't put your shoulder programs to the test, nothing will.
(just signed a 4-year, $68 million contract....Beckett, not Mike - sorry, Mike)
3. My second presentation of the day - Training the Injured Shoulder During- and Post-Rehabilitation - discusses what folks with different shoulder conditions CAN do in the weight room in spite of their shoulder issues. This makes OSP a great resource for personal trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, and fitness enthusiasts concerned with maintaining a training effect without exacerbating shoulder symptoms.
4. You'll put down your blanky and stop demanding a MRI for everything, because my first presentation of the day will demonstrate that diagnostic imaging like MRIs and x-rays are just one piece of a diagnostic puzzle that should include specific movement evaluations.
5. You'll learn why the term "shoulder tendinitis" is usually a load of crap.
6. As you probably know, the Red Sox and Yankees don't get along too well.
So, when a Red Sox staff member gives a talk so good that a Yankees organization staff member shows him some love, that's a pretty good feather in your product's cap:
"I attended this seminar with high hopes of learning more about the 'baseball shoulder' from two different approaches of the sports medicine and performance community. This seminar not only exceeded my expectations, but more importantly, took 'one huge leap' toward bridging the gap between two different communities (physical therapy/athletic training and strength and conditioning) that have the same common goal: to get athletes on the field of play and keep them there. These two highly-intelligent leaders of their respective fields have a great sense of evidence-influenced practice, and maybe more importantly, have an innate ability to readily and effectively communicate their knowledge. Thanks to Eric and Mike, this seminar was momentous in the on-going mission of creating a 'common language' for those working in the performance-based fields. I encourage any and all members of the performance fields to invest in the DVDs of this seminar and attend any seminar Mike and Eric put on. I promise you will learn something valuable every single time you have the opportunity to listen to either of them because they are constantly learning, studying, and changing - all great signs of any leader of any field."
Scott DiFrancesco, ATC, CSCS
Minor League Athletic Trainer - New York Yankees
7. You'll learn how to screen for congenital laxity and modify shoulder training in its presence.
8. Both Mike and I have been featured in The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald for our unique training methods. Check these two examples out:
This Joint is Jumping (Mike)
Custom Body Shop (Eric)
9. These DVDs will make you realize that true symmetry in the human body is likely a complete myth, particularly in the context of throwing shoulders.
10. You'll learn the most effective rotator cuff exercises, some of which I guarantee you won't have seen before - so they'll also keep your training "fresh."
11. Mike was formerly the Facility Director of Champion Sports Medicine and the Coordinator of Rehabilitative Research & Clinical Education at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, AL. That means he rehabbed a lot of big time athletes and did a lot of big-time research. I, on the other hand, am best known for my charming wit, ravishingly good looks, and entertaining personality.
12. You'll appreciate that simply repositioning the scapula can dramatically impact rotator cuff function to enable you to achieve personal bests you never thought were possible on 1-rep max rotator cuff exercises:
Okay, maybe there won't be any 1RMs featured, but we will talk about the importance of scapular positioning with respect to cuff function.
13. You'll learn about the different types of impingement, how to test for each, and how to manage these issues both in the context of rehabilitation and training around them.
Many baseball fans thought that it was a bit inappropriate of President Obama to wear a Chicago White Sox hat as he threw out the opening pitching at the Washington Nationals game several years ago. However, many others - including those of us on the baseball development side of things - overlooked this fashion faux pas, and instead pointed out that the commander-in-chief's throwing mechanics closely paralleled those of an 11-year-old girl.
Now that I've irritated a good chunk of my readership, please allow me to explain.
We are all born with a certain amount of humeral retroversion. For the lay population out there, think of retroversion as a bony positioning that allows for more shoulder external rotation. As we age, we actually gradually lose retroversion (gain anteversion); this process moves the most quickly from ages 8-13, which isn't surprising, as this is when kids rapidly become more skeletally mature. It's why we see more torn ACLs than broken bones in the late teenage years; the bones are no longer the path of least resistance.
However, we actually see something different in kids who are involved in overhead throwing sports during this crucial developmental period. They don't gain anteversion as quickly in their throwing shoulder; in other words, they preserve at lot of the bony positioning that gives rise to external rotation (the lay-back position), which in itself is a predictive factor for throwing velocity. Very simply, it's easier for them to get their arm back to throw because the bones (specifically, the proximal humeral epiphysis) have morphed to allow for it. There's even a theory out there that this bony positioning actually spares the anterior-inferior glenohumeral ligaments from excessive stress during external rotation, but that's a topic for another day (and president?).
How much of a difference are we talking? Well, in a study of 54 college pitchers, Reagan et al. found that had 36.6° of humeral retroversion, as compared with just 26° in non-dominant shoulders. Here's our fearless leader throwing a cream puff from a different angle at a previous All-Star Game; you'll notice that he leads with the elbow and his arm doesn't "lay back" - a technique we've come to term "throwing like a girl," as politically incorrect as it is. Think he could use an additional 10° of shoulder external rotation?
The good news, however, is that he's in good company; Mariah Carey has sold hundreds of millions of albums and rocks a 12-foot palmball, too.
We can't fault these folks (well, maybe for their attire, but that, too, is another blog post), as females traditionally haven't had exposure to baseball at young ages in order to develop these osseous (bony) adaptations that favor throwing hard. And, with just a little reconnaissance work on President Obama, I quickly came across this quote from him in the NY Daily News: "I did not play organized baseball when I was a kid, and so, you know, I think some of these natural moves aren't so natural to me." There's your answer.
Contrast his delivery with that of George W. Bush, who not only played baseball as a kid, but actually owned the Texas Rangers for a while, and you'll see what a few years in Little League will do for a shoulder.
Interestingly, the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at Bush actually displayed some decent lay-back, too. It makes me wonder if he was born with some congenital laxity, played cricket or tennis, or just practiced a ton for his first international shoe-throwing appearance (cap?).
As an interesting little aside, in our Optimal Shoulder Performance, Mike Reinold talks about how European soccer players have actually served as the control group against which we can compare overhead throwing shoulders in research, as these athletes are the same age and gender as baseball pitchers, but rarely participate in overhead throwing sports. So, perhaps we should say "throw like a European soccer player" instead of "throw like a girl" - particularly since more and more female athletes have started participating in overhead throwing sports at a younger age!
However, in the interim, what can President Obama do to get over this hurdle? It goes without saying that it's too late to get that retroversion, as he's already skeletally mature. However, there is research out there that shows that pitchers gain external rotation over the course of a competitive season - so President Obama would be wise to get out in the rose garden and play some catch because, you know, presidents have plenty of time to do that!
Likewise, there are several things he could do to improve his pitching-specific mobility. The most important thing is to avoid spending so much time hunched over a desk, as being stuck in this position will shorten the pectoralis major and minor, lats, subscapularis, and several other small muscles that need adequate length and tissue quality to get the arm "back" via good humeral external rotation, scapular posterior tilt, and thoracic spine extension/rotation. To keep it simple, I'd probably just have him do a lot of the side-lying extension-rotation drill:
Of course, there's a lot more to it than just this, but these quick modifications would be a good start. For more information, check out our new Optimal Shoulder Performanceresource, which is on sale for 20% off through the end of the day today. Just enter the coupon code 20OFF to get the discount.
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A while back, I sent off an email to my good friend Alwyn Cosgrove about our Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set, and he asked me what I thought were the three most important things that folks - from fitness professionals to regular ol' weekend warriors - ought to know with respect to the shoulder. Here were the first concepts that came to mind:
1. You should NEVER be intimidated when you hear/see the words "rotator cuff tear" or "labral tear."
Why? Because if you are training clients, you are absolutely, positively already training people who have these issues but are 100% asymptomatic. Some interesting research:
Miniaci et al. (2003) found that 79% of professional baseball pitchers - the people who put the most stress on their shoulders on the planet - actually had "abnormal labrum" features. They concluded that "magnetic resonance imaging of the shoulder in asymptomatic high performance throwing athletes reveals abnormalities that may encompass a spectrum of 'nonclinical' findings."
Meanwhile, rotator cuff tears often go completely unnoticed. Sher et al. (1995) took MRIs on the shoulders of 96 asymptomatic subjects, and found cuff tears in 34% of cases, and 54% of those older than 60. Meanwhile, another Miniaci study (1995) found ZERO completely normal rotator cuffs in those under the age of 50 out of a sample size of 30 shoulders.
What's my point? Both the people who are in pain AND those who have absolutely no pain can have disastrous looking shoulder MRIs. So, in many cases, it is something other than just the structural deficit that causes certain people to experience pain. To me, that difference is how they move.
A torn labrum may become symptomatic in a thrower with poor shoulder internal rotation. Or, a partial thickness cuff tear my reach the pain threshold in a lifter who doesn't have adequate scapular stability.
In short, a MRI report doesn't tell you everything there is to know about a shoulder - and you need to assume that a lot of your clients are already jacked up.
2. When assessing a shoulder, everything starts with total motion. In healthy shoulders, total motion - which comes from adding internal rotation and external rotation - should be the same on the right and left side. This "arc" may occur in a different place on each shoulder, but as long as it's symmetrical from side-to-side, you're off to a good start - and that's when you work further down the chain to see what's going on with scapula stability, thoracic spine mobility, etc.
3. 100% of all shoulder problems involve scapular dysfunction. The interaction of the glenoid fossa of the scapula (socket) and humeral head (ball) is what allows the glenohumeral joint (shoulder) to do what it needs to do. However, most individuals have some form of shortness (e.g., pec minor, levator scapulae) or weakness (e.g., serratus anterior, lower trapezius) of muscles working on the scapula. These inefficiencies alter glenohumeral alignment and increases stress on the rotator cuff, biceps tendon, labrum, and glenohumeral ligaments. Identifying and addressing scapular issues is a key step in preventing shoulder pain.
For more information, check out the Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set.Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift!
I'm about to head out to go to Fenway Park for the season-opening Red Sox vs. Yankees game. So, with the baseball season officially underway, I thought it'd be good to kick this week off with a collection of baseball-related recommended reading material. Of course, you can certainly always find plenty of great stuff on the Baseball Content Page here at EricCressey.com. That said, here are just a few personal favorite articles that I've written (it was tough to just pick a few, as I love writing about this stuff!):
Crossfit for BaseballDeveloping Young Pitchers the Safe WayRisk-Reward in Training PitchersWeighted Baseballs: Safe and Effective or Stupid and Dangerous?
And a few baseball books that I'd highly recommend:
License to Deal (great look at the sports agent/representation industry)
1. We moved into our new house on Wednesday of this week. All of the packing, lugging, and unpacking was well justified when I realized that my commute is now limited to a whopping 3-minute walk to Cressey Performance. It's a far cry from the 40-60 minute drive (each way) I had previously. I did the math on it and realized that it'll save me 16 full 8-hour days of work per year in commuting. I think 2010 will be a productive one - especially now that I've got my own home office!
2. Optimal Shoulder Performance was released on Monday, and it's already gotten some great reviews from those who attended the actual seminar:
The early-bird price ends soon, so don't miss out! Purchase Optimal Shoulder Performance now!
3. Mike Robertson has been doing some great podcasts lately. The last two have been with Pavel Tsatsouline and Joe Kenn. They're 100% free; check them out HERE.
4. Some new research was just published that showed that a 2-0-2 tempo and 2-0-4 tempo elicited just about the same acute hormonal response during bench pressing (with the exception of IGF-1, which was slightly higher in the 2-0-2 tempo). I have long been a believer that we should be less concerned with modifying the ACUTE endocrine response to resistance training via programming variables. Everyone has seen that wanker in the gym who uses a meticulous 406 tempo on every exercise, counting to himself as he lifts his pathetically tiny weights. We all knew he was a complete tool for being so neurotic (and weak), but now we have some research to show that those extra two seconds on the eccentric weren't as important as he insisted.
Don't get me wrong; I recognize that eccentric exercise is more damaging to tissues and therefore probably has more benefit in the context of building muscle mass, but you also have to realize that using prolonged eccentrics limits that the lifter can use. So, it's really a system of checks and balances on strength and hypertrophy development.
5. Uh, is anyone else as fired up as I am for the start of the Major League Baseball season?
