Q: What do you think of Bodyblades and how - if at all- should they be incorporated into a pitcher's routine?
A: As many of you know, I'm a fan of integrating rhythmic stabilization drills that train the true function of the rotator cuff: maintaining the humeral head in the glenoid fossa. I wrote about it in some depth HERE, and Mike Reinold and I spent quite a bit of time on it in our Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set.
Of course, if you compare the perturbations to stability that the Bodyblade provides, it appears to simulate some of what you'd get with a rhythmic stabilization drill. So, it's probably a good alternative to a pitcher who doesn't have a training partner, therapist, or coach who can provide those destabilizing torques. Shirts, apparently, are optional.
That said, to me, using a Bodyblade is a more closed-loop (predictable) drill, whereas manual rhythmic stabilizations are more open-loop (unpredictable). So, it goes without saying that the benefits of "surprise" stabilization probably extend a lot further - and they don't cost a penny. Moreover, I've heard claims about the Bodyblade being an effective way to build muscle, which (outside an untrained population) just isn't going to happen. There are also much better ways to train the core.
In the same grain as Monday's post on lower back pain, today, I thought I'd highlight some of the common findings in diagnostic imaging of the shoulder, as these findings are just as alarming.
Do you train loads of overhead throwing athletes (especially pitchers) like I do? Miniaci et al. found that 79% of asymptomatic professional pitchers (28/40) had "abnormal labrum" features and noted that "magnetic resonance imaging of the shoulder in asymptomatic high performance throwing athletes reveals abnormalities that may encompass a spectrum of 'nonclinical' findings." Yes, you can have a torn labrum and not be in pain (it depends on the kind of labral tear you have; for more information, check out Mike Reinold's great series on SLAP lesions, starting with Part 1).
This isn't just limited to baseball players, either; you'll see it in handball, swimming, track and field throwers, and tennis as well. And, it isn't just limited to the labrum. Connor et al.found that eight of 20 (40%) dominant shoulders in asymptomatic tennis/baseball players had evidence of partial or full-thickness cuff tears on MRI. Five of the 20 also had evidence of Bennett's lesions.
The general population may be even worse, particularly as folks age. Sher et al. took MRIs of 96 asymptomatic subjects, finding rotator cuff tears in 34% of cases, and 54% of those older than 60 - so if you're dealing with older adult fitness, you have to assume they're present in more than half your clients!
Also, in another Miniaci et al. study, MRIs of 30 asymptomatic shoulders under age 50 demonstrated "no completely 'normal' rotator cuffs." People's MRIs are such train wrecks that we don't even know what "normal" is anymore!
As is the case with back pain, these issues generally only become symptomatic when you don't move well - meaning you have insufficient strength, limited flexibility, or poor tissue quality. For more information on how to screen for and prevent these issues from reaching threshold, check out Optimal Shoulder Performance from Mike Reinold and me.
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Q: I would like to know what the main differences are between floor presses and pin presses in the power rack, obviously with the same range of movement. Usually, in talking about injury at the shoulders, the advice is to drop full range of motion in the bench press in favor of floor press; does the pin press in the power rack - starting around middle point - accomplish the same thing? In a strength program for a healthy individuals, do these two similar movements have same utility?
A: My experience with the pin press is that it is not as effective as a floor press or board press because the lifter isn't in a good position to appropriately "set" the scapular stabilizers to lock the shoulder blades down and back. As a result, the lifter tends to shrug up - which allows the shoulder blades to anteriorly tilt - which can exacerbate the shoulder impingement that may already be occurring.
Moreover, I believe that it is important to have a lifter lower the bar, as opposed to starting from a dead-stop. This way, we not only teach eccentric control of the muscles acting at the shoulder girdle, but we also train the movement by learning the appropriate bar path. Considering the number of individuals who take the bar too high on the chest and let the elbows flare out when benching, I think it's important to use movements like board presses and floor presses in lieu of the pin press. Otherwise, we won't get rid of clowns like this.
That said, generally speaking, I prefer board presses first, followed by floor presses, and then (if at all) pin presses. These, of course, come much later than push-up variations and (usually) dumbbell exercises.
For more information on the specific return-to-pressing progressions that we use with the athletes and clients we see with shoulder impingement, AC joint issues, and a host of other shoulder conditions, check out the Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD Set.
1. I'm headed to Providence first thing tomorrow to speak at the Perform Better Summit. If you're in attendance, be sure to introduce yourself and say hello; it's always great to meet my readers.
2. It's the time of year where all the all-star and league MVP awards are handed out around here as playoffs are just getting underway. Here's a great article about one Cressey Performance athlete, Carl Anderson of Lincoln-Sudbury, who won the Dual County League MVP as he set school records for homeruns and RBIs: Diamond Natural, If a Bit Rough
3. Likewise, another CP athlete, Jeff Bercume in the Oakland A's organization, just got a little love: Bercume's Game Going North.
4. HERE is some recent research to support the use of accommodating resistance in the form of bands in resistance training. Many of us in the powerlifting community have anecdotally been able to verify its efficacy, but it's nice to see some research out there that confirms what a lot of folks have insisted for quite some time.
It's important to interpret this research with caution, though. Using bands on top of free weight resistance is fantastic, but it can really beat up your joints if you use it for too long without taking a break. I always found that the added eccentric stress really beat up my shoulders and elbows on the bench press if I used bench presses against bands in my training cycles for more than three weeks without a break from them.
5. Researchers from the University of Nebraska report that energy expenditure in untrained college students is the same on ellipticals and treadmills when working at a self-selected intensity. An unnamed researcher from the Cressey School of Hard Knocks reports that working at a "self-selected intensity" on these modalities requires about as much effort and coordination as watching NASCAR.
Call me crazy, but I think most college-age folks would be better off hitting things with sledgehammers as exercise; it's just way more badass.
6. Here's another solid testimonial we just received on Optimal Shoulder Performance:
"Eric and Mike did a great job of taking complex information and making it easy to understand for the viewer. I really liked the collaboration between the clinical side of things, and the training side. I now have a much better understanding of how to effectively assess the shoulder. More importantly, I am now better equipped to take that information and improve the training strategies and techniques for my clients."
-Danny McLarty, CSCS
Click here to pick up a copy of Optimal Shoulder Performance for yourself.
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On the recommendation of Mike Reinold, my co-creator of the Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set, we've been using forearm wall slides as part of our warm-ups and shoulder health programs for the past year or so. A variation is also featured on our Assess & Correct DVD as both an assessment and corrective drill.
With this exercise, the goal is to get to about 135 degrees of shoulder flexion without shrugging. In other words, you're checking just how well you upwardly rotate the scapulae. A good progression for this is the forearm wall slides with band, where you simply wrap a band around the wrists. The pull of the band forces your shoulder into internal rotation, so the external rotators (posterior rotator cuff and posterior deltoid) have to work isometrically to resist that movement. As I learned from physical therapist Tim Tyler at the MGH/Harvard Med Sports Medicine 2010 conference recently, it also improves recruitment of the lower trapezius while decreasing anterior deltoid and upper trapezius activity. In other words, it's one of the best bang for your buck scapular stability and rotator cuff exercises out there:
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
Just thought you all might be interested in checking out a five-part feature Mike Robertson ran with material from Mike Reinold and I. Here's what it included:
In the Trenches Podcast with Eric Cressey and Mike Reinold
The podcast that started it all! Here we discuss how Eric and Mike got into the field, how they evaluate shoulders, and a bunch of baseball training. You'll definitely like this one!
Eric Cressey Q&A #1 - Shoulder Forces in Boxing
Here, I describes the forces you're going to see during a typical punch in boxing, as well as what biomechanical factors might predispose boxers to injury.
Eric Cressey Q&A #2 - Sternoclavicular Joint Dysfunction
In this post, I talk about the potential causes of sternoclavicular joint issues and how to handle them.
Mike Reinold Q&A #1 - Scalene Anatomy
Mike discusses the scalenes, their impact on the shoulder, and why asymmetry may not be bad for baseball players.
Mike Reinold Q&A #2 - Joint Capsule Surgical Techniques
Mike discusses two different surgical techniques for correcting issues with the shoulder capsule, as well as what to expect post-surgery.
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:
