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)
Here is just a small taste of what you can expect with the Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set:
For more information on the product and to order, check out www.ShoulderPerformance.com.
I'm thrilled to announce that Mike Reinold and my new project, Optimal Shoulder Performance: From Rehabilitation to High Performance, is now available. This four DVD set blends the world of rehabilitation and strength and conditioning like no other product on the market. For more information on the product and to order, check out www.ShoulderPerformance.com.
The introductory price will not last long, so don't delay!
Just a quick heads-up that Joe Heiler is running my interview from the Sports Rehab to Sports Performance Teleseminar Series tonight. For some information on the interview, head HERE.
Or, just head straight to the sign-up page. There are a few more interviews in store, so you'd still be able to catch them (and access the previous ones from this year's series).
This might come across as a completely random blog post, but in light of the time of year and the fact that I have five accountants in my family, I'm going to write it anyway.
If you are a trainer who does your own taxes, you are an idiot.
Yes, you're dumber than the guy doing handstand push-ups on the stability ball. And, you're giving your money away and likely increasing your risk of being audited down the road.
People come to you to learn how to get fit, more athletic, and healthy. In your eyes, they'd be crazy to try to program or coach themselves. And, just walk into any commercial gym and from the exercises and techniques you'll see executed, and you'll want to pull out your hair. While accountants on the whole are generally very patient people, I'm sure they want to do the same when they hear about Average Joe sitting down for some quality team (read: three days) with Turbo Tax.
Imagine you're going to pay an accountant a few hundred dollars to do your taxes. That's a few extra training sessions added to your week - and you aren't giving up any time to figure out the tax code (which is constantly changing). You can read a book, have fun with your family, or do whatever else it is you enjoy.
Tony Gentilcore is one of my best friends and a business partner, so he won't mind me using him as an example. In the summer of 2007, I watched Tony slave over Turbo Tax for an entire weekend.He had a puzzled look on his face the entire time. When he was done (late Sunday night), I went over and asked him if he's deducted 7-8 different things that my accountant (my brother) taught me about that year. He had no idea what I was talking about.
Tony is a guy that buys books, attends seminars, has professional memberships (NSCA, PETA, and the Chuck 'E Cheese Pizza of the Month Club). None of these were deducted. So, by attempting to "save" some money and do it himself, Tony missed out on a bunch of key deductions and overreported net income. Say, for ease of calculation, that was $1,000 of expenses he didn't write off. That means he reported $1,000 more net income - and in a (arbitrarily assigned) tax bracket of 30%, he gave Uncle Sam a $300 bonus - which would have more than paid for the cost of an accountant and freed up Tony's weekend to listen to do the robot, drool all over his Nora Jones CD, and attack stability balls with scissors.
Now, here's an example of our business finances from our 2008 tax return that will really drive home the point. When we opened Cressey Sports Performance in the summer of 2007, we had to put up $30,000 worth of renovations: walls, doors, carpeting, a ceiling for the offices, and painting, as we were subletting from another tenant and wanted to "separate" our space. It went from this...
To this...
These renovations were placed on a 15-year depreciation schedule - so we got a $2,000 deduction from net income in year 1 (very few people would know to do this on their tax returns without an accountant).
Business grew quickly, and we decided to move (also a deduction) three miles east in May of 2008, which was the end of the lease we were under. When we went, we had to demolish renovations to the old place (which was one of the funnest hours of my life, for the record) - but we also got to write off the remaining $28,000 from that depreciation schedule against our net income for 2008. None of us would have even remembered to do that - but our accountant absolutely, positively did. In the process, he saved us a ton of money that was rightfully ours and kept out balance sheet accurate - and it was no extra effort on our part. That move alone probably saved us enough taxes to cover his accounting fees for 6-7 years - or the cost of our turf and crash wall combined.
Another example on my personal finances was the recommendation I received to maximize my contributions to a SEP IRA to lessen my net taxable income at this point in my life when I don't have any quality deductions - kids, a spouse (yet), or a mortgage (yet). I'll be taxed on it down the road, but at least it's mine in the interim to grow it as I please (and I know there are different schools of thought on this, but you get the point).
Getting an accountant is an investment, not an expense. And, the more diversified I have become in my revenue streams - from CSP, to products, to seminars - the more essential and valuable that investment has become.
You are an idiot if you are going it alone. And, we just found out that our taxes will be going up yet again, so your mistakes are going to be further magnified. I don't know why this happens so much in the fitness industry, but it absolutely does. Find a good accountant.
Have a comment or question? Post 'em below.
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I had a great weekend at a Postural Restoration Institute Myokinematic Dysfunction course, so it seems fitting that my first reading recommendation of the week would direct you to their website: Postural Restoration Institute. There are a lot of free articles that give you a good introduction to the PRI philosophy. I'd highly recommend checking out their courses, as I'm going to be going more. It was worth every penny.
Does a SLAP lesion affect shoulder muscle activity as measured by EMG activity during a rugby tackle? - This is a really interesting study that shows that in athletes with labral tears (SLAP lesions), the serratus anterior fires sooner - presumably as a compensation strategy to make up for the slower reaction time of the biceps.
It is just another example of how our body has a great system of checks and balances. When a passive structure is injured, the active restraints can pick up the slack.
For related reading, check out Active vs. Passive Restraints.
