Happy Friday the 13th! Hopefully none of this recommended reading is bad luck.

ASMI Injuries in Baseball Course - Mike Reinold just put this great course on sale, and it's an absolute steal compared to what you would have had to pay to travel and attend it. There's some excellent information from some of the top baseball sports medicine professionals in the world, so I'd call it "must watch" for anyone who trains or treats baseball players. It's on sale for 50% off through this Sunday (the discount is automatically applied). You can check it out HERE.

The 11 Best Books for Smart Meatheads - T-Nation pulled together this compilation of reading recommendations from several of its contributions. My recommendation was (without hesitation) Legacy

Make the Back Squat Feel and Look Better - This was an outstanding guest post from Dr. Nicholas Licameli for Tony Gentilcore's site. It's a longer read, but well worth it, as it's super thorough and links out to some good additional reading/viewing.

Top Tweet of the Week

In coaching, always build on previous “movement successes” as you progress athletes to higher level exercises. Here’s an example: Dead Bugs➡️Back-to-Wall Shoulder Flexion➡️Lateral Lunge w/Overhead Reach➡️Lateral Lunge w/Band Overhead Reach➡️Figure 8 Rollover Stomps. pic.twitter.com/UyhmXSJlSq

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) July 10, 2018

Top Instagram Post of the Week

 

I used my last set of pull-ups the other day as a tutorial on one of the most common mistakes I see. 👇 Compare the first four reps (correct) with the last four reps (intentionally incorrect). 🤔 You'll notice that on the good ones, there is good scapular movement on the rib cage through upward and downward rotation, and no forward head posture. The elbows don't dive behind the midline of the body, either. 👍 On the last four reps, notice how the elbows dive back and the scapula "dumps" forward into anterior tilt. This puts a lot more stress on the front of the shoulder. Additionally, this goes hand-in-hand with the head jutting forward (upper cervical extension). This faulty head/neck/scapula positioning under load is one reason why you'll frequently see people tweak their necks doing pull-ups. 👎 Pull-ups can be an amazing exercise, but just make sure 1️⃣the neck is in neutral; 2️⃣the shoulder blades are rotating up/down and not tilting forward/back; and 3️⃣the elbows aren't shooting too far back.👏#cspfamily #sturdyshouldersolutions

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Jul 7, 2018 at 9:33am PDT

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I hope you're having a great week. Here's some recommended reading from around the 'net to finish it off on a high note.

11 Deadlifting Tips - I contributed to this deadlift compilation for T-Nation, and it covers this big lift from a number of different perspectives.

The Biggest Change in Strength Coaching - This quick post from Dave Tate was spot-on with where I see the industry headed in future years.

Vernon Griffith on Communication, Mindset, and Lasting Impact in Youth Athletics - I love learning from coaches who understand how to get through to athletes and create long-term positive changes. This podcast is a great example.

Top Tweet of the Week

Kluber's used weighted balls for 8 yrs. Scherzer's never thrown one. That's 5 Cy Youngs respectfully at odds on a hot topic in the baseball world - & they're different in other ways, too. There's no one way to become the best pitcher on the planet; find what works best for YOU. pic.twitter.com/B0iwjQ1qjz

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) April 25, 2018

Top Instagram Post of the Week

 

When we coach our overhead medicine ball stomp variations, I never want athletes to try to "deaden" the rebound by catching the ball as it comes right off the floor. This approach is shown in the video on the right, and you'll notice that I'm already in deceleration mode (in anticipation of "protecting" against the rebound) rather than powering through the entire range of motion. Contrast it to the better technique on the left, where I just "let it eat" and then "regroup" with a catch at torso height. 👇 Another downside to trying to stop the rebound closer to the floor is that it markedly increases the likelihood that you'll jam a thumb. And, where there really aren't any benefits to stopping the rebound lower down, it's really not worth the risk. #cspfamily

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Apr 30, 2018 at 5:03pm PDT

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I've been off the grid a bit, as I just made the long drive back to Massachusetts from Florida. That said, it did give me time to check out a few good audiobooks to bolster this week's recommended reading!

Thinking in Bets - I've always been fascinated by the decision-making process as it relates from everything from business strategy to how we acquire habits for training and nutrition. Accomplished poker player Annie Duke did a great job exploring the concepts of uncertainty and probability in this new book. Inside the book they talk about how gambling and betting is not only something you do at the casino in Italy, but also when making decisions in your day to day life when it comes to nutrition and exercise.

Chris Chase on the Trainable Exercise Menu - This is an awesome guest post from Atlanta Hawks Strength and Conditioning Coach Chris Chase for Mike Robertson's site. I loved this concept when he initially introduced it on Mike's podcast, and he expands on the concept here.

Top 10 Ways to Build Mental Toughness - T-Nation interviewed several contributors (including me) for this roundtable, and there's some good stuff in there.

Top Tweet of the Week

*If you want to relax the neck, talk or exhale.*

A big mistake athletes make when doing upper body work is aggressively recruiting the muscles surrounding the neck. Have them exhale through the exertion phase, or simply talk during the set. It’ll calm things right down. pic.twitter.com/G2AW1jpTyF

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) March 29, 2018

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You won’t find a picture that’ll teach you more about how what you do in your strength and conditioning program impacts pitching performance. @srshrek31 has one of the more aggressive down-the-mound deliveries in baseball, which has equated to a perceived velocity that’s been about 1.8mph greater than his actual velocity over the course of his career. 👇 In this position, imagine an aggressive single-leg RDL that drives the front leg back toward the rubber. Effectively, this blocking effect is like riding a bike into the curb. It’s the trigger that tells the arm to go. Here, you see that it’s synced up: as soon as that hip starts to extend, the arm releases the elastic energy that’s built up from lay-back (pre-stretching the lat) into a powerful internal rotation. 💪 You need strength in single-leg stance to accept that force, store elastic energy, and powerfully exert it into the ground to firm up and create the catapult effect. You need hip mobility on the front to do it as you flex, adduct, and internally rotate. And, this doesn’t even take into account the force production and mobility from the back hip that’s set up this position. 😮 Further up, the core has to be stable to transfer force. The upper back has to be mobile to allow for sufficient hip-shoulder separation to occur. The scapula has to be positioned snugly to the rib cage for adequate force transfer. The rotator cuff has to be strong and timed up to center the humeral head (ball) on the glenoid fossa (socket) while competing against the bigger pec and lat musculature. 🔥 Pitching puts you in extreme positions – and it does so over and over again over the course of a career – with very little variation. Prepare accordingly. #cspfamily #Repost @cubs with @get_repost ・・・ Big #OpeningDay performance from the ‘pen! #EverybodyIn

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Mar 30, 2018 at 7:50am PDT

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Here's a special Saturday edition of Stuff to Read!

Bought-In - I posted a guest blog from Brett Bartholomew earlier in the week in light of the release of this new coaching resource from him. I've since had a chance to spend some time going through it, and it's been excellent. I'd highly recommend you check it out if you'd like to delve more into the coach-athlete relationship and optimizing adherence from your athletes.

EC on the Physical Preparation Podcast - It's been over a year since I joined my good friend Mike Robertson on his podcast, so we have plenty of good stuff to catch up on.

The Right Way to Stretch the Pecs - I saw someone really cranking on a pec stretch the other day, and it reminded me of this article I wrote for T-Nation nine years ago. The content still applies, even if I'm getting really, really old.

Top Tweet of the Week

Lyon Richardson: 93-97mph last night & struck out 11/12 hitters he faced (0 baserunners). Hit a HR, too. Most impressive part of his weekend, though, is that he was back in the gym at 9am today. Many athletes say they “want it,” but few appreciate how much work “it” really takes. pic.twitter.com/geLmkJkniP

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) March 3, 2018

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This #tbt is a video of alternating serratus slides on the @trxtraining suspension trainer, with a great demo from #mets pitcher @nsyndergaard. Some thoughts: 1️⃣One of the things we worked a lot on with Noah this offseason was differentiating between glenohumeral (ball on socket) and scapulothoracic (shoulder blade on rib cage) movement. Most pitchers get too much motion from the upper arm, and not enough from the shoulder blade. Notice how the scapula upwardly rotates around the rib cage - which takes stress off the front of the shoulder. 2️⃣ serratus anterior also helps to drive some thoracic flexion in a throwing population that often presents with a flat/extended thoracic spine (upper back). 3️⃣in a general sense, you could call serratus anterior the “anti-lat.” The latissimus dorsi drives a gross extension pattern and can be heavily overused in throwers; the serratus anterior works in opposition (scapular upward rotation, intimate link with the anterior core, accessory muscle of exhalation). 4️⃣add a full exhale at the “lengthened” position on each rep 5️⃣you could’ve observed the shoulder blades better if he was shirtless, but I figured Thor has already hit his weekly quota for shirtless social media cameos.😜 👍💪#cspfamily

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Mar 1, 2018 at 5:52pm PST

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Here's a Valentine's Day edition of recommended reading, just because I love my readers so much!

7 Gym Gadgets That Actually Work - I chimed in on this T-Nation compilation that includes some good ideas from coaches from a variety of disciplines in the strength and conditioning field.

Health Hips, Strong Hips - This whopper of a blog post from Dean Somerset includes a ton of great videos. Set aside twenty minutes and go through it; you'll pick up some good stuff.

6 Key Factors for Developing Pitchers - I published this article about a year ago and it was one of my most popular baseball articles of all time. It's worth a read.

Top Tweet of the Week

Stability ball bodysaw, a great anterior core exercise that can take stability ball rollouts to the next level. Great demonstration from JR Graham. #cspfamily pic.twitter.com/MklASlK7rM

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) February 5, 2018

Top Instagram Post of the Week

 

Athlete: “No way you can jump and touch that air conditioning duct.” Balding 36-year-old has-been athlete: “You know I was all-state in tennis back in 1999, don’t you?” #cspfamily #stillgotit #neverhadit #sportsperformance #verticaljump

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Feb 7, 2018 at 10:39am PST

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I hope you all had a great weekend and are enjoying these World Series games. You can't beat playoff baseball!

Here are some recommended resources for the week:

10 Daily Habits of Healthy Lifters - I contributed a few paragraphs for this compilation at T-Nation, and the end result included several excellent recommendations.

Bored and Brilliant - I had the long car ride from Massachusetts to Florida last week, and this is one of the audiobooks I covered to pass the time. Manoush Zomorodi took an outstanding look at how technology impacts our lives in negative ways. While it wasn't written from a strength and conditioning perspective, I could totally see how to apply its lessons to the fitness realm.

Should You Squat Tall Athletes? - Mike Robertson did a great job tackling this tall subject. Sorry, bad pun.

Top Tweet of the Week

Saw a HS pitcher in 2014: 88-89mph at ~165lbs. Saw him this wk (now pro); he is 215 & throwing 93-96mph. Don't make it rocket science, guys.

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) October 25, 2017

Top Instagram Post of the Week

 

Back in 2005, physical therapist John Pallof (@pallofpt) introduced me to an exercise he called the "belly press." It was an anti-rotation drill done with a cable or band in order to challenge rotary stability. 👍 It quickly became a mainstay in the programming at @cresseysportsperformance, and somehow became known as the "Pallof Press." We incorporated the traditional version (demonstrated here), as well as a host of other variations, including half-kneeling, tall kneeling, wide-stance, and split-stance. 👊 That same year, I signed my first book deal. And, as I wrote "Maximum Strength," including the Pallof Press was a no-brainer, as we used it every day in our programs. 👇 This picture was taken on September 16, 2007 for the exercise demonstration chapter. Look how much hair I had. 😲 The story could end here, but sadly, it doesn't. Not surprisingly, the Pallof Press caught on. In fact, if you Google "Pallof Press" today, you'll get 51,200 search results. 👊 Unfortunately, if you search for "Paloff Press," you'll also get 14,800 hits. 🤔 And "Palloff Press?" 18,100. 😕 And "Palof Press?" 5,310. ☹️ Just look at some of the well-known media outlets included in these hit counts, and you'll be embarrassed for them. 😠 This week, one of our college athletes sent me a copy of his program that included a "Pal Off Press." Thinking that there is no way anybody could possibly be this clueless, I Googled it. Sure enough, 512 hits (and 607 if you hyphenate it to "Pal-Off"). I've had enough. 😡 I learned this great exercise from John. And, if you're using it under that name, you learned it (directly or indirectly) from me. So - both as a favor to me and a measure of respect to him - how about you please spell his last name correctly? 🙏 (Sorry, John; thanks for your decade of patience.) #Pallof #NotPalof #NotPaloff #NotPalloff

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Oct 27, 2017 at 5:40am PDT

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Happy Tuesday! We're a day late with this recommended reading/listening/viewing list, as yesterday was a crazy one in light of the High Performance Handbook sale and a full day of evaluations at Cressey Sports Performance. Then, we wrapped up the day with our annual "Night with the Pros" event.

CSP Fall Seminar Live Tweeting - Frank Duffy was kind enough to live Tweet our annual fall seminar on Sunday, and you can see the "play by play" at this link.

A Roundtable of Rants - This was a compilation of responses from a collection of T-Nation contributors in response to the question, "What's pissing you off right now in the world of fitness or lifting?" As you'll see, my answer was in stark contrast to the rest of panel.

19 Ninja Tricks to Help Your Write Better Training Programs - Mike Robertson provided some outstanding lessons in this podcast. Any coach can benefit from listening to it!

Top Tweet of the Week

In an era w/many approaches to GAIN mobility, you still won't find better ways to PRESERVE it than good lifting technique through full ROM.

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) October 19, 2017

Top Instagram Post of the Week

 

Here’s @nsyndergaard getting in some anti-rotation core work on the @versapulley. This implement is great for training all along the force-velocity curve, from lower load rotational power work to slower speed, higher load stuff like this. We are really liking the added eccentric emphasis; it’s awesome for throwers learning to accept force as well as they produce it. 💪 #cspfamily #mets #sportsperformance #versapulley @shanerye17 #tanktopday

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Oct 20, 2017 at 4:31pm PDT

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I normally like to get these sent out on Monday, but I spent a rainy day at Fenway Park yesterday for the annual Cape Cod Baseball League workout. A day late (but no less sincere) here is our recommended reading for the week!

10 Daily Habits of Healthy Lifters - I contributed some experience on sleep tracking to this great roundtable at T-Nation.

Setting up for Speed: Base, Balance, and Angles - This is an excellent, to-the-point blog post from Mike Robertson. I wish I'd had it early in my career to help me pick up coaching speed and agility sooner.

Want More Clients? Maybe Consider the Following. - I really enjoyed this post from my old friend Tony Gentilcore. It's top-notch stuff for any up-and-coming trainer who is looking to build a larger clientele.

Top Tweet of the Week

If already taking 150 ground balls/day in-season, do you really need extra agility work? NASCAR guys don't hit up go-karts after each race.

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) July 20, 2017

Top Instagram Post of the Week

 

The Tweet might be four years old, but the lessons are timeless. #cspfamily #baseballtraining #sportsperformance #baseballworkouts

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Jul 24, 2017 at 5:12am PDT

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Here's some recommended reading from around the strength and conditioning and nutrition worlds from the past week:

What to Do When You Don't Like Vegetables - I liked this article from Precision Nutrition because it touched on good long-term strategies more than just creative ways to "hide" veggies in what you normally eat. The infographic at the end is clutch.

You Don't Need More Self Discipline. You Need Nuclear Mode - Have a bad habit you're trying to kick? Nate Green discusses nuclear mode, a strategy you might want to employ.

The 10 Dumbest Motivational Sayings - I contributed to this T-Nation roundtable discussion on hackneyed sayings that really need to go away.

Top Tweet of the Week

A lot of coaches are chasing the perfect program when they really should be pursuing an optimal culture.

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) March 17, 2017

Top Instagram Post of the Week 

 

I think the popularity of this Tweet has more to do with the thought of steak than the actual message. #cspfamily

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Mar 16, 2017 at 6:27am PDT

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We missed this regular feature last week, as I penned some extra original content in lieu of posting the regularly scheduled "redirects" around the 'net. Luckily, it allowed me to stockpile some stuff for this installment:

Conscious Coaching - Brett Bartholomew just released this excellent book for coaches, and it's already getting rave reviews. Add my name to the list of that list of impressed reviewers, as I'm halfway through and really enjoying it. I'd call this must-read material for any up-and-coming member of the fitness industry.

The Resilient Performance Podcast with Bill Hartman - Bill is one of the brightest guys in the industry, and I learn something each time he speaks. Put him on a call with another super bright guy, Doug Kechijian, and you get an awesome podcast like this!

The 12 Best Ways to Build Shoulders - This roundtable was published this morning at T-Nation, and I was one of 12 contributors. You'll get a nice blend of contributions from bodybuilding and performance backgrounds.

Top Tweet of the Week 

Specificity with power training wins again! Prepare in the plane where you perform. Applies heavily to throwing velocity, too. https://t.co/0h9jtsRLN0

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) March 5, 2017

Top Instagram Post of the Week 

 

I learned how to use iMovie on my phone today! Little snapshot from today's training: -Safety squat bar squats for speed (up to 315) -Trap Bar Deadlifts up to 505x5 -Band-Resisted Glute-Ham Raise -TRX Fallouts -DB Slideboard Reverse Lunges -Finisher with Addison (best part) Happy Saturday, gang! #cspfamily #deadlift #squat #twinning #mx20v6 #nbtraining

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Feb 25, 2017 at 9:29am PST

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