We’re putting in a pre-order for our new Cressey Performance Hooded Sweatshirts and I thought I’d open this one up to the EricCressey.com readers out there. These sweatshirts are made by New Balance and are widely praised by the 50 or so of us who got in on the initial order.
Highlights (courtesy of New Balance) include:
- "Set-in sleeve construction"
- "Rib Knit Cuffs, Waistband, and Side Panels for style and comfort"
- "3 panel Jersey-lined hood with draw cord"
- "Kanga pocket for easy storage"
- "Body – 80% Cotton, 20% Polyester"
- Screened “CP” logo
We have found that these sweatshirts run a little bit large. More specifically, unless you’re 6’3/225lbs, you’re not going to want to order an XL. This is what an XL will look like on you, if you're 5-7, 175 pounds like Tim Collins.
At 5-8, 190 pounds, I wear a large - and it's slightly big.
We will be accepting orders until next Wednesday (January 4th). The cost will be $59.99 per sweatshirt, plus shipping/handling. All pre-ordered sweatshirts will ship by 1/25/12.
The following sizes are available: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL. Please just indicate in the comments section of the order form what size you'd like. CLICK HERE to order.
Also, if you'd like to complete your winter CP attire, you can pick up a CP beanie, too:
With 2011 winding down, I'll be dedicating this week to the best content of the year, based on traffic volume at EricCressey.com. I'll kick it off today with my most popular articles from the past year.
1. My New Favorite Training Shoe - This post received more than 3,000 views more than #2. Apparently, footwear is a topic about which folks were anxious to read, and I gave a detailed review of all the minimalist footwear options I've tried - and folks shared it a ton. Additionally, based on feedback on my Twitter account, a lot of people purchased the New Balance Minimus based on my recommendation and have absolutely loved it.
2. Your Arm Hurts? Thank Your Little League, Fall Ball, and AAU Coaches. - This post received well over 1,000 Facebook "shares" and loads of Tweets, and I'm hopeful that this is indicative of parents, coaches, and players learning about how to approach arm care and throwing programs intelligently. I think it was also popular because it was a good blend of scientific evidence and simple, everyday logic.
3.Tim Collins: Why Everyone Should Be a Kansas City Royals Fan (at least for a day) - This was my favorite post of the year, as it was a chance to celebrate a good friend and long-time Cressey Performance athlete who is everything that is right about Major League Baseball. As a cool little aside, traffic to this article played a large part in having "Tim Collins" trending on Twitter during his MLB debut on Opening Day in March.
4. Weight Training Programs: You Can't Just Keep Adding - It sounds like many of my readers were glad to hear that I was doing some writing on managing training stress. There is a lot of common sense in this one, but sometimes, that's what people need!
5. Strength Training Programs and Squat Technique: To Arch or Not to Arch? - Here's a very misunderstood topic in the area of strength and conditioning technique. You'll be happy to know that I'll be addressing it in great detail in the new Functional Stability Training resource that Mike Reinold and I are releasing soon.
6. Shoulder Hurts? Start Here. - In this piece, I outlined three sure-fire strategies that just about everyone can employ regardless of their shoulder issues.
7. Healthy Food Options: Why You Should Never Take Nutrition Advice from Your Government - One of the biggest surprises for me in 2011 was that my readers absolutely ate up (no pun intended) nutrition content, and summer Cressey Performance intern Tyler Simmons' guest blog perfect example. He shared some great (and controversial) thoughts in this guest blog.
8. Correcting Bad Posture: Are Deadlifts Enough? - People want results, and they want them fast. This post touched on whether or not the deadlift could be an optimal "shortcut" for getting to where you want to be.
9. Why the Gym's Out-of-Business and the Porn Store's Thriving - This was proof that I can write about just about anything. Don't ever expect to see a content drought here at EricCressey.com. The timing for this was really good, as I got the idea to write it right around the time that we released The Fitness Business Blueprint.
10. Lifting Heavy Weights vs. Corrective Exercise: Finding a Balance - I can definitely see how folks found this topic so interesting, as it's a very challenging balance to strike. In fact, it was even a very challenging piece around which to wrap my brain!
This wraps up our top 10 posts of 2011, but I'll be back soon with more "Best of" highlights from 2011. Next up, I'll list my top product reviews of the year.
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With the holidays upon us, I have received quite a few emails from folks inquiring about whether I have any recommendations for fitness goodies that might make good holiday presents, so I thought I'd throw one of them out there for today's post. Below, I'll feature the TRX Rip Trainer.
On the advice of Boston Red Sox head athletic trainer (and Optimal Shoulder Performance co-creator) Mike Reinold, I checked out the Rip Trainer earlier this fall and started to incorporate it more and more into our strength and conditioning programs.
The Rip Trainer is a fantastic option for making chop and lift variations for rotary stability more convenient - especially if you're on the road and don't have access to a cable column. To increase difficulty, you simply walk further away from the attachment point.
Along those same lines, it actually affords incremental benefit over the traditional cable column, as it provides a greater excursion distance so that you can extend the range of motion, where appropriate. An example would be the overhead lift, as demonstrated by Kansas City Royals pitcher Tim Collins.
You'll notice that the asymmetrical load provides a rotary/lateral core challenge as Tim works to resist rotation and lateral flexion, but what's tougher for the casual observer to appreciate is that Tim is also working his anterior core as he resists extension at his lumbar spine from the pull of the cord. This wouldn't be possible with many functional trainers because the cable simply isn't long enough.
The folks at TRX put together the following highlight video that goes into more detail. For more information, check out the TRX Rip Trainer product page.
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That said, if you were on the fence, check out this feedback I received from the father of a college pitcher who took a shot on Show and Go this past summer:
"Eric,
"Just wanted to shoot you a breakdown on how my college son took to your Show and Go program with some modifications for baseball specificity. He followed your strength and conditioning program to the “T” and this is where he is after the first seven weeks:
May 16 – Start
Bodyweight: 163lbs
Body fat: 10.0%
Lean mass: 146.68 lbs
July 7 (52 days later)
Bodyweight: 169lbs
Body fat: 9.25%
Lean mass: 153.3 lbs
-Front squat for reps went from 155 lbs to 235 lbs for reps
-Deadlift went from about 205 for reps to 335 for a single
-Dumbbell bench presses for reps went from 55lb dumbbells to 80lb dumbbells
"To me, an untrained eye, it looks like this is great progress and he measurably benefited from it! He looks pretty damn good, too.
"He is about to return for his senior year as a starting left-handed pitcher and plans to continue this workout routine for the entirety of the 16 weeks. We used the Alan Jaeger long toss throwing program and mechanical training from Paul Reddick and Brent Strom and his velocity improved from 78mph to 84-85mph and his breaking stuff are now plus pitches. In my opinion, none of this would have happened your strength training program and mobility drills that allowed him to physically carry his momentum down the bump longer. All-in-all, it was a very productive summer; thanks!"
-Darrell Drake
Don't miss out on this chance to take your game to the next level. Click here to pick up a copy of Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better!
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Cressey Performance athlete and Kansas City Royals pitcher Tim Collins was featured in an article yesterday on ESPNBoston.com, in light of his Fenway Park debut.
They talk a bit about his training at Cressey Performance as well. You can check it out at the link below:
Kansas City Royals Lefty Tim Collins Coming Up Big Despite Small Stature
Also, keep an eye on my blog for a sweet announcement about an awesome free opportunity to watch me speak live on Saturday.
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When I woke up this morning, it seemed just like any other Wednesday morning.
I didn't even realize that it had been four years since July 13, 2007: the day we opened the doors at Cressey Performance. I would have blown right through today if my business partner, Pete, hadn't reminded me of July 13's significance when I came in to the office today.
On our first anniversary in 2008, I was absolutely swamped, as we'd just moved into a larger facility. I was 100% aware of the significance of the day, but literally didn't have time to enjoy it.
On the second anniversary, things had settled down a bit, and I wrote up a blog to celebrate the day: The Two Year Mark.
Last year, on the third anniversary, I went "all in" and wrote up this bad boy: Three Years of Cressey Performance: The Right Reasons and the Right Way.
This year, I celebrating by simply forgetting.
Is this my first "over 30" moment, or is there something to be said for the fact that I forgot?
This has been, unarguably, our best year on a variety of fronts. Some highlights:
Tim Collins - one of our first pro guys and longest tenured clients - went to the big leagues this year. The same goes for guys like Cory Gearrin, Steve Cishek, and Trystan Magnuson. We also saw more professional athletes (and clients overall) than any other year before.
Tyler Beede - also a long-time Cressey Performer - was drafted in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft...and we celebrated in my living room.
Tyler was one of 12 players with CP ties taken in this year's draft.
Over 30 CP athletes in the Class of 2011 signed letters of intent to play Division 1 baseball.
We expanded our staff to include some great people who complemented our existing skill sets and program offerings nicely.
We added about 1,000 square feet more office space and polished up our look with some new paint and more framed/autographed jerseys on the walls. I even got my own office - which is shared with our new mascot, Tank, of course:
Most importantly, though, we continued to have an absolute blast each and every day we came to "work" - and that, to me, is what it's all about. We made new friends and further developed already-existing friendships. The CP family grew, and we offered a service to people that helped them get to where they wanted to be.
You'll notice I didn't mention financial gain - and the reason is pretty simple; I view it as secondary. It's the destination, and I'm a lot more concerned about the process. Cultivate relationships, deliver a quality service, and genuinely care, and the money will take care of itself. Before the business gurus out there start crapping on me, I'll add that our business has grown by more than 30% over the past year in spite of the fact that I usually forget that I'm supposed to receive a paycheck at month's end. Pete just surprises me with it.
Don't get me wrong; you need effective business systems to make things work. If you're an organizational disaster and can't make your rent, it's going to be pretty hard to put on a happy face and make someone's day with your smile. However, the overwhelming majority of "savvy business decisions" are actually a combination of common sense, courtesy, and a genuine desire to help someone.
Most of the people that ask us business questions want to know how much we charge, how much our rent is, how we schedule, what our hours are, who painted Tony's t-shirt on him, what our start-up costs were, and why we don't use electronic funds transfer (EFT). What they should be asking us:
1. How do you remember so many people's names?
2. How can you possibly know everyone's health history who walks through your door?
3. How do you write individual strength and conditioning programs for everyone?
4. What do you do to build relationships?
5. How do you find time to get to so many baseball games?
6. How do you do to educate and retain staff?
7. How is it that all of your clients seem to be friends with each other? (As a little aside to this point, Tim Collins was at the facility the past two days while home for the all-star break, and he greeted every person who walked through the office door. He even answered the phone for us twice. That's big-league customer service.)
There are some brilliant business consultants out there. Pat Rigsby and Alwyn Cosgrove, for instance, are super bright guys and great friends who have helped loads of fitness professionals increase their incomes and improve their quality of life. They are also the first guys to tell you that if you don't know how to cultivate relationships and treat people right, then you're studying for the wrong test by looking for the perfect business plan.
Spend more time focusing on the process, and worry less about the destination. Four years from now, you'll probably enjoy your "job" a lot more - both psychologically and monetarily - and have a lot more friends and experiences that make you smile each time you think of them. You'll probably even forget it's your business' anniversary!
Thank you, as always, to everyone for all your support.
As a mini-celebration of this day, I'll do a little promo: if you purchase a CP hat HERE before Friday (July 15) at midnight, I'll send along a video of a 37-minute staff in-service I did on shoulder assessment that's uploaded to the 'web.
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This past weekend was really special for me, as I got to watch about two dozen Cressey Performance athletes go out and win the Massachusetts Division 1 State Championship for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.
While we work with kids from dozens of high schools in the area, L-S baseball was the first program that “took a chance” on me when I was the new guy in town, and from that initial group of guys grew the Cressey Performance “baseball empire” that now includes loads of professional and college players. I’ve become great friends with the entire coaching staff, and the players’ families have really adopted my wife and me as part of the L-S baseball community.
This year’s senior class included kids who actually started training with us in eighth grade, and therefore marked the first class of guys who spent their entire high school careers with us at Cressey Performance. In thinking back on the progress one athlete, Adam Ravenelle, made over those four years, I felt compelled to write this blog.
On Adam’s first day at CP, he looked pretty intimidated – just like any 14-year-old would when stepping into a weight room for the first time. However, when I went to do his shoulder assessment, I quickly realized that he’d fit in just fine. When I found that he had almost 140 degrees of external rotation in his throwing shoulder, I turned to my business partner and commented that he had “a big league shoulder” and that if he was willing to put in the work, he’d be a pretty good pitcher (even though he was a shortstop/third basemen at the time).
Four years later, with a fastball in the low 90s, Adam is a 44th round draft pick of the Yankees and a State Champion with a baseball scholarship to Vanderbilt. He’s pitched at Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and at all the major competitions – Area Codes, East Coast Pro, USA Baseball Tournament of Stars – that an accomplished player could attend.
You know what, though? These accomplishments didn't magically happen; rather, there were thousands of small, but extremely significant moments along the way that took Adam from a "kid with a good shoulder" to the athlete he is today. There were all the days when he came in to get his arm stretched out the day after a start, and all the times that he came in to lift on a Sunday afternoon in-season when he could just have skipped lifting during the season, like many players ignorantly do. There were all the meals he ate along the way to gaining over 50 pounds – even though he wasn’t hungry, most of the time. In fact, sometimes we even made him attack loaves of bread in the office before he was allowed to leave.
Adam was really a microcosm of the entire state championship Lincoln-Sudbury team. LS has now won 11 straight league titles and three of the last seven state championships, yet their head coach, Kirk Fredericks, called this “the best practice team” he’s ever had. In other words, they did the little things well day-to-day in order to succeed. They never skipped steps.
They also didn’t have a single player miss a game due to injury over the course of the entire season. Their consistency not only afforded them the best possible outcome, but kept them healthy in the process.
It was a remarkably fresh breath of air for me. I’ve seen a change in young athletes over the past few years where they all want something badly – whether it’s a state championship, college scholarship, or a trip to the big leagues – but very few kids really seem willing to put in the work to get it. The fitness world isn’t much different; many folks want the fastest way to drop 30 pounds before a wedding or trip to the beach, but all the while ignore the valuable lessons to be learned and habits to be acquired along the way. They want the destination, but don't care for the process.
Tim Collins didn’t go to the big leagues because he was more gifted than anyone else. He went to the big leagues because he was the first guy back to train at the end of every minor league season, and he lived at the gym and did absolutely everything each of his coaches told him to do.
Tyler Beede wasn’t born a first round draft pick. He earned it by learning to command his fastball and develop his change-up when all the other kids thought it would be fun to screw around with curveballs when they were 11. He made himself into a first round pick, in part, by driving 40 minutes to CP, training, and driving 40 minutes home 3-4 days per week for the past three years - also gaining almost 50 pounds in the process.
Jordan Cote didn’t just get called in the 3rd round by the Yankees or win the New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year award this year because he was 6-6 and “projectable.” He worked to get it by driving two hours every Saturday morning for the past two years to throw and train at CP at 9AM when everyone else his age was sleeping in. And that’s why he went from 185 pounds to 218 pounds over the course of 18 months – almost half of which was during the in-season period. He also drove a long way to play for the New England Ruffnecks program, which is 2.5 hours away in Massachusetts - but consistently produces some of the best talent in New England.
In no way am I saying that Cressey Performance alone was responsible for these guys’ success, nor are these the only guys who did what it took to succeed in recent months. Rather, I’m showing you that in two aspects of their preparation – training and nutrition – they did the little things that it took to excel. They certainly did the same with on-field practice, school work, and community service to get to where they are. There were obviously end goals in mind, but they never interfered with accomplishing day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and moment-to-moment objectives.
To that end, the next time you find yourself fantasizing about your athletic dreams or fitness goals, take a step back and consider whether you’re doing what you need to do in the present to get to where you need to be.
Are you waking up ten minutes early so that you can have a good breakfast before you go to school, or are you the guy that simply complains that you “don’t have time” for a good breakfast?
Are you blocking off an hour in your day to go to the gym, or are you going to allow it to fill up with other obligations that can’t possibly be more important than your health?
Are you dropping hundreds of dollars on showcases when you should be spending time developing your abilities by taking ground balls and batting practice, long tossing, strength training, and working on your mobility?
There is no single way to get to where you want to be. Likewise, there is no magic pill. It takes time, consistency, attention to detail, and an appreciation of what must get done in the short term in order to attain long-term success.
Now, shouldn’t you be doing something right now to get closer to your long-term goals?
Congratulations, Lincoln-Sudbury baseball, and thank you – both for the lessons you’ve taught us and for having us along for the ride!
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I'm a little too busy to write a blog today, but the good news is that we were about due for a cute puppy video, anyway. This one is actually from the archives; it was taken over the winter, but I just discovered it in the videos on my laptop. You'll recognize Tank's partner in crime as Kansas City Royals pitcher Tim Collins.
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In the past few months, I've gotten quite a few inquiries about whether Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better is a good fit for baseball players.
While I never wrote the book with the intention of training this athletic population, it can be quickly and easily modified to fit the unique needs of baseball. The principal changes are going to be:
The big differences are going to be:
1. Use more front squatting, and little to no back squatting (we do use a lot of giant cambered bar and safety squat bar variations at Cressey Performance).
2. Eliminate barbell bench pressing and overhead pressing, instead plugging in some dumbbell bench pressing and pushup variations, as seen here and here.
3. In the off-season, we usually do medicine ball work 2-3x/week. The medicine ball volume is higher in the early/mid-off-season and lower during the late off-season and in-season phases. For some exercise ideas, you can check out this post of mine, as well as my YouTube Channel.
Usually, this medicine ball training is incorporated before lifting or movement training.
4. I'd add some rhythmic stabilization work 2x/week - as seen here.
All in all, the program is surprisingly versatile for the baseball player. In the off-season, the 4x/week template works great. Then, as the late off-season and pre-season get underway, the 3x/week program is a better fit. In-season, you'll see more position players and relief pitchers using the 2x/week approach, whereas starters can get in 3x/week lifting. Obviously, the volume may be reduced, but the exercise selection, overall training schedule, training stress fluctuations, core training, and warm-up sequences are all very applicable. It won't be perfect, but it'll be markedly better than any of the cookie cutter or football lifting programs you'll see out there.
Yesterday was a good day at the office for the "Cressey Performers" out there, so I thought I'd devote this "Stuff You Should Read" to the CP cause.
The day technically started off on Tuesday night, when Tim Collins made his Yankee Stadium debut, pitching brilliantly and ending up with a line of 2IP, 0H, 0BB, 0R, and 3K. You can actually watch the highlights HERE. What was even cooler for me, though, was watching Tim and Mitch Williams break down his delivery on MLB Tonight, a video you can watch HERE. There are some great messages for the young pitchers out there.
Wednesday continued with a call-up to the big leagues for CP athlete and Oakland A's prospect Trystan Magnuson. Trystan's an awesome guy and deserves all the success that comes his way; I'm really happy for him.
The day continued with three sparkling performance by CP high school athletes. Tyler Beede threw a perfect game, striking out 15 and going 2-3 at the plate along the way.
Adam Ravenelle, meanwhile, lost his own perfect game in the 6th inning - but still managed to throw a complete game shutout with 18K and 0BB. He also had two HR at the plate.
Third, Jordan Cote had two HR and 6RBI - and struck out 13 in a complete game shutout where he only allowed 2H and 0BB.
The strikeout numbers and home runs are great, but to be honest, it just absolutely fires me up to see these three guys throw 21 innings and allow ZERO walks. Commanding the strike zone - particularly with one's fastball - is everything for young pitchers and these guys did exactly that yesterday.
Lastly, I gave an interview to Nick Bromberg on the topic of using exclusively jumping rope for fitness, and it was featured on The Post Game on Yahoo Sports. Check it out.
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