1. First off, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Before I get to the video footage from yesterday morning, I wanted to give you a couple of quick heads-ups on some seminars at which I'll be speaking in 2010 (just confirmed):
January 30, 2010: Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning 4th Annual Winter Seminar - Winchester, MA
March 7-8, 2010: NSCA Personal Trainers Conference - Las Vegas, NV
May 8-10, 2010: Sports Medicine 2010: Advances in MRI and Orthopaedic Management - Boston, MA
Hope to see some of you at one or more of these events!
2. A big congratulations goes out to CP athlete CJ Retherford, who hit the game-winning HR in the championship of the Arizona Fall League (Video HERE). CJ will be out to Boston to train when January rolls around.
3. And, just when we thought the post-baseball-season celebration was over, we learned that CP athlete Tim Collins was named Toronto Blue Jays Organizational Pitcher of the Year. Congratulations, Tim!
4. John Berardi is running a great sale on Precision Nutrition through December 1. They're offering them the Precision Nutrition System - including Gourmet Nutrition Version 1 and an all-access membership to their private Member Zone - plus a one-year subscription to their Results Tracker program, and free shipping to the US and Canada for just $99.00. If you haven't checked it out - or you have a family member or friend who could use some help on the nutrition side of things - I'd strongly encourage you to check this out. It's the single-best nutrition resource available on the web today: Precision Nutrition
5. We'll have the pictures and videos from the CP Thanksgiving lift posted as soon as possible. A camera was lost and we're in the process of finding it!
6. In the meantime, here are some recommended readings from the past here at EricCressey.com that might interest you:
Hip Injuries in Baseball: My take on the huge increase in hip issues in MLB players.
Stagnancy vs. Stability: Even in a dynamic field like strength and conditioning, the status quo is sometimes still just fine.
7. Just got this little bit of feedback on Assess and Correct from Mark Young of markyoungtrainingsystems.com:
"As a strength coach myself, I have literally read thousands of studies, textbooks, and articles relating to assessment and correction. But when I heard that Mike, Eric, and Bill were going to be putting together a product on this very subject I wanted to be first in line to put my hard earned money on the table. I think this product is going to change how people prepare for performance and that owning it is a must for anyone who is absolutely serious about results."
Check it out for yourself: Assess and Correct.
The other day, I got to chatting with Tim Collins and Matt Kramer, two of Cressey Performance's longest tenured pro baseball guys. These two guys were among my first pro baseball guys to get back from the long season and start up training. Tim's notorious for getting back in the gym just a day or two after his season ends!
We were discussing baseball development, and one of them mentioned that one of his teammates had just commented on how he was taking a few weeks off and then was going to start training again. Keep in mind that this conversation took place on October 1, and just about every minor league baseball team wrapped things up on September 7 (playoffs excluded). While some guys were called up to play at high levels, and others shipped off to instructionals or the Arizona Fall League, most guys went straight home.
Now, "home" is a big improvement from the typical professional baseball lifestyle, which (as I described here) consists of a lot of late nights, long bus rides, unhealthy food, alcohol, and (specific to the topic at hand) erratic training.
In most cases, the weight rooms aren't even close to adequate. And, obviously, you can never have a great training stimulus in-season; guys just do what they can to "get by." Yes, they "get by" for almost seven months per year - which obviously makes the other five months incredibly important.
Now, if someone takes an extra month off after the season, he's only getting 80% of the benefit of the off-season that his teammates are getting. In a sport where only 3% of draft picks make it to the big leagues, if I'm a prospect, I don't like my chances if I only have 80% of the preparation of those around me.
Let's do the math on that for a guy who gets released after three years in the minor leagues. That's three months of preparation down the tubes. Next, consider how many guys who have COMPLETELY OVERHAULED their physiques and performance in preparing for the NFL combine in less than three months.
Last off-season, we put 17 pounds of meat on one of our pitchers (and he got leaner!) between November 11 and February 20. He looked like a completely different person - in just three months and nine days. His broad jump went up ten inches and vertical jump up 4.3 inches in spite of this big jump in body weight, meaning that he improved in both relative and absolute power. This is not uncommon at all in the baseball guys with whom I've worked, particularly those who were drafted out of high school and never got the benefit of college strength and conditioning.
All that said, in my eyes, guys should be back in the gym as soon as possible after the season ends - even if it's just a few days per week. Simply getting the ball rolling on the endocrine, immunological, and rehabilitative benefits of strength training will do wonders in itself. Getting started on improving soft tissue quality and addressing mobility/stability deficits is also tremendously valuable, as it paves the way for better training as the December-February "crunch time." These guys can take a week to gather their thoughts, and then get back to work; otherwise, they'll have more vacation time when they're out of work!
Truth be told, it's one of just a few common mistakes we see, and this could be applied to just about any professional sport; I just chose baseball because it's what I see the most. Of course, the guys who probably ought to be reading this are the ones who are probably sitting poolside sipping martinis, or cuddling up in their snuggies and then having Mom's homemade pancakes for breakfast at 1PM!
(For the record, I worked really hard to resist the temptation to insert the "In a Snuggie Rap" video here. Search for it on Youtube, if you're interested.)
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1. First off, I hope everyone takes a moment our of their day today to remember all those who lost their lives in 2001.
2. I'd encourage you guys to check out a great article from Chris Shugart at T-Muscle on the topic of Vitamin D:
"D" is for Doping
A lot of you know that I've been a huge advocate of supplemental Vitamin D for about two years now, and this article outlines a lot of reasons why I'm such a fan.
3. It was a great night in Double A playoffs for a few CP athletes last night. Huntsville Star Steffan Wilson - just one day after a call-up from High A - hit a game-winning 3-run homerun in the opener of a five-game playoff series. Steffan is a corner infielder in the Brewers System.
At the same time, CP athlete and San Antonio (Padres AA) pitcher Will Inman picked up the win to even up their playoff series at 1-1.
4. Along those same lines, here are a few recent articles about some CP athletes:
Quinn Begins Southern QuestSize Doesn't Matter: A Conversation with Blue Jays Pitching Prospect Tim Collins
5. Check out this study, which reported a markedly different neuromuscular pattern in those athletes who ruptured ACLs as compared to those who didn't.
In a nutshell, at pre-screening, prior to a cutting maneuver, all five players who went on to rupture ACLs actually recruited more vastus lateralis (quads) and less semitendinosis (hamstrings). It isn't surprising that this would be an injury predisposition, as the hamstrings work synergistically with the ACL. Reduce hamstrings activity, and the ACL has to take on more of the stress. It's the same old Active vs. Passive Restraints discussion we've had in the past.
The bigger question, in my eyes, is why certain individuals showed this tendencies. Was it their builds (greater Q angles)? Prior training programs that may have omitted things? A combination of the two?
Interested in learning more? I highly recommend checking out Bulletproof Knees; Mike Robertson did a fantastic job with it.
Getting Geeky with AC Joints: Part 2
In my last newsletter, I went into great detail on the types of acromioclavicular (AC) joint injuries we see, and some of the common inefficiencies that cause some folks to become symptomatic. I also outlined some corrective exercise strategies to expedite recovery time. This week, though, I discuss a very important - yet often-overlooked - piece of the puzzle: how to maintain a training effect in spite of these injuries.
Ask anyone who has ever had an AC joint injury, and they'll tell you three things to avoid if you don't want to irritate it:
1. Avoid direct pressure to the area (particularly because it has very little muscle mass to cushion it)2. Avoid reaching across the body (horizontal adduction)
3. Avoid reaching behind the body (full extension)
We can use these three guidelines to get moving in the right direction with respect to maintaining a training effect in spite of the AC joint injury.
With respect to #1 from above, front squats are an absolute no-no. The pressure on the bar across the shoulder girdle can really take an upset AC joint and make it markedly worse. And, since this is in many cases an injury that we're just "waiting out," simply training through it will only makes things worse long-term. So, deadlift variations, single-leg variations, and back squats (assuming no other related problems) are likely better bets. That said, we generally use the safety squat bar and giant cambered bar exclusively with those who present with AC joint problems.
Another important consideration in this regard is overhead pressing. Believe it or not, many individuals with AC joint problems will actually tolerate overhead pressing quite well, as direct trauma to the AC joint won't really compromise scapulohumeral rhythm very much. However, you have to consider two things.
First, as I mentioned in my previous newsletter, some folks might have developed the AC joint issue over time due to a scapular anterior tilt causing the acromion and clavicle to sit differently. This dyskinesis would also make overhead work less safe - so the individual would actually be training through a faulty movement pattern, and potentially injuring the rotator cuff, biceps tendon, bursa, and labrum.
Second, if the individual is okay to overhead press from a movement standpoint, one needs to make sure that the bar, dumbbell, or kettlebell does not come down directly on the AC joint in the bottom position.
With respect to #2 from above, obviously, dumbbell flyes and cable crossovers are out (not sure why they'd be "in" in the first place, but that's a whole different newsletter). However, close-grip bench pressing variations will generally cause pain as well. You also have to be careful with cable and medicine ball variations that may position the arm across the body.
Moving on to #3, full extension of the humerus will light up an AC joint pretty quickly. So, dips are out - and, honestly, I generally tell folks they're out for good after one has experienced any kind of AC joint issue. Full range-of-motion (ROM) bench pressing and push-ups are generally issues as well, so I tend to start folks with more partial ROM work. Examples would include dumbbell and barbell floor presses and board presses. Here's a 3-board press:
As the shoulder starts to feel better, one can move down to 2-board, 1-board, and eventually full ROM bench press. Remember, a medium or wide grip will generally be tolerated better than a close grip.
I also really like push-up iso holds at a pain-free ROM for these individuals because closed-chain exercises are always going to be a bit more shoulder friendly than open-chain variations. This is really quite simple: set up as if you are going to do a push-up, and go down as far as you can with no pain. When you reach your pain-free end-range, hold there while bracing the core, locking the shoulder blades down and back, and tightening the glutes; do not let the elbows flare out or hips sag! We'll hold for anywhere from 10-60s, depending on fitness levels. Over the course of time, increase the ROM as your symptoms reduce.
There you have it: acromioclavicular joints - from onset to corrective exercise - in a nutshell. Obviously, make sure you seek out a qualified professional if you think you may have these issues, but keep this progression in mind as you return to (or just try to stay in) the iron game.
Feedback on Building the Efficient Athlete
"In my ten years in the fitness industry, I have been to many seminars and conferences - but the Building the Efficient Athlete Seminar was by far the most informative and comprehensive event I have attended in as long as I can remember. The amount of knowledge you get when you combine Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson is unparalleled. The seminar was filled with great classroom information, hands-on assessments, and on-site training tips. I highly recommend this DVD set to any coach, trainer, or athlete who is looking to get a leg up on the competition."
Mike Hanley, USAW, RKC
Morganville, NJ
www.HanleyStrength.com
1. Roger "It Ain't Over 'Til I Turn in this Power Rangers T-Shirt and Reclaim my Man Card with a Thundercats Shirt" Lawson has his revenge!
Okay, so it was really only good for third place. It was, however, markedly improved from the previous effort, so we'll give him a thumbs-up (but not a high-five, Roger; that's just not how I roll). Thanks for all your hard work this summer!
2. Speaking of thumbs-up, here's a diet that would make it difficult to give that stamp of approval:
The Amputation Diet
Just in case you weren't catching the sarcasm in that post, please don't go and cut your hand off.
3. For those of you looking for a good read, I'd encourage you to check out Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.
Now, before you go and start telling everyone that Cressey's gone off the deep end and is now a distance running zealot, I liked this book because it talked a lot about the merits of barefoot training and how we've been royally screwed by modern shoe companies. If you're a runner who has ever had plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendon issues, you have to give this a read.
I actually listened to the book on tape during my commute to the facility. The unabridged version is about eleven hours long, and is very entertaining.
4. The first pro ball player off-season training session is in the book for Tuesday. A big gold star goes out to Blue Jays Double-A pitcher Tim Collins for officially kicking off the madness that is the life my life from now through the third Monday in March. Tim's season ends on Monday, and he's practically kicking the door down to come back and train.
With attitude like this, and 18 pro guys confirmed (and more still sorting out details), it's shaping up to be a great off-season at CP. I am fired up!
Here's a link to a great aritlce about Cressey Performance athlete and Blue Jays prospect Tim Collins, who just got the call-up to AA. It's a great story you don't want to miss.
Jays Prospect Collins a Surprising Strikeout Machine
99% athlete, 1% pitcher!
Hey Gang,
It's a busy day around here as I try to catch up from the holiday weekend and finalize tax stuff, but luckily, I have a little content for you. This article from Brendan Hall in the Boston Globe features several Cressey Performance Athletes; check it out!
For High School Pitchers, No Grace Period
I'll be back soon with more blog content. Additionally, you might want to check out something new Joel Marion has up his sleeve. Joel's methods are definitely non-traditional, but it is hard to argue with results, and he has gotten them consistently for years with loads of clients. Check it out HERE.
I hope everyone had a great weekend!
EC
1. On Monday, pretty much every baseball game in the state of Massachusetts was rained out. To our delight, we had three of our high school baseball player show up at 2:30PM (they had the last period of school free) race in to get in training sessions before they headed to their 4:30PM indoor practice (in lieu of the game).
These guys actually thought that the game was going to be played the next day, so they were planning on having lighter days in the gym. When I informed them that the game had actually been pushed back to May, one of them looked up at me and said, "So that means I can just go crazy today?"
That, folks, is how you make a strength coach smile. And, it's also how you inspire a Random Friday Thoughts blog on "Things You Can Say to Make a Strength Coach Smile."
a. "I think cottage cheese tastes like poo, but I'm going to eat it anyway, because it'll make me diesel."
b. "I know that distance running is destroying my body, so I'm going to stop for real this time - unlike the last three times I promised to give it up forever." (cough, Steph, cough)
c. "Can you tell Tony to turn this techno crap off?"
2. John Berardi just ran a feature on Howie Clark, from the Toronto Blue Jays system. I just started to work with Howie about two months ago on his in-season training program, and this interview talks a lot about the interaction of his training and nutrition. Check it out HERE.
3. On a related note, here's a cool local article where I got a shout-out recently:
Pitch Count an Inexact Science
4. It wouldn't be baseball season in Boston without a drunk dude busting a move in the stands at Fenway. My girlfriend and I watched it live on Wednesday night and knew it was sure-fire blog material:
5. Here's a little compilation of where Cressey Performance pro baseball guys are starting out this season. If you live in the neighborhood of their ballparks, go check out our guys!
Chad Rodgers (Braves, LHP) - Myrtle Beach, SC
Will Inman (Padres, RHP) - San Antonio, TX
Tim Collins (Blue Jays, LHP) - Dunedin, FL
Shawn Haviland (A's, RHP) - Kane County, IL
Steffan Wilson (Brewers, 1B/3B) - Brevard County (Viera), FL
Steve Hammond (Giants, LHP) - Fresno, CA
CJ Retherford (White Sox, 2B/3B) - Birmingham, AL
Matt Morizio (Royals, C) - Wilmington, DE
Howie Clark (Blue Jays, utility) - Las Vegas, NV
Andy D'Alessio (Giants, 1B) - Norwich, CT
We've got a few more guys in extended spring training and independent ball who should find out their destinations shortly. If you know one of the guys above, though, get out and show 'em some love!
1. There were no Random Friday Thoughts last week, as my girlfriend and I were in Fort Lauderdale for a quick 3-day "the guys are off to spring training, so Eric is going to regain his sanity" vacation. As you read this, I'll have just returned to Boston (Sunday night), refreshed and ready to go for the last three weeks before the high school baseball season starts.
2. With almost all the guys done for the off-season, I figured that this was as good a time as any to send out some spring training well wishes to all the Cressey Performance pro baseball guys:
Chad Rodgers (Braves)
Will Inman (Padres)
Tim Collins (Blue Jays)
Tim Stronach (Mets)
Shawn Haviland (A's)
Nate Nelson (Blue Jays)
Steffan Wilson (Brewers)
Steve Hammond (Giants)
CJ Retherford (White Sox)
PJ Zocchi (Indians)
Matt Morizio (Royals)
Ryan Reid (Rays)
Matt Kramer (Braves)
Dave Wasylak (Nationals)
Jason Lavorgna (free agent)
Matt Cooney (free agent)
Chris Gusha (free agent)
Good luck this season, fellas. Thanks for all your hard work.
3. I often get asked what we do with folks who can't go right to foam rolling with the Foam Roller Plus (a more diesel version that is just foam on top of PVC).
In these folks, we usually start them with a foam-only roller - and ideally one that has been "broken in."
Another option that Cressey Performance has pioneered is suited up in catcher's gear before rolling. Safety first, folks.
4. Just wanted to give you a quick heads-up on an upcoming seminar (4/17-4/19) in Central Virginia with an outstanding line-up of speakers. I'm bummed that I can't make it, but you should definitely check this out if you're in the area:
Central Virginia Performance Seminar
They have limited the event to 75 attendees, so be sure to register sooner than later.
5. My girlfriend had the Oscars on last weekend, and I couldn't help but wonder who the heck this guy is and what he did to Ferris Bueller!
EricCressey.com Subscriber-Only Q&AQ: My question pertains to medicine ball workouts for pitchers. Are they only off-season training drills, or can I do them with my pitchers between starts? And, are there good ones for pitchers arms, in particular? I know you mentioned doing some one-arm drills with your pitchers.
A: It's safe to say that we probably do more medicine ball work than anyone on the planet. In fact, we've broken 17 medicine balls (16 featured in this photo) thus far this off-season.
Our destruction of medicine balls has been so epic that our equipment supplier actually asked us if we were throwing them against a wall with "jagged edges," as nobody had ever had similar problems, much less with as much regularity. So, suffice it to say that we hammer on medicine ball work a ton in the off-season, and the useful life of a ball around here is 4-6 weeks. But, I don't want to digress...
After the season ends, pitchers usually get a two-week break from anything that involves overhead throwing or rapid elbow extension after they are done throwing before we integrate any of this. Position players start right up with it. I think it's crucial to start up right away so that you can teach proper scap and hip loading so that guys will get the most out of it when the time comes to throw with more volume and complex exercises that help to maintain pitching-specific mobility, as Stanford-bound Sahil Bloom shows:
We typically go 3x/week medicine ball work with anywhere from 80 to 120 throws (never more than eight per set) per session from October through December (the last month overlaps with throwing programs where these guys are just tossing - nothing too challenging). This continues right up through spring training for all our position players. For pitchers, though, as January rolls around, we add in more bullpens and aggressive long tossing (and weighted balls, for some guys), and the medicine ball work drops off to two times a week with less volume and a more conservative exercise selection. This twice a week set-up goes right through Spring Training.
We always pair our medicine ball work with various mobilizations so that guys are addressing flexibility deficits instead of just standing around. It might be thoracic spine and hip mobility drills from Assess and Correct. Combining these mobilizations with all our medicine ball work, warm-ups, foam rolling/massage, and the static stretching programs guys are on, we have no concerns about pitchers "tightening up" with lifting. Blue Jays prospect Tim Collins doesn't seem to be all "muscle-bound" here, for instance:
I don't do a ton of medicine ball work in-season with my higher level guys; it's usually once every five days. A lot of the focus is on the non-dominant side. So, a right-handed pitcher would do more rotational stuff from the left side to keep as much symmetry as possible. With high school athletes, on the other hand, I see no reason why you can't use a slightly higher volume of medicine ball drills in-season. Kids are resilient and in many cases, undertrained, so there is always a big window of adaptation ahead of them.
With respect to the one-arm smaller medicine ball work, we use those two variations around this time of year. It's usually just two sets of eight reps right after throwing sessions twice a week. I like the idea of consolidating the stress with throwing outings. That said, there are some people that do them as warm-ups prior to throwing. Here, Atlanta Braves prospect Chad Rodgers demonstrates a few with a 1kg (2.2lb) ball.
As a random aside, off to the side in this video, you'll see how we tend to pair mobility/activation movements with power training, as Royals catching prospect Matt Morizio goes back and forth from clap push-ups to scapular wall slides.
This is really just the tip of the iceberg, so for more information, I would encourage you to check out our resource, Functional Stability Training; it is incredibly thorough, including plenty of options for both off- and in-season medicine ball work.
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