Home 2012 April (Page 2)

EC on Protecting Young Arms

I thought some of you might be interested in this quick feature I did with David Jack yesterday for New England Cable News.  With the baseball season underway, taking care of young arms is certainly a huge priority:

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Workout Routines: 6 Tips for Adjusting to Exercise in the Morning

We are creatures of habit - not only psychologically and socially, but physiologically as well.  If you need proof, all you have to do is read up on shift work disorder, which shows that simply changing one's sleep and work schedule can have some profound consequences for our health.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that changing the time of day when one's workout routine takes place is a huge deal for everything from mood to performance.  Perhaps the most common adjustment that takes place is when someone decides to exercise in the morning.  It may be because a long day at work is too exhausting to be 100% when you hit the gym after it's over, or you may just not want to wait for equipment access in a crowded gym at 6PM.  Or, it could be because a parent is super busy with kids' after-school activities, so first thing in the morning before they wake up is the best bet for getting in a strength and conditioning program.

Whatever the reason, the adjustment to exercise in the morning is without a doubt the toughest "time change" one could make.  With that in mind, here are five keys to making it a smooth transition:

1. Get to bed earlier.

This seems like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised at how many people complain that they can't get results from exercise in the morning without realizing that they're still going to be far too late at night.

If you're someone who is accustomed to sleeping 12AM-8AM, then racing to be to work at 9AM, it's going to be an adjustment if you want to start training at 6AM before you head to work.  You're only making it tougher if you decide that you're simply going to sleep 12AM-5AM. It's also going to crush your productivity for the rest of the day, as you'll be sleep walking rather than enjoying the post-exercise energy boost most people experience.  If you want to be up at 5AM or 6AM to train, you've got to be in bed by 10PM.  In fact, I always tell my athletes that an hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours after midnight.

2. Stand up for a bit.

Dr. Stuart McGill has made some fantastic observations on spine stiffness first thing in the morning. In a nutshell, when we lay down to sleep at night, our spine is decompressed, so the intervertebral discs actually collect water.  This increased hydration status builds annular tension within the discs, and makes the spine stiffer overall.  This isn't a good kind of stiffness, though; more stress is placed on the ligaments and discs than the soft tissue structures that typically protect them.

Simply standing upright and moving around decreases the hydration status of the discs - and, in the process, actually makes us shorter as the day goes on! While I don't know of many people that want to get shorter, the good news is that this height reduction reduces the spine stiffness and allows us to move the spine more safely and effectively.  While disc hydration diminishes over the course of the entire day, the majority of it occurs in the first hour that we're awake.

With this in mind, you're someone with a history of back pain, you're probably best off not incorporating exercise in the morning, especially if your workout routine includes a lot of bending and rotating.  If you're going for a walk or light jog, though, it's probably not a big deal.

Conversely, if you're someone who plans to use some of these more challenging compound movements and have to exercise in the morning, I'd encourage you to get up 30 minutes early and just focus on standing up, whether it's to read the paper, pack your lunch, or take the dog for a walk.

3. Take a hot shower before exercise in the morning.

One of the biggest struggles a lot of folks encounter is getting warmed up in the morning.  Folks usually turn the heat down at night while they're asleep, and it's obviously colder outside at nighttime.  You might think I'm nuts, but hopping out of bed and into a hot shower is a great "body temperature transition" strategy that bridges the gap between bed and exercise.  And, since you'll be standing in the shower, it also helps to accomplish tip #2 from above!

It only has to be 25-30 seconds to get your body temperature up a bit, and then you can take your "real" shower after you sweat up a storm.  As an alternative to shower #1, you can always splash some hot water on your face and drink a cup of coffee.  There's no way you're getting out of shower #2, though, Smelly.

4. Extend the warm-up.

In line with points #2 and #3, it's a good idea to add a few more dynamic warm-up drills to your pre-exercise routine.  Typically, our athletes do between eight and ten drills, but those who exercise in the morning are better off with as many as 15.  It might add five minutes to your dynamic warm-up, but that's far better than spending far more than five minutes in physical therapy for an injury you got from insufficiently warming up!

In line with tip #2 from above, you likely want to focus on more standing variations in your mobility exercise selections.

For some additional options on mobility drills, check out Assess and Correct: Breaking Barriers to Unlock Performance.

5. Tinker with various nutrition approaches.

I've heard thousands of different nutritional strategies outlined for those who want to exercise in the morning, but the truth is, everyone is different.  I have known folks who will throw up anything solid that they consume prior to exercise, and others (myself included) who could eat a giant breakfast and keep it down just fine.  For most, I think sipping on a shake as you start the training session is a good place to start.  If you handle that fine, you can consider having some solid food before the training session, if you find that you're hungry in the middle of the training session.

6. Recruit a training partner.

A training partner is almost always a good idea, but this is especially true when you're up at the buttcrack of dawn and not necessarily in the mindset to really push yourself.  Plus, when you're awake for exercise before the sun rises, you're far more likely to hit the snooze button if someone isn't waiting for you at the gym.

While training first thing in the morning isn't exactly ideal, it may be your only option for staying consistent with your workout routine - and consistency is the name of the game.  Implement these strategies to get the most out of your early morning training sessions.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 4/11/12

Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading: Get Stronger by Doing Less - This was a guest blog I wrote over at MensHealth.com on the topic of managing training stress. Foot Positions in the Squat - Here's an excellent post from Charlie Weingroff.  Actually, I'd call it epic; he clearly put appreciable time and thought into it. Why President Obama Throws Like a Girl - I usually bring this one back to the forefront every opening day, but completely forgot to do so this year.  Since there is a chance that he won't be president next opening day, I figure I might as well milk this content for all it's worth now. I didn't hear about him throwing out a first pitch anywhere, so I wonder if this old post made him insecure.  I hope not, as we're losing too many good baseball players to basketball nowadays, anyway! Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift!
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Mobility Exercise of the Week: Wall Ankle Mobilizations with Adduction/Abduction

Assuming you haven't been living under a rock for the past few years, you've surely learned that ankle mobility is imperative to long-term lower-extremity health in strength and conditioning programs and actual sport participation.  If you need to learn why, check out this old post of mine: The Importance of Ankle Mobility. While I think the industry has done a great job of highlighting the need for incorporating ankle mobility drills in one's warm-up, I'm not convinced that we've done a good job of "exhausting" our creativity when it comes to those drills, as most of them occur purely in the sagittal plane.  While poor dorsiflexion is definitely the biggest issue at the ankle - and dorsiflexion does occur in the sagittal plane - I think we miss the boat when we only work on getting dorsiflexion in isolation.  In reality, you need multi-planar ankle mobility to be prepared for life's events, so it's advantageous to train it a bit in your warm-ups. So, I bring to you the wall ankle mobilization with adduction/abduction.  It's just like a regular wall ankle mobilization, but when you get to end range, you gently rock back and forth between adduction and abduction (and internal rotation and external rotation, in the process) to make it more of a multi-directional movement that also challenges hip mobility a bit. A special thanks goes out to Kansas City Royals pitcher Tim Collins for helping with the demonstration here:

A few important coaching cues/notes:

1. Everyone always asks whether or not I care what the back foot/leg is doing, and I don't.  Just focus on the front side.

2. The individual should feel a stretch in the posterior lower leg, not a pinching in the front.  If there is pinching in the front, it's a good idea to refer out to a good manual therapist.  In the meantime, you can train ankle mobility more conservatively with a rocking ankle mobilization:

3. If the individual's heel comes up off the ground, slide the foot closer to the wall to regress the exercise.

4. The drill should be performed barefoot or in minimalist footwear.

5. We usually perform this as three reps per leg, and each rep has a few glides toward adduction and abduction. You can use it during the warm-up, or as a filler between sets of compound movements.  I like it between sets of deadlifts, since you're already barefoot or in minimalist sneaker.

6. If you're a heavy pronator (really flat feet and knock-knees), you probably don't need to do the adduction (rock in) portion of each rep.

For more drills like this, be sure to check out Assess and Correct: Breaking Barriers to Unlock Performance.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 4/6/12

Here's a list of recommended strength and conditioning resources for the week: Elite Training Mentorship - This continuing education resource we introduced last month has started off with a bang, as we've gotten a lot of great feedback.  It'll update twice per month, and the first happened yesterday.  Content came from Dave Schmitz (two in-services and two exercise demonstrations) and me (two in-services and two exercise demonstrations).  My in-services this month were "Understanding and Managing Congenital Laxity" and "Understanding the Hip Adductors."  Updates from Mike Robertson and BJ Gaddour will come later this month.  Click here for more information.

9 Strategies to Train Around Lower Body Pain - Speaking of Mike Robertson, this is a great article he had published at T-Nation this week. Pressing Considerations for the Older Lifter - This was a super-detailed post from Jim "Smitty" Smith on what the seasoned veteran of strength training programs needs to keep in mind when doing a lot of pressing. Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift!
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Opening Day Musings: Are You Willing to Put in the Work?

Earlier this week, Cressey Performance athlete Ryan Flaherty was named to the Baltimore Orioles opening day roster for today.  Ryan and I share a common trait in that we were both born and raised in Southern Maine, so we've had some good conversations about what it takes to compete on a national scale when you start out from what isn't exactly known as a baseball capital of the world.  When I heard the great news about Ryan, the logical first choice for reading about it was our hometown newspaper, the Portland Press Herald, in this article.

One of the things that stood out for me about this article was the quote about how Orioles manager Buck Showalter still got so excited to tell guys they made the big league roster - because, unfortunately, it's a conversation he gets to have much less often than the "You're cut" interaction.

Being successful - and, even moreso, world-class - is very difficult.

Only 3% of guys ever drafted into professional baseball ever make it to the big leagues.  When you factor in free agent signings, it's likely a 1 in 50 success rate.  Taking it a step further, if you look at the 118 first-round draft picks between 2004 and 2007 who actually signed, only 84 (71%) of them ever made it to the big leagues.  In other words, even if you are among the most coveted 30 prospects in all of the U.S. and Canada, you still have a long way to go, and a lot of time to fall flat on your face. I hear it all the time from kids: I want to make varsity. I want to play in college. I want to get drafted. I want to make it to the big leagues. While the goals are certainly incremental and far apart, the response needs to be the same: "It won't be easy, and you need to be willing to work for it - not talk about it." Ryan was no exception.  He was one of the best athletes - football, basketball, and baseball - in the history of the State of Maine.  Then, he was a three-year standout at Vanderbilt, one of the best college baseball programs in the country, before being drafted in 2008.  Three years of hard work in the minor leagues later, he's getting his shot in "the show" today.  Tim Collins was a great example from last year - and Tim had to work his butt off to keep his roster spot in the big leagues going in to 2012.

It would have been very easy to be one of the 98% who failed, though. There are thousands of ways in which kids go astray from their goals today, whether it's due to apathy, poor coaching, overassertive parents, drug use, behavioral issues, or simply not being honest with themselves about how much they need to improve.  And, it's getting worse with every participation trophy that's handed out, and every time that a parent races in to school to contest a grade on a report card. In the former case, the rewards should be the excitement of competition, the outstanding feeling that comes from being part of a team, the physical activity that comes with participating, and the character development that comes from dedicating oneself to a goal and working toward improvements to make it a reality.  What are we saying to a kid when he busts his butt and looks the coach in the eye every time they talk, yet we hand him the same participation trophy that we gave to the kid that shows up late to practice, refuses to pick up equipment, gets in the coach's face, and dogs it through drills?

In the latter case, the parent has missed a valuable opportunity to teach a valuable, yet dwindling characteristic in today's young kids: accountability.  When parent could be teaching a kid that "you reap what you sow," instead, he/she instead chooses to show that you can cut corners in life because there will always be someone around to clean up your mess.  I'm all for standing up to your kids - but I think a lot of people today need to stand up TO their kids, too.

It isn't just about showing up. It's about genuinely caring about what you do, honestly evaluating where your abilities are, having a passion to become a better person and make the the world a better place, and acting accordingly - while being humble, punctual, diligent, and respectful.

Don't get me wrong; we absolutely, positively need to encourage all kids, not just athletes - and overbearing parents absolutely crush kids' confidence.  However, there is a happy medium between the two; I think we do them a disservice when we aren't realistic with them about what it actually takes to be successful.  Only then can they appreciate the day-t0-day behaviors and practice they'll need to be successful: the process for their ultimate destination. Along these lines, over the years, I've had dozens of parents come up to me and say that one of the reasons they love Cressey Performance so much is that young athletes get to interact with and train alongside professional athletes so much.  The hard work they see from the pro guys does a better job of demonstrating what level of commitment it takes to succeed better than anything a parent could ever put into words.

I love seeing college and professional athletes involved with clinics for younger athletes, as well as charitable endeavors. It doesn't just help the kids and charities, but also the athletes themselves.  It gives them not only a chance to give back and an opportunity to reflect on how far they've come and the hard work it took to get to where they are. It's important to not just discuss the drive and character it takes to succeed, but give kids visual examples of it. What better day than opening day, when dreams are coming true all over Major League Baseball? It's a great starter to a conversation you ought to have with your kids and the players you coach; why not today? Related Posts Strength and Conditioning Program Success: The Little Things Matter Four Factors that Make or Break a Baseball Strength and Conditioning Program Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive a Copy of the Exact Stretches used by Cressey Performance Pitchers after they Throw!
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Where Cressey Performance Pro Guys are Headed

As spring training wraps up, I wanted to give you a quick heads-up on where all the Cressey Performance pro guys are headed for their seasons.  Be sure to keep an eye out for them if they're in your neck of the woods: Arizona Diamondbacks - John Pedrotty (Low A - South Bend, IN) Atlanta Braves - Adam Russell (AAA - Gwinnett, GA), Cory Gearrin (AAA - Gwinnett, GA), Richard Sullivan (AA - Pearl, MS), Chad Rodgers (Extended Spring Training), Cole Rohrbough (Low A - Rome, GA) Baltimore Orioles - Ryan Flaherty (Major Leagues), Oliver Drake (AA - Bowie, MD) Boston Red Sox - Kevin Youkilis (Major Leagues), Will Inman (AAA - Pawtucket, RI), Jeremy Hazelbaker (AA - Portland, ME), Jeremiah Bayer (High A - Salem, VA) Chicago White Sox - Phil Negus (High A, Winston-Salem, NC), Kevin Moran (Extended Spring Training), Kevin Vance (Low A - Kannapolis, NC) Chicago Cubs - Bryan LaHair (Major Leagues), John Andreoli (High A - Dayton, FL), Scott Weismann (Low A - Peoria, IL) Cleveland Indians - Cory Kluber (AAA - Columbus, OH) Cincinnati Reds - Tim Gustafson (AAA - Louisville, KY) Colorado Rockies - Dan Houston (AA - Tulsa, OK), Cory Riordan (AA - Tulsa, OK), Brook Hart (Extended Spring Training) Detroit Tigers - Matt Perry (Low A - West Michigan) Kansas City Royals - Tim Collins (Major Leagues), Anthony Seratelli (AAA - Omaha, NE), Mike LiBerto (High A - Wilmington, DE), Crawford Simmons (Low A - Kane County, IL) Los Angeles Dodgers - Eric Eadington (Low-A, Midland, MI) Miami Marlins - Steve Cishek (Major Leagues), Joey O'Gara (AA - Jacksonville, FL) Minnesota Twins - Ryan O'Rourke (Low A - Beloit, WI) New York Mets - Jack Leathersich (Low A - Savannah, GA) New York Yankees - Jordan Cote (Extended Spring Training), John Brebbia (Low A - Charleston, SC) Oakland A's - Shawn Haviland (AA - Midland, TX), Murphy Smith (AA - Midland, TX), Max Perlman (Low A - Burlington, IA) Philadelphia Phillies - Kevin Quaranto (Extended Spring Training) San Francisco Giants - Keith Bilodeau (Low A - Augusta, GA), Kyle Vasquez (Extended Spring Training) Seattle Mariners - Jimmy Gillheeney (High A - High Desert, CA), Mike Dowd (Clinton, IA) St. Louis Cardinals - Chris Costantino (Extended Spring Training) Tampa Bay Rays - Craig Albernaz (AA - Montgomery, AL), Garret Smith (Extended Spring Training) Texas Rangers - Nick McBride (Low A - Hickory, NC), Joe Van Meter (High A - Myrtle Beach, SC), Kyle Fernandes (AAA - Round Rock, TX) Toronto Blue Jays - Trystan Magnuson (AAA - Las Vegas, NV), Chad Jenkins (AA - Manchester, NH) Washington Nationals - Chris McKenzie (Low A - Hagerstown, MD)

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Mobility Exercise of the Week: Bowler Squat

I was introduced to the bowler squat originally by Dr. Stuart McGill at one of his seminars back around 2005.  Beyond the endorsement from one of the world's premier spine experts, the fact that it's been a mainstay in our strength and conditioning programs for about seven years should prove just how valuable I think this combination mobility/activation exercise is. Before describing it, though, I should mention that the name is a bit misleading.  While it does look like a bowler's motion, the truth is that it's more of a "rotational deadlift" than it is a squat.  There is some knee flexion involved, but the shin remains essentially vertical, and most of the motion occurs at the hips - and that's what makes it such a fantastic exercise.  Have a look:

We talk all the time about how important glute activation is, but most folks simply think that a few sets of supine bridges will get the job done. The problem is that this exercise occurs purely in the sagittal plane, while the glutes - as demonstrated by their line of pull - are also extremely active in the frontal and transverse planes.  The gluteus maximums isn't just a hip extensor; it is also a hip abductor and external rotator.

As such, the gluteus maximus is essential to properly eccentrically controlling hip flexion, adduction, and internal rotation that occurs with every step, landing, lunge, and change-of-direction.  You can even think of it as an "anti-pronator."

A bowler squat effectively challenges the glutes to both lengthen and activate in a weight-bearing position in all three planes.  And, for the tennis and baseball players out there, check out how closely the bowler squat replicates the finish position from a serve and pitch (I noted this in a recent article, Increasing Pitching Velocity: What Stride Length is and How to Improve It).

To perform the exercise, push the hips back as if attempting a 1-leg RDL, but reach across the body with the arm on the side of the non-support leg.  The "hips back" cue will get the sagittal plane, while the reach across will get the frontal and transverse plane. Make sure to keep the spine in neutral to ensure that the range of motion comes from the hips and not the lower back.  Keep the knee soft (not locked out), but not significantly flexed, either.  Be sure to get the hips all the way through at the top, finishing with a glute squeeze.

A few additional cues we may use are:

1. Tell the athlete to pretend like he/she is trying to pick up a basketball with the support foot; it can help those who keep tipping over.

2. Provide a target - a medicine ball or dumbbell - that the athlete should reach for in the bottom position (this keeps folks from cutting the movement short, or making it too sagittal plane dominant).

3. Encourage the athlete to keep the chin tucked (to keep the cervical spine in neutral).

4. Put your hand a few inches in front of the kneecap and tell the athlete not to touch your hand with the knee; this keeps an athlete from squatting too much when he/she should be hip-hinging.

Typically, we'll perform this drill for one set of eight reps per side as part of the warm-up.  However, in a less experienced population - or one with very poor balance - this may serve as a great unloaded challenge that can be included as part of the actual strength training program.

Give it a shot!

For more exercises like this, be sure to check out Assess and Correct: Breaking Barries to Unlock Performance.

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LEARN HOW TO DEADLIFT
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