Written on October 9, 2009 at 8:10 am, by Eric Cressey
1. Okay, first and foremost, keep an eye out for Monday’s blog, where Mike Reinold and I will officially open registration for our one-day, limited enrollment seminar. I’ll have a special discount code in place for my readers to get $30 off the cost of registration for the first week only – but to be very honest, with the small size of the event, I can’t imagine that it’ll be a full week before it fills up. Keep an eye on this blog EARLY on Monday morning if you want to reserve your spot.
2.Here’s another little teaser for you on the shoulder . I remember hearing in a seminar last year with Kevin Wilk that scapular retraction increases subacromial space by up to 200%. Those of you familiar with this stuff should know that the size of the subacromial space is a darn good predictor of shoulder pathology (check out my impingement series, part 1 and part 2 for details). It’s not a large space in the first place, but if you have factors – including bone spurring, a type 3 acromion, or just terrible scapular positioning – you’ll run into problems pretty quickly, particularly with overhead movements.
Now, think about the cornerstone of most traditional shoulder rehabilitation programs: rotator cuff strengthening. Now, while cuff strengthening is obviously super important, it really is only half (at most) of the equation. The cuff will help to preserve the subacromial space reasonably well because it (when healthy and strong) stabilizes the humeral head (shoulder “ball”) in the glenoid fossa (shoulder “socket”). However, if the scapula is excessively protracted, that glenoid fossa won’t be in the right place.
What puts the scapula in a good position? Loads of work for the lower trapezius and serratus anterior – and, further down the chain, improving thoracic spine mobility, core stability, and hip mobility. The cuff is just the tip of what is a very big iceberg…and that’s why we’re doing an entire seminar!
3. I’m writing about three blogs early this week because Cressey Performance’s Brian St. Pierre is getting married on Saturday. Those of you who may be in attendance will be able to easily recognize Tony Gentilcore and I thanks to our keen fashion sense:
Kidding aside, Brian is a huge asset to our business, as he brings a unique skill-set to our methodology and is a big hit with all our clients. We’re all really happy for him and his fiancee. Head on over to his blog and give him some love.
4. On Thursday, I put in some work to update the Baseball Content section of the website. It basically just compiles all the baseball-related writing I’ve done in one place. Check it out!
5. It’s playoff time, so you know what that means: time for the wheels to come off for the Yankees (the commentary on this is great).
Never thought I’d say this, but you may have better fashion sense then Tony who finds it acceptable to wear red shorts and a maroon tee shirt while training clients. My eyes still hurt from that fashion faux pax last night.
I like your work. I think I see your point for loading the lower traps and serratus anterior since they work together to cause upward rotation of the scapula during arm elevation. But my question is:
If scapular retraction is that beneficial for increasing the subacromial space, shouldn’t more emphasis be placed on the rhomboids and middle fibers of the trapezius?
October 9th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Never thought I’d say this, but you may have better fashion sense then Tony who finds it acceptable to wear red shorts and a maroon tee shirt while training clients. My eyes still hurt from that fashion faux pax last night.
October 10th, 2009 at 9:21 am
I like your work. I think I see your point for loading the lower traps and serratus anterior since they work together to cause upward rotation of the scapula during arm elevation. But my question is:
If scapular retraction is that beneficial for increasing the subacromial space, shouldn’t more emphasis be placed on the rhomboids and middle fibers of the trapezius?