Strength and Conditioning Program Success: The Little Things Matter

Written on June 20, 2011 at 6:06 am, by Eric Cressey

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 44^th 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 3^rd 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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A Very Busy MLB Draft for Cressey Performance!

Written on June 9, 2011 at 5:48 am, by Eric Cressey

You may have noticed that this week’s blog updates have been a bit more infrequent and to the point – and you can thank the Major League Baseball Draft.  Fortunately, it was for all the right reasons, as we had a bunch of Cressey Performance guys drafted.

In addition to Tyler Beede, who went 21st overall to the Toronto Blue Jays, the following CP athletes were drafted and deserve a huge congratulations:

Jordan Cote: 3rd Round to the New York Yankees

Jack Leathersich: 5th Round to the New York Mets

Andrew Chin: 5th Round to the Toronto Blue Jays

Max Perlman 35th Round to the Oakland A’s

Ryan Thompson: 36th Round to the New York Yankees

Adam Ravenelle: 44th Round to the New York Yankees (a Cressey Performer since 8th Grade!)

Scott Weismann: 46th Rounds to the Chicago Cubs

John Gorman: 50th Round to the Boston Red Sox

In addition to these guys, several players who have done one-time consultations at CP and taken programs home with them to execute had some great draft showings: Anthony Meo (2nd Round – Arizona Diamondbacks), Travis Shaw (9th Round – Boston Red Sox), and John Brebbia (30th Round – New York Yankees) all deserve a congratulations as well.

We’re really proud of all our guys!

A Good Day at the Office

Written on May 12, 2011 at 7:26 am, by Eric Cressey

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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Off-Season Baseball Training at Cressey Performance

Written on March 10, 2011 at 5:47 pm, by Eric Cressey

It’s been a few months in the making, but we just finished up a promo video about how we attack off-season baseball training at Cressey Performance for our professional, collegiate, and high school baseball players.

We’d love to hear what you think – and hopefully you’ll like it enough to help spread the word on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks!

A big shoutout goes out to Jamie and Matt at Lasting Memories Videotaping; these guys do an awesome job, and we can’t recommend them highly enough!

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A Great Day for Cressey Performance Athletes

Written on November 10, 2010 at 7:15 am, by Eric Cressey

November 10 might seem like just any day to most people – and it certainly wouldn’t have any significance to the baseball training world to the casual observer.  However, it’s actually a pretty big day to celebrate here at Cressey Performance.

Today, a bunch of guys in our class of 2011 sign their national letters of intent to play Division 1 baseball – and I wanted to give them a shoutout in this blog to recognize their accomplishments.  Looking at this list, we have guys from three separate states – which means that a few of them travel up to two hours just to get to CP (and two hours home).  Some have been with us less than a year, and others since they were in eighth grade – but I wanted to recognize them all together nonetheless. Here they are (and the universities/college to which they’re headed):

1. Jordan Cote – Coastal Carolina
2. Tyler Beede – Vanderbilt
3. Adam Ravenelle – Vanderbilt
4. Barrett O’Neill – Virginia
5. Matt Luppi – Connecticut
6. Colin Egan – Wake Forest
7. Joe Napolitano – Wake Forest
8. Aaron Fossas – Wake Forest
9. Andrew Chin – Boston College
10. Devin Perry – Boston College
11. John Gorman – Boston College
12. Carl Anderson – Bryant
13. Cam Hatch – Maryland
14. Lorenzo Papa – Rhode Island
15. David St. Lawrence – Brown
16. Matt Mottola – UMASS-Lowell

There are certainly quite a few more to come as a few other guys wrap up the decision making process, but I thought I’d mention all these guys at once on the day that they sign.  Congratulations, fellas; it’s a party at CP!

Click here for or more information on the Cressey Performance Elite Baseball Development Program.

Random Wednesday Thoughts: 8/6/10

Written on August 4, 2010 at 7:00 am, by Eric Cressey

1. Mike Reinold polled some of the best in the world of manual therapy, physical therapy, and strength and conditioning (plus a schmuck named “Cressey”) to ask for their best career advice for students and young professionals in our fields.  Here is the post that emerged; it came out really well – and actually serves as an awesome adjunct to yesterday’s advice on starting out in the fitness industry.

2. I’m pumped to report that my advanced copy of Gray Cook’s new book, Movement, arrived yesterday.  I’m digging in to it tonight.  You can pre-order your own HERE.

Gray’s been talking about this book (and working on it) for years now, and there is no doubt in my mind that he won’t disappoint. I’m really looking forward to it.

3. Here’s a link to an interview with Cressey Performance and Lincoln-Sudbury athlete Adam Ravenelle, who is committed to play baseball at Vanderbilt:

Player Perspective: Adam Ravenelle

The thing I like the most about this interview is the fact that Adam emphasized the importance of in-season training and how valuable it is to young pitchers.  You’d be amazed at how many guys work their butts off in the off-season and show up to the start of the season strong…only to skip their lifting and flexibility work for the next 6-8 months.  It’s one step forward, and one step back – but not for guys like Adam who “get it.”  “Rav” has gained over 50 pounds with us since 2007 while going from the high 70s to low 90mph range – and having an open-minded and dedicated attitude toward in-season training has been a big part of it.

3. Speaking of throwing the baseball faster, Haag et al. found that pre-throwing static stretching did not negatively affect baseball pitching velocity.  This is pretty significant, as many modern coaches generally encourage players to universally avoid static stretching right before training and competition for fear of reductions in power output (that research horse has been beaten to death).

Personally, though, I’ve always felt that it was really valuable to stretch the throwing shoulder in the majority of our pitchers before they threw (the exceptions being the ones with crazy laxity).  Typically, we stretch guys (or encourage them to stretch themselves) into shoulder internal rotation and flexion.  It’s safe to assume that getting range in their directions is going to not only minimize the effect of the peel-back mechanism for SLAP lesions at lay-back, but also enable them to have a longer, smoother deceleration arc.

While more research is definitely warranted, my hunch is that static stretching is less “inhibitory” in the upper body than the lower body because the upper body deals with predominantly open-chain motion, and is therefore more heavily reliant on mobility than stability.

5. Last, but certainly not least, here’s a quick article about CP athlete Tim Collins, who was traded for the second time in three weeks, this time to the Royals.

Related Posts

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Cressey Performance Athletes Excel, Reporters Write About It, Villagers Rejoice

Written on July 21, 2010 at 5:10 am, by Eric Cressey

I don’t know if there is something in the water that the reporters around the country (and particularly the Massachusetts sports scene) have been drinking, but Cressey Performance’s Elite Baseball Development Program has gotten a lot of love in the news this weekend.

Last week, CP athlete Tim Collins was part of a blockbuster trade, as he went from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Atlanta Braves.  Tim didn’t disappoint in his debut, striking out five batters in two innings pitched without allowing a walk, hit, or run.  In a recent posting about Collins in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, beat writer David O’Brien wrote the following:

“I asked [Braves Manager] Bobby Cox if he knew anything about him, and Cox started talking about seeing video of him. Said he’s extremely athletic, a muscular little guy who’s real aggressive. Apparently the video showed him pitching and also working out, because he made quite an impression on Cox and others with the workout portion.”

Apparently, Bobby Cox is quite a fan of the EricCressey.com and Cressey Performance YouTube pages.  Hello, Bobby!

The AJC followed it up with a feature on Tim where my business partner, Pete Dupuis, was interviewed: Pitcher in Escobar Trade is 5-7 Fireballer.

Saturday night, CP athlete Kevin Youkilis had the game-tying and game winning RBIs for the Red Sox in a come-from-behind win at home against the Rangers.

These features were followed shortly by another one – this time on a talented pitching prospect from Worcester, MA, Louisville pitcher Keith Landers.  The Worcester Telegram just did this feature on Keith and the training he started up about eight weeks ago at Cressey Performance as he works his way back from a shoulder surgery.

Landers Rehabbing Repaired Shoulder

(yes, Keith is really almost as tall as I am, even though he’s kneeling)

And, last, but certainly not least, the Daily New Tribue published this feature on CP athlete Travis Dean, who was drafted in the 14th round by the New York Yankees this year: Newton’s Travis Dean Weighs Options as Yankees’ Pitching Draftee.

Finally, here’s a blog post from ESPN.com’s Brendan Hall that features a boatload of CP studs who have had great summer showings: Tyler Beede, Adam Ravenelle, Carl Anderson, Barrett O’Neill, John Gorman, Jordan Cote, Ben Smith, Matt Luppi, AJ Zarozny, and David St. Lawrence.

Click here for more information on Cressey Performance’s Elite Baseball Development Program.

Cressey Performance Elite Baseball Development Program in The Boston Globe

Written on April 9, 2010 at 7:56 am, by Eric Cressey

Just a quick heads-up about a great article in The Boston Globe about Cressey Performance’s Elite Baseball Development Program.  It features interviews with Kevin Youkilis, Curt Schilling, Chad Rodgers, Joe Bick, and Adam Ravenelle.

Custom Body Shop: Hudson Personal Trainer Gains a Following Among Elite Athletes

Click here for more information on the Cressey Performance Elite Baseball Development Program.

Have a great weekend!

Random Friday Thoughts: 2/5/10

Written on February 5, 2010 at 8:07 am, by Eric Cressey

It’s been a while since I’ve published a Random Friday Thoughts blog.  So, I guess you could say that this is some random randomness.  Enjoy.

1. Anyone who tells you that being a strength and conditioning coach is just about training doesn’t realize that it goes far beyond that.  This off-season, we’ve helped our pro guys out everything from composing a best man’s toast to tying a tie.  We’ve even come full-service to offer haircuts in the office.

2. Jacob Hiler recently interviewed me about vertical jump training; check it out HERE.

3. I got some great feedback on Assess and Correct via email the other day from Jon Hochberg:

Just wanted to commend you on your latest product, Assess and Correct (kudos to Mike and Bill as well, of course).  As a purchaser of most all of your products, I found this to be your most mature – not necessarily in terms of content, but in terms of presentation and delivery.  Assess and Correct does not merely list corrective exercises, but outlines an integrated process that each athlete, regardless of level, can navigate through.  From the body photos at the beginning of the manual, to the exercise listings and the demonstrations on the video, the user has a complete road map in front of him that he can use for the rest of his career, especially since you grouped the progressions into sensible categories.  I think the manual in conjunction with the videos is the real key here.  I can read about what I need to do, and if I need a more clear demonstration, I can look it up in the video chapters and watch it for more clarification.  It’s nice when someone else puts in the hard work and does the research for the rest of us, so that we have a clear picture of where to go next.

Thanks to Jon for the feedback.  You can pick up your copy of Assess and Correct HERE.

4. My buddy Jim “Smitty” Smith at DieselCrew.com is doing a great fundraiser for Haiti relief efforts.  Check it out here. It’s a great idea for a great cause.

5.  Another easy way to keep track of me is on Facebook, for those of you who have it.  Just consider yourself forewarned that if you post questions on my wall about why your shoulder hurts or ask “what’s your biceps workout, bro?,” I’ll delete you as a friend faster than Tony Gentilcore can say “I love techno.”  Life’s not fair sometimes; sorry.

6. I don’t know what this picture has to do with anything, but I thought that it was great.

7. Quote of the week: “The higher up you get, the more hot air you encounter.”  It rang true when one of my athletes this week informed me that – according to some local trainer (who I’ve never met, but apparently is a competitor of ours) – I was responsible for a nearby pitcher’s elbow injury.  This was remarkable, considering I’ve never even met or talked with this pitcher, let alone assessed him, programmed for him, or trained him!

I know we get a lot of industry up-and-comers reading this site, and perhaps the best career advice I can give you is to ignore what other people say.  Listen to your customers/clients/athletes, your staff, and your family; those are the opinions that matter.  If I spent hours each day arguing on internet forums with my critics, I’d be wasting time that could otherwise be spent with the former three groups: the ones that matter.

8. I’m keeping a diet log this week for the first time in about three years.  I’ve gotten so accustomed to just maintaining my weight without really thinking about it that I figured I actually ought to check and see just how many calories I’m taking in on a daily basis.  It definitely makes you think about what you eat a lot more!

9. Here’s a great little piece about two Cressey Performance athletes – Billy Bereszniewicz and Adam Ravenelle (both of Lincoln-Sudbury) – who have committed to play Division 1 baseball.

10. Short one today, as I’ve got a bunch to do before the weekend. We’ve got a full schedule here at CP on Saturday, and then I’m back to my old stomping grounds at Gampel Pavilion at UCONN to watch the basketball team play Depaul.

Then, it’s house/condo “shopping” on Sunday.  I’m getting all grown up before your very eyes…

Have a great weekend!

What’s in Store for 2010?

Written on January 1, 2010 at 5:36 pm, by Eric Cressey

Happy New Year, everyone!

I thought I’d use this first post of 2010 as a way of looking forward to what’s on tap at EricCressey.com for the year.  In true “Random Thoughts” fashion, here we go:

1. Nate Green just interviewed me for what I think will be a great feature at T-Muscle in the next week or two.  It will be similar in structure to this piece Nate did with Dave Tate, which definitely turned out to be an entertaining read.  Keep an eye out for it!

2. Speaking of interviews, I’ll be doing one with Brian Grasso for the IYCA on Tuesday.  Brian’s a very forward-thinking guy and I’m excited to catch up with him.

3. Speaking of T-Muscle, I’m finishing up my “What I Learned in 2009″ article this weekend.  It follows the articles I wrote for 2006, 2007, and 2008.

4. Also coming up in the next month or so will be the release of the DVDs of Mike Reinold and my seminar from November: Testing, Treating, and Training the Shoulder: From Rehabilitation to High Performance. It’s being edited as I type this.

5. This January 24, Cressey Performance will be hosting Neil Rampe of the Arizona Diamondbacks for his seminar, .  You can register HERE, or for more information on Neil’s background, click HERE.  If you’d like to see a seminar agenda, please just email me at ec@ericcressey.com.

6. I’ll be presenting in Tampa, FL (Jan); Winchester, MA (Jan); Las Vegas, NV (March); and Vancouver, BC (March); and Boston, MA (May) in this first part of 2010.  Check out my schedule page for more information on these events.

7. I’m very anxious to hear more of the feedback on Assess and Correct, which has already sold in more than two dozen countries.  This is a product I truly believe will help a lot of people, and the short-term feedback we’ve received since its release in October has been tremendous.

8. At Cressey Performance, our staff has started up what (for lack of a more masculine term) we’re calling the Staff Book Club.  Each staff member will present on what he learns in a different book each week.  I think it’ll be a great way to cover more material and keep us all accountable to each other on getting our continuing education done.

9.I’m pumped for more content from Matt Blake in 2010.  He’s been a fantastic resource for all our athletes and I’m excited to share with you all how Matt and I collaborate to make our pitchers better.  I think it’ll make for some great content.

10. I’d really like to continue to grow both the newsletter and blog.  You can sign up for notifications on both fronts to the right of the screen, if you haven’t already.

11. I’m really pumped for all our guys who have found great college choices; it’s an exciting time for both the 2010 and 2011 guys.  Most recently, CP athlete Adam Ravenelle committed to Vanderbilt on a baseball scholarship.  Adam’s been with us since before his freshman year, and we’re all really proud of him.  He actually joins another CP pitcher, Tyler Beede, who committed to Vanderbilt just a few weeks ago.  Both guys are in the class of 2011, and join Barrett O’Neill (University of Virginia) and Joe Napolitano (Boston College) as our early committees from that class.

There should be plenty more guys with exciting news along these lines in the months to come as well.

12. I’m really excited to watch Cressey Performance grow in the months ahead.  While I was certainly thrilled at the growth we saw (15%) in 2009 and I hope it continues, I am most thrilled at how many clients we’ve seen change their bodies and their lives since they started up, and how many friendships we’ve seen cultivated inside CP. If you’d have told me a few years ago that we’d have over 25 people in on Thanksgiving morning, for instance, I would have told you that you were crazy!

In addition to our clients’ accomplishments, I’m so proud of our staff. I could never do what I do without such great guys working alongside me, and the best part is that they are insatiable in their desire to get better.  We’re constantly getting better and it makes every new day fun.  The best part is that I feel like it’s something that’s carried over to our interns, too; there are some really talented people with bright futures coming through here.

13. I’m very excited for the new CP website, which should be done in a matter of a few days.  Along those same lines, there is a pretty sweet training and testimonial montage being pulled together about our Elite Baseball Development program.  I was actually getting pretty fired up just watching some of the footage that had been gathered thus far.

14. I can’t wait to attack all the books and journal articles that are in my stack of “Things to Read” right now.  There’s too much material to cover, but never enough time!

15. Last, but certainly not least, it’ll also be a very busy (but exciting) year for me personally in 2010, as my fiancee Anna and I will be getting married this October.  And, even before we get to that, we’re planning to buy our first home in the next 4-6 months.  Obviously, we’re already doing a lot of planning!

Needless to say, I’m looking forward to all of this – and probably a few surprises along the way.  Best wishes for 2010, and stay tuned!