Counting Reps to Counting Revenue: A Course You Don’t Want to Miss

Written on August 23, 2011 at 8:08 am, by Eric Cressey

I just wanted to give you all a quick heads-up that Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove’s Counting Reps to Counting Revenue online education course for fitness professionals is now available.

Alwyn has been a great business mentor to me over the years and I owe him a huge debt of gratitude for his role in making Cressey Performance what it is today.  Many of the valuable ideas Alwyn shared with me over the past five years are featured in this course, which not only includes multiple seminar videos, but also an opportunity to ask Alwyn and Rachel questions specific to your business.

If you run a fitness business or aspire to do so one day, I’d strongly encourage you to check it out.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 8/17/11

Written on August 17, 2011 at 5:06 am, by Eric Cressey

Here’s a list of recommended strength and conditioning reads (and views) for the week:

The Death of Personal Training – This is a great webinar by Alwyn Cosgrove that won’t air until 8/22, but you can sign up now to get access.  Alwyn was a great mentor to me on the business side of things when I was starting out, so it promises to be a very insightful event. Plus, he’s always hilarious when he presents!

Simple Posture Correction – Jim “Smitty” Smith introduces an excellent drill you can use to work on excessive scapular anterior tilt and poor thoracic mobility.

Evidence-Based Coaching – Sam Leahey clearly put a ton of work into compiling this post; the trainers and coaches out there will really benefit from reading this, even if it is a bit lengthy.

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Four Years of Cressey Performance: Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

Written on July 13, 2011 at 11:14 am, by Eric Cressey

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.

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School won the Division 1 State Championship, and they epitomize everything that effective strength and conditioning can do to help keep a high school team healthy and performing at high levels.

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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17 Reasons I’m Excited for 2011

Written on January 2, 2011 at 2:41 pm, by Eric Cressey

With the new year upon us, I got to thinking about how excited I am for all that 2011 has in store for me – and thought that it’d make for a good post to kick off the year.  Here’s why I’m excited:

1. Being Married – My wife, Anna, and I got married on October 3, and it was just the tip of the iceberg in a whirlwind year (new job for her, wedding planning, new house, new puppy).  Both of us are pretty excited for a low-key 2011 where we can just hang out and enjoy one another’s company!  And, we left our honeymoon for this year (I couldn’t escape for that long during the baseball off-season), so we’re excited about that.

2. The Continued Growth of EricCressey.com – I really enjoy writing, and each year, this website grows – which means I get to share my passion and interact with some very cool people.  Here were 2011’s year-end statistics for EricCressey.com:

450,791 unique visitors
1,106,748 visits
2,901,970 pages
2,730,922 hits

Thanks to everyone who visited the site this year!

3. The book I’m reading now: The 4-Hour Body. Tim Ferriss has become a good friend, and I was fortunate enough to be one of those who received an advanced copy of The 4-Hour Body prior to publication.  With the crazy goings-on at CP as well as the holidays, I’m just now getting a chance to read through it and give it the time it deserves – and I must say that it’s fantastic.  Tim does an awesome job of providing “info-tainment;” his entertaining writing style will keep you reading, and the background research he put in to this book will guarantee that you walk away with some ideas that will immediately benefit you.

4. The book I’m reading next: The New Rules of Lifting for Abs. As with Tim’s book, I got a copy of The New Rules of Lifting for Abs in advance, but haven’t even had a chance to open it up.  As with any Cosgrove/Schuler collaboration, though, I’m sure it’ll be high quality and a huge hit.  I’m looking forward to checking it out.

5. Cutting Back on Travel – 2010 was a crazy busy year for me personally – from buying a house, to moving, to planning a wedding, to getting married, to getting a puppy.  These “firsts” wouldn’t have been tough to pull off normally, but it seemed like every time my wife and I encountered one of them, I was getting ready to hop on a plane to go do a seminar somewhere.  As such, I’ve started turning down a lot more seminar opportunities not because I don’t enjoy doing them, but simply because the travel wore me out in 2010.  I will, however, still be traveling some – but this year, it’ll be with my wife…and we’ll be traveling for fun!

6. Another Year on the Perform Better Tour – While I may be cutting back on seminar travel, I wouldn’t miss the Perform Better Summits for the world.  I’m still waiting on final confirmation of which cities I’ll get in 2011, but I can say definitively that these are some of the best continuing education opportunities in the fitness business and that I thoroughly enjoy all of them – from the information to the great people I always wind up meeting.  Hopefully, I’ll get to meet some of you in person thanks to Perform Better this year.

7. Continuing on my Postural Restoration Institute Journey – I’ve spoken a bit in the past about the Postural Restoration Institute and how it dramatically impacted the way we evaluate and program for many of our athletes and clients.  In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it has been some of the best continuing education money I’ve ever spent.  I’ve only gone through two of their seven courses, though, and am excited to learn more.  I’ve covered Myokinematic Restoration and Postural Respiration, and already on the agenda for 2011 is Impingement and Instability. If you’re a physical therapist, athletic trainer, or fitness professional and haven’t seen any of their stuff already, I’d highly encourage you to check it out.

8. The New Cressey Performance – I’ll have pictures of the newly-renovated Cressey Performance soon, but suffice it to say that adding 1,000 square-feet can go a very long way.  I’ve finally got my own office at the facility, which I know will make things a lot easier moving forward, but even beyond that, just getting a bit more space can really change the “flow” of the facility to make it more coaching friendly.  We see all sorts of articles and presentations on how to coach, but nobody ever considers how the set-up of your facility can make your coaching duties remarkably easier or more difficult.

On top of that, Cressey Performance is busier than ever, with double digit percentage growth again in 2010.  Thanks to everyone for your continued support!

9. Relishing my Fantasy Football Championship – In the most impressive managerial run in Cressey Performance Fantasy Football history, I crushed the competition this year.  This trophy will reside on my desk for the entire year.  Those of you who visit CP can have your picture taken with it, if you’d like.

10. Doing more charity work – I’ve helped out here and there with various charities since I moved to Boston in 2006, but in 2011, I’m excited to do much more – and I’m in a position to do more now, too.  Nowadays, I can use my exposure and expertise a lot more to help – and thanks to my work with Kevin Youkilis, I can work directly with his great charity, Youk’s Hits for Kids.

Along those lines, those of you in New England might be interested to check out his February 3 event at the State Room in Boston.  The CP staff will be there along with a bunch of pro athletes, Tony Gentilcore, actors, Tony Gentilcore, musicians, Tony Gentilcore, comedians, and Tony Gentilcore.  For more information, check out YouksKids.org.

11. The New Sports Rehab to Sports Performance Teleseminar – Joe Heiler has done a great job the past few years in bringing in great minds to contribute to his Sports Rehab to Sports Performance teleseminar series – and this year is no exception.  I’m really excited about this line-up:

1.  Sue Falsone – PT, Athletes’ Performance
2.  Ron Hruska – PT, Postural Restoration Institute
3.  Dr. Mike Leahy – Sports Chiropractor and inventor of ART
4.  Thomas Myers – Anatomy Trains author
5.  Brian Grasso – IYCA Founder
6.  Greg Roskopf – Muscle Activation Technique
7.  Brian Mulligan – PT, Mulligan Technique/Joint Mobilizations with Movement
8.  Dr. Warren Hammer – Chiropractor, Graston Technique Instructor, Fascial Manipulation
9.  Dan John – Strength Coach, author, Never Let Go
10.  Gray Cook – PT, FMS

Click here for more information.

12. New Projects – In 2010, I introduced two products: Optimal Shoulder Performance and Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better. For me, a product every six months is a pretty good “pace,” as I don’t want to become one of those guys who puts out mediocre stuff every single week.  As of right now, the only confirmed project for 2011 is a collaborative one with Mike Reinold and Mike Robertson.  I am thinking, however, that this is the year that I finally create a baseball-specific product in light of the fact that it’s 80-85% of our clientele and what I do all-day, every day!  Only time will tell!

13. Continued Show & Go Feedback – Speaking of Show and Go, it was released in late September, and since it’s a four-month strength and conditioning program, we’re coming up on the point in time where I start getting loads of emails from those who have wrapped up the program and have results to report.  I get a lot of feedback along the way, but it’s awesome to hear where things end up when the entire program is complete.  So, to those of you doing the program, please pass along your results!

14. More Writing at T-Nation – I only published two articles at T-Nation in 2010, and I don’t plan to repeat that poor output!  I’ve already been contacted by them about doing a monthly piece, and while I’m not sure that my schedule will allow me to get one to them every month, I definitely expect to be blowing that 2010 total out of the water.  I’ve already submitted one and have two more in the works.  I owe a lot to the folks at T-Nation and Biotest for the opportunities and exposure they’ve afforded me and hope to continue to return the favor with good content for years to come.

15. Watching Tank grow up – Our puppy, Tank, is about five months old right now, and he’s awesome.  He is pretty much housebroken, and definitely man’s best friend.  As you can tell, he loves hording his toys.

16. The 2011 MLB Season – In addition to the fact that my team (the Red Sox) is looking good, we have quite a few clients who are on the cusp of big league debuts, so I am excited to get out to see them play in the show and enjoy the fruits of their off-season labor.

17. The 2011 MLB Draft – Let’s just say that I very well might just stay home and hit refresh on my computer over and over again during the two days in June that make up the MLB draft.  We have a lot of talent athletes – both high school and college – training at Cressey Performance who will be getting calls.

There are quite a few other things that get me excited for 2011, but this is a good start – and probably all that you care to read!  Speaking of YOU, what are YOU looking forward to in 2011?  Got a big goal for the year?  Share it in the comments section.

Happy New Year!

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Fat Loss for the “Joes” and the “Pros”

Written on September 6, 2010 at 4:49 am, by Eric Cressey

I often get questions on what the best approach for fat loss is – and the truth is that there is no one correct way.  Everyone responds differently, and different fat loss programs have different outcomes for different people. That said, I wanted to outline two resources and the population to which they appeal the most.

First, for the general fitness “Joes” (and “Janes”) that read this blog, I wanted to give a shout-out to Dr. Kareem Samhouri’s Double-Edged Fat Loss program , which is a resource that I’d highly recommend if you (or a family member or friend) is someone who is new to exercise and looking for a program that can deliver excellent results without much equipment.  It certainly isn’t right for everyone (particularly a lot of the hardcore fitness enthusiasts and fitness professionals) reading this blog, but Kareem definitely offers an excellent resource to those who need help getting the ball rolling on an exercise program and want to do so without a ton of equipment.  He’s also a great dude and an excellent motivator, so I think you’ll find it to be good reading, should you make the investment.  Click here for more information and to see if it’s a good fit for you.

Second, for the fitness professionals out there, Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove recently introduced an online education series, Counting Reps to Counting Revenue, about how they have built up their gym, Results Fitness, which is arguably the most profitable gym per square foot in the country.  What does this have to do with fat loss?  Well, the fat loss market is their bread and butter – so you can’t have a successful business model without a successful training model. For more information, click here.

I hope you all had a great weekend.  I’ll be back tomorrow with more fresh, new content.

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7 Steps for Attacking Continuing Education in the Fitness Industry

Written on August 12, 2010 at 3:30 am, by Eric Cressey

In response to a recent blog, one reader posted a question about how I “structure” my approach to continuing education.  As I thought about it, it’s actually a more organized “ritual” than I had previously thought.  Here are the key components:

1.  I always have two books going at a time. One involves training/nutrition/manual therapy/rehabilitation.  The other involves business/personal development.  Noticeably absent from this list is fiction; I really don’t have any interest in it, and couldn’t tell you the first thing about Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter.  I’ll usually have a book on CD in the car as well, but nowadays, my commute is non-existent (since we moved closer to the facility), so I have been doing more reading and less listening than previously.

Right now, I’m reading Movement by Gray Cook and a book about social networking that my landlord loaned me (not a very good book, to be frank – which is why I’m not giving it a shoutout in the blog!).

2. Our staff in-service is every Monday at 10AM. This has turned into a great continuing education opportunity for all of us.  I do two per month and Chris and Tony each do one.  While one person is “responsible” for presenting the topic, it always inevitably becomes a “think tank” among our staff and interns about how something applies to specific clients, unique issues, functional anatomy, or our programming or business model.

For instance, last week, I talked about how to assess shoulder external rotation and address any identified deficits on this front.  We got to talking about which clients were using the appropriate mobilizations, how to perform them, and what would happen if they are performed incorrectly.  Likewise, we talked about how certain people need to be careful about mobilizing their shoulders into external rotation because of extreme congenital laxity and/or extreme humeral retroversion.  This mobilization, for instance, would be a great one for a 40-something desk jockey with 80 degrees of external rotation, but terrible for a pitcher with 140 degrees of ER.

Beyond just the benefits of helping our staff grow as a whole, for me, it has several distinct benefits.  First, when I come back from a weekend seminar where I’ve learned something good, it’s a great opportunity to “reteach” and apply it immediately.  I’m a firm believer that the best way to master something is to have to teach it to someone else.  Second, having pretty frequent “mini-presentations” keeps my presenting skills fresh for seminars when I may have 4-6 weeks between speaking engagements.

3. I get to at least 4-5 weekend seminars per year. I’m lucky in that two of these are generally Perform Better Three-Day Summits where I get to see a wide variety of presentations – with all my travel expenses paid because I present myself.

I think that every fitness professional needs to get to at least two such events per year.  The good news is that with webinars and DVD sets, you can save a ton on travel expenses and watch these on your own schedule.  A lot of people, for instance, have said that they learned more from our two-day Building the Efficient Athlete Seminar DVD Set than they did in years of college – with no tuition payment required, either!

That said, a ton of the education at such events comes from interacting with other fitness professionals, so you do miss out on the accidental “social” education.

4. I have one day a week where all I read are journal articles. Sometimes it is entertaining, and sometimes it’s like reading stereo instructions.  It depends on journal – and regular ol’ luck with respect to what’s going on in the research world.  I’ll keep it pretty random and just type in a search term like “sports medicine” or “strength training.”  We also have The Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies delivered to the office so that our staff can look that over.

5.  I read a few blogs/newsletters each day in both training/nutrition/manual therapy/rehabilitation and business/personal development. For the first category, I’ve listed several on my recommended resources page.  For the second category (business/personal development), I like FitBusinessInsider.com, Alwyn Cosgrove, Seth Godin, Tim Ferris, Thomas Plummer, and Chris McCombs.  There are loads more out there; these are just the tip of the iceberg and the ones that I tend to read more frequently.

6. I’ll usually have a DVD set or webinar going as often as possible. For instance, last week, I checked out the Muscle Imbalances Revealed webinar series (it was good stuff, as I noted in my review the other day).  I tend to prefer DVDs more than webinars, though, as I can watch them in fast-forward and make people talk faster to save time!

As a brief reminder, the Muscle Imbalances Revealed webinar series is discounted $50 for my readers only through Friday at midnight at THIS LINK.

7. I talk to and email with a handful of other coaches about programming and business ideas and new things we’re doing. I wouldn’t call it a mastermind group, or anything even close to one in terms of organization, but it is good to know that whenever I want to bounce an idea off someone, I have several people I can contact.  On the training side of things, a few guys that come to mind are Mike Robertson, Neil Rampe, Mike Reinold, Bill Hartman, and Tony Gentilcore.  On the business side of things, I’m lucky to have Alwyn Cosgrove and Pat Rigsby as good dudes who are only an email or phone call away.  I think that the take-home message is that if you surround yourself with the right people, answers that would normally elude you are really right at hand.

This post wound up running a lot longer than I’d anticipated, but hopefully you all benefited from it nonetheless.  Have any continuing education strategies of your own that I have overlooked?  If so, please post them in the comments section below.

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Random Friday Thoughts: 4/16/10

Written on April 16, 2010 at 7:40 am, by Eric Cressey

1. Yesterday was tax day.  And, since you’re all probably feeling like Uncle Sam took a dump in your favorite shoes on the taxes front, this uplifting video couldn’t be more appropriate to kick things off.

2. Yesterday also marked the end of the introductory offer on our new Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set.  Some of our more noteworthy customers of these DVDs sold to the likes of President Obama, Amelia Earhart, Spongebob Squarepants, and King Tut.  Okay, they really didn’t buy any – but they might have if you blog readers had told all your friends about this fantastic resource to spread the word.  The take-home point is that you should feel poor and guilty the day after April 15.  Thanks for nothing.  Let’s move on.

3.  Just when I thought nobody could beat me down more than Uncle Sam yesterday, I realized that Tony had written this month’s staff training program, and I went through one of the most brutal training sessions in Cressey Performance history.  Here’s a little taste:

A1) Bench Press Clusters: 4 x (4×2) – 10s
A2) (160-lb/hand) Farmer’s Walk: 4x90yds (on last set, it was walk as far as you could go…I went 135 yards)

Frankly, this first pairing was enough to get a 25% attrition rate from our training crew (man down!) – but there was actually more:

B1) Wide Pronated Grip Seated Cable Rows: 3×10
B2) 1-arm, 1-leg DB RDL: 3×8/side
C1) Standing DB Military Press: 3×8
C2) Slideboard Bodysaw: 3×10

And, last but not least:

D) Side-Lying External Rotations: 2×8/side

I’m not sure why, but it really made me angry to do these external rotations at the end of all this brutality.  It was almost like Tony was rubbing it in our faces that we weren’t quite done, even though the hard stuff was over.  So, just as a statement, I did 2×10/side instead and then suplexed Tony off the loading dock…just because (okay, not really; Uncle Sam suplexed him off the loading dock).

4. While I don’t really “commute” anymore because our new house is so close to the facility, I do have a pretty good audio book rolling in the car right now: Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard.

It was written by Chip and Dan Heath (who also wrote Made to Stick, a book I absolutely loved and highly recommended in the past).  The Heath brothers go into detail on the important factors that determine whether or not attempts at change will be successful, highlighting some profound examples from everything from the business world to nutritional practices with newborns in Southeast Asia.  What I like the most is that they relate everything back to principles that are directly applicable to everything in my “world:” training and nutrition practices, managing employees, and running a business.  It’s definitely worth a read.  Check it out HERE.

5. This point is going to make today’s blog interactive, as I need some feedback.  My one responsibility on the wedding planning front is to decide where we go on our honeymoon (tough job, I know).  I know I’ve got readers all over the world who have been to some cool places, so let’s hear some recommendations in the comments section below.  We’re an active couple and want to honeymoon where we can hike, exercise, etc. instead of just sitting around drinking tequila.  As of right now, I’m leaning toward the Riviera Maya, but am open to suggestions – except Iceland.  This guy convinced me otherwise:

I think that was Alwyn Cosgrove.

Have a great weekend.

3 Things Everyone Should Know About the Shoulder

Written on April 6, 2010 at 5:47 am, by Eric Cressey

A while back, I sent off an email to my good friend Alwyn Cosgrove about our Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set, and he asked me what I thought were the three most important things that folks – from fitness professionals to regular ol’ weekend warriors – ought to know with respect to the shoulder.  Here were the first concepts that came to mind:

1. You should NEVER be intimidated when you hear/see the words “rotator cuff tear” or “labral tear.”

Why?  Because if you are training clients, you are absolutely, positively already training people who have these issues but are 100% asymptomatic.  Some interesting research:

Miniaci et al. (2003) found that 79% of professional baseball pitchers – the people who put the most stress on their shoulders on the planet – actually had “abnormal labrum” features.  They concluded that “magnetic resonance imaging of the shoulder in asymptomatic high performance throwing athletes reveals abnormalities that may encompass a spectrum of ‘nonclinical’ findings.”

Meanwhile, rotator cuff tears often go completely unnoticed. Sher et al. (1995) took MRIs on the shoulders of 96 asymptomatic subjects, and found cuff tears in 34% of cases, and 54% of those older than 60.  Meanwhile, another Miniaci study (1995) found ZERO completely normal rotator cuffs in those under the age of 50 out of a sample size of 30 shoulders.

What’s my point?  Both the people who are in pain AND those who have absolutely no pain can have disastrous looking shoulder MRIs.  So, in many cases, it is something other than just the structural deficit that causes certain people to experience pain.  To me, that difference is how they move.

A torn labrum may become symptomatic in a thrower with poor shoulder internal rotation.  Or, a partial thickness cuff tear my reach the pain threshold in a lifter who doesn’t have adequate scapular stability.

In short, a MRI report doesn’t tell you everything there is to know about a shoulder – and you need to assume that a lot of your clients are already jacked up.

2. When assessing a shoulder, everything starts with total motion. In healthy shoulders, total motion – which comes from adding internal rotation and external rotation – should be the same on the right and left side.  This “arc” may occur in a different place on each shoulder, but as long as it’s symmetrical from side-to-side, you’re off to a good start – and that’s when you work further down the chain to see what’s going on with scapula stability, thoracic spine mobility, etc.

3. 100% of all shoulder problems involve scapular dysfunction. The interaction of the glenoid fossa of the scapula (socket) and humeral head (ball) is what allows the glenohumeral joint (shoulder) to do what it needs to do.  However, most individuals have some form of shortness (e.g., pec minor, levator scapulae) or weakness (e.g., serratus anterior, lower trapezius) of muscles working on the scapula.  These inefficiencies alter glenohumeral alignment and increases stress on the rotator cuff, biceps tendon, labrum, and glenohumeral ligaments.  Identifying and addressing scapular issues is a key step in preventing shoulder pain.

For more information, check out the Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD set.

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CP Internship Blog by Sam Leahey – Appreciating Differences

Written on February 9, 2010 at 6:18 am, by Eric Cressey

Preface 1

If you’re like me, you foster a great appreciation for the work Eric Cressey does both in cyberspace and in person through mediums like seminars, conferences, etc. However often times Eric’s readers do not benefit from what goes on behind the scenes at Cressey Performance. In fact, I would venture to say that at most top notch Strength & Conditioning facilities around the country this privilege often falls upon interns, as they are learning day in and day out from the entire staff.

So, my fellow Cressey disciples, never fear because there is a solution! Eric has asked me to write regular blog posts regarding my internship here at Cressey Performance. This will include many training epiphanies and revelations, “ah-ha” moments, coaching insights, and just flat-out Eric Cressey madness! Being able to get inside the mind of Eric Cressey and his staff is a tremendous honor and I would love to share all that comes out it.

Hope you enjoy!

Appreciating Differences

We had a splendid seminar recently at Cressey Performance with Neil Rampe as the speaker. Beyond the actual shop talk I noticed a similar thread in his speech. He often would finish up a slide summary with the question “Can you appreciate that?” He’d present his knowledge and then ask the audience, “Can you appreciate that?” Notice what he did not say. Neil didn’t present his rationale, science, and/or theory and ask attendees “Do you see how I’m right and so and so is wrong?” In fact, I don’t recall him ever even using the words “right” or “wrong.”  It was always “Can you appreciate this or that?”  In one such example he taught to appreciate asymmetries in the body. More specific to this discussion though, Neil discussed the appreciation of different schools of thought from Janda, Sahrmann, Kolar, Myers, PRI, and others.

This concept of appreciating different perspectives, instead of trying to prove right or wrong, I find more and more useful the longer I coach. More practically, I find this coming into fruition over simple things in the Strength & Conditioning field. Take a simple exercise like the One-Arm Cable Row for example. Should you retract both shoulder blades when your row or just the side that is doing the rowing? Is one way right and the other is wrong? Really? A more noble argument I’ve found is which one is more optimal for what you’re trying to accomplish. In reality neither one is wrong; they’re just different!

What about if you place certain components of your program in different spots than others. Is it “wrong” to put static stretching at the beginning or end of a workout? Is either way “right?” I don’t think so. They both can be applied appropriately at either end of the session. What about a quadruped t-spine mobility drill. Should the arms and femurs be completely perpendicular to the ground or should you be sitting back slightly on your calves?

Again, is either version wrong? Nope, just another example of different ways to skin a cat.

Oftentimes, it’s young up-and-coming coaches like myself that fall victim to training arguments. Alwyn Cosgrove talked about this once when he said something to the effect of:

“If you put all the greatest coaches in a room they will agree on most things and disagree on few things. If you put all their students in one room they’ll be arguing all day long over the differences.”

I hope I quoted Alwyn correctly, but either way, you get the point. In most cases, one perspective or difference may be more optimal than the other in terms of the goals it’s trying to accomplish. Only in a few cases is either side wrong or right. So, the next time you’re listening to someone give advice – be it for programming or just in general terms – appreciate where they’re coming from. Understand WHY he is suggesting something. Is the person a powerlifter? Is he a physical therapist? Is the person a Strength & Condtioning coach, athletic trainer, doctor, chiropractor, or a professor? Does he work in group training settings, semi-private, or a one-on-one situation? Understanding all these different perspectives can allow you to APPRECIATE what the other person is saying without getting all indignant because you think he’s “wrong.”

Thanks, Eric, for helping me realize this valuable lesson!

You can contact Sam Leahey at sam.leahey@gmail.com.

The Best of 2009: Product Reviews

Written on January 4, 2010 at 10:09 pm, by Eric Cressey

In my last post, we covered the most popular articles here at EricCressey.com in 2009.  Today, we’ll cover my top product reviews of 2009.  Several of these were interviews with authors that came in light of their launch of new products.  In addition to discussion of the products, most of these have a ton of good information you won’t want to miss.

Warpspeed Fat Loss Results Part 1 and Part 2 – Technically, this was the end of 2008, but had we done a November-to-November year, it would have blown the rest of these product reviews out of the water.  The reason?  Results!  Check out the before and after pictures of one CP client who kicked some serious butt with this program.  For a lot of you who are looking to get on track with your fat loss efforts in the new year, this would be a good product to check out.

Strength and Conditioning Webinars – I think this product might be the most useful one of the year for fitness professionals, as Anthony Renna has made sure that there is awesome content coming out month after month.  It’s cheaper than traveling to seminars, and you can get educated on YOUR schedule.  I highly recommend checking it out.

The Best Baseball Resource Out There – This write-up discusses the DVDs of the 2008 Ultimate Pitching Coaches Boot Camp; I was one of eight presenters on the DVD.

Accelerated Muscular Development – This product from Jim Smith was popular among folks who’d completed the Maximum Strength program and were looking for “The Next Step.”

The Evolution of Personal Training (with Alwyn Cosgrove) – In this interview, Alwyn covers some key concepts that every fitness professional should understand.

Off-Ice Performance Training for Hockey (with Kevin Neeld) – This is an interview with Kevin that covers hockey training tips for both coaches and players.

Tomorrow, we’ll cover the most popular EricCressey.com exclusive videos on the year.