Wednesday Randomness: Back in Action!

Written on October 6, 2010 at 9:02 am, by Eric Cressey

1. I’m happy to report that I not only survived our wedding festivities, but that Anna actually said “I do” (actually, “I will”).  Kidding aside, it was – without a doubt – the single best weekend of my life; we had an absolute blast.

2. For those who are wondering, I did, in fact, eat the cake (actually, I ate a lot more than just cake; we had a sweet buffet):

3. Speaking of cakes, my fiancee wife had an extra one made in the shape of a dumbbell with our initials on it.  We’re both bummed that we never had a chance to try a piece, but at least it looked great – and hopefully some people enjoyed their slices.

Enough with the wedding stuff, as these aren’t even the wedding photographers pictures – and you are probably more interested in me talking about lifting heavy stuff and the like!

4. Brian St. Pierre – who happened to be in attendance at the wedding (like that transitional material?) – just had a great article published at T-Nation that I think you’ll really like: 10 Forgotten Muscle Building Foods.

5. A while back, I contributed on an article by Bret Contreras – and it was just published yesterday.  Check it out: The Best Assistance Exercises for the Three Big Powerlifts.  It’s a good one if you are wondering which strength exercises will have the most carryover to squat, bench press, and deadlift.

6. I have an AWESOME interview lined up with Kelly Baggett for later this week.  Kelly and I go back quite a few years, and he’s one of those guys that I always learn something from when we connect.  If you are interested in athletic performance improvements, he is a great guy from whom to learn.  He actually did a interview at this site a while back, if you want to check them out:

Baggett of Tricks: An Interview with Kelly Baggett: Part 1
Baggett of Tricks: An Interview with Kelly Baggett: Part 2

Kelly recently collaborated with Alex Maroko on a product called The Truth About Quickness, and it came out really well.

7. Last, but not least, if you are a Red Sox fan (or any sports fan, for that matter) and didn’t see this on ESPN last night, you missed an awesome hour of television.  I had goosebumps the entire time.

You can find TV listings for its replay HERE.

Sorry for not having any unique “EC content” for you today, but we’re doing all sorts of post-wedding stuff – from unpacking, to writing thank you notes, to

Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter:

Scientific Proof: Why So Many People Squat 600lbs on the Internet

Written on July 29, 2010 at 6:30 am, by Eric Cressey

I came across the abstract for this interesting Australian study the other day: Actual versus perceived lifting ability in healthy young men (18-25 years).

Basically, researchers compared what men under the age of 25 SAID they could lift with what they actually COULD lift when tested.  According to the researchers, “One third of subjects were able to accurately self-report their lifting performance, approximately one-third underestimated, and the remaining third overestimated their lifting ability.”

So, out of every three people, we have one person who is pretty even-keeled and honest with himself about his physical abilities.

And, we have another who is either a) intimidated and doesn’t think he can do it or b) lazy and unwilling to “do it.”

Finally,we have everyone’s favorite: the tough guy who talks a big game.  These are the guys who sit behind their keyboards claiming to squat 500 pounds – or bench 400, or throw 95mph fastballs.  However, nobody every witnesses it.  They have big balls on the internet.

How many times have you walked into a commercial gym and seen a 400-pound bench press?  I think I’ve seen it once – and the guy weighed about 330 pounds.

How about a legitimate 600-pound squat?  I’ve never seen it in a commercial gym, only a few times without a squat-suit in hardcore powerlifting gyms, and only twice college weight rooms in my life.

And, I’m certainly not seeing 95mph fastballs at every high school baseball game.  In fact, as I recall reading last year, there are only about eight pitchers in all of Major League Baseball who have consistent 95+mph fastballs.  Maybe the rest of the pros need to spend more time on the internet to be able to throw baseballs faster?

However, go on to any internet forum – whether it’s for lifting or pitching – and you’ll come across all this hidden talent that is yearning to be discovered.  Sorry, folks, but you’re the 1/3 of people I referenced above.  Put up or shut up.  I’d actually say that this 33% figure also applies to baseball fathers; about one in three is CONVINCED that his kid is much better than Junior really is.

Finally, as an interesting little aside, ever wonder why nobody ever lies about their deadlift numbers?

I have to assume that it’s because the deadlift is a pretty “yes or no” exercise.  You either can or can’t pick something heavy up off the floor.  It’s not like a squat or bench press, where you can shorten the range of motion and instantly improve your numbers.

Related Posts

Crazy Dads and Kids Who Throw Cheddar
Shoulder Mobility for Squatting

Please enter your email below to sign up for our FREE newsletter.

A More Than Satisfied Female Customer

Written on July 16, 2010 at 5:05 am, by Eric Cressey

I have to admit: when I first saw this subject line for an email, my mind was a bit in the gutter!

However, as it turns out, it was an awesome review of the Maximum Strength program from a female exercise enthusiast who had undertaken the program from start to finish.  Check out what she had to say:

“My name is Alison Minton, I’m a 25 year old ‘recreational’ lifter.  I was given your book, Maximum Strength, about 5 months ago by a friend at my gym (who happens to be one of your guniea pigs for your next project).  I just finished the program today and I wanted to share my thoughts with you.  A little background: former avid runner, sidelined by unsuccessful bilateral fasciotomies for compartment syndrome in my lower legs 3 years ago, which lead me to really hit the weights.  My workout routines were getting pretty stale in the last year or so and I was getting frustrated and bored from circuit after circuit of moderately heaving lifting.  I had exhausted everything I knew from years of reading about fitness/running/lifting and realized every female fitness magazine I received was going straight to the trash.   I begged my friend at the gym for help and he gave me your book for guidance.  I’ve since read your and Tony Gentilcore’s blogs religiously!

“I know you have gotten tons of very well deserved feedback by satisfied guys who have read the book/complete the program.  I wanted to write to you because when I was thinking about starting it, I searched high and low for any information about women doing the program, and I found very minimal material in the way of feedback, tips or special considerations (if there even are any).  Even after that, I figured, what the heck, if some random guy at the gym can do this, then so can I!  So, I had my friend help me with packing day and the rest is history!  I absolutely loved the program, stuck to it like glue and got some decent results:

Broad Jump: 72 inches –> 78 inches
Bench Press: 100 lbs –> 115 lbs
3 RM Chin Up: BW + 7.5 lbs –> BW+17.5 lbs
Deadlift: 175 lbs–> 190 lbs
Box Squat: 130 lbs –> 135 lbs

“I would loved to see the DL and squat go up a little more, but I did do a bit more cardio than prescribed (in the form of sprints and technique workouts, mostly) and wonder if that hindered me a bit.  My body composition also changed significantly for the better and my before and after pics totally rocked.

“Just wanted to tell you that as a female ‘lifter’ I loved your program and the ideas/concepts that come out of the CP team blogs.  I would LOVE to see a little more encouragement to all the ladies out there!  It didn’t intimidate me to find minimal feedback regarding women attempting Maximum Strength, but some women need a little more persuasion to get over the apprehension of starting a program in a book geared towards men.

“Definitely looking forwards to your next book/program!  Thanks again!”

-Alison Minton

Click here to purchase your copy of Maximum Strength for just $18.95.

Stuff You Should Read: 6/28/10

Written on June 28, 2010 at 7:28 am, by Eric Cressey

I just got back from Chicago yesterday, and am playing a bit of catch-up, so I don’t have time to write much today.  However, as I was tinkering with a formatting issue on the site last night, I realized that I now have almost four years worth of archives – and that many readers haven’t seen a lot of that older work of mine.  So, I think I’ll be using my reading recommendations for the next few weeks as a way of bringing older (but still applicable) material back to the forefront.

How to Progress Back to Deadlifting after a Back Injury – Here’s a step-by-step progression we’ve used quite a bit with excellent success.

Bench Pressing with the Feet Up? – Not a good idea.  Here’s why.

Lifestyle Checklists – Here’s a quick strategy for getting people adherent to training and nutrition practices.

Please enter your email below to sign up for our FREE newsletter.

Floor Press vs. Pin Press vs. Board Press

Written on June 14, 2010 at 6:56 am, by Eric Cressey

Q: I would like to know what the main differences are between floor presses and pin presses in the power rack, obviously with the same range of movement. Usually, in talking about injury at the shoulders, the advice is to drop full range of motion in the bench press in favor of floor press; does the pin press in the power rack – starting around middle point – accomplish the same thing? In a strength program for a healthy individuals, do these two similar movements have same utility?

A: My experience with the pin press is that it is not as effective as a floor press or board press because the lifter isn’t in a good position to appropriately “set” the scapular stabilizers to lock the shoulder blades down and back.  As a result, the lifter tends to shrug up – which allows the shoulder blades to anteriorly tilt – which can exacerbate the shoulder impingement that may already be occurring.

Moreover, I believe that it is important to have a lifter lower the bar, as opposed to starting from a dead-stop.  This way, we not only teach eccentric control of the muscles acting at the shoulder girdle, but we also train the movement by learning the appropriate bar path.  Considering the number of individuals who take the bar too high on the chest and let the elbows flare out when benching, I think it’s important to use movements like board presses and floor presses in lieu of the pin press.  Otherwise, we won’t get rid of clowns like this.

That said, generally speaking, I prefer board presses first, followed by floor presses, and then (if at all) pin presses.  These, of course, come much later than push-up variations and (usually) dumbbell exercises.

For more information on the specific return-to-pressing progressions that we use with the athletes and clients we see with shoulder impingement, AC joint issues, and a host of other shoulder conditions, check out the Optimal Shoulder Performance DVD Set.

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.

Random Friday Thoughts: 3/19/10

Written on March 19, 2010 at 11:08 am, by Eric Cressey

1. I thought I’d kick this post off with a little technique troubleshooting.  Yesterday, one of the “guinea pigs” for my new project emailed this video to me and asked for some suggestions on bench press technique:

BP from Caleb Chiu on Vimeo.

My suggestions to him were as follows:

a. Your feet are antsy and jumping all over the place.  Get them pulled up a bit more under you so that they can’t move around.  Then, focus on pushing them into the floor the entire set.

b. Get more air in your belly.  Notice how the stomach sinks in?  That’s because you don’t have any air in it!

c. Get a handoff.  The #1 reason guys flair the elbows out is that they lose scapular stability – and you lose that the second you hand off to yourself.

2. I’m headed to a Postural Restoration Institute Myokinematic Restoration Seminar this weekend up in Portland, ME – while my fiancee and my mother work on stuff for the wedding.  It is amazing what lengths guys will go to in order to escape wedding planning, huh?

Just kidding; I’m actually really excited about it.  Neil Rampe of the Arizona Diamondbacks turned me on to the PRI stuff and it’s really intrigued me from the get-go.

3. It’s been a fun week around here with the start of the high school baseball season.  I got over to help out with some warm-ups and movement training with the Lincoln-Sudbury guys during tryouts on Mon-Tue.  In all, we saw 33 Lincoln-Sudbury high school baseball players – from freshman to seniors – this off-season, so it was pretty easy to pick up where we left off with them in the weight room.  There was great energy, and lots of excitement about the new season.

4. Here’s a great feature on Blue Jays prospect Tim Collins and his training at Cressey Performance.

5. I was interviewed last week for an article about pitch counts.  It’s now featured HERE.

6. Some feedback on Assess & Correct:

“I was pretty excited when I received an e-mail from Eric and Mike saying that I was getting an advanced copy of their new Assess and Correct product.  Mike and Eric have had a history of putting out top notch information and products and when I saw that Bill Hartman was also involved in this new product I knew that this was going to be even more special.

“Since I own a fitness facility, I’m always looking for cutting edge information that I can recommend to my trainers.  After viewing the DVDs and reading through the manuals, my first thought was, ‘Wow, a home run!’

“Finally, a product that I could wholeheartedly recommend to all of my trainers as an excellent go-to reference tool to enhance their abilities in assessing their clients needs; pinpointing their weakness &/or imbalances and then effectively addressing these findings to make sure their clients can achieve their goals safely.”

Joe Dowdell, CSCS – Founder & Co-owner of Peak Performance, NYC
www.peakperformancenyc.com

Click here to pick up a copy of Assess and Correct.

7. Last, but certainly not least, CP athlete Danny O’Connor aims to run his professional boxing record to 11-o tonight with a bout at Twin River Casino in Rhode Island. Good luck, Danny!

Stuff You Should Read: 2/25/10

Written on February 25, 2010 at 7:04 am, by Eric Cressey

Here’s some recommended reading for the week…

Effective Abdominal Training – I linked to a Bill Hartman post last week, and I’m going to do it again this week, because he puts out great stuff!  Check out this post, which features a video on core control.

Youk’s Diary: Good, Bad of Spring Training – CP client Kevin Youkilis will be keeping a blog on ESPN.com this season, and he gave us a little shoutout in the first one.  In addition to checking out Youk’s blog, I’d strongly encourage you to visit and donate to Youk’s Hits for Kids, a charity Kevin founded that does some awesome stuff for underprivileged kids.

7 Habits of Highly Defective Benchers – This was one of the most popular articles I’ve ever written, so I figured it’d be worth a “rerun.”

Last, but not least, don’t forget that our spring training sale ends TONIGHT at midnight.  Don’t miss out on your chance to get 30% off!  Click here for more information.

Should Pitchers Bench Press?

Written on February 11, 2010 at 6:18 am, by Eric Cressey

Q: One of my favorite (insert generic sarcastic look here) things to watch in the weightroom is my pitchers getting under the rack for bench presses.  It’s not the fact that they’re benching that upsets me, but the “Beach Body” mindset that is behind it.  What’s the most efficient way for a pitcher to work on his bench, and more importantly, what should he be trying to gain by performing the bench press correctly?

A: Okay, let’s get right to opening this can of worms.

With any exercise, we look for carryover to the functional demands of our sport.  However, we accept that general strength gains transfer in most cases.  As an example, we know that we can improve throwing velocity with a variety of training initiatives, but training specificity like this is stupid:

Now that we’ve all gotten a bit dumber, let’s continue…

As it relates to pitching, the fundamental problem with the conventional barbell bench press (as performed correctly, which it normally isn’t) is that it doesn’t really train scapular movement effectively.  When we do push-up variations, the scapulae are free to glide – just as they do when we pitch.  When we bench, though, we cue athletes to lock the shoulder blades down and back to create a great foundation from which to press.  It’s considerably different, as we essentially take away most (if not all) of scapular protraction.

Additionally, the closed-chain nature of push-ups is much more shoulder friendly, even if pitching is an open-chain exercise.  In fact, most rehabilitation progressions – regardless of the shoulder issue in question – will begin with push-up variations before any open-chain pressing exercises.

With dumbbell benching, we recognize that we get better range-of-motion, freer movement of the humerus (instead of being locked into internal rotation), and increased core activation – particularly if we’re doing alternating DB presses or 1-arm db presses.  There is even a bit more scapular movement in these variations (even if we don’t actually coach it).

With a barbell bench press, you don’t really get any of these benefits – and it’s somewhat inferior from a range-of-motion standpoint.  While it may allow you to jack up the weight and potentially put on muscle mass a bit more easily, the truth is that muscle mass here – particularly if it leads to restrictions in shoulder and scapular movement – won’t carry over to throwing the way the muscle mass in the lower half and upper back will.  I’ve seen a ton of guys with loads of external rotation and horizontal abduction range-of-motion throw the crap out of the baseball, but can’t say that I’ve ever seen any correlation – in the research or my anecdotal experience – between a good bench press and throwing velocity.

That said, I recognize that there are still a lot of “wannabe meatheads” in the pitching world, so we do our best to meet our athletes halfway and please the bench press gods. Most of the time, dumbbell bench pressing and push-up variations will be sufficient, but we will sometimes us the multipurpose bar with our pitchers because it puts them in a more shoulder-friendly neutral grip.

Add some chains to the bar, and you have a great stabilization challenge that works the true function of the rotator cuff.

That said, if you absolutely feel like you need to do traditional benching, keep the volume down, keep the elbows tucked, and keep the shoulder blades pulled back and down.  And, be sure to recognize that your ego probably isn’t doing much for your success on the mound – as there are training initiatives with better returns on investment.  Remember that pitchers have loads of competing demands – from throwing, to flexibility training, to soft tissue work, to fielding practice, to movement training – so what you do in the weight room has to highly effective to justify its inclusion.  I just struggle to consider bench pressing “highly effective” for pitchers.

Related Posts

Lay Back to Throw Gas
Maximum Strength for Baseball
Optimal Shoulder Performance

Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive a Copy of the Exact Stretches
used by Cressey Performance Pitchers after they Throw!

Getting Geeky with AC Joints: Part 2

Written on September 9, 2009 at 6:29 am, by Eric Cressey

Getting Geeky with AC Joints: Part 2

In my last newsletter, I went into great detail on the types of acromioclavicular (AC) joint injuries we see, and some of the common inefficiencies that cause some folks to become symptomatic.  I also outlined some corrective exercise strategies to expedite recovery time.  This week, though, I discuss a very important – yet often-overlooked – piece of the puzzle: how to maintain a training effect in spite of these injuries.

Ask anyone who has ever had an AC joint injury, and they’ll tell you three things to avoid if you don’t want to irritate it:

1. Avoid direct pressure to the area (particularly because it has very little muscle mass to cushion it)

2. Avoid reaching across the body (horizontal adduction)

3. Avoid reaching behind the body (full extension)

We can use these three guidelines to get moving in the right direction with respect to maintaining a training effect in spite of the AC joint injury.

With respect to #1 from above, front squats are an absolute no-no.  The pressure on the bar across the shoulder girdle can really take an upset AC joint and make it markedly worse.  And, since this is in many cases an injury that we’re just “waiting out,” simply training through it will only makes things worse long-term.  So, deadlift variations, single-leg variations, and back squats (assuming no other related problems) are likely better bets.  That said, we generally use the safety squat bar and giant cambered bar exclusively with those who present with AC joint problems.

Another important consideration in this regard is overhead pressing.  Believe it or not, many individuals with AC joint problems will actually tolerate overhead pressing quite well, as direct trauma to the AC joint won’t really compromise scapulohumeral rhythm very much.  However, you have to consider two things.

First, as I mentioned in my previous newsletter, some folks might have developed the AC joint issue over time due to a scapular anterior tilt causing the acromion and clavicle to sit differently.  This dyskinesis would also make overhead work less safe – so the individual would actually be training through a faulty movement pattern, and potentially injuring the rotator cuff, biceps tendon, bursa, and labrum.

Second, if the individual is okay to overhead press from a movement standpoint, one needs to make sure that the bar, dumbbell, or kettlebell does not come down directly on the AC joint in the bottom position.

With respect to #2 from above, obviously, dumbbell flyes and cable crossovers are out (not sure why they’d be “in” in the first place, but that’s a whole different newsletter).  However, close-grip bench pressing variations will generally cause pain as well.  You also have to be careful with cable and medicine ball variations that may position the arm across the body.

Moving on to #3, full extension of the humerus will light up an AC joint pretty quickly.  So, dips are out – and, honestly, I generally tell folks they’re out for good after one has experienced any kind of AC joint issue.  Full range-of-motion (ROM) bench pressing and push-ups are generally issues as well, so I tend to start folks with more partial ROM work.  Examples would include dumbbell and barbell floor presses and board presses.  Here’s a 3-board press:

As the shoulder starts to feel better, one can move down to 2-board, 1-board, and eventually full ROM bench press.  Remember, a medium or wide grip will generally be tolerated better than a close grip.

I also really like push-up iso holds at a pain-free ROM for these individuals because closed-chain exercises are always going to be a bit more shoulder friendly than open-chain variations.  This is really quite simple: set up as if you are going to do a push-up, and go down as far as you can with no pain.  When you reach your pain-free end-range, hold there while bracing the core, locking the shoulder blades down and back, and tightening the glutes; do not let the elbows flare out or hips sag!  We’ll hold for anywhere from 10-60s, depending on fitness levels.  Over the course of time, increase the ROM as your symptoms reduce.

There you have it: acromioclavicular joints – from onset to corrective exercise – in a nutshell.  Obviously, make sure you seek out a qualified professional if you think you may have these issues, but keep this progression in mind as you return to (or just try to stay in) the iron game.

Feedback on Building the Efficient Athlete

“In my ten years in the fitness industry, I have been to many seminars and conferences – but the Building the Efficient Athlete Seminar was by far the most informative and comprehensive event I have attended in as long as I can remember.  The amount of knowledge you get when you combine Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson is unparalleled.  The seminar was filled with great classroom information, hands-on assessments, and on-site training tips.  I highly recommend this DVD set to any coach, trainer, or athlete who is looking to get a leg up on the competition.”

Mike Hanley, USAW, RKC
Morganville, NJ
www.HanleyStrength.com

Pick up your copy of Building the Efficient Athlete today!

New Blog Content

Exercise of the Week
Stuff You Should Read
Jays Prospect Collins a Surprising Strikeout Machine
Random Friday Thoughts
How to Progress Back to Deadlifting After a Back Injury

Have a great week!

EC

Click here to purchase the most comprehensive shoulder resource available today: Optimal Shoulder Performance – From Rehabilitation to High Performance.

Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive a Copy of the Exact Stretches
used by Cressey Performance Pitchers after they Throw!