Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 1/28/13

Written on January 28, 2013 at 9:28 am, by Eric Cressey

Here’s a list of recommended strength and conditioning reads to kick off your week on the right foot:

Omega-6 vs. Omega-3: Who Cares? – The Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio is a topic that’s been scrutinized heavily in analyzing the typical American diet, but if you’re someone who is already good about picking healthy food options, you may be making things far too complex.  Dr. Mike Roussell clarifies in this article.

Is Metabolic Resistance Training Right for Everyone? – This was a guest post I published from Joe Dowdell back in 2011, and a conversation I had about progressions in beginners made me think of it.  This is a “must-read” for up-and-coming trainers who deal with deconditioned folks in the general population.

Will Your College Go Out of Business Before You Graduate? – I thought this was a tremendously interesting post from Mark Cuban.  While it might not seem related to the fitness industry at first glance, I suspect that our field could be among the first ones affected if a scenario like this emerged.  With such a low barrier to entry in this industry, it’s not unreasonable to think that folks will shun the $250,000 (or more) exercise science degree and just go right to the trenches. I touched on this a little bit a while back in my blog posts, Is An Exercise Science Degree Really Worth it? – Part 1 and Part 2.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 9/19/12

Written on September 19, 2012 at 12:25 am, by Eric Cressey

Here’s this week’s list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:

How to Get Published – I thought this new e-book from Sean Hyson, Lou Schuler, and John Romaniello was a great idea.  Writing in the fitness industry opened a ton of doors for me at a young age and also helped me to educate myself on a various of topics.  These three guys are super accomplished in the writing world, and it definitely shows with the quality of this product.  If you’re looking to get published (especially in the fitness industry, but regardless of the industry), give this a read.

Weight Training Programs: Assess, Don’t Assume – Last May, I wrote this post up, but it slipped to the archives. It’s worth a read regardless of whether you’re a fitness professional or just a fitness enthusiast.

27 More Nutrition Facts - I’m a sucker for “Random Thoughts” pieces, especially when they come from bright guys like Dr. Mike Roussell.  It’s a great chance to process a ton of information in a short amount of time.

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Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 8/19/12

Written on August 19, 2012 at 9:59 am, by Eric Cressey

Here’s this week’s list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:

Elite Training Mentorship – The August update at Elite Training Mentorship included some great content from all four contributors.  My in-services were “Shoulder Impingement: Internal vs. External” and “Preventing and Training Around Flexion-Intolerant Low Back Pain.”  I also had an article and two exercise demonstrations featured.  If you haven’t checked out ETM, definitely do so!

Do Eggs Cause Heart Disease? – In the past week, the “Eggs Are Worse than Cigarettes” shenanigans have gotten out of control.  Fortunately, Adam Bornstein (with contributions from Dr. Chris Mohr, Alan Aragon, and Mike Roussell) gets to the bottom of some very flawed research and reporting that is misleading the public.

6 Mistakes I Made – So You Don’t Have To – I loved this post from Jim Wendler, as I’ve made all these mistakes myself! I wish he’d have published it in 1999!

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Peak Diet and Training Summit DVDs

Written on November 15, 2011 at 6:42 am, by Eric Cressey

I just wanted to give you a quick heads-up that Joe Dowdell and Dr. Mike Roussell just released their Peak Diet and Training Summit Package, a super comprehensive resource geared toward fitness professionals.

I’ve known and respected Joe for quite some time, and it’s awesome to see him finally put a product out there, as he has tremendous skills and has worked with loads of celebrities and athletes.  I’ve always been a fan of Roussell’s, too, as he does an outstanding job of making complex nutrition practices easy to understand and implement.  These two are a great team – and I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen thus far as I’ve worked my way through the product.  It’s an awesome resource, whether you’re someone who wants to learn how to write strength and conditioning programs, or grasp how nutrition fits into the equation.

This sucker is an 11-DVD set and 500+ pages of tag-along manuals; it’s huge!  The product also provides 2.0 CEUs, which is pretty clutch for many personal trainers this time of year with recertification deadlines approaching.

The resource is on sale for $100 off this week only, and they’ve sweetened the deal with some cool bonuses for those who purchase sooner than later.  For more information, check out the Peak Diet and Training Summit Package.  I support this thing 100%!

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

Written on November 11, 2011 at 6:45 am, by Eric Cressey

First off, on Veterans Day, a big thank you goes out to all our readers who either have served or are serving in the military.  We appreciate all that you do and have done!

With that said, here are a few recommended reads for the week:

7 Fat Loss Essentials – This is a free webinar from Dr. Mike Roussell that I thought was extremely well done.  I’ve always enjoyed Mike’s nutrition stuff, and it’s awesome to see him kicking out great content on a regular basis now that he’s done with his PhD.

Inverted Row Ignorance – I saw an ugly inverted row video online this week, and it reminded me of this post I wrote back in 2009.  Everything I said still holds true, though!

Don’t Forget the S-C Joint – Patrick Ward posted this great blog on the impact of the sternoclavicular joint on upper extremity function.  It’s a bit more “geeky” and largely aimed toward manual therapists, but there are still some valuable lessons to learn for all of us.  I can tell you that nine out of ten times, right-handed pitchers are going to be very fibrotic in the subclavius area – just lateral to the S-C joint.  Attending to this one region can yield big payoffs in terms of upper extremity movement.

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Stuff You Should Read: 5/2/11

Written on May 2, 2011 at 5:59 am, by Eric Cressey

Here are a few recommended reads to kick off the week:

The Truth About Gluten – Here’s an excellent piece from Dr. Mike Roussell on how gluten intolerance can sabotage your nutritional efforts.

Waterhorse: The Legend of Tim Collins’ Nickname – This was a funny write-up in the Kansas City Star on how Cressey Performance Athlete and KC Royals pitcher Tim Collins got his nickname while training at CP.

Why I Do Not Like YTWL Shoulder Exercises – Here’s a great post from Mike Reinold – and I agree with him 100%.

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Stuff You Should Read: 4/27/10

Written on April 27, 2010 at 9:42 am, by Eric Cressey

Here are some reading recommendations for the week:

Q&A: Partial Knee Meniscectomy – Here is a great blog from Mike Robertson about training modifications for those who have had a portion of the meniscus removed.  Mike’s a brilliant knee guy (definitely check out Bulletproof Knees if you haven’t already).  Stick around Mike’s site and read a bit; he’s been kicking out some great content lately.

Are You Inflamed? - This is a good one on the nutrition side of things from Mike Roussell.

What Makes Roy Run? – This was an awesome article about Roy Halladay from a few weeks ago in Sports Illustrated.  To be blunt, a ton of professional baseball pitchers are lazy, one-trick ponies who rely on natural talent and don’t work hard to fulfill their potential.  Halladay is an exception to that rule: a guy who has worked incredibly hard to become arguably the best pitcher in the game.  This is a tremendously well-written and entertaining piece about the path he took and how he deserves every bit of success that comes his way.  Phillies fans are lucky to have him.

Rollouts: Friend or Foe?

Written on November 4, 2009 at 8:40 am, by Eric Cressey

Q: I recently purchased Show and Go and noticed that you include barbell rollouts in the weight training program.  I did this exercise at the end of an aerobics class and was told by the fitness instructor not to do it, as it was a dangerous exercise. Given it’s in your book, I gather you deem it a safe exercise. What is your opinion on this exercise? Do you know why some people say it’s a dangerous exercise?

A: As with just about everything, the devil is in the details.  For many individuals, this is a fantastic exercise.  For others, it may be too advanced.  And, for another group of folks, it just isn’t good because it gets absolutely butchered technique-wise.  Let’s attack this piece by piece with a rationale for its inclusion/exclusion, and then some training options and coaching cues:

(yes, I know I said “A” and then “2.”  Gotta love live TV!)

You can progress this exercise a bit more by either elevating the knees slightly or going to a band-resisted ab wheel rollout.  Just a heads-up: in this video, the athlete should have stopped a bit shorter in the top position to avoid the subtle lumbar rounding that took place; it’s a good demonstration of technique that’s good, but not quite perfect:

To learn more comparable exercises and see how they fit into a comprehensive weight training program, check out  Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better.

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Two Sunday Night Freebies

Written on November 1, 2009 at 4:25 pm, by Eric Cressey

Just a quick heads-up for my loyal weekend blog readers…

1. Alwyn Cosgrove and Mike Roussell just provided a free fat loss training session example using Alwyn’s new 4x Method.  Check it out HERE.  With their updated Warpspeed Fat Loss program almost ready for release, these two give you a good taste of what’s to come.

2. I did the Fitcast with Kevin Larrabee on Friday morning, and the full audio is available (also at no charge) HERE.  We talked about assessment, programming, whether squatting is “safe,” my recent deadlifting specialization program, and our new product (Assess and Correct).  My portion kicks in about halfway through the episode.

3. Speaking of Assess and Correct, today is the last day for the early-bird price.  At midnight tonight, it’ll be gone forever, so if you haven’t taken advantage of this offer yet, now’s the time!  www.AssessAndCorrect.com.

Weight Loss and Distance Running

Written on March 16, 2009 at 12:57 pm, by Eric Cressey

It’s that time of year in Boston.  The “shufflers” are out in full effect.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with a “shuffler,” it’s an individual who has recently taken up distance running as a means of losing weight.  As the weather gets nicer and the Boston Marathon rapidly approaches, you can spot shufflers out in droves all over Boston.  They shuffle for a number of reasons:

1. They believe that shuffling at 2.5mph is actually more effective than walking at 2.5mph.

2. Usually, they’re about 80% of the way through the marathon training programs that were provided to them, and as a result, most are suffering from IT band problems, plantar fasciitis, Achilles and patellar tendinosis, sciatica, and a serious case of “whatthehellwasithinkingsigningupforthis-itis.”

3. Because they never learned to sprint, they run with zero hip flexion (check out Newsletter 77: Sprinting for Health for details).

4. They are simply trying to finish their exercise in the most efficient way possible.  In other words, complete the task with as little discomfort as possible.

And here, we have the problem.  Sally takes up running because she thinks she’ll lose some body fat.  And, initially, she does lose weight because – to quote Alwyn Cosgrove – it’s a “metabolic disturbance” compared to doing nothing.  Moving burns more calories than not moving.

However, over time, that activity injures Sally and fosters bad movement patterns, meaning that she’ll miss more exercise sessions down the road.  And, she quickly starts searching for the most efficient means of completing her runs, so her body gets more and more efficient – meaning that it burns fewer calories to accomplish the same task.  Whether it is three miles or 13 miles, it’s always about just finishing.  Quantity always takes precedence over quality.

With March Madness upon us, pretend you’re watching a basketball game where you have two teams: Team A wants to win, and Team B wants to simply get through the 40 minutes of the game.  Team A dives for loose balls, full-court presses, and hits the boards hard.  Team B watches the clock.  Who burns more calories?  Team A, no doubt – because they get lost in their performance.

Back in college, did you learn more in the graded courses, or the ones that were simply pass-fail?  And, as I asked in Maximum Strength, do you get stronger when you “train” or “work out?”

This, to me, is one more reason why interval training outperforms steady-state cardio on top of all the other reasons (e.g., excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, reduction of overuse injuries) that we already know.  There is not a single effective exercise modality out there in a non-beginner population that works simply because one shows up and finishes.  The outstanding success loads of folks have had with Warpspeed Fat Loss is a perfect example; Cosgrove and Mike Roussell challenged them to be just a little bit better at each successive training session – either with loading or number of sets completed.

If you are going to distance-run (and aren’t a competitive endurance athlete), focus on going faster, not fine-tuning the art of pacing yourself when grandmothers are passing you with their walkers.  Pacing yourself doesn’t even work at all-you-can-eat buffets; everyone knows you get full too fast and never live up to your gluttony potential.  And, as I always say, if it doesn’t fly at all-you-can-eat buffets, it just ain’t right.

If you’re going to interval train, your goal is to go faster each time.  More watts, more steps in a given time period, more ghastly stares from the lady reading a magazine on the leg press, whatever.  Mike Boyle had some great thoughts on this front in a recent submission HERE.  As long as it is quantifiable and you’re busting your hump to compete against your previous best, I’m happy.

I like the idea of camaraderie and/or competition with others in interval training, too. For example, our staff did this 16-yard x 16-trip sled medley three Thursdays in a row – and each time, it was a little faster (meaning that we had fewer rest periods between sets):

Later in the week, I’ll be back with more thoughts to keep this headed in the right direction.

New Blog Content

Random Friday Thoughts

Barefoot Training Guidelines

Big Bench to Bigger Bench

Stuff You Should Read

All the Best,

EC