Shoulder Pain vs. Neck Pain

Written on December 8, 2010 at 10:30 am, by Eric Cressey

Here are a few recommended reads for the week:

Shoulder Pain vs. Neck Pain – This old post highlights a simple, but very accurate observation from Mark Comerford.

28 Synergistic Factors for Success – I wrote this article at T-Nation back in 2005, but it still holds water and will make you appreciate how many differen factors are impacting your progress.

Too Much Vitamin D? – This great Q&A from Brian St. Pierre addresses this new question that seems to be popping up quite a bit.

Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a deadlift technique tutorial!

A New Paradigm for Performance Testing – Part 2

Written on April 22, 2010 at 7:00 am, by Eric Cressey

Yesterday, I featured Part 1 of this interview with Rick Cohen, MD, the president and founder of Bioletics.  Today, we pick up where we left off.

EC: Please tell us about the tests you use to determine mineral levels.  For what specific minerals are you testing, and what are some of the common findings you’re seeing that can make a big difference in how someone feels and performs?

RC: Our daily diet must contain adequate amount of macro minerals, which are necessary for all biochemical processes in the human body.  These minerals include calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur and sodium.  Among these, the most important are calcium and magnesium. Calcium helps to neutralize acidity, clear toxins and build bones; it also increases alkalinity and muscular flexibility. And while calcium receives a lot of media attention, the true king of all minerals is magnesium.

Magnesium is not only the single most important mineral in sports nutrition, but it is also one of the most critical elements in our body.  About 350 enzymatic functions depend on magnesium, including ATP, the key factor that creates energy for every cell.  Optimal magnesium levels enhance athletic endurance and strength by increasing metabolic efficiency.  Magnesium promotes muscular contractility, decreases oxygen consumption, and improves cardiovascular efficiency.

Unfortunately, magnesium deficiency is very common.  Inadequate dietary intake, sweat loss, physical and psychological stress and acidic beverages-such as energy drinks and sodas-cause the body to extract both magnesium and calcium from the bones and tissues in an effort to maintain proper blood pH.  This combination of mineral loss and acidity in the body will decrease athletic performance and prolong recovery.  It will also increase bone turnover and the resulting risk of stress fractures.  This is exactly what we were seeing in younger female athletes with accelerated bone loss.

Despite magnesium’s pivotal role in energy production and muscular health, many athletes are completely unaware of its critical importance.  Part of the problem is that there is not an easy or inexpensive test available for intracellular magnesium levels. While it may seem easy enough to assess levels of minerals – especially of magnesium and calcium in the blood – it’s not.

We have overcome this problem by using a functional marker of mineral balance called NTx.  Bones are living tissues that are constantly breaking down and rebuilding.  When they break down faster than they can rebuild, the body excretes increased amounts of NTx.  While NTx is not specific indicator of low magnesium, it tells us when an athlete has an intracellular calcium/magnesium imbalance as well as poor amino acid and/or vitamin D status.

EC: What’s your take on the most effective way to combat a magnesium deficiency that’s discovered?

RC: That’s where the other issue with magnesium comes into play: oral supplements work slowly; it can take more than a year to adequately restore your levels.  In the past, intravenous infusions were considered the most effective way to go.  But this was expensive and impractical for most athletes.  Based on our research at Bioletics, we have found that the use of a topical magnesium oil spray to be very effective at restoring low magnesium levels after only two to three months of use.

EC: What about the hormonal panel you guys run?  What does it include?

RC: As athletes, we want our body to have a positive anabolic to catabolic ratio.  In simple terms, anabolism is the process of growth and repair.  Your anabolic state is at its highest in your teens. Testosterone is the key anabolic hormone.  Catabolism is the process of breakdown and destruction. Your catabolic state is as its highest after injury and illness, and increases as we age.  Cortisol is the key catabolic hormone.  By measuring your saliva, it is possible to create a snapshot of both an athlete’s testosterone and cortisol balance as well as their anabolic/catabolic status.  Unfortunately, we frequently find low T/C ratios in athletes.

Testosterone is an important health and performance hormone-for both men and women.  It plays a key role in directing muscle growth and repair; it is what enables the body to generate optimal power and recover fully after such a hard effort.  Testosterone contributes to an athlete’s ability to stay focused, motivated and positive.  A premature decline in testosterone levels can be attributed to a number of different factors: poor diet, lack of sleep, excess body fat, nutritional deficiencies, environmental estrogens, and/or the use of medications, alcohol, and drugs.

Cortisol is a major steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands.  It allows the body to cope during times of stress. Without proper cortisol response, you will not be able to effectively meet the daily challenges of life.  Cortisol levels exhibit a natural rise in the morning and fall at night.  If this rhythm is disrupted, the body’s mineral balance, immune response, blood sugar and stress responses will all be negatively affected.

While it is very difficult to reverse the natural age-related decline in testosterone, the effects of stress and training on testosterone can be minimized. Since even “positive” stress can deplete testosterone, those who participate in endurance-related sports are especially at risk for having lower than optimal levels.

Research shows that testosterone levels are temporarily decreased as a result of overtraining, while serum cortisol levels increase.  These changes in testosterone to cortisol balance are sometimes disastrous for an athlete, as they lead to elevated resting heart rate, poor performance, slow recovery, sore muscles, poor appetite, lethargy, muscle loss, irritability and a low sex drive.

Periodic assessments of both testosterone and cortisol are important when it comes to uncovering a potential hormonal deficiency or to simply fine tuning your training program.

EC: I’m curious about the essential amino acid test.  In particular, I’m wondering if you’re seeing issues in this regard not only in people who don’t consume enough protein, but also in folks who DO eat a lot of protein and for whatever reason don’t utilize it properly.

RC:  Of all the Bioletics assessments, the widespread deficiency in essential amino acids was the one that surprised me the most.  Almost every athlete knows that they need to eat protein and most athletes supplement their diets with additional protein powders. Yet, 90% of the athletes whose plasma amino acids we’ve tested were essential amino acid deficient.

Essential amino acids are the building blocks of protein.  They allow the body to build and maintain muscle, neurotransmitters, hormones and key digestive and metabolic enzymes.  Research shows that the lack of just one essential amino acid can significantly interfere with these processes.

What I’ve come to realize is that athletes don’t have a protein need; they have an essential amino acid need.  And it’s not how much protein we eat that is critical; it’s the biological value of the protein we eat that counts.

It’s a common belief that one protein is just as effective as another when it comes to rebuilding tissue.  But dietary proteins all contain a different mix of the eight essential amino acids we need.  Therefore their biological value-their ability to be utilized anabolically by the body-differs.

Research indicates that approximately 40% of the protein in high biological foods such as whole eggs, meat, fish, poultry is used by the body for anabolic purposes.  Only about 20% of that found in low biological food such as whey, soy, egg whites, beans and nuts is used for growth and repair.  So, vegetarians and those who consume much of their daily protein as a bar or powder should know that these proteins are not well utilized by the body.

And the problem gets even more complicated.  Even if you are careful to consume only high quality proteins, you still may not be utilizing them effectively.  Stress, age, the use of medications, and/or certain cooking methods can reduce your body’s ability to fully digest the protein you’re eating.

Athletes need to be aware that competition, training, and injury all damage structural proteins.  As a result, the athlete’s body naturally requires greater amounts of essential amino acids for repair, recovery, and growth.  An amino acid deficiency will prompt the body to break down body tissue-primarily muscle-in an attempt to access the missing essential amino acid(s) it needs.

Because of all these issues, we strongly recommend that all athletes use an essential amino acid supplement formula.  These formulas do not require digestion and are almost 100% utilized for anabolic purposes.  While many of us have come to rely or believe protein powders will cover our protein needs-and I was one of them-we now understand that protein supplements are just not as effective as we once thought.

EC: Lastly, you’ve just added an essential fatty acid (EFA) panel.  What are you looking for on this?

RC: Yes, I’m very excited about this new assessment, as the benefits of optimal essential fatty acid status are numerous and it brings us closer to our goal of being able to conveniently and inexpensively assess EVERY key, biological process in the athletic body.

Essential fatty acids perform many physical functions. No cell, tissue, gland, or organ can function normally without them.  Optimal EFA levels are critical to reducing overall inflammation in the body.  They help you work harder and recover faster; they protect your joints, improve your mood and promote deeper sleep.

Our EFA status becomes stronger when we eat foods that are similar to those eaten by our primitive ancestors – lean meats, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, and fats with a high omega-3 to omega-6 EFA ratio.

Over the past 50 years, we’ve developed an unfounded fear of healthful fats.  And we’ve started over-consuming processed fats.  Most Americans consume very little natural omega-3 fats, which can be found in fish, grass-fed meats, seeds and nuts.  Instead, we eat  processed omega-6 fats: corn, soy, canola, and safflower oil.  As a result, we’ve created a very unhealthy omega-3 to omega-6 fat ratio in our bodies.  Recent research has shown that this low omega-3 to omega-6 ratio (Omega-3 index) is not only the most powerful marker of inflammation, but the strongest predictor of sudden, cardiac death.

Last year, when Bend suffered the loss of a 39 year-old world class athlete and the cause of his death was attributed to unknown cardiac cause, I became very motivated to find an affordable, at-home EFA assessment for athletes.  I am excited to say that we now offer athletes the opportunity to assess inflammatory status and their critical Omega 3 index with just a single drop of blood.

EC: Very cool.   Nothing like some cutting-edge stuff to wrap this great interview up!  Thanks for taking the time today, Dr. Cohen.

For more information on Dr. Rick Cohen and Bioletics, head over to their website.  And, don’t forget that they’ve arranged a sweet discount for all EricCressey.com readers.  Enter the coupon code ECCPP25 at checkout, and you’ll receive $25 off the cost of your initial basic or complete panel.

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

A New Paradigm for Performance Testing – Part 1

Written on April 21, 2010 at 5:20 am, by Eric Cressey

Last September, I was put in touch with Dr. Rick Cohen, and we hit it off right away.  In addition to being a knowledgeable and super-qualified physician, Rick is also a baseball fan and performance geek just like me (I knew he was legit when I met him for the first time and he was rocking some Vibram Five Fingers shoes!).  Rick’s enthusiasm and forward-thinking mindset is absolutely contagious and has gotten his company, Bioletics, off to a great start.

Just to get a feel for what he does (and while remaining unbiased), I had my fiancee go through a series of performance testing they do (outlined below) and the entire process was fantastic.  One of the glaring issues discovered was low vitamin D, which has since been addressed.  Just two months prior to our work with Rick, I’d encouraged her to ask her primary care physician to check her vitamin D levels at a routine physical.  The physician’s response was “No.  You’re not post-menopausal.” The take-home message from this quick story is that not all physicians have all the information (or even a small fraction of the information, as Vitamin D plays countless roles in the body other than bone metabolism).

Since forward-thinking physicians are few and far between, it’s sometimes a challenge to find someone good in your area – and that’s where a guy like Rick and his company can come in to help out. I highly recommend Bioletics – to the point that I wanted to get Rick on-board for an interview to share some of his great information.  So, without further ado, Dr. Rick Cohen.

EC: Thanks for taking the time for an interview, Dr. Cohen.  Please fill us in a bit about your background, what you’re doing at Bioletics, and where the idea for the business really emerged.

RC: My pleasure.

It actually all started in your neck of the woods in Massachusetts. I had a medical practice with a focus on nutrition, athletic performance and aging there for over ten years. At the time, I was very dissatisfied with the assessment options available in the medical field. So, I developed a few of my own that could be done at-home with either a saliva or urine sample or a finger stick blood spot.

After moving to Bend, Oregon last year, I became involved in screening some of the girls on my daughter’s track team for iron deficiency and bone health. We also looked at vitamin D, which is a critical nutrient for both bone health and overall athletic performance.

When the results came in, it turned out that 95% of the runners low in iron. Additionally, 80% of the team was vitamin D deficient and more than 50% were mineral imbalanced.  After adding amino acid and recovery hormone panels to the screen, I repeated it with several local elite athletes.  Again, the results were shocking: not a single athlete was healthy from a biological standpoint.

At this point, it was pretty obvious that there was a need to turn the entire concept of human performance testing inside-out.  For years we’ve been obsessed with peripheral performance measurements-heart rates, VO2 levels and power output.  But the idea of looking inside an athlete’s body has been completely overlooked.

Giving athletes the ability to assess their unique, physiological needs represents a paradigm shift in athletic performance.  Despite all the marketing hype in the sports supplement industry, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all formula for improving your athletic performance.

As athletes, our basic, biological needs are all very different.  We would never think of buying a bike, a baseball bat, or a pair of running shoes without trying them on or out for size.  Why do we use nutritional supplements-protein powders, recovery drinks and vitamins-without knowing if they are a good fit for us?

EC: Now, let’s talk about some of the specific things you guys can test.  I’ve been a big vitamin D guy for years now, and I know that’s one of your core tests.  What are you seeing thus far?

RC:  Optimizing your level of vitamin D3 is the single most important thing you can do for your health and well-being-and quite possibly your performance.  Interestingly enough, vitamin D isn’t really a vitamin at all.  It’s a hormone manufactured by your skin during critical periods of sun exposure.

Vitamin D is both a key building block and a cellular activator of almost every physical process.  It regulates more than 2,000 of the 30,000 human genes.  It’s an essential part of the endocrine system, as it controls several of the adrenal hormones, growth of cells, and production of enzymes.  It’s a powerful immune booster that provides a front-line defense against colds and flu as well as cancer and autoimmune disease.

Vitamin D is essential for optimum athletic performance, as it contributes to muscular strength and recovery while controlling physical reaction time, balance and coordination.

So far, almost every athlete we have tested has had sub-optimal levels of vitamin D (less than 50 ng/ml) except for one professional triathlete who trains in the sun in Australia all year.  Many athletes have been extremely low-under 25ng/ml.

Unless you can train outside year-round and/or make a conscious effort to get mid-day sun exposure; it is almost impossible to restore vitamin D to an optimal level-between  60 and 80 ng/ml-without supplementation.  When supplementing, the best results have come from the use of a sublingual vitamin D3 spray.  Gel caps, tablets and liquids are less effective.

The most important thing to remember is that your vitamin D level needs to be assessed and monitored. You can’t just take a random dose of vitamin D3 and expect to get results. Bioletics offers an at-home finger stick assessment that is virtually pain-free; it takes only two minutes and two drops of blood to complete.

EC: Now, how about iron?  It’s traditionally been a huge issue for female endurance athletes, but are you seeing it as much in females who aren’t on that level of training volume?

RC: Yes.  We learned this is a huge issue, especially among teenage girls.  In general, low iron is a problem among menstruating women because they lose blood every month.  With teenage girls, the issue is compounded by the fact that their diets tend to be lower in calories, red meat and protein-all of which are critical for obtaining adequate iron.

Iron is critical for athletic performance, as it carries oxygen in the red blood cells from the lungs to the muscles.  Severe iron loss results in a reduction of red blood cells (a condition known as anemia).  What most athletes are not aware of is that you do not have to be anemic to be suffering from low iron.  The most common signs of iron deficiency are fatigue, irritability, poor performance and slow recovery.

Another important point to stress is that while the assessment of red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit and serum iron are needed to diagnose anemia, these are not sensitive indicators when it comes to assessing deficiencies in iron stores-the supply of iron that’s actually available for the body to use.  The iron-binding protein, ferritin, is a much more reliable marker of functional iron stores.  We like to see levels of ferritin in females between 40 and 70 ng/ml.

EC: How about men?  Is too much iron a common finding?

RC: Good question.

In men, we are much more concerned with excessive iron than with low iron. This is because men do not bleed regularly and also tend to eat more red meat and calories than women.

The problem with too much iron is that it can create free radical damage in the body.  Just as iron in metal rusts, it has a similar action in your body.  Fortunately, your body has natural antioxidants to protect against the free radicals created by iron.  But when levels get too high, it can become a problem.  As we get older, excessive iron levels can play a role in the development of heart disease, cancer and immune disorders.

Excessive iron is linked to a genetic variation in iron absorption rates.  Hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder where the body absorbs iron too readily and iron stores can get tens or even hundreds of times higher than normal and cause severe organ damage. While the full blown disorder is relatively rare, many people have lesser variants which cause gradual accumulation of iron over time.  The second cause is dietary-we take in too much iron by eating iron-fortified foods like breakfast cereals and breads.

Just as with vitamin D, it is necessary to know your iron levels before you begin to take any kind of iron supplement.  The restorative dose of iron is generally 36mg daily while the maintenance dose for those with a history of low iron is 18mg daily. Taking a restorative dose without knowing a benchmark can push iron levels too high.  Playing it safe and taking a maintenance dose may not be enough.

Ideal levels of ferritin in men are between 70 and 100 ng/ml.  If your levels are higher than that, it is important NOT to take any iron supplements or eat iron-fortified foods.

We have seen iron levels in the upper 100s and low 200s in younger male athletes.  For these men, we recommended they monitor the levels every few years and to consider donating blood twice a year.  This will not only keep their iron levels from climbing, but will greatly help those in need.

Part 2 of this interview with Rick will run tomorrow, but in the meantime, I’ve asked with Rick to arrange for a special discount for EricCressey.com readers only.  If you head over to www.Bioletics.com and enter the coupon code ECCPP25 at checkout, you’ll receive $25 off the cost of your initial basic or complete panel.

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

Random Friday Thoughts: 11/20/09

Written on November 20, 2009 at 7:12 am, by Eric Cressey

1. Exciting week around here, as it’s getting to be that time of the year when our high school ballplayers – both 2010 and 2011 – finalize some of their plans.

Last weekend, RHP Barrett O’Neill (2011) verbally committed to the University of Virginia on a baseball scholarship, and on Tuesday, RHP Travis Dean (2010) signed his letter of intent to pitch at Kennesaw St. University in Georgia.  A few weeks earlier, RHP/3B Joe Napolitano (2011) had verbally committed to Boston College.  These three comprise 3/8 of our current 90mph+ high school crew – and I suspect that the other five will be following soon!

Also this week, 2B Erik Watkins (2010) committed to Skidmore and CF Billy Bereszniewicz (2010) committed to Binghampton.  Previously, catcher James Alfonso (2010) had accepted a scholarship to play at the University of Hartford.  Plenty more to come soon, no doubt…

2. Speaking of Travis, here is something I love about him: he has INTENT on every single medicine ball throw he makes.  It isn’t just about “tossing” a ball to a wall and rotating your hips.  It’s about getting your entire body into the effort – to the point that you’re trying to break the ball (or wall!) on every single drill.

Once we have taught our guys the technique for the drill, it’s about getting after it.  If you aren’t training rotation aggressively, you might as well not do it at all.

3. I got a lot of great comments from readers on my A Few Days in Arizona on Monday; I’d encourage you to check it out.

4. One of the key points I made was that respiratory function was essential for ideal performance and posture, and I recognize that the concept might be completely foreign for a lot of my readers.  To that end, I’d encourage you check out The Anatomy of Breathing.

It’s a pretty quick read that gives you good insights into the anatomy of the respiratory system and common dysfunctions that occur.  Once you start getting an appreciation for the muscles involved, you can start to see how poor diaphragmatic function can easily lead to overactivity of sternocleidomastoid, scalene, pec minor, intercostals – basically, a lot of muscles commonly implicated in upper extremity dysfunction.  You can just stretch and massage those areas, but it’s just like putting a bucket on the floor when the roof is leaking; it’s better to just fix the roof (aberrant breathing patterns).

5. I also touched on breathing patterns a bit in my seminar this past weekend.  Check out a few great reviews of the event:

Review #1: Bill White

Review #2: Joe Schafer

Review #3:

Yes, it was so exciting that it startled people.

6. Some interesting findings HERE that shows that there may be a strong link between childhood obesity and the development of multiple sclerosis later on in life.  One hypothesis is that it may be linked to the low levels of Vitamin D that one sees in overweight kids, and another that it could be related to the fatty tissue itself.   One more reason to take Vitamin D!

7. We’re all headed to Providence tonight to watch CP client and pro boxer Danny O’Connor try to run his professional record to 10-0.  I think we’ll be setting a world record for the number of professional baseball players in attendance at a boxing match.  Let’s go, Danny!

Random Friday Thoughts: 9/25/09

Written on September 25, 2009 at 5:01 am, by Eric Cressey

1. I started a little deadlift specialization program this week.  So far, it’s beating me up like a rented mule – and this is just the introductory week.  I don’t know if it will get me to 700, but at the very least, it’ll prove whether deadlifts to excess really can kill someone.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

(I still get a kick out of how disinterested the air conditioning repair guy in the background is during this video)

2.A big congratulations goes out to CP athlete Danny O’Connor, who ran his professional boxing record to 9-0 with a third round knockout on Thursday night.  I can honestly say that I’ve never seen anyone get knocked out with a body shot, but let’s just say that this was one for the ages.  When his opponent actually regains the ability to speak, digest, and walk upright, I’m sure he’ll agree.

Next up for Danny is a big fight on November 7 at the Hartford Civic Center, so we’re back in the gym getting after it today.

3. My fiancee went to get her annual physical the other day, and because she started a new job with a new insurance plan, it was her first time with a new primary care doctor.  Since she knew bloodwork was going to be part of the drill, I had encouraged her to ask to get her Vitamin D levels checked.  The doctor replied with, “No, we won’t do that.  You’re not post-menopausal.”

Are you serious????  Um, Vitamin D isn’t just about bone health.  As Chris Shugart covered in a recent article, it has some pretty darn extensive roles in the body, and it’s been established that a large chunk of the population has insufficient – if not deficient – levels of Vitamin D.

I find it fascinating that this doctor wouldn’t hesitate to order cholesterol and glucose measurements for a second year in a row, yet would rigidly oppose testing for something that’s a heck of a lot more useful (even in someone under the age of 30).

Not surprisingly, from what my fiancee (who is also a doctor) told me, she had a terrible bedside manner to go along with her complete lack of preparedness and openmindedness.  She even busted out the body mass index line with a female patient who deadlifts over 250 pounds and can do ten body weight chin-ups.  Women can have muscle, you know.

Needless to say, she is down one patient now.

4.  Here’s a great, comprehensive article on antioxidants by John Romaniello and Joel Marion; it covers what works and what doesn’t, and does so in an entertaining format: Movie Stars, Blockbuster Berries, and You

5. Chris Frankel from TRX is in town to do an in-service for our staff this morning.  We started using these just a few weeks ago and are excited to see all the new tricks and tips Chris has for them.  Check them out for yourself HERE.

Have a kick-ass weekend. This kid definitely will!

Random Friday Thoughts: 9/11/09

Written on September 11, 2009 at 6:38 am, by Eric Cressey

1. First off, I hope everyone takes a moment our of their day today to remember all those who lost their lives in 2001.

2. I’d encourage you guys to check out a great article from Chris Shugart at T-Muscle on the topic of Vitamin D:

“D” is for Doping

A lot of you know that I’ve been a huge advocate of supplemental Vitamin D for about two years now, and this article outlines a lot of reasons why I’m such a fan.

3. It was a great night in Double A playoffs for a few CP athletes last night. Huntsville Star Steffan Wilson – just one day after a call-up from High A – hit a game-winning 3-run homerun in the opener of a five-game playoff series.  Steffan is a corner infielder in the Brewers System.

At the same time, CP athlete and San Antonio (Padres AA) pitcher Will Inman picked up the win to even up their playoff series at 1-1.

4. Along those same lines, here are a few recent articles about some CP athletes:

Quinn Begins Southern Quest

Size Doesn’t Matter: A Conversation with Blue Jays Pitching Prospect Tim Collins

5. Check out this study, which reported a markedly different neuromuscular pattern in those athletes who ruptured ACLs as compared to those who didn’t.

In a nutshell, at pre-screening, prior to a cutting maneuver, all five players who went on to rupture ACLs actually recruited more vastus lateralis (quads) and less semitendinosis (hamstrings).  It isn’t surprising that this would be an injury predisposition, as the hamstrings work synergistically with the ACL.  Reduce hamstrings activity, and the ACL has to take on more of the stress.  It’s the same old Active vs. Passive Restraints discussion we’ve had in the past.

The bigger question, in my eyes, is why certain individuals showed this tendencies.  Was it their builds (greater Q angles)?  Prior training programs that may have omitted things?  A combination of the two?

Interested in learning more?  I highly recommend checking out Bulletproof Knees; Mike Robertson did a fantastic job with it.

Have a great weekend!

Random Friday Thoughts: 8/28/09

Written on August 28, 2009 at 7:01 am, by Eric Cressey

1. Just got this email from a satisfied customer of The Truth About Unstable Surface Training:

“Just wanted to drop a quick note to say outstanding work on ‘TAUST!’  It was truly comprehensive and head and shoulders above anything else written on the topic.  The evidence was very well presented and you did a bang-up job on analyzing the available data and making a very evenhanded thesis.”

Mike Howard
Vancouver, British Columbia

2. Here is yet ANOTHER study supporting the huge role of Vitamin D.  Vitamin D is very important in processing cholesterol, and in the absence of it, more is stored in blood vessels.

3. I’ve been getting quite a few emails asking me when the new product from Bill, Mike, and I will be ready.  Well, I can tell you that we’ve spent the week reviewing footage and making some adjustments, so we are, in fact, getting close!  It will definitely be September; I can promise you that.  Keep an eye out for an announcement in this blog and my newsletter.

4. In last week’s random thoughts, I mentioned that I’d been getting multiple daily invites to join a Facebook group about fat loss for the general population – and I’d ignored each one.  Well, I got five more invitations this week, bringing the total to 15 invites in 13 days.  This guy really doesn’t take “NO” for an answer, huh?  Or, maybe I’m just a popular guy…

5. In case you missed this week’s newsletter, check it out HERE.  There are several videos and a rotator cuff stregthening progression that I frequently use.  And, if you aren’t subscribed already, you ought to be!  The sign-up for the free weekly newsletter can be found to the top right of this screen.

6. Thanks to everyone who voted in yesterday’s poll.  I’m pretty sure our boy (or girl?) got the message that strength coaches don’t wear capris…

Random Friday Thoughts: 6/26/09

Written on June 26, 2009 at 5:01 am, by Eric Cressey

1. I’m writing this on Thursday night as Bill Hartman, Mike Robertson, and I collaborate across several states (them in IN, and me in MA) to finalize the plan of attack for the DVD we’ll be filming out in Indy on Saturday.  We’re really struggling to decide which of the following two costumes we want Mike to wear.

I supposed we could just dress him up as a viking with tassels and get the best of both worlds.  I guess you’ll just have to buy the DVD to find out for yourself.

2. I just read this week that researchers here in Boston are going to be looking into why girls hate guys who listen to techno the role of Vitamin D and fish oil in reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, and strokes.

3. We are going to be revamping the Cressey Performance website pretty soon, so be sure to keep an eye on it in the weeks to come.

4. Speaking of CP, a huge congratulations goes out to Cressey Performance athletes Sahil Bloom and Justin Quinn, who were both named to the Spring 2009 Boston Globe All-Scholastic Team.

From the write-up: “Bloom was MVP of the Dual County League Small, posting a 6-0 record with 3 saves, a 0.90 ERA, and 61 strikeouts in 46‚ innings. He finished his career 22-6 with a 1.95 ERA.”  And, “Quinn was MVP and won the batting title in the Dual County League Large, batting .488 with five home runs. The four-year starter finished his career with a .386 average and 20 home runs.”  Nice job, fellas!

5. I absolutely LOVED Alwyn Cosgrove’s contribution to the latest Mythbusters article at T-Nation this week.  If you are a treadmill-aholic or know someone who is, definitely give it a read.

6. If I get one more email this week from someone trying to sell me a supplement in a pyramiding scheme, I’m going to flip my s**t.  If you need a pyramiding scheme to sell something, then it’s a crap product in the first place.  And, if you have people who know NOTHING about the product they’re pushing, then you have an entirely crap business model, too.

Actually, now that I think about it, these supplement pitch emails are amusing.  I might start posting them as blogs to discuss the commonalities of cheeseball supplement pimps – as I began to cover in item #13 HERE.

Off to Indy tonight.  Hopefully those pleasant, patient Midwestern folks can calm me down.  Have a great weekend!

Birthday Blogging: 28 Years, 28 Favorites

Written on May 20, 2009 at 6:13 am, by Eric Cressey

I turn 28 today, so in hopes of distracting myself from the painful realization that I’m starting to go bald, I thought I’d focus on the positives of my existence in contexts that would appeal to you.  Below, you’ll find 28 of my favorite things – most of which are at least loosely related to fitness, nutrition, strength and conditioning, and sports.

1. Favorite Nickname: Power Alleys.  This seemed like a good starting point, as power alleys are bald spots.  Credit for this one goes to Mets pitching prospect Tim Stronach.

2. Favorite Thing About Cressey Performance: The camaraderie among the athletes/clients. I think the hard thing to appreciate about our facility without experiencing it first-hand and being there on a regular basis is that it’s as much about the environment and attitude as it is about the expertise and programming.  I’m psyched that we’ve not only created an environment where clients can improve physically, but one in which they can thrive socially, too.

3. Favorite Book I’ve Read Related to Fitness: Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes, by Shirley Sahrmann.  This book got me thinking more about dysfunction and less about pathology.  Quality of movement is often far more important than anything a MRI or x-ray can ever tell you.

4. Favorite Book I’ve Read Unrelated to Fitness: This is a top-up between The Tipping Point and A Prayer for Owen Meany.  They might be taken over, however, by one of the gifts I just got for my birthday from CP Client Steph Holland-Brodney.

5. Favorite DVD I’ve Watched: The Indianapolis Performance Enhancement Seminar DVD Set.  Bill Hartman’s presentation on “Stiff vs. Short” alone makes this a fantastic resource, and the rest is just gravy.  I reviewed it HERE.

6. Favorite DVD I’ve Co-Created: The Building the Efficient Athlete DVD set.  I think I’m most proud of this resource because it’s something that provided something I so desperately wanted – but couldn’t get – during my college education.  Effectively, it’s a resource that blends book memorization with real-world practice with a focus on functional anatomy, assessments, and troubleshooting common exercises.

7. Favorite Seminar I’ve Attended: The Perform Better 3-Day Functional Training Summit.  Each year, they get better and better.  Check out Chicago or Long Beach this year if you missed Providence.

8. Favorite Athlete of All Time: Barry Sanders.  I can’t imagine an guy with better kinesthetic awareness, body control, or ability to turn a complete disaster of a play into a 90-yard touchdown run – while carrying two defensive linemen on his back.

9. Favorite Athlete of All-Time that you’ve probably never heard of: Jerry Sichting.  He played for the Celtics from 1985 to 1988, and I’ll always remember the night Sichting – at a heigh of 6-1 – got in a fight with 7-4 Ralph Sampson during the 1986 NBA Finals.  At the time, I was a five-year old shadow boxing in my living room yelling at the top of my lungs.

10. Favorite Place to Visit: Fenway Park

11. Second Favorite Place to Visit: Gampel Pavilion at the University of Connecticut.  It’s an incredible environment in which to watch college basketball, and it’s also where I spent just about all my time from 2003 to 2005.

12. Favorite Exercise: was this ever in question?

13. Favorite Sites I Visit Just About Every Day: T-Nation.com, MinorLeagueBaseball.com, ESPN.com, Sports.Yahoo.com, WilliamInman.com, 38Pitches.com, ShawnHaviland.Blogspot.com, MetrowestDailyNews.com, StrengthCoach.com, MikeReinold.com, RobertsonTrainingSystems.com, BillHartman.net, AlwynCosgrove.Blogspot.com, DieselCrew.com, PrecisionNutrition.com, BrianStPierreTraining.com, Tony Gentilcore’s Blog, Boston.com, BarstoolSports.com, Facebook.com, EricCressey.com.

14. Favorite Kind of Injury to See (weird category, I know): Labral Tears (SLAP lesions), or really any kind of shoulder or elbow pain in pitchers.  You’ve got so many potential causes that it’s kind of fun (for me, not the athlete) to go through a process of elimination to see what combination of factors caused it.  There are all the classic flexibility deficits in pitchers, plus scapular instability, poor thoracic spine mobility, plus faulty mechanics, plus inappropriate training volumes, plus weak lower bodies.  It’s kind of like peeling back the layers on an onion to see what shakes free.  It’s also a great scenario to illustrate what I talked about with respect to diagnostic imaging in #3 from above.  All of these guys will have labral fraying and rotator cuff partial thickness tears at the very least; it’s our job to fix them up and make them work efficiently in spite of these structural deficits in situations where surgery isn’t warranted.

15. Favorite Class I Took in School: Gross Anatomy.  Yes, I cherished the semester I spent with a bunch of cadavers.

16. Favorite Healthy Food: Apple-Cinnamon Protein Bars from John Berardi’s Gourmet Nutrition Cookbook. Admittedly, I often just eat the batter before it ever gets cooked.  Not good, I know.

17. Favorite Piece of Equipment We Have at CP: Giant Cambered Bar.  Along with the safety squat bar and front squat set-up, this bad boy has allowed me to keep squatting even though my right shoulder decided a long time ago that traditional back squats weren’t a good idea.  It’s also a great asset for working with overhead throwing athletes who should avoid the externally rotated, abducted position under load.

18. Favorite Thing About Having a Blog: I can write a lot more casually than in my newsletter, which tends to be more geeky.  And, I can post videos of this kid rocking out:

19. Favorite Mobility Drill: Walking Spiderman w/Overhead Reach.  I love this drill because you’re covering so many things at once.  You’ll get thoracic spine extension and rotation from the reach, and hip flexor and adductor length in the lower body from the lunge angle.  Keep an eye out for more new movements along these lines in the months to come as we film the sequel to the Magnificent Mobility DVD.

20. Favorite Pastime I Had to Give Up: Fantasy Baseball/Basketball.  During my sophomore year of undergrad, I finished fourth in the world in NBA.com’s Virtual GM contest.  Long story short, if you want to be really good at fantasy sports with that kind of set-up, you’ve got to put a lot of time into it – and realize that it won’t make girls like you.  You’ll also find yourself watching games in which you’d otherwise have absolutely no interest. I couldn’t do it half-ass (aside from the CP Fantasy Football League), so I gave it up.

21. Favorite Inedible Toy: Rubber Steak.

Suffice it to say that Fire & Ice wouldn’t allow us to eat a birthday cake inside their restaurant on Saturday night in celebration of my awesomeness.  So, in celebration of their suckiness, none of us (16 in all) will ever eat again – and I was reduced to gnawing on dog toys.

22. Favorite Birthday Excitement: Apparently, it’s going to be taking my car in to get work done, buying a new laptop, and then coaching ‘em upat CP.  There will also be a dominant upper body lift at CP that will undoubtedly feature Kevin Larrabee missing 300…again…and again).

23. Favorite Bench Press Celebration Spectacle: Antwan Harris, post 340 bench press.

24. Favorite Strength and Conditioning Coach Who is Having Surgery on my Birthday: Josh Bonhotal, Chicago Bulls.  I talked with Josh yesterday and he informed me that he was finally having his ACL fixed today in celebration of my birthday.  Nothing says “Happy Birthday, Buddy” like taking a chunk out of your patellar tendon and turning it into an anterior cruciate ligament.  It’s kind of like planting a tree on Earth Day.  What a nice gesture.

25. Favorite Article Series I’ve Written: A New Model for Training Between Starts (Part 1 and Part 2).  These articles were actually picked up by Collegiate Baseball Magazine as front-page features, and I received a lot of great feedback about them.  If there is one thing I do before I retire, it’s convincing the world of the evils of distance running for pitchers.  I’d put the Shoulder Savers series in a close second

26. Favorite Supplement: Fish Oil.  It’s followed closely by Vitamin D.  You need both – and probably a lot more than you think. I’m a simple guy when it comes to this stuff.

27. Favorite Random Website a Buddy Texted to Me Last Week: www.EasyCurves.com.  This thing is hilarious. A special thanks goes out to Jesse Burdick for making me just a little bit dumber with that.

28. Favorite Sign of Athlete Dedication for the Month: We have two college pitchers up here from Pennsylvania for the month to work on getting bigger, stronger, faster, and more flexible in hopes of a nice velocity jump on the mound, and the obvious injury prevention benefits of such training.  That’s all well and good – until you hear that they got an unfurnished apartment in Hudson, MA.  These guys are sleeping on mattresses on the floor, and all they brought were a few lamps, a TV, some books, and a whole lot of enthusiasm and motivation.  That’s committment to training – and just the kind of guys we like to have around Cressey Performance.

What kind of sacrifices are you making to get better and move closer to your goals?  I’m not sure that sleeping on a mattress on the floor is necessary, but it says a lot.

With that in mind, I’m not taking today off.  There is work to be done and I love to do it, birthday or not.

Random Friday Thoughts: 5/1/09

Written on May 1, 2009 at 5:24 am, by Eric Cressey

1. First off, a little recognition for the Lincoln-Sudbury baseball team and coaching staff; LS baseball was was ranked #1 in Massachusetts by the Boston Herald this week.  The guys ran their record to 10-0 with a 12-3 win yesterday.  Just about every varsity player on the LS squad trains at Cressey Performance, and when you watch them get after it – whether it’s the off-season or in-season – it’s no surprise why these guys are doing special things.  Here’s are the starting RF, LF/RHP, 2B, and SS getting after it back in early March. You won’t find a high school team in the country who trains harder or smarter than these guys.

Keep up the good work, fellas!

2. One of the first things I learned as a writer in the fitness industry was that it was best to avoid writing about religion and politics. Still, I’m going to just come right out and ask: why the hell do we need a photo of a presidential plane with two F-16 fighter jets over New York City, anyway?  Are they trying to sell this sucker on EBay?

This one came at a price-tag of $328,835 to taxpayers – and that doesn’t even include the wasted wages on the thousands of citizens who fled their places of employment.  Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, this has got to make you want to go elwell on someone (inside joke, but I’m sure the rest of you catch my drift).

2. I’ve written previously on the tremendous benefits of increasing one’s dosage of Vitamin D through supplementation.  In particular, it seems to have a great effect on chronic musculoskeletal issues, particularly in darker skinned individuals in Northern climates.  Well, add one more benefit to the list.

According to British researchers, daily supplementation with Vitamin D cut prostate specific antigen levels by more than 50% in some patients with prostate cancer.  This marker is used as an indicator of the severity of prostate cancer.

3. I just got an email with some awesome feedback:

“I just finished your Maximum Strength program and had great success! Here are the stats:

Pre Max Strength
Bench Press = 300
Squat = 350
Deadlift = 425
3 Rep Pullup = Bodyweight + 15 lbs

Post Max Strength
Bench Press = 335
Squat = 385
Deadlift = 440
3 Rep Pullup = Bodyweight + 55 lbs

My weight stayed the same at 195 lbs at 5’10″.  Thanks for a great program!!!

-James Wigington”

Click here to pick up a copy of Maximum Strength!

4. Someone asked me the other day, “when a person presents with little or no level of asymmetry, is it safe to say that no pain = no problem in this case?”

My answer would be that it is definitely not safe to say that. While asymmetry is often a good predictor of injury, it doesn’t tell us everything about an individual’s current state.  A lot of folks have bilateral strength/stability/flexibility deficits, and it’s just a matter of where they wind up breaking down first.

5. Movement of the Week: The Spin Kick (pants optional)…

Make it a TURBO weekend, everyone!