Author: Zac Cupples

Building a Multisystem Health and Business Model

Maximizing performance, health, and wellness involves a multisystem approach. You can’t just exercise. You also have to sleep, de-stress, eat well, and so much more. So-to with your finances. If you can build multiple income streams, you are more likely to stay afloat if one of those streams falls. Yet how do you integrate all of these things without being spread too thin and getting overly complicated? These were parts of the conversation I had with Brian Schwabe of The Student Physical Therapist. Topics discussed include: Periodizing life Integrating multiple jobs into one Remote consulting What is movement? Why simple exercises are a better choice than complicated ones The struggles, successes, and failures of working in the NBA How I developed a multimodal and multisystem approach Why application maximizes your ability to learn Image by www_slon_pics from Pixabay

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Squatting, Breathing, and Sleeping

What does squatting, breathing, and sleeping all have in common? The answer is airway management. In order to squat well, you have to manipulate your spine in a manner that maximizes vertical pelvic displacement. In order to manipulate spinal position, airflow into the upper back is one factor that can change the way you squat. Breathing is also of utmost importance for sleep. Consider the negative effects of sleep apnea. What if there were activities that could improve both of these areas? In my eyes, these activities center around maximizing breathing mechanics and are the centerpiece discussion in an episode of the Portal PT podcast I was featured in. Check out the setlist below. 1:30 Zac’s Story 6:00 Zac’s Experience with Bill Hartman 12:30 When / Why Did Zac Jump Down The Breathing Biomechanic Rabbit Hole 18:00 Stacking, Diaphragms, Biomechanics, Movement Variability 22:30 Where’s The Breathing Research? Clinical Practice Guidelines 31:00 Squat vs. Hinge 36:30 Pain, Manual Therapy, Blood Flow, and Movement Variability 44:00 Myofunctional Therapy, Upper Airway Resistance, and Sleep 47:00 Zac’s Patient and Their Changes 49:00 Oxygen Advantage & Mouth Taping While Sleeping, Exercise Endurance, Resting Heart Rate 54:00 Dreaming, Sleep Studies, and Quality of Sleep 57:00 Improving Nasal Breathing and Changes in Facial Structure and Musculature 59:00 Proactive Care in Children 1:00:00 What is The Worst Fitness Advice Zac Has Ever Received 1:05:00 What Was Zac’s First Exercise Experience and Was it Good or Bad? 1:07:00 What’s Zac’s Number One Source For Research and Education Info If

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The Guide to Remote Coaching – Movement Debrief Episode 113

How to coach movement when you can’t in-person Movement Debrief Episode 113 is in the books. Below is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure, and audio if you can’t stand looking at me. You’ll also get modified transcripts for this one. That’s how much I care! Here is the setlist: Why should you consider remote consultations What are realistic expectations regarding a remote consultation business? What are the challenges of a remote consultation business? What does the remote consultation process look like? How do I screen for red flags? What remote assessments do I use? How does once coach someone remotely? How do I set up remote coaching classes with multiple people? What substitutes do I use when external load is not available?

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All About Squats – Movement Debrief Episode 112

Movement Debrief Episode 112 is in the books. Below is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure, and audio if you can’t stand looking at me. Here is the setlist: What are the biomechanical differences between a squat and a hinge? Would squatting not increase anterior pelvic tilt and hip flexor strength? Does squatting put too much shear force through the knee? Does ramp squatting put too much shear force through the knee? Is there such a thing as a “normal” infrasternal angle? Why does a hip shift occur in a squat? What are some strategies for reducing a hip shift in a squat? How do the following squat variations impact thoracic expansion: Goblet, Zercher, front, and back?

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Breathing Made Easy

The starting point for learning about breathing This breathing stuff is confusing, isn’t it? You hear all of this foreign terminology, see crazy exercises, and are trying to visualize where the viscera and air is going when you are doing an exercise ahhhhhhhhh!??!! Yet you see the positive results that others get. Heck. you may even get great results just messing around with this line of thinking. You know there’s something there, but where in the hell do you even start? Maybe you’ve lost hope and don’t think you are smart enough to get it. I want to tell you that you are wrong my dear friend. Dead wrong! The problem with continuing education As educators, it’s our fault. We don’t do a great job of preparing you to learn and accept the material. We don’t help you succeed. We expect you to figure it out. That ends today. What’s missing with all of this breathing stuff is a way to grasp the fundamentals. What are the key tenets you need to learn to better learn and apply the material taught on my site and others? That’s why I’ve beefed up the Human Matrix Foundations course. In this free course, you’ll get all the fundamental anatomy, biomechanics, and more that you need to better grasp all the breathing stuff you want to learn; allowing you to get those results you so desire for your client. With this class, you’ll get the following: Become automatic with common breathing terminology and lingo

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Hip Rotation Explained – Movement Debrief Episode 111

Movement Debrief Episode 111 is in the books. Below is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure, and audio if you can’t stand looking at me. Here is the setlist: What is the relationship of the infrasternal angle (ISA) to the compressive and expansive strategies at the pelvis? What would hip rotation limitations look like in these compensatory strategies? What does limited hip internal and external rotation signify? What interventions would need to be done to improve hip rotation? Do I have any favorite moves? Why would unilateral Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain occur? How does sacral rotation occur? What types of activities could improve sacral rotation capabilities? How can tensor fascia lata (TFL) cramping be reduced during the hip shift?

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Is Spinal Flexion Bad? – Movement Debrief Episode 110

Movement Debrief Episode 110 is in the books. Below is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure, and audio if you can’t stand looking at me. Here is the setlist: Is spinal hyperextension useful for weightlifting?  How do I balance the need for extension during these moves? Is there a risk of disc injuries with spinal flexion? Are spine sparing exercises necessary to reduce trauma throughout the day? Do we want to minimize spinal movement? How should we move to encourage healthy spines? Are crunches safe? Do they help with abdominal development? Is it safe for someone with back surgery to perform spinal flexion?

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Movement Principles and Breathing

There are a lot of exercises to choose from, tons of methodologies to practice, and lots of areas to focus on when it comes to training and rehab. How do you determine which stuff is most important for your clients? In a time where noise is at an all-time high, having sound principles that you operate from can help you stay focused on what matters most with helping your clients reach their goals. Principles, breathing, and so much more were on the setlist for the Flat White Podcast I had recently done. Topics discussed include: How to get the most out of attending seminars What are the top priorities one must focus on when working with a new client How programming differences in rehab and training scenarios to help the client reach their goals How to navigate when clients hit plateaus Which movement tests are my key decision-makers for designing programs Why anthropometrics matter with movement limitations The difference between movement variability and movement options and why everyone needs both The importance of developing movement fundamentals How all body systems influence each other How knowing the fundamentals of movement makes you better at assimilating information from seminars What are some basic activities that improve infrasternal angle dynamics The differences between a squat and a hinge, and how to improve each Click here or the links below to check it out. Flat White 36 – Movement Principles & Breathing With Zac Cupples on Apple Podcasts Image by Ichigo121212 from Pixabay

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All About the Scapula – Movement Debrief Episode 109

Movement Debrief Episode 109 is in the books. Below is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure, and audio if you can’t stand looking at me. Here is the setlist: What are normal scapular movements during respiration? Are these scapular respiration movements paired together as we move? Is passive exhalation a thing? What are the primary compensatory scapular positions for a wide and narrow ISA? What happens if further compensatory activity occurs? What type of compensatory strategy is a swayback posture utilizing? What are the best ways to gain proximal hamstrings to elicit a posterior pelvic tilt? How would you test whether a client needs inferior or superior posterior thorax expansion?

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The Unsexy Side of PT

Struggle with mouth breathing? Much of the stuff taught on my site focuses on maximizing your breathing skills from the neck on down, but what happens when that is not enough? What if you still have issues with neck or jaw symptoms? Or worse yet, struggle with sleep? These are the topics we dive into on The Optimize Your Capacity podcast I did recently. You’ll learn all types of things featured in the netherworld of performance, including: Craniocervical posture and how to test for movement limitations in this region The “ideal” tongue posture to promote nasal breathing What a proper swallow entails to reduce neck strain What the keys are to having a dynamic respiratory strategy that maximizes movement options through the body Is there a “best” posture to sleep in? That depends on your body 🙂 and more! Click the links below to check it out! The Unsexy Side of PT: Zac Cupples (Apple Podcasts) Spotify Stitcher

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Anterior Pelvic Orientation, Breathing During Squats and Deadlifts, and Handstands – Movement Debrief Episode 108

Movement Debrief Episode 108 is in the books. Below is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure, and audio if you can’t stand looking at me. Here is the setlist: What is anterior pelvic orientation/tilt? How does this happen with different infrasternal angle presentation? When do I coach breathing sequences within a lift like the squat and deadlift? How does the breathing sequence differ if I am coaching a squat/deadlift for movement options versus max effort? What could a squat be useful at improving movement-wise? How about a hinge? What are the benefits of handstands? How can headstand and handstand variations be used to improve movement options?

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The Learning Process, The Axial Skeleton, and Squats – Rebel Performance Podcast

Are you struggling at structuring your learning? Or perhaps this whole inhalation and exhalation mechanics in regards to movement is confusing AF. Or maybe you are caught up in social media squat debates and don’t know what to believe anymore, or what is safe. If this sounds like you, then you’ll definitely want to check out this podcast I did on Rebel Performance. In it, we deep dive into all of these topics, and why it’s important for both your programming and that of your clients. I also make a surprise announcement on it 🙂

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