Zac Cupples

April 14, 2019 Zac Cupples

The Revolution: A Deep Dive into Antifragility Course Review

Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better. ~ Nassim Taleb, “Antifragile” That was the crux of the The Revolution: A Deep Dive into Antifragility. How do we, as health and fitness professionals, help our clientele improve with the stressors we impart? How do we take clients from various starting points—be it an immobile person in persistent pain, a complete beginner, or a high level athlete—and push them towards their goals? That’s what made this experience unique, as the three presenters, Seth Oberst, myself, and Pat Davidson, sought to create a continuum. For Seth, it was starting with the most fragile. Pat’s goal was to push performance to the highest level, to not survive, but thrive. While I aimed to be the middle ground; establishing the principles of movement common amongst all people. And I want to share the highlights with you. While biased, I thought this was a unique experience. Though we all came at the deep dive from different angles, there were many commonalities shared. Enjoy! Self Regulation – Seth Oberst As mentioned in a previous post, self regulation is the intrinsic ability to response to internal/external stressors with an efficient range of responses. There are three keys to demonstrating self-regulatory capabilities: Differentiating safety vs danger Responsivity Completion (Resolving the situation). Trauma, an unresolved defense pattern, negatively impacts these keys. To remedy this situation, we must reestablish each of these areas in a manner that promotes self-regulation. Providing

April 10, 2019 Zac Cupples

Infrasternal Angle Updates, Flexion Intolerance, and Calves – Movement Debrief Episode 80

Movement Debrief Episode 80 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 set list: Does the infrasternal angle (ISA) impact my decision-making? What is the role of the ISA? What should be done if pain is brought on by a pelvic tilt and exhalation? What activities do I utilize to improve activity of the gastrocnemius and soleus?

April 7, 2019 Zac Cupples

Seth Oberst’s Stress, Movement, and Pain Course Review

Do you work with people who are stressed? Dumb question, right? Who isn’t stressed today? In fact, stress levels are probably at an all time high, and if you’ve read Robert Sapolsky’s work, is likely responsible for most of the conditions and maladies we face today. The question we must ask though is what role a movement professional has in helping someone mitigate stress? After attending Seth Oberst’s Stress, Pain, and Movement seminar, I think we now have an answer. Now I’ve taken a lot of courses in my day, and much of what I learned is the same poop, repackaged as different poop. That’s not to say that new perspectives aren’t useful, but most are looking at the same thing. Seth’s is the first class that I’ve been to in a hot minute where I had that feeling of “whoa, now this is different.” His approach looks at the struggles our patients and clients deal with through a very unique lens. To me, this course is the gold standard for learning just how problematic stress is for our patients, and what to do about it. Not only will you get an incredibly in-depth look at stress, autonomics, the nervous system, pain, and so much more, but you’ll learn some excellent methods to aid your clients in mitigating stress. I cannot recommend learning from Seth highly enough. If you want to attend, you can sign up here. While I won’t go into the great detail that Seth does on the brain,

April 4, 2019 Zac Cupples

Elevated Heels, Pelvic Floor, and Identifying with Medical Labels – Movement Debrief Episode 79

Movement Debrief Episode 79 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 set list: Why is it useful to elevate the heels during squatting? Why do I coach “holding in gas” during inhalation? How does this cue impact pelvic floor? Is there a difference between holding in gas and kegeling? What is my educational approach like for someone who identifies with a medical label?

March 31, 2019 Zac Cupples

Becoming an Effective and Efficient Leader – Kyle Dobbs

Do you struggle setting up efficient systems so you can get things done? Do you have a hard time establishing and building a culture in your office or within yourself? Are you uncertain on how you best function in the workforce? Then you probably want to listen to today’s interview with Kyle Dobbs, who owns Compound Performance in Saint Louis, Missouri and this is his thing. Aside from being an awesome coach, he focuses with personal trainers, coaches, physical therapists, as well as gyms on building exactly what I just said: establishing the culture, making sure that leaders are in place in managing people effectively, making systems efficient so we can maximize revenue streams and results. And he talks a lot about personality archetyping as well in this very long but very awesome interview. I hope that you like it, I hope you get as much out of it as I did. And without further ado, let’s give Kyle Dobbs a shot.

March 4, 2019 Zac Cupples

February 2019 Links and Review

Every week, my newsletter subscribers get links to some of the goodies that I’ve come across on the internets. Here were the goodies that my peeps got their learn on in February. If you want to get a copy of my weekend learning goodies every Friday, fill out the form below. That way you can brag to all your friends about the cool things you’ve learned over the weekend. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Hell yes I want weekend learning goodies every Friday!”]

February 27, 2019 Zac Cupples

Ankle Pinching, Prioritizing Ribs or Spine, and Deviated Septum – Movement Debrief Episode 78

Movement Debrief Episode 78 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 set list: What things should we consider with someone who gets anterior ankle pinching on movements? How does the ventral cavity impact the ankle? Are there any local things to do at the ankle? If I want to improve thoracic extension, do I need to address the ribs or the thoracic spine first? How can sinus issues affect movement variance? Should I get a deviated septum surgery? When is a surgical procedure like this warranted?

February 20, 2019 Zac Cupples

Belly Breathing, Cramping, and Exhales – Movement Debrief Episode 77

Movement Debrief Episode 77 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 set list: Why is belly breathing not beneficial? What should happen during “normal” respiratory mechanics? What happens when you belly breathe? Why would certain muscles (e.g. back, hamstrings, etc) cramp during breathing activities? What are the two ways I coach exhales? When indications would lead you to choosing a specific exhalation strategy?

February 18, 2019 Zac Cupples

Optimizing Human Performance, the Importance of Communication Skills, and an Awesome Ronald Reagan Impression

Maximizing the health and performance goals of your clients requires several qualities. While having a model surrounding movement and other health factors are incredibly important, how often do we consider the health of ourselves in the equation? If you do not have a healthy social life, difficulty interacting with other people, and continue to improve our knowledge base, how can we achieve buy-in? The best plan will not work. That and so much more happened in a recent podcast I did with my good friend Robbie Bourke. In this discussion, we touch on several topics: My background What are the good and not so good things that I currently see with the physical therapy and human performance professions, and what solutions I offer for the not so good things he is seeing How can we teach and encourage critical thinking skills? My model to optimize human performance The importance of having a social network My growth so far as a human being How I have used adversities in his life to facilitate my communication when working with clients? When do we stop making allowances for people’s behavior? My in person assessment process with a patient What have been the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far in my life How do I learn? What are my top resource? My amazing Ronald Reagan impression If I had only 1 year left on planet Earth – how would I spend that year and why? If I could invite 5 people to dinner, dead

February 13, 2019 Zac Cupples

Rotator Cuff Tears, Posterior Pelvic Tilt, and Finding Good Clinicians – Movement Debrief Episode 76

Movement Debrief Episode 76 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 set list: What is the difference between traditional rotator cuff rehab and the stuff I do? How do I treat the protocols for post-op repairs? What is the purpose of posterior pelvic tilting? Are there any instances in which a posterior tilt is not warranted or an anterior tilt would be emphasized? When a referral out is warranted, what qualities do I look for in a good clinician?

February 4, 2019 Zac Cupples

January 2019 Links and Review

Every week, my newsletter subscribers get links to some of the goodies that I’ve come across on the internets. Here were the goodies that my peeps got their learn on in January. If you want to get a copy of my weekend learning goodies every Friday, fill out the form below. That way you can brag to all your friends about the cool things you’ve learned over the weekend. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Hell yes I want weekend learning goodies every Friday!”]

January 30, 2019 Zac Cupples

Iliotibial Band Syndrome, Shoewear, and Quick Assessments – Movement Debrief 75

Movement Debrief Episode 75 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 set list: What is IT band syndrome? What factors must we consider for treatment of IT band syndrome? What keys do I look for in a good shoe? What in my assessment would lead me to selecting certain shoes? Does shoewear matter for different contexts such as walking or sport? When short on time, what 3 key assessment pieces do I use to make decisions? What assessments would you use in larger group sessions?