Author: Zac Cupples

Can Ribs Go Out? Terminal Knee Extension, and Back Surgery – Movement Debrief Episode 70

Movement Debrief Episode 70 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: Can ribs go out? What is likely happening? What are the steps I use to restore terminal knee extension? Is breathwork useful for those post-op low back? If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook . They air every Wednesday at 7pm CST. Enjoy! and the audio version… Here were the links I mentioned: Check out Human Matrix promo video below Below are some testimonials for the class Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 2nd-3rd, 2019, New Providence, NJ (early bird ends January 4th) SIGN UP FOR THE REVOLUTION featuring myself, Pat Davidson, and Seth Oberst February 9th-10th in Boston. MA Or check out this little teaser for Human Matrix home study. Best part is if you attend the live course you’ll get this bad boy for free! Here’s a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 3 hours and 50 pages of content, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies: Subluxation: dogma or science? Three-Dimensional Movements of the Sacroiliac Joint: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Assessment of Clinical Utility Sacroiliac joint motion in patients with degenerativelumbar spine disorders The Mechanisms of Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Comprehensive Model Selected fascial aspects of osteopathic practice Fascial plasticity –

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November 2018 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 November. 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!”]

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Better Breathing Buy-in: Educating Clients in 4 Easy Steps

I get a lot of questions from fam such as yourself, wondering: “Zac, you do some weird, wild and crazy things. How do you get buy-in with someone who has an issue that is seemingly unrelated to do the things that you want them to do?” Maybe they’re seeing you for wrist pain. Why the heck would I be breathing if my wrist hurts? Or maybe they’re squatting. Why would filling my upper back up help me squat more effectively? I have both had many successes and failures explaining what I am doing. Through these trials and tribulations, I’ve broken down education into a four step process with one concept in mind: the outcome. Below, I break down what those four steps are, and how you can implement this strategy into your practice. Enjoy the video, audio, and modified transcripts, as well as the links I mention in the talk.

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Building Rapport, Lower Back Pain Red Flags, and Minimizing Social Media – Movement Debrief Episode 69

Movement Debrief Episode 69 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 are some of my keys for building rapport? How do I keep the patient interaction playful? What red flags in low back pain make me want to recommend imaging? How do I minimize my time on social media while still being active? If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook . They air every Wednesday at 7pm CST. Enjoy! and the audio version…                  Here were the links I mentioned: Check out Human Matrix promo video below Below are some testimonials for the class Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: December 8th-9th, Charleston, SC February 2nd-3rd, 2019, New Providence, NJ (early bird ends January 4th) SIGN UP FOR THE REVOLUTION featuring myself, Pat Davidson, and Seth Oberst February 9th-10th in Boston. MA Or check out this little teaser for Human Matrix home study. Best part is if you attend the live course you’ll get this bad boy for free! Sign up for updates regarding the release. No commitment required! * indicates required Email Address * First Name Here’s a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 3 hours and 50 pages of content, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies: [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Get learning goodies and more”]

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How to Build an Online Service, Training Obese Clients, and Building Relationships

Online services in our industry are still a little bit of a gray area. The logistics are uncertain, and how in the heck can we train or help someone from a movement perspective over the internet? That’s what this outstanding conversation between myself, Michelle Boland  (Instagram: mboland18), and Erik Kreuger.   Below are the list of topics that we cover:   What an online assessment for rehab and training looks like How to elicit behavior change How to stay consistent Productivity systems I have in place Training obese clients and so much more Enjoy!, and check out the transcripts below (work in progress)   or the audio-only version The difference between in-person and online consultations Erik Kreuger: Zac. Talk to me about your overall philosophy. How does it differ between working with someone in person to working with somebody online. You can start with the rehab side and then go to the training and performance side or wherever you would like to start. Zac Cupples: The Philosophy is really the same, but the methods are different. I’m trying to intervene in as many ways possible that are non-invasive. If you look at my interventional model–social support, movement, nutrition, distress management, and sleep–all being ways we can intervene still rings true whether I’m seeing someone in person or or online. And it’s about manipulating all those variables to help meet that client’s goal. Now the big difference between online and in person is I can’t touch people online. So as I tell

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Perfect Posture, Excessive Knee Bend, and SFMA – Movement Debrief Episode 68

Movement Debrief Episode 68 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 perfect posture? Why do extension-based exercises not improve posture? How does respiration impact default posture? Why would the back knee bend in a yoga pose when it needs to be straight? What is occurring when we see knee bend when the hip is placed into extension? What can we do to rectify this issue? What are my thoughts on the SFMA? Why do I not use the SFMA? What is my current thought process instead? If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook . They air every Wednesday at 7pm CST. Enjoy! and the audio version…                  Here were the links I mentioned: Check out Human Matrix promo video below Below are some testimonials for the class Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: December 8th-9th, Charleston, SC February 2nd-3rd, 2019, New Providence, NJ (early bird ends January 4th) SIGN UP FOR THE REVOLUTION featuring myself, Pat Davidson, and Seth Oberst February 9th-10th in Boston. MA A bunch of stuff on improving posture can be found here. Here is a debrief on occlusion. Below is a picture of the high lunge pose Here is the hip separation debrief. Below is an activity that I use to improve hip separation. Here is the hip

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October 2018 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 October. 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!”]

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Hip Separation, Spinal Extension, and Too Much Serratus? Movement Debrief Episode 67

Movement Debrief Episode 67 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 hip separation? Why is hip separation necessary? How does one go about coaching hip separation? Do I teach clients to extend the spine? What is the role of serratus anterior? Can we have too much serratus anterior? What do we need for a good relationship between the scapula and the thorax? If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook . They air every Wednesday at 7pm CST. Enjoy! and the audio version…                  Here were the links I mentioned: Check out Human Matrix promo video below Below are some testimonials for the class Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: Portland, OR on November 10-11  December 8th-9th, Charleston, SC (early bird ends November 11th) February 2nd-3rd, 2019, New Providence, NJ (early bird ends January 4th) SIGN UP FOR THE REVOLUTION featuring myself, Pat Davidson, and Seth Oberst February 9th-10th in Boston. MA Bill Hartman Lucy Hendricks Hip Extension Debrief Below is the wall stride technique Below is a picture of serratus anterior from a superior view Here’s a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 3 hours and 50 pages of content, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies: [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Get learning goodies and more”]  

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Infrasternal & Infrapubic Angles, and Improving Movement & Breathing Strategies

Want to learn about breathing? How it impacts movement? What are my thoughts are on the FMS? You’ll learn that and more on The Gamut of Peformance Podcast that I was recently featured on. A great podcast hosted by my boi Juan Perez, who you’ll definitely want to check out. Click below to give it a listen, and check out some of the links that we discussed as well. GPP Episode 26: Zac Cupples- Infrasternal/ Infrapubic Angle, and Improving Movement & Breathing Strategies Here is a link on things asymmetrical infrasternal angle-related Here is some stuff on the infrapubic angle Learn about the infrasternal angle here Here is some stuff on narrow infrasternal angles Here is a good overview on breathing mechanics Here is a legendary infrasternal angle post by my boi and mentee, Mike Kay

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Shoulder Abduction, Chiropractic Adjustments, and Ending Passive Care – Movement Debrief Episode 66

Movement Debrief Episode 66 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: How does one go about improving shoulder abduction? What are my thoughts on adjustments or manipulations? Could adjustments potentially create laxity over time? When could these techniques prove useful? How do I get patients out of the “I need to be fixed” mindset? How do I encourage patients to buy in to an active approach to their recovery? If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook or Instagram. They air every Wednesday at 7pm CST. Enjoy! and the audio version…                  Here were the links I mentioned: Check out Human Matrix promo video below Below are some testimonials for the class Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: Portland, OR on November 10-11  December 8th-9th, Charleston, SC (early bird ends November 11th) February 2nd-3rd, 2019, New Providence, NJ (early bird ends January 4th) SIGN UP FOR THE REVOLUTION featuring myself, Pat Davidson, and Seth Oberst February 9th-10th in Boston. MA If you want to learn about all the things thorax-wise that I talked about, go here Spinal Manipulation Institute If you’d like an older rendition on chiropractic adjustments, then check it out here. The Mechanisms of Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Comprehensive Model Unraveling the Mechanisms of Manual Therapy: Modeling an Approach.

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Cervical Retraction, Neutral Spine, and Lateralization – Movement Debrief Episode 65

Movement Debrief Episode 65 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 my opinion on cervical retraction to fix forward head posture? Why does someone assume a forward head or military posture? How do these postures impact airway? How ought we address head posture? What is my opinion on neutral spine during lifting? What is lateralization within the human body? Which direction are humans lateralized? What can be done to manage lateralization? If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook or Instagram. They air every Wednesday at 7pm CST. Enjoy! and the audio version…                  Here were the links I mentioned: Check out Human Matrix promo video below Below are some testimonials for the class Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: Kansas City, KS on October 27-28th  Portland, OR on November 10-11  December 8th-9th, Charleston, SC (early bird ends November 11th) February 2nd-3rd, 2019, New Providence, NJ (early bird ends January 4th) SIGN UP FOR THE REVOLUTION featuring myself, Pat Davidson, and Seth Oberst February 9th-10th in Boston. MA Kinematics of the human mandible for different head postures. Here is the ribcage pumphandle mechanics debrief Here is the rectus abdominis debrief The lumbar and sacrum movement pattern during the back squat exercise. Bill Hartman Here is some information on the right hand rule of physics

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How to Teach Kids to Skip

I’ve been seeing a lot of kiddos lately who have leg injuries. Once we’ve gone through lower level rehab activities, it’s time to start our jumping program. Need to expose these young ones to some explosive activity after all. Typically, I start most jump programs skipping. The reason why I start here is because the jump itself is not very high, is relatively low impact, and is a low risk exposure to the stretch shortening cycle. The problem I’ve noticed with most kids nowadays (#getoffmyporch) is that no one learned how to skip. Like, at all. It’s like they’ve skipped skipping or something. Below is the typical problem solving sequence I see kiddos go through when I ask them to skip: Look at left and right hand look at left and right leg Look up and to the side thinking “how am I going to put this together?” Try to move one arm forward, and shake their head no All of a sudden, try to go for the skip and do the same side Phil Collins’ “I Can’t Dance” skip For those of us who are visual, it looks like this: I am deeply saddened at the lack of movement competency our kids have. Our very own CDC tells us that most kids should be able to skip by the age of 5, yet The unskippable kids I work with range from 11 to 16 years old. Can’t skip. What the heck happened? This fundamental movement is essential for our

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