Author: Zac Cupples

Self-Testing, Postural Evaluation, and Shoulder Impingement – Movement Debrief Episode 41

Movement Debrief Episode 41 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 you self diagnose why a muscle feels tight? What are some good self tests to assess variability can you appear “flexed” in one area but actually be extended? Can we make accurate assessments regarding posture? Why does impingement occur? How does shoulder testing relate to the infrasternal angle? What each of the shoulder tests I look at are attempting to assess? If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook or Instagram.They air every Wednesday at 8joc:30pm CST. Enjoy! and the audio version…                    Here were the links I mentioned: Manual Muscle Testing Debrief Here is the toe touch to squat Infrasternal Angle Overhead vs. Quadruped And the active midstance test Posterior Tilt Pelvic Tilts and Lordosis Check out the Apley’s Scratch Test (don’t mind the adhesions portion) If you want to see trunk rotation, check out Respiration Revisited Illmatic by Nas Usain Bolt Debrief Here is the diamond bear exercise Here is the sidelying pec twist Here is the cable hang courtesy of Lucy Hendricks Bill Hartman   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”] Self-Testing Postural

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Building Routines to Maximize Productivity and Reach Your Goals

I was speaking with one of my mentees, Graham, regarding a debrief I did on routines. I was a bit frustrated, because while I did go into my specific routines, I didn’t get as much into the “why” as I wanted to. Graham said I should just podcast it, so kudos to him for inspiring this talk. I think routines are essential in helping you both maximize productivity and reaching your goals. They take a lot of the guesswork and decision-making out of your day, and allow you to focus on what’s important. If you want some tips and ideas on routines, check out the podcast below, in which we talk about: The two reasons routines are essential Why you need goals to build your routines around Examples of some successful routines I’ve used When to and when not to use automation and routines to continue progressing your goals. Go ahead and check it out, or if you’d rather, you can catch the modified transcript below:                  Here are the links I mentioned: Movement Debrief on Routines Red light bulbs True Dark glasses Modified Transcript   The topic we will talk about today is going to be routines, habits, and priorities. Not in that order; I might mix it up a little bit you know what I’m sizzlin’.

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Acute Pain, Dead Hangs, and Occlusion – Movement Debrief Episode 40

Movement Debrief Episode 40 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 to approach someone with an acute spasm? Can anything be done to improve acute pain syndromes? What should the finishing position be in vertical pulls? Should we “reach” during vertical pulls? Is there a risk of impingement with hanging from a bar? Should we “pack” the shoulder during pullups? What is occlusion and what are the basic types? How does occlusion relate to posture and pain? If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook or Instagram.They air every Wednesday at 7:30pm CST. Enjoy!                  Here were the links I mentioned: Mike Roussell The efficacy of manual joint mobilisation/manipulation in treatment of lateral ankle sprains: a systematic review Ankle manual therapy for individuals with post-acute ankle sprains: description of a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial Meriva Curcumin (it’s more bioavailable than regular; shoot for 2-8g/day) A Randomized, Pilot Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Curcumin in Patients with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis Curcumin: a new paradigm and therapeutic opportunity for the treatment of osteoarthritis: curcumin for osteoarthritis management Fish Oil Bill Hartman Here is an example of a bar hang exercise (the famous one courtesy of Bill Hartman…and yes, I did have hair): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSaCPVLfSHU   Shoulder Pain? The Solution & Prevention, Revised & Expanded Here is a video of

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February 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!”]

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Ulnar Nerve Subluxations, Testing Variability, and Pelvic Tilts and Lordosis – Movement Debrief Episode 39

Movement Debrief Episode 39 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 would the ulnar nerve sublux or the triceps tendon snap? What are the variability patterns of the elbow? How to improve elbow variability to potentially reduce subluxations How did I choose the variability tests that I use? Why did I switch to the Active Midstance Test and Copenhagen Adduction Test? How are infrasternal angle, lumbar spine, and pelvic position related? If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube. They air every Wednesday at 7:30pm CST. Enjoy!                  Here were the links I mentioned: Here is the Active Midstance test: Here is the Copenhagen Adduction Test: Infrasternal Angles and Overhead vs. Quadruped Bill Hartman Large eccentric strength increase using the Copenhagen Adduction exercise in football: A randomized controlled trial Trigger Points and Muscle Chains in Osteopathy 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”] Ulnar Nerve Subluxations Testing Variability Pelvic Tilts and Lordosis

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How Pecs Can Help Shoulder Pain: A Mentorship Session

I recently did a mentorship session with my good friend, movement consultation partner, functional medicine guru, and #bae, Dave Rascoe from Method Strength. Dave and I collaborated on a client of his, and we used one of our mentorship sessions to talk through my decision-making process. We talked about a variety of topics, including theoretical underpinnings that influenced my decisions, the assessment process, exercise selection, and so much more. If you like what you see, want to improve your coaching skills, want to make better clinical decisions with your patients, and so much more, you can join my personalized mentorship program by filling out the form below the video. You can also learn more about the program here. Enjoy the video, and read the case summary and topics mentioned in the talk below to get a glimpse into my thought process.  Fill out the form below to sign up for the mentorship program. Here were a couple links and videos of things discussed in this session. Here are some posts on the infrasternal angle: Infrasternal Angle Overhead vs. Quadruped Diaphragmatic Breathing You can also get the most in-depth discussion on the infrasternal angle by subscribing to my newsletter in the link below: [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Yes, I want to know it all!!!!!”] Here is the glute-biased dorsal rostral thoracic expansion, a great move for people with narrow infrasternal angles and hip external rotation limitations The glute-biased straight leg raise crossovers serve a similar purpose,  as the above activity, only adding a

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Getting Changes to Stick, Abdominals Explained, and Posterior Pelvic Tilts – Movement Debrief Episode 38

Movement Debrief Episode 38 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 long does it take for changes desired by exercises to stay? How long do I keep someone on the same movement? What influence do the abdominal muscles have on ribcage position? How can we change position of the body to bias particular abdominal muscles? How to address rib flares Why and when should you cue a posterior tilt? What are some good way to cue a posterior tilt? If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube. They air every Wednesday at 7:30pm CST. Enjoy!                    Here were the links I mentioned: Infrasternal Angles and Overhead vs. Quadruped Respiration Revisited Excerpt from Pat Davidson’s Rethinking the Big Patterns (you can also check out the course review here) The Squatting Bar Reach: A Movement Deep Dive How to Deadlift: A Movement Deep Dive Enhancing Life Method Strength Andy McCloy Trevor LaSarre James Fryer 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”] Getting Changes to Stick Abdominals Explained Posterior Pelvic Tilts

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Social Media Resources

I was asked recently about how I utilize social media.  Namely, who I follow, why I follow them, so on and so forth. Up front, I do the best I can to limit my time on these platforms exposure. As we all know, it is very easy to get sucked into a rabbit hole of walls, posts, cats of Instagram hashtags, etc. Before you know it, it’s been four hours and you missed the most recent episode of “Days of Our Lives.” Secondary to the inevitable timewarp that you can be pulled into on social media, I utilize each platform with various goals in mind. This helps me stratify my consumption, and provide me the most relevant information.

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Diaphragmatic Breathing, Overhead Pressing, and Plantar Fasciitis – Movement Debrief Episode 37

Movement Debrief Episode 37 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video and audio for your listening pleasure. Here is the set list: What is diaphragmatic breathing? What is diaphragmatic breathing not? What are some simple ways to coach diaphragmatic breathing? What are some strategies for those who struggle with simple in through the nose and out through the mouth? What does it take to ensure someone can safely overhead press? What do I look for from a mechanics standpoint on an overhead press? What cues are relevant for ribcage position? How does visceral fat impact achieving a zone of apposition? What is happening with plantar fasciitis? What causes plantar fasciitis? How can you treat plantar fasciitis? How can you help clients work around plantar fasciitis? If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube. They air every Wednesday at 7:30pm CST. Enjoy!                    Here were the links I mentioned: Bill Hartman Infrasternal Angles and Overhead vs. Quadruped Starting Strength Hruska Clinic 2018 Shoe List Heel wedges Arch Supports 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”]   Diaphragmatic Breathing Overhead Pressing Visceral Fat & Zone of Apposition Plantar Fasciitis

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Kettlebell Mashup 2018 Course Review

I recently attended a wonderful kettlebell instruction class put on by the folks at Ice Chamber Gym in the Bay Area. This course was taught by none other than my boi Jimmy Yuan (who teaches every class ever, an incredibly sharp cat), my new boi Steven Khuong (the cat behind Ice Chamber), and Jen Cord (a freaky good kettlebell athlete). This course compared and contrasted the two most popular styles of kettlebell training: Hardstyle and Girevoy Sport (GS), teaching how to perform movements within each technique. I am familiar with some of the Hardstyle methods, but never even heard of GS. Attempting the movements were a little, ahem, awkward for me, but I found this style of training to be quite rewarding. All of the instructors were excellent at their craft, and I definitely learned some great technical tips to performing many of the kettlebell movements. Take a class from these peeps has my strongest recommendation. Go ahead and check out the video review below, then get into them notes to get your learn on. A pre-apology, I’m still learning some of the moves, so my technique is not perfect. I tried to use videos from the class itself (Kudos to Ice Chamber to letting me use), but unfortunately I did not film in landscape mode. Fam ain’t perfect (but close).

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PTAs, Scoliosis Fusion, and Daily Routines – Movement Debrief Episode 36

Movement Debrief Episode 36 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video and audio for your listening pleasure. Here is the set list: How should a PTA approach clinicals and going into the field What traits make for a great PTA? How should PTs utilize PTAs? What ideas do I have for a person with a R sacroiliac joint fusion who has severe scoliosis and presents with migraines and headaches What are my routines like in the morning, evening, writing and more If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube. They air every Wednesday at 7:30pm CST. Enjoy!                    Here were the links I mentioned: Bill Hartman Trigger Points and Muscle Chains in Osteopathy (page 49) Pat Davidson’s Rethinking the Big Patterns Course Review The 4-Hour Work Week Extreme Ownership The Obstacle is the Way The Ego is the Enemy The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Philips Light Oxygen Advantage 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”]   PTAs Scoliosis Fusion Daily Routines

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January 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!”]

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