Category: Personal Development & Learning

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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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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Why is There an Injury Epidemic in the NBA

Even though I am no longer in the league, I still follow what’s going on in the NBA to a degree. And this weekend was a weekend loaded with season-ending injuries. First, you have Demarcus Cousins go down with an achilles rupture, then you have Andre Roberson go down with a patellar tendon tear, and then my boi Mike Conley is out for the season with heel surgery. The NBA is a tough league. Since the Cousins injury occurred first, I wanted to give you my initial thoughts as to when it happened. Having witnessed an achilles tear occur this with a player I worked with, it’s something you never wish upon anyone. For those who don’t know, Demarcus is the stud center for the New Orleans Pelicans. He has a very cool style of play where he can battle in the post, drive with mad handles, hit the three ball, pass, and is a rebounding monster. He has also been having one of his best years yet. What he’s not known for is being this ripped physical specimen, a level headed player, or one who is in the best shape. When he came into the league, he was hovering at about 16.3% bodyfat, which for some odd reason is  a stat many teams obsess over1. Let’s now take a look at his injury mechanism.

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Speeches, Hip Openers, and PRI vs DNS – Movement Debrief Episode 32

Movement Debrief Episode 32 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video and audio for your listening pleasure. Here is the set list: How do I organize a talk or course? How do I get speaking engagements? Should we be performing hip openers? How do I integrate PRI and DNS into rehab and performance? Is there a dichotomy between PRI and DNS? Why we need to transcend commercial models What things I am learning now Why a clamshell won’t destroy Usain Bolt   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: Explain Pain Supercharged Slideology Sign up for my newsletter to access my Practical Pain Education and Respiration Revisited talk [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Oh, free talks sound cool”] Ben Fergus guest post on squatting Effect of Changes in Pelvic Tilt on Range of Motion to Impingement and Radiographic Parameters of Acetabular Morphologic Characteristics An Anatomic Investigation of the Obers Test Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong  Oxygen Advantage Enhancing Life Method Strength Andy Mccloy  Trevor LaSarre 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”]   Speeches Hip Openers PRI vs DNS

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December 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 December 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!”] Biggest Lesson of the Month I’ve been thinking a lot about generalism and specialism. Becoming a generalist involves implementing things with an individual that intend to have systemic effects, whereas the specialist implements things that intend to have a specific effect. Think about encouraging your clients to sleep effectively, eat more vegetables, and move effectively. Implementing these three strategies will lead to system-wide effects first and foremost, and may impact a specific goal that you have. These are the tools of a generalist On the flipside, consider a surgical procedure, medication, etc. These modalities have a higher likelihood of meeting a specific goal first and foremost, but the system-wide effect is less certain. Though upon careful reflection on this thought, really anything we implement as a generalist or specialist is riddled with uncertainty. Both types of practitioners are necessary to maximize health, longevity, and/or performance. Quote of the Month “Ego is about who’s right. Truth is about what’s right.” ~Mike Maples Jr Ego is something I’ve been working on getting

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Recommended Resources

I oftentimes get asked what resources I recommend. The resources listed below have been essential at putting me down the path that I am currently going, and have shaped how I practice today. The cool thing about this list? None of these are set in stone. If I find a better resource, or one of the blogs I recommend starts to resonate with me less, it leaves the list (no pressure). I want to give you guys the most up-to-date resources as humanly possible, so please check back here frequently. If you’d like articles and such that are tripping my trigger as of late, you may want to sign up for my newsletter. You’ll also get some access to almost 3 hours and 40+ pages worth of exclusive content on pain and breathing. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Oh wow, free stuff? Absolutely!”] Here are my resources: Foundational Sciences Video series Makemegenius – A youtube page dedicated to explaining scientific concepts that a kid could understand. Crashcourse – Another series of short videos explaining complex scientific topics and more in 15 minutes or less. I wish I had this in undergrad. Books Gilroy Atlas of Anatomy – Easily the best paper anatomy atlas you can find in the land. The angles drawn, the clarity of pictures, this atlas has it all. Wait until you see the subocciptals from the side. #mindblown Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology – Easily the best and most comprehensive physiology textbook in the land, the depth at

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How to Organize Journals, Blogs, and Articles

You wake up, make your bed, do your ahem, bathroom business, then slowly sulk your way to the kitchen to get some coffee brewing. While the good stuff brews, you open up your computer and decide to check what’s going on in the good old internet today. Then it happens. You see 20 new blogs on your blogroll, Facebook has shared 13 different posts that sound unbelievable, but oh wait, check out that tweet showing Tim Ferriss finally interviewed Zac Cupples (#dreaming), and then oh snap, Eminem just dropped another new song on Spotify! And then you accomplish nothing. I see this problem time and time again with many of the mentees that I work with, and I occasionally fall into the trap myself. We see so many interesting articles coming out on a regular basis, and the pull from FOMO is real. With so much to consume and so little time, what are we to do? The short answer: consume at the right time. Yes, the learning process has to involve impeccable timing with consumption. I’ve spoken about just in time learning ad nauseam (here and here), and it is key to both solving problems and retentaining new information. Consuming a cornucopia of random posts, articles, podcasts, and Youtube videos without direction is a recipe for time wasting.  You fleet from one cool article to the next and…oh wait, what was that last article about? We’ve all been there, and the struggle is real. So how do we overcome this nerd FOMO

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November 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 from this past August. 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!”] Biggest Lesson of the Month Don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t hitting perfection day in and day out. Consistent progress over time is the key. There have been many days where I wasn’t motivated to stay on task, and faltered. The key to getting back on the proverbial horse the next day was to not beat myself up. Instead, acknowledge that these things happen, understand I’m human, and get after it the next day. You’d be amazed at what this shift in perspective can do. Quote of the Month “Greatness is a lot of small things done daily” ~ MJ Demarco MJ Demarco again takes the cake this month. This quote made me reflect a lot on just how many small, quality habits, can make an impact on life. What small things can you do to become great? Hike of the Month A late steal this month, but got a chance to check out Death Valley National Park. I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this

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My Feature on Mike Robertson’s Physical Preparation Podcast

I was recently featured on my boi Mike Robertson’s Physical Preparation Podcast. It was quite surreal to be interviewed by a guy who I have tremendous respect for, and who has been a huge influence on me. MR was one of the people who I was initially exposed to when I got into this field. After reading all the cool things he wrote on t-nation, I bought most of his products, became a huge reader of his blog, and applied many of his teachings to my own training. Zac = fanboy. Can you imagine what it was like the first time I met him and Bill at IFAST? Like meeting rockstars, fam. Then he we are, having a conversation as peers. Point being with this story, if there was no Mike Robertson, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. The Life of A Mercenary PT Here were some of the things we discussed in this podcast: How I got started in the world of physical prep. What life is really like in the NBA/D-League, and what it’s like to transition from therapy to performance at the highest level. What skills I was comfortable with, and how he grew and evolved to take his coaching skills to the next level. My biggest struggles in pro sports. Movement Variability: What it is, and why you probably need more of it. What it’s like to transition from the biggest stages in sport, to working in a smaller setting with a more general

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October 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 from this past August. 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!”] Biggest Lesson of the Month Life ought to focus on creating value, for the people you work with, for others, for the world, for yourself. When you create value, rewards will come. Quote of the Month “Common 99% thinking won’t get you uncommon 100% results” ~ MJ Demarco MJ Demarco is becoming one of my favorite authors, and he inspired the biggest lesson above. Hike of the Month I didn’t get much hiking in this past month, namely because I was prepping for my talks in the land of China. However, while in China, my hotel was right next to this really cool park that I walked through frequently. Amazing amalgamation of architecture, flora, and people. Training The Trick to a Perfect Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat My son, Trevor Rappa, gave us a great cue on nailing the rear foot elevated split squat. Perfect for those people who sag into the back leg. Weight Position During the Squat Want to more effectively load the legs when you are

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Iliotibial Band Bullshit, Deciding What to Learn, Hip Internal Rotation, and Structure, function, and pathology – Movement Debrief Episode 23

Movement Debrief Episode 23 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video and audio for your listening pleasure. Here were all the topics (credit Jand80 for the awesome question): Thoughts on the Ober’s test and structures involved Can you stretch the IT band? How to build a thought process The hierarchy of restoring hip motion and where internal rotation fits Do PT’s address structure or function? Are we really testing and seeing pathology? 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 tonight IFAST University An Anatomic Investigation of the Ober’s Test Three-Dimensional Mathematical Model for Deformation of Human Fascia  Enhancing Life Darkside Strength Here’s a signup for my newsletter to get a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies: [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Get learning goodies and more”]   Iliotibial Band Bullshit Deciding What to Learn Hip Internal Rotation Structure, Function, and Pathology

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Continuing Education – The Complete Guide to Mastery Guest Post

Hey all, Won’t be a debrief this week, as I will be in the land of China giving some talks. But I wanted to make you aware of a guest post I did on On Target Publications, one of my favorite resources for all things rehab and training. This site, run by the incredible Laree Draper, simply puts out a ton of awesome material from many of the big names in the industry. Some of my favorites on this site include the great Stu McGill and Gray Cook debate, and the Lorimer Moseley pain video.  The post was a print of my continuing education guide, so go ahead, check it out, and support all the great things Laree is doing for the industry. Continuing Education – The Complete Guide to Mastery

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