Category: All Things Performance

Frequently Asked Questions

Over the last year I’ve been asked a bunch of questions, and I’ve tried to answer them immediately. Instead of sifting through all my Movement Debriefs to get your answer, maybe you just want to get a quick answer and then go apply what you learned. Or maybe you can only stand listening to me for so long. I GET IT! Well, look no further. Below is a link to every question that I have answered thus far on my Movement Debriefs. While I won’t continually update this post, going to my FAQ page will be updated after each debrief. If you have a question, just sign up for my newsletter, and when the next email comes by, just hit reply and I will do my darndest to answer yours. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Yeah, I want Zac to A my Q”] Learn away my fam! Continuing Education   PRI vs. DNS Exercise Coaching Anchoring Old Movements to New Coaching Progressions Getting Changes to Stick Home Exercise Execution Lower Body Death of the Vertical Tibia Slideboards Squats Performance Agility Programming Exercise Programming Periodizing Physical Therapy Sessions Upper Body Dead Hangs   Overhead Pressing Pushups vs. Quad Sets   Health and Wellness The Off-Switch Sleeping Tips for New Parents Stress Response Taking care of your health Personal Development Daily Routines Building Daily Routines Deciding What to Learn Just in Time Learning Embracing Failure Detaching Refocusing Check Your Ego The Art of the Debrief Work-Life Balance Professional Development Questions to ask an interviewer New

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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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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):   Shoulder Pain? The Solution & Prevention, Revised & Expanded Here is a video of the

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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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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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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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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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Hip Laxity, Agility, and Smashing Tissues – Movement Debrief Episode 34

Movement Debrief Episode 34 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video and audio for your listening pleasure. Here is the set list: How does we consider a hip relatively lax? Can one be lax and “stuck” into a hip? How do we treat hip laxity? What is agility? How does one become more agile? What drills best develop agility? Can agility be taught? How to prevent a patient or client from falling in love with you What does treating flexible athletes (gymnasts, acrobats) look like? How do I treat a sports hernia? Is “smashing tissues” a useful part of a program? 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 Effect of changes in pelvic tilt on range of motion to impingement and radiographic parameters of acetabular morphologic characteristics. Lessons from a Student: The Interaction Three-dimensional mathematical model for deformation of human fasciae in manual therapy. The Mechanisms of Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Comprehensive Model 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”]     Hip Laxity Agility Preventing Clients from Falling in Love with You Smashing Tissues

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Agility

I utilize a notecard system to help me organize similar material I come across from various resources. My intent is to share and continually update these notecards for you. This notecard is all about teaching the components of agility.  

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Acceleration

I utilize a notecard system to help me organize similar material I come across from various resources. My intent over the next few years is to share and continually update these notecards with you. This notecard is all about building the essential quality of acceleration. Acceleration Mechanics Effective acceleration relies positioning the body to maximize force application into the ground. “The ground is the well from which you draw speed” ~Dan Pfaff There are three keys to acceleration: Rhythm – pace and steps should follow a crescendo (like a slow clap). Rise – There should be an incremental rise in center of mass (like an airplane taking off) Projection – the system continues to go forward1 Trunk Mechanics The most important key to accelerating well is a fast and large first step2. It is this first step, and the distance gained from the first step, that initiates the desirable acceleration crescendo. Keeping the body and shin angle at 45 degrees allows horizontal and vertical forces to merge in a manner that is necessary for acceleration2,3. If short, choppy steps are performed during this phase, then less force is applied into the ground. Lower Extremity Mechanics The leg and toe should stay low to generate push-off in the first few steps, though this is not something we wish to cue4. Some sprint coaches will cue dragging the toe to reinforce position, but this strategy is undesirable. Toe drag increases friction and slows the athlete down2. Equally problematic is staying too low. If

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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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