Category: All Things Performance

Knee Pain & Modalities – Movement Debrief Episode 24

Movement Debrief Episode 24 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video and audio for your listening pleasure. Here were all the topics: What ACL graft should you get? What does the systemic process look like for knee pain? What local factors are important for knee pain? the importance of plyometrics for knee pain Is there a place for modalities? What modalities I incorporate into my practice 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 Enhancing Life Darkside Strength Adam Bryant PRI Impingement and Instability Course Notes Here is the Active Midstance Test Here’s the Copenhagen Adduction Test Bill Hartman A Randomised Controlled Trial of ‘Clockwise’ Ultrasound for Low Back Pain E-Stim and BFR Perioperative Pain and Swelling Control in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Dry Needling 1 Course Notes 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”]   Knee Pain Modalities

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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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Help Any Client Achieve Their Goals

I recently did a little spot on IFAST University regarding how I approach, assess, and progress people along the physical activity continuum. Read the little intro  below, and if you want to watch the video, click on the picture or the link. As a bonus, I put together a little PDF outlining how I improve the movement variability side of physical activity. If you sign up for IFAST University, you’ll get access to it. Without further adieu, here is the post. The Four Step Process to Address Movement Limitations I’m in the business of creating change, but — as you know — that stuff is HARD TO DO. How do you simplify the process? I like to outline things. When thoughts have a directional flow, it’s easier to keep everything straight. So I have to ask myself questions about each and every situation. What kind of person is in front of me? And what am I going to do with him or her? In this post, I’ll outline my process of helping people achieve their health and performance goals. We’ll discuss:The 4 areas where we can start creating change My main area of focus: physical activity The 4 steps physical activity Each step from my physical therapy view Each step from my performance coach view My progression for mobility The 3 active mobility tests I use Testing for arm motion with lower body tests Runners who get pain after they run 5 miles Patients who get back pain after they

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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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Resilient Movement Foundations Course Review

I recently had the pleasure of attending a class put on by my fellas at Resilient Performance Physical Therapy. I went to this course for a few reasons. First off, I of course support the home team. I can’t even front, Douglas Kechijian, Trevor Rappa, Greg Spatz, and I go way back, and are very much related through IFAST family and directly (Doug is my younger older brother, Trevor is my son, and Greg is my stepson #dysfunctionalfamily). That said, there is were a couple big things I wanted to take away from this course, which I did in spades: Mastering basic movement Program design In these two areas, the Resilient fellas delivered in spades. Knowing what good technique is in the basic movement patterns, how to coach, and how to regress, are all underappreciated topics that these guys teach quite well. So should you take this course? An emphatic hell yes. I give a more indepth review as to why in the video below, so go ahead and check that out. Once you got the verdict, check out my favorite takeaways in the course notes, and then for the love of God sign up for a course of theirs! Click here to check out the Resilient Seminar Page

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Knee Mechanics During the Bodyweight Squat

A Note from Zac This week we have a guest post brought to you from my boi Benjamin Fergus, a Chiropractor friend of mine, who sent me an incredibly comprehensive video on squat mechanics. I first met Ben at a DNS course way back in the day, and he was a pretty sharp kid then. Having watched this video, I can see that his knowledge base has only grown. In this spot, Ben goes over the mechanics of the bodyweight squat, and I think you folks will tremendously appreciate his explanation of what is occurring at the knee. Once you’ve finished watching the video, check his stuff out at GRIP Approach. You won’t be mistaken. Enjoy! ~Zac The Knee’s Position in the Squat This overview of the ‘Complex Movements of the Knee Complex’ is not intended to tell you the right way to squat, but rather to show what is happening with the anatomy during movement and why. It also will show you how to read/name the movements with observation from the side and front. Here on earth gravity is king in a squat. We like to keep the line of gravity and center of mass (COM/COG) situated over the midfoot. All variations of the squat can be seen as unique attempts to move our mass closer to the ground while keeping the COM over the midfoot. There are no rights or wrongs named in this video, just a look at the possibilities of joint motion. What does ‘ knee internal

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September in 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 Much of our successes and failures can be linked back to the habits we have. I noticed many times this past month that ineffective habits I had picked up were hampering my progress and productivity. One simple change (eliminating a to-do list, blocking out time to do things) was a complete game changer for me. If you are doing something you don’t like, how do your habits keep you falling into that trap? Quote of the Month “Quality is not an act. It is a habit.” ~ Aristotle Very much linked to the above lesson. We need quality to become automatic, and who better to illustrate this than an O.G. like Aristotle. Hike of the Month This was a tough decision to make on multiple fronts. This month I hiked four National Parks, saw a National Monument, and did all types of ill stuff. Though Sequoia National Park will forever hold a dear place in my heart, Yosemite was hands down one of

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All Gain, No Pain Foreword

All Gain, No Pain  releases today. If you haven’t grabbed your copy of it yet, what the heck are you waiting for? ALL GAIN, NO PAIN   I had the honor and pleasure to write the foreword for this excellent book, which Bill has so graciously let me reprint. You can read it below, and if it doesn’t inspire you to grab Bill’s new book, what will? Foreword “Good morning!” He had that shit-eating grin on his face. The type of smile you see when your parents found out something you didn’t want them to know. That smile you saw right before your untimely demise. I knew damn well what that smile meant. Back then I was Bill’s student. A quiet, shy, and uncertain kid. After doing a deal with the Mafia to find his email, offering up my future first born to learn from him, and signing a blood oath, I somehow convinced Bill to accept me as his physical therapy intern. This was like meeting a rock star! Bill was all over Men’s Health magazine, T-Nation—the type of stuff young bucks like me were reading to get ahead of the curve. The last thing I wanted to do was let the guy down. Then I overslept. Stressed, frantic, and brushing only my front teeth, I made it to the clinic 30 minutes late. Only to be absolutely destroyed by that smile—a look that will forever be burned into my brain. I apologized, he mildly scolded me, and we

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All Gain, No Pain Book Review

For those of you who don’t know, my colleague, mentor, friend, and Daddy-O Pops Bill Hartman is about to release his upcoming book All Gain, No Pain. Though the book is targeted to those over 40 who are getting back into fitness either post-rehab or in pain, it includes an incredible amount of valuable content for just about anyone. If you want a lesson in physiology, breathing, variability, and stress, this book has it. If you want an excellent plan to get jacked, a plan that got me (not over 40 and not in pain) under 10% body fat for the first time in my life, this book has it. If you want tips, strategies, and rituals that’ll help you live a better life, this book has it. In spades in fact. Though I’m biased (I wrote the foreword and edited the book), it is one of the most comprehensive self-betterment books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I want to extend that pleasure to you. The book releases this Monday, 9/25/17, on Amazon.com. But what if I told you if you act now you could snag a free copy? Yes, I said free!!! F….R….E…E #free It might be the best free thing you ever get. If you want a free copy of this absolutely outstanding book, click the link below to be directed to Bill’s website. Sign up, and you’ll get your free copy when this great read releases.   ALL GAIN, NO PAIN   If my stamp

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Squats, the (F)Utility of Research, Total Knees, and Pain vs. Suffering – Movement Debrief Episode 18

Just in case you missed last night’s Movement Debrief Episode 18, here is a copy of the video and audio for your listening pleasure. in this debrief, I was stumped! Andrew from Facebook asked a phenomenal question on the biomechanics of the squat, which led to great discussion on what it means and takes to squat.  Great contributions from Dani and Jonathan to the discussion. Here were all the topics: How I use research Influences on full knee extension and flexion post-operatively Changing perception of rehab post-total knee arthroplasty The problems with chasing pain Pain vs. suffering What is squatting, what it means, and the biomechanicsIf you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube. They air every Wednesday at 8:30pm CST. Enjoy.                  Here were the links I mentioned tonight Pain and Stress in a Systems Perspective: Reciprocal Neural, Endocrine and Immune Interactions On the (f)utility of pain Subscribe to the debrief on Itunes Join my mentorship program, get a movement consultation, or let me design an online fitness program for you. 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”] The (F)Utility of Research Total Knees Pain vs. Suffering Squats  

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The Derek Hansen Speed Seminar

It turns out the Hamptons isn’t just a place to live large. It’s also a place where great learning can take place. That is exactly what recently happened when me and my boizzz arranged a 1-day seminar with sprint coach extraordinaire, Derek Hansen. For those who don’t know, Derek is one of the best sprint coaches in Canada, and had spent 10 years learning from THE Charlie Francis. He is a wealth of knowledge in many areas, but the course focus was on all things sprinting, speed, acceleration, and periodization. The setup we arranged was very unique. We watched Derek coach three different athletes on sprint mechanics, and watching the man work was quite remarkable. His ability to find the right cue, verbiage, and drill to attain improved sprint mechanics was remarkable. He is definitely an artist at his craft. Point being, if you get a chance to hear the man speak, do so. You won’t regret it. Without further ado, here are the notes. [Note – I am not the best sprinter in the world, so bear with me on the videos]

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