Tag: breathing

Basketball Ankle Mobility, Cosmetic Dentistry, and Does Breathing Transfer? – Movement Debrief Episode 73

Movement Debrief Episode 73 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 we improve the ankle mobility of basketball players? What factors go into ankle restriction? What moves do I like to improve ankle mobility in basketball players What’s the difference in pursuing dental work for cosmetic vs health purposes? How much do breathing activities carry over to activities outside of breathwork?

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Treating Scoliosis with Breathing Basics – A Case Study

Have any clients with scoliosis?  Scoliosis can be quite a bugger and have some interesting consequences on an individual’s movement. I bet you feel unsure how to best help them maximize movement. Even though people can have wild and crazy curves,  utilizing a systematic approach that looks at the entire movement system can have profound effects.  I recently had the opportunity to run through a client with Scoliosis during Human Matrix: The Code for Maximal Health and Performance, where I was able to employ some of the skills taught in the class to lead to some nice movement changes. In this case study, you’ll see just how far coaching the basics savagely well can improve someone’s movement. We focused in this case on finding the best position for her to maintain the breathing strategies advocated in the seminar. And the results…well, you’ll just have to tune in and find out.

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Top 10 Posts of 2018

At the end of each year, I like to see what you beautiful…sexy…outstanding people liked. What the fam….recognized (fam). This year, it seems like errbody was loving all of the movement-based work that was discussed. You want practical application as a coach or clinician, you got it! I also loved how all the guest posts I had this year made the top 10. There were some rock solid contributions from my fellow colleagues. Guess I’m going to need more album features if you know what I’m sizzlin’. I want to thank you, the fam, for making 2018 an outstanding year. It has been all the comments, questions, stories, and praise that keeps me outputting content for you. I think we will keep doing this another year. Why not? 😉 But enough rambling. Let’s check out the top 10. First off… 10. The Reckoning: Part Deux Course Review This was an excellent seminar that was run by two of my favorite doctors in the game: Pat Davidson and Ben House. The topics covered were a great variety of areas I needed more exposure in. If you want to learn how our movement limitations are evolutionary, the ins and outs of hypertrophy or fat loss, blood sugar regulation, you’ll just scratch the surface of what this course covered. If you ever get a chance to hear Pat or Ben in person, do so. In fact, you can hear Pat, myself, and Seth Oberst in February.  9. Why You Need Sun Exposure My man Iordan

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Respiration and Posture for Better Sprinting and Lifting

Want to help your clients and athletes perform at a higher level by incorporating breathwork? I recently did a q&a over at Simplifaster, where we discussed all things breathing, performance, and training. Below is a list of the questions I answered: The difference between the breathing patterns seen in strength training and in dynamic athletic performance. How breathing on the ground transfers to what happens when standing and moving around? The top priorities in training an athlete’s trunk and midsection How to deal with common “thoracic spine mobility” deficit in athletes How to use “big lifts” for athletes, squatting and deadlifting, in light of muscle activation and posture How to progress single leg exercise progression Click on the link below to check it out Respiration and Posture for Better Sprinting and Lifting

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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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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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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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Rectus Abdominis, My Movement Limitations, and Stability – Movement Debrief Episode 64

Movement Debrief Episode 64 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: Case study on lower back pain differential diagnosis What is the action of the rectus abdominis? Why is feeling rectus not desirable during breathwork? What muscles should you feel during breathwork? What movement limitations do I have? What measures have I taken to try and improve these limitations? What activities do I use to try and improve those movement limitations? What measures do I plan on taking in the future to improve my health? Our all of our movements and postures governed by stability? If not, what? 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 8th-9th in Boston. MA Building a Success on a Foundation of Failures by Daddy-O Pops Bill Hartman Here is the pump handle debrief Here is

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Treating Back and Hip Pain with Breathing – Live Case Study

Ever have someone who hurts multiple areas, and you are unsure where to start? What if I told you that if you have a systematic approach, these people can be helped in a much easier manner than you’d think. But what if your assessment isn’t where you want it to be? Sounds like a problem, fam. Until now. Today you’ll see me assess a woman with back and hip pain, and I go through my entire assessment, outline my thought process throughout, and show how I coach this woman out of compensatory activities within her exercises. All of these are skills that I will be teaching the fam who are attending Human Matrix: The Code for Maximal Health and Performance. If you want to attend, there are still some sign-ups available for my courses this year: Seattle, WA – September 15-16 Kansas City, MO – October 27-28 Portland, OR – November 10-11 Some of the cool things you will learn in this case study include Why hip rotation is not an immediate decision-maker for exercises How to assess joint laxity so clients don’t fool your assessment Why is the infrasternal angle important for treatment selection How to cue clients out of compensation to enhance exercise effectiveness Why we should we see immediate changes after exercise selection My favorite manual technique for improving narrow infrasternal angles, which can enhance your client’s overall mobility How does the infrasternal angle relate to the infrapubic angle and more Enjoy the video and selected notes

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Learn Normal Respiratory Mechanics from the Human Matrix Manual

Do you… Have patients who hurt multiple areas and are unsure where to start? Have training clients who can’t perform the exercises you want to despite extensive coaching? Want to maximize your client’s movement capabilities better than ever before? Want to know why incorporating breathing into your skillset is exceedingly important? Then welcome to Human Matrix: The Code for Maximizing Health and Performance. A course where you will develop a thorough understanding of how to systemically view and affect movement. By entering the Matrix and affecting movement systemically, building up your client’s movement repertoire from the ground up better than ever before. What you’ll learn when you Enter the Human Matrix How to build a sound movement foundation to increase the exercise variations your clients and patients will be able to do. How to assess your client’s movement capabilities to make precise decisions for improving pain and movement quality. How to normalize range of motion of the entire body to both reduce pain and improve how your clients move with fewer exercises than you have ever needed before. How to effectively coach squatting, deadlifting, pushing, pulling, and more to build the fitness and resiliency of your clients. Course Outline Here is the schedule of this two day seminar: Day 1 9:30-10:30am: Model and Theory 10:45am-12:30pm: Axial Skeleton, Respiration, and Thorax Variability 12:30pm-1:30pm: Lunch 1:30pm-3:00pm:  Thorax Variability 3:15pm-4:45pm: Pelvic Variability 5-6:30pm: Systemic Variability Day 2 8:30am-10am: Systemic variability 10:15am-12:30pm: Power Establishment – Mastering fundamental movement patterns 12:30pm-1:30pm: Lunch 1:30pm-3:30pm: Power Establishment

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