Health and Performance Made Ridiculously Simple
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 July. 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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I recently had the opportunity to attend a strength and conditioning retreat hosted by none other than the legendary Ben House at his Flo Retreat Center. The retreat consisted of a morning filled with meditating, writing, thinking, and of course learning. Afternoons were time to bro down with fellow bros at the beach, on hikes, and exploring all the wonders that Costa Rica has to offer. The experience was life changing for me. Very rarely do I get a chance to be a part of a community like we had in Costa Rica, especially as a mercenary PT. I had the opportunity to learn from great people, share phenomenal moments, and make new friendships that I hope last a lifetime. If you want to get schmarter, meet amazing people, or simply get away from the riggers of a overconnected environment, I strongly encourage you to sign up for one of these retreats. I’m hoping to be there again next year. Without further adieu, if you want some knowledge bombs from the heavy hitters who were there, check out the review below.
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Movement Debrief Episode 52 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 a rib flare? How can rib flares be improved? What is the posterior mediastinum? What is moving when we seek posterior thorax expansion? What tests and interventions can be used in regards to posterior thorax expansion? How far have we come from the FMS/SFMA? What have we learned from the FMS/SFMA? What should we be addressing now instead of the FMS/SFMA? 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: Sign-up for the Human Matrix in Seattle, WA on September 15-16th here Sign up for the Human Matrix in Kansas City, KS on October 27-28th here Sign-up for the Human Matrix in Portland, OR on November 10-11 here Here is a move for a narrow infrasternal angle a wide infrasternal angle An asymmetrical infrasternal angle Mechanics of the respiratory muscles Here is the posterior thorax expansion activity I like courtesy of Lucy Hendricks. 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”]
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Below is a preview of a talk I gave in Costa Rica all about ribcage and respiratory mechanics. It’s a bit of a sneak preview for my upcoming seminar, The Human Matrix. Go ahead and give the talk a watch. If you want to see the full 80 minute talk, sign up for my newsletter below. If you really want to learn how to apply these concepts to help your patients and clients reach their goals, sign up for The Human Matrix Seminars below. Enjoy! (Warning, there are just a couple swear words here and there, no F-bombs though. It was a bro retreat, please be understanding) [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ title=”1″ submit=”Yes! I want to listen to the full 80 minute talk!”] Sign-up for the Human Matrix in Seattle, WA on September 15-16th here Sign up for the Human Matrix in Kansas City, KS on October 27-28th here Sign-up for the Human Matrix in Portland, OR on November 10-11 here Photo Credits Mike T. Nelson
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I decided to get out of my comfort zone, and attended the health conference, PaleoFx. This conference covered a wide variety of topics and products, ranging from stem cells to pesticides, and everything in between. I appreciate the approach that most people in this domain take towards health and wellness, and being here made me realize both how important nutrition is, and how little I know about the topic. I look forward to diving more into this domain over the next several years. Check out the video review, then read my course notes below.
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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 become a master of understanding and affecting movement systemically, building up your client’s movement repertoire from the ground up and better than ever before. What you’ll learn when you Enter the Human Matrix ■ The impact maximizing movement variability can have on your clients. ■ How to normalize range of motion of the entire body to both reduce pain and improve how your clients move with a few simple movements. ■ How to integrate breathing into your practice to reduce your clients’ pain and improve their ability to move. ■ How to effectively coach squatting, deadlifting, pushing, pulling, and more to build the fitness and resiliency of your clients. ■ How to coach speed, agility, and power training to take your client’s performance to the next level. Course Outline Here is the tentative schedule of this two day seminar Day 1 9:30-10:30am: Model and Theory 10:45am-12:30pm: Axial Skeleton and Respiration 12:30pm-1:30pm: Lunch 1:30pm-3:00pm: Axial Skeleton Variability Assessment and Treatment 3:15pm-4:45pm: Pelvic Variability Assessment and Treatment 5-6:30pm: Putting the thorax and pelvis together Day 2 8:30am-10am: Variability Review 10:15am-12:30pm: Power Establishment – Mastering fundamental movement patterns 1:30pm-3:30pm: Power
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I recently had someone ask me about how I get people to do their exercises on the regular at home. Let’s face it, it can be challenging to have clients succeed if they are not doing the stuff they need to do at home. Only so much can be accomplished in the small portion of time we as clinicians and coaches spend with our clients. If you follow the steps I have in the podcast and transcript below, you can see home exercise program execution increase substantially. Enjoy! Modified Transcript We’re going to talk about designing and executing an effective home exercise program that helps your clients reach their goals. A lot of the keys are on you, my friend; regardless of if you are a coach, clinician, trainer, or nutritionist. I don’t care what you are! If you want your people moving effectively, and you use movement to help them reach their goals, this one’s for you. Educate on why the home program is important The first key, first and foremost, is education. You have to educate your people as to why doing activity X is important, and how is it going to help them reach their goals. Many times you will give an activity in a home exercise program that does not seem related whatsoever to the offending activity. How is this breathing activity going to help me get to the mailbox without pain? How is activity B going
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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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Movement Debrief Episode 33 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video and audio for your listening pleasure. Here is the set list: Do I use clinical practice guidelines and treatment-based classification system for managing patients? How much time do I devote to developing specific qualities in a typical physical therapy session? Where are muscle imbalances prioritized on my program design? Is there validity in testing specific muscles based on work/sport specific demands? 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: Clinical Practice Guidelines Neck Pain Treatment-Based Classification System Treatment-Based Classification System for Low Back Pain: Revision and Update Practical Pain Education How to Design a Comprehensive Rehabilitation Program Thoughts on Manual Muscle Testing Rocketbook 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”] Clinical Practice Guidelines Periodizing Sessions Muscle Imbalances
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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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Respiration, and how it impacts movement, is a topic of dear interest to me. I scoured a bunch of resources to better understand how this process works, and I figured I’d record a talk on how I am applying these concepts. Basically, I do the work, you reap the results #tistheseason Here were some of the topics I discussed in this talk: The anatomy of respiration The physiology of respiration Alterations in physiology and anatomy as respiratory demands increase How to simply assess how movement is affected by respiration Easy to implement treatments to favorably impact movement If you want immediate access to the remainder of the nearly 90 minute talk, and a FREE 27 page PDF file of my talk notes, fill out the form below. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Yes, a free talk and notes sounds like a sweet deal”] Without further adieu, here is the first 30 minutes of the talk.
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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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