Tag: deadlift

All About the Hinge

Hinging biomechanics, coaching, and programming Movement Debrief Episode 121 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 setlist: What mechanics are involved in hinging? What range of motion restrictions does hinging improve? What are my favorite hinging exercises and when do I prescribe them? What regressions do I use to improve hip extension? How can I improve hinging for different infrasternal angle presentations? What mechanics does the Camporini Deadlift improve? How can a snatch grip RDL improve thoracic spine mobility? What is the foot position for a hinge and how do I coach it?

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Assessing Compensatory Strategies

A deep dive into the practical application of respiratory mechanics When you deep dive into the biomechanics, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds. You are trying to figure out how the scapula moves just so, or what is the big toe doing during this part of the squat…yikes! While greater biomechanical understanding is necessary, it’s not the most important piece. You can never lose sight of how to help your clients. That is the highest priority. Practical application. Which is why I think you’ll love my feature on the Upper Left Performance Podcast. It’s just enough of the details of movement compensations, with heaps of practical application! Topics covered include: What are the two common compensatory strategies people can present with? How does body structure influence one’s ability to move Simple assessments for determining one’s compensatory strategy How to adapt one’s training to maximize movement quality Click here or the link below to tune in! Upper Left Performance #14 Zac Cupples  Image by pisauikan from Pixabay

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Squatting, Breathing, and Sleeping

What does squatting, breathing, and sleeping all have in common? The answer is airway management. In order to squat well, you have to manipulate your spine in a manner that maximizes vertical pelvic displacement. In order to manipulate spinal position, airflow into the upper back is one factor that can change the way you squat. Breathing is also of utmost importance for sleep. Consider the negative effects of sleep apnea. What if there were activities that could improve both of these areas? In my eyes, these activities center around maximizing breathing mechanics and are the centerpiece discussion in an episode of the Portal PT podcast I was featured in. Check out the setlist below. 1:30 Zac’s Story 6:00 Zac’s Experience with Bill Hartman 12:30 When / Why Did Zac Jump Down The Breathing Biomechanic Rabbit Hole 18:00 Stacking, Diaphragms, Biomechanics, Movement Variability 22:30 Where’s The Breathing Research? Clinical Practice Guidelines 31:00 Squat vs. Hinge 36:30 Pain, Manual Therapy, Blood Flow, and Movement Variability 44:00 Myofunctional Therapy, Upper Airway Resistance, and Sleep 47:00 Zac’s Patient and Their Changes 49:00 Oxygen Advantage & Mouth Taping While Sleeping, Exercise Endurance, Resting Heart Rate 54:00 Dreaming, Sleep Studies, and Quality of Sleep 57:00 Improving Nasal Breathing and Changes in Facial Structure and Musculature 59:00 Proactive Care in Children 1:00:00 What is The Worst Fitness Advice Zac Has Ever Received 1:05:00 What Was Zac’s First Exercise Experience and Was it Good or Bad? 1:07:00 What’s Zac’s Number One Source For Research and Education Info If

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Anterior Pelvic Orientation, Breathing During Squats and Deadlifts, and Handstands – Movement Debrief Episode 108

Movement Debrief Episode 108 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 setlist: What is anterior pelvic orientation/tilt? How does this happen with different infrasternal angle presentation? When do I coach breathing sequences within a lift like the squat and deadlift? How does the breathing sequence differ if I am coaching a squat/deadlift for movement options versus max effort? What could a squat be useful at improving movement-wise? How about a hinge? What are the benefits of handstands? How can headstand and handstand variations be used to improve movement options?

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Pulling, Reaching, and Stacking During Big Lifts – Movement Debrief Episode 107

Movement Debrief Episode 107 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 setlist: Should one be hesitant to work on pulling exercises if the goal is to improve movement options? When would the following exercises be useful: lat pulldowns, face pulls, one-arm dumbbell rows? And when should they be avoided? Are band pull apart, Ts, Ys, and Is no-gos? What is reaching at the 0-60 degrees of shoulder flexion useful for? How about 60-120 and 120-180? Does encouraging a posterior pelvic tilt during a squat or a deadlift go against the lifting mechanics or support them?

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How to Maximize Movement and Performance for Young Athletes

Strength and conditioning for young football players is a bit, oh how do I put it…. Outdated When you take young kids who are just starting to figure out their bodies and start benching, squatting, deadlifting, and cleaning with reckless abandon, problems often ensue. Let’s face it, when’s the last time you saw a pretty back squat come from a freshmen in high school? Perhaps this area needs a shift in focus. There is an incredible amount of research showing that beginners can get fitness improvements with just about anything, so why not teach kids to master movement fundamentals? Why go for the bazooka when a handgun will work just fine. This topic is one of many that we discussed on the QB Docs Podcast. Below is the list of topics we covered: We know that starting strength and conditioning at an early age is a myth. What should kids start out doing at an early age? Where does breathing fit into performance? Is breathing a learned skill?How do I know if I’m limited in my breathing ability? How does breathing affect mobility? In what ways? Why is this important for athletes? What does hyperinflation mean for performance of the athlete? What are the specific implications for a rotational athlete such as a QB? For the high school athlete out there that is struggling with some basic movement skills,what would your advice be for him/her? Do we really have to perfect the bodyweight squat before we load the movement? The

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Pelvic Dynamics, Lower Back Weakness, and Finances – Movement Debrief Episode 103

Movement Debrief Episode 103 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 are the inhaled and exhaled orientations of the pelvis? What movement strategies would you use to improve dynamics of each orientation? How often is each orientation found? Why might clients feel lower back weakness? Is there a time when you work on lower back strength? How do you educate clients who say they have lower back weakness? What are some of the key financial areas to focus on as a new grad? What are some good financial resources?

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Deadlift Stance, Measuring Hip Rotation, and Hemorrhoids – Movement Debrief Episode 102

Movement Debrief Episode 102 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 does the infrasternal angle (ISA) relate to deadlift stance? Which ISA presentation are typically better deadlifters? How can I select the most effective deadlift stance What’s the difference between measuring hip rotation in sitting, prone, and supine? What are hemorrhoids? What may be a mechanical cause for hemorrhoids? What movement limitations may be present? How can I go about improving hemorrhoids?

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A Consistent Approach to Coaching Course Review

You can take a seminar on just about any topic in our industry…except one. Coaching. How is it that something so fundamental to what we do as movement professionals is rarely taught? Knowledge of autonomics, anatomy, and business are meaningless if you don’t possess the ability to coach. Lucy Hendricks and Michelle Boland have filled this gap in a major way. Both are expert level coaches who work in the private sector, and have created a much needed seminar titled “A Consistent Approach to Coaching: Fundamental Positions & Exercises.” This one-day seminar focused exclusively on coaching and cueing several exercises used to establish a movement baseline in the gym. What’s unique about this seminar is its 100% hands-on aspect. You’ll not only get coached on how to move effectively, but you’ll practice coaching the other attendees. If you need a seminar that is going to change what you do on Monday without the need for a complete overhaul, this is the one. Let’s check out the highlights. Having a Consistent Approach A consistent approach both simplifies coaching and creates continuity among trainers. If movement and cues stay similar across all clients, then coaching can become more streamlined. Most skill acquisition innately has feedback systems in place to inform of success or failure. If you are playing a musical instrument, you hit the wrong tune and the song is awful. In basketball, you either get buckets or your jumper is sorry AF. What feedback is there for training? Weights can be

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You Probably Aren’t Really Squatting

Can improving your movement options and all this breathing stuff help with muscle growth?This is the fundamental question that myself, Ben House, and Ryan L’Ecuyer sought to answer on his most recent Bro Research Radio. In this podcast, we discuss all types of wild and crazy things. Some of my favorite topics were: Why you likely hinge when you squat The relationship between hypertrophy and movement variability Is it worthwhile modifying your main lifts How ego can negatively impact muscle gains Why it’s ok to break professional lanes and so much more Ben and Ryan are some of the foremost experts on hypertrophy, nutrition, and strength that I know. They are my go-to guys for improving body composition, and our peeps I readily seek advice from in this realm. You do not want to miss out on the conversation between the three of us. Click the link below to give it a listen. Bro Research Radio Episode 9 with Dr. Zac Cupples – You Probably Aren’t Really Squatting Where are your hypertrophy struggles? Comment below and let the fam know!

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June 2019 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 June. 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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