BACK IN THE STATES!!! It's official, I'm back in the wonderful U.S.A! I had an absolute blast over in Austria but it sure is great to be home sweet home. I have much more respect for those that live so far away from family, friends, and loved ones - especially military men and women who spend 12-18 months so far away from home in every sense of the word. It was tough at times, but made a lot of great friends and it was an incredible experience.
One thing that I missed the most from the States was PEANUT BUTTER! I love PB and it's a lot harder to find here in Europe and when you do it's usually pretty expensive. While the States have whole isles dedicated to every kind of PB you can think, in Europe you see a lot more Nutella and maybe on little jar of PB hiding in the corner. So in honor of getting back to my love affair with PB, let's break down what makes PB in it's simplest form... Peanuts... Now more general... nuts and their first cousin seeds. Gonna break down the top 10 nuts/seeds for your performance and health. Sadly peanuts didn't make the list, but PB is still number 1 in my heart. Let's recap the previous Top Lists of food if you missed any of them
Phytonutrients - Natural nutrients in plant sources. Phyto is Greek for plant, and these nutrients can help with many different health issues and help prevent diseases. Some of the major phytonutrients for humans include - flavonoids, glucosinolates, resveratrol, caretonoids, ellagic acid, and phytoestrogens. Overall the more phytonutrients a food has the better it is for us.
Antioxidants - Antioxidants help protect and repair damage done by free radicals. Free radicals can cause damage to our body if they are not kept in check over time. Antioxidants assist in reducing the natural damage done by free radicals.
Ok now to the list... 1. Almonds - Aka Almighty Almonds
We start with the superstar of nut's Almonds. Almonds are well know for providing many health benefits such as reducing risk of heart and cardiovascular disease, full of healthy fats, rich in antioxidants, and great for the skin and eyes. Almonds are a staple in healthy diets, and have been linked to help to lose weight. But this comes with a double-edged sword - Almonds are high in calories and fat (even though it a healthy fat). If you're not careful, 2-3 handfuls can start to add up, and no matter how great almonds are, a calories count.
Tummy Time - Put a small handful in with greek yogurt.
2. Brazil Nuts - Aka Brazil Nuts
photo credit: nikkigsblog.wordpress.com
These big ole boys are not the most well known nut, but their benefits are. They are high in healthy fats, Vitamin E, and selenium. Selenium is often tough to come by in many diets, but just eating 1-2 of these nuts a day will provide you with enough selenium which help prevent artery diseases, liver problems, and certain cancers.
Tummy Time - Make a healthy homemade trail mix of Brazil Nuts, Almonds, Dark Chocolate, Sunflower Seeds.
3. Pistachios - Aka Stupid shells, just give me the good stuff!
Pistachios are the new kids on the block, quickly becoming a favorite snack for many and for good reason. These little green guys are rich in healthy fats, protein, vitamin E, and have a dense mineral supply. Pistachios can help fight cancer, free radicals, and be beneficial for fat loss.
Tummy Time - No better way than to just snack on some. 4. Walnuts - Aka Brain Food
"Brain" Food
What a coincidence that walnuts look like a brain and are great for our brain. They are huge in phytonutrients, antioxidants, and omega 3 fats. It's no wonder that not only does your brain love walnuts, but also your cardiovascular system, immune system, and eat walnuts and reduce your risk of diabetes and certain cancers. While the almond is the Super Star of the nut world; walnuts are the best kept secret.
Tummy Time - Walnuts are great in salads. Only piece of advice with walnuts is to keep the skin on the nut. The skin is where 90% of the phenols are found, so leave it on!
5. Sunflower Seeds - Aka Nector of Baseball
Sunflower seeds aren't just great to chomp on during a baseball game, they are great anytime. Sunflower seeds pack a big punch of vitamin E, B-vitamins, selenium, and magnesium. Because of this, they may help reduce cholesterol, risk of certain cancers, and relax your muscles.
Tummy Time - Keep down those bags of sunflower seeds, but stick to the plain variety as much as possible.
6. Chia Seeds - Aka Chia Ya!
Despite being small, chia seeds pack huge amounts of Omega 3's, iron, magnesium, calcium, antioxidants, and surprisingly protein. It is truly a super food supplying a wide variety of health benefits. If you haven't tried chia seeds yet, then you better start.
Tummy Time - Throw a handful of chia seeds into a super smoothie. 7. Hemp Seeds - Aka Am I gonna get high?
Despite being named hemp and coming from the cannabis family, these little puppies aren't illegal, in fact hemp seeds are one of the most nutritious things you can eat. Full of essential fatty acids, essential amino acids, fiber, antioxidants, and dense vitamin and mineral make-up. These are a great source for athletes to get recommended amino acids and fatty acids, so don't be afraid of the name because hemp seeds are a must for any athlete or health conscious person.
Tummy Time - Sprinkle hemp seeds on top of fresh fruit, or mix it in with PB and spread on fruit.
I <3 Hemp Seeds
8. Flax Seed - Aka Am I gonna have to poop?
Flax seeds are an Omega 3 fatty acid powerhouse. So they bring all the benefits of Omegs 3's, but they also pack a great supply of phytonutrients (specifically lignans), tons of antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory effects.
Tummy Time - Flax seed can be added to a tons of foods from baked goods, oatmeal, yogurt, sprinkled on salads, or smoothie. A favorite of ours is to add flax seeds into the our classic Protein Pudding/Ice Cream.
9. Sesame Seeds - Aka Am I gonna fail a drug test?
These unique seeds will give your body a great supply of copper, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and tryptophan. As you can see it is a very mineral dense food. This diverse nutritional make-up can help improve bone density, respiratory health, and can reduce arthritis pain.
Tummy Time - Sesame chicken baby! Sprinkle these seeds on cooked chicken, broccoli, and carrots.
10. Pumpkin Seeds - Aka You mean there's more to pumpkins that just carving?
These gems hidden in the guts of pumpkins are a nutrient powerhouse. They supply big amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, and tryptophan. Pumpkin seeds are known for their dense mineral supply and can be great to get some antioxidants, antifungals, and help fight cancer.
Tummy Time - Rinse and dry off, and then throw on your favorite Spices and Herbs. Then roast those suckers for about 15-20 minutes. It's the fall classic.
Roasted and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
There you have it. We've now given you a ton of great choices for fruits, veggies, nuts/seeds, and how to add variety and flavor to those with spices and herbs. You're all set to get in the kitchen and start getting funky!
Be sure to sign-up for BBA updates and like our FB page to never miss a beat of everything here at BBA.
This was previously posted on EliteFts, you can check it out here
Everyone who has been serious about moving around heavy weights, knows what the hip hinge is. Hinging at the hip puts our posterior chain muscles in a position of advantage so we can work the shit out of them. This movement is key in developing strong and powerful hamstrings and glutes which will carry over to improved athletic movement.
The hip hinge is not a squatting movement and being able to separate these two patterns is very important. Hip hinging is emphasized in deadlifts, RDL's, Olympic lifts, swings, and even in some upper body rowing and scapular stabilization movements. Anybody who has ever tried to teach, or for that case tried to learn the hip hinge, knows just how hard it can be for people to pick up. Most people do not know how to separate the squatting movement from this hinging movement, and if you're like me, this results in urges to rip your hair out and scream until your lungs are sore. First and foremost, we need to accept that the hinge is a basic movement that all athletes need to be able to master. As athletes develop they learn to run, land, jump, skip, squat, push-up, tumble, and change directions, among others. We need to make it a priority to learn the hip hinge, as this will set up athletes for success and safety in the long run.
Just like the name states, the hip hinge, put simply, is your hip acting as a hinge for your lower and upper bodies.
Sounds pretty easy, right?
Having worked with athletes ranging from 9 years old to college seniors, I can tell it's anything but.
It's incredible to see how difficult it can be, for all levels of athletes, to perform this movement. For all of us with a ton of experience using hinging exercises, we often take for granted how "easy" it is to hinge.
So what do we do when someone can't hinge? We cue the hell out of them!
"Push your hips back, keep your back flat/neutral, don't let your knee track forward - press them back, pull your chest forward, created horizontal separation from your hips and shoulders, etc"
We cue these athletes until we're blue in the face, and the athlete just does not get it.
It is very hard for unexperienced athletes to exhibit the correct body position and motor pattern of the hinge. They don't have the connection of how their body moves, operates, and feels in this kind of movement setting.
So they tend to either flex (round) their spine, flex their neck, use a squatting patten, and not get their posterior chain involved.
Why do they do this?
Because it is easier for them to do so. Heck we as well trained professionals round our backs when picking up things off the ground because it is easier than keeping a flat/neutral spine. They also lack the ability to perform a proper hip hinge because they lack, strength, mobility, stability, and like we touched on, don't have proper education of their body to perform these movements.
While it is dificult to teach, it is also essential that we take the time and effort to ingrain this movement in young athletes as it is so important for later in their lives. Below I give my favorite progression to teach the hip hinge, and have been using these with good success.
It takes proper progression, adequate reps, and being patience for it to become permanent. We would all like to fly through these progressions and start adding some weight so we can really load the p-chain, but we need to slow down and perfect this movement first.
Dowel RDL
The dowel RDL involves the athlete holding a dowel behind their back. We place the hands behind the small of the neck and the small of the back.
The dowel must make contact with the athletes butt, upper back, and head. This needs to be emphasized! The athlete is instructed to maintain all three points of contact throughout the entire movement. Because the dowel must remain in contact with those three points, the hip hinge movement will come naturally.
This is great because it gives the athlete self-feedback and they develop the knowledge of how to self-correct their movement. For example if the dowel loses contact with their butt, then the are flexing their spine. They then teach themselves how to fix that, and really learn on their own how to perform the movement correctly.
We will stay with this progression for as long as we feel they need work. I will throw this exercise into our warm-up, rest periods, and in our cool-downs as a way to get lots of reps to instill this pattern.
Here are the mistakes you are looking for when using the dowel RDL. Dowel coming off the butt means spinal flexion, dowel coming off the back means squatting to much, dowel coming off the head means cervical flexion.
Dowel Extension w/ Wall Touch
The next progression we make is called Dowel Extension w/ Wall Touche. We now have the athlete hold the dowel behind their backs, but parallel to the ground.
We externally rotate their arms so their palms are facing down. This automatically get them in scapular retraction and makes it difficult for them to round their thoracic spine. From there we set them up 8-10 inches from a wall and tell them to keep the dowel pressed up against the wall.
We que them to touch the wall with their butt and pack their neck. This forces them to press their butt back and because they are in external rotation, it keeps their spine neutral.
Good Morning w/ Wall Touch
The next progression involves a good morning with a wall touch. The good morning, again externally rotates the shoulders and promotes a big chest and flat back.
But this progression makes it easier for the athlete to flex their spine. So we use it as a check mark. If they have learned to retract their scaps, pack their neck, and maintain a neutral spine, they will show it here. If not, we know we need to keep working on the earlier progressions.
Snatch Grip RDL
We then move to the snatch grip RDL. The load is now put anteriorly, and now their arms are not externally rotated or pulled behind their body to assist in correct positioning.
To help this we take a snatch grip to naturally pull their pack their scaps and assist in better positioning. This is the true test to see if they have mastered the hip hinge. Often we will see relapses in technique here, and now we have to take a step back and keep working on Good Mornings or earlier progressions.
KB Swings w/ Object Between the Legs
Finally if the RDL is mastered, we start loading it. We now have established proper technique, motor control, and strength in the hinge movement.
So what's next?
Time to progress to dynamic hip hinging!
This could be Olympic variations, dynamic deadlifts, but my favorite to start with is the swing.
The swing is a dynamic hinge movement that allows for greater speeds to overload the eccentric portion and really stress the SSC for great dynamic hip power.
When first learning the swing I like to start with a progression that involves placing an object betwen the athletes legs. This prevents a squatty swing, and overall fixes a while mess of technique errors that commonly occur in the swing.
Depending on the height of the athlete, we want the object to come up to the tibial tuberosity (object in video is too low). So this could be a cone, yoga block, medicine ball, whatever works for you. In the video I use a dumbell, but I would recommend using something like a cone or yoga block, so if the athlete hits it, their won't be any chance of injury or damage to equipment.
A whole other article could be written on swing technique, but for the sake of time, here is our technique overview
Great advice from Dan John
Attack your zipper/crotch on the downswing, it is active not passive
Snap your hips and glutes to drive the weight back up
After hips and glutes drive weight out of the hole, the torso should be tight and stable like in a plank
Don't let the weight come above shoulder level
It is a RDL, but with more speed
After finishing all of these progressions the athlete will be very proficient in the hip hinge. They can now safely move on to higher loads and greater speeds of movements.
This is a great basis for learning olympic lifts, deadlifts, good mornings, and RDL's. If you work with youth athletes or even higher level athletes that can't hip hinge, this progression is key. The hip hinge technique will allow these athletes to progress to later exercises that will build the foundation of their lower body strength, especially the glutes and hamstrings.
So grab a dowel and get to teaching. Until next time Go Get 'Em!
Like, Dislike, Agree, Disagree, WORLD CHANGING, or a big turd; whatever you feel, leave a comment below and let me know!
A wise man once said, "If you're feeling like a pimp, go and brush your shoulders off."
Well I'm definitely feeling like a pimp, so I'm gonna go ahead and talk about the shoulder, because there isn't anything more sexy than shoulders. Or if your like me the soldiers; I suck at pronouncing the difference between the two - I can't be the only one.
We've gotten good response from our anatomy lesson series, so let's get one step further and put the shoulder under the microscope. If you've missed any of the other lessons, check them out
The shoulder is a real interesting joint, it's very similar to the hip except without the amount of muscle mass and stability. The shoulder needs a tremendous amount of mobility and stability - just think about throwing a baseball. In fact during an overhead throw the shoulder goes through 7,000 - 9,000 degrees of rotation per second, that's the fastest motion the human body produces. The shoulder goes through crazy ranges of motion and bears the brunt of extreme forces and stresses. It is a truly incredible joint considering all it does and the unique actions it is involved in. It's like the J-Timberlake of the body - J-Timberlake rocks the music, acting, dancing, and comedy world; while the shoulder rocks the mobility, stability, and modeling world.
The Shoulder
Bones
- Humerus - Upper Arm - Clavicle - Collar Bone
- Scapula - Shoulder Blade
While the shoulder is often thought of as a singular joint or location it's not. Four different joints are actually connected or related to the shoulder
- Glenhumeral Joint - This is the traditional shoulder joint, where the humerus fits into the socket of the scapula.
- Acromioclavicular (AC) Joint - This is where the clavicle meets the acromion on the scapula.
- Sternoclavicular (SC) Joint - This is where the clavicle connects to the sternum. - Scapulothroacic Joint - This is called a false joint because it's not really a true joint, it's a location where the scapula glides against the rib cage. It's important to mention because the surrounding muscles work to keep the scapula lined up during shoulder movements.
Ligaments - Remember ligaments are soft tissue structures that connect bones to bone, are a main source of stability for the
shoulder. Here's a quick run down of important ligaments in the shoulder
- Acromioclavicular
- Coracoclavicular
- Sternoclavicular
- Interclavicular
- Costoclavicular
- Coracoacromial
- Coracohumeral
- Glenohumeral Muscles and Actions- There are a ton of muscles that impact the function and movement of the shoulder. It's really a busy area in terms of small, intricate muscles involved and due to the wide range of scapular, cervical, and clavicular involvement on the shoulder.
-Deltoid - Deltoid is the traditional big shoulder muscle. The deltoid is often broken into 3 groups: Anterior Delt, Lateral Delt, and Rear Delt. Each distinct group is contributes more or less to certain movements, but in general the delts play a big role in abduction, rotation, flexion, and extension.
- Rotator Cuff Complex - An easy way to remember the rotator cuff is SITS
Supraspinatus - Primary responsibility involves concentric abduction of the humerus
Infraspinatus - Primary action involves external rotation of the humerus
Teres Minor - Primary role is external rotation of the humerus
Subscapularis - Primary action is internal rotation of the humerus.
While each specific muscle of the rotator cuff complex has a different primary function, it is key to know that they all work together it keep the humeral head centered in the glenoid fossa. They are not primary movers, they are stabilizers and their most important job is to keep the humeral head centered.
Scapula Muscles - Assist in scapular stabilization and active movement of the scapula.
Trapezius - Three groups of the Trapezius
- Upper Traps - Elevation, Upward Rotation
- Mid Traps - Retraction, Upward Rotation
- Lower Traps - Retraction, Upward Rotation, Depression
Levator Scapulae - Elevation, Downward Rotation
Rhomboid Group - Retract, Elevation and Downward Rotation
Serratus Anterior - Protraction and Upward Rotation
Pec Minor - Downward Rotation, Depression, Retraction Other Humeral Muscles - These help attach the humerus to the trunk
Lats
Pec Major
Biceps Brachii
Problems
The shoulder joint is one of the most injured joint in the body. According to Sipes et al, 30% of athletes suffer a shoulder injury during their career. Overhead sports such as baseball, volleyball, QBs in football, softball, and throwers in track and field know all to well how stressful overhead movements can be on the shoulder and the importance of maintaining health in the joint. Remember the shoulder goes through 7,000 - 9,000 degrees of rotation per second during overhead movements!
Also many lifters experience problems performing different vertical pushes and pulls ie overhead press, snatch, jerk, pull-up, etc. A great deal of ROM, strength, and stability is need for these movements, and many lack those qualities. Let's go ahead a take a peek at a few common problem areas.
Impingements - An impingement is basically a compression of the tendons of the rotator cuff in the glenohumeral joint, usually in the subacromial space. It can become chronic and cause serious inflammation of the tendons and limit ROM, strength, stability, and cause pain.
First off not everybody's shoulder is created equally. Some people have naturally poorly structured shoulder joints for overhead sports and lifts. A big component of this is the shape of the acromion process.
Type 1 - Flat, this shape is built for overhead actions, and the risk of impingement cuasing pain is minimal.
Type 2 - Curved, this shape needs to have some precaution to take. Due to the curve, subacromial space is reduced and this can increase risk of impingement.
Type 3 - Beaked, sorry but people with this acromial shape are unfortunately not meant to perform overhead actions. The subacromial space is greatly reduced and overhead movements can often lead to problems.
Shoulder impingement's are pretty dang common, most people have an impingement of some degree, but whether that impingement is painful or not depends a lot on the the shape of the acromion, soft tissue health, stability, mobility, and strength of the the shoulder joints.
Overall shoulder impingement's are a lot more advanced and in-depth than what we just explained. There are many different factors that come into play, but that is a basic overview. Watch Dr. Evan Osar talk a little bit more about impingement's and keeping the humeral head centered.
AC Joint - An AC injury is commonly known as a shoulder separation. Recall the AC joint is the connection of the collar bone to the top of the shoulder (acromion). An injury usually occurs to the AC joint after a brunt force or falling on the shoulder. But tendonitis and tendonosis can also be common in the AC due to lots of overhead movements. I've separated both AC joints and let me tell you they aren't fun and they can take a long time to fully heal. Some bad AC separations require surgery, and you may recall top QB Sam Bradford and Matthew Stafford have both surgery on their AC joints.
Superior Labrum, Anterior to Posterior Tears (SLAP) - The labrum is a fibrocartilaginous tissue around the rim of the glenoid fossa and helps keep the humerus supported in the joint. A SLAP tear refers to an injury to the labrum of the shoulder, and SLAP specifically points to the upper part of the labrum running from front to back. These kind of tears usually occur from falling on an outstretched arm, repetitive OH movements, and from lots of throwing. You can often tell a SLAP tear because you'll hear a clicking sound in the shoulder or during certain ranges of motion the shoulder will "catch".
Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Deficit (GIRD) - GIRD is a deficit when comparing internal rotation of the dominant shoulder to non-dominant shoulder. The difference between the two should not exceed 15 degrees. On the same note is measurement of total range of motion in terms of the sum of IR and ER. Comparing dominant arm and non-dominant arm, the difference should not be more than 5 degrees. The differences in IR and total rotation are often seen in overhead athletes. So many repetitions of overhead movements put a lot of stress on the posterior components of the shoulder to decelerate the arm. This causes some inflammation, gunky tissue, and those muscles and tissues to become overworked, and this tightness in the posterior shoulder decreases IR. If someone presents more than 15 degrees of difference of IR and 5 degrees of total rotation, this increases risk of shoulder injuries. Now if GIRD is found, don't be in a rush to go ahead and stretch into internal rotation. There are many other factors that contribute to GIRD such as scapular mobility/stability, labrum health, capsular health, rib position, soft tissue quality, and cuff strength.
Fixes
Mobility - Let's clear the air right now, most shoulder problems result from scapular dysfunction. The scapula doesn't get the love it deserves considering it is half of the glenohumeral joint.
Consider this, the head of humerus should move in conjunction with scapula. Think about a golf ball on a tee. If you were to grab the ball and tee together and move it around, the ball would stay centered on the tee and the two would move in conjunction. If you have an immobile scapula, then the humeral head compensates and loses centration of the glenoid fossa and this is when problems occur. The scapula needs to be able to move freely and have full range of motion to support the movement of the humerus.
A way to attack this is to work on thoracic spine mobility. Remember the scapula is essentially a free floating bone with numerous muscular attachments. Working on thoracic mobility also targets scapular mobility due to the high amounts of connection and "team-work" between the two.
Balance - Many problems at the shoulder occur to imbalances in training and everyday life. We've talked about improving the balance between pull vs push exercises and getting that ratio more to 2:1 in favor of pulls. But not as well known is improving the balance of upward rotation vs downward rotation.
This imbalance can lead to scapular depression, which is very common with many athlete these days.
This imbalance leads to the shoulder blades being drawn back and down. Take a look at your collar bone in the mirror. It should have an upward angle going from medial to lateral. When the downward rotators take over it pulls your shoulders down, and your collar bones will sit more flat or parallel to the ground. Doing loads of bench, row, deads, and getting cued to death with "shoulders back and down!" leads to the downward rotators winning the balance battle of the scapula. So it's time to give the upward rotators some love. Target the serratus, upper traps, and lower traps (upward rotators) with face pulls, no money, overhead shrugs, and prone wall slides.
Soft Tissue Work - Soft tissue work is especially important for shoulder health. With 17 different muscles impacting shoulder position and function, there can be a mess of problems. Tissues can get beat up and dense so using some soft tissue work, especially on the pec minor, posterior rotator cuff, lats, levator scapulae, and cervical spine/1st spine. Doing soft tissue on these areas can instantly lead to lead to ROM increases and can make stability and strength exercises more effective.
Rotator Cuff– While we talked about how most rotator cuff problems probably are better treated with scapular mobility and stability work, but you still need proper strength, endurance, and timing in your rotator cuff complex.
You need a strong posterior
cuff (infraspinatus and teres minor) for decelerating the rapid speeds of internal rotation, but you also need a
very strong anterior cuff (subscapularis) to both depress the humeral head during
overhead work and prevent anterior translation of that head. Now don't get carried away with and start killing Internal and External rotations all day, the Cuff also needs good timing, and remember it's most important job is to keep the humeral head centered in the glenoid fossa. Some favorites include some distraction or proprioception work, and for endurance farmer's walks and suitcase carry's are awesome.
Breathing Patterns – Breathing patterns are soooo important and it can greatly effect shoulder health. Diaphragmatic breathers have
much better shoulder function than those who breath into their chests, and a big reason for this is rib and torso positioning. Remember, the shoulder does connect to the ribcage and breathing patterns can strongly influence position and function of the many of muscles of the collar bone, scapula, and ribs and all of these can play a role in shoulder health.
Alrighty hope you enjoyed! Also remember to sign-up for BBA updates to stay on top of great articles like this one being posted! Also like our Facebook page and join in some discussion! Until next time Go Get Em!
More Sources - These guys below are the shoulder gurus in the sports performance industry. Eric Cressey coaches mainly baseball players and his experience with overhead athletes is tremendous. Mike Reinold was a PT for the Red Sox's and he's worked with Cressey on a number of awesome products. Check them out for real great information on all things shoulder.
Posting this week's recap a day early this week. Over in Innsbruck this weekend playing for the European Championship! My Dad and sister Shannon are here, so it's a perfect weekend to be Champs of Europe!
Be sure to check out our awesome article from this week!
