It has certainly been some time since I have posted on my personal blog/website. I have been posting much much more on my Instagram, and my Twitter. I am not sure if I’ll make the transition to Tik Tok, but I do plan on doing more long form information on YouTube at some point, to have greater ability to clarify and expand on thought processes.
So despite my recent shift in focus on improving smaller, more detailed regions of the body in my day to day work, in my head I am always looking to improve performance outcomes – whether it is return to activities of daily living, or improving the one rep max within the sport of powerlifting, or how fast an athlete may move or throw an implement.
Who am I to say and judge whether one person’s desire to walk out the door painfree in the morning is “worth more” than throwing a baseball as fast as humanly possible?
With this said, I am of the belief that there are simply different “entry points” that an individual may arrive at my (digital) doorstep.
The “framework” applies, but the acronyms and words inside these boxes might be different.
When an individual is looking to improve performance measures in a lift or sports specific method, the methods for achieving those outcomes will certainly be based in neurological, biological, and physiological adaptations and principles.
If an individual is looking to reduce pain throughout a range of motion that helps them with everyday life, the same “bucket” of neurological, biological, and physiological adaptations and principles will be appraised and evaluated, but the method used to express wherever the individual is may be in fact very similar.
The same “bucket” applies to provide energy and intention for neurological, biological, and physiological adaptations, no matter the individual.
What I am referring to is the fact that I am not giving the individual in question a 5th limb to traverse with, or a third eye to recalibrate their visual system, nor am I giving them an externally sourced cadaver ligament that will repair their injured ulnar collateral ligament (that is what surgery is for).
However, the need to appraise, evaluate, re-organize (what is currently available), will be of the utmost importance to restoring movement qualities, and then moving forward to another “platform” or entry point in order to enhance performance afterwards.
For example, arbitrarily speaking, if you lack a movement such as wrist extension, there are several items to capture and appraise at first:
Brachial Plexus and its innervations/pathway down the arm to the hand
Individual musculature that may be neurologically tight d/t chronicity of movement
Regional interdependence from above/below the affected or region in question (since wrist extensors cross the hand and also humerus, look at radioulnar joint, and also look at humeral motion, and also look at radiohumeral joint aka the elbow joint itself)
Ligamentous issues
Capsular issues
One thing that I do with these “bulletpoints” is to identify and make sure that these items are all given equal respect – an overarching belief that compression of the brachial plexus may lead to use of an incorrect solution, when in fact it was the chronicity of movement that was the issue, which necessitates a different solution altogether.
To bring it back to the main thesis of this post (barring any acute injuries to the region and subsequent surgical interventions in which surgery will provide some sort of pain relief) there will likely be no introduction of external sources for relief or therapeutic benefits.
Meaning, the power for healing is quite literally within the entirety of what is already within your body and brain.
It is just up to you (and/or the practitioner who understands how to help “bring it out of you”) to discover how to use what you have.
It is up to the practitioner to update the neurological inputs that will eventually reduce the “alarm signal” that may be present in the face of danger/pain. (Other times, the individual may be given enough autonomy in order to reduce that signal on their own!)
Then, the next step may be to provide the opportunity for a neurological output to be expressed for ease of movement/enhanced motor unit recruitment.
Then, you can:
Build a new baseline,
Establish a new level of homeostasis, and
Continue to improve upon the neurobiological bucket of life that you were given to begin with.
It was a pleasure to be a guest on a Filipino hosted podcast “Ambition PH Podcast” earlier this summer.
In this talk, Coach Luis, Coach Yey, and I chatted about my background, my career path, how I’ve come to learn about certain methodologies in my everyday training, along with how I managed finances early on in my career, among many other topics.
With many gyms opening up in Massachusetts, I wanted to provide a little bit more value for strength and conditioning professionals who are just entering the field, especially entering during a time with much ambiguity for our field.
With this said, this is the second part of a question and answer where I ask a few colleagues and strength coaches some questions on a their sources that underpin their understanding and knowledge base for coaching.
I first met David while we were both presenting for an NSCA course in New Jersey in 2018. Afterwards, I quickly realized we ran in similar circles with several like-minded strength and conditioning groups, and it is just surprising that 2018 was the first time we met. He is a master instructor for Dr. John Rusin’s “Pain Free Performance Specialist Certification,” and he also serves on the advisory board for Men’s Health.
1. What are your top 2-3 resources for getting stronger/more resilient?
2. What are your top 2-3 resources for learning functional anatomy?
Physiopedia.com
Human Anatomy Atlas – App Store
3. What are your top 2-3 resources for exercise programming?
Pain Free Performance Specialist
Certification
MYTPI.com
4. Do you have any advice for an up and coming strength and conditioning professional?
Volunteer
as much as you can in the beginning. Volunteering is where I learned so much of
the information I use on a day by day basis now. Not all places can take on
interns that can provide credit. And people are certainly going to be jumping
to pay someone new to learn a lot of new information on their dime. Everyone
can take volunteers though.
I always
tell college students or young people aspiring to be in any field, ask the
person you are working under how you can EARN their recommendation. It is not a
matter of just asking someone with influence to sign their name on the dotted
line. How can you show that individual that you are so serious about this
career path that you earn their nod of approval? If you approach every
interaction that way moving forward, it will make this process a lot more
fluid. How can I EARN your respect?
I first met Matt at a Postural Restoration Institute course at a facility he worked at in 2012, then I interned at that same facility in 2013, and then eventually becoming his co-worker from 2013-2014. We’ve kept in touch ever since, and I’ve probably asked him more questions than he has asked of me, regarding all things energy systems training, sprinting and speed questions, strength training, exercise programming, and everything in between. Needless to say, Matt is a very sharp individual who I hold at a high regard. Plus, he is also an Eagles fan.
1. What are your top 2-3 resources for getting stronger/more resilient?
2. What are your top 2-3 resources for learning functional anatomy?
Biomechanics and Kinesiology of Exercise – Yessis
FRC (Functional Range Conditioning) concepts – Andreo Spina
3. What are your top 2-3 resources for exercise programming?
Advances in Functional Training – Boyle
Revolutionary 1x20RM Strength Training Program – Yessis
4. What are your top 2-3 resources for learning exercise physiology?
Ultimate MMA Conditioning by Joel Jamieson
*although I wouldn’t implement these first with
athlete’s at first, it gives a good general understanding of ideas.
5. If you work with a specific population, what are your top resources for learning more on how to serve that population, and why?
Bill Knowles (reconditioning, athletic development)
Dr. Michael Yessis (sport skills, special strength, athletic development)
Vern Gambetta (all things athletic development)
6. Do you have any advice for an up and coming strength and conditioning professional?
1. Always question the
“WHY” : much to do about strength and conditioning nowadays seems to
be that we follow advice blindly without searching deeper/throughly.
2. Always try to base things
off results first. Did the athlete achieve the goals they are set
out to get? Are they playing their sport better or are they better in
accomplishing tasks of daily life, or their hobbies, etc.. (general
population)? Did they achieve those goals and/or play better as efficiently as
you think?
3. Look back at the history:
exercises, pieces of equipment, research done –> why, how, when, was
it utilized, created, and in what context was it done? Also whom (level of
athlete) was it used on and their results? Why do you think it worked or didn’t
work? These seem to help find answers as to if the very things we are
implementing make sense, work, and why it could work.
4. “And then what?”
An incredible question I learned from a colleague, Jeff Moyer. We can get
caught up into strength methods, certain exercises, breathing techniques,
recovery modalities, burning fat at any cost, just doing daily workouts of the
day etc…what is your starting point and where are you going? Are you getting
there consistently? How do you know?
Nick and I have crossed paths in a few different ways – first when I went to observe at a facility he worked at from maybe 2016-2017ish, and then our circles began to become more similar when he began a master’s program with the folks at Merrimack College. Nick has taken a “outside of the box” approach to this industry, much like myself, and for that I appreciate his perspective and his experiences. Now, he is a strength coach working with EXOS.
1. What are your top 2-3 resources for getting stronger/more resilient?
Brian Cain – Mental Performance Blogs / Podcasts / Etc
2. What are your top 2-3 resources for learning functional anatomy?
Currently:
Human Anatomy Atlas 2021 (App on Ipad or Tablet)
Miguel this may be different and hopefully you agree. Contact your local physical therapy office or hang out with AT’s, shadow, and bring and form questions. This was one of the biggest ones for me. We can all learn cadaveric anatomy, but the functional aspect really hits home here.
3. If you work with a specific population, what are your top resources for learning more on how to serve that population, and why?
As I worked as an EXOS Tactical Performance Coach,
EXOS Tactical Performance Cert along with the NSCA Tactical Certification were
big in my development to learn that population.
Along with those certs, Cal Dietz has an exceptional “Tactical Performance Coach” book which does a great job explaining how to properly program concurrent (training all physical qualities) training principles which with the way the world is now with such short prep times I think could be brought to the world of athletics. With Gen Pop clients I think it can hit home to help you still program intelligently and keep them from potentially getting bored. I think it’s a great little layout if trying to set up some bootcamps.
Finally spending time with that population. Asking them questions about their jobs, their experience, and then watching some of the tasks they need to carry out during training. Not only does it help you understand what they need better but it forms relationships and trust between you and them and you do not come down as a dictator but a true leader that wants to help.
4. Do you have any advice for an up and coming strength and conditioning professional?
Don’t try to impress people by what you know. I
made that mistake at an internship. I came in with the most experience and it
was a big time internship so I wanted a job. Someone with MUCH less experience
than me was given big training jobs while I was stuck doing busy work. When I
finally approached our director I asked him why this was. He told me “I’m not
liking your character. Although you are more experienced, I can teach that to
the others, but I can’t teach character.” Be a good person before being a smart
person.
I actually met Jay while in an undergrad at Temple University many years ago, but our paths would again cross when he moved to Massachusetts as the head strength and conditioning coach of Brandeis University. Our circles are probably very similar because of the Philadelphia to Boston connections, but our experiences differ from my private sector work to his collegiate experiences.
1. What are your top three resources for getting stronger/more resilient?
One of my favorite books on getting strong is
“5/3/1” by Jim Wendler. While some would argue it may not be the
flashiest way of getting stronger, or may not provide enough, the longevity of
this method proves its validity. While you can alter it to fit your specific
population, I think the 4 week percent-based program 5/3/1 provides is a solid
way to introduce progression with clients. What 5/3/1 made me realize is that
training, no matter the goal, is a marathon, not a sprint. So it is important
to always keep the end goal in mind and just try to be incrementally better
each day.
Another resource I like for getting stronger is
“The APRE” by Dr. Bryan Mann. I think it is a fantastic protocol when
working with beginner populations. It provides weight adjustments depending on
completed number of reps. For some of my athletes, they never know how much
weight to move up, and sometimes we are not at the point where we are working
on percent-based or RPE-based workouts. The APRE is a simple way of
continuously progressing.
When I hear resilient, I think of bulletproofing
the body so it can withstand demands. And since I work with athletes, my mind
for some reason shifts to jumping. I am always amazed by watching athletes
perform single leg take-offs or doing depth jumps from a 36in box. The ability
to absorb all that force driving into the ground and reapply it upward without
getting hurt is resilience to me. So for me, one of my go-to books is
“Vertical Foundations” by Joel Smith. This book breaks down vertical
movement like no other. I was blind to how much goes into jumping before
reading this book. I feel most books and programs do not go into enough on how
to teach jumps, or how to progress them, but jumps are highly
intergral for sport.
2. What are your top 2-3 resources for exercise programming?
For exercise programming, I really enjoyed “Scientific Principles of Strength Training” by Dr. Mike Israetel, Dr. James Hoffman, and Chad Wesley Smith. I am a big fan of these 3 gentlemen as I feel they have a great ability to take complex material and package it in a way that is easy to understand, to enjoy, and to further apply. The book offers everything from specificity, fatigue management, and periodization. I think it is also important to note that as the book suggests, it is full of principles. If you are looking for a book to provide you with sample programs that you can regurgitate to your clientele, this isn’t it. But it will provide you with the tools needed to create well-thought, progressive, and result-oriented programs for people.
Another resource that I like for exercise
programming is “The Black Book of Training Secrets” by Christian
Thibaudeau. Thibaudeau uses his experience coaching powerlifters, olympic
weightlifters, bodybuilders, and athletes and provides a great resource on how
to train those populations. He goes over a lot of information and at the end
provides lots of examples of workouts. I also think it provides a look into how
training sessions and entire programs can be very different than just straight
linear periodization, which was very helpful for me when I was just first
starting out.
3. If you work with a specific population, what are your top resources for learning more on how to serve that population, and why? Since I work with athletes, one of my top resources would be “High-Performance Training for Sports” by David Joyce. This is basically an anthology of sport training programs from some of the best strength & conditioning coaches around. It gives you insight into how elite coaches train elite athletes.
Another resource that I have used a lot lately, especially in this quarantine time, is the NSCA College Coaches Facebook group. It is raw information coming straight from the mouths of coaches who do what I do every day. Their insight is so valuable to me, because they are in my shoes. I find that so many of them are ready to help and provide information that it makes for a great community. Coaches helping coaches,
4. Do you have any advice for an up and coming strength and conditioning professional?
I think my advice would be to be a sponge and try
to learn as much about everything, but then also practice it. I think it is
easy to read about different training styles, but go out and actually apply it
to yourself. I have done everything from powerlifting, to olympic
weightlifting, to training the shotput (under the tutelage of one of my
collegiate athletes I was working with) all for the purpose of learning how
those programs and movements work. Do not pigeonhole yourself to one ideology
or training style, there’s validity and applicability to them all.
Another piece of advice would be to go out and network. As I mentioned, there are tons of Facebook groups full of like-minded individuals who are willing to talk shop and lend some words of wisdom. Visit other coaches, watch a session, and connect with them. There is a lot to be learned.
