Podcasts about carlisle pennsylvania

This week as we make our return to the podcast world we sit dow with Kyle and Cheyenne of Gather Your Party Games and Hobbies here in Carlisle PA. We discuss the trials and successes of opening a physical gaming store in a digital world.

We have a special guest from the area originally. He has since moved away to Pastor three different churches. His current church, Calvary Temple Church in Carlisle PA, he has been the pastor there for almost 8 years. Pastor Miller is interviewing Pastor Jonathan Rose and talking a little bit about his ministry and family. You don't want to miss this great interview.

My guest today is Baktash Ahadi. Baktash is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, speaker, facilitator, and human rights activist. Baktash is a returning guest and if you have not yet listened to my first conversation with him, I highly recommend taking time to listen to Episode 84, where Baktash shared pieces of his and his family's story of escaping Afghanistan as refugees when he was just a baby, getting resettled as a young boy in Carlisle Pennsylvania, and how that journey has impacted his life. I asked Baktash if he would come back to talk specifically about the film, Retrograde, of which he is an Executive Producer.  Retrograde tells the story of the American withdraw from Afghanistan in 2021.  Sponsored by National Geographic, what started with the intention of telling the story of the American Green Berets who served in Afghanistan, pivoted in May of 2021, when President Biden announced the withdraw of American troops, which built up to the major withdrawal and the takeover of the Afghan government by the Taliban on August 15, 2021. From Wikipedia: “Retrograde is a 2022 American documentary film that covers events that took place during the final nine months of the United States' 20-year war in Afghanistan. The film includes actions taken by the last American Special Forces units stationed there, Sami Sadat, a young Afghan general and his troops defending their country, and a chaotic exodus of its civilians, desperate to flee a country that will once again be controlled by the Taliban.” The footage that was captured in the making of this film is incredible, to say the least.  As I watched, I often was wondering, “how did they get this footage?”  So, that is among many other aspects that Baktash tells us about today. We also talk about what we as individuals can do today to make a positive difference in the continued story of Afghan refugees and Veterans of the war.   Retrograde is available for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.  It is produced by Matthew Heineman and Caitlin McNally.  More of Baktash's work can be found at baktashahadi.org.Make Life Less Difficult

Just when you think that we wouldn't dare do it, we invite you to KEEP IT COMIN' LOVE - Sherman and Ski are vouching for disco (and Latin FUNK) superstars and underrated heroes, KC and THE SUNSHINE BAND. Literally, there are nothing but hits from Miami native Harry Wayne Casey. In fact, a person can drive from Washington DC to Carlisle PA, and you are NOT out of hits, not by a longshot. Sherman and Ski DO get to a couple of extremely deep cuts from the catalog, specifically from their earlier funk records which has some serious bass and horn action. Ski reminds us that there's not too much of the string section of traditional disco. However, Sherman informs us that there is plenty of Booty and Boogie references that remain. Sherman can't get enough of their fourth album, the oddly titled KC & The Sunshine Band Part III, which is jam-packed with earworms and rump-shakers. Ski pulls from the stellar 1974 debut album Do It Good, and boy is Ski ready to party and Sound Your Funky Horn. Sherman is floored that Please Don't Go was originally penned by KC as he only knows the KWS 90's club cover, but of course Ski knew it. We both DO agree that the premium KC material leans towards the earliest work, and one should probably avoid the 2000's album Yummy, with a bizarre Peter Gabriel cover…yeah, let's stick with the Latin funk and disco stuff. We also reconnect briefly on the Rock & Roll HOF class of 2022, and see how we did…have a listen!

Sermon preached by John Miller of Grace Baptist Church, Carlisle: PA. Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary is a Confessional Reformed Baptist Seminary Providing affordable online theological education to help the Church in its calling to train faithful men. To learn more about CBTS, visit https://CBTSeminary.org. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cbtseminary/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cbtseminary/support

Welcome to Episode 42 of The ModelGeeks Podcast. Join us as we discuss the future of our hobby as it relates to the youth of today.  What's drawing them away and how do we go about keeping their interest in the hobby.  We are also very excited to bring to you a GREAT interview with one our very special friends and one of tomorrow leaders in the hobby; JJ O'Hara As usual we will take you into the projects on our benches, what kits or accessories we've picked up as well as wrap up PENNCON 22 in Carlisle PA.We'll also give a run-down of what's new out there in kits, aftermarket, upcoming shows, and other news around the hobby. We would like to thank all the listeners for the continued support you have given the show. We hope to see you out and about as we hit some of the shows. If you can't make it to the shows then you can still interact with us through social media, Facebook, Instagram, and email:  contact@modelgeekspodcast.comMake sure you check out our new group / community on Facebook, The ModelGeeks Model ShackWe also want to thank each of our sponsors for their support. We are very lucky to have their support. When you have the time, pay a visit to their web sites, and have a look at their fine products.Sponsors:Detail and ScaleFurball Aero-DesignTamiya USASprueBrothersBases By BillAlso, if you're a real ModelGeek you'll check out the following links!IPMS USA Events PageIPMS Nationals 2022Butch O'Hare Modeling ClubThe Interesting Modeling CompanyWe are very fortunate to be able to join the scale modeling podcast community and are in the company of several other really GREAT podcasts. Hopefully, someday we'll earn our wings and be able to keep up with those guys!  Please check them all out at Scale Model Podcasts.Blogs:The Kit BoxSprue Pie with FretsIf you would like to support the Geeks please take a moment to head over to our new The ModelGeeks Patreon.  If you aren't interested in Patreon and would still like to donate, then please follow the link.  Support the Geeks!If you aren't interested in Patreon and would still like to donate, then please follow the link.  Support the Geeks!Patreon Supporters:Sprue Brothers Models, Geoff Martin of Furball Aero Design, Scale Colors, Bullseye Model Aviation, Emilio Cuesta, Mike Talley, Dan Knofel, Stanton Fodness, Brent Leidig, Tim Cavileer, Paul Burdette, Cole Jacobsen, Craig Colledge, David Waples, Robert Lara, Ethan Idenmill, mfdyer, Connor Healey, Ray Boorman, Manuel Smith, Robert Morales, Len Steward, John Allen, Rick ReinertSupport the show Support the show

Welcome to Episode 41 of The ModelGeeks Podcast. We are please to have Spencer Pollard back to the show to discuss his new book series "Modeling An Icon" as well and other subjects like Monograms Century Series builds! We also get an exclusive look into some of Spencers future endeavors!  As usual, we'll discuss what's going on around the hobby we love.  The mojo is still burning strong and each of us will talk about what's on our bench, and what kits or accessories we've picked up as well as our preparations for PENNCON 22 in Carlisle PA. We'll also give a run-down of what's new out there in kits, aftermarket, upcoming shows, and other news around the hobby. We would like to thank all the listeners for the continued support you have given the show. We hope to see you out and about as we hit some of the shows. If you can't make it to the shows then you can still interact with us through social media, Facebook, Instagram, and email:  contact@modelgeekspodcast.comWe also want to thank each of our sponsors for their support. We are very lucky to have their support. When you have the time, pay a visit to their web sites, and have a look at their fine products.Sponsors:Detail and ScaleFurball Aero-DesignTamiya USASprueBrothersBases By BillAlso, if you're a real ModelGeek you'll check out the following links!IPMS USA Events PageIPMS Nationals 2022Butch O'Hare Modeling ClubThe Interesting Modeling CompanyWe are very fortunate to be able to join the scale modeling podcast community and are in the company of several other really GREAT podcasts. Hopefully, someday we'll earn our wings and be able to keep up with those guys!  Please check them all out at Scale Model Podcasts.Blogs:The Kit BoxSprue Pie with FretsIf you aren't interested in Patreon and would still like to donate, then please follow the link.  Support the Geeks!If you would like to support the Geeks please take a moment to head over to our new The ModelGeeks Patreon.  If you aren't interested in Patreon and would still like to donate, then please follow the link.  Support the Geeks!Patreon Supporters:Sprue Brothers Models, Geoff Martin of Furball Aero Design, Scale Colors, Bullseye Model Aviation, Emilio Cuesta, Mike Talley, Dan Knofel, Stanton Fodness, Brent Leidig, Tim Cavileer, Paul Burdette, Cole Jacobsen, Craig Colledge, David Waples, Robert Lara, Ethan Idenmill, mfdyer, Connor Healey, Ray Boorman, Manuel Smith, Robert Morales, Len Steward, John Allen, Rick ReinertSupport the show Support the show

Don was in Atlanta this week attending an Aluvision training event while Mike was in PA in meetings and facility visit... three industry veterans in Philly talk about the comeback of 2022 while Carlisle PA hosts a VERY large Corvette show that takes up the entire town! TheDonAndMikeShow.net and ExhibitCityNews.com

Connect with Brad Miles: https://www.facebook.com/milesphotoAbout American Sign Language:https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/american-sign-language Show information:How to contact and connect with JP Emersonwww.jpemerson.comTwitter: @The_jpemersonemail: jp@jpemerson.com For more podcasts on cars check out Ford Mustang The Early Years Podcast at www.TheMustangPodcast.com or at Apple Podcasts or anywhere you get your podcastsFor more information about sponsorship or advertising on The JP Emerson Show or podcast launch services contact Doug Sandler at doug@turnkeypodcast.com or visit www.turnkeypodcast.com Episode Transcription:JP: Welcome back to the JP. Emerson show. There are many ways to enjoy the automotive community whether it's cruising in your pride and joy or simply enjoying others. Our Guest today has not only become a staple of the hobby but his unique talents lend himself to capture special moments like few others.It is my pleasure to welcome Mr. Brad miles and his American Sign Language interpreter Mr. Mark Bayarsky. Welcome guys  Brad:Thank you, thanks for having us.JP:It's a pleasure to have you. First Brad, I got to start with you obviously. Tell me a bit about yourself where you grew up and really how you got in the cars in the first place.Brad: Yeah definitely, so I live in Southern California, born in SoCal. I've just loved cars since I was four. Hot Wheels of course started that process so you know ditech cars etc.  I had friends when I was in the sandbox growing up in Orange County, Riverside Southern California. I ended up just loving cars, model cars, building them, going to the car shows all my life pretty much etc. It's kind of like gas in a car I guess, it's just in my blood. I love the smell; it just gets my heart pumping. I guess I just love cars!  JP:Was your family what we would consider a car type family or was it, you know like myself, your everyday type family where you know, you got what was affordable… a sensible family car or was it a little more fun back then? Brad: Well, my family I guess you could say, they really weren't car people you know? I think it's really thanks to neighbors who had a lot of cool cars, muscle cars of that era you know I grew up in that time frame and I got to see a lot of people working on them. My family was willing to take me to drag races, car shows, VW shows etc.  My dad was the one who actually took me and he was really into the Volkswagen 63 bugs and my mom had a white with red interior.  I just remember my mom buying a Vega, I think was just a ‘71 Vega they stuck with me and eventually as I got older, I just got more and more into it and the details related to them. I think it just became a Fascination and it was great that me and my dad could share that. We would learn different codes related to building cars and models and colors and just really something I was into.  JP:You know it's cool that you mentioned the smaller cars, those everyday cars, the Hot Wheels, the building the model car kits. I myself did the same thing I learned the basic principles of where parts went simply by building those model kits when I was a kid as well. You know we had the Snap Tight kits because we couldn't play with the glue and then of course as we got a little older, we did get the glue which probably wasn't a good idea! Now when you were really young, not Hot Wheels age but let's say you got to driving age, was there a particular car or model that just really grabbed your attention?  Brad:Yeah, for sure! Fortunately, I had some deaf friends who were into cars and we kind of talked it up. At the time super cars were popular and I really got into those. The super cars of that era.  I built model cars since the age of 6 so the old stores back then there are a lot of kids and I was constantly telling my mom I want this, I want that. It was kind of overload! I was building those model cars and I probably started with the glue about seven or eight. I could figure it out and read the instructions & I learned pretty much on my own so I just built my skills in that sense. Now the die cut Customs is pretty much what I'm involved in now. Graphic designs with Adobe Photoshop etc., and you know I'm doing things like that so it's just become something I've done in my whole life but a specific car when I was young was the ‘Cuda! I like the look of the ‘Cuda, the Shark look so I think the ‘Cuda has always been an interest of mine. JP:Brad, you said back when you were building the model kits there was a lot that went into that. The decals, images, the glue, the paint etc. Those of us who were doing and building them back then, we weren't just happy with the way the manufacturer was producing them. We painted them and customize them and such. Is that something you got into as well and how did that affect what you're doing today?  Brad:Yes, far as custom building I would buy an airbrush and I just really got into that process which ultimately won me a lot of awards relating to the best paint job and design.  I guess I'm pretty OCD regarding details and just kind of always wanting to make it right and perfect! I am detail-oriented so that was definitely something I did because my models had to be perfect!  I wouldn't let there be any flaws in my models. If something happened, I'd start all over again! It's a lot of time but I just feel the end result is the most important thing.     JP:I was going to get to this in a few minutes but I want to bring this question up. Help me understand… you are creating custom diecast cars now for individuals, is that right? Tell me a bit about that and help me understand. Brad:Sure. So, what I do is I design a template and I have a vinyl machine that I cut out the billboards, the top, carburetor linkage etc. All the details that you'd see on the actual car I can recreate the scale that makes everything look great! You know, the decals, the stickers, the stripes.  I work with a team of people that do certain things and we put things together.  For instance, if you see my Facebook page if you look at the pictures, they look like actual cars real engine compartments Interiors Etc!  JP:And that's something that we could see on your Facebook page, correct?Brad:Yes, that's correct you can see most of those on there. I just want people to see the detail that goes into making these one-of-a-kinds.  JP:I know I've seen these myself and I was intrigued. Is this something you do for fun or is this something that somebody can have done by you because I know people are going to look at your page and take a look and see what you're doing. Is that something you can do for them well? I do have a full-time job at the California School for the Deaf but I am available during the summer for side work so it's kind of a hobby that way. There's no deadline attached to it and for me it's kind of therapy. I grab my coffee and I do my thing. I also like doing photography of the Muscle car and Corvette Nationals.  I also shoot at Carlisle Pennsylvania and other events. Strictly muscle cars so you can see much of that on our page as well.  There's just a lot of things connected to that but I guess it really is a hobby but there's always possibilities and opportunities. JP:I think that people would love to have a car made that looks very similar to theirs and custom-built could be something that you could consider for car folks! How many times have you been to a hobby shop or toy store or an event and you see the generic car that looks close to yours? How cool would it be to have one that is exactly like yours? I mean what an opportunity to have someone like you make it exact. Those things are priceless to people!  Brad:yes, I agree! For me I like to order cars from YCID which is “your car in diecast” where I can get different styles and customize them to be yours. They're not cheap but it will look like yours! For example, someone sent me a diecast of their car asking me to add a vinyl top, some stripes and other details. They wanted me to match the colors in the engine accurately so it would be a 1 of 1! JP: Brad, I know our buddy Bob Ashton will here this and I know you love Mopar's but you're a muscle car guy through and through. You like the cars, you like the trucks, which I think is great. I love them all myself but if you had to pick one, and I know you're a ‘Cuda guy, but let's say one that's not a ‘Cuda… what would you pick?  Brad:It would have to be a ‘69 Copo Camaro like a ZL1 or an L72. The iron 427, those are pretty much favorites of mine.  I prefer the 4 speeds, just the faster top dog as I'm always into the top dog muscle cars!  I host my own page called “Rare muscle cars” on Facebook which I talked about that being my favorite. JP: I know also one of the favorites of the year for you is MCACN, which is Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, also known as the Super Bowl of car shows. Tell me why that show is so special to you. I think it's because there's so many rare and desirable muscle cars there every year! Brad:It's a trip worthwhile. I'm just really impressed with the show, it's very well planned out, it's not something I expected. The first time I got involved, which was 2014, it was something that I thought was worth me paying for and experiencing in person.  I was fortunate to get the VIP experience so that I can take great pictures and see what it was all about and I have to thank Bob and Scott from Rev muscle cars who are well-known and the industry. Fortunately, my photos and work got noticed by some of these people who invited me back and made me part of the family. It's just a worthy and fantastic event!  JP: Bob and the MCACN crew do a great job. Everything they do is first class and I can't say enough about that event. If you are a car person, you have to experience the muscle car and Corvette Nationals at least once. Put it on your bucket list you'll be glad you did!  Brad:That's for sure! I'm always trying to get my friends and people they know to attend because there's nothing like it.  I'm always trying to get that great group of people together for a group photo with that event! JP:let me ask you this, they're people that take photos and people that take pictures. Brad is a photographer as his pictures are outstanding! It's so difficult to take pictures at events and there's so many people walking around it's just a difficult environment to do this.  Brad what is it that captures your attention at an event? Is it a color, is it a make or the model? Is it a personal taste? What is it that makes you say “I'm going to capture this one”?  Brad:You know my rule is I would rather have cars with their hoods down not up. A lot of them are convertibles so they have to be closed and the reason I like a convertible closed is judges' points. That's what they're looking at all so I like the tops closed on vehicles and the hoods closed so I wait until after hours when people are leaving. I like to have a say in the room.I think a quiet environment is key but also learn how to use a tripod, shoot at a slow speed and it focuses more on the car color.Yes, definitely the rarity also gets my attention as well. You can almost tell which are the rare cars just reading some of the information about the cars.The more pictures the better and then selecting the best ones. JP:As a photographer, if someone came up as an amateur and they asked you what's the most important tip that would help me improve what would you share with them?Brad: I think it would be to learn how to use the manual setting that's the best speed. F-stop, the aperture and the white balance is also a must because shooting in doors is very challenging. With cars, you have to have the right color & right balance! I would say that would be my top tip and you have to use your eye and your brain because sometimes you don't want the camera to control you want to control the camera to meet your expectations! JP:  I know for a fact that shooting indoors is difficult I myself am not good at it. Outdoor at events, motion are good for me but take me indoors and I may as well just give you a night shot!  Brad:Yes, a low-light lens would help!  Shooting indoors and no flash! You know it's funny because indoor makes a car look like vitamin C orange then HDI orange so the white balance is definitely key you have to practice! JP: You know Brad, what's funny to me is you have so many talents between the die-cast and the customizing and photography but you're also into the codes on the cars knowing how to decipher them, what it means, the year, the color etc.  You're starting to become like my friend Mark Worman of Graveyard Carz where you can just rattle information off! Have you ever thought about putting that information together and compiling that information?  I know there's people that would love to have that information at their fingertips!  Brad:Yeah, I enjoy doing that part it's like crossword puzzle and to me it works your mind and keeps you sharp so when it comes to codes yeah there's so many! JP:Brad, would you prefer an original example of a car or let's call it a day 2 car?Brad:I kind of like both! I like Yenko, the Baldwin motion cars, the Mr. Norms. I do really like the real day two type cars, the old school paint jobs that just really catches my eye. It just inspires me and takes me back to the 70s. I guess I like the 70 styles if I could pinpoint it. All that customizing is a little overkill today but I would say yeah maybe the day 2 examples. JP: I think when you look at the muscle cars from that era a lot of day two changes were made and that was the norm. You look at today's examples of the muscle car and of course they're completely different. They are electronic, they have fuel injection, for the most part the blow the doors off the originals. What do you think of today's examples and if we dropped a bunch of money down in front of you, which one would you go out and buy today? Brad:I'd buy a Challenger red eye or a 2018 Demon!  I like the new Challenger myself with a supercharger and I like the Hellcat right now too. I'm currently working on a drag pack diecast because I do like them so much, I think to answer your question, every day driving… yes for sure I definitely would want to drive one of those cars! Fortunately, I'm only 2 miles away from where I work at the California School for the Deaf so the commute would be pretty fast.  JP:Brad let me hit you with a couple of Rapid questions whatever comes to mind so we can learn a bit more about you  JP:Who would you like to meet?Brad: I did want to meet David from Graveyard Carz and I did get a chance to meet him. Of course, Bob Ashton well-known in the muscle car community who of course I do know now and is a good friend. I think that's a good question I pretty much have been able to meet a lot of people I wanted to meet already so I am fortunate.  JP:If somebody narrated at your life who would that person be? Brad:My wife Tamara! She knows me very well so I would have to say my wife! She's a very humble person, witty, sarcastic and she knows everything about me so I think that would be a perfect fit!  JP:If you were superhero what would your superhero name be?Brad:Wow, I don't know! I kind of like my name last name, Miles so I guess I don't know maybe just Miles would be a cool superhero name because it kind of sounds or has something to do with cars so yeah let's go with Miles! JP:What was the last thing that you Googled? Brad:I'm sure it had something to do with photography or cameras or something like that. JP: If I were to ask your family to tell me new story about you, what story are they likely to share with me?Brad:Well yes, my family knows me pretty well. When I was younger, I was pretty mischievous when I was in elementary school I got in trouble at school and I was grounded for the day and had to stay with the assistant principal. Back then, you know I had issues just being a kid. One day my old teacher happened to be visiting my current school and happened to walk into the office and see that I was in trouble again at my new school!  JP:Are you a planner or a go-with-the-flow type person?Brad: I think I might go with the flow for the most part. I mean I do plan certain things because you have to when it comes to detail, remember I'm detail-oriented!  I think you have to plan some time but I think by and large I'm a go-with-the-flow type person. JP:I asked this question quite often on the show it's always interesting to hear people's answers.  Brad if they were to make a movie of your life who would play you and what would the title of the movie be?Brad:WOW! that's a hard one! I don't know “life of Brad” would be pretty simple and I course I would pick a deaf person to play me because I'm a deaf. Maybe someone with my similar characteristics so Ryan Lane, who's a friend of mine and was on the show Switched at Birth. Yeah, I would go with Ryan. JP: I know also that you like to cook. What food that you haven't had before would you like to try? Brad:I guess I would say duck with orange sauce. I'm kind of curious to try something different but I like the staples like lasagna and spaghetti. I can usually do that without messing it up and I enjoy it. JP:If you can go back in time and take a road trip. who would go with and what car would you drive?Brad:WOW! Another tough one! My friend Jake has a ‘71 Cuda so I would take a road trip with Jake in his cool ‘Cuda! JP:You heard him Jake, hook the man up take him on a road trip in that ‘Cuda! A note from the host, JP Emerson:As you are listening to this, we're doing the show utilizing ASL which is American Sign Language. A fantastic tool to communicate.Our community not just muscle cars, collector cars, auto sports and more but we have the love for the automobile. We're all a part of an inclusive community and I can't emphasize enough, we need ASL American Sign Language so that we can communicate openly and honestly with everyone. It's the people that makes this community so great.  I want to certainly thank Brad and is interpreter for the opportunity to both meet and speak with him.  Brad can be reached on socials & the web and I encourage others to get to know Brad, his amazing work and all the great things he does to contribute to our community.Brad:Thank you, J P! You can find me, on the page I created which is Rare muscle cars on Facebook or if you type Brad Miles, you'll see me and my cap and glasses that's usually the easiest way. I really appreciate you allowing me to tell my story and your time. It really touched me that you were interested in doing so. JP:Brad it's certainly my pleasure! Again, I want to thank you Mark, with assisting me interpreting on this show so that we can have this conversation.We can learn so much from so many people and it's been a pleasure having both of you gentlemen taking your time to allow me to bring others your story. We look forward to seeing you at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals and I thank you both very much for joining us.  Brad:Thank you, J P, the pleasure was mine. 

Connect with Brad Miles: https://www.facebook.com/milesphotoAbout American Sign Language:https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/american-sign-language Show information:How to contact and connect with JP Emersonwww.jpemerson.comTwitter: @The_jpemersonemail: jp@jpemerson.com For more podcasts on cars check out Ford Mustang The Early Years Podcast at www.TheMustangPodcast.com or at Apple Podcasts or anywhere you get your podcastsFor more information about sponsorship or advertising on The JP Emerson Show or podcast launch services contact Doug Sandler at doug@turnkeypodcast.com or visit www.turnkeypodcast.com Episode Transcription:JP: Welcome back to the JP. Emerson show. There are many ways to enjoy the automotive community whether it's cruising in your pride and joy or simply enjoying others. Our Guest today has not only become a staple of the hobby but his unique talents lend himself to capture special moments like few others.It is my pleasure to welcome Mr. Brad miles and his American Sign Language interpreter Mr. Mark Bayarsky. Welcome guys  Brad:Thank you, thanks for having us.JP:It's a pleasure to have you. First Brad, I got to start with you obviously. Tell me a bit about yourself where you grew up and really how you got in the cars in the first place.Brad: Yeah definitely, so I live in Southern California, born in SoCal. I've just loved cars since I was four. Hot Wheels of course started that process so you know ditech cars etc.  I had friends when I was in the sandbox growing up in Orange County, Riverside Southern California. I ended up just loving cars, model cars, building them, going to the car shows all my life pretty much etc. It's kind of like gas in a car I guess, it's just in my blood. I love the smell; it just gets my heart pumping. I guess I just love cars!  JP:Was your family what we would consider a car type family or was it, you know like myself, your everyday type family where you know, you got what was affordable… a sensible family car or was it a little more fun back then? Brad: Well, my family I guess you could say, they really weren't car people you know? I think it's really thanks to neighbors who had a lot of cool cars, muscle cars of that era you know I grew up in that time frame and I got to see a lot of people working on them. My family was willing to take me to drag races, car shows, VW shows etc.  My dad was the one who actually took me and he was really into the Volkswagen 63 bugs and my mom had a white with red interior.  I just remember my mom buying a Vega, I think was just a ‘71 Vega they stuck with me and eventually as I got older, I just got more and more into it and the details related to them. I think it just became a Fascination and it was great that me and my dad could share that. We would learn different codes related to building cars and models and colors and just really something I was into.  JP:You know it's cool that you mentioned the smaller cars, those everyday cars, the Hot Wheels, the building the model car kits. I myself did the same thing I learned the basic principles of where parts went simply by building those model kits when I was a kid as well. You know we had the Snap Tight kits because we couldn't play with the glue and then of course as we got a little older, we did get the glue which probably wasn't a good idea! Now when you were really young, not Hot Wheels age but let's say you got to driving age, was there a particular car or model that just really grabbed your attention?  Brad:Yeah, for sure! Fortunately, I had some deaf friends who were into cars and we kind of talked it up. At the time super cars were popular and I really got into those. The super cars of that era.  I built model cars since the age of 6 so the old stores back then there are a lot of kids and I was constantly telling my mom I want this, I want that. It was kind of overload! I was building those model cars and I probably started with the glue about seven or eight. I could figure it out and read the instructions & I learned pretty much on my own so I just built my skills in that sense. Now the die cut Customs is pretty much what I'm involved in now. Graphic designs with Adobe Photoshop etc., and you know I'm doing things like that so it's just become something I've done in my whole life but a specific car when I was young was the ‘Cuda! I like the look of the ‘Cuda, the Shark look so I think the ‘Cuda has always been an interest of mine. JP:Brad, you said back when you were building the model kits there was a lot that went into that. The decals, images, the glue, the paint etc. Those of us who were doing and building them back then, we weren't just happy with the way the manufacturer was producing them. We painted them and customize them and such. Is that something you got into as well and how did that affect what you're doing today?  Brad:Yes, far as custom building I would buy an airbrush and I just really got into that process which ultimately won me a lot of awards relating to the best paint job and design.  I guess I'm pretty OCD regarding details and just kind of always wanting to make it right and perfect! I am detail-oriented so that was definitely something I did because my models had to be perfect!  I wouldn't let there be any flaws in my models. If something happened, I'd start all over again! It's a lot of time but I just feel the end result is the most important thing.     JP:I was going to get to this in a few minutes but I want to bring this question up. Help me understand… you are creating custom diecast cars now for individuals, is that right? Tell me a bit about that and help me understand. Brad:Sure. So, what I do is I design a template and I have a vinyl machine that I cut out the billboards, the top, carburetor linkage etc. All the details that you'd see on the actual car I can recreate the scale that makes everything look great! You know, the decals, the stickers, the stripes.  I work with a team of people that do certain things and we put things together.  For instance, if you see my Facebook page if you look at the pictures, they look like actual cars real engine compartments Interiors Etc!  JP:And that's something that we could see on your Facebook page, correct?Brad:Yes, that's correct you can see most of those on there. I just want people to see the detail that goes into making these one-of-a-kinds.  JP:I know I've seen these myself and I was intrigued. Is this something you do for fun or is this something that somebody can have done by you because I know people are going to look at your page and take a look and see what you're doing. Is that something you can do for them well? I do have a full-time job at the California School for the Deaf but I am available during the summer for side work so it's kind of a hobby that way. There's no deadline attached to it and for me it's kind of therapy. I grab my coffee and I do my thing. I also like doing photography of the Muscle car and Corvette Nationals.  I also shoot at Carlisle Pennsylvania and other events. Strictly muscle cars so you can see much of that on our page as well.  There's just a lot of things connected to that but I guess it really is a hobby but there's always possibilities and opportunities. JP:I think that people would love to have a car made that looks very similar to theirs and custom-built could be something that you could consider for car folks! How many times have you been to a hobby shop or toy store or an event and you see the generic car that looks close to yours? How cool would it be to have one that is exactly like yours? I mean what an opportunity to have someone like you make it exact. Those things are priceless to people!  Brad:yes, I agree! For me I like to order cars from YCID which is “your car in diecast” where I can get different styles and customize them to be yours. They're not cheap but it will look like yours! For example, someone sent me a diecast of their car asking me to add a vinyl top, some stripes and other details. They wanted me to match the colors in the engine accurately so it would be a 1 of 1! JP: Brad, I know our buddy Bob Ashton will here this and I know you love Mopar's but you're a muscle car guy through and through. You like the cars, you like the trucks, which I think is great. I love them all myself but if you had to pick one, and I know you're a ‘Cuda guy, but let's say one that's not a ‘Cuda… what would you pick?  Brad:It would have to be a ‘69 Copo Camaro like a ZL1 or an L72. The iron 427, those are pretty much favorites of mine.  I prefer the 4 speeds, just the faster top dog as I'm always into the top dog muscle cars!  I host my own page called “Rare muscle cars” on Facebook which I talked about that being my favorite. JP: I know also one of the favorites of the year for you is MCACN, which is Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, also known as the Super Bowl of car shows. Tell me why that show is so special to you. I think it's because there's so many rare and desirable muscle cars there every year! Brad:It's a trip worthwhile. I'm just really impressed with the show, it's very well planned out, it's not something I expected. The first time I got involved, which was 2014, it was something that I thought was worth me paying for and experiencing in person.  I was fortunate to get the VIP experience so that I can take great pictures and see what it was all about and I have to thank Bob and Scott from Rev muscle cars who are well-known and the industry. Fortunately, my photos and work got noticed by some of these people who invited me back and made me part of the family. It's just a worthy and fantastic event!  JP: Bob and the MCACN crew do a great job. Everything they do is first class and I can't say enough about that event. If you are a car person, you have to experience the muscle car and Corvette Nationals at least once. Put it on your bucket list you'll be glad you did!  Brad:That's for sure! I'm always trying to get my friends and people they know to attend because there's nothing like it.  I'm always trying to get that great group of people together for a group photo with that event! JP:let me ask you this, they're people that take photos and people that take pictures. Brad is a photographer as his pictures are outstanding! It's so difficult to take pictures at events and there's so many people walking around it's just a difficult environment to do this.  Brad what is it that captures your attention at an event? Is it a color, is it a make or the model? Is it a personal taste? What is it that makes you say “I'm going to capture this one”?  Brad:You know my rule is I would rather have cars with their hoods down not up. A lot of them are convertibles so they have to be closed and the reason I like a convertible closed is judges' points. That's what they're looking at all so I like the tops closed on vehicles and the hoods closed so I wait until after hours when people are leaving. I like to have a say in the room.I think a quiet environment is key but also learn how to use a tripod, shoot at a slow speed and it focuses more on the car color.Yes, definitely the rarity also gets my attention as well. You can almost tell which are the rare cars just reading some of the information about the cars.The more pictures the better and then selecting the best ones. JP:As a photographer, if someone came up as an amateur and they asked you what's the most important tip that would help me improve what would you share with them?Brad: I think it would be to learn how to use the manual setting that's the best speed. F-stop, the aperture and the white balance is also a must because shooting in doors is very challenging. With cars, you have to have the right color & right balance! I would say that would be my top tip and you have to use your eye and your brain because sometimes you don't want the camera to control you want to control the camera to meet your expectations! JP:  I know for a fact that shooting indoors is difficult I myself am not good at it. Outdoor at events, motion are good for me but take me indoors and I may as well just give you a night shot!  Brad:Yes, a low-light lens would help!  Shooting indoors and no flash! You know it's funny because indoor makes a car look like vitamin C orange then HDI orange so the white balance is definitely key you have to practice! JP: You know Brad, what's funny to me is you have so many talents between the die-cast and the customizing and photography but you're also into the codes on the cars knowing how to decipher them, what it means, the year, the color etc.  You're starting to become like my friend Mark Worman of Graveyard Carz where you can just rattle information off! Have you ever thought about putting that information together and compiling that information?  I know there's people that would love to have that information at their fingertips!  Brad:Yeah, I enjoy doing that part it's like crossword puzzle and to me it works your mind and keeps you sharp so when it comes to codes yeah there's so many! JP:Brad, would you prefer an original example of a car or let's call it a day 2 car?Brad:I kind of like both! I like Yenko, the Baldwin motion cars, the Mr. Norms. I do really like the real day two type cars, the old school paint jobs that just really catches my eye. It just inspires me and takes me back to the 70s. I guess I like the 70 styles if I could pinpoint it. All that customizing is a little overkill today but I would say yeah maybe the day 2 examples. JP: I think when you look at the muscle cars from that era a lot of day two changes were made and that was the norm. You look at today's examples of the muscle car and of course they're completely different. They are electronic, they have fuel injection, for the most part the blow the doors off the originals. What do you think of today's examples and if we dropped a bunch of money down in front of you, which one would you go out and buy today? Brad:I'd buy a Challenger red eye or a 2018 Demon!  I like the new Challenger myself with a supercharger and I like the Hellcat right now too. I'm currently working on a drag pack diecast because I do like them so much, I think to answer your question, every day driving… yes for sure I definitely would want to drive one of those cars! Fortunately, I'm only 2 miles away from where I work at the California School for the Deaf so the commute would be pretty fast.  JP:Brad let me hit you with a couple of Rapid questions whatever comes to mind so we can learn a bit more about you  JP:Who would you like to meet?Brad: I did want to meet David from Graveyard Carz and I did get a chance to meet him. Of course, Bob Ashton well-known in the muscle car community who of course I do know now and is a good friend. I think that's a good question I pretty much have been able to meet a lot of people I wanted to meet already so I am fortunate.  JP:If somebody narrated at your life who would that person be? Brad:My wife Tamara! She knows me very well so I would have to say my wife! She's a very humble person, witty, sarcastic and she knows everything about me so I think that would be a perfect fit!  JP:If you were superhero what would your superhero name be?Brad:Wow, I don't know! I kind of like my name last name, Miles so I guess I don't know maybe just Miles would be a cool superhero name because it kind of sounds or has something to do with cars so yeah let's go with Miles! JP:What was the last thing that you Googled? Brad:I'm sure it had something to do with photography or cameras or something like that. JP: If I were to ask your family to tell me new story about you, what story are they likely to share with me?Brad:Well yes, my family knows me pretty well. When I was younger, I was pretty mischievous when I was in elementary school I got in trouble at school and I was grounded for the day and had to stay with the assistant principal. Back then, you know I had issues just being a kid. One day my old teacher happened to be visiting my current school and happened to walk into the office and see that I was in trouble again at my new school!  JP:Are you a planner or a go-with-the-flow type person?Brad: I think I might go with the flow for the most part. I mean I do plan certain things because you have to when it comes to detail, remember I'm detail-oriented!  I think you have to plan some time but I think by and large I'm a go-with-the-flow type person. JP:I asked this question quite often on the show it's always interesting to hear people's answers.  Brad if they were to make a movie of your life who would play you and what would the title of the movie be?Brad:WOW! that's a hard one! I don't know “life of Brad” would be pretty simple and I course I would pick a deaf person to play me because I'm a deaf. Maybe someone with my similar characteristics so Ryan Lane, who's a friend of mine and was on the show Switched at Birth. Yeah, I would go with Ryan. JP: I know also that you like to cook. What food that you haven't had before would you like to try? Brad:I guess I would say duck with orange sauce. I'm kind of curious to try something different but I like the staples like lasagna and spaghetti. I can usually do that without messing it up and I enjoy it. JP:If you can go back in time and take a road trip. who would go with and what car would you drive?Brad:WOW! Another tough one! My friend Jake has a ‘71 Cuda so I would take a road trip with Jake in his cool ‘Cuda! JP:You heard him Jake, hook the man up take him on a road trip in that ‘Cuda! A note from the host, JP Emerson:As you are listening to this, we're doing the show utilizing ASL which is American Sign Language. A fantastic tool to communicate.Our community not just muscle cars, collector cars, auto sports and more but we have the love for the automobile. We're all a part of an inclusive community and I can't emphasize enough, we need ASL American Sign Language so that we can communicate openly and honestly with everyone. It's the people that makes this community so great.  I want to certainly thank Brad and is interpreter for the opportunity to both meet and speak with him.  Brad can be reached on socials & the web and I encourage others to get to know Brad, his amazing work and all the great things he does to contribute to our community.Brad:Thank you, J P! You can find me, on the page I created which is Rare muscle cars on Facebook or if you type Brad Miles, you'll see me and my cap and glasses that's usually the easiest way. I really appreciate you allowing me to tell my story and your time. It really touched me that you were interested in doing so. JP:Brad it's certainly my pleasure! Again, I want to thank you Mark, with assisting me interpreting on this show so that we can have this conversation.We can learn so much from so many people and it's been a pleasure having both of you gentlemen taking your time to allow me to bring others your story. We look forward to seeing you at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals and I thank you both very much for joining us.  Brad:Thank you, J P, the pleasure was mine. 

In J. M. West's Madame Bessie Jones: Her Life and Times (Local History Press, 2021), Jones emerges from the shadows of Carlisle (PA) history, first turning tricks in her mother Cora Andrews' "bawdy house" and then running her brothel from the Roaring Twenties to through chaotic sixties until her murder on October 1, 1972. For fifty years, she catered to the area's elite white clientele-lawyers, judges, businessmen, and senators. This historical work traces the struggles of Jones's operating a successful if illegal business through actual anecdotes despite running afoul of the law, including her murder and the sensational trial. It contains fictional dialogue and scenes to enhance the narrative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In J. M. West's Madame Bessie Jones: Her Life and Times (Local History Press, 2021), Jones emerges from the shadows of Carlisle (PA) history, first turning tricks in her mother Cora Andrews' "bawdy house" and then running her brothel from the Roaring Twenties to through chaotic sixties until her murder on October 1, 1972. For fifty years, she catered to the area's elite white clientele-lawyers, judges, businessmen, and senators. This historical work traces the struggles of Jones's operating a successful if illegal business through actual anecdotes despite running afoul of the law, including her murder and the sensational trial. It contains fictional dialogue and scenes to enhance the narrative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In J. M. West's Madame Bessie Jones: Her Life and Times (Local History Press, 2021), Jones emerges from the shadows of Carlisle (PA) history, first turning tricks in her mother Cora Andrews' "bawdy house" and then running her brothel from the Roaring Twenties to through chaotic sixties until her murder on October 1, 1972. For fifty years, she catered to the area's elite white clientele-lawyers, judges, businessmen, and senators. This historical work traces the struggles of Jones's operating a successful if illegal business through actual anecdotes despite running afoul of the law, including her murder and the sensational trial. It contains fictional dialogue and scenes to enhance the narrative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In J. M. West's Madame Bessie Jones: Her Life and Times (Local History Press, 2021), Jones emerges from the shadows of Carlisle (PA) history, first turning tricks in her mother Cora Andrews' "bawdy house" and then running her brothel from the Roaring Twenties to through chaotic sixties until her murder on October 1, 1972. For fifty years, she catered to the area's elite white clientele-lawyers, judges, businessmen, and senators. This historical work traces the struggles of Jones's operating a successful if illegal business through actual anecdotes despite running afoul of the law, including her murder and the sensational trial. It contains fictional dialogue and scenes to enhance the narrative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

In J. M. West's Madame Bessie Jones: Her Life and Times (Local History Press, 2021), Jones emerges from the shadows of Carlisle (PA) history, first turning tricks in her mother Cora Andrews' "bawdy house" and then running her brothel from the Roaring Twenties to through chaotic sixties until her murder on October 1, 1972. For fifty years, she catered to the area's elite white clientele-lawyers, judges, businessmen, and senators. This historical work traces the struggles of Jones's operating a successful if illegal business through actual anecdotes despite running afoul of the law, including her murder and the sensational trial. It contains fictional dialogue and scenes to enhance the narrative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

In J. M. West's Madame Bessie Jones: Her Life and Times (Local History Press, 2021), Jones emerges from the shadows of Carlisle (PA) history, first turning tricks in her mother Cora Andrews' "bawdy house" and then running her brothel from the Roaring Twenties to through chaotic sixties until her murder on October 1, 1972. For fifty years, she catered to the area's elite white clientele-lawyers, judges, businessmen, and senators. This historical work traces the struggles of Jones's operating a successful if illegal business through actual anecdotes despite running afoul of the law, including her murder and the sensational trial. It contains fictional dialogue and scenes to enhance the narrative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Is there anything more exciting than an amazing toy find? Whether it's a Blue Snaggletooth, totes full of hundreds of modern and vintage figures, or even the rare chance to own a Rocket-Firing Boba Fett prototype, we all have at least one story about a really memorable find, and it's always exciting to hear ones from our fellow collectors. In fact, trading tales of toy pickups is one of the best parts of our hobby. The second part to Carlisle's Toys For The Ages Expo Weekend covers Saturday's show, from the time leading up to its opening to shopping during the early bird and general admission times, to lunch with Carlisle's own Steve Rensi, and finishing the week afternoon hanging out with friends and collectors. The Toys For The Ages Expo was one of the most enjoyable toy weekends in a long, long time. The show boasted more than fifty vendors, who brought an incredible mix of toys and collectibles spanning the past five decades. Join host David Quinn as he reports from Saturday's show and talks to vendors, shoppers and collectors as they share some of their incredible toy finds from over the years, in a new series for the podcast, titled “Amazing Finds.” The Toys For The Ages Expo Website: https://www.toysfortheagesexpo.com/ Toys For The Ages Expo Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/toysfortheagesexpo November's upcoming Pasadena Toy Expo in Maryland: https://www.pasadenatoyexpo.com/ And if you enjoy Star Wars: Prototypes and Production, please: 1. Subscribe/follow the podcast (It's free!) 2. Leave a review on your preferred podcast platform (Help me get to 500 reviews!) 3. And tell a friend (or twenty)! It would be most appreciated - you have the power to help grow the podcast! Thank you in advance! Links to the Episode on Various Platforms: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/star-wars-prototypes-and-production/id1448205460?mt=2 https://open.spotify.com/show/744L0XQhmpXn2AZeaxUhOZ https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjU2NTA4ODM3Ni9zb3VuZHMucnNz https://soundcloud.com/david-quinn-908355451/tracks https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/u4ywr-80960/Star-Wars-Prototypes-and-Production-Podcast https://player.fm/series/2473540 https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-star-wars-prototypes-and-p-31050806/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/star-wars-prototypes-and-production/id1448205460?mt=2

Have you ever felt like you needed to get away for a weekend? If you're like many collectors, the remedy is usually a trip to a toy show. There's nothing like hunting for vintage and modern Star Wars items, especially in the company of friends. And Andy Cook certainly gave all of us a pretty good reason to visit Carlisle this past weekend. Andy hosted the Toys for the Ages Expo at the Carlisle Expo Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The show boasted more than fifty vendors, who brought an incredible mix of toys and collectibles spanning the past five decades. Join host David Quinn for part one of the two-part series on the weekend at the Toys for the Ages Expo. Come along for a ride out to Carlisle, lunch at a local diner, setup for the show with friend and collector Peter LeRose, a dinner at a local pub with many of the vendors, and a tour of the show that Saturday morning that leads to an amazing find! This episode is also the introduction to a new series titled Amazing Finds. In part two (Episode 54), vendors, shoppers and collectors share the stories behind some of their most meaningful and memorable toy-related pickups. The Toys For The Ages Expo Website: https://www.toysfortheagesexpo.com/ Toys For The Ages Expo Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/toysfortheagesexpo And if you enjoy Star Wars: Prototypes and Production, please: 1. Subscribe/follow the podcast (It's free!) 2. Leave a review on your preferred podcast platform (Help me get to 500 reviews!) 3. And tell a friend (or twenty)! It would be most appreciated - you have the power to help grow the podcast! Thank you in advance! Links to the Episode on Various Platforms: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/star-wars-prototypes-and-production/id1448205460?mt=2 https://open.spotify.com/show/744L0XQhmpXn2AZeaxUhOZ https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjU2NTA4ODM3Ni9zb3VuZHMucnNz https://soundcloud.com/david-quinn-908355451/tracks https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/u4ywr-80960/Star-Wars-Prototypes-and-Production-Podcast https://player.fm/series/2473540 https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-star-wars-prototypes-and-p-31050806/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/star-wars-prototypes-and-production/id1448205460?mt=2

In this episode we go through an overview of the 22nd Infantry Regiment's involvement in the War of 1812. This brief overview starts at the creation of the 22nd Infantry Regiment in Carlisle PA, our first combat at Fort Niagara (Niagara Falls NY), and to our combat action in Niagara Canada. We briefly cover the battles at Crystler's Farm, both battles at Fort Erie (CA), battle of Chippewa, and battle of Lundy's Lane. #chippewa #niagarafalls #army #military #lundyslane #battleofchippewa #battleoflundyslane #10thmountain #warof1812

On this episode of Milford House Mysteries, we feature co-host JM West and her new book of historical nonfiction, Madam Bessie Jones: Her Life and Times. Co-host Sherry Knowlton will interview West about her decision to take on a scandalous southcentral Pennsylvania figure and an unsolved murder for her first foray into historical non-fiction. We'll also talk about West's Carlisle Crime Cases series and more. In Madam Bessie Jones, Her Life and Times, Jones emerges from the shadows of Carlisle (PA) history, first turning tricks in her mother Cora Andrews' “bawdy house” and then running her  brothel from the Roaring Twenties  through the chaotic sixties until her murder on October 1, 1972. For fifty years, she catered to the area's elite white clientele—lawyers, judges, businessmen and senators. This historic book traces the struggles of Jones's operating a successful--if illegal--business through actual anecdotes despite running afoul of the law, including her murder and the sensational trial. Milford House Mysteries Hosts - Sherry Knowlton is the author of the Alexa Williams suspense series including Dead of Autumn, Dead of Summer, Dead of Spring, Dead of Winter, and Dead on the Delta. Joan West is the author of the Carlisle Crime Cases series including Dying for Vengeance, Courting Doubt and Darkness, Darkness at First Light, Had a Dying Fall, and Things Strangled. West has just released her first historical work, Madam Bessie Jones: Her Life and Times.

**Trigger Warning** In this episode Kate & Teacher Madds discuss the recent findings of remains at Kamloops Residential Schools along with Brandon, MB, the two schools in Saskatchewan and Carlisle PA. Kate & Teacher Madds also touch on allyship and provide resources for further education.

Monika Kelly chats with Pastor Chuck Kish, also a chaplain, at Bethel Church in Carlisle, PA about a recent "Smiles Project" where members of his church posed for a "SmilesfromBethel" poster to bring joy to local, isolated nursing home patients. Pastor Chuck also discusses his chaplaincy program.

In the last episode, we spoke to two distinguished professors of economics at Heinz College, doctors Lowell Taylor and Martin Gaynor, to explore the economics of how a company like Amazon could grow so quickly to control half of the US online retail market, what the consequences could be for consumers, and whether we should be worried about a complete monopoly. Today, we will explore how existing anti-trust laws could be maneuvered to deal with Amazon and other tech giants. We spoke with Attorney Michael A. Finio, and Prof. Ari Lightman from Heinz College. Ari is a Distinguished Service Professor, Digital Media and Marketing at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy. Ari is an internationally recognized expert in digital transformation and technology disruption focusing on online communities, digital collaboration, information dissemination and content analysis. He has worked with organizations across entertainment, technology, manufacturing, Consumer Packaged Goods, finance and healthcare.   Mike hails currently from Camp Hill, PA where he and his wife Amy live with their two dogs - Newfoundland Harper, and hound mix Ollie. After spending his formative years in Southwest Philadelphia and Springfield (Delco) PA, he went to the University of New Hampshire, in Durham, NH and then the (Penn State) Dickinson School of Law, in Carlisle PA. He’s been practicing law since 1983 and over his 38 years at the bar, he has from one client matter to the next over time increasingly focused on antitrust, merger review and control and other competition matters, and those things now occupy almost all of his lawyering time. He’s also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson, where he teaches Antitrust Law.  

Jeanna Som is the Executive Director of Carlisle PA's Summer Program for Youth (SPY.) I recorded this podcast with Jeanna as part of the article I wrote for the (Carlisle) Sentinel newspaper's "Inspire" edition Feb. 28, 2021. A woman with a big heart, listen to this podcast and be inspired to help those kids that are less fortunate than you.

So many shoulder measures, so little time. Where should you start? If you have someone who has a mix of shoulder restrictions, you might wonder…. Eh, which one should I go after first? This gets equally troublesome when few people have exactly the same restrictions.  What's a fam to do?? You likely know how influential ribcage orientation can be, yet you can be laser-focused at which measures should be your target when you consider: Where each shoulder measure correlates to ribcage position Where to expand first pending infrasternal angle presentation If you want to make your exercise selection much more accurate, this is the debrief, folks! Check out Movement Debrief Episode 145 below to learn more! Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here   Here are some testimonials for the class  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 31st at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55 pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55 pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55 pm) November 6th-7th, 2021, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 3rd at 11:55 pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.     Motion of the shoulder complex during multiplanar humeral elevation - This is my go-to study when understanding scapulohumeral rhythm. Elevate Sports Performance and Healthcare - The spot in Las Vegas where ya boi works.  Prioritizing shoulder restrictions Question: If shoulder extension and horizontal abduction are both limited, which do you chase first? We could probably also add internal rotation in there. Answer: Picture this, you have someone with measure XYZ limited on the right side, then ABC is limited on the other, where to start, fam? If you've been following this site for a hot minute, you probably have the belief that humeral measures are used to approximate movement restrictions within the thorax. Put another way, airflow is going to be reduced in a given area based on particular shoulder measures. Therefore, increasing shoulder mobility depends on where you have to put air and in what order you need to perform this. When you are looking to improve shoulder measures, there are a few different principles that I operate by to enhance decision-making. The lungs fill bottom-up If you have a glass and you fill it with water, how does the water fill the cup? [caption id="attachment_13466" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Preferably Topo Chico or Sedona Mineral Water[/caption] The bottom-most parts of the cup fill first, then eventually it fills to the brim. You can't fill the middle of the cup, then a little bit at the bottom, and a little bit at the top. Your lungs are like that cup of water (that's some philosophical sounding shit right?). When you take a breath of air in (assuming you are upright), the bottom parts of the lungs fill first, working up to the apex. And just like that cup of water, you can't expect to put a bit of air in the top, a smidge down low, etc. You gotta fill those lungs bottom-up Restriction in the thorax will generally lead to greater lung fill in the bottom portion of the lungs, with restricted ability to fill higher areas. Because the intercostals cannot expand the ribs, accessory breathing muscles will lift the ribcage as a unit, increasing bottom fill. We want to restore the ribcage's ability to expand in all directions. In order to make that happen, we have to restore this bottom-up fill that the lungs perform. In order to know how to "fill" the thorax bottom-up, we have to understand how different shoulder measures can let us know where airflow is restricted. The first heuristic that we operate from is breaking down how specific measures are related to thorax restrictions: Flexion, abduction, and external rotation restrictions indicate decreased posterior expansion Extension, adduction, and internal rotation restrictions indicate decreased anterior expansion The reason why these measures are related is because of how scapular position changes when the thorax cannot fill adequately. For example, if the anterior thorax cannot fill adequately, the shoulder blades will round forward, which leads to the humerus externally rotating to bring the arm back to center, causing an internal rotation loss. Flip this for posterior restrictions, you'll see a flatter upper back, which pulls the shoulders back, which leads the humeri to internally rotate back to center, causing an external rotation loss. You can have a mix of in-between pending what thorax levels are restricted, hence the wide variety of postures people assume. But how can you tell where the restrictions lie? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED! Each humeral measure corresponds to a different level of the thorax. It has to do with the fiber direction of tissue excursions you are testing and their location relative to spinal level. For example, the horizontal fibers of subscapularis run from around T2-4. Let's look at each of these measures and where they relate to on this fancy table. Only the finest for the fam! Edit Test Tissue tested Spinal Levels Shoulder Flexion All posterior thorax tissues Entire posterior thorax with a slight bias towards T2-4 Shoulder External Rotation Oblique fibers of subscapularis Posterior thorax at T6-8 Shoulder Horizontal Abduction Transverse fibers of subscapularis Posterior thorax at T2-4 Shoulder Extension All anterior thorax tissues Entire anterior thorax with a slight bias towards manubrium Shoulder Internal Rotation Oblique fibers of posterior cuff Anterior thorax at sternal body (T6-8) Shoulder Horizontal Adduction Transverse fibers of posterior cuff Anterior thorax at manubrium (T2-4) Or if you are more the graphic kind of person, peep this: [caption id="attachment_12233" align="alignnone" width="810"] With flexion and extension being general proxies for posterior and anterior expansion, respectively.[/caption] So for example, if someone has a loss of internal rotation and horizontal abduction, internal rotation would be the first priority because it's a lower level on the thorax. of course, assuming you can stack, as that's what fills up the thorax period. Exercise options to improve thoracic expansion Now that we know how to assess each level of the thorax, let's look at some general ways of improving these measures. Before getting uber specific with each measure, the first priority is to coach the stack. The stack helps create the necessary piston effect between the thoracic and pelvic diaphragm to allow for the ribcage to expand in all directions. [caption id="attachment_12618" align="aligncenter" width="195"] And it's necessary for talking to me[/caption] If you lack the ability to stack (#bars), then there will be increased accessory muscle tone, the lower portions of the lung will receive the most fill, and you won't have a whole lotta movement in your arms. Now let's suppose that you stacked (even though trust me, you probably didn't), let's look at some strategies for improving humeral measures: Shoulder external rotation: Reaching between 0°-60° shoulder flexion https://youtu.be/pWKeFumljTY Shoulder internal rotation: Reaching between 60°-120° shoulder flexion https://youtu.be/WZtO_Gty2rU Shoulder horizontal abduction: Drive thorax rotation while keeping the head forward, or drive active humeral external rotation. Driving cervical rotation https://youtu.be/h_X9-yoEdlY Shoulder horizontal adduction: Drive humeral extension https://youtu.be/nAhp1If44p0 Shoulder flexion: Progressively go overhead, but restore external rotation and horizontal abduction first. You can also utilize rotation to make this happen https://youtu.be/rD1Ejw5KKMs Shoulder extension: Reach forward, then drive humeral extension https://youtu.be/-kVMyKi4aoc If you are in doubt, you can always drive rotation, which is an excellent way to drive anteroposterior expansion. You can also use inversion to get uppermost thorax expansion, as the lungs will fill top down in this case. Now that we have an idea of what each measure means and what to do about it, how do I prioritize these restrictions based on the bottoms-up approach? Simple (though not easy), you address the lowest most restrictions first, then work your way up: Achieve the stack (have the infrasternal angle be dynamic) Restore shoulder internal and external rotation Restore shoulder horizontal abduction and adduction Restore shoulder flexion and extension How does the infrasternal angle impact order of addressing shoulder motion? So we have an idea of where we need to put air, but how does the infrasternal impact the order of priority? Different infrasternal angles and the accompanying skeletal structure predispose someone to predictable restrictions. Based on the order that compensatory strategies occur with each archetype, you want to go after restrictions in the following order: Wide infrasternal angle Dynamic infrasternal angle Address secondary compensations (limited extension, adduction, and internal rotation) Address primary compensations (limited flexion, abduction, and external rotation) Based on the order of attack, as well as the filling bottom-up concept, you might approach the following wide ISA individual: Reduced shoulder internal rotation and horizontal abduction, and flexion They would go after improving movement options in the following order: Dynamic ISA Shoulder internal rotation Shoulder horizontal abduction Shoulder flexion Narrow infrasternal angle Dynamic infrasternal angle Address secondary compensations (limited flexion, abduction, and external rotation) Address primary compensations (limited extension, adduction, and internal rotation) Based on the order of attack, as well as the filling bottom-up concept, you might approach the following narrow ISA individual: Reduced shoulder internal rotation and external rotation, horizontal abduction, and flexion They would go after improving movement options in the following order: Dynamic ISA Shoulder external rotation Shoulder internal rotation Shoulder horizontal abduction Shoulder flexion Sum up Shoulder restrictions correspond with airflow into the thorax at various levels Addressing restrictions should occur with a bottom-up approach The infrasternal angle and the order of compensation should be taken into consideration when exploring frontside or backside expansion first

Assessing and treating those who are really flexible! Having full range of motion is a good thing, but what if you have too much mobility? Can you accurately assess someone who is hypermobile?  And most importantly: “WAT CHU GON DO BOUT IT?” Those clients who are hypermobile can be quite challenging in many respects. Namely, because the following is true: Assessments are more difficult to interpret because of increased mobility Coaching can be challenging  Spotting compensations can be tough But don't worry, ya boi has got you covered. Here are some helpful assessments, treatment, and myth-busting when working with this population. Check out Movement Debrief Episode 143 below to learn more! Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 31st at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55 pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55 pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55 pm) November 6th-7th, 2021, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 3rd at 11:55 pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.   Hypermobility Question: How do you go about assessing and treating someone that has joint laxity and hypermobility; particularly if they don't seem to have any limitations. Answer: Hypermobility can mean a wide variety of things to people, but let's break this concept down to the nitty-gritty. There are established physiological normative values for what ranges of motion our joints should be able to express (e.g. the shoulder should have 90 degrees of external rotation, the knee should have around 5 degrees of hyperextension, etc). Range of motion beyond the established norms would be considered hypermobile. Just as range below the established norms would be considered hypomobile. Based on this definition, there can be a wide variety of individuals who possess hypermobility. Here are a few examples: A baseball pitcher with 120 degrees of shoulder external rotation One who can palm the floor on a toe touch A high Beighton Score, a hypermobility measure Ehlers Danlos  [caption id="attachment_13433" align="alignnone" width="810"] Elbow hyperextension in a patient with Ehlers Danlos[/caption] On one end, the baseball pitcher may have hypermobility in only one specific direction. On the other end, one with Ehlers Danlos has a systemic hypermobility disorder affecting multiple joints (though not necessarily all). Although these individuals are on different ends of the spectrum, they both have similar biomechanics occurring that are creating this situation. That is: eccentric orientation on one or multiple parts of the joint [caption id="attachment_13434" align="alignnone" width="810"] Increased space between the joint surface can place stretch on tissues, causes eccentric orientation and increased motion[/caption] The key components of this orientation manifesting are: Joint space in a given area increases Fluid position presses up against the tissues ALL relevant tissues (muscles, synovium, connective tissues, ligaments, etc) increase tissue viscosity and reduce stiffness, increasing eccentric orientation and subsequent available motion. To some extent, this process is NORMAL. The tissues in your body contain viscoelastic properties that allow them to be either stiffer (elastic, think fast folks) or less stiff (more viscous, aka flexible). Tissues have to be able to express both sides of this equation in order for movement to occur. Hypermobility occurs when there is a loss of this process. Where the tissues develop a larger bias towards viscosity or have difficulty producing stiffness. Now, most peeps hear hypermobility and think this is a bad thing. Hell, some people even say this is pathological. OMG I'M PATHO AF, I BETTER JUST CALL IT QUITS FALSE!!!!!!!!!!!!! The problem is that there isn't really any research stating that those who are hypermobile (except diagnosed hypermobility disorders, NOT you have a bit more hip external rotation than normal, please reread that again) are more inclined to experience pain or injury compared to those without. In fact, being able to lock out joints may have some benefits: Locking out joints allows for energy conservation between reps of an activity Locking out joints can enhance needed stability in certain phases of activity (think gait, those who lack full knee extension have worse balance compared to those with full extension) That said, having excessive motion could potentially increase injury risk when looked at from a movement variability standpoint. People who have too many movement options cannot move joint fluids as efficiently, thus having more difficulty recovering from perturbations. That doesn't mean hypermobile folks are in a worse situation than stiff folks, they just may be more predisposed to other injury mechanisms. The latter population may hurt themselves from overloading specific areas due to the inability to offload structures. Each extreme can be problematic. The solution, regardless of presentation, is as follows: Restore all viscoelastic capabilities and contractile options Thus, we want to first assess for any deficits, restore those deficits, then teach these individuals to generate tension. The hard part though, fam, is that hypermobile folks may look like they move super well passively on the table. In fact, a large portion of people will lower extremity injuries have increased movement variability. AKA YOUR APPENDICULAR MEASURES CANNOT BE TRUSTED However, there is one area that is not predisposed to having excessive movement variability: The axial skeleton. [caption id="attachment_13437" align="aligncenter" width="349"] Axial measures don't lie, fam! (credit: LadyofHats)[/caption] Thus, when testing these folks, you'll want to do the following to ensure reliable testing: Use axial skeleton measures (Infrasternal angle, spinal rotation, etc) Use loaded/dynamic measures, as they may rely more on compensatory strategies when challenged Watch for compensations by monitoring joint motion during testing Appreciate end-feel, some may be actually missing the last bit of range of motion Note any symptoms of pain, pinching, etc, and call those points the limitation If you pay attention, you'll still find that these peeps present with movement limitations that need to be addressed first. many times, restoring axial movement options can positively change sensations of excessive motion. I've had many clients in my day who have had what appeared to be "joint laxity" upon testing, ranging from excessive motion or even feeling aggressive/excessive joint glides as I moved them through range, that magically went away once they restored axial movement. If that's the case, was there really joint laxity to begin with? Or was it merely a position, viscoelastic, and nervous system-influenced problem? Once you've restored those movement options that were limited, you then want to focus on tasks that increase tissue stiffness. Surprisingly, these tactics are well researched, and can be improved via the following mechanisms: Compression Long duration isometrics (20 seconds or more) Plyometrics Make sure all tasks are performed with sound technique, and you'll no doubt be a rockstar who can move well! Sum up Hypermobility occurs when eccentric orientation of tissues is present, allowing for motion beyond established normal values Rely on axial measure testing, closely monitor appendicular measures, and use loaded/dynamic actions to see where restrictive strategies are present Restore movement options in limited areas first, then apply interventions geared toward increasing tissue stiffness Image by elizzzet from Pixabay

Keeping the upper airway open Breathing while you sleep….it's kind of a big deal. So much so that things like a CPAP exist to save lives, open the airway, and get your body the oxygen it needs to survive. But is this the best option? What happens if you have a septal deviation? Are there any measures we can take to improve airway patency while we sleep, and even train!? To better understand what our options are, we have to look at what a CPAP actually does, and we need to have our bodies be able to do in its place if it's something we want to cease using.  So too with nasal breathing. What are the components needed to breathe effectively through our noses?  You'll get to find all this out today in this debrief. Check out Movement Debrief Episode 144 to learn more! Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 31st at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55 pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55 pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55 pm) November 6th-7th, 2021, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 3rd at 11:55 pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.  Introduction to Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Course Review - If you want to dive into myofunctional therapy and tongue posture, this is the post for you. If you want to peep some exercises for your tongue, check out the playlist here. Orthodontic elastics - These are great cueing devices for tongue placement Nasal saline rinse - Clean your nostrils with this one. CPAP  Question: My question for you has to do with the CPAP machine and why it could be bad? I know it's a steady flow of air that can affect the pressure in the ribcage, but can you explain this further?  Would an APAP machine that does not have a constant flow of air be better? Or are there still risks? Watch the answer here. Answer: CPAP and APAP are devices that alter the pressure of the air you breathe in, which helps prevent the airway from collapsing while you sleep. Normally, we breathe through negative pressure. This means that as we breathe in, the diaphragm pulls downward, which creates a force that makes the airway and surrounding structures want to collapse inward. Fortunately, air getting pulled in the lungs helps maintain the shape, and life is good. But what happens if this negative pressure is so great that the airway collapses too far and you do not get adequate airflow? Well, now you aren't getting enough oxygen, which causes major problems. Like uh....death. A way to "fix" this is through positive airway pressure, which essentially has the reverse effect of negative pressure—creating expansion. Now I have a situation where I still create negative pressure from the diaphragm, but I change the pressurization of air coming into my body in a manner that allows the airway to fill. Life is good. There are three categories of devices you could go with to utilize this mechanism: Continuous (CPAP): Blows a constant stream of air in under a single set of pressure Automatic (APAP): Samples your breathing and determines what pressure you need to be at Bi-level (BiPAP): The pressure changes depending on the breath cycle. These devices are essential and life-saving for someone who has sleep apnea. This is especially true for central sleep apnea, where the brain causes the apneic events to occur. These devices can also mitigate many of the symptoms felt from sleep deprivation. So if you are someone with apnea, you most likely want to get one of these devices ASAP. In terms of which device you choose, the BiPAP will most likely make a full respiratory cycle occur more easily, but it's also more expensive. Your best bet is to coordinate with your sleep doc. Now before you read onward, let me be clear: PSA - Do not perform the following recommendations without consulting a physician first. This is not medical advice and is for entertainment purposes only. There are a few issues with using these devices as a treatment: Compliance is SUPER low. 50% of users after 1 year will stop. Several side effects can happen such as dry throat, difficulty falling asleep, etc. The device may not be fixing the problem if sleep apnea is obstructive and not central. What I mean by point number 3 is that the problem of sleep apnea has to do with the airway collapsing at some location. The machine does not fix the structural collapse but creates an artificial breathing environment; acting like a stent for your airway. Stents open up the pipe, but don't fix the underlying issue. This could be why CPAPs do NOT have cardioprotective effects.  You could still have many of the following issues: Restricted nasal airway Low resting tongue posture, whcih collapses the pharyngeal wall during sleep Low soft palate posture restricted airway size Limited cervical dynamics Limited thorax dynamics All of these factors could limit your ability to breathe effectively during sleep and life. I think they need to be addressed to really "fix" the problem. [caption id="attachment_13405" align="aligncenter" width="386"] Make that airway dynamic AF, fam![/caption] Consider if you cannot adequately breathe through your nose for whatever reason. You will not get nitric oxide production needed to dilate blood vessels, which has several cardioprotective effects by reducing blood pressure and such. The key is to restore this mechanism. How would you do that? That I cannot answer, as each individual's needs will be unique. You need data, imaging, and a physical examination to make decisions. Pursuing upper airway restoration involves working under a skilled physician (Dentist, sleep doctor, ENT). Treatments could include the following: Surgeries to impact airway at any level (maxillomandibular advancement, septoplasty or other nasal surgeries, surgical palate expansion, tongue-tie release, etc) Oral appliance and airway orthodontics Myofunctional therapy and physical therapy Maximizing sleep environment Eating foods that support a healthy sleep environment Whatever you need, please consult a physician skilled in this domain, but I do think going this route is essential for improving upper airway dynamics, and subsequently sleep. If you want to check out some of the stuff I've tried, you can see them below: Maxillary expansion Tongue-tie release and septoplasty Wisdom teeth extraction Oral appliance Deviated septum  Question: When dealing with a client with a deviated septum, that is a constant mouth breather. What is the best route to take with them in order for them to improve their breathing during training? Would the tongue drill help? Are there other drills? Watch the debrief here. Answer: The best route to "fix" a deviated septum would be consulting a practitioner who specializes in the upper airway. What will likely need to happen is some changes in mouth structure and position to improve the floor of the nose (aka roof of the mouth) and potentially a surgical procedure to correct the deviation pending the degree. There are likely no conservative measures that can alter a septal deviation, this is a structural issue. That said, many folks can still nasal breathe well despite this structural issue. In fact, I know someone right now who has an 80% blockage in one nostril who nasal breathes like a boss! Just like you can have osteoarthritis without pain and a high level of function, so too can you have a structural problem in your nose but still breathe well. The key is to have all the pieces in places needed to ensure a nasal breathing environment: Palatal tongue posture Ability to breathe through your nose Carbon dioxide tolerance Let's dive into each! Palatal tongue posture A palatal tongue posture is the ability to place your entire tongue on the roof of your mouth and keep it there. Notice how the tongue is right up against the roof of the mouth (photo credit: Sémhur)The ability to get into this position requires adequate mobility and knowing how to get into position. If you want some good exercises to enhance tongue mobility, check out this post and my Youtube playlist here. If you want to better improve tongue placement, utilizing orthodontic elastics on your mouth can be a big help. Basically, you can put the elastics where you can't get your tongue up to as an external cue. Focus on pressing the elastic into the roof of the mouth. [caption id="attachment_13409" align="aligncenter" width="376"] Elastic on the tongue tip. A good starting point[/caption] Ability to breathe through your nose This is as it sounds. Can you breathe through your nose while keeping a palatal tongue posture? Think breathe quietly and slowly through your nose in this position. You can also use a saline rinse through your nose to keep it open and clean. [caption id="attachment_13411" align="aligncenter" width="376"] Keep ya nose clean, fam![/caption] Carbon dioxide tolerance Mouth breathing is useful for keeping blood pH in a tight window during exercise. pH is governed by carbon dioxide, so the better you can tolerate carbon dioxide, the longer you can nasal breathe. This quality can be improved by working on a controlled pause. Here are the steps to this action: Attain palatal tongue posture Exhale a normal amount through your nose Pause and do not breathe. Hold to the point of first experiencing air hunger (where you feel the need to breathe in) Breathe in lightly through your nose, and exhale again; repeating step 3. Over time, your ability to tolerate air hunger should improve, and NO ONE will mess with you. Sum up CPAPs help keep the airway open and oxygen in your body, but improving airway dynamics and structure are key to "fixing" sleep apnea Nasal breathing requires a palatal tongue posture, regular nasal breathing, and carbon dioxide tolerance Image by https://www.myupchar.com/en

Steve Bloom is the former Pennsylvania State House Representative (2010-2018)who then ran unsuccessfully for a US Congressional seat in 2019-20. A man who's life goal has always been to "make a difference" in peoples' lives, Steve is one of those people you can hold up as a role model. Listen to this 30-minute interview to learn more about Steve's life and what he's up to these days. (This interview was the basis for my profile article in The Sentinel Newspaper, Carlisle PA, December 2020.)

Can't turn your head? Find out why So the neck, thorax, shoulders, and more are all related, but is there a convenient way to illustrate the interconnectedness of these areas? I think there is one test that can provide TONS of insight here. That test? Lower cervical rotation The ability to rotate the lower part of the neck can demonstrate how well you can move the uppermost parts of the thorax and can help differentiate if you need to drive interventions either below or above the neck.  Want to know all about the importance of this often-overlooked test? Check out Movement Debrief Episode 142 to learn more! Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55 pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55 pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55 pm) November 6th-7th, 2021, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 3rd at 11:55 pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.   Introduction to Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Course Review - If you want to dive into myofunctional therapy and tongue posture, this is the post for you. If you want to peep some exercises for your tongue, check out the playlist here. Covd.org - If you want to find a neuro or behavioral optometrist, one who looks beyond vision clarity, this is the place to find them. Spinal Manipulation Institute - My go-to place to learn how to do joint manipulations. Risk of Vertebrobasilar Stroke and Chiropractic Care - Does joint manipulation pose a risk for vertebral artery breaking? Not as much as going to your primary care physician. Read this article and prepare to have your mind blown. Cervical rotation assessment and treatment Question: "Hey Zac, What do you look for when you assess neck rotation and needs for lower cervical rotation?" Answer: Cervical rotation is an excellent measure that bridges that gap between craniocervical and thorax limitations. We will be separating measuring this area into upper and lower cervical contributions. The bulk of cervical rotation happens at C1-C2, which accounts for about 45 degrees of motion in each direction. The remaining 45 or so degrees happens in the rest of the cervical spine. You'll also get some thoracic spine movement down to T5-ish with cervical rotation. An easy way to measure upper cervical rotation is the classic flexion-rotation test. Here, you'll flex the neck until the chin is touching the chest, then rotate the head, shooting for 45 degrees each way. But how in the heck do you measure the remaining cervical rotation contributions? I'm glad you asked!!! There is a test called lower cervical rotation, where you essentially grab the neck and rotate it as a unit. The way you perform the test is by approximating your index fingers up against C7. Grasp the neck and rotate it as a unit, as you can see in the video here. There isn't really a "normal" degree on this test. You have to go by feel. Usually, the test is restricted if you feel an abrupt halt or block as you into the rotation. If you can't test someone manually, you can simply look at seated cervical rotation, then have the client actively perform the flexion-rotation test, and note the difference. So we have two areas to target: lower cervical rotation vs upper cervical rotation Lower cervical rotation If there is a limitation in cervical rotation in one direction, that means you'll have reductions in: ipsilateral posterior expansion Contralateral anterior expansion This limitation will occur all the way down to T5. Meaning that this test can be another test to determine if one needs upper thorax (T2-4) expansion. This test is especially useful if your supreme clientele has REALLY FLEXIBLE shoulders. Can't trust 'em! If you see a restriction here and you've already stacked, then you want to drive activities that isolate rotation here. Movements such as cross-connects, where the thorax rotates one direction and the head rotates the opposite direction, can be a useful way of targeting this region. You can also combine head rotation with humeral rotation, like with an armbar screwdriver. Upper cervical rotation If you have cleared up everything else, yet you notice there is still a restriction in upper cervical rotation, you'll likely need to either drive upper cervical mobility or target the cranial sensory systems. Most people are either biased towards a forward head posture or a military posture. For the former, you'll need to drive slight OA flexion. You can accomplish this position easily with a drunken turtle. If you need OA extension, simply cueing undouble chin during any move can be enough. Looking ahead in a chair and wall squat can do the trick. You can also utilize manual therapy in this area to attain desired outcomes. Let's suppose that you've tried this to no avail, you may have to consider affecting different sensory systems. This "fix" could either involves a dental (or myofunctional) to improve palatal tongue posture, working with a neuro-optometrist, or potentially impacting other sensory systems. When should I refer to an optometrist? Question: "How do you know if vision is a factor in limited cervical movement?" Watch the answer here. Answer: There aren't really hard and fast rules when it comes to determining when you need to make the optometric referral. It's usually a cluster of exhausting conservative options and history indicating visual disturbance. I cannot stress this enough: make the vision referral AFTER exhausting all conservative options. Meaning, you've stacked and taught other basic movement skills. If I bold and italicize at the same time, you know I mean bidness! The reason why I say this is because many times you can refer someone who doesn't necessarily need this discipline or doesn't have the fundamental movement skills needed to build upon visual training. Do the basics first. Now if you've gone after conservative measures and things just aren't bopping, you might consider a referral to a neuro optometrist if you see some of the following medical history indicators: High prescription (4.0+/- or more) strabismus Lazy eye concussion history cataracts monovision Abrupt changes in prescription difficulty focusing, brain fog, have to consistently re-read, poor penmanship LASIK/PRK surgery, especially if botched blind in one eye There are likely others that I'll be able to contribute as I work on this referral source and knowledge base more. There isn't really a specific test that would point you towards seeing an optometrist, but one thing that I've seen is severely limited straight leg raise that doesn't improve with interventions. If you need to make an optometry referral, again, try to find a neuro optometrist. Working on visual skills other than sight is critical for influencing movement options. Sum up Lower cervical rotation involves addressing upper thorax rotation to improve mobility Upper cervical rotation involves address OA movement or sensory systems to improve mobility Vision therapy is pursued when all other options are exhausted and medical history poses signs that would warrant a consult. Image by Barbora Hnyková from Pixabay

An overview and novel assessment of gait mechanics  Walking is one of the most fundamental movements we have as humans, yet how often do we see movement inefficiencies present in this common pattern? You know who I'm talking about. The person who has no arm swing. The waddler, the toe walker. Clearly, something is going awry, but how do we determine what? The best way to determine how to best improve gait abnormalities is by thoroughly understanding what normal gait mechanics look like.  If we know what the biomechanical ideal is for gait, we can then work backward from where our supreme clientele starts at. Be ready to take your gait knowledge to the next level by checking out Movement Debrief Episode 141 below! Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55 pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55 pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55 pm) November 6th-7th, 2021, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 3rd at 11:55 pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.   Human Locomotion - This book is the gold standard when it comes to gait mechanics. Bill Hartman - Daddy-O Pops is one of the best PTs I know and is a big mentor to me. Veronika Campbell - She's an incredibly smart clinician who you definitely should check out. How to Stack - This post is the fundamental concept I teach all of my clients. Here are some of my top articles outlining our inherent asymmetry in our bodies: Analysis of preexistent vertebral rotation in the normal spine The relation between organ anatomy and pre-existent vertebral rotation in the normal spine: magnetic resonance imaging study in humans with situs inversus totalis Pre-existent vertebral rotation in the human spine is influenced by body position Normal Lumbopelvic gait mechanics Question: Could you explain the lumbopelvic mechanics during the gait cycle? Watch the answer here. Answer: It's easiest to understand what the sacrum is doing by looking at the stance phase of gait. We can break this part of gait into three components: Initial contact: When the foot hits the ground Midstance: When the center of mass is over the midfoot Propulsion: When I begin big toe extension and transition to the swing phase on this leg [caption id="attachment_13226" align="alignnone" width="810"] Terminal stance = propulsion (Source: Powellle)[/caption] Let's use left stance as our frame of reference. When I am beginning left stance, the sacrum is oriented to the right. As I progress through left stance, the sacrum will begin to rotate to the left; pivoting around the left leg. During initial contact, the sacrum starts from a right orientation and begins rotating leftward towards a "centered" position. Here, the stance femur will be in flexion, abduction, and external rotation. The swing leg will be in extension, adduction, and internal rotation. The bias in the pelvis is more towards external rotation. [caption id="attachment_13227" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Early stance - sacrum is rotating to the left, towards a "centered" position[/caption] During midstance, the sacrum continues rotating left, and a frontal plane shift occurs within the pelvis. The left innominate will be higher than the right, placing the left femur into extension, adduction, and internal rotation. The bias in the pelvis is more towards internal rotation. [caption id="attachment_13229" align="alignnone" width="810"] Midstance - Pelvis rotates towards the left, and there is a frontal plane shift with the ipsilateral innominate higher than the contralateral side.[/caption] Lastly, with propulsion, the sacrum rotates fully to the left, with the right innominate being further forward than the left, completing the gait cycle. Though the left femur is still in extension adduction, and internal rotation. The bias in the pelvis is more towards external rotation [caption id="attachment_13230" align="alignnone" width="810"] Late stance involves the sacrum rotating all the way towards the left.[/caption] Once you've stood on your left leg like a boss, the exact opposite rotation occurs about the right leg. Determining phase of gait restrictions Question: How do you conclude which stance of gait is each pelvis stuck in? Watch the answer here. Answer: Though we don't necessarily get "stuck" in various positions, understanding what happens femorally during the gait cycle can give us an idea as to what areas we need to focus on. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Please, for the love of all the things I discuss on this site, make sure you can stack before doing all this rotational stuff I'm about to show you. If someone has fairly bilateral restrictions, they will benefit from bilateral work. You go too fast down this progression, and you won't get the results you'll desire. You aren't ready for the big move ;) Once you've stacked, and you see sizeable asymmetries present in the lowers, going through the different gait phases can be the cleanup your peeps need to move ever so freely! Let's dive into how. (left leg will be our reference)  Initial contact and propulsion activities During left initial contact, the femurs are doing the following: Left femur: Flexion, abduction, and external rotation Right femur: Extension, adduction, and internal rotation If I have femurs that are in these positions, and I've lost dynamics within the pelvis, the following motions will then be restricted: Limited left hip extension, adduction, and internal rotation Limited right flexion, abduction, and external rotation If you see the above presentation, you are dealing with someone who needs to drive left sacral rotation and rotational hip shifting. The reason for these needs is because these gait positions require pelvic external rotation, which is appreciated during initial contact and propulsion. You'll want to start this shifty party up by rotating to the center position (initial contact activities). If driving left initial contact, you'll rotate the sacrum to the center with the left leg in front and the right leg back. One of my favorite moves to restore this motion is a left shifty split squat. Once you've nailed this position and got some motion improvements, then get ready to propel like you're on a boat (cue early 2010's). Here, you'll rotate the sacrum left with the left leg back and the right leg in front. Posterior hip stretching is money, as are single-leg squats. Midstance activities During left midstance, the femurs are doing the following: Left femur: Extension, adduction, and internal rotation Right femur: Flexion, abduction, and external rotation If I have an inability to reach midstance on the left, the common finding I see is: Limited left hip flexion, adduction, and internal rotation Limited right hip abduction, rotation can be either It's not a crystal clear as the previous iterations. I think left extension clears more in this scenario because the left femur is extending to reach midstance, but what I see restricted is the frontal plane hip shift needed during midstance. This hip shift is going to be the major focus of improving these restrictions. Any activity where a pelvic obliquity is created (left innominate higher than the right) is money for improving these issues. A table side stride is one of my classics in this regard: Waddling gait Question: What can I do about a client with a waddling gait pattern? This person has limited hip extension and internal rotation, along with very stiff feet? Watch the answer here. Answer: You see that person who has that waddle waddle (probably not much shaky shaky), and you are thinking: "why in the hell does this person waddle?" The answer, folks, is pretty simple: Midstance deficiency As you remember (hopefully), there needs to be a frontal plane shift occurring in midstance, with the stance-side innominate being higher ipsilaterally than the contralateral side. At this gait phase, the ipsilateral femur will adduct and internally rotate. But what happens if you lack the ability to attain this position? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED!!!!! If I can't adduct, the femur will aggressively abduct, causing the pelvis and trunk to sway ipsilaterally away from midline; hence the waddle: [caption id="attachment_13232" align="alignnone" width="810"] Waddling = you can't get into midstance, fam![/caption] Your solution to this problem is twofold: drive frontal plane shifting and pronation. A great move to achieve this goal would be the table side stride or any type of lateral squat progression. Sum up Gait involves the sacrum rotating around the stance leg, with an ipsilateral frontal plane shift midway through. Reduced external rotation-based measures respond well to activities mimicking initial contact and propulsionl internal rotation loss often improves with midstance activities. Waddling gait patterns indicate a loss of midstance mechanics. Photo by Yogendra Singh from Pexels  

Your tuck isn't what you think it is You've been all excited about teaching everyone to tuck their hips during exercise, then it happens: “Coach, my back HURTS!!!! WTF?!?!” That tucking must be a bunch of bs then, right? FALSE! Many peeps have a markedly difficult time differentiating pelvic motion (aka what is needed during the tuck) vs lumbar flexion (a common compensation seen when tucking). When you “tuck” using the lumbar spine, there is no change in the pelvic floor orientation, reduced leg activity, and increased spinal load, which can be straining on some of your favorite lifts.  Want to know the difference and how to make your tuck feel great!? Then check out Movement Debrief Episode 140 below! Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure.   If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class: Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55 pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55 pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55 pm) November 6th-7th, 2021, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 3rd at 11:55 pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.   Hip flexion debriefs - If you want to deep dive into hip flexion, then you'll need to check this out. Improve your hip flexion like a boss with this move. The rockback hip extension is a progression from this. The difference between sacral counternutation and lumbar flexion Question: Hello Big Z!! I hope you are doing well. I have a question I hope you could talk about a little. Could you explain the difference between sacrum counternutation and the lumbar spine/pelvis flexing as a unit? What should be looking at in a client? Is it possible to see the difference? Thank you as always, for all the teaching you do. It does make a huge difference! Watch the answer here. Answer: The big difference between these two strategies is: Sacral counternutation changes pelvic floor orientation Spinal flexion can occur without changing pelvic floor orientation With sacral counternutation, the posterior pelvic floor concentrically orients, and the anterior pelvic floor eccentrically orients. You will also have a concomitant reduction of lumbar lordosis (some spinal flexion) that is oftentimes uniform. [caption id="attachment_13192" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Counternutation + lumbar flexion = YASSSS[/caption] Visually, when this is performed, you will see a subtle reversal of lumbar lordosis, with minimal hinging at specific segments in the lumbar spine. Counternutation will visually look like superior and inferior pelvic motion. [caption id="attachment_13193" align="alignnone" width="810"] You'll notice that there isn't really any indent in the ab wall as I do this. It's a good thing :)[/caption] We typically do not see this with isolated spinal flexion. Usually, this action occurs as a compensatory strategy when someone cannot alter pelvic floor orientation. [caption id="attachment_13189" align="aligncenter" width="403"] See how I can sweep the pelvis "underneath" me without changing the pelvic floor shape. And yes, your spine will turn green if you do this.[/caption] Instead, the person will typically flex at a particular segment or two within the lumbar spine. You may see one part of the lumbar spine bulge out when someone does this action. Visually, the pelvic will move more in an anterior direction.  [caption id="attachment_13194" align="alignnone" width="810"] You'll see my pelvis dips forward, I crunch a bit, and have an overall stack is whack![/caption] This strategy is undesirable because it can increase strain in particular segments in the lumbar spine. The lack of changing pelvic floor orientation will also reduce the contribution of glutes and hamstrings to the movement, as rectus abdominis becomes the predominant tucker. If you are someone who attempted to make your squat more squatty and your back hurt as a consequence, this compensation is a probable reason for it. The solution is to drive more sacral counternutation with your tuck. There are a few different verbal cues that I like which helps attain this position: Back pockets to heels Pubic bone to nose Buttflap to thigh Tuck with abs relaxed If someone is still strugglebus when it comes to this strategy, having them arch their back, then un-arch their back slowly usually will clear this cheat up. Hip pinching at the bottom of a squat Question: I'm struggling with deep hip flexion and it feels like I'm "blocked" or pinched in the front of my hips when I try to sit deep in a squat or at the setup position for a barbell snatch. I noticed when I am good about prepping with your Wall Stride breathing that you gave me, I'm more comfortable in those positions, but it still feels somewhat blocked. It seems that hip flexion issues are complicated, but I wanted to try and make a little sense of it if possible and see if you had any resources. Watch the answer here. Answer: There are only about 120 degrees of hip flexion available. YET, peeps can squat well into 145 or even 150 degrees. HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?!?!!? The answer, folks, is relative motion. As you progress through deeper hip flexion, there is a relative movement at the pelvis, sacral counternutation, that assists in hitting depths beyond what the femuroacetabular joint allows. This concept of relative motion is the same reason you can go fully overhead with your arm, yet only 120 or so degrees of it comes from the glenohumeral joint proper. So-to with the pelvis. Therefore, full thigh to abdomen hip flexion can only occur if the sacrum can counternutate.  If this relative motion is absent, pressure will buildup in the anterior portion of the femuroacetabular joint at the end of available hip flexion, often creating a sense of pinching of blocking. The fix? Increase your counternutation skillzzz! I sequence improving sacral counternutation in a 4-step process. The first step is to increase sacral counternutation by working on squat progressions. Ramp squats work great for this. If bilateral counternutation efforts don't do the trick, then you have to begin rotating the sacrum. When I perform hip flexion unilaterally, the sacrum will have to rotate towards the flexed leg. This will present with increased counternutation ipsilaterally relative to a bilateral action. [caption id="attachment_13195" align="aligncenter" width="425"] And the sacrum will turn left![/caption] Performing asymmetrical exercises like the wall stride are great ways of initiating this process. But sometimes even this movement isn't enough. Now is the time to introduce hip shifting-based exercises to complete the action. An early phase hip shift is more frontal plane in nature, mimicking pelvic position in midstance. The pelvis will appear at an oblique angle (one side higher than the other). The table side stride is a great choice for this. If you want to push the envelope even further, you'll need to do a full-blown hip shift, actively rotating the sacrum towards the side in question. A posterior hip stretch is a prime example of this action. If you go through this progression, there's a good chance that your hip flexion will improve, and ought to be less pinchy. Sum up Sacral counternutation involves pelvic floor motion, whereas spinal flexion can occur without this motion. Flexion without sacral counternutation is an inefficient way to demonstrate intra-abdominal pressure. Hip pinching can occur when there is no relative sacral counternutation in deep hip flexion. Drive counternutation and hip shifting to restore this motion.

Does manual therapy have a place? Manual therapy is one of the more polarizing topics in the movement world, and no doubt you might wonder if this modality is efficacious for improving pain and/or movement. The evidence on manual therapy in isolation is mixed, but perhaps the modality itself is not the problem. Perhaps the problem is not having a model that can explain the utility of manual therapy, when to use it, and why. With a decision-making model, manual therapy is something that can most definitely fit within the interventions you like. Ready to see how manual therapy can be best applied for your supreme clientele? Then check out Movement Debrief Episode 139 below! Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55 pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55 pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55 pm) November 6th-7th, 2021, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 3rd at 11:55 pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.   Manual therapy for osteoarthritis of the hip or knee – A systematic review - manual therapy is better than exercise for hip OA. Oops. Evidence in Motion - They are a big con ed group in my profession. Never taken a class, but they do a lot of research. Spinal Manipulation Institute - These guys do A TON of research on manual therapy. You'll want to check out all the work they've put out. Bill Hartman - My mentor Daddy-O Pops himself. He says lots of wise words on how to build a model. The Mechanisms of Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Comprehensive Model - This article overviews the neurophysiological effects of manual therapy. The Effects of Manual Therapy on Connective Tissue - This paper goes into some of the viscoelastic properties of tissues in relation to manual techniques. Fascial plasticity – a new neurobiological explanation: Part 1 - This article gets in the weeds in all the right ways for manual interventions.  Elevate Sports Performance and Healthcare - This is the team ya boi works with. Finally, a comprehensive model to help peeps in Las Vegas. Manual Therapy Musings - A post I did outlining some of my favorite manual techniques Postural Restoration Institute - They have quite a few useful ribcage mobilizations. Greenman's Principles of Manual Medicine - A great text that has a ton of manual therapy options. Gibbons and Tehan - I've heard good things about their manipulation course ART - Expensive as hell, but a great review of anatomy and a pretty quick technique Dermoneuromodulation - Love this very gentle soft tissue technique Acupuncture applied as a sensory discrimination training tool decreases movement-related pain in patients with chronic low back pain more than acupuncture alone: a randomised cross-over experiment - A potentially useful way to apply dry needling. Maitland - One of the classic places to learn joint mobilizations Mulligan - His joint mobilizations are great, as movement is involved along with it. Is manual therapy effective? Question: I've been in a "structural integration" training program (aka rolfing), and can't help but notice that some prominent PTs seem to hate any method of manual "myofascial release" or which seems to have an effect on the myofascial matrixes and ease of movement in portions of the body.  Why is this? Clearly, people do improve from manual therapy, and while it is not the only answer, and can be better or worse, it seems to be wholly discredited as a pseudoscience, implying merely a placebo effect. But shouldn't there be credence to the case-studies, instead of picking-and-choosing studies with the intent to discredit contrasting strategies? To be frank, it seems like unnecessary bullying, as each professional seems to have a tendency to smack-talk other modalities. In short, do you think manual therapy (increasing "fascial glide") is useless or inefficient, or that they may be a synergy between manual therapy and coached movement? Thank you for what you do. Watch the answer here. Answer: To say that manual therapy is useless is a bit hyperbole. Although the evidence isn't definitive (what is in our field), there are a few different areas where it has shown to be effective. In fact, in hip osteoarthritis, manual therapy has been shown to be more effective than exercise (GASP!!!). To completely throw out manual therapy is potentially missing out on a worthwhile treatment that can help your supreme clientele. Chances are, it's likely more than a placebo. There are neurophysiological and viscoelastic changes that can occur because of manual interventions, and there are several other variables that we simply aren't measuring. For me, manual therapy plays a role in my care, with the intent that it is used to change objective tests meaningful to both myself and the patient. There are three specific instances in which I use manual techniques: As a regression from active exercise Symptom management Patient preference If a client cannot achieve the position they need to be successful (e.g. sacral rotation or a full exhale), you can use manual interventions to put them into the position needed, building context so the client can at some point actively get there. [caption id="attachment_13124" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Took me FOREVER to draw this[/caption] I also use manual techniques if someone needs increased symptom relief after exercise. Sometimes, a local input can help reduce symtpoms for a shorter period of time, allowing them to exercise more effectively. Lastly, if a patient wants to be touched, I do not see the harm in getting them the hands on contact. We are social creatures, social grooming is in our DNA, give your surpreme clientele a bit of what they want, then you'll have the buy-in to give them what they need! What manual therapy techniques do I recommend? Question: What types of manual therapy techniques do you most recommend? Watch the answer here. Answer: There isn't one specific technique that is going to lead to profound results versus others. You have to choose what you are comfortable with executing and which changes relevant objective measures. That said, I discussed some of my most used techniques here. It's a bit of an older post, but much of the framework remains. There are different methods that I gravitate toward now then in that post. Here is the list: Ribcage and pelvic mobilizations: Some of these I've gotten from PRI, some from Greenman, and some I've just made up. Joint Manipulations: Mostly spine and extremities, often for symptom relief and to gain particular ranges of motion. Dry Needling: I don't use often, but I do have some of my population request it. It's quite effective and can be performed fairly quickly Soft tissue mobilization: I've taken ART in the past and Dermoneuromodulation, which are both my top choices. The former for speed, the latter for those who are a bit more sensitive or acute in symptoms. Sometimes I'll just do some classic manual contact holds. Joint mobilizations: I've grown to appreciate the utility of these techniques more. I'll usually start passively, then glide into a position while the patient peforms the movement with me, and then choose an active exercise to reinforce. The Best Manual Therapy Techniques Question: Do you use manual therapy for example to release posterior lower compression? Watch the answer here. Answer: Yes. You can see many of the techniques I use in the video, but the major key is to use your hands to "block" the places you don't want air, which forces air to go in the places you oh so desire. Sum Up There is some research to support manual therapy and is particularly effective when applied in a cohesive model There is no specific technique that is better than others Utilize test-retest methods to determine treatment efficacy. Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

If you want to improve your movement capabilities, is there gym equipment that can help you? If moving better is important to you, you've probably wondered what gym equipment would best help me reach that goal? Gym equipment is endless and often gimmicky, so what would the essentials be to get me to where I want to go? Fortunately, you can improve your movement capabilities without much equipment. Being able to position your body with many of the coaching tactics we discussed is the #majorkey That said, there are some equipment pieces that make coaching WAY EASIER. And I'll tier this for you fine folks based on your budget :)  If you are just building a home gym or beefing up your current gym, then check out Movement Debrief Episode 138 below! Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure, or listen to the podcast if you can't stand the sight of me :( If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55 pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55 pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55 pm) November 6th-7th, 2021, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 3rd at 11:55 pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here' a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.   The best exercise equipment to get Question: Would love to see a video on the best equipment for building a performance/rehab gym in regards to the model you use. Even the brands/model  ....safety bar, ramps, hex bar, etc. Answer: To improve movement options, you don't really need a whole lot of equipment. You just have to ensure that you can challenge your body to get into positions it normally struggles with. The hope is then that you are crushing life once that happens. That said, the right piece of equipment can help quite a bit at enhancing both your movement and fitness. Here is a list of stuff I would look into, depending on what your budget is: The home gym essentials Heel Ramp - These are essential to improving your squat depth, which is a critical motion to improve your movement options throughout the body. A heel ramp makes it easier to vertically displace the pelvis. I like the one that my boy Levi Kirkpatrick makes get large. Olympic lifting shoes can also be an alternative, to which The Nike Romaleos are the best. If you want to save some buck, use books PVC pipe - These are useful to do supported lower body activities and can incorporate rotation through the trunk. Dowel rods work great as well. Kettlebells - These are quite versatile and offer way more loading options than dumbbells. They are much easier to hold for squats as well. Power blocks - These are adjustable dumbbells that can save you space. Superbands - these are great bands that provide versatility in loading for pulldowns and chops. Cook bands - These bands are great for jumping, chops and lifts, unloading exercises. They rock! Airex pads - These make any kneeling or inversion-based activities go WAY better. BFR cuffs - These can help provide a great training effect at a fraction of the workload. My favorite brands are Occlusion Cuff, Edge, and Owens Recovery Science. Weighted vest - When you get too strong for bodyweight stuff, this is a must. Wooden plyo box - I love these for step-ups and more! Gym equipment for a bigger space and a larger budget Adjustable bench - Having decline capabilities is a must, as the slight inversion is great for improving your movement options. Trap bar - A must. It's a great middle-ground between a squat and hinge. Power rack - If you are going to be lifting heavy weights, this is a must. If you get a retractable wall mount version, it'll save you space. DC blocks - These are useful for adjusting the height of your pulls but are also great for grading step-ups, jumps, and everything. Barbells - A classic to get jacked. Slideboard - A great piece of equipment for improving frontal plane mobility, pronation, and gives you tons of variety. You can do hamstring curls, body saws, the possibilities are endless. Sled - Use for pushes, drags, pulls, all types of awesome stuff. TRX - The amount of variety you can get to do with bodyweight stuff is endless with this piece of equipment. Plyo boxes - You want something with a hard surface to land on and is adjustable. If you are doing any jumping, this is a must. Mini hurdles - Once you've nailed box jumps, hurdle jumps are the next logical progression. Adjustable cable system - You want something that you can move in multiple directions. Glute ham raise - Great for nordic hamstrings and side hangs. Specialty bars - I don't use often because you can accomplish most things with the regular stuff. If I had my choice, the spider bar, safety bar, and neutral press bar would be my top choices. The transformer bar also sounds appealing but I haven't played with it. Raptor - Great for resisted sprints, backpedals, and more. The best part is your hands can stay free and move! The best cardio machines that also improve your movement assault bike - I love it because you can alternate pushing, pulling, and rotation! Elliptical - Another great way to drive rotation. Versaclimber - One of the best options to drive frontal plane conditioning. Your ribcage is going to be opened up like cray cray. Jacobs ladder - Resisted crawling for conditioning? Drivinng all types of thorax rotation? I'm sold. Treadmill - Although the free-running treadmills are dope, I like the classic ones to drive high incline walks and to run on when they are turned off. If you got the money and space Buy machines. Straight bodybuilder stuff. I love these for the following populations: geriatrics, obese, deconditioned, post-surgical, and variety with peeps who do a lot of free weight work. It's just fun.

What is the best home office set up for health and productivity? No doubt your virtual work has increased since COVID began, but should you spend more time sitting, standing, or even on the treadmill as you work? Unsure what equipment is going to keep you healthy, productive, and moving like a BOSS? Surprisingly, there is a TON of debate around what type of desk or sitting recommendation is most effective for health and work output. The winner isn't clear cut. If you want to beef up your workspace, then Check out Movement Debrief Episode 137 below to learn how. Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55 pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55 pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55 pm) November 6th-7th, 2021, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 3rd at 11:55 pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.   A systematic review of standing and treadmill desks in the workplace - This provides an excellent overview on standing and treadmill desk efficacy. Taking a Stand: The Effects of Standing Desks on Task Performance and Engagement - A great studying measuring many standing desk-related variables The truth behind standing desks - The blog through Harvard Medical School provides a great outline around standing desks College of Optometrists in Vision Development - If you need to find a solid behavioral optometrist who looks at more than seeing clearly, this is the place. Newegg - They have great deals on electronics Dr. Kareen Landerville - She's the behavioral optometrist who I work with F.lux - This app helps reduce blue light Bestbookstand - This is my favorite thing to hold my books while I read Sony XM4's - My favorite headphones (I will likely get the newer version, but the XM3's were fire) Monoprice headphones - These are a great low budget noise canceling headphones Status BT's wireless earbuds - These are pretty inexpensive earbuds and sound great. Secret Lab - My colleagues swear by this chair. It's comfy as all hell. How to set up your home office Question: Hi Zac!  Any chance you can squeeze in some recommendations on home office set up in your next live session? Curious if you have preferences for types of chairs, desks, standing vs sitting. Answer: With this whole COVID thing going on, there is no doubt a lot more remote work to be had, which comes with increased sedentarism. Anything that can be done to offset the lack of movement is going to be quite important. With the increased popularity of stand-up desks, are these worthwhile to invest in? As of right now, the research is mixed. Let's first look at the difference in mobility in comparing three options: sitting, standing, and treadmill desks. By measuring calorie burn in each position, there is not a major difference in calories burned. You burn about eight extra calories per hour compared to sitting. Whereas a treadmill desk burns well over 100 extra calories per hour compared to both options. There may be some positive after-eating glucose responses, but the research here is mixed. Though treadmill desks may have you moving more, there doesn't seem to be much difference between sitting and standing. The issue in both of these cases is a lack of movement. No one posture or position for long periods of time is desirable. This may contribute to increased tissue ischemia, and subsequent pain or discomfort. The key is you need to move! My other question was do these desks impact work performance at all? According to the aforementioned systematic review, most typing and mousing activities were not reduced with a standing desk. In fact, one study showed greater task engagement when working at a standing desk for 30-minute bouts. In comparison, a treadmill desk seems to reduce performance in typing, mousing, and other fine motor tasks. One thing that is missing in the literature is can meaningful work be pursued while you are standing or on a treadmill? No one is measuring if the next great American novel can be written well and without interruption on these devices. Or if Zoom calls can be performed while staying on task. We just have a lot of unknowns. Given the current body of literature, and the cost/benefit analysis (standing desks are HELLA expensive), I'm going to sit this one out for right now (HA!). [caption id="attachment_13061" align="aligncenter" width="810"] This is my current desk setup. The dual monitors KILL[/caption] What I would recommend instead is taking periodic breaks as you work. Go out for a walk, do some pushups or kettlebell swings; anything to break up the monotony. The research varies on how long we can focus, so find your sweet spot between 30 and 90 minutes, and get up and move. I go for short walk breaks of 5-15 minutes periodically throughout the day. Stay off screens during this time. You need to rest. If you are sitting, get a chair that's comfortable. I found an old chair that works well for me, but many of my colleagues swear by Secret Lab. When I'm due for a chair, I'll probably go this route. One other thing I would strongly encourage you to get is a separate bigger monitor, especially if you work on a laptop. This has been the biggest game-changer for me productivity-wise. If you have a small screen that you have to focus on for extended periods of time, your eyes will strain WAY more, which can fatigue your eye muscles; especially if you split-screen on your laptop. When you have a bigger monitor, your focus can be a bit more diffuse, which is a huge win. Doing this as well as air casting my movement consults on my TV has significantly reduced the eye strain I used to experience on calls, and I can keep better focus. I would also strongly recommend getting evaluated by a behavioral optometrist. I like COVD-trained. I worked with one in the past when I did PRI Vision, and my reading comprehension was quite a bit better. I also recently met with an optometrist in Vegas with who I will be doing vision therapy to better help my ability to focus on screens. She also updated my prescription to help reduce eye fatigue. Even if you see well, your eyes may not work well together or have other skill deficits. Vision therapy can improve upon these areas. You may also look into apps and glasses to reduce blue light at night. Also positioning your desk near a window is big, as looking off into the distance periodically can help give your eyes a break from the constant convergence required for screen use. The other thing I would strongly recommend investing in is a good pair of headphones. Preferably ones that have noise-canceling, that way the volume can stay low, and your ears can stay protected. I have two pairs that I use. If I'm not moving around much, The Sony WH100XM3 (the 4 is currently out) is amazing. Best noise canceling in da game. [caption id="attachment_13063" align="aligncenter" width="451"] Plus you look like a cool DJ on calls[/caption] If I have to move around for a call, they suck to demo exercises in. That's where a lot and can't do the ear coverage, the Status BT Transfer are my go-to. If you are someone who has to read a lot for your job, and you don't want to hold onto a big textbook, I strongly encourage that you get a bookstand. I like the BestBookStand brand. Sum up There is minimal activity or productivity differences between all desk types; movement is the key. Using a big monitor and glasses can reduce eye strain Use noise-canceling headphones to reduce ear strain Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Struggle knowing where breathwork fits? You might be head over heels for all things breathing, but what if your clients aren't? Maybe you are the person who struggles to get buy-in to breathing-based exercises? Or you are unsure where to put it into training. Or maybe you are looking for sneaky ways to incorporate the principles WITHOUT YOUR CLIENTS EVEN KNOWING. The biggest error peeps make incorporating breathwork into training is making it something separate.  In fact, looking at movement in this fashion is an all-encompassing model. Following principles that go BEYOND BREATHING is a major key. Don't worry folks, we will go over those principles, and make it SUPER EASY to get your clients all the benefits with less pushback. Check out Movement Debrief Episode 136 below to learn how. Watch the video below for here viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55 pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55 pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55 pm) November 6th-7th, 2021, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 3rd at 11:55 pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.   How to Coach the Stack - This post outlines one of the most fundamental moves I teach clients Elevate Sports Performance and Healthcare - The place I work in Las Vegas Airway Dentistry with Dr. Brian Hockel - All things upper airway, this is THE podcast Increasing breathing buy-in Question: I know we talk about when working with a person on breathing, to have them breathe out for 15 seconds or think about blowing out a bunch of candles. But in pursuit of progression or keeping a client motivated and not bored. What do you find is a good standard to move them to the next progression (pullover to hanging breathing into a balloon)? Is it, you see them able to get abs immediately or are you looking for, say 3 sets of good position and breathing, everything? Is it table tests and you retest and find improved movement? Getting someone to breathe right can be slow and monotonous, so how can a professional present the roadmap of progression for a client buy-in? Watch the answer here. Answer: The biggest error most people make when attempting to build breathing buy-in is to make breathing something different than regular training. It's not. The positions coached during breathing exercises are fundamental components used during training. Think of them as regressions from skills you want clients to be able to perform. For example, a chair and wall tilt looks a lot like the squat when you tilt it right side up. [caption id="attachment_13032" align="alignnone" width="810"] Only with the highest levels of innovation and technology could a visual like this be created[/caption] Well, consider if you can't get into the positions we need you to on your back. How well do you think the squat will go? You probably won't die (except that one time), but you won't get all that you could from the movement. The low-level breathing positions help set the stage for the rest of the training program. They build context for what you need to do at higher intensities. It's just like if you wanted to play Stairway to Heaven on the guitar, you have to learn to put chords together first. So-to with training. Breathing is the chords, and if you get good at it, you'll be Jimmy Page in no time! And if you do them right, many times your clients will get smoked and have a HUGE training effect from them. I can't tell you the number of times when people get the stack on point how cooked their hamstrings, glutes, and abs will become; key areas that will likely resonate with your clients. If your gen pop client gets the association that these moves build my glutes and abs, then you've won. Ideally, the concept taught in the breathing move would carry over elsewhere to training. So you should see a relative "stack" in most activities your clients perform. In terms of when you focus on different movement qualities, seeing test changes can guide your next focus area. In PT-land, these can change weekly to biweekly. If I'm training someone, it might be every block change. Now that doesn't mean that if your client can't stack that they aren't allowed to get off the ground. You may just modify your exercise selection to things with a lower error risk. Most people can do iso holds, med ball throws, sled push/pulls, and upper body movements in the sitting position. Select activities with the lowest error risk. Now I get it, you will have those clients who just won't be about getting on their back and breathing at all. We all have them. For those peeps, you may just consider working on tucking to "work the glutes and hamstrings" (tell them this because that will better resonate with them) and coaching loaded exercises as best as possible. Just like the above client who doesn't move well, choose moves that your client will be able to perform with fewer coaching requirements. The best part? Your clients will still be breathing while they train, so you can still get some good movement benefits. Where should I put resets in the training program? Question: Is there any value to inserting "movement restorative" exercises/positions in between reset breathing sets to facilitate or further drive the resetting process? I ask, especially when in coaching breathing to start the session, sometimes the clients are geared up to get into a movement - either from being stimulated to get the work going or from a stressful meeting, etc., so I see the struggle to maintain a degree of focus in accomplishing the reset work.  Watch the answer here. Answer: Totally! A lot of my programming involves sneaking in these moves during the rest periods for clients. It'll save them time, keep them loose, work on the movement qualities they need, and potentially enhance recovery. Aside from choosing the particular resets, they need to work on specific limitations, you can choose activities that will complement the areas being trained. For example, if someone is doing some heavy upper body stuff, a bar hang could be effective at increasing motion in the upper body. Or if you have someone squatting, the drunken turtle may enhance depth by reinforcing the positions needed on the squat. Conditioning for different infrasternal angles? Question: Would certain types of cardio benefit one postural archetype more than another? If I'm working with a compressed a-p person and a wide ISA person with the same goals, would your cardio choices differ? Watch the answer here. Answer: In a perfect world with unlimited equipment, absolutely. Just like we can pick loaded exercises to reinforce particular movements, this doesn't change whatsoever for conditioning tools. For example, certain cardio machines may be effective for driving particular movement adaptations: Versaclimber: Increase ISA dynamics and frontal plane pelvis mechanics Jacob's ladder: Improve spinal rotation Elliptical: Improve spinal rotation Airdyne (high seat): Improve spinal rotation with an external rotation bias Airdyne (low seat): Improve spinal rotation with an internal rotation bias Rowing: Improve squat mechanics Sled drags: eccentrically bias posterior ventral cavity. Slideboard: Improve frontal plane hip and ankle motion The options here are limitless, but if you lack the equipment, you might not be able to be that specific. Don't worry, your client won't be doomed to movement failure, there are a myriad amount of other benefits you can get from cardiovascular work aside from movement skills. Regarding specific energy system adaptation, it depends on what task we are trying to improve. If in the early stages of training, I may bias more cardiac output or extensive tempo intervals; both to build work capacity and because aerobic exercise may enhance learning. From there, it depends on your client's goals. If hiking is the prime target, high-intensity continuous training may be a great choice. If they need to be faster for a sport, you may do speed work. As with anything, look at the demands needed of the terminal task, your client's movement, and physiological capabilities, and give them what they don't have. Sum up Breathing is not a special part of training; the positions are taught as components needed for more challenging movements Breathing exercises can be used to increase motion or to maintain motion potentially lost from challenging moves Conditioning exercises can be chosen to improve motions needed for longer durations.

Minor tweaks in the squat and deadlift for MAJOR results Sure, you got the broad concepts of squatting and deadlifting down, but what about some of the nitty-gritty details? You know, the finer things. Have you wondered if… Buttwinking is safe or will it break you? There's a way to build squat depth in someone with SUPER STIFF hips? Mixed grip deadlifting can create changes within the body? For each of these questions, various principles we've discussed in the past play a role.  In some cases, buttwink may be a normal component of the squat. Attacking hip mobility in a specific order may better help improve squat depth Mixed grip deadlifting can be GREAT for improving rotational capabilities. Let's fine-tune these wonderful movements to get the most out of them. Check out Movement Debrief Episode 135 below. Watch the video below for your viewing pleasure here. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55 pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55 pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55 pm) November 6th-7th, 2021, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 3rd at 11:55 pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies. The lumbar and sacrum movement pattern during the back squat exercise - This article outlines spinal mechanics during back squatting, implicating that the lumbar spine becomes kyphotic during the movement. Is Spinal Flexion Bad? - This provides an evidence overview on whether or not spinal flexion is a safe position. It's a close to a diss track as we will get in rehab. The Spinal Engine - This book takes a completely different look at the function of the spine as a mobile area, not a stiff supporting structure. The research presented in this is quite profound. Which Limitations to Treat First? - The infrasternal angle dictates we should focus on certain limitations in some people, others in those who are built differently. This debrief provides the guide. Heel Ramp - This ramp is the best in the biz to improve your ability to squat deep. I coach all my clients on this ramp. Elevate Sports Performance and Healthcare - This is the spot that I work at in Las Vegas. We've built a cool model because we integrate several disciplines to help our clients reach their goals like whoa! A review of the biomechanical differences between the high bar and low bar back squat - This article mentions how trunk lean changes depending on what shoes you wear. The torso integration hypothesis revisited in Homo sapiens: Contributions to the understanding of hominin body shape evolution - This article looks at how different our ribcage and ilial shapes are. Butt wink during squats Question: Quick question about squatting. I know the stack is important but what are your thoughts on “butt wink” especially when loaded? I'm not sure if I'm getting a good view here but it looks like some lower lumbar flexion at the bottom. I know Stuart McGill is big time against this and has his research with loaded posterior pelvic tilts which caused a lot of pain. So I just wanted some clarification or some perspective if you have the time! Watch the answer here. Answer: Ahh that dreaded butt wink. A wink that catches your eye in all the wrong ways. But is it a bad thing? For those who do not know, the butt wink is when you have what appears to be a dramatic posterior pelvic tilt at the bottom of the squat. It looks like this. The buttwink is most commonly seen on the back squat, although can be seen on other squat variations as well. Ideally, a squat should involve vertical pelvic displacement along with maximal sacral counternutation. While there isn't much research I could find that looked at exactly what is biomechanically happening with a buttwink. I hypothesize that it is likely increased lumbar flexion that occurs at the sticking point of the squat in order to attain depth and increase verticality. Sacral counternutation is subtle, lumbar flexion is dramatic. The reason why the buttwink is most common in back squats has to do with bar placement. The bar position on the back pushes the thoracic spine forward, increasing extension. Since the thoracic spine and sacrum have matching curvatures, there is likely an increase in sacral nutation at the starting position. This position is likely why the back squat is a tad more hinge-y than other variations. However, you still have to hit depth, fam. So if counternutation is HELLA tough because of the starting position, I can create vertical pelvic displacement by flexing the lumbar spine. In fact, we see this in the research. As soon as a barbell goes on the back, the lumbar spine becomes kyphotic. Totally out of your control, and these authors argue doing the converse may negatively impact squat performance. SORRY!!!!! These thoughts lead me to believe that buttwink during a back squat is likely normal (GASP). But wait, isn't spinal flexion bad?!?!?!?!?!?! [caption id="attachment_12998" align="alignnone" width="810"] And they turn red too when they hurt right??!?!?! (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)[/caption] We really don't know. While there are some in vitro experiments demonstrating flexion being bad for the discs, in vivo research does not seem to demonstrate any issues with loaded flexon whatsoever (I deep dived into this topic here). However, there aren't really any in vivo studies looking at lifting heavy loads with lumbar flexion. Does that mean McGill and flexion-phobia win??? NOT NECESSARILY Reading The Spinal Engine (and the studies within this great book) has really made me realize just how controversial and unclear the in vitro studies on spinal health are. According to research in this book, it appears as though compression (as we notice with axial loading) is not necessarily sufficient for disc or spinal injury. In fact, inducing some lumbar flexion with lifting may better allow us to recruit thoracolumbar fascia and posterior ligamentous structures to assist in lifting heavy ass weights! Muscles alone, especially the erector spinae, cannot produce sufficient force to move the weights we are trying to lift when it comes to back squatting. Therefore, recruiting other tissues to assist in the lift is ESSENTIAL. We may only be able to lift maximally with some degree of spinal flexion, which can be attained via a posterior pelvic tilt.   I would argue then tucking to some degree is not only safe but likely required to squat well. The buttwink is the body's best way to attain that position given the constraints the back squat provides. Ideally, we ought to see less buttwink in anteriorly loaded squat variations, as these exercises allow for better verticality and place the sacrum in less nutation. For these moves, tuck with reckless abandon, with a caveat! Ideally, you want the tuck to occur predominately in the sacrum to enhance squat verticality. If you overflex at the lumbar spine, the pelvis will translate forward and be anterior relative to the thorax. This translate into: UHHH FAM, YOU CAN'T STACK I've been emphasizing this subtle change over the last month, and anecdotally the clients that both my colleagues and I work with have noticed favorable changes. Tucking with the lumbar spine was likely the issue I had made with a lot of the heavy lifting bros who ended up getting some back discomfort when they tried to "tuck" on their squats. The problem was they couldn't get the tuck through the pelvis, then they loaded their spine in a position that they weren't well adapted to, and problems ensued. (My fault, fam). Making the movement more sacral (think tailbone pulled to the ground), would likely change the response these peeps had to the squat. Squatting deep with restricted hips Question: If someone is clearly a better hinger than a squatter, has only 5 degrees hip IR, and also limited hip ER, which would you attack first? I know you said if you go after primary compensation first interventions can be less successful, so I want to make sure I get this right from the start. Watch the answer here. Answer: Building the squat is WAY important, as being able to hit it @$$ to Gra$$ is an expression of being able to eccentrically orient the posterior aspect of your body. Yet, one of the hardest peeps to get the squat on point with is those who have multidirectional hip limitations. It's especially tough because the squat requires movement into both internal and external rotation. So what to do? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED! The first starting point to determine the order of operation is the infrasternal angle (ISA). The ISA will help you determine whether the internal or external rotation loss is the secondary compensation. Secondary compensations ought to be targeted first. Secondary compensations are as follows for each ISA: Narrow ISA: Decreased external rotation Wide ISA: Decreased internal rotation If you want to increase external rotation, you have to target posterior expansion. High or low depth hip flexion activities are money. A simple high depth squat could be a good starting point. Internal rotation restrictions require anterior expansion to occur. For this, you are either looking at mid-range hip flexion exercises or driving hip extension. If you want to target both internal AND external rotation limitations simultaneously, sidelying exercises are absolutely money. The reason being is because gravity will push the viscera downward, letting the goods do the pelvic expansion for you! Hip shifting can also be quite effective at driving anteroposterior pelvic expansion. Hip shifting is merely pelvic rotation, which requires both anterior and posterior expansion. Just like in the thorax! When you hip shift to the left, you will get left posterior expansion and right anterior expansion. This move is great for that. Make sure you stack before you shift though fam, otherwise it'll fail miserably. Lastly, once you've ironed out the movement restrictions, you should probably practice squatting. To make your squats EASY AF, I would strongly recommend elevating the heels. How do mixed grip deadlifts influence movement? Question: Would lots of exposure to HEAVY mixed grip deadlifts influence the infrasternal angle (ISA) over time? I have a few clients with asymmetrical ISA (wide right, narrow left) who are strong (200kg+ deadlifts) and they all historically have opted for right hand supinated, left pronated especially for near-maxes. I guess it could be a chicken-egg situation where they opt for that strategy based on structural constraints, or the structure is re-inforced by that strategy? Watch the answer here. Answer: We don't have any studies to demonstrate if the infrasternal angle (ISA) can be changed with particular activities, or if a particular ISA biases someone towards certain activities. We must also factor in that some asymmetry within the ISA is normal secondary to our asymmetrical organ anatomy. Interestingly enough though, I think we can see some links between the asymmetrical ISA listed above and the preferential grip. Asymmetry in ISA presentation is likely due to spinal sidebending. In the above case, the spine would have a leftward sidebend through the thorax. Though not perfect and differ within a few factors (sagittal plane orientation, rotational center, etc), Fryette's laws would dictate that sidebending and contralateral rotation are paired mechanics in the thoracic spine (Type I mechanics). This position would be considered a normal finding in the human spine, as organ asymmetry creates a rightward spinal rotation in this region. Guess what folks??? A supinated right arm and pronated right arm would also rotate the spine to the right. I would argue this grip is likely favoring the normal asymmetry that is present in us all. To offset this asymmetrical presentation (especially if movement options are lost), activities that rotate the spine left can be quite helpful. Aside from switching your deadlift grip up from time to time, this squat variation below would be a prime example. Sum up Butt wink involves lumbar flexion to help attain a vertical position during squatting and in some variations (i.e. back squats) is normal. Improve squat depth by addressing secondary compensations first, working on anteroposterior pelvic expansion, and squatting Asymmetry in the infrasternal angle is normal, and may contribute to preferences in deadlift grip per Fryette's Laws of spinal mechanics. Photo credits Needpix Powellle PickPik

Losing internal rotation may not be a shoulder problem If you've been told you have GIRD, a forward head posture, or you slouch with reckless abandon, read on! These issues are often linked to reduced shoulder internal rotation; a motion necessary for throwing, pressing overhead and reaching behind your back. So the fix is to sleeper stretch and then the angels will sing right?!?!?!? I was young. I needed the work! Uhh….no fam! Instead, your whack shoulder motion can be profoundly influenced by altering dynamics within the ribcage.  The ribcage forms the base for your shoulder girdle. If you can't move the foundation the way you want to, then you won't be moving your shoulders the way you want to. Ready to figure out assessing AND improving this important motion you and your clients NEED? Then check out Movement Debrief Episode 134 below. Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] Charlotte, NC (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.   ISA overview - Learn all things infrasternal angle with this post Primary and Secondary Compensation - This post dives into which compensations you should focus on first. Introduction to Myofunctional Therapy course review -You will learn all things upper airway when you dive into this post. Airway Orthodontics with Dr. Hockel - Want to learn how a dentist can improve your sleep, forward head posture, and more? Then this post is a must-read. Scapulohumeral rhythm - Learn how the scapula and humerus move during each phase of shoulder flexion. Manubrial expansion - Here we discuss the best ways to improve mobility in the uppermost segments of the anterior chest wall. Rounded shoulders and shoulder internal rotation Question: How do I improve my shoulder internal rotation, and by that I mean dealing with shoulders that have rolled forward and not budging no matter what drill I try? Watch the answer here. Answer: For visual reference, we are going to assume in this case the person in question has a depressed anterior chest, increased hinge in the thoracic spine leading to the appearance (not necessarily actual) of increased kyphosis, and a forward head position. See the picture below for reference: [caption id="attachment_12963" align="alignnone" width="810"] Notice how the ear is head of the shoulders, the scapulae are rounded forward, and the humerus appears internally rotated (thumbs are pointing inward is the tell). Or were you just staring at my booty??? MY EYES ARE UP HERE![/caption] While there are several variations to this position (which will influence testing) and "causes," the axial skeleton change that puts someone into this orientation is a concentric anterior thorax. This would be synonymous with a down pump handle or an inhaled axial orientation. The sequence of the anterior thorax becoming concentrically oriented has an end result in decreased shoulder internal rotation. Here's how the sequence happens: Concentric anterior thorax pulls shoulder blades forward (scapular abduction and internal rotation) Humerus externally rotates to position arm back to center (concentric external rotation). Humeral external rotation bias causes decreased humeral internal rotation [caption id="attachment_12964" align="alignnone" width="810"] Anterior thorax concentric, scapular IR, humeral ER = Decreased shoulder internal rotation[/caption] Before we go into what to do about it, it's SUPER TOUGH and likely unnecessary to sweat changing static posture for a few different reasons: Postural presentations have structural influence. You can only change how you look insofar as your structure allows. We aren't static creatures, we move. It is more important to be able to change into several different postures Sustaining any singular position for too long is undesirable. Lack of motion leads to tissue ischemia and problems With that in mind, let's first look at what we need to do to improve the dynamics of this presentation. Thorax treatment for rounded shoulders The first line of defense should be to improve thorax movement options and shape. If the pump handle is down, we need to raise it up like Josh Groban! To improve movement in this region, the best choice is to do one of the following: Reach between 60-120° of shoulder flexion Drive shoulder extension and scapular retraction Exercise choice will depend on which infrasternal angle presentation (ISA) you are dealing with, as this changes the "cause" of this position. Narrow ISA: concentric anterior thorax is due to skeletal structure (primary compensation) Wide ISA: concentric anterior thorax is a secondary compensation. Therefore, what you go after changes with each presentation. For the narrow ISA, you need to restore structural dynamics to elicit a change. A narrow ISA has reduced lateral ribcage dimensions, so you need to do things to expand that. A forward reach can be useful in this regard. If we did the above move to a wide ISA, who has increased lateral ribcage dimensions, this would not be the best choice to improve ribcage dynamics. If you reach between 110-120° of shoulder flexion, the serratus anterior will aid in lateral ribcage compression. Once you've got these moves on point, and need to clean up the last bit, driving shoulder extension with scapular adduction can drive more air in the front. Cervicocranial treatment for rounded shoulders Now I would be remiss to say there aren't upper airway influences to this bias. Rounded shoulders are often associated with a forward head posture. A forward head posture can be a compensatory action for the inability to nasal breathe: You can't breathe through your nose for whatever reason Tongue posture sits low to open the oral airway Forward head posture occurs to increase airway size Depressed hyoid position occurs Now, diving into ALL the possible treatments goes beyond this post, but myofunctional therapy can play a major role in improving dynamics in this region. The two major keys you will need to focus on will be: Attaining a palatal tongue posture Elevating the hyoid For palatal tongue posture, this involves placing the tongue on the roof of the mouth and holding it there. Simply working on clucks can improve this position. If you want to get ya hyoid up, son, then you need to get your swallow on point! The smiling swallow is an excellent drill to focus on this limitation. Exercises for shoulder internal rotation Question: If someone is missing shoulder IR, how do you decide if you load an exercise either in the suitcase/low hold position or the goblet position Watch the answer here. Answer: As we mentioned above, shoulder internal rotation restrictions are likely due to a concentric anterior thorax. The treatments (uh, hopefully, you know from above fam!) would be to place your arms in one of the following positions: Reach between 60°-120° of shoulder flexion Drive shoulder extension and scapular retraction The goblet position is roughly between 70°-90° of shoulder flexion, so I think it's pretty easy to see how that can help improve internal rotation, but what about the suitcase position? How do those lovely suitcase carries influence thorax dynamics? I'm glad you asked! The reason why suitcase carries are useful activities has little to do with the weight side. The #majorkey is actually the swing arm. When you swing your arm to and fro, you are driving trunk rotation. Since the weighted arm is minimally moving, it gives your trunk a fixed point to rotate about; making the suitcase carry money for anteroposterior expansion. Where air will go depends on what arm swing position you are dealing with: Arm forward rotates trunk contralaterally Arm backward rotates trunk ipsilaterally The trunk rotation direction will influence where the air will go: Left rotation: Expansion left posterior and right anterior thorax Right rotation: Expansion right posterior and left anterior thorax Since you'll rotate both directions with the suitcase carry, you'll get a bit of air EVERYWHERE. That's why I coach the suitcase carry as such. If someone has difficulty keeping the stacked position on the suitcase carry, working drills that drive hip extension and humeral extension can prove useful, as these actions will challenge your ability to keep the stack in this move. Split squat variations come to mind. Pec minor strain Question: Can u do something on pec minor strain (right side). Seems to keep recurring every time I perform any chest exercises. Keep up the good work! Watch the answer here. Answer: First, let's look at the pec minor anatomy. [caption id="attachment_12965" align="alignnone" width="626"] Ain't no muscle finer than pectoralis minor (photo credit: Powellle)[/caption] Proximal attachment: ribs 3-5 Distal attachment: coracoid process of the scapula Actions: elevate ribs (pump handle), downwardly rotate and protract the scapula Now if you doing HELLA chest work because you want them pecs like whoa, then that may contribute to the concentric bias of the anterior chest wall. This bias would make pec minor eccentric proximally. Couple that with pulling the shoulders back for bench press and such, and you get a stretched AF pec minor. This could be a contributing factor to the strain. The solution is simple: get air into the chest to drive some concentric activity into the pec minor. Hell, even get some reaching forward to protract the scapula. Put the pec minor in the orientation it's not in. This will restore contractile options in the pec. A great move would be any type of forward reach. Horizontal adduction Question: You mentioned limitations in horizontal adduction. How do you assess this? Are you just holding the ribcage down and then adducting the arm until the ribcage starts coming up? Or are you holding the scapula down? Watch the answer here. Answer: You want to isolate the movement to the humerus. The big issue that will happen when you run out of humeral room is the scapula will go along for the ride. And I don't want the scap in my car ;) So, you'll want to pin the scapula down with your thumb. Then pull the humerus across the body. You are looking to get the olecranon to get slightly past the nose, which is about 135°. Horizontal adduction measures T2-4 anterior expansion, so you'll want to drive stuff that involves the following: Horizontal adduction Humeral extension trunk rotation One of my favorites that has been killing it because of the cervical rotation component has been the sidelying armbar. I'll even do this as an iso, it's been that good. Abdominal overactivity during exhales Question: What do you do about ab overactivity on exhales? Watch the answer here. Answer: Generally, if you see too much abs during the breathing sequence, there are a few simple tricks you can do to get the abs to chill. Make sure the tuck is ab-less. A lot of times, peeps will kick in the abs to perform the tuck instead of the glutes and hamstrings. This will then lead to further concentric activity of the abdominals during the exhale. WE DON'T WANT THAT! So ensuring that they can get a tuck without kicking in the abs is WAY important. Working on a hooklying tilt progression can be a great way to teach this action. 2. Exhale slower Most people exhale WAY too quickly, which will greater bias superficial abdominal musculature, limiting your desired thorax expansion. I usually tell these people to either go 50% slower than what they did or make the exhale be 15 seconds long. No one will exhale for 15 seconds, but they'll get the idea. 3. Use prone or quadruped When your stomach is facing the ground, gravity will push the viscera anteriorly into the ab wall, thus creating an eccentric abdominal orientation. Sum up Rounded shoulders are caused by a concentric anterior thorax, which reduces humeral internal rotation. Reaching 60°-120°, humeral extension, trunk rotation, and horizontal adduction can all improve anterior thorax mobility. Reduce pec minor strain by driving air into the anterior thorax and reaching. Horizontal adduction is tested by pinning the scapula down and going across the body. Reduce ab overactivity by tucking without abs, exhaling slower, and using prone/quadruped. Photo credits Needpix Powellle PickPik

Improve your exercise selection by learning what limitations to prioritize So you have all these limitations you've found. You may inevitably ask yourself: Uhh...where do I start, fam!?!? While you can get results with just about anything, prioritizing certain aspects over others can enhance your success rate.  If you hit the right dominos, you can knock down the entire stack (and talk to Zac). But how do you know what is important and what is not? That's what we will dive into in this debrief.  If you want to reduce the overwhelm of your assessment findings, and better categorize your supreme clientele, then you gotta check out Movement Debrief Episode 133. Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.  Biomechanics of the thorax – research evidence and clinical expertise - A great article outlining basic movements within the thorax Action of the diaphragm on the ribcage - This article outlines how the diaphragm pull changes as it goes through full excursion. The torso integration hypothesis revisited in Homo sapiens: Contributions to the understanding of hominin body shape evolution - This article looks at how we differ from one another in both ribcage and pelvic structure. Body Mechanics in Health and Disease - This book has some cool graphics on the different body archetypes. You'll see some dope ribcages In Vivo Observation of Articular Surface Contact in Knee Joints - Bones don't touch #EBP #watchugondoboutit Shoulder Flexion Troubleshooting - In this debrief, we dive into scapulohumeral rhythm and more. Inhaled vs. exhaled spines Question: Hey zac I am a little confused by this wording:  "An exhalation-biased spine compensates with an inhaled (wide) ISA." If they are in an exhaled state wouldn't that mean the ISA would present narrow? Thanks! Watch the answer here. Answer: Inhalation and exhalation strategies are a reference to normal respiratory mechanics as the reference guide. You have to know these first to really be effective with this nomenclature. Because you NEVER EVER EVER see people exhibit normal respiratory mechanics, I've moved away from talking this way. But don't worry, fam. I'll iron this out for you :) When discussing compensatory mechanics, we are using axial skeleton position as our initial reference point. So you have to know what the inhaled and exhaled spinal positions are. To keep it ridiculously simple: Inhaled spine = Spinal curves are pushed backward Exhaled spine = spinal curves are pushed forward Here are the directions the spine moves in these cases If someone has reduced movement options, they may not be able to move the spine so well in the opposite direction. One can have an inhale-biased spine and may hella suck at exhaling the spine. The reason for this bias is likely due to anthropometrics and genetics. The problem: you still have to complete the respiratory cycle! An easy way to compensate is at the lower ribcage. These ribs are more flexible due to lacking a sternal attachment. This is where we get all hot and bothered by infrasternal angles (ISA)! Someone with an inhaled spine will have an exhaled lower ribcage (narrow ISA), and one with an exhaled spine will have an inhaled lower ribcage (wide ISA). You wouldn't have matching inhaled and exhaled positions at the spine and ribcage unless we are exhibiting full respiratory movement options, which NO ONE does. Why? Your guess is as good as mine! Can cranial issues limit movement? Question: Can you help a person having jaw and visual issues causing movement limitations? Watch the answer here. Answer: Though cervicocranial influences—occlusion, upper airway, vision, etc—can most certainly impact movement restrictions, the frequency at which someone needs to go down these paths to get changes is overstated. The overwhelming majority of people lack mastery of movement basics: aka the stack. If you cannot get the stack, squat, shift, reach, all of these things anyone ought to be able to do, then don't even consider working with a dentist or optometrist to improve you movement. Especially considering the current lack of research supporting efficacy in these treatments (not to say that they don't work, but there are hit or miss results). The human body is INCREDIBLY adaptable, and many can get decent changes despite visual and dental influences. Caveat: if you have upper airway or visual pathology, then I recommend pursuing these routes, but not to improve your movement. For example, if you have sleep apnea or bruxism, you should find a good dentist to improve health in those areas. If you have a lazy eye or botched LASIK surgery, vision therapy could be quite impactful. Prioritize the interventions best suited for the problem, the low hanging fruits. If you did that well (and trust me, you didn't), then go into addressing other possible influences. Should I address the right or left side first? Question: We usually focus on helping clients shift into their right side since they are buried into their right side. I've heard that sometimes, but you need to integrate right side before left. What does that mean? Watch the answer here. Answer: First off, be careful with what language you use to discuss what is going on with someone. If you tell them they are buried, that may encourage maladaptive beliefs about their bodies. No fun, and WAY more likely to have poor outcomes. But on the real, prioritizing left vs right side misses one things that's extremely important: The stack. There are several reasons why I prioritize the stack first before trying all types of wild and crazy single arm, single leg, shift this, twist that, go right then left then right exercises: Bilateral movements are easier to teach and learn compared to unilateral moves Although there is a unilateral restricted pattern, most people have restrictions bilaterally and have unique limitations that require unique solutions Unilateral movements require greater movement excursion and make one more prone to compensation because of difficulty Think less formulaic of right first then left, and utilize testing, critical thinking, and expert coaching to get the outcome that your supreme clientele deserve. Primary and secondary compensations Question: I frequently see you referring to primary and secondary compensations. I must have missed the day at university where they defined these. Any chance you could define them in one of your videos? I'm not having luck finding definitions elsewhere. Watch the answer here. Answer: Let's provide the definition better than that Blackstar song (which is a tall order): Primary compensation: A restriction that counteracts structural bias to stay upright Secondary compensation: A restriction that counteracts the primary compensation to stay upright Let's look at a wide ISA for example. If you remember from our exhaled spine discussion from above (you read that, right?!?!), a wide ISA's structural bias would tend to the spine falling forward. Think the sacrum nutating "causing" a forward fall. You don't want to fall forward. You'll totally have a bad time. To counteract these forces, a wide may concentrically bias posterior musculature to maintain an upright posture. This would be the primary compensation. A wide ISA with a primary compensations. I do tattoos as well if you are interested. How would you know if you were dealing with a primary compensation? Remember the following heuristic: Concentric backside: Decreased flexion, abduction, and external rotation Concentric frontside: Decrease extension, adduction, and internal rotation So in the case of a wide ISA with a primary compensation, you'd have the following findings: Decreased flexion, abduction, and external rotation measures Normal extension, adduction, and internal rotation measures Now suppose that the primary compensation for this wide overcorrects, and this person starts to fall backward. SNAP! Now what do we do? This problem is where secondary compensations are useful. This bias counteracts the forces the primary compensation induces on the body. In the case of the wide ISA, the secondary compensation would involve concentrically biasing the frontside of their body. That font tho For this person, you'd likely have restrictions (and in some cases, hypermobility) in all planes. Flip flop all of the above for a narrow ISA, and then you'll have an idea of the differences between primary and secondary compensations. Infrasternal angles and compensation order Question: So treatment for wide ISA with only primary compensations and narrow with 2º compensations are very similar. And treatment for narrow ISA with only primary compensations and wide with 2º compensations are also very similar. So to determine treatment options, is it almost more important to just see if that person is more concentric on the front side or backside since the ISA is not that relevant when the person has 2º compensations? Watch the answer here. Answer: Although peeps can develop restrictions in similar areas, that doesn't mean that you need to ignore their body structure and the compensatory order. These areas still matter when it comes to intervention selection. The big reason is because of what "causes" the restriction. Let's take the case of someone who has a concentric bias of the anterior thorax (aka a down pump handle). Both a narrow and wide can present with this, but each has a different way of achieving this restriction: Narrow ISA: anterior concentric thorax is a primary compensation Wide ISA: anterior concentric thorax is a secondary compensation So the reason the narrow has this limitation has to do with the ventral cavity structure, wheras the wide has this limitation to mitigate a posterior concentric bias. Though both archetypes need air in the front, we have to respect the structural differences between the two. To improve this restriction in the narrow ISA, I need to make that person's ventral cavity structure dynamic AF. Meaning, I need to expand the ventral cavity laterally. Choosing a move which "squishes" the body front to back can be useful in that regard. A great example of this would be a lazy bear exercise. Whereas with the wide, the anterior restriction occurs to counteract the posterior restriction. I do not want to choose an activity that squishes the body front to back. That would potentially reinforce the limitations caused by structural bias. If I choose the lazy bear for my wide, the scapular external rotation occurring from the 90-degree reach would further concentrically bias the backside of the body, which the wide already has. This is why a lot of times your clients who have a flat upper back struggle feeling ANY posterior expansion. You are robbing Peter to pay Paul, and I hear they're both jerks anyways! You can see how ignoring the structure may not get you your desired outcome. What would be a better choice would be something that involves a 120-degree reach. You get less posterior compression reaching in this direction, and the upward rotation will give serratus anterior leverage to compress the lateral ribcage. You'll still drive air forward AND you are helping make the wide structure more dynamic. This move is great for that. Does that mean if you give a narrow ISA an overhead reach you'll kill them?!? No (except that one time). But you may not give your client the activity with the best odds of success. Put some respek on the structure, and prioritize well. Addressing multiple limitations at once Question: If a narrow ISA has external and internal rotation limitations you say to address the external rotation limitation first. What happens if you address both at the same time? Watch the answer here. Answer: Killing multiple movement restriction birds with one stone is totally effective and encouraged (especially because birds scare me, I'll tell you the story one day). The easiest way to make this happen is by encouraging some type of rotation in your peeps. When I rotate, I drive relative external rotation on one side, and internal rotation on the other. It's great for those who have anteroposterior restrictions. You can easily achieve this with a single-arm reach, or if you are feeling frisky, a hip shift. Caveat: Make sure your clients have the stack first! Wide infrasternal angle breathing strategy Question: What cues would you use for wide ISA breathwork? Watch the answer here. Answer: The goal with exhalation for wides is to close the infrasternal angle. Make it smaller. So the #majorkey is to use pursed lips AND breathe slowly. This action increases resistance enough to recruit external obliques to close the lower ribcage. Some of my favorite cues to give are: Flicker birthday candles Do an impression of a windy day You are the big bad wolf, blow the house down Sum up Inhaled and exhalation nomenclature use the spine as a reference point. The lower ribcage compensates when there is a loss of spinal respiratory dynamics. Cervicocranial influences can affect movement, but conservative measures should be pursued first barring pathology. Use testing to determine interventions, while emphasizing bilateral before unilateral exercises. Primary compensations occur to counteract structural bias, whereas secondary compensations occur to counteract primary compensations. One must consider both structure and compensatory order when selecting interventions. Both anterior and posterior restrictions can be simultaneously addressed with rotation. Wide infrasternal angle presentations benefit from slow, purse-lipped exhales.

Can't get overhead? Let's figure out how! If you can raise your arm fully overhead WITHOUT compensating, don't read any further! But if you are like most of us, reaching overhead probably draws its fair share of LOLZZZ. Exhibit A Yet raising your arm overhead is HELLA important for things like lifting weights, moving your neck freely, and even rotation through the ribcage.  So if ya ain't got it, you might want to work on it! That's why I put out this debrief for you that dives into mechanics, what directions to reach and clarifies any confusion that may surround arm elevation biomechanics.  Let's channel our inner Josh Groban and raise you up (your arm that is). Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) April 10th-11th, 2021, Warren, OH (Early bird ends March 14th at 11:55 pm) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55pm!) September 25th-26th, 2021, Wyckoff, NJ (Early bird ends August 22nd at 11:55pm) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.   All About the Scapula - This debrief goes into scapular movements during respiration, compensations, and more. Motion of the shoulder complex during multiplanar humeral elevation - This article is essential to understanding scapulohumeral rhythm Joe Cicinelli - He is a PT colleague of mine who is my go-to guy for all things upper airway. Scapulohumeral rhythm Question: Been reviewing your scapula debrief and the motions getting me a little hung up. I've always thought that shoulder flexion, upward rotation, ER, and posterior tilt were together? But you're saying the scaps upwardly rotate, internally rotate, and anteriorly tilt? What's the reasoning behind this or something I'm missing in research? People always drove into my brain upward rotation and posterior tilt helps clear space for shoulder flexion. Any relationship or misunderstandings there? Watch the answer here. Answer: When discussing the motion of the scapula and the humerus during shoulder flexion, it's all about timing and location. We typically break down shoulder flexion into 3 different phases: 0-60° 60°-120°  120°-180°  During these distinct phases, you have different actions happening at both the scapula and the humerus that will drive expansion into various areas. First, we need to know what the starting position is for the scapula. “Scapman Begins” you might say...Or not...Whatever! Most of this stuff is drawn from this article here, so please check this awesome study out if you haven't. The resting position of the scapula is: 41° internal rotation 5° upward rotation 16° anterior tip Humerus starts in slight external rotation There's going to be some slight variations among peeps of course, but this is a solid starting point. Now, let's look at how the humerus and scapula move throughout the three phases. Phase I: 0°-60° There is pretty much no movement of the scapula in this phase. It's all humerus. No joke. (Damn I'm on fire today!) Most of the humeral action is biased towards external rotation. If the humerus externally rotates, then the scapula will relatively internally rotate. How do I know that? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED!!!! It has to do with the posterior cuff muscle's proximal line of pull. The arrow denotes how the scapula would move. Looks like internal rotation to me big dog (Photo credit: Henry Gray) If I contract the proximal end of these muscles to the distal attachment, you'll notice how the medial border would lift away from the ribcage. This action, my fine fellow fam, is scapular internal rotation. Glorious, right?! If the medial border is away from the ribcage, the scapular external rotators (rhomboids, traps, subscapularis) will be eccentrically oriented. Since the big dogs are posterior, you'll get more posterior thorax expansion in this phase. In particular, T6-8 because of relative scapular downward rotation compared to later phases. O°-60° = Humeral external rotation = scapular internal rotation = T6-8 posterior expansion Phase II: 60°-120° In this phase, the scapula has to pick up some slack to clear room for the humeral head to do its thing. So it's gotta move! The big scapular movements that happen during this phase are: Upward rotation External rotation Posterior tipping These combined actions suction the scapula up against the ribcage, enhancing stability and reducing stress load on the cuff muscles. When you see peeps winging and whatnot, that's typically an inability of this phase to properly occur. Just like in phase I, scapular external rotation is associated with a relative humeral internal rotation. Peep the line of pull of your big internal rotator, the subscapularis: This pull would put the medial border up against the ribcage #scapularER (photo credit: Powellle) Same song and dance. Proximal pull would compress the scapula up to the ribcage, and life is good. Due to scapular external rotation, the posterior thorax is more restricted from airflow. Thus, airflow in this flexion phase predominately occurs anteriorly. The bias is at T6-8 level in the early range, and likely T2-4 in the later range. 60°-120°= humeral internal rotation = scapular external rotation = anterior expansion (T6-8 early, T2-4 later) Phase III: 120°-180° The grand finale, and the most confusing part of scapulohumeral rhythm. Scapular upward rotation, external rotation, and posterior tipping continue to happen with reckless abandon. BUT. There are a few major keys that happen which allow for posterior thorax expansion during this phase: The humerus maximally externally rotates (creating a slight internal rotation bias The scapula orients into the scapular plane (45 degrees anterior of the frontal plane), which positions the scapular back near the resting position (which was internal-rotation. the more lateral position of the scapula away from the spine increases eccentric orientation. The upward rotation will eccentrically bias the downward rotators (rhomboids), which have a location posteriorly For these reasons, you will get some posterior expansion at T2-4 as you reach overhead. 120°-180°= Humeral external rotation = relative scapular internal rotation (though the scapula is still actively externally rotating) = posterior expansion (T2-4 level). Anteroinferior glide during shoulder flexion Question: Could you explain what to do if someone overstretched the ligaments in their shoulder. Like after doing the shoulder flexion test and their humeral head pops into your thumb when it's in their armpit, what can I do to restore normal flexion and how can I continue to keep that person resilient? Watch the answer here. Answer: Sometimes, when testing shoulder flexion, you can feel the humerus glide anteriorly and inferiority if you place your thumb in the client's armpit. It's all types of fun. If shoulder flexion is more external rotation-bias, what I think is likely going on is a combined internal rotation and abduction action that causes this excessive gliding, hence the pop forward. Is this actual tissue laxity? Ehhh. It's hard to say. I've seen this glide change quickly with interventions, and my skills are DEFINITELY NOT that good. I think it's unlikely a true tissue laxity, which would likely need surgical repair. An alternative story is there is an eccentric bias of anteroinferior tissues to compensate for a lack of scapular upward rotation needed for full shoulder flexion. You can guess the fix right? Get air in the back with a low reach, and you ought to be rocking and rolling! I usually start with something like this. Then progress to a single arm reach to drive rotation and more isolated posterior expansion. Improving shoulder flexion Question: You and others have mentioned that when someone who is compressed in the dorsal rostral thorax and it is proven with your shoulder flexion assessment between the ranges of 60°-120° among other measures, that you would intervene with low reaching exercises below 60° flexion in various positions depending on the presentation of the ISA. Is it possible that in this instance we could intervene with a position that includes reaching in that 60°-120° degree compressive range if we IR at the humerus? Watch the answer here. Answer: If you peeped the scapulohumeral rhythm component above (uhh, why haven't you read that yet fam?!), you probably garnered one thing: Shoulder flexion is hella complicated. In fact, the entire arc of flexion involves both anterior and posterior thorax expansion to be completed. Although I love shoulder flexion as a test, it is more a gross measure of thorax expansion with a bias towards posterior. Whereas shoulder extension is similarly a gross expansion measure with a bias towards anterior. In order to know where you need to drive air, you have to look at segmental expansion within the thorax.  Get your tight green wrestling pants on and lather up in baby oil, because we're about to break it down Degeneration X-style. Filling the thorax with air is similar to filling a cup of water. The cup fills bottom-up completely. Or coffee. Yeah. Let's go with coffee (Image by Suman Maharjan from Pixabay) So to do the lungs during progressive shoulder flexion. The fill occurs in a sequential manner that corresponds to scapulohumeral rhythm. Remember this general expansion trend with scapulohumeral rhythm: 0°-60°: lower posterior expansion (T6-8) 60°-120°: T6-8 anterior expansion in early phases, progressing to T2-4 expansion in later phases 120°-180°: T2-4 posterior expansion, with likely some anterior T2-4 expansion as well. With that in mind, you have to look at other individual tests to determine where you have to drive specific airflow to get changes in shoulder flexion: T6-8 posterior expansion - shoulder external rotation at 90° T6-8 anterior expansion - shoulder internal rotation at 90° T2-4 posterior expansion - shoulder horizontal abduction T2-4 anterior expansion - shoulder horizontal adduction T2-4 anterior AND posterior expansion - Lower cervical rotation Oh, just checking your ribcage expansion, NBD. Before you get all wild and crazy with your specific expansion efforts, make sure you have the stack. If you don't have the stack, you have no base to drive this segmental expansion, and you won't be able to talk to me, and I'll stay forever lonely. I NEED YOU FAM! Once you have the stack, then you can pinpoint where the mobility restrictions are, then fill up your cup! If you have decreased shoulder external rotation (less than 90°), I'd go with a reach in the 0°-60° range. If you have decreased shoulder internal rotation (less than 90°), I'd go with a reach in the 60°-120° range. You can combine expansion in both these areas by driving single-arm reaches. If I reach with my right arm, that will drive anterior expansion on the right and posterior expansion on the left. If you have decreased shoulder horizontal abduction (less than 45°), I'd go with something that drives rotation with a more horizontal plane-bias. The sidelying armbar roll is a go-to for me. If you have decreased shoulder horizontal adduction (less than 135°), you can use similar rules above and drive horizontal adduction. Short lever side planks are money here. You can also go with humeral extension to improve this movement: Lastly, if you want to drive anterior and posterior expansion with the upper segments, you can combine unilateral reaches with cervical rotation. The armbar screwdriver with head turns is an absolute beast-mode for this. Manubrial Expansion Question: How would you differentiate an overhead reaching exercise for purpose of upper anterior ribcage expansion (manubrium) VS upper posterior ribcage expansion (T2-T4)? Watch the answer here. Answer: The thing with expansion anywhere is that it's not on/off switches with exercises. You can get expansion with a variety of moves and positions. If we want to bias expansion into the manubrium (anterior T2-4), we have a few different options: High reaches (say 100°-180°) - because of circumferential expansion when going overhead Humeral extension - Due to scapular anterior tilt.  And downward rotation biasing pec minor Cervical/Trunk Rotation - Due to general anteroposterior expansion that accompanies rotation Inversion - Due to gravity assisting the lungs in filling top-down Some of my favorite activities to make this happen have been listed above. I didn't talk much about inversion, but my two money moves are the drunken turtle and decline quadruped on elbows. Sum Up Scapulohumeral rhythm involves combined posterior and anterior expansion, with the overall tendency occurring toward scapular AND humeral external rotation. An anteroinferior humeral glide during flexion (barring injury) occurs due to eccentric bias of the inferior humeral tissues. Specific limitations in thoracic expansion can be addressed by corresponding shoulder flexion loss with other measures. Manubrial expansion (T2-T4) occurs by using high reaches, humeral extension, cervical/trunk rotation, and inversion. Image by Taco Fleur from Pixabay

Lower back presentations that struggle with breathwork You've spent all this time perfecting breathwork into your practice...then it happens: This exercise hurts my back! WTF amiright!?!?!?! The activities we've been painstakingly learning about, and then your client feels pain THE WHOLE TIME you try it. This is especially true with: Lateral shifts Radiculopathy CRAZY Lordotic spines What's going on here? Many times, especially if symptoms are high, the issues I see people make involve either progress WAY too quickly or going after the wrong impairment. But don't worry folks, I'll do my darndest to make these presentations ridiculously simple for you. If you have troubled lumbar spine presentations and you are unsure where to go, then you'll definitely want to check out Movement Debrief Episode 131. Watch the video for your viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55pm!) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies:   Bill Hartman has a great video dispelling misconceptions around anterior pelvic tilt. It's. a must-watch. Compensatory Movement Patterns - If you have no clue about the difference between primary and secondary movement compensations, this debrief should help. You'll better learn when to apply certain exercises in a specific order to maximize movement improvements. How to Coach the Stack - This position is fundamental for improving movement options. If you are just getting into coaching exercises in this fashion, this is the post. Bill Hartman - If you want to learn the theory and practical components of many of the concepts I discuss, this man is pushing the field more than anyone else. Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance by Stuart McGill - Although I disagree with a lot of his treatments, this book is an excellent resource on lumbar spine anatomy and biomechanics. Course Notes: Explaining Pain Lorimer Moseley-Style - If you work with people in persistent pain, you MUST read this. It goes into the physiology surrounding how this happens and may help you learn how to better serve these clients. Pat Davidson - One of the smartest trainers in the field. Excellent with physiology and pushing the training envoelope. NOI Group - A great group to learn neurodynamics and pain science from. Michael Shacklock - Mike is THE GUY for learning the biomechanical aspect of neurodynamics. I also did reviews on his book which you can check out here. The Slump slider is a great neurodynamic move to apply with any posterior neural restrictions. If you haven't seen the Jefferson curl, here is a good example. Is Spinal Flexion bad? - If you are afraid of flexing your spine, you NEED to check this out. Hyperlordosis and rib flares Question:  What are your thoughts on someone who has a combination of hyperkyphosis and hyperlordosis with ribs flare? Could these be due to mouth breathing as compensation for improper breathing patterns? And how would you try to improve it? Watch the answer here. Answer: First things first, we need to dispel some preconceived notions regarding posture. Some might call this a diss track (and by some I mean me): Static posture in and of itself doesn't mean much. There is no singular cause for exhibiting a certain posture. There are likely structural, genetic, and behavioral influences that predispose someone to look a certain way, posture included. We are mobile creatures, what is more important is expressing as many different movements as possible. So really, fam, don't sweat the posture you possess. What is more important is being able to move. What could be an issue is an inability to move out of this posture. Examples may be an inability to reduce the lumbar lordosis or rib flare. This deficit may indicate restricted movement. The most important piece to improving your movement is the stack. The easiest way to teach this concept is in the sidelying position. The reason being is because its gravity eliminated and minimizes rotational effects on the body. Check it out here. From here, the pinnacle of lumbar spine curve reversal is achieving a full-depth vertical squat. Teaching the stack in this maneuver is the first line of defense, and the sink squat is a great way to do that. From here, the best loaded version that makes stay vertical "easy" is the Zercher squat. Flexed Lumbar Spine   Question: What is the lumbar spine looks relatively flexed and the arch starts at the thoracolumbar junction? Watch the answer here. Answer: Although we cannot rely on static assessments, there may be some tests that indicate there is a loss of lumbar "extension" that may lead to drive an appropriate amount of this motion. Here would be typical test findings: Decreased hip extension, adduction, and internal rotation measures Full hip flexion, abduction, and external rotation measures If you have someone with this finding, choosing hip extension-based exercises are primo, as this will help restore normal sacral nutation, and subsequent lumbar lordosis. One of my go-to's is a glute bridge variation like this one. Lateral shift Question: Hey Zac, can you talk about a chronic lateral shift? Your take, management, and prognosis Toughest group for me. Watch the answer here. Answer: A lateral shift is likely a compensatory action the lower back takes to offload an irritated nerve root and/or disc. It typically involves lateral flexion away from the affected area with a side glide. You'll the top half of the body gliding away, and the lower half gliding towards. And they always have back hair. ALWAYS! In acute instances, this shift is useful at protecting the injured areas, but less desirable once the tissues have healed. If looking at this shift from our perspective, you'd see two components that we'd need to address: thorax translated away from the lesion An oblique pelvis where the ipsilateral innominate "sits" lower than the contralateral. With this presentation, the first line of defense is OF COURSE.... The Stack With the translation of the lower thorax, the lower ribcage will need to be dropped down to promote expansion of the involved side. The sidelying tilt progression per above is a great starting point. Once you've gotten adequate ribcage positioning, squat progressions shown above are useful for opening up the neural foramen. If your squat is on point, doing shiftwork that emphasizes oblique pelvic movement can assist in maximizing both expansion AND compression of the involved area. I start most peeps with a sidelying stride to introduce this concept. Then I'll progress to a standing version. With my terminal exercise being a lateral squat or lunge. Add some rotation in the mix to REALLY get nuts! If you've tried these activities and movement/symptom issues persist, neurodynamics could be a great next place to go. A simple way to incorporate these concepts is by slouching the spine during an offending movement and performing the movement. I dive into this concept a bit more here. Radicular symptoms during exercises Question: I was wondering what kind of modifications you may make when teaching the stack and trying to restore movement options when a patient experiences radicular symptoms during resets? I'm having good success with other treatment approaches for controlling their symptom profile, but am struggling to address their true underlying compensations/patterns without eliciting the radicular symptoms. Watch the answer here. Answer: These symptoms are often associated with flexion intolerance, so do we do prone press-ups, and the angels will sing? Ehhhhhhhhh..... While I don't F with McKenzie a whole lot, we can apply similar principles by emphasizing anterior expansion. Moves that bias sacral nutation and air into the chest. Some of my starters include a wall and chair tilt with overhead reach. The sink squat we have shown previously is also another money move. I also like to emphasize hip extension and adduction to drive sacral nutation. This move is pretty bomb.com for this. My hypothesis as to why this approach works is because, in order for us to create movement, we need to have a contractile gradient. Certain things need to be concentric, and certain things need to be eccentric. If we cannot establish a gradient (e.g. someone who has multidirectional limitations), this will likely lead to altered loading patterns when we perform an action. Perhaps in the case of radiculopathy, we may not have adequate segmental mobility going into certain positions, and increase strain occurs over the affected area. Chasing anterior expansion helps create this gradient while choosing a direction that does not evoke symptoms. This may allow for more even loading distribution when you inevitably flex on fools. And we always gotta flex on fools ;) When to hip shift Question: What test results would indicate when someone needs to get their shift together (aka a hip shift)? Watch the answer here. Answer: Typically, I use hip shifting to clean up the last bit of motion that I wouldn't normally get with stacking. If someone needs those last 10 degrees of rotation in any direction, a shift would be indicated. However, milk the stack until that cow is DRY fam. Generally, if someone can attain a good looking squat to parallel, they can probably shift without too many issues. Then, you may help them get their shift together! Is the Jefferson Curl useful? Question: I'm interested in some version of the gymnastics drill the "Jefferson curl" (extension from full forward-fold flexion but with hands-on legs) for those with narrow ISAs. Some say that loaded /unloaded flexion drills are is just accumulating tissue damage, but I have doubts, assuming a person doesn't jump up to loading too quickly. Watch the answer here. Answer: I'll preface that the Jefferson curl isn't something I've really messed with a whole lot, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. First things first, I agree with you, caller, on doubting the flexion avoiders. I went ether on this topic here, and basically there is no evidence to support that flexion is dangerous under load. Most in vivo experiments say otherwise. But does that make The Jefferson Curl useful? The assumption we have here is that people can segmentally flex at all, which most peeps who are tight like a tiger cannot. So is the curl doing what we think it's doing? Maybe not. However, if you have someone who does has some segmental flexibility, I could see it being a useful progression. The person who comes to mind is the narrow infrasternal angle type who needs to progress nutation while maintaining an inhaled spine. In that case, it could be effective. You'll also get some tissue tolerance into flexion, which is never a bad thing. Sum Up For someone who has hyperlordosis and cannot reverse the curve, focus on the stack and progressing the squat to improve movement options.  Truly flexed lumbar spines require driving sacral nutation through hip extension. Lateral shifts can be improved by stacking and working on oblique shifts in the pelvis. If one gets radicular symptoms with resets, chase anterior expansion before driving posterior expansion. Hip shifts are effective at cleaning up mobility deficits. Use this activity when you can squat to parallel The Jefferson Curl is likely safe to use IF you have some degree of segmental motion at the spine and need to progress sacral nutation under load. Photo credit: Elnur Amikishiyev

Compression, expansion, limitations, oh my! Have you ever wondered how muscle contractions impact movement? Or why in the hell we are using fancy terms like compression, expansion, all that mess? Or how does tissue tension create movement limitations? I get it, the terminology and stuff can be confusing AF, but passing that learning curve will allow you to: Figure out why movement limitations happen Better make decisions based on the infrasternal angle Determine how loading changes contractile orientations Are you ready to take your programming and exercise selection to the next level? Then check out Movement Debrief Episode 130! Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure.  If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55pm!) August 14th-15th, 2021, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends July 18th at 11:55pm!) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.  Bill Hartman - Bill is a great resource and thought leader on compression, expansion, joint mechanics, and so much more. In Vivo Observation of Articular Surface Contact in Knee Joints - This was an amazing study that looked at knee joint surfaces under load and extreme end-ranges. THE BONES NEVER TOUCHED!!!!!!! Mad props to the guy who underwent the scope to demonstrate this. Yikes! Complete Anatomy - This app is my go-to for looking at anatomy in 3d. It's basically the destroyer of all anatomy textbooks. Short-Term Effects of Thoracic Manipulation on Lower Trapezius Muscle Strength - This article illustrates how an extension-biased thoracic spine manipulation (Gasp, we touch people!??!?!) improved lower trapezius activity. Perhaps this indicates the lower trapezius as a spinal extender? Motion of the Shoulder Complex During Multiplanar Humeral Elevation - This article is the gold standard read if you want to learn all the ins and outs of scapulohumeral rhythm. How do movement limitations happen? Question: How can I tell if something is being held in place and can't change position vs something not being able to move any farther because it's already there (e.g. a door that can't close because it's already closed)? Watch the answer here. Answer: To learn how a movement becomes limited, we have to look at joint mechanics. Let's look at a muscle contraction. If I contract my biceps and my elbow flexes, anterior tissues become concentric. This pushes synovial fluid posteriorly, making posterior tissues eccentric. It looks like this, and my biceps wow and impress everyone: All we need are some POWS and BAMS and we got ourself a new anatomy comic If my resting bias was this state, I would have decreased elbow extension. The above graphic is how movement limitations happen. The limitation occurs because the elbow extensors cannot create enough tension to shift the synovial fluid in the opposite direction, changing the concentric tension of the elbow flexors. Therefore, the concept of a door that is already closed creating a movement limitations cannot happen.  If the door were "closed" (aka a maximal concentric bias), my elbow would be flexed to the nth degree and I would have absolutely zero extension capabilities. Although I appreciate da biceps pump as much as the next bloke, we really do not see this much if at all in reality. the only times I can think of would be a contracture or severe structural compromise, which is rare. But Big Z, what about when I feel that pinch in the front of my hip when I flex, certainly the door must be closed worse than that Teddy Pendergrass song with Cialis, right?!?!?!? False. What would happen here is you would have a concentric bias of the hip extensors limiting hip flexion first. The then likely issue you have is a lack of relative motion occurring at the pelvis (aka you can't counternutate the sacrum, which would be due to concentric bias of nutaters), causing you to hit your perceived end range a lot sooner. In some people, this can lead to a pinch (and not the cool kind that makes you grow an inch). You can call me Robert Plant because the song remains the same: concentric bias limits fluid shift capabilities, creating a restriction in the opposing direction. Pursuing extreme flexibility Question: With pursuing extreme flexibility, 1) how much of this capacity is genetically and/or structurally determined (I've pursued this with little progress), 2) how pursuing this level of mobility would fit in or clash with your model, and 3) how and if this can be achieved without long term consequences? Watch the answer here. Answer: Let's break it down Degeneration X-style. Genetics and structure for flexibility Genetics and structure play a HUGE role in how well someone does with any activity. There's a reason elites at almost all sports have similar builds. Runners are tiny and long-framed, NFL linemen are built like fridges. For people who are very flexible, you need a structure that has a greater eccentric bias. Eccentric tissue action is needed to contort into wild position. The narrow infrasternal angle with a narrow pelvis has a structure built for eccentric bias. Thus, the narrow ISA has the best body type for flexible pursuits. That's likely why prepubescent females absolutely demolish gymnastics. They have narrow ribcages, and the pelvis hasn't widened yet. Also, because females are inherently more flexible than males, they are prototypical for this sport. See how narrow the ribcage is and how big the ribcage goes front to back? She's built to exhibit this type of mobility. Whereas ya boi strained every muscle in his body just contemplating this move. (Image by Anastasia Gepp from Pixabay) Just because a narrow body type has the ideal structure for pursuing flexibility, that doesn't mean that people who lack this body can't pursue the task at a high level, they may just have a lower ceiling than someone who has equivalent features with a different axial structure. Another thing to consider is when someone began training for their given sport. If you started practicing something at a younger age, it is easier to develop structural adaptations needed for the sport. It's why kids have an easier time learning languages and musical instruments (the jerks). They have the plasticity to acquire skills easier compared to adults. It becomes much harder to alter your structure the older you are. Doesn't mean it cannot happen, but the ceiling is likely lower. Flexibility training and the model Pursuing extremes in any task can potentially compromise health, so one must do all they can to support the person as they chase the adaptations they need. If you are trying to be flexible AF, you will be trying to making your body more eccentrically-biased. It would be wise to do activities that help you generate concentric actions to not push you so far in one direction. Also, just because you are as eccentric as can be, it doesn't mean that you have FULL movement options. Many times, hypermobile peeps have a loss of axial skeleton measures. Hip extension restrictions are also common. If you train these types of people, I would look at axial measures (e.g. infrasternal angle, lower cervical rotation, etc) and movement quality under load to keep an eye on one's movement capabilities. Pursuing flexibility while minimizing injury risk The most important thing with chasing any physical quality is load management. If you are new to ANY activity, you have to progress slowly. Find a good program or coach that intelligently progresses you towards the task you want to do, and keep track of your workload as you do it. A 10% increase in anything—volume, intensity, new activities—on a weekly-ish basis is a prudent progression. You can also mess with measuring acute:chronic workload with my calculator. Also, make sure you are keeping the areas you tend to get restricted flexible as can be, keep strong, and ya ought to be in bidness! Muscle compression and expansion Question: I've heard you mention the role of muscles in compressing or expanding (e.g. the serratus anterior's role in compressing the rib cage laterally). I was wondering how I would go about learning more regarding the roles of different muscles in compression and expansion, and how this information could be applied to exercise selection and progressing/regressing movements? Watch the answer here. Answer: I wish there was a good anatomy resource, but sadly I haven't seen a whole lot of anything consider proximal muscle actions, especially when it comes to the axial skeleton (like the serratus). Like this picture, you can't get a good picture of the curved shape of the serratus, so people think this muscle pulls the ribcage backward. WRONG. Check the superior view of an anatomy app and you'll have your mind blown. (Photo credit: Thieme) Most of looking at anatomy this way comes from looking at tissue attachments and visualizing how the body was to move if it contracts. That's why an app like Complete Anatomy is so useful because you can view the body in ways that anatomy textbooks are limited. These thought experiments and checking yourself with biomechanical research could prove useful. But instead of sweating individual muscles, I'd prefer looking at how the body has to change its shape and positioning to complete movement tasks. Visualizing movement in this way makes you worry less about muscles and more about movement. Muscles do not act in isolation, so it may not be as realistic to think in isolated actions. Lastly, compression and expansion are terms commonly used in physics. Compression means molecules get closer together, whereas expansion is molecules spreading apart. Gases are the matter state which corresponds the most to these terms, whereas liquids and solids are significantly more challenging to change molecular distancing. Although we are composed of gases throughout our body, I question the accuracy of these terms when it comes to movement. I need to learn more. Moreover, compression is a scary term to use with clients. Think compression fractures. I don't want to risk them taking what I say in a maladaptive context. Because it's familiar, I gravitate more to concentric (compression) and eccentric (expansion) to describe movement. How loading influences movement Question: I just saw your debrief about reaching mechanics and talking with a colleague we have one doubt. He says that If you reach overhead, you will compress the upper thorax naturally, due to the upward rotation of the scapulae. Plus, when you add load (which is compression) you will further induce compression. But in your debrief you said that reaching overhead facilitate T2-T4 expansion Are the mechanics different under load?  Watch the answer here. Answer: Upward rotation is often paired with external rotation when we are talking about arm elevation. Scapular external rotation will definitely make the posterior thorax as concentric as can be. BUT........ There are a few things we have to consider when going overhead that allow posterior thorax expansion to happen: The scapula rests around 41 degrees of internal rotation and moves minimally in the first 60 degrees of humeral elevation (posterior expansion allowed) Humeral external rotation creates a relative scapular internal rotation, which happens predominately at the lower and higher ranges of humeral elevation (again, allowing for posterior expansion) Although the scapula progressively externally rotates throughout range, the scapula aligns in the scapular plane (45 degrees forward from abduction) at the uppermost limits (giving me posterior expansion) (peep this article to learn more) When the scapula upwardly rotates, there will be some eccentric orienting of the downward rotators. The rhomboid perform this action, and run from C7-T5 (giving me some posterior expansion in the upper segments) Therefore, posterior expansion is TOTALLY possible as you elevate the arm.....until loading happens. Then all hell breaks loose, yuck.[/caption] When I start moving the big weights, muscles need to generate hella more tension to complete the task. Meaning you will get more concentric activity, and subsequent compression, of the posterior thorax. Therefore, heavy loading isn't all that helpful at getting your upper back mobility on fleek. You'd be better served before lower load activities, unilateral exercises, or rotational stuff to improve your motion back there. Sum Up Movement limitations likely occur when there is an inability to push synovial fluid into a restricted joint area, not because you are already in a particular range. Extreme flexibility has structural influences (narrower ribcages have better builds), genetic and epigenetic influences (how early did you acquire adaptations), and must be intelligently progressed through load management and maintaining appropriate movement options. To look at proximal muscle actions, performing thought experiments, and looking at three-dimensional anatomy representations are the best way to learn anatomy in this fashion. Heavy loading increases concentric demands of muscle to complete the task, reducing movement options. Image credit: Reytan

Our destination is Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and the hallowed grounds of the Letort Spring Run, possibly THE most famous limestone spring creek in the East and considered the birthplace of American terrestrial fishing.  Our guest is expert guide and conservationist, Neil Sunday, head guide with Relentless Fly Fishing, TCO Fly Shops.  Neil covers the rich angling tradition of the Letort, famous meadows and runs, public access, top flies, and techniques for even the most experienced angler.  Added bonus:  fishing microcurrents over cress beds for wily brown trout and why some men cry when fishing this challenging stream!  With host, Steve Haigh. Neil Sunday Neil's picks for top flies on the Letort Spring Run: https://www.facebook.com/DestinationAnglerPodcast/ Neil's video on the Letort: https://vimeo.com/257750799 On Instagram: @neilsunday Email: Neil@tcoflyfishing.com Relentless Fly Fishing:  http://www.relentlessflyfishing.com/ On Instagram:  @relentlessflyfishing 410-490-3427 | RELENTLESSFLYFISHING@GMAIL.COM TCO Fly Shops:  https://www.tcoflyfishing.com/ On Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tcoflyshop/ On Instagram: @tcoflyshop (717) 609-0169 Destination Angler: The Destination Angler Website and Show Notes:   http://destinationangler.libsyn.com/ On Facebook Get updates and pictures of destinations covered on each podcast: https://www.facebook.com/DestinationAnglerPodcast Join in the conversation with the Destination Angler Connection group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/984515755300748/ On Instagram: @DestinationAnglerPodcast Comments, suggestions, and guides interested in being on the show, contact host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh50@gmail.com Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or where ever you get your podcasts Recorded Aug 13, 2020.  Episode 18. Podcast edited by Podcast Volume  https://www.podcastvolume.com/ Music on the show by A Brother's Fountain, “Hitch Hike-Man”  on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/track/406xtacQIl0jIvWElyLRfC?si=KT8jSjpFTrSQORaJuvsGIA

How improving your movement can affect speed, agility, and more! You got an athlete who is slow as all hell. Maybe they can't get low enough in a cut, are slow at accelerating, or just stink at producing force. Is there a way to increase their athleticism? To do so we need one MAJOR KEY (DJ ZACLED) DJ ZACLED! (photo credit: Karen Roberts The stretch-shortening cycle. You know, that whole eccentric, amortization, concentric thang? What if you lost a piece of this cycle? What if you couldn't become eccentric in the spots you needed to because your hip mobility is broke AF?  Fortunately for you, we can apply many of the movement option concepts in the athletic realm, and get dope results in the process. Want to teach your peeps to be more explosive and dynamic in their sports? Then check out Movement Debrief Episode 129 below! Watch the video here.  If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55pm!) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Montreal, Canada (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies. The seated box jump to a box is a great starting point for introducing both force production and absorption. The box basically allows you a tucked start, then minimizes the eccentric demands to allow for an effect jump. The Guide to Physical Therapy School - If you are interested in attending physical therapy school, want to pick the best place, and get the most out of it, this is the post for you. Sawbones - This is the website where I get all my bones in the Movement Debrief. If you want to learn how to stack, you'll want to check out this post. How to Improve Agility and Cutting Mechanics with Lunge Variations - This was an awesome video by Daddy-O Pops himself Bill Hartman where he outlines how to manipulate trunk rotation to improve your cutting skills. If you feel "stuck" in a hip, these are great variations. If you want to improve shifting into a hip to help with loading, then you could try this low-intensity move to acquire the skill. For a higher intensity variation, try this move, which can also bias some trunk rotation. To better explode out of a got, or to "get out" of the hip, this low-intensity variation is great. For a high-intensity variation, try this move. Lee Taft - Lee is THE GUY for all things agility training. You definitely want to check him out. If you want to peep a course review I did on Lee WAY back in the day, you can read that here. Derek Hansen - He is my go-to resource on all things sprint training. I reviewed a private course he did here. Agility - This is my compendium of several resources that are agility-related. Acceleration - This is my compendium of several resources that are acceleration-related. Elevate Sports Performance and Healthcare - This is the facility I work out of in wonderful Las Vegas. Brian Chandler - The owner of Elevate, and one of the top 50 coaches in Golf Digest. Has a vast experience working with elite golfers Brad Thompson - Our Strength and Conditioning director at Elevate. He's a beast at all things golf. Force Absorption and Production of Infrasternal Angles  Question: From the point of view of sports training, which ISA would be more efficient in generating force and which in absorbing it (Acceleration Vs Deceleration)? Why? Watch the answer here. Answer: The #majorkey is understanding what type of contractile action is needed to both generate and absorb force. Force absorption = eccentric Force production = concentric Absorbing force requires accepting the forces imparted on a body, and an eccentric contraction is needed for that acceptance. Whereas producing force requires going against the forces imparted on the body, thus a concentric contraction. Assuming no secondary compensations, there are certain infrasternal angles (ISA) that have greater eccentric ventral cavity bias, and some that have a concentric bias: Narrow ISA = eccentric bias = Force acceptor Wide ISA = Concentric bias = Force producer Now there is a HUGE (HYOOGE? SP) caveat to this: Assuming no secondary compensations. This is a poor assumption because it seems like all the fam nowadays have compensations left and right. You can have narrows that develop concentric biases that make force absorption whack, and you can have wides that develop weird eccentric biases that make their force production weaksauce. Moral of the story? Don't assume...fam. Alright, so we can't assume certain presentations will be good at anything, but are their useful heuristics to follow for improving absorption and production? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED! There are some useful strategies that can get your force utilizing on point. Here's what I recommend: Improve force absorption by: Squatting High depth shifting Slow eccentrics Drop catches Reaching Improve force production by: Hinging Shifting OUT of shifts Move heavy shit Move shit fast plyometrics Pulling May the force be with you! Balancing PT school and outside learning  Question: How does someone who is interested in practicing PT similar to how I do stay relevant while in PT school? Watch the answer here. Answer: My biggest PT school regret (besides taking out too much in loans) is not mastering the basic sciences. Same with undergrad. Acquiring a black belt at the basics is going to make you a better consumer of research and concepts, and allow you to make better clinical decisions. I was having this great conversation with Bill the other day about this very topic. The issue with the way school teaches the sciences is there is no application, so you memorize a bunch of stuff, then fuggedaboutit. You need application. This is where learning stuff outside of school can be helpful, especially if you aren't seeing patients on the regular. Jokers like myself can help provide context to what you are learning in school. Why is that kinesiological concept important? We can show you why. Reduced hip explosiveness  Question: When working with an athlete in a transverse plane move, they feel "slower" on one side of the hip (left) compared to the other (right) side. Or if I have someone who feels "stuck" in a hip during sprinting or agility work, what do I prioritize and what drills do I like? Watch the answer here. Answer: You are dealing with one of two problems when you have someone struggle with getting into/out of hips: They cannot shift far enough into a hip to take advantage of the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC). They cannot produce enough force to quickly get out of the loaded position Before performing either of these actions, YOU MUST have the ability to stack. If you can't stack (don't talk to Zac), then you cannot adequately get the hips into a position to load OR explode. Translation: You slow AF, fam. So you basically have two qualities you need to work on: Work on shifting into the hip Work on shiting out of the hip If you need to shift into the hip, you'll want the sacrum to rotate towards the desired hip. Here is a great move to work on that. If you need to shift out of the hip, you'll want to sacrum to rotate away from the desired hip. Here is a great move to work on that. From here, it's simply a matter of progressing intensity. Stacking = posterior tilt?  Question: Is stacking promoting posterior pelvic tilt? Watch the answer here. Answer: To some degree, yes. The goal of the stack is to "align" the thoracic and pelvic diaphragm. Or in laymen's terms, make sure your top half is atop your bottom half. Most people compensate through an anterior pelvic tilt, so you need to posteriorly tilt your way to a stacked position. Realize that I'm not advocating for you statically walking around keeping a tuck 'til death do you part. The maneuver is used to improve your movement options big dog. Trunk rotation for the rotational athlete Question: I would love to hear about how you handle trunk rotation with the look for rotational sport athletes ie. golf, tennis. Watch the answer here. Answer: Not a whole lot changes from any other person. Sorry, you are not that special :( I'm just starting to get into working with more golfers, and colleagues and I have been applying the concepts discussed throughout this site. And boy oh boy, it's incredible how giving the same poop that we do to everyone else REALLY HELPS this population. Most people lack the stack, and this population it's especially so. I'm blown away daily by how many great golfers do so amazing with such little ability to legitimately rotate. As always, start with the stack. Once you have the stack down pat, you can start introducing some rotational-based activities. My early phase rotation can start within the first block. How do you do this? Two key moves: Single-arm pushes Single-arm pulls Carries All of these activities will allow for some degree of trunk rotation to occur, especially if you allow a big ole' arm swing on your carries. You can make any push or pull exercise more rotational in nature by alternating as well, such as this move. Once they've mastered the above moves, AND they can squat parallel, I would incorporate the shifting work discussed above. Then, they will be royalty of the rotation nation! Sum Up Those with an eccentric bias (narrow) will be better at force absorption, those with a concentric bias (wide) will be better at force production. Most people, however, stink at both. Master the basic sciences while in PT school, use outside learning to apply your knowledge gained. To better explode in/out of hips during sport, stack, then focus on shifting in and out of hips. Stacking uses a posterior pelvic tilt to attain the position, though a static posterior tilt isn't necessarily the goal. Improving trunk rotation involves first stacking, then driving rotation through pushes, pulls, and carries, followed by shifting.

A deep dive into hip motions When you see someone squatting, with hip limitations, and shifting, do you ever wonder… What the hell is going on? No doubt this is especially confusing when you are looking at how the pelvis moves, spine moves, throw breathing in the mix….YIKES!!!! But what if hip movement could be simple? I think we can make this the case if we can grasp: How hip movements become restricted How hip dynamics change when we go through movements like a squat How we can bias certain exercises with shifting to target these specific limitations Are you ready to take your lower body exercise programming and knowledge base to the next level? Then check out Movement Debrief Episode 128! Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure, or listen to the podcast if you can't stand the sight of me :( If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55pm!) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] Or check out this little teaser for Human Matrix home study. The best part is if you attend the live course you'll get this bad boy for free! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies. Hip Rotation Explained - If you want to learn how the pelvis influences hip rotation, why someone could have a hip rotation restriction, or a CRAZY amount of mobility, check this debrief out! If you need a move that drives counternutation and spinal flexion in general, the drunken turtle is one of my go-to activities. The position for many that I teach "the stack" in is hooklying. Try this progression. Effect of Changes in Pelvic Tilt on Range of Motion to Impingement and Radiographic Parameters of Acetabular Morphologic Characteristics - This study shows how pelvic position influences hip joint measures. Get that stack first, fam! Kinesiology of the Hip: A Focus on Muscular Actions - One of my favorite clincial commentaries on how muscles influence hip motions; written by the OG himself, Don Neumann. Bill Hartman - Daddy-O Pops is one of the biggest pioneers in our field, and got me turned on to the rotational changes seen in squats and more! A biomechanical comparison of the traditional squat, powerlifting squat, and box squat - This study illustrates how hip rotation changes during squatting with various stance widths. If you need a hip shift that drives more pelvic external rotation, you'll need to try this move If you are going after more pelvic internal rotation, then the classic sidelying hip shift is a good choice. Pelvic orientation versus compensation Question: In Human Matrix, a lack of humeral internal rotation suggests concentric activity of the external rotators (a secondary compensation, if I'm not mistaken). This activity is brought about by your arms returning to an orientation that makes them more useful (for hugs, yuck). In your hip rotation debrief, however, it seems that the mechanism is a bit different. What I came away with is that limitations in internal or external rotation are brought about by orientation (via inhaled or exhaled spines).  It seems that rotation in the first scenario is limited by compensation, and the second by orientation. Am I getting that right? Watch the answer here. Answer: First, let's get some definitions out of the way when discussing joint position: Orientation: The relative position of a body area. Generally, this is a positional bias one has (e.g. anterior pelvic orientation) Compensation: How a body region may respond secondary to a given orientation (e.g. the femur may drive compensatory external rotation in response to an anterior pelvic orientation) Though it's likely orientation and compensation occur simultaneously as a grand compensatory strategy, it's useful to think of these actions as a sequential process. If you know the compensatory biases each infrasternal angle presentation ought to have, this makes the process WAY simpler. Here's the short version: Narrow Infrasternal Angle: Counternutated sacrum with decreased extension, adduction, and internal rotation (femur is oriented into external rotation) Wide Infrasternal Angle: Nutated sacrum with decreased flexion, abduction, and external rotation (femur is oriented into internal rotation) Any deviation from the above patterns is considered compensation. To determine if the compensation is occurring at the femur vs further concentric bias at the ventral cavity, you could look at more distal measures to confirm your suspicions: Concentric femoral external rotation = Decreased knee extension and tibial external rotation. Concentric femoral internal rotation = Decreased knee flexion and tibial internal rotation. So then aside from compensation being more common in the thorax, why do I not teach scapulohumeral rules as I do with the femurs. Two reasons: Reason 1: No time In a two day seminar, you can only accomplish so much. I'd rather give what is most commonly seen than tell the whole story. If you want the whole story, substitute all of the above information with scapula and humerus! Reason 2: Scapular and pelvic ER/IR ARE NOT the same  When you drive rotation at each of these bones, you get a different movement along a different axis. Peep this video to see what I am talking about. Femoracetabular Impingement Question: I was wondering if you could talk a bit more about femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). What would increase it's potential? How it would be seen in measuring? What kind of intervention should we use? Watch the answer here. Answer: FAI is when there are bony changes within the hip joint, altering bone shape and negatively affecting biomechanics. There exists three types of impingement: Cam Impingement: Extra bone growth on the femur Pincer Impingement: Extra bone growth on the acetabulum Mixed Impingement: Extra bone growth on both the femur and the acetabulum   The different types of FAI. (Photo credit: Takuma-sa) Oftentimes, those with FAI will complain of a pinching sensation when they move their bodies into various positions. This sensation typically occurs in the direction they are moving. So if you flex your hip, you may feel a pinch in the anterior hip. One of the most common positions is combined flexion, adduction, and internal rotation. You'll explore this position at the midrange of a squat. Though we as movement professionals cannot change the bony structure in this regard, we can alter body orientation to positively affect this condition. Interestingly enough, subjects with FAI can change their available hip range of motion by altering pelvic position. That is where your focus should be: stack, squat, shift, do all the things you would normally do while avoiding any symptom reproduction. If your client does all the good stuff savagely well, yet you see minimal change in mobility or symptoms, consider getting imaging and a surgical consult. Sometimes you have to change the structure in order to change the movement. Hip rotation during squat Question: You noted an inhalation/external rotation strategy for descent in a squat. Isn't' there relative internal rotation at the true hip joint as we get further down into a squat? Or is the external rotation strategy just what the muscles are attempting to do for a better flow of the hip even though the bony structures are going through an internal rotation motion? Watch the answer here. Answer: The rotational action that is occurring during the squat depends on what range of hip flexion we are discussing. There is an oscillating external rotation/internal rotation/external rotation movement throughout. Which rotation occurs depends on several factors: pelvic orientation femoral position and rotation Changing line of pull of posterior hip rotators knee position and rotation Probably other shit I'm forgetting Below you'll see a rough breakdown of the rotational changes throughout hip flexion. The exact ranges at which these shifts occur is individual-specific, but this is a good ballpark: 0°-60°: external rotation 60°-100°: internal rotation 100°- Full: external rotation Realize that these are not going from one extreme range to the other, but likely subtle directional shifts. Therefore, if you see mobility deficits in specific rotations, you can choose exercises to address those areas or squat at differing depths to capture the mobility you oh so desire! Hip shifting Question: I was trying to tie the exercises you picked to mechanics and how a hip shift would bias inhalation/exhalation? Could definitely be covered in a debrief if you already haven't! Watch the answer here. Answer: First, you might be wondering: "Zac, what's a hip shift big fam?!?!" Hip Shift:  rotating the sacrum in a specific direction (e.g. a left hip shift will rotate the sacrum to the left) Much like the squat, the specific mechanics occurring at the hip shift will depend on the location the shift is occurring. Remember this fancy flexion thing from the squat section? You read that, right? You didn't?!? WTF?? I thought we were cool? (Sigh), here it is again, but this time adding the sacral movement that is also occurring: 0°-60°: external rotation & sacral counternutation 60°-100°: internal rotation & sacral nutation 100°- Full: external rotation & sacral counternutation Therefore, a shift at each position will bias more of the sacral motion occurring than say a bilateral move would: Higher depths: more counternutation Mid-range depths: more nutation Lower depths: more counternutation So if you got a fever, and the only prescription is more nutation, you might choose a move like this. Or if you want to be a member of counternutation nation, then I'd choose something like this. Sum Up Orientation and compensation occur throughout the body, with orientation being initial bias, compensation being deviations from that bias. Look at multiple joints to accurately determine body position. FAI impacts movement by extra bone growth in the hip joint complex. Intervene as you would normally, but if no changes occur, a surgical consult is warranted. Squats involve an oscillation of external rotation/internal rotation/ and external rotation depending on the degree of depth attained Higher depth hip shifts will bias external rotation and sacral counternutation, mid-depths will bias internal rotation and sacral nutation.

I measured the infrasternal angle…uhhh, now what? No doubt you've heard a bazillion things about the infrasternal angle (ISA). Perhaps you've been consistently measuring them and know it's a big deal. But you know what we don't discuss enough about the ISA?  What the hell do you do about it?!?!? If you don't know what exercises, positions, and coaching techniques ought to be used, then there is no point in measuring it! Good news: Making the infrasternal angle dynamic is generally a fairly simple process that involves mastering: Pelvis movement Breathing Body position Bad news: The coaching side is not that easy But don't worry, Movement Debrief Episode 127 will show you: The essential ISA exercise progressions How to stack and so much more Basically, your peeps ISAs are going to be dynamic AF, ridiculously simple. Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure, or listen to the podcast audio if you can't stand the sight of me :( If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram.   t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) May 29th-30th, 2021 Boston, MA (Early bird ends April 25th at 11:55pm!) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies. Bill Hartman - My appreciation for the ISA and much of how I tackle improving ribcage dynamics wouldn't exist if it weren't for Daddy-O Pops. Check him out! Compensatory Movement Patterns - If you want to see how compensatory layers can stack atop one another for either ISA presentation, this is the post to do it. Effects of posture on chest-wall configuration and motion during tidal breathing in normal men - This article looks at how chest wall dimensions change with supine, sidelying, and sitting. It's pretty remarkable to see how the rib cage can change. The hooklying single arm reach is great for narrow ISA presentations who have secondary compensations. The single-arm reach encourages some trunk rotation, which can be a quick hit for both anterior and posterior upper thorax expansion. Check it out here. If someone is restricted in flexion, abduction, and external rotation measures, the drunken turtle is excellent, especially for narrow ISAs. The sidelying tilt progression is how I teach wide ISAs how to stack. The hooklying tilt progression is one variation on how I teach narrow ISAs how to stack. Interpreting Lower Body Assessments - Want to know how hooklying, Lewitt, and full hip extension change the dynamics of the pelvis? Let's look at lower body assessments to better understand how various hip positions change pelvic dynamics. The best exercise positions for infrasternal angles Watch the answer here. Question: I was on Bill Hartman's site and he gave a really general recommendation of starting wide's in supine and narrows in prone for exercises due to the gravitational effect.  Let's say I wanted to improve shoulder external rotation for a wide infrasternal angle (ISA), would low reaching for posterior inferior expansion in supine block expansion due to the table? If the answer is yes, then my question becomes why would wides start in supine if generally trying to achieve inhalation or posterior expansion. Thanks in advance.  Answer: The position you use will totally depend on the compensatory degrees a person exhibits.  Let's break it down into each infrasternal angle presentation. Wide infrasternal angle positions Wide ISA: >110 degrees. The treasure trail is optional. In wide ISAs, posterior ventral cavity concentric bias is a primary compensation. This presentation would create limitations in extremity flexion, abduction, and external rotation measures. For this reason, supine (hooklying in particular) can be effective at teaching the stack. In the supine position, gravity is going to push both the viscera and airflow towards the posterior aspect of the body, eccentrically orienting the posterior ventral cavity. But what if your client is also concentrically biased anteriorly? Oh snap fam, now supine can reinforce further concentric bias of the anterior thorax and abdomen. How will you know? When your client tries to tuck, their belly will pooch out or a diastasis recti (bowing out of the rectus abdominis) will form. Now if you are Eleanor Ripley, you could mostly navigate your way around the alien belly (mostly). But since you are likely not, you are better off choosing a different position to teach the stack. Let's keep it simple. Sidelying is the shit when it comes to wide ISAs. I like it because this position compresses the lateral dimensions of the ribcage. It's also easier to coach tucking because you will posteriorly tilt the pelvis in a gravity-eliminated position. Sidelying - gravity eliminated, get that wall push. It's the reset-equivalent of BARS IMO Wide ISAs = Use sidelying Narrow infrasternal angle positions Narrow ISA:

Do you ever get asked why are you breathing like that during an exercise? Or worse yet, maybe you've gotten in ANOTHER Facebook argument with some trainer or clinician who is skeptical of breathing. Despite typing feverishly, throwing all caps on that comment, everything you can, no luck. Ask me to show you the evidence ONE MORE TIME! (Photo credit: Romolo Tavani) It's interesting to consider why some peeps think of breathing as this separate piece from movement. It's something esoteric, different. When in reality... Breathing affects pelvic floor dynamics, impacting how your hips move Breathing influences the intra-abdominal pressure needed to move heavy ass weights You upper body and cervical mobility can be impacted by breathing. Not sure if you know this, but uh, most of your upper quadrant muscles attach to the ribcage fam! Breathing isn't something fancy, but an integral piece of how we move and perform. If maximizing your movement quality sounds like something you want to learn how to do take advantage of breathing. To implement breathing into your training, you'll need to learn some biomechanics, apply airflow to your favorite lifts, and educate others so you can show them the way, the truth, and the light. Don't worry fam, I got you with Movement Debrief Episode 126. Watch the video here for your viewing pleasure. If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] 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! Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.   Role of the diaphragm in trunk rotation in humans - So it turns out the diaphragm doesn't create a whole lot of motion at the spine, but it does drive some extension in those with spinal cord injuries. Action of the diaphragm on the rib cage - This article outlines how the lower ribcage movement occurs during inhalation and exhalation. Respiratory Action of the Intercostal Muscles - This article deep dives into how the intercostal muscles function. Bill Hartman - Arcs of flexion, breathing, this is my go-to guy for this. He taught me just about everything I know. He's my dad after all ;) Reaching: Theory and Practice - Want to learn how reaching at different angles influences shoulder motion? Then you'll definitely want to check this one out. I also talk about trunk rotation on this one. If you want to improve buckethandle dynamics like crazy, then you gotta try the rib shake pulldown. If you are wondering, my rib shake DOES bring all the boys to the yard! If you are wanting to beef up your evidence on all the things we talk about, check out my references page. Loserthink - This book is incredible at helping navigate all the logical fallacies and thinking pitfalls you and everyone haves. Prepare to get hit with MAJOR cognitive dissonance. Win Bigly - If you want to beef up your persuasion game, then this book is a must. How does your lumbar spine move when you breathe? Question: You describe inhalation as a general posterior expansion of the spine to accept the depressed abdominal contents, which causes a reduced lumbar lordosis among other things. However, I've read that inhalation as causing increased lumbar lordosis due to the diaphragmatic attachments to the anterior spine. The latter makes sense to me given the importance of the exhalation in creating an ideal stack, but the concepts you have been describing very much do as well. It would be incredible if you could help me understand this, as I feel like this confusion confounds my ability to understand how the upper and lower parts of the ventral cavity are functionally linked. Thank you!! Watch the answer here. Answer: What if I told you both answers were right? :) Ugh, you are such a jerk Zac! The difference is between the respiratory AND postural function of the diaphragm. If you contract the diaphragm in isolation, the action on the lumbar spine is extension. However, isolated contraction is not what happens in respiration. Instead, many tissues contract to pull air into the lungs. In general, there is a multidirectional expansion of the ventral cavity during inhalation. As the diaphragm descends, the viscera downwardly displace, and the pelvic floor must eccentrically elongate to catch the viscera. Stretch to catch if you will (#stretch2catch, could be hashtag of the year). This is your ventral cavity on breath (Photo credit: Cruithne9) When this action happens, sacral counternutation occurs to increase the pelvic inlet surface area. Sacral counternutation and lumbar flexion are paired movements. Hence, why lumbar flexion is right. So then when would the diaphragm extend the lumbar spine? If the diaphragm descends to flat, a maximal concentric contraction, there will be increased postural demands on the diaphragm. This, combined with increased accessory breathing muscle activity will create lumbar extension during inhalation. How does your thoracic spine move when you breathe? Question: Hey Zac, I have a question for you. I've been following what you teach and I know your breathing mechanisms but something has been bugging me! When we make an inhalation, our ribs rotate externally and this is related to spinal extension but when we inhale, our spine goes in kyphosis too. Is it possible that extension and kyphotisation happen at the same time? What am I missing here? Thanks a lot for your time. Watch the answer here. Answer: The big question to answer this question is "what in the heck are the intercostals doing in the ribcage?" I'M GLAD YOU ASKED!!!! Which intercostals are active during respiration are based on location and neural drive. Peep this study to learn more, but the two intercostal types that are active during inhalation are: Parasternal intercostals (those surrounding the sternum) Dorsal rostral intercostals (those surrounding the posterior upper 6 ribs Dorsal rostral on the left, parasternal on the right (Photo credit: Henry Gray & Anatomography) When these muscles contract, they will cause anterosuperior movement of the front ribs, and posterior superior movement of the upper back ribs. This would in theory cause "extension" in the lower thoracic region, and "flexion" in the upper thoracic region. But on the real, you'll see circumferential expansion of the ribcage in all directions when you breathe in. Realize though fam, it's a small amount during quiet breathing. The more volitional your breath gets, the more expansion you will see. How to breathe to address specific movement restrictions Question: Does how you coach breathing change based on if it is an exercise that is intended to influence an exhalation(ie. hip extension) or inhalation(i.e hip flexion) limitation?  Watch the answer here. Answer: In general, the extremity mechanics paired with respiration are as follows: Inhalation: Flexion, abduction, and external rotation Exhalation: extension, adduction, and internal rotation When I say these are paired, if you drive flexion in the extremities, the spine will assume inhalation mechanics, and vice versa with extension. They help create the desired bias. If I want to reinforce a given bias, I can time my breathing to sequence these movements to maximize the effect. If we assume that someone can keep a stack during a movement (ha), we can throw a breath on top of that action to theoretically drive more desired motion. Don't do this at the expense of overwhelming your client with cues. Not cool, bruh. Breathing during upper body exercises Question: Hey Zac, I was wondering if you could do an episode regarding when to breathe to bias different expansion strategies for some upper body weight-room exercises: Pull-ups Chest supported rows Incline presses Alternating rows/presses 1 arm pull-downs  Watch the answer here. Answer: This question totally depends on your arm position and when you breathe. Let's go into each of these. Pullups and Pulldowns A pullup can improve buckethandle dynamics for both infrasternal angles at the start. If you are wide and exhale, you'll close the lower ribs. If you can inhale with ab tension at the start, that's perfect for a narrow. As you progress towards the pullup bar, you'll get more pumphandle expansion. A word of movement restoration caution. If you are lifting HEAVY ASS WEIGHTS on these pullups, you will need to drive a lot of concentric force to move da weight. You'll likely not get the movement options you so desire (but who cares when you got that v-shaped torso amiright!??!) If you do these things unilaterally, like with 1 arm pulldowns, you can drive WAY greater buckethandle dynamics because of the allowable sidebend. Chest supported row Due to this movement being roughly at 90 degrees of shoulder flexion, you'll get mostly pump handle mechanics during the start, with an increase as you row. If you do this move unilaterally, then you can drive a bit of trunk rotation towards the straight arm. Incline presses Ah, my chest is warm just thinking about these. Mostly from the hella gainzzz. Lower inclines will bias more pump handle, increasing during the lower similarly to the chest supported row. As you up the incline grade though, prepare to get filthy. Higher inclines will drive more upper posterior thorax expansion (T2-T4) because of the eccentric orientation of the rhomboids. Educating skeptical professionals on breathing Question: Right now I´m diving into the whole breathing/biomechanics/movement information you provide. I live in Germany where nobody really knows shit about the stuff you talk about. A lot of people are very critical of the concepts I play around with. Do you have any advice on how to get clients & other coaches to come to the Light Side? Also, can you share some studies that can help me back up the stuff I´m talking about (especially pelvic movements during breathing/squatting/hinging, movement variability, effects of the 90/90 hip lift)? People always want to "see the evidence" so it would be nice to just stuff some studies down their throat so that I can keep on learning in peace. Also, I kinda wanna know that what you´re talking about is actually true ;) Keep doing what you´re doing! Lots of love from Germany! Watch the answer here. Answer: When you are going up against people who believe differently than you (read: haterz), you have to play this situation cool. I like to go straight up Socrates on dat azz. But if you drink the hemlock, youre going to have a bad time Here is your order of operation: Seek to understand their point and beliefs. Explain what they believe in a way they wish they would've. Who knows? They may actually change your mind! Find common principles. If you can find things you agree upon, they'll be more receptive to what you say. After you've successfully completed steps 1 & 2 (are you sure you did it??? DO IT AGAIN!), then, and only then, can you provide counterpoints to their argument. This could be providing research or asking them challenging questions that they'd have a hard time with. I also find it useful to ask someone "what is something you think I believe that you don't?" They could be misinterpreting what you are saying, then you can provide a more accurate representation. These conversations are best had in person, as you can better appreciate nuance then arguing in front of your computer monitor. Sum Up Normal inhalation causes a relative reduction of a lumbar curve due to sacral counternutation, but lumbar extension can increase with a maximal concentric diaphragmatic contraction In general, inhale if you are going after flexion, abduction, and external rotation restrictions; exhale if you moving into extension, adduction, and internal rotation restrictions If overhead, you can bias buckethandle mechanics and upper thorax expansion. The lower your arms go, the more lower thorax expansion occurs. When educating others who believe differently than you, seek to understand them first, find common principles, and then (AND ONLY THEN) respectfully challenge their thought process. How do YOU implement breathwork during training with you and your clients? Comment below and let the fam know!

A comprehensive look at cervical biomechanics and exercise The Wu-Tang clan once said “Protect Ya Neck,” but how in the heck can you do that if you don't know the biomechanics?????? The neck can be quite complicated considering all the factors that influence it's dynamics: Ribcage position Thoracic spine Hyoid bone Cranium Temperomandibular joint OH MY! Yet despite all of these influences, there are simple, useful heuristics you can follow that can lead to favorable changes in neck mobility! Want to make the neck, cranium, and more ridiculously simple to understand and apply? Then tune in for Movement Debrief Episode 125. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy! If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram.   t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies. Bill Hartman - Without question my biggest influence. A lot of of the tests and concepts originate from his ideas. The armbar screwdriver with cervical rotation is a great way to drive posterior thorax expansion. You may not feel much of it within the move, but I've seen some dope mobility changes in shoulder flexion. The curl to press is a great move that helps explore neck rotation while respecting upper thorax mechanics. Reaching: Theory and Practice - If you've ever wondered how upper body exercises influence thorax mobility, then you definitely want to check this out. A basic overview of the infrasternal angle can be found here If a narrow infrasternal angle has reduced pump handle, forward-reaching is quite useful, like quadruped. Wide infrasternal angles benefit more from reaching at 120 degrees of shoulder flexion to restore pump handle mechanics, like the hooklying pullover. Introduction to Myofunctional Therapy Course Review - If you want to maximize cervical spine and upper airway dynamics, this post is a must! The smiling swallow is a terminal exercise in myofunctional therapy, and a great move if you have a forward head posture. The pointy tongue exercise is a great move to work the muscles needed to drive lateral palate expansion. Joe Cicinelli - He's a physical therapist and my go-to guy for all things upper airway. He helped me out after my tongue surgery Compensatory Movement Patterns - Check out this debrief if you want to better understand the hierarchy of what movement limitations ought to be focused on first. Here is an example of an occlusal splint (Photo credit: Mik81) Cervical biomechanics 101 (1:11) You've talked at length about the foot, pelvis, ribcage, scapulae, and spine, but how about one talking about the head and neck? I understand relative motions are supposed to exist within the cranium, but I'll be damned if I understand them! Love your work! Cervical spine's relationship to the thorax and scapula (4:53) What is the relationship between neck, thorax, and scapula? How does the influence programming for things such as forward head posture and medial scapular pain? My neck pops (12:52) What's the thought process for dealing with necks that crack and pop when you rotate them? Self-assessment for hyoid position (14:58) How can I self assess my Hyoid? Exercise to improve neck mobility (23:35) How can I inhibit front neck muscles which are in an overactive state leading to a forward head posture? Myofunctional therapy and the cervical spine (30:16) I've seen your tongue exercises on the YouTube channel, when do you use those and how do you think about those?  Does this relate to palate shape and cranial positioning? Wide infrasternal angles with forward head posture (35:31) How would a wide infrasternal angle get a forward head posture? Neck pain during headstands (36:15) In terms of unilateral neck pain in a headstand, what could be causing that? Cervical spine or TMJ movements? (37:45) What type of assessment would you do to see if the patient can benefit would it just simply neck rotation and jaw mobility, or would the infrasternal angle put into consideration? Also, would the exercise still be breathing base or more cervical stuff like protrusion that you used to do back in the day?  Armbar vs inversion (42:43) How would you differentiate between using armbars vs inversion to get expansion in the upper body? The connection between teeth and neck movement (44:54) How can an occlusal splint inhibit neck breathing? How do teeth influence neck position? Sum Up Cervical rotation involves motion all the way down to T4, the jaw, and cranial movement. Forward head posture involves lower cervical flexion and upper cervical extension. Military posture involves lower cervical extension and upper cervical flexion. Posterior thorax expansion is paired with ipsilateral cervical rotation. Neck popping during movement is largely benign and nothing to worry about. A low resting tongue posture can contribute to forward head posture. Treatment can involve teaching a palatal tongue posture. Hyoid dynamics can be assessed by resting posture and cervical extension. Occlusal splints can alter bite and cervicocranial muscle tone, but are not a long term solution.

Know different postures you will see inside and out! It seems like there are a bazillion different types of postural presentations. Is there any way to simplify the confusion? Interestingly enough, things like flat back, extreme kyphosis, and even the common compensatory pattern can be explained through the movement lens we discuss on a weekly basis. All of these postural deviations are compensations atop of compensations How bad do you want to be able to 1) identify these postural strategies and most importantly, 2) know how to best improve these compensations? If it's bad (I'm talkin' reaaaaaaal bad), then check out Movement debrief Episode 124. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure, and audio if you can't stand looking at me. Enjoy! If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) February 20th-21st, 2021, Atlanta, GA (Early bird ends January 17th at 11:55 pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies. Analysis of Preexistent Vertebral Rotation in the Normal Spine - This study demonstrates a normal spine has a rightward rotation about it The Relation Between Organ Anatomy and Pre-Existent Vertebral Rotation in the Normal Spine: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study in Humans With Situs Inversus Totalis - This study shows that normal rotation mentioned above is reversed when the organ anatomy is reversed. This finding indicates that any type of lateralization is likely influenced by our internal anatomy Zink Common Compensatory Pattern - This is the pattern J-Bird was referring to. Likely influenced by organ anatomy per above. Below is a picture of the different postural presentations mentioned in the questions: Join the compensation nation! (photo credit: Sportex) A great move for swayback posture is the decline quadruped on elbows. If you need to restore spinal curves posteriorly, then you'll definitely want to try the drunken turtle. Basic Physics: A Self-Teaching Guide - This book is amazing when it comes to learning physics. The sidelying tilt progression is great for wide infrasternal angles. If you want a great way to beef up your squat, a goblet hold is a great starting point. If you want to learn about a Dowager's Humps, check out this debrief. If you want to learn about which compensatory strategy to prioritize, check out this debrief. The Lewitt pullover is a great move for a wide infrasternal angle with a concentric bias on the front side of the body. The home security system is a great analogy to explain how persistent pain works. The Common Compensatory Pattern (1:08) Big Z, can you discuss the common compensatory pattern and its value or commonalities on your thought process? Spinal postures (7:43) How are the following different postural compensations related to the ISAs? Swayback Flatback Deep arch? Hyperkyphosis? Layers of Movement Compensations (20:22) As I've learned more about unpacking compensatory layers I've started wondering when you may have a loss of return for certain rehab moves. For instance…Let's say you have a wide ISA who needs dorsal-rostral expansion as well as pump handle mechanics. So what if we put them in a side plank position with a towel under the thumb of the planking arm AND we put the off-hand up overhead somewhere at a 120-180 reach simultaneously? Would having both actions going on at the same time be counterproductive as long as we could effectively manage air pressure? Or is it simply too much to focus on for most people? OR is it just smarter to attack dorsal rostral expansion first and pump-handle as a second move or even a later project? And does this context change for someone who is simply training for their ISA bias versus someone who is trying to unravel compensatory strategies and regain movement options? Should I change my movement strategies? (29:17) How do you determine whether or not a strategy should be continually overcome? How do you differentiate between a strategy that is protecting a site or is necessary to retain some degree of function (ex. Like some form of compressive strategy to maintain stability in the presence of a shoulder labral tear) vs. a strategy that needs to be overcome as it is compensatory or an interference? The reason I ask is sometimes I feel better transiently after my appt with Mike, but it kinda strikes back with a vengeance a few hours after. I appreciate your input. Sum Up Lateralization is present in all of us, but the first focus area should be bilateral exercise and motor control. Spinal compensations can happen with both wide and narrow infrasternal angles. The goal should be to improve movement options. Focus on superficial compensations before deep ones. Persistent pain or other sensitizations are likely to respond in many ways when there is a homeostatic disruption. Perform graded exposure to activity to favorably adapt over time. Photo credit: Tilman Haerdle

We sat down with Chad Kimmel, Founder of Grand Illusion Cider & Wine Bar and discussed his path from winemaker to Shippensburg Professor to Hard Cider Maker and creating a cohesive, whimsical theme in Carlisle PA. Keep an eye out for their product and upcoming Escape Room at grandillusioncider.com

Learn what range of motion testing really tells you Movement Debrief Episode 123 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. Here is the setlist: Are standing postural assessments useful? What are the best assessments to use online? Does it differ if you are a trainer or clinician? How do I make decisions based off of table tests? What does it mean when someone has clear table tests but is limited in standing measures? What's the difference between a Thomas test and an ober's test? How does one determine if someone has ligamentous laxity or not? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. Enjoy!   t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class. Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) Atlanta, GA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies. Bill Hartman - He's done some amazing things for expanding how we look at movement, and you should follow him! The Guide to Remote Coaching - This is my post where I outline essentially the starter kit to working with people remotely. Interpreting Lower Body Assessments - This debrief outlines various tests such as the straight leg raise, hip flexion, and more. Here is a picture that looks at compensatory strategies in layers: red = concentric; blue = eccentric. Email me for prints #art Hip Rotation Explained - If you want to beef up your understanding of what hip rotation measures actually mean, this is the post Introduction to Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Course Review - If you want to learn about upper airway and orofacial evaluations and treatments, this is the post If you want a great move to improve your cervical rotation and upper thorax expansion, check out this exercise. The modified Thomas test is not a valid measure of hip extension unless pelvic tilt is controlled - This study outlines the pitfalls of using the Thomas test as an assessment. One reason why I quit using it. Bryan Chung - He is the creator of Critical Mass, which is an excellent product to learn how to appraise research. He's a great thinker and you have to check him out. TrueCoach - This is the app I use for all my training clients. I love the organization and ease of use. Postural assessment (1:05) When do you use standing postural assessments and what information do you gather from that in accordance with your table tests? Or is it all the eye fooling us? What online tests can a trainer use? (5:54) Would you be interested in doing a video on what the best practices, tests a trainer can do for their online clients? Making decisions based on table tests (14:28) I definitely like to learn more about how you make decisions based on table testing. Specifically, if an individual has some but not all of an inhalation or exhalation measure (i.e possesses full shoulder flexion and ER, but does not have full abduction), does your intervention change?  Hey Zac! When you identify if someone is compressed A-P, do you address bucket handle, primary compensation, and secondary compensation in that order? Excessive shoulder mobility compensations (27:02) On the table, if you have someone seems to breeze your shoulder rotation evaluations, but struggles on the toe touch and squat. What kind of secondary compensations could you conclude from that? The difference between a Thomas Test and an Ober's Test (33:41) Can you have a narrow have positive ober test, but negative Thomas test? Can't adduct, but can extend. How to determine ligamentous laxity (39:45) How would you determine if someone has ligament laxity? Sum Up Table tests are better indicators of within-session changes compared to postural evaluations. The most impactful remote tests for me are infrasternal angle and hip flexion Wide infrasternal angles should address extension/adduction/internal rotation restrictions before flexion/abduction/external rotation restrictions. Narrow infrasternal angles should address flexion/abduction/external rotation restrictions before extension/adduction/internal rotation restrictions. Excessive shoulder range of motion is often the result of reduced cervicaocranial restriction. The Thomas Test is an unreliable test unless pelvic tilt is controlled. The ober's test is a better marker for assessing full extension, adduction, and internal rotation excursion. Laxity is secondary to eccentric orientation of tissues.

Learn how to use specific accessory exercise positions to improve your movement and fitness Movement Debrief Episode 122 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. Here is the setlist: When would crawling be useful to program? When would dead bugs be useful to program? When would crab walks be useful to program? When would tall kneeling be useful to program? When would half-kneeling be useful to program? What are the benefits of hanging exercises? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. Enjoy! t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class.  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) Atlanta, GA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.   If you want to dive into hip flexion and sacral mechanics, you'll need to check out this debrief. Bill Hartman - He's a great resource for deep diving into the joint mechanics even further than we go Want to learn why inversion is useful? Then you'll want to look into this post on reaching Here is the decline quadruped on elbows exercise. it's a great inversion-based exercise to encourage T2-4 expansion is narrow infrasternal angles. Here is the drunken turtle exercise, this move works under a similar principle as the decline quadruped on elbows. I find it more effective because of the total spinal rounding you get with this move. Follow Coach Lucy Hendricks. She has some excellent exercise variations that you might find useful Check out the quadruped taps to prep for bear crawl. Then progress that to bear taps. Movements of the Sacro-iliac Joint - This is a great article where they x-rayed sacral positioning in several different positions. It illustrates just how the sacral movement changes based on the position you are in. All About the Hinge - If you want to master the art of sacral nutation, deadlifting, and more, this is a must-watch. If you want to get into hanging, this move is a great starting point. You can progress to a single-arm version, which will really open up the buckethandle. If you want to understand how to coach breathing mechanics, I would check out this video. Here is what it looks like to check cervical rotation. Shoulder Pain: The Solution & Prevention: Fifth Edition Revised and Expanded - This book goes pretty deep into the benefits of hanging for shoulder health. Elevate Sports Performance and Healthcare - Here is the e gym that I currently work at in fabulous Las Vegas, NV If infrasternal angles got you confused, then you'll definitely want to check out this post. TrueCoach - This is the app that I've switched to for all my online training endeavors. It's reasonably priced, easy to use, tracks metrics, and allows for streamlined communication with your clients (no they aren't paying me to say that!) Crawling, Dead Bugs, and Crab Walks (1:03) Is crawling useful for what we are trying to do in the Human Matrix model and what about the face-up tabletop (dead bug) position as well as the chair dip position (crab walk)? Tall and Half Kneeling (17:44) When would you incorporate tall and half kneeling into your programming? Hanging (25:33) You did a brief discussion on hanging: I understand the impact of hanging of providing leverage for abdominals in the case of wide infrasternal angle. But, can you talk about other implications in hanging as it relates more to local tissue impacts on shoulder health, thoracic and cervical positioning, and are the local benefits worth the hanging in the case of someone with a narrow infrasternal angle? Sum Up Bear crawls and dead bugs are perfect exercises for narrow infrasternal angle who need to drive anterior expansion and eccentric positioning Crab walks are good for wide infrasternal angles and narrow infrasternal angles who need posterior expansion and eccentric orientation Tall kneeling can drive sacral nutation Half-kneeling can bias some counternutation on the up leg, nutation on the down leg. More counternutation can be biased on the front leg with front foot elevation, plantarflexion, and hip shifting Hanging can be used to improve any buckethandle restrictions, T2-4 expansion, and shoulder mobility

Hinging biomechanics, coaching, and programming Movement Debrief Episode 121 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. 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? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. Enjoy! t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here.  Here are some testimonials for the class.  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) Atlanta, GA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] 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! (Release date not known yet :(  Here'sa signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies. If you want to deep dive into squats, check out this debrief. Check out a kettlebell deadlift, my first activity that I program when introducing the hinge. If you want to learn about how reaching at various angles changes thorax positioning, check out this debrief. My terminal hinge for most people is the trap bar deadlift.  A split RDL is a great way to introduce single-leg hinging and improve hip extension. You can progress that to a single leg RDL. If you want to learn about pump handle mechanics, peep this debrief here. If you need to improve hip extension, I like the wall stride as a great starting point. You can then progress that to a sidelying stride. and finish it off with a rockback hip extension. Here is my guy Iordan Krouchev performing the Camporini deadlift. Motion of the shoulder complex during multiplanar humeral elevation - This is a great article that illustrates how the shoulder girdle moves as you progressively go overhead Programming hinge exercises  I was wondering about how we can get more finessed in our prescription of hinging activities to improve sacral nutation and thus extensions and IR measures. Would the changes we see at the hip and pelvis as a result of these exercises be reflected at the thorax?  Hinging for wide infrasternal angles  If you have a wide infrasternal angle with a limited hinge pattern, what's your favorite strategies for restoring adduction and internal rotation to increase the hinge? Improving hip extension  How would you actually go about recapturing hip extension yourself ? Hinging for narrow infrasternal angles  What would be your go-to to improve a hinge on a narrow infrasternal angle who has compression in the dorsal rostral area? Camporini Deadlift What would the Camporini Deadlift be useful for? Snatch Grip RDL  You have a blog post on deadlifts where you recommend Snatch Grip RDL as a regression Could you explain why Snatch Grip RDLs force more thoracic flexion? Foot position during the hinge  For the hinge pattern, you noted this as an exhalation strategy thus biasing a pronatory twist of the foot. A lot of teaching is to activate the foot, 3 points of contact, which results in a more supinated "tented foot position" Is this going to lead to a compensatory and lower power position? What are you cueing and teaching for ground or rooting mechanics to hingeing athletes? Sum Up A hinge is a horizontal and posterior pelvic displacement that involves sacral nutation and femoral adduction with internal rotation. Hinges can be programmed for both hip extension limitations and an inability to break parallel on a squat Drive posterior expansion and inhalation mechanics before driving the hinge pattern. When improving hip extension, coach the stack, then drive end-range hip extension Snatch-Grip RDLs can be used to increase posterior thorax expansion because the scapulae will be more internally rotated The hinge is more exhale bias, so foot position would be more dorsiflexed and everted compared to a squat. Tripod foot should be coached for both Image by Taco Fleur from Pixabay 

A deep dive into abdominal wall compensations Movement Debrief Episode 120 is in the books. Here 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 movement compensations can occur from a concentric rectus abdominis? How can the rectus abdominis become eccentrically oriented? How does abdominal fat impact movement? How does a pooch belly develop? What is a diastasis recti? How does breathing coaching change with a diastasis recti? What breathing would be recommended for diastasis recti during conditioning? How can a pooch belly be managed in standing? What are umbilical hernias? What causes umbilical hernias? Should surgery be done? What conservative treatments can be given for an umbilical hernia? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. Enjoy!    t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here. Here are some testimonials for the class.  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) Atlanta, GA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies. Here is a picture of rectus (damn-near killed us) abdominis Great for laundry. Left unchecked, not great for trunk motion (photo credit: Nikai) If you want to fine-tune your trunk rotation knowledge, check out this post.  If you want to dive into the scapular and humeral motions during shoulder flexion, check this post out. Confused about infrasternal angles? Then check out this comprehensive debrief on them. Bill Hartman, the creator of the toothpaste analogy for ventral cavity movement. Below illustrates gravity's effect on the quadruped position. The green arrow indicates gravity. We can see how the force of gravity would displace the guts anteriorly, creating that eccentric orientation we oh so desire! Especially for your narrow ISA peeps. If you want to see how various positions affect ribcage shape, you'll want to check out this article here: Effects of posture on chest-wall configuration and motion during tidal breathing in normal men. If you have a wide ISA, then sidelying is great for reducing rectus activity. Coach this basic sidelying progression to crush it! If you want to see the difference between crunching and chest parallel reaching (and some hair on ya boi), check out this video (don't sweat the explanations, they are a little dated from where I currently think). Ben House is my guy for all things retreats, functional medicine, and hypertrophy.  Want to see the squat video comparison between Fat Zac and normal size Zac? Peep this video. If you want to see a great article that outlines how a pooch belly could form, check this one out: Breathing with the pelvic floor? Correlation of pelvic floor muscle function and expiratory flows in healthy young nulliparous women. If you want a great article that talks basics of diastasis recti and looks at abdominal strengthening to improve it, this one is perfect: Efficacy of deep core stability exercise program in postpartum women with diastasis recti abdominis: a randomised controlled trial. If you want to see a picture of coning occurring during a diastasis recti, check out this post. Drinking the haterade on crunches? Then you make want to check out this debrief and think differently. If you want a good discussion on the stack, check out this debrief.  This article has some amazing x-rays of the sacroiliac joint position in standing: The movements of the sacroiliac joint. If you want to know what you should do about an inguinal hernia, check this post out. Want a broad overview of umbilical hernias? This post here is awesome: Umbilical Hernia This is the only systematic review I was able to come across on umbilical hernia repairs: Does mesh offer an advantage over tissue in the open repair of umbilical hernias? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Then 2016 happened, and there is some controversy still in terms of what the best repair is: Surgical outcome of mesh and suture repair in primary umbilical hernia: postoperative complications and recurrence. Dr. Bryan Walsh is a great functional medicine guy, and has gotten rave reviews from colleagues who have worked with him. You can check out course reviews I did on his material here and here. Here is a great move to give to a wide infrasternal angle presentation. If you are dealing with a narrow infrasternal angle, then you'll want to try this move.  Rectus abdominis compensations (1:08) Could you talk about how an overly active rectus abdominis can attempt to posteriorly tilt the pelvis to achieve a stacked position? Is it desirable? How can you tell if someone has overactive rectus? What are the common strategies to mitigate this if it is a problem? What are the negative effects on breathing and rotation, especially for rotary athletes? Abdominal Fat and Movement (21:48) How does abdominal fat impact movement? Pooch Belly (29:41)  Some thoughts on the lower belly pouch, something along those lines, thank you! Diastasis Recti (34:06) As it relates to Postpartum (0-12 months), Diastasis Recti (milder cases), and considering Infrasternal angle types would you change your breath cues temporarily during the drills you prescribe? Then, assuming the client has ramped up strength properly during postpartum and for the ongoing diastasis recti management, what type of breathing would you generally recommend during metabolic training (running, jumping etc) to avoid coning or incontinence tendencies?  Reducing pooch belly in standing (44:32) Do we want to concentrically contract the pelvic floor while standing and walking? I'll contract it for other activities, but notice my lower abs stick out despite the six-pack abs. Umbilical Hernia (47:42) I would like to know everything about the umbilical hernias in adults. What are the potential causes? Is the only possibility to get rid of it by surgery? Can a person be still physically active? What would you recommend? Sum Up A concentrically-oriented rectus abdominis will limit pump handle mechanics and normal sacral nutation (extension, adduction, internal rotation measures) Eccentrically orient the rectus by positioning in quadruped (narrow infrasternal angle), sidelying (wide infrasternal angle), OA extension, and reaching with the chest parallel Abdominal fat will limit movement options because the ab wall will become too eccentrically oriented to mobilize the abdominal viscera A pooch belly occurs in narrow infrasternal angles due to concentric orientation in the thorax and anterior pelvic orientation A diastasis recti is caused by an eccentric abdominal wall, and can be improved through restoring ab wall movement options If compensations are seen only in standing, activities will need to progress toward standing and higher intensities to manage these changes Umbilical hernias can be impacted by an eccentric abdominal wall. Though there is no research to show a cure from exercise alone (surgery can help), exercise may reduce symptoms and potentially recurrence rates. Photo was purchased through Adobe Stock

Biomechanics, compensation, and treatment of the foot Movement Debrief Episode 119 is in the books. Here 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 the relative foot position during inhalation and exhalation? What strategies can be used to improve pronation and supination limitations? How can I improve dynamics in a flat foot? How does the foot move during a squat? How do bunions form? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. Enjoy! t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) Atlanta, GA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies. Here is the video where Bill discusses how compensations form Here is the Hruska clinic shoe list, a great list of shoes for various foot types Here are some heel wedges. They are great for tipping the calcaneus one way or another. If you need to beef up some arches, these are the best I've found. If you need a good podiatrist, Dr. Paul Coffin makes good ones. He can measure and ship all across the US. If you need to drive calcaneal inversion, peep this move. The front leg is where the supination is being driven. If you need to drive calcaneal eversion, try this. The front leg is getting eversion. If you'd like to combine both, this one is money. If you want the best heel ramp in the biz, you need to get this one. Bunions: Overview Pathogenesis of hallux valgus Below is a picture of a bunion: Them foot veins tho (photo credit: Lamiot) and here is what it looks like if you were to zoom in to the bones: Note the varus through the first metatarsal and valgus through the phalanx (photo credit: BruceBlaus) Here is an example of knee valgus, aka a knee bunion ;) same poop (photo credit: Biomed Central) Foot respiratory mechanics  If your feet supinate are you using an inhalation strategy? If you pronate are you using and exhalation strategy?  Address supination and pronation deficits  Would banded squats be a good exercise for someone who is a crazy chronic supinator? This would drive hip/femur Abduction to encourage pronation at the foot...and with chronic pronators, squats w/ an adductor squeeze to drive hip/femur Adduction to allow for supination. How would this fit in with a narrow ISA w/ supination? ( Narrow ISA=Narrow IPA= needs adductor squeeze to widen IPA) Flat feet  Do you think you can address flat feet, and how you may be able to manage it? Foot mechanics during the squat Also, do you mind explaining on a debrief why calcaneal movement drives such profound changes or capacity for one to increase their squat depth. Much appreciated as always! Bunions  I often see a foot resting in plantar flexion but also with a bunion. I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this as I think of a plantarflexed foot as a foot in supination and associate a bunion with a pronated foot. Please help! Sum Up Inhalation = supination; exhalation = pronation Drive external rotation to enhance supination, internal rotation to enhance pronation Flat feet occur with pronation either through the calcaneus or a first ray compensation. Improving movement on a flat foot requires working the opposing movement strategy. Squats should accompany foot supination due to their inhale bias Bunions are an exhalation (dorsiflexion and eversion) compensation at the metatarsal and phalanx. Treatment would involve reversing this relationship to improve movement options. Photo credit: Mikael Häggström, M.D.

How to maximize your spinal movement Movement Debrief Episode 118 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. Here is the setlist: What happens to the thoracic spine and scapulae during inhalation? What compensatory strategy is present with a Dowager's Hump? What treatments should one with a Dowager's Hump focus on? What sitting posture is best? Should restoring sagittal plane motion allow for rotation to occur, or must you focus on rotation? When can the spine present with excessive lumbar flexion? What is the action of the lower trapezius on the spine? When could recruiting the lower trapezius be useful? Is the cat-cow exercise useful? How does a spinal fusion impact respiration? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. Enjoy! t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) Atlanta, GA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies:   [yikes-mailchimp form="1" submit="Get learning goodies and more"] Respiratory Action of the Intercostal Muscles Mechanics of the Respiratory Muscles Below is a picture of the parasternal intercostals. They are written as "internal intercostals" in the picture. Photo credit: Henry Gray and below are the external intercostals. The uppermost region of this muscle, the area which expands upon inhalation, is called the dorsal rostral region. Hence, why you'll hear dorsal rostral expansion. And they are some bad mother (Shut yo' mouth). What?? I'm talking about intercostals. (Photo credit: Anatomography) Here is a great picture of a Dowager's Hump All About the Ribcage - Here is where we deep dive into the manubriosternal joint. Check out a picture of the manubrium's relationship to the ribcage and spine below You can see how it's roughly parallel to T3-4. (Photo credit: Anatomography) Reaching: Theory and Practice - a great tutorial on all things reaching. Introduction to Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Course Review - If you want to learn all things upper airway, meet your god. Virtual Recovery and Sleep Summit - I have a short presentation on here that goes into a simple progression for attaining a palatal tongue posture. The speak lineup on this is insane, and it's free! You should definitely give it a shot ;) The lumbar and sacrum movement pattern during the back squat exercise - This article demonstrates how the lumbar spine becomes kyphotic during the back squat. Prepare to have your mind blown. The torso integration hypothesis revisited in Homo sapiens: Contributions to the understanding of hominin body shape evolution - This dope article demonstrates how ribcage and ilial structure differs among individuals. We are not the same, I am a martian! Here is the video where Bill Hartman talks about the negative consequences of classic scapular exercises Below is a picture showing the anatomical locations of the lower trapezius and the rhomboids: Expansion up top - stretch the rhomboids; expansion down low - detrapify yourself! (Photo credit: Henry van Dyke Carter) Here is a video of the cat-cow/cat-camel exercise Check out the reach, roll, and lift exercise, fam The 2020 Online Human Performance Summit - This summit features yours truly and several other big names in our field. Join the live stream, it's only $15! Human Matrix Foundations   Thoracic spine position during inhalation (1:05) Hey man what's the deal with this?  When I inhale the diaphragm descends and ideally, the sacrum counternutates to accept the viscera and all the pelvis mechanics follow.   Let's talk spinal inhalation. The lumbar spine should be able to accept some of that viscera and expand (i.e. reverse its lordotic curve). Otherwise, the counternutation wouldn't happen.   Should the rest of the spine move into Flexion or would they spine move more into extension at thoracic spine? I just heard someone say the thoracic spine would extend on inhalation and I was torn, so I was like, “I gotta ask ZC about this.” I'm thinking lower ribs would bucket handle, sternum would pump handle, scaps should abduct, upwardly rotate, and IR (?)   So what's the dealio? Dowager's Hump (13:18) I am struggling to understand what could be going on with a Dowager's Hump. Could you explain what you'd expect going on with it and what the expected limitations would be on the table? Maybe some initial exercise prescription based on expected limitations?    What is the best sitting posture? (23:46) Is it okay to sit in flexion? What is a swayback posture? (24:36) Is the swayback posture a similar compensation to a Dowager's hump? Which motion plane should be restored first in the lumbar spine? (25:35) Does restoring more "neutral" lordosis allow for better spinal rotation naturally, or do you have clients perform bottom-up and or top-down rotation mobility exercises?   Excessive lumbar flexion? (30:08) Do I ever see issues with excessive flexibility into lumbar flexion as an adaptation to a concentric strategy in the thorax What influence does the lower trapezius have on the spine? (31:26) I'm wondering about the role of the lower traps in relation to compression of the upper back and lower neck (like I have). I watched Bill talk about Is, Ts, and Ys being counterproductive usually in wide ISA people who are compressed up top, but are there situations where lower traps can be useful anyway for such people? The normie PTs always say to use lower traps to help "shut off" the upper traps and I'm wondering what mechanism they're even referring to...   The cat-cow exercise (34:39) Thoughts on cat-cow exercise? Useful for breathing mechanics? Useful for fluid slushing? How does a spinal fusion impact breathing? (38:03) How would a spinal fusion effect one's breathing? Sum Up During inhalation, expansion occurs in the bottom-front part (parasternal intercostals) and upper posterior aspect (dorsal rostral intercostals) of the ribcage.  A Dowager's hump is an upper thoracic/cervical curve exaggeration likely secondary to an exhaled posterior thorax and manubrium. Treatment should focus on stacking and driving progressive ribcage expansion from the bottom-up. The best sitting posture is one that is constantly changing. A swayback posture involves the thorax shifting posteriorly and the pelvis translating anteriorly Working on stacking is easier than shifting and rotating. Attack these movements in that order. Excessive lumbar flexion could occur secondary to concentric orientation anteriorly. Lower trapezius is useful for driving dorsal rostral expansion when done unilaterally. The cat-cow exercise is useful for driving multi-segmental inhalation/exhalation mechanics, but most people hinge at specific areas. Spinal fusions will limit full respiratory excursion, though favorable movement changes can still occur. Image by kalhh from Pixabay 

Learn how reaching and improve upper body mobility Movement Debrief Episode 117 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. Here is the setlist: What order should I prioritize improving ribcage expansion? What is the manubriosternal joint? What happens when I have mixed compensations at the sternum? How can I encourage ribcage dynamics without increasing secondary compensations? What is different about infrasternal angle presentations between 90-110 degrees? How do I go about improving these particular infrasternal angle presentations? How can thoracic sidebending be useful with improving ribcage dynamics? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. Enjoy! t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) Atlanta, GA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] 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! (Release date not known yet :(  Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies.  Human Matrix Foundations Infrasternal Angle Compensations and Treatment Below is a picture of the sternum Below is a picture of how shoulder testing is specific to various areas of the ribcage Check out the fiber orientation of the subscapularis below: [caption id="attachment_12234" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Photo credit: Dr. Johannes Sobotta[/caption] and the fiber orientation of infraspinatus and teres minor: [caption id="attachment_12235" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Photo credit: Jmarchn[/caption] Reaching: Theory and Practice Hip Rotation Explained Here is the example exercise of Bill's for posterior expansion What areas should I prioritize when improving ribcage dynamics? (1:01) Hi Zac, around how long do you recommend for each of the three general steps (improving bucket handle, then pump handle, then posterior expansion) before moving on to the next area if a client is doing the relevant exercises daily or twice a day. The manubriosternal joint (14:34) In one of your movement debriefs about being stuck in a pump handle down position, you mentioned a bent manubriosternal joint. What is that, and how does it happen? How do you test for it? Treatment? I tried to google but didn't really get anywhere, do you have any links you can share? Thank you, Is "the stack" being achieved? (30:24)  How do you know if you are stacked properly? Addressing shoulder external rotation limitations (31:20) It seems like there is a contradiction behind the concepts of expansion relationships and length-tension relationships and/or muscle "stiffness," but I figure it is because I am just not grasping something fundamental. Let's say a client has a limitation in shoulder external rotation. This would seem to indicate that one causative factor is a lack of posterior expansion, in order to help drive the scapula out of adduction and internal rotation, and restoring a better relationship at the glenohumeral joint. But, if I were to drive a position of posterior expansion, which usually entails contracting the pectorals in order to compress the anterior chest wall, this might exacerbate stiffness in the pectorals, further limiting external rotation at the glenohumeral joint. So is it important to concern ourselves with this contradictory dynamic relative to the goals? It seems like I could construct a similar example with a lack of internal rotation, too. Is this because breathing is such a 'meta-system,' and it affects these muscular relationships more powerfully than contractions ever could, or am I misunderstanding something about these relationships? Immobile infrasternal angles (38:31) I found your point about the individuals with infrasternal angle range between 90 & 110 degrees really interesting because I have not seen this covered before. If you get an opportunity to expand on that group of people in future podcasts that would be great ie what is your approach with them. Thoracic sidebending (43:55) AWould you be able to do a question on/answer on how does the pelvis, thorax and neck reposition itself during left and right sidebending (left and right thoracic abduction) and how does inhalation/exhalation work?  Do you have to be in left/right thoracic abduction before the trunk will rotate (via an inhalation of whichever leaflet of the diaphragm is being used to inhale)? Sum Up Focus on addressing restrictions associated with reduced infrasternal angle dynamics first, then superficial compensation Spend as much time as needed for a client to learn a task. If your client is diligent, expect to change exercises every 1-3 weeks The manubrium is associated with anterior expansion at T2-4, and the sternal body is T6-8. Assess these regions by shoulder horizontal adduction/internal rotation at 0 degrees abduction, and shoulder internal rotation at 90 degrees respectively A proper stack is when visually the thorax and pelvic are atop one another Reaching without utilizing a superficial compensatory strategy is how to ensure the entire movement system because dynamic when targeting specific areas Infrasternal angles between 90 and 110 degrees are utilizing secondary compensation strategies. Redouble your efforts on normal respiration coaching Sidebending can be used to improve bucket handle dynamics and is useful to practice before driving rotation Image by  Nicolas Raymond

Learn how reaching and improve upper body mobility Movement Debrief Episode 116 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. Here is the setlist: How does airflow change at various reaching angles? How does airflow change with trunk rotation? What is the scapular orientation during shoulder extension? How does one with a posterior thorax tilt present? How do different carry variations impact airflow?  How does forearm supination and pronation impact reaching? How can we sequence carries in a manner that allows for maximal airflow expansion? How can you tell if someone is using a compensatory strategy when they are lifting weights? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram.  Enjoy!  t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here https://youtu.be/kkGEX8LqNhQ Here are some testimonials for the class:  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) May 1st-2nd, 2021, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends April 4th at 11:55pm!) Atlanta, GA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) Dickinson College in Carlisle PA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] 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! (Release date not known yet :(  Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies:   [yikes-mailchimp form="1" submit="Get learning goodies and more"] Bill Hartman Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System Motion of the shoulder complex during multiplanar humeral elevation. How do reaches impact ribcage movement? (1:01) On previous debriefs, I understood that reaching forward facilitates posterior expansion during inhalation regardless of body position. However, on your latest debrief for squatting, you mention when the arm is held anywhere between 60-120 deg, you get concentric orientation of posterior thorax due to upward tilt of scap which would limit posterior expansion. I'm having a tough time understanding the differences between these 2 examples. Maybe a clarification of which arm position is best for posterior expansion or if that changes with certain exercises (such as squat) or body position. And I assume arms overhead is best to facilitate apical/pump handle expansion which has been covered many times. Thanks for the clarification in advance. Airflow during trunk rotation (18:25) Got a decent debrief question: can you describe the different effects on air/pressure management of a reach that moves the sternum contralaterally (think a right reach for left trunk rotation, depression of the left ribs in the sagittal/frontal plane) versus an ipsilateral reach that is used to “retract” the thorax on that side? Shoulder extension (22:45) When considering shoulder extension, is scapular inferior angle winging caused by scapular internal rotation and reduced shoulder internal rotation? Posterior Thorax Tilt (24:23) How does someone with a posteriorly oriented thorax change the concentric orientation of the scapula when reaching at 60-120 degrees? How do reaches impact ribcage movement? (28:09) Hey big Z! Long time listener, first-time caller. I was wondering if you could dive into some detail (debrief Q?) regarding how you program carries. Specifically the rationale behind different carry variants (farmer's, low rack, 90/90, waiter's) and what outcomes you looking to achieve utilizing the different carry options. Thanks Zac! Appreciate the killer content my man. Arm rotation during pushing and pulling (33:39) Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe I heard you talk about the Arnold press being an ideal exercise choice because the shoulder structure moves through the entire movement continuum. Why not take a similar approach, rotating the shoulder and going from supination to pronation, with other reaching/pulling exercises? For example, why not transition between palms up and palms down while doing a floor press or row?  Sequencing carries (37:37) What are your thoughts on a sequence of carrying:  1) suitcase, 2) low rack, 3)  90/90, and 4) overhead for warmup and recovery days. How to spot compensation during movement (40:28) What "tells" can we use to understand if a load is too great and causing compressive strategies. Sum Up 0-60 degrees shoulder flexion = T6-8 expansion due to scapular internal rotation and downward rotation. 60-120 degrees shoulder flexion = Lower pumphandle due to scapular external rotation and slight upward rotation. 120-180 degrees shoulder flexion = T2-4 expansion and upper pump handle due to maximal upward rotation, scapular plane orientation, and humeral external rotation. Trunk rotation involves ipsilateral posterior expansion and contralateral anterior expansion Full shoulder extension requires anterior scapular tilt, which encourages pump handle expansion of ribs 3-5. Posteriorly tilted thorax has reduced T2-4 expansion. Carries can be used to drive air based on arm position and encourage trunk rotation via arm swing. Start with 0 degrees of flexion and work your way up Supination can promote posterior expansion; pronation can promote anterior expansion

A deep dive into the infrasternal angle Movement Debrief Episode 115 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. Here is the setlist: What are the primary compensatory strategies with a wide and narrow infrasternal angle? What would be secondary compensations seen with these infrasternal angles? What test results would each infrasternal angle have? What exercises should be programmed for inhalation and exhalation strategies? What is the upper thorax presentation for each infrasternal angle? What exhalation strategies should each infrasternal angle use? Are there times it's okay to deviate from these strategies? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram.  Enjoy!  t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) Madison, NJ (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) Atlanta, GA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's is a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies   The action of the diaphragm on the rib cage All About Squats - Movement Debrief Episode 112 Here is an example of a true squat. Note the vertical displacement of the pelvis Here is a pic of ya boi being hingy-AF at the mid-thoracic region of my thorax during the toe touch Here is the reaching debrief The Guide to Remote Coaching Wide and narrow infrasternal angle compensatory strategies (1:12) Hey Big Z, I like what you did during this debrief in regards to describing the Wide infrasternal angle (ISA), and then space-time changes you might see in regards to pump handle. Could you take this a couple of steps further in a future debrief, describing both a wide and a narrow ISA?  I am interested in hearing layer by later compensatory mechanics over time in both the thorax and pelvis as the body must continue to find ways to inhale and exhale. If it's not too much, could you then describe what your expectations are in regards to table tests at the femur and shoulder as these compensations occur? Thanks in advance! E-$ Programming for wide and narrow infrasternal angles (15:26) Zac, I've been curious about inhalation bias vs. exhalation bias and how that relates to an ISA. For example, I've been looking to incorporate box squats and toe touch exercises to my workouts and I was curious what exercises were good for what type of biases.  Upper thorax compensations with narrow and wide Infrasternal angles (24:20) Question 1: Hi Zac! There is a confusion going on in my head. I've watched your video "Breathing Mechanics 101" where you were talking about ISA. There you said that a wide ISA is able to expand posteriorly and a narrow one anteriorly. But wouldn't that be right opposite due to fact that a narrow one is more inhalation biased where he is able to push the spine backward and vice versa with the wide? Thank you so much for your answer Question 2: It is possible to have a narrow ISA, with a flat spine, but abducted scapula, shoulder flexion, and external rotation limitation?  What type of exhalation strategies should narrow and wide infrasternal angles use? (32:57) Are there ever situations for wide ISA people like myself to use open mouth exhales? I know the use of open vs closed mouth is just to facilitate activation of certain areas that are normally needed in wide vs narrow ISA presentations, but are there exceptions to this and what might those be? Or does it even matter?  Sum Up An exhalation-biased spine (spine pushed forward) compensates with an inhaled (wide) infrasternal angle An inhalation-biased spine (spine pushed backward) compensates with an exhaled (narrow) infrasternal angle Inhale restrictions show reduced flexion, abduction, and external rotation. Exhale restrictions show reduced extension, adduction, and internal rotation Simultaneous inhalation and exhalation restrictions can occur throughout the body as secondary layers of compensations Increase the probability of success by programming pursed-lipped exhales for wide ISAs, and open mouth sighs for narrow ISAs. Strategies can be flip-flopped if there is pain or the person has difficulty moving any air whatsoever. 

How to go through common lower body assessments Movement Debrief Episode 114 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. Here is the setlist: What is hip flexion measuring? How can a wide and narrow infrasternal angle (ISA) be limited in hip flexion? What is the straight leg raise actually measuring? What mechanics go into a straight leg raise? Is there a way to self-measure the infrapubic angle (IPA)? What are the pro's and con's of active vs passive testing? How about comparing the obers test to the Gillet/reverse gillet? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram.  Enjoy!   t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here  Here are some testimonials for the class:  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) Madison, NJ (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) Atlanta, GA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies:   FREE Human Matrix Foundations class Kinesiology of the Hip: A Focus on Muscular Actions Immediate effects of the suboccipital muscle inhibition technique in subjects with short hamstring syndrome. Does the Gillet test assess sacroiliac motion or asymmetric one-legged stance strategies? If you are just getting into practicing this stuff, try to teach someone to stack with this exercise. Here is the debrief on the Ober's test Hip Flexion Limitations (1:06) Hi Zac , awesome job you are doing for making us better therapists! Here is my question How can hip flexion be limited with narrow and wide compensations? Thank you! Btw come to Europe with Human Matrix someday! :)     The Straight Leg Raise (9:25) Hey Big Z. Looking at things through more the lens of eccentric and concentric orientation, If someone is demonstrating a limited SLR, what would be the likely limiting factors.?   In a previous life, I would describe this to patients as being limited secondary to the anterior tilted position of the pelvis causing the hamstrings to already be lengthened prior to an attempted SLR or toe touch.    In this scenario, the pelvis is concentrically orienting the hip flexors and eccentrically orienting the hamstrings, which would lead me to think they should not have a limited SLR.   I think the pelvic floor orientation could be a limiting factor, but I am unable to visualize how. I would appreciate any thoughts you have.   Self-Assessing the Infrapubic Angle (27:35) How can I self assess my infrapubic angle (IPA)? Where should I literally look for my own IPA? I promise not to sue myself.     Should I use movement-based tests or passive tests? (33:32) What are the pros/cons of using an Obers test instead of a standing forward flexion/Gillet test to look at SI dysfunction or pelvic rotation? Hip Extension in gait (41:27) If hip extension and internal rotation are paired, and someone. If someone lacked internal rotation but was exhaled bias, where would you start with exercises? Sum Up Regardless of infrasternal angle presentation, hip flexion limitations occur if there is a loss of sacral counternutation The straight leg raise assesses inhalation mechanics from approximately 0-45 degrees, then 45-90 degrees has more exhalation bias Self-assessment of the infrapubic angle has no supportive data and cannot accurately be performed. A better alternative is to find self-tests that look at your ability to exhibit inhalation and exhalation mechanics Passive tests are more accurate but have less transfer to complex tasks Active tests might transfer better to complex tasks, but are less accurate. Perform many to gather enough data points to make movement judgments  When choosing exercises, first teach "the stack," next, drive inhalation mechanics, and finish with exhalation mechanics

How to coach movement when you can't in-person Movement Debrief Episode 113 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. You'll also get modified transcripts for this one. That's how much I care! Here is the setlist: Why should you consider remote consultations What are realistic expectations regarding a remote consultation business? What are the challenges of a remote consultation business? What does the remote consultation process look like? How do I screen for red flags? What remote assessments do I use? How does once coach someone remotely? How do I set up remote coaching classes with multiple people? What substitutes do I use when external load is not available? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram.  Enjoy!   t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here   Here are some testimonials for the class  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) Madison, NJ (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) Atlanta, GA (POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19) 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies  Antifragile Calendly Dochub Zoom Human Matrix Foundations Effects of posture on chest-wall configuration and motion during tidal breathing in normal men   Here is a great side plank variation you can use, especially if you have someone who tends to let their trunk sag toward the ground If you want to start someone with Copenhagen adduction variations, here is my level one. Then of course, the beast itself Headstands are a great activity to also incorporate. You can start with a knee to chest variation and progress to an "L" variation and eventually, throw hip extension into the mix here Bear pushups are great to focus on the pushup position while emphasizing the tuck I also like feet elevated pushups, throw in a downward dog variation to get nasty These bands are quite useful for at-home workouts How to start a remote consultation business A remote consultation can be a very lucrative side hustle, or even full-time hustle. I started doing a bulk of my remote consultations in 2017. Over the course of a few years, I was able to make this a six-figure business. So I encourage you, if you can please start. So many Sunday fundays ;) That being said, it's not something that's going to fix your financial woes right now. Tough times are had by all right now, myself included. But remote coaching can help maintain your current client base during this quarantine. You also must realize that remote coaching has a bit of a learning curve to it. But I'm going to help you problem-solve through and save you time if it's a route you wish to pursue. How do you get started? First off, you need to figure out a way to advertise to people. If you are someone who predominantly has an in-person business, advertise this service to your current clients. Offering remote sessions could be an opportunity to show your clients you care about their health and don't wish to spread the coronavirus. Expanding beyond your client base means you must be prepared to do a lot of free stuff for a while; producing content towards your market and offering free sessions until you get better adept at remote coaching. When I was first starting out, I couldn't tell you the number of times that I would either give someone a free session due to my coaching struggles through this medium or extending a one-hour session to two without charging extra. There's a lot of trial and error with remote coaching, but understanding clients you currently have maybe the best way to practice. Remote consultation business benefits It's another income stream that protects you when your current income stream falters. For example, a lot of us right now, myself included, might have in-person businesses that are struggling. Having multiple income streams can better protect you when crap hits the fan. And who knows. Maybe you'll get that Scrooge McDuck money pool that we all secretly want (Image by Harry Strauss from Pixabay)[/caption] There's a great book called Antifragile, which discusses Black Swan events. These are events that shake the foundations of what we know in our world and can destroy fragile processes. Those who are antifragile can grow from these events. Having multiple income streams increases antifragility and survival during tough times. On the flip side, I also would encourage people who are only doing online stuff to look into doing in-person business as well. Perhaps we get hit with a cyber-terrorist attack that wipes out internet access. You'd be out of luck. Diversity of revenue streams is really the key, and remote coaching can be a great one. How to increase client buy-in for remote consultations Producing results is probably the best way to get buy-in. If you already have current clientele and you're getting them good results, let them know that remote coaching can maintain those improvements. You could also reduce the pressure on the client by only charging them if you can get a result. I have screening processes and know quickly within the session whether or not I'm going to be a good fit for this person. If I don't think I'm going to be a good fit or have a low chance of success, I will either take them on pro bono, or refer them to where I feel they would be better served.   The remote coaching process Make sure you set up your system so you can screen out people that are not appropriate for remote consultations and is easy to use. I have a questionnaire that screens out clients who have a low success probability or possible red flags. I am all about minimizing expenses with this, so I use a Google Form with the Form Publisher plugin. I'll glance through the form before I work with the person, and if I see any major red flags, I'll advise them on what route they should go instead of me. I use Calendly for scheduling, which has a ton of flexibility. You can limit the number of clients in a day, pick appointment durations, and it's easy to use. I also have a waiver that I have people sign, letting them know that this is not a substitute for medical care. I like Dochub because it's cheap and allows templates. The ideal remote coaching environment The next piece is making sure the physical environment promotes a good coaching session. When we're discussing the setup, the device your client uses and room lighting can make or break the session. First, let's go into the device. You'll want to have an adjustable camera so viewing angles can easily change. It's not a good idea to have someone hang onto their phone and try to prop it up by various means. Ideally, your client will either use a laptop with a webcam or a tablet/phone with a stand. A laptop is arguably the best because the screen is large, and the camera angle can easily change. You'll want to make sure that their webcam is on the top of the screen, not the bottom. Otherwise, you'll be evaluating their keyboard. I think we're going to need a bigger light! (Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay) To maximize your view, you'll want the client to be in a well-lit room and wear bright clothing. A dark house with dark clothes will limit how well you can see your clients move, and impair your coaching capabilities. They'll blend into the background. I like James Bond as well as the next person, but not for a remote consultation. To maximize lighting, have clients close windows and turn up their lights. This isn't the time for Teddy Pendergrass! Ask the client to have the required equipment ready ahead of time. With the initial email I send, I give clients a list of equipment I'd like them to have. I don't make clients buy equipment unless I have to. Simple household items work just fine, such as a toilet paper roll (maybe not during the quarantine), small ball, paper towel roll, a book to elevate heels, etc. Simple things that can get profound results. The best call software by far is Zoom. I've tried all of the meeting apps out there, and the call quality on Zoom is far superior. You can also share your screen and have a "whiteboard" to draw stuff for client education. If you have an Ipad with an Apple pencil, you can do amazing things. You can also lock the room to keep the sessions private. If you are sticking to one-on-one sessions, Zoom is free. You can also do group sessions on Zoom free if the classes are kept under 40 minutes. Anything longer and you are looking at $14.99 per month, which is still pretty reasonable. I might sound like a Zoom salesperson, but I'm not (though if they want to pay me, by all means!) It's just that good. How to assess movement remotely Let's talk about the session itself. In order to choose useful exercises for your clients, you need to assess them. Most special tests cannot be performed remotely, but I personally do not find them all that useful. A thorough subjective and good intake form can sound the alarm on any red flags; special tests are there to just build your case. If you have any hesitancy about seeing someone based on their intake and subjective what they're saying in their intake forms, either clarify beforehand or refer out the appropriate practitioner. Do no harm first and foremost. Do no harm, fam #Hippocrates (Image by 3centista from Pixabay) Now onto assessing movement. This will be broken down into two components. First, I'll find a meaningful movement for the client. If you find an activity that the client struggles with and make it better with your interventions, you've immediately increased buy-in. Aside from finding an important movement for the client, my movement model focuses on assessing certain strategies clients use. I break movement strategies down into two categories: inhalation-bias or exhalation-bias. My testing aims to appreciate these strategies in various movement contexts. Make sure to get two angles of many of these tests so you can get a better picture of the client's movement capabilities. To simplify things for the client, demo these two angles before asking them to do the movement. I start with standing tests to get a gross evaluation of these mechanics. Here is my test cluster: Toe Touch Do you even exhale, bruh? You can see how I am "flat" (aka exhaled) in the upper and lower parts of my spine A toe touch assesses exhalation mechanics because the sacrum must nutate for you to touch your toes. I coach this movement with feet hip-width apart and knees locked. Can't touch your toes? You likely have an exhalation restriction. If someone easily touches their toes or palms the floor, they are likely too exhaled. Toe Touch to Squat Selfie optional, yet totally encouraged if you can squat all the way down Next, I look at a toe touch to squat to assess inhalation mechanics. The goal is the person to squat all the way down without rotating through the legs. The starting position is the same as the toe touch. If the squat isn't full, you know you need to focus on driving inhalation mechanics. Shoulder Extension I usually do 1 arm at a time To assess pump handle mechanics, I use shoulder extension. I'll first look at a posterior view, and cue the client to keep the arm in close to the body. Move the arm as far back as you can. Then, ask the client to spin to the side so you can get the angle. You are looking for 65 degrees without arm abduction as normal. Limitations here would point you towards driving air into the front of the chest. Knee to Chest  Keep the head down though. You can see how my left leg lifts up   These next tests dive deeper into someone's movement strategies. Knee-to-chest is one of my big lower body tests. The goal is to compress the knee to the chest without falling into hip abduction. The down leg should be maintained on the ground without flexing up or externally rotating. On the flexed side, you assess inhalation mechanics, the extended side would be exhalation. Active Straight Leg Raise Clearly, an exhale restriction. Yikes The active straight leg raise is another great test with more of an exhalation-bias, with a goal of 90 degrees. There are two components that make this test more exhalation-biased. First, knee extension drives femoral internal rotation and approaching 90-100 degrees of hip flexion biases hip internal rotation as well. Hip internal rotation is a component of exhalation mechanics. Shoulder External Rotation This is full as can be I have two tests that look at posterior thorax expansion. First, I look at shoulder external rotation with 90 degrees of abduction. Normal would be lying the arm down with around 30 degrees of wrist extension. If the forearm goes flat, that's likely because the person has excessive shoulder external rotation. There should actually be slight restrictions into external rotation at this range, as the test position is in slight horizontal abduction. Shoulder Flexion Just slightly limited Second, I'll look at shoulder flexion. The goal is the arm being in-line with the ear. The elbow is locked in and palm is facing up. You'll also want to place one hand on the ribcage to feel if it raises up as shoulder flexion commences. If the ribcage pops up or the elbow flares out, you would call the test at that range. Infrasternal Angle The last thing I'll look at is the infrasternal angle (ISA). I'll have someone place the laptop on their lap or hold the phone Get your moving skills on fleek, fam in front of their stomach. They can trace the ribcage, or breathe in and out so I can see the movement. Note the ribcage shape and dynamic capability. How to coach someone remotely Remote coaching is a completely different skillset from in-person coaching. Many of the coaching techniques at our disposal are eliminated when all you have is a screen. You must be good with your words and ability to demonstrate exercises. If you can't move, you will struggle to coach in this environment. Your exercise selection matters. You might use a bunch of fancy exercises, but you'll want to scrap them for the remote session. You won't be as good at coaching remotely as you are in-person. When you are climbing the remote coaching learning curve, you want to use simple moves to increase your success rate. Keep it simple. Make sure to demonstrate the move first, then break down each component as the client performs the action. Go slow and take your time with coaching the moves. Use multiple sets to get the exercise nailed down. You want to slow cook the movement brisket so you get it done just right! If the client is compensating as they perform the activity, the good-bad-good demonstration-style works great. Show them how you want the move to look, show them what they are doing, and then show them the right way once more. Just like with the assessment, try to get multiple views of the activity. I start with a side view with almost every exercise. This angle best appraises the client's ability to stack the ribcage and pelvis. Stacking involves creating a posterior pelvic tilt and a full exhalation. If your client cannot stack, they will not pressurize the ventral cavity effectively. Once the side view looks good, then you can progress to a different angle. Coaching group classes remotely If you are considering doing group classes remotely, I would start with smaller groups. It's challenging enough coaching one person remotely, let alone 10. As you improve your coaching skills, then you can increase the number of people in your class. How many sessions to remote coach in a day You'll also want to be mindful of the number of sessions you do in a day. Remote coaching can be exhausting because you are staring at a screen for hours on end. Take your current number of clients seen in a day and cut it in half. That way you keep the quality high, minimize your fatigue, and not become too sedentary. How to remote coach people who are excessively restricted in their movement For individuals for are so limited that they need an external load to change their movement, you can see improvements with minimal equipment. Give these clients the most challenging bodyweight exercises you can possibly do. For example, suppose you have someone with a wide infrasternal angle who needs to stack. Based on this article, putting people in the sideline position promotes reduced lateral ribcage dimensions and an increased anteroposterior shape. Activities like side planks and Copenhagen adductor exercises are really useful for these clients. Below is an example of a side plank activity I like: And here is a great copenhagen adductor exercise variation. A narrow infrasternal angle person might consider headstand variations or various pushup progressions. Anything that uses their heaviness against them can make positive changes. Below is a great headstand variation to try. You can also mess with various pushup variations. Don't be afraid to MacGyver stuff at home to help people with doing these activities. You could have them load up various household items for resistance. Lift garbage cans, heavy bags, anything heavy. If your client is willing to spend some money, bands can be a great way to add resistance. Sum Up Remote consulting can be a useful adjunct income stream, but consider it like starting a new business. Focus on your current clients first. Get buy-in by offering clients to pay only if it works, as well as classic advertising measures. Screening questionnaires and online documentation should be in place to determine which clients will be appropriate for remote consultations and to make it easy for the client. Make sure clients uses a laptop or adjustable stand during their session. Request that they are in a well-lit room and wear bright clothing. find proxy assessments to measure what is important to you. Always use two views to assessment Coach exercises by using two views, demoing the exercise, and verbal cueing.  Keep the number of clients you see remotely fewer than you do in-person to reduce fatigue and being sedentary. Start with one-on-one and progress to group as you improve your coaching skills Use challenging bodyweight moves or heavy household items for those with strong compensatory patterns

Movement Debrief Episode 112 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure.  Here is the setlist: What are the biomechanical differences between a squat and a hinge? Would squatting not increase anterior pelvic tilt and hip flexor strength? Does squatting put too much shear force through the knee? Does ramp squatting put too much shear force through the knee? Is there such a thing as a "normal" infrasternal angle? Why does a hip shift occur in a squat? What are some strategies for reducing a hip shift in a squat? How do the following squat variations impact thoracic expansion: Goblet, Zercher, front, and back? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram.  Enjoy! t Show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class:  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: March 28th-29th, Madison, NJ (SOLD OUT!) April 4th-5th, 2020, Atlanta, GA (early bird ends March 13th at 11:55pm) May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here's is a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies Analysis of the Load on the Knee Joint and Vertebral Column with Changes in Squatting Depth and Weight Load Deep Squats and Knee Health: A Scientific Review Biomechanical modeling of deep squatting: effects of the interface contact between posterior thigh and shank If you want to teach the "stack," the sideyling tilt is a great choice I also like performing low sit activities to encourage the bottom of the squat position And of course, don't forget to work on squatting with this move A hip shift is a great activity to improve the shifting skills of a squat You can also do a front foot elevated split squat and throw a shift in there Here is a debrief that goes in-depth on where certain reaches can expand the thorax Motion of the shoulder complex during multiplanar humeral elevation The difference between a squat and hinge [1:00] Greetings Fam! I'm curious to see you model the differences between the Squat and Hinge, similar to how you modeled the respiratory mechanics in the Human Matrix Fundamentals. Bless up! Does squatting make anterior pelvic tilt worse? [5:44] Anterior pelvic tilt (APT) is a result of a tug of war at the pelvis – on the anterior hip flexors beating internal obliques and on the posterior spinal erectors beating hamstrings/glutes. Could focusing on a squatty squat bias strengthening the hip flexors (not the hamstrings) thus exacerbating the APT? Is squatting bad for the knees? [9:20] I've had a couple people tell me that it heals elevated squat puts more shearing load on the knees and I'm wondering if this is only in reference to if the bar is on the back or if it's a front squat or how I can navigate the conversation around bypassing the ankle joint? Is there a "normal" infrasternal angle (ISA)? [15:45] Is the goal for someone with a wide infrasternal angle to eventually get a "normal" angle when relaxed? Hip shifts in the squat [17:39] Hip shift in the squat. Most everybody seems to talk about it as a neuromuscular thing. Do you have a take/is there already a deep dive I couldn't find? Which squat variation should be used? [22:01] I am wondering about using the Zercher squat preferentially compared to the back squat and for prep for the front squat, for peeps who have trouble inhaling into their backs, and specifically the upper backs.   Sum Up A squat involves vertical pelvic displacement and sacral counternutation. Whereas a hinge involves posterior pelvic displacement and sacral nutation Because counternutation creates a posterior pelvic tilt, squatting can improve anterior pelvic tilt Squatting below 90 degrees of knee flexion reduces shear and compressive forces on the knees. Infrasternal angles are genetically determined. The goal is to make them dynamic. Hip shifts in a squat are a result of pelvic rotation and inability to bilaterally counternutate the sacrum. They can be improved by increasing squat depth and using drills to shift the other direction Squat holds that have the bar less than 60 degrees of shoulder flexion are best for upper back expansion. 60-120 degrees of shoulder flexion are best for anterior expansion. Back squats are the most compressive of the upper thorax Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash

Movement Debrief Episode 111 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. Here is the setlist: What is the relationship of the infrasternal angle (ISA) to the compressive and expansive strategies at the pelvis? What would hip rotation limitations look like in these compensatory strategies? What does limited hip internal and external rotation signify? What interventions would need to be done to improve hip rotation? Do I have any favorite moves? Why would unilateral Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain occur? How does sacral rotation occur? What types of activities could improve sacral rotation capabilities? How can tensor fascia lata (TFL) cramping be reduced during the hip shift? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram.  Enjoy! t Below are the links mentioned in the show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class:  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: March 28th-29th, Madison, NJ (SOLD OUT!) April 4th-5th, 2020, Atlanta, GA (early bird ends March 6th at 11:55pm) May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here'sa signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies:   Here are a bunch of debriefs on the infrasternal angle and thorax Want to sign up for the Human Matrix Foundations seminar? You can find that here Here is a great hip flexion test video courtesy of Daddy-O Pops Bill Hartman Before working on maximizing sacral movement, the first step is to achieve the stacked orientation. Think you got it? Test yourself by trying this activity You could also go with a chair and wall tilt to teach this If you want to progress sacral counternutation, then you'll want to squat. I start my peeps at high depths here Then work to lower depths here If you want to maximize sacral nutation, then you'll want to drive hip extension. An amazing move would be the rolling skywalker You can progress this to a sidelying stride Here is an example of a retro walking exercise (and me with hair and 20 extra pounds): Here is a link to a squat test you can do. The biomechanics are a bit outdated in explanation, but it's a good test nonetheless, and close to what I do in the clinic Try to get below parallel without cheating: Interpreting Hip Rotation Assessments (1:04) Brian Paxton Question for next Debrief ... Zac, would you please explain the relationship of the ISA, compressive and expansive strategies of the pelvis, and the implications this has with either a lack of hip ER and IR ? Would one need to improve posterior or anterior expansion at the pelvis to improve hip ER or IR? If so, how would you suggest How Does the Pelvis Rotate? (23:51) Chase Fam, can you discuss one-sided SI J pain in the next debrief? I feel as though bilateral nutation/counternutation has been covered quite clearly, but I still don't have a great understanding of why 1 sided SI J pain (specifically right side) might be persistent. I have an incredibly hard time with retro walking where the right leg is coming back and being loaded and often have issues with the right SI J feeling mal-positioned and affecting same sided hip and knee causing pain. Troubleshooting the Hip Shift (30:57) Scott Hey Zac big fan any advice every time I do hip shift right my TFL almost cramps and gets tight any advice on what could be going on and if any drill might help Sum Up Hip external rotation loss corresponds with concentric posterior outlet Hip internal rotation loss corresponds with concentric anterior outlet Though particular infrasternal angle presentations can have certain rotation restrictions, progressive compensation can change one's bias Interventions should focus on teaching the stack, restoring counternutation, and then improving sacral nutation Sacral rotation occurs by ipsilateral counternutation and contralateral nutation Before shifting, make sure you have the ability to stack and can squat below parallel If cramping occurs during a shift, consider reducing hip flexion or adducting/abduction before shifting Photo by Nicole De Khors from Burst

Movement Debrief Episode 110 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. Here is the setlist: Is spinal hyperextension useful for weightlifting?  How do I balance the need for extension during these moves? Is there a risk of disc injuries with spinal flexion? Are spine sparing exercises necessary to reduce trauma throughout the day? Do we want to minimize spinal movement? How should we move to encourage healthy spines? Are crunches safe? Do they help with abdominal development? Is it safe for someone with back surgery to perform spinal flexion? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram.  Enjoy! t Below are the links mentioned in the show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: March 28th-29th, Madison, NJ (SOLD OUT!) April 4th-5th, 2020, Atlanta, GA (early bird ends March 6th at 11:55pm) May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) 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! (Release date not known yet :( Here'sa signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies       Inter- and intra-individual variability in the kinematics of the back squat The lumbar and sacrum movement pattern during the back squat exercise. Here is a link to Bill's video on two different squat strategies What This Biomechanics Professor Wishes People Knew About the Real Causes of Low Back Pain A biomechanical analysis of straight and hexagonal barbell deadlifts using submaximal loads Analysis of the load on the knee joint and vertebral column with changes in squatting depth and weight load Biomechanics of changes in lumbar posture in static lifting  To flex or not to flex? Is there a relationship between lumbar spine flexion during lifting and lower back pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.  Effects of Traditional Sit-up Training Versus Core Stabilization Exercises on Short-Term Musculoskeletal Injuries in US Army Soldiers: A Cluster Randomized Trial Divided by a lack of common language? – a qualitative study exploring the use of language by health professionals treating back pain The enduring impact of what clinicians say to people with low back pain Motion of the shoulder complex during multiplanar humeral elevation. Here are several moves that encourage mid-lower posterior thorax expansion If you want more upper thorax expansion, I really like decline quadruped on elbows If you want to learn to squat, I'd start with the high depth move here Then progress to lower depths here Then of course, add some weight to it here Stacking is uber important for being able to create pressure to move and lift heavy things. Can you do it? Find out in this video here Spinal Hyperextension During Lifting Hi Zac! What are your comments on T and lumbar spine hyperextensions in weightlifting. I was thinking about that for a while and I think there is a two-edged sword. Giving the fact that the spine is forcing in extension (especially with the beginner) the position of the pelvis and rib cage is not really advantageous for abdominal recruitment. Also, there is a potential for lack of glute and hamstring activation due to higher amount of cervical extension. But on the other end, you want to concentrically contract the whole erector and lats. The forces during the lift are high particularly at the movement when the weight is being loaded on the body. If the muscles of the upper posterior chain eccentrically contract the chances for successful lift are very low. What are some of your thoughts? Love your work and sending kind regards from Slovenia :) Is Spinal Flexion Bad? Hi Zac!  I read an article from Stu McGill and there were many claims on there that were pretty extreme  "The truth is that someone hitting the gym every day without spine sparing techniques during their workout, will develop cumulative trauma in their discs. Repeatedly bending your back at the gym, followed by long periods of sitting at work, chased down with poorly executed daily tasks such as getting dressed or gardening conspire together to cause the slow delamination of some of your disc fibers." "One of my major issues with Pilates is that one of its key principles is to flatten the spine and “imprint” the lower back to the floor when lying down. This deliberate effort to disrupt the spine from its neutral position and “straighten” one of its natural curves is not healthy and can trigger pain sensitivity in a person who is already sensitized. Some people experience a false sense of relief while going through this motion because it stimulates the back's stretch receptors. In reality, this relief is fleeting and pain symptoms typically return with a vengeance due to the stresses placed on your discs." "Thus the exaggerated fashion of the Pilates' rollup puts an emphasis on moving through the spine, putting unnecessary load and strain on the discs. The real goal should be to minimize spinal movement and instead use our hips as primary centers for motion. This philosophy will allow the back pain to settle." Is someone really able to make those claims? Crunching Could you do a movement debrief on crunches and whether they are safe or not. I have a lot of clients who want more defined abs. Is it okay to program crunch variations?   Flexion after spinal fusion Would you recommend this for someone that has had a fusion at L4/L5? I desperately need to strengthen my core, but how is it possible when told no BLT's?!?! Sum Up Spinal hyperextension during weightlifting would limit the depth necessary to complete the lift Achieving weightlifting depth requires posterior pelvic tilting The research does not support spinal flexion causing disc injuries, and in some cases may actually help with protrusion There is no difference in injury risk with situps or core stability exercises Caution must be taken in telling clients to not exercise, spare the spine, or other verbage that may perpetuate maladaptive beliefs Crunches are safe to perform and produce a fair amount of EMG activity in the rectus abdominis and internal obliques There is no research for or against spinal precautions after surgery Thought physician clearance to exercise is warranted, most precautions ought to be lifted within 6-12 months. Graded activity must be performed after any type of injury or surgery Photo by Nicole De Khors from Burst

Movement Debrief Episode 109 is in the books. Here 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 are normal scapular movements during respiration? Are these scapular respiration movements paired together as we move? Is passive exhalation a thing? What are the primary compensatory scapular positions for a wide and narrow ISA? What happens if further compensatory activity occurs? What type of compensatory strategy is a swayback posture utilizing? What are the best ways to gain proximal hamstrings to elicit a posterior pelvic tilt? How would you test whether a client needs inferior or superior posterior thorax expansion? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram.  Enjoy! t Below are the links mentioned in the show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: March 28th-29th, Madison, NJ April 4th-5th, 2020, Atlanta, GA (early bird ends March 6th at 11:55pm) May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) 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 is a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies:     Human Matrix Foundations Reaching Infrasternal angle Respiration Revisited Here is rockback breathing, a great way to encourage a posterior tilt Here is the drunken turtle. You are getting a passive posterior tilt, but it's a great dynamic activity to drive spinal inhalation A great squat variation to get proximal hamstring is the chair and wall squat If you want to learn more about squatting, check out my deep dive. Here is a picture of the subscapularis. Note the differences in fiber direction based on location: Author: National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases  Ben House If you need lower posterior thorax expansion, check out my Youtube playlist on all my favs: If you need more upper thorax expansion, check out my Youtube playlist on all my favs Scapular Respiratory Mechanics (1:09) When talking about respiratory scapular respiratory mechanics, do these mechanics INHaled scaps are ABD, ER, DownRotation, Posterior Tip Do those 4 movements ride together always with regard to a trainer's eye? To say a different way, If I protract/reach and Inhale in mid propulsion, like a pushup position... I should have abd/ER/DownRotation/PosteriorTipping all riding together? Upward Rotation (8:48) Thank you for the response! Could you explain how upward rotation is part of exhalation mechanics? I'm trying to visualize it but I'm having trouble connecting all the dots Passive Exhalation (12:57) Is passive exhalation a thing? Compensatory Scapular Mechanics (14:12) Hey Zac! Could you possibly talk about the compensatory scapular movement for narrow and wide ISA? For example, narrow ISA tends to have anterior compression first, how would this impact scapular movement? I can't seem to quite understand this. Thank you! Swayback and Respiration (25:06) Would you consider someone with a swayback posture using an inhalation or exhalation strategy? Pelvic tilts for Hip Internal Rotation (26:14) How do you get hamstrings to engage to greater influence posterior pelvic tilt, which would greater influence femoral internal rotation? Differentiating Posterior Thorax Expansion (28:25) What is your go-to test to differentiate whether a client needs inferior or superior posterior ribcage expansion? They probably lack humeral ER in both situations if I understand correctly. Thank you! Sum Up Normal scapular mechanics assume a "uniform" expansion in all directions of the thorax. Movement inherently biases air to go in certain areas of the thorax, changing the paired mechanics. Scapular upward rotation is associated with exhalation because the upward rotators compress the thorax. Passive exhalation typically occurs with quiet breathing; different than breathing that intends to restore movement options. Narrow infrasternal angles have thoraxes with increased volume posteriorly and more anterior compression; leading to an abducted and internally rotated scapula. More humeral internal rotation-based measures would be limited Wide infrasternal angles have thoraxes with increased volume anteriorly and more posterior compression; leading to an adducted and externally rotated scapula. More humeral external rotation-based measures would be limited A swayback is using an inhalation strategy, hence the increased thoracic kyphosis Using deeper hip flexion can better recruit the hamstrings when choosing activities for posterior pelvic tilting Posteroinferior thoracic expansion is needed with loss of shoulder external rotation at 90 degrees abduction Posterosuperior thoracic expansion is needed with loss of shoulder external rotation a 0 degrees abduction or horizontal abduction Shoulder flexion limitations can signify total posterior expansion (above 120 flexion needs upper thorax, less than needs mid to lower) Image by Anders Pearson

Movement Debrief Episode 108 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. 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? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram.  Enjoy!  t Below are the links mentioned in the show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class:  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: January 25th-26th, Scotts Valley, CA (SOLD OUT!) April 4th-5th, 2020, Atlanta, GA (early bird ends March 6th at 11:55pm) May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) [6 CEUs approved for Athletic Therapists by CATA!] October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) November 21st-22nd, San Diego, CA (Early bird ends October 25th at 11:55pm!) Or check out this little teaser for Human Matrix home study. The 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 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies:   [yikes-mailchimp form="1" submit="Get learning goodies and more"]  Go here and here to learn about infrasternal angles Pulling, Reaching, and Stacking During Big Lifts – Movement Debrief Episode 107 Here is a great video where Bill Hartman deep dives into testing hip flexion Decline quadruped on elbows is an early activity I use if I need to invert someone Here is one of the first headstand variations I use Then if you want to drive hip extension, you can check this one out Anterior Pelvic Orientation  I was recently talking to a group about Wide and Narrow ISAs and the effect on the pelvis and referred to a video you did on the anterior orientation coming from "at the pelvis" or "above the pelvis"  I explained it the best I could but I remember your video with the model being quite easy to understand!  Unfortunately, I couldn't find that bit I wanted and was hoping you could help me out with a link so I can pass on your great work you continue to do Breathing During Squats and Deadlifts When do you prescribe inhale-pause-exhale during squats and deadlifts?  Handstands Hey Zac - if u fancy something different for a debrief - how about talking about the benefits of Handstand Practise [ie against a wall for most people] for posture, breathing, muscle balance etc. Sum Up Wide infrasternal angles have extension within the pelvis due to sacral nutation from an exhaled axial skeleton Narrow infrasternal angles have extension above the pelvis due to increased anteroposterior ventral cavity dimensions Early-phase squatting and deadlifting should focus on setting the stack and then teaching the movement If going after specific limitations, inhale into the limitations Valsalva maneuvers are useful for max effort lifts Handstands are a great terminal exercise to improve upper thorax anteroposterior compression; with headstands being the intermediary Image by Maurice Müller from Pixabay 

Movement Debrief Episode 107 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. 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? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram.  Enjoy! t Below are the links mentioned in the show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: January 25th-26th, Scotts Valley, CA (ONLY 3 SLOTS REMAINING!) April 4th-5th, 2020, Atlanta, GA (early bird ends March 6th at 11:55pm) May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) 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 5 hours and 50 pages of content, access to my free breathing and body mechanics course, a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies:   You can find two good debriefs explaining wide infrasternal angles here and here. Eric Oetter Here is the Bill Hartman ITY video Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System Motion of the Shoulder Complex During Multiplanar Humeral Elevation Here is a good 0-60 reach example that I like to use Here is a good 60-120 reach example that I like to use Here is a good 120-180 reach example that I like to use Raise Up by Petey Pablo (will likely be played while I'm in Charlotte on loop) The lumbar and sacrum movement pattern during the back squat exercise. Pulling Question for you on lifting - I have zero pull-up skills and want to improve that, but I'm hesitant to try some back strengthening exercises given that my push to do extension based strength training years ago has probably contributed to my troubles. Heck, this maybe could be a debrief question for you on a video...lat pull-downs, face pulls, one-arm dumbbell rows...what sets these apart from extension based exercises that are generally no-gos such as band pull aparts, or prone Ts & Ys & Is? For me specifically, any reason I should avoid either lat pulldowns, face pulls, or dumbbell rows? Low Reaches Do you have a source/did you discuss the 0-60 degrees shoulder flexion being optimal for posterior expansion in a debrief? Stacking During Big Lifts If you keep a PPT and thorax stacked on top during the DL and squat, does this compete against lifting mechanics/technique or support them?  Sum Up Pulling is not inherently bad, and can be perfect for improving movement options Chinup, pullup, and pulldown variations can be useful for improving buckethandle mechanics and anteroposterior expansion (breathe at the dead hang) or pump handle (breathe in when chest is to bar) Facepulls are great for posteroinferior thorax expansion (at the start) or pumphandle (at the pull) Rows are great for pump handle T, I, and pull aparts can be useful for pump handle mechanics, with Y's encouraging anteroposterior expansion, though I rarely use them Reaching from 0-60 degrees of shoulder flexion can improve posteroinferior thorax expansion Reaching from 60-120 degrees of shoulder flexion can improve pumphandle mechanics Reaching from 120-180 degrees of shoulder flexion can improve anteroposterior thorax expansion Stacking during the big lifts is essential for maintaining intra-abdominal and intra-thoracic pressures The lumbar spine naturally becomes kyphotic during back squatting, so arching may not be useful Image by skeeze from Pixabay 

Tune in here for the #1 Military Professor on the Battle of Gettysburg Doug Douds, US Army War College in Carlisle Pennsylvania. Hear Doug tell the unknown stories of Gettysburg and why the historic battle is still studied by the military and the public today.

Movement Debrief Episode 106 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. Here is the setlist: How can pregnancy affect one's ability to move? Can pregnancy change one's infrasternal angle? What type of adjustments and considerations should we make for those who are pregnant? What is pectus excavatum? How can this structural change impact movement options? What type of exercises can we use to improve movement when someone has a pectus? What is bruxism? What is bruxism's relationship to upper airway? What are other potential related factors to bruxism? What are some treatment considerations for someone who has bruxism? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. They air every Wednesday at 7:30pm CST. Enjoy!   t Below are the links mentioned in the show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: January 25th-26th, Scotts Valley, CA  April 4th-5th, 2020, Atlanta, GA (early bird ends March 6th at 11:55pm) May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) November 7th-8th, Charlotte, NC (Early bird ends October 11th at 11:55pm!) 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: Ben House American Academy of Myofunctional Therapy Here is a great move to get pump handle action going If you want something a bit lower-key, this is a classic move If you want to do something that's a bit more on the loaded side, then you'll love this move Pectus excavatum: Not just a cosmetic concern Outcome of surgical repair of Pectus Excavatum in adults Therapies for bruxism: a systematic review and network meta-analysis (protocol) Bruxism: A Literature Review Improvement of bruxism after T & A surgery Pregnancy How does pregnancy change this stuff? I have a patient who is compressed on all sides, very narrow ISA, but she is starting to show with her pregnancy and belly breathe more. Can that actually shift people to a wide ISA as the pregnancy progresses? And how do you adjust the breathing activities to avoid undesirable positions with advancing pregnancy?  Pectus Talk to me about pectus excavatum. Breathing is obviously an issue for these people. What are some of your favorite exercises to get these patients breathing better?  Bruxism Where does bruxism during sleep factor into the nasal passage/airway picture in terms of potential causes and what would some of the solutions be? I have an off-center bite which has cause teeth to wear down and bruxism has become an increasing issue. My dentist gave me a nightguard but after the gradual onset of severe headaches, jaw pain, face pain, neck pain and thoracic spine pain I stopped using it. I need to get this addressed and need to be better informed to make sure I go down the right path. Sum Up Pregnancy cannot change the infrasternal angle, which is structural However, pregnancy can reduce movement options within the ventral cavity Watch for symptoms regardless of position used; it is likely low-risk to stay supine for only a minute or two Pectus excavatum is essentially a structural down pump handle Movement options can still be improved with this presentation in many cases If cardiopulmonary symptoms are present, surgical correction may be impactful. Bruxism involves grinding teeth either while awake or at night Bruxism may involve an upper airway issue There is mixed research on what treatments are efficacious for bruxism My recommendations are to go through myofunctional therapy and consult with a dentist and/or ENT on potential airway restrctions Photo by Authority Dental 

Movement Debrief Episode 105 is in the books. Here 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: Is it more important to correct axial skeleton imbalances or side to side asymmetries? Should we do bilateral lifts to challenge the weak side to "keep up", or should we perform single sided activities to even things out? How important is foot positioning during resets? What are some strategies to drive calcaneal inversion or eversion? How do you communicate more specific treatment goals with other practitioners who aren't familiar with your model? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. They air every Wednesday at 7:30pm CST. Enjoy! t Below are the links mentioned in the show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class:  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: January 25th-26th, Scotts Valley, CA (early bird ends December 24th) April 4th-5th, 2020, Atlanta, GA (early bird ends March 6th at 11:55pm) The Uprising with myself, Pat Davidson, and Seth Oberst, February 8th-9th (early bird ends January 3rd) May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) [Approved for 14 Category A CEUs for athletic trainers] June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) 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 Motion of the Shoulder Complex During Multiplanar Humeral Elevation Hand-Grip Strength: Normative Reference Values and Equations for Individuals 18 to 85 Years of Age Residing in the United States Are asymmetries in the body related to injury risk? Effect of changes in pelvic tilt on range of motion to impingement and radiographic parameters of acetabular morphologic characteristics. Asymmetries (1:23) Yo Zac!! Whats more important: correcting a front-back imbalance (axial skeleton) or side-to-side imbalance...  and should we do bilateral lifts to challenge the weak side to "keep up", or should we be doing way more unilateral all day long?  I'm asking bang-for-buck- obviously the easy answer is "both"... But what does research suggest is the most effective way to improve symmetrical strength and function?  Thank you a million! Foot Position (16:40) How important is foot position during resets? Out of interest. If we are heavily inverted and  Er at the hips Educating Practitioners (26:28) Hey Lord Zed How do you communicate more specific treatment goals with other practitioners who aren't familiar with your model and look at you like you just farted in their cereal if you mention, for example, increasing movement of the rib cage to help a shoulder move better. There's a couple of guys near me who are in to cracking bones and needles (therapists, not gangsters) and its tricky to find common ground. Hope that makes sense. Thanks Zac, really appreciate you. Sum Up Most people are limited bilaterally, even though asymmetries are present Bilateral exercises often encompass those movements which are unilateral; these are not mutually exclusive Bilateral exercises teach fundamental components needed to maximize movement options Both bilateral and unilateral exercises ought to be included in a comprehensive movement program Poor foot positioning could negatively impact available hip motion  Keeping the legs "centered" during resets may allow for maximizing movement options coordinated with respiration Communicating with those who think differently than you requires understanding the other person, translating your techniques into their framework, then education once the other is ready Photo by Nino Liverani on Unsplash

Movement Debrief Episode 104 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. Here is the set list: What are pelvic diaphragm mechanics during breathing? How do these mechanics relate to two different types of kegel (holding in urine vs gas)? Is there a reason to encourage a kegel? What could be the negative implications of a kegel? What breathing mechanics does reaching overhead encourage? What type of reaching would each infrasternal angle presentation benefit from? What are some signs to differentiate an overuse injury vs tissue deconditioning? How do you encourage someone with an overuse injury to proceed? How do you encourage someone with tissue deconditioning to proceed? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. They air every Wednesday at 7:30pm CST. Enjoy! t Below are the links mentioned in the show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: November 23rd-24th, New York City, NY January 25th-26th, Scotts Valley, CA (early bird ends December 24th) April 4th-5th, 2020, Atlanta, GA (early bird ends March 6th at 11:55pm) The Uprising with myself, Pat Davidson, and Seth Oberst, February 8th-9th (early bird ends January 3rd) May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) 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: Motion of the shoulder complex during multiplanar humeral elevation. Central Projection of Pain Arising from Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) in Human Subjects The pain threshold of high-threshold mechanosensitive receptors subsequent to maximal eccentric exercise is a potential marker in the prediction of DOMS associated impairment What are the four cardinal signs of the inflammatory response? Kegels Can you also relate pelvic diaphragm mechanics to the cue "pretend like you are holding in gas" and when to use that cue? If you cue " hold in gas on the inhale does it activate pelvic floor? Shouldn't you want pelvic floor to activate on the exhale...moving up like a piston with the thoracic diaphragm? Overhead Reaching Also, doesn't incline or overhead encourage pump handle activity. If I have a wide isa with an inhaled pump handle, wouldn't I want to avoid too much of that? Overuse vs Deconditioned When is it overuse (someone did too much and needs recovery) and when do you encourage a person to do more (they are deconditioned)?   Photo credit: Annie Spratt 

Movement Debrief Episode 103 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure. 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? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. They air every Wednesday at 7:30pm CST. Enjoy!   t Below are the links mentioned in the show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: November 23rd-24th, New York City, NY January 25th-26th, Scotts Valley, CA (early bird ends December 24th) April 4th-5th, 2020, Atlanta, GA (early bird ends March 6th at 11:55pm) The Uprising with myself, Pat Davidson, and Seth Oberst, February 8th-9th (early bird ends January 3rd) May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) 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: How to Deadlift: A Movement Deep Dive How to Build an Online Service, Training Obese Clients, and Building Relationships Here's how many Americans have nothing saved for retirement Get Rich Slowly   I Will Teach You to Be Rich   Ramit Sethi Blog The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness Nate Green Ben House Vanguard Pelvic Dynamics Can you explain spinal and pelvic inhalation and exhalation in reference client position strategies and exercise choices. (If you are elevating heels for lifts with clients who need ROM and more inhalation strategies...what modifications do you use for clients that are more inhale based?) Lower Back Weakness Lord Zed, my smooth headed movement master Debrief question: From time to time I get "my lower back is weak" from new clients. Most of the time I find it's more to do with not being able to squat/hinge effectively or find their abs, but is there a scenario where you would recommend a non-athlete to work on lower back strength? Finances I passed my CSCS and am a licensed PTA! I'll be doing some online training / local stuff on the side. With all that and the fun student loans that'll be kicking in soon, I've been doing a lot of budgeting. I saw in a podcast with you and Michelle Boland that you spoke of expensing certain things with taxes and some spreadsheets you've got going. I'm looking to get on your level, brotha. Could you recommend some financial books, articles, etc. that may help a new grad? Any specific things I should focus on besides paying loans off ASAP? I appreciate any insight you have. Thanks a ton, Zac.   Photo credit: wellcome images 

Movement Debrief Episode 102 is in the books. Here 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? If you want to watch these live, add me on Instagram. They air every Wednesday at 7:30pm CST. Enjoy!   t Below are the links mentioned in the show notes Check out Human Matrix promo video here Here are some testimonials for the class:  Want to sign up? Click on the following locations below: November 23rd-24th, New York City, NY January 25th-26th, Scotts Valley, CA (early bird ends December 24th) April 4th-5th, 2020, Atlanta, GA (early bird ends March 6th at 11:55pm) The Uprising with myself, Pat Davidson, and Seth Oberst, February 8th-9th (early bird ends January 3rd) May 23rd-24th, 2020, Dickinson College in Carlisle PA  (Early bird ends April 26th at 11:55pm!) June 6th-7th, 2020, Minneapolis, MN (Early bird ends May 3rd at 11:55pm!) August 1st-2nd, Boston, MA (Early bird ends July 5th at 11:55pm!) September 12th-13th,  Montreal, Canada (Early bird ends August 16th at 11:55pm!) October 3rd-4th, Ann Arbor, MI (Early bird ends September 6th at 11:55pm!) 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: Squat stance   Improving the Deadlift: Understanding Biomechanical Constraints and Physiological Adaptations to Resistance Exercise   Femoral anteversion. A clinical assessment of idiopathic intoeing gait in children.   Hip rotation range of motion in sitting and prone positions in healthy Japanese adults.   Ben House   Bryan Walsh Bryan Walsh's Functional Medicine and Family Tour Course Review Healthy Gut, Healthy You Deadlift Stance What about the ISA in relation to deadlift stance. Is there a stance more optimal based on your ISA angle? Measuring Hip Rotation What's the difference between measuring hip rotation in sitting, prone, and supine? Hemorrhoids Dude!  Speaking of stress...Any suggestions for a stressed out butthole; ie: hemorrhoids? Have you treated any patients with this issue? Any specific things you have found to be helpful? Any common presentations in terms of ISA/IPA?

We are live at Army War College in Carlisle PA for Connections Wargaming 2019. Matt Caffrey and Uwe Eickert join us and tell us all about why this conference is so important to the wargaming community.

Shower With Goats existed as part of the NJPP (New Jersey Pop Punk) scene from 1994-2000. They were well known for their unique blend of raw, upbeat punk tunes backed with emphatic vocals. Their influences ranged from many bands including Fifteen, Face To Face, Quit, Big Drill Car, All, Rhythm Collision, and even Crass on occasion. They went on to release several 7” records, 1 full length, and copious unreleased tracks on scattered compilation releases. My old band Congress of Cow who later became Lanemeyer used to play a bunch of shows with them back in the day so I know Steve personally which made this a fun interview. They were a staple band in what people can argue is the Central or South Jersey scene. Check out his Not For Profit label to help support the charities they help out with.  Also, check out their facebook page by clicking here. The 2 of us got on a call and this is what we discussed: His not for profit record label The Westboro Baptist Church The Derby Firehouse His love for the Ramones His metal band with Dave before Shower with Goats Less than Jake staying with him for a week when they were on tour and playing in his living room Their song “I Eat You” breaking the ice at shows Struggling with shyness and depression and the band breaking him out of it The Carlisle PA debacle of a show which started the ending of Congress of Cow Their LP cover being designed by Pete Wonsowski who also designed artwork for Less Than Jake Springman putting Fallon’s song on their comp His recent lottery winnings His split 7’ with Chris from Less Than Jake And a ton more I'd like to give a plug to my animation company drive80.com. We take your complicated message and un-suckify it. This week’s episode sponsored by Southern Tier Distilling Company. Building on 300+ years of western NY spirit production, Southern Tier Distilling Company puts that heritage into every bottle. Now, expanding their market to NJ, DE, and Ohio, more of us can enjoy these premium spirits such as STDC’s Straight Bourbon, Silver Medal Award-winning Vodka, Smoked Bourbon and their 2XHopped Whiskey (a whiskey distilled from their gold medal winning 2XIPA) In addition to their spirits, also available are their premium canned cocktails! Soon to hit the market are the Gin & Tonic with elderflower & cucumber, the Bourbon Smash with ginger, mint and lemon and the Vodka Madras with cranberry, orange chamomile. Great for camping, the beach, tailgating and the golf course. They are now sporadically in markets around the US so ask your local shop for their offerings to get them into your local shop. Check out Southern Tier Distilling at www.stdcspirits.com and follow Rob at southern_tier_nj Southern Tier, Why the hell not? I’d also like to mention my animation company drive80.com to anyone out there who is a marketing director that is looking to un-suckify their brands message. We do this by telling your story within 60-seconds or less using animation. Check it out at drive80.com As always, thank you to the people who’ve donated to the podcast. If you’d like to do so just go to thiswasthescene.com and send whatever you’d like. It helps me with the $20/month to keep this thing live. I’m still in the process of designing shirts to sell to help keep this thing alive so keep checking the this was the scene facebook page for updates. Feel free to subscribe, leave a review and share this with anyone who would love some nostalgia. With that said, let's get started.  

Emily Saldana, KB3VVE, was first licensed in 2011 and currently holds an Amateur Extra license. She is both a SOTA activator and chaser, actively participates in National Parks On The Air where she has achieved 53 national parks so far, was a member of the second team ever allowed to activate the Statute of Liberty and has soloed and operated from the Appalachian Trail numerous times.  Emily is a member of a Search and Rescue Team (Cumberland County SAR Team 400, Carlisle PA) where she holds the position of Radio Communications and Assist Chief. She is also a paramedic supervisor at a rural fire company run ambulance company. Emily began learning Morse code in 2016.

The April All Business Podcast is abuzz with one our most unique up-close member profiles as we welcome Chad Finkenbinder, Lab Director for Benzon Insect Production and Research located in Carlisle PA–– as he tells us how and why they produce laboratory colonies of many insect species and the types of industries they serve!

Dexter Manley, former Defensive End for the Washington Redskins, was nicknamed football's “Secretary of Defense” in 1986 by a top government official. Listen in to Dexter tell Andy O the story about how he received the nickname and from whom. Andy says of Dexter Manley, “for many years a legend in the city of Washington. Manley "did so much as a player and so much as a human being”. Dexter recalls that he and Andy met for the first time at training camp in Carlisle Pennsylvania, and how Andy won him over with a deal at the station, “I did a show . . .maybe for about a year and they paid me not one dime but they furnished my bedroom suit for free. I'd never heard of that before. I said where’s my money. Jack Kent Cook said get money don’t go for those deals.” Lots of laughter ensues and we see why Andy refers to Dexter Manley as a “character”. Growing Up in Houston, TX and Oklahoma State University Football Andy O and Dexter talk about Dexter’s childhood years in Houston, Texas. He describes the environment he grew up in as poverty and crime stricken and lots of divorce. He also describes his hard-working parents who made sure he went to church and grew up with good Christian values. Dexter talks about the guys in his neighborhood stealing bicycles, smoking marijuana, and drinking “md2020”, and how he chose to stay away from that. One of the most devastating times in his young life was when, while sitting on his porch, he looked down the street and saw his brother put into the backseat of a police car. His brother landed in a juvenile home from that encounter with the police. Dexter's brother played football at the local high school, and was his hero. He also saw young talented high school football players leave town to play in college only to get in trouble and return home. He knew he didn’t want this for himself. He went to school, sat is the front row, but despite his efforts he graduated functionally illiterate. He also tells Andy “I had such tunnel vision I wanted to play football trying to get out of that environment. I had 37 scholarship offers.” Manley goes on to recall how in his junior year at Jack Yates High School he was recruited to play in college. This process brought him closer to his Dad. Growing up, Dex received little attention from his Dad. Despite how good he was at football – he was a high school all American - his Dad watched him play only once in high school. His Dad saw him in a different light once the coaches started to come around. So did the whole community. “They couldn’t believe it, Bum Phillips and Jim Stanley they are getting out of these limos coming to my gun shack house sitting up on blocks in the ghetto.” At a big breakfast in Houston, Bum Phillips, head coach of the Houston Oilers, said that Dex should play at Oklahoma State University. That’s all it took for Dexter to attend OSU for the next four years. He tells Andy that neither he nor his Dad knew then what all that meant, all they knew that these big names were telling him he had a future in football. Dexter’s four years at Oklahoma State University were tumultuous. They fired head coach Jim Stanley and brought on Pittsburgh’s defensive coordinator Jimmie Johnson to replace him. Jimmie Johnson came on in Dex’s junior year, and was his coach for remaining two years. He had them winning games. Dexter goes on to talk about the OSU’s probation “for passing out benefits” to players. He recalls receiving the keys to a brand-new car. He tells Andy “I was coming off the practice field, Charlie Alexander said sit in the car that was a brand-new car, and I never forget. I never had hardly nothing brand-new so we turn the radio on, and we heard the news Elvis died, he said Manley, he gave me the keys, this is yours. And so, I'll never forget that as long as I live.” 1981 NFL Scouting Combine, Tampa Bay, FL Andy asks Manley how the Washington Redskins found him.

On this hour of Cruise Control with Fred Staab and Les JacksonWelcome to hour two of our Corvette special that was recorded livefrom the 80 acres of fiberglass at Corvettes at Carlisle. Every year over 5000 Corvette owners come to Carlisle Pennsylvania an we have this event covered from all angles.. like this one.                         DOWN LOAD CRUISE CONTROL RADIO  RIGHT CLICK HERE  First up.. Carlisle's Lance Miller to updates us on the return of Carlisle flag made from Corvettes and who won the Friday night burnout contest.Corvette Product Manager Harlan Charles gives us a walk around of the 2017 C7 Corvette Stingray Z06 and Grand Sport LISTEN TO THE NEXT EDITION OF CRUISE CONTROL RADIOLive Stream on Saturday September  24th at 10 AM Eastern.Find out how to listen HERE .Executive Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter joins us for more Vette informationSUBSCRIBE  to the CRUISE CONTROL PODCAST.Plus he likes to build Corvette horsepower.. Ken Lingenfelterwill tell us how he is pulling more power from the C7WIN A SMART SPAIR FLAT TIRE REPAIR KIT WITH AIR COMPRESSOR FROM SLIMEAll that and a whole lot more when we get rolling this specialCorvette edition of Cruise Control  recorded live fromCorvettes at Carlisle..

Welcome to our Final Four round of the Strongest Town Competition. We invite you to listen to the following interview that Charles Marohn, president of Strong Towns, conducted with representatives from a town in our contest. Once you've finished listening to it, along with its competitor, Holland, MI (they'll be released at the same time), please visit strongtowns.org/strongesttown to vote. Brenda Landis (Carlisle West Side Neighbors), Chris Varner (Elm Street Manager) and Safronia Perry (Hope Station) discuss Carlisle's good schools, community festivals, hometown sports teams and their incredible restaurant scene. They also open up about the negative effect of local factory closures and how they're trying to handle that.?

www.honestweight.tumblr.com The tour is officially underway as The Boys climb into the Rig Big en route to show #1. Illuminating topics today include, Kurt and Zac’s first official salad, Ben’s dream, a small fight over a bathroom/gas station stop only twenty minutes into a 2 hour drive, and technical difficulties that leave David and Aaron […]

www.honestweight.tumblr.com SEASON TEN, can you believe that??? Everything is brand new. A rented van, new and improved experimental recording setup, new theme song, new logo, new songs to play, new towns to visit. Basically, its square one. But you know how all old people are like, “I wish that I knew what I know now, […]

This week on Hemmings Motor News Radio we speak with Jim Pennekamp from ARMO about The Hot Product Tent which will be part of the Spring Carlisle which will be held from April 22-26th in Carlisle Pa. Also joining us this week is Senior Editor from Hemmings Motor News Matt Litwin with a Buyer Guide about the 1958-1960 Square Thunderbirds. And rounding out this weeks show is spokesman Craig Cummings from the British Car Club located in Williamsburg Va. about their upcoming 16th annual car show us a listen here on Hemmings Motor News Radio and email us at radio@hemmings.com

Today I am talking with Daniela Aldrich who from Carlisle Pennsylvania and who now dances as an apprentice with NYCB.  Daniela spent two years at the School of American ballet before being asked to be an apprentice.   Nearly all of the current members of New York City Ballet received training at the School of American Ballet and entered the Company through the Apprentice Program, which is jointly administered by NYCB and SAB. Only students enrolled at the School are eligible for apprenticeships. NYCB does not hold auditions. Each year, NYCB Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins invites a small number of advanced students, usually ranging in age from 16 to 18, to become apprentices, providing the first stage of their professional careers. Apprentices take class and rehearse with the Company six days a week at NYCB’s Lincoln Center facilities.    Apprentices learn roles in a wide array of works from NYCB’s vast repertory and may perform in up to eight ballets per season in addition to the full five-week season of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker.