I have been in the training and rehabilitation industry for 16 years.  I have a little experience.

I have done my bachelors and masters degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science. I have learned a little.

I spend thousands of dollars a year on research papers, books, DVDs, webinars, courses, and seminars.

I have a little experience and have learned a little, but I have to keep learning and experiencing to better help my clients, and to grow as a professional and help improve my body.

Looking at a course with Mike Robertson.  I could have said, yeah, I have more experience than Mike.  I have as much education as Mike, plus I do as much reading as Mike.

This would be a rookie move and a huge mistake from growing, learning, experiencing, and becoming a better trainer, coach, and therapist.

So why would I go to a course of a fellow fitness education colleague?

#1 – Repetition is Mastery

I do not have a photographic memory.  I need to see, hear, and practice things a number of times.  When I attend a course I am reminded of things that I know, but have forgotten, or have yet to master.

Going to a course allows you to learn in a variety of ways.  I learn by reading journals, listening to lectures, watching DVDs, and practicing in a live course.  I know in time doing all of this will lead to mastery.

#2 – Looking at things in a New Way

I have learned things one way.

I have my way of explaining things.

By learning from others, I learn new ways of looking at things and explaining things.

# 3 – Nuggets of Breakthrough Knowledge

I always learn something new.  It may be one thing, or it may be a new way of seeing an issue with a client.  For an example, let me share with you some of the nuggets I learned from Mike Robertson.

What I Learned from Mike Robertson in 16 Hours of Learning:

• 1.    Importance of psoas.
  2.    Blunders in plank exercises.
  3.    Hidden erector spinae function.
  4.    Assess the joint above and below an injury.
  5.    Question what you are doing when it comes to lumbar flexion.
  6.    The Kinetic Chain game.
  7.    Challenge what you do when you do core exercises.
  8.    They based hip machines on gross anatomy, not functional anatomy.
  9.    The Balloon stability game.
  10.    Importance of active and passive isolation assessment.
  11.    Most people get rotation from their lumbar spine.
  12.    Transversus abdominis strength versus trimming.
  13.    Importance of closed chain hip and knee movements.
  14.    Key cause of basketball injuries.
  15.    What postures are on the increase.
  16.    4 keys to sagittal plane force coupling.
  17.    What to do about posterior knee pain.
  18.    Why we all need to deadlift.
  19.    Importance of fatigue.
  20.    What is the importance of the 4th hamstring.
  21.    Importance of transverse of pelvis transverse rotation.
  22.    2 static assessments that I must do.
  23.    23 isolation assessments for movement dysfunction.

Sorry, this is the list that I learned from Day 1 of the course.

I have experience and knowledge, but I still have so much more to master and learn.  The best way to learn is from the best.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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Nine months of planning and preparation has arrived, and the Mike Robertson’s Bulletproofing Your Client’s Knees and Lower Back seminar is here.

It is so cool to be able to bring the best from around the world to the trainers, coaches, and therapists around Vancouver.

He had a great course planned with a big thick manual of what we were going to go through.

From the start of the course, he started delivering.

He started the day asking:

“What are the Top 10 Questions You Want Answered this Weekend?”

This is the list the group came up with:

• What to do about PFPS (Patella Femoral Pain Syndrome)?
• How to assess function movements?
• What to do about a posterior tilt?
• What are the best exercises for a disc herniation?
• How do you do core regressions?
• What can you do about SI (Sacroiliac) joint issues?
• When should you do rotation exercises?
• Keys to proper squatting.
• What are the key relationships between the knee and hip?
• How do you increase (gluteus maximus) function?

What trainer, coach, and therapist does not want to have one or more of these questions answered by one of the best?

So cool.

I am so excited for the weekend.

I am ready to learn and so is the small group of people, ranging from medical doctors to group fitness instructors, that have come from around the world to be here.

Having your questions answered from the best in the world in an intensive weekend seminar/course is so great.

I love bringing the best to Vancouver and can’t wait to bring more of them, like Justin Price.

I will have some more information on what I learned and some video clips from the course.

Here is a quick clip from today:

Rick Kaselj, MS

Yeah, it is Friday and I am doing my rambling.

I do like this post.  It gives me a chance to reflect on the week and see what has happened.  All of the good and bad.  Thankfully it is most often good.

Helping Out Strength Coach Podcast

I saw that the Strength Coach Podcast was having their 3 Year Anniversary Giveaway.

There was no way that I could not help out.

So I contacted Anthony Renna and he said it would be a huge help, and it would be something the thousands of strength coach listeners would benefit from.

Facebook Shout Out

I know some people get enough of me from my emails and blog, but many more people follow me on Facebook where I give even more information to help people out with their injuries.

It is so great to hear when the information that I am sharing helps others like the gang at Le Physique Personal Training.  They had some kind words to say about all I am doing on Facebook:

More Rave Reviews of Muscle Imbalances Revealed 2.0

Okay, I know, another raving review for Muscle Imbalances Revealed 2.0 – or as I call it, MIR2:

“Muscle Imbalances Revealed gives you a chance to learn from some of the very best in the world from the comfort of your own living room, on your own schedule.  Forget finding time to get away, costly travel expenses, flight delays, and hotel booking nightmares.  You can do it all from home!  Frankly, I have a responsibility to my clients to stay on the cutting edge of this industry, but I hate taking time away from them and my family.  With Muscle Imbalances Revealed I can stay at the top of my game without leaving my house.  This is simply a brilliant product that anyone looking to stay at the forefront of the fitness industry should watch.

Mark Young

Exercise & Nutrition Consultant

MarkYoungTrainingSystems.com

Last Weekend Presenting

Last weekend I did my last set of courses for the year.  It is always sad when this happens.  Before I wrapped up, I made sure I had things set up for 2011.  If you would like to see what fitness education courses I have coming up next, CLICK HERE.

Here are some of the kind words from the registrants:

“Exercise Rehabilitation of the Neck course is very well explained.  A lot of explanation, examples, and hands on practice.”

Elizabeth Szabo
Pilates Instructor and Personal Trainer
New Westminster, BC, Canada

“Exercise Rehabilitation of the Lower Back course is a very good hands-on course.  Will definitely recommend to colleagues / peers this course and resources”

With that being said, there is one more course left this year.  The Mike Robertson Bulletproof Your Client’s Knees & Lower Back course.

I am so excited about this and a lot of other people are as well:

I will do what I can to take some video from the weekend.

That is it.

We will see many of you tomorrow at the course.  I have to head off to get the handouts for the course, and I have one extra handout.  If you want to go, CLICK HERE and register.

Please do not hunt me down and call me at 10 pm tonight and ask if you can register.  That is not cool.

That is it, have a great weekend.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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I want to thank everyone that took the time to comment on the blog post ( What Do You Want From Me ).

I have read the comments and emails.  This is what people have asked for:

#1 – Client Case Study

What do you think of this:

I have an idea for you: What if you had people blog in about problems they are having and you answer them like you do with your journal reviews. Perhaps you thought of this already and you would certainly have to put a limit on how many you answer, like three as you do for the journals.

For example:

I have a client that golfs. He had a left shoulder injury from a fall years ago. This year he fell off his bike and was experiencing impingement. After osteopathic treatment, and yoga to aid in ROM and keeping asymmetries in check, he is experiencing deep right hip pain upon leg extension. I gave him the glute medius exercise, no change. We are working on keeping the left scapula from winging. I did the shoulder test you mentioned from Eric Beard and he has limited internal rotation of the left shoulder. We did the thoracic mobility exercise. As a golfer he has increased rotation to the right vs left. I am stuck as to why he is getting recurring right hip pain (particularly after lots of walking or lots of sitting) and suspect a glute max imbalance. I am unsure how to fix it as I do not understand what is causing it. I have given him foam roller exercises with right leg crossed over left and rolling on the right butt cheek, and pigeon pose to stretch it this week, not sure how to strengthen it.

S

I like the idea.

I think it is great.

When I teach my courses/seminars live, I know the registrants enjoy the fact that they can ask me questions relating to their clients and themselves.  Great idea on answering client case studies.

#2 – Recorded Seminars

With this little blog, it has been able to help people from around the world.

Just last week I was talking on the phone with a personal trainer from Trinidad Tobago.

How cool is that?

He has been using the stuff that he learned in Muscle Imbalances Revealed and Scapular Stabilization Exercise Program for himself and his athletes.

I got it, more recorded seminars.

#3 – Specific Injuries

I know, injuries are big things.

I am so glad I heard from you all on the kind of injuries you would like me to write about.

People asked about these injuries:

• elbow injuries (more than just tennis elbow), including wrist and forearm pain
• ankle injuries
• shin splints
• acute injury recovery tips
• chronic pain injury tips
• dealing with pain at the back of the knee when walking

Let me know if you want me to work on any others.

Read the rest of this entry »

The last few days I have gotten some great feedback on a few of the presentations, books, and courses I have done.

Have a look:

“I have been watching Muscle Imbalances Revealed this week. All the webinars have been very informative. I am a personal trainer in Sacramento California. It has been a tremendous help for me. I was referred to to your site by Eric Cressey‘s website. I have used several of his products with great result. I have attended Bryan College for a Degree in advanced health and fitness, as well; this has supplemented my education there very well. I am on the program advisory committee there, and will be recommending they include some  of your information if possible.  Thank you for your time.”

Bryan Bowen
Personal Trainer
Sacramento, California, USA

“Effective Exercises for Scoliosis has substantive information about how to assist my clients with scoliosis.  I like the fact it has clearer information about nonstructural vs. structural scoliosis; explanations about possible causes.  I like how there was information included about breath and fluid movements included in yoga, because I have found both forms to be unbelievably useful for my clients with scoliosis prior to reading this coursework.” – Amy Vitt

“I attended your workshop last weekend: Exercise Rehabilitation of the Shoulder.  I loved the positive learning environment and that questions and answers were encouraged throughout the workshop.  I really appreciate having the opportunity to discuss the shoulder limitations specific to my clients and receive your feedback.  This has made it easy for me to recommend specific exercises to my clients, as well as what exercises to have them avoid.   The workshop really extended beyond rehabilitation exercises and included valuable tips on preventative measures also.

Shoulder injuries can limit individuals from many sports and exercises.  As a trainer, developing an understanding of the reasons behind these limitations, ways of increasing joint mobility, and how to prevent further injury from developing, is key to my clients’ success.  Thank you for sharing your expertise!”

Taryn
Burnaby, BC, Canada
BCRPA Weightroom Instructor

Thank you everyone for your feedback.

If you have some feedback on some of the stuff of mine you got, please send it to rick (at) ExercisesForInjuries.com

Rick Kaselj, MS

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I just want to give you a heads up on a course that I am hosting next year.

I will have full details soon, but here is a sneak peak into what will be covered.

Structural Assessment and Corrective Exercise Program Design with Justin Price

Course Description:

Main Objectives of the Course:

I wanted to share with you what some people sent to me via email.

Email #1 – Recorded Seminars

Hi Rick,

First of all, big thanks for all that stuff you post on your blog and send me via mail!!

I just signed in, so I don´t have too much overlook at the moment.

But the next step I´ll do is buying the Muscle Imbalances Revealed.

For me, as a Personal Trainer in Germany, DVD`s are not a good solution. It takes too much time for shipping, and costs are too high. So downloading is perfect for me.

But the MP3 stuff is kind of difficult for me. Due to English is not my native language, it´s even more difficult when I don´t see anything and the sound is not very clear.

What I´d like to get is, for example, a filmed seminar of you (and of course, I would pay it!).

That´s it for the first.

I´ll take my time, to check the content of your blog and get back in touch with you!

Best from snowy Germany,

B

Email #2 – More Quality Posts

Rick,

What I would like is for you to only send blogs when you actually have something to say. You have often sent partial posts claiming to have the answer to some question, but really you didn’t say much at all. Quality over quantity.  Myself and others found your email asking ‘am I a good presenter?’ to be nothing more than a self-promotional blurb. Emails blogging that you are too busy to write much really only just fill up our inboxes. Also, please take the time to write complete sentences that make sense. Your blogs often seem like you are just writing something quick just to fill in the space. Quality over quantity Rick.

D

Thanks for the email.  The feedback I have gotten from people that I have talked with at courses, provided feedback on my books, and conferences, say they like the fact that I try to write things into a format so you have things that you can use right away with yourself and your clients.  I try to have references for those people that would like to seek out more information.  I do try to blog 3 to 5 times a week.  I do email 2 to 3 times a week.  If the emails are too much, just scroll to the bottom of the next email and unsubscribe.  Then you can check out the blog when you want to see if there is something you would like to read.  That being said:

I got it:

- work on more quality posts

I did get a few more emails and I will put them up very soon.

Thanks for reading and we will talk to you soon.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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Accelerated Muscular Development 2.0  by Rick Kaselj

When I got the AMD 2.0 program to review, I thought, “oh ya, another muscle building workout program.  Do these exercises this way and you will be big and huge like the incredible Hulk.”  I was totally wrong.

It did have the stuff in it if you want to become the Incredible Hulk but the part that I like best was the focus on self massage, mobilization, activation and rehabilitation.  I am a huge fan of this especially if you got Muscle Imbalances Revealed.

Most muscle building workout programs don’t have this.

What I Like about AMD 2.0

Organized – I like how things are organized.  It is easy to get around to stuff and see everything.  A lot of programs don’t have this.

AMD Essential Recovery Guide - This was great.  I was expecting it to be 0 to 30 pages but it was 116.  I printed it out.  It is good.  Sorry Smitty, I am going to steal a few of these exercises for my workout, my clients and courses.

Here is one of the ones I liked:

AMD Deadlift 101 Manual – I am not big deadlifter but I was impressed with this.  It has an amazing amount of info on how to do it right, all kinds of stuff other than the techniques, the way to do it right, the way to lift heavy stuff and differ ways of doing it.  If someone asks me for a good deadlift resource, I will suggest this.

Here is a page out of it.  Will probably try something like this for rehab clients, minus the huge heavy weight:

AMD Power Core - They had some wild core options especially one you can do in the free weight area.  These will be cool for a client that is looking for some unique and challenging core exercises.

Here is one that I thought was cool.  Not the fact that one of the guys is wearing a toque (aka – winter hat) but it is something I have not seen before:

What I Didn’t Like

I hate to say these two things as they were very small details.  I know if I don’t say something, someone is going to email me and let me know.

YouTube Videos – I didn’t like the fact that a lot of the videos went to YouTube videos.  I was hoping to get exclusive exercises that I could not find anywhere else.  Kind of like with Eric Cressey’s Show and Go Program.

Photo Quality – Some of the photos could have been better quality as some were blurry or hard to see what the movement was.

Who is the For

Interested in Rehabilitation – I have got a number of ideas and exercises from the AMD Essential Recovery Guide.  I will use this as a reference when it comes to myself, my client and the courses I teach.

Want Deadlift Info - I was very impressed with the deadlift info.  If you are interested in how to do it right, how to lift heavy weight doing it and different ways of doing it, AMD 2.0 has it.

Need a Muscle Building Program – If you are looking for a solid muscle building program with components to help you stay injury-free and rehab, AMD 2.0 has it.

Hard Core Exercises – If you are looking for hard core exercises to do in the gym, especially in the free weight here, AMD 2.0 has go it.

That is it, thanks for reading.

This is what is included in the AMD 2.0 Program:

Rick Kaselj, MS

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Hey, it is Friday and I am going to ramble.

It has been a while since I actually rambled on Friday.

I Know You Are Sick of If, But I am Not

The rave reviews and incredible feedback for Muscle Imbalances Revealed 2.0 keep pouring in:

“Muscle Imbalance Revealed 2.0 has proved an invaluable investment. As a strength and conditioning coach working with swimmers from all age groups, Muscle Imbalance Revealed has provided me with a wealth of new insight into the role and function of both the hip and shoulder.  Through both the assessments and mobility exercises both myself and my athletes have a much better understanding of imbalances and how to correct them. It is an amazing educational tool and I highly recommend it.”

I am very thankful and happy that MIR2 has been able to help so many trainers, coaches, and therapists from around the world.

Read the rest of this entry »

I hope you are having, or had, a great Thanksgiving if you are from the USA.

I know the year is coming to an end and many times trainers, coaches, and therapists are looking for courses to attend in order to get great practical information and earn Continuing Education Credits before the year is up.

I do have a few courses coming up but before I talk about them, have a look and see what others have said about my courses.

What People Say About Courses By Rick Kaselj:

Read the rest of this entry »

Postural Assessment and Exercise Prescription

DESCRIPTION:

Mother understood the importance of posture. She encouraged us to “stand up straight” and “not to slouch.” Posture is vital; it has an impact on all that we do. Poor posture can increase one’s risk to injury and places increased stress on the body. This course will cover how to quickly and effectively assess posture and provide exercises to correct common postures. This practical course is hands-on. You will leave the course with a wealth of useful information to help your clients.

OBJECTIVES:

- Key concepts of posture
- Effective techniques used to assess posture
- Common postures and key features that identify them
- Exercise prescription for common postures
- Different ways to teach better posture to your clients
- Tying it all together with case studies

Please note: During the class we will perform postural assessments. It is important to wear clothing that allows for an accurate postural assessment.  Please wear shorts or biking shorts, and a t-shirt or sports top.

I was digging in my YouTube channel and came across this video.

I don’t think you have seen it.

I know you will find it interesting information and get you thinking about lower back pain & the leg press machine.

Does the Leg Press Machine Cause Lower Back Pain?

Read the rest of this entry »

In September, I had three great presentations at the BCRPA Fitness Conference.

The feedback was amazing.

BCRPA Fitness Conference Presentation on Shoulder Injuries and Exercises:

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Read the rest of this entry »

I got an update from William Huhn on his trigger point courses.

He has been presenting them in New Westminster, Nanaimo, and now in Poland.

Mark down the dates that Bill will be in New Westminster:

Understanding Trigger Points to Overcome Pain with William N. Huhn – April 16, 2011

HANDS-ON: Trigger Point for Lumbar, Hips, Buttocks and Groin Issues – April 17, 2011

Here is the very exciting update from Bill.

Trigger Point in Poland – August 2010

Read the rest of this entry »

I have another interview with a presenter that is coming to Vancouver to share what he knows.

It is with Mike Robertson.

He’s going to chat with you about his upcoming courses on knee and lower back injuries.

The courses I am talking about are:

Bulletproofing Your Clients’ Lower Back with Mike Robertson – Saturday, December 11, 2010

Bulletproofing Your Clients’ Knees with Mike Robertson – Sunday, December 12, 2010

Mike and I did a quick interview for you so you have a better idea of what to expect from the courses/seminar.

Lets get to the interview.

What You will Learn in the Seminars with Mike Robertson

In Part 1 of the interview, Mike Robertson will share with you:

Who is Mike?
- Owner of Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training
- Owner of Robertson Training Systems
- Personal Trainer & Strength Coach

Bulleting Proofing Your Clients’ Lower Back will cover:
- Anatomy; including lumbar spine and muscle groups
- Static and dynamic assessments
- Program design
- Coaching and exercises

Bulletproofing Your Clients’ Knees will cover:
- Anatomy
- Static and dynamic assessments
- Program design
- Coaching and exercises

Read the rest of this entry »

It was a crazy day on Saturday.

I was off to the BCFit’10 (BCRPA 2010 Fitness Conference).

It was a great day.

I presented the sessions for a total of 4 hours:

Start Teaching Shoulder Exercises that Help, Not Hurt
Shoulder injuries lead to pain, prevent people from doing the things they love and make the simples tasks painful. Many will lean to exercises to help them recover from their shoulder injury.  But too often strength exercises will lead to slower recovery from a shoulder injury. What needs to be done before strengthening the shoulder is activating, building endurance and strengthening key muscles in the shoulder.

Core Exercises that Most Fitness Professionals Overlook
Many times fitness professionals focus only on the back when it comes to improving core stability. What is equally important it to look at the core stability of the hip. Poor activation, endurance and strength in the core of the hip leads to greater risk of injury to the lower back, hip and knee. In this conference session fitness professionals will learn a progressive exercise program that they can use with their personal trainer and group fitness clients in order to improve the core stability in their hip.

Read the rest of this entry »

I got an interview with Mike Robertson for you.

3 Keys to Remember when Assessing Your Client with Mike Robertson

Enjoy the interview.

Mike Robertson goes through:

- Why assessments are so critical to the fitness professional
- What kinds of assessments that Mike goes through
- The boundry a fitness professional has when assessing a client
- Tips for your assessment
- The number one trap that fitness proffesionals fall into when assessing a client.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hey, it is a Friday.

A Friday before a long weekend.

Let me take a few minutes to ramble.

Facebook is So Cool!

It is great to get things like this on Facebook:

Read the rest of this entry »

I have got a lot of great feedback from my last post on knee pain, knee injuries and ACL injuries.

If you missed it, you can check it out here.

Overview of Knee Pain

The knee is the largest joint in the human body. In the most recent report of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the knee is also one of the most commonly injured joints. Each year, more than 5.5 million orthopaedic visits are made due to knee injuries. The joint’s high susceptibility to injuries is mainly attributed to its intrinsic anatomical structure and its function during weight-bearing. Moreover, because of the increasing problem of obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, knee injuries are one of the leading causes of disability in modern society.

Read the rest of this entry »

Exercise Rehabilitation of the Elbow & Wrist

DESCRIPTION:

OBJECTIVES: