As you know, we are hitting the end of the month and that means time for the Injury of the Month.

This month’s  injury is Jumper’s Knee.

In this video I talk about the equipment you will need to perform exercises targeting jumper’s knee.

I hope the video helps you.

It is good if you get Jumper’s Knee or to help one of your clients.

If you are interested in the Jumper’s Knee Program, this is what is what you will get.

That is it.

If you want the full details on the Jumper’s Knee Program, click here.

Rick Kaselj, MS

Back with part two of Nick’s injury story.  In part 1, Nick talked about how he used corrective exercise to overcome an injury.

Now in part 2, he talks specifically how he used corrective exercise to help him with the deadlift.

Thanks so much, Nick.

Enjoy the story and info.

My Back Gave Way

One day, I was doing sets of five on front squats w/chains. On the fifth rep of one of those sets, I felt something “give” on the left side of my low back. My entire low back was in pain and I couldn’t complete another set. I finished with some glute ham raises, cable chops, step ups, and a couple of other things just fine; however, the next few days my back hurt like crazy and I was definitely worried. I trained upper body fine and took the rest of that week off. The following week I felt a little better and was able to train decently. I got some tissue work done, got an adjustment and I felt like I was good to go; thus, I continued with my training for the meet and was actually hitting some PR’s for about a month or two after the “injury.” I decided against doing the meet but was still training pretty well.

What I Should Have Done

Now, what I should’ve done was taken a decent amount of time off from any type of intense training but when I’m in the zone, I’m in the zone. Anybody who’s competitive with anything can understand that. Well, the pain came back and I ended up making things worse as I tried coming back too soon a couple of more times. I had a grade 2 strain (at least) near the 12th rib attachment site of quadratus lumborum and actually had some bruising on the rib. This might not sound like much and there are plenty of worse injuries but it was terrible because it affected pretty much everything I did. Too much stress would cause spasms here and in many surrounding areas and it was real easy to restrain the area. The pain was nagging, sharp, annoying and sometimes extreme.

QL is technically a deep low back muscle though it can really be thought of as a very deep abdominal muscle. It attaches to the 12th rib, lumbar vertebrae and the posterior iliac crest and is a very important spine and hip stabilizer for almost any activity you can think of; thus, it was hard to give it the rest that it needed since its active so often. Since my left glute wasn’t doing its job for who knows how long, my left QL was working overtime and eventually gave. This was definitely a cumulative injury as the overload that occurred in this area from the rotation and shift that I had probably created a large number of microtraumas over time.

I had neglected soft tissue work for too long and hadn’t addressed imbalances appropriately for long enough. Needless to say, I had to back off from heavy powerlifting for a little while and I have eventually come to realize that the entire experience was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to take a step back to figure out the answers to some questions.

What caused this to happen and what held back my lifts?

What do I need to do to fix things so that I can come back stronger and healthier?

I Finally Took Some Time Off to Figure Things Out

Glutues Maximus and Medius Exercises

I took some time off and then had to figure out ways to improve my body and strength without straining this area and making things worse. It took some time and it took some effort but I pulled it off. I focused on hammering out gluteus maximus exercises and gluteus medius exercises, with an emphasis on catching my left glute up to my right.

Worked on My Obliques

I hammered out lots of oblique work to help stabilize my spine and pelvis better. I worked on biomechanics and technique until my shifts were almost eliminated. I invested in a sled so that I could strengthen my legs without straining my back. I got massage, ART and chiropractic care. I did everything I could to make myself better and heal the injury at the same time.

Single Leg Exercises Helped

When it had healed enough to allow it, I began to focus on getting my single leg lifts significantly stronger. I found that single leg variations didn’t aggravate anything while bilateral lifts seemed to aggravate it once I got to a certain weight. Single leg variations were something that I had done but had never really focused on getting strong with. Pushing these lifts up would help to iron out hip and trunk imbalances and increase strength and stability at the same time. I would rotate in 2-3 week cycles of barbell reverse lunges, front split squats, barbell step ups, yoke bar reverse lunges, one leg squats and bulgarian split squats while sometimes adding chains to keep things interesting. I ended up working in the mid to high 200 pound range for most of these, which was a good increase from where I had been before.

Exercises to Target the Glutes

For glute work, I put myself on a steady diet of one leg hip thrusts, one leg rdl’s, reverse hypers, clam shells, side leg raises, bird dog variations, cable chops, sled dragging, prowler pushing, kettlebell swings and other exercises that I’m probably not thinking of at the moment. I pushed these up consistently and am now doing one leg hip thrusts w/ a 135lb bar or lots of chains on my lap, one leg rdl’s with around 150lbs for reps, clams and slr’s with heavy bands and have gotten strong on all of these exercises. I’ve probably put on an inch or two on my glutes over the course of the past two years. I also did some psoas and adductor strengthening as my hips all over were not as strong or as stable as they needed to be. My back has always been a strong point for me while my hips lagged behind. For lower traps, I have done lots of Y’s, I’s, high to low rows and face pull variations. Since lower traps attach on T-12, which is close to that 12th rib, gaining strength, stability and endurance here has helped to provide added support around the area and also helped to rehab the area.

Exercises to Target Quadratus Lumborum

For direct oblique and QL work, I got on a diet of side bridges, rotating side bridges, cable hold variations (split stance, tall kneeling, squatting, etc.), cable chops, side holds and offset farmers carries. All of the single leg work obviously hit obliques and glutes as well.

One great corrective exercise that I had used previously as well is the offset step up. You can either put more weight on one side of a barbell or hold a dumbbell in one hand, and do step ups. The offset weight will force appropriate oblique and hip muscles to fire in order to keep your body square. I have seen these work not only for myself, but many others as well.

The added oblique and glute strength is a big help to QL since it now has the appropriate support from its friends. While I know that there are varying view points on reverse hypers, I absolutely love them and they were a big help in rehabbing my back and keeping strength up. The fact that I could train glute function along with trunk stabilization via low back muscle activity combined with the traction and decompression that the exercise provides helped me tenfold. If you do them correctly and with control, they are an amazing exercise for both posterior chain strength and recovery.

For biomechanics, I had a great colleague and friend of mine watch my movement to help me find where neutral was while eliminating my shift. I did this with the use of lighter squatting and pulling with either a barbell or kettlebell. I did plenty of mobility work for hips and spine as well as some stretching for left TFL (part of the shift) and psoas.

Previously, if I missed a deadlift, it was because of my hips. Getting my front or back squat up almost always meant that my deadlift would go up with it. So by now you are probably wondering, what happened with the old weak points now being stronger points and the biomechanics improving? Well, over the course of the past few months, I’ve dived back into some heavier bilateral squatting and pulling and I feel great. I’ve hit 30 pound PR’s on squatting variations after only a couple of workouts back at it and am gradually working my way back up on the deadlifts but pulled around 500 pretty fast and easy recently, and should be able to hit a PR when I really push it. I feel more stable and have more pop out of the hole with my new found glute strength that I never had before. I plan on hitting some big numbers over the course of the next year and I truly believe that had this injury not happened, I might still be guessing what it was I needed to work on.

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One more part to come. The above was part 2 and you can check out part 1.

Thanks to Nick Rosencutter for the great information above.

Rick Kaselj, MS

It is that time of year to look back and see how things have gone.

One thing that I have been working hard at on EFI are videos. I have well over 200 videos on YouTube and I keep adding more.

Looking back at the year, I wanted to highlight the most popular videos from the EFI YouTube channel.

Here they are in order of most views.

#10 – Simple Gluteus Medius Exercise

#9 – Kettlebell Technique Mistake

#8 – Bill Hartman on Hip and Ankle Mobility

Read the rest of this entry »

Lots of questions in the EFI mailbox this week.

Here are a few that were in there.

Post Rehab Essentials

Just a reminder, the release price of Post Rehab Essentials ends today.

Tomorrow the price will jump up $60.

If you would like to have a better understanding of working with people with injuries, I highly recommend it.

You can get more details by clicking here.

Distance Education Courses

I have had a number of emails from EFI readers about distance education courses.

They have been wondering if I have any distance education courses that they could do in order to get their continuing education credits before the end of the year.

Yes, I do.  I have an number of courses.

Here are the distance education courses that I have:

• Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Lower Body Edition - 6 CECs
• Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body Edition - 7 CECs
• Effective Rotator Cuff Exercises - 6 CECs
• Effective Exercises for Scoliosis - 5 CECs
• The Ultimate Training Guide for Cancer Survivors - 2 CECs
• Lower Back Spinal Fusion & Exercise - 1 CEC

A number of people have said that Christmas is a good time to work on distance education courses since we all have a little more time with things lightening up around work.

If you need it done ASAP, just let me know and I will mark things very FAST.

Plus, remember, if your association is not listed, you can easily petition your association.  Often times all you need to do is fill out a form letting them know about the courses.  I am also here if you need any help.

MIRL CEC Exam

Hi Rick. My name is Bryan. I am a certified Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

As you know, it is time to re-certify and turn in CEU’s. I purchased the MIR-lower body, but for various reasons did not complete the exam before the deadline.

I have contacted the NSCA and they will allow me to turn in CEU’s for the exam.

May I still take the exam and get credit from you so I can use the CEU’s? Sorry to wait to the last minute. Thanks for your help.

Yes, no problem.

We would like people to finish up their exam within a year but we are flexible.

Bryan, finish up the exam and email or fax it to us.

We will mark it and get you your CEUs for NSCA.

If you need it, ASAP, just let us know and we will process it even faster.

Courses from Last Weekend

It was a great weekend of courses.

Last weekend it was the Exercise Rehabilitation of the Upper Body courses.

Lots of learning and sharing.

I learned a lot from those that attended.  From their questions and their own experience and knowledge.

Here are some of the kind words from the weekend:

“I got some great points for my shoulder.”

Christine Masters

“I am very pleased with Exercise Rehabilitation of the Shoulder.  I love it when I can take these new concepts and try them on our residents.”

Diane James

MIRU DVDs are Out There

People are very excited about the Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body Edition - .

The DVDs look awesome but the content is even better.

Today, I am off to pick up another box of DVDs that will be sent around the world.

Thank you for everyone that has talked about them on Facebook.

Let me know how they are.

 Sharing the Reading

Thanks for everyone for passing on various articles from ExercisesForInjuries.com (EFI) around on Facebook, it means a lot.

Make sure to take a look at these posts as there has been some discussion going on in the comment area:

• Key Considerations for Ankle Sprain Exercises
• Corrective Exercises for Disc Herniations
• Post Rehab and Hip Imbalances
• Have We Drunk too Much of the McGill Cool-Aide?

I know I need to reply to the disc herniation posts.  I have been working on this month’s Injury of the Month but will get to it next week.

Oh ya, this months injury is Jumper’s Knee.

That is another week.

Have a great weekend and thank you for reading.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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Still a buzz from last weekend’s course.

It was a great weekend of learning and yesterday I went through some of my notes and practiced some of the exercises.

I am working on the next international presenter to bring to Vancouver.  Those who attended last weekend gave a list of presenters they would like to see.  I am working on contacting them and seeing if they are interested in coming to Vancouver.

Let me know if you have anyone you would like to see for an intensive weekend of learning.

What To do For Those with Back or Knee Pain when the Rear Leg is Elevated

While I was a the course, I did have my digital camera.

I took a few video clips.  Here is another one for you.

Breathing and Athletes

I followed up with Roger Takahashi on the breathing thing he talked about in his presentation.

He was kind enough to take the time to email me a reply with a few more details. I thought you would be interested in it.

“The breathing techniques and information that I touched upon was regarding breathing and recovery – between shifts and post game especially – although it can be used during the game as well.

There is quite a bit of information on it with respect to training athletes. Just google – breathing recovery athletes – or something like that.

We use a computerized system here at the rink that educates players through mostly biofeedback (auditory and visual) to regulate breathing patterns and to us better breathing techniques.

I know that the military uses techniques such as these as well.  Hope this helps!”

Roger Takahashi

Strength and Conditioning CoachVancouver Canucks

Very cool stuff.  I know breathing is important to incorporate into exercise but it is very cool to see athletes incorporating it into performance.

Kind Words about SI Joint Program

“The Sacroiliac Pain Solution Program works: if you do the exercises, the pain will go away.

I found the program a very professional presentation, and set forth in a easy to follow manner.”

Regards,
Robert Pearey

MIRU2 Feedback

I love the fact that I can easily follow along with my own copy of presentations for note-taking.

The information was great and absolutely worth the price.

Tony did a great job making his presentations sound enthusiastic, and I learned the most from him.

Josh Johann

Currently studying Exercise Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

That Is It

Nothing more for this week.

Have a great day and weekend.

For all of my friends in the US, have a great Thanksgiving.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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A very cool thing about being known in the fitness industry is you get to hang out with other leaders in the industry.

One of those guys is Nick Tumminello.

Here is a photo of Nick and I at lunch.

Nick was one of the international fitness industry experts that I have brought to Vancouver to learn from.  He has jointed the list of Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, Anthony Carey and many more that I have brought in.

Last weekend, Nick was in Vancouver to do an intensive seminar with the readers of EFI. (I know I have a lot of acronyms for my stuff but I seem to keep picking long names for things).

I Learned More Than Just Training Stuff From Nick

When I spend a full weekend learning from someone, I always learn more than just training or fitness education stuff.

Here are a few things that Nick said that got me thinking:

Leg Extension is Functional?

The leg extension machine is not functional unless you are training for a seated ass-kicking contest.

He said this is not his quote but I thought it was hilarious.

Exercise Enthusiast versus Fitness Professionals

A fitness professional sees the risk and reward of an exercise and an exercise enthusiast sees an exercise.

Brilliant People

There are a lot of brilliant people out there that you have never heard of.

You might not have heard of them because they have not put themselves out there to share what they know with people for some reason.

Personal Trainers Have Lost Their Identity

They have tried to be good at everything compared to sticking to what they are good at.

Injured People

Injured people are not the same as non-injured people.

Learn from The Right People

Look at the clients you work with, or train and learn from people that do the same thing.

Position versus Movement

When you are observing someone, are you trying to put them into a position or trying to control movement?

How You Feel

When you are presenting a course, people will remember how you feel.

Let me expand on this.  We as presenters give our all and want people to leave happy.  You can see Nick is the same way.  At the end of the weekend, there was a big group hug, group photos, photos with Nick and a lot of hugs.  It was very cool to see.

A key point to remember if you ever plan to do any presenting or teaching.

It was very cool to have people from all over BC, Washington State, California and Illinois come out to the course/seminar.

Now something funny.

Have You Ever…

Have you ever come across a Yoga instructor that has not come across someone that would not benefit from yoga.
Have you ever come across a body builder that has not come across someone that would not benefit from being stronger.
Have you ever come across a corrective exercise specialist that has not come across someone that would not benefit corrective exercise.

Few Tweets on the Event

Mike Howard did some tweeting during the weekend, here is a clip of some of his tweets:

A Training Thing I Learned from Nick

I did learn a lot from Nick.

Here is one thing.

I will have more info on what I learned from Nick in a future post.

Rick Kaselj, MS

P.S. – Here are a few more Facebook comments about the weekend:

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A review of the BCAK 20 Year Anniversary Event

I drove up the mountain like I had done many times before.

I had done it on a daily basis 20 years ago.  Every morning, I would head up the mountain to Simon Fraser University.

Tonight I was at SFU because there was a 20 year celebration for the British Columbia Association of Kinesiolgists (BCAK).  I was also there to see an instructor, Craig Asmundson, and co-op coordinator, Nancy Johnson, who played a big part while I was at university.  Plus strength coach, Roger Takahashi of the Vancouver Canucks was there to share his journey from kinesiology student to kinesiology professional.

BCAK Celebration

The evening started off with a celebration of Craig Asmundson and Nancy Johnson on their contribution to the BCAK.  Both helped start the BCAK, 20 years ago, and were early presidents of the association.

The association has grown to be a voice and advocate for kinesiologists in British Columbia.

The next part of the evening was a presentation of Roger Takahashi.  It was great to hear Roger Takahashi share his journey.  I remember when I worked at a physical therapy clinic, I loved hearing about other people’s professions.  It is fascinating to hear what people do, the skills they have and the journey they have taken to get where they are.

Let me go through some of the highlights of Roger’s presentation.

Roger highlighted the importance of volunteer work and how it was a key thing to him getting his job.

Roger’s Interview with the Canucks

A great story he told is the job interview he had with the Canucks in 2003.  He described sitting in a chair and on the other side of the room was a long table with every member of the Canucks.  All the management, coaching and medical staff.  He described the interview like a shooting drill of questions.  He had no idea on how the interview went, but looking back he feels his volunteer work gave him the understanding of  the day to day operations of hockey which set him apart from other candidates.  In the interview he was able to show he understood the process around hockey but also understood hockey training.

Hockey Combine

He talked about the hockey combine and the role a strength coach plays in it.  Roger shared how he evaluates the prospects and then meets with coaching staff to rank the players.  He downplayed the importance of the combine and highlighted the importance of focusing on the anaerobic tests and lower body power test but also commented on the limitations of the testing.

He talked about how the physical aspect of a hockey player is a small part of an athlete.  Bigger components are their attitude, work ethic, how they handle disappointment and how they have developed over the years.

Read the rest of this entry »

As you know the SI joint injury workout book came out last week and I already was asked for a refund.

Let me chat about why the person refunded.

“I Have Done All the Exercises Before.”

It does not happen often but I do get some refund requests for my products.

I do all I can to listen to their reason and process the refund, fast.

I was sad to hear about a refund request on the Sacroiliac Pain Solution.

The reason why the person wanted a refund was because:

“I have done all the exercises before.”

The reason sounds logical but let me share with you what I have learned about exercises and injuries.

#1 – It is NOT the Exercise

Like Lance Armstrong’s book, It’s Not About the Bike, the same can be said about the exercise.

More important than the exercise is the movement you are trying to target and the goal you hope to reach with the movement.

This can be activation, endurance, strength, mobility, etc.

#2 – Technique is Paramount

I find with exercises for injuries, technique is so important.

It is tough to cover all the details in an exercise in a description or in a video.

The best way to get results is to have someone go through the exercise with you, then you give feedback on what you are feeling while doing the exercise and then have the exercise corrected.

Many times changing a foot position, rotating out a hip or changing the point of weight bearing can have a huge effect on the exercise.

#3 – Order Counts

The order you do the exercises in is also important.

You could be layering on or removing layering with your exercises.

Let me explain.  In order to target lengthening of the psoas, you may need to:

1. Foam roll the rectus femoris
2. Foam roller the biceps femoris
3. Stretch the rectus femoris
4. Stretch vastus lateralis
5. Activate gluteus maximus

Then finally, you can get at the psoas.

Each of the steps above removed layers of the muscle in order to get to the deeper muscle.

#4 – Sets, Reps, Tempo, Frequency and Contraction Type

All of these vary with the exercise and the injury.

For example, in the sacriliac pain solution, one of the exercises is prone hip extension.

This exercise is also performed when someone has jumper’s knee.

The sets, reps, tempo and frequency of the exercise varies depending on if it is SI joint injury of jumper’s knee.

I am sure there is more but I think you get the idea.

There is so much more to getting the result you want from your exercises than the general movement and name of the exercise.

Sneak Peak in to the MIRU DVDs

I am so excited to show you this:

Ya, those are the MIRU DVDs.

They will be available next Tuesday, watch for it.

REMEMBER: Question of the Week (Win DVDs)

Head over to the Exercises For Injuries Facebook Fan Page and answer this question:

What is your greatest challenge when rehabilitating an upper body injury?

If you do, you can win a 4-DVD set of MIRU.

Yes, the ones that are not out yet.

Even if you miss the question of the week, make sure you go to the Fan Page because I plan on giving something away every week.

This is what the Fan Page looks like:

Now to one more question about the SI joint product.

Is this Good for New or Old SI Joint Injuries?

Hello,

I was wondering if this product would help with an old SIJ Injury. In case the ligament seems overstretched and chronic.

In other words would your program be ideal for fresher injuries or would it deal with an old nagging one as well?

Regards,

Salman

It is good for old and new SI joint injuries.

After the initial flare up process, I would do the stage 1 exercises in the program

Even if someone has an old SI joint injury and they were looking at preventing an SI joint flare up, I would get them to do Stage 3 exercises.

A Kind Word about MIRU

Congratulations again on MIRU. It is a tremendous resource that has proven extremely beneficial.

Having worked as a Professional Strength & Conditioning coach in the National Rugby League in Australia I am familiar with the prevalence of impact injuries of the upper body (particularly shoulder injuries).

MIRU has proven an extremely useful resource in providing methods of assessing and correcting muscle imbalances of the shoulder. In addition MIRU has proved a valuable resource in providing corrective and strengthening exercises for the neck and core as well as highlighting valuable soft tissue and myofascial treatment methods.

MIRU has assisted in improving my ability to assess and correct muscle imbalances of the upper body.   Our holistic approach to treating muscle imbalances from the initial assessment phase to the completion of the rehabilitation plans have improved as a result of this resource.

Lee Clark

High Performance Manager (Newcastle Jets A League) formally Performance Manager Newcastle Knights National Rugby league Team

One More Set of Kind Words About MIRU

What I like about the MIRU was that everything could be used ASAP.

I have shoulder problems myself and I was able to integrate a lot of the exercises in my routine. Also, the range of examples being presented in the DVD made me research more about anatomy, physiology and biomechanics. I truly love your product and would definitely recommend it to my peers.

MIRU has validated what I am currently doing with my clients. Sometimes I have doubts on whether I should be applying “fillers” or mobility exercises during the circuit itself but seeing that this is how professionals do it meant that I am following the right path.

Edsel Segovia

Personal Trainer

Toronto, Ontario

That is it for this week.

Thank  you for your questions.

Until next week.

Rick Kaselj, MS

Here are a few muscle imbalance exercises for you.

Before I get to the exercises.

I wanted to show you this:

It is the first batch of DVDs for Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body Edition – .

They look awesome!

What is on them is even better than how they look.

I did not plan on doing DVDs as more and more people like digital access but the feedback I got from the 576 exercise enthusiasts and health & fitness professionals that have got MIRU is, they want a DVD option, so I have set one up.

They will be available next Tuesday, November 14.  Watch for it.

Now let’s get to the muscle imbalance exercises.

Pec Minor Stretch with Foam Roller

I really like this one.

Have a look:

You are on your stomach, with your right forearm on a full foam roller and your right elbow just below your right shoulder.

You take two deep breaths and relax your upper body, then you rotate your head and shoulders away from the foam roller.

The most important part is the rotating of the shoulders – that hits pec minor the best.

If you want to know if you are stretching pec minor, this video will show you how to find it.

MIRU – Coming to a University Near You

Earlier this week, I got an email from:

It looks like they plan to use the Upper Body Edition and the Lower Body Edition of Muscle Imbalances Revealed in the curriculum of one of their sports perfomance classes.

How cool is that?

When I started this MIR thing, I never thought it would be used in colleges and universities, but it is.

In a little while, I will let you know about a college that is starting to carry my courses on-line.

Before I get to the next exercise, I thought this was funny:

Now to the next exercise.

Sitting Relaxation Exercise

This exercise came from a Facebook friend.  I really like it.

I had called the above exercise, “Brugger Relaxation Exercise” but have been told by a few people, that there were a few things missed in the original “Brugger Relaxation Exercise”.

I still think there is benefit in the above exercise so I will keep it in the post.

I will do another video on for the “Brugger Relaxation Exercise.”

I think there is an important lesson there. I am always learning, growing and changing.  Thank you for helping me.

Great Exercises From EFI Readers

As you know I have been giving away DVDs on the EFI Facebook Fan page:

These are all great exercises.  Thank you all for sharing.

I will put more photos below of other exercises that EFI FB friends suggested.

Make sure you visit the EFI Facebook Fan Page to win all kinds of stuff.  This week it is a set of MIRU DVDs.  Yes, the ones above.

Side Lying Half Windmill

This was a suggestion from a EFI Facebook Friend.

I modified it a bit and just did half of the movement.

You are lying on your side with your right leg at a 90 degree bend at the hip and knee.  The right leg is resting on a full foam roller.  This prevents twisting in the lower back and pelvis plus it stabilizes the lower body.

Now you move the right arm out front and just below shoulder height.  Then you move it straight up, leading with the thumb.  When you reach overhead, continue moving the arm behind and back until it is at shoulder height.

Then move the right arm from behind to the front.

Reasons Why I Like This Exercise:

• I like this exercise because we get overhead movement, which is important and often ignored.
• I like the rotation and extension movement that is created in the thoracic spine.  Many people are poor at that.
• With it being in a side lying position, it is easier to move the arm in full flexion.

I am Amazed at What I have Learned

The amazing feedback for MIRU keeps pouring in.

Here is just one of many kinds words I have gotten:

Firstly I am amazed at what I have learned with what I have read and watched.

I am finding the information an excellent update on the PFT training and my Phys.Ed. degree years ago.

What I am impressed with is how I have been able to help at least 3 specific cases with scoliosis, rotator cuff and SI joint issues.

I must say I struggle through the very detailed diagrams of muscles at first and eagerly get to the info on what exercises.

Anyway keep up the good work – you do succeed in making me work!

I also wanted to add that your resources really help me – living in a “rural remote” community where it is expensive to access in-person training.

Thanks so much,

That is it.  Thanks for reading.

Rick Kaselj, MS

P.S. – Here are some other exercises EFI Facebook Friends had suggested.  I hope this helps:

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Today, another interview for you. It is on intermittent fasting.

I know, if you have been following me on the blog, you have seen me started to chat more about nutrition and diet on the blog.

Over the last year, one big thing that I have learned is nutrition and the mental side are things that I have ignored when it comes to injuries. I am starting to focus a little more energy and time on these topics with my clients and getting better results with them.

Now to the interview.

Intermittent Fasting with Dan Go

Click Here to Watch the Intermittent Fasting Video

Dan shares with you:

• What is IF?
• The feedback his clients give him on intermittent fasting
• How IF affects your metabolism
• Research relating to intermittent fasting
• Benefits of intermittent fasting
• How to do intermittent fasting

Also go check out Dan’s blog on fitness lifestyle, it is a lot of fun.

About the report that Dan talks about, I am still waiting for him to send it to me, sorry.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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Another great interview for you today.  It on the importance of addressing fascia in an exercise program.

It is  an interview with Dean Somerset.

Take it away, Dean.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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Why Fitness Professionals Most Focus on Fascia with Dean Somerset [ 12:51 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

With it being Halloween, I thought it would be very fitting to talk about sugar addiction.

Rick Kaselj, MS

I planned on it being a regular day but my birthday got in the way.

I did my regular ritual and got up, checked email and Facebook.

Email was quiet but Facebook was crazy. I had over 121 birthday wishes. I never knew I had that many friends. I don’t think I had that many friends in high school.

As I was reading the birthday wishes, a number of things hit me.

Let me share some of it with you.

Birthday Wishes from Around the World

It is very cool to get happy birthday wishes from every corner of the world: Mexico, Spain, Finland, Holland, Netherlands, Canada and the USA.

All This Writing and Videos are Helping

It is awesome to hear this:

People from around the world are benefiting from the blog, my writing, the videos and products.  This is great to hear. This will help move our society from a pain and injured society to a healthy and active one.

EFI Is Helping

I am so happy that EFI is helping people.

All the support from everyone just encourages me to do more.

Do Great Work!

I think Vince brings up a great point.

“Everyday, wake and do great work.  It will lead to great change, great results and great happiness.” – Rick Kaselj

Birthday Wishes from New Friends

Heard about this guy for a while but finally met him in Vegas a few weeks back.

Even when you are an old fart, you make make great new friends like Mike.  (Happy Birthday to you as well.)

Injury Free Birthday!

Very cute Jacy!

When I hit the gym today, I will make it a light day.

Helping with Your Words

I take presenting very seriously.

A few weeks back I was in San Diego and I freaked out my Mastermind Group.  They were perplexed at why I spent 5 hours on preparing for a 25 minute presentation.

You learn so much when you put it together, you visualize the presentation, you make that vision a reality when you speak and it touches some.

I am so glad I could help, Benjamin.

A big lesson I have learned the last few months is that writing has the same effect as speaking and I need to keep learning, practicing and writing, more.

Croatian Wishes

It is always nice to get warm wishes from family and friends from the old country.

I am sure there will be more to add to this post as the day goes by.

Thank you for thinking of me and sharing your love.

Rick

It was a great Core Stability Weekend.

It was a lot of fun.

There was a lot of learning, knowledge and exercises exchanged.

People love that the courses are practical and hands on.

Have a look here:

I just got these kind words in an email:

“Hi Rick:  Thanks for the confirmation.  I wanted to let you know again how much I enjoyed your workshops on Core Stability.  I really appreciated your teaching style in providing review of anatomy, building onto normal function and ROM and then going into abnormal function and finally a great deal about exercises for stabilization of those muscle sets.  I can see why you have so many repeat customers.  You really provide a much needed service for fitness professionals who want to expand and refresh their knowledge of body mechanics and who are not satisfied in staying stagnant in their field.  I also like attending the workshop with others in the Kinesiology field (e.g. students & professionals) as well as other fitness leaders.  I came away with a ‘wealth’ of information and new techniques.

Again, thanks so much,”
Tina Moore, CPT, RN

Okay, I just have to go out but I will continue this in a bit.

Rick Kaselj, MS

I am in the Las Vegas airport and I just wanted to chat about how Vegas was and a few things I leaned about shoulder injury exercises.

It was a nice trip in Las Vegas and the feedback from my presentation has been very positive.

Thank to everyone that attended. It was a lot of fun sharing my story on how I help health and fitness professionals around the world, plus people with injuries with my books, manuals and videos.

Since I have to fly to Vegas, I make sure I do some learning on the plane.

Things are a little tight to pull out the full laptop so I pull out my iPhone and watch video presentations.  I brought a bunch with me.  Two presentation from Muscle Imbalances Revealed and two presentations from Optimal Shoulder Performance.

The DVDs have been sitting on my shelf for some time but I decided to watch them on the flight to Vegas, they were awesome.

The 4-DVD set is from a presentation done by Eric Cressey and Mike Reinold.

Let me share a few of the nuggets that I got from the first presentation that was done by Mike Reinold.

1. If your client has pain during the last 10 degrees of shoulder abduction, there is a good chance it is Acroclavicular Joint issues or Subacromial Impingement.
2. If your client shrugs with shoulder flexion, take the time to find out why.  Don’t work through it because the deltoid is overpowering the rotator cuff and this can lead to issues in the future.
3. If you want to eliminate or minimize the effect of gravity on shoulder flexion, you can have your client lie on their side and perform shoulder flexion.  For example, if their shoulder issue is on their right side, get them to lie on their left, then move their right arm through shoulder flexion.
4. Start consider including the Beighton Laxity Score in your assessment.  I will do a post on this in the future.
5. In very general terms, if your client has symptoms with external rotation, it is most likely an anterior capsule or labrum issue and if they have symptoms with internal rotation it is most likely a rotator cuff issue.
6. The sleeper stretch is great for restoring motion but not increasing motion.  It can easily be done too aggressively.  One should feel a gentle stretch in the back of the shoulder and not pain in the front of the shoulder.
7. The research is not rock solid for the effectiveness of assessment so you need to combine your experience and evidence.
8. What you see in shoulder pain is often Progression Pathology: Irritation => Inflammation => Fraying => Tearing.  When you see your client, you need to ask where they are in the process.
9. In the shoulder it is always a balance between being too tight or too flexible.  Something in the middle is best.
10. Tight athletes tend to get injured more often.

Here is a little video on how to do the Sleeper Stretch:

Rick Kaselj, MS

One last email from a reader:

“Hi Rick, thank you for your very comprehensive notes on your BCRPA conference on SIJ pain.

Your newsletter is totally fantastic and really help me to stay current in my little town on the Sunshine Coast.

You are always on top of things.

I wanted to also let you know that your 6 ways of improving thoracic mobility helped so many of my clients!  Excellent explanations and great video demonstrations.

Again, thank you.

I have spent some time yesterday removing all my other fitness injuries/rehab and health newsletters/blogs as I found them tedious to read.  But kept yours!

Healthy regards and keep up the great work,”

G

G, I am so happy I can help.

Please do keep letting me know what you think (both good and bad)…

Vince Gironda – Legend & Myth Review

I got an advance copy of Vince Gironda – Legend & Myth

At first I turned down the offer to look at it but I have been hearing  a lot about it the last few day so I decided to give it a quick look.

As I read, I became very intrigued.

Let me share with you a few of the things I found in the book.

#1 – Expanding Horizons

The book highlighted the Golden Era from the 50s, 60s, and 70s of body building.

I can say that I am not a body builder but of late I have been working hard to open my horizons to other disciplines and perspectives than the ones that I have been trained in.

This has included being open to the effect of energy on injury recovery and how nutrition can affect injury recovery.

Over the last few months I have realized, there is greater growth and understanding if I go and learn from other specialities and disciplines.  One of those areas is body building since it is another exercise and movement based sport.

#2 – Good for a Laugh

The book was very entertaing.

The author, Alan Palmieri, highlights some of the entertaining moments of working with and learning from Vince.

How Alan explains his first contact with with Vince was very funny.  You should have a look.

#3 – Challenged What Most of Us Think

Vince had interesting stuff to say about squats, bench pressing and what blenders do to stuff.

Most of us have been taught and trained differently than what he had to say.

It is good to hear another perspective on things.

#4 – A Lot of Wild Exercises

I am always looking for exercise ideas.

I may see an exercise that a body builder would do but then I will tweak it for a 70 year old client as the exercise may relate to a movement the client maybe weak in.

Also if the logic in the exercise makes sense, I will tweak it for a general population client.

One example is the “Low Pulley Rowing From Racing Drive Position”.

For body builders it is an exercise that targets the lats, but I like how it works the legs in an isometic position at the end position.  Plus the core muscles have to be active to stabilize the lower back and then you add a rowing movement which is a functional and important movement.  I like it.  I will put that in my exercise tool box.

Thanks Vince.

#5 – Nutrition of Muscle Gaining

It was interesting to read what to eat in order to build muscle, detox the body, affect digestion or gain weight fast.

In the day and age we live in now, a lot of this revolves around supplements.  It was cool to read what Vince did with real food to get the results he wanted.

Sum It All Up

I liked the book.  It gave me a look into one of the legends in the sport of body building and what he did. Which was very cool.

I also got a lot of new ideas when it came to exercises and movements, plus insight into old school methods of muscle mass nutrition.

If you are starting to get into body building and looking to see what one of the leaders in the golden era used to do, check out Vince Gironda – Legend & Myth.

If you are a fitness professional that has a few clients that are starting to do more body building, check out Vince Gironda – Legend & Myth for some ideas and answers to the questions you might get.

If you like body building history or fitness history, check out Vince Gironda – Legend & Myth.  You will get a chuckle, be reminded of a wild time and have a better understanding of how we got where we are now.

If you are looking at different eating schemes in order to build muscle, this has a lot of methods.  I could have used this for my thin clients that were looking at putting on weight and gaining muscles, , check out Vince Gironda – Legend & Myth .

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the review.

We will talk to you soon.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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Today, I have another interview for you on life coaching.

I know it is a different kind of post but I was interested in the topic and wanted to learn more about it.

I heard Brenda had been studying in the area so I thought it would be a great idea to ask her a few questions about it.

Click Here to Listen to ==> Brenda Adams on How Life Coaching can Help Your Personal Training Clients

Few of the Highlights from the Interview:

• How Brenda went into Life Coaching
• Importance of re-writing stories in our clients and ourselves
• How life coaching has helped Brenda as a personal trainer
• How life coaching can help when it comes to injuries
• The two sides of life coaching

I hope you enjoy the interview.

If you would like more information on Brenda Adams, you can visit her at Essential-Elements.ca

If you know of someone that would be great to interview, please do email.

Or if you have an injury story or something that would benefit health and fitness professionals, please contact me.

Take care and have a great day.

Rick Kaselj, MS

P.S. – If you enjoyed this interview on life coaching, there is a good chance you will enjoy this interview:

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Brenda Adams on How Life Coaching can Help Your Personal Training Clients [ 10:26 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A boot camp marketing guest post by Bedros Keuilian

In a recent survey that was conducted with over 50,000 fitness pros who owned or operated fitness boot camps, more than 60% reported annual income of under $50,000 year.

The results of the survey were eye opening to say the least and further proves that boot camp marketing is the determining factor when it comes to market place success.

The same survey showed that 82% of the fitness industry is making under $100K a year. Again eye opening numbers, because the fitness boot camp owners in the know are comfortably generating over $100K a year.

Now, if you’re looking for better bootcamp marketing tactics, this post is going to give you plenty of hope.

First off, you cant blame your boot camp marketing issues on the economy. You and I both know that the economy will straighten out. It will never be like it was in the past. That was a false economy, built on a house of cards, destined to come crumbling down onto itself.

But it will get better. We’re seeing signs of the NEW economy emerging.

Now there REALLY GOOD NEWS in this for YOU.

See, a recession is like “natural selection” of the business world.

The entrepreneurially weak, systematically unorganized, “flying by the seat of their pants” boot camp owner has been weeded out.

This leaves YOU in a position of power IF you position yourself for boot camp marketing superiority.

Market superiority is the process of YOU positioning YOUR business as the single obvious choice in your community for anyone seeking a personal trainer or fitness and fat loss results.

Market superiority is you having a defined niche. Carving out a segment of the population and becoming the expert to those people.

Market superiority is knowing EXACTLY who your avatar is.

Market superiority is you knowing who your ideal avatar is and where you can find them in your community.

• where they shop
• what newspapers and publications they read
• what social or business groups they hang out in
• what businesses they frequent
• and what their greatest pains are (fat loss, tight tone body, more confidence, energy?)
• what their fitness and fat loss desires are
• who their facebook, twitter, and linked-in social groups are
• what fan pages they “like” most
• what they’re searching for on google
• what radio stations they listen to
• what TV channels they watch

Market superiority is knowing how to reach your prospect using the above mentioned vehicles.

Market superiority is knowing how to craft an offer that gets them to act on it.

Market superiority is realizing that it’s not just about building a massive email list, but even more importantly about building a massively deep and authentic relationship with that list.

Market superiority is establishing authority, credibility, and likeability with your list and within your community which ultimately translates to TRUST.

And TRUST is the single biggest reason why people will buy from you.

Market superiority is having your fitness boot camp talked about and you involved in the community.

Market superiority is having systems, scripts, and processes for selling, answering inquiry calls and email.

Market superiority is having retention, referral generation and even reactivation systems in place

Now imagine if you established market superiority today… what would that mean for your personal training or boot camp business?

And imagine the market share that you’ll dominate and the security that you’ll have in the new economy, when more personal trainers or boot camps come into the industry.

That is power in the market space, and smart boot camp marketing strategies can help you take market share in your community.

Consider running social proof driven, direct response ads in local publications that make low barrier – high value offers.

Or penetrating the email list of local businesses who serve your ideal client such as; tanning solons, day spas, and hair solons. A simple endorsed and irresistible offer to these lists will drive tons of traffic to your business.

Another brilliant boot camp marketing idea for you is to take pictures of people working out in your boot camps and then post them on Facebook and tag your clients. When their friends “like” or comment of the photo, offer them a free week to your boot camp.

And one of my favorite ways to quickly build your boot camp up is to build your house list. Be sure to capture the email address of all your clients, prospects, businesses associates, and even past clients. If you don’t have an email newsletter system consider getting FitPro Newsletter and stay in constant contact with your list.

Always deliver high value content to them, build a solid relationship and be get them to know, like, and trust you and when you do this you’ll find that you’re getting steady streams of new clients.

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Bedros Keuilian is a fitness marketing expert and specializes in helping fitness boot camps grow their business to six figures.

A common thing you will see in people that do bootcamp are muscle imbalances.

Let me explain with this Q&A that I did with Caroline Fitzgerald.

We all have clients who have nagging injuries that are not only holding them back, but challenging us. I don’t know about you, but my certifications covered very little about dealing with client injuries, and certainly nothing about how to help them fix the problem so that they can continue working with me, getting stronger and seeing better results!

There is a fantastic resource out there now…not only will it help you become a better trainer who gets better results for their clients, it will set you apart from other trainers who don’t have these advanced training skills. And this week, this fabulous resource is on sale.

Rick Kaselj’s Muscle Imbalances Revealed 2.0 is on sale this week! (NOTE: The sale prices show at checkout, not on the sales page.)

MIR2 offers trainers a comprehensive education on understanding, identifying, and addressing muscle imbalances in our clients. It’s thorough, easy to understand, and presented in the most convenient way. You really won’t find anything else like it.

I was lucky enough to grab Rick for an interview so that you can get an even more in-depth view of what MIR2 is all about. (Be sure to read all the way to the bottom where he addresses using MIR2 for Boot Camps and check out the video tip he did just for Best Boot Camp Workout subscribers!)

Caroline – 1. Why did you decide to produce MIR2?

Rick – MIR2 evolved from what I was doing with my clients, and the successes they were having, and from my desire to share what I was doing with other fitness professionals.

I have been a personal trainer for well over 15 years and, like many trainers, when I started I focused on cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility. I got decent results with these three techniques, but I wanted to get even better results.I went back to school and got my Master’s Degree in Exercises Science. I took what I learned to my clients and things certainly improved, but the results were still not what my clients and I were looking for.

I began doing some reading on my own and came across the concept of muscle imbalances. I’d heard about them and usually addressed them with stretching, but I found out that this was not the best way to deal with them.

I researched, practiced on myself, and worked with my clients to address muscle imbalances. The results were amazing. I was able to help them bust through fitness plateaus, prevent injuries, and overcome injuries. I knew pretty quickly that this was something I wanted to share with other trainers.

In order to get an even wider perspective on muscle imbalances, I sought out 5 other experts in the area and, using video presentations and handouts, we all share the best assessments and exercises that we use to help clients address muscle imbalances.

2. Virtually all trainers work with injured clients at some point, whether it’s something as simple as nagging aches and pains or full blown injuries, but many certifications don’t really prepare us to handle those clients. MIR2 is, in essence, the vital missing piece of a personal trainer’s education.

I feel this way because it is true that most clients have some sort of old injury. With that old injury, what occurs are muscle imbalances. These muscle imbalances need to be addressed in order to get better fitness results, to fully overcome the old injury, and to prevent a future injury.

This does not mean that your client needs to do a 60-minute muscle imbalance exercise routine. Very often,a 5- minute routine will do the trick. Not just any 5 minutes of exercises will do the trick, however; it needs to be specific and targeted exercise.

This will set you apart from other trainers and you will have more advanced skills than other trainers.

Caroline – 3. Speaking of certifications, is it true that MIR2 offers CECs and CEUs?

Rick – Yes, this is really cool. I used to work in a small community and it was difficult to get CECs or CEUs. I needed to take time off from work, travel to the course, pay for a hotel and then pay for the course. Quite often the travel costs were more than the cost of the course.

With MIR2, you can sit at home and watch the video presentations on your laptop, iPod, iPad or DVD player. While watching the presentation, you fill in an exam and send it to us. We grade it and send you a certificate for 9 different fitness associations.

(Muscle Imbalances Revealed has been approved for 0.6 NSCA CEUs, 0.6 NASM CEUs, 0.7 ACE CECs, 6.0 BCRPA, 6.0 AFLCA Credits, 6.0 BCAK CEC, 3.0 PTS/3.0 FIS CanFitPro CEC, 5.0 CMTBC, 6.0 OFC and CSEP 6 PDC.)

Caroline – 4. You’ve mentioned that muscle imbalances are more complicated than those that can be fixed by what we traditionally call Corrective Exercise…will you explain the difference?

Rick – I find that corrective exercise is not comprehensive enough to deal with muscle imbalances. Most corrective exercise systems focus on self-massage, activation, stretching, and integration. These certainly do help, but they don’t solve all the problems. I have expanded on corrective exercises and incorporated 10 specific techniques to address muscle imbalances.

Caroline – 5. Okay, so I understand how MIR2 is invaluable to a trainer to help them work with injured clients and to prevent injuries and imbalances in healthy clients.  Will you explain how MIR2 helps trainers help clients bust through fitness plateaus?

Rick – Muscle imbalances lead to clients not getting the most out of an exercise.

If a client has muscle imbalances in their ankle, knee and hip, this will result in any exercise involving squats or lunges being less effective. When the exercise is less effective, results decrease.

If you can address muscle imbalances, your clients will get more out of the exercise and that will help your clients bust through fitness plateaus.

It sounds simple because it is.

Caroline – 6. Can MIR2 be used in group training settings, like boot camps?

Rick – Yes! Numerous boot camp instructors have benefitted from MIR2.

What MIR2 gives them is:

1) Exercises that they can put in their bootcamps that will help all of their campers overcome muscle imbalances.

2) Quick ways of assessing their campers in order to highlight muscle imbalances.

3) A method to show the issues that can be slowing down their clients results.

Caroline – 7. Is there anything else you would like my readers to know?

Rick – There is so much more trainers can do to help people than just reduce fat. If you have a tool that allows you to address muscle imbalances, you will see better and more results for your client.  It will also allow you to show that you can help people with their aches and pains. This leads to setting you apart from the rest, getting more clients, and making more money.

Thanks, Rick for the great information on bootcamps and muscle imbalances!

You can get more details on MIR2 here:

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