Hello Diesels.

As I have posted before, I am a huge baseball (and especially New York Yankees) fan. I watch them every chance I get. I stay up to date on the Yankees’ rumor mill, trades, signings…all of it in-season and out.

However, putting all that drama aside, I also like to study what they do for strength and conditioning, and what other industry leaders are saying about strength and conditioning for baseball. I have a handful of baseball players that come to train every so often, and I like applying the stuff I learn to the training I do with them, plus I try to apply it to my own training. Although I will probably never play baseball again, I do indeed suit up for Slow Pitch softball during the summer and enjoy playing to the best of my ability because it is fun as hell and it is a good break from the “hardcore” training I am normally doing in the gym.

This season, to my enjoyment, it seems the Yankees have actually put a lot more information out there as far as what their players are doing.

For instance, in a recent episode of Yankees Magazine, they showed a Strength and Conditioning session between first basemen, Mark Texeira and strength coach, Dana Cavalea.

For the most part, it talked about how they have incorporated the use of the foam roller into Mark’s training (I am not sure if all the players use them). Cavalea spoke about the foam roller’s ability to improve tissue quality while Texeira spoke about how he would utilize foam rollers as a part of a warm-up prior to strength training.

Improving Tissue Quality

The idea is that by rolling over the foam roller, the pressure will do a couple of things. First off, the localized pressure will “break up” adhesions and improve the quality of the muscle tissue and allow it to perform better. Going further, these adhesions, similar to scar tissue within the muscle, can reduce flexibility and mobility, so by eliminating these flaws in the tissue, you should be able to perform better in lifting and sports.

Here’s a little bit about foam rollers in my experience.

Smitty made me a ghetto foam roller in like 1999. From then until 2008, I used it solely to crack my back every once in a while. It worked great for that purpose, but I had no idea what else I was supposed to with it until like 2007 or 2008 (can’t quite remember which).

In 2007 or 2008, whenever I trained with Smitty and the other guys in the Diesel Squad, I would roll on the foam roller they had. In 2008, they eventually upgraded to a new foam roller which was black and scary looking and they let me take the white foam roller to my place to train with. That was right around when I built my home gym here in the garage. Every so often, I would roll on it prior to a workout, but mainly I only used it to adjust my back prior to workouts.

In 2009, I started to come to the conclusion that my neglect for my joints and my flexibility was holding me back in my strength training. I had gotten so tight in the hamstrings that I think I may have torn one playing softball that year. A lot of this was compounded by the fact that I have worked at a desk since 2001. My thighs and hips have been locked up for several years and this has gradually worked up my back into my thoracic region as well. Around this time is when I started to use foam rollers more frequently.

I started using foam rollers of some sort in almost every workout session in 2009. I started out still using the old beaten up white foam roller. However, that thing was well beyond its time and it literally was now shaped like a flattened U. This was a softer grade foam roller that got used heavily for years by mostly lighter dudes and then I put it through the ringer with my 260-lb ass, so by this time it was just plain wasted.

That was when I abandoned the foam roller made of foam and went with a cardboard core from my old place of work. It was a similar length as a form roller or maybe longer (I have since cut in half so I have one upstairs and one downstairs), but it is smaller in diameter and of course much much harder.

So, because the cardboard pipe is a bit smaller in diameter, it could focus into the dense adhesions more directly and let me tell you – the sensation I would get was nearly a 10 on the 1-to-10 pain scale. Some of this dramatic sensation I wasn’t even feeling on the foam roller. The white foam roller had essentially become useless in my opinion – I could barely crack my back with it because it was beaten up so badly. Jumping onto the hard pipe was a WAKE-UP CALL as to my tissue quality.

To this day, I still use the cardboard core roller every single workout. I start with my thoracic spine, then move on to the lats and then the lumbar area. From there, I move to the hips, working around the head of the femur, the glutes, piriformis, IT band, hamstrings, quads, etc.

I must say that when I go down to the gym, I sometimes feel like ABSOLUTE TRASH, especially in my hips and my back.

After I get off the cardboard core, the feeling in my hips improves DRAMATICALLY.

However, here is my issue…

I see very little proof that my flexibility, mobility, range of motion has improved “chronically.” In other words, while I feel like 900,000 bucks (not quite a million bucks) after hitting the roller and prior to my workout, the next day, I feel locked up just like any other time. So I am not entirely sold on the idea that the foam roller will change your life.

Yes, my injuries have been reduced DRAMATICALLY since employing them religiously – YES SIR. But as far as how I feel throughout the day, there has been very little change.

Now onto the other side of the foam roller equation…

Foam Roller as a Warm-up

I think the foam roller has been a great addition to my workout as a part of my warm-up. Part of being strong is feeling good, and I must say that I feel much better after foam rolling and perform better in my workouts after I hit the foam/pipe roller. I even do this if I am just hitting an extra session of Grip Training – it makes me feel that damn good.

I think there are a couple reasons why the cardboard roller works for me as a warm-up device…

First off, you have the tissue lengthening and circulation promotion properties of the foam roller. Seeing how I am pretty much sitting on my ass all day, getting down on the foam roller and moving around a bit is a welcome feeling. I can feel the blood moving into the areas and I start to feel less like Frankenstein or the Tin Man once I do it.

Secondly, many of the positions that I get into with the roller are similar to the Plank. The Plank is a great movement for warming up and strengthening the core. I think we all know this and have used it from time to time. I’ve noticed that as I roll on the roller, if I make sure to keep my feet off the floor and support myself ONLY with my hands or on my elbows, my core gets a light stimulation, much like in a Plank position.

Incidentally, my warm-up does not include ONLY foam rolling. I also do quite a bit more general warm-up moving patterns prior to each training session using a mixture of Scott Sonnon-influenced Flow and stuff from Smitty’s Amped Warm-up Protocols. But even if I don’t do that stuff, I feel much more mobile and better prepared for the workout once I roll for 5 to 7 minutes.

So, the point I am trying to make here is simply that I have seen lots of short-term benefit from using rollers, especially the cardboard one.

Foam rolling is somewhat of a controversial topic. Some people swear on them uphill and down. Unfortunately, some of these people also throw around fitness buzz words like “Core” left and right, and sometimes when you hear fitness professionals like that talk about something and they are buzz word-aholics, you can shut them out of your mind right away.

Foam rollers also seem to be completely abhorred by the Gym Movement community. For instance, I have read Mike T. Nelson shoot these things down on multiple occasions. He even submitted an article to our site several years ago called “Get Off the Foam Roller.” One thing he pointed to in that article was that they caused pain, and so he did not believe in their use (there were other reasons given, that is just one of them…)

So I guess I am stuck in the middle between the dude that absolutely loves these things and thinks they can cure everything from flexibility/mobility issues, to cancer, and the dude that hates them because they cause pain and anything that causes pain is bad.

As far as the longer lasting benefits of foam rolling, I can’t say I have seen that many. But maybe I am doing it wrong?

What I am asking is this. If YOU have tried foam rolling and given it an honest try, post here and tell me what you think. What benefits have you found? What limitations have you seen? How often do you use foam rollers?

Just leave a comment below. I appreciate you sharing your experience. Thanks ahead of time!

All the best in your training, Diesels!

Jedd

P.S. I just got word from Eric Cressey that he is taking $50 off his Show and Go Training System because he is celebrating his tenth anniversary of turning 21! Cressey is a strength training genius, so you should really consider this deal. This program is usually $127 and for a short time it is just $77 = > “>Cressey’s Show and Go Training

As a BONUS, I will offer up a 30-minute phone consultation to anyone who picks this up through
my link above. I believe in Cressey’s stuff so much, I really want you to benefit as well. Just forward me your receipt and we will schedule it!

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• 3 Insanely Effective, FAST Upper Body Warm-ups – Repost
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For years, I thought warming up was a joke – a waste of time. DUMB.

Trainers like Guy Razy would come to train with us and show us cool warm-up drills, and I would ignore them. DUMB.

Guys like Coach Mike wrote me emails telling me I needed to improve my flexibility and mobility and I put it off. DUMB.

Smitty and Brad told me how much better they felt after incorporating more of this stuff into their training and I ignored them. DUMB.

It wasn’t until more than a year later when Smitty and Brad actually ran me through a battery of intense warming up that I realized what I was missing. Now I warm-up intensely every single workout.

In addition to warm-up and dynamic flexibility strategies to get ready to WREAK HAVOC, I’ve also found that I respond well to jumping exercises before hitting the weights.

I’ve always loved jumping, but unfortunately my ceiling is too low for me to leap up on top of jump boxes, so that’s out of the question.

But I recently found something just as good. You’ve probably heard them called Kneeling Jumps, but I call them Up Downs.

Up Downs spark the Central Nervous System BIG TIME.

After doing these, I am ready to DROP BOMBS. I feel more aware, more focused, and I have hit several PR’s since including them. I want you to try these out.

How to Perform Up Downs

You may have seen these done differently elsewhere, but this is how I do them. This way actually makes it harder to perform them, causing you to work just a bit harder, focus more deeply, and as a result, pushing you to a better warm-up finisher.

Starting Position:

Kneel down on the gym floor, placing your entire shin flat on the ground, plantar flexing the foot. This position takes your ankles out of the movement and forces you to engage everything else more intensely.

Power Transfer:

It is imperative to get the arms involved in the movement in order to generate the power to get up off the ground and to the landing position. Swing them back to engage a sretch reflex, then fire your leg and glute power to drive yourself upwards.

Recovery Position:

Once airborne, you must pull your feet out from under you to stick the landing. Try to land as quietly as possible to absorb the energy, and get into an athletic position, like a puma ready to pounce on its prey.

Here’s a quick video demo showing some of the stuff I have done to modify Up Downs even more.

If you’re like me and have hated and dreaded warm-up, you should try this out.

Go through some dynamic warm-up and mobility stuff and then finish it off with some Up Downs or something similar to really prime the CNS. I think you’ll be surprised how good you feel.

Try them and let me know what you think. I think you’ll have a KICK-ASS workout setting MONSTER PR’s.

All the best,

Jedd

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I can’t hold back any longer!  I am here to expose the Matrix.

Have you ever seen Keanu Reeves?  Yes, he rides a motorcycle.  Yes he has a band.  And yes, he has a very substantial beard.  I mean he could either be the 4th dude from ZZ Top, or rent the space in his beard for a butterfly or sparrow retreat.

This post is AWESOME!

I think I actually saw a biscuit fall out of it once.  But that is not the point.

The point is, this dude really expects us to believe that he was actually strong enough and limber enough to pull off those bullet dodging stunts?

Well sir, you haven’t fooled me!

I have recently uncovered this never-before-seen, undoctored pic of Keanu on the set of the matrix.  It clearly shows that Mr. Reeves was in fact performing these very mobile stunts while on a swiss ball!

Ah ha!  I caught you!

After this really cool intro, let’s really get into it.

Real Swiss Ball Training

I have recently done a ton of research on how to improve the mobility of my athletes.  In fact, I think I have some pretty important ideas that I will document over the course of the upcoming months.

My biggest influences have been in no particular order:

- Frank Shamrock

- Mike Robertson and Eric Cressey

- Scott Sonnon

_____________________________________________________________

Mike and Eric for their important work with Magnificent Mobility.  Mobility was an essential part of the AMD structure and it all started with them opening my eyes to how important mobility is.

Definition of Mobility (my informal definition, yes you can quote me) - ability to freely move through the intended motion for all movements or exercise without restrictions and have strength and stability throughout this range of motion.

What is the difference between mobility and flexibility? Flexibility implies range of motion.  But it does not imply strength in this extended range of motion.

Flexibility can be enhanced with static stretching.  But mobility exercises not only improve  range of motion of a joint, but also activates the engaged musculature during the movement.

A win-win.

Both static stretching and mobility drills have their place in a strength program.  And therefore both should be used.

Prior to a workout, the CNS must be charged and excited and your core temperature must be increased.  Mobility drills can accomplish this very effectively when used in conjunction with SMR and activation work.  All of these are an essential part of a thorough warm-up.

That is why Mike and Eric’s product is so important.

Now on to Scott and Shamrock.

A while ago I came across a video of Shamrock using a swiss ball for his mobility drills.  I really loved the concept for many reasons.

The swiss ball used in this manner will:

• improve full body mobility; ankles, hips, thoracic spine, shoulders, elbows, wrists
• improve proprioception and kinesthetic awareness
• promote fascial raking and effective “sensory” activation
• become ONE part of a great warm-up (SMR, Mobility, Activation, Warm-up) that is relaxing and fun
• be great for transitioning for combat athletes

This led into my ongoing discovery of Scott Sonnon’s work.    All of these “mentors” have shaped and are continuing to shape my ever changing view of movement.

Enjoy.

Post your comments about your own mobility work AND how you felt after trying this new drill.

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