1. When treating ankle sprains most people resort to the RICE treatment, which means Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. I am not completely against this, as I will ice the ankle for the first two days to reduce the swelling. After that I will start actively rehabing the ankle and try to get as much movement out of it as possible. I like to go a little more agressive than ankle alphabets, and use Jump Stretch bands to actively stretch and strengthen the ankle. You try to get as much range of motion as possible without pain (uncomfortable is acceptable). This is also a great movement to strengthen the ankles before they get sprained (which is the better solution). The reason behind this is that this way we promote pumping the blood into the ankle which in return elicits faster recovery. This is not just some theory as I have had great success with this method. I have to thank the original “band man” Dick Hartzell for this great information. I guess this one isn’t so random since I have to apply it as I have sprained my ankle (eversion sprain at that - more uncommon)v two days ago which SUCKS.

Don’t let the age fool you, Dick’s the real deal…..

2. Baseball pitchers should do less, and with less I mean almost no distance running. I haven’t done any long distance running with my pitchers in years. First off I would ask which component of pitching involves long distance running? I don’t want to hear the whole “baseline of conditioning” argument either. Some of the reasons why you should start eliminating long distance running if you are a pitcher: negative effects of stretch shortening cycle, reduces strength and power production, decreases mobility, concerns with immunity and endocrine systems. Honetsly you should read more about this from the genius himself Eric Cressey here and here.

3. Stretching the lumbar spine (a.k.a. low back) is not necessarily a good thing. Most people I hear complain about low back pain always tell me that they stretchthe low back to relieve the pain. Even though the strecthing may feel good at that moment doesn’t mean it is good overall. It is kind of like a rash, when you scratch it, it feels good but after you get the infection and immflamation - not so good. A big reason people have back probelms in the first place is because they flex and extend at the lumbar spine which is intended to be stable. A better idea is to improve hip mobility/flexibility, stabilize the lumbar spine and activate the glutes (also know as your butt). So next time you want to stretch your back, rather do some hip flexor stretches, planks and glute bridges.

Hmmmmmm……

4. I love pushups and they are a great movement for people with shoulder issues (if done right). Push ups are a closed chain movement and the scapula is free to move, unlike the bench press. You can load push ups with weighted vests and also plates (more advanced) to get work done in different rep ranges. Many athletes I see in the gym are struggling to bench a bar with jaffa cakes on each side and they don’t work on their push ups. You should be able to do 40 crisp push ups before you ever pick up a weight.

5. Im excited about the trip to New York and Connecticut in a couple of weeks. I will be attending a fitness seminar with some of the top people in the business concerning fitness business and training. Not only is more than worthwhile when it comes to the knowledge gained but the networking is incredible. I will be able to interrogate some of my mentors and believe me I will take notes for days. What’s just as exciting is that I will see my brother who will meet me in New York and join me for the seminar. Haven’t seen him in a while so this will call for some catching up and good times in general.

6. On a similar note I hopefully will be able to meet up with some of my friends and fellow players from when I played in upstate New York. I will again revive my Brooklyn accent and start every sentence with “whats good?” If that’s not exciting then please tell me what is……