Professional Strength Coach-- Ask Me Anything Thread

[jheenan]

Condensed bio: Former collegiate pitcher/ Powerlifter/ Olympic Lifter. Have BS +MS in Human Movement/ Sports Psychology and currently working on my Doctor of Natural Medicine Degree.

Some career highlights include coaching multiple championships, going to multiple NCAA Tourneys and helping add MPH to our pitchers (topping out at 97MPH).

Specialty is injured athletes and pitchers.

Note: All info is not a diagnosis, the info is used to guide your decision making. When appropriate I will back with research in answers

Please ask questions here to keep an open conversation going.

more info: www.joshheenan.com

[Wales_Diesel]

Welcome Josh,

Looking forward to following this thread.

[jheenan]

Thank you! I do as well. I am not a newbie here, but my account was not working so I decided to start fresh! I look forward to helping others-- players parents and coaches as well as learning from others.

[Ariscards23]

Hi Josh welcome to the boards! Here is my question.

What is your take on little leaguers elbow?

[jheenan]

http://www.joshheenan.com/little-league-elbow-and-shoulder-presentation/

Here is a talk I gave on the problem. Not exactly sure what your looking for. Do explain.

[fearsomefour]

I would like you to explain the importance of hip mobility in weight lifting, related to the squat specifically. I see guys squating and they either cant get down or they come up "crooked"....favoring one side or the other. I would assume alot of this has to do with immobility or imbalances in the hip joints.

[sidewinder25]

Josh,

What lifts should pitchers specifically avoid/limit in their workout routines? I often hear bad things about overhead press, benching, dips, and tricep extensions. Recently I've heard/read that hang cleans place a lot of stress on the elbow too. What lifts are not good for a pitcher? And what would be a good substitute for said lift.

Thanks

[CSOleson]

Josh, I'm curious. Are you a strength coach who is for, or against, OLY lifts for pitchers? How about for other athletes? The general population?

[andrew_bailey]

i am a college pitcher and my coach has told me not to take any type of protien powder period. what is a recipe for a protien shake that doesnt include any type of protien or creatine powders?

[jimster]

Just take protein powder? Take whey and/or creatine, both are natural substances with little to no side effects.

A coach who tells his players to not take any type of protein powder of any sort obviously is not very knowledgeable in fitness.

If you drink milk, you're getting whey, so drinking powders that isolate it, isn't bad.

I can't speak as much on creatine, but I do know it is found in most protein powders.

[fearsomefour]

Andrew....you can make a shake using milk as a base with yogurt, peanut butter and other things. One thing to keep in mind is getting that protein through eating, will take a little research on your part. Not all proteins in food are created equally, for example; Ricotta cheese -- made from whey protein -- is the perfect replacement for standard protein powder. It packs 14 to 16 grams of protein per serving and digests quickly, providing your muscles with an immediate boost. Cottage cheese -- made with casein protein -- replaces slow-digesting casein protein powder. This provides your muscles with a prolonged supply of protein for lasting energy. Eating enough servings of Ricotta to replace a protein shake with 80g of protein may not be advisable as it might back you up. You can replace the protein you would get in a shake a day with food, but, it will take some planning. If you just looking to hit a certain number for protein grams per day you can with food, but, if it is alot 150g or more lets say, you will be eating all day long, which might not be bad. A lot depends on what your caloric goals are. Trying to gain weight, lose weight or maintain current weight.

[jheenan]

I would like you to explain the importance of hip mobility in weight lifting, related to the squat specifically. I see guys squating and they either cant get down or they come up "crooked"....favoring one side or the other. I would assume alot of this has to do with immobility or imbalances in the hip joints.

Sorry for the delayed reply!

Squatting can have numerous limitations that will change the pattern.

These include…
-orthopedic limitations of that acetabulum and femur
-capsular limitations of socket
-muscular weakness (often quad or glutes)
-tight musculature without proper length (quad/psoas/glutes/adductors/abductors)

if its asymmetrical, the first test I would have you try a single leg squat to a box for ~10 reps. If there is a drastic strength/balance deficit (which would likely be a strength deficit as well) it’s likely a strength problem. If it’s symmetrical, refer out for an ortho screen.

[jheenan]

Josh,

What lifts should pitchers specifically avoid/limit in their workout routines? I often hear bad things about overhead press, benching, dips, and tricep extensions. Recently I've heard/read that hang cleans place a lot of stress on the elbow too. What lifts are not good for a pitcher? And what would be a good substitute for said lift.

Thanks

This is a widely loaded question. Every athlete should be evaluated before put into a lifting program. I do use O-lifts with some athletes for given reasons, but they are more advanced and the risk reward is in their favor.

[jheenan]

Josh, I'm curious. Are you a strength coach who is for, or against, OLY lifts for pitchers? How about for other athletes? The general population?

Same as the previous poster, it depends.

When speaking to only baseball players we don't snatch due to valgus stress on the elbow and we don't clean because of the wrists.

I competed in Olympic lifting and saw many people with wrist injuries. Not to say it will happen, but my argument is always that if any baseball player injuries their wrist that could be their career. Not worth it in my book.

I do use overhead squats as an extension to our warm-up during certain phases. We use it more as a mobility exercises for the thoracic spine and shoulders than we do for strength gains.

[jheenan]

Just take protein powder? Take whey and/or creatine, both are natural substances with little to no side effects.

A coach who tells his players to not take any type of protein powder of any sort obviously is not very knowledgeable in fitness.

If you drink milk, you're getting whey, so drinking powders that isolate it, isn't bad.

I can't speak as much on creatine, but I do know it is found in most protein powders.

http://www.joshheenan.com/why-all-baseball-players-should-be-using-creatine/

[jheenan]

i am a college pitcher and my coach has told me not to take any type of protien powder period. what is a recipe for a protien shake that doesnt include any type of protien or creatine powders?

Check out Precision Nutrition's info. They cover all sorts of stuff including your situation. I'd be interested why your coach is against them as a whole. There are a ton of crappy products out there, but not all are bad.

[Zita_Carno]

Hello, Josh, and welcome aboard.
When I was playing, many moons ago, I used to do this either prior to an afternoon game or in midafternoon if the game started later, say around six o'clock. I would have a big chocolate malted and take a multivitamin with it; this would help maintain my energy levels. Nothing fancy, no hassles about what other stuff to take. And those malteds were DELICIOUS!

[jheenan]

Hello, Josh, and welcome aboard.
When I was playing, many moons ago, I used to do this either prior to an afternoon game or in midafternoon if the game started later, say around six o'clock. I would have a big chocolate malted and take a multivitamin with it; this would help maintain my energy levels. Nothing fancy, no hassles about what other stuff to take. And those malteds were DELICIOUS!

Sometimes our real skinny guys can get away with that! We try to minimize the sugar in all of our athletes diets to teach proper eating habits.