Shoulder Flexibility for Powerlifters?
November 21, 2009
Mike Bridges – Powerlifting Superstar
Mike Bridges - Powerlifting's "Living Legend"
I had the opportunity to meet Mike and Chris Bridges, this past June in San Antonio at the National Athletic Trainer Association’s (NATA) annual meeting. We were enjoying breakfast in the restaurant of our hotel when Mike and Chris sat down at the table next to us. Mike’s hard to “not notice”, so we introduced ourselves and struck up a conversation.
Mike and Chris are “good” people who’re easy to get to know. If you ever see them, don’t be afraid to say “Hi”.
IPF World Champion uses the Rotater
During our conversations that weekend, we introduced Mike to the Rotater – our shoulder rehab and stretching device. Mike gave it a quick try and said he’d like to take one home. After several months, we received the following email:
“I must say that the simplicity of the tool almost lends itself to skepticism but one try and any athlete will appreciate the benefit of the stretch. It’s so simple but effective. I use it all the time to relieve the shoulder stress of bench pressing and after seeing how effective it is I have introduced other lifters to it as well. A friend of mine recently had shoulder surgery and didn’t think he’d ever be able to bench press competitively again. He was amazed at how easy it is to use the Rotater and after using it he is convinced that he will recover fully and be competing again soon.
Even without any injury, this tool is a great to stretch the shoulders prior to squatting too. It allows you to get under the bar much more easily and without pain, even after bench pressing.
One of the best things about this tool is its’ portability. Being lightweight it is easily packable for traveling or just to carry in your gym bag to have it handy when you (or others) might need it.”
Mike Bridges
18 time National/14 time World Champion Powerlifter
Disclosure: Mike was provided with a Rotater at no charge. His testimonial was voluntary and not required.
Mike Dobbyn Breaks Longest Drive Record, Again
November 17, 2009
Some people thought it was a record that would never fall. Count me as one of them. A 551 yard drive is incredible! How do you beat that?
Mike Dobbyn uses Super Dave' Osborne's club, The Basher
New Club Technology
Advances in technology are enabling us to push the limits of human performance. Thanks to Super Dave Osborne’s new club, “The Basher”, Mike Dobbyn is able to increase his world record to 620 yards! Sounds unbelievable, right? Fortunately for us, it was all caught on video.
Please click on this link or the image on the right to watch Mike use The Basher to really smash some balls.
The Strength Doctor Prescribes the Rotater
November 7, 2009
Health Through Strength
“Health through Strength” – that’s the motto of Tim Hull and his website TheStrengthDoctor.com. Tim is a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), a physical therapy professional (PTA) and an outspoken advocate of fitness and strength. Tim’s passion for helping people achieve better lives through strength can be seen in:
- his creation of Thera-Strength, an online fitness program “to mold you into a strong, healthy, and vibrant person”
- Tim’s development of an online strength and fitness community (I’m a member) – Muscle Tribe
- his branded fitness clothing line – Muscle Tribe Clothing
Thoughts on the Rotater
After using the Rotater for several months, Tim posted the video you seen on the right to YouTube and sent me the following email:
“The Rotater is a great piece of equipment for anyone looking to rehab or strengthen their shoulders. It helps to stretch and strengthen the hard to isolate external and internal movements of the rotator cuff. My patients have gotten great benefit from this device.”
Tim Hull, PTA, LMT
TheStrengthDoctor.com – providing education on building a strong and healthy body through nutrition and exercise. Using a unique combination of Prehab, Rehab, Plyometrics, and Old-School Strongman principles.
Disclosure: Tim was provided with a Rotater at no charge. His testimonial was voluntary and not required.
Joint Mechanix switches to Sanctband Resistive Tubing
November 4, 2009
New & Improved Resistive Tubing for our Strong Arm Device
Here’s a quick note to let you know we’ve made some changes to improve our Strong Arm device. The Strong Arm device is a tool that attaches to the Rotater enabling you to strengthen your rotator cuff.
The Strong Arm Device with Orange Sanctband
We’ve been selling our Strong Arm with a common red (medium) resistive tubing and offering both the green (heavy) and yellow (light) resistive tubing as options. Some of you have noted ( and rightly so ) that the slots in the Rotater have sharp edges. These sharp edges tend to cut into the (red, green or yellow) tubing after repeated use, causing the tubing to break. We wanted something better – something that would last – something nearly indestructible.
The Sanctband Solution
Scott and I have been searching for an answer to this problem for some time. Several months ago, while at a trade show, we saw a demonstration we couldn’t believe. Two guys at the Sanctband booth would take a piece of their tubing, cut it nearly completely through and then ask you to try and break it by pulling and stretching it. Scott and I both tried – couldn’t break it and were very impressed.
We now offer the stronger more durable Sanctband resistive tubing with our Strong Arm device. Our Strong Arm will now come with the orange (medium) Sanctband tubing and we’ll offer pink (light) Sanctband as and option.
Free DVD for training the Athletic Shoulder
November 3, 2009
First, let me be clear – I am not being paid to promote this free DVD.
I met Eric Beard in Atlanta about six months ago while he was in town performing a workshop for personal trainers. Eric’s qualifications are incredible:
- Senior Master Instructor at National Academy of Sports Medicine
- Adjunct Faculty at California University of Pennsylvania
- Head Athletic Performance Coach at New England Academy of Tennis
- Corrective Exercise Specialist
- Manual Therapist (LMT)
- Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist
When I met Eric, two things about him really impressed me:
- his mission and passion is helping people
- he’s an informed, educated and charismatic speaker – he really grabs and holds your attention
You can really see Eric’s passion shine through in this video interview
The free stuff
If you’re a personal trainer, then visit Secrets and Staples of Training the Athletic Shoulder and sign up to receive your free DVD (note: YOU pay shipping & handling). It’s loaded (54 minutes) with information you can start using to help your clients – today!
Hey, it’s FREE! What are you waiting for?
If you want a live stream of free information, then follow Eric on Twitter – @ericbeard.
