Get this Week’s Episode:

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Hosts:

Kevin Larrabee (Twitter) and Eric Cressey

FitCast News

• EC Interview coming up
• VOICE MAIL: 978-633-3488
• Rachel Cosgrove next week
• FSC 3.0 Review Coming
• Video Blog on my Garage Gym

Mailbag

• Hey guys, great show as always.

  Firstly, since I know you guys love bad trainer stories, I thought I’d share one.  Yesterday, I saw a trainer having her client perform clean and presses using a Bosu Ball. And by using a Bosu Ball, I mean it was the weight.  I wondered if the poor client felt swindled as he overhead pressed a five-pound plastic ring.

  Okay, to my question(for whomever)….

  What are the potential detriments to lifting to failure when performing bigger lifts.  Ever since I was introduced to weight training while playing high school football, I’ve been taught to push through each set until my muscles failed on me.  As I’m no longer a competitive athlete and am not as concerned with increasing my training loads, I was curious to hear your take on the physiological downside to this methodology(aside from the potentially destroying a perfectly good power rack/bench/spinal column).

  I’m thirty years old, 6’4 210, probably around fifteen percent body fat or so(more like twenty between Thanksgiving and Christmas).  As I said, I’m not as concerned with getting exponentially stronger as I am with maintaining solid fitness and of course, good health.

  Thanks as always and keep up the good work.

  Best,

  James

• Hey Everyone,
  I’m a long-time athlete who is just getting into the personal training business. I have two questions for you: I know you guys are fans of the TRX Suspension Trainer and with good reason. Do you think this is a viable tool for personal trainers who work in the clients’ homes? Also, how much of a role does alkalinity (pH balance of the blood) play in losing weight? I’ve heard conflicting reports about some people being unable to lose weight because their body was too acidic. Thanks guys, great podcast.

  -Ken Sanford

• Guys, love the show. I started listening a few months ago and have been making my way through the older episodes.

  I think Eric would be the best one to answer this question given the picture of his bruised leg on TMUSCLE. What should one be using for soft tissue work? I’ve seen most people recommend a tennis ball or foam roller, but have also heard of golf balls, and I’ve even used a cue ball. Will the amount of give the object have an effect and do certain areas of the body require more or less firmness?

  Thanks for any input you guys have and keep up the good work.

  Mark

• I want to know how he assesses his general population clients, I was at the PB summit and saw how he assesses his baseball guys. -Jaison
• You wrote on your blog (and Tony did on his) about recently deadlifting 4 days a week. Can you talk about thedeadlifting experiment? Are you going to write an article about it? Also do you think you will transfer what you learned to increasing your squat or bench numbers?  -Tom D.
• What are your thoughts on Mike Boyle’s video on not bilateral squatting anymore? Do you agree with him? -Jesse
• Hey Eric, I am a big fan of your articles on T-Nation and your book Maximum strength. A study review recently came out that compares front squats to back squats. have you seen this and if so what were your thoughts? -Roger
• “Hi Keven, – Fan of the show. Eric – Just ordered A&C yesterday.

  Id like to know more about Eric’s thought process for programming clients. How does he turn a clients goal or request, and turn it into a program. Does he have a system in place and tweak it, or is it customized every time. How does he fit corrective exercises into the mix, before, in between sets. Does he have a minimum time frame hell program for (3, 4, 6 months?) And how does he envision progressing exercises, and how often does his programming line up with reality. What about cardiovascular programming? Is it part science, part art from experience? Huge question, and very vague, but i really would love to hear anything on this topic.

  Thanks!” -Neil

• What are Erics views on the manual bodyweight hamstring curl for people that do not have access to a GHR? Can it be done without damage to the knees? I’ve done them before but worry about pivoting on my knees with my 235lb bodyweight on them. -Andrew
• Now let’s talk about Assess and Correct, what is it, who is it for, and how does it compare to the previous DVDs you, Mike Robertson, and Bill Hartman have put together?
• I’m curious about how the self assessments work. Will you need a camera or are these assessments the sort that can be felt out or seen in the 1st person adequately? As a general example, a lunge can have many things go wrong with it that the performer doesn’t notice, whereas a supine hamstring flexibility test would show imbalances to the performer fairly well. -Sean
• Read any good training or nutrition books or seen any good DVDs that the audience should keep a look out for?

Check out AssessandCorrect.com for more info on the DVD!