IOL Strength and Conditioning

In the new dvd set, Assess and Correct: Breaking Barriers to Unlock Performance, corrective exercise authorities Bill Hartman, Mike Robertson and Eric Cressey team up to give us a group of joint by joint self-assessments to identify movement deficiencies. Over the years, I’ve gravitated toward learning the various alternative movement-based modes of pain relief, and these three guys have contributed to that learning, Mike mostly about knees, Eric mostly about shoulders and Bill, well… everything that moves. Given that history, I was eager to get a look at their latest work.

This is a two-dvd set, the first one guiding us through the various assessments, and the second a corrective exercise documentary including progressions ranging from easy to difficult to be used once the evaluations are complete.

Thomas tabletop test

The assessment dvd includes the following tests (27 variations), each with visual, vocal and bullet point coaching cues: how to do it, what to look for and what would be considered normal.

• Neutral spinal alignment
• Cervical flexion
• Thoracic spine rotation
• Pec minor length
• Pec major length (clavicular and sternal)
• Shoulder flexion
• External shoulder rotation
• Internal shoulder rotation
• Scapular upward rotation
• Straight leg raise
• Groin muscle stiffness
• Hip and knee flexion
• Hip flexor strength
• Quadraped rockbacks
• Prone knee flexion
• Thomas hip extension test
• Hip abduction
• Hip adduction
• Hip internal rotation, seated and prone
• Hip external rotation, seated and prone
• Ankle dorsiflexion
• Glute medius function
• Glute maximus function

This review took awhile! I thought I would just let the dvd run while I made notes, but I found myself stopping to try every test. You’ll be pleased to know I “passed,” but I think I’d like to get any one of these guys to run me through the appraisals. I might have cheated.

Seriously, it will help to have a base of movement knowledge when doing the assessments for awareness in instinctively cheating the tests.  But still, with ample attention and patience, anyone can do this.

The set also comes with three pdf e-books , one a 137-page manual that reinforces and builds upon the teaching of the dvds, the second is 21 pages of sample warm-ups based on individual corrective needs and pain issues (I’m using page 21, the desk jockey option, which I’m sure is not an afterthought even if it is the last page), and the final is a 12-page document of their favorite static stretches, done after foam rolling and before dynamic movement… the Great Eight, my new everyday stretch list.

The right corrective exercises as chosen using the pd manual after running the assessments and watching the second dvd with its 78 exercises is miraculous.

Reverse lunge with posterolateral reach

But it’s not magic and it can’t be rushed. To get out of chronic pain or to break through a movement-caused performance barrier, you have to tackle this like it’s your job.

At $127, I know that’s a hefty price for most of us, but that’s about the cost of an hour medical or alternative therapy session, and I’m pretty sure if you pay attention and slowly work through the assessments and corrective exercise suggestions, this investment will get you out of chronic pain, while that doctor visit, chiropractor or massage would, at best, provide only temporary relief. You do have to do your own work, though, so it’s a little more of a challenge than an hour on a massage table.

Bottom line: All thumbs up. These guys do great work. Putting this level of material in a simple, easy-to-understand package for those of us not schooled in physical therapy is very amazing, and much appreciated.

Here again is the link: Assess and Correct  or to copy and paste, go here:

http://www.assessandcorrect.com/about/