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Q: Your “Keys to Upper Body Prevention and Strength” was awesome. I think one of the main keys to achieving your goals is avoiding injury as much as possible. The less you’re injured, the more you can train and the harder you can train. I am very passionate about strongman and I notice a lot of people deal with bicep injuries. I hope I will never be one, so my question is what are good preventive exercises, stretching exercises, or any tips for biceps health? Thanks.
-Dustin
MR: Thanks for the kind words! Here are a few things I feel would decrease the likelihood of biceps injuries:
- Follow the protocols I outlined in the Upper Body Injury Prevention piece. Keep in mind the biceps are essentially part of the shoulder, so all that stuff applies.
- Work to maintain full elbow extension. Basic stretching of the wrist and elbow flexors to maintain full extension is crucial here.
- Incorporate high-rep bicep work in the 8-15 range to develop connective tissue strength.
Keep in mind a lot of injuries at the musculo-tendinous junction are also influenced by the use of anabolic steroids, as they allow the muscles to develop tensile strength faster than connective tissues like tendons.
I don’t point a finger or judge anyone, just keep that in mind – if you or someone you work with is going to make that choice, they need to incorporate periods of time throughout the year where the reps are kept higher so that they can keep connective tissue strength on-pace with muscular strength.
I hope that helps – good luck! Thanks.
- Mike
Q: Hey Mike, I suffered a lateral ankle sprain three weeks ago playing basketball. The pain and swelling are reduced enough that I can return to training, but I still cannot really run or jump. I get pain in what feels like the area of the flexor retinaculum (medial side above the heel) when I dorsiflex. In addition to the usual places, there was also bruising at the base of the 2nd and 3rd toes after the injury.
I have been doing mobility and soft tissue work plus some balance board stuff to try to rehab it. I’m not sure whether to continue like this, ease off a bit, or be more aggressive with it. It is getting better, but just more slowly than I expected I guess… Any advice?
Thanks.
- Alex
MR: Alex, for a second there I thought you said THREE YEARS! I was going to tell you to run to a specialists office! 
Anyway, here’s what we do with our post-acute ankle sprains:
- Traction
- Traction with full ROM through all planes of motion (forward and back, side-to-side, full circles). Getting full ROM is a must, especially when pulling the toes up!
- Progress from basic barefoot stability to unstable surfaces (this is one of the few times I like UST for the lower body. Be sure to check out Eric Cressey’s manual on this if you want more info).
The key here is focusing on maintaining tripod foot. I actually did a YouTube video on this a while back. Just click here.
Once you get the mobility and stability back, ease into low level plyos and ballistics like jumping rope, easy jogging, etc.
At the end of the day, it wouldn’t hurt to figure out why you sprained it in the first place. If you just rolled up on somebody’s foot that’s one thing, but a lot of ankle issues are d/t inefficiencies at the core and hip. Now would be a good time to address those as well.
This is what I do with our athletes in a nutshell and it seems to work quite well. I hope it helps you out!
- MR
Q: Mike, I was hoping you could provide some clarification concerning knee health and recovery from a knee injury. I just had an MRI that shows I have a partial medial meniscus tear in my right knee. I still have minor swelling just below the patella inside of my knee and occasionally it aches or feels like it slips a little when walking down hills or when putting weight on it. Since, generally minor medial meniscal tears are said to take between 2-4 weeks to heal…
1. Does this mean with immobilization or minor activity?
2. At what point should you start recovery work (e.g.-ROM, step-ups, KB swings, quad flexes, split squats, step ups, BTR DLs, etc.)?
Thank you VERY much for your help!
- Jukes
MR: Not sure where you’re getting your info from, but I think you may be a little bit off here. Here’s my understanding of meniscal injuries:
- If your tear is located in the outer 1/3 of the meniscus (where you get blood flow) there’s a chance it can heal. If that’s the case, your doc will advise whether a conservative approach (minimal exercise) or surgical intervention are appropriate. If you can preserve the meniscal tissue, this is definitely a good thing.
- If it’s not in that vascular region, chances are it’s not going to heal. I could get into some of the newer-age therapies here such as stem cell injections, but those are still very new and definitely not well researched as of yet. If the tear isn’t in that vascular zone and it’s locking, a surgical intervention may be your best bet. This definitely isn’t ideal as you lose some of the shock absorbing capacity at the joint, as well as some passive stability.
- I know I didn’t answer your question, but I think you need to figure out where you’re at first and foremost before deciding your plan of attack.
I’d be interested to hear what you doctor said before I give you any specific advice.
Q: Hey Mike, My biggest issue on the yoke walk seems to be core stability (from what I can tell). My foot speed is fine with heavy farmer walks or frame carries. But if I put the same amount of weight on my back I’m slow as hell.
Here is a clip of my yoke walk which takes an eternity and felt even longer:
Here is a clip of a frame carry with almost the same weight:
I’ve begun incorporating more of the following: beltless front squats, suitcase carries and beltless goodmornings, along with my other core/trunk work. I’ve also started doing my first few sets of the yoke with no belt.
I know you don’t work with the yoke, but if you where working with someone who need to increase their yoke speed what exercises do you think would have the most carry over for this event?
*(You may actually cover this in your Bulletproof Knees and Back DVD, but I’m still on the functional anatomy disk and need to get my Yoke on ASAP)
Thanks,
Chase
MR: Chase – You know how people’s squats look different when they switch from front to back?
In other words, they keep better spine alignment and stability on a front squat versus a back?
I think you’re seeing the same thing here, because your mechanics definitely change when you go from a front-loaded position to a back loaded. Obviously the lever arm is a lot different (i.e. shorter), but I think you’re on the right track.
If I were doing your programming, the big focus would be on developing anterior core strength. The stuff you already outlined is fantastic. This will force your anterior core to work and won’t allow you to over-arch/hyper-extend.
I would also perform a ton of accessory exercises in tall and half-kneeling. If you fix the tilt in your pelvis and reduce the arch in your lower back, you’ll reduce that energy leak and get a better transfer of your leg strength through your core and up to the yoke.
I hope that helps. Good luck man!
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Mike Robertson is the President of Robertson Training Systems and the co-owner of Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training (I-FAST) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Mike has made a name for himself as one of the premier performance coaches in the world, helping clients and athletes from all walks of life achieve their physique and sports performance goals. 
I think you hit on something big with the yoke comments about reducing the arch in the lower back and the pelvic tilt. Having done a lot of PL back squats, my instinct is to arch hard whenever I have a bar across my back. Consequently, my yoke pretty well sucks. The pick is easy but the walk is horrid.
Definitely gives me some things to work on.
ey mike got a question regarding sprained ankles. last 2 month i sprained my ankles 3 times (2 right,1 left), however only left Ankle was serious enough to keep me out for a week. all sprains happend cause i stepped on someones foot. can all these sprains be an indication of weekness or imbalance somewhere or is it just unlucky that i stepped on someones foot? thanks!!
hy,do you think it´s ok to do front squats instead of back squats for those who have supraespinatus tendinosis? the question is beacause in tha back squats the shoulders are kept very stretch but in the front squats the impigment still occurs because the humerous is kept high. what do you think???
I am always watching your youtube videos to keep myself healthy. The rotator cuff vid with Adam Driggers was a huge help!
In your last response, could you elaborate on what you meant by doing the lifts tall and in a half kneel? I’m guessing you mean stiff legged vs. bent legged.
@Chris – Sounds awesome – good luck!
@Diego – If you repeatedly sprain your ankles, you need to get with someone to determine why. Find a medical professional in your area to consult with.
@Formestane – Depends on the person – it may/may not be depending upon a lot of factors. When in doubt use a safety squat bar – that’s what we do.
@Shawn – Awesome – thanks!
@Zach – Watch/read this:
http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/half-vs-tall-kneeling-exercises/
Mike,
Thank you very much, I’ll be working these into my workouts ASAP.