While I've been recovering from ACL surgery I've found I have more opportunity to read. And one author I particularly enjoy is Dan John.[caption id="attachment_4775" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Dan John and I in Vancouver.Dan John has been a strength coach in the industry for over thirty years. Some coaches have acknowledged him by saying he has been recording workouts for longer than many in our industry have been alive.In other words he has a lot of wisdom and a great manner in which he shares the many pearls he has gained over the years. Below are three random pieces of wisdom from Dan John.i. You Can't Do It All Often-times we'll have a new client come in to get started with some training. And when we discuss their goals they'll express wanting to rehab their shoulder, get stronger and run a faster 10 k.And individually each of these goals is possible. And is also possible to work on all three at the same time. The problem becomes one of sacrificing gains in each in order to obtain a result in all areas at the same time.Let me use an example to explain.[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Don't fall for the trap of multi-tasking.Imagine you are at work. And you have a major project that is due. This should get all of your focus and attention. But rather than block out a set chunk of time you chip away at this project while also checking email, taking calls and any meetings that come up and helping your colleague with their project as well.At the end of the day, is your project done? Do you feel satisfied with your efforts? Or did you feel pressure that there isn't as much forward progress as you'd like and you know your boss will probably feel the same way.So...

Low back pain is something almost everybody experiences at some point in their life. And once we've suffered through some low back pain we usually want to know what caused the pain and what to do about ensuring it doesn't happen again. And while there may be a variety of causes and types of low back pain there are some things in common to all. First of all, in order to prevent future episodes of low back pain we want to to ensure we have a solid foundation and can move through an optimal range of motion. To look at the first condition for a solid foundation we need to consider our posture. Do the joints of the body stack evenly like pieces of lego? Or are there some areas where they are deviations from optimal alignment and smooth curves? This may get tricky for the lay person because how are they to know what is optimal? And often times manuals and references used technical terms which can confuse even people who work in the fitness industry. In this case I like the way Dan John describes the relationship of the hips and pelvis with the torso. He has described this as a box (torso) sitting on a bowl of water (hips & pelvis). Does the box sit squarely on the bowl of water? And is any water leaking out of the bowl of water? If so, is water leaking out of the front of the bowl (anterior tilt) or the back of the bowl (posterior tilt)? If the rib cage is flared or tilted up than the box is not sitting squarely on the bowl of water. And if we are spilling water than we know how to correct this problem as well. The solution comes via the kneeling plank. It...