Hi and welcome back to straight talk with Inna today on the episode. We have dr. John Petrucci. So joining us. He's a physical therapist professor at Adelphi University starting strength coach The head judge at all of our competitions and won strong lifter. I'm really excited to be sharing his story with you today. So stay tuned. Yeah. I just figured we'll start and then we'll hang out which I think we just started. So for those people who obviously can't see John if you want to Envision.Someone I want you to Envision Clark Kent. So not only is he is good looking as Superman as he's also a strong as Superman is and he's blushing while I'm saying it so welcome to the podcast John. Thanks so much for having me and I'm really excited for people to hear this conversation because there are so many people that we help out of pain and I think it's one of the most valuable things that you do. I know that for me one of the biggest relieves relief as a coach is that I can call you and say John. And I've got this client and she's in pain and here's her situation and you always give me like the greatest tips for how to keep her lifting and went to know that it's a big problem and I think that if you know people get anything out of this podcast, I want them to you know, kind of here what options they have when something is critical and they should see a doctor what their physical therapist can help them with how barbell training can help them. So Let's start by talking a little bit about you and the fact that recently a you've gotten tenure Adelphi University. Yes. So this past summer. I was fortunate enough to receive tenure at Adelphi University. I was promoted to the position of associate professor in the exercise science program there and I'm teaching in my seventh year there at Adelphi. That's incredible. A shit. Thank you. Thank you very much really exciting and most of all if anyone here goes to Adelphi, I went to Adelphi and graduated my husband and if you're at all in terms of anything at Adelphi, I just want you to know that there's something amazing happening in John's class. He's teaching the starting strength method to his students and you should all go to his classroom when he's doing it and see because I think that's one of the coolest things that you brought to the university is the starting strength method. These kids are so lucky to be Under you. Well, I'm try and incorporate a lot of the components of the starting strength models into my Kinesiology course where we talk about different types of exercise and how you would actually go about performing them and teaching them to somebody so we'll talk about the squad to talk about the the press the bench, press the deadlift power clean in that course every semester. So all the students get the opportunity to learn about those lists. I also teach a ring conditioning methods course where I actually am able to get students in the gym and teach them how to do the lips but also give them practice on how they teach others how to do the live set of one of the things I try and stress is that if you can do this yourself, if you don't practice it yourself and you're not going to be able to teach others how to do it. I think that's such an important thing for anybody in our field, you know to really have the ability to teach me things. You have to have the Practical experience that I think so many practitioners whether we're talking about Trainers or ETS or MD's that give exercise advice and tell you well, that's a bad exercise. You know, you shouldn't do that exercise is squats are bad for your knees dead. Looks are bad for your back presses are bad for your shoulders. Yeah, they have zero experience ever actually doing the exercise themselves. And I think that's a huge problem. So that was one of the things that I've tried to emphasize with with my students is that they should feel very comfortable doing all of these things in the gym so that they can actually make a decision. Whether or not the exercise are appropriate for the people there. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's a crime to prescribe exercise or programs to people when you haven't done them yourself. You don't even know what you're dishing out or you don't know what you're speaking against when you say to someone that they shouldn't deadlift. You know, I think well there certainly are people that will recommend exercises that they have no experience with I think for what we do in terms of dealing with people and in the gym and trying to get them stronger using barbells. Deal more with people that have no experience with the list that yeah. Love to tell everyone you don't do that. Right? It's you're going to hurt yourself. You're gonna do this. You can do that and speak negatively about them. They have no practical experience themselves doing them. You know. Yeah, I think that's a much bigger problem overcome because you know, especially when you're dealing with Healthcare practitioners, they dealing with pts, you know, these people they all have their doctorates now and people think that they're the experts on exercise or the dealing with their MDS. These are people that are Are in Authority position. So if they tell the patient about don't ever do that exercise dangerous for you. The patient is going to answer that, you know, and it makes it much harder to do our jobs in terms of trying to help them get stronger because they have this preconceived notion that these things are going to hurt them. That's a very damaging thing when people when I run into people who are not familiar with strength training and they say, yeah, don't do that because it's going to hurt you I would say No, don't do that wrong. That's the word you're missing in that sentence when you're telling people not to get stronger or not to use certain exercises. Don't do the exercise room. Don't drive your car wrong. Don't do your yoga positions wrong. Don't do, you know, it's not the exercises hurting you it's your foolishness of not learning to do it correctly. Well, yeah, I think that that's such an important point and you know, the thing is with exercise in general. You can hurt yourself doing anything. a thing right any type of exercise but if you look at exercise and comparison to other sports and athletic activities and things like that, the injury rate is actually much lower amount of people think and even people that do these exercises to incorrectly still have pretty low injury rate, you know, yes, so we would consider with less than ideal technique, you know, so a lot of times injuries that occur I certainly agree there people that do not have you know, they're not forming the exercises efficiently as we would like them to but it also comes down to their programming to write in terms of how they are how they're performing the exercises over the course of their sessions there reads their months, you know, and it's the accumulation of you know, a lot of you know bad exercise technique coupled on, you know, maybe too much volume not enough recovery or you know, whatever the cases that ends up leaving to injury comments for her, you know, the biggest problem is getting people just to start you know, Getting him started the first place because they're you know, they have these ideas that they're you know, dangerous exercise for them. Yeah, you know, it always reminds me of rips article CrossFit The Good the Bad and the Ugly because Mark were potato the founder of starting strength wrote this article about CrossFit despite the fact that you know CrossFit hurts a lot of people because they're doing you know complicated lifts quickly. They're not investing in the basics and the good things about cost that is that they reintroduce barbells to All right, and that's been like such a blessing for us work with barbells that people are at least familiar with them again and that they're not just for the Olympic lifters or for people who are you know enormously strong now, so it's a good thing but when they're not learning the basics and when they're not getting it right it's a darn shame because it gives the barbell a you know, a bad reputation. Sure. I mean one of the things about CrossFit is that there's so much variability in each individual CrossFit gym. Um, so the quality instruction can really vary a lot from gym to gym, you know, there's a very low barrier to entry to be able to open up your own CrossFit facility and there are not so CrossFit Gyms and do a great job and making sure that people know how to do the yeah, it's correctly and things like that progress them. You know, an appropriate Pace in there are other ones that I would say obviously don't so there's just a lot of variability in terms of the different processing facilities that you come across but I agree. I mean, I think General they've done a great thing for our fields and you know in combination with some with stuff like starting strength, you know, sort of strength has been any you know, one of the biggest selling Fitness books over the last 10-15 years since the first edition come out on Amazon and you know crossfit's becomes something you see it on ESPN and yeah more exposed to it. So since I started I started to train people in 2006 and since that time there has certainly been a shift in terms of how people perceive Barbell exercise and because they've been exposed to it on a larger scope. They're more comfortable with the idea in general. You know, I never thought and back in 2006 that I mean training 70 year old ladies that were interested in doing normal training, but they are there are now yeah, so that's been a big shift in CrossFit has certainly been a part of that, you know conjunction with things like starting strengthen and some of the other organizations out there. When did you start using the starting strength method yourself? So I Fortunate enough to stumble upon starting strength by accident. I accidentally when I was searching the internet for an updated copy of the strong shall survive, but I'm sorry so I bought that originally when I was in high school and I was because I want to play football in college and I was reading iron magazine and they would have so most of the back of that magazine and that was the book that I said. Well, I want to play football in college. This is spring training for football. So I bought that book so back in 2005 or so. My brother was in high school at the time. I got my brother. He was playing football basketball baseball. So I want to get him into strength training. So I want to get another copy of the book. I Googled it and it brought me to the SR company's website at that time. It was only the first edition of sort of strength that was out. And most of them 2006 or so because the first edition of practical programming was out as well. So I think the first edition of starting trench come out of 5 and practical programming came out of six. So there's 2006. I was working as a personal trainer at equinox. I just graduated with my exercise science degree from Hofstra. And I said, you know what this program looks interesting at that time. I was trying to read everything I could to make myself a better trainer. I was reading zest your city and else if and all these guys. And I saw that Jim Windler had written a review for starting Franklin said it was like the best thing he's ever read the stuff. So I said, all right, everybody's books to not knowing anything about them. But I purchase those two most at the totally changed the way I live for this stuff because you know, I have always wanted a deeper explanation for how we use the lips. Why would you - fine? How should we program over the long term right because everything that I read, That point is try this program. You know, it's for x amount of weeks earlier the cases or you know, this is how you do the spot you bend your knees event, you know. Yeah, and then you stand back up the amount of detail. That was at most books just totally blew me away and the practicality of it as well. I was just totally hooked on it for the first year read it so and that was the first edition of the books which I think has been dramatically improved over each subsequent editions now in third edition of each I think you hit it on the Mark when you said that the difference between starting strength book and it's method and everything else. We were trying is it explained why I had never had anyone explain why we were doing it the way we were doing it and how to fix it before I came into that seminar and I want to tell people who don't know what we're talking about. If you know my gym, you know, we have a strength Department. We're starting strength affiliate gym, and it's a dedicated barbell space in addition to our fitness facility. I tell people here I scream it from the rooftops like you absolutely have to try this and I don't tell him to try everything. I don't sell anything to anyone. But I mean you would agree with me. This is a life-changing tool. Absolutely. It's not just about our clients. This is life-changing for us. Tell me a little bit now. I know you guys John is one of the strongest people I know. It's true. And besides the fact that it's gotten you strong as heck. If you could think about it really like what how has starting strength and engaging in this kind of community as well as the programming itself. How has it changed you? How is it improved your life? Well, I mean, I think it's changed its changed almost everything about my career path, you know, really it really has you know, I read I read those books I first I'm trying to implement the things that I read those books with my own training started to see the differences and I started to use it with clients. Then I started on the path. We're going to get my getting my doctorate in physical therapy and just my perspective on how I looked at Physical Therapy treatment was totally changed based off of the starting strength methodology and the stress recovery adaptations. Cycling looking at you know, the difference between a novice intermediate and advanced lifters and how we manipulate that cycle over shorter or longer periods of time and how where that person is n so I think that it's just made a huge difference in how I practice on a regular basis. So every person I see it's impacted me in some way whether or not I mean and I'm deal with lots of people that maybe don't even use a barbell. But if I have an older person and they're coming D replacement, or they had a hip fracture and I started on the leg, press what we're going to do a linear regression on leg press because they're starting in such a low-level. Right man. I'm not going to waste their time for six weeks. Just doing the same things with the same logo for the same repetitions because I know that I'm not driving any sort of you're not getting stronger, you know, there are a lot of Physical therapists out there that don't really not to say that they don't understand because it's a very simple concept but they just have never been really exposed to they don't know how long that I am an idea that you know you 10 progressively overload our patients much more aggressively and more rapidly than you know, they realize a lot of times you know, and and you know becoming a Star Trek coach, you know, totally changed my career, you know ripped and Stefan. Supported all of us right in the end rehab? Yeah, but you know, I've written articles with website and they've been nice enough to have me speak at the coaches conference and you know, all of that stuff. It certainly has given me some more visibility where I get people that will contact me for for training and we have advices and things like that and getting to know all the other coaches that mean I can honestly say that, you know the community approaches I got to know because really He'll challenge my perspective on things and continues to kind of force me to learn grow because you know, these people are all doing such great things out there were down gyms and practices, you know, dr. Sullivan and Andy Baker and you know, all these people it's just been such a great experience. Very very lucky. Yeah, it's just something that I'm very thankful to be a part of. Yeah, I agree with you. I mean we're you know, it's like finding a tool not only that you can use to keep Yourself healthy as you age but also actually make an impact in your clients health. I remember, you know, being a trainer and my main goal was not to hurt anyone right? I need my main goal was never to make them stronger because I knew if I kept pushing on that end. I would hurt them eventually and I didn't want to so I realized that my main goal was to be careful because I didn't know how to progress and so I kept my clients physically fit and active and safe. But the way that I can change someone now and and not just keep them healthy, but help them recover from injuries give them back their quality of life. That is a game-changer for me for the client. And that's all thanks to this method. Well, I think you know in terms of what we would consider the difference between exercise and training, right? So previously you were exercising your clients. Yeah exercise is great, you know, anything is better than nothing and it's sitting on the couch reading cemeteries worst possible thing for you. To transition from okay. I'm coming to the gym and we're just going to do this stuff because it's good for you because it's exercise but, you know not being sure about how to progress and then you know be concerned about injuring them right that I think is something that stops a lot of people a lot of trainers and a lot of Petey's from pushing their clients. You know, now you have the confidence that with you know, everything that you've learned that you can safely and efficiently Progressive linear Dynamics such a difference. Like a second man and quite being stronger, you know people's look at deadlifts and squats and they just look at you know, I think there's still just perception that they're you know, that's what weightlifters that's for power lifters as would just for be heads or jimbros, but they have such a profound impact on your quality of life. You know, if you get your death of shocker, it changes everything you do from people all the time and are amazed at how much easier they can stand up from a chair or go up and down the stairs, you know all These little things that they just saw. Well, this is the way it is now. All right. Yeah all of a sudden better and the only thing that they've done is a few simple exercises, you know progressively loaded a couple of days a week, you know, just a huge time commitment, but they need saving somebody to be able to teach them how to do it and to Pro take them through that progression safely, you know, and that's that's where people like you come in and you know, you've done such a great job with your gym. So we're working on it working on it. So What are you okay with you? Yeah, sure. There's the door next door. I'm go ahead and make sure this is okay. We've been in yeah, so what I want to know is going to happen all day. So we're hosting a starting strength Squat and deadlift Camp when people are walking in while recording. Hey, we'll leave it on you can find them on the starting strength. Website what I want to know from you is like what kind of injuries do you see that you can still you know help people recover from and then use Barrell barbell training, like what kind of injuries are okay to train through versus what kind of injuries is like? No, stop everything go see your doctor. Okay. Well, so a lot of people that I see they've already been to the doctor, you know, they've already been sleeping. I'm talking about the physical therapy if I have let's say a client or someone who's been training on their own. Let's say that From cells they come to see me for an evaluation. You know that happens celebrate Unity. So when I always tell people is one you can always modify what you're doing and almost always find an exercise a load of range of motion of a particular exercise that you can do without pain. You're not yourself. So it's about finding a starting point that doesn't hurt. You know, something else that I stress is that thing X, so if you have an injury, it should be Generally feel better as you warm up and start to train and worse. We like to see it. Just kind of stay the same but it should not be too cheering. Yeah only getting worse as you're exercising, right? So there's something let's say someone comes to me with a show, you know shoulder problem back hip knee and those are the major areas that we see and you know, I can about my valuating them. I want to see what it looks like on they swatted there's wanting and they say, okay, you know, that's that Person is feeling worse as they go then we're going to go to modify right maybe I will alter the range of motion something like a box Squad, you know, take the stretch reflex out of it, you know some anything that will tend to get them to be able to still train and minimize their pain is what we're looking for. So often times for like let's say the deadlift that they have a back injury pulling from the floor just puts a little bit too much, you know mechanical Is on their back they can't tolerate it. So I'll start them interact with position rate of course of a few sessions will gradually lower that down, you know, so it's really tolerate pulling from the floor again, like with the SWAT. I said Bob final range of motion or taking the stretch reflex out for you know, sometimes people need a different angle at the hip for the new year, you know, so I would do maybe a high bar spot for a couple of sessions or even a front squat if necessary if they can tolerate, you know, leaning over like it have to do with the low bar. There are all these little you know, because the goal is to keep maintain their strength is just not to leather with disability as much business as they possibly can with while they were coming from your injury. You know, that's really what it comes down to so that's kind of how I look it's kind of problem solving, you know and figuring out how we can maintain as much business as much strength as possible while you're recovering from this entry. How do you train around not you know not Stop training while you're doing this to get physical activity. That's that's the worst thing that you can do. Yes, and I have clients who sometimes like freaked out because look people imagine, you know, what's going on. If they can't they don't really know the anatomy of the spine. They don't really know what's going on in their body. So they feel a little bit of back pain and they freeze up and they're like, I'm not coming in and I'm like, what are you doing, you know? Maybe a fine procedure, you know how threatening you know, they receive little back pain, you know for you an arm and we might just go do our normal training session because we know that this is going to be that debilitating it be gone in a few days. You know, we just live our normal lives. Whereas somebody else who maybe never had that experience before yeah, or maybe had a previous episode of back pain. That was very debilitating for them. So they feel any little discomfort. Yeah, and now all of a sudden they're hyper Vigilant about assure and cheat. Just you know their perspective on everything nesting time to overcome. Yes, and it's one of the reasons why you know, I think it's so important to try and stay on top of what your clients are doing and trying, you know mitigate that as much as possible, you know, you don't want them to get to that point where they were already hurting me and that's going to make them kind of withdrawal. Sure. Yeah always worth stopping them to fix technique always worth mitigating the volume dressing something before we come down. So you have somebody who You know, you know their work schedules really crazy. They're under a lot of stress. They're telling you that they're really dragging in the gym. All right cases then modify the program before you have. Yes, that's always yes. And if you do that, then you you know will yeah. Well we're talking we're talking about people who have backed weeks or slight overuse injuries, you know things from picking things up wrong, whatever but like for common things that you're going to see right any exercise program right, sir. Certainly, like if you've been in a car accident, you need to be checked out if you have some sort of injury from like a severe fall or something like these so so any sort of you know, if we're talking about a traumatic injury, you know any sort of fall where they possibly could have hit their head, you know, if you're turning older person you certainly want them to get checked out. You don't want to exercise them until we know that they had clearance from their from their doctor right now. Yeah, so obviously there are certain, you know signs and symptoms. That would be concerned from a clinical standpoint where you know, you would get for them to the doctor to their doctor but round and kind of go through that list. What I tell people is if you are not comfortable with how someone's presenting then send them to the doctor and you know, so we're not all experts in this stuff and you know, so if you have somebody that has an unexplained ache or pain that's you know, getting worse or whatever reason then send them send them to the doctor and a lot of times actually I found them Physicians are appreciative that you're being conscious and conscientious of that sort of thing. And they're not going to be the type Sao just don't go back there. You know. Those are home. Well, you're trying to didn't really bring my sending you here. Yeah, so just be careful this, you know, check this out. You're all good go back and take an easier and you know go back and see your trainer and that's that's been my experience with us, you know, occasionally. I have a patient that you know, I think maybe has something like a blood clot or you know because of how they are. Anymore, you know, just some that normal signs and symptoms that you would expect. I am a mom sent it back to their doctor and it's just something that I'm not comfortable with, you know, so yeah, I would tell anybody it was exercising people as a living professionally to do the same thing. Okay, great. That's great advice. Now, let's switch gears a little bit because all I can think about sitting in this room is that in March and March 22nd. Our own in-house Judge, John is going to be on the platform. I'm We excited to have you competing here. Now. Normally our meats are super exciting because we absolutely love putting on these meats. And and then what are we going to be doing in March? What are you hoping to get? Let's put it out there because I'm trying to get Danny to compete with you. I know maybe something amazing will happen in our buddy. Nick will fly down and compete Nick. I hope you're listening D'Agostino. I hope you're listening to this comes and for him to come and he comes in this and he would he Would be would be overcast equivalent coming this 700 pound deadlift are so many people like Nick walking around. Yeah. Yeah, so well, I'm really excited for it. I had this has been like I see you've been training pretty consistently and you've gotten on a good streak here consistently. I love training. I've never I have been out of the gym for more than a couple of days since I started training when I was 15 years old, you know, it's just it's my number one Hobby. Now training doesn't always go well, but I always train me - yeah life gets in the way. So I'm looking forward to the competition and you do such a great job with these meats here and I've worked a bunch of them. Thanks your heels. Well, this has been so much fun, but it looks like so much fun for the lifters. I'm looking forward to participating on the other side. You know, you got a tough judge, you know, Tory is going to be judging story is about as tough as they come. She's got the flag up before they re knows when you're gonna lose your squad at the bottom. She's better red flag holding it like trigger. Yes anytime. So oh gosh. He's such a great little kid is going to be great time. And anybody who's just do this that's in the room area definitely come down and check out these meats. She does not believe will jam always gets a great turnout and people are going crazy cheering for their family and friends. Friends, so it's a tough country and every time yeah good. And if John students are listening, I expect to see you guys here cheering on John because I know you got a lot of fans. So what is like a typical week's workout look like for you or maybe well, so my work schedule is pretty hectic between the university I teach or classes per semester. I work part-time and outpatient PT office a couple nights a week and on weekends, and I still have You know private clients and sessions that I do outside of there. So, you know a lot of times I leave my house by 5:30 in the morning. I don't get home until 9:30 at night. You know, I'm working certainly Monday through Saturday, you know and maybe a couple hours on Sunday as well. And that's not to try to make people feel bad for me. I love what I do. You know, I don't have to do all the stuff that I do I do it because I enjoy it so much and but that so that's it. Schedule my schedule certainly impacts not trying to be in terms of how I have to look at my my training and be realistic about this is how much time I have all these days to train. So it's typically do you know full bottle sessions slots twice a week one day to be a heavy squat the other day of the a lighter spot or so as I can send you my Harry swamp or sometimes I'll June like I'm cause fraud or a front squat just some sort of variation in in the squad. I like that. I usually press and bench press at least once a week, maybe twice depending on the schedule. So if I if I do it only if I do Reach online once animals can be heavy sessions if I get a third press workout in and that will be lighter and lighter day. Your tears are pretty you're getting up there in the tens now to those guys its strength Co are really watching out for the chins. I know they're calling you out. Over there a little bit Yeah might get a little jealous of my chaining ability because first of all they're in they're both very skinny guys. Yeah, really. So I have a done by bit about them, you know, I touch my chest to the bar on fully understand and pause at the bottom. That's right, boys. You hear that. I better get my better start chaining. You better start now, they're gonna call me out. I haven't done one. It's great. So you do and your power cleaning as well. Yeah, so I still power clean. I started power coming back when I was in high school when I got to go Stars book and he basically said that this is the exercise that athletes have to do so, I taught myself how to do it and do too bad of a job because when I do get to college and start playing football the first day with our strength coach and they were trying to teach us cleans and when I do my clean and he said he looked at me said, oh you've done these before and I feel like, Oh so good about paying so I simply cleans even though I don't think I'm really good at them. But I like I enjoy performing them. So usually includes I'll use as like my life pulling a day and then I'll do a heavier deadlift session during the week as well. Yeah, I'm sorry so that gets broken up and I have been trying to do some conditioning work on a roar Salt Lake or something. I saw that I feel bad for you. Yeah. Tell us a little more than I used to in terms of doing some cardiovascular. Yeah, I really try to keep that at a minimum try to hold on to my games. You're a good man. I see your conditioning workouts. Oh my God, I don't want to ever do that. Oh, I've had such a great time sitting with you here and I really would love to do like another session where we chat even deeper into, you know, the starting time seminar what it's like to lecture there what it's like to work a seminar, you know, so So yeah, I definitely want to get into that but I probably have to return you to the camp running next door any minute now, but before we get off when asked a very important question, what is your favorite type of pizza with pepperoni pepperoni and sausage is good like a meatball and sausage purse. Okay, except, you know Italians So I do like my peppers and you know all that and still hungry. It's all good. And there's no sort of Tears. Yes. That is the correct answer. So that's what we will end on and until next time we'll definitely come back to the pizza talk and we'll hear what John's got to say about working at the seminar will dive a little bit deeper into his program as workouts is daily life. And I think we should probably talk about his beautiful dogs, right? Which I hear that your wife is Bought your knee sleeves. Oh my God wait, so she surprised me with like these customized nice leaves that have my dog pictures on perfect. Yeah. That was great job worry. Absolutely. Okay. Well, thanks for joining us today, and I'm looking forward to the next time we sit down John so much he knows. Thanks.
Today I have John on the show. To me, he looks like Clark Kent, no lie, and is just as strong as superman. He's a Starting Strength coach and was recently promoted to the position of Associate Professor at Adelphi University, teaching for his 7th year. I can call John anytime and he will give me sound advice on how to ease the pain of my clients and help them continue training. In his class, John teaches the Starting Strength method to his students and I think you should all go to attend. He's amazing. My aim for this show is to help you understand when training with an injury is safe to do, when it's critical to stop and see a medical professional, and how barbell training can help you in all of this. I have a long chat with John where tells us about his journey on how he started coaching and how this program has changed his life, the basics of training and an in-depth look at it as well. He's really passionate about coaching and, wait for it, pizza as well. I love how he describes his perfect pizza. Listen in. THINGS YOU'LL LEARN   Introduction to John  What John will teach in his class. Why health practitioners need to really understand strength training. The good and bad about CrossFit. Benefits of learning the barbell basics. When John started using the Starting Strength method. Benefits of Starting Strength program. How the Starting Strength program changed John's life. The difference between exercise and training. Injuries that John can help you recover from using Barbell training versus those that require a visit to the doctor. In-house competition I’m excited John will compete in. John's typical schedule per week. His favorite type of pizza. 