Taylor Burns

Why I Hate Scap Push-Ups

Maybe hate is a strong word.  But I don’t prescribe them.  Here’s why. Generally, scap push-ups are prescribed because they’re thought to be a really good exercise for driving serratus anterior recruitment. Serratus anterior drives scapular protraction and upward rotation.  As such, it’s crucial that overhead

Things to Read/Listen To This Weekend

The Oilers are 7-1!  Hope everyone has a good weekend planned.  Here’s some stuff to check out.   Exercises You Should Be Doing: Quadruped T-Spine Rotation w/Lift Off – Tony Gentilcore Tony is one of the best in the industry.  I’ve long used quadruped extension rotation variations to work

Mark Bell Wasn't Mark Bell

“Mark Bell wasn’t Mark Bell.”  If you don’t know who Mark Bell is, he’s a former competitive powerlifter and incredibly successful strength coach.  This quote comes from Stan Efferding, an equally successful lifter and coach – and I heard him say this on the JuggLife podcast a while

Stuff to Read/Listen to This Weekend

I hope everyone has a fun weekend planned.  Up here in Edmonton we enjoyed a wonderful three day fall, and now it’s winter…   The Top 19 Nutrition Myths of 2019  – Michael Hull (Examine.com) Free Solo (Documentary) I thoroughly enjoyed this 100 minute documentary about Alex Honnold, a professional

Why You Should Include Fillers In Your Athletes' Training Programs

I was recently asked how I would go about training a swimmer.  I outlined the benefits of 1-2 resistance training sessions per week for endurance athletes.  I talked about if the swimmer was a sprinter then I’d attack their training much like a track sprinter to ensure we’re

Stuff to Read/Listen to This Weekend

It’s an exciting time.  We are nearing playoff baseball, the NFL season is up and running, and most importantly we are less than two weeks out from the Oilers breaking my heart yet again!   Senior Pitch Counts – Alberta Dugout Stories I was asked for my input for this article

Stuff to Read/Listen To This Weekend

I’m planning on making this a regular feature.  In the beginning, a lot of the content will be from the archives: some of my favourite blog posts, articles, and podcasts that have impacted me greatly over the years.  Eventually it will be only stuff from the past week.  I

5 Lessons From Coaches I Had Growing Up

1. “If nothing changes, nothing changes.”   The coach who impacted me more than any other, who I worked with in tenth and eleventh grade said this.  I heard him say this a million times.  Sick of getting the same old results?  Look in the mirror and challenge yourself to change

Trust the Process: Pitcher Edition

You hear it all the time. Coaches say it in press conferences. Players say it in interviews.  You’ve probably said it to yourself. And it’s absolutely correct. Focus on the process, evaluate yourself on the process, and the results will take care of themselves. Great. What are your

The Light

“In any game played with the body, it’s the head that counts.” “And if you feel you can’t go on And your will’s sinking low Just believe and you can’t go wrong In the light you will find the road” – Led Zeppelin (In the Light)        I

Avoid The "Here We Go Again" Trap

Today’s blog post was inspired by a couple of conversations I’ve had with former players over the past few weeks. The message to these guys was essentially to live in the now.  Excelling at the game of baseball boils down to breaking it down to its lowest common

3 Lessons From Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist'

This book changed my life, twice, and I think it can impact anyone in a profound way because of the following lessons from the brilliant Paul Coelho.     1. What you are seeking is seeking you. “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”   2. You

In-Season Lifting For Baseball Players: 4 Random Thoughts

1. Consolidate Stress I’m a big fan of having pitchers lift within a 24 hour window after their start.  This combines the stress from their outing with the stress from their lift.  Hans Selye, referred to as the father of stress, developed the theory of General Adaptation Syndrome (pictured

Just Decide

“Just decide what it’s gonna be, who you’re gonna be, and how you are going to do it. Just decide. And from that point, the universe will get out of your way.” – Will Smith Will Smith saved the world in I-Robot, I Am Legend, Armageddon, Men In Black,

Why I Hate Bands as A Warm-Up for Throwers

I don’t actually hate the bands themselves – what I do hate is the prescribed high volume of band exercises prior to throwing, as well as the execution of said exercises being performed that you see 99% of the time. Here’s why: Reason #1: RTC Fatigue Can Increase Impingement

4 Biggest Mistakes I've Made as a Strength Coach

“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” – Bruce Lee   I’ve been a strength and conditioning coach for nearly six years now. Every six months or so I look back at old programs I had written and I can’t help but shake my head.

Top Reads from 2018

1. Legacy by James Kerr (5/5) I re-read this for the third or fourth time this year. It offers many brilliant insights into building an elite culture.   2. The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman (5/5) This book has impacted me in a massive, life-altering way

What I Learned in the Year After Starting My Own Business

It’s hard to believe it’s been one year since AHP opened.  It’s been a lot of fun, and a great first year in which I exceeded my own goals. Here’s a few lessons I learned along the way. 1. When opportunity strikes – be ready.  It probably

Why A Strength and Conditioning Program Can Benefit Goalies

“Only a goalie can appreciate what a goalie goes through.” – Jacques Plante   Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk 1. Hip Mobility and Stability. Goalies end up in, and subsequently must be able to get into some pretty crazy positions.  The work done in the weight room, as well as a proper

Who Did You Need When You Were Younger?

If you know me, you know I’m a huge Potterhead.  Below is one of my favourite quotes from the entire series.   “Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels.  But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young.” – Dumbledore   As a coach it’s

My Favourite Full Body Mobility Drills

All 4 of the below mobility exercises are great ‘catch all drills’.  Incorporate them into warm-ups or use them as pairings with strength exercises, or use multiple as a stand alone mobility session.

6 Lessons Aspiring Baseball Players Can Learn from a 2018 MLB Draft Pick

I’ve been lucky enough to know Erik since he was just a kid.  I first met him when I helped coach his Bantam AAA team when he was 13 during the summer of 2011 because I was home and recovering from shoulder surgery.  I’ve seen him grow up

Anti-Rotation Core Exercises & Why Pitchers Need Them (My 6 Favourite Variations)

A staple in a pitcher’s training program needs to be explosive rotational med-ball exercises.  I use a ton of different variations with my throwing athletes.  It’s a great way of bridging the gap from general strength built in the weight room to the very specific activity of throwing

Letter to My 18 Year Old Self

It’s surreal, but just over ten years ago I graduated high school.  The summer afterwards was a blast – I was playing baseball for the last time with the group of guys I grew up with, had the freedom of being 18 years old and done school, and was preparing

If You Don't Like it, Pitch Better

I’ve been a fan of David Price for a long time, since his Vanderbilt days.  I loved watching him throw out of the pen for the Rays in the 2008 playoffs, and so when the Jays got him in 2015 I was fired up (mostly because it meant we