{"id":15469,"date":"2026-01-03T02:33:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T19:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=15469"},"modified":"2026-01-03T02:33:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T19:33:52","slug":"how-to-supercharge-and-add-value-to-your-assessment-tony-gentilcore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=15469","title":{"rendered":"How to Supercharge and Add Value to Your Assessment \u2013 Tony Gentilcore"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>I often speak on the importance of the test\/re-test concept with regards to assessment.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s nothing fancy or elaborate.<\/p>\n<p>You test something \u2013 whether it be range of motion or maybe a strength discrepancy \u2013 implement a \u201ccorrective\u201d modality if something\u2019s deemed out of whack, and then re-rest that shit to see if it worked.<\/p>\n<p>If it did\u2026.you\u2019re Gandalf.<\/p>\n<p>If not\u2026#awwwwwkward.<\/p>\n<p>The test\/re-test approach helps set the tone for any future \u201ccorrective\u201d strategies or programming considerations you\u2019ll do as a coach or trainer.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, and something I\u2019d argue is equally as important, <strong><em>it also provides an added layer of value to the assessment. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re able to demonstrate to someone a significant change or improvement in ROM or reduction in pain\/discomfort by implementing a drill or two, and it\u2019s something they\u2019ve been struggling with despite countless interactions with other fitness professionals, what\u2019s the likelihood they\u2019ll bust out their checkbook or Bitcoin wallets (&lt;\u2014depending on their level of geekery)?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net\/walkingdead\/images\/3\/3f\/Shut-up-and-take-my-money.jpg\/revision\/latest?cb=20140829235648\" alt=\"\" width=\"546\" height=\"341\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I suspect highly likely.<\/p>\n<p>It demonstrates a perceived level of \u201cmastery\u201d and knowledge-base towards the assesser (you) and, in a roundabout, reverse psychology kind-of-way, delves into the \u201cpain center\u201d of the assessee (athlete\/client).<\/p>\n<p>In this example it can refer to <strong><em>literal<\/em><\/strong> pain such as a banged up shoulder, knee, or lower back. But it can also speak to pain in the figurative sense too. Someone who\u2019s frustrated and \u201chad it up to here!\u201d that they can\u2019t lose weight, or maybe an athlete who was cut from their high-school team would have a degree of \u201cpain\u201d that would incentivize them to take action.<\/p>\n<p>Show someone success or a clear path of action, however little, and they\u2019re putty in your hands.<\/p>\n<p>Of course this assumes you\u2019re not some shady shyster who tries to up-sell the benefits of some super-secret concurrent, 47-week, Eastern-Bloc training program you copied from <em>Muscle &amp; Fitness<\/em> or, I don\u2019t know, organic raspberry ketones laced with mermaid placenta.<\/p>\n<p>People who promote and use smoke-and-mirror tactics are the worst.<\/p>\n<p>But lets get back to the topic at hand.<\/p>\n<h3>Test\/Re-Test<\/h3>\n<p>One of the main screens I use with my athletes and clients is their ability to lift or elevate their arms above their heads.<\/p>\n<p><em>Shoulder flexion<\/em> is important for <strong><em>everyone<\/em><\/strong>, not just overhead athletes and CrossFitters.<\/p>\n<p>If someone lacks shoulder flexion, and they\u2019re an athlete, it\u2019s going to affect their performance. A baseball pitcher may be \u201cstuck\u201d in gross shoulder depression, which in turn will have ramifications on scapular positioning and kinematics, which in turn will result in faulty mechanics and compensatory issues up and down the kinetic chain.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, regular ol\u2019 Hank from accounting, who likes to hit the gym hard after work, if <em>he<\/em> lacks shoulder flexion, he too could have numerous issues arise ranging from shoulder and elbow pain to lower back shenanigans.<\/p>\n<p>Shoulder flexion \u2013 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #ff0000;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/2016\/02\/5-strategies-for-healthy-shoulders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">and the ability to do it<\/a><\/strong><\/span> \u2013 is a big deal in my opinion. And it\u2019s a screen that should be a high-priority in any fitness professionals assessment protocol.<\/p>\n<p>So lets say I\u2019m working with someone who lacks shoulder flexion. I test it both actively (standing, picture above) and passively (on a training table).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/ericcressey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/IMG_7895.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"395\" height=\"296\"\/><\/p>\n<p>I surmise that it\u2019s limited and that it <strong><em>may<\/em><\/strong> be feeding into why a particular person\u2019s shoulder has been bothering him or her.<\/p>\n<p>I can use the test\/re-test approach to see if I can nudge an improvement.<\/p>\n<p>Now, as I\u2019ve learned from many people much smarter than myself \u2013 Mike Reinold, Sue Falsone, Dr. Evan Osar, Dr. Stuart McGill, Papa Smurf, etc \u2013 you shouldn\u2019t rely on any <strong><em>ONE<\/em><\/strong> screen\/corrective.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone is different, and what works for one person might not even scratch the surface for another.<\/p>\n<p>With regards to addressing (lack of) shoulder flexion, there are a handful of \u201cgo to\u201d strategies I like to use.<\/p>\n<p>And then it\u2019s just a matter of seeing which one sticks.<\/p>\n<h3>1) Encouraging a Better Position<\/h3>\n<p>In order to elevate the humerus (arm) above your head, the scapulae (shoulder blade) needs to do three things:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Upwardly rotate<\/li>\n<li>Posteriorly tilt<\/li>\n<li>Protract<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The ability to do so is vastly correlated with the thorax. Those who are super kyphotic (ultra rounded upper back) will have a hard time elevating their arms overhead. Often, the simple \u201cfix\u201d here is to foam roll the upper back and work on more t-spine extension and you\u2019ll almost always see an improvement.<\/p>\n<h4>Bench T-Spine Extension<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"tonygentilcore.com Bench T-Spine Extension Mobilization\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ICtEOwA3r_U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4>Side Lying Windmill<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TonyGentilcore.com Side Lying Windmill\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fY2VPSHyFBg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But what about the opposite? Those who are stuck in more \u201cgross\u201d extension and downward rotation?<\/p>\n<p>I.e., the bulk of athletes and meatheads.<\/p>\n<p>Here the shoulder blades can be seemingly \u201cglued\u201d down.<\/p>\n<p>In that case some positional breathing drills to \u201cun-glue\u201d the shoulder blades (and to encourage more 3D or 360 degree expansion of the ribcage\/thorax) would be highly advantageous.<\/p>\n<h4>All 4s Belly-Breathing<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TonyGentilcore.com All Fours Belly Breathing\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EYMu5UL-ans?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s amazing what a few minutes of this drill can do with improving shoulder flexion ROM, without having to yank or pull or \u201csmash\u201d anything.<\/p>\n<h3>2) Allow the Shoulder Blades to Move<\/h3>\n<p>Some people simply don\u2019t know how to allow their shoulder blades to move. A prime example is this past weekend.<\/p>\n<p>An attendee who\u2019s a personal trainer \u2013 but also competes in figure \u2013 mentioned how her shoulders (especially her left) had been bothering her for eons, and she couldn\u2019t figure out why.<\/p>\n<p>We had her perform this drill.<\/p>\n<h4>1-Arm Quadruped Protraction<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TonyGentilcore.com 1-Arm Quadruped Protraction\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/olnoG8QaRb8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In reality, <strong><em>both<\/em><\/strong> protraction and retraction are occurring, but many people have a hard time with the former.<\/p>\n<p>The idea here is to learn to gain movement from the shoulder blade itself and not via the t-spine.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s another angle (because, triceps):<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eyNFNxqFlSc<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After a few \u201cpasses\u201d with this drill, she saw an immediate improvement in her ROM. What\u2019s more, the following day when she showed up for Day #2, the first thing out of her mouth was \u201c<em>my shoulder feels amazing today<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a win.<\/p>\n<h3>3) Pin and Go<\/h3>\n<p>Another route to take is to have the person foam roll their lats. Not many people do this, and there\u2019s a reason why: It\u2019s un-pleasant.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll have the person spend a good 30 seconds or so on each side and then have them stand up and perform a simple SMR drill using a lacrosse ball against a wall.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ll \u201cpin\u201d the teres minor down (basically, find the tender spot behind their shoulder and hold it there) and then <strong><em>work into upward rotation<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9OiGt_O1FvY<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another five or so passes here, and I\u2019ll re-test.<\/p>\n<p>Many times I\u2019ll see a marked improvement in their shoulder flexion.<\/p>\n<h3>Caveat<\/h3>\n<p>NONE of this is to insinuate that anything mentioned above will work for everyone. The idea is to understand that it\u2019s important to \u201ctest\u201d a number of modalities and then re-test to see if you find an improvement.<\/p>\n<p>If you do, you\u2019re likely barking up the right tree which will make your corrective approach and subsequent strength training more successful.<\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t, well, my bad\u2026..;o)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/2026\/01\/the-power-of-test-re-test\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I often speak on the importance of the test\/re-test concept with regards to assessment. It\u2019s nothing fancy or elaborate. You test something \u2013 whether it be range of motion or maybe a strength discrepancy \u2013 implement a \u201ccorrective\u201d modality if something\u2019s deemed out of whack, and then re-rest that shit to see if it worked. &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15469\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}