Dr. Matt Fontaine on the Easiest Ways to Prevent Injury & Optimize Performance

In this podcast I interview Dr. Matt Fontaine, who’s a fantastic sports doctor in the Washington DC area that I’ve been seeing for a lingering bit of biceps tendonitis that has been getting in the way of my pressing. Matt has been practicing sports medicine for nearly 15 years and has worked with everyone ranging from professional baseball players and triathletes to weekend runners and Crossfit warriors, and has helped people through some pretty gnarly injuries and setbacks. In my case, he has been using a technique called ART (which you’ll learn about in the interview), and it has really helped loosen up the muscles in my shoulder and arm that were aggravating my biceps tendon. I wish I had known about this months ago. In addition to simply getting results, Matt also really impressed me with the breadth and depth of his expertise and experience. He really knows his shit, which is why I wanted to pick his brain on things like finding and fixing muscle imbalances, predictors of injury, the nature of soft tissue injuries, simple preventative measures you can take at home, and more. As I get more heavy weightlifting under my belt, I’ve come to appreciate stretching and mobility work even more for the purpose of preventing injury and maintaining optimal performance, and this is one of Matt’s real specialties. I think you’re going to find the interview really enlightening and helpful, so here it is. 10:08 - Dr. Matt Fontaine's take on Crossfit, how to do it right starting out and the #1 predictor of injury. 19:28 - Tests you can do to find muscle imbalances and improve your performance. 27:49 - The second most common predcitor of injury and why using pain as an indicator of injury is too late. 30:40 - What a repetitive motion injury causes and why soft tissue injuries should not be overlooked. 36:26 - Easy and preventative measures you can take for recovery and when you should see a Doctor. 42:29 - How to find a good Doctor for injuries. ARTICLES RELATED TO THIS PODCAST: 5 Foam Roller Exercises That Improve Performance: http://www.muscleforlife.com/foam-roller-exercises/ The Definitive Guide to Mobility Exercises: Improve Flexibility, Function, and Strength: http://www.muscleforlife.com/mobility-exercises/ 3 Ways to Use Myofascial Release to Reduce Pain and Improve Performance: http://www.muscleforlife.com/myofascial-release/ Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/