You Should Do This: Quarter Squat Hip Abductions

Your Hips are Weak. Probably super weak. Especially this muscle: The Glute Medius Or "High Glute" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmwLJ1OQKJM&feature=emb_title Role(s) of the Glute Medius: Truth is, the Glute Med plays several different roles. The primary function of the GMed is position, movement and load dependent. "Hip and knee kinetic and kinematic variables related to the development of dynamic knee valgus would appear to be influenced by gluteal muscle strength and EMG activity. The level of influence varies across single leg squatting and landing tasks and would appear superficially to differ between genders, though this was not … [Read more...]

Prone Bent Knee Hip Extensions (PBKHE) To Get Your Ass in Gear

Prone Bent Knee Hip Extensions After I put out this one about back pain I got some, "What's the deal with the exercise where you put your face into the ground and lift your leg" Well, here's the deal. I've been using it a lot lately and while I can't "prove" it. That sh@t has been straight magic. PBKHE are Like Gandalf. And not, nice, grandfatherly Gandalf. Like, You Shall Not Pass, Gandalf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlaiBeLrntQ The First Step in the Scientific Method is Observation In the absence of accumulated evidence we need to work in observation and hypothesis. Why isn't personal observation alone good enough? High, high, risk of … [Read more...]

Your Low Back Hurts Because of YOU…

Low Back Pain Its a real mother. Over 80% of ALL people (Americans) will experience Low Back Pain (LBP) in their lifetime. LBP is the #2 cause of disability and the most common reason for work days lost. There are about a bazillion causes for low back pain. Those reasons range from genetic to catastrophic injury to many people just do consistently stupid things (myself included) that aggravates their back. The worst part is, they rarely even realize what they're doing is the root cause of their pain. Fundamentally, people with low back pain tend to share a few movement strategies, TOO MUCH low back movement. Lack of Gluteal Activation/ Reliance/ … [Read more...]

Spring Ankle to Fix Your Weak Feet

For a long time I've realized, People Lack Foot Strength and generally just have F-ed up feet, Collapsed arches Flat Feet Bunions Immobility Plantar Fasciitis Heel Spurs Lack of motor control And so much more!!!! I cant tell you how many people I've recommended foot mobility and strengthening exercises to. I can tell you how many people have taken the advice/ homework and consistently done them.... Keep in mind, things like foot exercises need to be done regularly, as in EVERY DAMN DAY. Why So Often? You're loading your feet all day, every day. They're the product of how you've lived loaded them To create change in these tissues you're going to … [Read more...]

You Should Do This: Slider Side Lunge

Slider Side Lunge Most of what we do in the weight room occurs in the astral plane sagittal plane. These are forward/ back ward movements like squats, lunges, bench press, pullups etc. This makes sense. Much of life occurs in this plane too. Most, not all. A LOT of life occurs in the other planes too. Transverse and Frontal and the truth of truths is that MOST things actually occur in a combination of ALL these planes of movement. Muscles coordinate actions across joints to control the movement creating the desired outcome. Well, anyone who has done literally ANYTHING even mildly athletic knows.... NOT Allowing Movement is Just As Important as … [Read more...]

You Should Do This: Single Leg RDL

The Single Leg RDL might be my favorite lift to prescribe. Not most RX'd (thats how the cool kids used to write prescribed circa 2015), favorite. It's almost like a right of passage. When it shows up on your program it's like you've graduated from padawan learner to Jedi apprentice. But you ain't no Jedi..... Not yet. Does this mean everyone gets SLRDL's? Nope. Sometimes it's not a good fit for that person. Sometimes Single Leg RDL's are not worth the trouble and investment in time to pattern correctly and load effectively. But for many, many clients of mine, "You're gonna get em, you're gonna do them, and YES, they will suck" Single Leg … [Read more...]

You Should Do This: 1 Arm TRX Plank

1 Arm TRX Plank Planks are really good. They do lots of good stuff for ya. But you don't do them, at least, not enough. Or, you unfortunately saw something like this, This is super impressive, from a competitive standpoint. Just not a useful from a "fitness" standpoint. Your friend at the gym told you they hold a plank for: insert insanely and mostly useless length of time here _______ and you thought, "WTF is the point? If I need to waste a whole day just hanging out on my forearms?" "Not So Fast My Friend"- Lee Corso https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVAc3q-7qPQ Yes, that really is mostly just, hanging out off your low back and doing a whole lot … [Read more...]

Injuries, Scab Picking and Capacity Building

Injuries, Fundamentally injuries occur when the stress applied to the the tissue exceeds the tissues capabilities (tolerance). Adapted from The Biomechanics of Low Back injury: Implications on Current Practice in Industry and the Clinic Injuries fall into two categories: Chronic: the type that are persistent, either flaring up frequently and resolving only to soon flare up again, or they just kind of linger always there at some level of pain and/ or discomfort. Acute: these injuries occur and resolve. While they may occur again, it's usually separate, distinct, events. In truth these types of injuries are often interconnected. Acute Injuries Often … [Read more...]