The Great Toe Needs to Be Great It wants to be great. You just have to let it be. Your Big Toe needs to move. <----as we learned in Part one, which you can read by clicking the link The Greatness of the Great Toe Specifically the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP), where the big toe articulates with the foot, needs to be mobile and strong. If the Big Toe isn't functioning as it should your balance wont be very good because you can't make microadjustments to the natural sway of the body at the foot. Your walking gait will be off due to the inability to dorsiflex the hallux and take full advantage of the Windlass … [Read more...]
“I Have TIght Hamstrings” Part 2: Anterior Pelvic Tilt
August 1, 2018 by
Last time we dealt with the dreaded No Ass Syndrome and how that can give you some tight hamstrings. This week we'll take on the most common culprit. No Core.... And the overactive, super tight quads that follow. I affectionally call this the Duck Butt, but the technical term is Anterior Pelvic Tilt from Cathedral Chiropractic Basically, the pelvis, the bowl of water is tipped forward. Before we get any farther, some degree of Anterior Pelvic Tilt is pretty common and can be considered "normal" posture. In fact anterior pelvic tilt is the most common postural adaptation in athletes: "The most commonly reported sport-specific postural adaptations of the … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Single Arm Dumbbell Bench
June 21, 2018 by
No, I don't change the dumbbell magically half way through the movement. Just took pictures of the bell in different hands. Time for a Story Kids: Long Ago in the Way Way Back Time Lil Roy went to his (probably 2nd) Strength and Conditioning seminar evvveeeerrrr. It was the 1st Annual Mid Atlantic Sports Symposium, or at least I THINK that's what the name was. Any who, it at George Mason a year after they made the Final Four and it was Hosted by Todd Hamer. *I've been to LOTS of these things through the years and could totally be wrong about the following facts, it coulda been a different seminar, but the essence of the story is the same. This isn't a … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Rotational Side Plank
June 15, 2018 by
Obliques, Might be the most Important Core Muscle. But then again, that's kinda like saying, "If you can only do one exercises which would you do?" Well, I can do ALL exercises, so how's about's I just choose the one that best fits the job at hand. Thanks.. Cause really all core muscles are VERY important. But obliques, "Tie the ribcage to the hips" - Kelly Starett. Wait, But What? Think about it. Here's the functional description of the obliques: The external and internal oblique muscles rotate and side bend the trunk. These muscles also contribute to spinal stability.......Acting alone, the external oblique can flex the trunk, side bend the torso … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Offset RDL
May 16, 2018 by
Sometimes I think, "WOW that would be a GREAT exercise." "I wonder why no one has done them before? I'm so smart." Then I search the YouTube and learn. People already do it. Have done it for years. I'm not that smart and mostly. THERE IS NOTHING NEW IN EXERCISE. Except Tri-phasic training, that was legit new. Its ALL been done before. So when I had a false ephipany and thought, "Offset RDL's would be a GREAT exercise. I'm glad I thought of them." I hadn't. Within 3 days, I saw a video of them on the Instagram. Silver Lining: That's kind of a good thing, finding that other people do actually think these are worthwhile. Why? Because that … [Read more...]
Half Kneeling: It’ll Fix What Ails Ya.
May 9, 2018 by
Q: What Makes Everything Harder? A: Half Kneeling... Do it in half kneeling and it's harder. Shoulder Press Corner Press Cable Row Pallof Press Do them in half kneeling, go ahead, use less weight... Its harder. Why? In the words of Gray Cook: "Tall and Half Kneeling Positions force you to OWN your position" In My Words, "You Can't Half-Ass, Half-Kneeling" When in Half-Kneeling it's really tough to hide your weaknesses with NO LOAD. Add even minimal loads and there's no denying it. Half-Kneeling is an Inherently Unstable Position. Yes, it tries to put you on your ass. Unless you align, activate, brace and move with solid, effective … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: “The Worlds Greatest Stretch” AKA Groiners W/ Rotation
April 25, 2018 by
"The Worlds Greatest Stretch" Pretty sure I first heard that term applied to this exercise in this book. Circa 2005 (and the book was 2-3 years old then). Fun Fact: Core Performance was the 2nd real "training" book I ever bought. The first was Functional Training for Sports. Core Performance is a book that, unfortunately, I didn't recommend for a long time. It has a really heavy focus on movement, mobility, and "integration". At the time I read it I was 22-23ish and bulletproof. So I was like, "WTF is all this "movement" about, you gotta smash some weight". Well, what I didn't have was experience, perspective and humility. 1) I should have known, at … [Read more...]
Does Online Training Actually Work?
February 14, 2018 by
This is a Facebook message I got a few weeks ago.. Jackass "Friend" From College: "Online Training? WTF? There's no way you can train people without being there. What a crock of sh@t. Way to rip people off." *Full disclosure, this was the follow-up after I told him I couldn't write-up a 16 week mesocylce, to "get ripped for the summer" for free. But we could set up Online Coaching for the next three months and then reevaluate. Yeah, I do see the irony, at least to me, that a 16 week mesocycle pulled completely out of my ass, based on knowing NOTHING about this person would be better than 3-6 week cycles based off of an assessment and feedback. But that's just … [Read more...]
