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...]
You Should Do This: Hips Off Dumbbell Bench Press
January 1, 2021 by
Hips Off Dumbbell Bench Press I'm willing to bet you don't create enough tension when you press. I know I don't. How do I know this? Just go to the gym and watch folks bench press. You'll see lots of wiggling around, feet tapping and moving, knee coming in and out, hips up and down. But watch the strongest, smoothest bench. What do you see? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLrecJPciy4 None of that, usually. There is always that dude who is a freak, has craptastic technique and is waaaaaay stronger than almost everyone else. But we call those people freaks, lucky, outliers and wasting lots of potential if they just got their shit … [Read more...]
Prone Bent Knee Hip Extensions (PBKHE) To Get Your Ass in Gear
December 11, 2020 by
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...]
Spring Ankle to Fix Your Weak Feet
October 21, 2020 by
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
September 29, 2020 by
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
September 1, 2020 by
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...]
Injuries, Scab Picking and Capacity Building
July 3, 2020 by
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...]
You Should Do This: Plank Row
June 24, 2020 by
Plank Row Know how I kinda harp on: Posterior Chain You can never have enough Ass, Abs and Upper Back Lats are core Today we're going to beat #3 to death, again... Lats Are Core First things first, the "lats" cover a HUGE swath of the body: "Latissimus dorsi is a unique muscle in terms of its anatomical design. It is a relatively thin, fan-shaped muscle, and is one of the largest in the body in surface area, covering a significant portion of the back. It assumes widespread medial attachments to the spinous processes of the lower six thoracic vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae, and sacrum, as well as to the ilium via the thoracolumbar … [Read more...]
