"Ribs Down" I say that a LOT. Like all day. See I also say, "Chest Up" A Lot. And most folks think chin up is chest up <---if this is you, you're thoracic spine needs some love. And by "love" I mean, EXTENSION. But these are different things. And too much "chest up" usually leads to compensation and the dreaded Lumbar Hyperextension... The Duck Butt An aggressive over-arching of the lower back. Which is another compensation pattern that's associated with a tight thoracic spine.. Wait But Why? How can excessive cervical AND lumbar motion be the result of a stiff thoracic spine? Easy, if the segments in the middle of the spine don't move (do … [Read more...]
Rooting: Gripping the Floor Isnt Curling Your Toes
March 21, 2018 by
Root: Definition: A root's four major functions are 1) absorption of water and inorganic nutrients, 2) anchoring of the plant body to the ground, and supporting it, 3) storage of food and nutrients, 4) vegetative reproduction and competition with other plants. - Wikipedia That should be the role of your feet when you lift. Actively Rooting you into the ground, LOCKING the body into the floor. Much like the hands gripping the bar, the feet need to grip the floor if we're going to create optimal stability and generate maximal force. What Rooting Does: #1: Increases Surface Area The larger the surface area the more stable the base. Like Louie Says, "A pyramid … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Hamstring Slider Curls
March 13, 2018 by
I'm going to tell you something you probably don't want to hear... You Have a Weak Core, Ass and Hamstrings... Just kidding, you read this blog enough to know that already. The Posterior Chain: Essentially its all the muscles on the back of the body. Calves Hamstrings Glutes Spinal Errectors Lats Rhomboids Traps Rear Delts Traps Triceps Its important and its usually chronically under trained. Fun Fact: Go find the guy in the gym with a big hard ass and a thick heavy yoke (upper back and shoulders) and I'm gonna bet you he's a strong mutha that can lift some serious stuff. Hamstrings and Glutes, A Match Made in Heaven: Hamstrings … [Read more...]
Your Cell is Killing Your Posture: Text Neck
March 7, 2018 by
If sitting is the new smoking, text neck is the new tetanus. Or not, I know that doesn't even make sense. But sitting too much is bad. And so is hanging your head off of your cervical vertebrae. "The human head weighs about a dozen pounds. But as the neck bends forward and down, the weight on the cervical spine begins to increase. At a 15-degree angle, this weight is about 27 pounds, at 30 degrees it’s 40 pounds, at 45 degrees it’s 49 pounds, and at 60 degrees it’s 60 pounds."- Lindsey Bever And it's painful and if you do it enough. “As you stretch the tissue for a long period of time, it gets sore, it gets inflamed,” he said. It can also cause muscle strain, … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Stability Ball Dumbbell Bench Press
February 26, 2018 by
Yeah, I know I rag on wobble stuff all the time. I even did Masters Work on unstable surfaces. So I can say with a fairly high degree of certainty: If you're trying to get really strong, This Exercise Should Probably NOT be One of Your Primary Strength Exercises. But for accessory stuff, it ain't all that bad. Here's The Deal: We'll start with the bad <---ALWAYS start with the bad. Get up and "eat the frog" Using an unstable surface instantly makes you weaker. "It has been established that there is a significantly lower peak isometric force and rate of force development during resistance exercises under unstable as compared to stable conditions. In … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Pallof Press
February 9, 2018 by
Core, Core, Core, You need it, preferably LOTS of it. But just having ABZZZ isn't enough. You need a core that actually works. A core that STOPS, instead of creates or allows movement through the lumbar spine. The "core" must create, as Dr. Stu McGill puts it, "Super Stiffness" *this in NOT an ED commercial...But his lab did do this study. So sit-ups, crunches, Russian twists, these things, all out. And "Anti- Core", exercises that "BRACE" the spine against movement is all in.... Ribcage Down, Hips in Neutral: The Cylinder Position Here's the short: Use your "core" to create a stable platform not your lower back. Jamming your L4, L5 and … [Read more...]
Its Working Out, But it Ain’t Doing Sh@t For Your Game.
January 31, 2018 by
Training is Exercise With Performance Outcomes in Mind.... Working out is Exercise With Health Outcomes in Mind.... From a distance they look the same, but there is actually a world of difference. Here's the truth: 95% of people WORK OUT. And that's ok, hell, its probably preferable. It's a good thing to be in good health, and "fit" and feel good about yourself, able to walk up stairs without the need for a timeout, straight O2, or a good jolt from an AED. But it's not the end goal of TRAINING. <----hopefully its a nice fringe benefit Training is exercise that is FOR something, an event, sport, activity. Don't be fooled by frequency, volume, … [Read more...]
You Should Do This: Cat/ Camel/ Cow, Whatever, Thoracic Spine Mobility
January 26, 2018 by
If You're Reading This You Probably Have Sh@tty Thoracic Mobility.. How do I know this? I'm not Yoda, Gandalf or even Harry Freaking Potter, But I am kinda like that kid (he's an adult now) from that Sixth Sense movie. You know, the one by M. Night Shamalama-ding-dong. The "I see dead people" kid. https://youtu.be/ZSNyiSetZ8Y Except, "I See "Sh@tty Posture" Fact is, too many of us sit, with our face in a computer or head hung down looking at a screen too often. <------understatement of the century. You're all slumped over, hanging off the ribcage. Do it long enough and you'll literally end up with this posture: Here's the … [Read more...]
