Search Results for: half kneeling

Training The Overweight/ Obese Client

"I Thought You Only Trained Athletes?" I wish....but not really Athletes can do ANYTHING and they're fun to train because of that. You show them once and they have it down, better than me, stronger than me.. But here's the fact: "Until you're at the top, you better train all types of people, not just the fun ones"- Mike Boyle If I only trained athletes, I'd be eating Ramen noodles in a cardboard box every night. The vast majority of my clients are regular people who want to be more awesome. Eventually, they become super awesome, but at first they're usually pretty terrible below average physically and this usually includes being somewhat to very … [Read more...]

Doing it Better: Shoulder Pressing

You Probably Shouldn't be Overhead Pressing... Super Strong...but serious Lumbar Compensation here. I allow only about 10% of my clients to overhead press, and even then it's limited. That means 90% are foreboden from ever putting a weight over their head. Jim Wendler and Mark Rippetoe be damned. Fact is the vast, vast, vast majority of people I've trained should NOT overhead press for one or many of a variety of reasons: Lack of subacromial space. Poor humeral/ scapular rhythm (scapular depression). Poor Thoracic extension. In my experience most people (Not ALL, jackass) just can't overhead press correctly without grinding tissues down and creating … [Read more...]

Doing it Better: Rows

Hard truth: We NEED, as in MUST HAVE to function, more rows in our workouts. Too much of these things: Pushing Sitting Desk Work Bad Posture Have left us with Desk Jockey Syndrome. One major component of which is a weak back, especially in the pulling muscles. Muscles like the Lats, Rhomboids, Posterior Delts, and Lower Traps that just are not doing what they are supposed to do, or at least not to the level they are supposed to do it. How do we start to fix this? SCAPULAR RETRACTION and SCAPULAR DEPRESSION.....ie. pulling the shoulder blades back and down.   http://youtu.be/BU3eHNtyNCc What exercises are great at … [Read more...]

You Should Do This: Side Plank

  I'm Pretty Partial to Obliques. I think they're pretty important. Essentially, obliques "tie" the ribcage to the hip. "Core abdominal musculature plays a critical role in nearly every baseball-related movement as it is heavily utilized for maintenance of posture, throwing, swinging, twisting, pivoting, running, and jumping activities. These muscles, especially the internal and external obliques, help transfer forces along the kinetic chain from the lower extremities to the upper extremities." - Epidemiology and Impact of Abdominal Oblique Injuries in Major and Minor League Baseball Anatomical Role of the Obliques If you read an anatomy book it'll tell … [Read more...]

You Should Do This: Glute Bridge Kneeout

  Butts Are Important Seriously, you need glutes. Functioning glutes. Glutes that actually make you Instagram famous keep your knees from being torn to pieces from collapsing inward. I've said it before, I'll say it again, the glutes may be the most important muscles in the body. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXPDhggbWfM great vid from Athlean X If you tell me, "No, it's the core" I'll not disagree with you. Why? Glutes are Core.  If the hips can't be "set" , all the abs in the world can't effectively brace you. Without the glutes keeping the pelvis in a correct (usually neutral) position you'll have to default into the lumbar spine, "dump … [Read more...]

You Should Do This: Chaos Carries

  As if PROPERLY performed loaded carries aren't bad enough. Using a band as a handle takes them to a whole new level.... But Why Do Loaded Carries In the First Place? Loaded Carries might be the most "functional" exercise there is. I mean, ya pretty much gotta pick up and carry stuff all the time. *Or at least decently strong people have to pick up and carry things all the time. There are lots of people who don't pick up and carry things, you don't want to be those people, Those People DIE.  "Perceived work ability in midlife was associated with mortality and disability in old age among blue-collar and white-collar employees. It is plausible … [Read more...]

You Should Do This: Front Rack Reverse Lunge

  No quippy, I'd like to think, witty, intro to this one. The Front Rack Reverse Lunge, it's a bitch boss exercise. If you do it, it'll make you better That should be enough. But I have to find something semi-interesting long winded to say I guess, so here goes. Why Reverse Lunge in The First Place: Easier on The Knees: Initiating the movement by sitting back into the hips activates the musculature around the hips (glutes, hams etc) preferentially. This means you're FAR less likely to ram the femur into the kneecap (you can, it's just much more difficult than in forward lunges). Initiating into the hip also helps to lessen the chances of a … [Read more...]

You Should Do This: Rotational Side Plank

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...]