The Joint by Joint approach Everyone realizes how complicated the human body is, yet it can be so simple at times. This article will demonstrate that although we are capable of extreme things from fine motor control movements like threading a needle to gross motor control activities such as bungee jumping and gymnastics,…
Did you know that…? You increase the strain on your neck muscles 3-fold when you are staring into a computer for hours on end or sitting for too long. Your head weighs approximately 8% of your bodyweight. Therefore, if someone weighing in at 150 lbs, then their head weighs in at 12…
Me: “Okay Johnny, let’s see you touch your toes!” Johnny: “That’s not going to happen! I was never able to touch my toes!” How many times have we heard this? It is not the be-all-end-all to touch your toes but it does give us the indication that your joints are working synchronously. Toe touching is…
Have pain in your back, knees or ankles? Is the idea of touching your toes laughable? Do you cringe at the idea of foam rolling your hamstrings? You might very well be hamstrung. The hamstrings are very important muscles in the body that are constantly being used to accomplish daily activities as simple as walking….
The CORKSCREW HIP FLEXOR STRETCH: We have all heard that your hip flexors can be the bane of a lot of orthopedic and joint issues, from the lower back to the knees to the feet. The hip flexor GROUP: Psoas Major, Psoas Minor, Tensor Fascia Lata, Sartorius, Pectineus, and the Iliacus, are ALL involved in…
Singled handedly, DIPS are one of the best arm, chest exercises around but there are some interesting points that need to be addressed when getting into trying to target those nasty triceps, so here goes. Click on the link below to check out Patrick's dips (with a loaded weight vest no less!) Patrick dips As…
UPPER CROSS SYNDROME: In a previous post, I had explained what a “Lower Cross Syndrome” was. To recap, essentially it is a postural stance whereby the abdominal muscles and gluteus maximus muscle become long and weak and the lower back and hip flexor group of muscles get shorter and tighter. Upper Cross Syndrome is no…
Crunches? Side Crunches? Oblique Crunches? ummm…not anytime soon! As Mike Boyle, one of the world’s leading exercise experts says, “We use our abs to crunch when get up out of bed in the morning!” That is a little bit of a stretch however, but there is an underlying message there. Our abdominal muscles, which range…
During a recent training camp that I was privileged to help out with, I came to the realization that these high level (albeit, still developing) athletes have remarkable resilience to injury and are driven through passion, monetary compensation, and sheer joy to keep plying their trade. What is so different about them compared to us…
Stretch before or after? YES One question that pops up almost on a daily basis is, “When should I stretch? Before or after my workout?” The answer to that is “yes” on both counts. “They say that we shouldn’t stretch before exercising!” If you begin your exercise routine without addressing the tightness in your right…
