mobility

In my last article, I discussed how you can begin to understand your movement limitations by establishing your flexibility and mobility in five different areas of the body. You can use this knowledge to ... Continue Reading

Why is stretching so difficult? It seems as though it should be easy and simple. Need to stretch your hamstrings. Okay, bring your feet together and try to touch your toes. Quads tight? Then from a ... Continue Reading

Functional flexibility and natural range of motion are the foundations of optimal performance in most athletic activities. Being able to move our bodies in the way they were intended, without restriction, ... Continue Reading

I get it. You want to be a total badass. You want to lift heavy stuff and be a super human who can do everything. I totally understand, because I’m the same way. But if you want to be a badass and lift ... Continue Reading

The thoracic spine is designed for rotation. It's supposed to rotate more than your lumbar spine, but for the majority of people, it's the opposite. Why? Lifestyle choices lead to posture that feeds ... Continue Reading

Looking for a simple and powerful way to strengthen your core while stretching your central pillar? Your central pillar is your hip-to-shoulder zone. Look no further, the resisted rock will do it. A key to ... Continue Reading

As I discussed in part one of this series, most of us have been sitting in chairs since we were young. Sitting in a chair for long periods of time tends to pull the head forward and create rounding in the ... Continue Reading

Recently we saw a flood of Facebook re-posts of UFC fighter Conor McGregor training with Ido Portal. These posts have drawn attention to free movement as training. The post linked above contains an ... Continue Reading

You cannot simply train mobility or stability alone. You need to train movement. Mobility and stability (or more appropriately, motor control) are important concepts to understand and work with, but they ... Continue Reading

Power lives in the transverse plane. If you want to unleash strength, power, and force you must harness control of rotation. The keyword here is control - concentric and eccentric control. The ... Continue Reading

If you are one out of the every five people on this planet who owns a smart phone, now is the time to start thinking twice about looking down at your phone to check email or Facebook. By the time ... Continue Reading

Have you ever been to a physical therapist and been told you have something going on with your shoulder? Maybe the therapist calls it impingement, maybe tendinosis, or maybe he or she says it’s postural. ... Continue Reading

You’re stuck spending thirty minutes on your warm up and wondering why you can’t make any gains in your training. Even more importantly, your squat depth is abysmal, you lack a comfortable and effective ... Continue Reading

Want an easy way to increase core stabilization in the central zone and decrease fascial tension in your back at the same time? Say yes. Resisted quadruped rock (RQR) is the answer. A simple and ... Continue Reading

Tight hips are one of the major obstacles an athlete can have in maximizing power and performance. The couch stretch is a powerful tool every athlete should have in his or her toolbox. Understanding the ... Continue Reading

The sacroiliac joint can get really beaten up in some people, leading to pain and injury. We call this joint the SIJ for short, and it’s basically where your sacrum and pelvis come together. ... Continue Reading

When, in a split second, your life is threatened, do you say, “Let me make sure my hand is on my hip and my style is ‘the’ style”? When your life is in danger, do you argue about the method you will adhere ... Continue Reading

People love complexity. A quick survey of the fitness landscape will show you complicated diets, workouts, and methods of fat loss - despite the overwhelming evidence that the simple stuff works and often ... Continue Reading

Mobility and motor control are two important factors to consider when you embark on a new strength program or even just begin strength training. Mobility is a concept that is often misunderstood or loosely ... Continue Reading

A sprinter of mine recently lamented at a recurrence of his old right hamstring pain months after having surgery to it. He asked, “Is this likely to be a normal feeling as the other pain and numbness from ... Continue Reading

Here’s how you can improve your squat in an unconventional manner with a hard-hitting, but easy-to-apply strategy. This will flat out make you strong, even beyond the walls of the weight ... Continue Reading

Imagine the entire state of Washington lining up at the doctor’s office. That’s about how many people visited the doctor because of shoulder injuries in 2006. That year saw 7.5 million total ... Continue Reading