Ever wonder if your ankle range of motion was sufficient for your exercise needs?
Did you know that a common side effect of ankle sprains is actually losing the flexibility of your ankle bending forward on itself?
Did you know that one facet of impaired squat depth could be a lack of ankle bend!?
And finally, did you know that one of the most indicated underlying impairments that can contribute to plantar fascial pain is a lack of ankle bend!
We are talking about ankle dorsiflexion, and yes, this is a very important range of motion for our systems in many ways! While there are a multitude of options to measure one’s own amount of ankle dorsiflexion, this is one simple way you can test yourself to learn how much mobility you actually have.
In addition to the actual distance achieved, what you feel and experience in the test may also shed some light on where your restrictive tightness could reside. Check out your ankles and see what you think!
All right my ninja warriors, obstacle course race athletes, Cross-fitters, and ANYONE wanting to master the pull-up, this is one for you!
I want you to take a second and appreciate how important our shoulder blade is and all the muscles that connect to it that impact how our shoulder and arms move in space. They are like the foundation for our arms because almost all initiated and through-range movements involve leverage from our shoulder blade muscles.
Take for example the pull-up; when we initiate our “pull” it is technically not just from your arm, but rather more specifically from the way we drive our shoulder blades into a combination of retraction and downward rotation. If your shoulder blades didn’t do this, then you definitely would be “arming” your pull-up and missing out on a lot of power for this big demand. You may also be placing important aspects of your shoulder at risk for undo stress during the pull, which is never a good thing.
See how well you can coordinate this movement on a bar, and if you are trying to master that pull-up, this one is perfect for you!
There is a common myth in the fitness industry that you cannot push your knees over your toes during lower body strengthening exercises. This is not the case and should be explained.
It is often said that you are at a higher chance of injuring your knees if you go knees-over-toes during your exercises. Now, I have often said that the knee is kind of a dumb joint because it will do whatever the hip and ankle tell it to. But, the knee is meant to have a degree of freedom to move and not be limited.
There is an increase in ankle dorsiflexion when pushing your knee forward. Keeping the heel down and pushing my knee forward gives a calf stretch and improves ankle range of motion.
There is a greater stretch of the quadriceps muscle group. The greater our ability to lengthen a muscle, the better we can shorten and contract the muscle.
Pushing the knee forward increases the ability of the patellar tendon to tolerate higher loads at the end of its range of motion.
When we squat, the main motion is lowering our center of mass, but pushing our knees forward. Same thing with a skater squat, a single leg exercise. This exercise works knee stability along with the hip and ankle. This allows us to properly be able to use the hip, knee, and ankle in unison.
Your knees are stronger than you think, train them in their full range of motion!
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Offset resistance exercises are strength based movements that asymmetrically load one side of the body. This type of training can help improve coordination, motor control, and overall movement posture. Here are some examples of exercises using this method:
▪️REVERSE LUNGES – Place the weight on the same side as your working leg. Turn hips forward and brace core. Your groin muscles will work harder to keep your hip and knee stable.
▪️SUITCASE DEADLIFT – This is great to help practice the hinge and to properly weight shift. While lifting the weight up, work on avoiding too much of a weight shift. Keep everything as linear as possible.
▪️SINGLE ARM SEAL ROW – This works by being an anti-rotation movement. Bracing your core and controlling the descend so there is no excessive rotation.
▪️SINGLE ARM CHEST PRESS – Same concept as before just working the opposite muscle group. Lift your feet off the ground to increase the difficulty.
▪️SUITCASE CARRY – This works on loading one side of the body while walking. Combining all the principles from the previous exercises with an increased challenge on motor control. This concept can be used with almost all exercise and can be done with other forms of resistance such as a barbells and resistance bands.
Many people think “core” exclusively means abs, and that abs means crunches. In reality, the core is a myriad of muscles involved in the stabilization of the lumbar (lower) spine, hips, and ribcage. Someone could design a core circuit around trying to train each of those muscles individually. However, functionally it is rare that any core muscle works in isolation without the assistance of nearby muscles. Therefore, the circuit we’re outlining today isn’t about individual muscles, but functions of the core that will train the entire trunk.
Lying Leg Raises
Top position of lying leg raises; the head, shoulder blades, low back and hips should be in contact with the ground, with the legs at or slightly below 90 degrees.Bottom position of lying leg raises; same contact points as before, except the low back should barely come off of the ground. This angle will vary based on your individual core strength.
Lying leg raises involve flexion of both the lumbar spine and hip flexors. Don’t worry if you feel this more in the thighs/hips than in the core. This just means your hip flexors are the weakest link in the chain and need to be trained as well. Fortunately, that’s something this exercise does an amazing job of!
Stability Ball Crunches
Bottom position of a stability ball crunch. Hands should be lightly placed on the side of the head so as to prevent tugging on the neck.Top position of the stability ball crunch. Any higher would be considered a sit-up, and involve more hip flexors than abdominals.
Stability ball crunches also involve flexion of the spine, but this time moving the ribcage instead of the hips. These have 2 distinct advantages over traditional crunches on the floor:
The positioning on the stability ball allows for a longer stretch and increased range-of-motion for the abdominals, and
The stability ball provides an unstable environment compared to the floor, forcing other muscles to stabilize.
Banded Pallof Press
The Banded Pallof Press, holding the band close to the chest.Banded Pallof Press, pressing the band away. This is where the outer oblique should be felt the most.
Palloff press is an excellent way to safely train spinal rotation via the method of anti-rotation, or actively resisting a rotational force. The obliques stabilize the spine, while resistance and instability are created through the change in the length of the band.
Suitcase Carry
The Suitcase Carry: an excellent exercise to train the obliques, and focus on breathing into a braced core.Suitcase Carry with a band handle, for extra instability and challenge.
The Suitcase Carry is similar to the Pallof Press, but instead of training the obliques by anti-rotation it trains the obliques by anti-bending.
Bird Dog
When partaking in Bird-Dog, you can choose to do repetitions or hold for time. If you choose repetitions, still hold the rep for 1 or 2 seconds to make sure that you find balance on every rep.
While some people may think of Bird-Dog as a yoga pose, Bird-Dog is an excellent way to train the low back, an often overlooked aspect of trunk training. The ability to maintain a truly neutral spine while fighting the forces of your outstretched limbs is harder than it appears. Be honest with yourself, are those hips rotating?
Dead Bug
Dead Bug is the abdominal counterpart to Bird-Dog’s low back training, and a way to train spinal flexion while including both of the bottom and top half of the lumbar spine. Differently then our previous exercises that trained spinal flexion, the positioning of the body allows for the abdominals to be worked while keeping the torso in a completely neutral position.
Cat Cow
In cat, focus on pushing through the floor, tucking your hips underneath you, and elongating the spine.In Cow/Camel, focus on hips up, shoulders together, and letting the spine relax.
All of the exercises above are focused on spinal stability, which fits into the alternating pattern of stability and mobility on a joint-by-joint basis. However, constantly flexing a muscle group without providing it with some mobility and reprieve leaves the possibility of restricted mobility that can result in discomfort. Cat Cow is a great exercise that leaves the spine mostly unloaded, gently taking it through a larger range-of-motion and facilitating reasonable mobility.
While the exercises above make an all-encompassing core circuit, this list certainly isn’t exhaustive. Modifications for injury/discomfort, progressions based on ease of completion, and variety of exercises are things that can be explained by certified professionals, ideally within the scope of a larger exercise program. To set up a Free Initial Session with one of our certified trainers, click here.
Welcome back to the mobility and stability series! Being the first ball-and-socket joint in the series, the hip mobility has a lot of nuance that can be explored. That being said, the vast majority of these muscles and functions can be addressed with just five basic stretches. Improving hip mobility is important to be able to safely perform and progress basic fitness functions such as squatting, lunging hinging or walking. Whether you’re doing these in-studio or at-home, all you’ll need is a stable surface about 20 inches off the ground, and a mat or folded towel for knee support.
Elevated Hamstring Stretch:
Standing, place your foot in front of you on the elevated surface. Maintaining a neutral spine, lean forward until you feel a gentle stretch in the hamstring. Hold this position for 30-60 seconds.
Muscles Stretched: Hamstrings
Elevated Adductor Stretch:
Standing, place your foot to the side of you with knee straight onto the elevated surface. You may already feel a stretch in this position, in which case just hold for 30-60 seconds. If not, press your hips back and your torso forward until a stretch is felt on the inner thigh, then hold.
Muscles Stretched: Adductor Muscles
Elevated Pigeon Stretch:
Place the outer part of your shin on the elevated surface so as to make a figure-four position. On a twenty-inch surface, take a seat with the opposite leg slightly behind you; on a higher surface, you can remain standing. Lean forward until you feel a stretch in the glute of the leg in figure-four. Hold this position for 30-60 seconds.
Muscles Stretched: Gluteal Muscles
Seated Alternating Internal/External Rotations
Take a seat on the ground, on your towel or mat if you have it nearby. Place your feet flat on the floor in front of you so that your knees are pointing upwards. Place your hands behind you to hold your upper body firmly in place. Keeping your heels in contact with the ground and your torso in place, move your legs together side-to-side in a windshield wiper pattern. Be sure that with each repetition, you allow the legs to travel as far as they’ll go so as to truly expand your range-of-motion. Complete a total of 30 repetitions.
Muscles Stretched: Gluteal Muscles, TFL, Adductor
Hip Flexor Stretch:
Go into a deep lunge with your back knee placed on the folded towel or mat on the floor. Straighten up your torso as tall as possible, and assess if a stretch is being felt on the front of the hip/thigh of the back leg. If not, inch the front foot forward and re-straighten the torso until a stretch at this spot is felt. Hold this position for 30-60 seconds; to enhance this stretch, additionally squeeze the glute of the hip being stretched.
Muscles Stretched: Rectus Femoris
While the vast majority of people will be able to improve their mobility by completing these stretches as instructed, you may have individual needs that need to be met such as mobility for specific and advanced movements, or the need to add bands for joint distraction. If you have a unique inquiry that you’d like to ask a fitness professional, contact us and schedule your Free Initial Session here.
Knee stability is nearly entirely dependent on the mobility and strength of the ankles and hips. While we covered ankle mobility last week and will cover hip mobility next week, today we’ll discuss the three reasons why squat touchdowns can be the best fool-proof way to bullet-proof your knees.
Reason 1: Targeting the VMO
The quads are made up of four muscle bellies, the innermost being the VMO, or vastus medialis oblique. Strengthening of this specific muscle has been shown across studies to be associated with reductions in knee pain, and exercises where one leg is working at a time disproportionately target the VMO. While this could bode well for exercises such as split squats, lunges, or single-leg leg press, there are two more reasons why touch down squats may prove superior for most of the population.
Reason 2: Hard to Hide Mistakes
Another potential cause of knee pain can be the overburdening of the knee joint due to a lack of contribution from the hip muscles. Some key signs that this could be the case during a squat touchdown include the knee caving inward, the knee going far past the toe while the hip angle doesn’t change much, and a lack of feeling of engagement in the hip muscles while performing the exercise.
Knee caving inward on a touchdown squat from lack of hip strength/coordination.Quad-dominant squat touchdown with little hip involvement.
Sometimes, something as simple as a cue from a supervising coach can be enough for someone to begin putting more of their weight into the hip. However, if this cognitive cue isn’t enough to create this change, this may be a sign that you should spend some time on targeted hip activation and/or strengthening.
Unilateral exercises in free space are the easiest exercises to help recognize these issues. While this still includes split squats and lunges as exercises that would appear viable for progressing knee stability and addressing knee pain, there’s one last trait that makes squat touch-downs my personal favorite for those purposes.
Reason 3: Easy to Progress and Regress
Touchdown squats aren’t typically progressed the same way that lunges and split squats should be, with additional weight and reps. Generally speaking, reps should be kept high (between 10 and 20 per leg) and the exercise should be left unweighted. To progress a touchdown squat, the main metric considered should be distance traveled per repetition, or the height of the apparatus being used. This means that progress is directly linked to the tolerable range-of motion of knee flexion, as well as the strength and mobility of the hip in increasingly difficult positions.
If the weight of a single-leg squat at the height of a few inches can’t be tolerated, the single-leg leg press becomes a very viable alternative. This is due to the ability to weigh the leg press at a resistance much lighter than the weight of the body, and like the touchdowns the force on the leg is a compressive force (as opposed to the shear force provided by a leg extension). However, without the additional benefits provided by the touchdown squats, I recommend accompanying the leg press with targeted hip strengthening, such as the banded clamshell.
Knee stability is one key aspect of movement that helps promote both progress and longevity in fitness. This series will continue to follow Michael Boyle’s Joint-by-Joint approach, with hip mobility being the focus of next week’s article. If you want individualized guidance and accountability for your health and fitness, sign up here to schedule a Free Initial Session with one of our highly qualified personal trainers.
Stability and mobility areterms you may have seen used by fitness professionals and influencers, advertising certain exercises to help fix certain ailments or enhance certain aspects of your fitness. How do you know if these are movements that will be helpful to you? This series will help to put the concepts of mobility and stability into more context.
Mobility refers to the ability of a joint to move through a full range-of-motion actively. This is different but similar to flexibility, which refers to the ability of a joint to move through a full range-of motion passively.
A deep squat demonstrating hip mobility.A hip stretch demonstrating hip flexibility.
These are both different then stability, which is a joint’s ability to maintain an optimal position, even against some resistance or in an unstable environment.
While all joints need some level of mobility and stability, Vladamir Jandatook note that the joints seem to alternate between whether they require more stability or more mobility compared to the adjacent joints, an idea expanded up by Michael Boyle.
This pattern emerges in part because the movement patterns in mobile joints is what dictates the stability of the stable joints. For example, in a deep squat the mobility and proper movement of the hips and ankles is what allows for the stability of the knees. Limited external rotation, one important form of mobility in the hips, would lead to a squat with knee valgus, an unstable position that carries an increased risk of ACL tears.
Stable knees in a squat from mobile hips and ankles.Unstable and caved in knees in a squat from hips with limited mobility.
In this series, we’ll discuss different movements for mobilizations and stabilizations at these joints, starting with the ankles.
Ankle Mobilizations
Lack of ankle mobility most commonly shows up in the inability of the knee to travel far past the toes during deep squatting motions. If during a deep squat you feel your heels come up off of the ground and feel a pinching sensation at the front of the ankle, this is likely the result of the bones of the foot being positioned in a way where they’re unable to glide smoothly. To fix this, we’re going to do a banded joint mobilization.
Have a band tied low the ground behind you, of about a two-inch thickness. Elevate your foot onto a plate, or something sturdy with a height of at least 1.5 inches. Wrap the band around the foot, very close to but just below the ankle joint. In a kneeling position, lean forward as far you can while keeping your heel planted on the plate. This stretch should be held for 30-60 seconds.
Banded Ankle Mobilization
Another function of the ankles is to provide lateral movement. To train this, get into a deep squat while holding out a plate to offset your weight, and elbows pushing out your knees. Rock side to side to push the range of motion of each ankle both ways, 10 times each.
While the joint distraction also doubles as a stretch for the deep calf muscle, the soleus, your ankle mobility could be limited in some movements by the tightness of the gastrocnemius. To stretch this, place your toes as high as they’ll go with your heel on the ground while standing. Bring the knee as close to the wall as you can, and feel the stretch in the largest belly of the calf for 30-60 seconds.
Ankles need mobility, can they use any stability?
There is some value in training on unstable surfaces, such as a BOSU ball or a balance pad. The unstable surface will force every muscle in the body responsible for balance to activate in an attempt to stay upright, including the muscles surrounding the ankle. The ability of these muscles to activate and reinforce stability could lead to increased fortification for exercises that challenge the range of motion of the ankle, or rapid changes in directions in sports performance. This training also translates into balance during activities that actually provide unstable surfaces, such as different water sports where the athlete is standing on top of a device like a surfboard or sailboat.
Keep tuned to the website for our next article on knee stability, or start working with one of our educated professionals who can help you take advantage of this knowledge by clicking here.
Exercise comes in many different forms, all of them with unique effects on your physiology, health and physique. Given such a wide variety of options, how does someone choose the right exercises and exercise types to optimize weight loss?
Resistance Training
While all exercise is going to involve some kind of resistance, here what we’re referring to is movements with enough resistance that they stimulate muscles to become larger and/or stronger. While these workouts might not immediately seem to impact weight loss, increases in muscle mass will raise your body’s basal metabolic rate, or calories that your body burns while inactive. Targeting increases in basal metabolic rate is arguably the most important consideration for weight loss, as basal metabolic rate is estimated to be responsible for 70% of all calories burned. In addition to increased muscle mass and basal metabolic rate, resistance training done properly also results in increased strength, bone density, and reduction in posture and poor movement based ailments.
HIIT Cardio
HIIT, or High-Intensity Interval Training, refers to cardiovascular exercise where heart rate is highly elevated for a set interval before being allowed to recover for another set interval. These workouts are uniquely equipped to burn more calories than any other form of exercise in the same span of time, which may be one reason why it also seems to be the most effective exercise intervention in the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of correlating conditions including high cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, all of which are associated with obesity.
LISS Cardio
LISS cardio, or Low-Intensity Steady-State cardio, can be a vital piece of a weight-loss strategy. While this form of cardio doesn’t burn as many calories per session as HIIT, low intensity exercises are characterized as being easily accessible and measurable. For example, the average person burns 100 calories per mile walked, and walking can be done essentially anywhere anytime. 150 minutes a week of zone 2 cardio, where the heart rate is maintained at 70% of its maximum,is associated with a drastic decrease in all-cause mortality, and is recommended by the American Heart Association for that reason. However, some of these minutes can be replaced with time spent resistance training or partaking in HIIT workouts for similar effects.
So What’s the Solution for You?
For almost anyone, some mix of all of these will be included in a comprehensive weight-loss plan. These are also plans that will change with time given multiple considerations; poor posture and low cardiovascular capacity might mean starting with more resistance training before even including strenuous cardiovascular workouts, or a hectic work schedule might mean very frequent but short bouts of brisk walking.
For maximum educated guidance, motivation and accountability, click here to schedule a Free Initial Session to see how our team of professional trainers can best help you.
If you’re experiencing low back pain, tightness in the hips, and posture where your hips seem to live angled behind your spine, you’re likely experiencing something called anterior pelvic tilt. Here, we’ll detail 3 stretches you can do to help alleviate that pain and bring comfort back into your day-to-day.
Neutral, comfortable hipsHips in anterior pelvic tilt
Hip Flexor Stretch
We’ll stretch what you came here for first, the hip flexors. To do so, get into a deep lunge with your knee touching the ground. If this is too uncomfortable, you may want to use a folded towel or yoga mat for support. Bring your torso upright. If you feel a stretch in the front of the back leg, you’re in the proper position! If not, take a step forward with the front foot, bring your torso upright, and repeat until you feel a stretch in the front of the back leg.
Each of the stretches detailed should be held for thirty seconds, on both sides of the body.
Stretch for the hip flexors
Adductor/Groin Stretch
The next stretch is in a similar kneeling position as our hip flexor stretch, but now with the front leg turned outward so as the stretch the adductors/groin area. Lean your body into the outreached leg, trying to keep torso upright. If you feel too much pressure in the groin area, have something in front of you to place your hands on and take some of the weight off.
While you might have not known these were tight, tightness in the adductors is incredibly common as a result of a sedentary lifestyle and weak glutes, one of the main muscles that requires strengthening in the treatment of anterior pelvic tilt.
Unassisted adductor stretch
“Lazy” Child’s Pose
Traditional Child’s Pose can be tricky for targeting the low back, so “Lazy” child’s pose is meant to make the job easier. Start in a kneeling position with your knees together. Sink your hips back, and lean your torso over your legs in front of you. Reach your arms out overhead on the floor.
Stretching Advice!
When it comes to stretching, frequency is your friend. Studies show that while there’s no difference in muscle length after a 30 second stretch compared to 1 minute stretch, there are substantial increases that come about via increased frequency those 30 second stretches. If your experiencing low back pain caused by anterior pelvic tilt, I would recommend partaking in the exercises above every day for 30 seconds each.
Another important consideration is that tight muscles are often a result of opposing weak muscles: a tight low back could come from a weak core, and tight hip flexors could be the result of weak glutes. While these stretches should bring some relief, they won’t address the underlying issues that should be addressed in a holistic exercise program. While these weaknesses may only be resulting in low back pain at the moment, they could result in impediments to walking and carrying light objects in the future. If exercise is something that you’re uncertain about, you can sign up for a Free Initial Session at Empower and meet with one of our highly qualified trainers to develop a plan to future-proof yourself.
