31Jan

Beginner-Friendly Hip Mobility

January 31, 2023 CJ Murphy 51

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.

17Nov

Squat Touchdowns: the Only Exercise Your Knees Need?

November 17, 2022 CJ Murphy 49

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.

Alternatives?

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.

26Oct

Intro to Mobility and Stability: the Ankles

October 26, 2022 CJ Murphy 39

Stability and mobility are terms 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 Janda took 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.

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.

26Sep

How to Exercise for Weight Loss

September 26, 2022 CJ Murphy 44

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.

24Aug

Low Back Pain? Tight Hip Flexors? Here Are 3 Stretches to Help

August 24, 2022 Jessica Bottesch 42

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.

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.

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.

“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.

04May

Fitness Fun . . . Let’s Go!

May 4, 2022 Jessica Bottesch 56

Ways to make Fitness Effective and Fun

“FUN” is not always the first word that comes to mind when someone says “physical fitness” or “workout”, but why not? I love working out and most of the time I do find it fun. Working out can be done in hundreds of different ways so the key is finding exercises that you enjoy. Making your workout FUN is what’s going to motivate you to keep exercising and practicing this healthy habit. Below are some tips and tricks to try out and help you find your fun in fitness.

Do you have a workout buddy?

Growing up many people played sports, had gym class in school, and even played on the playground with their classmates. The common theme I’m finding between our workout now versus how we exercised when were kids is we tend to do our workouts alone rather than with others. Doing anything alongside someone we really enjoy, makes that task more enjoyable. In my experience, I always have a better time when working out with somebody else; I have somebody to talk with and take my mind off the discomfort or boredom, I have someone there alongside me to bond over what we’re doing.

And then there is this very important fact:

Sometimes the most important factor when working out with a partner is I have someone else to show up for and be accountable to. Sometimes all it takes is a workout buddy to make fitness more fun! It can be a friend, partner, parent, your child, or even your trainer (we trainers love to chat you through your workout).

Find an exercise club!

If you can’t find a workout buddy, join a small group training session or exercise club. There are tennis groups around the triangle, running groups at your local Fleet Feet or Bull City Run Club, adult soccer leagues and many more depending on your interests. Don’t be afraid to ask around or ask Google. You can even ask your trainer if there is somebody else at Empower looking for a training buddy.

Find something you enjoy.

Like I mentioned above, there are probably a hundred different ways you can exercise. Finding an activity that you enjoy doing is half the battle. Who ever said running was the only way to get fit? if you dread doing it, chances are, you will let that habit slip away more easily. Experiment with different types of exercises. Try out a spin class, if you’ve never tried yoga, try out a couple yoga classes. And try it at least a couple times before you knock it. Once you find what you really enjoy doing, not only will the activity bring you more joy, but you will also find a community of people who have a shared interest.

We all have different goals whether that’s losing weight, running a faster marathon, or playing with our grandkids. Let’s achieve those goals and have fun along the way! So go out and find your FUN!

Empower always brings the FUN!

If you are ready for a personalized fitness plan AND a FUN time, the Empower fitness community welcomes you in.

By: Brooke Zeman, Empower Trainer

14Aug

Fab 4 Fitness Moves Friday – Squat it Out!

August 14, 2020 Jessica Bottesch 24

Ever wonder how Beyoncé gained her assets? She probably did a few squats.
The benefits of squats are many, but they crush calories, improve core strength, and you don’t need equipment to do any.
Squats are a compound movement – one that hits several major muscle groups at a time – which means they are a fantastic way to build lower body strength. Try the Fab 4 workout and see.

Use these Fab 4 Moves in the Workout:

Regular squats x 15 Pulsing squats x 30
Squat hold 30 seconds
Square squats x 10 (front to front, back to back, = 1)

REPEAT 3x