Archive for the ‘Exercise Rehabilitation’ Category
Low back pain is nasty!
It’ll hit you where it hurts…
…It can bring you to tears
It’ll get you down
But, I’ve got a secret 1-2 Punch–er, exercise–to KNOCK-OUT lower back pain fast!
Give it a go and let me know how it goes by leaving a comment below (hey, I could’ve been a poet…:)
Now you see it…
…Now you don’t
See what you ask?
The difference between the 2 photos on the left depicting the plank exercise.
Ok, so either I’m one apple short of a fruit salad or there’s not a difference right?
While it’s true that there is no visual difference (it’s the same photo) there can be a difference in what 2 clients FEEL even though they appear to perform the exercise the same way.
And, the muscles they feel can improve core strength, muscle balance and function or they can reinforce existing compensation strategies that contribute to shoulder, lower back and knee problems…
So, how can you tell if your clients are getting it right or if they’re just reinforcing pain patterns?
Watch the video below where I share an often over-looked problem that 9 out of 10 people are doing leading to pain and how to correct it.
Oh, and don’t forget to leave me a comment below after you watch:
Last night I was playing with my 3-year-old daughter Briana and she just loves when I bench press her. 
So, there I was lying on the floor on my back pressing away with my wife just laughing at us…
Actually, she was laughing at me because after about 30 ‘Briana presses’ I was getting a bit red-faced and out of breath; HEY she’s a big girl now!
The thing is that about 6 years ago I would never have been able to this because my shoulders were a mess back then.
They always hurt after I worked out.
Sure, I did various PULLING movements like rows but I never made any real progress until I discovered the exercises were only a part of the solution.
The answer wasn’t just doing the exercises but HOW I was doing them.
“Pull your shoulder blades down and back as if pinching your spine” wasn’t enough to actually make those muscles work when they were never taught how.
So, I developed my own special cues to literally FORCE the right muscles to engage and that’s when I got serious results.
I have ZERO shoulder pain these days and one of the exercises that not only helped me but have helped some athletes I trained over the years was…
Get ready to cringe…
Behind The Neck Presses
UH OH!
Yeah, I know you’re probably screaming at me “Don’t you know that exercise will DESTROY your shoulders!”
But, that’s the thing…behind the neck shoulder presses aren’t the shoulder wreckers that 99% of fitness pros think they are.
Check out the video below where I share my ‘odd-ball’ thinking like:
If you like the video do me a favor and click the share link below and tell your facebook friends about it.
Most of the clients I’ve worked with who initially suffered from knee pain while doing exercises like squats and lunges thought looked at me like I was completely off my rocker when I first told them that not only were squats and lunges (nor ‘old-age’) NOT the reason they had ‘bad knees’ but that those so-called “knee destroyers” were needed to get rid of knee pain.
“I don’t know if you heard me the first time but I already told you I can’t do lunges because________”(I have weak knees, of my arthritis, I have bursitis, I’m old–insert just about any other excuse you’ve heard here)
It’s not that I’m some mean masochistic personal trainer who loves to put his clients through pain..
…Well, maybe just a teeny bit–
Just kidding…Ok, all jokes aside
It’s just that the REAL problem has more to do with improper muscle recruitment patterns than it does with doing lunges and various lunge exercise variations
In the video below I reveal my ‘secret’ lunge exercise tips and tricks to help put an end to your clients’ knee pain:
I hear it all the time…”I can’t do lunges because they hurt my knees”or “I’ve been told to avoid lunges until my knee pain goes away.
But, think of so many movements we do outside of ‘the gym’ like walking up and down stairs, getting in and out of our car, bending down to pick up a set of keys off the floor, running–well–you get the picture.
What do these movements have to do with lunges and knee pain?
Everything!
These movements and many others we do all the time are single-leg dominant and a necessary part of our everyday lives…therefore, avoiding these movements rarely fixes a problem such as knee pain.
Eliminating chronic pain and injuries requires an ability to perform functional movements efficiently. This is best achieved through training. But, it takes more than just doing “functional” exercises on a balance pad or stability ball.
In most cases, knee pain from lunges doesn’t happen because someone has “weak knees”, “bum knees”, “arthritis” and it’s not because of “old-age” either.
The REAL reason lunges (and squats) often cause knee pain is due to muscular imbalances related to the quadriceps and hip flexors.
But, aren’t we supposed to feel the quads during leg exercises?
Well, it’s a little more complex than an either-or answer can provide…Allow me to explain a bit more about what I mean.
I’ve discovered that most people are what I call ‘quad-dominant’ meaning that they have developed most of their lower extremity strength in the quadriceps.
Now, these individuals often also have tight or dominant hip flexors as well.
And, this quad-dominance creates an imbalance of the lower extremities during functional movements like squatting and lunging because exclusively using the quadriceps results in a ‘forward’ pulling at the hip.
Now, you can’t actually see it happening but what you’ll notice when you watch someone do a squat or lunge is their hips and knees will move a bit forward.
And, if you ask them where they feel it 9 times out of 10 they’ll say in the quadriceps.
This quad-dominance and forward motion shifts the center of gravity and INCREASES stress to the knees.
This is the #1 reason why lunges and squats cause problems to the knees, hips, ankles and lower back too. But, it’s easy to fix once you’ve performed a proper lower body exercise assessment and identified the weak links.
Speaking of identifying weak links in the lower extremities, in just a few short weeks you’ll be able to get access to an exclusive webinar I was fortunate to be a part of along with 6 other presenters.
I can’t go into all the details just yet, but I can tell you it’s all about how to identify & correct the muscular imbalances that are keeping your clients (or possibly you) from achieving their fitness goals.
This webinar is packed full of ‘how-to’ info on everything you need to know to correct muscle imbalances that are the leading cause of pain and injuries.
If you’re a subscriber to my newsletter then keep an eye on your email inbox for how you can gain access to this powerful webinar and watch it from your own computer.
Here’s a new podcast on “5 Simple Steps To Correcting Your Clients’ Posture”
Some of the topics covered on the podcast are:
NOTE: If you want to download the podcast I suggest using Internet Explorer. Other web browsers like Firefox may not allow downloading so if you run into problems just try using Internet Explorer and that should solve it
Or Click The Icon Below To Listen On My Official Podcast Page
Want to know which exercises really work for muscle imbalances? Click HERE
Here’s an unlikely core exercise assessment for shoulder or lower back pain
It’s not some fancy, secret underground exercise from outer space…But, it’s not an exercise that is associated with assessing muscle imbalances of the shoulder or lower back
So, just what is this core fitness assessment?
It’s one word…THE PLANK–ok, it’s technically 2 words–
Now, before you think I’m the name many of my clients call me (crazy), I’d like to share with you the wealth of information this simple core exercise test can reveal about shoulder and lower back pain
Here are 3 things to look for when performing a core training assessment using the plank exercise:
1) Lifting the upper body first-This is when the the shoulders and chest come off the floor before the hips and is often a subtle occurrence that shifts emphasis away from the abdominal stabilizing muscles because the lumbar extensors become overactive and is a sign of lower back compensation which often contributes to lower back pain
2) A kyphotic upper back-Most of the time this occurs in conjunction with #1 and involves an overcompensation pattern of the neck and shoulder muscles. The client often will feel significant fatigue in the shoulders, neck and triceps and usually struggles to hold this position for 30 seconds. This is often a sign of weakness or inhibition in the upper/mid-back muscles and contributes to neck and shoulder pain
3) The hips are lower than the shoulders-This usually indicates weakness of the abdominal stabilizers and increases stress to the lower back. In fact, the client will often feel as if the lower back is “working” which can easily be mistaken for a weak lower back when this is not the case
Keep in mind that the plank is just one exercise that can be used in a core exercise assessment and other specific core fitness tests should be performed to confirm or dismiss what the plank reveals
Leave me a comment below and tell me about any core exercise tests you use
If you have used corrective exercise for your clients suffering from bench press shoulder pain you’ve most likely tried to solve the problem by either:
avoiding any bench pressing at all (along with incline, decline or overhead presses and maybe lat pulldowns as well)
or
the popular strategy of limiting the range of motion to 90 degrees
Now, if you’re a regular reader of this blog then you’re used to my ‘off-the-wall’ approach to helping clients overcome nagging injuries.
And, this post you’re about to read is no different.
So, you won’t be surprised when I say that limiting the range of motion performed when bench pressing INCREASES stress to the shoulders and can make pain worse.
It’s no secret that most health & fitness professionals blame bench press shoulder injuries on the exercise itself.
But, before we go and eliminate this exercise from our repertoire, I would like to appeal to your sense of logic and reason in hopes that I just may possibly be able to shed some light on the real cause of shoulder pain when bench pressing and renew your faith in this so-called “shoulder destroyer”…
…Have you noticed that most bench pressing shoulder pain occurs in experienced lifters? You would think this would happen more in weight lifting novices rather than those who have logged in many sessions of benching.
There are 2 main reasons for chronic shoulder pain and injuries:
1) Poor mobility- often caused by tightness or dominance of the prime movers involving protraction, internal rotation & elevation of the shoulder (pectoralis, lattissimus dorsi, anterior deltoid, upper trapezius, levator scapulae, serratus anterior, teres major)
2) Weakness of the scapular stabilizers-often the result of tight or dominant prime movers of the shoulder and/or simply weakness of the muscles involving retraction, depression & external rotation of the shoulder (middle & lower trapezius, teres minor)
A third reason could also be added which would be poor or inefficient neuromuscular coordination…
…but that could tie into the 2 reasons listed above.
Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that experienced bench pressers tend to exhibit poor shoulder mobility and/or weakness of the scapular stabilizers to a larger degree which is why they experience more cases of bench press shoulder pain.
Aside from eliminating the bench press, many try to limit the range of motion to 90 degrees or less because it is believed that going past 90 degrees places excessive stress on the shoulders and increases the potential for injuries to occur.
There is also the belief that the shoulders become injured simply because they are weak and therefore many individuals attempt various shoulder strengthening exercises.
However, a closer look into these strategies reveals a different story.
First, limiting bench press range of motion to 90 degrees or less seldom works and can place more stress on the shoulders than going past 90 degrees.
To understand why we have to look at normal, healthy shoulder movement in horizontal or transverse plane abduction which involves activation of the scapular stabilizers.
The scapular stabilizers are vital as they help ‘open-up’ the shoulder.
But, when range of motion is limited to 90 degrees or less the participation of the scapular stabilizers is decreased significantly which places more stress on the anterior shoulder structures and reinforces tightness/dominance of the anterior shoulder musculature and weakness/inhibition of the scapular stabilizers.
This is a HUGE MISTAKE that leads to muscle imbalances of the shoulder and increases symptoms like bench pressing shoulder pain.
This also contradicts the need for common shoulder strengthening exercises involving flexion because those muscles are already dominant and are a main cause of shoulder injuries.
Instead, a more effective approach is performing exercises that strengthen the scapular stabilizers which also typically involve shoulder extension.
This helps restore normal, healthy shoulder movement, eliminate muscle imbalances and decrease shoulder pain when bench pressing.
Some of the most effective exercises for eliminating bench press shoulder pain are in my program The Muscle Imbalance Solution.
I hope this post has changed what you may have previously believed about the bench press. If you would like information in a future post on exercises and tests you can use to assess shoulder function for your clients please leave me a comment below and let me know about it.
Chest and shoulder presses have gotten a pretty nasty reputation for causing shoulder injury pain and are typically one of the first exercises that most health and fitness professionals
recommend to avoid at all costs.
They have been blamed for everything from placing excessive strain on the shoulder joints to causing rotator cuff tears to impingement syndrome.
Unfortunately, if you have ever suffered a non-traumatic shoulder injury the common medical advice is usually not to lift your arm above shoulder level or to avoid lifting anything overhead.
While simply avoiding normal, functional everyday movements like lifting and reaching overhead may help alleviate painful symptoms, the relief is often temporary at best.
The truth of the matter is that most chronic shoulder pain isn’t actually caused by overhead movements.
It’s really caused by repetitively using the prime movers (deltoid, upper trapezius, levator scapulae, pectoralis major and minor, latissimus dorsi) which become tight and/or dominant while the shoulder stabilizing muscles (rotator cuff, mid & lower trapezius, etc) become progressively weaker and inhibited.
And–I’m going to make many health and fitness professionals cringe–when performed properly, overhead presses are one of the MOST EFFECTIVE shoulder injury exercises that can help eliminate shoulder pain.
Here’s why…
In most cases, chronic shoulder pain and non-traumatic injuries are usually caused by any of the following:
When any of the above conditions exists, shoulder pain and injuries are often the end result.
But, that doesn’t automatically mean that pressing exercises need to be avoided.
In fact, pressing or pushing is one of the 5 functional movements we use all the time in our everyday lives…
Overhead and pressing movements are used for a number of activities such as: to drive a golf ball of the tee, to serve in tennis, to throw a baseball or football, reaching up in a cupboard, brushing hair, picking up a child.
…And, since overhead movements such as lifting and reaching are necessary they should be included as one of the shoulder rehab exercises for overuse injuries.
Avoiding overhead movements may temporarily alleviate shoulder pain but as soon as overhead lifting and reaching are performed regularly the pain usually comes back.
Contrary to popular belief, to prevent shoulder injury pain, the movements that contribute to the pain or injury shouldn’t be avoided–they should be corrected.
Strengthening weak scapular stabilizing muscles, correcting alignment issues, establishing proper shoulder movement mechanics and restoring proper muscle balance are all key factors that can help prevent or rehabilitate shoulder injuries.
In the video below I demonstrate:
One thing I did not mention in the video was how tightness of the lattisimus dorsi can contribute to shoulder pain. If I get enough responses to this video perhaps I’ll address it in another post.
Also, if you notice the dark shade under my right eye it’s not bad lighting…and no, I didn’t get punched by a health professional for my often ill-advised rehabilitation exercises.
Actually, my 2 1/2 year-old daughter caught me real good with her elbow–TWICE–during one of her tantrums and gave me a pretty good shiner.
Post your comments and let me know what you think of the video and if it helped you out:
One of the main reasons people join health clubs is based on the number of exercise machines they have.
For some odd reason, we have been conditioned to equate the quality of a health club with the amount of fitness machines that occupy its’ premises.
When viewing a health club advertisement we automatically look at the amount of fitness equipment and cardio exercise machines offered.
Why do we do this?
Probably because machines allow you to isolate muscles individually, provide comfort, are easy to use and are, in most cases, safe. 
But, in spite of these benefits are 5 reasons to avoid machine exercises:
1. Only Allow 1 Plane Of Motion- The human body is meant to move in 3 distinct planes of motion (and combinations of the three planes). Most fitness machines only allow 1 plane of motion to be trained which can contribute to muscle imbalances and injuries
2. Isolating Muscles- Training muscles individually may be desirable for cosmetic reasons such as a bodybuilder where contestants are judged by looks and not performance. However, our muscles are meant to work together as a unit not individually and when too much emphasis is placed on isolating muscles individually coordination and balance are compromised which has negative effects on activities performed outside of the gym
3. Poor Transfer Of Training To Sports Related Activities-Most sports related activities require moving in different directions at high speeds. Unfortunately, there is no exercise machine that can effectively train the 700 muscles of the human body in any fashion similar to the movements experienced in sports.
Because of this, machine exercises have a poor carryover in terms of benefiting sports performance.
4. Decreased Core Strength & Stabilization- The core muscles are the origin of stabilization and movement for the human body. One of those muscles, the transverse abdominis (TVA) is the first to contract prior to any physical movement of the body (in healthy individuals).
When this stabilization mechanism is inhibited injuries are much more likely to occur.
Research has shown that when the body is supported as when sitting, the activity of the abdominal stabilizers significantly decreases. The same holds true on most exercise machines because the stability offered by machines provides artificial support and over time the core stabilizers become weak and inhibited making injuries more likely to happen.
5. Doesn’t Allow Individual Differences In Movement- Most exercise machines move in a fixed plane of motion however our bodies are unique to us. We all have slight differences in how we move and machines that do not allow for these individual differences can alter a person’s natural movement patterns and cause an injury.
Now, there are times when exercise machines are useful such as in the early stages following an injury.
My point in writing this article is not to say you should NEVER use a machine exercise but rather that the majority of training should take place in the operating environment the body is meant and required to exist in most of the time…
…standing, moving in multiple planes, moving our own body weight and WITHOUT artificial support.
Our bodies respond specifically to how we train them and training should prepare our bodies for the demands we face on a daily basis.
Dealing with gravity, asymmetrical loading, horizontal force vectors and locomotion are some of those demands which cannot be effectively trained by most machines. Although, technological advances in the fitness industry have produced a few machines like some of the Free Motion Line which are much more efficient for functional training.
However, not all gyms carry them and they come with a hefty price tag.
The easiest way I’ve found to train for functional improvements in sports and everyday activities dealing with the environment our bodies exist in is by using functional training tools like medicine balls, dumbbells, resistance bands, stability balls and body weight exercises.
These allow you to train virtually all movements, in all directions at all speeds and in a manner similar to what is experienced in sports and real life. They help develop REAL strength that most exercise machines cannot…the kind you can use outside of the gym.
