Archive for the ‘Muscle Imbalances’ 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:
This last weekend my wife, my daughter and I set out for some fun in the sun at the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk.
If you’ve never been to or even heard of the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk it’s, well, a beach and a boardwalk (duh, right?)
But, the place has some really COOL rides including the Giant Dipper which is a legendary roller coaster ride that was built around 1924 or something. It’s said to be one of the top coasters in the world to this day.
Besides, there’s something about the atmosphere at Santa Cruz that makes me feel (and act) like a kid again–ok, maybe it’s not just Santa Cruz that does this to me 
So, we met up with my dad and step mom who took our soon to be 3-year-old daughter Briana out on the beach where she would soon be making sand castles into what she called her ‘garden’
My step mom is really cool. She always has some surprises for us when we visit.
And, true to it she gave my wife and I a free all day pass where we could go on all the rides we wanted!
How awesome is that?
She didn’t have to ask me twice when she offered the passes either.
I grabbed them and practically dragged my wife toward the boardwalk and we had the best time enjoying the rides.
The CRAZIEST ride was called the “Double Shot”…
..You basically sit suspended on a seat outside and your legs are dangling in the air. You’re just sitting out there in the open with only a harness over your shoulders–no cart to sit in, no cage around you–nothing
So, I’m on this thing with my wife in the seat next to me and we’re sitting there, feet dangling and everything for me at least, went dead silent.
I’m waiting and waiting and still waiting for it…
And then BOOM!
We were launched faster than I could scream “OH SH*T!” straight up in the air about 900 feet or so and then we just dropped all the way back down
I thought I’d left my stomach somewhere above me at this point.
But, it wasn’t over.
Again, we shot back up and dropped down.
What a RUSH this ride was! And, for a split second while you’re up there you get the most incredible view of the whole beach (and practically the city)
But, part of it was a bit of a downer because my cooler than cool stepmom loves these kinds of rides–well, all of em besides the Double Shot
And, she can’t go on them because she broke a few vertebrae in her back about 3 years ago.
I’ve helped her with some exercises that have no doubt made her back much stronger than before but her doctor hasn’t given her ‘official’ clearance for any activities that involve high impact.
That got me thinking about how so many people like many of our clients who aren’t achieving their fitness goals. But, with less severe issues than my step mom.
Everything from weight loss to building muscle to improving sport performance are goals many of our clients fall short of not because they can’t achieve them but because they fail to address the #1 reason they’re not achieving these goals…
MUSCLE IMBALANCES
Speaking of correcting muscle imbalances my buddy Rick Kaselj just put up 5 awesome free corrective exercise bonuses for you.
These bonuses valued at over $115.00 are only available until midnight this Thursday when you purchase Muscle Imbalances Revealed. Also, if you order before Thursday at midnight you’ll also get the complete MIR system for a special price of just $77 (a $20 savings)
We’ve got lots of testimonials pouring in about MIR. If you’re at all thinking about investing in MIR this is the time.
WARNING: What you’re about to witness is quite possibly the craziest case of muscle imbalance ever caught on video.
This is RAW & UN-CUT footage…There were no re-takes, no stunt doubles just ‘fly-on-the-wall’ footage…
…You are advised to view at your OWN RISK.
Leave me a comment below and let me know if you want more information about muscular imbalances
Here’s a ‘sneak-peak’ into the Muscle Imbalances Revealed webinar.
In the video clips below I share some important concepts about addressing flexibility and common causes of lower body muscle imbalances and injuries.
Leave me a comment below and let me know your thoughts on the videos
Muscle Imbalances Flexibility Assessment:
Common Causes Of Muscle Imbalances:
You only have until this Friday, July 2 at Midnight to get your copy of “Muscle Imbalances Revealed” at half-off the regular price plus an additional $30 off on the premium lower body system–including continuing education credits + both the digital & physical DVD set.
Or an additional $20 off on the complete lower body digital DVD system.
Actually, we had originally put 50 copies of the DVD set for this promotion just 2 days ago, but my friend Rick Kaselj who put this project together just told me there are only 27 copies left.
So, you need to hurry to get your copy before the final 27 copies are gone. I’m certain they’ll be gone before midnight on Friday.
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
The fitness training industry is constantly changing and because of this we’re always learning new things
Take for example, most of what we know about assessing muscle imbalances
We know that a tight agonist usually is accompanied by a weak antagonist
This is obvious in the classic “bench press posture” that commonly exists in many of our own clients where tightness of the muscles involved with internal rotation and protraction of the shoulders results in weakness of the muscles involved with external rotation and retraction of the shoulders
But, have you ever wondered if a muscle can be both weak AND tight at the same time?
Is it even possible?
I’ve chased this thought around and around in my head a number of times over the years after assessing clients who present what appears to be BOTH muscle tightness and muscle weakness in the same muscle(s)
Huh?
You’re probably thinking right now…”Here he goes again with one of his off-the-wall philosophies”
But, as odd as it sounds I have to admit that a lot of times I notice muscle weakness and tightness in the same muscle(s)
Before you think you’re lost in a bad twilight zone episode here (music cue here) I’ll try to explain what I mean…
…Tight muscles are usually thought of as dominant muscles
However, with extreme muscle tightness there are much fewer actin-myosin cross bridge attachments available (and less space for the joint segment to move) which results in decreased force production capability
The result is often decreased mobility and muscle weakness
And, it’s the same for severe muscle weakness with a slightly different twist…
…Weak muscles are less capable of generating proper force production and, therefore, lack the ability to produce sufficient force to create movement.
Over time the decreased ability to move the limb or segment the weak muscle(s) controls results in muscle stiffness as the muscle adapts to the same length
As you can see, it’s not always an either or situation when assessing a client as we have thought for so long
Now, this isn’t to say that EVERY tight muscle is weak and vice-versa, but it does lend some insight into how both muscle tightness and muscle weakness can occur together
Here’s where I would like to hear YOUR feedback
Do you have a client who presents both muscle tightness and weakness of the same muscle(s)? If so, I’d like you to briefly describe it below and let me know what special training techniques or exercises you’ve used to address it
The fitness industry and personal training is always evolving…
always progressing…
…what we know today, we gain a better understanding of tomorrow and by sharing what we learn as fitness professionals with each other makes us stronger
It helps us expand our knowledge and lifts us beyond the common perception that we just “take people through workouts”
By improving the art of client assessment and program design we have the power to help change lives
I hope you’ll share your feedback below
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
