Fun fact: Pain is registered as fear in the brain. If you fear something (like landing from a 6” jump) you will likely have the fear of or actual shooting pain with these simple drills.
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Why the sudden change? He started easy and grooved a pattern. His brain understood that the movement being performed was not a threat and downgraded the pain or fear response. I’m this particular case, pain was his brain’s fear to novel or previously avoided movement.
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This combination of both spinal rotation, side bending as well as offsetting hip extension/flexion helps lock the pelvis in one position and allows for a nice anchoring point for the stretch to take hold headed up the back to the thoracic vertebrae, an oft forgotten region.
The triceps, the muscle group responsible for sculpting those horseshoe-shaped bad boys behind your arm, isn't as monolithic as many believe. This three-headed powerhouse deserves more than just one-size-fits-all exercises. Enter: the magic of elbow positioning…
With these cues, he was able to properly activate his glutes and begin the process of decreasing the reliance on the lumbar erectors in squatting and deadlifting!
A lot of the times my patients want to take it easy on the count of their knees or joints being a bit “inflamed,” weak or tight. There are a myriad of reason you may have a knee that feels this way and I would highly suggest that you see a qualified physical therapist before making any sudden decisions regarding that knee.
Before I move on though and in relation to the point above, there is one thing most people forget:
We are meant to move.
Miami's fitness scene can be hard on your shoulders. Whether you're crushing waves on South Beach or tackling weight racks at Elev8tion Fitness, aches and pains can sideline your workout goals. But what if the key to relief isn't just in your shoulders, but in the silent partners holding them up - your scapulae (those winged things on your back)?
Yadila came in with a quick burst of neck pain that was unrelenting. Being the manager of a boxing gym, she needed to be able to move around to assist in the clean up, intake and other duties associated with running a 200+ member club. After a only a few brief contacts, Yadila recovered greatly. She started in agony and finished like sshe never had an issue at all. It was a pleasure working with her from day one and I hope she continues her incredible progress.
I had the pleasure of interviewing with Shout Out Miami where I talked about my passion, my career and why I started Physiologix! Take a look!
…both of these techniques are effective ways to mobilize skin tissue surrounding a “sticky” or adhered scar. Invoking them early and often (as long as your wound is closed in the areas you are treating) can help aid in range of motion and decreased appearance of these fugly incision marks!
Women are capable of performing any fitness routine a man can do. That’s obvious. But, sometimes personal trainers and fitness media outlets like to frame females as if they are incapable of doing, or should not be doing, the same types of exercises a man should. Now, I understand that women and men, on the whole, tend to have different goals, but I don’t think it’s really necessary to completely overhaul the tenants of what effective training is to achieve these goals.
Think of the rotator cuff as the dynamic core of your shoulder, providing intricate control and movement. But just like a strong core relies on balanced supporting muscles, the rotator cuff needs its own "wingman." Enter the serratus anterior, often dubbed the "forgotten muscle" of the shoulder.
Try these prone exercises during your lunch break, or even every couple of hours of continued desk work, 🙇🏽♂️ in order to reverse that painful and leverage annihilating posture you can develop with your desk job!
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Neglecting the long head is a common pitfall. The long head of your bicep is a huge stabilizer of the shoulder joint in general (see photo below to check out how it is right up in there with the rotator cuff tendons). This can lead to shoulder imbalances and potential injuries. By incorporating different arm positions, you ensure both heads contribute equally, promoting well-rounded bicep development and shoulder stability.
Playing linebacker in high school and a little bit in college, these were common occurrences. Stuffing a running back in the hole (something I did much more in high school 😄) or getting your arm caught up and a scrum would often lead to burning, tingling or even a dead arm.
It’s great for when people have restrictions across planes of movement: A lot of people benefit from cupping because the therapist can place them across an area of restriction and have the patient do active and passive movements which can free up some of the areas of perceived tightness across tissue planes that wouldn’t typically have that otherwise⠀⠀
BOOM! Easy way to elongate the posterior tissues of the knee after a replacement or injury. Things can be very tight, so it is wise to take it east and try not to bash too much of this exercise in a short window. Always keep the pain induced from this passive exercise below a 5/10 at first and slowly build up with increased time and weight as tolerated. Marathon, not a race...
Welcome to another installment of Recycled Instagram Posts. After all, these would probably go unnoticed if I didn’t shove them in your face again, like a dog being scolded for for going pee on the carpet. Enjoy this video and subsequent commentary on glute activation, timing and how you can improve your strength or decrease that low back ache/tiredness you get with hip extension tasks like we see in the gym!
Don't ditch core work entirely, though. A strong core acts like a support team, working alongside your back muscles for optimal spinal stability. But the next time low back pain strikes, remember: forget endless crunches, embrace back-building exercises, and give your lumbar spine the love it deserves!
"Damn I look good in a mirror. I’m definitely somewhere around 10-14% BF right now, but my chest is pretty damn big. And I know why it is. I do mad bench, like I'm hitting that flat bench, chest press, incline chest press and uh... oh, decline bench press. Like I’m hittin chest 2x/week but Im hitting it hard. Bench press, decline bench, incline bench, dumbbell flies. Yes it is nice to put up big numbers. Tuck those shoulders down and in, arch your back and puff out your chest. Get like 3 reps and feel those shredded meat slabs you call a chest burn baby burn."
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At @physiologixpt, I cannot help you with your shattered tables, but I can help you with your extensor carpi radialis brevis (the muscle likely responsible for all of this pain).
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This machine is a Godsend, for real. The horizontal positioning of the glute-ham developer (GHD) provides a greater moment arm (or bigger LEVER) of the torso on the hips when in full extension as compared to the more often seen 45 degree back extension. This basically means that at the top of the lift, with the greatest contraction, you are at the greatest mechanical DISadvantage being completely perpendicular to the line of gravity. This gives you the hardest possible workout for your glutes that you can ask for.
The cervico-thoracic junction is where the top of the thoracic spine (T1) and the bottom of the cervical spine (C7) come into contact with one another. This articulation point contains both of the previously mentioned vertebrae’s large spinous processes that jut out. With years of “poor” posture, sometimes people will develop fatty and tissue deposits in the region as a way to counteract the forces of a forward head creating that unsightly camel hump that many will try to get rid of via invasive surgery or injection.
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"Push"
It has been eight days now. Eight days of immense pressure buildup. He could feel it within him, almost coiling up like a snake, waiting to make its explosive lunge into the waters below. He got so sick of carrying it with him. "Devil be GONE!" He screamed as he pulled his trousers down and sat on the porcelain throne. After mustering up all of the intra-abdominal pressure he could, with a mighty push he gave it his all...
...but alas, NOTHING.
Strengthening external rotation is a great shogun style prehab technique anyone can use to ensure a balanced shoulder joint that is ready for heavy pushing.
Everyone on Youtube and their blog wants to give you the cure all. And you can't really blame them either. I mean, what actually sells nowadays? Is it sexy or cool to tell people that a chronic issue may take a multifaceted solution that may incorporate simple and seemingly minor tweaks, eventually progressing onto more complex ones? Solutions that may take months to finally correct?... NAHHHH. It is easier to sell the SOLUTION itself! And that is why self myofascial release or glorified soft tissue massage techniques are so prevalent as the be-all-end-all technique to achieving muscle and joint pain nirvana.
Feeling achy, wobbly on your feet, or battling persistent back pain? Forget the traffic-filled trek to the clinic - PhysioLogix brings top-notch physical therapy straight to your living room! No more battling rush hour madness or waiting in crowded lobbies. You deserve treatment in the comfort of your own home, and that's exactly what we offer.
Roughly 36% of us experience lower back pain each year. Think you are the only one? I bet if you took a quick poll, you will also find that almost all of your friends and family have experienced back pain at some point in their lifetime as well. Not only are you not alone in your struggles, but there are measures you can take to protect your back from pain.
Did you know that between each and every one of your vertebrae there are donuts? These donuts are more anatomically referred to as the intervertebral discs. Each one of these discs provide mobility, support, stability and shock absorption to the spinal column. The combination of these properties allow us to perform tasks that require great amounts of mobility like bending and twisting, but also tasks that involve tons of compressive force like squatting and lifting.