Chin-ups can be uncomfortable for people with extension based back pain. When someone suffers from extension based back pain, they may experience discomfort or outright pain doing exercises that generally require a strong arch in the lower back. Or they may struggle with exercises that tend to pull them into this extended position. With chin-ups, […]
The Bulgarian split squat is a great exercise for building your quads and glutes. There are two potential pitfalls I see when doing this exercise. Over arching the lower back Having the front foot too far back so that it is not underneath the knee. Foot placement is relatively easy to fix. Just line the […]
The dead bug is used to hit your abs and obliques. It’s a relatively simple exercise, however I make it more effective by using a special breathing sequence. I inhale when my legs are in the resting position (bent). I exhale during the entire time which I am performing the leg movement. This has the […]
A primary goal of Postural Restoration® is to achieve and maintain a solid Zone of Apposition while achieving tri-planar movement. In plain English, this means that your body can move in all three planes of motion: sagittal (front to back), frontal (side to side), and transverse (rotation), while keeping your rib cage positioned correctly. Examine […]
The pec major and the subclavius are two muscles that can play an important role in shoulder joint pain neck pain pain related to thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition where nerves get pinched as they pass through the thoracic outlet, an area loosely defined as your upper chest area, between the neck and the armpit. […]
Postural Restoration Institute® focuses much of its intellectual prowess on the rib cage and how it influences your whole body. Why do you care about your rib cage? Because the causes of shoulder pain don’t always have to be the result of an injury. They can be due to the position of the shoulder joint […]
A trainee came in, stressed about her daughter, tired from lack of sleep, and feeling mentally exhausted. She didn’t feel particularly strong and didn’t really lift any heavier than the prior week. “Did I just waste the workout?” she asked. “Not at all”, I replied. Wasted Workouts Online writers and trainers often talk about not […]
The split squat is the basic single leg exercise. In my estimation, it is the single leg movement that should be taught first, before any type of lunging exercise. Split Squat Problems A couple problems become evident immediately when a trainee struggles to perform them. 1. Unfamiliarity. If a trainee is unfamiliar with the movement, […]
Some people have asked me how I set up to use the trap bar for deadlifts. Here is a short video: 1. I set up with my feet in the middle of the bar. Often people set up too far back, which results in their hands being directly underneath or in front of their shoulders. […]
Push-ups are great for building overall body strength and integrating that strength through the upper back, shoulders, arms, and core. They make the entire muscular system work hard, not just the muscles that are doing the pushing. The rest of the body has to struggle to stabilize the body as it moves through space. If […]
