Someone on You Tube last week asked me why I like to use a lot of different types of strength training equipment with my own training and also with my one on one clients? They wanted to know if the reason for this was for variety and to keep it interesting so you don’t get bored, or if there was a more specific reason I do this. Firstly, the equipment I use is not for variety and fun but because it aligns with the methods I use to improve movement efficiency, strength, and overall function. Some tools are better than others, and some only apply to certain individuals who may need them due to injury or a sporting requirement meaning I may only use them from time to time. This led me to the question, what type of equipment do I find is the best? This is a question that I am regularly asked by people looking to invest in equipment for a home gym. In today’s article I will explain what my favorite types of equipment are and why.
How To Structure An Effective Strength Program Using Multi-joint Exercises?
The last few years I have written articles and filmed You Tube videos showcasing some complex functional multi-joint exercises where I explain the purpose of the exercises and how to do them. What I did not explain fully is how you would organize them into a strength workout effectively so you ensure you keep everything balanced and avoid over-training. While it is great to know how to do these exercises you can create problems if you do not know how to structure your training schedule and program. Program design is a real science in itself when you really understand certain principles around movement and the human anatomy. It can be constant balancing act between using certain muscles too much and creating stiffness and injury, versus not using them enough and creating weakness injury. A great program can avoid this. If you have tried completing several sets of these exercises you will soon realize they are extremely exhausting and very difficult to do too many of them effectively in one workout. Secondly, while these exercises are very good at trying to use the body the way it was designed, they will often require regressions to help the body restore mobility, stability, or strength to specific areas that are restricted or inhibited. The needs and abilities of each person will vary significantly from one to the next so it is impossible to provide a template that works for everyone. Having said that there are a few guidelines that I use to help me structure a program where I can get the most out of these type of exercises, and in fact for all exercises. In this article, I will explain what these guidelines are and give some examples of how to do this yourself. Enjoy.
How To Use The Joint By Joint Approach To Improve Your Functional Movement Skill
One of the best changes I ever added to my assessments, thought process, and training methods was incorporating the “joint by joint approach” invented by physical therapist Gray Cook and strength coach Mike Boyle. When working with new clients and especially those with injuries or chronic pain it can be very difficult to know where to start, what to look for, and more importantly what to do to restore pain free movement. I was never taught this concept at any point in my first 5-6 years of personal training and I completed many advanced courses in rehabilitation and worked with many experienced therapists and specialists. I used to rely on postural corrections based around muscle imbalances and would drill down to specific areas with isolated exercises and stretches. While I had some success doing this I regularly would get very frustrated with poor results with transferring isolated exercises to full body movement. Then one day I read the book Movement by Gray Cook and came across the joint by joint approach something clicked in my mind that helped me join the dots together with what I had been doing. Everything seemed to make a lot of sense looking at the body in this way and enabled me to make some big changes that worked much better than anything I had been using previously. In this article, I will explain how I use this method right now and why I believe everyone should be taught this concept.
How The Sensa Mat Improves Joint Stability & Your Ability To Walk Efficiently
I have seen some amazing results in my 20 years as a rehab specialist and the past few years have been the most dramatic, as I have worked with many clients trying to learn how to walk again which has really tested my skills and knowledge. Exercises I would often use successfully to improve stability and strength with other injuries like knee pain or hip pain, had very little effect on changing a person’s ability to walk. After months of applying these strength and stability methods and getting nowhere I noticed there was one thing that all these people with severe walking impairments had in common, and that was a very stiff and rigid foot. This rigidity in the foot made it impossible for any other muscle in the leg to function correctly. Working on the foot separately provided some small gains in mobility and strength, but really had no effect as to the way they used the foot when they walked. Sometimes the best ideas come by accident or experimentation and this was one of those times. While I was helping one of our clients walk across a path I noticed how her gait changed whenever she stood on small stones. As her feet were so rigid her foot felt every little stone or bump and instantly reacted to move away from the pain. Her entire gait changed due to the pain in her foot. It was at this point I discovered the benefit of walking across uneven rocky surfaces could play a vital role in restoring motor function. The best part about this is it works almost instantly! This led me to using the Sensa Mat which is arguably the best piece of training equipment I have added to my program over the last 10 years! In this article, I will explain how this works and how you can use it in your own training.
Can You Build Muscle Size Using Functional Strength Training Methods?
I believe most people are aware of the amazing benefits to their body by using functional training exercises over machines and various isolation exercises for improving movement in daily life and sports. I have posted numerous articles and videos explaining this concept in great detail for many years and the knowledge and education of this is training method much better than what it was 10-15 years ago. However, there still is a misconception that these exercises will not help you improve muscular strength and in particular hypertrophy (muscle size). There are several reasons why people fail to put on muscle size when using a functional training approach, but what you will find it is not the exercises that are to blame. In this article, I will show you exactly what you need to know to improve your movement efficiency and muscle size if that is something you are wanting to do.
Why The Turkish Get Up Is Such A Great Exercise For Shoulder Stability & Core Strength
Out of all the exercises that people use to improve core stability or functional movement it is hard to beat the Turkish Get Up for overall toughness and the benefits it can provide to your body in so many ways. I myself have always enjoyed doing this exercise but I find many people hate it, they find it very difficult to coordinate, and they would rather do some bench presses, deadlifts, or something with big weight and much less coordination requirements. As with most exercises, if you struggle to do this it is telling you that this is where you have a weakness. Your weakness is often not strength, but more stability, mobility and overall coordination of the entire body. I have seen some guys who can squat and deadlift over 100kg struggle to get up off the floor with a 15kg dumbbell due to the fact they lack the skills and stability to perform this movement. And it should be noted that this is not really even an exercise but a life movement of getting off the ground. We have worked with countless people struggling with hip mobility unable to get themselves onto the floor, or off it without assistance or dragging their body up on a chair! If these people had practiced the Turkish Get Up regularly throughout their life, it is fair to say they would never have lost this skill! In this article, we look closely at this exercise’s benefits and exactly how to do it, so you can get it right every time.
How to Use Reactive Neuromuscular Training to Enhance Joint Stability & Movement
A very common problem during a rehabilitation program for injury is when you get to that point that you do not have pain but you know your body is only one small step away from losing stability and control putting you at risk of going backwards. Trying to force your way through with strength methods is risky, but sticking with easy isolated mobility and floor based stability exercises achieves very little too. It is at this point I regularly use a training technique called REACTIVE NEUROMUSCULAR TRAINING (RNT for short). This is where a small amount of resistance is applied to a faulty movement that “feed the mistake” and therefor forces the body to make a correction. This can be a very frustrating phase to work through but extremely rewarding if you spend the time to work through it. In this article I will explain how I use several versions of this technique to rehabilitate injuries and even improve sporting performance!
6 Reasons Why You Should NEVER Skip Legs Day
Developing incredible leg strength and power is very important for those who play sports for the muscles in your legs are the engine room that provide the ability to run, spring and jump. Spending time in the gym to build leg strength is one of the most important goals during the off-season training for many sportsmen and sportswomen. You only have to look at the thigh development of sprinters, rugby and football players to see how important leg strength and power is. However, it is an area of the body that is often neglected by many of the general population who just wants to get fit and lose a bit of weight. This is a real concern, for apart from the obvious benefits for sporting performance, strong legs can prevent many of the injuries we see today with the knee and the back. Strong quadriceps enhance knee health, and strong glutes and hamstring muscles can be real back savers when lifting heavy objects from the floor. And in terms of losing weight and obtaining that toned and athletic appearance, the strength of your legs can play a massive role in this department too. The message is clear, leg strength is critical to your overall health and daily function so it is never a good idea to skip legs day.
What Improves Core Strength The Best? – Functional Integrated Movement or Isolation Abdominal Exercise?
For a long time I have been discussing the value of using a more integrated and functional approach to strengthening the core, versus the traditional and more popular method of isolating the abdominal muscles with a multitude of floor exercises. My argument has always been that the activation of the abdominal muscles is more consistent with their “true function” when using integrated movements and are more effective at improving movement efficiency and joint stability. The argument against my point is that these exercises may not truly strengthen the muscles of the core to their full potential, leaving you exposed to weakness and injury. You cannot feel your abs burn during a squat or a deadlift as you can during a plank so the plank must be better, is often the logic most people explain. To test my bias and put this argument to rest I decided to share with you some important research and studies that have investigated this debate before, and give you my thoughts of how I use this information to guide me with exercise prescription.
15 Best Exercises For Developing Upper Body Pushing Strength & Power
One of the hardest movements to really master and develop strength with is the PUSHING ACTION. The pushing action is very important for use in daily life and a weakness with pushing movement is linked to many of the shoulder and neck problems many people suffer with. More specifically this movement is much more difficult for most females as they find it very hard to develop strength with their upper body due to joint laxity, lack of testosterone, and this leaves the shoulders more vulnerable to injury. Most of the exercises people think of are bench press, push-ups, and shoulder press. While these exercises may develop the strength they do come with risks that can cause a lot of problems for the neck and shoulder, and with some people they are too difficult to do. True pushing movement patterns are not limited to the upper body, as the trunk and legs play pivotal roles in creating optimal positioning, stability and timing to execute this movement efficiently. This is the mistake so many people make who limit their training to body building exercises that eliminate the use of the legs. There are better ways to achieve strength without these risks which is what I will explain in this breakdown of the best 15 exercises.