Recently I wrote a detailed article about a unique single leg exercises called the “hip airplane” that I have been using successfully with people suffering with foot, knee, and hip injuries. Within this one exercise I added some slight variations to increase the challenge and difficulty to further strengthen the weak and lazy gluteal muscles. I received many emails regarding various ways I might progress this exercise once it is mastered for there are a ton of single leg variations you could use. In this article, I will give you a quick look at some of my favourite progressions to try that will challenge your body with multiple skills and strength. I also include some progressions to include for those who play sports. One thing is for certain it is an exercise that applies to people of all ages and something we all should be trying our best to improve.
Sciatic Nerve Pain – Is It A Bulging Disc Or Is It Piriformis Syndrome?
This is a question I am often confronted with in our rehabilitation program as we see so many clients who have been misdiagnosed and consequently mistreated. Many back-related injuries and chronic pain conditions share many symptoms that are very similar, and in the case of piriformis syndrome and a bulging disc, the similarities in symptoms and pain are very close. However these two injuries are very different, and the approach to treating will have some key elements that are significantly different. The common theme both injuries do share is that the hip is the source of the trouble mostly caused by postural imbalance and movement dysfunction. To quote Dr. Evan Osar in his book about Common Hip & Shoulder Dysfunction – “Osteoarthritis, more accurately described as a degenerative joint disease, is just one manifestation of poor movement strategies, it is not simply a process of getting old.” And like Dr. Osar I have found in over 20 years of working with all ages, and many different injuries, that those who improved stability and movement had less injury, less pain, and could not only prevent problems but correct them once the right program was adopted. In this article, we hope to share some of those secrets, and help you get rid of your pain for good.
Try These Deadlift Variations To Find What Works Best For You
Without a doubt the Deadlift is one of the best exercises you can ever use in the gym. Whether you are a keen sporting athlete, someone recovering from injury, or even an 80 year old looking to maintain quality of life this exercise provides amazing benefits and is something we use everyday in life. Outside of the gym it is simply known as “bending”. For this reason we tend to refer to this as a foundational movement pattern first and an exercise second. As much as the benefits from learning and developing your skills with deadlift are amazing it also comes with high risk if performed poorly. Injuries such as herniated discs are so common with this movement with many of these occurring outside of a gym and from daily activities like picking up a pen off the floor. There are so many versions of this exercise it is important to know which one is best for your body right now. This article we will explain everything you need to know about deadlifts and which version works best for you.
Are Your Hamstrings Tight Or Are They Compensating For Other Muscles?
Of all the muscles to get a bad rap and always to blame for creating trouble, the hamstring muscles would be right up there alongside the upper traps as the public enemy number one. Watch anyone who plays sports do their stretching routine and you are guaranteed to see the hamstrings get a real workout, or participate in a Yoga class to see how many hamstring stretches you will have to complete and it seems like everyone must be short and tight in this muscle group. Now while this may seem like a good idea, what you will find in this article is that many people who are cranking excessive mobility into this area are in fact creating a huge potential problem at joints like the knee, and even the lower back. It is ironic for many people are doing the stretch in the belief it is going to prevent these injuries. We will also discuss the strategies that are used to strengthen the hamstrings, in particular with sports where hamstring tears are common, and show you that it is not the hamstring that is the problem. The hamstring muscles really are very misunderstood, and when you appreciate how they actually function you will become much smarter with how you approach your training.
Strength Training For Runners Is Critical If You Want To Stay Injury Free
The worst thing that can every happen to a keen distance runner is suffering with a chronic injury like plantar fasciitis, ITB friction syndrome, or patella-femoral knee pain that hangs around for months or even years. The typical approach to use rest, anti-inflammatory medication, a massage or even some therapy may help to calm the injury down but the minute you go back to running all the pain comes rushing back to the way it was. This is something that could easily be prevented if a carefully designed strength training program is used in combination with your running training. Having been a very keen distance runner for a long time myself, I am very aware of all the injuries associated, and experienced first hand some of these annoying and painful injuries in my time. I was able to get on top of these quickly and over time learned that the secret was using strength training techniques to improve gait and working on my running technique. I found the perfect combination of strength training, stability training, postural retraining, movement skills and more efficient running technique that allowed me to reach my peak when I was in my late 30’s. If only I had been told this many years earlier who knows what I would have been able to achieve. I have since used the same methods for assessing hundreds of runners and sporting athletes to overcome some of the most annoying and chronic injuries preventing them from enjoying their running or sport. In this article, I am going to show you these secrets and also what I have found to be the common traits so you can prevent them from stopping you in your tracks.
7 Best Squats To Build Strong Legs & Bulletproof Knees
If you have been going to gym for some time, or if you have a knee problem you will know all about the importance of being able to SQUAT. The squat, along with the deadlift, is one of the most common leg exercises used in the the gym and regarded as arguably the best leg strengthening exercise. It is also very popular in the rehabilitation field, for the amazing benefits it can provide to not only your legs, but your entire body with regards to posture, core stability, and better movement control. When you develop a great movement pattern with the squat you improve any movement sharing the same timing, such as jumping which is why it is a favorite of sports coaches around the world. But it also improves the strength of muscles around the knee and the timing of standing up out of a chair, or climbing up stairs and many everyday tasks which are usually very difficult for people with knee pain, explaining why the health and rehabilitation field love it so much. There are so many ways you can do this great exercise, but which one is the best? Well, there is no definitive version that is good for all of us, (besides maybe the single leg squat), there is only the best one for you and knowing which one this is, can be just as important as learning the execution and technique. This article we look at 7 of our best squats to use to help build strong legs that will be bulletproof to injury.
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.
How Good Is The Clamshell Exercise For Strengthening Gluteus Medius?
The side lying clamshell exercise is one of the most prescribed exercises for people with weak glutes. Clamshells are a favourite exercise of most physical therapists and featured in nearly every group class as the best way to strengthen your gluteus medius muscle. While the clamshell is intended to have good activation of the gluteal muscles there are several problems this exercise can create in the hip and pelvic region, and in some cases can even make the glutes weaker! In this article, I will explain how to use this exercise correctly and ensure you avoid the common mistakes many people make.
Stop Blaming Psoas Major For Hip & Back Pain & This Is Why?
This is part two of my detailed articles about two confusing muscles of the hip that many people blame for chronic pain with either back or hip problems, when in reality these muscles are merely reacting to dysfunction created elsewhere and trying to improve stability. The two muscles I am referring to are the quadratus lumborum which I discussed in part one, and Psoas Major which I am analyzing in this article. Without a doubt this is one of the most misunderstood muscles in terms of its function and as a result its influence on dysfunction around the hip and pelvis. For a long time it Psoas has been referred to as a “hip flexor muscle” and blamed for creating excessive anterior tilt of the pelvis which is a common postural fault with back pain and hip related problems. However when you observe its attachments and how it functions you find out it is more of a stabilizing muscle that posterior rotates the pelvis! The bigger problem is more to do with a lesser known muscle called Illiacus that works very closely with the psoas major. This changes everything in how you would try to restore function and stability to hip and pelvic problems and in this article I will attempt to explain how this works and the best ways to restore hip function.
How To Strengthen The Glutes and The VMO Simultaneously To Stabilize The Knee
One of the most controversial and confusing muscles to discuss is the vastus medialis oblique, otherwise known as the VMO. We know that this muscle plays a critical role in providing stability of the knee and prevents the onset of patella tracking problems that are so common among people of all ages. However, there is so much conflicting research and information about the best way to strengthen this muscle that many people are confused as to where to start. The problem with most of the research is that it looks at strengthening the muscle in isolation, ignoring the role of other anatomical factors contributing to the VMO weakness. Factors such as tibial torsion, valgus knee collapse due to poor hip muscle control, poor foot stability creating over-pronation, and ankle stiffness inhibiting quadriceps strength need to be addressed if you truly want to strengthen the VMO and stabilize the knee. And arguably the best way to do this is using what are referred to as “reactive neuromuscular training” exercises, where you use creative methods to isolate a specific muscle within an integrated movement. It sounds complicated, but really it is very simple when you understand how the body uses compensation to avoid pain. In this article, I will show you several versions I like to use to help stabilize the knee.