MOVEMENT & MOBILITY

EQUIPMENT-FREE MOBILITY (FOLLOW ALONG)

Equipment: Nothing

Direction: Looking for a mobility routine you can do without equipment? One that doesn’t already require you to be hypermobile? Here’s a 17-minute routine you can do right at home that’ll improve your mobility from the ground up:

1. Ankle Rocks

2. Ankle CARS

3. Hip Pulses

4. 90/90

5. Tactical Frog

6. Hip Pulses

7. Open the Book

8. Cat Cows

9. Thoracic Rotations

10. Shoulder CARS

11. Prone Swimmers

Follow along performing each exercise slow and controlled for 10 reps/side.

4 SIMPLE STEPS TO REDUCE BACK PAIN

Equipment: Nothing

Direction: Whether acute or chronic, back pain can be debilitating and make daily tasks difficult to do. A vast number of things can cause back pain, but today we will focus on general back pain problems.

The information contained in this video is not exhaustive; however, it serves as a good starting point to target the most common problem areas. It does not address things like fractures, disc degeneration, herniation, compression, stenosis, or osteoarthritis. Be sure to consult with your physician if you are experiencing any of these or having severe back pain.

General back pain may be a result of a variety of factors. Including immobility and dysfunctional joints, tight muscles, weak muscles, or overworked muscles. Today, we will cover a few of the most common problem areas that lead to back pain and poor posture usually related to sedentary postures like desk work. Given that we are living in a Global pandemic, resulting in a lot of people working from home, there is no shortage of people who are experiencing back pain from sitting for long periods of time.

So why is sitting so bad for your back? When you are seated, your legs are flexed at the hip and knee joints which means your hamstrings and hip flexors are passively contracted (shortened). Conversely, muscles like your glutes and quads are elongated. If your upper-body is hunched over, and your shoulders rounded (everyone), then your spine is also flexed causing elongation of the musculature of the back, and passive contraction of your chest. As a result, the contracted muscles get tight, the elongated muscles get weak, and the joints they attach to become immobile and stiff which equals BACK PAIN! To alleviate this back pain, we need to do 4 things:

1. Release what is tight or restricted: thoracic spine area, hip flexors (psoas), and pecs

2. Move what is immobile: thoracic spine, hips, and shoulders

3. Strengthen what is weak: glutes, transverse abdominus, spinal erectors, mid/lower trapezius

4. And stretch what is overworked: hip flexors, hamstrings, and pecs

To release the tight or restricted areas, we can use tools like the foam roller, mobility peanut, thera cane, lacrosse ball, or a massage gun to stimulate the area, increase blood flow and help to release the muscles and fascia. To improve mobility, we need to take the affected muscles and joints through their respective range of motion to help your body move more freely. Next, we need to focus on strengthening the affected muscles through slow and controlled movements, then gradually adding external stimulus (resistance) to overload the muscles. Lastly, the muscles that are overworked or tight need to be stretched in a static posture and held for 45-90 seconds to help restore their end range of motion.

3 LOWER BODY MOBILIZATIONS TO MOVE BETTER

Equipment: Nothing

Direction: Perform each for 10-15 reps/side in a slow and controlled fashion.

Movement is the act of changing physical position. Whereas mobility is the ability to move freely and easily. So, our goal is to get you to be mobile. When movement is restricted by structural, muscular, or neurological limitations we become immobile. Immobility leads to joint dysfunction, pain and eventually injury. It is only through proper mobility that we can tap into our true performance potential.

We look at the body, simply, as a stack of joints. In which we have alternating joints of stability and mobility as we go up the chain. If we lose mobility in one joint, it can negatively impact the joint above or below it. For example, if we lose mobility in our ankle joint the knee will exhibit instability or dysfunction. If we lose mobility in our hip, we’ll see dysfunction in our knee or lower back.

These 3 mobility exercises covered will help to restore mobility back to your hips, which in turn will help stabilize your body and minimize joint dysfunction especially with lower body exercises.

1- Tactical Frog

2- 90/90 Pulse & Transfer

3- Hip Openers

6 EXERCISES TO RUN BETTER

Equipment: Foam roller

Direction: Perform all 6 exercises for approximately 1-2 minutes each

1 – Are you worried about your running technique? Do you find yourself stiff, sore, and in pain? Try out these 6 exercises to increase your mobility next time you go for a run!

1. Ankle pulses – improve your ankle joints ability to dorsi-flex while you run

2. Tactical Frog – improve your hip mobility, and help to release synovial fluid to lubricate the joint and reduce impingement.

3. Hip-Ham Flow – open up your hip flexors and your posterior chain muscles to get them prepared for strenuous activity.

4. Thoracic Extension – mobilize your thoracic spine to help stabilize your lumbar spine and keep your back moving well.

5. Lat Opener – push your lats to their fullest range of motion to release shoulder tension and enable your chest to stay tall and proud while you run.

6. Thoracic Rotation – improve your spine’s rotational ability to help keep your running form fluid.

FOAM ROLLING 101

Equipment: Foam roller

Direction: Perform all rolls for 1-2 minutes per side per muscle. Use the scrubbing technique to aid in the release of muscle knots/adhesions

1 – Calves
2 – Hamstrings
3 – Glute Medius/Piriformis
4 – Glute Max
5 – TFL
6 – Hip Flexors
7 – Quads
8 – Adductors/Vastus Medialis Oblique
9 – Back (erectors)
10 – Lats

8 MOBILITY EXERCISES TO MOVE BETTER 

Equipment: Dowel or broom

Direction: Perform these 8 mobility exercises before your workout, after your workout, or anytime! Do 12-15 reps of each exercise per side to enhance your movement patterns.

1- Ankle Rocks
2 – 90/90
3 – Hip to Ham Flow
4 – Tactical Frog
5 – Cat Cows
6 – Windshield Wipers
7 – Pec Openers
8 – Dowel (broom) dislocates
9 – Clean!