We began with the basics of information gathering. Here is a quick synopsis of Holly. I will not put unimportant information on here, just the basics you need to know to understand where she is at in her life.

Holly has just turned the big "40" although she has the energy still of any twenty year old I know. She works as a Chaplain for a local Fire Department and is very involved with volunteering in her church and kids school. She has two sons, one now in College and another about to graduate from High School. She is on call 3-4 days a week for the Fire Department which can turn into 5 hours of walking or 3 hours of sitting at a time.

She is currently bothered by sciatic pain in her right hip, tightness in her IT bands, and she constantly has a significant amount of tension all across her back and shoulders which causes aching throughout the day. She also notices she is unable to type for long periods at a time without serious discomfort in her wrists.

She has not had any major injuries in the past but was involved in a serious rear-end collision that caused significant whiplash symptoms.

Her goals are to improve her posture, eliminate the pain symptoms in her body, and maintain her ability to move efficiently in an effort to fight aging. She also wants to be able to do a lot of traveling for many years to come.

Below are Holly's first round of postural photographs.

For the first round I want you to focus on the two pictures from the side. Holly has several postural issues but trust me we all do. This was very brave of her and Dan to do this. It is amazing what you learn about yourself when you get put on the grid. We will dissect a few other issues in the next few posts because I think certain issues will look worse before they look better. From the sides look at the position of her pelvis. There are two issues. The first being that her hips are way out in front of the anatomically correct position.

Look at the picture here of the skeletal system. Notice how each of the structural joints (shoulders, hips, knees, ankles) are all vertically stacked on top of one another. If you compare that to Holly, notice how far out in front of that line her pelvis is. This is what is causing many of her issues. Secondly her pelvis is tilted forward or as we say, she has an anterior tilt. These two things have a drastic impact on the position of her spine which is causing her muscle tension and aching through the shoulders and back. Notice how unlike in the skeletal photo that has a nice "S" curve to the spine, Holly's forms more of a "C". This creates a significant amount of muscle tension in her neck as the muscles are trying to hold her head in place. We call this a cable example. The muscles of her upper back and neck are being used as cables to hold her head in place. This is where the tension and tightness that she feels is actually coming from. It has very little to do with her upper back but rather a pelvis that is completely out of position.

The first few exercise routines for Holly will be focused in pulling her pelvis back underneath her as well as leveling it out. This will then correct the exaggerated "C" curve in her back.

Next post we will go over where Dan is starting at.

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First remember that there are multiple ways to stretch a muscle. The way we are going to discuss and to be honest is the best option in our opinion is to lengthen the muscle by contracting the antagonist or opposite muscle. What is the opposite of the Hamstring then is what we need to determine. The obvious answer is of course the quadriceps. We also want to make sure that the hip flexors are included in this as well. The reason for this is that just like the hamstring, the hip flexors and quadriceps are responsible for the anterior movement of the pelvis.

Since your hamstrings attach at the back of your pelvis, the movement of the pelvis forward or anterior then will pull on the hamstrings causing them to lengthen. Lengthening of the hamstrings then involves not only getting the body in a position to attempt to completely straighten the leg, it also requires the contraction of the quadriceps and hip flexor muscles.

Here are a few examples of some moves that will do this for you.

The basic leg lift is actually a good way to start when gaining flexibility in the hamstrings. To perform the move make sure that before you begin to lift the leg you have contracted the muscles of the quadriceps as hard as you can and pull your toes back towards you. Now lift as high as you can until the knee wants to bend, then lower it back down.

The next move is similar to the leg lift but know you use the arms to assist in getting the leg a little higher than you can with just your muscles. Make sure that with the assistance of the hands that you are still contracting the muscles of the quadriceps and hip flexors as hard as you can while you hold the stretch. Like Loren mentioned in one of the Fitness Tips of the Week, hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds to allow the hamstring to lengthen.

We have also done a few moves in our Exercise of the Week Program Like the Runners Stretch that are great examples of moves to lengthen the hamstrings.

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There are a significant number of factors that can affect our posture and ultimately our spine. Genetics may be the biggest but also injuries, jobs, lifestyle, physical training we do or do not do, and sports we play can all impact the health of our spine. The key to keeping a healthy back is to keep it moving. The two major directions of the spine are the flexion/extension, and the rotation. Here are a couple of great moves you can use on a daily basis to keep, restore, or simply improve the flexibility in your spine.

The first is the Sitting Twist. It is a simple move that is very popular in the aerobics and yoga circles. Simply put both legs out straight, then cross one over the other and place the opposite elbow on the knee and twist. Hold it on each side for 30-60 seconds.

The second move is what we call a Kneeling Roller Coasters. Others call them dive bombers or even hindu push-ups. This is a fantastic move for the flexion and extension of the spine. Not only that but it will also help to maintain mobility in your shoulders as well. Start on your hands and knees and pull your hips towards your heels, then bend your elbows as you roll trough lowering your chin, chest, stomach, and hips along the floor. Once you reach the extended position, pull your hips back and roll trough again.

Mix these two moves into your daily routine to help keep your spine healthy. If you are looking for something more complete check out our Low Back Program and our AM/PM Program in our Store.

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The danger in doing moves like this in a seated position is the amount of compression and tightness it can cause in your lower back. Many trainers believe you should do them sitting to help reduce this issue and in regards to a comparison against doing it standing, this may be true. However, We feel that sitting is actually the most dangerous and really takes away from a great exercise. Not only do you tend to put very high levels of stress into your lower back, you train your muscles from a poor postural position. I know trainers will argue this and say they make sure their clients backs are straight and shoulders are up but still your in a seated position which your body never requires strength from so why do it?

Truly we are not a fan of doing any strength moves in a chair or seated position. Can you name a time when your going to need to move heavy objects around in a seated position? Is there a sport I am not aware of where you can just it there and push weight around? Sitting to do your weight training is a bad idea. You will ultimately create high levels of muscular imbalance in your body that will lead to poor posture and eventually pain and injury.

Standing is the second most common way we watch people do this move. The real danger here is that your lower back is now even more compromised. I have seen this used in aerobic classes that emphasize strength and if you watch the instructors do a good job of first setting the move up by making sure that the individuals in the class have completely prepared their core to handle the move. Whenever you do an overhead move from a standing position you put the back and knees at high risk for compensation and injury. However done correctly and with the proper amount of progression into the move, standing does present some great overall strength benefits.

The best way to do overhead presses in our opinion is kneeling. In a kneeling position you still can gain the similar strength benefits that you would from a standing position but by taking your lower legs out of the equation it lessens the demands placed on the lumbar spine and knees if your body is not in the anatomically correct position.

We did a video on this awhile back, here it is again showing what we feel is the best form for you to have to do overhead press style moves. If you are currently doing your overhead moves seated, we highly encourage you to watch the video and begin to do them kneeling. The benefits are significant and your back will thank you for it.

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This week I have been doing quite a bit of stretching. I mostly wanted to combat the tightness that I was beginning to feel as a result of sitting in classes and studying at my desk, along with the lifting I have been doing as a part of training. It feels good to be able to bend and twist now without significant tightness in my lower back, hamstrings, hip flexors, etc. As I was thinking of a good tip for the week, I remembered how we always used to stretch in PE classes and for team warm-ups several years back. Typically, you hold a stretch and count to 10 or so. This week though, and from now on, you should try holding each stretch you do for at least thirty seconds or even up to a minute. Ten seconds is really not long enough to significantly and adequately lengthen out the muscle fibers and tendons.

In your body, there are tiny sensors called receptors. They are a form of neuron, which carries electrical impulses to and from the brain. In the skin, there are several types of receptors that pick up the sensations of temperature and pressure. In the eyes, these receptors detect light. All these receptors do is carry the information to the brain when stimulated. The brain then reacts and sends signals through neurons to your muscles. This is how you can react to stimulus. Sometimes these reactions are voluntary, and other times they are involuntary. In the muscle itself, there are tiny receptors called mechanoreceptors. A particular type of mechanoreceptors called the stretch receptor detects the amount of tension on a muscle. They send this information to the brain, and it reacts. So, when you stretch a muscle, your brain knows it is being stretched. Stretch receptors are partly responsible for maintaining balance, or proprioception. When you walk on uneven ground, your brain can sense the stretching of the muscles and appropriately react to maintain equilibrium.

In regards to stretching, your body has an involuntary process called the stretch reflex. When a muscle is stretched to a certain point, the brain tells it to contract in order to protect it from being stretched to the point of tearing. Well, when you are doing a stretch, the muscle will naturally resist, and become tight. After a period of time, however, the information from the stretch receptors to the brain begins to lose its intensity as the brain tunes it out. It is similar to how you can tune out random noise over time, as your brain loses focus on it. When this happens with the stretch receptors, the stretch reflex weakens and allows the muscle to stretch a little farther. This will increase the muscles overall flexibility. This cannot be achieved in only 10 seconds of stretching, however. It may take thirty seconds to a minute for the stretch reflex to wear off so the muscle can be fully lengthened. This is why you should take the extra time and hold you stretches longer from now on.

Loren Sheets

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There are many theories as to why people are suffering so many injuries when training for the simple act of running. I guess simple act may be the wrong way to say it since many individuals do not find running simple at all. In our opinion the injuries are coming from high levels of muscular inefficiency. Individuals who have not been training correctly, or at all, have muscular patterns in their body that makes them unable to perform the act of running for longer distances without high risk of many common running injuries.

In the article they are discussing that one of the major causes of injuries is actually the "high-tech shoes" that people are training in. We could not agree with this more. Recently we have discussed the importance of doing your warm-ups barefoot. The feet just like any other area of the body consist of many different muscles that require consistent training in order for them to continue to perform their given tasks of skeletal alignment and movement. Many shoes runners currently run in act almost like a cast. They can drastically limit the amount of stimulus that the muscles of the feet receive.

There is a link in that article to another interesting document that I thought was a great read. It was a paper written about how evolution made us great distance runners. I am not a believer in evolution personally but I still find it quite fascinating.

If you are a runner make sure you are taking the time to be barefoot as a part of your training. I have had great success with runners in the past using their warm-ups as a chance to apply stimulus to the muscles of the feet. Just like any other muscle in the body, those of the feet must be trained in order to perform.

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Using ankle weights can be a tremendous advantage to your current training system when used properly. When worn to do exercises like leg lifts, lateral leg lifts, fonda Lifts, Prone leg lifts, or even hand leg opposites, the added demand the ankle weights provide can make a tremendous difference. Beyond these types of supported moves however, you start to enter the realm of negative returns on your exercises.

We have discussed the importance of posture and skeletal alignment in regards to your training programs. Many athletes have various imbalances in their bodies that create variations in their gait pattern and their efficiency of movement laterally as well. If we think of one of our athletes who has a gait pattern that is not overly efficient such as poor muscular engagement in the hips causing them to generate linear motion by whipping the lower leg in a circular fashion for example, adding resistance to this will create more harm than good in our opinion.

The ankle weights obviously apply more resistance to everything you do when you are wearing them but unless you have an athlete with a perfect gait pattern and no inefficiency in their movement in any direction you do not want to have them train in them. Lack of efficiency in your movement comes from poor muscular development or muscular imbalances. These imbalances can put your joints into a compromised position where they are beginning to suffer some wear and tear.

Problems like tendonitis, shin splints, chronic ankle sprains, and the plethora of other lower body ailments are all from improper muscular function. Adding the ankle weights will only enhance these imbalances and make the potential for these injuries even greater. The additional weight added down by the ankles will create higher levels of stress around the knee and ankle joint. Many trainers think this will make them stronger but like always we look for the potential negative side effects. Imbalances that you may have in the legs will only become more prevalent if you do movement training with them on.

Use Ankle weights as a tool to help build some strength in supported positions. I know of many great abdominal moves and hip strengthening moves that are perfect for the ankle weights. Playing basketball or running in them are not two of them. This is dangerous and foolish in our opinions. Goal number one in all training you do should be to improve the efficiency of your athletes, not enhance their imbalances.

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Here is an article that gives you more of the details of the injury from ESPN. It sounds like the player was just doing a routine set of bench when the bar slipped out of his right hand and came crashing down on his throat. He did have someone right there spotting him but unless you are truly prepared there is no way you can catch the bar before it would hit the player. How scary this moment must have been not only for the player obviously but also the coach spotting him.

We have discussed many times throughout this blog about the dangers of some of the various moves. I remember awhile back I got drilled by some people for my comments about barbell squats but here again is the example of what I am talking about. I realize I am in the minority when it comes to my beliefs on weight training in regards to athletics but I have taken the time to learn that in all honesty the Bench press is overrated.

I believe that the Bench press is an excellent tool to be used as a test of upper body strength but it is just not that practical to be used as the primary source of strength training for the chest and in many training systems, the entire upper body.

During my nearly twenty years of training athletes for speed and power I have learned how not to do a significant number of things in the training world. One of the major ones that I have learned is to limit and in some cases eliminate the potential risk of injury in my athletes. I understand that there are accidents like this one that do occur and they are rare but there a many other less dramatic injuries that happen in the weight room much more frequently.

For the longest time I too believed that the Bench was the gold standard of weight training. All through High School and College I was led to believe that my rank in the world as a man was based on what my bench press max was. How stupid I was but ultimately it was what I was taught. Once I had a chance to really understand how to train the human body for true strength and power I realized how limited the bench actually was.

One quick example I'll share was back in 1998 I was working at a local High School. A Sophomore football player was in the weight room doing his typical sets of bench, squats, cleans, and dead lifts. He was having major injury issues on the field and struggling with issues in the weight room as well. We completely tok him off all weights and had him do body weight training only for about 3 months, then we started to mix back in lifting but using dumbbells only. He continued this all the way through graduation.

When he stopped lifting as a sophomore he had a max of around 235 pounds. Not bad for a sophomore who weighed about 180 pounds. He decided to go to Montana State University and walk on to their football program. He became really stresses when he found out he would need to bench for the coaches when he arrived. I told him not to worry so he did the test and maxed out at 350 pounds while weighing about 195 pounds. So without any bench press at all for over 2 years and his max still went up by over 100 pounds.

We have been wanting to build you a bench press program for awhile and this story reminded me of it. We will be discussing it in detail soon but trust us, it will be worth the wait.

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We also will have a few little strains and sprains each sport season and these tend to bring out the many questions. Sprained ankles for example tend to be an immediate cause for ice. I have never been a fan of this because I just trust in the incredible design of the human body and its uncanny ability to heal itself. I feel the body is far superior to any type of tools we use to help speed up the process of healing.

When I was still competing in athletics I suffered my fair share of injuries and the common response to everything was to rest, use lots of ice, apply some compression, and in many cases, elevate. This was the standard that was given to me and all my teammates for most of our minor injuries. Occasionally I was also told to try icing for twenty minutes, then heat for twenty minutes every few hours.

I was always curious if anyone had a sound reasoning for using ice or heat following an injury. I came across this article on Runnersworld.com. This was very much in line with many other articles i found about this topic. It seems that at the point of an acute injury Ice is your best bet for the first 24 hours. Following that time the combination of Ice and heat will help to provide the best results.

So I would like to add one thing to this. As opposed to just relying on the ice to help initiate the healing process lets look at some of the other factors that tend to happen with acute injuries. For a good example lets use a sprained ankle. There are two components that need to be addressed in my opinion. First is why did the ankle sprain? I will not spend a ton of time on this for this post but lets say you sprained it stepping off a curb or maybe while jogging on some uneven terrain. Typically the response would be that the cause of the sprain has to do with the curb or the uneven ground. Completely untrue in my opinion. The cause is a lack of muscular efficiency. If you land on some uneven ground while running and your muscular system is not capable of reacting in a manner that enables your body to absorb the impact evenly into the hips, then your ankle will be forced to take the brunt of the force. This is what causes the sprain, not the ground you landed on.

Then the second component is what happens when the joint is sprained? In my opinion it begins to form its own cast around the injury. it does this by creating tightness within the muscular system. This is why when there is a joint sprain the first thing we do is to neutralize the casting by reestablishing the efficiency of the muscles to allow the casting to subside and in turn allow the joint to return to the anatomically correct alignment. This has always made a tremendous difference in swelling and drastically speeds up the bodies ability level to heal itself.

So Ice and heat since I have no reason to think these are incapable of helping out some but to truly maximize your healing, allow the body to do the bulk of the work on its own.

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I want to take a chance to also show you the opposite. What if the stimulus we most commonly gave our body was a lack of physical demand but rather placing it in a seated position for long periods. I have trained literally thousands of clients over the years that have been computer programmers or other desk employees. Many of them come in with similar issues, most commonly is back pain. Upper back pain and neck pain is almost a given for those that work at a desk for extended periods of time.

So like I said in the title we become what we are. If we are a person who sits at a desk for many hours at a time and that becomes the dominant stimulus we give to our muscles, we slowly turn into a body that is designed to sit. Look at the picture of this guy. Pretty typical posture that we see of anyone working at a computer. As I type this I am kneeling and doing as many exercises between sentences as I can. If we spend multiple hours at a time in this position, eventually our body will become permanently stuck in this position.

We must constantly give our bodies the necessary stimulus it needs to maintain our natural posture and our muscular efficiency. Make sure if you are someone who needs to spend a significant amount of time in a seated position, or any fixed position for that matter, try to get up and move as often as you can. This will not only drastically slow down the process of your body conforming to this stimulus, it may complete prevent it if you work at it.

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