The week between Christmas and New Year’s I like to highlight a select number of articles featured on my site during the past 365 days.
First up were the the articles that resonated with you, the reader, as defined by analytics and what piqued your interest…HERE.
Next up were the articles that resonated with me and filled my writer’s love tank…HERE.
Today I’d like to direct your attention to the best GUEST POSTS of 2019.
Copyright: serpiandco / 123RF Stock Photo
Best Articles of 2019: Guest Posts
The State of Corrective Fitness 2019 – Kevin Mullins
This was FOUR part series DC based personal trainer, Kevin Mullins, wrote for the site that, if I were to be honest, is very much a Ken Burns’esque masterpiece.
As we grow older our fitness tends to get more and more robotic in nature. We sit in machines, performing endless, mindless repetitions, all while perusing our smart phones.
Shane showcases some ways to be less of a health/fitness zombie.
I’ve often championed the notion that there’s “no such thing as textbook technique.”
How we’re taught to execute certain exercises in a textbook often won’t translate to the real world because, well, we don’t live in textbooks.
This is a theme that’s hit on several times in The Complete Trainers’ Toolbox. Sam Spinelli, one of the contributors, was kind enough to share a bit of an amuse bouche from his presentation “All Things Squats, Knees, and Hips” with everyone today.
To check out the full presentation, as well as contributions from eight other renowned industry leaders, go HERE for more information.
Humans are these incredibly awesome, adaptable, and diverse creatures.
Within our awesomeness, over time we have adapted to have a diverse set of unique features in our anatomy that provides for a wide range of movement from person to person. This is something that we did not readily acknowledge for a long time and tried to fit people into square holes.
The squat is a perfect example of this topic.
For such a long time it has been advocated to squat with your toes forward and perfectly hip width apart. The unfortunate thing is that this limits a significant majority of people from being able to squat comfortably – or to an appreciable depth.
While some people may be able to do so with practice and working on range of motion, for a vast majority it is just not realistic due to their bony anatomy.
As we examine the ankle, knee, and hip, we can see that there is significant variation within the bones forming them and the resulting joints.
For example, at the hip we have an acetabulum that can vary in depth of which will impact how much motion a set sized femoral head can have. This will impact the capacity of motion for hip range between individuals, leading to diverse squat stances already. When we begin to layer on the other ways our anatomy differs, it compounds and leads to a breadth of variations in how people may squat.
How Should I Squat Then?
There isn’t a set stance that will accommodate everyone – some people will do well with a hip width stance and slight toe out, others may do better with a narrower stance and feet directly forward. Finding what works best for you can be a challenge at first and require some experimentation.
To help expedite the process, try out these four methods:
1) Find Your Squat Stance – Standing
2) Find Your Squat Stance – Supported
3) Find Your Squat Stance – Seated
4) Find Your Squat Stance – Kneeling
The goal with each is to start with feet together and progress foot/knee width. You will find that one width generally feels better than the others, that’s the one to stick with for now. Then you can start playing around with foot/knee angle and continue experimenting.
This will get you a great head start on your squat stance and making it unique to you.
Two additional details – you may find your stance more comfortable with your feet not symmetrical and you may find that your stance changes with time. These things are normal for many people.
Did I Just Blow Your Mind?
This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of stuff I cover in my presentation “All Things Squats, Knees, and Hips” in the Complete Trainers’ Toolbox, an online resource that became available this week that also features presentations from eight other industry professionals – including Tony Gentilcore, Dean Somerset, Dr. Lisa Lewis, Alex Kraszewski, Kellie Davis, Meghan Callaway, Dr. Sarah Duvall, and Luke Worthington..
It includes 17 total hours of content covering a wide range of topics every health/fitness professional is bound to relate with. It’s on sale this week at a significant discount, but only until Sunday, February 17th at midnight.
We just returned from Slovenia where we taught the course to 40+ fitness professionals from across nine different countries. We received amazing feedback
With this iteration, though, we’ll be going a bit deeper into the coaching and programming side of things:
How to program around common injuries.
How to “connect” the appropriate exercises to the client/athlete.
How to squat and deadlift like a boss.
All who register will:
1. Receive free access to the digital version of the first series.
2. Receive 1.4 continuing education credits via the NSCA.
3. You also get a super secret bonus we won’t reveal until the weekend of. HINT: Attendees are blown away by how cool is is.1
I’ll be back in the city that never sleeps this Fall to put on my popular Coaching Competency workshop. Albeit this will be condensed version (five hours instead of seven); a fitness amuse bouche if you will.
Honestly a better title for this workshop would be: From Assessment to Clients.
I’ll go into detail on how to create better “buy in” with potential clients, in addition to creating a better (current) client experience starting with the assessment to programming suggestions.
Full details (itinerary, location, and cost) can be found HERE.
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I’ve been coaching clients/athletes for upwards of 15+ years now. If there’s anything I’ve learned it’s that I’d rather they consistently leave a session wanting more and feeling refreshed than feeling as if a bulldozer ran them over. Quality matters. Ability to recover matters.
In today’s guest post by strength coaches and physical therapists, Sam Spinelli and Jason LePage, they break down the hip hinge from beginner level to more advanced iterations.
Your hips have a powerhouse of potential for performance. In the realm of athletics hip extension is one of the most vital components for success. Through the progression of strategies to develop incredible hip extension, the start is to learn how to hip hinge. By hip hinging we can develop a potent supply of hip extension strength and movement capacity that will feed into our other exercises (jumps, cleans, snatches, etc.).
In a hip hinge we are moving our body through hip flexion and extension, while maintaining our spinal position in a neutral range. In most hip hinge exercises we are minimizing (not eliminating) knee movement, allowing for a focus to be placed on the hips; this is often referred to as a “soft bend” in the knees.
By having this soft knee bend, in contrast to a squat motion, we are going to encourage bending over. Due to this, understanding how to move through the hips and not the low back is vital to long term development.
While the hip hinge holds the opportunity to develop some awe-inspiring power, it is not the most simple movement, and for some people can be a real struggle to just pick up. That is where the following “hacks” come in. These are a collection of some of our top picks for learning the hip hinge motion.
Wall Referenced Hip Hinge
Back to Wall Hip Hinge
Wall Facing Hip Hinge
By using the wall we can have an external source of feedback guiding us. When we have our back to the wall, if you aren’t able to do a posterior weight shift and move your hips, you won’t reach the wall.
In contrast, when we face the wall, if you aren’t able to do a posterior weight shift you’ll make contact and not get very far.
Combine the two to get the best of both worlds and own the hinge pattern.
Handcuff Hip Hinge
With the weight held behind our back, it gives a reference of where to push into and guide the weight shift. As well, it places our shoulders in a more retracted and depressed position which cues to keep our chest proud through the movement.
Finally, with your arms secured behind your back you can feel if your lower back begins to round during the movement.
Kneeling Band-Assisted Hinge – Video link + Commentary
Struggle to move through just the hips and not bend the knees excessively or arch your back?
This variation will be a huge help.
The tall kneeling position temporarily eliminates the ankles which brings the focus to the hips! For this drill, simply try to sit your butt onto your heels. If you are struggling to move at the hips, the band will assist that movement to show you what it feels like to perform a hinge.
Some repetition here will help your body sense what the hinge feels like before moving on to a standing strategy.
Foam Roll Assisted Single Leg Hinge – Video link + Commentary
With this hip hinge hack, we transition to a single leg to hone the mechanics for unilateral hinging. In this variation, the foam roller functions as an external cue that allows you to create tension using the entire body as well as increase the stability of the movement allowing you to move slower if needed.
In most people, the foam roller will fit nicely between the foot and hand and is a solid option if you are struggling with a single leg variation of the hinge prior to loading the movement pattern.
Once you’ve begun to hone the hinge pattern, it’s time to start loading it up and building a monstrous posterior chain. Below are some of our top picks for beefing up your training program and solidifying your backside.
Pull Through
Banded Pull-Through
Pull-Through Added Band Resistance
Transitioning from the hip hinge hacks to loading can be challenging for some people. That is where the pull through can be utilized perfectly.
The pull through is an excellent exercise for novices to begin loading the hip hinge as it helps to give great feedback through the cable/band pulling your hips and weight in the direction we want them to move. As well, due to the direction of pull, their is a greatly reduced amount of loading on the back, making it a very safe exercise to begin with.
For those of you who are more advanced, the pull through can still be a great option for loading the hamstrings and glutes without putting as much stress on the low back/erectors. If you find yourself struggling with having enough load, consider adding in a band for additional loading.
Elevated Deadlift
The deadlift is arguably one of the best movements in general – challenging most of the body in one motion, but it is in particular one of the best posterior chain exercises.
It allows for great loading of the hamstrings, glutes, and lumbar extensors while also incorporating much of the upper back musculature to stabilize the spine and shoulders. Most people struggle to effectively pull off the floor and by elevating the bar a few inches we can get into a much better starting position and focus on good mechanics.
Hip Thrust
When we talk hip hinge, we are generally referencing movements that have us in an upright posture. However, there are some fantastic exercises that use the hips that are not done being upright. The hip thrust is an incredible strength movement for the glutes and other posterior chain muscles and really helps those who have a need for horizontal force production – such as most field sport athletes.
Landmine 1-Leg SLDL
Working the posterior chain on a single leg can put a big focus on hip, knee, and ankle stabilization, while also reducing how much loading is on the lower back and placing more on the legs and hips.
However, many people struggle initially learning the mechanics of the 1 leg SLDL. Utilizing the landmine we are able to take advantage of the arcing motion of the bar and also the increased amount of structural stability to have a slightly easier time learning the motion.
KB Swing
The KB swing offers us the ability to ramp up the speed of the movement and incorporate some higher rate of force development. This can be very beneficial for all athletes and incorporated as a primer before heavy work. As well, the KB swing can be a great exercise to use in a conditioning format as it can really get the heart rate going.
About the Authors
Sam Spinelli
Sam Spinelli is cofounder ofThe Strength Therapist, a company devoted to educating people about strength training for rehab and performance.
Coming from the great white north of Canada, Sam spent 5 years working with high level hockey as a strength and conditioning coach. Currently he has taken up a nomad status in the United States to pursue his doctorate of physical therapy and hang out with really smart people (Like Tony G).
Outside of spending his time reading research papers and drinking coffee, he is a competitive strength athlete in sports such as powerlifting, weightlifting, and strongman.
Jason LePage is a Doctor of Physical Therapy student at Quinnipiac University and the founder of PrimePhysioFitness. For the last 4 years, Jason has worked as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor with a passion for promoting fitness and wellness for all ages. Outside of school and work, Jason loves playing a variety of sports including basketball, tennis, and volleyball and spending time with his family. If you want to learn more from or connect with Jason:
Groin strains can be a stubborn son-of-a-bitch. Once you have one, it’s one of those pesky injuries that never really seems to go away. In today’s guest post by strength coach and physical therapist, Sam Spinelli, he breaks down some common ways to resolve the issue.
Groin strains are often a hard problem for people to manage. We see them present in many different populations and occur with a wide range of activities. Strains are common in sports such as baseball, hockey and soccer where this is a huge demand on the groin.
With the groin musculature being a collection of numerous muscles, it is involved in so many different movements – flexing the hip, extending the hip, bring the knee towards midline, internally rotate the hip, and externally rotate the hip.
Due to the involvement in these movements, the “groin” can get stressed while performing them, but also get strained when the opposing movements are done as well.
For example, the adductor brevis (one of the higher up groin muscles) acts to adduct, internally rotate, and flex the hip.
If strained, during those three movements the muscle will be challenged to contract.
In contrast, during hip abduction, external rotation, and extension the adductor brevis will get lengthened. When the adductor brevis is strained, excessive lengthening can increase the damage to the vulnerable tissue.
The first step to managing these strains is to get things to calm down. Check out THIS article for more on that in regards to strains.
Get Long
When we say get long, we are talking about having someone comfortable with allowing the involved musculature to elongate.
This isn’t trying to lengthen the actual tissue – which is a topic we will discuss in a separate article/video series – but have the tissue be able to express the range it actually has with ease.
Below is a series of options – foam rolling, less dynamic movements, and more dynamic movements.
We start off with foam rolling as a means of helping in the short term, which we can use to help reduce the perception of tone in the tissue. Ideally this is used only briefly and removed as soon as possible so we are not relying upon it.
The less dynamic movements are one which have less involved movement, fewer joints involved, and more support. These are a great starting point for moving and reducing fear in individuals coming off a groin strain.
The more dynamic movements are things that will have more transfer to daily life and sporting activities.
Once we are in the phase of building things up, we will shift our focus to exercises to help make the tissue more resilient. In particular, we are going to start off with an approach to get long and get strong.
Soft Tissue – Adductors
Split Stance Adductor Mobilization
Frog
Frog 2.0
Lateral Lunge
Cossack Lunge
Cossack Squat
Get Strong
A muscle that is stronger can handle more stress placed upon it. This is why developing the musculature related to this injury can help in the future. In particular, we will look to increase the strength of the groin muscles, but also that of the abdominals.
When we look at where most of the groin muscles originate, we can see they share a common insertion with some of the abdominal muscles. This can be like a tug of war between the muscles. If we have one side not holding up its part, then we can be left with imbalanced force production and a not optimal tension-length relationship. This is often overlooked and can lead to reoccurring issues – which is why we address it here.
We use a similar approach here of utilizing less dynamic movements initially to help target the groin muscles, then build in more dynamic movement and load over time.
For the abdominals we use an approach of challenging the abdominals in both a isometric and isotonic format. This helps to integrate static strength to hold position, but also strength in being able to manipulate the pelvic positioning.
Adductor Strengthening
Side Lying Adduction
Feet Elevated Side Plank – Top Leg Only
Feet Elevated Side Lying Adduction
Lateral Lunge – DBs
Lateral Lunge – 1 Rack
Band Resisted Lateral Lunge
Abdominal Strengthening
Reverse Crunch
Hanging Knee Raise
Hard Style Plank
An Example Introductory Session
Upper Body Lift +
A1. Split stance adductor mob x10 x3sets
A2. Side lying adduction x10 x3 sets
B1. Frog x10 x3 sets
B2. Reverse Crunch x10 x3sets
As you start to build strength and comfort, we can progress to:
Modified Lower Body Lift (RFESS, deadlifts, etc.) +
A1. Lateral Lunge – DBs x6 x3sets
A2. Hard style plank – 3(10s) x3sets
B1. Feet elevated side plank – top leg only x3(10s) x3 sets
B2. Hanging knee raise
Wrap Up
Over time you would want to keep progressing the variations while also building to more advanced movements involving power, agility, and requiring greater motor control of positioning.
Move well, lift heavy, stay healthy,
Author’s Bio
Sam Spinelli is cofounder of The Strength Therapist, a company devoted to educating people about strength training for rehab and performance.
Coming from the great white north of Canada, Sam spent 5 years working with high level hockey as a strength and conditioning coach. Currently he has taken up a nomad status in the United States to pursue his doctorate of physical therapy and hang out with really smart people (Like Tony G).
Outside of spending his time reading research papers and drinking coffee, he is a competitive strength athlete in sports such as powerlifting, weightlifting, and strongman.
Man oh man, can you believe it’s June? We had an unseasonable cold month (even for Boston standards) this past month, so I was glad to see May go, but seriously….June? Already?
I had a busy week this past week so I didn’t have ample opportunity to get much writing done, sorry! I do have some good ideas percolating around in my head for next week, so I promise to try to make up for it.
Nonetheless, here’s this week’s list of stuff to read….
Lisa and I will be in Toronto in two weeks presenting our Strong Body-Strong Mind workshop. We’re really excited since it will be our first family get-away since Julian was born.
We’re bringing him with us by the way….on a plane…..at four months old.
Holy shit, what the hell are we doing?[footnote]The flight from Boston to Toronto is a short one, so I think we’ll be okay. If not, I have a super-sized bottle of Nyquil ready to go. KIDDING, kidding.[/footnote]
There are still some seats available, and you can go HERE for more details.
However, we’re really excited to announce we’ll also be doing a workshop in Boston later this summer.
This graphic took me an hour to make. Not kidding.
The idea is simple: there’s a corner in the industry that’s underserved….mental skills. There are a lot of people out there who write about “mindset” and describe themselves as mindset coaches (whatever the heck that means) who, by and large, have zero academic background in that department.
Lisa went to school for this shit.
I went to school to help turn people into badasses.
Lisa can speak to building competency and discussing how to build the skills to develop rapport with clients. I can speak to getting people bigger, stronger, and faster.
Our Vancouver shindig in April sold out, but Dean and I have recently announced a stop in Orlando, FL later this year, October 21-22nd at Spark Fitness.
I’ve never been to Orlando. There’s no way in hell I’m visiting Disney World.
Nice article from Sam Spinelli on Dean Somerset’s site on a concept I wish more fit pros would consider: finding the right “place” on the continuum where your clients possess ownership of movement via stability/motor control which then leads to hitting goals, whether they’re for function, performance, or aesthetics.
Dr. Duvall wrote an excellent article for this site a few weeks ago titled 5 Things to Consider With Postpartum Training. It was excellent because I have excellent taste in the people I choose to provide additional content on this site….;o)
Given she lives in Boston as well we decided to meet up yesterday in a local coffee shop. We got to talking about pelvic floor issues, specifically prolapse (because, what else do you talk about in a coffee shop?), and one sentence she said made me want to jump up and give her a high-five:
“Women need to lift heavy so that more serious shit doesn’t happen (I.e., prolapse). A three-year old isn’t light.”
Now, “heavy” in this sense is subjective. But all things considered, assuming proper exercise technique and progressions have been met, there’s no reason to think women can’t be more aggressive when trying to train postpartum.
I love her message and it’s quite a stark contrast from the litany of other “pelvic floor specialist” out there regurgitating drivel who have very little experience actually coaching people; let alone having the educational background to back their claims up.[footnote]As Sarah and I were chatting yesterday she brought up a Instagram fitness celebrity who claims to be a “pelvic floor and postpartum specialist” who, within the first minute of a recently released video series said something to the effect of “this exercise focuses on your most outer abdominal muscle, the TA.” For those who aren’t a moron, the TA is actually a “deep” core muscle, kinda like the body’s natural weight belt.”[/footnote]
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NEWSFLASH: long-term weight/fat-loss is more about habitual, sustainable lifestyle changes than it is about repeating same “diet” repeatedly
