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How To Fix Knee Pain – Do These 4 Moves

How To Fix Knee Pain – Do These 4 Moves

by | Feb 25, 2021 | Blog, Butt, Exercises, Foam Rolling, injury-featured, Pain Relief, Stretches

Achy and sore knees are an all too common complaint.

And nagging knee pain can become a daily annoyance.

Knee pain can make walking up stairs or getting down on the ground uncomfortable and difficult.

It can make us fear moves like squats and lunges so much that we simply stop doing them all together.

It can hold us back from training intensely.

Knee pain can cause us to simply no longer enjoy the activities we used to love like running or jumping.

And the worst part is often we’ve done a ton of things to TRY to address the problem.

We’ve focused on all of the muscles right around our knee trying to strengthen everything to improve our knee stability.

But all too often this not only doesn’t provide lasting relief, but it actually BACKFIRES.

So if trying to strengthen the muscles right around your knees isn’t necessarily the answer, what is? How can you get rid of nagging knee pain for good?

First, there are two joints you need to be paying attention to instead of just focusing only on your knees…

Your ankles and your hips!

If there is immobility or instability at either one of these two joints, your knees are going to suffer the consequences.

All too often when we lack mobility in one area, we seek out mobility from another.

So if your ankles aren’t mobile? You’re going to search for mobility from your knees! Mobility your knees really aren’t meant to provide!

And instability at your ankles or hips is what can lead to improper alignment up and down your legs, causing muscles around your knees to even become tight and overworked, further perpetuating your aches and pains!

That’s why I want to share 4 essential exercises with you to address both ankle and hip mobility and stability issues.

 4 Must-Do Moves To Prevent Knee Pain:

Improving your range of motion and stability at both joints can help you avoid perpetuating your knee issues and even alleviate the overload.

#1: Knee-Friendly Ankle Mobility Stretch

Improving your ankle mobility, specifically your ability to dorsiflex or draw your toes up toward your shin can go a long way in preventing knee pain during squats and lunges, not to mention when you run or ride!

Especially if you are suffering from knee pain currently, many ankle mobility drills can be uncomfortable as your knee will travel even past your toes.

That’s when this Knee-Friendly Ankle Mobility Stretch comes in handy.

Because the ball of your foot is up on a block or weight, you’ve put your ankle into dorsiflexion before you even shift your weight forward.

Most ankle mobility moves require your knee to move past your toe for the full range of motion.

But because of this starting position, your knee doesn’t have to travel forward that much for a full range of motion.

This can help alleviate some pressure on your knees as you work to improve that ankle mobility.

Keeping your heel on the ground with the ball of your foot up, shift your weight forward as much as you can. If your heel starts to lift, you’ve gone too far.

Then shift back and repeat.

#2: Single Leg Toe-Raised Calf Raises

It’s key you activate any weak or underactive muscles if you want to maintain the range of motion you are working hard to build.

If you don’t establish the mind-body connection to those muscles?

You are just going to keep perpetuating the same patterns of overuse, leading to your knee pain.

Having mobile, but also STABLE ankles is key if you want to avoid injury.

That’s why it’s key after you do any mobility work that you do activation moves to strengthen weak muscles and work to maintain that range of motion.

And especially if you’ve ever had issues on just one side, you want to address the imbalance with imbalanced prehab. Which may even mean doing this move on only one side or more reps on one side at least.

I recommend having your hands on a wall or something to help you balance so you can focus not only on driving off the entire ball of your foot for the calf raise, but also so you can focus on dorsiflexing your foot as much as possible as you move to your heel.

Make sure to move slowly lifting your toes toward your shins to sit back on your heel before lowering your foot to the ground to press up onto the ball of your foot. Do not just rock and use momentum.

You can also do this as a bilateral move instead if both sides need equal attention.

#3: TFL Foam Rolling

The TFL or tensor fasciae latae is a hip flexor muscle that is a common culprit of not only hip pain, but also knee and even ankle pain.

This muscle can have a far reaching impact because of it’s connection to the knee through the IT Band.

So if you’re a runner who’s had IT Band or knee issues, you need to include this move as part of your warm up!

When the TFL becomes overactive and tight, it can also try to compensate and work when your glute medius should actually be the prime mover. This perpetuates what has been called gluteal amnesia.

It can inhibit your glute medius from working correctly to support and stabilize your hip, which can also lead to further knee issues.

This simple foam rolling move is key to use even before a glute medius activation exercise as it will help you relax the TFL so it isn’t as likely to try to engage and take over.

Place a ball in the lateral side of your hip and lie slightly propped up on your side with the ball pushing in toward your hip socket.

Relax as you hold. To help the muscle relax and release itself, lift and lower your leg to tense and relax the muscle.

You can prop yourself up more or fully lie over the ball depending on how much pressure you want to create. Make sure you can actually relax as you hold. You don’t want to tense against the pressure.

You may even find standing to hold against the wall is better pressure to start.

#4: Extended ROM Side Lying Leg Raises

Improving your hip stability will help protect your knees. That’s why it is key you include moves to activate your glute medius.

The glute medius is a key hip stabilize, not to mention strengthening it will help prevent your TFL from becoming overworked!

Because a tight and overworked TFL can cause hip internal rotation and external tibial rotation, it can lead to our knees caving in during things like squats.

It can cause tracking issues so that your hips, knees and ankles aren’t all in proper alignment during even exercises like lunges.

Basically, it can lead to movement patterns that end in knee pain.

By strengthening your glute medius, you can prevent this improper movement pattern.

And that’s why moves like side lying raises or abduction exercises are so key.

By lifting this basic move off the ground to perform it on a bench instead, you can allow yourself to work through a bigger range of motion to strengthen the glute medius. This is even a great way to progress that basic move from the floor without adding loads.

Just be conscious you do actually feel your glute medius working and not your TFL taking over.

A great way to help avoid your TFL compensating is to turn your toe down toward the ground as you lift or even kick slightly back.

The internal tibial rotation can help inhibit the TFL while the kick back can slightly engage the glute maximus.

SUMMARY:

Using these four moves you can improve your ankle and hip mobility and stability to help prevent your knee from suffering the consequences of issues at these other two joints!

You can choose to include one or two of these in your warm up routine or combine all four for a quick mobility series. Even just 1-2 rounds through working for 30-45 seconds per move or side can go a long way!

Ready to say “Bye bye” to aches and pains? Check out my Injury Prevention Bundle.

Do the prehab work DAILY to keep those aches and pains away!

 

FHP 307 – Three MisunderStood Nutrition Terms

FHP 307 – Three MisunderStood Nutrition Terms

by | Feb 22, 2021 | podcast

There are a few terms I hear popping up a lot when we talk about nutrition…that I feel like we don’t fully understand or that we either glorify or demonize unnecessarily.

And I wanted to discuss these terms and what they should REALLY mean to us if we want to get results.

Term #1: Diet

People will hate on you for calling something a diet.

The term “diet” has come to mean something where you starve yourself to lose weight and deprive yourself of all of the foods you love.

Dieting means deprivation.

We often almost treat dieting as punishing our bodies.

But the term DIET actually just means…

“the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.”

Yes with the rise of the “dieting industry” and fad diets, it has taken on these other meanings.

But I mention this because I feel like we need to stop the association between diet and restriction.

We need to recognize we can enjoy foods and achieve results.

We also need to admit to ourselves that we DON’T just treat food as fuel and that eating can also be social and fun and enjoyable.

So instead of seeing a “diet” as something negative, see it as a chance to dial in the foods you habitually eat toward a specific goal – whether that goal is weight loss, fueling better, performing better, gaining muscle or whatever!

Term #2: Sustainable

Sustainable doesn’t mean easy, especially to start.

It doesn’t mean doing whatever you want to do whenever you want to do it.

Often anything new does NOT feel sustainable.

But once we give the new habits a try?

We realize that we CAN create a new routine around them.

But change is hard. And often takes us outside our comfort zone.

What is familiar and easy? That feels sustainable.

But often what has been sustainable has NOT led to the results we want, which is why we are now looking for a change.

So as you search for something sustainable, realize it may be uncomfortable to start.

Recognize it also has more to do with the lifestyle you ultimately want to lead and knowing yourself.

And also realize that if a goal is important to you?

What you will sustain long term may not be anywhere near what you’re doing now.

Sustainable does NOT mean it will be comfortable to start.

And it does not mean there won’t be sacrifices.

It just means you’re considering what you truly want out of life and what, given the chance to create the new habits, will actually be something you can do long term.

And I don’t even mean directly those habits but the underlying systems.

There will always be ups and downs. Creating a new routine that is sustainable means we know what we can always return to!

Term #3: Lifestyle

I find myself now almost shuddering when someone says it has to be a “lifestyle.”
 
This new emphasis on creating a lifestyle, almost makes us believe that we are going to do one thing for the rest of our lives.

But nothing stays the same.

So why would our diet?

Everything has ebbs and flows and variations.

So should our diet.

Your goals change. Needs change. Routines change.

So your diet will change as well.

The key is learning what YOU need to do to fuel.

It’s honestly why I harp on macros so much.

Because when you understand macros? You can create the lifestyle you need AT THAT TIME.

But we have to remember we never do one thing forever. Everything in our life is constantly evolving and so will our diet!

SUMMARY:

With our nutrition, it can be hard to make changes. For some reasons, any time we seek to make a change, we see any sort of tracking or logging as restrictive.

But no matter our goals – from performance to aesthetics to health – understanding our diet better is key. And having data to make tweaks? Only makes it easier.

We are the ones judging ourselves, not the tracking.

And we have to remember, everything in our lifestyle is constantly evolving. What is easy at one point, may not feel sustainable at another. That’s why it is key we take time to really LEARN about our personal needs. So we can constantly be evolving our nutrition to match our ever changing needs and goals! 

Why You SHOULDN’T Eat Clean – Do This Instead!

Why You SHOULDN’T Eat Clean – Do This Instead!

by | Feb 19, 2021 | Blog, Diet

“This guy lost 27lbs on the Twinkie diet.”

“I read about this person who ate only junk food for 30 days and lost like 11lbs!”

“This guy lost 56lbs in 6 months just eating McDonalds!”

Isn’t that to some extent what we all want? To eat whatever we want and see fabulous weight loss results?!

Heck yes!

But is this all a hoax?

Some magic pill scam?

Don’t you have to eat CLEAN if you want to see results?

Before I dive into why I think the “eat clean” principle is actually holding you back from the long-term weight loss and fat loss results you want, I want to talk about what “eating clean” really means…

That’s actually the main problem with the idea of eating clean….

It doesn’t really doesn’t have one single definition.

Sure in general it means “whole, natural foods” but it doesn’t really stop there.

For some it means avoiding grains. For others dairy. For some it means cutting out fruit or specific types of vegetables or protein sources…

Honestly if you went down the rabbit hole of all of the things out there that people have labeled as “dirty” or “bad,” you wouldn’t be able to eat ANYTHING – you’d be looking at well…water.

I think that’s the only thing agreed upon that is clean.

I also think that forcing arbitrary standards of what is clean, because there really is no one size fits all proven list, is slightly a cop out way to get people results instead of taking the time to TEACH them a balance or how to create a healthier version of THEIR lifestyle.

Let’s face it, most diet plans don’t really care if you fall off and have to start another program in another 6 weeks when you’ve not been able to sustain the restrictive standards.

So while the idea behind “clean eating” of trying to get us to focus on more whole, natural foods is a good one, I think we need to stop this focus on labeling foods as “clean” or “dirty” if we truly want to create a lifestyle.

I think this focus on eating clean is often what actually SABOTAGES our results.

How can a focus on clean eating sabotage our progress?

The second you start making foods off limits and labeling them as bad?

That’s often the second you not only want them MORE, but you also start feeling GUILTY for simply enjoying something you love.

It’s like if I told you not to think about a delicious, vanilla frosted, sprinkled with chocolate, marshmallow filled rice krispy treat right now….

What happens?

All you can now think about is a freaking amazing rice krispy treat! Even though you hadn’t even been thinking about rice krispy treats before!

This is exactly what happens when we start creating these clean eating food restrictions and labeling foods in a way that makes some “good” and some “bad.”

These labels create far more stress around food than there needs to be. It creates the feelings of deprivation and even of guilt.

It makes dieting so much more confusing than it needs to be because no one agrees.

It can even make us feel paralyzed about taking action because who the heck is right?!

Honestly the stress over eating clean is what leads to yo-yo dieting and us becoming frustrated that we work so hard never to truly see the results we want.

The more you stress over cutting things out and avoiding things on the bad list?

The more you are likely to at some point give way to the pressure.

And when you do it isn’t even the simple overindulgence in calories or incorrect macro ratios that lead to problems…

It’s the fact that we beat ourselves up and feel BAD.

This guilt leads to us often throwing up our hands in frustration at ourselves and our lack of willpower so that we end up eating foods on that bad list in excess for multiple days after.

Basically it’s like we got a flat tire, but instead of fixing it or calling for help to get it sorted so we could be on our way? We decided to slash the other three.

Which ultimately only makes the situation worse!

This is what leads to us not only regaining the weight we’d previous lost, but potentially ending up worse off and fatter than where we’d started.

Actually yo-yo dieting like this is what can make any following attempts to lose weight even HARDER.

Not to mention when we do search for the next “best diet,” we fall right back into the same clean eating trap….just with a new set of arbitrary restrictions.

We need to stop assigning a moral value to foods.

So what should you do instead if you want the best possible weight loss and fat loss results?

The simple answer that no one wants to hear because it’s incredibly unsexy?

You need to focus on balance, consistency and a healthier version of YOUR personal lifestyle.

3 Tips To Create LASTING Diet Changes

Here are 3 tips to help you create lasting changes to your diet and actually see better weight loss and fat loss results long term….

Tip #1: Focus On YOUR Lifestyle.

If you’re currently drinking Frappuccinos and eating burgers and french fries and pizza every day?

Following some clean eating guidelines that only allow you chicken, broccoli and brown rice isn’t going to be sustainable for more than a few days…if even a few hours.

So no matter how healthy it may be touted to be?

You’re just not going to stick with it.

It’s too much all at once.

Change alone is hard.

And while we all know that results happen outside of our comfort zone, sometimes it’s key we take just one small step forward at a time.

Instead of cutting out all of the foods we love, why not add in a side of veggies with our pizza. Why not try a smaller sized Frappuccino. Why not bake french fries and grill burgers at home instead of going out to get them?

These changes may seem small, but they are tweaks to build momentum in a sustainable way.

They get the ball rolling so we can see progress and WANT to make other changes instead of feeling restricted and deprived and FORCED into things too quickly.

Tip #2: Put Macros First.

The simple fact is, you can eat foods completely devoid of nutritional value and see weight loss, and even fat loss, results, especially if you dial in your macros and focus on protein.

Do I recommend this? NOPE!

And as much as your brain may be screaming at you about all of the evils of processed foods, if including some helps you hit your macros so you can see results and stay motivated to keep making changes?

It may be what you need to get started!

By dialing in your macros, you can achieve amazing body recomposition without having to hit some arbitrary standard of clean.

There was also an interesting study done that actually showed that a focus on macros may even help your micronutrient intake. (*)

Clean eating can actually become so restrictive we aren’t meeting our micronutrient intake or getting the nutrients we need from a diversity of sources.

By instead focusing on macros, we can enjoy a diversity of foods while making sure our nutrition matches our needs and goals in a sustainable way.

No food is technically off limits, BUT we have clear guidelines of what we need to achieve aesthetic results.

Now if you’re thinking about all of those delicious looking oozey, gooey macro creations we see posted on instagram and wondering how they can possibly eat that while hitting their macros?

This is where that BALANCE comes in. That is just one meal in a day where the person also probably had a lean protein and veggie based meal.

Most of the time to indulge in something not as healthy, there has to be a balance with other meals that are more nutrient dense.

But that’s why a focus on an overall macro breakdown for the day can help us create the sustainable balance of indulging and whole natural foods right for us!

Tip #3: Add In And Swap!

By focusing on macros, you aren’t making any specific food off limits.

You can even make tweaks to current recipes and meals you love!

To hit those ratios and create a healthier version of your lifestyle, focus less on cutting things out and more on what you can add in or swap slightly to make the changes.

To increase your protein? Add in an extra ounce of protein to your quesadilla to hit your macros instead of cutting out the quesadilla.

Or make swaps to meals you love that allow you to still enjoy the dish.

Try a whole grain bread over a white bread on a sandwich. Or maybe even change it to a whole grain wrap!

And if you can’t stomach the idea of not having your favorite bread?

Start by eating a half sandwich, half salad for lunch so you’re still getting the foods you enjoy but with the added nutritional benefit of a nutrient dense side to hit your macros.

While yes, by default you will cut things out, this helps create a mental shift in how you approach your diet, making you focus less on restricting and more on creating a balance!

Small changes go a long way!

SUMMARY:

Most of us don’t need to hit some arbitrary and restrictive standards of clean eating to get results.

And trying to do so?

Well, it often holds us back from not only making a change in the first place, but from actually seeing any sort of sustainable results long term.

Ready to create a healthier version of your lifestyle and achieve fabulous results you know how to MAINTAIN LONG-TERM?!

Check out my 3-Step Recipe For Results!

(*)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29140151

FHP 306 – Three Keys For Faster Fat Loss

FHP 306 – Three Keys For Faster Fat Loss

by | Feb 15, 2021 | podcast

As much as we can become scale obsessed, wanting to see that number go down, what we TRULY want is fat loss.

I mean would you honestly care what that scale said if you loved how your arms looked in that tank top or fit back into your “skinny jeans?”

NOPE! 

You wouldn’t.

And I can tell you from personal experience, fat loss doesn’t always mean losing weight on that scale. It can actually mean your weight doesn’t change at all as you lose fat but gain and retain lean muscle.

So in the end?

You look leaner but you haven’t lost any weight.

I mention all of this because I think so often we strive for faster results on the scale or greater weight loss and ultimately hold ourselves back from true body recomposition.

We do these extremes that don’t help us retain lean muscle and even cause us to lose it. 

And then after maybe seeing some fast weight loss results from extreme deprivation that depletes our muscles of glycogen, causes us to lose water weight and maybe some fat but also muscle, we just end up regaining the weight.

And the worst part is…none of the weight we regain is necessarily muscle! So we ultimately end up worse off than where we started.

So if you actually want to lose fat? You need to stop seeking quick and dramatic scale changes.

You need to be a bit more ready to trust the process and implement these 3 key tips!

#1: Focus on protein!

Sorry but if you want the best body recomposition results? You can’t simply focus on calories in vs calories out.

While there is flexibility to how you dial in your carbs and fats, PROTEIN IS KEY.

If you want to build and retain lean muscle while in a calorie deficit, you need to get more protein.

It’s why calories are not created equal. The type matters. And a deficit can be dramatically impacted by how you’re adjusting those macros.

#2: Don’t go extreme on that calorie deficit

I know we think that if we eat less, we will lose more, but dramatic calorie deficits are the biggest reason honestly why we can’t stay consistent with our diets.

We get too hungry.

We cut our calories so low we interrupt proper hormonal functioning. We cause metabolic adaptations.

And we end up losing just as much muscle as fat.

Not to mention our workouts suffer.

Basically, trying to do more, ends up making us feel miserable while we not only achieve less but sometimes even suffer some nasty consequences.

It is much better to create a smaller calorie deficit or even just start with the current calories we are consuming while adjusting our macro breakdown.

Especially the older we get. Previous extreme dieting practices often make it harder to lose weight as we get older. And by slashing calories to the extreme, we can also hinder ourselves from building and retaining lean muscle – which does become harder as we get older!

And then don’t try to out exercise your diet to burn more calories. This not only leads to overtraining but often muscle catabolism as well.

#3: Strength Training

You’ll notice the first two of these are diet related, but that doesn’t mean workouts don’t play there part. 

Especially when it comes to helping you build the lean muscle mass that not only promotes better fat loss but also makes you look leaner!

So often we turn to cardio for weight loss because of the higher calorie burn in our workouts, but we need to stop seeing our workouts as purely a way to burn more calories.

That’s shortsighted not to mention, as we get stronger and fitter, we adjust.

So unless you’re running or cycling constantly for longer or further or faster, your body is going to adjust. So while your watch may tell you that you’re still burning a ton of calories, you’re most likely not still burning the same amount as when you started.

Your body becomes more efficient. That’s why it can do more more easily.

That’s why strength training is key. It helps you build lean muscle to even burn more calories at rest. It helps keep your metabolic rate higher. And it also fuels your other cardio activities you may enjoy.

It can also fight against the catabolic affect of those more steady-state cardio activities.

And as we get older? 

Strength training becomes even more important as it becomes harder to gain and retain lean muscle! Building muscle helps us avoid some of the metabolic slowdown we associate with getting older!

SUMMARY:

So if you want to lose fat?

Stop trying to rush the process. Focus on these 3 key things and you’ll see those long term results actually adding up!

Want some delicious, macro-friendly recipes to help you hit your ratios and get results?

Check out my Cookbook Collection!

 

The Perfect Mobility Routine (FULL BODY FIX)

The Perfect Mobility Routine (FULL BODY FIX)

by | Feb 11, 2021 | Blog, Foam Rolling, Pain Relief, Stretches

What are the most common aches and pains we complain about?

Neck pain? Elbow pain? Shoulder pain? Lower back pain? Hip pain? Knee pain? Ankle pain?

Basically our entire body?!

Because of previous injuries and our very sedentary, repetitive movement lifestyle, all too many of us end up with a whole host of issues.

It can make you feel like you have to spend hours a day addressing every single area that hurts. Like you have to warm up just getting out of bed.

It can make you want to give up on mobility work because you just have to keep adding more and more things in!

That’s why I wanted to show you some short cuts to improving your mobility.

Often there are a few key culprits that, if we address immobility or weakness in those places, can really help alleviate aches and pain in other areas.

We have to remember that everything is connected and that often where the pain is, isn’t where the initial problem started!

So what are 3 key areas we need to target if we want to improve our full body mobility?

Before I dive into the key areas we want to work on, I do just want to highlight the importance of doing MORE than stretching when it comes to improving your mobility.

Part of becoming more mobile isn’t simply improving the flexibility of the muscles that act on a joint. It’s also about improving the stability of that joint.

Often if muscles are underactive or weak, they will not support the joint properly and that may then lead to overload of other muscles. This can then create mobility restrictions because the joint isn’t stable and muscles aren’t able to work together properly.

This overload can lead to tightness and a lack of mobility as the body tries to protect itself from further issues and injury.

This is also why your elbow can end up injured because of a lack of proper shoulder mobility or stability. We compensate and seek out mobility and stability from other areas.

It’s why, when addressing these 3 key areas of immobility and instability, we want to take a 3-step prehab approach of foam rolling, stretching and activation.

This way we can relax overactive and shortened muscles, mobilize joints and improve the stability of these areas so the correct muscles are pulling their weight!

For each of these 3 areas, I want to share a key foam rolling, stretching and activation move to help you start working on your mobility and stability!

3 Key Areas Of Immobility And Instability:

#1: Scapular Mobility And Stability

Elbow, neck, shoulder or even upper back aches and pains? You need to make sure you have proper scapular control and mobility!

So often we get focused on only improving our shoulder mobility and we forget how much the shoulders and shoulder blades really work together to power movements. We ignore our shoulder blades and the impact their proper movement can have on protecting and stabilizing our shoulders.

From moves like pull ups to push ups, we need to have proper scapular control if we want to use the correct muscles to power the movements and prevent overload of smaller muscles like our rotator cuff.

To improve your scapular mobility and control, try including these 3 moves before your upper body workouts. It will help improve your pressing as well as your pulling!

The first move you want to include in that prehab or warm up process is Levator Scapulae Foam Rolling.

The levator scapulae contributes to a few different scapular movements from elevating your shoulder blade to downwardly rotating the scapula to even performing anterior tipping.

This muscle becoming tight can be a key culprit of neck and shoulder aches and pains!

A great way to start relaxing it to alleviate aches and pains and start to restore proper scapular functioning is by using a ball to relax and release the muscle.

Find that top middle point of your shoulder blade by your spine and either lie on a ball with it right above that edge of the shoulder blade or stand pressing back into a ball against the wall there.

Hold on the spot even slightly looking away as you press into the ball. Breathe and relax as you hold.

The second move you want to include is a stretch to open up your chest as well as even mobilize your shoulders and shoulder blades.

The Suspension Trainer Snow Angel is a great move to include especially before your workout.

While we often feel like our upper back becomes tight from sitting hunched over, we can’t ignore that this posture puts our pec muscles in a perpetually shortened state. A tight pec minor can contribute to anterior tipping of the shoulder blade while a tight pec major can contribute to that internal shoulder rotation.

This can lead to neck, upper back, shoulder and even elbow aches and pains.

Especially if you want to improve your overhead press, this is a great move to include.

When you do the Suspension Trainer Snow Angels, you want to make sure you’re engaging your upper back to open your chest up as you raise your arms up overhead.

You want to extend your thoracic spine too.

By focusing on engaging your back to drive your chest open, you make sure you actually stretch your pecs instead of just seeking out more range of motion from your shoulders.

Feel your shoulder blades move as you raise your arms overhead and then lower them back down to your sides.

The third move you will want to include is an activation exercise – the Serratus Anterior Press.

Serratus anterior weakness has been linked to neck, shoulder and even upper back aches and pains as it is a primary scapular stabilizer. (STUDY: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21889362/ )

If you’re experiencing scapular winging or upper body dysfunction, strengthening the serratus anterior is key as it will help posteriorly tip the shoulder blade as well as help you perform proper upward rotation of the shoulder blade.

Both of these movements are key to keeping your neck and shoulders healthy during overhead pressing (not to mention this may even help prevent overload at your elbows and even lumbar spine!)

With the Serratus Anterior Press, it is key you feel yourself pulling your shoulder blade forward around your ribs as you reach out. You aren’t just doing a unilateral chest press. You want to focus on the movement being felt around your ribs as you protract your shoulder blade or pull it away from your spine.

You want to also punch slightly up at an incline as you feel like you’re almost reaching out at the end. Focus on what you feel working over trying to simply go heavier.

#2: Hip Mobility And Stability

Lower back, hip or knee pain? Groin strains? Hamstring pulls? You need to work on your hip mobility and stability.

We’ve all been told we are spending too much time seated.

But this constant hip flexion is creating mobility restrictions at our lumbo-pelvic-hip complex that has far reaching effects. It’s not only why we can feel our lower back taking over during deadlifts by also even why we can fear knee pain from lunging!

That’s why it’s key we start by relaxing those overactive and shortened hip flexor muscles.

The first move you want to include is Rectus Femoris Foam Rolling.

This quad muscle is so key to release and lengthen because it not only flexes the hip but also extends the knee.

The direct impact it has on both joints can contribute to hip and knee pain not to mention even perpetuate quad dominance and anterior pelvic tilt, leading to lower back issues and even hamstring strains. This muscle may even impact your SI joint health and functioning because it can contribute to rotation of the pelvis.

To roll this muscle, you can use a roller or ball. The smaller and harder the trigger point tool, the more it will dig in.

Find the middle of your thigh about half way down and lie over the foam roller or ball. You can even flex and relax your quad to help the muscle relax and release.

The second move you want to include is the Side Lunge to Crescent.

Your adductors, or inner thighs, not only adduct or bring your legs together, they’re also hip flexors and hip internal rotators.

The only exception to this is the posterior fibers of the adductor magnus, which can contribute to hip external rotation and hip extension. This muscle can become overworked especially if our glutes are weak!

And all too often the adductors become tight and overworked just like your other hip flexor muscles.

Your adductors becoming overworked can potentially contribute to anterior pelvic tilt and lower back aches and pains not to mention groin strains, hip pain and even knee pain.

Specifically the gracilis can have an impact on your knee and even your lower leg!

That’s why this dynamic stretch is the perfect way to warm up your legs while working to improve your hip mobility.

Make sure that as you do the side lunge portion you aren’t turning your toes in or out. You want them to be parallel to really stretch out your adductors. Keep one leg straight as you hinge at the hips to load that other glute. Watch that your knee, ankle and hip are all in line. Also make sure your heels are down.

When you shift to the other side, pause before turning into the crescent lunge. When you come up in the crescent, focus on that front knee being in line with your hip and ankle and your back glute engaging to extend that back hip.

You want to be conscious to use your glutes to drive that hip extension and not just arch your back as you come up in the lunge.

The third move you want to include to activate your glutes and improve your hip stability is Side Shift Skaters.

All too often our glutes are underactive and not properly stabilizing our pelvis or hips. This can lead to lower back, hip, knee and even ankle and foot aches and pain. It can even create dysfunction up your trunk that can impact your shoulders.

It’s why it’s key we include glute activation moves in our routines to improve that hip stability. And it’s even better when we can include unilateral moves to correct imbalances while also working on our balance.

With Side Shift Skaters, you’re going to work on activating not only your glute max to improve hip extension, but also your glute medius to improve your hip stability and prevent unwanted movement in that frontal plane (or your pelvis shifting out to the side as you balance).

Strengthening your glute medius can not only improve glute max functioning but it can also help you improve your running gait and help you avoid knee injuries and issues from improper lunging or squatting patterns.

With this move, focus on crossing the leg behind as you hinge at the hips to push your butt back.

You want to pop the hip to the side so that as you stand up you not only extend your hip using your glute, but also then push the pelvis level using that glute medius.

While you want to be focused on working your glutes in this move, don’t ignore your foot’s connection to the ground. Think about driving the ground away as you come to balance on one leg to even create better activation up your entire leg!

#3: Ankle Mobility And Stability

Plantar Fasciitis. Ankle sprains. These issues are all too common.

Yet all too often we simply rest these injuries then jump back into what we were doing.

We never address WHY we had the problems in the first place OR even work to prevent future problems from the injuries themselves.

Injuries interrupt our natural recruitment patterns and can create mobility restrictions. We can’t ignore them!

It’s why prehab work to work on ankle mobility and stability is so key. Your feet are your foundation. Issues there can lead to compensations up your entire kinetic chain!

If you want to squat lower and have a more efficient running gait? You need to pay attention to your feet and ankles!

The first move you want to include is Peroneal Foam Rolling.

Tightness of this muscle can lead to what looks like a leg length discrepancy or even a weight shift during squatting, which can result in not only ankle issues but also knee, hip and lower back pain.

That’s why it’s key you start your mobility routine by relaxing this often shortened and overactive muscle, even focusing potentially on just one side.

A ball works best for this move although you can use a roller. You will want to press the outside of your lower leg down into the ball and hold as you even circle your foot. Don’t roll quickly but move the ball down the outside of your lower leg to target different trigger points, holding when you find one.

The second move to include is a great stretch to improve both the mobility of your feet but also your ankles – the Bear Squat to Foot Stretch.

Improving your dorsiflexion and big toe extension is more important than you think. It’s not only key to your foot and ankle health, but it can impact your gait and full hip and knee range of motion.

So often when our prehab work isn’t adding up for other areas, it’s because the culprit is actually at our foundation.

That’s why the Bear Squat to Foot Stretch is such a key move to include in your warm up routine. When you sit back on your feet, you want to extend your toes. Only sit back as far as you can while relaxing into the stretch. You can rock slightly side to side before putting your hands down on the ground to drive your heels down.

This isn’t about creating a pretty downward dog as you lift your butt up to drive your heels down.

Your hands will be in closer so you can focus on that ankle mobility. When you drive your heels down you’re working on your ankle dorsiflexion or the ability to bring your foot closer to your shin. You can pedal your feet then sit back and repeat the foot stretch.

The third move to include is a move to activate your calf but by working it through an increased range of motion.

If we don’t strengthen through the range of motion we are trying to create, we won’t maintain that new found ROM.

That’s why Plate Weight Eccentric Calf Raises are a great move to include.

Eccentric focused calf raises have been shown to be great for helping with achilles tendon issues not to mention heel pain and plantar fasciitis. And this can have a far reaching impact because studies have shown that Achilles tedinopathy may impact glute activation. (STUDY: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/24121244)

And by performing this move through a bigger range of motion than off the ground, you’ll help to really strengthen and maintain that mobility you’ve worked hard to build with the rolling and stretching. You’ll be strong through that full range of dorsiflexion to plantar flexion.

With this move make sure you don’t rock in or out on your feet.

Pause at the bottom as well to release tension and not use momentum. And make sure to very slowly lower down to spend more time under tension.

If you don’t have a plate weight, you can do it off a step or box even. If you even have an imbalance, you can do this as a unilateral variation instead too.

SUMMARY:

Whether you need to address mobility and stability issues in all 3 areas, or even simply one, you can combine the foam rolling, stretching and activation moves into a quick prehab or warm up routine.

Spending just 30-45 seconds per move, or per side, you can use all of these to get in an amazing head to toe mobility routine that’s under 11 minutes!

Want help improving your posture, getting rid of aches and pains and dialing in your overall routine to achieve freaking amazing and sustainable results?!

Uhm heck yes! OF COURSE!

I mean? Honestly? WHO DOESN’T!?

If you need help dialing in your prehab, workouts and nutrition so they all work together in one comprehensive plan?

Check out my online one on one coaching program!

I’m a corrective exercise NERD and I want to help you move and feel your best!

(I’m also a control freak so I love getting to tweak things and hold you accountability daily while actually TEACHING you what you need to attain LASTING results.)

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