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4 Common Exercises You’re Doing Wrong

4 Common Exercises You’re Doing Wrong

by | Jan 23, 2022 | Blog, Bodyweight, Core, Exercises, Functional Fitness, Pain Relief

Just because a move is “good,” or a key movement pattern to perform, or something really frequently included as a staple in many routines, doesn’t mean you deserve to do it.

Every movement variation has to be earned.

And doing a harder variation we can’t truly control or utilize to the fullest will actually hold us back. It won’t allow us to get as much out of the exercise and our workouts as doing an “easier” exercise actually could.

Often, if you do a move actually modified to your current needs and goals, you may feel the muscles being worked harder because everything is engaged correctly.

That’s why I wanted to talk about 4 exercises that are often in programming that people aren’t maximizing – 4 moves we don’t fully give them credit for being the challenging exercises they actually are.

And not only do I want to go over the reason to use these moves but the common mistakes I see people making and also the modifications we should be using instead to EARN these harder variations!

Exercise #1: Balance Lunges or Bulgarian Split Squats

The balance lunge or Bulgarian split squat is an amazing unilaterally-focused leg exercise.

Yet so often we aren’t really getting the true benefit of our back foot being raised up on a bench or in a suspension trainer.

While yes, the automatic instability of raising that back foot up does make it more challenging no matter what, the true point of putting your back foot up is to increase the range of motion you are working through.

Yet so often we place our foot up on something only to repeat the same range of motion we would when doing a split squat off the ground!

Sometimes the range of motion is even smaller actually because we aren’t stable and haven’t yet learned how to control the full split squat movement.

And on top of that, so often because we “can do” the move, we start to even add loads and completely miss out on the full benefit of this variation.

We have to remember that loads are not the only way to progress an exercise.

And that, if you’re going to include the Balance Lunge, you need to make sure you can utilize the increased range of motion. That is what creates the progression and benefit of this movement.

From there you can add loads, change tempos and even use different ways of creating that extended range of motion to adjust instability.

But you need to utilize the full range of motion first.

If you can’t work through the full extended range of motion, you may want to start with a lower bench or box to reduce the mobility and stability demands. Slowly increase the range of motion instead of just jumping to a bench.

You may even find right now you struggle to fully come to the ground during the basic split squat.

If that is the case, start with a basic split squat, even starting the movement from the ground to fully have to learn to control the complete range of motion!

Exercise #2: Double Leg Lowers

Double leg lowers have become an extremely popular ab exercise. But so often we end up feeling our lower backs or hip flexors over really targeting our abs.

In an attempt to correct this and do this harder variation we haven’t earned, we place our hands behind our lower backs and butts.

But this is a band aid. It doesn’t teach us to actually control the ab brace we need so we can build up.

It’s why we may need to regress to progress.

Because leg lower type movements, while they WILL work your hip flexors, are a great way to target that lower portion of the rectus abdominis more or what we often refer to as the “lower abs.”

And knowing how to brace correctly to protect your spine as you flex and extend your hips is also beneficial as you work to improve your heavier lifts!

So if you find your lower back engaging or only your hip flexors working, you can modify the double leg lowers in a few different ways.

But the key is learning to engage your abs using that posterior pelvic tilt.

This is a small movement that engages your abs and glutes.

Think about tilting your pelvis toward your ribs. Hold here as you do any movement in the progression whether it’s a single knee tuck, really taking things back to back to basics, double knee tuck or even single leg lower.

Only progress to the next level if you can maintain that ab brace and not feel your lower back taking over!

And if you do find you fatigue once you’ve built up to the double leg lowers, don’t push through. Instead modify with one of these variations so you can continue to target your abs.

Because we have to remember that the muscles we feel working are the ones getting the “benefit” of the movement. And if the correct muscles aren’t working we may be perpetuating recruitment patterns that lead to overload and injury…not to mention don’t actually work the muscles we want to target!

Exercise #3: Burpee

Love them or hate them, the burpee is often a staple in workout routines.

While many of us do recognize it is hard, it requires a lot more strength and mobility than we recognize.

And because the purpose of the burpee is almost always to be “cardio,” in an attempt to go as fast as possible, the quality of the movement often suffers.

We end up doing the worm during the push up portion. Or shrugging our shoulders in the plank. Or we land with our knees completely straight after performing a half-hearted jump at the top.

And sometimes, in an attempt to modify, we step back, but then to stand up, we end up having to do these stutter steps to bring our feet into our hands because we don’t have the mobility to truly step in far enough.

The burpee is a killer bodyweight move. And if you plan to include it, you need to earn it.

While yes, you can use the step back to reduce impact if you do have the range of motion to control the movement…and while yes, you can take out the push up to modify it as well so you don’t end up doing the worm, if you want to truly build up to that full burpee, try instead using an incline.

If you’ve been working to improve your push ups and build toward that full perfect push up from our toes, you may have been using an incline. And if you aren’t, start!

The incline can be a great way to reduce the load on our upper body and core so we can perform the push up correctly.

The incline also reduces the mobility demands during the burpee. It takes a lot more mobility than we realize to jump back in to efficiently stand up. Because your hands are raised, you need less hip and ankle mobility to jump back in and stand up.

As you feel comfortable with this move and can move quickly while performing quality reps, you can then lower the incline over time!

Exercise #4: Single Leg Glute Bridge

The bodyweight glute bridge may seem easy, but it’s a move that is so often done incorrectly. And then so often, before we’ve really earned it, we switch to the single leg glute bridge.

We may try to use the single leg glute bridge to get some unilateral benefits and work each side independently, but we have to recognize that it is a big jump in progression from the basic bodyweight glute bridge.

So before we even try the single leg variation, we need to make sure our glutes are actually powering the basic glute bridge. We don’t want our hamstrings or lower back compensating instead.

We don’t want to barely be able to lift up and trying the single leg variation or arching up super high because we’re hyperextended our lower backs.

A few key cues to help you better engage your glutes during even the basic bodyweight glute bridge are…

1. Before lifting perform the posterior pelvic tilt, tucking your hips toward your ribs. Maintain this throughout the bridge and don’t let your lower back arch to lift up higher.

2. Drive your knees toward your toes as you lift so you don’t push yourself backward and end up using more hamstring.

3. Engage your upper back, bending your elbows to drive your upper arms into the ground so you can focus on that pure hip extension.

Once you can control that basic glute bridge, you can then move into an 80/20 variation. This will allow you to focus more on one side or the other while still having a bit of assistance.

We have to remember that the full unilateral or single leg glute bridge isn’t just us having to lift all the weight on one side, but it is also us having to stabilize our pelvis and balance.

While still a simple move and bodyweight, it is more of an advancement than we give it credit for.

That’s why the 80/20 variation can be a good in-between so we can actually target each side while still working through a full range of motion targeting the glutes.

As you do feel ready to progress, just make sure your hamstrings and lower back aren’t engaging and taking over. This move is powered by your glutes!

SUMMARY:

Every move we include in our workouts should be done with a purpose. And we should only advance moves as we EARN those harder variations.

Sometimes, as much as it can hurt our ego, it is key we regress to progress and build up.

We are never above those basics and, at times, taking things back a step can help us improve any weak links!

Ready to take your training to the next level and dial in your workouts and your nutrition to match YOUR specific needs and goals?

Apply to my 1:1 Coaching. Book your strategy call below…

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FHP 403 – The Chicken or the Egg Dilemma…Does it Even Matter?

FHP 403 – The Chicken or the Egg Dilemma…Does it Even Matter?

by | Jan 17, 2022 | podcast

Did the chicken or the egg come first?

The question really is…does it ultimately matter?

This thought occurred to me because of the cycle I see often going on when it comes to being frustrated by a lack of results from our hard work…

Being brutally honest, often we’ve created our current situation, one we don’t like, because of improper dieting and workout practices. You can try to say you’ve worked hard, eaten clean, whatever you want. But honestly, sometimes doing even too much of a good thing can backfire.

And then we’ve repeated those improper practices to dig ourselves more and more of a hole to crawl out of.

These practices have not only lead to our current situation we don’t like, but often also result in other bodily changes that now make it HARDER to see results.

And we blame these changes when we then can’t move forward.

But we almost have to recognize that while these changes do make it harder now, they are also something we’ve created that only we can fix.

This situation is what leads me to think of the “chicken or the egg situation.”

While yes, the imbalances, mobility restrictions, metabolic adaptions make it harder to lose or improve our lifts or runs, the reason we have them is also our previous improper practices.

So what we need to change is also why we struggle to make a change.

Ultimately there is one solution…

Even though we got away with something in the past…well we can’t keep doing it.

So ultimately changing those practices will reverse both our current situation and what is making moving forward even more challenging.

Aka what came first oddly doesn’t matter, but making a change does.

We need to really assess what we are doing and instead of defending it, find the flaws.

I think so often we say “We are doing that.”

Or find reasons what we’re doing should or does work, over seeing it as a POSITIVE we can improve something…that something is often.

Because if you’re doing everything right and NOT seeing results?

Well then you’re kind of screwed haha

But if you can find a flaw in what you’re doing, there is something you can work on.

Plus, the simple fact of the matter is…

Nothing works forever.

Our lifestyle is constantly changing and therefore so should our habits.

So instead of blaming something for being the reason you can’t move forward, find what may be perpetuating the issue and start to address that.

While there will be things outside of our control, we should work to control what we can control.

And then we can’t get caught up in what used to work.

We need to instead focus on ways to improve!
 So as you work toward new goals, don’t hold yourself back by even trying to defend what you were doing.

Don’t play the blame game. Or feel bad for something now not working.

Realize that the only way to move forward is to move forward with something new!

The Most Underrated Dumbbell Glute Exercise

The Most Underrated Dumbbell Glute Exercise

by | Jan 16, 2022 | Blog, Butt, Exercises, Functional Fitness

I’ve never been a fan of the whole squat for a better butt thing. I think squats are honestly overrated as a glute move, but that’s a video for another day.

And while I do think you need a diversity of movements to really get the best results for any muscle group, I wanted to share one of my favorite dumbbell glute exercises that I think is often forgotten about and overlooked.

It’s the Dumbbell Skier Swing.

The kettlebell swing is an amazing hip hinge exercise to work on that explosive glute power or even your strength endurance based on how you implement it.

It’s not only a great move to improve your conditioning but also your strength.

But if we don’t have a kettlebell, we often then don’t think about utilizing this amazing move.

That’s why I wanted to share a great way to use dumbbells to perform a swing and include this great move in your routine!

However I do just want to mention, before breaking down this movement, how key it is we learn to hip hinge correctly first.

Often swings are blamed for lower back pain. And while swings are NOT bad for your back, they do require core control and proper recruitment patterns during hip hinging to make sure they don’t result in overload or injury.

Because of the fact that they are a more explosive, faster paced movement, you do want to make sure you can properly load those glutes and hamstrings and brace your abs during hip hinging before you included this exercise.

Remember that when you are performing a hip hinge, you are NOT simply leaning forward.

The hinge should be initiated by sitting your butt back as if reaching your butt back toward a wall behind you.

And then, while your knees may soften, you aren’t focused on active knee flexion. You do not want to turn this into a squat.

Feel those glutes and hamstrings load and avoid arching your lower back in an attempt to keep your chest up. Brace your abs and think a nice neutral back.

Focus on this hip hinge as you introduce the swing and do not let your arms try to take over or the speed cause you to shift your weight forward so you aren’t properly loading your posterior chain.

How Do You Do The Dumbbell Skier Swing?

To do Dumbbell Skier Swings, stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand down by your sides.

Start by slightly swinging your arms back toward the wall behind you. As you do, hinge over in response to help balance and build up that spring to propel the weights forward as you stand up.

You will lean forward as you push your butt back to swing the weights up outside your hips. You are leaning forward only in response to help counterbalance your weight.

As you hinge over, your knees should be soft. Focus on pushing your butt back, but not on squatting down.

Then drive the ground away as you squeeze your glutes to explosively come back up to standing, propelling the weights forward and up.

Focus on that exhale as you propel the weights up to further help you brace your abs.

Straighten your legs as you stand tall at the top, squeezing your glutes to extend your hips. Watch your urge to lean back at the top as this can load your lower back.

Let the weights swing up propelled by your legs. Do not try to pull them up higher with your arms. They may come to shoulder height or slightly below but do not focus on the height.

To protect your back and control the move, be patient and wait for the weights to come back down and force you to hinge back over and sit your butt back.

You do not want to hinge over before the weights truly lower down as this can cause overload of your lower back.

As you hinge back over with the weights swinging back outside your hips, your torso will lean forward to counterbalance.

Think about being explosive with each drive back up to standing to propel those weights up as you are patient with the hinge back over to reload. You aren’t slowing the weights down with your arms, you just are only hinging over in response to the weights.

If you’re struggling with the explosive hip hinge and controlling both weights, you may start with a single dumbbell even held between your legs in both hands. This will more closely mimic the basic kettlebell swing.

Using two dumbbells in this skier style swing can be a great way to go heavier though if limited by the weights you have especially.

If you find you struggle with loading your glutes and the weights get too far away from your body causing your lower back to become overloaded as you hinge, you can also start with a Band Hip Hinge.

This move is a great way to learn how to explosively perform the hip hinge while really targeting those glutes.

The pull of the band backward will also help you control that hip hinge to load your glutes while teaching you to truly sit back!

SUMMARY:

If you’ve been looking for a great strength and conditioning move to target those glutes, and even your hamstrings, but don’t have a kettlebell, give this Dumbbell Skier Swing a try!

Just remember to focus on what you feel working so you get the full benefit of every exercise you include!

Learn to train according to YOUR needs and goals.

Book a call to learn how Redefining Strength can help you dial in your workouts and your nutrition for better results faster…

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FHP 402 – Is Obsession A Bad Thing?

FHP 402 – Is Obsession A Bad Thing?

by | Jan 11, 2022 | podcast

If you want to reach the highest level, you need to be obsessed.

Obsession really just means you’re willing to do what others won’t even when you don’t want to.

And yea sure, there is a dark side to obsession…honestly, like most things in life, there is a downside to them.

But I truly do believe we feared being called “obsessed” for our actions when those that would call us that are always people BELOW us…not those that have achieved more.

Didn’t know you were going to get even more attitude in season 4 did you?!

And I don’t mean that to sound as negative as it does.

We’ve all been in that place where we say “I can’t believe you do (insert thing here we feel we can’t do or don’t “want” to do).”

We do it even unintentionally.

But the simple fact is, to achieve “greatness” in any area of our life, we have to be a little unbalanced.

We have to sometimes stay up late. Get up early.

Skip a drink at happy hour.

But the thing is…we aren’t missing out.

We’re pursuing what really matters.

Life is a constant balancing act. And if we want one thing, there is ultimately ALWAYS going to be something you’re “missing out on.”

Heck you go on vacation and choose to go to the beach for an hour, you may “miss out” on the chance to see an extra sight. Or go on a specific hike.

We’re always constantly sort of sacrificing or trading one experience, one situation, one goal for another.

The key is remembering what we truly want and not being afraid to go after it.

Some things that help me be obsessed, in a good way of course…

#1: Remind myself of why “missing out” is good.

Everything comes at a cost. We just don’t complain about missing out if the cost isn’t too great. So some things are easier to miss out on than others based on their importance or value to us.

You’ll find that at times fueling your obsession is not a struggle. Your passion drives you to do it.

But at other times, well there will be times you feel the sacrifice.

But in that immediate “suffering” I remind myself of how this habit or action will matter long term.

It’s not easy to ignore the immediate gratification.

But reminding ourselves of the benefit of the specific action and not just the “joy” of our ultimate goal is key.

It puts the emphasis on acting right now.

#2: Don’t internalize. Assess where the judgement is coming from.

When someone reflects back an image of ourselves we don’t want to see, when they critique something we may even fear is a flaw, it’s hard not to just internalize the feedback and judge ourselves,

Being obsessed is…well…weird. It’s why not everyone excels at everything.

I would even argue it’s why most of us become elite in only very specific things…what we prioritize we value and practice to get good at…and everything simply can’t be a priority!

So we have to remember to be great at something, we may have to take judgement and, at times, feel like an outsider.

What we need to also remember to do is assess why someone is giving us this critique.

We need to be curious.

And we need to recognize that someone not going through the same thing may not understand.

Because I’m a curious person, when someone tells me something about me that is negative, I’m always curious as to where their judgment is coming from.

I assess their situation to better understand their judgement because I think it helps us filter the critiques.

Everyone is going to give their opinions. Some feedback will be valid and useful…others not so much.

Trying to understand more about who gave it and why will help us focus on the feedback that will actually move us forward.

#3: Find other obsessed people.

Honestly, feeling alone is often the hardest part. I know many of us see ourselves as lone wolves, and will very much want to be on our but sometimes that community of likeminded people, even just another person, can be key.

Having feedback, outside perspectives, people who may have even been there, can often help us get better results faster by avoiding mistakes they may have already made.

I think too, in a world where, being brutally honest, we often too often accept mediocrity for ourselves, being with other like-minded people to fuel your obsession can be key to helping you keep on the path through the ups and downs.

Heck, find people better than you that challenge you even.

SUMMARY:

Being obsessed means doing things other people don’t understand.

But in pursuit of our dreams and goals, there will be times we will do things we don’t want to do and do things others can’t or won’t.

This pursuit though is what can make you great. Do not fear your drive or hide it!

Realize though that in pursuit of greatest, there will also always be sacrifice. But in life, when we make one choice, we’re always missing out on the other opportunity. That’s just how it works!

How To Lose Fat In ONE SECOND…

How To Lose Fat In ONE SECOND…

by | Jan 9, 2022 | Blog, Diet, Mindset

I want to show you how I went from THIS (black and white picture in video) to THIS (other picture in color in video) in ONE SECOND…

Just stop!

I’m sick of these bullshit promises that ultimately lead to frustration and that yo you dieting cycle.

I know we all want results faster, and even I fall victim to chasing shiny objects at times.

I mean we’re human, how can we not hope there is a faster, easier, better solution?

But there is no magic pill.

And so often we hold ourselves back from achieving the results we deserve because we fall victim to plans that promise to be the magic pill we are searching for.

That’s why I want to save you a ton of wasted time and effort and share with you 3 habit changes you can make to actually see the results you deserve.

3 Habits Changes To Get The Best And Fastest Results Possible:

#1: Stop Cherry Picking From Programs.

So often we pull one thing from a program to do that fits our comfort zone or meshes with what we’re currently doing.

Other changes may be scary or intimidating or feel overwhelming so often we cherry pick the one thing that is still near our comfort zone.

But results come from stepping outside our comfort zone.

And honestly, most programs work because of how the systems all work together,.

There isn’t one magic move. Magic macro ratio.

Magic single piece you can pull out that will work on its own.

And so when we ultimately get frustrated that a program isn’t working, we have to realize we didn’t do it as the whole process.

We pulled out of it what felt safe and didn’t challenge us to change.

But don’t waste your own time this year.

If you’re going to start a program, actually DO the program as the plan is outlined.

That’s the only way to truly understand if something works or not. It’s the only way to truly learn how all the systems add up and work together.

Change requires change!

And a different result requires you to do something different than you’ve always done…not force a program to conform to what is comfortable and instinctual for you currently.

#2: Stop Trying To Reinvent The Wheel. Tweak Your Current Lifestyle.

I see this all the time. People start Keto or some diet that cuts out a food they love.

They feel amazing to start and even believe this is the solution they’ve always dreamed of.

It’s that relationship infatuation stage where everything seems perfect.

But A. That phase doesn’t last for ever. And B. They don’t consider one key thing…That the changes they are creating simply aren’t really recognizing who they are and the lifestyle they will ultimately want to lead.

They love bread and, at some point, want to add it back in. Or they do enjoy happy hours out with friends.

One size doesn’t fit all, and what may be sustainable for one person, may not be sustainable for us.

It’s why we’ve got to focus on assessing our starting point, our lifestyle and make tweaks off of that.

Instead of trying to reinvent your lifestyle and cut out the things you love, find a way to create a balance. Learn how to work them in.

Learn how to tweak what you’re currently doing to see changes in a way you can actually sustain.

Because to truly see fat loss results, we don’t need to hit some arbitrary standard of “clean” and there are a variety of macro ratios that can work for us.

The key is finding something we can do consistently enough to allow results time to build.

So start with one small change that’s almost even easy to implement today.

#3: Don’t Ignore Weekly Averages.

It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day and not see the inconsistencies over the weeks and even months.

It’s easy to work super hard on one day and feel frustrated when the next day the results don’t show it.

Results snowball and consistency is what allows them to add up.

Too often we work really hard for a few days, but then don’t notice the inconsistency that is really there.

We feel like we’ve been “good all week” and ignore how much the weekend eating can really impact our calorie deficit or surplus and our macro ratio averages.

So if you’ve been struggling to feel like your hard work is paying off, take a step back and look at those weekly and monthly numbers.

Were you truly consistent with your workout progression each week and not just training extra hard inconsistently?

Were you actually hitting the macros when averaged over the week? Or were those cheat days adding up more than you realized?

We have to remember we don’t get good at what we do every once in awhile. We get good at what we do consistently.

So focus on creating sustainable changes that allow those weekly, monthly and yes, even yearly, averages to be balanced!

SUMMARY:

There is no quick fix. No one second transformation. And we need to remind ourselves to run away from any promises of one.

The real way to lasting results is to focus on little tweaks to our current lifestyle while focusing on that consistency over time!

Results take time to snowball. Give them the chance by truly implementing those systems and plan!

And no pressure, but if you need help creating and implementing the systems that lead to results, apply to my 1:1 Online Coaching. I’m a pushy trainer that loves to help!

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