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The TFL Muscle (Tensor Fasciae Latae) – The Hidden Cause Of Low Back, Hip, Knee and Ankle Pain

The TFL Muscle (Tensor Fasciae Latae) – The Hidden Cause Of Low Back, Hip, Knee and Ankle Pain

by | May 25, 2025 | Blog, Core, Exercises, Foam Rolling, Pain Relief

There’s just this nagging pain you can’t seem to get rid of.

Maybe it’s your lower back. Your hip. Or even your knee or your ankle that feels off.

You’ve stretched. You’ve strengthened. You’ve rested even.

But the issue never really goes away. It keeps coming back.

The culprit may be one muscle that you don’t realize is perpetually getting overworked…

The TFL.

And this muscle can have a far reaching impact leading to aches and pains from your back down to your feet. 

In this video I want to break down… 

…where the TFL is and what it does, 

…how doing even the “right” moves can backfire and

…then how to adjust your movements to help you better activate your glutes

…while also doing the mobility work to relax this tight and overworked muscle.

So first, where is the TFL, what does it do and why should you even care?

The TFL or tensor fasciae latae is a small muscle on the outside of your hip.

To feel where your TFL is so you can notice when it is working, put your hand on the front top of your pelvis down your leg as you’re lying on your side.

Rotate your toe down toward the ground, turning your leg all the way up toward your hip. This internal rotation of your hip should make your TFL tense.

Ever notice that area really burning or working during moves like band walks where you’re trying to make your glutes work?

That’s your TFL compensating for your glute medius and becoming overworked and probably tight. And this is what can throw your ENTIRE lower body out of alignment and even perpetuate back pain.

Your TFL helps flex your hip, internally rotates your thigh, and abducts your leg.

Because it connects into your IT Band, tension in your TFL doesn’t just stay local.

It impacts your knee and even reaches your ankle. It even changes the way your feet strike the ground.

Over time, these changes in your movements, these compensation can lead to:

  • IT Band Syndrome
  • Patellofemoral pain (or runner’s knee)
  • Hip impingement or hip pain
  • Shin splints
  • Even chronic ankle issues

And here’s the kicker and why you need to care about this muscle… 

You might be seeing some of these other aches and pains and so focused on the point of pain you didn’t realize the culprit is this nasty little sucker of a muscle. 

So all of your work to correct those other issues doesn’t pay off and you just constantly struggle with aches and pains sidelining you.

Now if you’re like, but I am doing glute medius strengthening because I have heard it’s my TFL is the issue…

That’s great…BUT…

What do you feel working?

Because “good” moves, the “right” moves, done with the wrong muscles working? 

That’s only going to make the issues worse and lead to a lot of frustration that your hard work isn’t paying off.

Going back to when I mentioned band walks…

Ever do those and end up rubbing right where you now know your TFL is?

Or maybe it’s clams. Or a lateral raise…

If you don’t feel the side of your butt really being the main muscle working and instead feel the burn in your TFL…

Your TFL is still running the show.

You may even be trying to roll out other areas that feel tight…

Foam rolling your back when it gets sore or your lower leg because your ankles are having issues or even around your knees because they’re feeling twingy…

But none of this is addressing the original overcompensation pattern.

You can’t just fix the tight spots downstream. 

You have to go straight to the source.

So how do you change those recruitment patterns and get your glute medius working as it should instead of your TFL taking over?

I want to share 3 form tweaks that may help based on the move you’re doing that emphasis using that glute medius over the TFL and then even share other prehab exercises, both foam rolling and stretching, that you can use to relax that TFL further.

That relaxation of the muscle even prior to the glute activation moves can only help you change those recruitment patterns and make it easier to have that mind-body connection work correctly.

Basically, it helps you mentally find your butt to make sure it’s working when it should be!

Form Tip #1: Turn your toe in and down. 

Your TFL internally rotates your hip or turns it in and abducts your leg, lifting it laterally. 

But while you’ll often see your thigh and knee cap turn in with a tight TFL, you’ll also see your lower leg externally rotate and your feet turn out. 

If you find your knees really cave in with movement, give your TFL some love!

But turning that toe down toward the ground or back in can help prevent the movement pattern seen with a tight TFL to help avoid it taking over. 

While this may lead to you internally rotating all the way up your leg, this movement puts the emphasis on the glute medius to raise the leg laterally. 

I joking say it “distracts” the TFL, making that muscle even contribute to working to internally rotate so it can’t take over for the glute medius during abduction. It’s too distracted with the other movement!

So think of slightly leading with your heel as you raise your leg up or out to the side.

Form Tip #2: Use hip extension. 

Your TFL is also a hip flexor, meaning it works to bend your hips. 

You can therefore prevent it from working by extending your hip.

This has the added bonus of also engaging your glute max which can help your glute medius fire better. 

Just make sure that you aren’t faking that hip extension by arching your back or leaning over as a torso hinge is hip flexion.

Focus on using your glute to extend truly at the hip, even pushing back into something like a wall as you laterally lift your leg. 

You should feel not only the side of your butt but also the back of your butt working.

Pair this with turning your toe down for even better activation!

Form Tip #3: Play With Your Setup.

Ever notice when doing different moves some are way easier to feel your glutes working in? While with others you can’t get that TFL to shut off no matter how modified you make them?

If this is the case, play around with postures and positions. 

With our glute medius, different fibers contribute slightly to different joint actions. 

So don’t hesitate to lean forward or back instead of sitting straight up during seated abductions. This can help you target more anterior or even posterior fibers of the gluted medius.

Try even bridge abductions to use that hip extension to engage your glute max.

But don’t be afraid to play around with postures and variations, using both one sided and two sided moves.

And to help you master moves you can’t get your TFL to be quiet during, try including them AFTER a move where you’ve already gotten a little pump in your glute medius with. 

Often that little pump can make it easier to then feel the correct muscles working in the moves 

Remember if you’re not feeling it in the right place? You’re not fixing the right problem.

And if you’re really struggling with your TFL taking over…here’s a huge piece most people skip:

The foam rolling and stretching.

Prehab is a 3 part process – 

Foam roll tight and overactive muscles…

Stretch those muscles as you mobilize joints…

THEN activate to strengthen weak and underactive muscles and improve stability. 

So if you’re using the tweaks I mentioned above with activation moves for your glute medius and struggling with still feeling your TFL try these two moves prior…

TFL Foam Rolling and the Lunge and Reach.

Both are great to include as part of your warm up.

To roll out your TFL…

Place the ball on the front side of your hip, lying over it. You can roll it back toward your glute or slightly down the side of your leg in front of your hip bone. 

But focus on that spot that tenses as you turn your leg in.

Hold on any tight spots and breathe as you relax into the ball. 

Lift and lower your leg to tense and relax 5-10 times. 

You can also bend your knee toward your chest and extend your leg back out to hit this hip flexor as well.

You can use this foam rolling move during rest between activation or even strength exercises when you feel the TFL taking over, but for sure include it in your warm up or prehab before a stretch like the Lunge and Reach.

To do the Lunge and Reach…

Step forward on one side, keeping your back leg straighter as you lunge forward. Lunge deeper to intensify the movement and stretch.

Reach with your opposite hand overhead even leaning to reach further. You will feel a stretch down your side but into the front side of that back hip.

Really engage that back glute to drive your hip into extension.

If you are really struggling with TFL tightness or even using this in your cooldown, you can do a static stretch variation half kneeling on the ground near a way.

But focus on that hip extension engaging your glute as you reach toward the opposite side to stretch.

Remember, the point of pain is not always where the problem started.

If your knees hurt…If your hips feel stiff…If your ankles feel locked up…

If you’re doing a lot of the “right” things but nothing’s adding up, look at other areas that can have an impact, like your TFL

Because if you don’t address the TFL? You’ll just keep fighting the same battle over and over.

Try those form tweaks after the foam rolling and stretching moves today.

Focus on what you truly feel working to finally change those recruitment patterns and address that overload to alleviate those aches and pains!

Move and feel your best with Dynamic Strength workouts. Every workout includes the prehab work you need!

–> Learn More

Do You Do This During Ab Workouts? 5 Mistakes You Might Be Making

Do You Do This During Ab Workouts? 5 Mistakes You Might Be Making

by | May 4, 2025 | Blog, Core, Exercises, Pain Relief, Workouts

Feel like your ab workouts aren’t paying off? This video’s your missing link.

Because harder moves don’t mean better results.

We can be doing all the “right” exercises—and still not see the payoff.

Why?

Because we’re compensating. Letting our hips or lower back take over instead of our abs doing the work.

And when that happens, we start to blame the moves—even the ones we should be doing.

We write them off because they cause pain. But it’s not the move. It’s how you’re doing it.

So let’s fix that. Let’s stop the aches and pains. Let’s make sure every rep actually builds the strong abs you’re working for.

Here are 5 common ab training mistakes—and how to fix them.

MISTAKE #1: Doing moves you haven’t earned.

Moves need to fit our current fitness level, needs and goals. When we do exercises we haven’t earned, we end up using the incorrect muscles to power the movements.

This is why we can end up feeling our lower back or hip flexors over our abs working during certain core movements.

Too often we then try to put a bandaid on the issue to power through.

Doing a harder move is better, right?

WRONG!

Regress to progress.

Modifying a move doesn’t mean making it easier on yourself – it means allowing yourself to optimize the exercise.

A prime example of this is putting your hands behind your lower back during leg lower exercises.

Placing your hands under your lower back might feel better in the moment, but it’s not teaching you to properly control the exercise and brace your abs.

Instead of putting your hands behind your lower back to cheat and do a move you haven’t earned, learn to properly brace by regressing to the pelvic tilt hold.

Then build back up.

Learn to truly engage your abs through that tuck of your pelvis toward your ribs. This will protect your lower back and allow you to use your abs to stabilize, even engage your glutes as well.

When you can control this hold, you can then begin to add back in movement, using a pelvic tilt with march.

Then a double knee tuck before building back to a single leg lower and finally the full double leg lower movement.

By building up the right way, you’ll actually work your abs and be amazed at how much stronger they get.

Don’t let ego in doing a harder move hold you back.

MISTAKE #2: Demonizing spinal flexion moves like crunches and sit ups.

Crunches and sit-ups often get written off and even demonized.

But these bodyweight basics work our abs through spinal flexion. Something that planks or big heavy lifts don’t do.

It’s our abs’ job to power that rounding of our spine so we want to include moves that train it.

The key is using these moves correctly so that we don’t rely just on our hip flexors or end up overusing our lower back.

Spinal flexion is about thinking of the curl or roll up of one vertebrae at a time.

Starting out, you may find crunches are easiest to control as they are a more isolated movement. You’re only having to really focus on your abs powering a smaller range of motion to flex your spine and lift through your shoulder blades.

Really focus on your abs curling your upper back off the ground as you press your lower back down into it.

The crunch can really help you focus on that ab activation and mind-body connection because it is so isolated.

Then you can start to move into sit ups, learning to control the full roll up.

Too often with sit ups we just, well, sit up, letting our feet flop around or using momentum, even swinging or arching back overhead when we lay down.

Instead slow things down and think about rounding forward as you reach toward your toes to roll up. Then slowly lowering one vertebra at a time back down

But don’t avoid training this movement pattern. It may not only be the key to getting the amazing strong and defined abs you want (with your diet dialed in of course) but may even help you avoid back pain in your other lifting exercises!

MISTAKE #3: Not focusing on the correct muscles working.

Often we are including many of the “right” core moves, we’re just trying to mimic what we think is proper form and not performing the full exercise or using the correct muscles to power the full movement.

It goes back to mistake #1…we’re trying to do an exercise we haven’t earned so we cheat.

We do leg lowers where we aren’t bracing our abs properly with the posterior pelvic tilt so we’re only really using our hip flexors to lift and lower.

Or we’re doing hanging ab moves and not actually curling our knees toward our elbows by rounding through our spine, we’re only bending and extending at our hips to tuck our knees up.

If you feel your hip flexors working during these reverse crunch or leg raise movements, your hip flexors are what are getting worked. Not your abs.

This perpetuates aches and pains and makes all of our hard work not pay off the way it should.

And even backfire. Because not only can this lead to hip flexor issues, but tight, overworked hip flexors can perpetuate our lower back pain.

Focus on that true spinal flexion. The posterior pelvic tilt is spinal flexion with that tuck of your pelvis toward your ribs.

That curling of your knees toward your elbows as you hang is spinal flexion.

Focus on that movement and regress to progress if you need so you can.

Try an incline ab variation or even lying reverse crunch with overhead hold. But train the proper movement and recruitment pattern.

Don’t just focus on doing the move, focus on what you feel working!

MISTAKE #4: Training to fatigue over using frequency to your advantage.

Have you ever just thought, “I just need to get through the moves!” then rushed through the exercises while tired knowing you were a bit sloppy?

Quality matters. Yet so often we focus on quantity.

We seek to be sore and tired.

Instead of trying to destroy your abs in a workout and do a ton of reps and sets, lower the volume and train them more frequently over the week.

And have a clear set routine you repeat each week, don’t randomly string things together.

While ab exercises can and should be done for higher reps, like 15-25 per set with generally lighter loads if any weight, you still don’t want to focus on just doing 100s of reps in a day.

Spread out that volume over the week. When you are fresher and less fatigued for the moves, you’ll perform a better quality of work.

You may find you are even able to do more advanced variations for all the reps than you could have had you stacked them all together.

And you put yourself at less risk for getting tired and then calling on other muscles to help you power through the moves.

Think about even just a couple of moves done for 2-3 sets 3-4 times a week even.

MISTAKE #5: Focusing on doing more over intensity.

A 2-minute plank where you’re zoning out? Not helpful.

Yet so often we focus on doing more over not only the quality but also the intensity of each rep.

When you’re doing an exercise, focus on really challenging yourself with the movement. Focus on what you feel working and engaging that muscle fully.

With bodyweight movements like the plank, use that mind-body connection to try to engage your abs, and entire core, harder to create shakeage.

Yes shakeage.

Focus on your back supporting your shoulders, bracing that core as if being punched in the gut with that slight posterior pelvic tilt. Flex your quads and drive back hard through your heels.

Don’t let yourself relax during the movement. Create that tension.

Because holding longer while cheating may make your ego feel good, but it isn’t making those abs work more.

We often end up compensating as well, which is why we feel our hips or back the next day even if we didn’t notice during.

It’s not about the clock — it’s about the tension.

You want to feel like you’re barely surviving a 15 second hold the more advanced you are over having ego in just going longer.

You want to use that more advanced ab move, even if you have to pause to complete all the reps.

Shorten the time. Maximize the effort and intensity.

Stop going through the motions with your workouts or letting ego lead to you trying to do moves you haven’t earned.

Regress to progress, focus on that quality of work and be intentional with every move you do!

This will lead to you building the strong abs you want, you can then reveal through proper nutrition!

For amazing workouts to help you build your leanest, strongest body ever, check out my Dynamic Strength program:

–> Dynamic Strength

The One Small Change That Will Transform Your Lower Ab Workout

The One Small Change That Will Transform Your Lower Ab Workout

by | Mar 9, 2025 | Blog, Core, Exercises

One small tweak to a move can be exactly what we need to create progression and take our results to the next level.

That’s why I want to show you how just this small change in your bench positioning can progress the basic lower body crunch to challenge those lower abs even more.

If you haven’t yet tried Incline Abs, you’re going to want to.

In this video I want to break down how to do this move to get the most benefit as well as why it is so amazing.

Because this exercise is deceptively challenging and must be earned, I’ll also share ways to modify it and build up!

But first, why should you use this move?

Incline Abs are a move I’ve fallen in love with because they are a great way to create progression through the same but different from hanging abs, but also take the basic lower body crunch up a notch without adding weight.

And lower body crunch movements are a great way to target that lower portion of our rectus abdominis, or our lower abs, to a great extent.

This move reduces some of the strain on the upper body that comes with doing the hanging knees to elbows, while still giving you the benefit of engaging your upper body to pull down on the bench as you curl your knees up.

So you get the upper body bonus but with less upper body strain.

That upper body hold can be helpful to engage the lats and even your serratus to better help you active your abs and protect your lower back.

And because of the bench behind your back, you won’t be able to swing or use momentum as easily as you can with hanging knees to elbows.

The bench variation can help you really practice that spinal flexion to learn to control that knee tuck, even making it a great option if you’re working to build up to hanging core moves.

But don’t think that this move is easy just because it may be a way to build up.

It isn’t. And the harder you pull down on the bench and more you focus on that controlled roll up and down being powered by your abs over just flexing at the hips, the harder this move gets!

Now, breaking down how to do this move to maximize it before I share some modifications and variations…

When you set up for this move, you’ll want your bench on about the second notch for a 45 degree angle.

Sit back against the bench and grab the top of the bench in both hands so you can really pull down hard on it and feel the sides of your back engage.

With your knees bent and toes touching the ground, push your back into the bench and slowly curl up one vertebrae at a time.

Feel yourself rolling your knees up toward your elbows pulling with your abs.

It will be tempting to just sort of bend your knees to tuck but this not only won’t get you far, it will just lead to you overusing your hip flexors.

You want that curl to be powered by your abs which means rounding through your spine.

Once you curl your knees up to your elbows, focus on that slow lower down one vertebrae at a time.

At the bottom, do not release tension on the top of the bench or bounce off pushing off with your feet.

You may feel your hips just slightly working at this initial point so can keep your knees tucked up and not fully touch down if you’re struggling with that initial ab engagement to start.

The key here is that hard pull down on the bench and curl!

This is deceptively hard when done intentionally and with control. And starting with a flat bench may be key.

However, if you feel really stuck building up to this move, even try a slow eccentric “only” variation.

To do this, you can slightly use that push off or momentum to set up at the top then control the lower down for a 5 count.

Because we are often strongest in the eccentric portion, this may help you take on your weight to work through the movement with control but while using momentum strategically.

But if you can’t control that lower down, the flat bench or even the ground with an overhead hold can be key to start.

You’ll still get that upper body engagement and you can learn to control that spinal flexion.

If you kick out straight with the moves it will take things up a notch from keeping the knees bent to touch the toes down as you lower back down from the curl.

Make sure to keep your abs engaged as you extend your legs out straight if you do, tilting your pelvis toward your ribs for that posterior pelvic tilt. That will engage your abs with your legs out straight and even engage your glutes.

You can kick your legs out a bit higher if needed as well to modify just slightly.

With this flat variation still stay focused on that curl of the spine to bring the knees in and pull down hard on the bench or pole you’re holding on to overhead.

But this flat variation is a great way to get started on that curl without the added resistance that gravity applies with the incline.

Regress to progress but focus on that curl and use that overhead hold to help you really work those abs.

And then use that change in posture on that bench to progress the lower body crunch to challenge your lower abs.

From there, don’t be afraid to change up tempo or even add loads as you use that Incline Ab variation. But don’t just jump to adding loads. Focus on that control and slow roll powered by your abs!

For more moves to challenge your entire core, check out these 7 Intense Ab Moves.

7 INTENSE Ab Exercises (Most People Skip)

7 INTENSE Ab Exercises (Most People Skip)

by | Dec 8, 2024 | Blog, Core, Exercises

You clicked on this video for 7 intense ab moves.

I know, I know…Just tell you the moves. Well I’m going to.

Here’s move #1 of 7 in total that will focus on not just your abs, but especially that lower portion of your rectus abdominis….

Move #1: Weighted Crunches

The Pull Over Crunch is one of my go-tos as a weighted crunch variation, but I wanted to mention weighted crunches in general because so often we forget how key it is to progress those basic bodyweight moves to keep challenging ourselves so we see results.

Even adding a weight to the basic crunch can take it up a notch.

While we aren’t trying to do a 5 rep max out on loads, we do want those higher rep ranges of 15-20 reps to really challenge us and adding a weight is a great way to do this!

And if you want to add not only weight but create an extra challenge for yourself, try the Pull Over Crunch.

The reach overhead with the weight challenges your abs to resist extension and brace to protect your lower back.

This is HARD, especially with your legs extended out off the ground.

You’ll then pull the weight from overhead down in front of your knees as you crunch your knees and upper body together.

This pull over is going to work your entire core and even your serratus anterior.

Then extend back out but don’t relax back onto the ground.

That brace to keep your hips tilted toward your pelvis and not let your lower back take over is really what works those abs with the flexion to crunch everything together.

If you’re finding that your lower back or hips are taking over, try lighter or now weight and even try a bent knee variation with touching your toes down between.

You can even modify further with just the upper body crunch or single knee tucks.

But note, what you feel working during this and every move I share!

Because if all you feel is your lower back or hips, your abs won’t get the full benefit and you won’t see results build.

And remember, this move, and all 7 actually, are ADVANCED moves.

I will share modifications like the single knee tucks to make sure you’re using the level that makes YOUR abs truly work!

Now…Move #2: Leg Lowers +

Leg lowers are an amazing move to target that lower portion of our rectus abdominis, aka those lower abs.

And by adding on this little raise and spinal flexion at the top of that leg raise movement, we make our abs work even more not only to brace as we lower and resist extension but to actually power flexion.

To do this move, I love adding in a hold overhead to help brace those abs more, but you don’t need to.

If you don’t hold on overhead, placing your hands besides you on the ground will provide a bit more support than if you place them behind your head.

With your legs squeezed together and feet up toward the ceiling, feel yourself tuck your hip bones toward your ribs to feel like your abs flex and engage.

Lower your legs as close to the ground as you can, then feel yourself pull your legs back up toward the ceiling using your abs.

As you lift them straight back up, feel as if a string is lifting them higher and pulling your butt and back off the ground.

You want to feel your abs flex and lift your pelvis up.

Lower back down before you again do the leg lower toward the ground.

This truly is a killer move especially if you avoid using momentum.

If you feel your lower back engaging, try a bent knee version instead or even test out holding on overhead to help you create that core tension to start if you aren’t!

Move #3: Slider Body Saw

This stability and anti-extension plank variation is deceptively hard.

That lengthening or extended plank position as you avoid letting your butt go up in the air or lower back arch and hips sink to the ground really makes your abs work.

And by doing this off sliders over walking in and out, you reduce any traction that may help you control the movement or push off.

You’ll even feel into your arms and around your rib cage working as you lengthen sliding back then pull yourself back into the plank position.

Make sure you don’t shrug but feel down the sides of your back to move back forward.

And make sure you’re actually extending back. It is easy to try to cheat and just rock forward over our forearms over truly lengthening back through our shoulders and core.

To modify, you can do this walking back over using the sliders and even add in an incline to reduce resistance.

A plank rock is also a more static option to start whether off the ground or an incline!

Always ways to adjust a move, reducing the strength demands through different postures, positions and even ranges of motion!

Move #4: Dip Hold Curl Up

I love moves that work not only our abs but even have bonus areas they target.

And that’s why I love hanging abs and even dip hold ab variations.

But when we think about abs off the parallel or dip bars, we often think leg raises or knee tucks.

While amazing options, this small, simple looking and deceptively killer move for our abs, especially our lower abs is too often overlooked…

Because it doesn’t look like much!

The tuck to pull UP and push the bars away, rounding through the spine is what really targets those abs using spinal flexion.

That pull up and in will make your abs shake if you focus on doing it intensely to almost pretend you’re sucking your body up.

Don’t just bend at your hips.

Pull your body up by rounding your back to hollow out your abs. Think about even curling up.

To modify this, do a foot assisted version to reduce the resistance on your upper body and core.

If you don’t have parallel bars, you can also do a slider variation off the ground, pushing the ground away with your hands as you lift your butt to slide your legs on the sliders back to tuck up.

For those of you without monkey arms, you may need stands or kbs or dumbbells.

Move #5: Incline Bench Abs

This is an amazing way to progress those reverse crunches and add in diversity if you also love hanging abs!

This is a killer lower ab move that also works your serratus or the muscles around your ribs.

That slight incline that challenges you to curl against gravity is what kicks this up a notch.

Just don’t rush through as you tuck and lower down. Really focus on the curl.

You will want to pull down hard on the top of the bench as you start with your knees bent and toes resting on the ground.

Use your abs to slowly curl your knees up toward your elbows, rounding your spine off the bench.

Touch your elbows then lower down with control.

The more you focus on even your upper body pulling on the bench, the more you can feel your abs over your hip flexors, especially if you struggle with your hips wanting to engage with leg raise movements.

And to modify this, lower the incline back to a flat bench variation or even off the ground.

Move #6: Ab Extensions

Ab extensions are another way to do extended planks, and a great way to mix things up.

That extended plank position is so key to include if you do really want to target those lower abs.

The most common version of ab extensions are done with the ab wheel as roll outs.

But you can also use sliders, a stability ball or even suspension trainer.
The provide changes to postures and even instability to help you create progression with this move.

Whichever tool you use, make sure that as you set up on your knees, you’ve engaged your glutes and slightly tuck your hips up toward your ribs.

Keep this ab engagement through the full movement.

Extend your arms out overhead on the ground keeping the brace and even a very slight tuck your chin down over looking out in front of you.

Then to move back up, really focus on pulling your hands back under you with the sides of your back while feeling the muscles around your ribs.

Your abs are working hard here to stabilize and avoid movement of your spine!

To modify, you can do a single arm extension, so reaching one arm out at a time or even limit the range of motion you work in.

Using a wall to guide you and stop the movement can help you work in a range of motion you can control.

But you do want to strengthen through the biggest range of motion you can!

And last but not least…Move #7: Bench V-Ups

This full body crunch allows you to work in a bigger range of motion than off the ground because you’re seated on a bench.

And you will feel your quads even often with this killer ab move. Just make sure you don’t rely soley on your arms to support you in the crunch but pull yourself up with your abs.

Seated on the bench, put your hands on the back of the bench behind you with your legs squeezed together and out straight in front of you.

With your feet hovering off the ground, lean back. Then crunch your torso toward your legs.

You will round through your spine as you crunch up.

Then as you lean back and extend out, your abs will work to avoid your lower back arching or engaging.

Really focus on your abs pulling your legs and upper body together each time you v up.

To modify, you can do a bent knee or even single leg version.

Off the ground is also always an option, especially if you don’t have a bench.

And to bring this full circle, you can even advance this move further by making it a weighted bench v-up, holding that weight even between your feet.

Just go light! This can really start to target your quads and hip flexors more to maintain that leg position.

You may find a slight knee bend, but not actively bending at your knees as you do the move is key!

Now go enjoy these moves and make sure you focus on what you feel working! Even consider adding in 3-4 for 30 second intervals and 2 rounds through as a finisher to your workout this week!

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2 Intense Ab Exercises (Most People Skip)

2 Intense Ab Exercises (Most People Skip)

by | Jul 7, 2024 | Blog, Core, Exercises, Functional Fitness

No you can’t spot reduce the fat around your middle by doing a bazillion crunches or sit ups…

BUT focused ab work can help you get that lean, defined core when your nutrition is dialed in.

Yet too often we skip the core work.

If we add it in, it’s an afterthought.

And too often we think we’ve done even enough core work because we’ve included heavy lifts like squat and deadlift.

And while those moves do benefit your core, they’re working it only in one way…to stabilize.

But our abs power spinal flexion and don’t only resist extension or stabilize.

Not to mention our obliques twist and turn, and laterally flex not to mention help us prevent unwanted rotation.

This means we want to target all of these movement patterns to see the best results.

That’s why I want to share a few of my favorite core moves, specifically two moves focused on your abs, to train these muscles both with flexion and anti-extension exercises to not only help you build a stronger core but a more defined one.

However, first I want to touch on two essentials to core training that will help you see better results faster and are too often IGNORED…

I’ll then also show you how to use my favorite moves while addressing these two key components…

#1: Make sure your abs are ACTUALLY working!

You can’t just rush through moves and let your hip flexors and lower back compensate. 

And you may just write this off, labeling those others weak.

But, if these areas are compensating, THEY are getting the work from the moves you’re including…

Not your abs.

What you feel working in a move is what is BENEFITING from the move.

So whether your hip flexors and lower back are actually weak or whether they are taking over because a move is too advanced and your abs have to rely on these other muscles to keep up because they aren’t strong enough…

You have to address this compensation if you want results.

This may mean changing your form or it may mean regressing the move to build up!

But if you don’t feel your abs, your ab exercises aren’t paying off and you’re wasting time and energy.

#2: If it challenges you, it will change you.

Just like building up any other muscle, you need to progress the moves you’re doing to see results. 

And no, we aren’t trying to bulk out our middles, which is why we may not just focus on heavy loads.

But we need to advance moves to drive that muscle to change which will help us see that definition as it is revealed through proper nutrition.

This also means strategically designing your workouts to include core work you can progress as too often core work is just an afterthought in our training.

We add a move here or there. And we may add a rep or two but don’t really do anything to continue to progress the exercise.

While you can add weight to progress a move, we often want to progress through the same but different, changes in types of loads or loading placements, ranges of motion or even instability as we keep the reps higher, even in that 15-25 rep range often. 

Now I want to share a 2 of my favorite ab exercises to work your abs with spinal flexion AND anti-extension movements.

These moves are especially amazing if you’re looking to target your lower abs.

Yes, your lower abs.

If you’re about to say, “There is no lower ab muscle.”

You’re right. There is no separate lower ab muscle.

But we can target different portions of different muscles to greater extents based on the postures and positions used.

And leg raise type movements, if you can avoid overusing your hip flexors, as well as extended plank positions, have been shown to activate the lower abs, or lower portion of your rectus abdominis to a greater extent.

With both of these moves, I’ll show you how you can make sure your abs are actually working and even progress, or regress, these moves to fit your needs.

The first move is the Reverse Crunch Roll With Overhead Hold.

This lower body crunch variation is a great way to target those lower abs while also helping you prevent your lower back from engaging or relying on your hip flexors over your abs.

The key tweaks this move makes off the basic lower body crunch is the overhead hold and the heels locked back into a roller. 

Both of these help you avoid compensating to better target your abs.

The overhead hold helps you more easily engage your abs without your lower back compensating because it creates tension through your lats to protect your back.

You want to pull down hard on the pole or even edge of a bench you’re holding onto.

This slight move to even flex your lower abs will help you protect your back further.

Then using the roller locked between your lower legs and hamstrings, you’ll be able to engage that posterior chain, especially your hamstrings, to prevent those hip flexors from activating.

With even these two tweaks, you still want to focus on ROLLING one vertebrae at a time up. Curl those knees in toward your elbows FLEXING your spine.

If you don’t have a roller, you can still do this move by just thinking about pulling your heels in toward your butt and hamstrings. That activation will help inhibit your hip flexors to focus on your abs.

But these two tweaks to that basic lower body crunch can help you really make sure you’re focusing on your abs with spinal flexion.

And then to progress this move, you can change tempos.

Or you can even do a straight leg variation, but not only perform a leg lower but an extra LIFT at the top.

This lift at the top as you raise your legs up is what gets that extra spinal flexion. But you have to make sure you’ve built up to this move and you’re not just relying on your hips to lift and lower.

While your hip flexors are working with hip flexion, the raise of your legs back up, you want your abs engaged using that posterior pelvic tilt, or tilt of the hips up toward the ribs to round the back toward the ground.

This protects your back and supports those hips so you aren’t only feeling them working. And that plus part of the movement and lift at the top further work the abs.

To further advance this move and even target your adductors and pelvic floor more, you could hold a med ball between your legs.

Or to even make this move tougher on your abs, you could use an incline bench.

This way you’re working more against gravity to even tuck up!

But the key is to progress only once you’ve mastered that basic variation.

And even as you progress, never think you’re above returning to this move as sometimes changing things up is the progression we need to see results as we can focus even more on really activating our abs with those basics!

The second move is Plank Extensions.

I also call these the Body Saw when done off the forearm over the hands. 

You’re trying to brace your abs so you don’t get sawed in half…just kidding…but seriously!

This move is freaking DECEPTIVELY hard. 

By extending your plank position, your abs and especially your lower abs, have to work very hard to prevent extension of your spine and stabilize.

This takes that basic plank up a notch!

You should NOT feel your lower back engaging or arching. If it arches, you may start to feel yourself even overusing and resting on your hip flexors. 

So to modify this move, start off an incline, such as a bench. 

Focus on engaging your abs as if you’re going to be punched in the gut as you even flex your glutes to walk back. That glute flexion helps protect your back and disengage your hip flexors.

If you can walk back into that extended position, maintaining that brace, lower the incline. 

You can then move to this walk back from your hands on the ground before moving to your forearms. 

These changes in postures can really help you target those abs and progress the move.

Then you can start to implement different tools even instead of adding loads to make the move more challenging for your core.

You can use sliders to slide over walk back (towels work too). 

Or you can even really vary the move by changing the way you’re extending the plank, using a ball to roll out under your forearms instead of the sliders on your feet.

It’s not just weights that can make moves harder and drive progression! Those different postures, tools and even placements can have an impact!

If you’re looking to take your core definition to the next level, use these moves and tips to really work those abs and progress your training.

And yes, dial in that diet to truly reveal your hard work in the gym!

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The Best Core Exercise (Everyone Hates)

The Best Core Exercise (Everyone Hates)

by | Apr 14, 2024 | Blog, Core, Exercises

Teapots have gotten a lot of hate in recent years.

But unpopular opinion. I think the hate is unwarranted.

They can actually be an amazing move to include in your workout routine when implemented correctly.

I say this often but there are no bad exercises…

Just misused moves that aren’t right for our needs or goals that need to be modified for us at this phase in our journey!

And too often these days a missing component of our core training routines IS lateral flexion movements.

Our spine and the muscles of our core are meant to side bend.

Learning to control this movement in our workouts is key to helping us avoid unwanted strain on our spine when we lift and move in everyday life.

Not to mention, by simply writing it off because someone said it was bad for them, means we could be missing out on a move that perfectly addresses OUR unique needs.

Can’t get down on the ground?

Well the teapot is an amazing STANDING core move.

Need to address an imbalance between each side?

Well the teapot is an amazing UNILATERAL core move.

There is so much opportunity with different exercises if we simply seek to learn more about them and when and why they may work, or not work, for us and our goals.

That’s why I first want to go over some key pointers for using this exercise correctly, such as ways to include it in your workout routine, and even variations so you can build up and work your core in a way that matches your needs and goals!

USING TEAPOTS:

Now if you’re thinking about grabbing as heavy a weight as possible for your teapots and doing only a couple or reps, this is not the exercise for that type of loading.

While creating progression even in our ab and core routines is key, moves like the teapot should never be about constantly just going heavier and heavier, especially for lower rep work.

Moves like this should most often be progressed through changes in equipment, tempos and even to some extent volume (adding a few more reps).

While you can add loads, you want to be conscious that you aren’t trying to max out. You want to be in full control of that range of motion.

And often you will want to work in that 10-20 rep range based on your experience with lateral flexion and any injuries.

Keeping the reps higher and loads challenging but overall lighter is key especially starting out.

You also want to note that this lateral flexion exercise often puts more emphasis on the eccentric, and because it applies more load when the muscle is stretched, can make you VERY sore even with lighter weights starting out.

That’s why even opting for just a round or two to start of those higher reps at the end of your workout can be good.

It’s key you move slowly and work through only the range of motion you can control.

But because strengthening and controlling that movement is so key, again starting lighter is best.

Really focus on that slow lower down of the weight at your side and don’t twist or rotate to get the range of motion bigger.

When you lower you aren’t focusing on the side that is actually flexing…

You’re focusing on the STRETCH on the opposing side.

And then to move back up to standing, you will feel that stretched side PULL your torso back up straight.

While you can crunch slightly to the other side, the focus should be on that eccentric lower down to the move back upright.

Too often we rush through movements over focusing on what we feel working.

Now as amazing as this move can be, one exercise in one form is not right for everyone.

And while this traditional teapot may be done with a dumbbell or kettlebell down by your side, there are other variations you can use based on the tools you have and even your specific needs.

VARIATIONS:

There are so many ways to address and implement lateral flexion into your routine – from more isolated oblique crunches to variations of the teapot.

You can simply change the type of tool you use while doing the same basic teapot, trading a dumbbell for a kettlebell or plate weight.

(The plate weight especially can be a great too for one, working on your grip strength in a different way!)

You can even keep the same loading placement and use a cable or band anchored down low to apply resistance in a new way. The band anchored down low will really challenge your core as you pull to come back up!

This simple change in types of resistance can be a great way to progress this move as you advance with it to challenge your body in new ways.

You can also change loading placement, anchoring the resistance overhead by using a cable or even doing a variation of this in the suspension trainer.

This will also change the focus from being on your OPPOSING side, to the same side you’re bending toward.

But so often little changes like this can create progression through the same but different and really help improve our mind-body connection because we are working the same muscles but in a new way.

And if you have no tools available, you don’t have to miss out on the benefits of this amazing move.

Side plank hip dips are a great way to work on that lateral flexion without any equipment.

If the full version off the ground isn’t right for you, modifying the side plank off an incline, such as a bench, allows you to really use this move to your advantage and control that lateral flexion.

Just make sure you’ve engaged your back to support your shoulder and have flexed your feet, especially if your feet are stacked, to protect your knees.

And as important as it is to work through that range of motion to strengthen the muscles that power the lateral flexion movement, it can also be key to include some ANTI-FLEXION exercises as well.

Learning to PREVENT unwanted flexion or movement is equally as important.

And you can strengthen those muscles to stabilize using different anti-flexion moves as well.

It’s why things like side plank holds or the stability or pallof press can also be key to include.

But too often we aren’t using both and we’re even valuing one over the other instead of seeing the opportunity in combining both in our routines.

Remember moves are only as good as their implementation.

And lateral flexion, and the ability to avoid it, are key movement patterns we want to learn to control.

Train them in the gym to become stronger and functionally fit!

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