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STOP Torturing Your Rotator Cuff (Do This Instead)

STOP Torturing Your Rotator Cuff (Do This Instead)

by | Jul 8, 2021 | Blog, Exercises, Foam Rolling, injury-featured, Pain Relief

Rotator cuff injuries are all too common.

And often when a muscle gets injured we blame it for being weak.

So in our attempts to recovery we include a ton of moves to work and strengthen those muscles.

But what if this extra strengthening work is actually holding you back?

What if these exercises are actually perpetuating the issues long-term instead of addressing the true culprit of the problem?

Because so often muscles, like our rotator cuff, become injured because they are actually OVERWORKED and OVERUSED.

These smaller, weaker muscles end up overstrained and overworked because of joint mobility restrictions and other muscles not pulling their weight.

That’s why rotator cuff injuries especially are becoming more and more common.

That’s why a proper recovery and mobility program can’t just focus on rotator cuff strengthening moves.

It actually needs to focus on your thoracic, scapular and shoulder mobility as well as proper engagement of the larger muscles of your upper back as well as your serratus anterior.

But before we dive into the moves you need to include, it’s key we have a better understanding of the muscles that make up our rotator cuff and what they do.

What does your rotator cuff do?

While each of the 4 rotator cuff muscles does contribute to a different joint action, all four muscles play an important role in stabilizing your shoulder, which is a ball and socket joint.

A great way of understanding the importance of these muscles and their role in shoulder stability is to think of your shoulder as a golf ball on a tee. Your rotator cuff muscles hold that golf ball in place so it doesn’t rotate off the tee.

However because each rotator cuff muscle does contributes to a different joint action, it can be helpful for your recovery to know which one is injured and have a better understanding of how they function.

What are the 4 muscles of your rotator cuff?

– Supraspinatus 
– Infraspinatus
– Teres Minor
– Subscapularis 

The Supraspinatus abducts the shoulder or helps you raise your arm out to the side.

The Infraspinatus and Teres Minor externally rotate the shoulder. For a visual example of this, place your elbow in by your side and bent it to 90 degrees with your hand out in front of you. Then open your arm out to the side. That movement is external rotation.

The Subscapularis, on the other hand, internally rotates your shoulder. So if your elbow was bent in the same position, your hand would move in toward your body.

Your rotator cuff muscles are also made up of mainly type I muscle fibers. So if you are working to strengthen them to improve your shoulder stability, higher reps and lower loads will be key.

But remember, while keeping these muscles strong for stability is key, if that golf ball isn’t properly aligned on that tee, or other muscles aren’t pulling their weight, your rotator cuff can easily become overworked which can lead to injury.

That’s why you want to include these 4 exercises to foam roll, stretch and activate and keep your shoulders healthy and happy! These moves will help you work on your thoracic, shoulder and scapular mobility and stability.

They are important to include in your upper body training routines if you have a desk job especially and can easily be combined even into a quick warm up before your workouts.

4 KEY MOVES TO DO INSTEAD TO PREVENT ROTATOR CUFF OVERUSE INJURIES

EXERCISE #1: Chest Foam Rolling

Your pec minor and major can become shortened and tight, especially if you spend a ton of time hunched over throughout the day.

This can lead to both internal shoulder rotation but also anterior tipping and downward rotation of our shoulder blades and create overuse of the rotator cuff.

That’s why it’s key we first use foam rolling to relax this overactive muscle!

To roll out your chest, you can use a larger ball against the ground or a smaller ball in a doorway.

Start with the ball just inside your shoulder joint and under your collarbone. You will not roll back and forth but hold and relax as you apply pressure. Be careful and very gentle if you start to work the ball toward your sternum.

As you hold with the ball pressing in to your chest just inside your shoulder, you can lift your arm overhead and slowly lower it down if standing in a doorway or rolling out against a pole.

If you’re lying on the ground, you can make a snow angel movement as you hold to help create tension and then relax to help the muscle relax and release itself.

EXERCISE #2: Active Foam Roller Star Stretch

Spinal mobility is key so that we don’t seek out extra mobility from our shoulders to perform exercises like the overhead press, which can strain our rotator cuff.

Proper spinal mobility also allows us to have proper scapular movement so we properly engage the muscles of our upper back to support our shoulders.

That’s why the Active Foam Roller Star Stretch is a great move to include.

Place a foam roller or block on the ground to one side.

Lie on your back with the roller running parallel to your body and bend your knee on the side further from the roller to about 90 degrees.

Pull your knee across your body to place it on the roller with your opposite hand as you place your other hand behind your head so your elbow is open and out.

Rotate that elbow in front of your face to touch the elbow down to the ground in front of you.

Then lift the elbow up as you rotate your chest open toward the ceiling. Rotate through your spine as you try to touch your shoulder open to the ground.

Focus on twisting through your spine without letting your knee come up off the roller. Open up, pause and then rotate back closed. Repeat all reps on one side before switching. Do not just flap your arm.

EXERCISE #3: Lying W Pulldowns

To help support your shoulders and improve your posture, you then want to activate the muscles of your upper back, like your mid and lower traps especially.

A great way to improve your shoulder health and target these muscles, as well as your lats, is with activation moves like the Lying W Pulldowns that work on retraction and scapular depression.

To do Lying W Pull Downs, lie face down on the ground with your arms extended overhead, thumbs facing up toward the ceiling as if giving a thumbs up. Engage your upper back to lift your face and arms just off of the ground. You can also put a towel under your forehead if you struggle with engaging your neck.

Then begin to bend your elbows, pulling them down and in toward your sides.

Feel your shoulder blades pinch slightly together as you pull them down. Feel yourself initiate the movement by the movement of your shoulder blades.

Pull your elbows down and in as if you pulled your chest up to a pull up bar.

Then keeping your hands off the ground, extend your arms straight out toward the wall in front of you. Reach out overhead the bring your hands back down and in.

Feel your back and even your lats as you pull your elbows back down and in to your sides.

EXERCISE #4: Serratus Anterior Press

The serratus anterior is a primary scapular stabilizer and weakness of this muscle has been linked to neck, shoulder and even upper back aches and pains.

A strong 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. It will help you avoid those rotator cuff muscles becoming overworked!

To strengthen your Serratus Anterior include the Serratus Anterior Press in your activation routine.

Start in a staggered stance with the opposite foot forward from the hand holding the band in at your chest.

Then press the band out from your chest and slightly up. Feel yourself pulling your shoulder blade forward around your ribs as you reach out. You aren’t just doing a unilateral chest press.

Then slowly bring your hand back in toward your chest. Do not rotate toward the anchor point.

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.

SUMMARY:

To keep those shoulders healthy and happy and avoid rotator cuff issues, try combining these 4 moves into a quick mobility routine or use them as a warm up, performing 30-45 seconds per move or side.

With these moves remember you are working to improve your shoulder, scapular and thoracic mobility while activating the muscles of your upper back to help prevent those rotator muscles from becoming injured because they’re overworked.

We want to make sure we’re addressing the underlying cause of the injury and not just torturing our rotator cuff more!

How To Do A Sit Up Properly – 3 Tips To Help

How To Do A Sit Up Properly – 3 Tips To Help

by | Jul 1, 2021 | Blog, Core, Exercises, Pain Relief

Sit ups get a bad rap because of the spinal flexion involved in the movement.

But guess what?

Our abs are worked by spinal flexion.

Yes they work to stabilize and prevent extension and brace to protect our spine, which is why planks are key too, but they do power spinal flexion.

And yes, we do work our core through all the amazing compound exercises out there like pull ups and squats and deadlifts, but that doesn’t mean we can’t also safely include spinal flexion moves to target our abs with a movement pattern they are MEANT to perform.

The key is learning to do sit ups properly so we aren’t compensating and overworking our lower back or relying simply on our hip flexors to sit up.

Here are 3 tips to help you get the most out of this basic move to work your abs through spinal flexion.

3 Tips To Improve Your Sit Ups

#1: Don’t sit up – roll up!

If you want to really focus on using your abs to sit up, don’t simply hinge and sit up at your hips. Focus on rolling up one vertebra at a time.

Think about truly curling your spine to come up.

You’ll realize this makes your abs work a lot harder and you feel your hip flexors working a lot less.

We have to remember that our abs power spinal flexion. And that curl to roll up is the spinal flexion we need to target our abs.

When we simply sit up and lie down, we often are performing the movement mainly as hip flexion. To get that ab engagement, we need that spinal flexion.

So focus on rolling up one vertebra at a time before sitting up nice and tall at the top. Then roll back down.

Even slow down the movement to focus on your abs over rushing through!

#2: Drive your heels down into the ground.

One of the best ways to relax an overactive muscle is to engage the opposing muscle group.

Often with sit ups, you see people’s legs flopping all over the place. Their legs lift and their hip flexors engage.

Next time you do sit ups, set up at the top and drive your heels down hard into the ground. Even think about slightly curling them back toward your butt. This will engage your hamstrings ever so slightly and help shut off your hip flexors.

Then slowly roll down.

Keep that tension, pushing your heels down into the ground as you roll down and come to rest at the bottom.

Keep that same pressure, pushing your heels down, as you sit back up.

You not only won’t feel your hips as much, but you may feel your abs more.

If you really struggle with your hips becoming over worked, you can even do a little hamstring hack, looping a band behind your heels to help you better engage those hamstrings if you struggle with applying pressure down into the ground.

#3: Don’t swing your arms overhead.

I know it can feel like we need the momentum to help us get back up, but swinging your arms is not only a way to cheat and not use your abs, but it can also cause you to arch your lower back at the bottom of the move and result in your lower back becoming overworked.

When you lie back down, you can bring your hands under your chin and then extend them toward your legs as you sit up if you do need a very slight assist in rolling up or you can keep them extended toward your legs.

The key is slowing down this move over trying to power through more reps.

If you really can’t get up without using the momentum, try a Seated Hinge variation, doing a top down variation of the sit up. Start at the top seated and only round to hinge back as far as you can control instead of starting lying on the ground.

This can help you learn to roll back to start.

SUMMARY:

Too often we take for granted this very basic ab move. And we demonize it for causing lower back pain when we simply aren’t performing it correctly and using the spinal flexion to work our abs.

Try these 3 tweaks and make your abs work during this basic move and stop relying on your hip flexors while overworking your lower back!

3 Fat Loss Myths Holding You Back

3 Fat Loss Myths Holding You Back

by | Jun 19, 2021 | Blog, Diet, Workouts

The simple fact is, one size doesn’t fit all. And so many things can work for so many different reasons.

And ultimately what leads to our success, especially when it comes to fat loss, is something that we can do consistently LONG-TERM.

Even then, the exact diet or workout routine we follow will constantly be evolving because nothing in life ever stands still.

Your needs and goals change and so should your routine.

Yet, especially with diet, people become very “passionate” about their specific beliefs. It often stems from their own dietary preferences or unique needs based on specific health issues.

They start to demonize specific lifestyle things and tell others they should too.

And these things can turn into fat loss myths that ultimately hold us back from achieving the balance and sustainable routine WE need to see results.

What worked for your friend may NOT work for you. And trying to fit everyone into the same mold leads to disaster.

That’s why today I want to bust 3 fat loss myths and help you dial in your workout and diet routine so you can truly achieve results through a plan that matches YOUR needs and goals.

Myth #1: Carbs make you fat. Fat makes you fat.

Carbs don’t magically make you gain fat. And neither does fat.

So all of those low carb advocates or low fat advocates that say it’s the only way to lose weight?

It’s just because they’ve found the macro ratio right for them and their body and lifestyle.

But no one macro is evil or bad. Each plays an important role in the optimal functioning of our body.

And depending on our needs, goals and training routine? We may need more or less of one or the other to achieve our ideal body composition and lose fat.

Now if you’re about to be that person to comment about all of the evils of carbs or fats (because I guarantee there will be one of each) and all of the health issues they can cause…

Do you not realize the irony in the fact that you will both not agree on which is actually evil?

There are so many factors that may make eating more or less of a specific macro better or worse for us PERSONALLY.

Now if you have a specific health issue?

You may need to eliminate or limit specific things.

That may help you even to lose weight too.

But just to demonize that macro completely if you don’t have any health concerns COULD actually lead to health issues not to mention hold you back from the fat loss results you want.

Now you may be thinking, “But when I cut carbs I lose so much weight on the scale so quickly!”

But that isn’t true fat loss.

When you cut your carbs, you deplete your glycogen stores and lose water weight.

So, sure, you’ll see a quick change on the scale. But it isn’t fat being lost.

And the second you add carbs back in?

You’ll likely gain all of that weight back and more.

Plus this restriction, especially if you love carbs and want to include them at a future date, doesn’t teach you how to actually create a sustainable lifestyle change.

And something we can do consistently is ultimately what helps us achieve the best result.

So don’t demonize a macro because someone else said so. Consider your specific needs and even your training routine.

If you’re less active? You may not need the immediate fuel of carbs so going low carb may help you lose fat.

However if you’re super active and training intensely lifting and doing cardio? Cutting your carbs super low may actually hinder your fat loss results.

Instead you may find going higher carb and lower fat ultimately allows you to feel fueled while achieving your ideal body composition.

It’s why focusing on protein while not demonizing carbs or fat but simply even potentially cycling them based on your training may be best!

Myth #2: Cardio Is Better Than Strength Training To Lose Fat

As much as I love training, as much as I think it can assist in the looking better as you lose fat…

You don’t technically need to work out at all for fat loss.

Working out in general can make the process easier, help us maintain our results long term and can help us create that calorie deficit, but we can’t out exercise our diet.

And often in our attempts to create more of a calorie deficit through exercise, we sabotage our fat loss results.

The focus of our workouts shouldn’t be on how many calories we burned. It should be on moving better and building muscle even so we look leaner, stay healthier and even help ourselves avoid metabolic adaptations as we do lose fat.

So if our workouts aren’t really a tool for fat loss, why are we told we need to do more cardio if we want to lose weight?

Studies have shown you burn more calories during a cardio session. And because of these studies, mainstream media started touting the benefits of cardio for weight loss.

You may even have seen those benefits yourself when you started running after a long time off.

Simply increasing our activity helps us burn more calories. So even without changing our diet at first, we begin to lose weight from those extra calories being burned.

And cardio, especially to start, burns more calories on average than strength training sessions.

However, over time you adjust and adapt to those cardio sessions. It’s why you can run or cycle further faster without fatiguing.

But those gains in your endurance also mean you don’t need or use as much energy.

So even though your watch may say you still burned a ton of calories, your body has become more efficient and you aren’t utilizing as much energy as you did when you first started.

It’s why you may feel like you’re not getting the same results as you once did from those same cardio sessions.

Not to mention, if you’re constantly trying to do MORE in order to burn more calories, you may be holding yourself back and actually creating more metabolic adaptions as you diet and lose weight.

Steady-state cardio can be catabolic to muscle tissue and losing muscle mass can negatively impact our metabolic rate.

Muscle takes more energy to maintain AND it becomes harder to build and retain lean muscle mass as we get older, which may be why we feel like it gets harder to lose weight the older we get!

This is why focusing less on cardio and actually more on strength can be so key.

Not only is it easier to constantly create progressive overload in our strength workouts, BUT we can also help ourselves build lean muscle which will help us keep our metabolic rate healthier and burn more calories even when at rest.

Fighting to maintain that lean muscle even while working to lose fat will help you achieve better body recomposition results and maintain those results long term.

So while you may have turned to cardio in the past, you may actually see better fat loss results by cutting back on cardio as you get leaner while focusing more and more on strength work.

Of course if you love cardio, you do not need to cut it out and the best results happen when we create a sustainable routine, but it may be a reason, besides even better performance for the cardio activities you love, that you do include some strength training in your routine!

(For even more on Is Cardio Key For Weight Loss?, check out this Fitness Hacks Podcast.)

Myth #3: Tracking is restrictive

Tracking is not fun. It’s tedious. Boring. Overwhelming to start. Annoying.

All of those things.

But it isn’t restrictive.

What IS restrictive is our MINDSET toward it.

It’s because we don’t recognize that the tracking is just data.

Just like you measure out ingredients so your cake turns out instead of looking like a burnt mess, you want to measure your food to create the recipe that leads to your body recomposition results.

We aren’t measuring necessarily to cut things out. But simply to make sure we get the right portions to match our needs and goals.

Tracking isn’t just for weight loss. It can help us gain muscle, fuel better. Recognize foods that may even be giving us digestive issues.

We can track to make sure we’re even optimally fueling for our sport to set a PR in our next race.

So we need to separate tracking from restriction in our minds.

Because that food logger isn’t judging – you are!

(For more on why Tracking Is Key, click HERE!)

SUMMARY:

We have to remember that we are each unique and one size doesn’t fit all. So don’t fall prey to fat loss myths that would lead you to create restrictive diets or train for hours upon hours doing cardio.

Focus on smalls sustainable changes based on your current routine and get ready to be consistent as those results take time to add up!

If you’re ready to dial in your workouts and your diet so they work together to get you the best results possible, check out my Macro Hacks!

–> Macro Hacks

The Most UNDERRATED Dumbbell Upper Body Exercise

The Most UNDERRATED Dumbbell Upper Body Exercise

by | Jun 19, 2021 | Blog, Exercises

I feel like there are always moves that sort of get “forgotten.”

They fall out of popularity or get hated on because of one specific issue, or don’t seem “hard enough” and then people stop using them.

Even when they’re crazy amazing and beneficial.

One such move is the pull over.

This upper body exercise is controversial and often overlooked yet it is truly an amazing and efficient upper body move.

So why is it often overlooked and underrated? And what’s the controversy when it comes to pull overs?

The pull over has fallen out of popularity because it became demonized for causing shoulder pain.

Much like squats and lunges are blamed for knee pain and deadlifts for lower back pain, pull overs are blamed for causing shoulder pain.

But none of these moves are evil, they are just often misused. And often misunderstood.

While the pull over may not be right for someone with shoulder impingement issues or restricted shoulder mobility, it is an amazing move for anyone without current shoulder issues.

We have to remember that just because a move may not be right for someone WITH an injury or issue who can’t recruit the correct muscles, doesn’t mean it isn’t right for someone without any issues at all.

And demonizing and fearing the pull over for causing shoulder pain may be causing you to miss out on an absolutely amazing compound upper body move.

One that could actually even keep your shoulders healthy and happy long-term.

A move that is incredibly efficient at working your upper body, making it great for anyone short on time and looking to work multiple large muscles all at once.

So if pull overs are so amazing, why are they so controversial?

Part of the pull over debate is…

What do pull over actually work?

Are they a back exercise?

Or a chest exercise?

Or even a tricep movement?

There has long been a debate about which training day, pull overs should be placed on.

But the simple answer is….

Pull overs actually work all three of those areas!

They can even be used to strengthen your serratus anterior.

So if you’re really looking for a full upper body workout all in one move? The pull over may just be the answer you’re looking for.

When you do the dumbbell pull over, you can lie fully supported with the entire length of your back on a bench or even with just your upper back on the bench. Especially if you’re just starting out and going lighter, plus want the extra glute and ab work, the upper back only variation is great.

If you’re looking to really max out on loads and have built up the strength, you may want to perform the pull over with your back fully supported so you aren’t tempted to use the momentum of dropping your hips as you pull over.

You will want to keep your elbows soft as you reach the weight back overhead. Do not lock out your elbows. However if you end up only bending or extending at your elbow, you’re going to turn this isn’t more of a tricep move than a lat or chest one.

Feel a stretch through your lats as you reach overhead. Then really focus on pulling your elbows back down and over your head as you pull the weight back up toward the ceiling.

Think about the sides of your back working as you pull the weight over to make sure you’re engaging your chest and lats.

Then slowly extend back overhead to repeat.

You can also vary how much you activate each muscle by when you use the move in your workout.

The pull over may be a great move to include toward the end of your chest day to fully fatigue the muscle.

Or it can be a great way to create a bit of pre-fatigue for the lats and establish that mind-body connection when used earlier in your workout on a back day.

It is also a great accessory lift if you’re working to improve your pull ups!

But do NOT fear this amazing upper body move!

If you’re including pull up work or overhead pressing? You have the mobility to include pull overs!

Just start light and build up.

Remember every move is only as good as our implementation.

But if you need a very effective compound moves to target…well…debatably almost every muscle of your upper body (at least almost), you want to include the pull over in your routine!

For a great follow along workout I did including the pull over, click below!

Try This Dumbbell Upper Body Workout! 

5 MOBILITY Moves To Do Every Day

5 MOBILITY Moves To Do Every Day

by | Jun 5, 2021 | Blog, Exercises, Foam Rolling, Functional Fitness, Pain Relief

Use it or lose it.

If we want to move well, we need to be intentional with our training. We need to do things to restore proper joint range of motion, flexibility and even stability.

We can just constantly smash our bodies into the ground and expect not to get injured.

That’s why it is key at points we not only regress to progress but focus on getting the correct muscles working while addressing postural distortions, limitations caused by previous injuries and even areas of immobility from our repetitive jobs and often sedentary lifestyles.

That’s why we need to include mobility work in our daily routine, even simply as part of our warm up before our workouts – whether we are lifting, doing interval training, running or cycling.

Our warm ups should include a 3-Part Prehab Process of Foam Rolling, Stretching and Activation.

This way we can relax overactive muscles, improve our joint range of motion and activate underactive muscles to be able to move better and use the correct muscles more efficiently when we train.

This can not only help us avoid compensations, overload and injury but even help us get better benefits from our actual training sessions.

So what are 5 amazing mobility moves you can do every day?

5 Amazing Mobility Moves To Do Every Day:

Move #1: Foam Roller Snow Angels

We spend so much time hunched over a computer, driving in the car or texting on our phones.

Not to mention neck and shoulder pain are an all too common complaint.

That’s why it’s key we work on reversing the constant forward flexion and stretch out our chests while improving our shoulder mobility.

The Foam Roller Snow Angels are a great way to do that!

This is a great move to use even before bed to relax after a long day.

To do the Foam Roller Snow Angels, lie on a roller with it straight down your spine and your head supported.

Let your arms fall open and swing them up overhead into a Y position. Feel a nice stretch through your chest.

Then slowly sweep them own and out to your sides and down toward you feet. Hold in any place and relax the backs of your hands toward the ground to feel a nice stretch.

Even actively engage your back to stretch your chest as you sweep your arms down toward your feet and back overhead.

Move #2: Teres Minor Foam Rolling

Rotator cuff injuries are an all too common issue.

And one rotator cuff muscle that can often become overworked and lead to shoulder pain is the Teres Minor. Trigger points in this muscle can lead to shoulder pain and even referred pain down your arm.

Especially if you are working to improve your shoulder mobility, or planning an upper body workout, it can be key to roll out this muscle prior to help prevent it from compensating during your training.

To roll out your Teres Minor, a ball works best. You are basically going to be rolling out the back of your armpit as you reach your hand overhead on the ground. You want to be able to relax into the ball so make sure you aren’t holding up your weight with that arm.

You can do this against a wall to reduce the pressure if needed, reaching your arm overhead.

As you hold, breathe into it. You aren’t rolling quickly. You can move your arm down and back overhead as you hold.

Move #3: Superman Wave

Activate the muscles of your backside with this amazing move. The Superman Wave is a great move to improve your shoulder and scapular mobility and stability as well as your thoracic extension. It is even a great glute activation move that works to improve your hip hyperextension.

The key is correctly working to extend your thoracic spine as you engage your glutes to NOT overload your lower back.

Too often when we do moves like this or the basic superman, we try to rely only on our lower back. But we want to make sure muscles, like our glutes, are doing the work they should to actually prevent our lower back from becoming overworked.

If you’ve been doing the basic superman, take the move to the next level and garner even more shoulder and scapular benefits by adding in the wave.

To do this move, set up as if doing the basic superman. As you lift your chest and quads up off the ground, focus on using your glutes to lift as you extend your mid back. Do not rely on your lower back.

Squeezing your glutes to lift your legs, feel your upper back working to lift your arms. Holding this superman position, sweep one arm out to the side and down. Then bring it back overhead and switch to sweep your arm down on the other side.

Keep everything engaged to stabilize and hold yourself up as you feel that scapular movement as you sweep your arm.

Feel the backs of your shoulders working as well as your entire upper back. Remember to also feel those glutes working to extend your hips over relying on your lower back!

Beginners may modify if they feel their lower back taking over by keeping their legs down.

This is a great move to use as part of your activation in your warm up routine after you foam roll and stretch.

Move #4: Posterior Adductor Rolling

When you’ve attempted to do glute moves, have you ever felt that area under your butt and toward your groin working instead?

Or do you constantly have piriformis issues you can’t seem to clear up?

You may need to pay attention to those posterior fibers of your adductor magnus.

When we think of our adductors, we think of movements where we are adducting (or drawing our legs together). And we may even think of hip flexion since they do contribute to that joint action.

That is, except for the posterior fibers of the adductor Magnus which can contribute to external rotation and hip extension on top of adduction.

This puts these muscle fibers in a unique position to become overworked if our glute maximus and medius are underactive.

So to help yourself better activate your glutes, try rolling this muscle before your activation moves.

To do the posterior adductor foam rolling, a ball works best up on a bench or box. Place the ball toward your groin under your butt. And sit on the ball. Hold and breathe, don’t roll quickly.

You can also extend your leg out and then relax your leg to help the muscle relax and release as you hold.

You can do this on a roller or off the ground, you just won’t be able to apply as much pressure. This is good if you find you can’t fully relax when sitting on the ball. You do not want to tense against the pressure.

Move #5: Mini Band Glute Bridge with Abduction

Activate your glute maximus and medius with this one amazing bridge variation. Bridging is a great way to isolate those glutes and work to improve your hip mobility and stability.

By adding the band and abduction, you help activate your glute medius better to improve your hip stability. And it can also help you activate your glute max better to prevent your hamstrings from compensating.

If you have lower back, hip or even knee pain, this is a must-do warm up move to include before your lower body lifting sessions, runs or rides.

To do the Mini Band Glute Bridge with Abduction, place a mini band around your legs above your knees. Lie on your back and place your feet together on the ground, just beyond your fingertips when your arms are down by your sides.

Bend your elbows and press your upper arms into the ground. Your legs should be together as you even create tension through your upper body.

Perform a posterior pelvic tilt, pressing your lower back into the ground as you tuck your hips toward your ribs.

Bridge up, driving your knees toward your toes. At the top of the bridge, press your knees open against the band.

Press open to feel the sides of your butt working then bring your legs back together and lower down. Do not let the band pull you.

Bridge back up. Make sure not to arch your lower back but focus on your glutes driving the hip extension. And really feel your glute medius working to press your knees open against the band.

SUMMARY:

Using these 5 moves you can work to improve your mobility and stability from head to toe.

They are great moves to use even as part of your warm up or as a separate prehab routine.

You can even include them as a series, performing even a single round through, working for 30 seconds per move or side.

–> Foam Roll + Stretch + Activate = The COMPLETE Prehab Process

Leg Lowers – You’re Doing it WRONG (3 tips to help)

Leg Lowers – You’re Doing it WRONG (3 tips to help)

by | May 30, 2021 | Blog, Bodyweight, Core, Exercises, Pain Relief

Constantly feel your lower back or hip flexors during ab moves like leg lowers?

Do you just push through figuring your lower back is weak?

STOP!

Not only is this NOT helping you get the desired ab strengthening results you’re trying to work toward but it may also result in lower back and even hip aches and pains.

Here are 3 common mistakes I see people making with leg lower ab exercises and how to avoid them!

Mistake #1: Putting Your Hands Behind Your Lower Back

Stop cheating yourself out of really earning this move.

Putting your hands behind your lower back is a bandaid, a quick fix.

While yes, it can help you avoid lower back pain in the moment, it isn’t teaching you to actually use your abs correctly to protect your back and stabilize.

It allows you to do a move you haven’t truly earned.

Instead you need to regress to progress and modify the exercise to learn how to build up and engage your abs correctly.

Because you aren’t feeling your lower back because it is weak. You’re feeling your lower back because your abs aren’t yet strong enough, or you don’t have the mind-body connection yet, to keep them braced throughout.

Instead of pushing through this variation, if you want to get the full ab strengthening benefits, modify the move doing a single leg lower or even bent knee tuck.

It is always better to modify and get the correct muscles working than to push through a harder variation and compensate.

Modifying doesn’t mean you’re making it easier. It means you’re making it the level you need to work the muscles you want to target best!

You may even find you have to go back to that basic pelvic tilt movement and learn how to engage those abs and glutes correctly to stabilize and brace before adding movement!

Mistake #2: Swinging Your Legs

Leg lowers do work your hip flexors as they are a hip flexion movement.

And your abs are working to stabilize and protect your back.

But if to rush through this movement you start to swing your legs, you’re not going to get any of the benefit this move can have for your abs.

And you’re probably going to start to feel your lower back engaging as your hip flexors fatigue especially.

So stop swinging your legs and rushing through just to get the workout done.

Instead slow down the movement.

Focus on engaging your GLUTES even as you lower your legs a few inches from the ground. And even think about pulling your legs back up using your abs so you get that brace going as you lift.

Slow the movement down and focus on that control and what muscles you actually feel working.

Get more out of every second of work by being intentional!

Mistake #3: Not Focusing On Bracing Your Abs

Too often we just replicate a movement pattern without really being conscious of the muscles we feel working until we are in pain.

We let our lower back take over during this move and just keep pushing through.

We want to get the workout over with or we figure our lower back is weak.

But what we feel working during a move is what is going to “benefit” so to speak from the exercise.

So if you want to work your abs but you only feel your lower back?

Your abs aren’t getting the benefit of this move you’d like.

That’s why it is key you regress to progress and learn how to use that posterior pelvic tilt to your advantage.

While yes our spine has a natural curve, we want to know how to engage our glutes and abs using that posterior pelvic tilt.

Before you even start any level of the leg lowers move, lie on your back on the ground and think about engaging those lower abs to tuck your hips slightly toward your ribs. Even feel your glutes engage with the tuck.

From here you can do a bent knee march, double knee tuck, single leg lift or those killer double leg lowers.

But you should only advance as long as you can keep those abs braced.

If you lose that brace, you need to regress or shorten the interval of work, cutting back on time or reps.

Trying to do more without the correct muscles working is only going to backfire.

SUMMARY:

As much as we all want to do those fun and challenging exercise variations, at times we need to regress to progress and take our ego out of things.

Learn how to engage those abs correctly and build up to earn that harder move so you can get more out of every rep of that amazing leg lower ab exercise!

For an amazing Lower Ab Workout, give this burner a try! It’s a great way to finish off your workouts!

–> Lower Ab Burner