One of my biggest pet peeves is when doctors and other medical practitioners don’t take the time to explain and educate their patients the basics of their anatomy and why their injury occurred (called the injury mechanism). Today, I want to briefly go over the anatomy of the low back and cover some of theContinue reading What Causes Low Back Pain?
Welcome back to Squat University! If you’re dealing with an injury while lifting – this is a good starting place. In the blogs below you’ll find links to many of the common places you will find aches/pains when lifting. In these blogs you’ll learn WHY these injuries occur and also some of the best firstContinue reading Common Lifting Injuiies
Imagine for a moment you got the chance to drive your dream sports car. As you sit in the drivers seat, you can feel the engine roar beneath your feet. Your body is pulled back into the seat as you step on the accelerator. After a few hours of driving you glance at the dashboardContinue reading Is It Really “No Pain, No Gain”?
Welcome back to Squat University! Last week we started a discussion on overhead mobility. We introduced two screens that can expose overhead mobility problems that can affect your barbell lifts (snatch, overhead squat, etc). This week, I want to share with you a few of my favorite mobility exercises to address these weak links. MobilizeContinue reading How to Improve Overhead Mobility
If I had to single out one exercise that most athletes struggle with, it would be the overhead squat. There are so many variables that could hurt your overhead squat technique. Recently we discussed how to improve this lift by addressing problems with scapular stability. This week we are going to address another limiting factor,Continue reading The Squat Fix: Screening Overhead Mobility
Welcome back to Squat University! Last week we started a conversation on scapular stability. The muscles that control the scapula help stabilize the barbell during an overhead squat or snatch movement in a strong and safe position. Previously, we introduced the T & Y screen as a tool to expose possible weak links our scapularContinue reading How to Improve Overhead Stability
Imagine for a moment a young boy helping his father set up a tall ladder. The young boy kneels at the base of the ladder, firmly securing it to the ground. The father then pushes the ladder upwards, leaning it against the side of their house. This illustration is precisely what happens at your shoulderContinue reading How to Screen for Overhead Stability
During a recent Squat University seminar, I was approached by an athlete who wondered why I had asked everyone to show me his or her squat with their toes straightforward. This was definitely not the first time I’ve been asked this question. There’s a lot of controversy in the fitness world today when it comesContinue reading Toes Forward or Angled Out When You Squat?
I was recently working with a weightlifter that was trying to get over some nagging knee pain. During our session I had her perform a few sets of heavy back squats so I could watch her technique. Before she would approach the bar, I noticed she would take the weightlifting belt hanging around her waistContinue reading How to Use a Weightlifting Belt
I recently watched a DVD on overhead throwing athletes and rehabilitation that featured Mike Reinold and Eric Cressey. Reinold is a well-known physical therapist (owns and operates Champion PT in Massachusetts). Cressey is a widely respected and highly educated strength and conditioning coach. Anyways, on the DVD Cressey spoke about the injury threshold of aContinue reading Why You Should Squat Heavy
