The front rack can be a very challenging position for many athletes to get into. And without a solid front rack, the Olympics lifts, front squats, and even overhead pressing become significantly harder to perform. Then, with repeated workouts involving those movements, pain begins to...
In all athletics core strength is necessary for optimal sports performance. Olympic weightlifting is no exception, especially when hundreds of pounds are rapidly lifted and even elite athletes frequently catch the barbell out of position. The following exercises are my favorite to build core strength...
I’ve seen too many patients come to my physical therapy clinic with hip pain secondary to poor advice given by mistaken trainers & therapists. While this has not been done purposely, there are several concepts that every trainer needs to know when it comes to...
The best fitness professionals have a plethora of exercises they can pull out at a moment's notice to scale a movement based on a client or athlete’s needs. Unfortunately, far too often, we see programming without sufficient scaling options to ensure safe and effective workouts...
The best fitness professionals have a plethora of exercises they can pull out at a moment's notice to scale a movement based on a client or athlete’s needs. Unfortunately, far too often, we see programming without sufficient scaling options to ensure safe and effective workouts...
If you are an Olympic weightlifter or CrossFit athlete you know how important ankle mobility is for your performance. When your ankles move well, you can easily hit great positions in your cleans and snatches, and your squat depth will often be limited. When they're...
The psoas march is among my favorite corrective exercises to prescribe for athletes needing improved lumbopelvic control. This exercise has helped athletes with everything from: Psoas strains Low back pain Squat technique Hip impingement pain “Tight” hip flexors (because often weak muscles become tense) If you are...
We've covered how specific mobility limitations, hip socket alignment, and bone lengths can impact squat performance in the last three parts of this series. In this final installment of individual differences affecting the squat technique, we will discuss sports variations. Sports Positions for the Squat Let's begin...
In Parts I and II in this series on how individual anatomical differences can impact squat performance. We covered the effects of various levels of ankle mobility, hip mobility, and hip boney anatomy. These two articles provide evidence for the need to individualize our squat...
In Part I of this series on individualizing squat technique prescriptions, we covered how an athlete’s mobility impacts their squat form. These variations in individual anatomy mean that many of the “rules” for what a proper squat should look like are false. So many of...