The overhead squat provides a significant challenge to many athletes. The combination of lower body power, core stability, and overhead strength can humble many respectable athletes. If you practice the Olympic lifts or CrossFit, then this is a skill set you must master for optimal performance. Before we dive into some of my favorite drills to improve the overhead squat,...

In sports and fitness, the ability to get your body into proper positions is incredibly important to properly executing movements with efficiency to maximize performance. Fortunately, most athletes and coaches understand this principle and are programming mobility work with the hopes of improving their performance. BUT more often than not, the mobility work they are using isn’t good enough to...

The Most Overlooked Training Variable: Training Volume When athletes exercise or coaches program training plans, there is no lack of attention to sets, reps, variation in exercises, and providing sufficient stimulus for adaptations to occur. But the most overlooked training variable I see both from a performance standpoint, and an injury factor is training volume. Often athletes will blame their...

Commonly when lifting weights, we see the body choose to move in such a way as to bias its strengths and protect its’ weaknesses. That is because the human body is an efficient organism trying to complete any task using the easiest available route. The good-morning squat is a great example of an athlete moving is this manner. Note: for...

I’m really excited this week to have Josh Jeffery of Carolina Performance Training join us to discuss the need for fitness athletes to develop their aerobic energy system. This is often skipped over in the fitness world but greater aerobic fitness will improve performance greatly. Josh does a fantastic job sharing the need to develop aerobic fitness, the limiters of...

The back squat is considered by most in the strength & conditioning world to be the king of all lifts, BUT what do we do when our squat progress stops? How do we address our specific weak points limiting progression? Try these squat variations to address your specific problem areas! Note: for more details on diagnosing squat weaknesses, check out...

Blood flow restriction training has recently emerged as a game-changer in the rehab and sports performance worlds. While typically strength & hypertrophy gains aren’t seen without lifting weights greater than 65% of an individual’s one-rep maximum, with blood flow restriction training (BFR) similar gains have been seen with loads as low as 20% of an individual’s 1RM! Even more impressive...

A hamstring strain can be one of those stubborn injuries that far too often become recurring injuries or a more chronic strain. Their high rate of recurrence is usually due to a lack of careful rehabilitation and training following the injury. If you are experiencing chronic hamstring strains, there is a specific and well-understood way to begin to exercise the...

Back pain and injuries happen when you’ve trained hard and long enough. While I will be the FIRST medical professional to tell you that he,avy training should not be avoided and that long term back strength is great for your health, there are times where athletes need to alter training to decrease loading on their low back. But what if...