The bird dog, traditionally programmed for people who either are doing some low back rehab or trying to work on some spinal stability, can be one tough exercise. Rotary stability, glute activation, anterior core control, scapular stability, and lower trap development. Very few athletes, coaches, and clinicians understand how valuable the bird dog can be beyond simply a rehab exercise....

The muscle-up is a CrossFit skill that often takes athletes a long time to develop and perfect. I’ve previously published two articles (1 and 2) to help you create a framework for developing this movement. The drills give you a great progression to get your first muscle-up. BUT THERE IS ONE PROBLEM… WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE PROPER MUSCLE-UP MOBILITY?...

Weightlifting Mobility Needs As much as any other sport, Olympic weightlifting requires incredible mobility if an athlete is to perform the lifts with proper technique and lift maximum weights. Without enough mobility, athletes will lack full depth and positioning, as well as expose themselves to potential injuries. Olympic weightlifting mobility Thoracic Spine A mobile thoracic spine is crucial to the...

STOP STATIC STRETCHING TO IMPROVE HIP MOBILITY The fitness world has come a long way in our understanding of the importance mobility work has on athletic performance. Mobility tools and drills are becoming commonplace in gyms, CrossFit boxes, and on the playing field. Unfortunately, most athletes performing these hip mobility drills have yet to figure out that much of their mobility...

TRX and other suspension trainers are one of the most versatile pieces of equipment for the physical therapist, chiropractor, or other rehab professionals to use in the treatment of injuries. The exercise variety and ease of quickly altering the load of the exercise makes it great for individuals of all fitness levels. I’m thrilled to share this compilation of the...

As we previously covered in Parts I and II, blood flow restriction training has emerged as a game-changing rehab and performance tools. While traditional resistance exercise strength & hypertrophy must be done with heavy loads, blood flow restriction is the opposite. With blood flow restriction strength and hypertrophy gains have been shown in research at loads as low as 20%...

Blood flow restriction training has received huge amounts of attention in the strength & conditioning, rehabilitation, and research worlds. Its’ proponents cite huge amounts of research showing it a valuable tool for promoting strength and hypertrophy gains. In the first of this article, series, we will do a general overview of the science behind blood flow restriction training. In part 2,...

NOTE: if you are interested in diving deep into exercise after pregnancy, please check out Dr. Sarah Ellis Duvall’s course POST-PARTUM CORRECTIVE EXERCISE SPECIALIST! When we look at postpartum recovery I see two kinds of women at the one-year postpartum mark: one is super fit, athletic and frankly looks like she never had a child (even though she has had...

Overhead Lifting After An Injury In the following video, I discuss my three favorite exercises for athletes returning to overhead lifting after an injury. Training during an injury is important for maintaining health & fitness. Returning to overhead lifting after an injury can be difficult and for the fitness athlete or the CrossFitter, Olympic weightlifter. Because, almost every single workout...