The squat butt wink is one of the most well known of all squat movement faults. If you haven’t heard of butt wink before, it is the term used to describe the excessive rounding of the lower back as an athlete drops down into the bottom of the squat. This puts the body in a sub-optimal position for developing and...

The snatch is the fastest of all weightlifting movements. But, it is also the most mobility demanding exercise. Many athletes struggle with this movement due to their inability to get into good positioning. The following exercises are our favorite to improve your snatch mobility and get you lifting more weight! For a complete program designed to improve your mobility for...

Working on improving squat depth can be a long and frustrating journey. And while there are lots of available information on different mobility drills, it can be difficult to determine where to start. Often, I see athletes working a variety of random movements with no laid out plan for improving squat depth. For example, they are stretching their hips because...

The term squat butt wink refers to an athlete’s low back rounding as they reach the bottom position of their squat. Often, this is considered a movement fault as some low back injuries can occur when the low back rounds under heavy loads. If you are dealing with squat butt wink issues, then there few treatment strategies that can help improve your...

You walk into your gym and on the white board there it is…the overhead squat. While a few athletes will be thrilled to see this movement most of us won’t. The combination of mobility, strength, control, and coordination needed for this exercise makes it one of the most difficult for many CrossFit athletes.  But there is hope. With the assessments...

James Tatum joins me this week to discuss improving positioning in the snatch for optimal performance and decreasing excessive strain on the body. James has won three national championships in weightlifting and has extensive knowledge in prepping athletes for maximal strength. I highly recommend checking out his new eBook THE PHYSICALLY PREPARED WEIGHTLIFTER. . For more help improving your mobility,...

If you are an Olympic weightlifter or CrossFit athlete you know how important ankle mobility is for your performance. When your ankle joint moves well, you can easily hit great positions in your cleans and snatches, and your squat depth will often be limited. When you have poor ankle mobility, you’ll have to fight your own anatomy during workouts, robbing you...

Ankle mobility is, without a doubt, the most commonly found mobility limitation I see in the fitness athletes that I work with, whether that is the weekend warrior or elite Olympic weightlifter. Restricted ankle mobility can significantly alter movement patterns. It will make obtaining full depth squats very difficult, and has been associated with a  variety of injuries. Fixing stiff ankles...

The squat is the king of all exercises, unrivaled in its ability to build explosive hip strength, power, and develop athletes. But many athletes develop hip pain during squats making performing them near impossible. And when they seek treatment for this, they’re commonly met by medical professionals who don’t understand squat mechanics and waste time on treatments to address hip...