Is Weight Lifting with a Rounded Back Safe? In recent years, there has been an increasing debate in strength and conditioning circles about the safety of lifting with a rounded or flexed lower back. Traditionally, strength and rehab experts have advocated for maintaining a neutral spine position during lifts, arguing that it reduces the risk of injury. But as more...

The Best Jefferson Curl Variations Learn about the different variations of the Jefferson curl exercise and their benefits in this video from Dr. Zach Long. These Jefferson Curl variations are great for improving spinal flexion stiffness and for rebuilding strength & control for individuals rehabbing flexion-intolerant low back pain. Standard Jefferson Curl The Standard Jefferson Curl exercise is a powerful...

Whether you want to PR your squats and deadlifts, or need a stronger back to reduce low back pain flare-ups, you need to be doing these exercises. While they don’t replace the back strength built with compound movements like the deadlift, these accessory moves are great supplemental work to build low back strength up with less overall fatigue. This video...

The deadlift is one of the best exercises for improving whole-body strength. Hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors, traps, and grip strength all in one! But for many athletes, every deadlift workout leaves them with an aching back or, worse, makes them avoid the movement altogether. This video will cover the most common technique issues to address if you are trying to...

Romanian Deadlift Variations The Romanian Deadlift is one of the best exercises for building posterior chain strength. This exercise will build stronger erector spinae, glutes, and hamstrings. But having variations of this great movement will give you multiple ways to continue progress by slightly varying the stimulus imposed as you change variations.   Romanian Deadlift Start with a narrow stance...

If you are in the market for a budget-friendly reverse hyper machine, then you’ve probably explored the Westside Scout Reverse Hyper. This foldable reverse hyper comes at a significantly lower price than any other reverse hyper machine. But does that lower price tag mean it lacks features? Our Westside Scout Reverse Hyper review will break down the good and bad...

I get this question a LOT! Having back pain and getting an MRI that finds a disc herniation can be a frightening experience. And not a day goes by that I don’t answer the question of, “is it safe for me to do X exercise with a disc herniation?” Or, “what are the best exercises with a disc herniation?” The...

The deadlift trains more muscles than any other exercise. Crushing the hamstrings, glutes, back, traps, and forearms. Building deadlift strength translates to sports performance and is a great movement to incorporate into low back rehab programs. Performing the deadlift with proper technique is crucial to your long-term progress and one factor that will greatly impact your form is your limb...

The lower back is one of the most injured area of the body in fitness athletes. If you’re tired of back tweaks, or simply want to get ahead of them in the first place, then the following video will show you three of the best lower back prehab exercises. For a proven back strength & prehab accessory plan, check out...