IT’S a DAMN SHAME! I say,… The Cat-Cow is a wonderful exercise that I give many of patients with “stiff” or “stuck” low back pain because of the awesome light they shed on what is really restricted in their movement pattern. It exposes which angles are flaring up their pain sensitivities in the low back with a simple animal themed movement! Watch below…
The question is as old as time itself: Why do my knees crack and pop? Ever since man has first squatted down to make a fire or defecate (see my last blog post to learn more), he has heard these noises and wondered what the heck those snaps and crackles were! Well, there are a few possibilities of what you COULD be hearing in your knees or [insert any joint you have heard] are making sounds and unless you are having a unique amount of excruciating pain and can weight-bear easily with no functional deficits, there is a good chance you are experiencing one of the below phenomenon. Check it out below!
A lot of the times my patients want to take it easy on the count of their knees or joints being a bit “inflamed,” weak or tight. There are a myriad of reason you may have a knee that feels this way and I would highly suggest that you see a qualified physical therapist before making any sudden decisions regarding that knee.
Before I move on though and in relation to the point above, there is one thing most people forget:
Miami's fitness scene can be hard on your shoulders. Whether you're crushing waves on South Beach or tackling weight racks at Elev8tion Fitness, aches and pains can sideline your workout goals. But what if the key to relief isn't just in your shoulders, but in the silent partners holding them up - your scapulae (those winged things on your back)?
Yadila came in with a quick burst of neck pain that was unrelenting. Being the manager of a boxing gym, she needed to be able to move around to assist in the clean up, intake and other duties associated with running a 200+ member club. After a only a few brief contacts, Yadila recovered greatly. She started in agony and finished like sshe never had an issue at all. It was a pleasure working with her from day one and I hope she continues her incredible progress.
Women are capable of performing any fitness routine a man can do. That’s obvious. But, sometimes personal trainers and fitness media outlets like to frame females as if they are incapable of doing, or should not be doing, the same types of exercises a man should. Now, I understand that women and men, on the whole, tend to have different goals, but I don’t think it’s really necessary to completely overhaul the tenants of what effective training is to achieve these goals.
Neglecting the long head is a common pitfall. The long head of your bicep is a huge stabilizer of the shoulder joint in general (see photo below to check out how it is right up in there with the rotator cuff tendons). This can lead to shoulder imbalances and potential injuries. By incorporating different arm positions, you ensure both heads contribute equally, promoting well-rounded bicep development and shoulder stability.
It’s great for when people have restrictions across planes of movement: A lot of people benefit from cupping because the therapist can place them across an area of restriction and have the patient do active and passive movements which can free up some of the areas of perceived tightness across tissue planes that wouldn’t typically have that otherwise⠀⠀
Dr. Rob's back, and today we're debunking your sh*%%^ form with a relatively common core exercise, the cable crunch. Cable crunches are an awesome way to sculpt your six-pack, but many folks fall into the trap of using momentum and hip flexors instead of firing up their abs. Let's break it down and make those crunches count!
The cable crunch targets the rectus abdominis, the ONLY muscle behind that coveted six-pack. It works through an isotonic contraction, meaning the muscle lengthens and shortens as you pull the weight down. In, other words, no, your planks aren’t going to make the big difference here. The muscles want to work like any other that you train!
But here's the catch: people often rely too much on their hip flexors, those strong muscles connecting your upper thigh to your pelvis. They crank their torso down with minimal midsection movement, turning the exercise into a leg-powered pull.
Watch my video here before you read below to learn the technique
Ditch the hip swing and anchor your upper body. Imagine locking your torso in a vice from the bottom of the sternum through your arms and neck, keeping the rope in your hands pressed against the top of your head like youre holding a charades card against your head. Now, focus on pulling your sternum (that's the bottom of your chest) towards your pelvis, initiating the crunch from your midsection, not your hips. This simple shift puts the spotlight on your rectus abdominis, maximizing muscle activation and building that six-pack definition.
Master the Mind-Muscle Connection: Don't just let the weight pull you back up. As you slowly "un-crunch," actively feel your abdominal muscles stretch and lengthen. Imagine extending your stomach out towards the weight stack, resisting its pull until you reach the starting position. This slow, controlled return amplifies the muscle engagement and adds an extra burn to your workout.
Remember, perfect form trumps heavy weights every time. So ditch the momentum, embrace the controlled crunch, and let your mind-muscle connection be your guide. Your abs will thank you for it!
See you next time for more exercise breakdowns and valuable tips. Dr. Rob, always here to help you conquer your fitness goals!
BOOM! Easy way to elongate the posterior tissues of the knee after a replacement or injury. Things can be very tight, so it is wise to take it east and try not to bash too much of this exercise in a short window. Always keep the pain induced from this passive exercise below a 5/10 at first and slowly build up with increased time and weight as tolerated. Marathon, not a race...
Welcome to another installment of Recycled Instagram Posts. After all, these would probably go unnoticed if I didn’t shove them in your face again, like a dog being scolded for for going pee on the carpet. Enjoy this video and subsequent commentary on glute activation, timing and how you can improve your strength or decrease that low back ache/tiredness you get with hip extension tasks like we see in the gym!
Don't ditch core work entirely, though. A strong core acts like a support team, working alongside your back muscles for optimal spinal stability. But the next time low back pain strikes, remember: forget endless crunches, embrace back-building exercises, and give your lumbar spine the love it deserves!
"Damn I look good in a mirror. I’m definitely somewhere around 10-14% BF right now, but my chest is pretty damn big. And I know why it is. I do mad bench, like I'm hitting that flat bench, chest press, incline chest press and uh... oh, decline bench press. Like I’m hittin chest 2x/week but Im hitting it hard. Bench press, decline bench, incline bench, dumbbell flies. Yes it is nice to put up big numbers. Tuck those shoulders down and in, arch your back and puff out your chest. Get like 3 reps and feel those shredded meat slabs you call a chest burn baby burn."
