Most Popular Articles on this site

Recently had a question from a reader regarding a patient who had a previous Laminectomy with residual atrophy to R calf musculature (Unable to perform a single leg heel raise). Subsequently this patient was also experiencing hamstring pain as well. A couple of the exercises that were trialed was isometric hamstring contractions in the supine 90-90 position which were performed without increased symptoms. However when the knee was extended and a bridge was performed with a long lever arm it caused a flare up in the clients symptoms....keep reading

Joe Heiler PT, CSCS
In this episode I'll show how to perform a soft tissue release for the pec major and minor using Graston Technique that is really easy on the patient and on your hands. Of course there are a number of other ways to do this but this is one of my personal favorites....keep reading

Nick recently released his DVD "Joint Friendly Strength Training" so I wanted to get him on to discuss his training ideas and how this DVD could be helpful to coaches, trainers, and clinicians. As many of you know, Nick's quite a creative guy and always pushing the boundries. He was nice enough to give away a few of his training 'secrets' for the shoulder, knee, back, and wrist/hand so sit back and enjoy....keep reading

Bill Hartman is a physical therapist and strength coach out of Indianapolis. Bill has teamed up with Mike Robertson to open up Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training, and he is a contributing writer to Men's Health Magazine. In this interview, Bill discusses his evaluation process and introducing fatigue into the process, assessing core strength, how he uses ART to go after the "money muscles", determining if muscles are stiff or short when using flexibility strategies, and some great business tips on attracting and retaining clients....keep reading

Mike discusses his new DVD set - Functional Strength Coach 3.0, how it differs from the first two, his "Death of the Traditional Squat" video, Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats, mobility and flexibility circuits, and more....keep reading

The squat is an obvious choice for total lower body strength. An excellent activity for building strength, power, capacity in the quads and glutes among other musculature....keep reading

Back with the final Q & A segment with Gray Cook. In this episode Gray talks about movement progressions using a movement based approach to address motor control versus the traditional kinesiology approach of treating muscles. Gray takes me through some corrections for the deep overhead squat from fundamental patterning on through static and dynamic patterning with assistance and resistance. Great stuff as always and big thanks to Gray and his staff for producing these videos!...keep reading

Today's post is all about a mistake I made this past week in the clinic. We all are not effective as we want to be all the time. It's important that we reflect on patients to continually develop and become more efficient as a clinician....keep reading

Zach Long is well known for his rehabilitation of performance based athletes, most notably barbell athletes. In this interview we dive deep into the two subjects he enjoys talking most about which are squats and blood flow restriction training. Zach is great at simplifying complex topics down to the nuts and bolts and how it impacts his practice. In this interview he provides a lot of key take home points that you are not going to want to miss out on!...keep reading

In this interview, Erson discusses his passion for the manual therapies, new and exciting areas of study, his new EDGE Mobility Bands, how he uses the MDT approach in the spine and extremities, as well as combining MDT and the SFMA. I've also linked up to Erson's video showing his MDT resets....keep reading

Joe Heiler PT, CSCS
This is a short article I wrote over on my blog (www.elitepttc.com) covering the technical aspects of performing the front plank correctly, and how to make it a much more challenging exercise. I've started printing out the articles as handouts which have gone over real well with my patients and athletes. Been finding that they've been passing them along to their family members, friends, and even other trainers too so feel free to use them 'as is' or change them a bit to fit your needs. Can't beat free marketing!...keep reading

Gaining strength after ACL surgery can be a difficult and frustrating process. Here are the TOP 5 strength exercises I include no matter what graft was used for the surgery....keep reading

If your clients are struggling with unilateral weakness, this is a great way to start strengthening them while taking the client through a locomotor pattern....keep reading

Lance Todd, the President of Barefoot Science, along with Dave Lemke and Scott Grisewood discuss the technology behind the Arch Activation Foot Strengthening System™, how they're different from traditional orthotics, and the changes that can be seen in posture, strength, and performance measures. We also discuss surface EMG looking at muscle activation patterns in the gait cycle and other movement patterns, as well as how Barefoot Science can improve these measures and movements through increased proprioceptive feedback, and finally how this contributes to injury resistance and enhanced performance....keep reading

Gray Cook PT and Lee Burton ATC
My introduction to the FMS came about 3 years ago at a Perform Better Summit and my career has been changed for the better since. I was lucky enough to run into Gray at the airport after the event and pick his brain a bit more on the subject. I always thought of myself as a "big picture" guy but after talking to him I realized I had only really scratched the surface. Check out the article and you'll see what I mean. There will definitely be more to come on the FMS! Joe Heiler...keep reading

Michael Lehr
The Body Armor Program was developed at Lebanon Valley College by Michael Lehr, basically incorporating the FMS and Y Balance Test into the athletic programs. This short write up is from the NCAA magazine earlier this year. I though it was a great idea, and certainly something other members on here could realistically look at doing. The article is short on specifics, but maybe I can get Mike on here sometime to go into more detail....keep reading

Nick is an up and coming strength coach who's always tinkering with convention. Nick gives some great examples of his exercise modifications, as well as some of his training philosophy, core training and asymmetrical loading, loading skills, and much more.....keep reading

Dan John is a one of a kind strength coach with a wealth of experience in the trenches as a coach, a competitive lifter, and still a competitive thrower. Dan will talk about his basic philosophy of strength and conditioning, how his warm-ups are definitely not 'traditional', if something is important why you should do it everyday, the genius of the goblet squat and Turkish Get-Up, his book "Never Let Go", and lots more. Dan is an great speaker so get ready to be entertained and educated....keep reading

Tim DiFrancesco DPT, ATC, CSCS is a physical therapist and strength coach working with the LA Lakers. In this interview, Tim talks about his role with the Lakers, common basketball injuries, using a movement based approach in professional sports, addressing common movement dysfunctions as part of the rehab process, injury prediction and prevention....keep reading

In this interview, Craig discusses the idea of 'Core Stability', advances in the biomechanical model, the role of pain and the CNS as described in Lederman's: "The Myth of Core Stability", and training the core reflexively. Craig also talks about his new DVD set on Functional Training, gives some great examples to improve traditional exercises, plus some new ideas using lunge patterns, and more....keep reading