As many of you know I do my best to follow a joint by joint philosophy when I care for my athletes. Simply put the philosophy is that one joint can affect another. If one joint’s main function is to stabilize it allows the joints around it, which tend to be mobile, to be mobile. The quadruped ball wall pushback, as I call it, activates the lumbar spine to reflexively… Read More »Quadruped ball wall pushback – Applications
If you have read this blog before, I have expressed my personal interest in using the Kettlebell as an exercise tool and for back conditioning. Sadly, finding research on this piece of equipment is few and far between. I got lucky recently when I found a research paper by Dr Stuart McGill (One of the leading researchers in spinal biomechanics) . The paper is titled, “Kettlebell swing, snatch and bottoms-up carry: Back and… Read More »Protect the Spine: The Kettlebell Carry
Corrective exercise is a buzz word right now in the musculoskeletal health care circles (chiropractors, athletic therapists, physiotherapists etc.). What are corrective exercises? This is a difficult question to answer since there seems to be different definitions. How I define a corrective exercise. To provide a corrective exercise an examination/assessment needs to be performed where the practitioner looks for weaknesses, inflexibility, instability, hypermobility. hypomobility, imbalances, asymmetries and poor movement habits.… Read More »What is Corrective Exercise?
To prepare your spine for your work day or if you are suffering with acute lower back pain one of the exercises that I recommend is the cat-cow exercise. This is not an exercise that is intended to be a stretch or to seek greater range of motion. It is more of a mobility exercise. The cat cow exercise has been found, in as little as 5 to 8 cycles,… Read More »Exercise of the Week: Cat-Cow
The prone thoracic extension has become one of my most used corrective exercises. It seems to have multiple applications depending on the region that is a problem. Likely you will be the prone thoracic extension if you experience the following: Lack of neck extension and rotation range of motion Stiffness in the upper back Tight “traps” or “shoulders. If you remember from my earlier posts this exercise replaces my levator… Read More »Prone Thoracic Extension
Take a look at these exercises for taking care of your shoulders. There are a bunch of exercises I already give my patients, some new ones and some that I’d avoid for some of my patients. What I like is that the video promotes improving mobility in the thoracic spine, scapular stability and finally finishing it off with activities that promote motor control of all regions that aid in shoulder movement.… Read More »The Best Exercises for Crossfit Shoulder Health – YouTube
Many of the exercises that I use for my athletes may seem to be remedial but despite their simplicity they often result is many miraculous effects. Range of motion and strength improvements can sometimes be immediate. I found this article, “Low load exercises targeting the gluteal muscle group acutely enhance explosive power output in elite athletes”, which uses many of the corrective exercises that I already give to my patients.… Read More »Warm up your hips for power
One of my favourite exercises with a kettlebell is the Turkish get up. The unique part about the Turkish get up is that it takes use through a variety of movements that we should be able to perform in our daily life. These movements, primary movement patterns, are movements that are first learned within our first year of life but with an inactive lifestyle, . Examples of movement patterns are:… Read More »The Baby Get Up – Exercise and Assessment tool
Here is another one of my favourite exercises to give to my chiropractic patients for improving their ability to perform a straight leg raise. Passive Leg Lowering Progression Lay on your back. Raise raise both legs up and rest one of them on a pole or door jam. Keeping the legs straight, lower the other leg down to the ground. Repeat 10 times on each side Test to see if… Read More »Straight leg raise correction: Passive Leg Lowering Progression
Crossfit requires physical and technical components to perform a workout (WOD). As fatigue sets in technique is of utmost importance. Since I take technique seriously when it comes to lifting weights my eyes are focused on how the competitors are performing each exercise. Some athletes’ technique stays perfect the through the workout, while others, well, lets just say, not so much. The Overhead Squat The most common problem I treat… Read More »Thoracic mobility: Overhead squat
