The Perfect Hip Flexor Stretch
The hip flexors can be found connecting the top of the femur, which is the largest bone in the body, to the lower back, hips, and groin. When these muscles get tight, they can pull on your spine and contribute to back pain. They also cause the opposing muscle group, the gluteals to shut down. What causes tight hip flexors? Prolonged sitting is a…
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Single Leg Deadlift
Understanding the concept of hinging from your hips and not bending your spine is so important for sparing your spine and for effective strengthening of the hip. This exercise takes lots of balance and hip strength. Start with just your body weight and practice next to a wall or pole to help steady yourself if needed. This is a more advanced exercise. Instructions Start…
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Single Leg Bridge
This is one of my favorite exercises for strengthening the glutes, low back and hamstrings while teaching hip stability. Week, unstable hips can contribute to low back pain and knee pain. Once your hips are strong and stable, your knees can track the way they should and your spine can stay in a more stable position. Instructions Add tension…
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Side Planks
Side Planks are a great exercise for strengthening your obliques, hips and low back.According to spine expert, Dr. Stuart McGill, strength in a side plank is an excellent exercise for spine stabilization. The top image shows my client Deborah in an intermediate side plank variation. Notice that her top leg is in front. This allows her to use her glutes…
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Pallof Press
The Pallof Press is named after the Boston based physical therapist, John Pallof who came up with this very user friendly core exercise. This exercise is an anti-rotation hold exercise that will help build core stability. “Preventing rotation” means that your body is able to resist forces acting upon it that may try to rotate or move it in a way and…
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Foundation Training Gorilla Lift
Part of maintaining a strong pain free back is working on keeping your hips and shoulder moving well. Tight shoulders and hips contribute to compensation at your spine. This Foundation Training exercise, called the Gorilla Lift, emphasizes a strong squat position (hip mobility) and shoulder external rotation and shoulder girdle depression (shoulder…
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My Pick for Best Health and Fitness Books of 2019
Reading is one of my favorite things to do. For all of you enthusiastic and healthy readers out there, I wanted to share some of my favorite health and fitness books of 2019. 1. “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker PhD. This is my favorite read of 2019. Sleep has not been something that our overworked and over stimulated culture values, but sleep…
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Kneeling Founder
This is one of my favorite Foundation Training exercises! It is very strengthening for the back and the glutes, and when you add the decompression breathing, you can feel the length and the strength in your back. Getting good at this position also can help you with kneeling work like gardening, playing with kids or pets and then cleaning up after kids…
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Side Lying Hip Raise
Strong hips equal a strong body. This terrific body weight exercise will help strengthen the glutes and muscles of the lower back. 1. Position your self on your forearm and place other hand on upper hip. 2. Make sure your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees. Raise your self up on your forearm and bottom knee. 3. Lift and lower top…
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Foundation Training Back Extension
This back extension exercise is different than some of the other back extension exercises, like supermans, you seen performed in the gym. Notice that the hips and thighs stay on the floor and the muscles of the inner thighs are contracted to anchor the pelvis and the face is pulled away from the floor. Decompression breathing is used to create the…
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