Injury Prevention Training

Maintaining strong bones becomes a critical health focus for women over 40. As the body ages, bone mineral density naturally declines, increasing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis. Fortunately, targeted exercise like weight training and plyometrics can play a powerful role in preventing bone loss and improving bone strength. Read below to explore why bone health matters as we enter perimenopause, how these exercises support bone density, and practical ways to include the

We all know that we should be doing warm-ups prior to training, but we don't always include everything necessary to prepare our bodies for the stress we're about to place on them. A proper warm-up not only increases body temperature, but it activates the muscles that will be used, moves them through a full range of motion, and gradually builds in intensity to prepare for the strength training portion of the session. A proper workout benefits us in several ways. It: Increases

Have you ever been told that your lower back pain will go away if you lose weight? OR maybe you've been told your lower back pain is due to a weak core. The truth is that lower back pain is very complex, especially since its origins are not always known. Low back pain is defined as localized pain below the last rib and above the gluteal muscles (Jacobs, 2018). It can be caused by trauma, but often the cause is nonspecific. The term “nonspecific low back pain” was coined in a

80% of sports-related ACL tears occur during pivoting maneuvers and jump landings (Giangarra et. al, 2017). This is often caused by biomechanical differences and movement compensations, such as greater forward movement of the tibia relative to the femur at the knee joint and dynamic knee valgus, that place high loads on the ACL. These differences and compensations can be the result of muscular imbalances in the hips and poor neuromuscular control during changes of direction r

Good stability and movement in the lower body are dependent on good mobility in the three major joints of the leg, which include the ankle, the knee, and the hip. It can be tricky to decipher what is limiting mobility in the legs and hips because apparent poor mobility in one joint may actually stem from poor mobility in a neighboring joint.  For example, what appears to be poor stability in the knee can actually be caused by weakness in the ankle or in the hip. In fact, weak

There is so much that goes into shoulder mobility, that it is impossible to describe it in a 90 second video, so this video only covers why strength training is important to improve shoulder mobility. The shoulder complex consists of four joints - the sternoclavicular joint, acromioclavicular joint, glenohumeral joint, and scapulothoracic join - that need to move smoothly through a full range of motion for good shoulder mobility. One of the things required for this to happen

Has a physical therapist ever told you that “proximal stability leads to distal mobility.” This simply means that good mobility in the limbs starts with good stability in the core. A strong, stable core positions the trunk of the body for smooth, coordinated movement in the limbs. Without good control of the core, movement, especially sport related movement, places undue stress on the various tissues of the body, leading to injury (both acute and repetitive) and pain. So let’

What is mobility? Mobility is a commonly misunderstood term in the fitness world. Mobility is often used interchangeably with flexibility, when, in fact, flexibility is only one element of mobility. Simply put, mobility is the ability to move well while flexibility is the ability to move a joint through a full range of motion. Mobility also requires strength, stability (or balance), and coordination (or the ability of our nervous system to communicate effectively with our mus

Don’t you just love a squat done well? Look at those lines! No excessive forward lean here! Though it may not be as favored by the masses as the back squat, the front squat should never be overlooked as, in many ways, its benefits outshine the traditional back squat. Let’s take a look at some of the differences that make this lift both functional and great for increasing performance. Unlike our friend “the back squat,” this squat requires activation of the muscles in the shou