Category: Spine 101

Pooch Belly – Why It Happens and 3 EASY FIXES For It

Is there more to getting rid of a pooch belly than just losing weight? Are you someone who despite your best efforts has the lower part of your abs sticking out (aka a pooch belly)? Maybe you’ve tried to lose weight, but it still remains. What if there was a way to improve this area that didn’t involve extreme weight loss? I think there is, and there’s research to show it. In this post, you will learn how movement and body structure can influence where your abdominal contents sit (one underappreciated reason for the pooch), and how we can use movement to potentially improve this posture. Intrigued? Check out the post and video below to learn more.

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FIX Posterior Pelvic Tilt with 2 Exercises

Posterior pelvic tilt…it’s not what you think it is There’s all this talk on how to “fix” your anterior pelvic tilt, but folks, there’s a portion of the population that presents with a posterior pelvic tilt. How do we help these individuals? The first step? Realizing it’s NOT ACTUALLY A POSTERIOR PELVIC TILT. I’ll show you not only what a posterior pelvic tilt actually is, but also how this biomechanical knowledge will improve your exercise selection for these individuals. (Don’t worry, I’ll show you my 2 favorite moves as well!) Check out the blog and video to learn more!

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Posterior Pelvic Tilt Exercises – You’re Doing Them WRONG!

There’s a subtlety to properly executing a posterior pelvic tilt. You’ll learn it today Posteriorly tilting the pelvis aka tucking the hips is a common strategy we use to enhance hip mobility and get the pelvis in a good position to load the legs during various exercises. But are you someone who feels “the tuck” mostly in your abs, stretching your back, or working your quads? I hate to break it to you… You’re doing it wrong Surprisingly, the posterior tilt needs to be WAY more subtle than you think to get the biomechanical actions we oh so desire. Why so subtle? Don’t worry, I’ll explain EVERYTHING you ever needed to know about the posterior pelvic tilt. 

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All About the Neck

A comprehensive look at cervical biomechanics and exercise The Wu-Tang clan once said “Protect Ya Neck,” but how in the heck can you do that if you don’t know the biomechanics?????? The neck can be quite complicated considering all the factors that influence it’s dynamics: Ribcage position Thoracic spine Hyoid bone Cranium Temperomandibular joint OH MY! Yet despite all of these influences, there are simple, useful heuristics you can follow that can lead to favorable changes in neck mobility! Want to make the neck, cranium, and more ridiculously simple to understand and apply? Then tune in for Movement Debrief Episode 125.

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All About the Spine

How to maximize your spinal movement Movement Debrief Episode 118 is in the books. Below is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure, and audio if you can’t stand looking at me. Here is the setlist: What happens to the thoracic spine and scapulae during inhalation? What compensatory strategy is present with a Dowager’s Hump? What treatments should one with a Dowager’s Hump focus on? What sitting posture is best? Should restoring sagittal plane motion allow for rotation to occur, or must you focus on rotation? When can the spine present with excessive lumbar flexion? What is the action of the lower trapezius on the spine? When could recruiting the lower trapezius be useful? Is the cat-cow exercise useful? How does a spinal fusion impact respiration?

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All About the Ribcage

Learn how reaching and improve upper body mobility Movement Debrief Episode 117 is in the books. Below is a copy of the video for your viewing pleasure, and audio if you can’t stand looking at me. Here is the setlist: What order should I prioritize improving ribcage expansion? What is the manubriosternal joint? What happens when I have mixed compensations at the sternum? How can I encourage ribcage dynamics without increasing secondary compensations? What visual cues can I look at to see if someone can “stack?” What is different about infrasternal angle presentations between 90-110 degrees? How do I go about improving these particular infrasternal angle presentations? How can thoracic sidebending be useful with improving ribcage dynamics?

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