Functional Muscle Contractions

Compression, expansion, limitations, oh my! Have you ever wondered how muscle contractions impact movement? Or why in the hell we are using fancy terms like compression, expansion, all that mess? Or how does tissue tension create movement limitations? I get it, the terminology and stuff can be confusing AF, but passing that learning curve will allow you to: Figure out why movement limitations happen Better make decisions based on the infrasternal angle Determine how loading changes contractile orientations Are you ready to take your programming and exercise selection to the next level? Then check out Movement Debrief Episode 130!

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Infrasternal Angle Treatment 101

I measured the infrasternal angle…..uhhh, now what?

No doubt you’ve heard a bazillion things about the infrasternal angle. You maybe even have been measuring them pretty consistently and know it’s a big deal.

You know what we don’t talk about though?

What the hell do you do about it?!?!?

You’ll find out in this post

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Breathing: Biomechanics, Exercise, and Education

Do you ever get asked why are you breathing like that during an exercise? Or worse yet, maybe you’ve gotten in ANOTHER Facebook argument with some trainer or clinician who is skeptical of breathing. Despite typing feverishly, throwing all caps on that comment, everything you can, no luck. It’s interesting to consider why some peeps think of breathing as this separate piece from movement. It’s something esoteric, different. When in reality… Breathing affects pelvic floor dynamics, impacting how your hips move Breathing influences the intra-abdominal pressure needed to move heavy ass weights You upper body and cervical mobility can be impacted by breathing. Not sure if you know this, but uh, most of your upper quadrant muscles attach to the ribcage fam! Breathing isn’t something fancy, but an integral piece of how we move and perform. If maximizing your movement quality sounds like something you want to learn how to do, take advantage of breathing. To implement breathing into your training, you’ll need to learn some biomechanics, apply airflow to your favorite lifts, and educate others so you can show them the way, the truth, and the light. Don’t worry fam, I got you with Movement Debrief Episode 126.

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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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Compensatory Movement Patterns

Know different postures you will see inside and out! It seems like there are a bazillion different types of postural presentations. Is there any way to simplify the confusion? Interestingly enough, things like flat back, extreme kyphosis, and even the common compensatory pattern can be explained through the movement lens we discuss on a weekly basis. All of these postural deviations are compensations atop of compensations How bad do you want to be able to 1) identify these postural strategies and most importantly, 2) know how to best improve these compensations? If it’s bad (I’m talkin’ reaaaaaaal bad), then check out Movement debrief Episode 124.

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What is the Best Posture?

Ever argue with someone about good posture?  Are you ready to tell them it’s all bullshit? We are meant to move, so the best posture is one that is constantly changing.  In fact, research shows movement variability, the changes we unconsciously make within movements, is a marker of health and reduced injury. How beefed up would your posture knowledge be if you knew… What “good” posture actually is? Can you really be “stuck in extension?” What “stacking” is and why it’s essential to movement? What are the best cues to change someone’s posture? Well those are just a few of the many things you’ll learn in today’s video interview I did on Phillipe Gervais’ Youtube channel. It’s time to finally silence those posture junkies. Time to have that difficult conversation with your mom (cue childhood trauma of mom telling me to sit up straight). Time to take your movement knowledge to the next level! Watch the video below and prepare to deep dive! Photo credit: Steve Leggat

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