Health and Performance Made Ridiculously Simple
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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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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What does squatting, breathing, and sleeping all have in common? The answer is airway management. In order to squat well, you have to manipulate your spine in a manner that maximizes vertical pelvic displacement. In order to manipulate spinal position, airflow into the upper back is one factor that can change the way you squat. Breathing is also of utmost importance for sleep. Consider the negative effects of sleep apnea. What if there were activities that could improve both of these areas? In my eyes, these activities center around maximizing breathing mechanics and are the centerpiece discussion in an episode of the Portal PT podcast I was featured in. Check out the setlist below. 1:30 Zac’s Story 6:00 Zac’s Experience with Bill Hartman 12:30 When / Why Did Zac Jump Down The Breathing Biomechanic Rabbit Hole 18:00 Stacking, Diaphragms, Biomechanics, Movement Variability 22:30 Where’s The Breathing Research? Clinical Practice Guidelines 31:00 Squat vs. Hinge 36:30 Pain, Manual Therapy, Blood Flow, and Movement Variability 44:00 Myofunctional Therapy, Upper Airway Resistance, and Sleep 47:00 Zac’s Patient and Their Changes 49:00 Oxygen Advantage & Mouth Taping While Sleeping, Exercise Endurance, Resting Heart Rate 54:00 Dreaming, Sleep Studies, and Quality of Sleep 57:00 Improving Nasal Breathing and Changes in Facial Structure and Musculature 59:00 Proactive Care in Children 1:00:00 What is The Worst Fitness Advice Zac Has Ever Received 1:05:00 What Was Zac’s First Exercise Experience and Was it Good or Bad? 1:07:00 What’s Zac’s Number One Source For Research and Education Info If
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Movement Debrief Episode 82 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 set list: What are some key assessments for cervical radiculopathy? What is my treatment hierarchy for cervical radiculopathy? Why have I been elevating the lower body on many exercises? Why is inversion a useful move for improving mobility? What are some of the weaknesses in my current approach? What areas to I struggle in? What am I doing to improve upon those areas?
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Movement Debrief Episode 77 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 set list: Why is belly breathing not beneficial? What should happen during “normal” respiratory mechanics? What happens when you belly breathe? Why would certain muscles (e.g. back, hamstrings, etc) cramp during breathing activities? What are the two ways I coach exhales? When indications would lead you to choosing a specific exhalation strategy?
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Movement Debrief Episode 74 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 set list: What is a zone of apposition (ZOA)? How does one attain a ZOA? Are we expected to keep a ZOA at all times? What activities should be focused on after a total hip replacement? What considerations should be made for specific procedures? How do we get patients/clients to focus on things they need vs what they want to do? How can I educate patients/clients better on how certain activities can be beneficial to them?
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Y’all Wanna See a Dead Body? I remember my first cadaver dissection way back in undergrad. My first time seeing what the body “actually” looked like, not a two-dimensional representation. Exploring the human body via dissection left an indelible mark on my anatomical understanding. There is something incredibly salient about holding a human heart that the donors so graciously provided. It took my understanding to another level. I had a few other times in undergrad and PT school where I was able to study cadavers, but that was 8 years ago. My lens has changed. My biases have been altered. My appreciation for the human body and relationships is different. In PT school, dissection time is basically 75% fat removal, 20% separating structures, and 5% appreciating. Especially considering the primary objective is rote anatomical memorization for the test, you don’t get to take time and stop and smell the formaldehyde. You do what you gotta do to get that degree, fam. This dissection I got to participate in was hosted by University of St. Augustine. Without the pressures of PT school and better anatomical knowledge, the experience was worthwhile. A breath of fresh…well you know what I mean. It didn’t hurt that anatomical genius Daddy-O Pops Bill Hartman was in the heezy. We had pretty much free reign on these cadavers, which allowed see so many cool things, reinforce many ideas, and develop greater understanding of how to apply anatomy to our advantage. Realize that this post is horrendously biased.
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I recently had the opportunity at to do a Q&A session at Enhancing Life, the gym of my dear friends Lucy Hendricks and Dave Wilton. In this Q&A, personal training students from the Lexington Healing Arts Academy asked me a bunch of questions, to which I had to answer immediately. Topics include: Neurodynamics Infrasternal and infrapubic angles Pelvic tilt and rotation Pulling the shoulders down and back The myth of muscle activation Does the warmup transfer? This was an absolute blast, where we dove in deep into these topics. I hope you get a lot out of it. Enjoy! and the audio version Neurodynamics 101 The Relationship Between Infrasternal and Infrapubic Angles The Difference between Pelvic Tilt and Rotation Shoulders Down and Back The Myth of Muscle Activation Human resting muscle tone (HRMT): narrative introduction and modern concepts. Does the Warmup Transfer? Photo Credits Cover photo courtesy of Lucy Hendricks 😉
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Movement Debrief Episode 56 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 set list: How does rib external and internal rotation relate to infrasternal angle? Why does the infrasternal angle measures present as they do? What are the anteroposterior and medial-lateral dimensions of the ribcage in these infrasternal angles? What are the thoracoabdominal pelvic cavity mechanics in gait? How does a collapsed arch impact movement variability? How do we treat a collapsed arch? Are custom orthotics a worthy solution? If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook or Instagram.They air every Wednesday at 7pm CST. Enjoy! and the audio version… Here were the links I mentioned: Sign-up for the Human Matrix in Seattle, WA on September 15-16th here Sign up for the Human Matrix in Kansas City, KS on October 27-28th here Sign-up for the Human Matrix in Portland, OR on November 10-11 here Mechanics of the respiratory muscles Action of the diaphragm on the ribcage Below is the diaphragm picture I mentioned. Notice how from this angle, the diaphragm fibers would pull the ribcage inward. Here is a bunch of stuff on the infrasternal angle. Human resting muscle tone (HRMT): narrative introduction and modern concepts. Paul Coffin, DPM (this is who I use to get orthotics) Here’s a signup for my newsletter to get nearly 3 hours
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Below is a preview of a talk I gave in Costa Rica all about ribcage and respiratory mechanics. It’s a bit of a sneak preview for my upcoming seminar, The Human Matrix. Go ahead and give the talk a watch. If you want to see the full 80 minute talk, sign up for my newsletter below. If you really want to learn how to apply these concepts to help your patients and clients reach their goals, sign up for The Human Matrix Seminars below. Enjoy! (Warning, there are just a couple swear words here and there, no F-bombs though. It was a bro retreat, please be understanding) [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ title=”1″ submit=”Yes! I want to listen to the full 80 minute talk!”] Sign-up for the Human Matrix in Seattle, WA on September 15-16th here Sign up for the Human Matrix in Kansas City, KS on October 27-28th here Sign-up for the Human Matrix in Portland, OR on November 10-11 here Photo Credits Mike T. Nelson
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Respiration, and how it impacts movement, is a topic of dear interest to me. I scoured a bunch of resources to better understand how this process works, and I figured I’d record a talk on how I am applying these concepts. Basically, I do the work, you reap the results #tistheseason Here were some of the topics I discussed in this talk: The anatomy of respiration The physiology of respiration Alterations in physiology and anatomy as respiratory demands increase How to simply assess how movement is affected by respiration Easy to implement treatments to favorably impact movement If you want immediate access to the remainder of the nearly 90 minute talk, and a FREE 27 page PDF file of my talk notes, fill out the form below. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Yes, a free talk and notes sounds like a sweet deal”] Without further adieu, here is the first 30 minutes of the talk.
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Movement Debrief Episode 27 is in the books. Here is a copy of the video and audio for your listening pleasure. Here is the set list: The three types of infrasternal angles Anatomical theories regarding the infrasternal angle Infrasternal angle treatment The different positions of the lumbar spine Restoring lumbar position Restoring cervical spine position My treatment sequence for restoring shoulder motion Which are my favorite hikes If you want to watch these live, add me on Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube. They air every Wednesday at 7:30pm CST. Enjoy. Here were the links I mentioned: Bill Hartman Pre-existent vertebral rotation in the human spine is influenced by body position. Right thoracic curvature in the normal spine Analysis of preexistent vertebral rotation in the normal spine. Effect of changes in pelvic tilt on range of motion to impingement and radiographic parameters of acetabular morphologic characteristics. PRI Craniocervical Mandibular Restoration PRI Vision Here is the exercise I mentioned from Daddy-O Pops for a retracted and elevated scapula. Enhancing Life Method Strength Andy Mccloy Trevor LaSarre Here’s a signup for my newsletter to get a free acute:chronic workload calculator, basketball conditioning program, podcasts, and weekend learning goodies: [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Get learning goodies and more”] Infrasternal Angles Spinal Lordosis Restoring Shoulder Motion
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