pain – ZacCupples.com

July 17, 2023 Zac Cupples

5 Exercises That Fix It All

Unlock your movement potential with these five fundamental exercises designed to enhance mobility and reduce pain. From the Calcaneal Traction Roll to the Wall Squat with Low Reach, these simple yet effective moves are the building blocks to a more mobile and pain-free life. Each exercise is explained in detail, complete with step-by-step instructions and common mistakes to avoid. Master these basics before moving on to more complex exercises, and experience the difference in your mobility journey.

February 13, 2023 Zac Cupples

3 Exercises That Fix 90% of Problems

THIS is why you’re so darn stiff Ever wake up feeling like a stiff robot (not the cool dancing kind)? Or deal with aches and pains impacting life? Know what’s frustrating? If it’s not pain from trauma or serious pathology, rarely do we know what causes pain. What do we do then? If we don’t know, it’s hard to figure out how to improve our movement and comfort. But I got your back (even if it’s not low back pain). I’m about to reveal one culprit responsible for 90% of the pain and movement issues seen out there. You won’t just get the cause either, but the solution.

March 23, 2020 Zac Cupples

Squatting, Breathing, and Sleeping

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

January 1, 2020 Zac Cupples

Top 10 Debriefs of 2019

At the end of each year, I like to see what you beautiful…sexy…outstanding people liked. What the fam….recognized (fam). I decided to add a few extra little diddy’s this year. First, we will start off with debriefs. The little podcast/vlog that could. As I try to keep the debrief filled with variety, there didn’t seem to be any common themes; just good topics. Check out your favorite debriefs below, and thank you again for an amazing 2019!

December 15, 2019 Zac Cupples

November 2019 Links and Review

Every week, my newsletter subscribers get links to some of the goodies that I’ve come across on the internets. Here were the goodies that my peeps got their learn on in November. If you want to get a copy of my weekend learning goodies every Friday, fill out the form below. That way you can brag to all your friends about the cool things you’ve learned over the weekend. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Hell yes I want weekend learning goodies every Friday!”]

November 21, 2019 Zac Cupples

Kegels, Overhead Reaching, and Overuse vs Deconditioned – Movement Debrief Episode 104

Movement Debrief Episode 104 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 pelvic diaphragm mechanics during breathing? How do these mechanics relate to two different types of kegel (holding in urine vs gas) Is there a reason to encourage a kegel? What could be the negative implications of a kegel? What breathing mechanics does reaching overhead encourage? What type of reaching would each infrasternal angle presentation benefit from? What are some signs to differentiate an overuse injury vs tissue deconditioning? How do you encourage someone with an overuse injury to proceed? How do you encourage someone with tissue deconditioning to proceed?

September 12, 2019 Zac Cupples

Voluntary Muscle Contractions, Building Fitness During Rehab, and Hip Pain During Squats – Movement Debrief Episode 96

Movement Debrief Episode 96 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: Do I use voluntary muscle contractions during my exercises? When is it useful, and when is it not? Why is it useful to pursue fitness when rehabilitating an injury or with persistent pain? Why would hip pain occur during squats if the femurs fall into internal rotation? How could a bench press with a high arch negatively impact this?

September 1, 2019 Zac Cupples

August 2019 Links and Review

Every week, my newsletter subscribers get links to some of the goodies that I’ve come across on the internets. Here were the goodies that my peeps got their learn on in August. If you want to get a copy of my weekend learning goodies every Friday, fill out the form below. That way you can brag to all your friends about the cool things you’ve learned over the weekend. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Hell yes I want weekend learning goodies every Friday!”]

August 17, 2019 Zac Cupples

July 2019 Links and Review

Every week, my newsletter subscribers get links to some of the goodies that I’ve come across on the internets. Here were the goodies that my peeps got their learn on in July. If you want to get a copy of my weekend learning goodies every Friday, fill out the form below. That way you can brag to all your friends about the cool things you’ve learned over the weekend. [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Hell yes I want weekend learning goodies every Friday!”]

July 27, 2019 Zac Cupples

Movement Analysis and Breathing Strategies for Pain Relief and Improved Performance

Chris, a high level mountain biker, at first didn’t believe someone could help him move better over the internet. He had back issues for a hot minute, what the heck was an online consult going to do? A couple consults later with me, and Chris is pain-free, back to doing all the wild and crazy things he was doing before without issues. Chris was so juiced up about his results that he wanted to learn more about my thought process and what I do that he had me on his podcast. Chris Kelly is the owner of Nourish Balance Thrive, a really cool site that brings several great practitioners together to help clients remotely with whatever their goals are. Despite Chris technically not being in the field, he’s one of the best interviewers I’ve had the pleasure of podcasting with. He asked some great, unique questions, and we got into a wide variety of topics. Here are some of topics we discussed on the podcast: Ben House and Flō Retreat Center in Costa Rica How I got into physical therapy. The influence of Bill Hartman. Working with NBA basketball players. The influence of Dr. Bryan Walsh. Sleep and performance How to treat pain Assessing movement Movement variability The online assessment process Pain vs. tissue damage How we improved the host’s chronic lower back pain The importance of the pelvic floor What is considered normal breathing How to promote behavior change in our clients Applying the principle of minimal effective dose

July 15, 2019 Zac Cupples

Is it Pain or Discomfort?

Perhaps one of the biggest struggles we can run into in working with people in pain is getting our clients feeling safe when returning to movement. The reality of the matter is that the chances of a person in pain experiencing some symptoms as he or she returns to activity is real and part of the process. How can we get our people to trust the process? To be comfortable being uncomfortable? I think Aline Thompson, a physical therapist I trust out of Denver, has the answer. In today’s post, she outlines how changing the belief frame someone approaches pain with can have profound impacts on returning to life. Without further adieu, here is what she has to say: Is there a Difference Between Pain and Discomfort? There’s a difference and it matters. More often than not the question goes more like this: “Tell me about your pain…” After which you get a pause, with a look of contemplation. When this happens I wonder; what are they thinking? Should that silence be filled with a follow up question? “…. Or is it discomfort?” When I ask folks whether there is a difference between pain and discomfort everyone says yes. When I ask how they differ these are the answers: “Pain is discouraging, Discomfort is just frustrating” – “Discomfort is annoying but you can ignore it. Pain interferes with your brain and thought processes. You can’t do a complex math problem easily when you’re in pain” – “Pain can hinder progress

Tag: pain