Exercise of the Week: Alternating Scapular Wall Slide

I would say that some version of the scapular wall slide is included in 80-90% of my clients programs as part of their warm up or as a "filler" exercise. This version takes into account the asymmetrical nature of most upper body movement patterns. Try to keep both arms pinned back against the wall the entire time.

My Top Five....

....ways to fix your squat. I hear people saying that they can not squat because it hurts their knees or hurts their lower back or it hurts their right big toe. Yes, that may be the case. But what I picked up from strength coach Dan John is that the actual movement of squatting may not be the problem. It's the way that you are executing the squat that is the problem. Hell, if your squat looks like this, yeah, it's going to hurt.

Here are five ways to help fix your squat pattern.

1. Increase ankle mobility. If your heels are coming up or you are getting to much forward lean as you descend into the squat chances are that your ankles are jammed up. It comes as no surprise with our poor choices of footwear or our tendency to ignore what's going on down at the foot and ankle. To increase your ankle mobility prior to your strength session do some foam rolling or stick work through your lower leg and then follow that up with some ankle mobility exercises suck as ankle rocks.
2. Loosen up the hip flexors. If you are not able to get good depth in your squat without a good amount of forward lean you may have some tight hip flexors. It's no surprise considering what we do the majority of the day....sit. Also those who are tight through the hip flexor area tend not be able to recruit their glutes as much from what is referred to as reciprocal inhibition. If you want to squat well you have to use your glutes well. So as part of your warm up do some foam rolling though the hip flexor and TFL areas followed by some static stretching of the hip flexor area followed by some low level glute exercises (bridges, marching bridges or single leg bridges). Or between sets of squats you could perform some hip flexor mobilization exercises.
3. Push the knees out. As you descend into the squat think about forcing your knees out and do the same thing on the way up. This will allow you to sink into your squat a bit better and also recruit your glutes that much more. Again, a good squat needs good glutes. If you are having trouble with this concept, as part of your warm up place a mini band around your knees and simply press out against the band as you squat. You should not allow the band to buckle your knees in and should really feel the glutes working.
4. Chest Up. Your squat should not look like a deadlift. Or better yet it should not look like you are on your way doing to doing a face plant. Good squat technique will have a chest up, shoulders down and back posture to reinforce as much of a neutral spine posture as possible. Now some of you may have trouble getting into this position because of that evil movement pattern I mentioned before ....sitting. Sitting behind a desk or in a car for most of the day is not going to do nice things to your thoracic mobility. The ability to extend through the thoracic spine is just not there and should be worked on. Some good drills to work on your thoracic mobility are thoracic extensions on a foam roller, side lying extensions / rotations or quadruped extensions / rotations.
5. Squat everyday. Yes, you heard that right. Squat everyday. I'm not talking about barbell squats or any other type of significantly loaded squat pattern. I'm just talking about the squat pattern itself. As part of your warm ups or as fillers between sets of exercises you could perform exercises such as squat to stands, regular old body weight squats or some light goblet squats to do the trick. This is another philosophy borrowed from Dan John who basically says if it's important, do it everyday.

Exercise of the Week: Swiss Ball Plank Roll Out w/Feet Elevated

Exercise of the Week: Plank Triceps Extension

Damage Control

Let's say you've been working out and eating pretty well on a consistent basis. Maybe you've been doing so because you have that one week of vacation coming up and you want to feel and look your best on your vacation. You want to feel good about yourself on the beach or hanging by the pool. Or maybe you're training for an event that's going to take place a few weeks after your vacation and you're afraid this vacation is going to set you back big time. That week of vacation could be the first week of the summer. Putting on five or so pounds during the first week of summer I do not think ever made anyone feel good.

So that week of vacation rolls around and what are you to do? You can try to keep things under control by eating somewhat right and getting some type of exercise in. Or you can just say, "Where's the food....and the beer?" Then you go ahead and consume nothing but beers, pina colada's and fried foods with the only exercise coming from dragging your beach chair through the sand.

So what are you going to do? Some people will say that there is no way to keep up with your at home routine while on vacation. There are too many temptations and who wants to exercise on vacation anyway? That's fine. But how are you going to feel about yourself when you come back from vacation and hop on that scale for the first time? Or you can be the other type of person who knows they may not keep up with their existing routine, but they can do some damage control while they are away. And it really isn't that hard if you do a few of the following things:

1. Pack some protein. It really isn't that hard to travel with some protein. Meal replacement powders will hardly take up any space in your luggage. And last time I checked it isn't illegal to cross the border with some protein powder. When you're away and feeling hungry or in danger of skipping a meal it's easy to mix up a shake in a blender bottle or use the actual blender for something other than alcholic beverages.



2. Don't skip breakfast. You're on vacation. You probably have plenty of time over the course of the day unless you're traveling with the ultimate tourist who does have you scheduled for everything. You have time for breakfast. You probably get up whenever you want. You might even be able to eat what ever you want. Find a protein source and a fruit or vegetable source and you're good to go. Just like at home breakfast sets the tone for your eating habits the rest of the day.



3. Do something you normally wouldn't do. You don't have to follow the same exercise routine that you're doing at home in order for it to count as exercise. You could do a body weight circuit. You could go mountain biking. You could go for a long hike. Just from a mental standpoint it's going to be a bit refreshing. Get out of your comfort zone a bit and do something. All exercise doesn't have to be sets and reps.



4. Pack for exercise. You do not need a ton of equipment to get a quality workout in. As I just mentioned you may not even need any if you just want to do some body weight training. If you would like to spice up that body weight training a few things that are easy enough to pack are: Valslides, Superbands , a jump rope and even a TRX. That stuff could pack in any bag or suitcase. Or if you're traveling by car you could even bring along a kettlebell or medicine ball. I'm guessing you could probably get a better workout in with that stuff than you could with some of the outdated equipment you will find at a lot of hotel gyms.



5. Be Menu Smart. I hear people blaming eating out frequently for all their weight loss troubles. And the tendency to eat out is probably going to be greater when on vacation. Sorry, I don't buy that excuse. Most menu's have something fairly decent you can eat. You usually have a bunch of options. You don't have to go with the creamy salad dressings, fried appetizers or piles of mashed potatoes that come with your meals. Ask for some extra veggies instead of the fries. Can't get the veggies? Then just pass on the fries. And I think most menus do not consist entirely of pizza and fried foods. Look for something grilled or broiled and some greens. It's not the menu that's usually the problem. It's your decision making that's the problem.

I know. You're hating me right now. I'm coming off as the fun police. I'm not saying you can't have fun on vacation. Just saying that if you're worried about packing on that "vacation five" that you can do something about it.

Exercise of the Week: Band Resisted Close Grip Med Ball Push Up

I know there has got to be a shorter name for this exercise than the eight words I'm using to name it. Any suggestions?

Know Your Rest Periods

I think one of the most underrated variables when it comes to a successful strength program is the amount of rest taken between sets of an exercise. People will understand which exercise is the best for each scenario and how many sets and reps to do based on their goals but they have no understanding of what their rest periods should be. It comes as no surprise to me when people complain about not getting stronger when they are flying around the gym from one exercise to another with hardly any rest. On the other end of the spectrum you have people complain about how they are not dropping any body fat when they are taking 3-5 minutes of rest between each set. And then the other scenario you have is the rest period changing from one minute for the first two sets to three minutes for the next set to 30 seconds for the last set. With rest periods being all over the place it's tough to judge where you stand with each set.

The rest period between sets should depend upon a couple factors. One is the goal of the your training program. If strength is your primary goal rest periods of at least two minutes should be taken. In fact if you are training for maximal strength 3-5 minutes of rest between sets is suggested in order to allow the central nervous system to fully recover. If muscle mass is the primary goal rest periods should be in the 60-90 second range. If muscular endurance or fat loss is a primary goal you may want to take your periods down to 30-60 seconds between each set.

The second factor that should determine your rest periods is the selected exercise. For instance, a set of weighted chin ups is more physically demanding than a set of concentration curls. You know that funny looking exercise where you sit on the end of a bench and stare at your biceps hoping that it's getting bigger? So you would probably want to take more rest between sets of chin ups than sets of biceps curls. The more physically demanding the exercise is, the longer the rest period you may want to take.

Nice gloves

The third factor that should determine the amount of rest is the repetition range in which you are working. Pretty simply, the lower on the rep range you are working the longer of a rest period is suggested. Doing sets of 1-3 reps may warrant a 3-5 minute rest period. The higher on the rep range your are working the shorter the period is suggested. Doing sets of 12-15 reps may warrant a 30-60 second rest between sets.

Now that you have an understanding of the importance of your rest period and how long they should be, are you going to track them? It's not that hard. Just pick up a cheap digital wristwatch or stop watch. You do not need anything fancy. Something that just tells time. Personally, if I do not work out with a watch on I feel out of place. I hate staring across the room at the clock on the wall, if there is a clock on the wall. In the case there is not one available I'm left guessing about my rest periods. And any time it comes to guessing in regards to your training I think you are headed down the wrong road. Every part of your training should have some reasoning.