Corrective strategies, injury reduction techniques, physical therapy tips, and more to keep you strong, durable, and reddy to perform.
CORE CHALLENGE Big Splash Style Here is a simple but tough core strength (& endurance) challenge for you try. Knock out 40 consecutive “rolls” in the following sequence: 10 cannon ball 10 can opener left leg 10 can opener right leg 10 mummy case (hollowed rockers) Have fun with this one Read more…
So this began as a curiosity about how high a platform jump I could do these days after a conversation with a few clients (here you go Amy) and turned into a fun little annual birthday month tradition of assessing a few movements for the video training journal. After a Read more…
“Consider your own, personal definition of fitness before designing your training routine. Who is more fit … the marathon runner, power lifter or a parent who wants to pick up his young children without throwing out his back? It’s all relative. What do you want … to live long, to Read more…
“Is sitting is the new smoking. Are chairs the new cigarettes. Our 21st century lifestyle is begging for more movement.” – Dave Reddy, Webster Groves Head Fitness Coach – in this video below, Dave runs through a simple but fundamental exercise for improving leg strength and balance for standing up Read more…
Webster Groves Head Fitness Coach Dave Reddy demonstrates exercises to incorporate into your walking routine to improve overall coordination and avoid falling. These exercises can help older adults specifically improve their balance and agility. Dave is also Director of Exercise Science Research & Curriculum at Webster University. This video series Read more…
Judy is an example of what consistent training can do – I often compare exercise to investing, and reaping the benefits of compound interest. If you just put in a little everyday, your results will compound and your everyday strength and orthopedic durability will greatly benefit you forever. Judy manages Read more…
Taken from Dave’s Catholic Fitness series for parish group exercise classes, Dave runs through a few of his favorite exercises for active adults and seniors.
Planks are pretty popular for “core training”, but are rarely done effectively. They can be great for improving your breathing and creating total body tension which is key to increasing your strength and power. Whatever type of plank you are practicing, try doing them in intervals of 10-20 sec versus Read more…
When we want to get into shape, we really want to improve one of four things: to move, feel, look and/or play better. Think about your health and fitness goals. Those four things pretty much sum it up. No one goal is more important than the others, as long as Read more…
For most people, planks are a pretty darned good exercise. Similar to food, there aren’t too many “bad” exercises, only bad habits and behaviors (aka exercise form) surrounding those exercises. Done correctly in moderation, planks can help you in two primary areas: Develop core muscle-endurance while helping you differentiate between Read more…
“Fitness is the ability to perform a task.” Performing a given task may require specific skills or attributes including speed, endurance, flexibility, balance, accuracy, power and agility. Who is more fit? The Olympic weight lifter, the professional basketball player or the marathon runner? Each “fit” athlete attempts to master a Read more…
Training in my boot – this is me spotting (now) NHL New York Islander Scott Mayfield with a suspended TRX Row.
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden, Basketball Hall of Famer.
Great advice from a legendary coach for training when injured – “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden, Basketball Hall of Famer.
I find too many people hurt their shoulder and shut down their entire routine when their legs are perfectly healthy. I coached someone today with a pretty ugly rotator tear, but while she arrived with her spirits down feeling like she can’t get a great workout in, we went ahead and hit the following:
Needless to say, she was sweating, her entire body (and spirit) felt better and she felt her legs for 2 days after the workout.
Personally a few years ago, my upper body strength soared through the roof after my foot surgeries because with one tire down, I was forced to focus on my upper body training. See the video below. (more…)
“I love the smell of 60 side planking soldiers in the morning.” This is a side plank – push up set we did with Army reservists at Jefferson Barracks. Check out the video below of me demonstrating this move.
Simplicity usually = awesome. Therefore, let’s just say planks = good. Abdominal crunches = bad. Your abdominal muscles, rather your core (think of your “core” as everything from your upper thighs and pelvis to your lower rib cage and waist) functions to BRACE your mid section.
When you squat down to pick something up for example, ideally, your “corset” of muscles (AKA your core) act as a web of muscle tissue running in every direction between your pelvis, your rib cage and spine. When they contract together, you will have a strong torso, protected back, and the ability to maintain strong, durable posture whether standing, bending over or squatting down.
“Chuck Norris doesn’t sleep … he merely planks for 8 hours a night.”
Needless to say, Chuck is awesome, but the point of this quote is to make the point that we live as we exercise. So while Chuck Norris can plank for 8 hours every night, doing just a few minutes (10 seconds at a time working up to 45-60 seconds max) will help you find, activate and strengthen your deep core muscles.
So again, we live as we train. If we do not exercise at all, your daily movement (walking to work, typing all day long, picking up your kids, walking the stairs) suffers. If you train with poor posture (and God knows we see it every day in the fitness center), you will stand around with bad posture telling your friends how much you “workout.” Don’t be that guy (or gal;)
So while your intention may be like totally fantabulous when it comes to strengthening you core and tightening your waist, using the cues in the first video below will make sure your planks (among other abdominal exercises) are doing what you want them to do, which includes:
Begin with either a elbows and knees or elbows and toes position for 10-60 seconds at a time. This first video is of me working with April on her Push Up Plank while discussing her shoulder and elbow position to maximize tension in her muscles and not her neck and joints. The following videos after that show a few variations …
Becky demonstrating a BOSU Plank – after you can hold this for 30 seconds, increase the intensity by lifting one foot at a time a few inches off of the floor for 5-10 seconds at a time
Dave doing a Plank Up Down – perform one per side, then two per side and so on up to about 5 per side equaling one set – keep your hips as square to the floor as possible. (more…)
