HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY!

The question isn’t “how low can you go”…

The days of “maxing out everyday” or “workout until you die” are slowly fading and are being replaced with terms like health, longevity, sustainability, etc. The evolution of fitness programs and science has shown that quality greatly outrivals quantity. At Hudson River Fitness we believe that the question “how good does your squat look” is more important than “how much weight did you lift” or “how low is your squat”.

This past week we covered all things related to low back pain including: MRIs, flexibility, stability, coordination, and today we are focusing on just looking good.

If you’ve gone to a therapist or strength coach to minimize your pain with the various approaches discussed above, and you still have recurring back pain, then the next question to ask is “are you even doing the lift correctly?”.

You can’t answer that question unless someone actually assesses the execution of the lift. If the therapist/strength coach didn’t assess the exercise that caused you pain, then you shouldn’t be cleared to do that movement. There’s still work to be done.

The reality is that pain will also alter our movement patterns. You see, the brain remembers everything. That means that the brain will remember the moment deadlifts hurt your back, and will cause fear, tightness, and pain when you are picking something up from the ground. Your low back will tighten to create ‘stability’ when you are squatting. Unless you address how to complete these exercises and lifts correctly after you’ve recovered; The return to normal activity without pain is determined by the flip of a coin.

You can tell when you’re doing an exercise correctly when your muscles, core, and nervous system are working hard to complete the movement. Your back can be tense, but it should be as tense as every other muscle in the body (particularly your midline, aka abs). If you are working on the deadlift, your hamstrings, glutes, lats, and core should be more sore and fatigued than your back. (Hint, your low back is more of a stabilizer than prime mover). When you are squatting, you should be feeling tension in your glutes, hips, quads and core.

While some exercises may feel awkward because they require developing new motor patterns, they should not feel inherently ‘wrong’. If it does, you’re probably doing the exercise incorrectly. Listen to what your body tells you in various positions. You don’t have to go through the full range of motion as others, especially coming off of injury. The range of motion for exercises (particularly squats and deadlifts) will be determined by flexibility, control, and anatomical differences between bodies.

The general rule of thumb to follow when identifying length of time to return back to preinjury function is: 1 week for every month you’ve been out due to injury. This gives you an objective measure to follow and a specific timeline. Obviously the length of time can be longer, but your body will determine that.

Consider every exercise you do as a core exercise. The more weight you lift or the more complex the exercise is, the more pressure you need to create. Consistency is key and ensure that every repetition looks the same, no matter how tired you are or how heavy the weight is.

If you aren’t someone who feels confident or knowledgeable to workout/lift on their own, then book a call with a member of our team today. We’ll talk about your old injuries, goals, and come up with a plan that can help you feel and look your best. Being injured isn’t fun, but the good thing is that you’ll most likely be able to return back to normal actiity with the right guidance. You aren’t in this alone and we can walk you through every single step of the way.

Book your free call by clicking on this link.

Ashley

*Nutrition Challenge starts February 1st! Interested in following a sustainable eating plan that can help you lose fat, improve energy, and build muscle? This group challenge is going to provide you accountability and guidance to make the right decisions when it comes to your health and fitness. It is $149 to enroll with the chance to win back $25. We are only taking 10 clients for this challenge and enrollment closes in a few weeks. You can sign up at this link.

**We are running a yoga and coffee event this Sunday at 10:30am. All are welcome and we would love to meet with you over a yoga session and some amazing refreshments from Bwe. You can rsvp here.

***The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information provided nor will the owner be liable for any accidents, injuries or other damage, howsoever occurring to any person or property arising out of or in any way connected to the use or application of information obtained from this message

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