Each joint in your body has a specific job to do in order for efficient movement to take place.
The hips are an area of the body that can quite commonly benefit from increased mobility, due to it being known to get stiff and immobile relatively easy.
They usually get stiff due to having a sedentary lifestyle, and not being used as much as they should.
A common saying of mine is that ‘If you don’t use it you lose it’ and this holds true for your hip mobility and back pain.
If the hip loses its mobility, it will affect the role of the joint complex directly above (the low back), and below (the knee). This will also have an effect on the ankle joint, Thoracic spine and more.
Research has shown that lower back pain can often be attributed to a lack of hip mobility. For this reason, it wouldn’t matter how much strength and stability work you perform on the core. If hip mobility is never addressed, no significant long-term improvement will be made.
If you would like help with your own pain not just lower back pain. contact me on here using the messaging tool or give me a ring on 07759689612 to help you get back on your way to become Fully Fit!
Below is what one of my clients has said about how I helped him get Fully Fit!
Each joint in your body has a speci?c job to do in order for ef?cient movement to take place. The hips are an area of the body that can quite commonly bene?t from increased mobility, due to it being known to get stiff and immobile relatively easy. They usually get stiff due to having a sedentary lifestyle, and not being used as much as they should. A common saying of mine is that ‘If you don’t use it you lose it’ and this holds true for your hip mobility and back pain. If the hip loses its mobility, it will affect the role of the joint complex directly above (the low back), and below (the knee). This will also have an effect on the ankle joint, Thoracic spine and more. Research has shown that lower back pain can often be attributed to a lack of hip mobility. For this reason, it wouldn’t matter how much strength and stability work you perform on the core. If hip mobility is never addressed, no signi?cant long-term improvement will be made.
L. Brymner
Recreational Gym User
I had suffered a bad strain from the gym in my upper back trap area and was very immobile and causing me tension headaches. Rob managed to source the problem and relieve some of the soreness and get me on the road to recovery my back and neck were back too 100% within a couple of days and I was back in the gym, could not recommend rob more if you've got any pains or long lasting injuries I'd highly suggest you see Rob! Lewis
When we are in pain, certain muscles in our body subconsciously shut down; this is no different with our lower back muscles.
The more pain that you are in, the more your body will protect itself by limiting muscle activity in and around that area.
This means your performance, whether it be out on the pitch, in the gym or bending down to pick up something you’ve dropped, is automatically influenced and hindered if you have lower back pain.
If you have sustained a recent lower back injury, don’t be afraid to apply ice to this area for 15-20 minutes. Remove the ice for about an hour, and then reapply again.
Icing obviously won’t completely solve the issue, but it will help manage your back pain to begin with in the acute stage.
If you would like help with your own pain not just lower back pain. contact me on here using the messaging tool or give me a ring on 07759689612 to help you get back on your way to become Fully Fit!
Below is what one of my clients has said about how I helped him get Fully Fit!
When we are in pain, certain muscles in our body subconsciously shut down; this is no different with our lower back muscles. The more pain that you are in, the more your body will protect itself by limiting muscle activity in and around that area. This means your performance, whether it be out on the pitch, in the gym or bending down to pick up something you’ve dropped, is automatically in?uenced and hindered if you have lower back pain. If you have sustained a recent lower back injury, don’t be afraid to apply ice to this area for 15-20 minutes. Remove the ice for about an hour, and then reapply again. Icing obviously won’t completely ?x the issue, but it will help manage your back pain to begin with in the acute stage.
L. Brymner
Recreational Gym User
I had suffered a bad strain from the gym in my upper back trap area and was very immobile and causing me tension headaches. Rob managed to source the problem and relieve some of the soreness and get me on the road to recovery my back and neck were back too 100% within a couple of days and I was back in the gym, could not recommend rob more if you've got any pains or long lasting injuries I'd highly suggest you see Rob! Lewis
For my next series I am moving on from squatting and how to help you squat better.
I am however still in the same area which is the lower back and one of the most common complaints I see which is lower back pain.
Treating lower back pain is no easy task. This is because there an array of different factors that can contribute to the development of pain in and around the lower back.
There are some treatments that may decrease pain in one person, while that very same treatment may set off the lower back pain in another.
For this reason there is no real definitive guide to treatments for lower back pain.
Rather than going in a straight line of progression, you will have lows and highs before you get back up to full fitness.
My 5 Points
Over the course of the next few blog posts I want to share with you 5 key principles in the treatment of lower back pain.
1. Reduce Pain
2. Restore your Hip Mobility
3. Enhance Stability
4. Normalize Movement Patterns
5. Gradually Progress Back to Activates
Check back tomorrow for my first principle- reduce pain.
If you would like help with your own pain not just lower back pain. contact me on here using the messaging tool or give me a ring on 07759689612 to help you get back on your way to become Fully Fit!
Below is what one of my clients has said about how I helped him get Fully Fit!
L. Brymner
Recreational Gym User
I had suffered a bad strain from the gym in my upper back trap area and was very immobile and causing me tension headaches. Rob managed to source the problem and relieve some of the soreness and get me on the road to recovery my back and neck were back too 100% within a couple of days and I was back in the gym, could not recommend rob more if you've got any pains or long lasting injuries I'd highly suggest you see Rob! Lewis
Wouldn't you love to buy a bit of kit that would help you improve your squat ten fold?
Sounds too good to be true doesn't it?
Well.... this cheat is lifting shoes!
How Do They Work?
Lifting shoes angle your foot so it is resting in a slight bit of plantarflexion (i.e movement of pushing your accelerator to the floor)
It does this by having a slight heel of around 2 to 2.5cm.
This slight heel increases plantarflexion by 3.5 degrees to 5 degrees, this then makes it feel like your dorsiflexion has increased. However it is more of an illusion as instead of your foot starting of flat it starts of slightly plantarflexed
Conclusion
So if you are too lazy too follow my previous blog posts on fixing your squat this is a perfect cheat to help you squat a lot better by just changing your shoes!
If you aren't happy 'cheating' and want to improve your squat without relying on some magic shoes book in with me today to help you get on track and fully fit... see below for one of the many clients I have helped
L. Brymner
Recreational Gym User
I had suffered a bad strain from the gym in my upper back trap area and was very immobile and causing me tension headaches. Rob managed to source the problem and relieve some of the soreness and get me on the road to recovery my back and neck were back too 100% within a couple of days and I was back in the gym, could not recommend rob more if you've got any pains or long lasting injuries I'd highly suggest you see Rob! Lewis
For more information on squatting shoes give the below a read!
Sato, K., Fortenbaugh, D., & Hydock, D. S. (2012). Kinematic changes using weightlifting shoes on barbell back squat. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 26(1), 28-33.
Continuing my theme on squatting, the squat is the main exercise that goes into most people’s mind when they think gym, even more so when you think leg day!
The back squat is a fundamental exercise prescribed for both athletes and non-athletes for developing lower body strength. When included in training programmes it has been found to improve athletic performance.
But what happens when you don't want to do the standard squat? Do you just not train legs for the rest of your life?! Actually there is another way that may even be superior!
Rear Leg Elevated Squat
Rear leg elevated squat, more commonly known as the 'Bulgarian Split Squat' is the alternative and it may actually be better for you!
This is because the exercise has been found to place less compressive force on the back, while placing more stress on the legs, hips and your stabilizer muscles. This means that this rear leg squat can be a great exercise if you are suffering from back pain and you are finding the normal back squat too much pain.
A key finding has been " that similar lower body muscle activity can be achieved using the RLESS with half the load of BS” Therefore bigger and more ‘manly’ weight is not always better!
In Conclusion
This means that for those clients who are UNCOMFORTABLE UNDER THE BARBELL–but still want good glute and quad results.
Another study going way back when to 2010 actually found more activation in gluteus medius muscle and biceps femoris activity than the back squat.
If you aren’t convinced yet, give the Bulgarian split squat a try!
If you'd like further advice on squatting and how to squat and also manage your back pain, feel free to shoot me a message and we can get to work!
Further reading:
McCurdy K, O’Kelley E, Kutz M, Langford G, Ernest J, Torres M. Comparison of Lower Extremity EMG Between the 2-Leg Squat and Modified Single-Leg Squat in Female Athletes J Sport Rehabil. 2010 Feb; 19(1):57-70
DeFOREST BA, CANTRELL GS, SCHILLING BK. Muscle Activity in Single- vs. Double-Leg Squats. International Journal of Exercise Science. 2014;7(4):302-310.
Following on from last weeks post and 6 top tips for your squat i'm going to be talking about the most important part of the squat... this being DORSI-FLEXION
Insert Image
What's DorsiFlexion?
Dorsiflexion is the movement of bringing the front of your foot towards your shin.
It's such a simple movement and is crucial for an array of things from walking and running, through to todays topic of squatting.
How Does This Apply To My Squat?
The most crucial movement in a squat is maintaining a neutral or slightly extended spine as you lower down.
Once your lower back rounds into flexion (think of a nice curvy C), your form breaks, and there is a very dangerous load on your lower back and muscles.
This obviously is the opposite of what you want, you are actually looking for your glutes to be loaded and firing. This doesn’t happen when you have your nice curvy C rounded back.
In an ideal squat, you are shifting your weight back just like you’re sitting back into a chair. This chair however is invisible!
So you’ve checked your form, and you sit back into your ‘invisible chair’ the posterior, and you lower down close to 90 degrees…and, you feel like you can’t get any lower! You try to maintain the form above and stop the curvy C but you just can’t keep your back straight and go lower!
You feel perfectly strong enough, but you just can’t get any lower and feel stuck.
This is you having limited or poor or however you want to describe it dorsiflexion
How to check for a lack or dorsiflexion
1. Squat normally, check the angle between your hips, knees, and ankles.
2. Slide some 1″ blocks, weight plates or even books under your heels. Squat again and re-check the angle.
I’m guessing it got easier?! And you could sit further back!
If the answer to the above was “yes”, you have reduced dorsiflexion.
It’s a questionable strategy to squat with the blocks under your heels, but it may train you into a better motor pattern until you resolve your dorsiflexion problem.
Research that backs this up...
Now onto the nitty gritty that backs up all of the above!
Ankle dorsiflexion with flexed and extended knee has been found correlate significantly with squat depth, accounting for 38.8 and 23.7% of the variance in male and female subjects, respectively (p<0.05).
Hemmerich et al. (2006) reported that the average ankle dorsiflexion angle required was 38.5 ±5.9° during a squat. This is because the ankle is an important part of the closed-chain movement during deep squatting activities, limited mobility and stability of the ankle joint could inhibit performance of the proximal joints.
Boys Vs Girls
An important part to also mention is the slight variation that has been found between genders. The ROM of the ankle dorsiflexion is a major factor affecting squat depth in both genders, followed by the hip flexion ROM in male and actually ankle dorsiflexor strength in females.
For Further reading
Kim, S. H., Kwon, O. Y., Park, K. N., Jeon, I. C., & Weon, J. H. (2015). Lower extremity strength and the range of motion in relation to squat depth. Journal of human kinetics, 45(1), 59-69.
Hemmerich A, Brown H, Smith S, Marthandam SS, Wyss UP. Hip, knee, and anklekinematics of high range of motion activities of daily living. J Orthop Res, 2006; 24: 770-781 Equipment for squatting
What to do if my dorsiflexion is lacking?
You can book a session in with me, where I can tailor a plan not just to help your dorislfexion but help with all the other movements and joints that help form a perfect squat.
Alternatively wait till next week where I give some advice on improving your dorsiflexion
Lastly in the near future i'll be starting skype sessions to go 1v1 anywhere in the world to help tailor a plan to you, subscribe below to find out when this will be launching!
If you’ve got an existing injury or previous reconstruction of the PCL, it is best to restrict flexion (bending your knee) to 50°to 60°so that posterior shear force is minimized as much as possible.
If you are wanting to work your quads their development is maximized by squatting to parallel, with no additional activity seen at when you go deeper into the squat.
However hip extensor movements increase with increasing squat depth, so full squats may be beneficial for those seeking to maximize strength of the hip musculature i.e. glutes.
2
How fast should I squat?
The speed of the movement should be based on goal-oriented
Specificity to the force-velocity curve. However, given
that speed of movement has been shown to significantly
increase both compression and shear forces (You want to minimise this as much as possible) , there is a trade off between optimal transfer of performance and
risk of injury. This is especially true on the eccentric aspect (going down into the squat)
of the squat where rapid deceleration generates exceedingly high joint forces at the knee.
3
Failure to control this descent can result in the ballistic contact between the hamstrings and calf muscles,
which can cause a dislocating
effect on the knee ligaments. Therefore, unless
your goals specifically dictate otherwise, squat descent
should always be executed in a controlled fashion, with
a 2 to 3 second eccentric tempo is a good rule of thumb.
4
Additional muscles you can target when squatting-
A wider stance squat is preferable for those seeking optimal
development of the hip adductors and hip extensors.
Where as a closer stance is more appropriate for targeting
development of the gastrocnemius.
Stance can also be varied to alter joint-related forces: a narrow stance helps to
minimize patellofemoral and tibiofemoral compression
while a wider stance results in less forward knee
translation and thus reduces shear force.
5
Low bar or high bar?
Low bar back squats tend to produce greater hip extensor
torque and a decrease in knee extensor torque compared with high
bar back squats. However, the magnitude of forces for both
movements are well tolerated by the associated joint
structures.
This means it is down to personal preference where you decide to have the bar
The front squat produces significantly lower
knee compression and lumbar stress in comparison with
back squats, making it a viable alternative for those
suffering from various knee and back pains.
5
Low bar or high bar?
Low bar back squats tend to produce greater hip extensor
torque and a decrease in knee extensor torque compared with high
bar back squats. However, the magnitude of forces for both
movements are well tolerated by the associated joint
structures.
This means it is down to personal preference where you decide to have the bar
The front squat produces significantly lower
knee compression and lumbar stress in comparison with
back squats, making it a viable alternative for those
suffering from various knee and back pains.
6
Fatigue can have a detrimental effect on squatting
technique, potentially leading to knee instability and
increased lumbar shear force. Therefore you may want to think twice about one last rep.
So there you have 6 tips you can utilise next time it's leg day to help you get where you want to be. If you would like more help with your squat click below to book in with a session... for further reading the paper I used is
Schoenfeld, B. J. (2010). Squatting kinematics and kinetics and their application to exercise performance. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(12), 3497-3506.
The session is split up into three parts, general health details, reason for today lastly assessment and massage.
1. General details-
This is to begin with your basic information, DOB, Sport/Activity levels and your GP etc. Then this moves on to any contraindications (reasons to adjust the massage) examples of these varicose veins, broken bones, allergies. The last bit of this is you then signing confirming your happy with what we've gone through and happy with the massage session to proceed
2. Reason for today
This is going over why you booked in with me today? What are your aches and pains? How long have you had it? Has it changed since then? Does it change over a 24 hour period.
These are just a few of the questions I will ask to get to the bottom of your aches and pains. This will help make me aware that you maybe suited for an injury rehab session (this may still have a massage element)
3. Assessment and Massage.
The last part is now the nitty gritty- I will assess your range of movement and muscular strength before the massage.
I will then start the massage and begin by doing lighter techniques to warm the area up, I will then move onto more deeper techniques all while checking with you the pressure and the technique is ok.
Hopefully now you have a good idea of what to expect from a massage with me- To book yourself in today click the link below
Massage, as if you needed an excuse to get one, below are the top 3 reasons you should get one today!
1
It helps maintain your body. For example think of your body as your car, you’d fill it with petrol, wash it, hoover it, service it regularly.
A regular massage is the equivalent of getting a service and a valet to keep you on track to stop you getting a seriously injured down the road.
2
Massage helps relieve low to moderate intensity pain and helps contribute to a positive feeling of well being and also to positive psycho-emotional response.
Therfore if you're feeling stressed and snowed under, massage is the perfect choice for having an hour to yourself relaxing in your own home!
3
Massage can reduce the effects of sitting for long periods of time in jobs such as office work or long hours behind the wheel or even both!
An hour massage once every 4 to 6 weeks can help reduce all the build up of muscular tension that you get from sitting from anywhere between 6 to 10+ hours a day!
Conclusion
Think of it this way: What’s an hour out of your month? Going on an average 30 day month that’s 730 hours, so you’ve still got 729 hours left to do whatever you please….. Click below to book in today
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