Posts categorized in:

Back Pain

5 Deadlift Variations You Can Use WITHOUT Hurting Your Lower Back

As someone that’s coached for 23 years and competed in powerlifting for 11, I love seeing a strong conventional deadlift. Not only are they a foundational exercise for strength development, but they can also help you build muscle and shed body fat as well. But let’s be real – just like the back squat isn’t […]

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4 Breathing Exercises to Unlock Your Neck, Shoulders and Lower Back

It seems like everyone and their mother these days talks about adding “Breathing Exercises” into their program. But what exercises are best? And are some exercises better than others if your goal is to unlock mobility and help your body feel better? I sure think so! In this video, I’m going to outline four of […]

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The Myth of Neutral Spine

Neutral spine is a myth. Or at least, the way we currently have this concept burned into our brains is at least a little flawed. Let me explain… When you set someone up to squat or deadlift effectively, there is most definitely a “neutral” position you want them in. I believe this is the optimal […]

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Round Back Deadlifts

(Photo Courtesy of Steve Gabrielsen) The arguments for and against round back deadlifting have been around for ages. Recently, however, it seems as though the back-and-forth banter has reached epic proportions. As a result, we’re left with numerous questions: Should the average fitness enthusiast perform round back deadlifts? Are we stronger this way? Are round […]

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Band-Resisted Dead Bugs (Video)

Last week, we talked about how important it was to exhale effectively and get our air out. This week, we’re going to talk about how we can use that exhale to facilitate better core training and abdominal function!

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Are You Full of Hot Air? (Video)

A common theme for many of our clients at IFAST is faulty diaphragmatic breathing patterns. Often, people are so caught up on how to get air in, they forget (or don’t realize) how important it is to effectively get air out!

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Should We Train the Rectus Abdominis?

My goal today is simple: To blow your minds. I have two basic things we’re going to focus on today: Why you SHOULD train your rectus abdominis, and A more effective way to train your lower traps. Yes, I realize it’s hard to blow your minds if you don’t read the post, so please! Bear […]

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Using the Ground in Training – An Under-Rated Tool

John Izzo is a lot like me. A hard-working guy that genuinely cares about getting better as a coach and trainer, so that his clients and athletes get better results. John offered to write a guest post for today, and I simply couldn’t turn him down. Here’s a great post from John that I think […]

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Re-Re-Building the Reverse Hyper

This week is going to be a bit random around here. We’ve got some guest blogs, an interview, and the return of our Random Friday posts! Today’s guest blog comes to us from Ben Bruno. Ben is definitely an up-and-comer in the fitness industry, and he’s rapidly built one of the most popular fitness blogs […]

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Should You Crunch?

“Should we perform crunches in our exercise routine?” This question has been hotly debated, especially in recent years. Many have leaned on the work of Dr. Stuart McGill and excluded crunches, sit-ups and other spinal flexion work from their programming. But one question that almost always comes up is this: What about mixed-martial artists (MMA)? […]

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Coaching Neutral Spine

One of the most powerful tools we have in our toolbox can be purchased at your local hardware store for less than a couple of bucks. A simple piece of PVC pipe can help you coach and cue neutral spine with your clients and athletes, consistently getting them in the appropriate position. Neutral spine is […]

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The Two R’s of Core Training

This past weekend, I was honored to give an in-service to the staff at Force Fitness in Bloomington, Indiana.  Wil Fleming and Ryan Ketchum are guys that you might not have heard of yet, but I can promise you will in the future. They are two very sharp guys with a first-class facility. The topic […]

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Your 4 Most Pressing Bulletproof Knees and Back Questions Answered!

As you probably already know, on Tuesday I launched my Bulletproof Knees and Back Seminar DVD’s. And thus far, the response has been overwhelming! Over the past 30 or so hours I’ve gotten a ton of e-mails from people who want more information about the DVD’s, so I wanted to answer them here. This way […]

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Half vs. Tall Kneeling Exercises

One of the biggest shifts in my philosophy over the past 2-3 years has been an improved focus on efficient core stabilization patterns. If you’ve followed Stuart McGill’s work, you know he’s a huge proponent of stability training for the core and lumbar spine. But what do you do after you’ve mastered the basics like […]

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Bulletproof Knees and Back Seminar IS HERE!

Today is the day – the Bulletproof Knees and Back Seminar DVD’s are here! If you’re interested in picking up a copy, here’s the link: Bulletproof Knees and Back Seminar DVD’s If you need a bit of incentive to act quickly, the price is discounted for this week ONLY. On Friday at midnight, the price […]

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