Pecs Archives | Page 2 of 9

Upper Back & Shoulders: April 9

It’s Fri-yay! Before we get this weekend started, we need to get our muscles firing. So now that a lot of us are still working from home, let’s talk about a working posture tip. Remember, your body conforms to the positions you spend the most time in. If you are are slumped over all of the time, your body will eventually become this position. This means you will have the classic rounded upper back, forward rounded shoulders, and forward sticking out neck. This is a good look for no one.

Here is a tip, don’t use your back rest. When most people use their back rest they tend to round forward and hang out in the slumped position. When you use your back rest your core muscles don’t have to work and do their job as your back rest is taking over for your core muscles. Over time this leads to “weak” core muscles and you lose the “connection” with these muscles, making your back and midsection a sloppy mess. Ditch the back rest. Have fun today!

Equipment needed: 1. Padded Mat (optional). Let’s get your spine moving like it should be moving! Today we are working on the flexibility, mobility, and stability of your t-spine aka your upper back and shoulders.

We are starting off with a movement to get every muscle in and around your spine moving well and activating properly. The key with this movement is to focus and put your “brain” in to each one of these small muscles that attach into your spine. We are then working on a movement to stretch out and activate your t-spine rotation. Your goal is to rotate as much as possible, while continually trying to push further. Try not to just “hang” out in this position, make it active. We are finishing up with one of our favorite movements for the shoulders, called reverse snow angels. Your goal with this one is to keep your arms and hands high, and keep your shoulders blade aka scapula muscles firing.

Flow: April 8

I want to give you a huge high five today for making it back for another routine packed with joint optimization stretching and activation. I know I say it often, but I truly can’t stress it enough. The 10-20 minutes that you are putting in everyday is crucial to your performance and the longevity of your body.

I talk to way too many people that say that “this is joint is tight”, “this muscle hurts”, or “I woke up and this part of my body hurts.” I do feel bad for them as I don’t anyone to feel limited or be in any kind of discomfort. I then ask, well what have you been doing to care for your body and joints on a routine basis? (in the form of effective joint maintenance -I don’t say that part though) Most of the time they say “nothing.” Part of the problem is that they don’t realize that they need to be proactive with their joint and body health. To me, this is obvious, but to a lot of people, this has never crossed their mind in their 20, 30, 40, 50, 60+ years. I then explain the importance of all of this awesome stuff we do in Movement Vault. Long story short: You get it, and your body rewards you for it. Have fun today!

Equipment needed: 1. Padded mat. Today is a flow day!

Hips & Ankles: April 7

Hamslings, Hamsprings, or Hamstrings? Call them what you want, they can be a problem area for a LOT of people. I am hard pressed to find someone dealing with low back pain that doesn’t have problematic hamstrings. Having mobile and stable hamstrings is key to a healthy and happy low back.

Equipment needed: 1. Foam Roller. 2. Padded Mat. Today we are working on the tight muscles and fascia located on the entire back of your leg aka your posterior chain. We are working on the flexibility, mobility, and stability of your hips and ankles.

We are starting off with a muscle / fascia release for your hamstring muscles. Anatomy tip: did you know you have 3 hamstring muscles? Next we are working on a full range of motion activation movement for your hamstrings and knee. Focus on squeezing your quad muscles as much as possible while you stretch out your hamstrings. Third up is a hamstring end-range stretch isometric technique. Focus on stretching out your hamstring as far as possible and then activating and contracting them. We are finishing up with end-range stretch isometrics for your ankle, specifically ankle dorsiflexion. I want you to try extra hard to focus on these muscles while you activate them.

Shoulders & Hips: April 6

Welcome back! We’ve got some great stuff in today’s routine for you. I have worked with more people than I can count that have very poor shoulder range of motion and mobility. Most people don’t think this is a big deal, but it can and usually does lead to potentially major problems later in life. The fact that people are getting total joint shoulder replacements at the age of 50 is very sad and mind blowing for me. 99% of these cases could have been avoided. I’m not trying to scare you, just putting things in perspective when you are having one of the days where you ask yourself “Do I really need to be working on my mobility?” Yes you do. Let’s get it!

Equipment needed: 1. Padded Mat (optional). We have a lot of effective shoulder and hip range of motion work today! We are working on the flexibility, mobility, and stability of your scapula aka shoulder blade muscles and hips.

We are starting off with a range of motion and activation movement for all of your muscles that surround your shoulder blades aka scapulae. Your goal is to activate and move your shoulder blades through your absolute full range of motion. If you have any pain at any point, skip this part in the range of motion and continue to perform the movement in your pain-free range of motion. Next we are working on an activation and range of motion movement for your shoulder. The note about pain above applies here as well. You get what you put into these previous two movements. Focus and squeeze all of these muscles. We are finishing up with a hip activation and range of motion movement. Focus on keeping your core engaged and the front of your pelvic bones on the mat as you move your leg slowly.

We love that you are spending time with us! Your body loves it even more. Check in with yourself after this routine and reflect on how much better your body feels and moves. Do the same later in the day today.

Hips & Back: April 5

It’s Monday! You’ve got a clean slate to do anything you put your mind to. The theme for this week as is every week is smart work and dedication. It’s not enough to put in the work, it’s all about well calculated smart work. Continue putting in the smart work, you are getting better everyday.

Equipment needed: 1. Padded Mat. A jam packed 15-minutes of mobility gold today! We are working on the flexibility, mobility, and stability of your hips and spine.

We are starting off with an end-range stretch isometric technique for your adductor muscles. These are the muscles that are located on the inside of your thigh. The key with this one is to stretch out this area first and then activate these muscles. We are then working on a range of motion and stretch movement for your entire body, with an emphasis on your back. We are then finishing up with a movement we call aqua mans. This one is all about activation. Focus on contracting and moving all of the muscles around your low back as much as you can.

Flow: April 4

Sunday Funday Flow Day! It’s that time again. It’s time to give your body the maintenance that it needs by moving your joints, and activating your muscles in ranges of motion that not only open up your range motion, but also increase your strength throughout your range of motion. Have fun!

Equipment needed: 1. Padded mat. Today is a flow day!

Full Body (70 min): April 3

We are taking you back to a routine we shot live before the pandemic. I really miss these live class style MV shoots with other people participating and am hoping we can get back to filming these sooner than later. Where should we film and teach at next?

Equipment needed: 1. Mobility ball or lacrosse ball. 2. Stretch strap or long band or belt or towel if it is difficult for you to reach back and grab your back leg in a lunge position. 3. Padded Mat. Today is a special edition Movement Vault long routine that was shot live in CrossFit Kingsboro in Brooklyn, NY. We are working on just about every area of your body today! We are working on the flexibility, mobility, and stability of your neck, shoulders, upper back, lower back, hips, and ankles.

This is a long routine, so perform the full routine if you have time. If not, do a portion now and a portion later. The muscle release work is in the beginning of the routine and the stretch and activation work after. In this routine you will perform 3 muscle/fascia release techniques, 3 end-range stretch isometric techniques, and many activation and range of motion movements. Your body is going to feel amazing after this extended routine!

Shoulders & Hips: April 2

First off you are doing amazing! It is one thing to recognize the importance of body care and body self maintenance. It is another thing to actually take action. You are taking action and your body loves you for it. Keep it up, consistency is the key.

Equipment needed: 1. Mobility ball or lacrosse ball. 2. Pillow or yoga block to rest your head when during the shoulder technique pictured above. 3. Padded Mat (optional). Today is all about your rotator cuff and hip abductor muscles. These are two areas of your body that can cause pain and injury and can hold you back from being able to perform exercises/movement with good technique and form.

Today we are working on the flexibility, mobility, and stability of your shoulders and hips. We are starting off with a muscle/fascia release for your posterior rotator cuff muscles, specifically your infraspinatus and teres minor muscles. Make sure to rotate your shoulder in both directions as far as possible while performing the muscle release. Next, we are working from the same position, but adding in end-range stretch isometrics. With this technique we are first stretching out your rotator cuff muscles and then we are contracting and activating them. It is important that you stretch out these muscles maximally before starting the muscle contraction. Also, try to keep the back of your shoulder on the ground. We are finishing with a very effective hip stretch and activation movement. Try to keep the fronts of both your hips on the ground while performing. Additionally, try to lift your leg up as high as possible and flex it forward as far as possible. Have fun guys!

Flow: April 1

Big news…..drum roll…..so we are deciding to switch up our programming format to focus on passive stretching only. I know what you are thinking, “but I thought passive stretching isn’t as effective as active stretching.” And you are 1000% correct! But it’s April fools and so yeah it’s April fools hahaaa. We will always be focused on and prioritizing active stretching. With that said, there is a small place for passive stretching, like post workout during your cool down, on a recovery day if you just want to relax, or while working on breathe work. Stay tuned for things to come…hint hint.

We are working primarily from the 1/2 kneeling position, but adding in some lying down shoulder work at the end of the routine. Equipment needed: 1. Padded mat. Today is a flow day!

Hips, Shoulders & Core: March 31

Yes it’s Wednesday! That phrase is rarely spoken, unless you are part of the Movement Family, which you are. It doesn’t matter what day it is, you know you will have an effective mobility routine waiting for you when you log in. We typically try to keep the equipment needed for our routines as low as possible, but sometimes we will use the PVC pipe as it helps in the pursuit of creating specific range of motion combos. If you don’t have a PVC pipe, no worries, you can use a broomstick, etc.

Equipment needed: 1. PVC pipe, broom stick or some type of dowel similar to the image of the video. 2. Padded Mat Today we are working on the flexibility, mobility, and stability of your hips, shoulders, and core.

Today’s routine is an effective one-two combination. Both active stretches focus on rotation through the entire body. Make sure to keep your midsection core muscles engaged the entire time, not letting your low back arch. You also want to make your are rotating as much as is comfortable and then drive the pipe down into the ground creating contractions in your shoulder, midsection core, and hip muscles. Have fun!

Anterior Chain & Hips: March 30

This mobility stuff takes guts, no really you need to work on the muscles and fascia on the front of your mid section. These muscles and fascia include your many layers of abdominal muscles as well as your diaphragm. When these layers of muscle and fascia get tight, they restrict movement in other joints such as your hips, and other movement directions such as rotation at the torso. Today’s routine is a good one. Give yourself a huge high five after you finish as you deserve it. Remember, you are awesome!

Equipment needed: 1. Foam Roller. 2. Padded Mat. 3. Box, bench, couch, or wall to put your back leg against for couch stretch rotations. Today is all about the muscles and fascia that are located in the front of your lower and upper body including your hip flexors, quads, and abdominal muscles aka your anterior chain.

We are working on the flexibility, mobility, and stability of these areas. We are starting off with a muscle/fascia release for your abdominal area, as well as your diaphragm. This technique has so many benefits, and can feel “weird” if you have never done it before. Take it slow and gently sink into the foam roller. We are then moving on to a stretch for this area that incorporates deep breathing. The key is to breathe in and let your belly expand. We are finishing up with couch stretch rotational holds. This is an amazing active stretch for your hip flexors. Make sure to keep your abs engaged and to not over extend your low back.

Ankles & Feet: March 29

What rhymes with neat and literally supports your entire body? You guessed it, your feet! I have worked with more patients and athletes than I can count that had foot and/or ankle issues that eventually led to hip, knee, low back, and even shoulders issues. What I am trying to say is that your feet and ankles affect the entire rest of your body. When your feet and ankles don’t “work” properly, it causes compensations in other joints, eventually leading to pain and injury. This is why we always say, never skip feet day!

Working on your ankle and foot mobility are sort of like meditation. If you say that you don’t have time for it, you most likely need it twice as much. Have fun!

Equipment needed: 1. Mobility ball or lacrosse ball. 2. Padded Mat (optional). Today we are working on the flexibility, mobility, and stability of your ankles and feet. We are starting off with a muscle/ fascia release / joint mobilization for the front of your ankles. This one can be pretty uncomfortable. Apply as much pressure as you can tolerate. Next we are moving on to an end-range stretch isometric technique to stretch out and activate the muscles and fascia in the front of your ankles. Try to stretch out the front of your ankles as much as possible before starting the muscle contraction. This one can also be uncomfortable, but this is normal. We are finishing up with a stretch and muscle activation exercise for your feet. Really focus on contracting your toes muscles as much as possible, while moving your foot and ankle.