Posture and Technique
Straighten Then Strengthen Your Body
In case you missed my article in The Weekly Sun of the Wood River Valley (pdf) or the Los Alamos Daily Post it is reprinted below. Lifting weights is a great way to increase strength. Unfortunately, it can also engrain postural disparities and movement...
Knee Injuries and Alignment
In case you missed my article in the Los Alamos Daily Post it is reprinted below. Contrary to popular belief your knee is not a fragile joint. It is designed to run, jump, ski and perform all the activities you ask of it. The knee is actually a simple joint...
Strength Training for Better Posture: Lat Front Pulldown
Starting Position Hand position on the bar is determined by abducting the arms to the side, bending at the elbows, rotating upwards and reaching straight up to grab the bar. The thumb wraps around the bar with the other fingers forming a hook. This reduces...
Strength Training for Better Posture: Chest Press
Starting Position Lie down on a bench with your knees bent and feet flat on the bench. Distance between your heels and butt is ~ 6". Arms extended directly above the chest. Weights are facing each other with the palms down. Lower back has a natural curve, relax...
Keep Your Fascia in Shape with Foam Rolling
Although we all learned anatomy as separate muscles doing individual jobs recent research is showing this may not be the way our bodies work at all. Tom Myers, a leader in this field and author of the book Anatomy Trains contends that the body is an...
Strength Training for Better Posture: Back Rows
Back Row on Commercial Strength Training Machine Starting Position Sit tall with straight vertical alignment from the hips to the ears. Neutral spine with a slight arch in the lower back. Feet hip width apart and flat on the floor. Shoulders at 90...
Pain Relief Through Posture Alignment
In case you missed my article in the Los Alamos Daily Post it is reprinted below. Do you have joint or muscle pain? It may be your posture. According to the Egoscue Method® of posture alignment the “design posture” of the human body is to have...
Strength Training for Better Posture: Biceps Curls
This is the first video in a series on proper strength training technique for better posture. Starting Position A staggered stance (1-2 feet apart) accommodates wider hips and larger dumbbells. Dumbbell heads are facing forward to keep the weights close to the body...
Back Pain and Spinal Posture
In case you missed my article in the Los Alamos Daily Post it is reprinted below. Several painful back conditions – stenosis, disc bulge or herniation, spondylolisthesis and sciatica – are due to improper spinal alignment. Proper Spinal...
Understanding the Function Run
"The value of the function run is that it deliberately equalizes your strong compensating muscles and your weaker prime movers. When we are dysfunctional, heavy exertion demand automatically accesses our strongest muscles. Function runs are a way to stop that from...
Running Technique, Posture and Pain
In case you missed my article in the Los Alamos Daily Post. There are no sports beyond our body's capability! When we have pain playing a sport though, it is easy to blame the activity for our pain. Running, the primary functional movement our body was designed...
10 Secrets to Better Mountain Biking
1. Look where you want to go with soft eyes The number one mistake beginner mountain bikers make is focusing on the obstacles in the trail. The path of your bike follows your eyes. If you stare intently at the rock, tree, or root odds are you will hit them. Instead,...
Develop Autonomous Sports Skills to Stay Injury Free
When standing on the free throw line preparing to make the game winning basket you don't want to spend your mental energy on the mechanics of throwing a basketball. The same is true for paying attention to your pedal stroke during a 100 mile road bike tour. In these...
Are You Moving in Balance? Three Ways to Tell
1. Uneven Shoe and Foot Wear The sole of your shoe can indicate a great deal about how you are striking the ground when engaged in a repetitive motion weight-bearing sport, such as running, walking or hiking. If there is more wear on the inner edge of your shoe, your...
Alexander Technique and Running
In my ongoing quest to learn more about posture, injuries, and pain I began experimenting with the Alexander Technique (AT). What attracted me to this process is that AT develops awareness about moving and using the body efficiently during everyday activities –...
Meet Jessica!
I believe we are designed to move and play throughout our entire lives. I don’t buy into the idea that we should slow down with age, or that pain, injury and physical restrictions are unavoidable aspects of growing older. So, here’s my philosophy. Our mental mindset, combined with the physical position and condition of the body that we bring into any activity (from walking to skiing to everything in between), determines our chance of hurting when we move. If we have a positive mindset, and if we have proper positioning and move with correct body biomechanics, all activities should be possible.
This is the goal I have for everyone: to overcome pain and limitations so you can Stay in the Game for Life!
Visit The Pain Free Athlete website for additional resources and opportunities.
