Yes! Healthy breathing involves the expansion of your lungs (which can almost double in size) and the contraction of your diaphragm. To make way for the air coming in, your diaphragm pushes down on your viscera (inner organs), which in turn pushes your stomach out, also known as "belly breathing". When we don't do this due to stress, etc., we kick in our accessory …

Musculoskeletal pain is like the fire alarm in your house. It is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong. (Imbalance, weakness, tightness, etc.) Taking pills to try and "fix" low back, shoulder, hip, knee, and neck pain is like popping the battery out of a beeping fire alarm. The alarm may stop, but you didn't put out the fire. Many chronic …

Did you know that low back pain is the 2nd leading cause for missed work in our country? Why??? There are lots of reasons, but I'll give you the top 3:1-Our modern society sits at desks and chairs all day, leading to all sorts of postural dysfunctions2-Most people are just bloody weak and have no core support or strength to divert forces out of their spine so they …

This past weekend was unusually warm for this time of year in NJ and inevitably we saw a lot of athletes cramping up in the field. Here is 3 tips to keep in mind: 1-Once the event is going, it is really too late to hydrate. You should be drinking plenty of water the 24-48 hours leading up to the game for optimal hydration. 2-Research has shown a …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KDxeJVIc7iMI recently came across an article that got my Irish up by a trainer entitled "Is the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) worthless?". He used the video above from the Nike Football Training Camp as the basis for his argument on the FMS's usefulness in preventing injury. This guy basically said "look how …

The thought of it makes every coach, parent and athlete cringe. A player is sprinting down the field and all of a sudden they slow up, grab the back of their leg and painfully limp to the sideline. The infamous pulled “hammy” has become all too common in sports, leaving athletes out of commission for weeks, if not months at a time. So why are so many athletes coming up lame …

The Abuse of Young Baseball Pitchers As a father of two young boys, one of my absolute true joys in life is to watch them both play baseball. Fortunately both of them share this love for the game with me and play on pretty competitive travel teams. This has allowed me to see them be exposed to some great training and coaching, as well as …

When I come across fitness magazine covers or overhear party conversations about working out, the primary focus is many times "which exercise is best for _____". Now this may sound a little crazy coming from someone who teaches movement for a living, but when programming for physiological change, the exercise or movement you choose may be the least important variable.

Your body is an adaptive organism that is always fighting to maintain what is called homeostasis, or middle ground. For example, if it is hot outside, you will begin to sweat to cool down. The inverse is also true that when it is cold, we begin to shiver to get warm. What research has also found is that brief and controlled exposure to extreme cold can help boost …

The most dangerous people are...The ones who know "a little". They don't know what they don't know.This is a very prevalent problem in our world of fitness and rehab "experts". For example, I just read a critique of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) online yesterday that criticized the validity of the screen in predicting likelihood of injury.

As football camps are getting ready to get rolling all over the country, it makes me crazy when I hear about players who we work with have their coaches making them go on distance runs to get in shape. When I speak at football conferences I always ask the coaches in attendance, "when was the last time you said your team would be so much stronger if you could

Here's a great client story from many years ago:Bob comes in and tells me I got him in trouble. He said his wife is furious at him. Bob struggled with his mobility, to say the least, so I would always tease him that he just needed some WD40 to grease his joints. He goes on to tell me that his mother-in-law who was in her eighties would call the house and …

Being stuck at home does not mean you cannot still improve your health, fitness and performance. You can still stay fit, resilient and strong with the right plan. Here are some recommendations to help get and keep you on track to your goals: Home Exercise Programs Exercise Library - On my YouTube page you can find a library of videos with instruction for over …

One of the long-standing myths of sport and exercise is the demonization of “Lactic acid”. We have been told that is what makes your muscles burn and fatigue during exercise and we need to “flush it out” as part of the recovery process. It all sounds cool, but unfortunately NONE of that is true.  What is it? What is often termed as lactic acid is a byproduct of …

Had a case recently with a young athlete I work with who plays a lot of basketball having a knee issue. I am not a clinician, so I told them to see a medical professional to get it checked, but my unofficial diagnosis was what I call "AAU Knee". This is what happens when young adolescents play upwards of over 12-15 hours per week of basketball between games and …