Functional exercise, or functional fitness, is a very interesting term. It’s used frequently to describe movement and training patterns. It’s also a phrase that’s both adored and despised. Let’s give functional exercise some attention today. I guess I’m not gonna redefine functional fitness. I’m just going to revisit the concept. By definition, the adjective “functional” suggests that something is designed…
Getting on the same page. Speaking the same language. This is good when we want to avoid confusion and increase effectiveness. When talking about footwork, specifically in reference to some common athletic movements, standardized nomenclature is essential. What I find, and I’m sure you have also, is that there is a bit of a disconnect when it comes to footwork.…
It seems like I’m always in some kind of biomechanics rabbit hole. It’s been that way forever. One of my favorite areas of study in human performance is gait mechanics. Today’s discussion focuses on a particular aspect of running gait, and it applies to locomotion in jogging, running, and sprinting. I’ve spent nearly 40 years reading research articles, and being…
Need to get rid of pain? Want to level up your performance? Ever consider your lunge and split squat biomechanics? The lunge is one of the 7 major movement patterns we typically utilize in exercise program design. Along with hinge, squat, rotate, locomote, push and pull…the lunge is a mainstay in many training sessions. In Episode 233 of The Lifetime…
A movementsmith is someone who owns position and has mastery of motion in every direction. He or she is the epitome of graceful, artistic, and poetic movement which is economical, efficient, and effective. One of my missions is to be a movementsmith and to help everyone else do the same. When you are a movementsmith, 3 things are going to…
Understanding Human Movement – Part 1 is a video lesson I recently produced. This was a spinoff from some very frequently asked questions that I get from colleagues I mentor and athletes I coach. Folks commonly inquire: How can I assess movement more effectively? How can I identify problems with my clients or my own movements? How can I take…
Yesterday was WhipperSnapper Wednesday. That was the theme of the daily email (The T2 eBlast!) that goes out to our Training Tribe members. The message was Get. Younger. Today. That was no joke and the tips and motivation the members received related to the training we are doing this month. The month of March may not have come in like…
I recently produced a video on The Lifetime Athlete YouTube Channel entitled Interpreting Shoe Wear. This quick lesson touched on some of the major areas in shoewear analysis that can assist clinicians and athletes alike in solving pain and performance problems. Interpreting shoe wear patterns is extremely effective in supporting your other examination findings, such as postural assessment, gait analysis,…
This post is a synopsis of Episode 224 of The Lifetime Athlete Podcast. It was entitled The Big Three Lifts. This discussion was a Mail Bag episode in response to a number of recent inquiries. Every Lifetime Athlete is familiar with these exercises as well as the squat, horizontal press, and hinge patterns they represent. Training these movements can help…
Understanding gait mechanics in the foot is a video I recently produced. This is a topic I’ve studied for nearly 40 years and it is very popular in my collegial consultations and my client coaching sessions. Getting a better grasp of how the foot works, or is designed to operate, can help anyone to more effectively appreciate movement, training, injury…
