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Browsing Category Exercise Highlight

Why Certain Core Exercises Hurt Your Lower Back

November 25, 2018 · by Garrett McLaughlin

Article written on November 19th, 2018 at 01:46pm | Follow Garrett on Facebook and Instagram |

Does your lower back feel healthy and pain-free throughout the day but only to become very irritated with certain core exercises? Instead of jumping to conclusions, it’s important to realize two important factors:

You never have low back pain throughout your daily routine
Your back pain increases in response to specific movements

When this is the case, it’s important to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Of course, seeking an evaluation from a trained healthcare professional can be a viable option. And, I always recommend this when dealing with pain or before getting started with an exercise program. But, if you have narrowed down the painful stimulus to specific movements, then it seems more impactful to either remove the trigger or assess technique and form while performing those movements.

The core is a complex area of the body. In the movement world we refer to this as the lumbopelvic hip complex. Therefore, it encompasses more joints and muscles than most people realize.

For decades we have been addressing this area with exercises such as sit-ups, crunches, supermans, etc. These can be beneficial to increase strength at the musculature surrounding the core. But, how much impact do they have on stability? And, do they place an unwanted amount of compressive force on the spine itself?

Instead of always strengthening these muscles in an attempt to build a healthy and resilient spine, let’s incorporate a stability component to improve control and positioning of each spinal segment. Too often do I see people performing tons of flexion, extension, and rotation-based movements without any focus on stability and joint position. Yes, this might build a killer 6-pack, but is it the best long-term strategy for spine health?

So, where do you begin? Self-assessing core stability can provide feedback into how well you are controlling the position of your spine. This isn’t how much weight you can move or repetitions on a sit-up. But rather how well you maintain neutral while the extremities move.

A simple and effective self-assessment is the legs lowering drill. I would recommend performing this with a 10-second eccentric (lower) while monitoring the position of the pelvis, spine, and rib cage. Sometimes it can be helpful to have a friend look at these areas for you to provide more accurate feedback. The video below will provide an explanation on how to properly perform this self-assessment.

Following the legs lowering self-assessment, if you notice that the lumbar spine loses it’s position into extension before the legs lower to 45 degrees, it’s important to patiently and consistently work on improving core stability. In the following video, I want to walk you through a simple exercise progression that serves as the foundation for better lumbar stability. These exercises include:

Hooklying marching
Dead bug
Overhead dead bug

If this approach to core training is new to you or you found that it was very challenging to perform these exercises with good control, it’s important to make these stability exercises a staple within your program. What’s important when it comes to improving stability is not attempting the hardest variation and struggling through with minimal success. Instead, perform the exercise that challenges you in a productive way for 4-8 weeks before moving on to the next. The goal should be quality and execution over quantity.

If you have any questions or need help troubleshooting any lower back pain as it relates to your current exercise program, please feel free to comment below or message me directly. I hope this video provided you value in some way. Thanks for reading!

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

Understanding the Complexity of the Lunge (and it’s variations)

October 3, 2018 · by Garrett McLaughlin

Article written on October 3rd, 2018 at 10:00am | Follow Garrett on Facebook and Instagram |

The lunge, and all of it’s variations, should be a staple within your movement program. Since much of what you do daily involves emphasis on single leg strength, stability, and balance, there is really no reason why you would overlook the lunge. This is especially true if you are active by walking, running, or playing sports.

One of the biggest problems that prompted me to write this article was the lack of attention to detail concerning the form which makes the lunge effective. Since I work in a fitness facility, I have the privilege of watching people move and specifically lunge on a daily basis. This is a privilege and also a curse, because often it’s not always pretty.

You can’t blame the person performing the lunge if they have never been told how to lunge properly. I think the problem stems from assuming everyone knows how to lunge that gets us into trouble. Yes, this is one of the most popular exercises anywhere. No, it does not just happen naturally, especially in our technologically-crazed and movement-restricted society.

So, what needs to happen? The teachers (trainers, coaches & therapists) need to teach.

My goal is to not expect that everyone knows what I know. I have spent many years of schooling, internships, and hands-on experience working with people on a daily basis while assessing and instructing movement. Just because you’ve done lunges before or have seen a “proper lunge” on Facebook or Youtube doesn’t mean your perception of the task matches your execution. Therefore, it’s important to use this article as a mental checklist while you are lunging to determine how you can be more proficient and effective with this movement pattern.

The basic principles to perform a proper lunge are:

Proper positioning of the pelvis
Alignment of the lower limb
Trunk angle/lean (can vary based on the focus on that lunge variation)
Position of the foot with support from the big toe

In the following video, let me walk you through all of the above mentioned areas so you can lunge more effortlessly and with better long-term results:

The tips provided in this video should be easily observed but that doesn’t always mean they are easily attainted. Please feel free to reach out directly if you notice difficulty getting into the right positions. This is common and most likely warrants an evaluation and specific corrective exercises to target any underlying limitations.

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

Hip Extension and It’s Impact on Lower Back Health

September 23, 2017 · by Garrett McLaughlin

Article written on September 23rd, 2017 at 10:33am | Follow Garrett on Facebook and Instagram |

The hip is a pivotal joint that plays a big role in function of the lower back. Oftentimes, lack of hip extension due to poor flexibility and/or weakness can predispose the body to lower back pain and injury. From another perspective, lack of anti-extension (abdominals/obliques) core control and pelvic positioning will cause the back to be forced into extension during extension of the hip. All of this is undesirable when it comes to health of the spine.

In the video below, I explain how hip extension impacts the lower back. But first, let’s appreciate how mobility and stability must work together to create an optimal environment…

During hip extension, as in basic hip strengthening exercises, walking, and running, the core must reflexively fire to stabilize the pelvis. I often see people in the gym working on glute strengthening with no regard to spine position.

When you extend the hip to a certain point, especially when done forcefully and/or without respecting it’s end-range of motion, the lower back has to extend and the pelvis tips anteriorly to allow this motion. Over time, hyperextension of the hip can lead to increased compressive forces at the lumbar spine and injury. See the picture below as an example of forcing hip extension and how the back is impacted.

Notice how the lower back changes, from more of a neutral and natural curvature at the start, to hyperextension at the finish? This occurs either due to creating false extension of the hip where the lower back is assisting the leg being lifted. Or, poor spinal stabilization and lack of anti-extension core stability, thus leading to excessive lumbar extension.

Take a second to watch the following video. I highly recommend you take notice next time you perform any hip extension movements. Can you isolate the hip while still respecting the positioning of the pelvis and lower back? This is an important concept to reduce the incidence of lower back pain and to also get more from your hips.

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

How to Use Slow Eccentric Movement to Improve Upper Body Posture

September 4, 2017 · by Garrett McLaughlin

Article written on August 23rd, 2017 at 10:29am | Follow Garrett on Facebook and Instagram |

It’s no surprise that posture as a society is declining. This is due to the increased use of technology and prolonged hours sitting throughout the day. Combine that with lack of upper body flexibility, mobility, and strength, and you have a recipe for forward rounded shoulders and possible injury.

Static stretching can be a valuable strategy to help combat poor posture. But over the years, I have found that using full-range of motion movement is even more impactful. That is because an eccentric (lengthening) muscle contraction allows the specific muscle targeted to be in control of the movement as it elongates through the full range of motion.

Why slow eccentrics is a useful strategy is due to the nervous system’s involvement with the movement. Instead of static stretching a muscle and cranking on it to it’s end-range, which the body often resists to a certain degree, we can now more carefully find end-range since there is less perceived threat in the system. Essentially, you can put yourself in control of the movement and teach your nervous system how to control this increased range of motion for better long-term results in flexibility.

In the following video, I demonstrate the use of an offset and depth push-up to better lengthen the pectoralis (pec) major. The pec major is an important muscle on the front of the chest. But, when sitting for long hours it often becomes tight and restricted. Next time, instead of static stretching try this approach and see how your body responds.

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

Hip Stability and It’s Effect on Running Performance

August 7, 2017 · by Garrett McLaughlin

Article written on August 7th, 2017 at 1:35pm | Follow Garrett on Facebook and Instagram |

Hip stability is an important aspect of proper running form. Without it, you may notice poor lower extremity alignment or a pelvis that becomes un-level during ground contact and/or midstance. Any loss of stability increases the risk of injury and reduces performance capabilities. Therefore, stability is an important characteristic to train with functional movements, as well as reinforce during your runs.

Have you ever noticed someone at a race or on the road that has a noticeable stability issue? It may look something like this…

In the following video, I received some insight from local physical therapist Chris Wolfe, as he broke down hip stability as it relates to running. In his demonstration, he did a great job showing the difference between maintaining stability and losing it so you can do a better job detecting issues before they become problematic.

Are you curious about what movements you can supplement your running with to improve hip stability? I am a big fan of the step down exercise which challenges single leg strength, stability, and balance. The step down has great carryover to running but you still have to emphasize good form and hip positioning throughout your runs.

Are you interested in having your running form assessed? This 60-minute session includes a detailed treadmill-based running analysis, orthopedic/movement testing, and individualized corrective program to begin making adjustments. Click here to contact me directly!

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

The Overlooked Strategy to Better Running Performance & Injury Reduction

August 10, 2016 · by Garrett McLaughlin

| Article written on August 10th, 2016 at 10:49am | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |

When it comes to running, you will find different professionals promoting various ways to improve performance and prevent the likelihood of injury. There is no one specific modality that does it all. But, over the years I have found jumping and landing to be a valuable strategy to provide gains in performance while also improving function.

When we break down running, it becomes obvious that much of cycle requires propulsion and absorption, all while controlling body position. Each push-off leads to a phase where the body is floating through the air before striking back down.

Oftentimes, runners solely train for muscular strength, power, and endurance in their functional training programs, without enough emphasis on deceleration, single leg stability, and balance. All of these characteristics can be targeted while incorporating jumping and landing. Not only that, but enhancing the anticipatory and reactive aspect of running during each ground contact.

Before you start incorporating jumping and landing, it is always important to rule out any dysfunctional movement patterns. One should be able to squat and lunge properly, and also possess adequate mobility in the toes, ankles, and hips. When function is at an acceptable level, we get to work…

Box jumps are a great starting point and shouldn’t be intimidating. The horror stories you have heard of people scraping their shins and spilling are usually due to inflated ego and lack of progression. Pick a box that is at a comfortable level because essentially it’s about the movement, not the height of the box that provides value.

People always ask, “Why not start by landing on the ground?” Essentially, you are catching yourself in a higher position which limits ground reaction forces and stress throughout the body. As you complete the movement, emphasize a soft landing by using each lower extremity joint to decelerate your downward motion.

Once you have mastered and feel comfortable with box jumps, jumping and landing from the ground is next. Because we are now allowing the body to come all the way down, the amount of ground reaction force increase. All of the above mentioned tips still apply. We want to come into contact with the ground and bend at each joint to accept the forces as opposed to landing abruptly. When you first begin don’t worry about jumping too high, but focus more so on the landing. Progress to higher jumps as long as the landing can still be completed with integrity.

Lastly, and where I find the most value for runners and athletes is with the single leg version. When incorporating jumping and landing on a single leg, the body now has to stabilize, and balance. These two characteristics are HUGE for runners since much of their sport relies on single leg stance. In addition to a structured ankle and hip strengthening program, single leg jumping and landing can be the key strategy that enhances stability and balance. That’s important, not only for performance, but to improve function throughout the lower extremity and reduce the likelihood of injury.

As you try the single leg version, alignment becomes even more essential. If there are any issues with hip stability and/or balance, they will often be magnified with this drill. But, as you come back into contact with the ground, absorb through the lower extremity and maintain the knee in good vertical alignment between the ankle and hip. This really calls into play the hip stabilizers to anticipate and react to the landing while maintaining a proper joint position.

Now that you have a better understanding of how valuable jumping and landing can be to boosting performance and reducing the likelihood of injury, try it! Remember, it’s not about the height of the jump, but the controlled position of the landing. Learning how to properly absorb forces throughout the kinetic chain can be a worthwhile strategy that pays dividend in the long run.

By: Garrett McLaughlin, MS, ATC, CSCS, ART

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