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Browsing Tags posture

Fireside Chat with Dr. Ryan Tisdall, DPT – “The Effect of Breathing on Posture, Biomechanics, & Running”

November 3, 2020 · by Garrett McLaughlin

Welcome to the Fireside Chat! This series was designed to provides runners and the general population easy to absorb information regarding running mechanics, nutrition, strength training, and injury prevention. As the series progresses, we will cover a myriad of topics and speak with different professionals in the health & running community.

In this 4th edition, we had a great conversation with guest, Dr. Ryan Tisdall. Ryan is a sports physical therapist and strength & conditioning coach in Novi, Michigan. He shared a wealth of information regarding breathing, including how it can impact our body and overall running performance.

Not sure if you are breathing correctly? Do you have poor posture, core strength, or feel like you get winded easily while running? Ryan has you covered in this chat!

In this Fireside Chat, we covered a variety of topics, including…

Ryan’s background and experiences (3:20)
The anatomy & physiology of breathing (7:15)
How to self-assess your breathing (15:45)
The interdependence between breathing and the core (20:00)
Breathing and it’s impact on running performance & injuries (27:17)
Connect with Ryan (36:40)
Q&A (37:35)

Click the video below to instantly watch the replay of this chat!

Did you enjoy this Fireside Chat and are interested in learning more about upcoming segments as well as high quality educational content for runners? If so, click here to join the Ignite Your Run private Facebook group. The Ignite Your Run group is a FREE community for runners to learn and interact in the journey to become the best version of yourself possible. You can also click here to view the resource page containing previous Fireside Chat’s and webinars.

Here are additional resources regarding today’s chat and how to learn more about Dr. Ryan Tisdall…

Website: www.kinesisptandperformance.com
Email: Ryan@kinesisptandperformance.com

Thanks for watching!

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

Strategies to Maximize Posture Late in a Race

March 25, 2019 · by Garrett McLaughlin

Article written on March 25th, 2019 at 08:22am | Follow Garrett on Facebook and Instagram |

Posture is one of those areas which can have a strong impact on running economy and performance. Let’s think about it in a very simplistic way… The better you can maintain a vertical and supported position, the more efficient your lower body can operate with less energy wasted while fighting to keep you upright. This is especially true late in a run or race when breathing is labored and your muscles are fatigued.

Take a second and think back to your last race or long training run… As mileage started to increase and you got tired, what happened to your body position? Most likely you…

Developed more of a hunched over posture
Lost control around the core and possibly felt some lower back irritation
Increased loading into the ground due to poor shock absorption
Had difficulty catching your breath as the run went on
Started to feel heavy legs that were hard to turnover

Do any of those sound familiar? If so, targeting posture in your weekly strength training routine can have a huge impact on your running.

So, what does it take to really maximize your posture as it relates to the demands of distance running?

Posture is a mix of several different characteristics which includes: joint positioning, mobility, flexibility, stability, and endurance. You can certainly target individual attributes and see great results. But, implementing a well-rounded approach while also taking into consideration your specific limitations will create a lasting impact to withstand the high impact of running.

In addition, posture really needs to be viewed from a full-body perspective. Of course what quickly comes to mind is the spine and shoulders. But, I want you to shift your focus to also include the pelvis, hips, rib cage, breathing mechanics, and then those commonly thought about areas up the kinetic chain. This all-encompassing approach will be the difference maker in your running!

In today’s video, I want to share with you a variety of basic strategies to implement when targeting posture:

What I recommend moving forward is to following a systematic approach when targeting posture. In the exact order, this includes:

Hip, spine, and shoulder flexibility/mobility (i.e. hip flexor stretch, prone press-up, and pec stretch)
Diaphragmatic breathing and rib cage control (i.e. hooklying breathing)
Core stability with proper breathing (i.e. supine marching and dead bug)
Shoulder and spine strength/endurance (i.e. band low row, band high row, and dumbbell bent over row)

By following this recipe you will notice a significant improvement in posture when staying consistent for a minimum of 2x/week for 6-8 weeks. With that being said, don’t stop there! Continue building more endurance and resilience by increasing resistance and progressing your exercises as needed. This will create a more bulletproof posture that continues to be supportive as mileage increases.

Thank you for checking out this article today regarding posture for runners. Please comment below or send me a message if I can answer any specific questions for you. If you need help creating a specific strength training routine that supplements your running, I’d love to help!

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

2 Simple Drills to Improve Posture and Thoracic Mobility

February 17, 2019 · by Garrett McLaughlin

Article written on February 6th at 05:19pm | Follow Garrett on Facebook and Instagram |

Wait! Before going any further, answer the following questions…

Have you ever felt tight and restricted in your mid to upper spine?
Does your job require sitting at a desk throughout the day?
Is one of your goals to increase posture and mobility of the upper body?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, identifying whether or not you lack mobility in the thoracic spine is important. And if so, this article will show you exactly what to do about!

The thoracic spine consists of 12 vertebrae between the neck and lower back. Essentially, it’s the largest part of our spine that often gets abused thanks to the growing use of technology, sitting for extended periods of time, and even a well executed exercise routine.

Despite the thoracic spine being a crucial area for proper function of the spine, neck, and shoulder regions, it’s not commonly painful. Instead what you’ll find is lack of mobility in extension, lateral flexion, and rotation. This is often hard to perceive outside of the normal feeling of tension, and therefore needs to be properly assessed to determine it’s severity.

How to self-assess your thoracic spine mobility in rotation? The Seated Thoracic Spine Rotation Test is the best starting point.

In the video below, I provide a quick demonstration on how to properly assess rotation at the thoracic spine. This is very easy to perform at home while sitting directly in the doorway. Simply, face the open side of the doorway with the shins touching the wall and try to rotate fully to either side. Plain and simple, can you touch the doorway with the broomstick?

Now that you have a more clear cut understanding of how much thoracic rotation you possess, what do you do about it? Well, if you could easily touch the broomstick to the door jamb then you can rest assured that the following drills aren’t necessary for you. But if you could not, we have work to do!

Two beneficial drills that come to mind are the sidelying thoracic spine rotation and bench thoracic extension. Please watch the video below to learn how to properly perform these drills for improved thoracic rotation..

Now that you have a better understanding regarding mobility of your thoracic spine and two helpful drills to improve function, it’s important to realize how much effort it takes to make an impact. If you are sitting 8-10 hours a day and uncovered a severe limitation in mobility, performing these drills every hour might be needed to see reliable results. However, if there was only a mild limitation then adding them to your daily mobility routine might be enough. The key is to be consistent day after day and re-assess periodically to gauge progress. And, always consider removing any excess sitting or tasks that require you to be in a forward rounded posture.

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

Upper Body Considerations for the Distance Athlete

October 2, 2017 · by Garrett McLaughlin

Article written on October 2nd, 2017 at 06:00am | Follow Garrett on Facebook and Instagram |

Yes, the lower body and core are essential to focus on for distance athletes. But, this doesn’t mean the upper body can be neglected.

Taking a postural approach with the upper body will create lasting results for distance athletes. That’s because better posture and positioning can have a big impact on performance and function of the body.

Poor posture, with forward rounded shoulders, tight thoracic spine, and lack of upper back strength, creates a position where breathing becomes restricted, arm swing can be limited, and performance suffers. This is especially true for those of you who sit at a desk throughout the day. Therefore, adding just a few basic upper body strategies to your daily routine can go a long way.

In the following video, we will cover:

Why the thoracic spine matters for optimal posture and how to reduce hyper-kyphosis
How to improve flexibility of the shoulders to restore good posture
Why increasing upper back strength is the final nail to solidify improvements in posture

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

Random Thoughts on Scapula Positioning: Installment #7

January 17, 2016 · by Garrett McLaughlin

| Article written on January 17th, 2016 at 4:08pm | Follow Garrett on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |

The scapulae are vital when it comes to upper body function, especially at the shoulder. More often then not, people consider the shoulder only the ball and socket, and not the whole complex. Because the scapula has only one bony attachment, the clavicle, much of it’s function is determined by muscular attachments. We can observe the scapula at rest and throughout motion to determine how surrounding soft-tissue effects it. Here are some random thoughts on scapula positioning…

There are several predictable positioning faults that are more common then others. Often, I find the scapula in a anteriorly tilted and laterally shifted position. This is easy to explain why, poor posture. From prolonged sitting, hunched shoulders, and excess use of technology, we allow shortening of the anterior (pec) muscles, while the upper back (rhomboids) lengthen. A tight pectoralis minor, which attaches to the scapula at the coracoid process, pulls the scapula anteriorly causing a tilt. Tightness in the pectoralis major will round the shoulders forward, causing the scapula to shift laterally away from the spine.
How far should the scapula be from the spine? The scapulae normally rest approximately 2 inches from the spine. It is common to see resting positions that do not reflect this. Poor posture can cause an increased distance from the spine. While over-dominant rhomboids and downward rotators of the scapula can cause the scapula to rest more closely. Allowing for proper resting position is essential.
A combined approach to proper re-positioning. As described above, adaptive shortening in specific muscles can cause alterations in scapula position. But, we must also look at muscular weakness as well. To adequately re-position the scapula, we can’t just stretch tight muscles but must also shorten the lengthened and weak musculature. A combined approach will unlock the faulty position and allow for proper position to be restored. Manual therapy is also advantageous in both the shortened and lengthened musculature. Constant tension, regardless of the reason, causes reduced blood flow and fibrotic changes within the tissue. Restoring quality of the tissue may need to be a focus before trying to change length.
Over-emphasizing “shoulder blades back and down” reduces scapula upward rotation. Scapula upward rotation is an important movement which allows for adequate shoulder function when the arms are overhead. Too often, those that train clients will instruct people to “squeeze the shoulders blades back and down.” I have been guilty of this over the years, as well. This is fine when the scapula doesn’t need to upwardly rotate, as in movements under 90 degrees of flexion or abduction (it actually should upwardly rotate when the arm is elevated above 20-30 degrees). But, when we are lifting anything overhead, the shoulder blades need fluid movement to allow for optimal joint positioning. One of the main jobs of the scapula is to provide stability in the shoulder throughout it’s range of motion. Consciously locking down the scapula is NOT creating stability. Stability is a reflexive response from the nervous system to prevent unwanted joint motion. Reflexive means it happens on it own and without conscious thought. Next time you are lifting overhead, let those shoulder blades fly!

I hope you enjoyed this installment of random thoughts. Please go over to Facebook and leave me a comment on what you thought about this article and if you have any insight to share.

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

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