The Importance of Dynamic Movement

The importance of dynamic movement and mobility is based on the Theory of Tensegrity.  This You Tube video from Thomas Myers gives an excellent explanation of what that means. 

Spend less time sitting and doing monostructural activities, and take some time to explore the movement capacity you were born with. Your physical health and quality of life will be much improved!

Why Mobile Hips are Important

Immobile hips are one of the biggest problems people may develop as they age. Studies have shown that hip mobility is an indicator of longevity!

The reason? Our bodies thrive with dynamic movement, but wither without it. It is the reason so many seniors require canes, walkers or (eventually) wheelchairs.

The problem becomes evident when people start to experience discomfort or pain in the back or knees. If the hips can't move properly, the rest of the body will suffer.

I experienced this in my mid 40's. It is what prompted me to look for ways to change the way I trained, which led me to Mobility related work. By my early 50's I was moving much better but was still unable to comfortably sit in this 90/90 position.

at 53, I attended the FRC (Functional Range Conditioning) certification. The scientific principles used by this system were the "cherry on top" of all other mobility related work I had done. By applying these principles in a steady, progressive manner over an extended period of time I have made improvements I couldn't imagine.

Now, at the age of 58, I am exploring multiple ranges within my hips that I had started losing 30 years ago. My hips, along with the rest of my body, are feeling better than they have for as long as I can remember!

I am still making progress and strive to move even better in my mid 60's! Mobility, especially in the hips, gives one freedom of movement. And Movement is life!

Protect Your Joints for Longevity

Fantastic interview with Peter Attia on training and longevity.

Natural Leg Extension

The Natural Leg Extension is a challenging bodyweight exercise which requires control and mobility.  

It is important to ensure that the hips do not bend throughout the movement in order to make progress.  Keep the entire body connected and engaged ... especially the legs, glutes, and core ... and push through the tops of the feet while returning to the upright position.  Start with a range of motion that can be completed with proper form and progress from there.

7 Longevity Biomarkers

"Last year, I wrote about 10 of the most interesting predictors of longevity. Many of them were subjective, but, as we all know, the objective physiological processes that occur in the human body also predict how long we live. 

Luckily, we can measure most of them. Some are standard at doctor’s checkups. Some require more involved (and expensive) testing. Some you can complete yourself at home with simple household objects.

But if you care at all about how well you’re doing in the longevity game, it’s worth paying attention to some of them."

- Mark Sisson

Read the full article at Mark's Daily Apple.

The Importance of Balance

"Good balance enhances your ability to move through and interact with the world. It’s essential for all of us—and especially for athletes whose feats put them at regular odds with the forces that threaten to throw us off balance.

The older you get, the more the world challenges your balance. And when you’re pushing 80+ and a slight miscalculation can shatter your hip, balance is everything. Good balance lowers the incidence of those miscalculations. It’s essential for staying intact into old age."

Read the full article from Mark's Daily Apple.

How to Improve Thoracic Spine Mobility

Before you start with the exercises, let’s first figure out the extent of your thoracic immobility. The industry standardized way of determination is a simple one:

• Lie down on the floor, back flat against it. Your knees should be up with your feet and glutes flat on the floor. 
• Lock your elbows and bring your arms directly overhead, attempting to touch your wrists to the ground above your head. 
• Make sure to maintain contact between your lower back and the floor; don’t arch your back to get your hands in place.

If you can’t get into this position and touch your wrists to the ground, you have poor thoracic mobility. If you really had to struggle through discomfort or even pain (don’t fight through pain!), you have less than ideal thoracic mobility. And if you were able to breeze through this drill, you should probably still work on more mobility, just to shore up what you already possess.

Read this article from Mark's Daily Apple for the exercises.

Shoulder Stand on Rings

L-Sit to Shoulder Stand to L-Sit.

Not nearly as clean and controlled as I would like, but I intend to get there!

Can You Pull Up Properly?

If you have poor mobility, it is likely that you can not!

Forward Roll on Rings

Scapula Mobilization Routine

Courtesy:  Ido Portal

Spinal Flexibility

Get Stronger by Improving Your Back Flexibility





A Flexible Spine is a Powerful Spine

There’s a reason the word “backbone” is associated with strength and courage. A strong and flexible back is the foundation for power in the upper body, just as the hips are for the lower body. Thoracic spine (mid-back) mobility affects how well you can use your shoulder girdle and arms, by placing them either in resting positions of weakness or strength.

Read the full article here.

To Kip, or Not To Kip?

When it comes to pull ups and muscle ups, I will NOT teach anyone to kip until they have spent time developing the strength to do a strict, controlled, dead hang pull up or muscle up.

I don't do this to spoil someone's fun!  Kipping looks "cool" and seems "easier", but without the proper strength in the shoulders and elbows, kipping puts an extraordinary amount of strain on the tissues surrounding these joints.  Over time, the strain leads to pain and injury.

To learn why this is the case, read this article. 

Lizard Crawl

Step Behind

Bear Walk

The Shrimp

For developing single leg strength!

The Bridge Exercise

Shoulder Mobility

Self stretching for posterior shoulder mobility (from Mike Reinold).

To perform these stretches yourself, it is best to stand in a doorway so that the wall can help block your scapula from moving. You can place the border of your shoulder blade against the wall and perform the cross body stretch. Here is a video demonstration:


TriggerPoint balls can be used to provide both a trigger point release and pin and stretch to the posterior shoulder as well, they really tend to work great. You can use something like a tennis ball, racquet ball, lacrosse ball etc. Here is a video demonstration:

Solving Front Rack Problems

Some great mobility drills from Kelly Starrett to help you get a better front rack position.
We are doing Front Squats next, so study this carefully .... you will be doing this in your mobility work!