Brian Schiff’s Blog

Tightness in the hip flexors is very common. If you have a job that requires extensive sitting or spend lots of time cycling, this may be a problem area for you. Stiffness can limit gait mechanics and optimal movement patterns thereby putting undue strain on the lower back. Below is a simple corrective exercise that can be done routinely to help improve flexibility using a sliding disc.

At times, athletes I work with have shoulder or low back pain that is related to restrictions in the thoracic spine. Rotational sports rely upon adequate mobility in the thoracic spine to ensure proper force transmission throughout the body’s kinetic chain. This exercise featured in one of my recent PFP online columns is a nice corrective exercise or mobility drill that can be used to optimize t-spine mobility and resolve any asymmetries.

Keep in mind that forcing through pain or stiffness is not advisable. This exercise can be done daily or as part of the warm-up routine.

Long lever abdominal exercises are popular. However, they also pose a risk for the lumbar spine given the relatively poor abdominal strength/control and lever arm created by momentum and the iliopsoas muscle. The stress on the lumbar spine is high as the leg (s) come back down due to reverse muscle action via the attachment of the iliopsoas on the lower lumbar spine. As a result, this can cause a sizable shear force on the spine.

I counsel patients and athletes with prior history of disc pathology to be very careful with any long lever or ballistic abdominal exercises with straight legs as the physics may present higher risk than reward and create excess strain on the spine. While a single workout may not cause harm, there can be a gradual repetitive overload that creates weakness or harm to the disc and/or spine. This exercise from my Functionally Fit column promotes strength and core or pillar stability through resisting excessive spinal extension.

Improving rotational strength and stability in the torso, shoulders and hips is important for injury prevention and performance. The ability to resist and control rotational loads can reduce stress on the body during transverse plane activities and deceleration during sport. This exercise will demonstrate how to train rotational stability in an unstable manner using water with the Aktiv AQUA Bag. The video below is my latest online column for PFP Magazine.

The water provides an unstable training environment that is effective for beginners and advanced users. You can read the entire online column by clicking here.

Improving proximal hip stability and reducing frontal plane collapse is critical for protecting the knee. Poor frontal plane control often contributes to anterior knee pain, IT band syndrome, shin splints, plantar fasciitis and other injuries. This exercise is an advance progression of the standing pallof press, and it is very effective for enhancing single leg strength as well as hip/core stability.

Click here to read my full column on this exercise in PFP Magazine.