Kettlebells for Back Pain

Kettlebells for back pain? Neurosurgeon thinks so! And I agree here. In the last 12 months, I’ve taught a “Senior Kettlebells” class which I’m sure many of them have dealt with this or that pain before, during, and after class. But I’ve been told by a few of my class participants that they’ve quit taking pain medicine, quit needing cholesterol medications, and been able to do things around the house that they couldn’t do as easily before. Kettlebells truly do have a place in many rehabilitation programs.

Training on Game Day

My friend Brandon contacted me on Facebook the other night. Brandon is an athletic director at a high school on the east coast. He had some concerns with weight training and athletes. It seems his coaches and teachers are in selfish mode and unfortunately student-athletes are caught up in the middle of this. He was asking my thoughts about training on game-days, etc. What ensued was a lengthy discussion, but I think (and hope) that the discussion will be of us to others as well.

Senior Kettlebells

A couple of years ago I stumbled upon this thing called a kettlebell. For awhile, we didn’t actually own any in our gym but we used dumbbells as a pseudo-kettlebell. It worked for a little while, but eventually the company purchased the real thing. I used them as well as a couple of co-workers, but really they just sat there. Our members didn’t know what they were and so they sat collecting dust in the corner. I also own one and it sits at home next to my bedroom door. I started using them on my own really as a hobby. They were just a part of my exercise routine.

Show&Go Workout: Time to Get After It!

It’s been said that healthcare professionals are often the worst patients. And we don’t always do what is best for us simply because you know we’re like invincible or something. We all know that we should workout but we put so many things ahead of our own workouts that it just doesn’t happen.

Exercise of the Week: Hex Bar Deadlift

Exercise of the Week: Box Squats

This week’sExercise of the Weekis the Box Squat. This is a great alternative to a regular squat as it allows your body to recover a little faster and you can typically do more weight with it. I would use this version of the squat in addition to a regular parallel squat.

Exercise of the Week: Chop and Lift

As I continue to learn more and more about the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and all of its benefits, you can expect to see more videos of these types of exercises. FMS calls these correctives as they are intended to help address stability and mobility issues that appear in the Functional Movement Screen.

Exercise of the Week: Pallof Press

Exercise of the Week: Val-Slide Introduction

This week’s Exercise of the Week is actually a couple of exercises. If you’re looking for something simple to do at home or on the road, this is for you. The equipment needed for these can be picked up at KMart or similar places for $10-15.

Exercise of the Week: Slide-board Lateral Slides

Hello again! This week’s Exercise of the Week will introduce a new piece of equipment here at Athletic Training and Fitness. This piece of equipment is found in a lot of gyms, but I know in ours it rarely gets used. This one is great for the hips and the groin with the lateral movement you’re about to see. Definitely expect to see more use of the slide-board in the near future!