The split squat is an extremely versatile movement. It can be performed in several different ways and should be a mainstay in any program from beginner to the advanced trainee.
Still think split squats are for beginners?
Split squat variations are some of my favorite movements to use for a few reasons:
Teaches one to maintain hip extension on the rear leg while the front leg is moving. This is very important for sprinting.
Many of the individuals I work with have low back pain. The split squat is an excellent exercise for these individuals as it allows one to load the legs without overloading the spine.
Builds stability and strength in a single leg stance, which is important in sports and other activities of daily living.
Builds thighs of steel.
In this installment of movement mistakes, I'll break down three of the most common errors I see when performing the split squat. The following cues should help clean up your technique so you get the most out of yours.
#1 - Lumbar Hyperextension/Anterior Pelvic Tilt
Notice the excessive arch in the low back in the image above (along with the unstable surface = fail). This places the pelvis and low back in a poor position and decreases the core's ability to contribute to the movement. This is usually a core stability issue or due to a poor set up.
Coaching Cues
Get your ribs down.
Line your pelvis up directly under your rib cage.
Squeeze the glute of the trailing leg.
Drop the back knee straight down during the descent.
#2 - Excessive Use of the Trailing Leg
Sometimes people just aren't coached correctly or they don't understand what they are trying to achieve with a particular movement. This is one of those cases. When initially viewing this movement, many believe that the back and front legs contribute equally. While the trailing leg has to do some work, it is more like a 80/20 split from front to back leg. If the back leg is on fire when doing this, you more than likely are using it too much.
Coaching Cues
Focus on lowering yourself straight down with the front leg and drive the midfoot into the ground on the ascent.
Visualize your back leg as a kickstand.
#3 - Letting the Knee Drift too Far Forward
You can also see this in the image above. Allowing the knee to track too far forward leads to increased shear forces on the knee joint. If you want to keep those knees healthy, you will want to avoid this at all costs. The knee can be allowed to track forward slightly, but you generally want a vertical shin throughout the movement.
Coaching Cues
Maintain a vertical shin
Keep your weight distributed through the midfoot and heel.
Remember, details matter. You will be surprised how much these small changes can make a difference. Keeping the above cues in mind will clean up your technique so you can get the most out of your split squat variations.
I'm going to tell you a little story. This should help you put things in perspective a little bit in regards to where you are in life personally and professionally. I think writing all of this will help me as well.
So, sit back on your festive pumpkin chair with your pumpkin spiced whatever with a side of pumpkin bread and enjoy a trip down Matt's memory lane.
Back in January of 2010, I decided that I wanted to go back to school and become a Physical Therapist. I did some research and found out I would have to take several additional undergraduate courses to satisfy pre-requisite requirements in addition to a bunch of volunteer observation hours in various Physical Therapy settings.
It was a pretty daunting task and I took some time to weigh the pros and cons of what I was about to embark upon. It would take me approximately two years to complete the task and after the fact, there would be the risk of rejection and all my hard work being for nothing.
Now I have always been of the mindset that if one puts their mind to something and puts fourth their absolute best effort, one will get what they want. With this in mind, I decided it was worth the risk .
Over the ensuing two and a half years, I took 10 additional undergraduate classes and completed nearly 200 hours of voluntary observation hours in various clinical settings. I did all of this while training full time and continuing my professional development. I wanted to make sure I would be the best trainer I could be, and at the same time prepare myself to be a standout student in the Physical Therapy classroom.
I studied biomechanics, strength and conditioning, assessment modalities, and obtained an additional certification.
After two and a half years of hard work and constant stress, I finally finished what was the equivalent of a second bachelor's degree. I paid my money (application fees are incredibly expensive when you add them all up) and applied to six different programs. I was exhausted. Then I waited.
And waited
And waited some more.
About three months went by, and I started getting letters. One rejection, another rejection, and another. When it was all said and done I was rejected by five programs and placed on the wait list for one. Then I waited some more and didn't get in to the wait listed school.
I was crushed.
I felt like such a failure. It felt like my whole world was going to crash down around me. All of that hard work....for nothing. I was lost.
"How could I take such a huge risk?"
"Was I too rash with my decision making?"
"What the hell do I do now?"
"Do I really want to be a trainer for the rest of my life?"
On a positive note, after all those rejections, in April of 2012 I got married to the love of my life, Jodie.
We were married in St. Lucia and it was absolutely wonderful. It was just what I needed to get my mind off of things.
When we returned I spent a couple of months re-thinking things and decided to give it another shot. I did some more observation hours and got another certification to make myself look better on paper. I also called around and spoke with some professors and people on the admissions committee.
I applied again.
Fast forward to this past January. Rejected again.
Crushed....again.
"How could this happen?" I worked so damn hard! All those feelings of failure and inadequacy came rushing back. I didn't know where I would go from there. Truthfully, up until recently the last several months have been a rollercoaster of emotions. Anger and negativity being at the forefront of those emotions. I was smack in the middle of what I call "Negative Town".
I had been wrestling with the internal conflict of what to do next. Can I honestly make a career out of fitness? Should I start my own business? Should I do something else?
All of this internal conflict and negativity was weighing me down like a two ton boulder on my back. It was affecting my work and most importantly, my marriage.
Not long ago, Jodie and I had a long "discussion". You married folks out there know what I mean by "discussion". She really put things in perspective for me. I had been carrying all of this anger around with me and I wasn't enjoying my life. I was dwelling on the few negative things that had happened to me and I was failing to look at the positive. All I was thinking about was that I wasn't where I wanted to be.
So I sat down and made a list of all the positive things I had done in the past 5 years.
Got married to an absolutely wonderful person and my best friend.
Bought our first house.
Raised a dog.
Paid off some debt.
Added more debt.
Helped literally hundreds of people get healthy and feel better about themselves.
Formed some great relationships with some truly great people. (The people of Mint Hill, NC really are some of the most amazing, genuine people I have ever met.)
Earned the equivalent to a second bachelor's degree in Biology. (Maybe I should try and make that official by the way.)
Completed a ton of professional development including certifications, books, DVD's, webinars, and seminars.
Became a better person.
Started a pretty awesome blog.
What the hell is wrong with me?! I have so much to be happy about! My heart should be full.
The moral of the story is that its way too easy to dwell on the negative.
Am I exactly where I want to be in life? Hell no, but I have some great things going for me. I know for certain I'll never stop trying to get better personally and professionally. I'm way too awesome to be carrying all that negative bullshit around with me every day. And you are too.
Your career does not define who you are. The type of person you choose to be does.
So don't take a trip to Negative Town. Perspective is everything. Take a step back and look at the positive things in your life. Make a list if you have to. Trust me it helps. Be thankful for what you have and appreciate it every second of every day.
Now, because I can't resist an 80's reference, I'll end with one of my favorite movie moments of all time.
* I apologize for the sloppy format of this post in advance. I typed some of it up in word and had some formatting issues when copying it on here.
I took a little break from blogging for the past couple weeks to re-charge my creative batteries and think a little more on how I want to deliver my content moving forward. I can be extremely analytical at times. I believe this serves me well, but also works against me when writing because it takes a little longer than I would like when generating content. A classic case of "paralysis by analysis" if you will. My goal is perfection, but I realize that perfection isn't always possible. I just want to continue to deliver great content that all of you can use to get the most out of your training and daily lives. That being said, I plan on having some great, actionable content for you all in the coming weeks and months.
In my last post, I discussed some of the elements that contribute to shoulder problems as well as a couple strategies you should consider to keep your shoulders healthy.
Now I will dive into what I consider the most important element of shoulder pre-hab: program design.
Program Design
A well rounded training program is of the utmost importance when keeping your shoulders healthy. Most individuals fail miserably in this regard. Week after week, guys bench press their way into oblivion, paying little attention to proper recovery modalities and balanced training.
Treat the guidelines below as a check list of sorts. If you are having some shoulder issues or simply want to take care of your body, take a moment and assess what your training looks like. If you are missing any or all of the items below, fill in your gaps and get rid of anything that might be working against you.
1. What to Omit
One of the first things I learned in my FMS training is that one can do all the preventative maintenance and corrective exercise in the world, but if you are constantly doing exercises that are "feeding your dysfunction" none of it is going to work. If you are currently having some shoulder problems or have the mobility of a baseball bat, consider removing the following exercises from your programming.
Barbell bench presses
All overhead pressing
Dips
That's right, I said bench pressing. This might be a hard pill to swallow for some, but if you want to get serious about your long term health its time to consider it. Trust me I am a huge fan of the bench press, so I'm not saying you have to remove these forever. Just for a little while until you improve your mobility and get out of pain. If your mobility is sound and you have no pain, you are free to do any of these.
2. Perform Soft Tissue Work
We need to reduce tone and tension in overactive
tissues, so the next item on our list is soft tissue work with the foam
roller and lacrosse ball. The two most problematic areas of restriction are
the latissimus dorsi (lats), posterior shoulder
capsule, and the pec minor. These three muscle groups tend to pull the
scapula and humerus into a bad position.
Spend 1-2 minutes on each area before and after each
training session.
3. Address T-Spine Mobility
Remember our overhead reaching example from last time?
That is a perfect example of why T-spine mobility is important. When we
can achieve adequate levels of extension and rotation with our thoracic
spine, the shoulder blades and glenohumeral joint can move much more
freely.
This can be addressed through correctives as well as in exercise selection. The main purpose of these exercises is to drive more extension and rotation through the thoracic spine. There are several you can perform, but these are my favorites.
Correctives
Side-lying windmill
Bench t-spine mobilization
Exercises
One arm DB bench press
One Arm Push Up
4. Stretch
There are so many different camps on stretching these days. Some believe stretching is dumb and others swear by it.
Let me lay it out plain and simple: You should never stretch just for stretching's sake.
Stretching should be approached on a case-by-case basis. For example, I've worked with several females over the years that have extreme laxity (loose joints) through the hips and shoulders. They have more than enough hip and shoulder mobility already yet they continue to stretch and take yoga classes because they believe it is good for them. These are the last people that should be performing static stretches. In this case, stretching is doing more harm than good. These individuals would be much better served working on establishing more stability through their body with extra core work among other things.
Since you are reading this post, I am assuming your shoulder mobility is about as good as the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense right now.
One of my favorite ways to stretch the upper body is with band traction. I regularly use these myself and on my clients and they work great. Check out the video below by Mike Robertson for a sweet example.
5. Pull More Than You Push
Pretty simple here. Most individuals are extremely out of balance. They spend all of their time performing way too many pressing exercises and not enough pulling/upper back work. This is usually done in the effort to achieve a bigger chest and bigger bench press.
Sometimes in order to achieve balance, we need to train in an unbalanced fashion. This is one of those times. Your back can NEVER be strong enough. A big strong back will keep you more healthy, and help you lift bigger weights. Plain and simple.
Shoot for a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of pulling to pushing using plenty of pull up and rowing variations.
6. Train the Cuff, Low Traps, and Serratus
Anterior
Many times we also neglect the smaller stabilizers of the upper back. Pull ups are rows are fantastic exercises, but they don't do the best job of hitting the smaller muscles around the shoulders. The rotator cuff, low traps, and serratus anterior play very important roles in scapular and glenohumeral stabilization, thus they deserve attention as well. These are a few of my favorites.
Pick one or two of these and perform them before and after every training session.
The difference between open chain and closed chain pressing deserves some attention here as well.
Open chain exercises are when the proximal (think close to you) segment is fixed and the distal (your hands) segment is moving. A perfect example is the bench press. During the bench press the shoulder blades are fixed in place while the hands are moving. An excess of this under heavy loads can be very stressful on the glenohumeral joint. This is one of the reasons why excessive bench pressing can lead to shoulder problems.
Closed chain exercises are when the proximal (think shoulder blades) segment is moving and the distal (your hands) segment is fixed in place. The push up is the best example of a closed chain exercise here. Allowing the scapulae to move around the rib cage is a good thing.
Many are quick to dismiss the push up because it is "too easy". I beg to differ. There are a plethora (Yes I said plethora. I have a very extensive vocabulary.) of ways to load push ups to make them more challenging. You elevate the feet, add bands, plates, chains or any combination of these. Push ups are a staple in any shoulder-friendly program I write.
Make sure to balance your pressing with some push up variations.
Putting It All Together
I've covered quite a bit over the last two posts. In summary, make sure you are making the appropriate lifestyle and training modifications using all of these points:
Implement proper lifestyle modification techniques such as sitting up straight, moving around more often, and breathing properly.
Make sure to use correct exercise technique.
Omit harmful movements if necessary.
Perform soft tissue work daily.
Address t-spine mobility through daily correctives and proper programming.
Stretch.
Pull more than you push.
Train the stabilizers of the upper back.
Balance your pressing through the use of open and closed chain movements.
If you are having some shoulder problems or simply want to keep your shoulders healthy over the long haul, take a few minutes to assess your training and lifestyle habits using the points outlined above. If you are missing any of these elements, fill in the gaps and you should be happy with the result!
P.S. - Like what you have been reading? Help me out and spread the word! Don't forget to like and share!
September marks the beginning of several significant life events.
As evidenced by the cataclysmic wave of pictures on Facebook, many of you are sending your children of to school for yet another year of learning and extra curricular activities. I'm sure all of you moms out there are looking forward to all of the miles you are about to put on your minivan.
Those of us that have yet to embark upon the pleasure of parenthood have been counting down the days to one of the most important American traditions.
FOOTBALL SEASON!!!!!
Right about now I'm happier than Dikembe Mutombo blocking a shot.
You see, growing up in Western Pennsylvania you learn three important things:
Never leave the house without a winter coat and an ice scraper.
Iron City is NOT a real city.
If you don't love football you might as well crawl back into the womb, because you don't belong here.
I could devote an entire wave of posts to counting the ways I love football season. The slight chill in the air, the smell of homemade chili bubbling in the crock pot, the sound my computer makes when one of my fantasy football players scores a touchdown, even my wife yelling at me for locking myself in the bedroom after my team loses.
Alas, I digress. I suppose I had better get on to this month's stuff you should read. Enjoy!
I stumbled across Fitocracy a couple of months ago and was instantly intrigued. Fitocracy is the Facebook of fitness. You can create a free profile, log your workouts, earn points, complete quests, earn achievements, learn, and many others. It makes fitness a game of sorts. I believe creating a community and making fitness fun is very important. I would highly recommend checking this out. You can view my profile and add me as a friend HERE.
Of all the issues I have seen in my five years as a fitness professional, shoulder problems are among the most common. They are also among the most difficult to resolve. One of the reasons for this is the complexity of the shoulder's anatomical structure. The "traffic jam" of bone, muscle, and connective tissue residing in the shoulder can send even the nerdiest anatomy geeks' head spinning. So where to we begin when attempting to resolve shoulder pain? In an attempt to spare you from a 10,000 word post on shoulder anatomy and physiology, I'll break things down into the simplest terms possible.
When constructing the ideal shoulder corrective/pre-hab program, I find it useful to consider Vladimir Janda's "Upper Crossed Syndrome".
In layman's terms, the pecs, neck, and upper traps become short and stiff, elevating the shoulder blades and pulling the humerus forward in the socket. This causes the muscles on the front of the neck and upper/mid back to "turn off". All of this contributes to decreased performance, injury, and you looking much less attractive.
The image above illustrates what occurs over time with a combination of three common factors:
There are several other factors that contribute to poor shoulder position, but this gives us a pretty good idea of where to begin.
Let's look at each in a little more detail.
1. The lifestyle choices we make have huge implications on the way we move.
One of the reasons shoulder problems are more popular than Candy Crush Saga is because individuals spend way too much time sitting in a hunched over position in front the television, in their car, or on the computer. Consider the amount of time the average desk jockey spends in a sitting position. 1-2 hours in the car every day, 6-8 hours at their desk, and 2 hours in front of the tube. That's up to 12 hours a day!
This leads to a kyphotic and forward head posture, which puts the scapulae (shoulder blades) and spine in a horrible position. Since proper scapular and spinal mechanics are essential for healthy shoulder function, you might see how this can be problematic.
To illustrate my point, give this a try:
Hunch over like Quasimodo and poke your head forward (some of you might not have to try very hard).
Reach your arms over your head as far as you can. Didn't get very far did you?
Now sit/stand up tall and reach over head. See how much farther you get?
Now imagine what happens to shoulder mechanics when you sit like this for extended periods of time, day after day. No wonder so many people have shoulders made of cement. Couple this with crappy exercise technique and you have a recipe for dysfunction.
2. Do something wrong long enough and your body will respond by getting injured or hitting a plateau.
Every repetition done incorrectly further ingrains a faulty motor pattern in the nervous system. This is where a good coach or training partner can be worth their weight in gold. You might have the perfect program, but that means NOTHING without proper execution. A good movement screen/assessment can help take your training to the next level. You might not notice your winged scapula, head jutting forward at the top of every pull up, or your humeral head migrating forward in the socket at the end of every row, but a good coach will. If a good training partner or coach isn't an option, make an effort to educate yourself. Invest in learning how to do things correctly and you will stay healthier longer.
3. Most individuals (trainers included) have no idea how to construct a balanced training program.
In my experience, shoulder problems are more common in men than in women. I attribute this to most men's obsession with exercising the "mirror muscles". I remember my early days of lifting when I would bench press 3 times per week, do a bunch of push ups, and finish up with some direct arm work and call it a day. What about rows and pull ups?
Others rush into high level activities like Olympic Lifting before they have developed the requisite stability and/or mobility to do so. Over time, this can lead to an unbalanced shoulder girdle and set one up for disaster down the road. One must train the body in several planes, employ preventative maintenance techniques, and use proper exercise technique to maintain optimal shoulder function.
Now that we have established why many shoulder issues arise, lets dive into a few strategies you can use to remedy or prevent these issues from happening.
1. Lifestyle Modification
You can train perfectly and do all the corrective exercise in the world, but if you practice bad habits the other 22-23 hours of the day, it wont matter. Make sure you are practicing these daily.
Sit Up Straight - Pretty self-explanatory. Do what your momma told you.
Move Around More Often - If you sit for long periods of time, set a timer for every 30 minutes so you get up and move.
Learn How to Breathe - I have discussed breathing at length before here and here. Breathing a very powerful thing and I believe we don't give it nearly enough credit. At 22,000 cycles per day, you might see how a crappy breathing strategy can screw things up. Knock out 10 deep, diaphragmatic breaths before bed and before and after each training session.
2. Exercise Technique
This could end up being a pretty long list. There are so many nuances of proper exercise technique that go way beyond the scope of this post. Keep an eye out for my Movement Mistakes series for more specific movement fixes. The most common technique flaws I see are with neck, scapular and elbow positioning during rowing and pressing variations.
Keep the Shoulder Blades Flush to the Ribcage - Scapular anterior tilt during rowing and pressing variations is probably the most common error I see. This anterior tilt of the scapulae causes a break in the kinetic chain as well as causing the head of the humerus to migrate forward in the socket. Here is an example of what it looks like. Notice how the elbow drifts behind the midline and the shoulder protrudes forward.
Keep the Chin Tucked - Don't let your head shoot forward at the end of rowing movements or at the bottom portion of pressing movements. It places excessive stress on the neck and shoulder. As evidenced by the photo, this can be a consequence to anterior tilt of the scapula.
Here are a couple of videos detailing some of the most common flaws I see. Thanks to Eric Cressey and Greg Robins for the videos.
That's it for the first part of this segment. Keep an eye out for part 2, where I will discuss specific considerations for balanced, upper body program design.
