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Category: Exercises

Total Sports TherapyNewsExercises
back extensions
By Admin 0 Comments Exercises, Heatlhy Lifestyle ,

Develop Your Posterior Chain with Back Extensions

Improve posterior chain strength with these back extension variations

Back extensions are a great exercise for posterior chain development as they really target the many muscles located on the back side of the body. As always, we can make any exercise more or less challenging depending on the individual and their abilities.

In this video, we highlight several back extension variations:

Back extension

In the video we are using a Roman Chair to perform the back extension exercise. But you can use a Swiss Ball to perform this exercise, by creating a wide base when laying stomach down on the Swiss Ball. Move in a controlled smooth motion.

Back extension with weighted resistance

Holding a weight to your chest or placing a soft weight like a sandbag on your shoulders can help increase the resistance. Avoid using a weight behind the head if you have neck issues.

Single leg back extensions

  • Up your game with this variation that doesn't require any weights, by elevating one leg while performing the back extension exercise. It is recommended to use a Roman Chair when performing this variation for safety.

Back extension + Row

  • This great variation helps target the rhomboids, traps, and posterior deltoid muscles, while isometrically contracting the extensor muscles. This can be performed on a Roman Chair or Swiss Ball

Back extension + Y Raise

  • Try some dumbbells and hold them in a y-position. Keep your back straight and static while performing the exercise. This is great for targeting your shoulders, traps, and for shoulder stabilization, while engaging your back extensors.

Give one of these a try during your next posterior chain focused workout and let’s us know what you think! Also subscribe to our YouTube Channel and Follow us on Instagram for more great exercise and self-care tips.

pull-ups
By Admin 0 Comments Bodyweight Exercise, Exercises, Personal Training, Sports Performance , ,

Workout from Home Series: Pull-ups and Chin-ups

Make Bodyweight Exercises a Staple

Squats, deadlifts, and presses are great for getting strong and building a foundation, but you need to make sure you balance them out with a steady diet of body weight training. ⁣Bodyweight exercises keep you honest because you can’t just eat your way to improved leverages to see strength gains like you could with the barbell lifts. ⁣

Here are some of our favorite bodyweight exercises for the upper body that should be a staple in any program: ⁣

  • Push-up variations ⁣
  • Inverted Rows⁣
  • Chin/Pull Ups ⁣
  • Handstand variations ⁣
  • Dips⁣
  • Planks

Remember to scale each movement appropriately and progress according to your skill level. There are plenty of variations to keep you busy for months with this list of movements.⁣

Pull-ups and Chin-ups

Pull-ups and Chin-ups are great exercises that target your back and Biceps.  Unless you have a pull-up bar at home, you may need to go to a local park that has a bar you can use.

A Pull-up is performed by grabbing the bar with palms facing away from you. They target the Latissimus Dorsi, Trapezius, and forearm muscles.  Perform the exercise in a smooth controlled movement.  The goal is to pull your chin over the bar (More advanced: touch your chest to the bar).  Make sure to control the "down" phase of your pull-up in order to protect your shoulder joint

A Chin-up is performed by grabbing the bar with palms facing towards you. They target the Biceps, Latissimus Dorsi, and Teres Major muscles. Perform the exercise in a smooth controlled movement.  The goal is to pull your chin over the bar.  Make sure to control the "down" phase of your pull-up in order to protect your shoulder joint

Inverted row
By Admin 0 Comments Bodyweight Exercise, Exercises, Sports Performance, Therapy ,

Workout from Home Series: Inverted Rows

Make Bodyweight Exercises a Staple

Squats, deadlifts, and presses are great for getting strong and building a foundation, but you need to make sure you balance them out with a steady diet of body weight training. ⁣Bodyweight exercises keep you honest because you can’t just eat your way to improved leverages to see strength gains like you could with the barbell lifts. ⁣

Here are some of our favorite bodyweight exercises for the upper body that should be a staple in any program: ⁣

  • Push-up variations ⁣
  • Inverted Rows⁣
  • Chin/Pull Ups ⁣
  • Handstand variations ⁣
  • Dips⁣
  • Planks

Remember to scale each movement appropriately and progress according to your skill level. There are plenty of variations to keep you busy for months with this list of movements.⁣

Inverted Rows

Inverted Rows are a great back and biceps exercise that you can do at home.  While the demonstrated video shows a person is using a rack and barbell, you can use a sturdy table at home.  Place a pillow under your head before you begin.  Grab the top of the table while underneath, and from an inverted planking position, pull yourself up to the table.  You can also purchase TRX bands and install them at home

push-up variations
By Admin 0 Comments Bodyweight Exercise, Exercises, Personal Training, Sports Performance

Workout from Home Series: Push-up Variations

Make Bodyweight Exercises a Staple

Squats, deadlifts, and presses are great for getting strong and building a foundation, but you need to make sure you balance them out with a steady diet of body weight training. ⁣Bodyweight exercises keep you honest because you can’t just eat your way to improved leverages to see strength gains like you could with the barbell lifts. ⁣

Here are some of our favorite bodyweight exercises for the upper body that should be a staple in any program: ⁣

  • Push-up variations ⁣
  • Inverted Rows⁣
  • Chin/Pull Ups ⁣
  • Handstand variations ⁣
  • Dips⁣
  • Planks

Remember to scale each movement appropriately and progress according to your skill level. There are plenty of variations to keep you busy for months with this list of movements.⁣

Push-up Variations

Push-up variations are one of the best upper body exercises you can perform to target chest, shoulders and triceps.  While push-ups are a great challenging strength exercise, they are one of the easiest to perform.  Below are videos of 4 push-up variations: Clapping Push-up, Diamond Push-up, Decline Push-up, and Dumbbell Push-up.

Scarecrow exercise
By Admin 0 Comments Exercises, Sports Performance, Therapy , ,

Shoulder Pain Series: Scarecrow Exercise

Shoulder Pain? Improve your shoulder health

In order to maximize back development and maintain shoulder health, make sure to include small isolation movements for the middle and lower traps, rhomboids, and rear deltoids. ⁣
Compound movements will often leave these muscles underdeveloped. It’s essential to train these small muscles with exercises such as:

  • 𝐘𝐓𝗪’𝐬 ⁣
    • Retract shoulder blades prior to initiating movement
  • 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐬 ⁣
    • Use a neutral grip so thumbs are facing you to bias external rotation ⁣
  • 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬 ⁣
    • “Pretend your biceps is a rotisserie chicken” (𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘌𝘝𝘌𝘙) to maintain joint centration during rotation ⁣
  • 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐲
    • Maintain slight elbow bend⁣
  • 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 ⁣
    • Straight elbows, initiate movement with shoulder blades⁣
  • 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 ⁣
    • Hands pull away from body, keep elbows tight to body, maintain flexed elbow ⁣

These exercises can be done twice per week for a few sets of 12-20 reps. ⁣ Make some room for these by adding them into your warm up, in between work sets as a filler exercise, or in between workouts whenever you have free time. ⁣

Scarecrow Exercise

The scarecrow exercise is an excellent exercise for improving shoulder health.  During the scarecrow exercise you target abs and shoulders and also involves upper back & lower traps.  This exercise can be performed using cable pulleys, dumbbells, or elastic resistance bands.  The video below demonstrates the use of cable pulleys.