Ravbar Rehab Gym

10/03/2026

Posture asymetries and core function.

The “core” is often treated as if it works in isolation in reality, its function is shaped by the entire system - the rib cage above, the pelvis below, and (among other things distally) the structures that connect them. All these structures together influence how the body manages pressure and stability.

Important to note is that these postural asymmetries don’t automatically mean damage, dysfunction or pain. But they can provide us with valuable information about how the body is currently organizing movement, breathing and distributing forces/pressures through the midsection.

That information can point us toward the areas that may need to change if we want the body to express new motion, achieve better breathing, reduce unnecessary tension, or activate muscles that have been difficult to access (common examples - cant properly activate the lower core muscles, cant activate glutes, pelvic floor,etc...)

In many cases then, improving “core function” means looking beyond the abs and addressing the system that allows the core to work.

If your body/core still isn’t responding the way it should, and you want a full posture assessment with logical exercise programming, feel free to send me a message.

23/02/2026

Upper Ab Gripping Progressions
If you’ve worked through the breathing and release phase
(comment on my previous post for the FREE PDF guide)
and you’re actually feeling relief — this is where progression begins.

These are higher-pressure, but safe, integrated core exercises I often use once someone has mastered the first phase and wants to start building real strength without falling back into gripping.

The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is letting better patterns override the old strategy.

Important — These exercises make sense only when:
• Breathing feels more automatic
• Upper ab gripping has decreased
• You can maintain basic pressure control

How I Think About Prescribing Them
Chest stays open
Hands are positioned to avoid further sternum compression.
In this pattern, the pump handle is already driven down — we don’t want to reinforce that.

Pressure carries over
Breathing from phase one must translate into movement.
Breathe without over-recruitment — especially avoid hard exhales.

Contact matters (first 2 exercises especially)
Pelvis heavy, feet grounded, upper back and head in contact.
Don’t lose those as you perform the exercise.
Reach the arms away to maintain posterior expansion — and don’t lose that either.

Rotation & side integration (Half Armbar)
We introduce the side abs and controlled rotational work.
Place a foam roller between the thighs and let the knee reach follow the thoracic rotation.
Slow and controlled.

Inverted Curl-Up
The aim is to segment the spine and perform the movement slowly, especially on the descent — moving piece by piece.
Ideally, perform it on a bench so you are slightly inverted.

What Success Actually Looks Like
We’re not chasing zero tension.

We’re asking:
Can the new pattern override the old one?

If breathing stays coordinated and tension doesn’t spike too much in the areas we don’t want — that’s progress.

For a more detailed and individualized approach and resolve this pattern faster, I offer online assessment and rehab.

If you have any questions ask away :)

17/02/2026

HOW LONG TO FIX YOUR X PROBLEM?

People like certainty.
They like confidence.
They like clear timelines.

And with simple, acute problems - that’s often possible.
Many resolve with little intervention.

But chronic and complex issues?

That’s different.

When someone new asks me:

“How long will it take to fix this?”

The honest (and sometimes unattractive) answer is:

I don’t know.

Not yet.

Because we haven’t:

• Collected enough data
• Observed your habits
• Seen how your body responds
• Tested how consistent you can be

Even with assessment, predictions are estimates — not guarantees.

Because chronic problems are rarely just tissue problems.

They are behaviour problems.
Lifestyle problems.
Adaptation problems.

And yes — some things cannot be fully “fixed.”

But many things can be significantly improved
through structured behaviour change:

• Removing harmful habits
• Becoming disciplined with exercise
• Improving sleep
• Managing stress
• Learning how to move and breathe properly

So the real question becomes:

How quickly can you change your lifestyle?

Because the speed of progress is often limited
not by your tissues - but by your ability to adapt consistently.

Still many people struggle to change...

Why?

Not enough urgency.
Not enough understanding.
No clear direction.
No defined end goal.

Without direction, you drift.
Without a plan, you hesitate.

So the better question isn’t:

“How long will this take?”

It’s:

Are you ready to change?

09/02/2026

Upper ab gripping

You might’ve also heard this called
stomach gripping,
hourglass syndrome,
or oblique dominance.

Different names — same issue:
disturbed pressure regulation.

This not-so-common core dysfunction doesn’t just show up in workouts.
You’ll see it during everyday tasks —
picking things up, washing dishes,
or even just breathing.

While the reasons for developing this are many,
most people try to fix it with more cues.

And while that can help short-term,
it’s also why progress often stalls.

If you’ve been:
• cueing yourself constantly
• forcing exhales
• strengthening your “lower abs”
• trying to fix your posture by standing differently

…and your core still:
— grips automatically
— won’t fully relax

- Distends

— looks strong but feels stuck

And tension in your body is not resolving.

You’re only addressing one piece
of a whole-body pressure problem.

This isn’t about fixing one muscle.
It’s about how the entire system is organized.

👇
Comment “pressure”
to get a free starter PDF + routine
— a variation I use very often with these types of clients

20/01/2026

There’s a place and time for everything — including of course the traditional core strengthening.
The problem is that the term “weak core” has been butchered for years.

Despite the evidence showing that core-specific training is not significantly more effective than general exercise for most people with low back pain or that it improves posture, it’s often prescribed as the first and main priority.

What we see instead:
People who don’t sleep well, don’t move much, sit most of the day, struggle with just breathing normally, and have limited movement variability — yet they’re chasing core strength before mastering the basics.

In some cases, yes, there may be some lack of conditioning or capacity in the core muscles.
But when someone presents with a chronically hunched, guarded posture, constantly bracing and tightening, adding more core work at the beginning can mean reinforcing compensations, not solving the problem, especially if you dont have the capacity to acquire the proper position/ have the range of motion for your exercises.

Strength matters.
But strength works best when the system is ready for it.

The goal isn’t avoiding core training —
it’s knowing when, why, and how to train it.

If you want to strengthen your core the right way, within a holistic approach that respects breathing, movement, lifestyle, and load tolerance — feel free to reach out.

16/12/2025

Are you fat, bloated or is it just your posture?

In the first pic you can see poor pressure distribution through the trunk -The abdomen then becomes the place where pressure escapes — creating the belly “pooch” appearance.

In the second photo, posture and pressure management are improved. The ribs and pelvis are more in line, shoulders are in better position, breathing is more efficient, and the belly no longer needs to expand to that degree as there are other body regions taking that pressure.

Sometimes the issue isn’t what you eat or how much you train your abs. It’s how your body is organized.

All this was achieved within one and first session with him. i didnt touch the client as well - so no hands on therapy performed- Just specific exercises made for his own body and posture presentation.

Ways to go but i am satisfied with the changes we got. Now we have a good routine that he can start executing for those changes to stick :)

If you want to achieve similar results reach out to me (i work online as well).

03/12/2025

24/11/2025

Chronic pelvic pain.
Most people never consider how their daily habits slowly shape their pelvis… and how a stiff, unmoving pelvis can be a major contributor to ongoing symptoms.

One of the most common patterns seen is butt gripping — overly dominant (ER portion) of the back hip musculature holding tension all day long. They might look strong, but if you lack the hip motion to support that strategy, traditional glute training can actually close down the space behind the pelvis even more. And that’s the space your nerves, ligaments, and pelvic floor need to move freely.

And yes, you may be thinking:
“Some people sit like this, train like this, and they’re completely fine.”
Yes they could be symptom free, but they might already be compensating in ways that show up somewhere else: lower back, hips, other pressure-related issues,..

That’s why I always assess your actual pelvic and hip motion first — whether in person or online. That tells us what YOUR body needs, instead of applying generic fixes.

If you want an individualized plan based on what your body is really doing — and what it can’t do yet — feel free to reach out.

Thanks for following along.
Next video: how to open that space and break the pain cycle. 👇

05/11/2025

Breathing dysfunction and chronic back pain.
I talk about this a lot because it’s deeply personal. Being disappointed with the care and explanations I got led me to research and write my thesis on this very topic — to finally understand what was happening in my own body. Yes i am selfish creature.

Through both theory and real experience, I’ve learned that how you breathe affects everything — movement, stability, even emotion. Yet it’s often ignored in rehab, even though breathing dysfunction is one of the most overlooked contributors to chronic pain.

Looking back, I’m grateful to be far from where I was in 2020. Back then, breathing normal was impossible... Every inhale i took was either triggering nerve zapping in my abdomen, hernia pain in my lumbar and thoracic spine or other weird sensations that i just cant explain (because there are so many, so strange and not really a topic that you can have at the hairdresser).

If you have a similar story and you haven’t seen much progress with traditional care in your chronic pain journey — don’t hesitate to reach out. That is my passion and would be happy to help you - call link in my bio.

24/10/2025

Very often, what people call a “pooch belly” or that lower belly protrusion- isn’t about weak abs — it’s about how your posture and skeletal position distribute pressure inside your body.
When your ribs, spine, and pelvis are out of sync and you cant move and breathe well pressure gets trapped, the diaphragm can’t move well, and the lower belly starts to push forward.

The drill i am showing i usually use in later stages of rehab, once other things — like rib, hip, and spine mobility and proper breathing patterns — have already been addressed (your pressure system needs to be balanced a bit more first). But this exercises is where the core coordination really starts to come together and can be really helpful in things like a pooch belly, APD upper-ab gripping, pelvic floor tension, or other core dysfunctions,..

If you haven’t seen the previous progressions and mobility drills that make this exercise more effective, watch my earlier videos for context and examples.

Thanks for watching and engaging!

06/10/2025

Let’s talk about Abdomino-Phrenic Dyssynergia (APD)

APD might sound complex,with a lot of usually unknown variables, but if we zoom it on the problem it simply means that your diaphragm and abdominal muscles along pelvic floor aren’t coordinating the way they should.

Instead of managing pressure together, they start misbehaving -leading to appearance of bloating, distension (appearance of pooch belly, hourglass syndrome, oblique dominance,..) tension, and even changes in digestion.

It’s a stubborn condition at times, with many overlapping factors and causes — from breathing mechanics, tension patterns and habits, stress, to visceral sensitivity or connective tissue changes, etc.

I genuinely believe that progress is possible for everyone, and full resolution for most.
With the right plan, awareness, and consistent work, your body can learn to manage pressure again - that is usually not properly addressed in traditional physiotherapy!

If you need help navigating this, I offer in-person and online rehab focused on restoring natural coordination and pressure control. I design individualized exercises and programs tailored to your body and movement patterns.

You can check out my patient case studies in previous posts and my Client Results highlights to see real progress stories, to give you some motivation.

If you’d like me to keep writing and sharing about APD and related topics, it would mean a lot if you commented, liked, or shared this post — engagement helps me continue creating content like this (which honestly takes quite a bit of time).

Thank you for reading and being part of this space 🌿

22/09/2025

Research has found certain postural patterns in people with pelvic floor issues — changes in spinal curves, pelvic shape, and altered muscle behaviors. Now, association doesn’t mean causation, but clinically it makes sense, as these findings line up with what is often seen in this population: a forward-shifted center of gravity, a compressed upper chest, and glute muscles that are constantly active.

This creates pressure from the top and the back, which causes the front of the pelvic floor and deep core to expand too much. The muscles are then working from a non-optimal position, under constant pressure, and can’t function the way they should. In a sense, it’s like a trampoline that struggles to bounce back up and stays stuck in a descended position.

The biomechanical solution is to expand the areas that are compressed, then rebuild coordination between your breathing, core, and pelvic floor muscles.

I put together a short video where you can follow along with one of the essential breathing exercises I often give my patients to reset pressure and reconnect with their core. Comment “exercise” and I’ll send it to you.

If you need addtional help dont hesitate to reach out!

Thanks for watching and supporting ;)