Midlife Health & Wellness

💥𝐋𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲💥 Single leg work is one of the hallmarks of just about any great lower body training program. Along with being quite humbling, training unilaterally has a ton of residual benefits. If balance, strength, size, athleticism, or endurance are goals of yours, single leg work must be part of your training catalog. Below I cover the lunge, and issues I see with execution, along with corrections for these mistakes. 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁 - 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲 - A common neurological compensation in the lunge is a short, non-confident step forward. Not only is this suboptimal, it’s more stressful on the knees and back. Take a full stride like the video on the left. 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 - 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲 - This is the second most common issue I see in lunging. Over lunging into the front leg with too long of a trail leg reach causes the pelvis to excessively tilt anteriorly, causing unnecessary stress on the ligaments around the hip flexors. 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 - 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲 - The perfect lunge is a stride that keeps the pelvis stacked under the ribcage every time. There’s not excessive lumbar extension, or under/over lunging happening. A slight shin angle can happen here as well. 𝘼𝙣𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨? 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙬, 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙈𝙨, 𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙙@𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨.𝙘𝙤𝙢

💥𝟐 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠💥 I'm a minimalist when it comes to warming up these days. A good warmup should raise your body temp, groove patterns specific to the upcoming training session, and improve range of motion where it's needed. It doesn't need to be an hour of corrective nonsense. It should be direct and to the point. Here are 2 great movements I love to incorporate prior to a lower body session or sprint workout. 𝐋𝐞𝐟𝐭 - 𝐊𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 - deep through the entire set is key for getting your range of motion to open up here. Keep an upright torso, fold into internal rotation, and rotate into external rotation. Don't force the end ranges. 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 - 𝐆𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭 + 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 - This is a must for me on squat day, as it groves the squat pattern, and gets me comfortable at depth. Subtle rocks side to side at the bottom help warmup the groin area. You can even apply elbow pressure to the inner thighs at the bottom to open up the hips even more. Give these a go if you struggle to warmup for your lower body days, or want some better feeling/better performing hips. 𝘼𝙣𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨? 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙬, 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙈𝙨, 𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙙@𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨.𝙘𝙤𝙢

💥 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 💥 There’s never a legitimate excuse to be inactive and put your health aside. A good dose of exercise is very helpful for the immune system, and mental health during uncertain times. This was an awesome circuit. It got the heart rate up, and hit every body part. Try it out if you only have a couple dumbbells lying around. As many rounds as it takes, perform 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗴𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗱𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵-𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗷𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗷𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 Keep track of your numbers on a piece of paper. Rest a minute after each round, and don't sacrifice form for extra reps in each round. This took me about 15-20 min. Give it a try and let me know how it goes! 𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒆𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕. 𝘼𝙣𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨? 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙬, 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙈𝙨, 𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙙@𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨.𝙘𝙤𝙢

💥𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐨𝐮𝐭💥 Below are six of my favorite exercises to use when I'm staying in a hotel, limited to being at home, or programming for my clients who are in similar situations 𝟭.) 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 - 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁 - with lighter weights only available, these will give you the training affect you need and want. 𝟮.) 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 - 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗼 - this is an awesome fitness exercise to get your heart rate up, and get a great burn in your legs. Check this off the list as an exercise that's better than doing leg extensions while checking your Tinder inbox. 𝟯.) 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 - 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝘀 - Because you have to keep your booty on point on the road. Also, your glutes are what helps you move through this life better and more powerfully. 𝟰.) 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 - 𝗔𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝘂𝗽 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - I personally love the spiderman push-up, but any variation will do to keep your upper body strength and upper body feeling well. 𝟱.) 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 - 𝗔𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - This will work the anti-extension portion of your abs, in addition to getting that heart rate up Little more than you would if you were just laying in bed watching HBO. 𝟲.) 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 - 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 - mid back and shoulder exercise. During my time as an athlete, I constantly had to be creative with what I had available. There's no doubt that just avoiding working out creeps into all of our minds while we travel but more than just helping you get strong and fit, it will help you stay alert and feel energetic throughout your vacation or work. Give these moves a try next time you're on the road, at home, and don't have much available. 𝘼𝙣𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨? 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙬, 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙈𝙨, 𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙙@𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨.𝙘𝙤𝙢

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞? I did a poll once of 25 students where I asked what their least favorite exercise was that we did in our training together. More than 20 said the same answer, 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘵. Although devastating on every fiber on the lead leg, there’s arguably no better joint friendly exercise that creates this level of single leg strength and hypertrophy. I’ve found that there are several great ways to load this move, but often not many variations to make it more quad or glute focused separately. Until now. Enter the landmine. Loading weight with the landmine out front (left) allows us to angle our torso forward into a slight hinge position to make this exercise more glute focused. On the right, I’m loading the weight on the side of the trail leg, creating a more upright torso. This in turn makes this a quad dominant exercise. It’s unfortunate that the Bulgarian split squat has to be hated this badly because of its difficulty, but I make most people do them because it’s just that damn good of an exercise. Try these two variations out with a landmine setup and maybe you’ll like them a little bit more. I know I do. 𝘼𝙣𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨? 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙬, 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙈𝙨, 𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙙@𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨.𝙘𝙤𝙢

💥𝐏𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐬💥 Single leg squats are one of the most advanced single leg movements out there, yet very few actually ever perform them with control or proper execution. Many people who try pistol squats and actually have the requisite anatomy and mobility to do one, end up slamming down to the bottom without any semblance of body awareness. You know the type I’m talking about.. Enter these two regressions. 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗴 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁 (𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁) - This is a great way to find control in a single leg squat. The band will assist in the concentric portion of the move, in addition to creating a smoother path on the way down. I shoot to get slightly below or right at parallel. This is where my bilateral squat feels best. 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝘅 (𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁) -holding the 3-5lbs weights out front helps keep a good squat path and upright torso through the movement. Pick a box height that you can both challenge, but control your entire set of single leg squats. Alternate legs to prevent any side to side compensation. The pistol squat is certainly in the family of single leg exercises that is fantastic for developing your lower body. It is a knee/quad dominant move, and seems to be best for the population stuck in a bit of extension or anterior pelvic tilt. Give them a try and let me know what you think! If there are any questions about this, fire them below 👇

𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠??? The loaded hip thrust is certainly one of, if not the greatest exercise to improve both the appearance of and strength of the glutes. If this aligns with your goals, listen up. Unfortunately I see this movement butchered in a few different way which I’ll illustrate below. Performing the hip thrust correctly will deliver the biggest training effect to your glutes, and keep you strong and healthy in the process. Here are the 3 biggest mistakes I’ve seen people make when hip thrusting. 𝙏𝙤𝙥 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 - Excessive lumbar and cervical extension - Being unaware of your low back and neck is a problem when hip thrusting. If you’re looking back like this, and/or driving your hips too high to the point of hyperextension, not only will your glutes not get stressed optimally, you put your neck and back at risk for unnecessary stress. 𝙏𝙤𝙥 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 - Lack of lockout - Another issue I see is folks who don’t get their hips to a lockout position at the top of the hip thrust. This is usually due to too much load or trying for too many reps. Find a load and rep window that challenges you, but always lets you get to lockout. This is where the glutes are most active. 𝘽𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 - Pushing through the wrong part of the foot leads to very different outcomes. On the hip thrust we want to be driving through the middle to heel parts of the feet. Believe it or not, it’s common to see folks end up on the toes due to poor foot placement from the very start. Make sure your feet are fixed perfectly before beginning this exercise. Shoulder width is a good place to start/ 𝘽𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 - A properly executed barbell hip thrust - A relatively neutral spine throughout, an aggressive, but not excessive lockout, and perfectly placed feet allow me to perform the hip thrust perfectly here. It’s no secret that strong, well defined glutes make everything in life so much better. Do yourself a favor and make training them correctly a priority. Any questions? Leave them below 👇 or contac

💥𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲💥 Today I’m sharing my 4 favorite anti-lateral flexion core exercises, a family of moves that are staples in my student’s programming. What is an “anti-lateral flexion” exercise anyways? It’s core training where we actually resist side bending or lateral flexion forces. Instead of using this musculature (obliges, QL, and hip to move, we use it to resist movement. This all happens in the frontal plane. 𝙏𝙤𝙥 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 - Single arm suitcase carry - Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell, take a walk with a perfect upright posture. Pick a weight that is tough to stabilize and remain upright with. In addition to the lateral flexion demands out of the core, work capacity, grip, and upper body strength are challenged. Shoot for 20s-1min walks. 𝘽𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 - Standing suitcase barbell hold - This one is difficult due to the displacement of weight. You must grip the exact center of the barbell or else it will tilt. You also must keep an upright posture and engaged lat. Try holding 20-40s. Add weight if too easy, and erase any temptation to bend from the side. 𝙏𝙤𝙥 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 - Off bench oblique holds - I call these side planks on steroids. Side planks are fantastic for an anti-lateral flexion move, but once we can do those easily for 30s, we progress to these. You can wrap your legs on either side of the bench or have a partner hold your thighs down. Shoot to get the hip completely off the bench. Cross your arms, keep a straight line from your head through your toes. Shoot for 20-30s/side 𝘽𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 - Copenhagen plank with knee drive and reach - This is a great position to develop not only anti-lateral flexion muscles and low back resiliency, but also groin and hip stability. The leg on the bench and the lower leg driven forwards require a great deal out the entire lower half to keep the body in a great line. Shoot for 20-30s holds/side Any questions? Leave them below 👇 or contact me here for other training related inquiries. http://www.chadrodgers.com/contact/