OPAL Movement Therapy

05/03/2026

Join us this month to build strength, move better, and feel more confident in your training - whether you’re lifting heavy or dialing in your Pilates!

Ladies Night: Free In-Person Event with Dr. Morgan & Dr. Magda
📅 Thursday, May 7th
🕖 7:00–8:00pm
📍 OPAL Movement Therapy

Reduce Shoulder & Neck Pain in Pilates: Free Webinar with Dr. Morgan
📅 Thursday, May 21st
🕕 6:00–7:00pm CT
💻 Online on YouTube Live

Add these to your calendar and register today - we can’t wait to see you there!

Click the link in our bio or head to OPALMovementTherapy.com/events to sign up ✨

05/03/2026

Are your knees supposed to go over your toes?

Yes. It’s normal and for most people, completely safe. Your knees are designed to move forward.

You see it in:
▪️Squats
▪️Lunges
▪️Stairs
▪️Running

But here’s where it gets more nuanced: If it’s painful, don’t just push through it. Pain changes how your body moves and usually not in a helpful way.

Instead, we want to look at:
▪️Do you have the mobility to get there?
▪️Do you have strength above and below the knee?
▪️Can you control the position?

If your knee is moving forward, we don’t want it collapsing inward.

We want the knee tracking forward, foot staying stable, and the hip helping to control the movement.

You don’t need to avoid your knees going over your toes. You need to understand how to get there and control it!

Need more help?💙
Book your FREE Discovery Call through the link in our bio or by going to OPALMovementTherapy.com/contact-us 📲💻✨

⌨️ Drop a comment or question
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🌐 OPALMovementTherapy.com
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05/02/2026

If you’re pregnant and want to keep training, but you aren’t sure what’s actually safe or helpful... this is where we come in!

At OPAL, we work with proactive adults who want to understand how to move better, in every stage of life.

In pregnancy, that means learning how to support your pelvic floor, adjust your movement, and stay strong through every trimester… not just “taking it easy” and hoping for the best.

Pregnancy isn’t a reason to stop. It’s a reason to get more intentional!

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05/02/2026

A lot of people think it’s normal to feel their back working during lifts... and some involvement is expected.

But it shouldn’t be the thing doing most of the work or the thing that limits you!

When your movement is dialed in:
▪️Your hips and legs drive the lift
▪️Your spine stays controlled
▪️Your trunk transfers force

You might feel your back working but it’s not taking over.

When your back is the main thing you feel:
▪️Your hips aren’t contributing enough
▪️You’re losing control somewhere in the movement
▪️Force is getting absorbed instead of transferred

That’s when lifts start to feel harder than they should.

The goal isn’t to avoid using your back. It’s to make sure it’s not doing a job your hips and legs are built for.

Need more help?💙
Book your FREE Discovery Call through the link in our bio or by going to OPALMovementTherapy.com/contact-us 📲💻✨

⌨️ Drop a comment or question
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📲 DM us for a FREE Discovery Call
🌐 OPALMovementTherapy.com
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05/01/2026

If your lunges always feel like all quads, this is usually why.

Most people stay upright and shift forward into their front knee. That’s not wrong - it just changes what you’re training.

More upright → more quad
More hinge → more glute

To shift this toward your hips:
▪️Keep most of your weight on your front leg
▪️Soften the knee
▪️Let your hip move slightly back
▪️Push through your front leg to stand

This is a more hip-dominant lunge. It’s especially helpful if:
▪️Your back tends to take over
▪️Your hips aren’t contributing much
▪️You want better carryover to hinges and deadlifts

You don’t need new exercises, you need to understand how to use the ones you’re already doing!

Need more help?💙
Schedule your FREE Discovery Call through the link in our bio or by going to OPALMovementTherapy.com/contact-us 📱💻✨
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05/01/2026

If your lunges always feel like a quad exercise, try this!🙌

Most people stay upright and drive through their front knee. That’s not wrong but it shifts the work away from your hips.

If you want more glutes:
▪️Keep most of your weight on your front leg (80–90%)
▪️Soften the front knee
▪️Hinge slightly—send your hip back
▪️Push through your front leg to stand

You should feel your front glute working a lot harder.

This is a more hip-dominant lunge. It’s especially helpful if:
▪️Your back tends to take over
▪️Your hips aren’t contributing as much as they should
▪️You want better carryover to hinges and deadlifts

There’s no one “right” way to lunge but changing your position changes what you train.

Learn how to use your hips →
your training starts to feel very different.

Need more help?💙
Book your FREE Discovery Call through the link in our bio or by going to OPALMovementTherapy.com/contact-us 📲💻✨

⌨️ Drop a comment or question
🌍 Share with the world
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📲 DM us for a FREE Discovery Call
🌐 OPALMovementTherapy.com
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04/30/2026

"Dr. Morgan and her team are the best in the biz!

When I tore my ACL from playing soccer, she put me through a solid recovery program that tested my grit and helped me get back to weight training and running within 6 months.

It wasn't easy but she and her team worked to re-strengthen my quad and teach me proper technique for safe movement.

There is so much that goes into building a good foundation in the up front and that includes not neglecting the rest of your body!

I am now feeling stronger than ever thanks to OPAL."

Want to work with us?💙
Schedule your FREE Discovery Call and work with us anywhere in the world by clicking the link in our bio or visiting OPALMovementTherapy.com/contact-us 📱 ✨

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04/30/2026

If your hinge feels stiff or you can’t feel that stretch through your glutes - start here!

This is one of the easiest ways to build the feeling of a hinge without your back taking over.

▪️Set up on all fours
▪️Let your belly relax down (don’t round your back)
▪️Keep your spine still
▪️Gently rock your hips back

You should feel:
▪️A stretch through your glutes
▪️Some tension through your hamstrings
▪️Very little movement in your low back

If your back starts rounding, you’ve gone too far.

This is the same feeling we’re looking for when you hinge standing. Glutes and hamstrings lengthening on the way down →
glutes shortening to bring you back up.

If you can’t feel it here, you won’t feel it when you’re lifting. Build it here first → then take it into your RDLs and deadlifts.

You don’t need to force more range, you need to feel the right things!

Need more help?💙
Book your FREE Discovery Call through the link in our bio or by going to OPALMovementTherapy.com/contact-us 📲💻✨

💙 Like if this was helpful
⌨️ Drop a comment or question
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04/29/2026

Love bird dogs? Hate them? Not sure what they’re even doing?

In our new video, Dr. Morgan breaks down what they are, why we use them, the most common cheats we see, and how to perform them with optimal mechanics!

Give it a watch, hit subscribe, and comment if you have any questions about how you can improve your bird dogs!💙💪

5 likes. "Love/Hate Relationship with Bird Dogs? Fix This!"

04/29/2026

If you saw our last post, we showed you how to actually feel your hips during a hinge.

This is why it matters!!🔥

When you understand how to use your hips:
▪️Your glutes actually contribute
▪️Your back stops taking over
▪️Your lifts feel stronger and more controlled

And it doesn’t just apply to one exercise. It carries over to:
▪️RDLs
▪️Deadlifts
▪️Squats
▪️Hip thrusts
▪️Reverse lunges

This is how you train harder without beating up your body.

Learn the movement once → apply it everywhere.

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04/29/2026

If you’re struggling to feel your glutes during hinges, try this!

A lot of people focus on what not to use (your back)… but sometimes it’s easier to focus on what you should be using - your hips!

Here’s a simple way to find them:

▪️Place your hands around your hip crease (right over the top of your thighs)
▪️As you hinge, your hips move back behind your knees
▪️You should feel your glutes and hamstrings stretch

Then to come up:
▪️Push the floor away
▪️Squeeze your glutes
▪️Feel your hips drive forward

Your hands should feel your hips move back… and then forward again.

If you’re not feeling your glutes, it’s not just a strength problem - it’s a positioning and coordination problem.

You don’t need more exercises, you need to understand how to move!

Need more help?💙
Book your FREE Discovery Call through the link in our bio or by going to OPALMovementTherapy.com/contact-us 📲💻✨

💙 Like if this was helpful
⌨️ Drop a comment or question
🌍 Share with the world
🔽 Save for later
🫶 Follow for more
📲 DM us for a FREE Discovery Call
🌐 OPALMovementTherapy.com
--

04/28/2026

A lot of active adults aren't limited by their strength but are limited by HOW they're moving!

If you constantly feel your neck or shoulders in pilates, it's not just because you're tight... it's because other muscles are taking over! 💪

We had such a blast hosting our Reduce Shoulder & Neck Pain in Pilates Workshop with and are excited to announce that we're hosting a webinar version for those who couldn't attend in person!

Because when you understand movement better - you can train harder, move better, and keep doing the things you love long-term! 💙

Mark your calendars 🗓️
May 21st from 6-7pm CT on YouTube Live!

Click the link in our bio or go to OPALMovementTherapy.com/events to sign up today! ✨📲