This week's mobility work will focus on the external rotators to help your overhead positioning and your bench press or pushup.  You can do the following exercise using a box or on the ground.   Bilateral Shoulder Flexion IMPROVES: Overhead Positioning, Bench Press / Pushup, External Rotation Torque, Front Rack Position TEST: First test your overhead position in an overhead squat or test your front rack position. EXERCISE: 1. Holding a pvc pipe, kneel in front of a box with your elbows next to each other and your hands rotated externally (outward).   2. Rotate the pipe and spread your hands apart until you reach the end range of your external rotation.  Do this on both sides.  You must keep your elbows in close to create the necessary torque for this stretch.  ...

With the great demands we put on our bodies in training, we all need to do some maintenance.  We plan to start regularly posting mobility work for you to incorporate into your mobility and recovery toolbox.  Try the posted exercise several times each week to see how it works, then come back to it when you need it in the future. Test and Re-test: Before you do any mobility exercise, test a relevant position to determine your range of motion (ROM).  After you do the mobility work, test the same position again to see if you made any progress.  If you did not make any progress you either didn't do it long enough or you don't need it.  One minute is the minimum amount of time you should use for the exercise below.  Really, you should keep going until you feel a cha...

The way TFS works is what happens during correct placement of the forearms and shoulder blades. The yoga based exercise, which takes only a couple of minutes, trains the subscapularis muscle to take over for the injured supraspinatus muscle in the rotator cuff. Though the rotator cuff has not healed, symptoms usually almost completely disappear and do not return. Read more about it in this article:   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/loren-fishman-md/yoga-for-rotator-cuff-injury_b_916728.html

"Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast." This quote, with a background in the US Army, is often cited in the training world as well as in the execution of tactical operations.  The gist of the quote is, if you rush a movement, task or operation, then you will likely take a longer route to the desired outcome.  Rushing results in fumbling and imprecise actions which will delay the success of your mission.   Taking the time to be precise, make more economical movements, and make wise evaluations about how to proceed will result in a more effective and quick outcome.  Simply put - Don't rush! I think the application for of this concept as a training method can be more profound.  It can really be the difference between mastery and amateur efforts.  I have applied...