Minimalist Shoes vs. Maximalist Shoes
What’s the best shoe to wear when running? Minimalist shoes, maximalist shoes, or your current running shoe? Here are some things to consider.. (more…)
Stretch of the Week: Self Massage for the Neck
Correction of Muscle Imbalances for Gymnasts and Cheerleaders
Most people agree that gymnasts and cheerleaders must be very strong and flexible. Although each athlete is different, patterns of tightness and weakness are often found when screening gymnasts and cheerleaders. As with many sports, some muscles will become naturally stronger and more flexible, while others will be weaker and tighter due to the positioning of the skills practiced. Correction of these muscle imbalances is important to enhance skill level and prevent injury. (more…)
Stretch of the Week: Lateral Neck Stretch
For the month of June we will address our cervical vertebrae! There will be five weeks in June so I will be giving you some self massage techniques for the neck too, yay! As always if you have injuries please be cautious and only do what feels good. If you have stiffness in the neck these will be great ones for you! (more…)
Stretch of the Week: Final Psoas Stretch
The final week of May is here! How are you doing? How is your back? Make sure you check in with yourself, it helps to create body awareness as you stretch. For the last week of May you will have three options for a psoas stretch. I will be giving beginner, intermediate, and advanced variations for this psoas stretch. If you have a history of low back problems stick with the beginner variation. (more…)
Stretch of the Week: High Lunge with Psoas Emphasis
Week 3 of May might look a little familiar to you if you’ve been with the stretch of the week blog from the beginning. It’s called High Lunge. In this variation we are focusing on getting a deeper stretch through the psoas though. So it’s different I promise! 🙂
You will need two yoga blocks or something similar, and a wall for this stretch. (more…)
Stretch of the Week: Upward Facing Dog
Week two of May is a bit of a deeper psoas stretch. It doesn’t have a name but I guess we can call it a variation on the yoga pose upward facing dog. In this variation we are focusing on the front of the hip where the psoas resides. (more…)
Pre-Round Golf Stretches to Enhance Mobility
Golf season is finally approaching, which means it is time to dust off the clubs, break out the plaid pants and warm up your muscles. Properly swinging a golf club requires precise muscle coordination and sequencing of movement across numerous joints within the body, specifically the back. During the back-swing and follow-through, rotation of the trunk is required to effectively position the club for consistently accurate golf shots. This trunk rotation is facilitated by movement through the spine, specifically the thoracic spine.
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