In my last video, I gave some tips on dealing with hips issues to help deal with lower back pain and problems. The hips are one of the keys to having and maintaining a healthy lower back.

Once you deal with the hips, your low back will start to feel better and more secure, to the point where you will be able to get back to activities and exercise once again.

With that said, and the numerous different issues that people have, there will still be a lot of work to be done to finally get your back where it needs to be.

I will outline another set of exercises soon to go along with the hip exercises that I gave in the video.

Today, however, I want to talk about things you can do in the gym, safely, if you do have a bad lower back.

Too many people stop training or exercising all together when they have a back issue in fear that they will really damage something permanently…and justifiably so.

The truth is, training can continue, safely if you avoid certain things and do the right things.

Here is a quick list of things you could in the gym safely if you have a lower back problem without risking more pain and/or injury.

• Avoid Spinal Loading - This means that you need to take the weight off of your back. Instead of barbell squats, try dumbbell squats with the DB’s in your hands and to your sides. You can also substitute those squats with lunges, step ups and other leg work that does not involve putting a weight on your back, thus loading your spine.
• Avoid twisting motions at all costs. Twisting is the last thing you want to do if you have a back lower back. In fact, I don’t advise much twisting even if your back is healthy (more on that at a later time.)
• Limit or avoid spinal flexion while working out. This means forward bending. If you have a disc problem, bending is not recommended. Even if your back problem does not involve a disc, forward flexion will aggravate the muscles in the lower back which are probably in bad shape. This means crunches too.
• Work on your core everyday. The stronger your core is, the better your back will feel. You do not need to do crunches and other ineffective ab work to build your core up. Implement planks into your program, along with standing, full-body strength training.
• Stay away from the leg press. I am not a big fan of leg presses anyway, but in this context, just understand that the leg press puts your lower back in a lot of loaded flexion, which is never good.
• Avoid Dead Lifting until you are stronger and have your technique absolutely perfect. For this, I recommend someone that is in the “know” watch you and teach you the right form.

Just because your lower back is hurting or you have problems, does not mean your time in the gym is over. To be frank, you probably need more time in the gym correcting the things that caused your issues in the first place.

Stay away from the bad stuff, implement the good stuff and your back will be feeling much better in no time.

Recently I shot a video on dealing with lower back pain. I give some quick exercises that anyone can do at home.

Check out the video and let me know what you think.

Lower back pain effects too many people these days. There are always things you can do to help manage your pain and do away with your problems.

The road to building a bulletproof body starts when you begin taking care of yourself. You cannot achieve the strength necessary to fight off injury and pain, when you are already living with pain and dysfunction. You will never reach your physical potential with a painful lower back, or with an injured shoulder. Yet, many people just “blow off” their pain and injury and really have not truly wanted to get better.

When clients come to see me, many tell me that they need to lose weight. Others need to gain muscle and strength, and some need to perform better at their sport or activity.

Very few come to see me when they need to feel better. They know they need to work on their weak points, but few do. When people are in pain, most wait. They know they need to get rid of their pain and need to work on their physical problems, but still, they wait. People know when they need to lose weight, or when they need to work on their issues, but many still do not do anything about it.

The distinction here is that when it comes to actually feeling better, dealing with pain, and improving your life, people tend to wait, ignore the problems, until that need becomes an absolute need and want. Think about that for a minute.

To better illustrate this point, I recently started a fat loss boot camp. It filled up in 2 days. People will do anything to look better. When the people showed up for the boot camp, I was a little surprised at how many of the participants really were not over weight. In fact, the majority of them were in great shape. When asked, they all said they wanted to look better, lose some weight and tone up. Most did not need to lose weight, and most of them looked great. They committed to the boot camp because of their desire to look better. Basically it came down to them wanting it, not just needing to.

It is a small distinction, but an important one. When someone finally wants to feel better, he or she will find a way to do so. Needing to… is not enough I have found. Think about how long you have waited to go to the doctor when you did not feel well. Usually it takes a lot of pain for people to make that decision. It then becomes a want.

I think it probably is best when you combine your needs and wants together. If you have low back pain, you need to get it fixed. Wanting to get it fixed is the missing motivation to actually do something about it.

Too many people wait to come to me when their physical problems and pain reach a breaking point. Although their issues can be fixed in most cases, it is much tougher to deal with these issues after weeks of waiting.

The question always is, “why wait?”

If you have pain, or physical problems, teach yourself to want to get better. You need to allow yourself to want to feel good again. Needing to is never enough. People tend to hate doing what they need to do, but most will do what they want to do.

On the road to physical invincibility, the first step is learning to fix yourself. Everyone has physical problems and everyone can feel better than they do right now. People have various problems such as back pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, and various other problems. Many ignore them and go through life knowing that they need to eventually do something about it. The smart people want to get better and want to feel great again.

You will never reach all of your fitness goals and become invincible until you finally want to feel good and do something about it.

If you are hurting, or have issues, take the first step now and do something about it.

In my last article, I talked about how I got rid of frozen shoulder.

The first thing to understand about “frozen shoulder” is that many people that think or even have be “diagnosed” with it, don’t really have true frozen shoulder. Having a true frozen shoulder is a serious condition that affects the joint and most specifically, the ligaments and capsule that are within the joint. True frozen shoulder usually can only be “cured” with surgery or manipulation. This is not to say that therapy does not work…good therapy can and will help with this condition.

I talked to a physical therapist the other day and asked him how many cases of frozen shoulder was a true form of frozen shoulder. His response was “not many at all.” What this tells us is that many of the people out there with shoulder problems, and more specifically with range of motion issues, have other problems, and these problems can be corrected with the right exercises and/or therapy.

In the case of Dawn’s shoulder (the woman I talked about in the last article) it was not true frozen shoulder. Even though she was diagnosed with this, I realized in a two-minute conversation that we were not dealing with true frozen shoulder, and I knew immediately that I could help her.

Dawn had a shoulder injury from years before, that was compounded with a bunch of muscle shortening, muscle deactivation and knots in the surrounding area. This caused pain, and the pain caused her to stop using her shoulder. Lack of movement only caused more adhesions, and more knots…making the problem worse.

By working on her knots, re-activating unused muscles, and basically “resetting” her shoulder so it worked the way it should work, she was able to achieved full range of motion in under 2 minutes.

Because of years of non-use, Dawn still had much work to do on her shoulder to achieve total health. The important thing was that Dawn learned that day, in that very moment, that she could fix her shoulder and finally get back to living her life the way she wanted to live it.

The other important thing to learn from this is that even if you do have a true form of frozen shoulder, it can be improved and pain can be eliminated. By working on the surrounding muscles through release, deep tissue massage and specific activation techniques, the shoulder will improve both in function and pain.

Any area of the body that is hurting, or has limitations can be improved or even “cured” in many cases. You just have to do the right things.

This is exactly why I prescribe soft-tissue work, activation techniques and constant corrective exercise plans to everyone I encounter that suffers from physical limitations and problems.

Too many people just “give up” and assume that they have to live with their diagnosis and they never even try to make things better. Others live off of over the counter medications, and months (sometimes years) of ineffective therapy sessions.

In Dawn’s case, she lived 10 years of her life without full use of her shoulder. She was not able to do things she loved doing, and basically, her life changed. That 10 years of pain, and limitation was cured in 2 minutes. After our session, her joy turned into frustration that she was made to believe that her shoulder would forever be stuck in that position.

The take home message is that if you have an injury or physical issue, make sure you understand what the real problem is and if it can be fixed, or at least improved. My philosophy is that most issues can be in the least, improved.

Dawn’s shoulder was not the only shoulder I ever “cured” and it will not be the last. There are plenty of people out there that have similar issues with their shoulders and even other parts of their body that can be fixed with some “alternative” work.

If you are one of those people, get a second opinion, and better, get some of the right kind of work done and you might be amazed at how much improvement you will see.

As always, shoot me your questions or comments.

Train Smart,

-Keith

A few years ago, a client named Dawn came to train with me one day because here regular trainer could not make the session. I started the session, as Dawn warmed up, with the usual questions that I ask any new client.

“How are you feeling?” “Is there anything physical I need to be aware of before we get started?”

Dawn stopped me there and told me about her “frozen shoulder” problem. Dawn proceeded to tell me that she could not do anything above 90 degrees with her right arm, and she listed all of the exercises that are off limits. I asked Dawn a few questions about her injury, the diagnosis and how long she had been suffering from this “frozen shoulder.”

Dawn told me that it had been 10 years since she was diagnosed with Frozen Shoulder. I was shocked.

After a few more pointed questions, I started to get a bit suspicious of whether Dawn’s frozen shoulder was truly frozen and whether it could be fixed.

I asked Dawn if she would mind me trying a few things on her shoulder, and that it would take less than 2 minutes. She agreed, but warned me that she had been through years of PT and to countless doctors and nothing ever helped her shoulder. She told me with a slight grin, that if I wanted to try, why not. Couldn’t hurt, right?

After about a minute of doing various soft-tissue work on and around her shoulder area, Dawn asked what I was doing. I simply told her to trust me, and I was almost finished. I took about 30 seconds instructing Dawn to perform a few basic exercises to her right shoulder.

90 seconds later, I was finished. I asked Dawn to lift her arm up over her head. Dawn looked at me as if I was crazy. It had been 10 years, living in this limiting world of no motion and pain. There was no way in Dawn’s mind that she would be able to do this. After all, she would have to live the rest of her life with this pain and “frozen shoulder.”

After some pleading with her to just trust me, she finally started to lift her arm. As she approached the normal ranged of motion that she has had I noticed a strange look on her face. She seemed surprised at first with the noticeable lack of pain. However, she was still unconvinced as she continued to the 90-degree range.

Finally, Dawn reached 90 degrees, and with a big breath, she continued on her way. I was fixated on her arm as it reached high in the air and finally stopped, while pointing directly above her head. She did it. As I watched her hand, my eyes finally returned to her face where I saw tears streaming down her cheeks and the biggest smile ever!

After 10 years of having a “Frozen Shoulder,” Dawn could move her arm above her head, with no pain, no limits. It was amazing for her. She hugged me and asked me how in the world did I do that? “you are the miracle man!” She said.

“No miracles” I said. “Just a good understanding of anatomy, proper function, and a little bit of therapy.” Dawn told me that she really didn’t care too much about that, but that after 10 years of doctors and PT’s telling her that she would probably never move her shoulder past 90 degrees without surgery, I was truly her “miracle man!” She thanked me and we had an awesome session that day.

Her life changed in 90 seconds.

You can control your pain and do it fast too. Stay tuned…I am going to reveal just how I was able to get rid of this “so-called” frozen shoulder.

Low back pain is one of the most crippling physical problems that people have across the world! It can be minimized, and sometime cured if you take the right measures each day. The first thing you need to do is realize why your back is hurting.

1. Your hips are too tight! If you have tight hip flexors, limited rotation in the hip joint, and overly tight hamstrings, for starters, you are going to be putting way too much stress on your low back.

2. Your Ass doesn’t work! Your glute muscles are the biggest and strongest muscles in the body, and in many people, they just don’t do their job. Sitting all day can shut them off and cause the hamstrings to compensate. Too much hamstring tension = low back stress.

3. Your Core Strength Stinks! Having a strong core is much more than being able to bang out some crunches or having a six pack. Having a strong, functional core is about training all of the core muscles the right way. This includes low and mid back muscles, all of the abs (even the ones you cant see!) the glutes, hip flexors, and hip rotators.

4. You train all of the wrong things! I see it everyday in the gym. People are too concerned about the “show” muscles and not enough about the “go” muscles. In other words, too many people want to look good and don’t care too much about their physical health while they are at it! There is nothing wrong with training your chest, biceps, triceps and quads. But you need to work on the important muscles too. Usually, these are the ones you cannot see (i.e. hamstrings, glutes, transverse abs, obliques, low back, etc…)

5. You train the wrong way! The Smith machine and leg press are not good for your back. In fact they can be down right bad for your low back. Please stay away from these exercises. Performing countless reps of leg curls and leg extensions are not helping your back either. You need to train your core and your legs, and do it standing. Get off of the machines. You are just weakening your back.

6. House and Yard work! House and yard work must be done. However, it is stupid and naive to think you can get up off of the couch, after spending months doing next to nothing physically, and then go out and work in the yard doing all kinds of heavy lifting and other activity without hurting your back. Same goes for house work. Make sure you warm up, stretch, and do some work prior to tackling that big project in your house and yard. Your back will thank you for it.

7. Too much behind the wheel.  If you have a job that requires you to drive a lot, you need to take measures to reverse the stress that you are placing on and around your low back. It is a certain that your back is going to be placed in a bad position for most of your driving. Even if you are comfortable, you were not meant to sit for that many hours in one spot. If possible, take a break and move. Get out of the car, move around, stretch out a bit, but just move. If you get gas, get out doing the filling up time. If you cannot, make sure you do this as soon as you arrive to your destination.

Stay tuned for the follow up to this blog, with a list of the things you can do about your low back problems.

To become “invincible” you have to bulletproof your body as best as you can. What this means is taking care of the key areas in the body that matter most.

I knew I had to make some major changes. My doctor was correct in a way…I was done doing what I was doing. Instead of calling it quits, I looked at it a bit different. I was done being stupid. It was time to bulletproof my body and time to do it the right way.

First thing was to change what I was doing and how I was doing it. Pain is not fun, but it is an awesome motivator. More so, the fact that if I didn’t make a major change in my routine, I would not be able to train and that was not going to happen.

Since my shoulders were messed up (my fault) and my lower back was in constant pain (also, my fault) I had to start with the shoulder and hip complexes first.

Most upper body issues stem from shoulder complex. The shoulder complex is made up of the shoulder joint (ball and socket joint), the upper back and chest area. The hip complex is made up of the hip joint (also, ball and socket joint), and the surrounding muscles of the hip (i.e. glutes, lateral muscle groups, hip flexors.)

I made a plan, stuck to it, and the results were amazing.

Here is a brief summary of what I did:

Shoulders:

• Eliminated pushing movements until further notice. No benching or pressing. You cant keep hitting your thumb with the hammer and expect to feel no pain. So, I took away the hammer for now.
• Started doing a lot more pulling motions. More rows, chins, pull-ups, pull downs, etc… Most people do way too much pushing movements (as I was) and not enough pulling. I started with pulling motions, trying to stay away from anything that hurt.
• Started soft-tissue work. The first thing I did is get a massage…a deep tissue massage. I told the therapist to work exclusively on my upper back, chest, and hips. I felt 60% better immediately when she was finished. I used “at-home” soft-tissue work each day after and my pain diminished almost instantly.
• I worked my internal and external rotator cuff. Again, I the pain was much better just from doing those motions.

Hips:

• The hips are the key to a healthy low back. I knew that, so I started there. I added mobility work before each workout. Leg swings, walking hip huggers, walking quad stretches, etc…
• Added static stretching to my hip rotators, and hip flexors.
• Activated my glutes. The glutes are the biggest muscle groups in the body, and in most people they don’t work well if at all. Once I got these muscles “back in the game” the back pain went away almost completely.
• Soft-Tissue work! I got massages, used tennis balls and other means to work the knots and adhesions out of the glutes, lateral muscle groups and hip flexors. The pain was moving away fast.

In just two weeks time, I was almost completely pain free. I was able to start training again, but this time the right way. It was a small miracle based on my MRI and what the doc told me.

I knew at that moment that this stuff works and works well. My training has never been the same, and barring me being temporarily stupid here and there, I have remained pain and injury free since.

The take home message for everyone reading this is simple: Do the right things for your major joints and muscle groups first. Have a balanced program, and just don’t be stupid.

Since that time, I have benched, squatted, dead lifted, and everything else I wanted to do. I hit new PR’s, have gained strength like never before and I feel great.

I do whatever I want physically with not limitations. I lift a lot of heavy things in and out of the gym, with no pain or problems. I live my life the way I want…physically. I am almost bulletproof, in a sense. I am in better physical health then most people 20 years younger than me… and its all by design.

Sometimes you have to go through “STUPID, to get to INVINCIBLE.”

If you are looking towards becoming invincible, the first step is to follow my lead…in other words, if you have not been stupid, as I was, yet, take care of your shoulders and hips first. Start there.

I will add more on Becoming Invincible later. Until then, train smart.

People continue to do “dumb things” in the name of getting big or strong…and continue to sacrifice their physical health. Here are 5 things that I see people do that help screw up the shoulder joints. (Don’t be one of these people…if you have questions, please comment or drop me an email. )

1. Continue the long-standing tradition of having a “Bench” day. I don’t really get why someone that is not training for a power lifting meet needs to have a day totally committed to performing nothing but the bench press. I have watch guys bench for over an hour at a time and then go home.

• Benching alone is a great way to mess up your shoulders. If you are not a power lifter or have an equally good reason to “bench” press all on one day, make sure you balance out your program with other exercises.

2. Keep performing “bench dips.” I get really aggravated every time I see a ‘trainer’ prescribe bench dips to female (and sometimes male) clients. Bench dips are a great way to destroy your shoulders. I have watched it happen time and time again. I have even warned people NOT to do them and told them why…yet, they did them and paid the price. Stay away from bench dips. There are better ways to work your triceps. If you run into a trainer that blindly prescribes them to you…run.

3. To go along with number 1, continue to bench the wrong way. I would venture to say that 99% (yes that is a big number) of the people out there benching, perform it the wrong way. Having your elbows out, not using your legs, and leaving your upper back just lying there without purpose, are all the wrong things to do when you bench press. Learn to bench the right way. There are many great sources on the internet about just how to do a proper bench press. This post is about shoulder health, so trust me when I say benching the wrong way is one of the best ways to hurt your shoulders. I am living proof of that.

4. Not enough “pulling” exercises in your program. Push, push, push. Benching, pressing, dips, flys, and hardly any pulling exercises makes Johnny’s shoulder hurt really bad.

•  My recommendation has always been to have at least 3 pulling exercises for every 1 pushing exercise. That ratio is because we are so out of balance to begin with. We sit at a desk, behind a wheel, or at the table…hunched over, shoulders rounded, and then we get into the gym and we make things worse by doing all pushing exercises.You have to counter balance that with pulling movements.

• Add rows, chins, pull-ups, and pull-down variations into your program.

5. Continue to not work on the rotator cuff muscles. Too many people jump all over rotator cuff exercises when they are already injured. They pull on a band for a couple of weeks and that is it. Incorporate the proper mix of rotator cuff work into your normal routine. Your shoulders will thank you for it.
   • Internal and external rotation with dumbbells, and bands.

6. BONUS - Don’t skip the soft-tissue work either. Make sure you are doing your foam rolling, massages, and other work on the upper back and shoulder areas.

I am still amazed at the ignorance when sports commentators report on injuries. Granted the average person out there really doesn’t know the difference between a sprain and strain, or the difference between a dislocation and separation, nor should they actually. However, it is my opinion that commentators truly should know. Most of them have played the sport or at least been around sports for years and should know the difference.

With the speed at which information is passed around the internet, I see false information being posted all over the place about someone’s injury status like it is gospel, just because a favorite football commentator said it. In addition, numerous people are involved in fantasy leagues and correct information is essential to them. Besides, its never bad to know things.

With that said, even if John Madden calls a dislocation a separation, or Kornheiser thinks a fracture and a contusion are the same thing, the viewer will never know whether he is right or not unless you know what to look for.

Therefore, I thought I would offer up a quick, very basic overview on injury classification. At the very least you can use this article to look smarter in front of your friends if someone you know ever gets injured or you hear a mistake being made during the next Monday night football game.

MUSCLE INJURIES

1.      Contusions - This is simply a bruise. Usually from a sudden traumatic blow to the body. Can range from superficial to deep hemorrhage. Usually happens to muscle but can see a deep bone contusion too. These can be more serious than people think. So the next time you hear about your favorite player having a contusion or bruise, don’t just think he is being a sissy for not playing. It might be worse than you think.

2.      Strains - A stretch, tear, or rip in the muscle or muscle tendon and many times the tissue that surrounds the muscle. Happens most commonly from an abnormal muscular contraction.

•  Can be a small separation of connective tissue
•  A complete rupture of the tendon (graded as first, second, or third degree)
• The result is similar to a contusion, with blood vessel hemorrhage.

This is more commonly known as a “PULL”. If you hear about someone pulling a muscle, it is the same as a strain. The term strain and sprain are mixed up all of the time. Strains always deal with muscles and tendons, and sprains always deal with joints and ligaments.

Muscle Cramps and spasms -

• A cramp is a painful, involuntary contraction of a skeletal muscle or muscle group. They are attributed to lack of salt or other minerals, and to muscle fatigue. (Drink your Gatorade when exercising hard!!). When you see a player on the field freaking out while some one is stretching his calf, chances are he has a cramp. Happens in very hot, humid conditions, and cold conditions too.
• A Spasm is a reflex reaction caused by trauma of the musculoskeletal system. These can also happen from over activation of a muscle or muscle group. Many people will have spasms in their neck, or upper back…But quite a few people have them all over their body in various places.

Tendinitis - Overuse to the tendon. Inflammation of the tendon. Rare in most people, although most people think they suffer from tendinits all of the time.

Tendinosis - More likely the problem in people with tendon issues. This is a certain pathology of the tendon tissues brought on by overuse. Most people that suffer tendon problems have tendinosis not tendinitis. Tendinosis can take a few long weeks to clear up totally. A good corrective rehab plan is a must here. Anti-inflammatory meds don’t usually help with this condition, so put away the Advil.

Atrophy -  Muscle atrophy is wasting away of muscle tissue. This is caused mainly by immobilization, inactivity, or loss of nerve stimulation  This is when your muscle shrinks. Some people atrophy just by sitting on the couch day after day and doing nothing more than pressing the remote control. Usually you see this on the affected limb after a cast is removed.

Joint Injuries

Sprains - A sprain is when you stretch or tear the stabilizing connective tissue (ligaments and/or joint capsule)

•  Sprains can be classified like strains with first, second, and third degree.

Subluxations and Dislocations-

• Subluxations - are partial dislocations in which an incomplete separation between two articulating bones (joint) occurs.
• Dislocations - This is a total disunion the bones that make up a joint. Example would be if the long bone in the upper arm (humerus) became totally independent of the shoulder blade (glenoid - scapula).
• Separation - usually happens in the shoulder. It is a separation between the acromion process (bony tip of your shoulder) and the end of the clavicle (end of your collar bone). Separated and dislocated shoulders are totally different things. This is one of the things that most commentators seem to screw up.

Bursitis- Inflammation of the bursa. Most joints have bursa sacs that help lubricate the joints. These areas can become inflamed and cause pain and discomfort.

Bone Injuries

Fractures -

• Acute Fractures - This is also known as a break. This is when the structure of the bone is compromised or disrupted.
• Avulsion Fractures - Separation of a bone fragment from its attachment at a ligament or tendon. This is when a piece of bone gets pulled away from its source. These happen from ankle sprains quite often.
• Blow Out Fractures - Occur to the wall of the eye orbit as a result of a blow to the eye.
• Stress Fractures - overuse. Can be caused from many things. Rhythmic muscle action performed over a period of time. This is a small stress fracture line found in the bone. Usually seen in the lower leg bones (tibia and fibula), and also the upper leg bone (femur). Mostly occurs in long distance runners, but can occur in any sport that requires running.

Bone Bruise  - Contusion of the covering of the bone (periosteum) Usually occurs from a very hard, direct blow to the bone and/ or muscle. These are deep bruises and can put someone down and out for a long time. Extremely painful and need to be padded and cared for.

So remember, the next time one of your not so favorite commentators offers up an explanation about a player’s injury, question it first before you take their word for it. Through my experience, more likely than not they are wrong.

An important aspect of fitness that many people skip is recovery.

I work with athletes, and non-athletes everyday that push hard, train to exhaustion and do all of the right things, but many skip a step that is vital to their strength gains, fat loss, performance, and physical health…recovery.

Recovery is vital if you want to be healthy and reach your fitness goals.

Check out this quick video where I talk about recovery and some things you can do to boost your recovery and stay healthy.

http://tinyurl.com/4ob3bg

I always like to ask people that workout why they are working out, or why they are training. Sometimes I hear things like “To stay healthy”, or “To get into shape”, and I always follow it up with “why do you need to get into shape”?

That is a trick question for people. Many just stare at me blankly and don’t know what to say.

I like to offer up that people should be training for the most important event they will ever encounter…LIFE. “Train for life”.

Life is tough, and full of obstacles. Most people think in terms of emotional and mental hurdles when thinking of the trials of life. I believe that there are just as many physical obstacles in life as well, and if you are not ready for them, things can and will get very rough…Especially as you climb in age.

If you can continue to compete and play some sort of sport as you get older, that is great and yes, you should train for that, but life is a 24/7, 365 days a year contest. Are you ready?

Life has some basic physical hurdles that you need to be ready for each day. Below I have outlined what I think are the most important areas that should be trained as you go through life so you can not just keep up, but also excel and win!

• Squatting - You will have to squat in life. Sometimes a lot during the day. As you get older and your knees give you problems, squatting gets harder and most people try to avoid it. When training for life, have a component of squatting in your plan. This does not have to be Olympic weight lifting, or even using weights at all. Body weight or bands will work well too. But either way, make sure that you have some kind of squatting motion in your training plan.

• Pulling - You will have to pull things all day long whether you know it or not. Some things are so simple, we don’t even think about them, but others are much harder. Will you be able to keep up? Pulling a grocery bag or your child, grandchild and even pet off of the ground can be tough for people that don’t have the strength or body stability to do this. Pulling a cord on the lawn mower, or leaf blower can be tough for people as well. Include pulling in your plan. Again, weights are not necessary.

• Pushing or pressing - Whether you are putting something on a shelf above your head in a closet, or pushing a table against the wall, pushing is something we do everyday and all day. Make sure you have horizontal pushing and vertical pressing in your plan as well.

• Twisting or Rotation - Sitting at your desk and turning to answer the phone is a form of rotation. Picking up that baby, and twisting him/her straight so you can see them, is a combination movement, but is based on twisting. We twist and rotate a lot. It needs to be trained in life too.

• Combination movements - Putting it all together is essential in life training. Squatting down to grasp a bag, and then pulling the bag off of the floor, rotating as your press it over your head and push it to the back of the shelf, includes all of the motions that we talked about.

• Other movements - Grasping, gripping, stabilizing are motions that are just as important to train.

Take home message: In life movement happens and you need to be ready for it. As you get older, movement usually gets tougher…however it doesn’t have to. Remember, train for life, and you will excel at it and be able to take on anything it throws at you

Remember, this is a basic list. There are plenty of other exercises that you can do too. Start with these and move up from there.

• Squats - Whole body exercise that should already be part of your program. Make sure to incorporate one-legged squats into your training.

2. Dead lifts -  This is another exercise that will work the entire body as well as focusing on the hip complex. Make certain to keep a straight, neutral back. Perform these with your knees bent slightly to about 20 degrees. Pitch your butt tight as you extend (up movement) your hips. This is one of the best exercises out there for many things, but essential for a healthy hip complex! If you are not certain you can do these next to perfect, find someone that can help you do the correctly.

3. Russian Hamstring Curls - Start on your knees with a partner holding onto your ankles from behind. While trying to keep the hip extended and the back in neutral, slowly lean forward from the knees, using the glutes to keep the hips straight. Lean forward as far as your hamstring strength will let you, ultimately aiming for at least a 45 degree angle. If possible,  pull yourself back upwards. If you cannot do this, then fall to the floor carefully and catch yourself in the push up position. This is an extremely tough exercise and may take a while to get it. Since you will be producing an eccentric load while doing these, limit this exercise to once a week.

4. Band Walks - Get a theraband or theratubing and tie the ends together. Place your feet into the newly made circle. Open your legs and make the band tight. Walk side ways across the floor very slowly and deliberately while fighting against the resistance of the band. Come back across the room working the other side. Do this with your knees bent and then perform with your knees straight.

Tight Hip Flexors : I would be willing to bet that most of the people reading this have tight hip flexors. How can I make this bet? In the 15 plus years I have been working with athletes and non-athletes, most of the people that walked through my door had tight hip flexors.

So you have tight hip flexors, now what?

• Box Lunge and stretch - This is a two in one exercise that will not only loosen up your tight hip flexors, but it will also stretch your glutes, and upper hamstrings as well. Find a box or platform that is above knee height, and place one of your feet on the top of the box. Your up knee should be bent more than 90 degrees. Slowly lean forward, placing more weight on the box. Keep the opposite, weight bearing leg in one place and fairly straight as you lean forward. You should start to feel a stretch in the front of the straight leg. You may also feel a stretch in your glute area and even a little in the mid to back thigh muscles (adductors, hamstrings.) If you are tight in the hips, this is a great stretch and will get more than you bargained for. Hold each stretch for 20 seconds and perform 5 reps. Switch sides and repeat.

An advanced tip for your hips flexors and groin area is to hold this same stretch but rotate slightly (and slowly) towards the bent knee.

Tip Hip Rotators - If you have found that your hip rotators are tight, you need some work to get the hips healthy. Try these exercises and watch your limitations go away in the next few weeks.

• While lying on your back bend one of you knees to 90 degrees and rotate your leg in (like you are going to cross that foot over your opposite knee.) Grab onto the bent knee with one hand and your ankle of the same leg, with the other hand. Pull your bent leg up towards your chest, being extra careful not to torque the knee (apply even pressure.) Pull your ankle and knee evenly until you feel a stretch deep in your glute area. Once you feel that stretch, hold it for 20 seconds. Repeat 5 times and switch legs.

This stretch will loosen up your external rotators in your hip very well and if you have back pain, may very well help get rid of it.

Sleeping glutes - If you found that your hamstrings are overactive and your glutes are sleeping at the wheel, you need to work on activating them for not only hip health, but for back, knee and overall body health.

•  Using the test that you performed to find out if your glutes were really asleep is one of the best ways to activate them. Here is a review
• Lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees. While lying, with your back flat against the floor, drive your heels into the floor and elevate your hips. Perform this motion for about 20 straight reps. If you feel a burning and/or tightness in your hamstrings more than you do in your glutes (butt), this means your glutes are not working as they should. Even if you do feel it more in your glutes, chances are you need work. We all do.

Perform this exercise in the same way except hold each bridge for 5 seconds, making sure to consciously squeeze your butt each rep. You can also bring your heels in closer to your butt before you start. Over time, your glutes will kick in and take over. Do this exercise everyday until you notice a difference. By day three you should feel your glutes working more than your hamstrings.

•  Band Walks - Find an elastic band or tubing and tie it into a small circle. Place it around your ankles and spread your legs until the band is tight. Start to walk sideways spreading your lead leg as far as you can. Pick up your back leg (in other words, don’t drag it) and bring it close to your lead leg, while walking across the floor. Make sure you always have tension on the band. Walk across the floor at least 15 steps before simply changing lead legs and coming back to where you started. You should feel a burning in the sides of your hips. Perform 2 sets up and back. For the first set, keep your legs relatively straight. For the second set, slightly bend your knees while doing this.

This is a great way to fire up your smaller, but just as important glute muscles.

Prevent Exercises:

To ensure that you maintain mobile, flexible and fired up hips (in other words “Healthy Hips”) here are some exercises that I like to do with my clients to keep them healthy and at the top of their game.

• Deep Squat Holds - Spread your legs past shoulder width and work on slowly squatting as deep as you can while keeping your back fairly straight. Once you find a spot where you cannot squat any deeper without discomfort or pain, hold that position for 30 seconds. Repeat about 5 times.  To add some extra work, once you are in that position, push your knees out slightly with your elbows. This will put your adductors, and rotators on stretch, while forcing your other muscles to brace and fire. This is an excellent exercise to stretch and fire up your hips in a simple and safe manner. Each time out, try to go deeper and with your legs spread a little more.
• Mule Kicks - If you really want to fire up your glutes try this simple exercise. Bend over a table or bed, or even a bench face down. Brace yourself with your hands while you kick one of your legs up and back. Make sure to extend your hip while slightly bending your knee. Once you kick that leg up and back, hold it for a count of 3 seconds. Return and repeat about a total of 12 times. Switch legs. This exercise will surely fire up your glutes and get them firing the way they should.

**if you have low back problems, be careful doing these in the beginning.

Try these exercises and watch your limitations shake loose before your eyes. You will move better and feel better after the first few sessions.

Tight, and/or underdeveloped hips will cause knee problems along the way. Low back problems usually find their roots with bad hips. Most people have tight hip flexors, weak glutes, and under developed lateral hip muscles….not to mention horrible rotation in the hip joint. All of these issues will surely cause major imbalances in the rest of the body, especially the lower extremity.

Chronic hamstring pulls can be directly related to tight and under-trained hips. Just by correcting the hip area, you can solve many of these issues.

Three common hip problems that you probably have and how to assess your situation:

• Tight hip flexors - These are the muscles and tendons in the front of your hips. How do you know you have tight hip flexors? Lie down on your back, and pull one of your knees to your chest while keeping the other leg extended and flat against the floor. If that extended leg pops up as your bent knee approaches your chest, you have tight hip flexors. Test both legs.
• Tight hip rotators - Your rotators are found deep in your hip. These are very important muscles for health and performance. While sitting with your back straight, cross your right leg over your left knee (placing the outside of your right foot on your left knee/thigh.) If your right knee sticks up in the air and does not lie parallel to the floor (or close to parallel) then you probably have tight rotators. Make sure you test both sides.
• Glute muscles are “asleep.” - What this means is that your glutes are not firing as they should and your hamstring is doing all of the work. Most people that have sitting jobs or sit for the majority of the day have this problem. This will lead to tight and strained hamstrings, hip pain, low back pain, and a host of other problems, including minimal strength levels during training. One way to help tell for sure you have sleeping glutes is to lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees. While lying, with your back flat against the floor, drive your heels into the floor and elevate your hips. Perform this motion for about 20 straight reps. If you feel a burning and/or tightness in your hamstrings more than you do in your glutes (butt), this means your glutes are not working as they should. Even if you do feel it more in your glutes, chances are you need work. We all do.

Age is a frame of mind. It really is. You can always improve and always get in better physical condition no matter how old you are. Age certainly can slow down progress, but it does not mean it cannot happen. With a well thought out training program, good nutrition, and proper rest, progress can always be made.

Further, just because you have reached your 40^th or 50^th birthday does not mean you can expect the rest of your life to be painful in some way. Too many people assume that pain is a birthright and that it is something they must live with. It is not. Pain and dysfunction can be dealt with no matter your age.

Change your attitude. Look around and realize that there are plenty of people older than you that are working hard, with intensity and are in great condition. Why can’t you be one of those people?

Find help. If you have conditions that are “age-related” there are professionals out there that can help you reach new goals and live pain free. Seek out the help of good trainers, strength coaches, or physical therapists.

Find your motivation. I recently trained a 70 year old baseball player. This guy is a pitcher and plays at a high level. He still throws in the high 70’s and can play with people half his age. What keeps him young and in great condition? His mental outlook. He never once used age as an excuse. I trained him as hard, or harder than my high school athletes. Find your motivation and use it to fuel your own fire.