Can you tell I was a little excited about this one?!?😅 10lb PR, and 10lbs off my bodyweight.
Here is the story regarding how I trained for this…
If you’ve been following me for a bit you know I have been training with the @functional_range_conditioning Internal Strength Model since I attended in November.
After about 3 weeks of shifting my training, I hit a bent press of 175lbs on my right arm (10lb PR) and 165lbs on my left (15lb PR). That was Dec. 1st. I hadn’t bent press at all since Nov. 1st.
Since December 1st, the next time I bent press was two weeks ago, when I attempted some reps with the 80kg bell-which was many a fail. Using a bell that big is a whole different story (and feeling) and I’m sure will take some more time to achieve.
So this PR (2/18) were my first Dumbbell bent press reps since December 1st.
In the time leading up to this, I have been putting in lots of training time on my hips, shoulders and spine. I still squat, deadlift and press along with some bodyweight movements. However the volume is extremely low. 1 set to failure on the muscular training.
This way I’m still getting stimulating work on my muscles, yet I have enough energy available to really improve my joint function.
Less muscle damage means more training energy to improve all the other components I need to produce strength.
Aside from using my training time more efficiently, I am making great progress on my strength work.
Even more of a bonus is how I feel day to day. Not beat up (which I have never felt before pushing the strength numbers) noticeably more range of motion, and all of the usual little aches and weaker areas gone.
This model is drastically different from the traditional approach to strength training.
Yet, in my opinion it is exactly the thing we want from strength training.
Getting stronger, and actually feeling much better. Resolving aches and pain and feeling more capable in and out of the gym.
Anyone who has pursued consistent strength training is familiar with the sacrifices that are associated with it. Like getting stronger, but also getting more aches and pains, feeling stiff etc.
This is progress without sacrifice.
Training knee flexion is all the rage these days.
I fully support that, but there is a big caveat.
If you want to a knee that will tolerate loaded knee flexion, you need to have adequate tibial rotation FIRST.
Knee rotation is fundamental knee movement. Your ability to rotate through internal and external rotation is a direct window into the health of your knee joint.
So if you are looking to improve your knee flexion abilities, make sure you determine your ability rotate them first.
Knees should bend deeply. Knees should go over toes.
Just not before they poses rotation.
#builtbybiology #functionalrangeconditioning #FRSInternalStrengthModel #kneehealth #jointpain #jointspecifictraining #doanything #strength #basisny #saratogasprings
If you are interested in adding in joint specific training, our Kinstretch with Basis program is a great place to start.
If you have an ongoing injury or problem that you haven’t been able to resolve, the best place to start is with an assessment. That way you can get some specific work tailored to you.
Then adding in Kinstretch to train all the other parts while you resolve your specific issue.
DM with questions or to set up an assessment.
Link to programs in bio!
#builtbybiology #kinstretch #functionalrangeconditioning #jointspecifictraining #doanything #strength #mobility #basisny #joints #health #saratogasprings
Low intensity cardio is something that everyone needs, yet many skip.
Look at social media for 5 minutes and you will be bombarded with high intensity cardio and flashy strength training.
People out there are doing low intensity cardio, but you just see it less because it doesn’t have as much curb appeal. However the changes it makes for your health are sexy AF.
Aside from helping you live longer, it increases your work capacity. That means more work with less effort. Also better recovery.
That allows you to get more out of your higher intensity cardio. It also makes you better at doing strength work. Basically you want what it does.
It won’t make you weaker, despite what some claim. My goals are strength, and the majority of my training is focused on that. I still train low intensity cardio 3 days a week for at least 40 minutes.
So my recommendation is to get yourself a heart rate monitor and an app to track your heart rate. There are many to choose from.
This is the easiest way to make sure you stay in the appropriate zones. Going by feel, especially if your haven’t trained with a HR monitor, is almost impossible to tell if you are in the correct zones.
You don’t have to just one thing. You can pic stuff you want to get better at. You can mix it up. Some things work better than others, but just moving enough to keep your heart rate in the desired zones is the most important component. Make it fun-do stuff you want to do. Then do it regularly!
#builtbybiology #lowintensity #cardio #zone2 #aerobic #training #workcapcity #longevity #heartgains #basisny #saratogasprings
The spine has potential for so much movement. Training those movements is too often lost among bad information and a propensity to simply “brace” it.
Once you have developed a spine that can segment well through flexion and extension, adding in training for lateral flexion and rotation should be a top priority.
Here is one of my favorites for lateral segmentation. Also some nice short adductor action on this set up. Definitely not a starting point, but nice for the toolbox as your spine builds capacity.
#builtbybiology #functionalrangeconditioning #FRSInternalStrengthModel #spine #health #jointhealth #jointspecifictraining #strength #mobility #bend #basisny #saratogasprings
January 2018 I crashed my motorcycle.
Grade 5 AC ligament tear-fully separated.
Grade 2 tear to CC ligament tear.
I chose not to have surgery.
Using @functional_range_conditioning principles I was able to resume normal training in about 3 months.
Here’s to 4 years with no AC ligament!
#builtbybiology #functionalrangeconditioning #ac #injury #jointhealth #strengthtraining #basisny #saratogasprings
When we use the Internal Strength Model from @functional_range_conditioning we can train every aspect of tissue function.
Starting with developing joint space, then building capacity from the deepest tissue out to the most superficial.
Your joints are only as strong as the weakest tissue within that joint. With this model, there are no components left untrained.
If every aspect of tissue is improved, along with your brains understanding of how that issue moves, you have created an environment where you have the best ability to create strength.
Aside from having the ingredients to truly develop strength, you now have a healthier more resilient joint.
What will you do with all that additional strength and resilience?
What ever the fuck you want.
That is a beautiful thing right there.
Questions? Let’s set up a consult to see where would be best for you to start!
Links to programs in bio.
#builtbybiology #functionalrangeconditioning #FRSInternalStrengthModel #doanything #jointhealth #strength #mobility #training #shoulder #health #basisny #saratogasprings
A hip is a hip, and a spine is a spine.
Over time our brain learns that these two parts move together. With enough time it becomes extremely difficult to move those joints individually, without any help from the other.
A common compensation for missing hip internal rotation is laterally flexing the spine, and hiking the pelvis up on that side.
That just becomes “normal” hip movement. Your brain will figure out how to get a task done with whatever is available. If something isn’t available, it will find something else to use instead, usually at the cost of that compensating piece.
A big component of training to develop more movement from a single joint requires that we learn how to move that joint by itself. The better we get at joint isolation, the better our brain understands how to move that joint.
With that better understanding we can then train that specific tissue more effectively. Over time we develop a joint that has more movement capacity, along with a brain that can control it more efficiently. Now when we use all of our joints together, we can get more out of the whole system.
So what may appear as a smaller range of motion is actually a more accurate depiction of what my hip can do. I have more range of motion, and more control over that range. My brain understands “hip.”
Now I can use that better understanding to improve my training, and keep my hip healthy.
Link to @kinstretch with Basis in bio!
#builtbybiology #functionalrangeconditioning #FRSInternalStrengthModel #hip #jointhealth #strength #training #doanything #basisny #saratogasprings
Hip internal rotation is so important it gets 3 posts in a row🤓
Using this model we train the deepest tissue first, then work our way out.
Joint capsule space ✅
Connective tissue ✅
Afferent/Efferent feedback✅
Muscular strength✅
#builtbybiology #functionalrangeconditioning #FRSInternalStrengthModel #kinstretch #hip #training #health #strength #doanything #basisny #saratogasprings
If a hip doesn’t have internal rotation IT ISN’T A HIP.
Remember that. Any joint that is lacking fundamental movement, is not the joint you think it is.
In most cases, when a joint isn’t doing the most important thing it needs to do (rotation for everything but the spine) another joint/tissue near by is going to attempt to do that lacking joints job.
Your lumbar spine misn’t your hip. If you don’t have a hip, your brain will make your lumbar spine do the job of your hip-without even letting you know it’s doing that.
Well at least until your back starts to feel like shit.
Our body is a compensation machine. If you don’t have it, your brain will find a way to make something like that happen, often at the cost of something else.
If you lack hip IR, you need to train it. You won’t get better hip IR by just squatting. If that were the case everyone who squats would have amazing hip IR.
I had 0 degrees of IR in my right hip, and I squatted 410lbs. Guess what? My lumbar spine was fucked. It has been doing the job of my hip for who knows how many years.
Assessing YOUR hip is the most effective way to determine appropriate training. Every hip needs IR, but those methods could very quite a bit.
90% of what I do training other people is assessing joints, and giving appropriate training.
I offer video assessments and coaching. Recoded @kinstretch classes with self assessments. Lots of ways to train your joints to function like joints are supposed to.
Remember all movement is initiated by each individual joint. If you want to truly get strong, make sure you actually have those joints you think you do.
#builtbybiology #functionalrangeconditioning #kinstretch #jointspecifictraining #signal #noise #adapt #strength #training #jointhealth #doanything #onlinetraining #basisny #saratogasprings
A strong healthy joint can absorb and generate force through full ranges of motion.
Rotation is the most important thing our shoulder does, yet it’s often overlooked. You can have a strong press and still be missing sole important function of your shoulder.
Specifically assessing your shoulder is the only way to get a full capture on the current health, and capacity of that joint.
I didn’t build up my shoulders rotational capacity just doing this with weight. I used @functional_range_conditioning principles to expand my range of motion, and build strength in my end ranges.
Over time, that increased range and strength translated to not only doing this with more weight , but also developing a stronger press, all with pain free shoulders.
Want to get into joint specific training? Links to programs in my bio!
#builtbybiology #functionalrangeconditioning #FRSInternalStrengthModel #doanything #jointspecifictraining #kinstretch #strength #mobility #training #joint #health #basisny #saratogasprings
If you have pain that has been ongoing and you haven’t had luck treating it with exercises, it’s time for a different approach.
One of the most common stories I hear from clients is how they have been told they are having this pain because they have “weak” or “turned off” muscles in various areas, and that is why they are having this pain in another area.
The client wants to fix what is going on, so they do the recommended exercises to strengthen or activate these muscles, yet it still doesn’t resolve the problem.
Why?!?
In my experience, the main missing piece is an actual assessment of the problematic joint in question. If you have shoulder pain, the first piece is assessing how that joint moves.
If you are missing an fundamental component of a healthy human shoulder, then training and restoring that missing function is the absolute first priority.
I’m not saying that corrective exercises are bad. What I’m saying is that often these exercises are being recommended without actually knowing the capacity of the joint in question.
If you have shoulder that doesn’t move like a shoulder, loading that joint with strength exercises won’t make it work like a better shoulder. In fact, trying to strengthen a dysfunctional joint often makes the problem worse.
The answer? Assess. Then train to restore healthy joint function.
Then make strong 💪
This is a one way street.
This is the approach we use through the lens of @functional_range_conditioning
Interested in joint specific training? Link to our @Kinstretch program in bio.
DM to schedule assessments and training.
#builtbybiology #functionalrangecondtioning #kinstretch #jointpain #jointspecifictraining #jointhealth #strength #doanything #assess #online #training #basisny #saratogasprings
