If you only had time for one strength training exercise it would be hard to beat the squat due to its’ high recruitment of lower quarter muscles including the legs and core. Numerous variations of the squat including sit to stand, goblet squat, front squat, back squat, split squat, and zercher squats exist allowing individuals...
Resistance training is an essential part of any weekly workout program, but can become neglected when other activities compete for our time. On these shortened training days we should aim to improve our efficiency in the gym by utilizing methods which reduce our workout time but maintain its’ effectiveness. Supersets, performance of a set of...
Time and money are two finite resources most adults must judiciously spend each week. Family, work, and life demands can easily crowd into our exercise time cutting out health benefits when we need them the most. Edward Stanley once said “those who do not think they have time for bodily exercise will sooner or later...
One of the main benefits of resistance training, in both the fitness and Physical Therapy settings, is the increase in strength and muscle size in trained individuals. These benefits have been shown to improve an individual’s function and reduce their risk of future injury. One of the keys to success with this training is the...
Neck pain will affect up to 70% of the population at some point in their lifetimes. Thankfully the vast majority of these cases are not serious in nature and will improve with conservative treatments including Physical Therapy. Within Physical Therapy, a manual therapy (mobilization and manipulation) and strengthening exercise approach has been shown to be...
Strength training is an essential part of any workout program. Participants should aim for 2 to 3 workouts per week targeting major muscle groups of the upper and lower body. Multi joint movements such as the squat or deadlift provide a more effective and efficient workout compared to single joint exercises (ex. leg extension machine)....
The basics of sleep, hydration, and nutrition are the low hanging fruits of performance. Easy to access, albeit hard to change at times, but extremely impactful on our overall health and wellbeing. The cognitive and physical benefits of breakfast are well established and the timing and contents of the meal has been shown to influence...
The squat, and its’ many variations, remains one of the best all around exercises for strength and power development. Its’ utilization of the majority of lower quarter muscle groups also makes it a foundational exercise for patients in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice. The complexity of the complete movement pattern can be a challenge for...
One of the most common questions we receive from patients in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice is “what should I perform first, cardio or strength training, or should they be on separate days?” This is a great question because most endurance athletes are concurrently performing high volume endurance exercise along with strength training each week....