The squat remains one the best overall exercises for strength development in both healthy and injured patients. Squatting strength has been correlated with both functional and athletic performance. Our previous blog posts documented the safety concerns of squatting through a partial or full range of motion. In short, in a healthy knee there is no...
Nutritional supplements are widely advertised with amazing health claims but few have been able to show true effects beyond placebo or control groups. In regards to strength training, two have been studied scientifically to draw conclusions on their effectiveness. Creatine has been shown to improve strength gains and muscle growth among users who are concurrently...
The benefits of strength or resistance training are numerous including increased quality of life, reduce injury risk, and increased performance. In previous blog posts we have discussed the cross over effect where working one side of the body creates improved flexibility, strength, or balance on both sides of the body. If we view our...
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....
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world due to its’ caffeine content. Moderate caffeine consumption is currently being studied due to its’ potential impact on cognition, the aging process, and some cancers. In our field of Physical Therapy, caffeine has long been known as a performance enhancer based on its’ ability...
It seems there is not much eccentric exercises cannot do between healing injured tissue, improving mobility and strength, and now possibly contributing to muscle size. We have long known muscles gain the majority of their strength after training because of the eccentric or lowering portion of any lift. Athletes who skip or speed through this...
Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise due to its’ accessibility, low equipment cost, and health benefits. As running’s popularity continues to grow, unfortunately so do the number of runners who miss a training session or competition due to injury. These runners are not alone; as research has reported up to 90%...
The hamstrings are an essential component of the posterior chain of muscles stabilizing our back and legs. Despite the hamstring’s importance, length, and strength production they remain a commonly injured muscle seen in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice. Our previous post described the importance of using different exercises to target the top and bottom portions...
Eccentric training involves a focused, slow muscle contraction in which the muscle lengthens. For example, as you lower a weight from a bicep curl towards the floor the muscle simultaneously contracts and lengthens. Eccentric contractions have been discussed in this blog for their ability to heal injured tendons, restore flexibility, and strengthen weakened muscles. New...
The deadlift remains one of the best exercises to target the posterior chain of muscles spanning from the shoulder to the foot. This chain of muscles is key for strength, power, and stability of the lower quarter joints. We commonly see weakness throughout this chain of muscles in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice among patients...