Explore advice from a curated list of top musculoskeletal experts. Whether you want to learn about chiropractic, physiotherapy, or massage therapy, you’ll find informed answers from verified musculoskeletal professionals like Brad Beer, Daniel Moedas, and Brian Cunningham.
To stretch your psoas muscle, take your head forward and reach the same side arm up to the ceiling. Make a fist and lean away, then slightly back. Hold for 2 minutes with 10-12 second, 22 second, 30 second, or 60 second holds. Transcript: "What is the best way to stretch your psoas muscle? Let me demonstrate. First thing we want to do is want to take her head forward. Do we feel a slight stretch up through here? We take the same side. Arm going to reach it to the ceiling, and make a fist. I'm going to lean away and then slightly backwards. I usually recommend around 2 minutes of total time under tension that can either be 10 to 12 second holds six 22nd holds for 30 second holds to 60. Second holds just make sure that you're really reaching the arm up leaning away and then slightly back."
It depends on your circumstance, but a massage gun can be used both before and after working out to break up adhesions. Transcript: "Should you use a massage gun before or after working out? Well, I think it depends on your circumstance. Certainly a massage gun can break up adhesions. So if you're sore from the previous workout, it's a great way to do pre-workout. If you are trying to achieve maximum contraction, there is some studies that have looked at the idea that massage and stretching may actually stretch the tendon out so that it's not as tight and efficient for jumping, et cetera. But I think that is secondary to your question because you specifically were looking about working out. And I think as far as the aftermath-- breaking up those junctions, those muscle junctions that get really contracted after the workout-- I think that's a great time also to use the massage gun."
Pay more attention to your posture and practice standing up under the strength of your legs, rather than worrying about how long you are sitting for. Transcript: "My recommendation for sitting is less how often you sit. More, while you're sitting, are you paying attention to your posture? Or your hips splaying out? Or are you keeping everything tight together? And how often are you practicing standing up out of the chair under the strength of your legs, not pushing yourself out of the chair with your arms? That stand up and sit down process is far more important than how you're sitting, in particular. So don't worry so much about, how long am I sitting? Worry, what am I doing to reciprocate the internal rotation and compressions of sitting? That's much more important answer."
The first exercise is to stand about 6 inches away from the wall, bring the ball up overhead and tuck your hips under for 5 seconds. The second exercise is to start on all fours, rock backwards and reach one arm over across the other while dropping back to stretch the lats and maximize shoulder range of motion. Transcript: "Is it great question on swimming specific mobility. And in this video, I'm going to show two different things that I use with my swimmers to help sort of maintain that full body length. The first one might feel more like a core exercise but it still is really going to help with. Like the isometric, lengthening of your body during swimming and then the second one will be more of that. Feel good sort of lat stretch opening. So on the first one, I'm going to stand about 6 inches away from the wall, bring the ball up overhead. Both hands almost into a streamlined position reach as far as you can. And then at that point of the height, you're going to notice that your but wants to kick out somewhat. So with hands into the pressure of the bowl, tuck your hips under, hold that position, For five seconds and then relax. So you're all the way overhead drawing. Your core in to make it a strong core base movement as you're pushing, that's going to work on length, throughout the whole upper body giving you that long streamline position without breaking body form. And then on the second exercise, which is the easier of the two e start on all fours, Rock backwards. Reach one arm over across the other. I'm going to do it the other way. So I'm reaching my left hand over across and then I drop back and I stretch all through here. So I'm anchoring my hands down one on top of the other and then lifting and reaching through there. So, I'm just rocking back and forth, stretching this whole line of the lats and maximizing shoulder range, of motion, which is going to be hugely important for swimming."
Trigger points are specific points within a muscle that are sensitive and when pressure is applied, the body will jump. To alleviate these trigger points, you need to apply pressure for at least two minutes and repeat multiple times if it does not work the first time. Transcript: "So trigger points are oftentimes a specific point within a muscle. It might be accompanied with a muscle knot. But typically if you are able to pinpoint this trigger point, it will be incredibly sensitive to the point you get push on it and your body will jump. They can be very uncomfortable and to get them to alleviate, you need to pinpoint the pressure on that trigger point. And of course you want to try to relax the body, handle as much discomfort as possible. But in some situations, you won't be able to put a lot of pressure on these trigger points because the discomfort will be intense. And then it's a matter of sitting on that trigger point for about two minutes, at least two minutes, to try to get it to relax, to get it to loosen up. It may not happen the first time. You may have to explore that area multiple times in a given week to get it to actually release."
Muscle weakness or imbalances can cause pain and soreness, but it can be fixed with the help of a professional. Stretching and strengthening the surrounding muscles can bring the joint back into the correct position. Transcript: "So, a muscle imbalance or muscle weakness can be anything, again, the muscles surrounding a specific joint. If one is overpowering the other, it can put the joint in an improper positioning, which can then cause pain or soreness. Weaker muscles can get overly tight, overly fatigued. The joint position can cause just some discomfort. It can be corrected, but it's necessary to find out exactly what the problem is. If it is a muscle weakness or if it's a muscle imbalance, you need to palpate the area. Typically, work with a professional so they can try to distinguish what the problem is. They might be able to identify it based off of an individual's posture, namely if the shoulders roll forward. Maybe you need to stretch the pectoralis muscles to get the shoulders to move in the proper position. Different exercises, maybe it's just rotator cuff exercises that need to be strengthened to reset and rebalance the shoulder itself. But yes, it absolutely can be fixed."