Strength

What is the best exercise for tight hamstrings and hips!?

The Best Exercises for Tight Hamstrings and Hips

So the question is, what do I do for tight hamstrings? So some of the most explosive athletes in the world have so-called tight hamstrings. So don't get too bent out of shape, but if it is causing pain and stuff in other places, you need to address it and there can be other things up and down the chain. But to get to your question, you're going to use a bed, you're going to get that leg up, you're nice and supported, your other leg's on the ground, you're going to sit into that back leg when you feel that little bit of a stretch, you're going to pull your ankle back and forth, it's going to pull on the back of the knee there and then go all the way up to your butt 30 to 45 seconds, wiggling it back and forth. Try not to lean forward, try to sit down into it. And again, you have the bed there for support. The other thing that I like to do is I like to load the stretch in a stretch position. So you're going to pop your leg up, make sure you're supported, soft knee, and then you're going to reach out, keeping your spine nice and straight and try to reach out far. Don't reach down, keep your back nice and straight. And then after you do that, I'm just going at a different angle so you can see. So I'd reach out, I'm feeling a pull on the bottom of my butt on my ischial, I would drive back up. Sometimes it can be because your hamstring's doing too much work, your glutes not doing enough and some other stuff. But again, try to load that stretch and hopefully these help and we'll see you soon.

To help with tight hamstrings, try stretching while sitting on a bed with two legs on the ground and pulling your ankle back and forth for 30-45 seconds. You can also do a loaded stretch by putting your leg up on the bed and reaching out while keeping your spine straight.

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To address tight hamstrings, there are a few exercises that can be helpful. Many high-performing athletes have so-called tight hamstrings, so it's important not to worry excessively. However, if the tightness is causing pain or affecting other areas, it should be addressed. 

One exercise involves using a bed for support. With one leg on the bed and the other on the ground, sit into the back leg until you feel a slight stretch. Then, pull your ankle back and forth, which will stretch from the back of the knee up to your butt. Maintain this stretch for 30 to 45 seconds while wiggling your ankle back and forth. Try to sit down into the stretch without leaning forward, utilizing the support of the bed.

Another effective exercise is loading the stretch in a stretch position. Start with a supported leg on a surface like a bed, ensuring your knee is slightly bent. Reach out with a straight spine, extending as far as possible without reaching down. You should feel a pull on the bottom of your butt (ischial). After performing this exercise, return to an upright position.

Remember that tight hamstrings can sometimes be caused by an imbalance where the hamstrings are doing too much work while the glutes are not sufficiently engaged. It's essential to load these stretches properly.

I hope these exercises help you address your tight hamstrings, and I wish you all the best in your recovery!

If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

Surround yourself with the right people to excel

If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be? To hang around people that have my best interest at heart and smarter people. That way you have a good standard to shoot for and you ingrain that giving mentality and people that have been down the road before and that way you can excel faster. I always say that if I can help somebody skip making some side roads, then I've done my job. There were definitely some people that I hung out with that helped me do that. I wish I would have hung out with people like that more. I think that's one piece of advice that the younger generation or really anybody can learn from.

Hang around people that have my best interest at heart and who are smarter than me so I can learn from them and excel faster.

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If I could give one piece of advice to my younger self, it would be to surround myself with people who genuinely care about my well-being and are intellectually superior. Being around individuals who have my best interests at heart and are smarter than me sets a high standard for personal growth. It instills a giving mentality and allows me to learn from those who have already experienced what I'm going through, enabling me to excel at a faster pace. I often say that if I can help someone avoid unnecessary detours, then I've fulfilled my purpose. There were definitely people in my life who helped me steer clear of those side roads, and I wish I had spent more time with individuals like them. This piece of advice is valuable for the younger generation or anyone looking to learn from others' experiences.

What is the best way to stay hydrated throughout a strenuous training session?

Stay Hydrated During Strenuous Exercise with These Tips

So the question is, how do you stay hydrated during strenuous exercise? Well, I'm definitely guilty of not doing a good job of doing of this when I was young. I'm much better now. First thing I want to say is the first thing you get up, you've been basically fasting 7-10 hours. Get your 12 ounces of water. On average, you want to do about 8 ounces of fluid every hour for about 10 hours that you're up. So again, these are from much smarter people than me. This is just an average. So this isn't counting exercise. Then when you're doing a strenuous exercise, some people sweat more than others. So again, this is super average number. You take your body weight in pounds, divide it by 30, and that is the number of ounces that you should have every 15 minutes. So again, that's just an average. These were from some really smart people, much smarter than me. Don't know where they got all these numbers, but I guess they call it the Kelpon or Gelpon formula. So again, your body weight in pounds, divide it by 30, and that's the number of ounces every 15 minutes. Again, keep sipping on your water. Super important. Hopefully that helps, guys.

Drink 8 ounces of fluid every hour for 10 hours that you're awake, and then drink the number of ounces equal to your body weight in pounds divided by 30 every 15 minutes when exercising.

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The best way to stay hydrated during a strenuous training session is to follow some general guidelines. Firstly, upon waking up, drink 12 ounces of water to replenish fluids after fasting overnight. Throughout the day, aim for an average of 8 ounces of fluid per hour for the 10 hours that you're awake. This is a rough estimate and excludes exercise. During exercise, the amount of fluid needed varies from person to person based on sweat levels. As a rough average, divide your body weight in pounds by 30, and that is the number of ounces you should aim for every 15 minutes during exercise. These guidelines are commonly referred to as the Kelpon or Gelpon formula. Remember to continuously sip water throughout your training session and listen to your body's hydration needs.

Any unique tips for growing a larger bicep?

Unique Tips for Growing Bigger Biceps - Sneak Them In!

So the question is, any unique tips for growing a larger bicep? Well, for me, I have such big biceps already that I don't really need to work them. Just kidding. Is obviously to prioritize that. So obviously, if you're younger, you can train at larger volume and a little bit more frequency, but also just micro dosing them. So even if it's a leg day or whatnot, to do one or two, three, one or two, three, four sets of elbow flexion type exercises. You can sneak those in and it doesn't have to be the priority of the workout. The other thing is to work them in different ranges. So work them in a very lengthened position and get them strong in that. And then as you fatigue, you can make the weight lighter or make the exercise easier as you fatigue. And just remember at the very end of elbow flexion, there's little to no torque moment arm on the elbow flexors. So sometimes just working them where they're the strongest also in that 90 degree angle will help. And also doing compound movements, not just the elbow flexion type exercises, the pull-ups, the rows, even though rows can be more or should be more of a lat type exercise, but to superset those. So you could do the large compound movements, for example, do pull-ups and then superset those with some elbow flexion curling type exercises. So hopefully that helps and gives you a little bit of a variety on things that you can do and choose for your workouts.

To grow larger biceps, prioritize them in your workouts, micro dose them by doing one or two sets of elbow flexion exercises throughout the week, work them in different ranges and don't forget to do compound movements such as pull-ups and superset with elbow flexion curling type exercises.

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When it comes to growing larger biceps, I have a few unique tips to share. First of all, prioritize bicep training by incorporating exercises specifically targeting the biceps. Even on leg days or other workout routines, you can include one or two sets of elbow flexion exercises for the biceps. It doesn't have to be the main focus of the workout, but you can sneak them in.

Another tip is to work the biceps in different ranges of motion. Strengthen them in both lengthened and contracted positions. As you fatigue, you can adjust the weight or make the exercises easier to continue working the muscles effectively.

Keep in mind that at the end of elbow flexion, there's little to no torque moment arm on the bicep muscles. So working them where they're strongest, typically at a 90-degree angle, can be beneficial.

Additionally, don't just rely on isolation exercises for the biceps. Incorporate compound movements like pull-ups and rows into your routine. While rows primarily target the lats, you can superset them with elbow flexion exercises to engage the biceps as well.

By following these tips and adding variety to your workouts, you can work towards growing larger biceps.

How do you use Olympic Lifts in your training ?

Maximizing Training with Olympic Lifts: Dumbbells vs. Barbells

So, how do you use Olympic lifts in your training? Love them, but I'm a big dumbbell person just because of the strength curve with the barbell. I think Olympic lifts are a little bit easier to teach safety-wise with dumbbells. Try to... There are so many different ways to progress them, make them a little bit more fun than the regular Olympic lifts with barbell because the barbell restricts the range of motion. Dumbbells gives you a little bit more freedom. As a general rule, they're used at the beginning of the session when the athlete is fresh. You don't want to do them at the end. That's not to say if I have an athlete for a couple months and they're getting ready to go back into season that they may do them towards the end if it's a strength-speed-power cluster. But as a general rule, you want to do the most demanding things at the beginning of the session when they're fresh because it is a very demanding skill. I'm always a big believer in the dumbbells, like I said, over the barbells.

Olympic lifts are great for strength, speed and power exercises. They can be done with either dumbbells or barbells, but dumbbells allow for greater range of motion. They should generally be done at the beginning of a session when athletes are fresh.

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In my training, I love using Olympic lifts, but I tend to prefer dumbbells due to the strength curve with barbells. I find that Olympic lifts can be taught safely and effectively with dumbbells. There are various ways to progress and make them more engaging compared to traditional barbell lifts, as dumbbells offer more freedom of movement. Generally, Olympic lifts are incorporated at the beginning of a training session when the athlete is fresh. It's important not to perform them at the end of a session. However, there may be exceptions for athletes who have been training for a few months and are preparing for their upcoming season, where they may do them towards the end as part of a strength-speed-power cluster. As a general rule, it's best to prioritize the most demanding exercises when athletes are fresh. Personally, I always lean towards using dumbbells over barbells in my training approach.

What are good external exercises for your shoulder?

Unlock Strong and Healthy Shoulders with External Rotation

So I'll go, excuse me, I'll go off on a little tangent on this one, but the question is what are good external exercises for your shoulders? I think what you're meaning is what is good external rotation exercises for your shoulders. So if we look at our shoulder here, this is kind of internal rotation, this is external rotation. So a lot of the pushing exercises that we do, lat pulldowns, bench press, all that stuff, sitting at a desk, riding the bike, sports, gravity is focused on internal rotation. So I love that question. External rotation is just gonna help the health of your shoulders, your posture, you're gonna look better, you're gonna feel better, and then the chain reaction all the way down. So to get to the exercises here, so T's, W's, laying on, and I should probably demo this one, but laying on your back, sorry, laying on your stomach, keeping your head down, squeeze your butt, relax your ankles, but focus on driving your belly button down, you're on your stomach, your arms are on the side in a neutral position, and focus on just externally rotating them. So you're on the ground, externally rotate, and then try to drive them back. So picture myself laying on the ground, I'm gonna drive my shoulders into external rotation, and then try to drive them down, hold that, so you're gonna be pinching all this infraspinatus, external rotation type stuff, and see if you can hold that for, you know, 10-15 seconds, relax and do it again, and then you go to those classic T's and W's. You can do those also standing up, where it's easier, and then as you lean forward, you can do the same T's and W's, kind of like as if you're in a deadlift position, so you just hip hinge and do the same thing. Hopefully that helps that out, helps you out, and I need to show some demos on that one.

When it comes to good external rotation exercises for your shoulders, some of the best exercises include laying on your stomach and externally rotating your arms, as well as doing T's and W's in a standing or deadlift position.

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The question is about good external exercises for the shoulders, specifically focusing on external rotation. External rotation exercises are important to maintain shoulder health, posture, and overall well-being. Internal rotation exercises, such as pushing movements in various activities, tend to dominate our routines. To target external rotation, some effective exercises include T's and W's. Another exercise involves lying on your stomach with your head down, squeezing your butt, relaxing your ankles, and externally rotating your arms while driving them down. Hold this position for 10-15 seconds and repeat. T's and W's can also be done in a standing position or with a hip hinge movement similar to a deadlift. Demonstrations would be helpful in understanding these exercises better.

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Bryan Meyer is a leading expert in athletic performance coaching and the founder of B Meyer Training in Orlando. His client list includes Olympic medalist and goes beyond just NBA all-stars. Meyer and his training methods have been featured in ESPN, Sports Illustrated and Men’s Health. Meyer was an instrumental in getting Dwight Howard back from a potential ending injury and this exercise was used in his rehab and strength program. His brand has spread to China and he has plans to continue to help educate Chinese athletes and coaches on better training.  His passion lies in education and not only helping build better athletes, but better people.

Neither AnyQuestion nor its Experts provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment or otherwise provide professional healthcare services.