Musculoskeletal

Strength

What are the most efficient exercises/stretches to open up your hips?

Unlock Your Hips: Efficient Exercises to Increase Flexibility

The most efficient exercises to increase hip flexibility? A great question, or to open up your hips, because if you can't open up your hips, you can't use your hip flexors correctly, you can't use your glutes well, and that's probably the primary areas for performance. So, two things come to mind. In yoga, they call it the pigeon pose, and I believe that that's an awesome one because the pigeon pose not only opens up your hips, but it includes T-spine or the thorax extension, and I think that's a good coupling motion to get maximum movement in your hips. But it's not only that, but also when you're in those positions that you can breathe and also contract your glutes, so the pigeon pose is really an awesome one because it includes the T-spine and also gives you an opportunity to try and contract your glutes and your hip flexors. The other one coming from Pilates, the figure four, and in my opinion, you can't do the figure four in too many positions. You can do it when you're lying on your back, when you're sitting up on a surface, but just making that figure four position with your legs, and then again, keeping your back straight so you're getting really isolated motion into your hips, and then doing some rotation and extension throughout the spine will enhance those, the hip opening to an ideal performance. Hope that helps.

The most efficient exercises to increase hip flexibility are the pigeon pose and the figure four. Both of these exercises involve t-spine movements, breathing, and glute contractions which can help maximize hip movement.

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To increase hip flexibility and open up your hips efficiently, two exercises come to mind. The first is the pigeon pose from yoga. This pose not only targets hip flexibility but also includes thorax extension, maximizing movement in the hips. It's important to focus on breathing and contracting the glutes while in this position.

The second exercise is the figure four from Pilates. You can perform this exercise in various positions, such as lying on your back or sitting up on a surface. By creating the figure four position with your legs and maintaining a straight back, you can isolate motion in your hips. Adding rotation and extension throughout the spine can further enhance hip opening for optimal performance.

By incorporating these exercises into your routine, you can effectively improve hip flexibility and open up your hips.

What is the most challenging part about working with hockey players due to the amount of physical contact? 

The real challenge: Rest and recovery for NHL hockey players.

One of the most challenging things with working with hockey players in the NHL is, I'd say the thing that comes to mind quickly is not the body contact, although that is significant, but rest and recovery. When you're actually playing three games in four days and four different rinks, that's really tough to get proper sleep and actually proper practice. It's really difficult to actually introduce proper rehabilitation correctly. You're really just getting ready for a game or getting over a game. Also, another thing is we have players from around the world, from Europe, Canada, Russia, Eastern Europe, and you have to take their mindset into consideration when you're training these athletes and see how that parallels with yours in order to get the job done for rehabilitation and training. All in all, it's a difficult thing and I think experience helps a great deal with this.

Working with hockey players in the NHL can be challenging due to the lack of rest and recovery, having players from around the world with different mindsets, and the need for proper rehabilitation and training.

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One of the most challenging aspects of working with hockey players in the NHL is not necessarily the physical contact, but rather the challenges related to rest and recovery. With a demanding schedule of playing multiple games in a short period of time, it becomes difficult for players to get adequate sleep, practice properly, and engage in effective rehabilitation. The focus is often on preparing for the next game or recovering from the previous one.

Additionally, working with hockey players from various parts of the world, such as Europe, Canada, Russia, and Eastern Europe, requires understanding and considering their different mindsets and approaches to training and rehabilitation. It's important to find common ground and adapt strategies that work for each athlete.

Overall, the combination of intense physical demands, limited recovery time, and cultural differences makes working with hockey players a challenging task. Experience plays a significant role in navigating these challenges successfully.

What lessons did you learn working with Prince Albert Raiders that you have continued to apply throughout your career? 

From Bus Driver to Trainer: Lessons Learned with Prince Albert Raiders

You know, the lessons I learned from Prince Albert Rader are many, and the fact that maybe it was a budget, and I'm sure it was, we just didn't have the money for sports medicine back then, but I had the privilege of being a part-time bus driver if I needed to. I was a travel secretary, the equipment manager, the trainer, who was actually also the physical therapist and the massage therapist and the strength coach. I got the privilege of doing all of those things for the Prince Albert Raders in those first two years of my career. And what I found most beneficial for those, even though it was because of money, but I found how interrelated they all are and how important each one of those are to a high performance model. The bus drivers, you know, making long distance trips, knowing where to stop and when to stop is crucial in getting the athletes good sleep. And back then we didn't have sleep buses. They were either on the floor or up by the luggage area. That's where they would lie down. Or if you had two seats, that would be a fortunate thing for you. The travel secretary, you know, knowing what hotels and where to stay in a hotel. You don't want to stay just above the bar or on a busy street. You know, knowing little things like that, learning those things so you could transfer that to a high performance model when you have lots of money. The equipment manager, again, knowing how important sharp skates are in order to give the athlete confidence and be able to show their performance and also being able to prevent injuries going into the boards at 28 miles an hour, being able to trust your edges, you're going to stop and also take a blow. It's really important. Knowing the lie of the stick, especially when you're having low back problems. You know, the trainer, you know, back then they did everything. We even sutured, but that was just because the coach wanted to get the heck out of town. But that also gave me an appreciation for infection. And also back then we were just starting to realize the importance of cross training and strength training. So I got a chance to introduce that to the boys with a warm up and we had a lot of fun with it. But all in all, it set the stage for my whole career. So shout out to the Prince Albert Raiders.

I learned a lot from my experience working for the Prince Albert Raiders, including how important it is for athletes to have the right support from bus drivers, travel secretaries, equipment managers, trainers, physical therapists, massage therapists, and strength coaches. These roles all contribute to a high performance model, and I was able to introduce cross-training and strength training to the team.

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Working with the Prince Albert Raiders taught me numerous valuable lessons that I have carried throughout my career. Despite the budget constraints we faced, I had the opportunity to take on multiple roles, including part-time bus driver, travel secretary, equipment manager, trainer, physical therapist, massage therapist, and strength coach. While it was due to financial limitations, I discovered the interconnectedness and importance of each of these roles in a high-performance model.

As a bus driver, I learned the significance of planning long-distance trips to ensure athletes got adequate rest. We didn't have sleep buses back then, so athletes would sleep on the floor or in the luggage area. The travel secretary taught me the importance of selecting suitable hotels, avoiding noisy or inconvenient locations that could impact performance.

As an equipment manager, I understood the value of sharp skates for athlete confidence and injury prevention during high-speed maneuvers. Knowing the proper lie of the stick was crucial, especially for athletes with low back problems. The trainer's role encompassed various tasks, including suturing wounds and addressing infections. It was during this time that we began recognizing the importance of cross-training and strength training, which I introduced to the team through a fun warm-up routine.

Overall, my experience with the Prince Albert Raiders laid the foundation for my entire career. Despite the challenges, I am grateful for the lessons learned and the opportunity to contribute to the team's success. Shout out to the Prince Albert Raiders!

What did you enjoy most about working with the Carolina Hurricanes?

Working with the Carolina Hurricanes: A Journey with World-Class Athletes and the Thrill of the Stanley Cup

What I enjoyed most with working with the Carolina Hurricanes, kind of four things that come to mind quickly is one, the ability to work with world-class athletes like Rod Brindamore, you know, Gary Roberts, many others, Keith Primo, these guys are willing to go to the wall for you, not only during games but actually during your workouts. Playing part of a team, that was really enjoyable, seeing that, you know, it takes a whole village to raise a kid, well it takes a whole village to have a sports medicine team and a winning team. And truly, the old cliche is that I really enjoyed the journey more than the destination. You know, what it took to, what the athletes had to go through in order to win a Stanley Cup in 06 and get to the Stanley Cup Finals in 02 was truly remarkable and I found that that was extremely interesting. It wasn't winning championships but it was actually being with the athletes and seeing what they, the trials and tribulations they had to go through on a day-to-day basis. Really, truly a lifetime experience with that and very enjoyable.

What I enjoyed most about working with the Carolina Hurricanes was being able to work with world-class athletes like Rod Brind'Amour, Gerry Roberts, and Keith Primeau. It was a great experience to witness the hard work and dedication it took for the team to win the Stanley Cup in 2006 and get to the Stanley Cup finals in 2002. I valued the journey more than the destination and found it extremely interesting to be with the athletes and see the trials and tribulations they had to go through on a daily basis.

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What I enjoyed most about working with the Carolina Hurricanes can be summarized into four key aspects. Firstly, the opportunity to work with world-class athletes like Rod Brindamore, Gary Roberts, Keith Primo, and many others. These individuals were not only dedicated during games but also during workouts, willing to give their all. Being part of a team was another enjoyable aspect, recognizing that it takes a collective effort to succeed in sports medicine and have a winning team.

Additionally, I found that I cherished the journey more than the destination. Witnessing the incredible dedication and perseverance the athletes displayed in their quest to win the Stanley Cup in 2006 and reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002 was truly remarkable. It was not just about winning championships, but about being with the athletes and witnessing their day-to-day trials and tribulations. Overall, my experience with the Carolina Hurricanes was a lifetime experience that I found immensely enjoyable.

How do you approach athletes that struggle with being patient with their injury and recovery process? 

Engaging Athletes in Injury Recovery: A Modern Approach

How to keep an athlete engaged with the process or with an injury is a great question. And I think over the time that I've been involved in sports, we used to isolate them and almost treat them like they had a plague if they had an injury. But nowadays, what I prefer is the more modern approach where we try and keep the athlete engaged as much as possible with the team and give them responsibilities or her responsibilities with the team so they keep active with knowing what's going on within the team, whether it's meetings, whether it's scouting or watching video. The other thing is I like to do is to sort of give them KPIs, key performance indicators, not just on a monthly basis, but a weekly, but also even a treatment basis. When they come into the gym, what do they want to accomplish that particular day? And so they can see progress as they move towards their goal of recovering from an injury. I think that it's also really important that they have trust in you. Keep them engaged as quickly as possible. And I mean, as soon as that injury occurs, look at some of their shortcomings that they might be able to deal with and improve over this injury time. Look at what they can do, not what they can't do. And that's unfortunately what the medical profession, a lot of times focuses on is what they can't do, forgetting about how many things they can actually do and keeping them engaged. Like I said, numerous times, but this is the way I help the athlete deal with the process and not just the outcome and hopefully with a better outcome.

To keep an athlete engaged with the healing process of an injury, it's important to give them responsibilities with the team and set KPIs on a weekly and treatment basis. It's also important to look at what they can do, not what they can't, and focus on the process rather than just the outcome.

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When it comes to athletes struggling with patience during the injury and recovery process, I take a modern approach to keep them engaged. Instead of isolating them, I believe in involving them as much as possible with the team. This can include giving them responsibilities such as attending meetings, participating in scouting activities, or watching video sessions. By staying active and connected to the team, they can feel a sense of involvement and purpose.

Additionally, I like to set key performance indicators (KPIs) for them on a weekly or even daily basis. This allows them to track their progress and see tangible improvements as they work towards their recovery goals. By focusing on what they can accomplish each day in the gym or during treatment sessions, they can maintain a sense of forward momentum.

Building trust is also crucial in this process. It's important to establish trust with the athlete as soon as the injury occurs. By addressing any shortcomings they may have and helping them improve during this time, we can shift the focus from what they can't do to what they can do. Unfortunately, the medical profession often emphasizes limitations, but it's essential to highlight the athlete's capabilities and keep them engaged.

Overall, my approach is centered around keeping the athlete involved, setting achievable goals, and maintaining a positive outlook throughout the process. By focusing on the journey rather than just the outcome, we can work towards a better overall outcome for the athlete.

What is your favorite type of loaded carry?

Unlock Core Strength with the Serratus Anterior Punch

Great question about the type of loaded carry I prefer or what I see missing in most programs. And I call it the serratus anterior punch. And what that is, is to emphasize the obviously the serratus anterior aspect of your core. What it is, is walking with obviously an ideal posture, ears over your shoulders, shoulders over your hips and your ribs over your hips. Obviously the dumbbell in your hand, elbow at shoulder width. The trick to it is actually putting a little bit of external rotation on your hand so it's outside of your elbow, similar to that. And you walk with that, maintaining that correct posture, which emphasizes the serratus anterior, which I find is lacking strength in most athletes, especially the throwing athletes or the above head athletes, hand above head activities. Hope that helps.

The serratus anterior punch is a type of loaded carry where the person walks with good posture while externally rotating their hand in order to emphasize their serratus anterior muscles. This type of exercise is particularly useful for athletes who participate in overhead activities, such as throwing.

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When it comes to loaded carries, my favorite type is what I call the serratus anterior punch. This exercise specifically targets the serratus anterior aspect of the core. Here's how it's done:

Start by maintaining ideal posture, with your ears over your shoulders, shoulders over your hips, and ribs over your hips. Hold a dumbbell in your hand, keeping your elbow at shoulder width. The trick is to externally rotate your hand slightly so that it's positioned outside of your elbow.

Now, walk while maintaining this correct posture and position. This exercise helps strengthen the serratus anterior, which is often lacking in strength among athletes, especially those involved in throwing or above-head activities.

Give the serratus anterior punch a try and see how it benefits your core strength and overall performance, particularly in activities that involve overhead movements.

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Dr. Peter Friesen is a dual board-certified physical therapist and assistant athletic trainer for NC State cross-country and track and field. He was previously Head Athletic Trainer/Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Carolina Hurricanes for 21 years and has been associated with Canadian Olympic and International programs for over 30 years. He was Head Trainer for Team Canada at the 2004 and 2011 World Championships, and has been to 10 IIHF World Championships with five gold medals. He is certified as an Athletic Trainer/Therapist, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and also certified as a Massage Therapist and Dry Needler.

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