Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:33 Is knee clicking bad?

00:52 Why do our knees make noise?

1:52 How to improve mobility in your knee & why this is important

6:20 Time to strengthen!

14:00 Let’s review!

What we know about knee clicking and popping and what you can do about it! Join Dorian as he talks through if knee clicking is bad, what we can do about it, and why this is important!

HOW: Begin by standing at a wall. Place a foam pad or soft object between your knee and the wall. Step your rear leg back into a split stance position.
Maintaining contact with the wall, drop the rear leg knee down towards the ground. Push yourself back up to the starting position. 

 

FEEL:You will feel the front thigh working, more with the front leg. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid letting your torso fold forward.

HOW: Start seated with your hands in a prayer position. Try to maintain the wrist extended position as you slowly pull your hands apart before returning to your starting position. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the wrist extensors on the top of your forearm working.

 

COMPENSATION: Try to keep your hands in the same position without dropping towards a more neutral position.

HOW: Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet planted. Find your rectus abdominis muscle by palpating the bottom half of your belly. Inhale, activate the muscle, then exhale while you keep the muscle engaged. Relax completely at the end of your exhale and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel the oblique muscle activate and press into your fingers. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid using your glutes and moving your hips/sit bones lifting off the floor. Avoid hiking the hip as you activate the oblique muscle. Keep your back flat.

HOW: Grab a stick or dowel with a grip slightly wider than your shoulders. The shoulder being stretched will be on top with an underhand grip while the moving hand will be below with an overhand grip. In a standing position, push the  arm up in a 45º plane until you feel comfortable restriction. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the chest/pectoral muscles of the working arm as you push your other arm up. You will feel stretching of the lats/side of the trunk of the moving arm. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid shrugging your shoulders as you move overhead.

HOW: Begin in standing position with your back against the wall. Place a ball behind your head just below the base of the skull. Place a mini band around your  wrists. 

 

Push the wrists out, keeping the elbows in. Tuck the chin towards the throat. Rotate the neck to one side only as far as you can without losing the chin tuck. Return to center and repeat.

 

FEEL:You will feel the front of the neck and the back of the shoulder working. 

COMPENSATION: Avoid losing the chin tuck. Avoid lifting the upper arms away from the torso.

HOW: Grab a relatively light kettlebell or dumbbell. Begin in a standing position holding the kettlebell between your legs.  As you hinge through the hips, keep your spine and legs stiff. Push your bottom back slowly until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings. Hold the bottom position for a few seconds before pulling back up.

 

FEEL: You will feel a stretch in the hamstrings as you move into the hinge. You may feel the lower back muscles, glutes, and hamstrings working when moving back into a standing position, but this should be minimal with relatively light weight.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not bend the knees or flex through the trunk.

HOW: Loop a miniband around your feet. In an upright position, root the standing leg into the ground as you lift the other leg up. Lift your knee to ~90º and return to the starting position. Keep the moving leg at hip width distance.

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in the front of your hip working. You will also feel the side glutes of the standing leg working, as well as the muscles around the foot and ankle.

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t move your pelvis as you lift your leg. Don’t cross the working leg towards midline.

HOW: Loop a strap around your working foot and lay flat on the ground. Pull your heel towards your bottom to improve knee flexion until you hit a comfortable level of resistance. . Hold this position for a few seconds before returning to your starting position. 

 

FEEL: You may feel stretching of the soft tissue across the front of your knee. You may feel the hamstrings/back of the thigh working but this should be minimal as the arms and strap are assisting with the movement. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid overexerting the hamstrings

HOW: Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet planted. Find your obliques by palpating the muscles in between the bottom of your rib cage and the hip bone. Inhale, activate the muscle, then exhale while you keep the muscle engaged. Relax completely at the end of your exhale and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel the oblique muscle activate and press into your fingers. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid using your glutes and moving your hips/sit bones lifting off the floor. Avoid hiking the hip as you activate the oblique muscle. Keep your back flat.

HOW: Start seated with your elbows at 90º tucked towards your torso with your palms facing the ceiling. All following movements should be through the full range of motion available to you. Flex your wrists sideways towards the pinky, then flex up towards you. Next, flex the wrist sideways to the opposite side towards the thumb. Finally, extend the wrist towards the floor. Maintain each position as you move into the next in the sequence.

 

FEEL: You will feel the wrist flexors and extensors working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid passively moving into circles without reaching end ranges of motion.

HOW: Anchor a band at waist height and position your hands at your belly. Step out until you feel enough resistance that challenges holding the hands at the belly without the band pulling you in. Bend your knees slightly, tuck in your hips in a posterior pelvic tilt , and keep your hands at your belly – this is your starting position. Push your hands straight out in front of you, then rotate away from the anchor. Control the return back to the starting position.

 

FEEL: You should feel your obliques working. The abs may also activate to assist with stabilization.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid arching through the back. Avoid using momentum to rotate away from the anchor.

HOW: Set up the bench at ~45º incline. Lay on the bench with your feet flat on the ground and head, neck and back supported on the bench. Start with your arms straight pointing to the ceiling and with a slight bend in your elbows. Slowly lower your arms straight out to the side while keeping them straight until you feel a stretch across the chest.

 

FEEL: You should feel the pecs in the chest on stretch during the lowering phase. The same muscles will contract as you pull your arms back together. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your back flat on the bench.

HOW: Begin in a standing position. Anchor a resistance band or cable at hip height. Wrap the cable behind you, above the hip. Walk back until you feel resistance.
Begin to slowly walk forward in a squatted position, loading the toes to the heels. Take small steps until there is no longer any resistance. 

 

FEEL: You feel the front of the thigh working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid walking too heavy on the heels. Avoid keeping the shins in front and the knees back.

HOW: Begin in a standing position at a wall.
Reach the working leg forward striking the ground with your heel and a straight knee. Step through, rolling through the foot. Let the knee bend as you load the toes. ,
Begin to rock back, straightening the knee as the heel hits the ground. 

 

FEEL:You feel your front thigh working and the back knee stretching. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep the knee straight anytime you are loading the heel.

HOW: Begin in a standing position. Anchor a band at hip height. Wrap the band around the outside of the hip you want to target.
Begin to perform jump squats pushing through the ground to extend the ankles, knees, and hips. Land soft and controlled into a half squat position with ankle, knee, and hip bend. 

 

FEEL:You will feel the front of the thigh working, more on the side you are targeting. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid letting the band pull you towards the anchor.

HOW: Assume a half kneeling position near a wall with a foam pad or pillow under your planted knee for comfort. Scoot your foot forward or backwards until you find the distance that will keep your knee just shy of touching the wall when you shift it forward. Comfortably shift the stance knee towards the wall Hold this position for the prescribed time.

 

FEEL: You may feel pressure across your knee or the front of the ankle joint. You will feel a stretching sensation in the calves.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your heel down to ensure you’re working through full ankle dorsiflexion.

HOW: Begin in a standing position. Anchor a resistance band or cable at hip height. Wrap the cable around the hip, opposite to the side of the foot you are targeting. Stand on one foot with your belly button pointed to the anchor.
Pushing through your big toe, avoid lettaing your foot roll outward. 

 

FEEL:You will feel the inside and outside of your shin working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid curling or lifting your toes.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

1:12 SI Joint pain? Try this!

1:37 SI joint assessments

2:39 Glute tendinopathy?

2:56 Glute tendinoparhy assessments to try!

3:41 Trochanteric bursitis and assessments to do!

5:00 The infamous piriformis syndrome and what to do!

6:28 Hamstring tendinopathy!

Glute pain can be a real pain in the butt! Let’s learn where your pain is coming from and what you can do to tackle it! Join Craig as he dives into 4 different but very common glute related pains, walks you through assessments for each, and helps you tackle what exercises you should be doing and why! And be sure to check out each associated video for each type of pain to learn even more exercises you should be doing!

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:35 Let’s understand the role of the upper trapezius muscle

1:08 Why do we get upper trap tightness?

1:37 posture video

2:26 The type of mobility you should be doing and why

6:43 Time to strengthen!

8:03 Try this shrug variation

9:50 What you need to know

Tired of dealing with tightness in your upper trap? Have you tried this? Join Dorian as he discusses why stretching is not always the answer to that pesky tightness and appropriate exercises you should be doing to tackle your upper trap tightness once and for all.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:18 Sleeping positions for the neck

1:22 What is the best pillow to sleep with?

3:10 Try this exercise for neck pain

3:50 Sleep positions for the shoulder

5:37 Exercise for shoulder pain? We’ve gotcha covered!

5:57 How to sleep to minimize hip pain with sleeping

8:20 Try this exercise for hip pain

Curious as to what positions are best to sleep in to minimize shoulder, neck and hip pain? Join Arash as he walks you through ideal sleeping positions and shows you some exercises along the way if you are dealing with nagging discomfort in one of these areas. There is not ideal sleep position, and it’s about finding what works best for you! But hopefully these tips and tricks can help to set you up for success!

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:23 What happens during an ankle sprain?

00:55 What is impaired following an ankle sprain?

1:25 Start with mobility, learn why!

5:40 Time to work on balance with this exercise

7:04 Time to add multi-directional tasks

8:56 Power production time!

10:47 Important takeaways

Ankle sprains happen, but with a little preventative work during your season, they don’t have to! And if you do end up with an ankle sprain? Putting in the time and work prior to your injury can help assist with a speedier recovery. Join Dorian as he discusses his favorite exercises for ankle sprain prevention and give them a try yourself!

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:36 What is achilles tendinopathy?

1:01 Insertional vs midportion tendinopathy

1:26 What causes achilles tendinopathy?

1:42 Acute vs chronic tendinopathy and why this is important

3:10 Early phase exercises to do

4:13 Difference between mid portion and insertional tendinopathy exercises

4:46 Mid phase exercises

7:15 Late phase exercises

Achilles tendinopathy can feel frustrating – but not when you know the right exercises to do and WHY! Join Craig and Dorian as they explain the important difference between mid-portion and insertional tendinopathy, how to progress appropriately, and expected timelines for your rehab. You don’t want to miss this video.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:58 Learn more about the ACL anatomy and it’s role

2:06 Who is at risk of an ACL injury?

3:19 Do I need surgery?

5:40 What about re-tear?

6:01 What needs to be completed before return to sport

8:40 How does your forward hop look?

9:40 Would you pass this test?

11:23 Key takeaways

 

Are you coming back from an ACL injury? There is a lot of information out there about how to best do this, thankfully, we’ve summed it all up for you in this video here! Join Dorian as he discusses who is at risk of an ACL injury, what needs to happen to get back to sport and performance, if you should consider surgery or not.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:31 What exactly is carpal tunnel syndrome?

2:11 What to do for carpal tunnel syndrome

2:25 Work on your neck for carpal tunnel syndrome & why this is so important!

4:12 Work on mobility at the elbow

5:06 Have you tried this tendon glide?

6:38 Time to work on hand mobility!

7:12 This median nerve slider is crucial! Give it a try!

Carpal tunnel syndrome, you’ve heard of it before and maybe you have dealt or are dealing with this discomfort currently! Dive into this video as Arash breaks down what carpal tunnel is, why we need to work on neck mobility, and some “must try” nerve stretches – that’s right.

HOW: Begin by standing at a squat rack or a doorway. Use upper body assistance while driving the knee closest to the squat rack into the squat rack. Assume a single leg squat position in a quarter or half squat position keeping pressure from your forward knee on the squat rack Keep driving the knee forward while pushing the hips back. With the floating leg, reach the leg forward in front of the body and then back behind the body. Repeat. 

 

FEEL: You will feel the quads and hip muscles working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid leaning the torso forward. Avoid letting the heel rise.

HOW: Begin in standing position facing an anchored band or cable. Take the cable and wrap it around your hips as shown holding the handle of the cable with the hand opposite of the working leg..  Assume a single-leg position with the working leg with the chest facing the anchor. Hold the tension, resisting rotation of the hips, knees, and foot from the cable or resistance band

 

FEEL: You will the inner shin working as you resist pronation of the foot

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid letting the arch collapse. Avoid curling the toes, or lifting the toes.

HOW: Take an all fours position on your hands and your knees. Hands underneath the shoulders and knees under the hips. Lift the knees off the ground. Let the head and neck flex down. Take a chin tuck position. Raise the head holding the chin tuck until you can no longer hold the chin tuck. Drop the head back down to repeat. 

 

FEEL: You will feel the front of the neck and the back of the neck working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep the chin tucked throughout the motion. Avoid shrugging the shoulders.

HOW: Take an all fours position on your hands and your knees. Hands underneath the shoulders and knees under the hips. Lift the knees off the ground. Pushing through the palms, take the hips towards the heels. Keep the shins parallel to the ground. Once you reach maximum range of motion with rocking your hips back, return to the start position. 

 

FEEL: You will feel your front thighs and lower abdomen working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid lifting the hips to the ceiling. Avoid flexing the spine.

HOW: Assume a half kneeling position. Elevate the foot of the rear leg onto a couch, chair, or bench. Rock back the hips towards the heel until a stretch is felt. Pause here and push the shin into the bench. Relax and then deepen the stretch. 

 

FEEL: You will feel a stretch on the front of the thigh. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid flaring the ribs upwards. Avoid letting the torso fall forward.

HOW: Set yourself up by suspending a foam roller between the side of your knee and the wall. Move your outside leg behind you to get into a kickstand position, and shift ~80% of your weight over to your front leg. Hinge your hips  as you reach towards the floor with your hands while staying firmly planted on your stance leg and allowing the rearfoot to maintain a kickstand position. Repeat for the prescribed repetitions.

 

FEEL: You should feel the glutes on the side of your pelvis working, your hamstring and quad muscles working, as well as smaller intrinsic muscles in the foot.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid caving the knee in and do not lean into the foam roller with your trunk.

HOW: Take a half kneeling position with the rear leg toes pushing into the ground, ball of the foot pushing into the wall. Rotate the torso over the front leg. Staying stacked tall with the torso, begin by pushing down with the front leg and back with the rear leg. Lift your planted knee slightly off the ground and hold. 

 

FEEL: You will feel the front of the thigh of both legs working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid extending the rear leg. Avoid tipping the torso forward.

HOW: Begin by sitting at a bench, box, or chair. Press the bottom of the shoulder blades into the bench. Lining up the knees at 90 degrees, take the elbow to the opposite knee connecting with a block or ball. Hold this tension and push though the stance leg up for a bridge. Hold. 

 

FEEL: You will feel the hips and side abdomen working. 

 

COMPENSATION:Avoid letting the hips come down, maintain hip height for the entirety of the motion.

HOW: Grab a kettlebell with a handle large enough to slip your foot into. In a standing position, plant yourself through the standing leg as you lift the kettlebell with your opposite foot, trying to maintain the angle of the foot to keep the kettlebell from sliding off your foot. Lift your knee up to approximately 90º and return to the starting position Repeat for the prescribed repetitions.

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in the front of the hip working. You may also feel the muscles in the front of the working leg, as well as the side glutes of the standing leg.

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t move your pelvis as you lift your leg.

HOW: Lay flat on your stomach and move your arms into a diamond position overhead with your fingertips near your ears. Lift your forearms up towards the ceiling through the full range of motion available to you. Repeat for the prescribed repetitions prior to moving into the goal post position at 90º at the elbow joint as well as the angle between your torso and arm. Lastly, move into the“W” position at 45º and perform for the given amount of repetitions.

 

FEEL: You will feel the back of the shoulders working.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your elbows down and don’t extend your wrists. Place a yoga block under your elbow if you’re having trouble lifting your forearm without compensating.

HOW: Start seated with your arms behind you, fingers pointing away from you, and legs in front of your with your knees bent.. Lift your hips up off the ground until you form a straight line between your trunk and legs. Repeat for the prescribed repetitions.

 

FEEL: You should feel your glutes and abdominals working. You will also feel a stretch in the front of your arms.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid overarching or extending your low back on the way up. Move through your allotted range and don’t cut the movement short.

HOW: Start seated with your arms behind you, fingers pointing away from you, and legs out in front of your with your knees bent.Lift your hips up off the ground until you form a straight line between your trunk and legs. Hold for the prescribed time.

 

FEEL: You should feel your glutes and abdominals working. You may also feel a stretch in the front of your arms.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid overarching or extending your low back on the way up. Move through your allotted range and don’t cut the movement short.

HOW: Start seated and open your legs into a straddle position. As you rotate to one side, rotate the front leg externally (outside of the ankle towards the floor) while you rotate the back leg internally (inside of the ankle towards the floor). Alternate between the two sides. Repeat for the prescribed repetitions.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in the inner thighs in the straddle position. You will also feel a stretch in the hamstrings of the front leg, 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid slouching and hiking the pelvis to rotate the back leg.Work through a range that feels comfortable and well tolerated.

HOW: While seated on a chair, roll up a small towel longways and place it behind your neck. Pull the towel forward and down to a 45º angle and while maintaining a pull on the towel, slowly look up towards the ceiling. . Hold for 2-3 seconds before returning your head to the starting position. . Repeat for the prescribed repetitions. 

 

FEEL: You will feel pressure at the level of your neck where the towel is lined up as you pull it down.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid letting the motion come from your mid back, isolate the motion to just your neck. Never work through a range that isn’t comfortable and well tolerated.

HOW: Anchor a band to the wall at a height that lines up with your top shoulder. Get set up in a side plank with your top arm outstretched holding the band. With your top arm, pull the band into a row position by allowing your elbow to bend pulling against the band As you pull the band into a row, drive your top knee up towards your chest. Repeat for the prescribed repetitions as you stay in the side plank position.

 

FEEL: You should feel the front and back of shoulder, obliques, and side glutes of the side closest to the floor working. For the opposite side, you should feel the lats, hip flexors, and side glutes working.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not pull back  your shoulder blade or allow your hips to drop. Additionally, do not let your top knee drop below the horizontal line as you flex your hip. During the row, do not rotate your hips forward or backwards – keep them stationary.

HOW: Lay on your back on the ground. With an anchored band to the wall behind you, pull the band to loop it above your ankle. From this position, keep your leg straight and allow the band to pull your leg closer to you until the back of the thigh is on full stretch. Kick your leg down towards the ground and slowly let the band pull your leg back up to the starting position. Control this motion it on the way up, following a 3-4 second tempo. Repeat for the prescribed repetitions.

 

FEEL: You should feel your abs and hamstring of the moving leg working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your back flat, especially as you kick your leg down. Make sure your leg follows a straight path and perform the motion with control and appropriate speed

HOW: Begin in a sidelying position with a dumbbell or kettlebell in hand. Prop yourself up with your elbow underneath your shoulder. Push through the forearm to lift the torso away from the ground. With the arm rotated away from the body,, press the weight vertical towards the sky. Slowly lower back down to the torso. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the outside of the shoulders working at the rotator cuff. You should feel the inner shoulder blades working at the middle trapezius. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid shrugging the shoulder. Avoid letting the arm go behind the body.

HOW: Begin by standing at a cable machine or resistance band set, facing away. Set the stack at about hip height. Taking the handles to shoulder height, find a rotation going towards the back of the body keeping the shoulder blades down. From here, rotate the arms forward until the forearms are parallel to the ground.

 

FEEL: You should feel the outside of the shoulders working at the rotator cuff. You should feel the inner bottom shoulder blades working at the lower trapezius. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid shrugging the shoulders. Avoid straightening  the elbows

HOW: Assume a standing position at a wall with a band above the knees. Take one foot back to press the heel into the wall, leaving the toes and ball of foot on the floor. Stagger the stance with the opposite leg in a quarter or half squat position. Push out into the resistance  band leading with the knee. While holding this position with your legs, begin to rotate the torso 30 to 45 degrees in each direction. 

 

FEEL: You will feel your side glutes working. 

 

COMPENSATION:Avoid rotating the pelvis outward. Avoid shifting the hips side to side.

HOW: Begin by standing at a cable machine or resistance band set, facing away. Set the stack at about hip height. Taking the handles to shoulder height, find a rotation going towards the back of the body keeping the shoulder blades down to assume a “W” type of position with your arms. Begin to slowly punch the arms overhead. Once the elbows are in the plane of the ears, the motion is complete. Slowly return the arms in front of the body. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the outside of the shoulders working at the rotator cuff. You should feel the inner bottom shoulder blades working at the lower trapezius. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid shrugging the shoulders. Avoid letting the arms come straight up overhead.