As a parent, you’re proud to see your child excel in sports. Whether it’s soccer, football, cricket, basketball, gymnastics, or any other activity, their dedication and enthusiasm are commendable. However, with intense training and frequent games, your young athlete may be overlooking a crucial aspect of their performance and overall well-being: stretching. The Risks of…
The corrective exercise continuum clearly shows the progression you should be making from being in pain to having full rage of motion to creating strength from weakness, and finally, enjoying functional movement. Most people go visit a therapist when they are in the inhibit stage. This is where you try to move but due to…
In 2021 I opened up The Stretch Specialist. My goal then and now is to make people as flexible as they want to be. As the business grew, many people felt fantastic relief from pain, enjoyed their improved flexibility in day to day life and some were getting nowhere. Diving deeper into the human body,…
Your neck is made up of over 20 muscles. The common tight muscles include Sternocleidomastoid Scalenes Levator Scapulae Upper Trapezius What movement do they do? These muscles of the neck move your head side to side, turn your head left and right plus bring your chin to chest and to look up. What problems can…
The front of your upper arm is made up of 3 muscles Biceps Brachii (long head) Biceps Brachii (short head) Brachialis What movement do they do? The biceps flex your elbow eg bring your hand towards your shoulder. What problems can occur if they are too tight? As your biceps join onto the front of…
The Rotator Cuff is made up of 4 muscles Infraspinatus Supraspinatus Teres Minor Subscapularis What movement do they do? The rotator cuff is responsible for helping the shoulder to lift the arm out to the side and also to rotate the shoulder What problems can occur if they are too tight? Being such small muscles,…
There are 2 main muscles in the calf group Gastrocnemius Soleus What movement do they do? Your calves point your toe (plantar flexion) and bend the knee. What problems can occur if they are too tight? When your calf muscles are restricted, your ankle and foot will struggle to make the way they are designed…
There are 3 main muscles of the hamstring group. Biceps Femoris Semimembranosus Semitendinosus What movement do they do? Bend the knee and extend the hip eg pull your knee behind your hip What problems can occur if they are too tight? When your hamstrings are too tight it can significant effects on your ability to…
There are 4 muscles in the front of the thigh. They are: Rectus Femoris Vastus Medialis Vastus Lateralis Vastus Intermedius What movement do they do? Straighten your knee and flex your hip eg bring your knee to chest What problems can occur if they are too tight? Tight quadriceps restrict your ability to bend your…
The human body is designed to carry out particular movement patterns. Extend Bend Twist Rotate Shrug Squat A few of the movements you are design to be able to do as a human. Performing the basic human movements are a part of your genetic make up and must be consistently worked on to maintain good…
The squat and the deadlift are two movements found in every strength and conditioning gym- with good reason. These two movements not only build raw strength, but they are needed for two of the most common movements in life. Getting off a chair or couch (aka a squat) and picking up anything off the ground…
It’s supposed to be the signature go-to move for upper body strength – the classic pushup. So if you’re finding you’re lacking power in your swing, you’ve probably considered adding them into your repertoire. But could they actually make your swing worse? Don’t get me wrong, taking the time to go through a strength program…
Ahhh…. That runner’s high. It doesn’t matter what type of runner you are, the feeling post run of those wonderful endorphins is the best and VERY addictive. So much so, people will often keep running through clear signals of back pain because they crave that “hit”. As wonderful as running is, it does put a…
Waking Up Feeling Tight? Here’s 5 tips to help you feel younger in the mornings. You swing your legs out of the bed, sit up and cross the fingers hoping nothing is going to hurt when you stand up. But ahh, there it is… A stiff back… Ooop, yep, tight neck and why does…
You’ve heard it all before. “Stretching is good for you. Make sure you do your stretches.” With flexibility being so widely promoted lets uncover 5 reasons why having adequate flexibility is important. Firstly lets define flexibility. The University Of California states “Flexibility is the ability of a joint or series of joints to move through an…
Imagine having a body that just felt awesome every day. No niggles, no tightness, no pain. Everyone’s body can be like this if you can obtain one position and be there consistently. It’s called anatomical position. Anatomical position is a position where your body is completely neutral and balanced. In this position, there are NO…
Walking. A day-to-day movement which you literally may do thousands of times each and every day. We start when we’re toddlers and continue through the entire lifespan. We even wear watches now to count our steps, with 10,000 steps being the average daily target many are striving for. So, since walking is such a common…
We are now working from home more than ever and even if you’re back in the office, the time spent seated at your desk, in your car and on the couch can add up to a huge amount of sitting! Whatever your reason for sitting a lot, your body is likely to be quite stagnant…