Keana Duchesneau - Chiropractic Intern

Finally achieving @$$ to grass in a back squat! Now just to build strength in a new range of motion.

End of workout hip burner/ kick development. Slow controlled tempo kicks to build that strength back up.

Who has a sport or pastime they are excited to get back into when covid restrictions get lifted?

Who is thinking they are not at the fitness level they want to be to go back into that sport?

Who is ready to put some work in to get there?

Our doors are open!

2 in 1 mobility stretch to combat tightness from sitting. Dont need a lot of time, space or balance for this one.

Part one- Hip flexor stretch:
Start in a half kneel, squeezing glutes to keep the pelvis from tilting forward
Lean front knee forward until you feel tightness/pulling in your opposite side hip, hold it for 10-15 and return to the kneel.

Part two- Hamstring stretch:
Straighten your front leg, then hinge at the hip (keep back tight and neutral like a board) slowly until you feel pulling/tightness, hold for 10-15. Then switch legs and start from the top.

Are you always tight and sore in specific points of your body?

If you feel tightness or pulling on the front of your hips after standing from sitting (office/driving jobs),
And/or low back pain and a forward tilted pelvis, you likely have tight hip flexors.

If so, stretching and strengthening the hip flexors can help!

Here is another video of stretching them out. By placing a resistance band behind my upper thigh and allowing it to pull my hip forward, I am able to target those tight hip flexors. These stretches can be held for 6 second holds prior to performance/exercise, or held for more prolonged 15-30sec periods on their own or after exercise.

Back to the Basics: Hinging.

For people who are new to exercise and lifting weight, or who experience back pain when bending forward/lifting weight, checking to see if your hinge form is competent should be one of your top priorities.

How to test: Using a straight object like a hockey stick or a broom, ensure three points of contact throughout the bending movement.
The three points of contact should be at your sacrum/butt, between your shoulder blades, and back of your head. .dylanewen uses this 3-point contact method specifically and shared with me and is a great method to use.

Why the hinge is important:
Keeping your back straight or “neutral”and bending or “hinging” at the hip allows the muscles in your back to protect your spine from unwanted pain -causing movement between vertebrae.

Competent hinge form will help protect your low back from injury and allow forward bending, especially while holding weight.

If you know you have tight hip flexors, and work on stretching them, they more than likely are weak also.

Your hip flexors need strengthening as well as stretching.

Here are a couple versions of a banded march to add resistance to the hip flexing motion.

I started with a resistance band around flexed feet, and whether laying or standing, slowly perform a controlled march.

If you don’t have any equipment at all you are welcome to do the same movements, but as isometric holds.