SBF

If you wake up one day with a tight trap and a sore neck and you’re aiming to train, head to the gym then try this

It’s similar to how you use a foam roller for other parts of your body but the weight and the size of the barbell means it really targets that hard to reach place

Set up a rack just lower than shoulder height and position yourself underneath the barbell, feet square

Drive into the barbell, holding it down with the other side and roll the barbell over the sore area, with deep inhales and exhales

After 15-20 rolls of the barbell over your shoulder you can then start to lift your arms in front and then to the side, like a lateral raise - still aiming to focus on the breathing. 5-10 raises per position should do it. Exhale on the way down

You can also move your head in different positions, left to right or side to side to also dig into those nitty gritty places

It’s a temporary fix, but it certainly helps in the moment. I’ve been doing this for 15+ years as a way to help people still train when they come in with a stiff neck and traps. It works for them and I’m sure it’ll work for you

I generally find upper body movements like presses and rows are doable without issue after about 2-3 mins of this

Give it a go and hope it helps next time you wake up with a stiff neck and traps

Here’s my client Deena doing a B stance Squat with a 16kg kettlebell

When we first started around 3-4 months ago we were using a 5kg plate to learn how to squat properly and really learn the movement mechanics. Fast forward a couple of months and we’re holding a 16kg whilst working an even harder squat variation. With each one she’s hitting awesome depth to, which is important

Every woman I train wants to get stronger but often wonder how they can progress beyond a goblet squat. Some clients don’t have heavy enough weights, don’t want to use a barbell or simply can’t get into position with a massive dumbbell. This exercise eliminates all of those issues

Deena plays a lot of paddle, and so we include a lot of unilateral movements like this, saying that it’s also good for all of us too

The goal for this one is to keep most of your weight on the front leg, driving off through the full foot and. I like saying an 80/20 split. 80% of your weight on the front leg, and 20% on the back leg

I find unilateral movements like these easier on the back as well, if you suffer from low back pain

You’ll also see Deena hold the kettlebell upside down which is actually really useful if you don’t have the strongest grip. Keeping it upside down allows us to pull the kettlebell close to our chest and is just way easier to hold if you have small hands

If you’re looking for a small tweak to your lower body work, try adding these in