Advancing Athletics

10/22/2026

FYF - ISOLATED MIDDLE TRAP PROGRESSION

PURPOSE - guide the client to proper targeting of her middle trapezius as a part of her shoulder rehab. Learning to isolate this muscle group is one important step to implementing proper shoulder mechanics during loaded and functional tasks

TECH FAULT - instructed to activate mid-trap via targeted adduction, client depressed her shoulders unknowingly due to the strength of her lats in her shoulder, stabilization and movement. This is both inaccurate and counterproductive given her injury.

TECH FIX - she was given verbal and tactile cues to stop this. When she thought she was shrugging her shoulders, she was actually abducting her scapulas. Yes she's getting too much Shoulder elevation with some reps, but it's progress that we can fine-tune later.

Her perception of the pattern has quickly improved and is a good reminder that little bit of guidance can make a big impact on exercise effectiveness

10/21/2026

10/21/2026

FYF - PRESEASON HS BASKETBALL TRAINING SPLIT

PURPOSE - Combine exercises and intensities that promote Long-Term athletic development and promotion of current season readiness.

TECH FAULT - AVOIDING intensity during the preseason since the transition from fall Sports to winter sports can be pretty tiring. The fatigue is especially notable for athletes transitioning between levels.

TECH FIX - include the athlete in gauging intensity and preparing the athlete for what their experience will be. As long as you have buy-in and educate the athlete about proper nutrition and recovery they can work harder than many people ask them to.

This kid works his tail off and has great support at home so that we can collectively have him be at his best when the game start to count. Can't wait to see how he does!

10/16/2026

This workout (1 of 3 days in the program) are designed to help this athlete be her best when the games start! it's important to consider the athlete's familiarity with the concepts, your ability to give coaching, the time before training camp and/or the first game, and the athlete's baseline.

you see we're working a lot in the sagittal plane with the other days working on the other planes of motion. remember! a simple program done well is better than a complicated program done poorly!

10/15/2026

FYF - WALKING LUNGE TRUNK POSITION

PURPOSE - build, functional and dynamic strength and conditioning while challenging movement pattern stability. Positioning your torso a little bit in front of your hip allows your glutes to participate in decel and accel.

TECH FAULT - the upright torso he demos initially prioritizes more quad than we want. Whether you think about being upright or take long strides, you're putting all that work at your knee for your quads to handle.

TECH FIX - having him lean forward slightly and or shorten his strides allows him to use more of his glutes, which is something we are working on intentionally.

These are two different ways you can address the issue. There are other things, of course that we can discuss if you just DM us directly!

10/14/2026

FYF - STOP STOMPING WHEN YOU RUN

PURPOSE - stomping when you run, puts more pressure on your body and especially the sensitive bones in your feet and shanks. It's important to 1) recognize when you're running is more similar to stomping and 2) understand how you can change it.

TECH FAULT - many people with this problem are told they run loudly. Or can hear themselves on the treadmill. The problem is with the interaction between you and the ground.

TECH FIX - this can be greatly improved by taking one earbud out, at least, there is a strong association between how loudly you run and wearing earbuds. It's like having your head under the water. Doing exercises like shown here. Work on contacting the ground in a fast and repeatable manner. It'll help you absorb less energy which is less stress on Bones and less energy during the run

10/13/2026

FYF - SHOULDER RAISE SWAY BACK

PURPOSE - assessing shoulder movement can reveal pretty interesting information about how a client resists the tension inherent to the body. This super fit client did not realize how his lats were influencing his shoulder movement.

TECH FAULT - The client needed to be made aware of this sway back. Once aware, I gave him a variety of exercises to both ID when he was doing it and prevent himself from doing it.

TECH FIX - Those corrective exercises AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, we are at the stage where he is learning to do strengthening exercises while not giving into this fault. Great job by him. Now it's your turn!

10/12/2026

FYF - ROTATING BOTH WAYS

PURPOSE - athletes need to maintain symmetry to succeed in rotational Sports. One side loads. The other side releases. Golf is only one-sided. Baseball allows for switch hitting but there's always a dominant side. This dominance creates a persistent imbalance that results in loss, swing consistency, and increased risk of injury.

TECH FAULT - this athlete is dipping his shoulders too much on his swing side. This leads to poor swing consistency, getting under the ball too much and or having a compensate with their low back to get recentered.

TECH FIX - we program into the athletes workout this rotational toss. The key is for him to master the exercise so that the motion and ball trajectory is identical on either side. Also, we're trying to get that rotation to occur from the ground up. We want him to have quiet hands to ensure the motion is optimized at the lower body first.

10/11/2026

FYF - Mastering Complex Exercises

PURPOSE - transfer movement proficiency in one plane of motion to that one plane while switching between the other planes. Being a baddie at any one of these three lunge variations is awesome! If you want that awesomeness to benefit you beyond looking good on social media, other movements or the same movement in other planes to make sure you get the most out of it.

TECH FAULT - The mistake here is being satisfied with owning any one of these variations when performed in isolation.

TECH FIX - Make sure the athlete is given the chance to get good At these movements with a variety of blocked and distributed practice scheduled. Once consistency is achieved both with and without load, weave the exercise and the complex batteries of workouts. This is how you nudge the hard work done in the gym to be transferable the field of play!

Great job by this inspiring athlete. Now it's your turn.

09/26/2026

FYF - Lateral step up AND avoiding lateral forces

PURPOSE - Restore knee stability and health after am ultra marathon. Working through the full range is a great strategy but controlling shear force is ESSENTIAL!

TECH FAULT - injured leg is fine when being worked (aka, elevated). The problem is more when the injured leg is pushing off. Too wide = pain!

TECH FIX - bring leg in. Closer to the box. This will allow you to work the elevated leg and prevent lateral forces.