20 Signs Your Lifting Form Sucks Dr. Joel Seedman, Ph.D. Proper lifting technique and body mechanics are essential for long-term joint health, performance, and physique improvements.  Unfortunately determining whether or not your lifting mechanics are spot on is never an easy feat as it often entails hiring a competent coach with a keen eye for spotting technical deficiencies.  With that said, here are 20 tell-tale indications you can use to determine whether or not your form is due for an overhaul.   - Sign #1 - Your joints, tendons, and ligaments always hurt Besides producin ..read more

Dr. Joel Seedman, Ph.D. Bodyweight training and home workouts have become the new rage out of necessity. Unfortunately most folks end up going about their quarantine and home bodyweight workouts in a very ineffective way thereby sacrificing their gym gains while forfeiting hard-earned muscle, strength, and even conditioning. Here are 25 essential pointers you should implement immediately to maximize your bodyweight training and home calisthenic workouts. As a bonus you won’t need any equipment!!! If you want 15+ awesome bodyweight workouts that will help you build muscle and burn fat all fro ..read more

Dr. Joel Seedman, Ph.D. With everyone in semi-lockdown quarantine mode, bodyweight training has never been so critical.  As a result traditional movements such as pushups, squats, lunges, and pullups are more popular than ever. Unfortunately many folks tend to butcher even the most fundamental bodyweight movements. While I’ve written many articles addressing proper technique for squats, pushups, dips, lunges, and planks, I’ve never devoted an article solely to pullup and chin-up mechanics. So here it is. See 30+ other unique pullup and chinup variations here.   11 Key Pointers ..read more

- Table of Contents - Click on Title to Navigate Directly to Each Section 1. Article Overview | High Level Summary 2. Origins of Modern Yoga| Foundational History 3. Not All Yoga Is Created Equal 4. The Good, Bad, & Ugly of Yoga 5. Recommendations Based on Above Findings 6. Extreme & Improper Movement Do Exist 7. A Realistic Look at Yoga Injuries 8. Yoga as Exercise and Caloric Expenditure 9. Physicians vs. Researchers 10. Narrowing It Down - Making Sense of it all 11. Boundaries of Movement Explained 12. Personal Recommendations 13. Eccentric Isometrics Examples & Yoga Alternative ..read more

Bodyweight Eccentric Overload For Strength & Size Dr. Joel Seedman, Ph.D. Research has proven time and again that eccentric overload is one of the most potent forms of training not only for building incredible levels of functional strength and hypertrophy but also for injury prevention. It’s for this reason I’ve posted numerous articles and methods over the years that highlight unique but effective protocols to take advantage of eccentric overload including the Power Rack Eccentric Potentiation Method, BANA 2:1 Method, Compound Isolation Movements, Biomechanical Drop Rep, Eccentric Accentu ..read more

By Dr. David LaPlaca, PhD, RSCC Stretching was first introduced to the general public during a sports coaching program on television in Japan during the 1980s leading to the publication of several stretching-related books (Nakamura, Kodama, and Mukaino, 2014). The act of stretching is intended to improve joint range of motion, otherwise known as flexibility, decrease muscle tension, improve circulation, relieve muscle pain, prevent injury, and improve athletic performance (Nakamura, Kodama, and Mukaino, 2014). Static stretching is one specific type of stretching that involves the act of force ..read more

Build A Massive Chest and Pecs with Anti-Fly Chest Presses Dr. Joel Seedman, Ph.D. When it comes to building massive pectorals muscles it’s tough to beat the basics such as barbell presses, dumbbell presses, weighted pushups, dips and chest flyes. Unfortunately none of these variations fully maximize the various functions of the pectoral muscle fibers.  That’s because the chest muscle’s two primary functions (although there are several smaller functions) are flexion of the shoulder/humerus and adduction of the shoulder/ humerus.   Few exercises involve both of these functions s ..read more

Dr. Joel Seedman, Ph.D. As many of you know I’m an ardent advocate for improving body mechanics, technique, & muscle function. The best way to do this is by performing the basic foundational movement patterns consistently & frequently with eccentric isometrics. These foundational movements include what I refer to as the “Big 7” which I discuss in my book MOVEMENT REDEFINED and consist of the squat, hinge, lunge, horizontal pull, horizontal push, vertical pull, and vertical push. In fact, most of my clients perform each of these basic movement patterns 3-6x per week in conjunction with ..read more

Dr. Joel Seedman, Ph.D. When it comes to improving performance and muscle function, mastering foundational movement patterns is key. Although I like to rely on eccentric isometric squats, hinges, lunges, presses, and pulls as well as core stabilization drills, I also like to periodically modify these patterns and take advantage of contralateral (opposite sides of the body) hip activation patterns that involve reciprocal (opposing) muscle groups. This can be applied to most foundational movements by simply including contralateral hip positions (i.e. hip flexion and extension). For instance, wh ..read more

Dr. Joel Seedman, Ph.D.     If you are a die-hard ATG (ass-to-grass) squatter who believes the ATG squat is the one true squat, STOP now. You need not read any further. There is nothing here for you. If you view strength training primarily as a means to enhance athletic performance and muscle function, have injured yourself squatting ATG, or are willing to consider the possibility that there is an optimal way to squat other than ATG, then read on. My goal in writing this is not to attract more followers, or clients, or to drum up business. I’m simply stating the facts as I’ve obser ..read more