I have a full-time desk job and I used to be a competitive swimmer. As such, I have trouble with my hip mobility, lumbar stability and a few nagging shoulder injuries that plague me when I do too much in the wrong way.
From what I read online and what people tell me, there are a lot of people who are suffering similar problems because they are trying to carry out a training programme while doing a desk job and sitting down all of the time.
These posts are about my ongoing attempts to deal with my issues while trying to avoid paying a fortune to various different physical therapy professionals. If they help you, I am delighted. If they don’t, well you’re not me, so why would they?
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Soft tissue work and travelling – I travel away from home at least six times a year for a week or more. I also tend to be quite active while I am away and often find myself doing new things or things I am not used to doing at home. This tends to mean I get knots in my muscles. Consequently, I’ve developed a miniature soft-tissue kit to take with me on the road.
Flexibility and Vladimir Janda – when it comes to understanding why your posture has gone down the drain, there is no better place to start than the work of the remarkable Czech physiotherapist, Vladimir Janda.
What to do if your shoulder hurts doing pull ups – I have been doing weighted pull ups for about ten years. I’ve done large amounts of reps and I’ve worked up to a double bodyweight pull up. There have been a couple of times when I’ve really suffered with my shoulders. At the moment, I am completely pain free. Read about my approach and I hope it helps you.
Introducing: soft tissue maintenance – there are many personal trainers and strength coaches who regard soft tissue as the most important quality to work, particular for older populations. Don’t neglect this important part of your training or you will regret it later.
Introducing: face pulls – training at home, most people give up on doing cable exercises. However, with a pull up bar and a pulley, you can easily do face pulls. Here’s how.
Hip mobility – my programme – recently, I decided to get serious again about my hip mobility. I tend to ignore it as long as I can squat to parallel and deadlift but obviously that’s not a great standard! This is my approach to getting better.
Introducing hip mobility and lumbar stability – a long time ago, I put some thoughts down about hip mobility and lumbar stability, which I am persuaded are closely linked. Here they are.
Hip mobility – stretching – say what you like about static stretching, I am with Mike Boyle on the matter – it works. Here are the stretches I do for my hip mobility.
Hip mobility – soft tissue work – and don’t forget your soft tissue work, because all that sitting is going to create knots in your hip flexors.
Hip mobility – activation drills – I am not a great fan of the foo-foo stuff but I have found some of these drills helpful in developing hip mobility.
Hip mobility – strength training – strength training is where it is at and developing strong, powerful glutes will vastly improve your hip mobility.
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Still can’t find what you’re looking for? You can always contact me for help…
