So I’m hoping that this post draws the same amount of attention as my previous post last week did. Whereas last week was borderline clickbait, this week I REALLY want you to hear these 3 exercises and bask in the awesomeness of them.
Now for today’s 3 exercises I want to talk about movements that aren’t the normal “good” exercises you hear about.
Sure, Squats, deadlifts, presses ... .they are all great movements that provide a ton of bang for your buck. However, everyone knows about these so I find it a little boring to talk more about how great squats are for your body!
With that said lets go over quickly what makes a GREAT exercise so you can understand the rubric I’m judging these on. Then after, the 3 best exercises you aren’t doing right now.
What makes a GREAT exercise?
Truly great exercises do a few things, all at the same time.
They provide the ability to progress. Examples of doing more weight, and more reps is “easily” done with more practice doing the movement. For example, once you get really good at a squat…you can progress that very easily by adding weight in your hand, or adding weight to a barbell.
This means you have a ton of progression available to you, therefore increasing the results you get from doing that movement.
Another thing that makes a great exercise is the fact that it is safe.
Safety is top priority for me. If you get hurt doing a movement, not only do you hurt the area that gets upset with the movement, but you put yourself at a loss for continued exercise. When you miss a day, or miss a few weeks because of an exercise injury…you are basically doing the opposite of what exercise SHOULD do for you. (That is, keep you safe and get you STRONGER, not weaker)
Lastly, an exercise that provides a REHAB effect hits all the right notes.
Everyone has aches and pains, and problem areas. If we can mitigate and improve those injuries with a movement, big kudos are given to that movement!
So the following 3 exercises I’ll talk about how they provide each of the following:
You can progress it easily
The movement is safe, even under increased load
The exercise has rehab potential
Okay so now you know what I grade as a GREAT exercise…Let’s see if you are doing these:
#1 : Face Pulls
If you have shoulder issues, this is THE exercise you need to be doing weekly.
The face pull is a movement that has you set up with either a resistance band, or a cable machine. You take an overhand grip (or neutral depending on attachment used) and pull the band towards your face as well as apart.
This movement works the:
Rear Delts
Upper Traps
Mid Traps
Rotator cuff
According to my Rubric, Face pulls will hit all 3!
The face pull can be progressed easily with either heavier bands, or a heavier cable. It can also be used safely as it has a few modifications on angle that can allow anyone with shoulder pain to perform the movement pain free.
Lastly IT IS an excellent rehab tool for shoulder issues. Issues such as rotator cuff injuries, rounded shoulders, as well as those with bad posture can benefit from this exercise greatly.
If you have any shoulder pain, I would advise you to try adding face pulls into your program. This is an exercise you can do 3-4x a week, even as a warm up for workouts.
I like doing sets of 10-15 reps with a moderate weight. We are looking for this to create a “burn” feeling, not so much a feeling of not being able to do the exercise (NOT to failure)
The face pull does work smaller muscles so it will fatigue more quickly, however because it’s smaller muscles you can also work it more often throughout the week.
Give this one a go if you’ve been having shoulder issues, I promise within a few weeks your shoulder pain will improve!
#2 : Pallof Press
If you read last week's post, you know my stance on sit ups for core activation.
Here’s my follow up : pallof press is an amazing exercise for many reasons…let’s jump in!
Firstly, what is a pallof press?
Just like above with the face pull, you can use a resistance band, or a cable machine. Basically you stand perpendicular to the attachment of the band/cable machine. Before you initiate this exercise, you’ll want to get the band/cable at above sternum height, close to the chest.
Then while squeezing both rib cage down (abs tight), as well as glutes squeezed…you press the band out in front of you.
Now you can either press and return within a second, or you can hold out in front of you.
Watching this exercise, it doesn’t look like much at all is actually happening. However if you’ve done the pallof press you know the beautiful pains/burn in those abs you feel when doing this properly.
Not only is this an extremely scalable exercise (you can mess with holding it, doing more reps, increasing resistance etc.) but it is also really safe, and is a great REHAB exercise for low back pain.
If you have low back pain doctors / chiro’s will tell you that you need to strengthen your core. If you spend all your time doing bad movements like situps and crunches for core strength, you’ll be doing more harm than good.
Planks and hollow bodies are an excellent choice. However the Pallof takes the cake for me in terms of effectiveness.
And the main reason is this : your abs are responsible for RESISTING movement in the torso / spine.
Yes, your abs aren’t just for “sitting up”. They work a ton to stabilize your spine to keep you upright. So when we do the Pallof press, we train exactly in a way that your abs want to work….in stabilization.
So if you're looking to improve back pain, get stronger in your core..start doing the pallof press. I promise you it’s one of the best ones you don’t know about!
#3 : Sled pulls
Last but not least, Sled pulls or sled drags are some of the most effective movements for knee pain and quad strength.
So for this one you will need a sled that you can put weight on and either a belt or TRX strap that can attach to the sled.
You’ll simply either grab the handles of the TRX strap, or set the belt around your waist.
You will then start walking backwards, making sure that your shoulders stay back, your chest proud. Doing your best to strike with the ball of your foot first, then your heel.
You walk backwards for 10-50 Yards for a set.
You can load this up and progress this very easily, it’s one of the safest exercises (I’ll tell you why in a minute), as well as an excellent tool for Knee rehab.
I LOVE this exercise for a warm up for all my knee problem clients. It does an amazing job of working the quads a ton with very limited knee bend. For many with knee issues, squatting too low or bending the knee too much causes pain.
This makes it much harder to train the quads, the muscle we want to build to improve knee health and stability.
With the sled pull however, the knee doesn't bend much at all while still requiring the quad to work a ton to walk backwards.
Not only that, but the sled pull is extremely safe. Think about a back squat / goblet squat…if the weight becomes too heavy there is a risk that you won’t get back up, that you’ll drop the weight or at worst…get hurt.
With a sled pull the worst thing that happens is…..it doesn’t move. If you aren’t strong enough or too fatigued to walk, then the sled simply doesn’t move. There is no load on your body at all therefore the risk for injury is basically none.
I love this exercise so much (did I mention that already?!) I use this exercise with people as young as 25 years old, all the way up to 70+. Every single person can do this exercise. Not every single person can back squat.
So for that reason, it’s one of the most underrated and unknown exercises around.
Start walking backwards with a sled and thank me later. Your knees will thank you. I’ve seen it happen before and I know if you are suffering knee pain, sled pulls might be the answer!
Start doing these today
The beauty of these 3 exercises is that they can be done frequently as both warm ups, and as main strength sets. They have the ability to scale extremely well, always providing a challenge.
These exercises are very easy to learn, very safe to perform and have a massive benefit when it comes to the rehab potential.
For many of our clients here at FFM, injuries and lingering issues are the norm. It’s of utmost importance to find movements that satisfy all these important categories.
I see our coaching methods here at FFM as the bridge from physical therapy to function. We are able to build muscle in the right spots, with movements like these above to provide a response of success.
Seriously if you have any type of shoulder, back, or knee pain..you need to do these 3 movements.
If you aren’t sure where to start you can book an intro to talk about exactly where you are at. I’m more than happy to help get you out of pain and dysfunction. It’s something we do everyday.
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