Strength and Physique

Q:  I want to say thanks for those Strength and Physique updates.  Those are nice little nuggets and tips in my inbox. I just got done with my last physical therapy session for my tweaked back. I fucked up my bulging discs back in March and had to go back in for therapy. And then once my back was better, there were OTHER issues they discovered: muscle compensations and imbalances affecting my hip/pelvis alignment.  My back is actually much better now (when I tweaked it doing, of all things, a yoga stretch I had lots of nerve irritation which was scary as it made my legs feel weak) but there are other issues with a rotated pelvis and/or hip misalignment.  But one question I wanted to ask you was what your thoughts are on lifting for those with injured backs? Obviously, I need to always be mindful of my form and if I'm pushing the boundaries, but my physical therapist discouraged me from doing deadlifts anymore. Even my orthopedist didn't want me doing deads, o...

Q: I found your Return to Copland workout on line. I am a 41 yr old lieutenant who is trying it. The workouts seem great so far. I'm looking for something to do on the off days. What do you recommend? Rest? Walking? Yoga? Thank you, Jimmy My Answer: Any of those are fine. I prefer doing mobility work on the off days. The following are exercises that I recommend to all tactical athletes (law enforcement, military, fire, EMS). Years of bearing the continuous load of your equipment (bullet resistant vest, duty belt) compresses your spine and constricts your torso movement. This often results in lower back pain as well decreased thoracic mobility. These mobility exercises will restore your range of motion: Single leg RDL

Q: Hi James! Love your books! But I struggle doing overhead presses and all kinds of squats due to muscle stiffness, lack of mobility and so on. I've seen improvements since I started to use some drills you suggested  your YouTube page : halos ( SPV3 ) and shoulder circles against the wall . Thus, do you have any suggestions of mobility drills for the lower body?  Thanks! Victor My Answer:  For lower body mobility, I'm a firm believer in simple body weight squatting and lunging.  If you want to increase your range of motion on the squat, then you would simply do body weight squats. Use body weight squats and lunges as mobility exercises.  Don't worry about repetitions.  Focus on the full range of motion by squatting all the way down. Here's a humorous primer on how to do simple body weight squats: Now you may have tightness in certain areas that prevent you from squatting ass to the grass.  Again simple body weight exercises can help...

A warm-up is a warm-up. Stretching is stretching, and not a warm-up. A good trainer usually knows not to have clients do static stretching before a workout. I've seen plenty of people get injured from pre-workout stretching. Bulgarian weightlifters go so far as to not even include warm-ups. They lift the near max weight immediately in their training. I usually recommend light calisthenics, mobility drills, or stationary biking as opposed to stretching. Particularly for bodybuilding, stretching is best done after the workout, when the muscles are tight, but thoroughly warmed up.