Use functional training to heal and repair these key causes of chronic pain and movement impairment.

Table of Contents

• A Quick Primer on How to Identify Muscle Imbalances
  • The 2 Types of Muscle Imbalance
• How Do You Fix Joint Muscle Imbalances?
• How Do You Fix Symmetry Muscle Imbalances?
• A Quick Primer on How to Identify Muscle Dysfunction
• How Do You Fix Dysfunctional Muscles?
• Sensations to Pay Special Attention to When Fixing Muscle Imbalance and Dysfunction
• 1) Sharp Sensations in the Muscle You’re Activating, or Uncontrollable Jitters
  • 2 Strategies for Activating Weak Muscles
• 2) You Feel the Wrong Muscles Activate
• 3) Pinching or Jamming at the Joints
  • 3 Strategies for Fixing Joint Jamming
  • Apply Observation and...

Use functional training to root out and repair these key causes of chronic pain and movement impairment.

Table of Contents

• Types of Muscle Imbalances
  
  • Joint-Muscle Imbalance
  • Symmetry Muscle Imbalance
• Why do Muscle Imbalances Matter?
• Why the Impacts of Muscle Imbalance are Difficult to Study
• A Note for Skeptics
• How to Identify Muscle Imbalances
• Muscle Dysfunction vs. Muscle Imbalance
• Where do Muscle Imbalances and Dysfunctional Muscles Come From?
• How to Identify Muscle Dysfunction
• Apply Functional Tests to Your own Dysfunctional Muscles
• What is Normal Muscle Function?
• Aim for “Uncommon” Muscle Function
• The Role of Bones in Muscle Dysfunction and Imbalance
• What’s the Point of Finding Dysfunctional Muscles and...

ATM = Always Think Muscles. When you’re trying to get to the root of your joint pain, don’t forget to assess muscle function around the joint. Chances are, this is where your challenge lies, and that functional training can help you overcome it. 

Table of Contents

• Understanding Joint Pain
• Why the Orthopedic Theory of Joint Pain is Wrong
• Your Labrum, Meniscus, and Intervertebral Discs are Just Not That Important
• Why Most Joint Pain is Really Muscle Pain
• Joint Pain and Post-Workout Muscle Soreness 
• Joint Pain and Pushing Muscles Beyond Their Limits
• Joint Pain and Consistent Muscle Pain
• 3 Ways to Think About and Resolve Joint Pain

Here’s a controversial statement: joint pain is really...

Looking for a simple beginner exercise for rounded shoulders? No gym but still want to improve your posture and shoulder strength? This shoulder exercise will build arm and shoulder strength and can be a great fix for rounded shoulders.

When you don't have access to a gym or dumbbells, bands can provide a great way to work your shoulders. By setting up bands on a secure anchor point, you don't need a gym to improve your shoulder posture.

Rounded shoulders are a product of poor shoulder strength and length. The band row can reduce shoulder rounding and improve your upper back posture. It's easy to do with no gym and can be done at home, the office, or anywhere you can tie exercise bands.

Watch the video below or on YouTube.

If you have snapping, popping, and other cracking noises in your shoulders, you might be wondering what’s causing these sounds and what you can do to get rid of them.

People often get worried when they start experiencing clicks in their shoulders. They sometimes read stories about how the source of the clicking could be labrum tears, inflamed tendons, damaged muscles, etc.—all things that sound very serious and involved to fix.

First of all, you don't need to worry. Even babies get popping and snapping in their shoulders. As a newborn, my son had audible noises come from his shoulders - but they were not at all a sign of joint problems. And he STILL gets occasional noises!

What most people (including many doctors) don’t...

You’ve been told you have a rotator cuff tear, and you are scared that your shoulder is going to hurt forever. You’re afraid you’ve done damage that you’re never going to come back from. Maybe you’re wondering if there’s a way you can avoid getting surgery?

Let’s look at the ins and outs of rotator cuff tears so you understand what you’re dealing with.

We’re going to answer 3 major questions about rotator cuff tears:

1) What are rotator cuff tears?

2) Do rotator cuff tears cause pain?

3) Does surgery for rotator cuff tears get you back to doing things you love?

Along the way, we’ll address some other related questions as well, and figure out the best way for YOU to...

^{Are PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections worth it for joint pain? Photo by RF._.studio}

Osteoarthritis, labral tears, and cartilage and tendon pain can all prompt doctors to prescribe platelet-rich plasma injections. Here’s why you should consider functional movement training first.

Table of Contents

• What are PRP Injections?
• Why are PRP Injections Controversial?
• PRP Injections for Soft Tissue Issues
• PRP injections for Osteoarthritis
• The Flawed Science Behind PRP Injections
• Functional Movement Training for Joint Pain

What are PRP Injections?

I work with a lot of clients who have had chronic hip, knee, back, and shoulder pain. They have usually spent all kinds of money and time trying to fix their aches and...

If you've been told you have a labral tear and that it's the cause of your shoulder pain and movement issues, there's something you need to know: Labral tears are not as important as your doctor thinks.

Labral tears don't have anything to do with pain - as near as we can tell.

For many years, the conventional medical wisdom has been this: if we can see something "torn" in your shoulder, that must be the reason you have pain. Based on MRIs and this belief, surgery has long been proposed as a way to solve shoulder pain that appears to be "caused" by labral tears.

If, in fact, the labral tears are causing people shoulder issues, we should be able to take someone off the street and, if we find a labral...

When it comes to lower back, hip, and knee pain, we can get caught in a cycle of beliefs that can make our pain worse. Here's how functional training may be the way to break the cycle. 

Table of Contents

• Theories About Chronic Pain and How to Treat It
• Why Rest Isn’t Always the Best Solution
• Your Perception of Pain Can Make It Worse
• Working Toward a Pain-Free, Empowered Solution to Functional Movement
• Why Functional Training Works to Treat Pain
• My Journey with Pain and Functional Training

When you’re suffering from chronic pain, you may search for the meaning behind your suffering, asking yourself What's wrong with me? Or What did I do to deserve this?

However, the meanings we ascribe to our chronic pain...

Functional training may help relieve thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms, including cold and numb hands. Learn the risks of TOS surgery, along with less-risky thoracic outlet syndrome treatments, including simple movement solutions that address muscle dysfunction.

Table of Contents

What is Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?
Should You Get Surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?
What are the Complication Rates with Thoracic Outlet Surgery?
What are the Success Rates of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?
What will my Quality of Life be Post Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Surgery?
What are the Alternatives to Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Surgery?
How I Fixed my Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Symptoms
Functional Training Exercises for Relieving Symptoms of Thoracic Outlet...