Jamie Mraz DPT

Midback stiffness that doesn’t get better with stretching, foam rolling, or chiro adjustments?

It’s likely that you need to incorporate more active and loaded movements to create lasting change

The ribcage and midback gets notoriously stiff on many folks. Targeted breath work with movements that reinforce range of motion should be implemented as part of a comprehensive program

These are some of my favorite ways to drive movement into be midback and ribcage 🤙🏼

This is a conversation that I have with folks almost daily

What you are doing isn’t necessarily the problem- it’s what you aren’t doing.

We need to find the gaps in your training and then fill them in to get your body on a more well rounded program

We need to get you more in tune with your body’s recovery system so that you can learn when to push things and when to dial back

It is human nature to gravitate towards the things we enjoy and the things we are good at. It is all to easy to overlook that aspects of human performance that are difficult for us or ‘boring’.

But what separates the great athletes from the average is the willingness to spend mental and physical energy on the weaker areas of performance.

For my military and tactical athletes, this should be non-negotiable as it can determine career longevity and efficacy of job ex*****on

Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend 🤙🏼

Training capabilities that your hips need to stay healthy

Your lower body can be strong AF and still have massive blind spots. The hips are a notorious culprit and deficiencies can hide out for years if all you are doing is bilateral compound lifts like squat/deadlift.

These are some supplemental training capabilities that I like my athletes to incorporate into their lower body training program to keep the hips happy and healthy

1. The ability to load the hips and then push into a lateral direction

2. Rotation without compensation

3. The ability to control pelvic position into a strict hinge

4. Multi-planar stability

5. Control and strength through range of motion

6. Unilateral strength

7. Effective brakes to control impact

🎯 Train with me ➡️ Resolute 12-week strength and mobility program 💪🏼

🔗 Link in bio to get started

How your feet interact with the ground says a lot of your body’s ability to produce force and absorb impact

What we want to see is an Achilles tendon that lengthens and then recoils to release energy. If you stay up on your toes the whole time, the tendon is at a mechanical disadvantage

We also want to see a foot that can pronate and splay as it accepts body weight

We want the ability to create some stiffness and rigidity in the feet and ankles to strike the ground

The guys that I treat in the clinic are in stiff, rigid boots all day often times leading to stiff and weak feet which then become painful and struggle under high mileage

One of the key components to restoring better foot mechanics is consequently working though a progression where we retain the feet to interact with the ground

Basically mobility and strength work will usually precede and supplement this training but I just wanted to highlight the importance of this

The simplest way to start? Take your shoes off and jump rope. Easy jumps (no double unders). Utilize th muscle tendon elasticity in the Achilles by allowing the heel to drop down to the ground. Your feet will eventually build up but be aware it can take up to 12 weeks